End of the Month MOJO Oct '09

One of the things we hope everyone understands with our prompts, is that they REALLY ARE for everyone!! When we say we want to see your creations, we mean CREATIONS!! Whatever you are inspired to create by us. This month, Becky asked a digital scrapper to join us for inspiration!!

Rachel Houghton (aka rh_scrapbooker) has been a scrapbooker since 1999. She switched to digital scrapbooking in 2005. As a technical writer outside the scrapbooking world, her layouts are often crisp, clean, and simple with plenty of white space She is a serious amateur photographer who totes around two cameras most of the time - her trusty Nikon D100 digital SLR and her Nikon Coolpix L15 (her "stealth" camera). She just celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary with DH Bob, and they spoil three cats shamelessly (Murphy, Willow, and Cleo). She has been a member of the digital creative team on the Ready, Set, Create e-zine since the Mar/April 2009 issue, and was published in the fall 2005 issue of Digital Scrapbooking magazine.

You can see some of her digital layouts and a LOT of her layouts on Flickr:
We hope you feel inspired to make our prompt YOUR own. HERE's our current prompt, and more inspiration for you... Leave us a link in your comments here on the blog, so we can visit your part of the gutter!!
PRIZE
Winner of our Design Team Sponsored prize from Christi, and Coffee's Shoppe is:
ladybrayton71 said... ok. I used a bra strap! Here's my take on the prompt. enjoy!
LadyB, please use the contact button in the left sidebar, and put DT PRIZE in your subject line! Send your mailing information, so I can pass it on to Christi!!
Winner of our bonus prize from DIRTY LAUNDRY is:
Nikki said... THANK U for this prompt! it was perfect for me and i fell SOOOO much better now! http://momagrln2k.blogspot.com/2009/09/im-in-gutter.html
Nikki, please use the contact button in the left sidebar, and put BONUS PRIZE in your subject line! Send your mailing information, so I can pass it on to Beth!!
Becky provided us with our next prize!! It's delish. I wish I was eligible to win!! Leaving a comment WITH A LINK TO YOUR CREATION in our Oct. prompt and our Nov. prompt (coming up on the 15th) will put you in the running for our random number generator to pick YOU as the winner!! (and puts you in the running to be invited to be our NEXT guest gutter girl.)

GUEST GUTTER GIRL
Jingle said... Thank you for an amazingly inspiring challenge! I love the DT work! Here is my take: You Want To Spread Your Wings
Jingle, we'd LOVE to have you as our guest gutter girl for our upcoming prompt on Nov. 15th!! Please send us an email using the link in our left sidebar and let us know if you are able to be our guest!! Please put NOV GUEST in your subject line.

October 15th, Prompt #30

Thanks for letting me be your monthly guest designer - it was really fun! :D
THIRTY!?!? We're at THIRTY!? SO totally COOL.
This month's prompt is a little on the softer side... I hope you'll take a moment to create something and expose a little of your more vulnerable side...
THE PROMPT:
Tender. Human.
THE SONG:
Afraid by Nelly Furtado
PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Bra Straps
** NO ONE used a BRA STRAP on their projects!! I double dare you to do it!! (Nikki came the closest, with a photo and her bra showing in it)
WHAT WE DID:
(click on any photo to view it larger)
Our Guest Gutter Girl, Margrethe!!
I'm a 24 year old Norwegian woman studying for a MA in Art- and Cultural Studies. Married with two cats. I enjoy Guttergirlz because it's the only challenge blog I've found that lets me bring out all the nitty-gritty stuff in a positive way, and lets me do it as messy as I want to, when I want to. Guttergirlz has become very therapeutic for me as I've been going through an assessment process over the past year. The blog has given me an opportunity to sort that stuff out and be creative at the same time. It's excellent!

I asked Margrethe if she had one word of advice for someone new to scrapping or art, what would it be?
I wish the people I first got to know when I started scrapbooking in 2008 had showed me that it's okay to play with paint and glue, that not everything has to be "perfect" - I manage to think that well enough on my own ;P All joking aside, by experimenting with different techniques and styles, I hope I can show others that anything goes.
You can visit Margrethe on HER BLOG!!

Kristy
this LO is about how there are somethings that no matter how much they hurt they stay secret. You'd think you'd get over them but you really don't. I placed the lyrics over the polaroid of me and my dad to make it seem like a running train of thought when I think about him.

