DLP unPlanner - November - Week 1

Hello from Albuquerque! We are busy with two littles this weekend. They have way

 too much energy!

This is my weekly spread for the first week of November. I stamped many fall leaves for the background and added some paper strips. The leaf in the lower right corner is a metal one I received in a swap. I thought it looked perfect on this page! The days of the week are the Art-to-the-5th stamps that came in the original kit. I love them but can only use on the first weeks as they only go through #10.

This week's PAC art challenge was to add something from the bottom of your purse or wallet. I found an old receipt which I cut up and painted for the hearts. I also used the bar code strip at the bottom but when I covered it with gel medium, much of the ink came off. I then added some glitter tape over it.  The background is a "dirty" paper towel that I scrunched and glued to the card base. I love all the random fall colors.

Note - the "smudge" that appears in the center of the smaller heart must be a light reflection since it's not on the original.

November DLP unPlanner 2016

November's theme is: Changing Seasons - Redefining Priorities

For the month divider I used the November one from the Bo Bunny packet, colored the borders with gelato and added a pocket from the Bo Bunny "Calendar Girl" paper line. I used an old tag I received from a swap and colored it heavily with Distress Inks and Heirloom Gold spray mist. I added the title for the month with a Dymo labeler.

November Monthly Divider

Tag - before

Tag - after

I used the monthly view already on the back of the divider, again coloring the borders and adding some stickers and washi tape. I punched small maple leaves out of painted paper for the dates.

Monthly view

I am leaving for Albuquerque to babysit again this evening and will be gone for several days. I will try to upload and post about the first week's spread.

October DLP unPlanner 2016 - Week 4

More catchup...

This is Week 4. I was at my art retreat this week and working on various projects (I will share later) so not much on the calendar.

Since Oct. 31st fell on Monday, I didn't want to use an entire weekly page so I used the back of a darling Halloween card I received. (See second photo.)

Here is what I did for my Monthly Pocket Picks. I used another full sheet protector and fused pockets in it according to the sizes I needed.  Once again I used a black tag for some photos of the month. I love how that looks.

Front

Back

I still have a few October PACs to catch up on so will share those next.

October DLP unPlanner - Weeks 2 & 3

October Theme - A Fresh Start - Clear Your Palette

Week 2 

In keeping with my "fresh start," I'm trying to use colors I don't usually use. For this week I used greens and orange. The heart on Friday is for our 44th wedding anniversary. I loved using a tiny maple leaf punch for the dates.

The PAC art challenge for this week was to start with a doodle. I used a piece of previously gelli-plated deli paper for the background and started outlining the shapes of the stencil on the paper. I continued doodling and adding color until the card was filled. It still needed a focal point, so I found this bird image among some scraps on my desk.

Week 3

For this week I used a background stamp and orange ink for the background and watercolor for the days of the week. 

This week's PAC challenge was to draw a line down the center and create two scenes on the card. After much thought, I decided to use a Jack-o-Lantern/pumpkin symbolizing the two "faces" of fall -  Halloween and Thanksgiving. The painted background was a scrap and the pumpkin was stamped on watercolor paper and watercolored. I machine-stitched down the center and wrapped fall-themed washi tape around the edges.

DLP unplanner 2016 - First Week of October

October Theme: A Fresh Start - Clear Your Palette

For October's theme (clearing your palette), I thought I would try to change up my color palette. I usually favor pinks, blues and turquoise, so this month I'm going for more warm colors. They fit the season as well!

Here is my October divider - very simple using some portions of a Bo Bunny October paper, a piece of a kraft file folder and a Dymo label maker for the theme. I didn't use my usual pocket with a tag for the theme - I'm getting a fresh start!

I added the monthly calendar on the back, swiping some watercolors through the days and splattering a darker orange paint.

For the first week's page I used the stamps from the DLP kit - just love those and they are still available separately here. I sprayed a mustard Heidi Swapp spray ink through a floral stencil for the background and added some papers and stickers.

