Spring has NOT Sprung, but Life Rolls On!

As you can see, Spring has not Sprung in this neck of the woods--not one blade of green, not one tree bud, Nada, None --Not even close!  In some ways that is a good thing, I guess, as I get a lot more accomplished inside.  I must say, at times I really get the urge just to curl up in a chair and watch TV until it's warm enough to open the windows and get outdoors for real!  At the rate it's going, I'd have a pretty sore butt before that day comes!

 So what have I been up to the last couple of weeks.  Well, a couple of weeks ago, Cheryl Mezzetti from Splash of Color was in town and taught wonderful Mixed Media classes.  I took 2 of the 3.   We used so many different things, I can't even name them all.  My favorites (or one of them) was the twinkling H2O's.  I have had my own set and have used them before--they are so pretty!     Here is the first book (in parts) from the first class.  We used the H2Os and several other paint mediums on it.  In the lower right corner is the cover of the book I started in the second class.

These are some of my twinkling H2Os-you can't appreciate the prettiness of them in this picture

This is a close up of the cover (not yet done) of the altered  vintage book we started in the second class.  You can see we played with a lot of textures, gesso, paints, rubons, papers, modeling pastes, stencils--the sky was the limit!

This was a canvas pocket that we altered in the first class, the "Beautiful You Book".  A little paint, some "spritzing on lace", a clip and some sewing (already done for us, thank heavens)--and you have a pocket! 

This was a "folded" page within the book

I loved doing this page, it is a clear acrylic page, stenciled on with a ferro paste.  Loved the texture (and how easy it is to do!)

Inside the back cover.  The little book was really fun to make. Now to decide what pictures I want to put in it!

I continue to work on the cards for the ARL.  Here is a selection I completed this week from my Phyllis Harris Stamps!  and I received 3 more of her sets this week, so I can't wait to work with them!

One of my favorite ones, is the little girl on the trike with her dog.  These are from the Emma and Brandy series and I just never get tired of coloring them!

 Who can resist this dog with his little girl.

 On this one I used some of my newest Washi Tape.  Love the chevrons and the colors matched the heart background perectly!

and this one is just so precious!

Then this week I had a much too short lunch with my KC Grandkids and daughter-in-law, Megan.  On Tuesday, they were passing through on their way home from Minnesota where they had been visiting, so they stopped in Ankeny and we met up for lunch.  Little Jackson is growing up so fast --he's 2 and 1/2 and talks like a 5 year old!  and Jenna was just one day shy of turning 7!  Like any 7 year old, she loves making goofy faces for the camera--silly girl!~

 I also designed an album this week for a class I will be doing in May.  It's a class for Grandma's--or Moms can make it  and fill it with pictures for Grandma (and Grandpa).  It's a fun little S.E.I. album.  More on this later.

and last, we celebrated "Down Sydrome Awareness Day" yestereday by wearing our blue and yellow!   A truly great day for a great bunch of people.  

So with another week coming to an end, I look forward to next week when we have our Graduation Open House at Memory Bound.  I can't wait to try out my new Phyllis Harris Stamps,  I can't wait to see more "new" stuff coming to our shelves at Memory Bound (we've had a ton of shipments this week--so many fun surprises!),   I pray the temperatures rise into the 40's (and maybe 50-60's), and that Spring will have actually "Sprung".   and I hope you all have a very creative week.