Visit Other GutterGirlz

FOLLOW the gutter girlz by clicking the follow option in our sidebar!! You'll be listed on every page, and people will be able to see what you're up to on YOUR space in the web!

We're all about the link love... if you link from your blog to ours, you'll show up in our sidebar AUTOMATICALLY through our Link WIDGET from Referer.org

Toot Toot!!

Check it OUT!! These gals have been noticed using OUR prompts!! Way to go, GutterGirlz!
Heather got noticed in week 1 by Basic Grey!

YOU can be a Guest Gutter Girl!!

SHUT UP!! It's true!! YOU could be next month's Guest Gutter Girl!! Just take on one of our challenges!! All you need to do, is be SURE to leave a link to your take our challenges!!! Your project MUST follow one of the challenges, and be linked in the challenge it goes to. It's that simple. Every month, we Gutter Girlz will choose our favorite project from the links left in the comment section of our recent challenge. Our favorite gal will be asked to join us and have her layout listed along with ours for the next challenge!! Can't WAIT to have you!!

Guest Gutter Girlz will be announced on the 30th of every month, and will design for the following prompt on the 15th. To be considered for a Guest Gutter Girl spot, please have your links in the comment section by the 27th of the month by midnight that night. (so your link for the prompt on Jan 15th should be in the comment section of that post by Jan 27th at midnight that night.) **

** yes. We realize this is technically the MORNING of the 28th.

Once Upon a Gutter...

There were 9 girls in a chat room. Drinks were being served, and the girls were laughing with each other. Once in a while, one of the girls said something, and EVERYONE laughed when their minds fell in the gutter. It was nice to be able to chat and talk and be a little crass at times. Then they started talking about how neat it would be if there was a place on line JUST for those gutter moments. Surely there were more girls like them out in OTHER gutters somewhere. Wouldn't it be cool to have a place where you could fall in the gutter, and say what you thought, and no one would be mad at you? A few drinks later, and some great ideas after, one of the girls said that she was going to start such a blog. There were a few gals who weren't in the chat room that night, but that all who WERE there, agreed should be part of this thing they started. So a blog was created, and ideas were sharpened, and eventually 12 girls were decided upon... and they jumped into the gutter with their whole hearts. They were right!! There ARE more girls like them out in other gutters, and the other girls found those first girls, and they started creating art together, and saying things the way they want to, and every once in a while, they jump WAY in the gutter. Sometimes they only dabble. Either way, everyone is happy, and they spend a little less on therapy every month. And THAT, is how the Gutter Girlz came to be...

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Da RULZ

Here's how the blog works.
Who can play in the gutter? YOU CAN!!! This challenge blog is open to ANYONE who would like to be part of it! Be sure to leave a comment with links to your projects if you play along!! We can't come visit you if you don't tell us to!

• We will be hosting a new challenge on the 15th and 30th of every month.
  
• We host THREE PART challenges. You can chose to do all three in ONE project, or you can do each part on it's own OR you can do one or two!! What we're trying to say is, HOW you create is really up to you. The more vague your interpretation of our prompts, the nicer it is when you share a little bit about how you created!
  
• We choose our Guest GutterGirlz from those of you who play and leave us links!! Direct links are our favorites. Most blogs give you direct (or permalinks) if you click on the titles, and then copy the URL of the new page that shows.
  

THE THREE PARTS:
1. The Prompt. This will be either a word or a theme for you to take however far you'd like into the gutter.
2. The Song. There will be a song that goes with our prompt theme. You can use it however you'd like. Lyrics, Title, or just the FEEL expressed in art form.
3. Technique or Product. An item or technique that we will ask you to use in your work.

This is NOT a competition. Please respect EVERYONE whose work you visit. Their work is NOT for you. They have simply chosen to share it with us. You can get as gutter or as clean as you'd like to. We only want you to PLAY with us, and be open to exposing things about yourselves you might not have thought to before.

Thanks for playing!! As always,

Lyrics

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died

Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long stem rose
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Oh everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows

Adrienne

Adrienne: Oregon

Online: a1rose

Gallery: HERE

Blog: Scrappin' Rose

Favorite Cuss Word: Bitches, I like to add it onto random sentences... for some reason it makes me laugh every time. Bitches. Hahaha. I also like the word Turd and Poo, Bitches! (See how that works?) lol.

