New Scrap Office

I am thrilled with my new space. Not only is it more efficient, practical and esthetically pleasing: I know where everything is!

Behind that door is a closet which I still haven't tackled. Currently all of my business suits, fancy dresses and my wedding gown live there plus several boxes I still have not unpacked from our move 2 1/2 years ago. Ugh!
I love these storage cubes. I got them last year when they were on clearance at Michael's and they had a "25% off your entire purchase including sale items" coupon.

I love having a permanent cutting station set up. My Graphic Design class last semester taught me so much about using the exacto knife and accurate measurement. I had always been hesitant to use this method of cutting because I was afraid I'd make a mistake. Now I have everything I need at arms length and lots of good lighting!

The big table (2 Ikea tables pushed together) allows me to work on multiple projects at once which was a really big hassle before. I often am juggling several clients and my own projects and I end up with piles, boxes and storage tubs under foot.

I organize my card stock by color in cropper hopper vertical storage containers . A lot of my paper is in pads so those are lined up on the same shelf. My favorite loose papers are stored inside of the blue QVC/ Creating Keepsakes storage unit. I pulled the drawer out to use separately and I stand the paper up in there. I also have 3 paper towers in my studio which hold a lot of the paper I use for my clients. Loose ribbon goes into one of the glass kitchen cookie jars I got from target for $5. They are separated by color to narrow down the search. Ribbon still on the roll or card is organized in trays, the cropper hopper ribbon storage boxes and in bins. I also have two, 2 drawer plastic units that give me four drawers of storage. In there I have a drawer for: blank cards and envelopes, blank mini albums, ephemera and vintage books, and Xyron cartridges and sizzix dies. On top of the drawer units, I have a box of "found items", a clear stamps binder and my polymer clay supplies.

This area has mostly fine art type supplies - all kinds of acrylic paint, watercolors and various mediums, Prismacolor pencils, verithins, markers and Caran d'Ache crayons. I also have all of my ink, punches, circle cutter, templates and everything Tim Holtz.

I loved the idea of having a garage like many kitchens do for small appliances, so I took apart my storage rack and put one of the bins on top of the desk. Here I store my favorite adhesives, sewing kit, sizzix machine, gel pens and other items I need frequently. Next to it I have all of my rulers and triangles plus a bin for bits and pieces storage.

The shelves are dedicated to embellishments. I have a different bin for my favorite 3 D stickers, flat stickers and rub-ons, a box of fabric squares, drawers for chipboard, jars for flowers, buttons, embroidery thread, and appliques and stackable jars for brads, eyelets, and other small items..
I also have a tub for bling and a bin for charcoal supplies plus a few stacks of chipboard letters.

Here is my knew space in the midst of activity, I am constructing my "fabric of my life" pages for the WASSIMA swap, and I have everything accessible for the 19 x 19 album I'm working on for a client. I LOVE IT! I do wish I had my sewing machine out in the open and a TV so I can listen to the history channel or some TV junk food on Bravo when I am doing late night projects.

Art Office Reorganized!

I have a studio where I do art with clients and friends but I rarely get creative in there on my own and I never do client work in there. I usually do my client work in our office/ my art room until recently when I set up a folding table in my room and moved the computer in there. I've been working with extremely delicate old photos and I did not want them to be at risk of being handled by anyone else in the family. Plus I needed to really spread out and my bed provides a lot of space. My husband has definitely been grumbling about not being able to use the computer and not being able to spend anytime in our bedroom so I surprised him while he was out of town by reorganizing the office into a more efficient art room and getting a bunch of my supplies and tools out of sight. It was such a massive undertaking that it took me 2 days but I finished tonight aand we are both REALLY happy with the new configuartion. Plus it will be a great set up for school next semester because I am taking a still life painting class. I am way to tired to take pictures tonight so I'll post tomorrow. I am going to celebrate by sleeping.

I REALLY have to mention that I have a terrible, shameful vice. I watch the Real Housewives on Bravo. Yes - it is true - it is rediculous, but I can't help myself. My husband is disgusted and makes fun of me. Anyhow, I just have to say "SHAME ON YOU Vicki and Tamera." A friend would have interveined not encouraged Gretchen. The woman is under a terrble amount of stress which will undoubtedly impact how alcohol will effect her. I do not condone Gretchen's behavior but I have compassion for it. Did you ever consider how the fallout would affect Jeff? Gretchen has to live with the guilt and Jeff will surely be heart broken. That was NOT NICE! Ok -I had to get that off my chest.

Scrapbooking as a job???