Close up

Glenda
I used some of the lyrics for my title because since I was young my mom always taught us to be a leader, not a follower and to never be afraid to speak our minds. Because of this I learned not to care what other people think and to always speak up for myself and be my own person.

Patti
I decided to use the title Human and I used a verse out of the song. When I first read this prompt I knew exactly what I was going to do. This is my niece who is orphaned and I am always concerned she is not strong enough to deal with anymore that life throws at her! It was fun getting all dirty in the gutter this month. I pulled out my paint.

Becky
The lyrics of the song struck me just right as I am going through some difficult times with my daughter wanting to spread her wings and leave the nest. I just had to scrap the "moment" to remember those days when she loved being here at home.

Nikki
I kept going in all different directions with this one. A lot of the lyrics were appropriate for how I'm feeling lately...but because it's breast cancer awareness month, I went with this pic and there is hope for a cure for the title...

Susan
I LOVED the words to this song. I knew as soon as I read them that they needed to be the majority of my lo. I decided to change the 'you' to 'I' because it reminds me of when I was drinking and using. ESPECIALLY the 3rd paragraph. As an addict you always think that if everyone else would just change then the situation/world would be so much better. But AA teaches me that I have to be the change. That I'm the problem in my life. Even though you know your life is a mess it's hard to let go of that because that's all you know. But somehow, thru the grace of God, I would always find a way to pull myself back up again.

Lara
For some reason I was having so much trouble coming up with a layout idea because every time i thought of the word "human" i thought of the word "soul" which in turn made me think of U2 (ok, fine what doesn't make me think of U2 these days?) which in turn made me think of the song "Elevation" and how every time i get to experience that song live (which is 7 times now, I guess?) it catapults my soul out of my body and i don't feel like i am in a physical human body anymore. Jumping and singing "ooohhh hoooo" with 60,000+ people is absolutely electrifying! At this point I'm thinking I should rename my art journal "u2 lyric journal" but.... yeah... heh.

So, i went with the lyric and gathered some found objects since i've been cleaning out all my art stuff in preparation of purging for the move.

• The green background is this canvas that the creative team at my work used for a presentation recently and i said "don't throw those scraps away!!!!" so they gave them to me.
• The caution tape comes from the meadowlands parking lot in new jersey (what trash?),
• the screen is still yet more screen from my old back porch,
• there's a sticker under there you can barely see that has two red arrows and says "this way up" that a friend of mine who works in a warehouse gave me a roll of,
• the dragonfly came from some swap or kit that i never thought i would use cause i thought it was kinda cheesy AND
• the text comes from an old old old children's story book i've been holding onto to scared to cut into but i finally dove into it last night and was tickled pink to find this story about a little airplane afraid to fly and the paper is so fragile and smells so ... old.
• Oh and my handwriting is on electrical tape!

Close up

Post a comment with a link to your Gutter Inspired creations from our Sept. 15th Prompt, and the upcoming Oct. 15th Prompt, and be entered to win one of these TWO prizes, as well as be submitted to be chosen for our next GUEST!!
BONUS PRIZE SPONSOR
Is Beth's Shop DIRTY LAUNDRY!! When we draw our winners next month, we'll give away a prize sponsored by Dirty Laundry to a second lucky girl!! The winner will be getting a handmade yoyo necklace (the one beth is wearing in her photo above!)

OUR DT Sponsored PRIZE
Thanks to CHRISTI, who is offering a prize from her etsy shop Coffee's Shoppe!! This prize is her Autumn Mini Kit!!

End of the Month MOJO Sept '09

We have a couple things to bring you on this end of the month Mojo!!

• AN HONORARY GUTTER GIRL
• A BONUS PRIZE SPONSOR
• A SWEET TECHNIQUE!!
• WINNER and our NEXT GUEST GUTTER GIRL!!
• OUR DT Sponsored PRIZE!
  

HONORARY GUTTER GIRL
Our honorary Gutter Girl is someone I came across here on the web a while ago. I'm not even 100% sure HOW she and I because contacts, but we did. I'm SO GLAD we did!! I totally enjoy her spirit, and all that she creates!! Plus, she has a shop called DIRTY LAUNDRY. I mean seriously. How could the gal who runs GUTTER GIRLZ not LOVE that!?!? Please help me welcome Beth Perry!!