I am a 20 year old (well, I think when you post this I will be 21) so. I am a 21, it really doesn't have as nice of a ring to it as a 20 year old... Anyway, I'm in college and I am a Math Major. Go ahead make fun, but I love it! However, I am ready to get out in the world! I love living out (sort of) on my own! I cannot wait for my own place. I should be graduating this spring from my Community College with an Associates in Mathematics. I cannot wait to go to a university, however, I am scared as well!

Caffeine is my vice, I love to have me a cup or two a day. And I may like Hazelnut creamer better than coffee itself. Also, I like orange soda...
I have 3 snakes and 5 lizards! :D heheh. 2 leopard geckos, 1 viper gecko, 2 bearded dragons, and 3 ball pythons.

I have a little pick-up with 4 wheel drive and I love it. There is no way I am buying a car when this craps out.

I hate the snow. I don’t care who you are, it causes way more problems than anything. (Although I thought about making a snowman this morning)

I have always been artistic. I love scrapbooking, its more of the paper, I love paper, and the cutting and pasting. Its so... just comforting.

My idol scrapbooker? Hm, well... that is a hard one I think I would choose Carla. I love her style. I also love Vanessa's style too.

Amy

Amy Cutler: Pennsylvania
OnLine: lorealle
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Cuttler.Family.Chronicles

Favorite Cuss Word: I think my fav cuss word is fucking shit, does that count as two? My art is real and raw, i dont sugar coat it...i say it how it is whether others like it or not. i just scrap life...period. My Gutter Girl idol is Kristina Contes.

Becky

Becky Thackston: deep in the south - Georgia
OnLine: kay_bear52
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Step Into My World
Favorite Cuss Word: oh goodness. There are so many...lol. But my all time favorite would have to be Shit. There is always some way to work that puppy into a sentence...dontcha think =)
* I have been addicted to art in some form or fashion since I was a toddler. I used to sit on my nanny's floor with the Sunday paper and draw the cartoons every chance I got.
* I have tried to give up cokes and coffee for ever. I finally gave up the cokes but I can't seem to dump that coffee
* I love being real. Being who I am all the time and with whomever is around. There is no point in hiding YOU...you are who you are and be proud of you.
* I have way to many projects going at one time. I am an ADD girl from head to toe but use it to my advantage. Well at least I think I do...my family seems to think other wise and that I do way to much. lol. But I have many art projects, craft projects...you name it..I've got it laying around waiting to be finished.
* My new found love is genealogy. I have truly loved researching my husbands side of the family and digging up dirt =)

My gutter girl idol ....well I have two. They have been secret idols of mine for a while now but both for the same reasons. Christi Otis and Rachel Whetzel. For many years I have dived deep down into my soul to scrap about things that might not normally make it in some albums. Be it depression, sadness, loss, abuse, Xspouses...what ever the topic...it has become very therapeutic and something that goes back to above...just being ME. No one else will know what goes on with the inner me unless I tell the story. These two girls do the same. They speak their mind. They share their secrets. And they do it with such grace and with outstanding art. To look at their pages...they speak to you. That to me...is real art. It tells the story without ever having to read a single word.

Bree

Bree Tetz: Canada
OnLine: hotmama and hotmamabree (twitter)
Gallery: HERE
BLOG : ArtsyFartsyScrapRoom
Favorite Cuss Word: Ass. Itʼs kind of become a pet name for my hubby. Itʼs the only bad word I allow myself to say in front of the kids. The good ones come out after dark.
I love hanging out in the gutter. I’m a hardcore scrapbooker who creates for nobody, but myself. I was never one to sit at the popular table. I love trashy, messy, and dirty pages. I’m not afraid to say it like it is, and if you don’t like me, well that’s your problem. I love to paint and run with scissors. (Live dangerously, right?)
I live Green! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! It inspires me to use some pretty unusual items on my pages.
I love to DRIVE FAST and Listen to LOUD HEAVY METAL MUSIC! If that isn’t enough, I also co-own the scrapbook kit store CROP SUEY with my BFF.
My gutter girl idol is Kimberly Brimhall, for no other reason then she has mad scrappinʼ
skills!

