Digiscrap - My Heart Belongs To My Dad~

Summer has definitely struck Texas full blast! A few years ago, my brother traded in his ski boat for a swimming pool. We enjoy heading over to Don's to visit, listen to music, drink margaritas and watch the kids swim. Occasionally, the adults will join in and relax in the hot tub.

This is a photo of my brother and my niece, Jenna. Jenna is the *FLYER* for her cheerleading team which means that she is the one who winds up on the top of the pyramids! And that she has GOOD BALANCE! It's not surprising to me at all, watching her on the trampoline doing double back springs and all kinds of flips! Both, my sister and brother, were very carefree about climbing, diving and skiing. I was good at coaching it from the sidelines. Always the encourager for friends! So, Jenna is a great dancer, cheerleader and gymnist! I love watching videos of her during their competitions, as they hold position and wobble their hair-dos! So adorable!

This particular evening, was after my niece's tennis tournament. My brother took my sister, Cheri, and I out four-wheeling around the nearby lake. Could you all hear me screaming? I'll be scrapping the *Before* photo of us in the 4-wheeler. It's pretty funny! But first, a story ....

My brother and sister-in-law have an English Bulldog named *CRUSH*. I used to tease them and call him *SMASH* because his face, well, it looks smashed! And this photo is not of him, his underbite is so predominate that it juts way, way out!

We were all relaxing, kids playing, drinking our margos, and Don starts talking about when the pool construction was complete, he decided to take Crush swimming. Now, ya gotta know my brother! Hmmm ... how can I explain him ... He's very tall, thin, strong and has a very boyish, playful personality. He'll wrestle the kids and throw them around in the pool, challenge them to basketball, kickball, trampoline {whatever!} He is always up for fun. On the other hand, he's accomplished and very much *ALL BUSINESS*. And he also enjoys skiing, 4-wheeling, computers, electronics & refurbishing cars from the engine out! So, his garage is decked out with major tools and this ultra-cool tool cabinet that even I am impressed with! It has a radio and refrigerator in it! Yea ... so, he's all *Duuude*! His personality is definitely extremely *COMPULSIVE* -- You'd have to be to have the patience to rebuild antique cars!

So, sometimes he'll play with his dog, Crush. And then, don't forget, there was this pool he built. And, naturally, he HAD to take Crush for a swim. But does my brother do it the conventional way? Like -- wade out into the pool and hold the dog till he is comfortable, teaching him to swim to the side step? No ... he kinda tosses this GREAT, BIG, SWEETHEART OF A DOG WITH THE SMASHED FACE, into the pool! He says for some reason, he thought all dogs knew how to automatically dog paddle!

Well ....

After standing there a few seconds, he realizes that Crush is SINKING DOWN INTO THE POOL~! No! The dog is not even ATTEMPTING to dog paddle! Our Crush is looking up at Don, as he sinks down to the bottom, EYES WIDE OPEN! And Donnie thinks, "Oh Sh*t!!* and frantically begins shedding clothing, watch, cell phone, shoes off as quickly as possible to jump in and save Crush!!!! And the way he described the whole scenario was like he was reliving it! He was scared all over again and mimicking dog paddling and stripping down!

We all just laughed our guts out! It was so hilarious! Because rarely will I see my brother freaked out about anything. He's usually like, "whatever ...." So, to imagine him with his eyes flung open and Crush standing on the bottom of the pool looking up --- Quite the picture!

Crush survived ... :o)

Hope you are enjoying your week. My plan is to work on a digital Summer Photo Album for my family. I've already learned some new things about Photoshop which is fun. Please drop me a line and let me know what you are up to. I love hearing from all of you!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - Serendipity~

Check out the elements of this really cute digital scrapbook set from The Shabby Shoppe!

I love the whimsical colors and *tweets*! Have you all noticed the influx of *tweety* birds with the advent of Twitter? They are adorable! You can't help but love them! The tones of the background and clothing are soft & cheery, making this photo that much more perfect!!

