September 2

In My Studio – September 2

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Here’s what’s been happening in my studio…

I had a Stampin’ Up! cardmaking club meeting in August, so I made two new cards.

August Card 1

A Halloween card. The two stripes at the bottom are washi tape. The glitter stripe was made by applying a piece of double-sided sticky tape and then adding glitter. We also used embossing powder on the background stamp and skull stamp.

August Card 2

A Christmas card. I fell in love with this card because it would be so easy to make in any color you choose. The striped background was made with an embossing folder and a Sizzix machine and the perfect ovals where cut using dies. I ordered this stamp set because in my fantasy life, I will use it to make my Christmas cards. I’m so awesome in my fantasy life!

This Week’s Inspiration (well…Last Month’s Inspiration)

In 2013, I’m doing Inspiration Mondays and Results Thursdays. Every Monday, I’ll post a painting “inspiration” and then on Thursdays, I’ll post how I’m interpreting that inspiration.

My last inspiration (before The August Break 2013) was PEACE.

Peace Girl

Notice that it’s hanging on a wall. I put up some of my paintings at my local library. I’ll show more photos soon.

This month, I’m committed to finishing paintings I’ve started but never completed. So my inspiration for the month of September is FINISHING WHAT I STARTED.

Posted by lori . Filed under In My Studio, Inspiration | 17 Comments

September 1

The August Break 2013 Recap

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The entire month of August, I participated in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway. I posted a different picture every day, following a list of prompts provided by Susannah. Here’s a recap:

AB - 1 BreakfastAB - 2 CirclesAB - 3 Yellow

01. breakfast – I’m trying real hard to eat something in the morning for breakfast. Yogurt seems to be the easiest, so I’ve started with that.

02. circles – I looked and looked for circles and then I remember the wine rack. I thought it was funny that my curtains also have circles on them.

03. yellow – I have loved these sunflowers for 10+ years. I bought them at a Home Interiors party, and I bring them out every summer.

AB - 4 LoveAB - 5 Close UpAB - 6 Diagonals

04. love – A picture of my mother’s hand in mine. I had to take about 10 pictures in order to get one where her hand looked older than mine.

05. close up – This is a detail from a card a friend made for me.

06. diagonals – Remember the Artist Date I took at The Eatery | Reads & Things? This is where I work and the picture is a detail from the building.

AB - 7 SkylineAB - 8 A SelfieAB - 9 Taste

07. skyline – I took this picture in April. The day of prompt was grey and rainy. I tried to get something interesting, but all I got was grey.

08. a selfie – I do not like taking selfies. I envy younger folks and their ease in front of a camera.

09. taste – I took this picture of an old set of silverware in one of my favorite antique stores, Mishawaka Antiques.

AB - 10 RedAB -11 PlayAB - 12 Far Away

10. red – This picture was also taken at Mishawaka Antiques. I spotted this red beauty as soon as I walked in the door. A dime for a nice cold glass bottle of Coke.

11. play – Sneaky Snake! This is Nikki’s favorite toy.

12. far away – I was very careful to exercise standing-in-the-middle-of-train-tracks safety while taking this picture.

AB - 13 HomeAB - 14 StillnessAB - 15 Books

13. home – Freedom and Casper are the window-watchers in our home. Nikki generally hangs back until something exciting happens.

14. stillness – Perhaps an odd subject for “stillness,” but that’s what intrigued me. This little guy was sitting on a rock outside our front entrance making chirping noises. Whatever he was saying, it must have been very important because when I came around the corner, he did not move. He just went still until I went away, then he started chirping again.

15. books – This day was a challenge. I’ve taken pictures of books before. I wanted to do something different, so I came up with a little scene. Both the Raggedy Ann and book are from my childhood. I never realized the book had an illustration of a Greyhound.

AB - 16 FloralAB - 17 TouchAB -18 Looking Down

16. floral – I liked the colors in this photo. I took this picture in the Oliver Mansion gardens.

17. touch – Jan of Staying Awake inspired this photo. I was stumped over what to do for “touch.” I saw Jan’s photo of a hand holding two feathers, and I had my subject.

18. looking down – I tried and tried to come up with something interesting. In the end, I photographed what was there.

AB - 19 WhiteAB - 20 Taste 2.0AB - 21 Something Old

19. white – Eggs are so pretty. A few eggs on fiber-fill, and I had the picture I wanted.

20. taste 2.0 – I’ve been known to grab an order of fries to snack on when I have a distance to drive. The words on the bag were a bonus.

21. something old – I love snapping pictures in antique stores. The items are always so interesting. This photo was taken at Mishawaka Antiques.

AB - 22 MiddayAB - 23 SacredAB - 24 Hear

22. midday – This is where I had lunch in downtown Elkhart, Indiana, the day of the prompt.

23. sacred – I pass this cross almost every day. The decorations change, and it breaks my heart when I think of the loss and longing behind this memorial. It reminds me that life can change in an instant.

24. hear – A detail from the fountain in front of the Beiger Mansion in Mishawaka, Indiana.

AB - 25 Sunday MorningAB - 26 YESAB - 27 Number

25. Sunday morning – A sleeping kitty just screams “Sunday morning.”

26. YES – This was a happy accident. I wasn’t coming up with any ideas for this prompt. I was actually thinking of writing the word “YES” on a piece of paper, taking a picture and being done with it. Then, I remembered that that day at lunch, I’d picked up an embossing folder with letters. Would the “y” “e” and “s” be close enough to get my picture…YES!

27. number – I wanted a photo of a clock face because I liked the idea that the face has numbers and that our lives are plotted out by time. This is a photo of a towering clock in downtown Elkhart, Indiana.

AB - 28 SmellAB - 29 Your Fave ThingAB - 30 SignAB - 31 Smile

28. smell – Like the iris on Day 16. floral, I took this photo in the Oliver Mansion gardens.

29. your fave thing – I have too many favorite things to pick from, but Freedom is pretty clear on her favorites.

30. sign – This would have been a good shot for Day 06. diagonals too.

31. smile – This is a photo from my Artist Date in Long Grove, Illinois. A little teeny tiny fake cow. So cute.

Which was your favorite?

Posted by lori . Filed under Creating the Creator (Creativity), Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 16 Comments

August 31

The August Break – Smile

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…smile.

AB - Smile

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 14 Comments

August 30

The August Break – Sign

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…sign.

AB - Sign

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 10 Comments

August 29

The August Break – Your Fave Thing

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…your fave thing.

AB - Your Fave Thing

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 11 Comments

August 28

The August Break – Smell

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…smell.

AB - Smell

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 13 Comments

August 27

The August Break – Number

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…number.

AB - Number

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 13 Comments

August 26

The August Break – YES

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…YES.

AB - YES

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 15 Comments

August 25

The August Break – Sunday Morning

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The August Break Small Tan

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…Sunday morning.

AB - Sunday Morning

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 19 Comments

August 24

The August Break – Hear

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The August Break Small Blue

I’m participating in The August Break 2013 hosted by Susannah Conway.

Today’s picture…hear.

AB - Hear

Posted by lori . Filed under Want to Talk About (Whatever) | 14 Comments