Christi

Christi Otis: Indiana
OnLine: latte_grande
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Created by Coffee
Favorite Cuss Word: Mostly, I make up my own curse words. 'Flippity jibbits!' is a common one, and I say 'Frick!' alot. But the 'real' curse word I say when I stub my toe is 'Son of a BITCH!' so I guess that may be my favorite.
I'm a gutter girl for a lot of reasons. I believe in the healing power of ART. I think we should be able to say whatever we want in our albums and with our craft without fear. I believe that a big step in scrap therapy is being able to SHARE what we've created. Gutter Girls is the place for that, to share our innermost fears and our secret thoughts, no matter how dark and dirty.
My gutter girl idol is Kristina Contes, because she scraps REAL life. She doesn't worry about what's popular, she's not afraid to speak her mind, and I love that.

Christine

Christine Revels: Texas
OnLine: christine
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Christy's Playground
Favorite Cuss Word: I thought long and hard about my favorite cuss word. I use so many that cussing is part of my normal vocabulary but my favorite one is FUCKER. I may just walk by the hubby and say, "fucker" to him. It's a term of endearment.
Gutter layouts. This place is for me. I don't mind scrapping nude photos, well-kept secrets, bitter feelings or my worst fears. Those are the layouts I consider mine. My gutter girl idol is Heidi Swapp. I didn't used to be a fan of hers, but I love her product, love her layouts and I love what she has to say. So, Donna Downey, step aside-Heidi is it.

Glenda

Glenda Tkalac: Canada
OnLine: glendatkalac, unicorn1 and unicorn
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Favorite Cuss Word: I have a few choice ones but cock knocker is one of my faves! It's unique, says it all and makes me laugh! But the 2 words that fly out of my mouth ALOT are shit and fuck.
I'm the kind of person that doesn't really care about what others think of me (it's very freeing!) and love to march to the beat of my own drum. I am opinionated, sensitive, a day dreamer, creative and have a good sense of humor. I love keeping it real in my scrapping and my journals because life isn't always rainbows and unicorns (although I wish it were!!). I am so grateful for discovering this art as it calms my soul and makes my heart happy. I love scrapping, making art journal pages, ATC's and mini albums. I don't have a set style other than I just love to make stuff and have fun. My gutter girl idol is every woman that keeps it real and has fun making art, getting down and painty and putting a piece of themselves into everything they make.

Jan

Jan Stribling: South Carolina
OnLine: JanS
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Heart Scraps
Favorite Cuss Word: Geez, my favorite curse word has got to be FUCK! It's a nice one syllable, says-it-all, kind of word. Screwed something up? FUCK! Someone just told you something unbelievable? Fuuuckkk.... (You gotta stretch it out like that.) It fits all situations. I also spew forth a shit or dammit every now and then, too.
Up until now I have been in the gutter closet. As someone who USED to be heavy into painting, drawing, photography, etc., I totally veered away from anything to do with art for a long time. I was disappointed in myself for not finishing art school and for years felt that big L for loser across my forehead. Thanks to scrapbooking (Can you imagine?) I'm finding my way back to art. I started scrapping my son after he was born and since meeting up with some uber super women over at TallyScrapper, I'm about to go gutter divin'! As far as any "idols", I'm not into the big name scrappers. My idols are here! I love the work of the GutterGirlz right here! They've been inspiration much more so than anyone in a scrapping mag!

Kammie

Kammie Reimer: Sunny Southern California.
OnLine: kammie.
GALLERY: HERE
BLOG: Kreative Korner by Kammie
Her favorite cuss word: Fuck! It just says it all!
My mind is typically in the gutter, so it will be a nice place to express it in words and visuals my true self--a trucker's mouth! While I have realized my "art" is simple like me, I truly have a passion for having a dirty mind and very sick demented sense of humor. I have become a little jaded and bitter about certain things, so maybe expressing it now will help me with my own issues--it can't hurt!

I began seriously scrapping right before Christmas. It helps that my BFF, Shirley of 25+ years has a full studio full of "stuff" she doesn't use or want, so I was fortunate to be the recipient of a lot of hand-me-downs. So after all these years she has been scrappin' she finally suckered me in to this cult! LOL, but I have enjoyed it not to mention the great people I have met through various message boards and scrap businesses.

