Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

Improv Scrapbooking: How to Use the Principles of Improvisational Comedy to Become a Better More Authentic and Prolific Scrapbooker; Plus: SNL Mini Book & Being PRESENT in your Scrapbooking Process and Scrapbooking Videos!

Improv Scrapbooking:

I took an intro to Improvisational Comedy class last summer with Toby Martini and while taking the six week class, I had a spark of creativity that went beyond the class, learning the principles of improvisational comedy didn't necessarily make me funny, but it gave me a new way to think about my creative process and applying these principles to my process of scrapbooking has been a revolution for me.  I am more prolific than ever, in October I made 40 layouts in 7 days and last month I made 60 layouts.  Making a million scrapbook layouts is not the goal. Being more present and authentic in my creative process and product is.  Telling better stories is the goal.  Spending less time on stuff that doesn't matter  is the goal.  Spending more time on what makes my heart and soul sing is the goal.  I'm there and I want to share.

In Improvisational Comedy, one of the first principles you learn is to be present.  To listen to what your scene partner is saying and to respond to that, not to be thinking about what you are going to say next, but to be listening and then just opening your mouth and saying whatever pops into your head.  Improv Business Consultant Marcia McGilley of Limelight Presentations says  "I've also been a stage actor in plays, infomercials and 'improv' comedy shows. Improv is short for 'improvisational.' That's a fancy word which means thinking on your feet. No scripts or lines to memorize, you just say whatever pops into your head in a given situation. Improv was great training for real-life situations in business and consulting. I know how valuable it is as one of your communication skills." 

This principle of being present, listening and saying whatever pops into your head can be applied to the process of scrapbooking.  Think of what that little voice in your head is saying or what is on your mind or heart right now.  What has you worried or excited  or experiencing any heightened emotion right now.  Listen.  It is there.  Scrapbook about that.  Don't pre-plan it.  Don't write it down in a list of things to scrapbook later.  Just scrapbook it right now with what you have available to you right now.  Even if that means it won't be as awesome as you think it would be / could be with better photos, better embellishments, or better more thought out writing.  Chuck all that planning out the window.  Remember the Nike ads?  Just do it. Right Now.  You have 15 minutes to spill your guts on the page.  Don't edit.  Be real.  Say it (write it down) before you think much about it.  Don't worry about grammar.  Don't worry about anything that you think it should be, just go with what it is, what is in you that wants to get out.  Listen.   Listen and then Go! 

Here is an example of what I mean by Listening to What Your Heart is Telling You, Being Present, and Being Improv about how you respond to that in a scrapbooking kind of way:  (Hey - ppssst - blog reader - You can skip over this part or skim it - as I am a bit "improv" in my description - in other words, I am long winded - I'll highlight some important stuff).    Today is Valentine's Day, I intended to make a scrapbook page about Valentine's Day or at least the theme of love.  I started the page yesterday in anticipation of today being Valentine's Day - check yesterday's posts for the videos in which I made that and other projects.  But, this morning  when I woke up, I was thinking about Saturday Night Live and about the Grammy's Music Award Show, about Whitney Houston's death and about how Paul McCartney did the last number at the Grammy's; about how music and certain songs can instantly take us to a time and place and bring back memories; and about how the show Saturday Night Live also does that for me.  When I see or think about an SNL sketch, I am also reminded of the time in my life when I first saw it.  For example, the Coneheads and Gilda Radner bring me back to the 70s when I used to spend Saturday Nights at my Grandma's house watching the Barbara Mandrell Show, Love Boat and Fantasy Island, and then if I was still awake and Grandma would let us, we'd watch some Saturday Night Live, I don't remember it too specifically, but I knew it was cool.  In the 80s I can remember my friends in AP Calculus Class (my most hated class), imitating Dana Carvey as the Church Lady - "Now isn't THAT special?"  In college I used to spend the weekends with friends who were married with very young kids and we loved Kevin Nealon "I'll Pump (clap) You Up" and Mike Meyers in Wayne's World  - I'm pretty sure Dana Carvey was in both of those sketches too (without googling it  I think I'm getting his name right).  When I first met my husband and we were dating, we'd often watch SNL after dates and that one night in August 1997 or 1998(?) when we turned to NBC at approximately 11:43  (so we knew SNL had started and we were on the right channel) and we were horrified that they were trying to do a sketch about Princess Diana being in a car accident and then slowly realizing it wasn't SNL, it was real.  And now, my kids and I love Andy Samberg and his SNL shorts like Lazer Cats and Space Olympics.  The show has been a constant in my life.  It is like an old friend who knew me way back when.  I am reminded of the different people I watched the show with depending on the sketch and when it aired.  There are Deep Thoughts, like the ones Jack Handy used to do (miss those):  1. How powerful it was when Paul Simon sang The Boxer with the FDNY behind him right after 9/11 - I still get a little teary just thinking about how deep the emotion was at that moment; 2. How tender Chris Farley was when he did the awkward interview of Paul McCartney and he asked about whether it was true when McCartney sang "The love you take is equal to the love you make" and how Paul McCartney closed last weekend's Grammy Awards with that line and how the Beatles and Rolling Stones and U2 and Madonna have been musical constants  and all have been on SNL (well at least members of the Beatles have been on the show).  Music and this long running show of Saturday Night Live have been a constant in my life as I was born in the 70s and that show started in 1975 when my parents got divorced and that show has been the backdrop to my Saturday nights for as long as I can remember.  If I never scrapbooked about something as random as seemingly random as Saturday Night Live, my story would be incomplete; but more importantly, if today, when I took time to scrapbook, if I didn't scrapbook about Saturday Night Live because it was on my heart and mind, whatever else I did would have been forced and not as real, it would not make an impression on me; whereas if I scrapbook what I am passionate about right now, chances are in 20 years when I look back at that page, I'll be taken back to today and that page will be a better memory trigger for me of time and place, like when you hear an old song, than if I hadn't been present and listened and then scrapbooked using these improv principles.  Improv will make the memories more authentic and real.  There will be more of me in what I create.  I think this goes beyond scrapbooking; improvisational comedy principles can be applied to any creative process.

