When this post goes live, I will be in Paris. France. People around here ask for clarification because I live in Oklahoma and Paris, Texas is a little too close to home.
I hope you will forgive me for not actually posting anything of significance. I promise to post plenty of pictures when I get home. What I don't promise is to come home with any story ideas...though I'm pretty sure I won't be able to avoid them.
Until next time,
Becca
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Writer's World Wednesday-Inspiration
"Where do you get ideas?"
"What provides you with inspiration?"
"Hasn't every story already been told?"
Regardless of how the questions come, people want to know how to create something out of nothing. While every writer is different, they are all observers. They all ask, "What if?" However, this thin air creationism is not limited to writers. Women are almost universally novelists. Ask a woman why it's so troubling when her husband doesn't call if he's going to be late and, if she's honest, she will tell you a story. A long, drawn out story that extends with every minute that passes. Fifteen minutes equals an accident. Thirty minutes means a fatal accident. Forty-five minutes means planning a funeral and trying to decide how you are going to survive on life-insurance and one income. After an hour, you are figuring out how to move on.
At which point your husband shows up and can't understand why you are so upset.
Novelists do the same thing. We simply take one small idea and blow it out of proportion. Way out of proportion. It would be nice if we could limit this "mountain out of a mole-hill" ability to fiction, but it doesn't seem to work that way. The nice thing is my husband now fully understands why it's important to call me if he's going to be late.
Until next time,
Becca
"What provides you with inspiration?"
"Hasn't every story already been told?"
Regardless of how the questions come, people want to know how to create something out of nothing. While every writer is different, they are all observers. They all ask, "What if?" However, this thin air creationism is not limited to writers. Women are almost universally novelists. Ask a woman why it's so troubling when her husband doesn't call if he's going to be late and, if she's honest, she will tell you a story. A long, drawn out story that extends with every minute that passes. Fifteen minutes equals an accident. Thirty minutes means a fatal accident. Forty-five minutes means planning a funeral and trying to decide how you are going to survive on life-insurance and one income. After an hour, you are figuring out how to move on.
At which point your husband shows up and can't understand why you are so upset.
Novelists do the same thing. We simply take one small idea and blow it out of proportion. Way out of proportion. It would be nice if we could limit this "mountain out of a mole-hill" ability to fiction, but it doesn't seem to work that way. The nice thing is my husband now fully understands why it's important to call me if he's going to be late.
Until next time,
Becca
Friday, April 25, 2014
Oh So Pretty
I am in love with CTMH's April Stamp of the Month "Balloon Talk". In LOVE, I tell you. This week's challenge at Color My Heart is to use the paper pack Ariana. Since the paper is so pretty, I combined it with the "oh so pretty" sentiment.
I cut strips of the Ariana paper, including a zip strip, using scallop edge scissors, glued them to a 4.25x3" panel, mounted it to my card base, and sewed along the edges. The sentiment was stamped in Outdoor Denim pigment ink then covered with clear embossing powder and heat set. I hand cut it out and mounted it on top with foam tape.
And done!
And oh so pretty!
Until next time,
Becca
I cut strips of the Ariana paper, including a zip strip, using scallop edge scissors, glued them to a 4.25x3" panel, mounted it to my card base, and sewed along the edges. The sentiment was stamped in Outdoor Denim pigment ink then covered with clear embossing powder and heat set. I hand cut it out and mounted it on top with foam tape.
And done!
And oh so pretty!
Until next time,
Becca
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Believe in the Beauty of Your Dreams
Hi Everyone! I'm here with my last Skylark post for DrPhilScraps.com. I'm going a little retro today. This scrapbook page features my now 25 year old daughter way, waaaaay back in elementary school. It was one of my favorites because it captured the promise of the beautiful woman to come.
If you've been paying any attention this month, you know that CTMH is running a fabulous promotion for signing up as a new consultant. Spend $99 on the new consultant kit, get your choice of Cricut cartridge for free--which just happens to be a $99 value. I've been focusing on the Art Philosophy cartridge (see last week's post and this post for more ideas).
To create my tree, I used the tree trunk image from p. 53 along with the leaf shape (called Petal2) on p. 59. I simply cut a bunch of leaves and took advantage of the different patterns that come on the front and back of the various papers. Sorry...I forgot to measure the tree (best guess is about 6 inches), but the leaves are 1inch.