This is a darling photo of Whit, best friend and cousins, after her 1st win on Saturday. Her lifetime bestfriend's family moved here to Texas about 5 years ago and watched Whit play us. Jessi and Jacq came to support her too! Whit quipped, "Hey! There are more people watching me here than at home!" Perhaps all at one time, but she gets lots of attention from EVERYONE! She's fun to watch in action, ON & OFF the court!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Altered Art - Wish Box~

{*WISH BOX* Exterior}

A few weeks ago, while looking for vintage photos, I came across a lovely tennis player with lots of confidence & attitude. Since my niece, Whit, is a nationally ranked tennis player & recently received a college tennis scholarship, this image seemed perfect for her! And what an inspiration it was, propelling ideas for each vignette of this *WISH BOX*!

{*WISH BOX* Interior}

{*Wish Box* - Back}

I thought "Wow! Wouldn't she be cute on the back of the box floating on top of this cool Basic Grey paper! My niece adored the whole thing, savoring each miniature section while I explained what the box signified to me personally, for her. She told me she couldn't decided if she should hang it up on a wall or put it on her dresser! I should really print out a poster of this, so she doesn't feel the need to choose! I've had the tape measure ribbon for a few months & haven waiting for the perfect project to use it on. I like this with the theme of *sizing up the competition!* & *challenging the opponent* ...

Whit is highly competitive and vocal on the tennis court. She is quick, tenacious & smart changing up her play and momentum to throw off her opponent. She's not shy about calling players out on court etiquette or questionable rule violations. She's also a very good sport, when it comes to complimenting a good play. So, whoever plays her needs to know that they really need to be on their toes and best game. Her success keeps her rising up in the ranks!

I had started out making this collage to place inside, but the design wasn't working itself out. The tag was covering too much of the base paper. But since it was so cute, I decided to make it into a *Mini-book Marker*. My niece has always worn earthy, bright bracelets, that are very textured yet petite. So, I thought this yarn kind of mirrored that particular way she expresses herself. The accent *peace sign heart* and *cross* also play up to her vibrant personality & deep Catholic faith.


I had a lot of catching up to do as her Aunt & Godmother and wanted to show her my love and congratulations on her tennis scholarship. My nieces and nephews have all grown up! I loved watching her win two matches this weekend! BLISS~

The back of it is simple, with a "W", flower & sequin, and accent stripes added.

She loved it as much as the box!

The box was painted in two tones of orange and sage green, then antiqued and sealed with sealer. The image/papers were sealed with decoupage.

I used a really cute ribbon all around the bottom edge which added some dimension, texture and interest. You can see this detail in the photo above with the tape measure ribbon. Looks great!

Here are closeups of the 4 collage mini-vignettes! Aren't they adorable & sweet!!! I had the best time creating these and put a lot of thought into how they played off each other.

*Whispering Hope* {My wish for continued success}

*Some Day* {Her tennis days as a toddler}

*Princess* {Growing up as a little girl, a special Princess}

*Young Woman Tennis Player in Hat* {Tennis Success!}

Hope you all enjoy & are having a great weekend!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Digiscrap - GiGi, My Delicate Flower~

After ordering a few digital scrapbook kits from Jessica Sprague this morning. I began flitting around like a butterfly: from web image searches, to designing the altered art *Wish Box* mini-layouts, to digital tutorials, to uploading photos from my camera, to ...

Finding this sweet digital photo taken of GiGi during the Spring! The original plan was to blog about Spring gardening and include this photo of her along with my blossoming rose bushes, however, very little gardening outside of maintenance was done this year. I simply ran out and purchased some geraniums & asparagus fern for a few urns & pots! Why so stingy on the flowers, you ask? The Texas heat will fry anything that I keep in a pot - even hardy geraniums and asparagus fern! If any of you Texas readers have some suggestions on how to make maintaining pots of flowers easier, please leave me a comment! Now, my British neighbor, Norma, is a natural green thumb. When I want to enjoy lavish containers of flora and abundant blossoms of rose, I visit her and sit on her beautiful deck! For now, I am making a concerted effort to keep these plants alive. So, today gardening consisted of watering them and moving these potted plants off the pool deck & onto the back porch for filtered light! Cross your fingers that my geraniums croak their way back to perkiness! Maybe next year, the garden oasis I've always dreamed of ...

