Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

Story People Quote: Proud

 

"There has never been a day when I have not been proud of you, I said to my son, though some days I'm louder about other stuff so it's easy to miss that." - quote from www.storypeople.com.

10 Reasons I Love You - Mini Book

I started making little mini books for my husband five or so years ago and now he asks for them in place of store-bought birthday/anniversary cards.  Here are a few pages from a mini-book I made for Charlie:

 

 

Scrapbooking Your Marriage - Telling Your Own Love Story

Because sometimes you need to remember why you fell in love with your husband in the first place...

Because sometimes when he does things that drive you crazy, you need to remember that you are actually crazy about him...

Because sometimes life moves fast (remember what Ferris Bueller said?) and if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you just might miss it...

Because sometimes you need to see the big picture through little details...

These are just some of the reasons I scrapbook my marriage.  Its like telling our own love story and the story continues over time - and with scrapbooking I get to add pictures (and pretty papers and embellishments).  I think keeping a visual record not only helps to make you remember the good times in your marriage but also helps you to focus on the positive things in your marriage and as a result I think it strenghtens a marriage - at least I think it has for our marriage.  Here are some of the pages that make up the love story that Charlie and are are living:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrapbooking Again!

I seriously haven't created a scrapbooking page in probably a month - which is a very long time for me!  I had some free time & energy (and truth be told - a little caffiene) last night & did these pages:

 

 

 

 

Ahhh, now I feel much better!  I am seriously happier and more energized and generally get more accomplished in my life when I am scrapbooking everyday.  I really think that being creative (whatever that means for you) is a necessary everyday activity - it should be like brushing your teeth or excercising; I think it is essential for a full life.  And I know lots of people don't consider scrapbooking all that creative - that I could be painting or writing - and someday when I have the time again I will do those things - but for now, in my busy life, scrapbooking (and taking pictures) is a perfect creative outlet for me - and one that results in saving moments and memories of my ever fast growing children. So, I'm so happy to be scrapbooking again.

Free Scrapbooking Videos

Here are some links to free scrapbooking videos that I really enjoy:

Stacy Julian on Capturing Words

Wendy Smedley and the Scrapbooking Buffet

Progressive Pages with Angie Lucas  

The Silly Scrappy Cathy Zielske 

Scrapbooking Techniques with Jennifer McGuire

And Me, Katie Scott, Making a Scrapbook Out of Beer Cartons!

Enjoy :) 

The Lights Are On!

Yes the lights in my scrapbooking room are finally fixed AND I have a long weekend to look forward to AND I've got something cooking with some of my scrapbooking friends AND I've got a whole month of photos just waiting to be printed AND its the beginning of a brand new month.  What does all this mean?  I'm going to get my scrapbooking on!  The lights are on and I AM home - ready to have some fun in the scrapbooking room.  I'll have new pages posted in the very near future!  Promise!

I'm Back From My Little Scrapbooking Hiatus! Ready to get my paper & paste on!

Every once in a while, I like to stop scrapbooking for a few weeks or so, cold turkey like.  It was brought on by a flickering light in my scrapbooking room that has finally been fixed!  I've been busy taking a photography class, being super busy at the office with some exciting new changes, and living life.  I think its good to stop being the family journalist for a little bit and just be.  And now I'm ready to jump back in!  Ally and I hit the scrapbooking store tonight.  Plus, I got an email from my friend Lain Ehmann of The ScrapHappy Blog - she and Angie Lucas, whose new blog is Yeah, Write, are working on a new project that I'm really excited about!  More to come - stay tuned!

P.S. Angie:  My 7 year old son Mac wants you to know that the title of your blog is TOTALLY AND INCREDIBLY clever!

Photography 101

My first assignment for the Photography Class I'm taking at the St. Pete Arts Center with Rob Moorman is to take 5 pictures in manual mode with the theme "A Walk In The Park."  Allison went out tonight (she was in charge of wardrobe which explains the somewhat odd clothing she's wearing for this assignment) to the park to take some pictures and I quickly remember why I love the automatic setting on my camera.  Take a look at the bad ones:

Blurry:

Under exposed:

Over exposed:

 

I did manage to get a few good ones in manual mode: 

I actually had a few more cute ones but lets just say we had a wardrobe malfunction and they just aren't internet ready.

I am committed to learning more about photography but at this moment can't seem to think of any good reason not to use the automatic setting to photograph my very active - never sit in one place - kids.  Hmmm. 

"Hey Mac - do you want to go the park?"  There's still some good light at 8 pm on a Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Cutest Little Cowgirl On The Planet

My 39th Birthday Morning :)

Charlie left a note "I went for a car ride."  I'm guessing he's either getting me an iphone or has gone to Home Depot for whatever it is his project is this weekend.

The kids woke me up with lots of hugs and coffee in my favorite Dysarts to go mug in bed (not sure how they made nice hot coffee but I'm not complaining, it is good; hoping Charlie helped them with that).

The kids insisted that the next thing we do is eat the cake!  I said, maybe we should wait till later.

So they settled on opening the presents for me.  First they sang Happy Birthday and then they opened my presents for me (I don't think I've opened a present since the children arrived).

Allison and Daddy got me a CK1 perfume set and Obsession perfume and a birthday card with Ned Flanders on it.  Mac got me a new Fiskars's border punch (apron lace), a big lavender soap, lavender pillow spray, and a spa sisters pedicure and slippers set, a burt's bees bee-uty bag, and a magnet that says "family."  All my favorite stuff, thanks family :)

Then we tried to get the cake out again but Mac had an incident with the chair so he's hoping around on one leg because of it.  I gave him a hug and some encouraging words but they didn't seem to help.  So I offered to take him to the emergency room (this is a good one for when they are milking it); and then he hopped over to Grammy's house for some more sympathy over there.

Allison and I had the little cup cake cinnamon crumbles from the health food store and more coffee and apple juice.  She recounted the trip to the dentist to me again (they got their teeth filled yesterday and she was very, very brave).

I've got a little time to play before the Soroptimist Club Meeting at lunch and my birthday party tonight.  Oh, yes, I'm going to give that new border punch a try and I've got my perfume and slippers on.  Plus Ally is giving me a manicure with fake Barbie nail polish - got to go!