 Here are 3.5 videos that you can find on YouTube about the process of applying improvisational comedy principles to scrapbooking and my actual process:

1. Watch as I use improvisational comedy principles in my scrapbooking creative process:

 

I use the principles of improvisational comedy for my video making too - I just press record and talk, there is no preparation and I say what is on my heart and mind, I am in the present moment, not thinking about the next thing I'm going to say - this is improv - it isn't always funny or interesting - but it is real and the more real you are, the better it is in an improv way.

1.5 Here's my improv fix for the 20 minute video that wouldn't upload to YouTube - This is The Middle (which is also a great show by the way)  - I tried to get it to a point where there isn't too much overlap - but it is not perfect - it is improv!  And just ask Seth Godin about how he feels about shipping when it is not completely perfect - I'm pretty sure he'd say ship it. So here's the fix:

 

2. Here is part 2: (Darn it! There is a gap between #1 and #2 so I'm going to upload a 1.5 to bridge the gap).

 

3. SNL Mini Book Cover & Applying the Improv Concept of Using What You Have and Getting It Done Now:

 

If you are interested in learning more about applying the concepts from improvisational comedy to scrapbooking or to any other part of your creative process, please leave a comment and/or email me.  I am working on some projects that will expand on this concept and I need some guinea pigs. 

Meantime, if you wish to support my blog through the Amazon Affiliate Program, you can check out these books and Paul McCartney's new album, Kisses on the Bottom (which sounds like an improv concept of "taking it the wrong way") that dropped today:

Sing it Paul:  "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make. " 

I think you you can substitute the word love for memory keeping or the creative process; in other words, what you get out of your scrapbooking or memory keeping hobby is what you put in to it - so put good stuff in OK? 

3 More Winter CHA 2012 Scrapbook Knock-Off Layouts

Get out your square punches and your scissors scrapbookers, its time to lift the latest from Winter 2012 CHA. 

 I admit I am totally addicted to Pinterest, I can't watch tv or do the stepper anymore without having my iphone in hand with the Pinterest app on.  Lately I've been watching the sneak peeks and product releases for Winter CHA 2012.  Since I'm not going to Anaheim, I've been having a CHA knock off party with my scraps.  Click Here for a link to my blog posts about the first three CHA inspired layouts.  I'm kind of on a roll and last night I kicked out three more.

