Winter Garland

Well, I'm back from my short absence from this little blog, so first off hello to all you beautiful people!  I hope you are having the best holidays!!! 

Saying that I am busy right now is an understatement, so I'm going to try and update here two or three times a week for the month of December, but honestly it may be less just becuase I am so pressed for time right now.....

I have been busy making presents, (like the frosty winter garland above), working on projects for friends, going to puppy classes, working on dog training, trying to keep my house in order, spending wonderful time with friends, doing projects for Bubblegum Life, and have had lots of fun Christmasy dates with Ryan.....Oh, and Gloria and I started doing photoshoots, which has been a blast!!!  You can see some of the pics from our first family photoshoot HERE.

I made the garland above for a dear friend who said she liked sliver, white, iridescent and frosty blue.  So, it's layered with vellum, glitter paper, iridescent bazzill, pretty feathers, rhinestones, and I also snuck in a little vintage with THIS beautiful Pink Paislee paper.  It was super fun to make.  I'll try and share some of the other gifts I make, once they've been opened by the person I made them for.

I always have the most difficult time coming up with homemade presents for Christmas......What has been your favorite holiday project so far?

Well, I'd better get back to my day.  Enjoy your week!  I'll share some more holiday pics and stories soon : )

<3 Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

Hi lovely friends.  How have you been?  We hope you are enjoying the holidays : )

OK.  Originally Gloria and I had this awesome photo prompt picked out for today, but as December and the holiday fun started we began to think that there might be something a little more special about this time of year.  So, we chatted and talked about all the cool photography ideas going on in our heads and decided to go with a sweet and endearing prompt thought up by Gloria (with a title inspired by Starbucks).  The prompt is.....

Stories are gifts.  Share.

My story starts out back in September when Ryan bought me this little fella for my birthday, on my birthday no less.  I remember bringing him home and even though he was tiny, he was fearless.  He looked like a little wolf and made the cutest little squeaky noises.  And that's when we decided to name him Ponyo.  Ponyo is an onomatopoeia, based on Miyazaki's (an amazing Japanese director) idea of what a "soft, squishy softness" sounds like when touched.  It seemed like fate.  A Japanese breed (he is a shiba inu), with a cute Japanese name.  See, we have this tradition on my side of the family to name our pets after names of character's we like in movies.  My sister just got an adorable minature poodle and named her Elora Danan, from the movie Willow (1988).  Perfect.  Ponyo (2008), just so happens to be one of Ryan and my favorite animated films.  Lovely.  Skipping past all the baby puppy stuff, our little fella is now in his teenage phase which means three things to me this Christmas.  One, he is curious about everything.....and I mean EVERYTHING.  Look out Christmas decorations!!!  Two, he is old enough for puppy class and to be around other dogs.  Yay, us!  And three, we have been able to take him out the last two weekends to enjoy fun Christmas stuff.  Last weekend he went with us to the La Jolla Christmas Celebration, and the day before picked out a present for one of my sibling's dogs.  I know that when I go to wrap it he will have his wet little nose everywhere.  But, on his behalf I do have to say he was such an angel letting me take this photo.  He does not like wearing his Santa hat, but he wore it, let me place him exactly into the center of the wreath AND didn't budge until I got my shot.  Not bad for a little fella who has enough energy for three dogs.  LOL!  So far this Christmas he has been enjoying the following.  Popcorn with Gatsby (his big brother, a basenji), Ryan and I.  Cuddling up with Ryan on the couch.  Lots of playing with Gatsby.  His first trip to the dog park.  Being a good student at home and in puppy class.  Already outgrowing his current collar.  His very own stocking.  And is soon to enjoy.  His very first road trip, when we drive to be with my brother and nephew in Salt Lake City for Christmas.  And hopefully his first adventure in the snow!  It seems to me that Ponyo's first Christmas is already filled with fun and a lot of firsts.  Now if only I could find the perfect present for him.....

What story do you have to tell this holiday season?  I am dying to read it!  When you go to take your photo this week, look for something that either brings back a holiday memory.....like every time I see baked ornaments it makes me think of sitting at the table when I was a kid and making them with my family.....or something that symbolizes a story that is happening.....like my doggie's first Christmas.  Take your photo of that thing, and then write your story about it.  Your story can be long or short.  But I bet that there's something out there that means something special to you right now.  Give us a gift this Christmas.  Share your story : )

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Stories are gifts shared.

This prompt was one that I think came to us.....We were collaborating and had ideas floating between Carrie and I and then you know how it is...your friend says something that brings you to another thought and then it come to you.  A holiday picture that in your mind bring you to a cool place were in that lies a story.