Hi! My name is Beth and I live in St. Louis. I love creating, painting, making fabric jewelry and anything else that I feel like trying to learn on any given day.
Thank you for having me. This was such a blast creating from this prompt!
Lyrics from song: Just stop and take a second
As soon as I read those words in that song, I KNEW what I wanted to do. I have been wanting to make some kind of wall hanging with the awesome old lake photo I found at an antique mall in Paducah, KY.
Technique: blotted lipstick on Jenni Bowling sticker and covered with Crackle Glaze. After drying, put one more coat of clear drying glue (I used Zip Dry). The lace, star material and sewing bobbin are also antique finds.
blog: I LOVE DIRTY LAUNDRY
etsy shop: DIRTY LAUNDRY
I took the chance to ask Beth a few questions about herself!!
What is your favorite art medium?

It would have to be gesso and spray paints. I love adding texture to my projects with the gesso and I am very much addicted to Glimmer Mists right now.
What inspires you creatively?

I love mixing metal hardware, with its industrial feel, to vintage objects, such as lace and material. There is something so inspiring about mixing the the hard edges to soft textures.

How long have you been creating?

About 4 years now.

When did you open your shop? What gave you the idea?

Just recently actually.(couple of months) I started making yoyo necklaces and had quite a few orders, so I decided to open a shop. I had also started making some custom albums for a friend and figured I could put them in there too. I know there are a lot of people that would just rather buy an album then trying to make one. (no, I don't understand these people. lol...but, that's ok by me!)

Who do you draw inspiration from?

There are so many people and blogs I draw inspiration from. But, a few of my recent faves are these:

I love love LOVE the shabby chic jewelry by Beth Quinn. (cool name, too)

Pam Garrison's amazing sewing skillz never cease to wow me.

Tara Anderson uses alot of the mixing soft pretty things with contrasting black paint or metal embellishments (as mentioned in what inspires me creatively). Grunge meets frilly, if you will.

Apart from owning a kick ass etsy shop, are there any other websites we can find you on?

I have online galleries here:

Flickr

SIStv

And you can become a FB fan of Dirty Laundry HERE:
This is the AWESOME piece that Beth created with our Sept Prompt!!

BONUS PRIZE SPONSOR
Is Beth's Shop DIRTY LAUNDRY!! When we draw our winners next month, we'll give away a prize sponsored by Dirty Laundry to a second lucky girl!! The winner will be getting a handmade yoyo necklace (the one beth is wearing in her photo above!)

SWEET TECHNIQUE!!
This technique is brought to you by CHRISTI!!
Lace up your Chucks, ladies, we're about to go old school!! For this truly simple technique, all you'll need is a compass (the kind you used to use in school with a pencil, not the kind that tells direction), some paper, an ink pad if you want to edge your scallops with color, and a pair of scallop-edged decorative scissors (remember those?)!

Use your compass against your background cardstock to determine what size you'd like your circle to be. DO NOT touch the pencil to the paper at this point, just adjust the angle and move the point of the compass until you've got the circle size you want.

Now trace the circle onto the back of your patterned paper...

Use your decorative-edged scissors to cut out your circle, then ink the edges, if desired. Seriously, people, it's THAT easy!!

At the end of this process, you may notice you have one small spot where the pattern doesn't match up. Don't worry, you can easily cover that up as you can see in my finished layout.

And the great thing about this technique is that not only can you make scalloped circles of almost any size, but you could use different deco-scissors as well! Experiment and have fun...can't wait to see what you come up with!
WINNER

Our prize winner of LARA'S prize offered in Aug. EOMM by random number generator...

Ashley said... hope this link works Congratulations, Ashley!! I think I have your mailing information, so I'll pass that onto Lara!!
NEXT GUEST GUTTER GIRL!!
We ask one of our GIRLZ who take part in our challenges to be our guest every month, and this month, I'd like to invite:
papirdiva said... I just loved this prompt so much, I got up in the middle of the night last night and did it - at 3am! My layout
Margrethe!! We'd LOVE to have you be our guest next month!! Please shoot me an email using the CONTACT button in the left sidebar. Put OCTOBER GUEST in your subject, and let me know if you're interested in playing along!!
OUR DT Sponsored PRIZE
Post a comment with a link to your Gutter Inspired creations from our Sept. 15th Prompt, and the upcoming Oct. 15th Prompt, and be entered to win one of TWO prizes, as well as be submitted to be chosen for our next GUEST!! Thanks to CHRISTI, who is offering a prize from her etsy shop Coffee's Shoppe!! This prize is her Autumn Mini Kit!!