'GIVEAWAY - updates!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

The 4th Blogoversary celebration Giveaway is updated:

• Open to everyone, not just Followers!
• Extended to January 2014!
• More prizes (not shown) including washi tape!

Spread the word. And don't forget to get your FREEBIE!

Thanks for stopping by - and please come back soon.

Peace,
LuLu

'GIVEAWAY extended!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy Welcome,

GIVEAWAY  extended until midnight CST Jan 20, 2014. I'm going to be out of town during the original deadline date, yikes!...Checkout the FREEBIE  on this post too! Giveaway.

Giveaway.

 

Thanks for stropping by - and please come back soon.

Peace,

LuLU

'WOYWW 12-4-13 - GIVEAWAY, The Mess, Spray Mini-Move and Eye Candy!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

Here's the mess...The table really was tidy a few days ago - didn't take a photo then. This was the state of things on my craft studio table after I had attended 2 back-to-back weekend retreats. And had moved on to play on another project. Now 'the mess' goblins attacked again...

 The MESS

EYE CANDY

When I went to upload 'the mess' pix, I found pix I had taken a while back and forgotten about. Months ago, I spent a few hours embellishing some acrylic tags by painting them with Copic markers and alcohol ink. Don't they look luscious? I call them eye candy. That was a really fun and easy project!

 Eye Candy Tags

 

 Eye Candy Tags

 

 

SPRAY MINI-MOVE

 

Hubby and I are in the process of moving portions of my craft studio to our basement - more space and shelf units down there. Yes, it is a long walk when inspiration hits, but the studio is just too crowded. I had to do some re-organizing. Spray painting in the basement made sense to me because this is where I will be closer to the water faucets.

 

He gave me an old table he had used for BBQing - it was just storing some old supplies. Below is the BEFORE photo of the sprays in my studio corner cabinet (under my owl collection and Granny White's bust). Next are the AFTER photos of the sprays in the basement plus the giant spray box my hubby had made for me.

 

This spray box was on the front porch. So now all the supplies I need for spray painting are consolidated into one area. The papers inside the box are ready and waiting to be spray painted... Yes, the basement IS ugly, but I don't care as long as I can spread out and work comfortably.

 

 Before Spray Mini-Move

 

 After Spray Mini-Move

 

Giant  Spray Box and

repurposed table

 

GIVEAWAY

If you are a scrapbooker or do art journals or altered books, visit my Blogoversary Giveaway. Fun prizes for one lucky winner. Ends in December!

Want to see more artists work tables? Click here for Julia's WOYWW!

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment and come back soon!

Peace,
LuLu

'GIVEAWAY - plus Texture Freebie for Your Art Journal!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and welcome!

To celebrate my 4th anniversary on blogger, I'm hosting a long-overdue GIVEAWAY for you! My Blogoversary was in October, but I've been swamped and then had camera glitches.

If you are a scrapbooker or mixed media artist you will love this Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY GOODIES

GIVEAWAY GOODIES

GIVEAWAY GOODIES 

 

  

HOW TO ENTER

LuLu's 4th BLOGOVERSARY GIVEAWAY!

• Join this site to become a Follower. Now open to everyone!
• Post a link on your blog titled
  'LuLu's 4th BLOGOVERSARY GIVEAWAY'
  with a link back to this post.
   
• Add a comment on this post including,  the Title of a 'LuLu-Too-Beaucoup' post  that you enjoy OR the Title of any sidebar link on this blog that you enjoy.
• Enter as often as you like by adding as many comments as you like. But every comment you add must include a different LuLu-Too-Beaucoup post 'Title' OR a different link Title  on this blog that you enjoy.
• Include in your comment (s) the link back to your blog post.

 

ELIGIBILITY

• Open to Followers  everyone worldwide with a postal address.
• You must have a blog to enter.
• Previous giveaway winners are not eligible.

  

DEADLINE

• Midnight CST Dec Jan 20, 2013.2014

 

HOW TO WIN?

 

• I will choose the winning comment on Dec 20 Jan 21, 2013. 2014
• There will be one winner.