Yes, that is correct. One of the services I provide through Jilliene Designs is scrapbooking for others. I also do photo archiving, photo art on canvas, jewelry (and other fabulous creations found at my shop on etsy), custom designed scrapbooking and card making kits, arts and crafts instruction and party hostessing, hand made cards and invitations, classroom, at-home and in-studio instruction and I offer website/ marketing / personal creative services. My favorite, favorite thing out of this laundry list of services is scrapbooking. It is such a delight to put together a treasured keepsake for another and to be invited into their memories.

I just am wrapping up with one of my most treasured clients. We put together 2 outstanding albums chronicling her son's childhood achievements. We were just going to do 30 pages but it quickly bloomed into a 50+ page project. I have had wonderful material to work with because her son is beautiful ( iwish you could see him but I've blurred the photos to protect their privacy)! I am handing off the albums this weekend and I am feeling sad because I will miss his adorable photos and working with my lovely client.

I am also assembling an 18 x 18 heritage album for another client which has been a really big challenge. There are photos dated as far as 1913 and several that may have been from even earlier. I handle everything with gloves and have to have lots of space to spread out. It is sort of like detective work in that I am trying to create a visual family tree from the bits and pieces tat are writen on the backs of the photographs. I have almost everyone identified but I'm now struggling with the order to put them in the album and the overall design of each page. When working with old photos, the corners are often broken off and they come in so many different sizes. Estetically you want the page to look orderly but that makes putting photos in chronological order or by subject matter a challenge. If I want the pages to look sharp and visually pleasing I will end up compromising the visual story, but if I put the photos in precise order the pages tend to look cluttered and less than well-thought-out. I know there is a way to make it work with larger mats and adding captions - I just have to work it out.

I love my job!

New Year - New Way

I am jazzed about 2009. I can feel the tingle of a kind of emotional molting. There are times when I WANT TO LET GO of the toxic feelings and beliefs that I accumulate over time but just WANTING to do something does not make it so. Today, i feel the RELEASE. It is as if a giant bird swept down and took my load right off of my shoulders. Of course I still have my habitual worries, issues, denial but I can navigate that stuff much easier now that I am not weighted down with all the waste of yesterday. Today, I walk with just the clothes on my back (OK, I am probably carrying a big purse with a few bits of "blah" I picked up over the weekend). I'm not sure if my metaphors are serving my point but as I write this I can see in my mind's eye what I feel in my heart which is a great way to BE.

We have been purging our garage and closets getting rid of the "things" that take up space. Each time I find something and think "but I might need this someday" I remember that I always have everything I need and that the most important thing to be prepared for is now. In my opinion, too much stuff gets in the way of now. Each "thing" is just one more thing to think about.

We had a garage sale this last weekend. It was a fabulous family activity and the weather was beautiful - FREEZING, but beautiful. I did not realize how vitamin B and K deprived I was until I was outside all weekend. I felt the sunlight feed my body. It was fun chatting with our neighbors and giving people incredible bargains. We were practically giving this stuff away. I love a great deal so I feel it is my duty to give great deals too. It can light up a person's day.

The kids went back to school yesterday and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to get back to our routine. We all do better when we are on a schedule. Tim has Monday's off due to this crappy housing market so he and I spent the day taking care of the business of life and it was a delight. The beauty of marriage is that you share a life and just being together in the quiet tasks can be remarkably intimate and comforting. I love that the little things have become my greatest joys.

Wow - 2009. I hope my BE way of living stays with me. It is an open door, an open heart, acceptance, trust, love, truth, safety, now, and mine, if I allow it.

2009 word

So last night the WASSIMA gals were emailing back and forth about their "word"s for 2009. I remembered reading about this exercise on Ali Edwards blog last year and decided this year, I would participate too. But to my surprise, I had a really hard time coming up with my word. I was stumped. I decided to approach the problem like I would in a professional setting by breaking down the issues and then exploring various solutions. In the process, I got really clear about what hasn't been working in my internal world these last 12 months and what it would look like if I felt the way I wanted to. I realized that I had accumulated some pretty negative messages and feelings. Semi-unconsciously, I felt inadequate, hungry for security and acceptance, inconsistent, lazy and unrealized. I was disturbed that all this noise was playing in the back of my mind and I became determined to have some peace and quiet (for Pete's sake!)

I made a list of words that communicated what I wanted my new year to embody but oddly there isn't a single word to express, steadfast, renewal, health, contentment, generosity and abundance. I was leaning towards "Moxie" when I went to sleep last night (mostly because I liked the playfulness of the word) but when I awoke this morning, I had something completely different engraved in my mind. BE. My husband lovingly said - "I don't get it;" I replied, "That's OK, I do" and for the sake of this challenge, that is what matters. Without actually thinking about it, I realized that all I really want is to settle into my skin. Just saying that quiets so much of the negativity that set up camp in my unconscious mind. Yes, my word is definitely "Be".