The PAC challenge for the first week was to hide something under your art.  We've recently had some sad news that Sara's fiancé (together for 4 years and engaged for 2) just broke up with her. Long story and devastating to us all. So I wrote out some of my feelings on a pre-painted card, then covered with more paint, marks and a Dina Wakley stamp.  I took photos of before and after - notice I rev erred to my usual color palette!

before

after

Recap of DLP September

Catching up on posting the last few weeks' of September's DLP pages.

Fourth Week

I scraped pink and yellow acrylic paints on kraft background, then stenciled the large flowers with yellow paint. The centers of the flowers are messy-painted circle flowers. I used up many random bits and pieces on this page.

Fifth Week

For this background is dry-brushed some white paint lightly and then stenciled the harlequin design with yellow paint. The owls were cut from an old sticky note.

Back of Fifth Week Page

Because there was an extra week in Sept., I was left with a blank page. I glued on some artist paper from the DLP gals (love, love, love this paper) and then added one of Roben Marie Smith's journaling cards to summarize the month - quick and easy.

This is the last week's PAC. The challenge was to use stripes.  When I was thinking about this challenge, I was watching an Illustrated Faith video by Shanna Noel. She was sketching a girl similar to those of Beth Cupitt (also of IF).  I decided to try my hand at it and sketched this girl on watercolor paper. After watercoloring her, I cut her out and glued her to this pretty scrapbook paper which had little tick marks on it, a kind of stripe. I attached a small piece of IF printed acetate and sewed around the card with pink thread. Love it!

And, finally, the Monthly Pocket Picks!

I love doing these. They are part scrapbook, part pocket page, and part cleaning up the bits and pieces I've saved over the month! I used my Fuse tool which I had purchased especially for this project.

I used a black tag again - love the look of photos and white writing on the black.  One fun thing I did - I had an extra space on the page so make a shaker with all the colorful circles left over from punching holes in the spines of my pages through the entire year to date! 

Front

Some of the items I added this month: photos of happy mail (orders and swaps), a movie ticket stub, a card and pin from the Pinners Conference in Dallas, photos from camping in Bandolier and the boys in Albuquerque, and a ticket and photo of the Children's Aquarium where I took Carl and Mitchell while I was babysitting earlier in the month to pet and feed the stingrays.  Love the memories!

Back

DLP unPlanner - September

It's been another two weeks since I've posted. I stay busy enough to seem to avoid blogging! Keep saying I'll do better... We did babysit the two boys from Austin (ages 4 and 15 months) for four days and my husband has also been laid up with a bad bout of sciatica so those are my excuses!

The theme for September's DLP is "Roll Call - Being Accountable."

This is my monthly divider, using the Bo Bunny divider that was in the kit, along with a pocket and tag as I've done each month.  I use the tag to add the month's theme. I used similar colors of Distress inks for the tag and embossed the three hearts in white. The ribbon is hand-dyed.

On the back of the monthly divider is the monthly calendar.

This is the first week of September.  I'm using the kraft calendars this month.

The PAC art challenge for the first week was "Add an Organic Element." I used a previously painted card and stenciled a leaf in white. For the organic element I wrapped a stick from the yard with a fuzzy fiber and tied it to the top of the PAC. The words are very old clear stickers.

Here is the weekly view for the second week. The dates are an exclusive stamp set by Rae Missigman for DLP. I love it but it only goes to - luckily I was able to make "eleven" from the "seven" stamp.

The art challenge was to stitch on the PAC so I used a section of a "mop-up paper" for the base and added gelli print circles for the flowers and book page leaves. I machine stitched all in place and hand-stitched the tiny yellow circle of dyed paper towel in place.

And this is the third week, the week just ending. I used pink and yellow paints on the background but it turned out pretty dull because of the kraft card stock. I then used a small chevron roller stamp and white ink to lighten it. The dates are written on little banners punched from security envelopes.

The PAC challenge this week was to make marks in black and white over a colored background.  This background is painted with several colors; then I stamped the flowers in black and added white and black doodles throughout. Adding black and white marks to any project really makes it pop!