People typically would like to know what my style is. Shirley told me I would come in to my own style and I mentioned to her recently that I believe my style that I have developed is "simple." I am not one to gawdy a project up for the sake of using product--I am the opposite, I like hoard my products! Also, I have come to realize I do not like to do layouts! This is sad because most people that scrap believe that's all there is to scrapbooking is creating layouts to be put in a book and shelved. Personally, I enjoy altering items that can be used as actual display or decorative pieces. I enjoy the look on one's face when they open a gift that reflects pictures from their life or something they can use to preserve family memories. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I can make someone happy in this manner. And I can get them to cry--I know I struck the jackpot! *LOL* I have attempted some card-making but not to the extent of some others, but I am trying--I have enjoyed making homemade cards for friends and family--I hope they have been keeping them like I do when I receive a homemade card.

I look forward to working with these other talented ladies on the Design Team and hope their talent rubs all over me, BUT I think I will be able to rub off on them with my "gutter" mind!

Kris

Kristen Alcatara: NoVa
OnLine: Inkster
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Casting-On
Favorite Cuss Word: Shitfuck! Said loudly and animatedly when something spills/I get excited or the wind blows.
I started working in a journal a couple years ago and really started scrapbooking in earnest three months ago when I moved to the US. Before i moved I created with anything I could get my hands on : packages and paint mostly and now that I have access to a world of scrappy products I combine the both to form a ‘new’ style for myself. I am constantly playing around with different techniques so that I can experience everything possible! I’m torn between cute and grungy, nice and naughty but there’s room for dessert on every plate. Basically my entire art career has been about pleasing clients and juggling them like spiky day glo balls, but I’m over it. I paid my dues. And now I create for ME. Nobody else. You like it? Pay me? You don’t like it? bite me. Raw and ready or not, here I come.
My gutter girl idol? I wanted to say kristina contes because I love her style but honestly its anyone who plays with paper in some way.

Kristy

Kristy Dalman: Michigan
OnLine: kitten91303
Gallery: My DeviantArt Gallery (pencils and such)
BLOG: My Corner of the Studio
Favorite Cuss Word: That HAS to be FUCK! It can be anything! It can show up anywhere! Its fan-FUCKIN-tastic! But with two tiny kids around my swear words tend to get truncated and come out "F'in this" and "that piece of S!"

I don't want to start with the typical (mom of 2, married for 5 1/2 years blah blah blah) b/c Gutter Girls isn't about THEM its about ME! I'm a ball of contradictions: a shy loud mouth, a sensitive rage hoarder, an expressive introvert. Playing in the Gutter is Therapy for me, without the $300/hr price tag! I'm working at putting the past behind me and growing in the here and now.

I started scrapbooking about 5 years ago but I've spent my life drawing and later painting. I learned a lot from a grandmother who was a master seamstress and a grandpa who could make anything out of wood (carvings, dollhouses, jewelry boxes etc) though I never got to see them alot I thank them everyday for the gift of art passed along!

• I was never a cool kid, I was a band geek (TRUMPETS ROCK!) and an artsy person.
• I'm officially addicted to Pepsi... sigh.
• I've moved 7 times in 7 years
• I'm finally becoming comfortable with myself. Not an easy feat with my past.
• I LOVE home improvement! Give me a hammer and jigsaw and watch me work it baby!

I can find something to love in everyone's styles but every time I see stuff from Bree, Glenda or Rachel I am inspired! They inspire me try new things and tell it like it is, how it is, how I want to! My art is MINE and they show it!!!

Lara

lara: east coast
Online: groovcat
Gallery: To Dream Out Loud
Blog: My Own Space Dementia
Favorite cuss word: cunt - I know very non-PC, but it really feels good to say and rather
entertaining to see the looks on people's faces when they hear it...

I've always hated the stereotype the word "scrapbooking" brings to mind and never felt like i fit into any particular community even though I really wanted to be a part of a community of people who enjoyed preserving memories and ideas visually with paper and glue. I was so relieved to find a place like Gutter Girlz that not only encouraged preserving memories many traditional scrapbookers don't think about or are too scared to try, but encourage the use of alternative tools and techniques that enhance creativity!
My scrap art to me is a personal journey, is creative therapy, is exploration and growth and I truly believe that these things are as important to document as holidays, family and events. Being in the gutter, to me, is non-censorship which is so important for honest exploration and growth!