Paola is my daughter.  She is 16 and I am 38.  That means little sweet P has been with me most of my life.  We have had our share of Christmas stories but this dear ornament brings me to my favorite one.  In this picture she is 8 and I am 30.   We took this little picture after her first Chorus performance.   We lived in Boulder Colorado and if my memory serves me it was about 30 degrees outside and it was snowing.  She was wearing this nice white satin shirt and I was wearing a pink one.  ( At this point in my life I matched our clothes.)  She was so afraid of it getting wrinkled that she refused to wear a jacket and I said OK that's fine but its gonna be cold.  She was obviously nervous.  Lots happened getting ready for this performance...not all good behavior stuff, but we got through it.  She froze on the way to her performance and I quietly watched.  Then she got on stage and sang her little heart out and she was perfect.  What was so special about this holiday performance was that as soon as she was done she ran up to me and hugged me (that's when this picture was taken), and said thanks for not getting mad at me when I was acting up mom.  So, I framed this picture in a little ornament frame so that every year when I put it up I can remember that story.....

Hope you enjoy this prompt, and happy holidays!!!

Love, Gloria and Carrie

Joyful & Sweet Photos

Beauty, truth, friendship, love, creation – these are the great values of life. We can't prove them, or explain them, yet they are the most stable things in our lives.

- Jesse Herman Holmes

Courage, determination, pride...that's what girls are made of.

- Author Unknown

When the future hinges on the next words that are said, don't let logic interfere, believe your heart instead.

- Philip Robison

In art the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can inspire.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Love, Gloria and Carrie

Project Monday

Hello lovely people!  Thanks so much for stopping by today : )

Our Project Mondays are a little late this week.  With the holiday parties, plays, gift making, spending time with loved ones, and kids getting sick, we are going to kindly ask for your patience this December.  Every week we still plan to share our photo prompt, projects, and inspirational photos but they may be a little late.....and now, without furthur adue, I am super excited to share my Project Monday with you this wonderful afternoon!!!

I have decided that for the month of December, my Project Mondays are going to be and art journal with one page for each day leading up to December 31st.....my version of Ali Edward's December Daily.  Take a look at what I have so far.....

December 1st - Ice Skating with Melanie and Self Portriat.

December 2nd - Regular art stuff, dinner with Ryan, and a trip to Michaels with Ryan to get more art stuff (a rare and special treat).....I love December already!

December 3rd - December Night as Balboa Park.

December 4th - My first family photoshoot with Gloria for one of her friends <3

December 5th - La Jolla with Ryan and the doggies for their Christmas Celebration.

As you can see I only have up to December 5th even though it's the 8th already.  This is why.  I use to print my photos at home, and now I have them printed at my favorite shop down the street from my house (my printer and I are not getting along).....it's a little difficult for me to get to the shop every day, so I have been taking my photos, saving trinkets, jotting down notes, and doing loose page designs each day until I get my photos developed.  It seems to be working OK so far, and I still plan to have either 6 or 7 pages to share each week for my Project Monday.  So, we'll see where my progress is next week.

For my art journal I knew I wanted to use this chipboard cover as my base, and sweet, sweet Gloria was totally awesome and knitted the yarn cover for me (green is my favorite color...thank you Gloria!!!).  I think I'm in love.  Sigh.  It feels so cozy.  Andyways, for the rest here is the formula I came up with.....I am using watercolor on each page over the patterened paper (And I bought my first watercolors specifically for this project.).  All the journaling is with my typewriter.  All the photos are sewed down, and some have fun little negative frames.  I have been having fun the the Martha Stewart Christmas tape or dye cut stickers on each page.  I am using punched circles out of red glittered felt for each day's number.  And once the front and back of a page is complete, I sew them together.  It has been really fun!

Anyone else out there working on their December Daily?  If you decided to use any of your prompt photos on a page, we would LOVE for you to add it to our Flickr Group!!!  And also please share your links in the comments here so we can see your beautiful art!

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The beginning of every month is fun but I think we can all agree that December is special.  It does not matter how old you are or where you come from this month is magical.  For me having a December Journal and following along with Ali Edwards just sounds exciting!

I am so glad Carrie and I decided to do this and kinda give it our own Bubblegum Life twist.  So here's mine.....

I am planning on sewing it together, but I might have a need to stick some extra stuff in there so I have left that for last, and just held it together with a ring for now.

Then there are the rest of the pages.....some are water colored, others scrapped.  There is just a little bit of however I felt that day in December.  That's the great part about this its our rules, its your journal...

 

Have fun and I am so excited to see what we come up with for next week!!!

Love, Gloria and Carrie