another lovely stampin' up day

i spent the evening with a friend i call the "stampin' up queen" http://stampingwithlisa.com/  she makes this stuff look so easy. if only i could buy everything in the catalog but i need to use the stuff i already own, right? i could have kept going on and on all night but unfortunately it's just an hour class. maybe one day i can talk her into a card making marathon, wouldn't that be awesome?  ^__^

i found the first card she ever made and she had a lot of the initial cards she made years ago. i thought they were cute and innocent. nothing fancy. she kept saying how much they sucked and how she was too embarrassed to give them to anyone. i laughed when i thought about it but i give away all of the cards i make and thought "should i be embarrassed too?". but then i said to myself, "heck no!" i make those cards with loving intentions, they mean a lot to me and i'm going to keep making them. i really enjoy it!

trying to awaken the child within

i seem to have a problem, i buy art supplies & stuff and never use them. for some reason i'm always attracted to those crayons every fall when all of the school supplies are displayed. i actually found 2 packs of the crayola 24s in my studio, never used of course.
i found that cute little book "32 ways to dress a piggy" in a store called franklin goose. (please don't mind the grease stain from the mary janes i added to the bag. by the way, i actually like bit-o-honey's better) anyway, all of those cute little books i have intimidate me. they are cute and "perfect" just the way they are, why would i make marks in them and mess them up? i feel the same way whenever i buy a neat notebook or cool composition book.
i am pleased with my little frogs, the pig's dress is really ugly and coloring the hello kitty was quite boring. i'm going to try again but maybe with pens instead. the crayons seemed different some how, probably not made the same as they were when i was little. i realized i probably need to be more adventurous and try something crazy with the boring hello kitty pages but i think i'm going to have fun with the doodle book   ^__^

i actually caught myself biting my lip as i colored. i think i even had my tongue sticking out the side at one point.

unfortunately, i'm one of those who "always" colors within the lines.

meanwhile, back in the studio.....

i seem to go through these phases where time just passes me by and it seems to go in full speed. i was thinking of times where i felt my day was longer or more fulfilling. usually those are days where i don't go in to my "day job". doing creative projects, reading, writing, or spending time outside always made my days feel longer, more relaxed, and more productive.

it's been a long time since i've worked in my studio. first thing i did today, cleaned and organized it. then i completed a project i've wanted to do for months. a good friend of mine recently became a grandmother and i wanted to make a gift. she has a great sense of humor so i hope she likes them.

i had the bright idea of using puffy paint. i don't like puffy paint :) it's difficult to work with. everytime i thought i had a smooth and steady hand, a puff of air would burst out and mess things up. maybe that's why it's called "puffy" paint, tee hee. but i must be maturing because i did not get frustrated. i just continued and got it done. i'm not sure what they will look like when they are dry.

i'm sitting in my studio now, my favorite room of the place. i'm really happy right now. i love having all of the messy and colorful paint spots on my hands and fingers. now i'm just wondering what i should do in here next.....