Anyway, anxious to do some digital layouts, I tried a grunge frame & simple phrasing, this photo of GiGi was pretty cute & a bit different!

My little dog, yes, I must say ... I never expected her to be my constant companion - day & nite. I was thinking yesterday that I am so happy I followed my *whim* to buy another dog. She seems to need the same thing that I do! Cuddling! I've posted before that I nicknamed her my *Snuggly Buggly* and that is so TRUE! Every night she'll lay close to me. I've grown so used to her being there, that if I decide to kennel her at bedtime, I miss her! My other dogs will lay beside me or at the foot of the bed.

For GiGi, it's status quo to wrap my hand around her at nite holding her. The weight of her is almost always against me. When I brought her home from the pet store, she was quite ill, underweight & tiny. So sick, that we took her with us while traveling to see relatives. I kept a watchful eye over her & always had her with me. Even as this tiny little puppy, she'd lay close to me. So, she is truly *My Delicate Flower*. Hard to believe there is something even more fragile than her. And I loved how she gently nuzzled into the clover and yellow ... um ... weeds. LOL! At least I can laugh at my gardening skills! You guys are lucky with the moderate gardening zones! But just you wait until Winter and we will see who is laughing at who!!!

Please do not be shy and leave me a comment! That includes any lurking relatives! :)

{Hugs}

Juls~

Info: Jessica Sprague Dot Com~

essica Sprague is a highly talented digital artist and photographer who offers online courses, blog, forums, shop, etc... If you want to learn more, be sure to check out her website. It's really *phenom* in my humble opinion.

he has a wonderful way of clearly communicating *HOW TOs* and is not only a techie, but an artist as well. Yes, both sides of her brain are in overdrive. I don't know how she keeps up with herself! It was amazing to me to see all the work she's done since my last visit! She also has a tremendous gift for inspiring others - check out some of the digital layouts that her followers submitted. This week she has a *neutral theme* going on with one splash of color. Black, White, Grey, Brown + One Color of choice. I think it will be very interesting to see what everyone comes up with.

or me personally, there are endless photography skills that I haven't even begun to tap into with my Canon Rebel XTi. I also wonder if I should have purchased a camera with a higher DPI measure - I am thinking so. Digital scrapbooking is so new to me {total beginner} that I really want {need} to learn more. I enjoy viewing all the altered art blogs beautiful projects, yet am amazed at how they take the image to a new colorized level by layering richly with other images, textures, swirls and trinkets! Yet, there is so much to be said for the *tactile* pleasure of creating art with hands. {I should really get a heart in hand stamp!} I find creating ultra-relaxing and, at times, extremely challenging! For people like me, there are hybrid projects combining both computer/digital and paper. Sounds like I'll be moving in this direction, as time permits.

heck out Jessica's website and let me know what you think! Jessica Sprague Lab For those of you who are interested in digital scrapbooking and photography - SHE IS YER GURL! I PROMISE!

Did you??? Is she not the greatest ever???

ere are the links to her index page, outlining general classes and areas of interest you may want to hone: Jessica Sprague Lab Index. As well as her freebie tutorials, Jessica Sprague Lab Free Tutorials!

lease do not be shy, I appreciate everyone's comments and/or hellos and love to see what you are up to! Be sure to point me in the direction of your blog!

{Hugs}

Juls~

Blog Award: One Lovely Blog Award~

What a darling award I received from my sweet blogger bud, Jeannie at Dragonfly Journeys! She recently posted a challenge with a Dragonfly motif, no less, and had lots of fun, pretty and TDF entries. Go check out that post! Great stuff!

So, thank you from the bottom of my heart, GF. This was a very pleasant surprise and I appreciate you thinking of me.

To pass the spirit along, I must list 7 Bloggers who have *One Lovely Blog*. I can tell you that my Blog list has several great sites that are dripping with talent and lotsa heart; Lovely Hearts and Lovely Projects too!