  

RESULTS POST

• Results announcing winner's name will be posted by Dec Jan 21st.
• Winner has until Jan  Feb 3, 2014, to contact me via email with their postal address.
• Winner forfeits prize if I don't get an email by midnight CST Jan Feb 3, 2014.
•  In case of forfeiture, another winner will be chosen.
• If no forfeiture, prizes will be shipped by Jan Feb 17, 2014.

LuLu's 4th Blogoversary GIVEAWAY - PRIZES!

• v 1 pre-prepped art journal (4 1/4" x 8 1/4"), 8 folios/16 pages,   (bound by me including a variety of papers - scrapbook, designer, craft)
•  
• v 1 original stamp "LuLu's Lunas" - carved by me exclusively for the winner
•  
• v 1 hardcover book - journal pages altered by me with original tape, washi and masking tape
•  
• v 3 original 3-pocket journal pages (designed  & assembled by me from double-sided pattern cardstock
•  
• v 3 original acrylic charms - painted by me with alcohol ink
•  
• v set of original tabs - cut by me from pattern scrapbook paper 

•      1 Strathmore  'Drawing' paper pad

 

·       1 Basic Grey paper stack, 6" x 6")

 

·       1 border sticker sheet 

 

·       2 original dominoes - altered by my artist friend, Maria Garcia

 

·       2 vintage dice (great for Steampunk assemblages!)

 

·       2 foam stamps

 

·       2 hanks of ruffle yarn

 

·       2 sheets of vellum sentiments

 

·       2 storage tins

 

·       3 monopoly game tokens (great for Steampunk assemblages!)

 

·       5 foam sheets - assorted colors

 

·       5 keys (great for Steampunk assemblages!)

 

·       6 double-sided embossing/texture plates – plus embossing tool (Fiskars)

 

·       misc. goodies (not shown)

 

·       misc. stickers

 

·       misc. die cuts

 

·       misc. die sheets

 

(Basket not included)

 

 

BONUS ENTRY!
For another chance to win, include in your comment the one-word name of a 16 time Grammy winning musician who shares the same birthday week with me. Hint: he's coming to Chicago for a few months for his musical starting in June 2014!

EVERYBODY WINS FREEBIE!
Even if you do not enter the 4th Blogoversary Giveaway above, you can still take this freebie. Great for adding texture to your art journal or altered books! Permission granted to right click and save picture 'Moisture in Mars' - an excerpt of 'Doodles Deux' - to your computer.

'Moisture on Mars'

Freebie -

permission granted by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes for you to copy

COMING SOON!
A new FREE Tutorial is in the works and coming after the holidays. Stay tuned!

As always, I'd love for you to comment on any of my blog posts.

Thanks for stopping by - and good luck!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 26 Nov 2013 - Tech Difficulties and How's your Japanese?!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Since September things have been a whirlwind! Celebrating my birthday, plus prepping for and attending 2 out of town weekend scrapbooking retreats.

For this week's WOYWW, I tried to show a photo of my current table in complete and total disarray - but camera card won't work in the computer.

So, instead, here are a couple of pix of my sushi birthday dinner.

My fave fish and creations are: Unagi, Saba (love, love, love saba), Sake, Caterpillar roll, Rainbow roll - and for desert I like a piece of Ikura!

In the top photo, that's a seaweed salad in the square dish with caterpillar and sake sushi rolls and a couple of unagi sashimi. (Note: 'sushi' is fish on rice, 'sashimi' is fish without rice).

Plus, I like to drink a chocolate strawberry martini when I go to our fave restaurant: Sushi Thaime in Oak Lawn IL.

What's really funny is that the first 3 times I tried sushi, I HATED IT! But the presentations were always so beautiful that I just kept going back - and now I'm a huge fan. I carry my own chopsticks (I found them in Paris) in my purse at all times, in a pretty sleeve that I made. Even my hubby, who is allergic to fish, likes to go to Japanese restaurants with me - and eats veggie sushi and other cooked meat or chicken dishes!

YOUR TURN
I know Japanese cuisine is not for everyone...Do you eat Japanese cuisine? If so, what is your fave restaurant? What city? Do you eat sushi? Sashimi? What is your favorite sushi creation?

MORE
4th Anniversary/Blogoversary Giveaway  is coming after Thanksgiving (Nov 28, 2013) - so stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by - and please leave a comment.

Here are more WOYWW artists digs!


Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 18 Sep 2013 - Bookbinding and mini-Giveaway!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and welcome,

For WOYWW this week, I wanted to show how my 'tidy tidy tour' from last week progressed into a fun  project this week! My first hardcover book project.

This bookbinding project, for a custom art journal, has been languishing all month. Creating a book 'from scratch' takes a lot longer to complete than I'd imagined.

This photo shows the 2 short ends glued down with weights (antique and vintage irons) and binder clips to aid drying overnight. Because I'm using (faux) leather as the cover material which is a tad thick, I need the weights and clips to apply pressure while the glue (Alenes tacky Glue)  dries. Later I'll glue down the long sides. You can see the text block in middle of photo - ready to adhere to the cover....

For the internal book hinge, I created custom book cloth from fabric inherited from Maria's stash and fusible web!

YOUR TURN

Have you tried bookbinding? What are your favorite binding stitches? Have you tried the 'piano hinge'? What about Coptic? Japanese stab?
Have you made any custom art journals to use in your own artwork? What kind(s) of papers do you use?
Have you ever tried to cobble together your own Junque/Smash journal? If yes to any of the above, please send me a link - I'd love to see your efforts!

LIBRA BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!
P.S. This is my birthday month - so if you are a Libra celebrating your birthday on Sep 27th or celebrating your birthday on Sting's birthday Oct 2nd, indicate that in your comment. I'll put together some HAPPY MAIL for one lucky Libra birthday girl! Any lady worldwide with Sep 27th or Oct 2nd birthday is eligible! One birthdate closest to either of these 2 dates will be the lucky winner! (I'll announce winner after Oct 2nd and respond to your comment to get your snail mail address - make sure that there is a way for me to respond back to you).

P.P.S. My annual Blogoversary GIVEAWAY for Followers is coming soon! Stay tuned...

For more fun studios, click here to visit Julia's WOYWW blog hop!

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - LuLu's Mini-studio Makeover and Tour - 11 Sep 2013!"

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

This weeks WOYWW is a mini-studio tour of my recent Makeover!

Workstation table was just not working well enough for the art I need to produce. Also, I'm desperate for more counter space. Decided that WOYWW was impetus to re-organize.

This is a mini-studio tour and mini-studio makeover - 'mini' because I still need to move my scrapbooking rolling totes out of this studio. Thanks to Hubby who is cleaning up basement so I can store scrapbooking supplies downstairs!

BEFORE -

Tuesday P M

 

IN PROGRESS -

Tuesday Evening

 

 

IN PROGRESS -

WEDNESDAY A M

 

 

 

AFTER -

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

 

 

 

Look at all the clear space - just begging for the next project - yippee!

 

No longer used glass vessels on top of kitchen cart that I'd originally commandeered from the jewelry studio. I'll be using the middle shelf of this rolling cart for my most used tools. The glass vessels will be returned to a vintage hutch my jewelry studio.

Top shelf of cart will add much needed counter space! Yay!

 

 

YOUR TURN

Are you happy with the configuration/layout of your studio? If so, what are your 3 fave things you like the most? If not, what are the 3 most annoying/aggravating things you like least or want to change/fix ASAP?

Thanks for stopping by - would love for you to comment on this post - or any of my other posts.

For more studio spaces, click here to visit WOYWW!

BEFORE
Mini-Studio makeover
Tue, 10 Sep  2013

AFTER

Mini-Studio Makeover

Wed, 11 Sep 2013

P.S. My Blogoversary GIVEAWAY is coming soon! Stay tuned...

Libra Birthday Girls - shh-hhh-hhh-hhh-hhh!
P.P.S. This is my birthday month - so if you are a Libra celebrating your birthday on Sep 27th or celebrating your birthday on Sting's birthday Oct 2nd, indicate that in your comment. I'll put together some HAPPY MAIL for one lucky Libra birthday girl! Any lady worldwide with Sep 27th or Oct 2nd birthday is eligible! (I'll announce winner later this month and respond to your comment to get your snail mail address).

Peace,
LuLu

'WOYWW - 28 Aug 2013 - Tidy, Tinkering and Tips!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

I've been enjoying the summer weather here in Chicago, but now I'm hoping to post more regularly. This week for WOYWW, I thought I'd give you a peek at my desk when it was tidy. This was just before my hubby and I went on vacation/holiday to visit his relatives in NY state last week. 