My Gutter Girl Idol... Anyone who dares to be different and experiment with new things!

Margrethe

Margrethe Aas Johnsen: Stavanger, Norway
OnLine: PapirDiva, mercurygrrl, drinking-mercury
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: HERE
Favorite Cuss Word: Do I have to choose just one?! Bitch and/or cunt
Please explain what "being in the gutter" means to you. Getting in touch with my REAL feelings, and letting the world know. I have a huge problem with raising my voice in real life, letting other know my opinion, but online, and through scrapbooking, I've become better at it. Also, I'm not a very vocal person, so the journaling aspect of scrapbooking is just excellent, as well as titles.

My creativity comes and goes. I "majored" in art in high school (which works a little bit different here than in the US), and used that as my springboard to photography. After doing that for 2 years or so, I was introduced to scrapbooking. Sure, it was fun enough, but since I don't have children, I never knew what to make pages about. Then I found Gutter Girlz, and knew it was ok to be a bit self-absorbed. I'm still learning how to use this art form to vent and get everything out in the open, and I continue to try and get others to do the same. Scrapbooking isn't just about the good days, but all aspects of life.

GUTTER IDOLS: Everyone? Seriously... everyone. I admire anyone who does something different from how I use to do it. I love looking through other people's galleries. I especially enjoy those artists who are able to mess with paint and glue and whatnot. I'm still trying...

Nikki

Nikki: South Carolina
Online: Nikki Z
Gallery: HERE
Blog: Studio 13 Designs
Favorite cuss word: Damn - Because it can be used in so many different ways....Dah-ham that's good....or Damn, that sucks! or Day-mn!!!!!....that rocks! Okay, shit is another fav, but since I can only list one....oh yeah, and the "f" bomb flies when I'm really pissed or worked up.

Why I love the gutter?????? I am free to express myself through my art without having to worry about offending anyone. No matter my mood or situation I can put something down on paper and not have to worry "what will they think?"...cuz you know what???? I don't care what anyone thinks...Just kidding...I do care, and sometimes that sucks! But I know those of us in the gutter appreciate everyone's work for the emotion and feeling behind it. I have created some of my favorite pages with these prompts, pages that I may not have done just because I didn't have a place to share them....but here I can!
* I am a workin' girl that's a wife to Jeffy and a mom to AJ. Love, love, love my guys to pieces....they make me laugh all the time because they are both so fast with a comeback...even AJ who's only 12 has this terrific sense of humor that always keeps me chuckling.
* I have been scrapping for somewhere around 11 years or so...and boy oh boy has my style changed! My brain thinks completely different about scrapping now than it did when I first started and though I laugh at some of my early work, I will never "re-do" it.
* I love sports, pretty much any and all of them...but especially NFL football and college Basketball...oh and that damn sport of golf....(see there's my favorite cuss word again)...I love golf but it's just so dang frustrating!!!!!! UGH!
* Gotta have my coffee in the morning...gotta!
* Gotta have my cocktails....my go to drinks are a good red zin and gin and tonics, but I'm not overly picky, I'll have whatever someone is serving! LOL!
My gutter girl idol is Kristina Contes - I love how some of her pages are so simple, yet so deep...and that to me is what it's all about. I don't care if you put one thing on a page or 10 things, the story you see or read there is what it's all about.

Patti

Patti: Ontario Canada
OnLine: Patti H
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Nannie Rocks A Photo a Day
Favorite Cuss Word: Shit
I dunno why, but shit rolls off my tongue (figuratively, not literally) easier than just about any cuss word. Mind you, when I’m REALLY ticked, you will hear the f-bomb !! I think ‘shit’ can be easily adapted into just about any conversation or statement and it’s such a universal term because I use it when I’m excited “Holy shit” and then when I’m ticked “Oh for shit sake”. Sometimes, I just don’t give a shit when I use it in a sentence !

I’m a middle age mother, wife, grandmother and business owner. My days are non-stop from beginning to end and my only solace is when I’m tucked away in my scrapping room creating a layout. My other vices include gambling (slots), icy cold beer and gardening - where I also look at my yard work as creating layouts.