Crochet Compulsion

I received a "Teach Yourself to Knit" kit for Christmas which caused me to pull down the 2 huge plastic tubs of yarn I was storing in the garage. They had been in storage for almost 6 years - since my pregnancy with Aidan. I was a crocheting fool during that last trimester - everyone got blankets for Christmas. Not small baby blankets but full size afghans in rich colors and elaborate patterns. I averaged about a blanket a week - it kept my mind off of my discomfort - Aidan was a 10 lb baby, 21.5 inches long. I'm 5'6 and was only 120 when my pregnancy started so I needed a big distraction.
But I digress... So out came the yarn- then my mom started tinkered with the knitting needles trying to remember how to drop a stitch so she could teach me. So I grabbed a crochet needle just for sh@!s and giggles - long story longer - I crocheted this scarf and hat in 2 days. I can barely bend my right index finger.

Oh and as I mentioned in my previous entry, I dyed my hair dark brown. It is a semi perm color so it will wash out in a few weeks but i may re-do it or try yet another color. When i was younger, I re-invented myself all the time. I tried a zillion looks - glam, hippy, J crew preppy, San Francisco eclectic - it was so fun to go to the recycled clothes store with a big bag of clothes and leave with another. Since I've been a mommy, I haven't done much of that because most of the time I don't really consider what I look like - I mean, I do what I do to look presentable but I don't put a lot of thought into it. Last weekend, I just felt like a change and I am so glad I actually did something about it. It was liberating. Not everyone likes the new doo - it takes a little time to get used to, but I think it is fun. It is different and I feel younger. It is such a great way to start the NEW YEAR. Ready for change, ready to change. Happy New Year!

Hand Made Christmas delights

I was so happy that the dollhouse came togther so nicely. I feel really good about giving Eva a gift that was straight from my heart. I also made abums for both mom and Aunt Pam which I forgot to photograph - I always do that.

It was a wonderful holiday - the pure joy, gratitude and wonder beaming from my children's eyes left an engraved imprint on my heart. They were so patient waiting all day long on Christmas eve to open some of their gifts. They even sat through a delicious prime rib meal with manners and all. Granma and Aunt pam were so impressed by their self control!


After dinner we gathered around the tree and exchanged family and friend's gifts. It was really low key and sweet. I mean the kids were super excited but we were all so relaxed and we weren't burdoned with expectations or time commitments as we've done in the past.

The kids were off to bed on schedule so Christmas morning could arrive without delay. Tim and I wrapped all of Santa's gifts in grocery bags, then stamped them with bright images. The packages were perfect.

When the kids came out early the next morning they were so excited to see the gifts and also delighted that Santa had thought they had been so good to leave so many treats. Eva was dazzled by her dollhouse. I beamed with pride.

The rest of the day included naps, reading by the fire, yatzee, a ride on our new scooters to the park and a lazy crafting whim - Grandma retaught herseld knitting and I sewed a little bed and pillow for the dollhouse. It was incredibly relaxing and utterly unfamiliar after the last few months.

We had cracked crab and raviolis in pesto sauce for dinner. It was a feast yet we finished almost everything. We tidied the house and went to bed early completely satisfied with the quiet.

Hand Made Christmas - Star Mobile

I made this 3-D star mobile for my 4 year old nephew for Christmas. The colors match his room perfectly. My camera is not functioning properly so the photos don't do it justice. Here is how to make one:
Tools and Materials:

Scotch Tape
2 Large sheets (18 X 18" or more) of bristol paper or cardstock
2 Large sheets of decorative print paper (wrapping paper or decopage sheets work well)
Several sheets of coordinating card stock for stars
Exacto knife and several fresh blades
Stylus/burnisher
Self Healing cutting mat
metal ruler or large C-thru triangle
Double sided tape
Spray mount adhesive
push pin
sring or wire
embellishments (optional)
pop dots (optional)

1. Click here to go to Lost Button Studios to download a template for the star. I opened the template in Photoshop and cropped off everything but the star, then saved it again as a PDF. The reason for doing this is because in Adobe Acrobat Professional, you can print in tiles. I don't know if regular Acrobat lets you do this. If not you can go to the Adobe site and download a free 30 day trial. To print tiles in acrobat, go to the file menu and select print.
   
2. On the Page Scaling drop down menu, select "tile all pages" and increase the size to 165 %, then hit print
3. The template will print on 4 sheets of paper. Line up the edges of the diagram and tape the pages together to make a large template.
   