Here are the rules:

1. Add the award to your blog
2. Link to the person from whom you received this award
3. Nominate 7 more blogs
4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know they have received 'One Lovely Blog Award'

Curts World

Lillys World

Whimsical Musings

My Paper Art

Glitter Shine and Bling - That's My Thing

Wee Inklings

Melissa Frances

A few of these are newer blogs that I've just started following. Some are *old* friends {from like December}, LOL, who I adore on a personal level. I know that you will enjoy browsing their sites. I always look forward to seeing who has just posted the latest creation.

Have a great week, everyone! Please feel free to drop me a line and say hello. Point me in the direction of your blog and I'll be sure to visit you!

Altered Art - Journal of Inspiration~

Journal d'Inspiration

A dear friend of mine has been in *reflective mode* lately; partly due to circumstance but primarily due to will. We've known each other for about 25 years now and I've always felt protective of her in a big sister kind of way. Back in the '80s, she picked-up and moved to Dallas, Texas from Louisville, Kentucky by herself at the age of 25. Dallas offered her career opportunities in marketing that she felt was lacking in Louisville. Perhaps that protective gene sparked knowing that moving away from my home town, without a husband or boyfriend, was something that my nature would avoid. Solitude for me has always been about creating; musically, crafting, dreaming, gardening. Work is my solitude; losing myself in process. But to truly be *alone* is not something that I'd choose without unnatural force. To meet a young woman, vulnerable yet brave, who was enthusiastic about career, and played soccer {like me}, in a big city, on her own, just made me want to take her under my wing on occasion. Now, she is traveling through a new phase of her life, as strident as ever!

When we were young, I enjoyed opening our quaint apartment door to our newly found friend, a little spirited bird who had flown the coup and landed close to our nest. I suppose there was some kind of need for me to cook, cheer, entertain, and yes, protect her. I could not fathom being without a boyfriend or husband, personally, yet this did not bother her greatly. Sure, there were talks about dating, men and marriage. But there was never a lack of friendship or fun in her life. And never was finding a man her primary goal, yet, inner success always has been.

We've always shared our checklists of goals, ambitions, desires, and dreams. Reaching the 50 mark for her is only a new beginning vs. a half-way point. And having a wonderfully sassy friend who always exponentially appreciated my quirks and humor, who loves cooking the same way I do, is a small little miracle. I craved family and *home* too, even though I was happily married. I could sense she did too from the way she spoke of family, her sisters, Kentucky and Derby traditions and memories.



*Home* to me is about my mom, dad, sister and brother. Waking up to my dad whistling like a bird and watching the Birch trees leaves dance in the morning sparkling light through my bedroom windows. Knowing my mom was cheerily painting in her art room. Sitting at my bedroom's antique secretary desk and imaging running my own company. Acting like my homework was truly work-work. Making dinner with my mother and sister every night. Savoring the aroma of mom's cooking - the best roast, stir-fry and lasagna. Watching my dad and brother work on cars and motorcycles. Tulsa's changing of seasons. Crisp, delightful Fall weather when the earth's scent lolled from the ground while we raked leaves. Our family rushing to War Eagle Arts and Crafts each year in October. Skipping stones on the mill creek.

Home is work. Work is art. Art is love. Family is a combination of it all!!!

I ventured my independence with Marty by my side, yet my friend was alone -- my beautiful, Frenchy-Italian; firey-passionate friend. She'd light up our apartment with her rolling laughter and jokes. Noone has ever made me laugh like her or laughed at me so much! So, I cook for her to repay her laughter. I used to introduce her to co-workers and Marty's friends in an effort to help her *find the one*. I'd fix her hair and make-up and we'd all hit the town to dance. We'd put our short-shorts on and ride our bikes around the White Rock Lake or become weekend wonder-women and played *competitive soccer*. Now, we often sit outside at night and drink red wine to remember the *good old days*, discuss the latest *trials and tribulations*, and savor the joy life provides.

What I have feared for my own self; she has never minded. She is brave, bold and carefully daring! It's just taken me all these years to figure it out. In her solitude she charts her course, so I created a *Journal d'Inspiration* for her. This is a mini-journal because she will not spend countless hours writing her mind's reflections or life's experiences. She simply takes the sparks around her and creates fires that light her heart up. You can see her eyes sparkling with excitement when she speaks about her *LIST* of goals. She told me that she's *Out of her cocoon now and has become a beautiful butterfly!!!*, tongue in cheek and with hearty laughter. Thus, this version of a journal...