1. Lift of the Handmade Collection from Lily Bee Design. 

The Lift:  The original layout "patchwork" uses a patterned paper with the quilted squares already made; but I made my own. I used a simple square punch, I think I used a size slightly larger than the size of the squares on the "Handmade" paper.  Ok, isn't it just a bit funny that the pre-made paper is called "handmade" but comes already assembled.    

Subject of Page: I took three photos of my kids from each of the last three leap years (2004, 2008, and 2012) to see how quickly they've grown on one page - I love this sort of progression on one page.  I created the banner at the bottom of the photos with various punches and hand cut scraps. 

Supplies:  The label stickers are from October Afternoon and the papers are a mix of American Crafts, Martha Stewart, Dear Lizzy, DCWV, and KI Memories; all of these papers and embellishments and tools used are at least a year or more old.  I think these older patterned papers look new again using the new trends and it was just plain fun to mix them all up in a quilt pattern.

P.S. My daughter's shirt in the 2004 photo is a quilted shirt.

2.  Lift of the Jenni Bowlin JBS Mercantile February Peeks.   The original layout "Backyard Botantist"  is by Briana Johnson.

The Lift:  Here is how I created the triangles from square punched scraps:  I punched a bunch of scraps and then hand cut them in half and arranged them on a piece of cardstock into the quilt like pattern:

Subject of Page:  The original page was about a boy in the backyard which made me think of what my boy does in the back - or more correctly - sideyard; he plays secret agent man and sometimes he'll have stashes of actual treasure.  This photo shows him with his very own "briefcase full of cash" - insert your best Dr. Evil meniacal laughter here.  So I thought the colors of the papers reminded me a bit of money and pyramids have long been associated with money so I turned the layout upside down and used the valleys as mountains so they looked more like pyramids.

Supplies:  Second verse same as the first - these supplies are older product cut with a square punch, one of the papers was actually from a soap packaging from the health food store - I love repurposing actual papers from real life.  I think some of the other papers are My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey, and GDC Studio, but I could be wrong - all of these papers are from scraps, very old scraps.

3. Lift #2 of American Craft's Dear Lizzy Neapolitan.  The original layout is "All Smiles" by Kimberly Congdon.  I didn't intend to scraplift another from the Dear Lizzy line but they made an adorable video and it is just so pretty and seems to be a bit different than the rest of the releases this Winter CHA - it seems soft and happy and it is very easy to work with - at least the knock off version of this line.  (wink).

The Lift:  I hand drew on the back of a piece of patterened paper the pattern for this and then hand cut the pieces.  My pattern came out in the reverse of the original layout and I had some problems with the corners and had to post-trim the papers at the top and then that made the top of the cardstock all wonky, so I did the border punch across the top (which is also a bit wonky), but in the end I like the imperfect-ness of my layout.  If you were trying to recreate this look, I would recommend more precise cutting if you want a more perfect look, but if you don't mind wonky, cut away.

Subject of Page:  This was admittedly a "fluff" page - a pretty photo of my child with not much journaling, but it is fun and pretty and will go in an album about her with lots of pages that do include lots of journaling and stories, so this will most likely be a nice visual rest in that album since I also don't do a lot of technique heavy one photo layouts.  And I love how the sunburst cut of the pattern papers make it feel happy and like it is shining; it reminds me of how my daughter used to sing "This Little Light of Mine" which I should maybe have journaled about on the page, but for me at least that memory is triggered with this page.  And Allison loves to play with those big flowers and for a time she was making lots and lots of them and decorating everything with them, so using those flowers triggers that memory for me too.

Supplies:  Embellishments are all from scrapbook yardsales so I have no idea where they originally came from; the border punch is a very old one from Fiskars, papers are an older Dear Lizzy line, DCWV, KI Memories, My Mind's Eye, and cardstock.  The letters are American Crafts.  And yes, I actually tied all those little bits to the page which was probably the most time consuming part of making this page, but the "stick" from those epoxy buttons was really gone so I really needed something to make sure they didn't fall off the page.

Do you want to join in the CHA Knock-Off Fun?  I have created a flickr group for exactly that, here is the link:  FLICKR GROUP: WINTER CHA 2012: THE KNOCK-OFFS

If you add a page to the flickr gallery, please leave a comment here so I can be sure to click over and check it out.  Now go make a page!

 

 

Foolish Adventure

If you've ever thought of starting an online business - take a listen to Foolish Adventure. For my ScrapBooking blog readers - one of the hosts of the show is Izzy Hyman - husband of Noell Hymann of PAperclipping & the Paperclipping Roundtable podcast. Highly recommend both podcasts.

