Author: Dina

Got nominated for the Rockin’ Blogger award by both Fauve and Noell, two amazing and talented chicks. Now I get to nominate female bloggers who rock…you know, passing on the love. And then it’s their turn to pass on the love.

 

My nominations:

1. Celeste. She’s a scrappin’ supa-star…pubbed so many times I can’t count, funny, generous. She truly rocks.

2. April and Scarlet of Studio Calico. So nice…and their kit is cutting edge!

3. Ashley Calder. Quite simply, she is one of the best there is. Great scrapping, great art.

4. Jennie Yeo. Super talented! Someday I am going to fly to Singapore and meet all those amazing gals there (Aida, Jennie, Brenda…and more!). Speaking of Jennie, she tagged me with a 7 things meme…is there ANYTHING left you don’t know about me? I doubt it. I am going to center my 7 things this time around food…

• I love Indian food. I’m drooling now thinking about naan and chicken tikka masala.
• I have never eaten a fried egg.
• I like sauerkraut. I even tried kimchee once and liked it.
• I love, love, love cold cereal.
• I eat yogurt almost every day.
• When I was in England in March, I ate lots of sausage rolls. They remind me so much of being a kid.
• I’m a decent cook (life’s too short to eat bad food), but I love to eat out, too.

I finished Harry Potter yesterday and am all verklempt, not really at the book itself but at the thought of it all being done…I guess I’m mourning books that will never be and were never meant to be. Sigh.

I now present CHA and Chicago in pictures…

(Above: Allison Kreft of Hambly & me, showing off the brochure page that my LO is on. Holy over-exposed picture, Batman.)

(Above: My soul-mate Celeste playing "Where’s Waldo" behind Tim Holtz. Bwa ha ha.)

(Above: the ScrapGal gals…too fun, so fab!)

          

    

(Above: Meeting the fabulous Lisa M Pace, Anja Wade, the Studio Calico gals April & Scarlet, and Heather & Robb Burch of Poppy Ink.)

         

         

(Above: Four words…Art Institute of Chicago.)

(Above: Skyline view from Lake Michigan…boat tours rock!)

So, I only got about 2 hours sleep the night before I had to leave to CHA. I woke up to get ready, and my head was pounding…I decided to take 2 Excedrin so I could ward off the migraine and endure the plane ride. I opened a pill bottle by my bed & popped two pills…the only problem is they weren’t Excedrin. They were Tylenol PM. Yes, I undertook a stressful standby wait at the airport and a 3-hour plane ride with a honking dose of Tylenol PM in my system. AARGH! I tried to get ’em to come back up, but they wouldn’t. So I was very drowsy, nauseous, and even tingly at some points. Geez.

I’ll post a trip report a bit later…spending time w/ my kiddos and getting some stuff done first.

Hi, all! I’ll answer a few questions I got…thanks everyone for your comments!

Red Rosin Paper is a builder’s supply material, usually used under hardwood flooring. It comes in a HUGE roll for about $12. I got mine at Home Depot in the paint department, near the drop cloths. The great thing about this paper is it is cheap, you can use a HUGE sheet or tear it up into smaller sheets, and it remains flexible after paint is dry. You MUST gesso this paper before you paint. Preferably you should gesso both sides. I learned about this paper in a class taught by the amazing Lynne Perella.

I made the dots in the piece below with a stamp I bought from Stampotique. Isn’t that stamp cool??? I saw it in the store and knew immediately that it was mine, all mine. It is item number 8116U.

Just playing around with paint and red rosin paper…

• I have a 12-year old. Aaaack, I’m getting old. People tell you the time goes fast and you think yeah, yeah, whatever, as you have 3 kids in diapers and are up to your armpits in sippy cup lids. But it’s true…especially when they get in school, time goes soooo fast. Now my oldest is 12 and he’s got the zits on his nose to prove it. He’s a good kid, we had a fun birthday weekend.
• We were watching The Next Food Network Star last night (goooo Amy), and Reed said, "Why are they clapping for ingredients?" Then we laughed & laughed. Seriously, why does a studio audience clap when you say, "parmesan cheese!", "asparagus!", "cream!". Weird. And if Rory wins, I am never watching that show again.
• While THIS pattern for amigurumi (i.e. crocheted) sushi is so cute, just what to you DO with fake crocheted sushi when you’re done? Keep it out on the coffee table? Use it as a cat toy? What?

My to-do list is long and overwhelming, and that may be why I’m ignoring it and sitting here painting instead. Long live procrastination.

I’m feeling tired and I’m reflecting on memories of my Grandma, she died when I was 9 and I remember standing by her casket and sobbing, sobbing with my cousin and even now almost 30 years later I cry when I think about that day, and I remember the sticks of Doublemint gum and the $5 bills in the birthday cards, and the brown bag full of small gifts when we’d arrive on the farm, and I remember her setting out pie tins full of kitchen scraps for the wild cats who wouldn’t come near until you were peeking from behind the screen door, and I remember she saved the bacon grease, solidified, on the stove and how she loved the lilacs out the window, and I remember the raspberries & milk and the jam downstairs in the cellar with the paraffin seal, and I remember her jewelry box and how she’d let me wear the earrings, and I remember sitting by her on the brown nubby couch, her legs propped up, she was patiently teaching me how to crochet and I made the world’s longest crochet chain, it stretched for miles and miles and that crochet chain is still stretching from me to her, stretching and helping me remember.