The Equestrian influences of Kentucky with tones of saddle, brown and black. For her, the animal print ribbon is a must! The antiquey-style papers lend themselves to history & family {plus you know I love Basic Grey!}. The stamp of the woman truly resembles an old photograph of her mother in her wedding gown and the little girl in prayer could be an old photo of herself! I've told her that the woman is her *Romance Fairy Godmother* because, as usual, I want her to have full love. The photo of the beautiful horses nuzzling each other, oh, how I love them! I wish they lived in my yard so I could watch them run and frolic!


On the back interior page, is an antique photograph of a vintage-20's, beautiful woman holding pearls and draped in layers of lace - so romantic, beautiful, and independent. This symbolizes success and passion to me. She seems so dreamy. Visualizing our dreams and following our hearts is so important.

I've told her, to pour herself a cup of coffee and reflect on all those dreams and goals she has been working toward. And DEFINITELY NOT to worry about *getting the journal dirty* or *messing it up* -- but to use it to draw on or doodle, jot down her thoughts, reflections or most urgent things to do. Have fun with it! I'd much rather see it used than collecting dust in her armoire!

I wrote a quick poem echoing the Equestrian theme, and, yea, I got a little carried away ... I'm still very protective of her and I still want her to always love and be loved...

HE STANDS ~


Collecting your dreams,
with aspirations afire, he stands.
Hasten the day, holding the reins
upon a horse as wild~

His mane lit ivory as pearls,
curling through your fingers,
powerfully he strides,
whilst your souls fly with cheer~

Speeding along through dust and dawn,
his hooves pound out your course.
Riding hard, riding long and fearless,
forever love his heart, he's yours~

Isn't getting a little carried away what life is all about???

{xoxo} Juls~

Altered Art - Journal of Birds & Gardening~

Le Journal d'Oiseaux & Le Jardinage

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.

Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"

I love this set of Basic Grey's papers and have used them on a few other scrapbook projects as well. They are so beautiful that I am always anxious about covering them up. I did manage to layer the inside cover, but the top page is *as-is* with an antiquey key hole I printed and glued on top. The inside cover turned out being a favorite, I hand-trimmed sections of patterns to overlay on the damask print. Mechanically, I would have done a few things differently from the standpoint of metal embellishments and layering. Since I had already cut and pasted in the interior covers, I would not have been able to hide the backs of brads. This is a consideration when you want to use brads.

The back interior page is very simple with a card-style motif. I chose to mat with several layers of papers and printed the poem noted above. The photograph does not do some of these pages justice! You can also use this space to journal a note to a friend or loved one, when making journals as gifts.





















The back page stands on its own. I love the antiquey stamping and subdued color pallete. For the college-ruled pages, I stamped alternating location and used several different stamps to visually change-up and make journaling a little more interesting for the writer.























For those of you who would rather journal on the computer, like me, similar journals can be used for many other uses when the computer is not handy such as daily to-do lists, on-going large projects, note taking, bird watching, travel and/or gardening combos, telephone message lists, etc. The telephone message pad comes in handy to write notes to family about calls or leaving messages. You could also use something like this as a grocery store list. It's pretty and can sit out on a counter. Or when you'd rather curl up at night with desert and use pen and paper, use it as an Inspiration Journal. You can doodle, quote Scriptures, reflect, record family memories, or write about the latest heart break, heart throb or office politics! Perhaps you bring out your inner-diva and plan your next romantic encounter - step-by-step! Over the years, I've had gardening journals and would record the various types of flowers being planted each Spring. I'd also include snapshots of Spring's bursting forth or random photos I thought were cool. There, I'd also reflect on my children and their sweet expressions. I've written lyrics for musics, poetry or feelings about life. Journaling can help you create a picture of success or calculate the next phase of your life through written imagery and expression. It can help you sort through life and gauge what is truly important. They say that you can't understand life looking forward, only backward, but you must move forward to get through life! I do believe you can get to the understanding of it much quicker through journaling. And creating those all necessary lists, as some of us age, help us keep balance through the daily tasks of life.

