Finished Layouts from the Amy Tan Workshop

Last month, I took two classes from the awesome Amy Tan. I had a wonderful time. Amy is an excellent instructor and has such a fun and unique style (that is NOTHING like mine). Taking classes from someone who scraps completely differently than I do helps me grow as an artist and pulls me from my comfort zone.  

When Amy's class ended, this is what my layouts looked like:

Sequins, stitching, watercolors, hot pink... definitely not my usual stuff! I wasn't sure if I was going to finish them or not. For me, the goal of the class wasn't to complete layouts but instead to learn new techniques and try new things. Mission accomplished! But when I picked up my last batch of photos, I was inspired to use the pictures I took that day to finish these two layouts. I'm glad I did. I like how they turned out.  

Here's Amy's sample:

And my version:

 

Amy's sample: 

And my version: 

Even though I changed my name when I got married, in my mind my initials are still CJ or CMJ. I've always signed artwork that way and somehow it never occurred to me that I needed to change my initials just because I changed my name.

I love that these layouts serve to remind me not only about the fun day I had but the new techniques I tried as well!

Our Secret Life as Mythbusters Volunteers

Last week, Steve and I did something amazingly cool.  We were volunteers for a Mythbusters experiment.  But I can't talk about it.

 

Seriously.  We had to sign forms saying we wouldn't discuss anything that happened until the episode airs.  Which will be in 3-5 months.  It is torture not being able to tell everyone about it.  So I'm going to tell you everything that I'm allowed to tell.  

Steve and I have been Mythbusters fans from the start.  Trevor has been a huge fan for the past year or so.  When the Mythbusters announced their live "Behind the Myths" tour last fall, we immediately got tickets for the three of us to go to the Sacramento show in January.  We had a blast.

For those who don't know, Mythbusters is based in San Francisco.  They conduct many of their experiments in Alameda County (where I grew up), Vallejo (where I used to teach), and other Bay Area locations that are an easy drive from here.    

When I started compiling my 40 Things list, I added "Be a Mythbusters volunteer" as one of the possibilities.  I'm a Facebook fan, which is where they post their calls for volunteers.  There was a call for volunteers in San Francisco recently, but the dates didn't work for us.  But when a call for Vallejo came, I decided to MAKE it work.  Steve and I both filled out online forms, which asked questions like our height/weight, where we live, whether we could lift items above our heads, and whether or not we were claustrophobic.  A day or two passed.... and then Steve was notified that he was selected.  

I won't lie.  I was really jealous.  I was the one who had the idea, I was the one who had been stalking the Facebook page, I was the one who applied and forwarded the link to Steve.  And he was the one who was chosen.  Still, I was happy for him and very excited.

But I was even more excited a few days later when they contacted me!  They would only need me for one day, while Steve would be doing both days of the experiment.  We were sent waivers to sign, which we needed to submit with a full body photo of ourselves.  Only after this was done would we be told where to go and what to do.    

The day before the experiment, we learned that we needed to report to a building on Mare Island at 8:00 AM.  We needed to bring an item, which I can't disclose.  We were told that absolutely NO photography of any kind would be allowed.  This was torture for a scrapbooker like me.  But I am a rules follower, so I did not take any pictures once we were inside the building.  The one and only picture I took the entire day was this one: 

After the episode airs, I will give you all the details about what we did.  We saw a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff.  And yes, we did get to meet the Mythbusters themselves.  But no pictures.  :(  

At the end of the day, those of us who were only doing one day were given t-shirts.  (Steve and the other two-day folks got theirs the following day.)  The t-shirts give a good clue about the nature of the experiment we participated in.  We are allowed to wear our t-shirts, so I took a picture to share with you:

Any guesses?!  

Goal #22 accomplished!  

Found Object Stamping

Today I'm sharing two more projects I made on National Scrapbook Day for Fiskateer challenges.  The "Stamp It!" challenge asked us to make a card using stamps, and the "Upcycle It!" challenge required us to make something from an item we'd normally throw away.  I made a stamped card and matching gift box, both of which featured stamping and the use of items I'd normally throw away!  

