My Life According to Shirley Manson (Garbage)

I was tagged and just enjoyed doing this one way too much.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people you like and include me. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick Your Artist
Shirley Manson (Garbage)

Are you a male or female:
Stupid Girl

Describe yourself:
Metal Heart

How do you feel:
I think I'm Paranoid

Describe where you currently live:
Happy Home

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Drive you Home

Your favorite form of transportation:
Run Baby Run

Current work status:
Not my Idea

Your best friend is:
Queer

You and your best friends are:
Supervixen

What's the weather like:
I'm Only Happy When it Rains

What's your favorite part of the day:
Cup of Coffee

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Wicked Ways

What is life to you:
Temptation Waits

Your last/current relationship:
Special

Your fear:
Nobody loves you

What is the best advice you have to give:
The Trick is to Keep Breathing

Thought for the Day:
Why Don't You Come Over

How I would like to die:
Sleep Together

My soul's present condition:
A Stroke of Luck

My motto:
Silence is Golden

Art Travel Case

I got a vintage Samsonite hard train case off of Craigslist the other day for a steal. I'd been looking for one to carry my paint supplies for meetups or classes and was super excited when I got this one. I didn't really care for the color, so I decided to get all crafty. I'm not going to bother with a tutorial for several reasons: 1. I'm using a fabric and don't know how well that's really going to work, 2. It's all basic cut and paste, nothing special, 3. the most important reason, just based on past experience, I'll probably get it finished only to tear it apart in less than a month because I don't like it. I never completely think things through before I start on a project, so a lot of times it can look sloppy so I end up having to tweak it and redo some. It's far from finished and I already know that I'm going to have to redo a few items (the ribbon, paint), but I just couldn't wait. I'll be busy the rest of the week and on the weekend , which means it won't get finished until some time the middle of next week.

This is the original look with the items that I'm going to use on it - a cute cherry fabric, a red polka dot ribbon, and a really cool skull trim.



The "finished" results. I still need to finish painting out the trim and put some rubber feet on it. I also want to varnish over the entire thing, fabric and all, just to help protect it. The pictures really make it look like crap, but it is very cute in person.



Look at how much room I have inside. It still has the original zippered bag, which is conveniently lined in plastic.



Also, still has the original tray.


Not too pretty from behind and on close up, but I wanted you to be able to see the skull trim.

Zentangle

Art Class

I went to my first acrylic art class last night. Cheryl McCardle is the teacher and she is very enjoyable to listen to and watch. Sharing our work and critiquing are the part of the class that I do not look forward to having to be a participant. I've only recently started sharing any of my work, mostly due to my fellow bloggers and their sweet comments, but I still don't feel completely comfortable sharing it with others. Not that I have a problem with getting a critique, but it just seems awkward with other people I don't know. Anyway, wish me luck.

Sparkcon

http://www.sparkcon.com/

Finally - something fun to do downtown. I've managed to miss this every year, but my dh was kind enough to mention it. The entire idea behind it is so awesome - I can't wait to go. They showcase art, fashion, music, poetry, dance - you name it, they've got it. Hopefully I will leave inspired and ready to create.

Asian ATC

Had the urge to create another card before bed. I took a distressing ink pad and stamped it directly on the paper, covered part of the card with wax paper that I tore along the edge, tore some more of my wallpaper samples off and stamped it. I embossed all the exposed ink, except for the red ink. The wax paper gives the card a really cool look, kinda like encaustic. I might try to cover an entire card with the wax paper next time. With all the different paper and embossing, the card also has a neat texture.

Bloody ATC's

A couple of ATC's just in time for Halloween.

Painted acrylic background. The acrylic paint gives it a nice texture and sheen. Aged image on left and embossed blood on the teeth on the right card.

Feeling Crafty (with tutorial)

After scouring the web and not finding any designs I liked, I made my own ATC storage booklet. I am totally in love with it and already have the presentation board cut up for making several more, just gotta pick up some pretty papers. I've typed up a tutorial so that you can make your own. Please let me know if you have any questions and let me know if you make one and post on your own site so that I can visit and admire.
Enjoy!


1. Gather your supplies. You'll need a heavy weight board, such as a presentation book, book board or chip board (or cut up some cardboard or a shoebox if you have some laying around), a pretty paper for the outside/inside lining of the book, a paper for the interior card holder, a strong heavy duty paste, permanent glue sticks, a ruler, a cutting blade or guillotine, cutting board.



2. Cut the board into a strip measuring 11" long and 3 3/4" wide. Cut the strip into 3 pieces with one of the pieces being 1" wide and the other two pieces being the exact same size. It comes out the some odd measurement, hence why I'm not typing that in. Glue the pieces onto the back of the paper that you are using as a cover, using the heavy duty glue. Make sure to leave approximately 1/8" between the pieces and leaving 1" around the edges. Fold in the 1" trim and cover with another piece of decorative paper on the interior.