There is much to be said for the lost ART OF WRITING. The beautiful transcripts of gorgeous penmanship that was so artfully and carefully scribed. Penmanship was one of my favorite classes and I took a lot of pride in perfecting it. I've enjoyed watching my written words change in appearance, just as the phases of my life do.
Juls~

InSights: My Doggie-Dogs~

Here they are! My little *Doggie-Dogs*! Are they not adorable?! This photo was taken back in March, after about 50 tries. From left to right, Georgie, GiGi, Chief and Poco (short for Pocohantas).

Chief was the 1st of the batch. He is such a loyal, sweet dog. Since he was attacked by a Great Pyrenese I tried to adopt a few years ago, he has been suffering from bouts of severe pain. I am guessing his spine or ribs since he is tender to the touch. There were a few days this month that were very bad. I have to dose him with pain medication until it subsides. Typically, the attack lasts for a day, but it was two days over Memorial Day holiday, no less. Next time, there will be a visit to the vet. I'm guessing that there won't be much they can do for him. My thought is that a surgery could make the problem potentially worse, if it's his spine. Could be his rib gets a little disjointed too because he had a few displaced and one was particularly bad.

Poco was the next *baby* I brought home with me. My daughter, Jessi, and I went to Petsmart. I adore the Maltese breed and she seemed a bit sickly, but sweet as ever and I had to get her out of there. She is the protector and will come between dogs gritching at each other. Chief and Poco had two adorable batches of puppies. I wanted my kids to enjoy the experience of the whole puppy thing, as I really enjoyed the kitten and puppy litters my pets had growing up. As their puppies grew a little older, I'd keep them in a baby pen and put it in my son's room. So, Mason quickly learned that if he moved a muscle they'd all start yipping at him! One late evening, he woke up and had to use the restroom. He laid very still and opened his eyes to see what they were doing. There they were, all 4 closely standing up in a row facing him with their paws against the netting. Cute white balls of fur with wide brown eyes and button noses just w-a-i-t-i-n-g .... He tried to move extremely slowly thinking he could sneak out of bed. No way. They were on to him and launched into a jumping, yipping free for all!!! "Let Us Out!!! Play With Us!!!" :D~

Don't ask me why but after Buddy didn't work out, I still wanted another *baby*. So, back to Petsmart. This time I was looking for a Papillon because a client of mine had two reeaally cute ones. I fell instantly in love with her little female and could have taken her home with me. GiGi was taken out and the salesman noticed that she loved being in my arms. I noticed it too! Have I told this story before??? Anyway, she is truly my little snuggly-buggly baby. Where ever I am, they all want to be. Much of the time, they are in my office patiently watching me do my thang.

After my eyelid surgery, I wanted a tri-colored Papillon male. For some reason, I was considering showing and breeding! I searched for two full days and did not even shower looking online for a cute boy. Finally, I found a male with pretty markings and a handsome face. Jessica and I drove to Oklahoma City and picked him up from the breeder. He has the warmest little paws and hugs with his front legs! When we were driving home, he stood on my lap and put his head on my shoulder. He's a little lover boy and is a sweet little dog. Chief picks on him a lot and he let's Chief be boss. I think it's time for Chief to be neutered! Georgie is smart as a whip. I can easily say that he is the smartest dog I have ever had.

Papillons are extremely agile and quick! Very, very smart and easy to train. If you are looking for a great lap dog, they are an excellent choice. Papillons do shed a little but are easy to groom. Maltese do not shed and are great for most people with allergies but do require either a lot of brushing or cuts. Papillons are from the Spaniel breed. Originally, their ears dropped (Phalene type), now they are commonly erect. The Papillon is gaining popularity each year. They have my vote!

Hope you enjoy this pic. I did work on an Altered Art Project today and will take pictures and post it tomorrow! Think you all are gonna *luv* it!!!

Please do not be shy and drop me a line! And point me to the direction of your blog! Have a great day, everyone!

Juls~