To make the card, I started with a piece of white cardstock and acrylic paint (green, blue and red).  I stamped large blue circles using an empty pill container.  Next, I added the green concentric circles using the center piece from an empty roll of tape.  Finally, the red circles came from a used drinking straw.

 

I let the paint dry, then matted it with red cardstock and attached it to a card base.  Then I stamped the sentiment, matted that, and attached it to the finished card.

The gift box started life as Girl Scout cookies.  I painted the box white.  It took two coats to get good coverage.  

 

When it was dry, I stamped it the same way I did the card.  Add the gift, some tissue paper, and it's ready to go!

Oops!  Good thing acrylic paint washes off so easily. 

 

Now I'm seeing the boxes in my pantry in a whole new way.  And I'll definitely be on the lookout for other pieces of 'trash' that we can use for stamping.  The possibilities are endless!  

Apple-Shaped Teacher Appreciation Card

Here's another card I made on National Scrapbook Day.  It's for Trevor's kindergarten teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week:

I was inspired by this card by Fiskateer #8546, Amy:

Of course, Trevor made one too.  Materials: red, brown and green cardstock, scissors, pencil, pen, and glue.

 

Begin by folding the red paper in half to form a card.  Lightly sketch the shape of an apple on the card, making sure there is a slightly 'flattened' part on the left side of the apple.  This will hold the card together.  Cut along the sketch line.

Cut a stem from brown cardstock and a leaf from green cardstock.  Attach using the glue.  Add a message to the card.  Couldn't be easier!  

 

Here's Trevor's finished card. 

I like to photograph the inside of the cards Trevor makes.  It's fun to see how his spelling and handwriting are improving over time.  Quite a dramatic difference from this time last year!  Which, of course, is just further proof that Mrs. Monachello is a grat techer.  :)

To all the teachers out there, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

National Scrapbook Day Wrap-Up (Part 2)

Yesterday I shared three of the layouts I made on National Scrapbook Day. Today I'm going to share some of the cards I made.

For the "Snail Mail" challenge at scrapbook.com, we were asked to use themed scraps to create a card for an upcoming occasion. I had been wanting to scraplift the adorable Baby Boy card by Jing-Jing Nickel and this was the perfect occasion. Notice that I 'cheated' the stitching by only poking holes in the four corners. For a one hour challenge, there was no way I would have had time to properly hand-stitch all the way around! 

 

All the rest of the cards I'm going to show you are from Fiskateer challenges. The "Stencil Time" challenge asked us to use a punch as a mask. I used the Jenni's Butterfly punch and two different inks to create a background full of pink and orange butterflies.

 

 

The "Inspiration" challenge was really hard for me. Lead Fiskateer Cheryl posted a picture of a carousel that we were to use as the inspiration for a project. I struggled with this, but finally let the colors and whimsy inspire me to make a birthday card. The candles were inspired by the shape of the carousel. I placed the sentiment across the bottom to mimic the fence around the carousel.  

I don't know how carousel-ish it looks, but I love how it turned out. Since the supplies were out anyway, I made a second version of the card in a different color palette.  

The "Yes I Actually Sewed Something" challenge required us to, obviously, actually sew something. I'd found this lone Doodlebug sticker while putting away the supplies from the previous card, so I thought it would be cute to sew some whimsical waves. It took less than five minutes. As a final touch, I chalked the sky a light blue and the ocean a darker blue.    

 

The "Life Altering Friendship" challenge asked us to create a card for a special friend in our life. Since this is Teacher Appreciation Week, my mind went immediately to my dear friend and former coworker Marcia. When I was a brand-new teacher (23 years old but frequently mistaken for 14... or younger), it was Marcia who helped me adjust to the frequently-difficult job of teaching fifth graders. She was a mentor who quickly became one of my closest friends. I taught next door to her for 11 years. By far, what I miss most about teaching is not being able to hang out with Marcia 5 times a week. Now I'm lucky to see her every few months. Thank you to Marcia for 17 years of guidance, support and friendship. 

And speaking of Teacher Appreciation Week, tomorrow I'll share a tutorial for the cards Trevor and I made for his kindergarten teacher. She's awesome.