Scrapping has led me to become a photographer extraordinaire and I am never without a camera around my neck or tucked in my purse. I have taken thousands upon thousands of photos since I started scrapping a few years ago and there is no greater pleasure than looking back over cherished memories that have been committed to scrapbooks. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of taking pictures !!

I am honored and thrilled to have been selected to join the Design Team for GutterGirlz. GutterGirlz has got to be THE best forum for expressing yourself, sharing your feelings, and just being you. I think I’ll fit right in, because years ago my BFF tagged me with the moniker “ditch pig” ... I think that more than qualifies me, don’t you? GutterGirlz is an exceptional site and I am looking forward to the upcoming opportunities and experiences.

Rachel

Rachel Whetzel: Oregon Coast
OnLine: WhetzelMomma and TallyHO
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Memories of Mine to Thine
Favorite Cuss Word: (when I'm not at church) SHIT Mostly because it can have SO many meanings!!
For me, having my art in the gutter has so many definitions. Gutter art doesn't have to be trashy. For ME it's about being REAL. It's about saying what I need to, without worrying what "they" will think. It's about being honest with myself about where I am NOW. Even if where I am isn't where I want to be. It's about having the freedom to create without worrying. I don't CARE it it's acid free. I don't CARE if my pages won't be in a museum. I care about letting my art show. I care about life in the gutter.

• I'm the mother of three boys. It goes without saying that most of my life is in the gutter.
• I fart with the best of them. Manners are something you lose when you are surrounded by snakes and snails and puppy dog tails.
• I drink a cup of coffee every morning, although others might say I drink a cup of CREAMER every morning.
• When I grow up, I want to be just like my gramma. She lived life the way SHE wanted. She loved God with all her heart, and taught me how to moon the valley.
• I am a recovering pack rat. (it is TOO an illness)
• I have been a scrapbooker in some form or another since I was a child.

My gutter girl idol is the Journal Revolution girls. Their raw and REAL journals inspire me to find that place in my own art!!

Sarah

Sarah Rice: NE Ohio
OnLine: Herhighness68
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: She Scraps
Favorite Cuss Word: I drop the F bomb like its going out of style... I tend to hurl loving swear words at my husband from time to time. It isn't uncommon for me to answer the phone what up slut/cock/bitch. I also tend to drop the evil Cee U Next Tuesday when it is deserved.... and sometimes it just is.

My NEW theory is my brain lives in the gutter, why shouldn't my art? I tend to be to politically correct with my design team pages and never feel the real show through. I'm sick of it! I'm sick of bottling who I am for fear what others might think. I'm sick of worrying who I might offend. I want to be ME. I want to boldly go where others will not go. I want the GUTTER.

I have always scrapped in some form. As a kiddo I kept memory books with pictures, journaling and bits of memorabilia. My art tends to evolve with my moods. I love bright happy papers, Hambly and pen work, I only rock the 8.5x11, I tend to rip things apart and save bits of junk to scrap with. My husband is trained (haha) to trash dig and bring me home cool things to use. To hell with the Acid free rule... it only stifles my creativity.

My gutter heroes are the original gutter girlz who have pushed me to look at art in a real way.... especially Rachel who inspired me to buy the Journal Revolution book that sparked my creativity.

Shirley

Shirley Standifird: California

OnLine: {Shirley}, Shirley
Gallery: HERE and HERE

BLOG: Standing on the Edge
Favorite Cuss Word: I would have to say my favorite curse word is

Is my art in the gutter? Yes and no. I love the freedom that Gutter Art gives me. It is great therapy and a wonderful release that is definitely cheaper than paying for a psychiatrist or meds! As I get closer to 40 I am realizing that I do not want phoniness in my life and I definitely do not want it in my art. I am an adult woman and I make the choices as to what and whom I want in my life and what or whom I do not even want to deal with. I create for me now, I take pole-dancing lessons for me, and I lost weight for me. Yes, I take care of my family and my boys will always be number one in my life but now that they are 16 & 18, I feel as though I am free to be me! I wish I felt this type of freedom years ago, what a different attitude and way of living! I love getting my ART on! My Gutter Idols are the ladies right here on this blog with me! I admire the work of each and every one of Gutter Girlz and am truly inspired each time they share their creations!