The List Ten for this month is to list 10 things you hope to gain as you grow older.  I printed the "list TEN" template on white paper and secured it to kraft card stock. I added colorful artist paper and colored hole reinforcers to the spine and border-punched the right edge. For the bullet points I used the centers of colored hole reinforcers. On the back I randomly stenciled a few colors and added some random items laying on my desk! I love being able to use up "stuff." Finally, I added paint splatters in pink and orange.

Front

Back

Documented Life unPlanner 2016 - catch-up on August

As I explained in the last post,  I've been busy! Though I haven't posted, I have stayed current with each week's calendars and challenges.  So here's the remainder of August. With this month finished, we are now 3/4 of the way through the year with only four months to go! 

I have completely filled my second binder and will now have to start a third. I love how chunky my two binders are, but really wish they could all be in one volume. This photo shows the binder as closed as it gets! For this binder, I did not use the kraft one that was included in the DLP kit. I found this one at Target and adore the pattern so much I will not even decorate it. The black and white  make all the colorful inside goodness really pop!

Week 2 Calendar (I chose not to do a Dare 2B card this month)

Week 3 Calendar (week of birthdays)

List Ten - 10 Places You'd Like to Visit in the Past

Front

Instead of using the regular List Ten template, I used a skinny, scalloped-edge page from the DLP kit. I used the centers of painted hole reinforcers for the bullet points. I covered the back with a painted collage sheet and added a "to do list" printed on kraft. Again, I love white pen on kraft!

Back

Week 3 PAC

This week's challenge was to document a happy event during the week. Since it was my birthday on Friday, that was my focus. This was an old journal card (with the face, "me" and a colorful background printed on it). I added lots of paint and then adhered the macarons image from a planner printout.  I doodled a bit and called it done.

Week 4 Calendar

Week 4 PAC 

The challenge was to highlight a favorite number. I chose "4" for my four grandsons. I stamped several different sizes of 4's in gray and pink inks on the background and then stamped the large 4 in black. I then doodled in white to "highlight" the number.

To hold this month's 4 PACs I used another stacked page protector. The photo below shows the front; the third and fourth cards are on the back.

Week "5" - last few days of Aug.

Since there were only 3 days left in August, I used only half a calendar page. The colorful circles for the dates were pushed from an old Stampers Anonymous catalog. The scalloped border is cut from a security envelope. Love those black and white designs.

Monthly Pocket Picks

I changed it up this month for the monthly pocket picks. Usually I use a page protector and fuse tool to enclose the bits and pieces of my month. Since this month was so busy and I had lots of photos, I decided to create a card stock fold-out.  Below is the "booklet" folded up. I had to add a tiny decorative clothespin to hold it closed! The spine is made from a decorative file folder I found at the Target $ Spot. I like the black contrast with all the colors. Most of this booklet is covered with the artist collage papers that were included in the kit. They are the artwork of Rae Missigman and Sandy Keene (co-moderators of DLP).

Front

 The top flap opens up and reveals a postcard I received from an art friend in New Mexico. It was so cute I wanted to save it.  I added a black tag with photos of Drew and Grant who we babysat early in August. To the right you can barely see a tag from some flip-flops I bought this month. This flips open.

Top flap open revealing the front of the left flap

The left flap is dedicated to my birthday. There are photos of flowers I received from my husband and the cards I received. The title, as well as the sequin border, were cut from one of my cards and adhered to the page. The label and ribbon are from the box of chocolate that Kelly and her family sent me, along with their note.

The center page has photos of all the boys and activities we did last weekend in Austin. On the right, I covered the back of the shoe tag with black paper and added a photo of an art piece I received in an art swap.

Top, left and right flaps opened

Lastly, this is the back of the booklet. Since we stayed a few extra days, I added a few more photos from that time as well as the stickers from the 2 ERs we visited!

 And with that, this binder is finished! On to September and the last quarter of the year!