I was tinkering around - because I needed to reorganize some of my supplies -  and cobbled together some storage containers for my Stickles, Distress Stickles refills, Studio medium and more. I did not want to pay moola for a solution.

STORAGE TIP
So the trick I used was to take the caps off of my spray ink/Glimmer Mist/Dylusions bottles, turn the caps upside down and glue them into some plastic trays from my stash.

FROM FAILURE TO SUCCESS
My 1st attempt, was not 100% successful...I had glued (E6000) the caps too close together so when I inserted the upside down bottles they didn't quite fit. No worries - I popped out most of the caps and spaced them a wee bit further apart.


These trays now sit on my work table in shelves within arms reach - they were too far away before I discovered this solution.

These pix show my second attempt - success!

 The black tray shows a few empty caps, just begging for new supplies!

 

 

 The clear bead box stores some Lumiere metallic fabric paints.

 

 

 

YOUR TURN

How do you store your Stickles and small bottles? Do you use a store bought solution? Or do you like to cobble together solutions from your stash and stuff found around the house?

 

Thanks for stopping by - I'd love for you to comment on this post, or any of my other posts. And please become a Follower if you aren't already - goodies for Followers coming this Autumn!

 

 

For a peak at other fun workspaces, click here for WOYWW!

 

Peace,

LuLu

'115+ Family Members at 2013 reunion in Chicago!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

Click 2013 annual family reunion group photo! to visit the post about my annual family reunion.

This year, my father Milton Jr and I were co-coordinators.

Thanks for stopping by - and please leave a comment on this post - or any of my other posts.

Peace,
LuLu

 

 

'Two Sisters - Then & Now!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,

Have you been enjoying the summer? It sure is zipping by for me!

I just got back home from a long weekend road trip -  visiting my youngest sister and her brood near Door County in Wisconsin.

Marly and Mary Lou -1980's
Chicago, IL
 (when I was leading my pop-rock band!)

Marly and Mary Lou - July 2013
Wisconsin

Isn't it amazing how much our appearance changes over the years?!
Thanks for stopping by - I would love for you to comment on this post, or any of my other posts. Please become a Follower, if you're not already....

Stay tuned! I plan to post a tutorial soon PLUS some more freebies PLUS..............

Another GIVEAWAY is coming this Autumn for Followers - to celebrate my 4th BlogOversary! If you love mixed-media, altered books, scrapbooking, assemblage or art journaling, this is the GIVEAWAY you will want to enter!

Peace,
LuLu

'Gotta Get Cracking on My Reading List!

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes

Howdy and Welcome,
I just found this BBC compiled book reading list on Kelly's Art Journaling blog. Enjoy!

2006 - Me at Sting concert - Grant Park

Chicago, IL

(Back then my hair was black - now it's RED!)

 

The BBC says most people will only read 6 of these 100 Books.

Instructions: Cut and Copy the list into your notes... then...
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read. (remove other persons  's)
2) Tally your total at the bottom.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
2 The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien X
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible  (portions - mostly Psalms)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X (Twice! The 1^st time, I could not keep all the names straight – the 2^nd time, I assigned a number to each name in my head, and as I read I substituted the number for the name in my head. Then I was able to get through his book to the end – and I enjoyed it. Maybe I should try this number substitution trick for those Russian novels?!?!?!?!)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger X
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell  X (3 times!)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (still trying to slog through this tome)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams  X
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll  X
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy X
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 
34 Emma - Jane Austen 
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen 
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis 
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X 
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne 
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell X
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown  X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery 
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding  X
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan 
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert X
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck 
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas  X
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding 
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville 
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett 
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce (tried but could not understand the punctuation)
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath X
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (still trying to slog through this tome)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker X
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert X (3 times)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams X
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas X
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare  X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo X (what a horribly SAD story!)

 

TOTAL = 27!

But I need to get cracking! (I really should nix TV watching, Pinterest and youtube surfing, etc).
I tend to read Shakespeare over and over, which may be my downfall to reading other new authors. Fyi, Michael Crighton books are really quick to read.

Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment on this post - or any of my other posts.

Peace,
LuLu