My accent pieces are all from the Skylark Complements, which is included in the new consultant kit.
If you have been sitting on the fence about signing up as a CTMH consultant, time is running out on this special. You literally have NOTHING to lose.
Until next time,
Becca
If you've been paying any attention this month, you know that CTMH is running a fabulous promotion for signing up as a new consultant. Spend $99 on the new consultant kit, get your choice of Cricut cartridge for free--which just happens to be a $99 value. I've been focusing on the Art Philosophy cartridge (see last week's post and this post for more ideas).
To create my tree, I used the tree trunk image from p. 53 along with the leaf shape (called Petal2) on p. 59. I simply cut a bunch of leaves and took advantage of the different patterns that come on the front and back of the various papers. Sorry...I forgot to measure the tree (best guess is about 6 inches), but the leaves are 1inch.
My accent pieces are all from the Skylark Complements, which is included in the new consultant kit.
If you have been sitting on the fence about signing up as a CTMH consultant, time is running out on this special. You literally have NOTHING to lose.
Until next time,
Becca
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Writer's World Wednesday-Research Part 2
My novella is set in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Since the Army has been gracious enough to move us around the country on their dime, this Pacific Northwesterner is now living in the great state of Oklahoma two hours of south of Guthrie. A few weeks ago, I took a field trip to get a lay of the land and found a treasure in the Oklahoma Territory Museum. Here are a few pictures:
These are just a few of them, but the experience taught me one thing: the internet is okay, books are better, but actually standing on the ground is the absolute best. And, if you get the chance, talk to a museum curator who knows his stuff. That's priceless.
Until next time,
Becca
Saturday, April 19, 2014
LEVEL UP!
My new Cricut Explore arrived yesterday. It comes with a two-week subscription to thousands of images I don't own. I am making hay while the sun shines! And it's probably about to pay off for them because I found a cartridge called "Brooklyn Iron-on" which has great gaming/geek images. Since I live with a couple of gaming geeks, the sayings and images on that cartridge make me smile...which is the theme for this week's Less is More challenge.
One of the other things that makes me smile about this card is the ability to use up scraps. I cut the LEVEL UP! out of kraft, adhered strips of scrap paper to the back (CTMH Crystal Blue and Honey plus a plum from...somewhere), and then cut the game controller out of a brown from...somewhere. I will say that having a fine point glue pen came in very, very handy for this card.
I will be sending this to my son-in-law for his birthday. I think he will get a smile out of it, too!
Until next time,
Becca
One of the other things that makes me smile about this card is the ability to use up scraps. I cut the LEVEL UP! out of kraft, adhered strips of scrap paper to the back (CTMH Crystal Blue and Honey plus a plum from...somewhere), and then cut the game controller out of a brown from...somewhere. I will say that having a fine point glue pen came in very, very handy for this card.
I will be sending this to my son-in-law for his birthday. I think he will get a smile out of it, too!
Until next time,
Becca
Friday, April 18, 2014
With Sympathy
Sympathy cards are both easy and hard...just make something as beautiful as you can (easy) and then figure out what to say on the inside (hard). For this card, I wanted to use the soft purple and yellow combination from Dynamic Duos #98.
I clear embossed Dalia from Our Daily Bread Designs, dropped Gypsy and Honey ink (CTMH) on a clear acrylic block, placed my embossed paper over the block, and swirled it around. After it dried, I used an iron to lift off the embossing powder then went over the whole image with pearl paint to give it some shimmer.
If I were to do this over again, I would use pigment ink for my sentiment to make it stand out better.
On this Friday when we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it is good to remember Resurrection Sunday which gives hope and tempers our grief.
Until next time,
Becca
I clear embossed Dalia from Our Daily Bread Designs, dropped Gypsy and Honey ink (CTMH) on a clear acrylic block, placed my embossed paper over the block, and swirled it around. After it dried, I used an iron to lift off the embossing powder then went over the whole image with pearl paint to give it some shimmer.
If I were to do this over again, I would use pigment ink for my sentiment to make it stand out better.
On this Friday when we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, it is good to remember Resurrection Sunday which gives hope and tempers our grief.
Until next time,
Becca
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