Sent from my iPhone

Sheena wasn't the only punk rocker

Back in the day I was a bit of a punk rocker too.  Well, sorta.  I had a boyfriend who introduced me to punk rock and I didn't like it at first but then it grew on me, big time.  I never really got into punk rock as a style statement but I did love to listen to my punk rock cassette tapes - yes, people, cassette tapes that's how old I am getting.  I recently heard that Iggy Pop was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & what's incredible is that I had no idea, I don't even watch MTV --- or EVEN VH1 (music tv for old people) --- any more.  And I don't really keep up with pop culture or celebrity gossip magazines or anything like that.  So I am completely out of the puck rock loop now, except that my kids know most of the lyrics to most of the Ramones songs because I now play my favorites on my iphone.  My favorite Ramones song these days is "Howling At The Moon" (its the one that goes sha-la-la-la-la I'm going to steal from the rich and give to the poor --- so I'm good with the message and its on the girly side as Ramones ditties go and I don't think it has any bad words in it so that I can confidently play it in the minivan and me and the kids can sing along).  But back in the day, I was a punk rocker!  And here's a tribute to that part of my life in a scrapbooky kind of way:

Dedicated to my Mac

You and Me Kid

There's a scrapbook page coming about this one.

Classic Mac

Andy Samberg

I admit I've had a bit of a crush on him - he's been on Saturday Night Live for the last couple of years.  I couldn't find a link on You Tube, but he did a video last night called "Space Olympics" and we had to rewind & watch it over and over.  He is so funny.  Love it.  Ok you can see the video HERE!

Music

We've been listening to the soundtrack to Mamma Mia almost non stop in the car and I haven't been as consistent as I'd like in the exercise department so I haven't had many songs of the day lately.  But I did get the chance to TIVO the Fashion Rocks show and despite not liking the host (which was fine because I just fast-forwarded right through him); they had so many great performances by Kid Rock, Fergie, Debbie Harry, Justin Timberlake, and many others. I'm sure if you go to You Tube and type in Fashion Rocks you can see some of them.  Kid Rock and doing Sweet Home Alabama with Lynrd (sp?) Skinnard (gosh I have no idea how to spell that) but it was totally completely awesome.  Rihanna did a cover of Madonna's Vogue which was pretty good and Fergie with Debbie Harry was totally awesome doing Call Me.  And the Black Eyed Peas did a cover of a Rolling Stones song - the one about Puerto Rican Girls - that sounded really great.  And Justin Timberlake always delivers.  Really good performances on that show.

Dancing Queens

Song of the Day: Dedicated to Erin Lincoln

I haven't seen Legally Blonde the Musical yet but I love the movie.  Here's "What You Want" from the muscical dedidcated to Creating Keepsakes' Erin Lincoln who loves this one!

Song of the Day: Dedicated to Thomas the Tank Engine

Here's a sweet song about our beloved Thomas:

Song of the Day: Dedicated to Jim Bob & Forrest

No matter what happened, I still believe in both of you, and I know you both made the right decision. 

Katie R. Suggested this song for the song of the day - its Petra Haden covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believing":

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P.S. You guys were two of the best looking at the reunion (next to my dearest Eric S. that is).

Song of the Day: Dedicated to Gino!

When I saw Gino this morning he was singing this:

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Oh Yeah!  I just want to Celebrate another day of living.  I just want to Celebrate another day of LIFE!

The BIG Pre-School Summer Camp Rock Concert is tomorrow!

Rock out my brotha!

Song of the Day: Dedicated to Anita K.

I got a note from my high school boyfriend.  I dropped in on his parents while I was up in Maine and he happened to be there.  He said his mother told him all week that it was really her that I was going to see.  Well, Miss Anita K., you are so right!  I love to see you & Mr. K. (who has an amazing memory by the way) whenever I get the chance!  And I loved seeing the adorable little Hope and meeting Mo.  So this one is for Anita, sung appropriately enough by another Anita, in honor of all the times I unexpectedly ring your bell!  If you're ever in Florida - please be sure to ring mine!  Here's Anita Ward with Ring My Bell:

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Song of the Day: In Memory of Randy Pausch

To this great man who we all will remember forever:

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