Susan

Susan Alton: Independence, Ks
On Line: LadyMissSusan
Gallery: HERE BLOG: Just a Girl
Favorite Cuss Word: Fuck ~ because if I'm going to curse I might as well do it up right.
I live my life in the gutter every day: being authentic, being honest, being real, being ME! I've made my own rules for a lot of my life and I don't like being told what to do or made to conform so I don't want my art to feel that way either. I do it for me and only me. I want to be able to share all of my life, most of which has not been wrapped up in a pretty package with a bow on top. It's freeing to let it all go and I hope it will help someone else not be afraid of who they are or what they have been thru. I wouldn't change my journey for anything but I also know it has just begun.

• I'm a recovering alcoholic/addict and it provides lots of gutter inspiration in so many ways.
• I'm the sole caregiver of my 95 year old grandmother. I now know her in ways I never imagined.
• Crayons and paper were my favorite entertainment as a kid.
• There is a giant world out there and I want to explore every inch of it. Well, most of it.
• I don't make long term plans because NOTHING has ever happend like I thought it would.
• My highest goal is to reach a level of peace, serenity, & spirituality that I sit in the hand of God.

Kristina

Kristina Kiessig: California
OnLine: kristinak
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: The Kiessig Family
Favorite Cuss Word: I would have to say shit is my all-time favorite. It can be used in almost any situation, and it's normally the first one that slips out of my mouth. I think that when I journal, I definitely keep it real. I am not afraid to put myself out there, and say what's on my mind. I have finally reached a place in my life where I am comfortable with myself and I am
starting to realize my own worth. My gutter girl idol is Kristina Contes.

Leah

Leah Crowe: Virginia
OnLine: Leah C or Darln Leah (darlnleah)
Gallery: HERE HERE and my photography HERE
BLOG: Not Home Alone
Favorite Cuss Word:Fucking Damn!! It’s my favorite and I use it without warning!
When I think gutter, it is TOTALLY dirty minded… so, I wouldn’t say my work is dirty minded…although I wouldn’t mind heading in that direction once in awhile with my art. For real though, I just do not care about Acid free… or rules of any kind. I scrap for my sanity, for the LOVE of the finished project, and at times, am guilty of looking to other peers in the industry for acceptance. Honestly though, I would still scrap if I didn’t get acceptance. There is so much one can share through art, and I am happy to be involved in doing so. I am currently on the Tallyscrapper team with Rachel and several other brilliant people. I also create monthly for The Scrapping Spot. I put my heart and soul into my pages, and hope it shows through to my children one day. Right now, they just like looking at “the pretty pictures.” My Idol… gosh, can I just say anyONE of the Gutter Girlz get my juices going (tap tap tap… I *HEARD* that!) – creative juices ;)

Stacey

Stacey Castro: So Cali
OnLine: my_3_reasons & socal_gabber_mom
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Fancy Mess
Favorite Cuss Word: Is bitch! It has a nice but I ain't screwing around ring to it, don't ya think? lol

Since my trouble making days in high school to my feisty ol' age of 31, I have always felt that art expression should be about the artist and not to satisfy the masses (that is just a nice plus!). Art is food for our souls and should not be created in anther's eye but rather your own. So for me "being in the gutter" represents being honest, uncensored and at times raw. It means abandoning the mainstream and embracing the idea that not all art has to be what the rest of the world would label beautiful. If it comes from deep within then it comes from the gutter!

Staci

Staci Compher: Michigan
OnLine: CFlattop
Gallery: HERE
BLOG: Stop! It's Scrappin' Time!
Favorite Cuss Word: shitfuckpiss sorry couldn't choose!
I think after losing my husband....I started making more layouts...about real feelings, about being pissed off....and some of my layouts....got a little darker....but they're real and sometimes real isn't pretty and polite.... I am a 37 year old widow, living in michigan...trying to raise my daughters, Tonee' and Sommer who give me constant inspiration through their awesome pictures. I started scrapbooking in 2002, and as each year passes I seem to become even more obsessed with this hobby.....but I couldn't imagine life without scrapbooking....it has become my therapy... My gutter girl idols are Renee and Kristina. Their raw and REAL journals inspire me to find that place in my own art!!