3. Fold the interior paper so that it is 3 1/4" wide and glue, making a pocket. I know that cards are only 2.5" wide, but you want the pocket to be wider just in case you make/get some chunky ATC's. Cut into pieces 3" high. Glue the pieces together using the glue stick. Only glue the middle of the paper approximately 1" wide, so that when put together, it makes an accordion.


4. Glue papers onto interior of book cover, leaving a small gap at the bottom, maybe 1/8" from the bottom. Let dry and enjoy.


Side view




Finished (almost, see below)


Things I wish I did different:
-I forgot to add some sort of closure, either a ribbon or clasp. I can probably still add it, but will need to consider that it is mostly complete and don't want to damage the cover.
-I put too many slots inside the book. I should've only put maybe 20, I think I put 30-35. I haven't filled it yet but am certain that it will probably bulge when I do since I like dimension on my cards. I could've also made the spine wide to accommodate all the cards.
-Should've added some sort of cutout to the interior slots to help pull the cards out. Since it is 3" long and I have a gap at the bottom, I only have a tiny little lip at the top to pull the cards out, so it can be difficult.

As I said in the beginning, this is a design I created. I'm sure it's not unique but I would appreciate a credit back if you post tutorial to your site.

Cafe Latte vs. Cafe Au Lait

I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but here lately I've been getting in the habit of having one or two at work. At work we have a nifty machine that makes 20 or so different coffees and teas and you just push the button on the screen and it tells you what packets to put into the machine. I'll normally make a cafe latte with house blend coffee, but the other day when I stopped at the coffee shop and got one, I was told that is is made with a shot of espresso. I didn't put much thought into it until this weekend, after stopping at the coffee shop, my husband asked me what the difference was between a latte and an au lait. Me being me - I decided to find out.

Cafe au lait is equal parts milk and coffee
Cafe Latte is 1/3 espresso shot with 2/3 steamed milk

I guess you learn something new everyday!

Goodies

Long holiday weekend, so what better to do but make a mess at my craft/art station making ATC's:


Life is Comedy. Some days this is how I truly feel about life. Stamp ink background and pen drawing.



Nature. This one I totally LOVE. I got the bark off of a birch tree when went to Target and attached a stamped and embossed paper to it. You can't really see it, but the paper is a wallpaper sample graduation of green that I got from a sample book (purchased entire sample book for all of $3 at Scrap Exchange!!). The stamp was a gift which makes it even better.



Loteria. This is made from game pieces for Mexican Bingo, also known as Loteria. I used to love playing this with spare change when I lived in Texas. The images are so nice and vibrant in color. I painted the card blue, glued down the images from the game, gessoed over the entire thing, scraped some of the gesso off when it dried and embossed a pattern over it. Still needs something else, so I'll think on this one for a while.

Letting Go

My daughter just finished her first real week of kindergarten. I have to say I'm a pretty sad mommy right now. She seems so different now, so grown up. I remember seeing her right after her brother was born and thinking that she didn't look like the same girl as she was just hours earlier. She looked so much older than the little girl that she was and that is how I feel now. I look at her and can't see my sweet toddler/preschooler. Now she's a big girl and the way she speaks and carries herself is so different than it was just a few days before. I cannot talk to her like she is a baby anymore or try to explain things that I don't think she is capable of understand because it is already "I know Mommy, you don't have to tell me."
I did what I hoped that I wouldn't do - I cried, not just on the first day, but throughout the week when I would think about her being in school. I went to drop her off at her first day, fully expecting to walk her to her classroom and grateful, at the time, that she wanted to be a big girl and walk in by herself. As I watched her walking into the building, looking like a walking backpack because it was so large, I began to cry. While I was sitting at my desk working, I started thinking about her, wondering if she found her way to the right classroom, wondering if she got lost and was left standing in the hallway crying. So, I packed up my purse, got in the car and headed off to the school, trying to think of an excuse to be there. By the time I got there and went into the school office, I realized how obvious it was going to be as to why I was really there and managed to calm myself down enough to not request to see her. I tell my husband this story and he turns to my with a grin on his face and says, "you just need to let go." He's right, just a little.

There Comes The Strangest Moment by Kate Light

There comes the strangest moment in your life,
when everything you thought before breaks free--
what you relied upon, as ground-rule and as rite
looks upside down from how it used to be.

Skin's gone pale, your brain is shedding cells,
you question every tenet you set down,
obedient thoughts have turned to infidels
and every verb desires to be a noun.

I want--my want. I love--my love. I'll stay
with you. I thought transitions were the best,
but I want what's here to never go away,
I'll make my peace, my bed, and kiss this breast...

Your heart's in retrograde. You simply have no choice.
Things people told you turn out to be true.
You have to hold that body, hear that voice.
You'd have sworn no one knew you more than you.

How many people thought you'd never change?
But here you are. It's beautiful. It's strange.