4. Now draw flaps off of each edge of the star so that it looks like the diagram below (the blue sections are flaps). You will need the flaps to attach the front and back piece together. You will score on the lines that were the original boarders so that the flaps will fold in.:
5. Remove some of the adhesive off of strips of masking tape by sticking it to your clothes and peeling off, then use it to tape the template over 2 sheets of 18 x 24" Bristol paper or card stock (Martha Stewart sells large sheets of 18 x 18" by the page). Make sure your paper sandwich is stacked in this order and direction: Top- Template - drawing face up; 2nd sheet - card stock- Outside facing up; 3rd sheet- outside facing down, inside facing up. When stacked correctly, tape down all 4 sides of the template to the paper underneath by wrapping the tape.
6. Place your template/ paper "sandwich" onto a cutting mat and put a new blade into your exacto knife. Line an "exacto knife friendly" straight edge (metal ruler, large C-thru triangle) up with the edges of the star template with your hand drawn flaps and cut. DO NOT CUT ON THE STAR EDGES - CUT AROUND THE FLAP EDGES. You may need to do each cut 2 or three times to get through all of your layers.
7. Once the star is completely cut out, paper clip the sandwich together so that it is perfectly lined up. Then use a stylus and your straight edge to trace all the lines on the template including the original edges of the star. These are your fold lines.
   
8. Most likely, the stylus will not score through all the layers so use a push pin to poke a few holes along each score line. Then flip your sandwich over and use those small holes to line up your straight edge to score on the other side.
9. When done, fold each section forward and backward along the score lines.
10. Remove the template and excess paper and turn your star so that they are inside to inside. Make sure each edge matches perfectly.
11. If you decide to use a patterned paper, spray it with spray mount and attch it to the outside of each star. - Put in a fresh blade and cut around the edges to remove the excess paper. Fold each scored area so the the patterned paper creases.
    
12. Coat the top of each flap on both of your stars with double sided tape or strong adhesive.
13. Line the edges of the star up by folding the flaps in and brayer the section until the flaps attach to one another. Do this for all of the edges.
14. Puff your star by pushing the sides.
15. Use coordinating card stock to cut out small stars to dangle underneath. Mount photos and embellish.
16. Use a thumb tack or hole punch to put a hole at the top and several holes at the bottom for the small stars to hang from.
17. Poke holes at the top of each small star and string ribbon or wire through. Attach other end to a hole at the bottom of the large star. Repeat for each small star.
18. Attach string or wire to the top of the large star and you are done. Feel free to embellish to add extra pizazz.
    

Hand Made Christmas - Bean Bag Giraffe

My nephew is just 18 months old and I wanted to give him a Christmas gift that he could play with. I've made blankets in the past and they are not very exciting for the kids. I decided to convert a pair of dreadful socks into a keepsake he can play with and perhaps treasure as a lovey later in life.

I cut the socks up into sections - one for the head, one for the body, 4 for the legs, one for the neck and one for the tail.

I used the top elastic portion for my head. I turned it inside out and sewed the just behind the elastic to create the mouth. Then I sewed 1/3 in on both sides so that I had a 1/3 hole in the center so I could turn the sock right side out. I filled the head with rice and pinned the opening closed. I set this part aside for later.



Next, I turned the end of the sock piece inside out and sewed 1/3 of it closed on both sides so that there was a 1/3 size opening in the center. I turned it right side out, filled it with rice and pinned the center hole closed.

Next I sewed the neck, tail, and four legs. so that I had 6 tubes total. Once they were turned right side out, I filled them with rice.

Since the holes were quite small, I made a funnel from a piece of paper to pour the rice in.


Once all six of the tubes were filled and sew up, I attached them to the head and body. For the neck, I inserted one end into the head and sewed the hole closed. I also sewed around the entire hole and limb so that the animal could withstand tugging, swinging and dragging.

Next I sewed the other end to the body in the same manner.Because the body was larger than theneck, I sewed some of the gathering tightly around the neck so that the animal became one piece rather than several pieces stitched together.

To attach the legs and tail, I cut tiny incisions into the bosy, inserted the end of the tubes and sewed them up tightly just as I did for the neck.

To create the face, I cut two small circles from white felt and sewed black buttons on top, then sewed the the eyes to the face. I used black thread to sew "X"'s for the nostrils. To create the eyelashes, I sewed folded embroidery floss into 1 inch sections and sewed it on top of the eyes. I cut the sections at their folds to make lashes.
I used this same technique in attaching the mane hair and the hair and the end of the tail. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I'm excited to give it to him because it was made with love!