Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

The Hunger Games Scrapboooking Challenge Series (Day 26): "I wish I could freeze this moment..."

Welcome Scrapbookers to the 26th day of The Hunger Games Scrapbooking Challenge Series:

Note:  We're almost done!  I've planned 31 posts or a month's worth.  I'll pick this challenge up again near the time of the release of the next movie Catching Fire.

The Hunger Games Quote: "I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever."  Let's interpret this as scrapbooking contemporaneously or the present day, scrapbooking the here and now.  There are several ways to do this, most of them are ideas from Creative Keepsakes and Simple Scrapbooks:

Project Life (Becky Higgins):

 

A Week In the Life (Ali Edwards):

December Daily (Ali Edwards):

30 Days Hath September (Stacy Julian):

That was such a silly day, I'm glad I took the time to record it.  My kids love to hear funny stories about themselves when they were little and pages like this are their favorites.

I've also seen projects by Ali Edwards for a Day in the Life; Stacy Julian has also done "May Everyday"; and I think Becky Higgins has something about Project Lifetime which encompasses someone's entire life - which is not present day scrapbooking but it kind of expands out these time based scrapbooking projects.

If you'd like to support this blog and learn more from Ali Edwards, Becky Higgins and Stacy Julian, please click through to one of the following affiliate links:

 

Stacy Julian

I've been a fan of Stacy Julian's since I bought the book The Big Picture and read it on the airplane ride to visit my Grandma Grace, I think it was the summer of 2005.  It is now 2012 and I'm still a fan and I'm enrolled in her Twelve Class at Big Picture Classes and it is as awesome as I expected.

That's my screen on February 12th - Stacy does an online Chat with the Twelve students on the 12th day of each month.

I had been a fan of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine but wasn't very familiar with Stacy until I read her book.  I fell instantly in love with Stacy Julian and her philosophy.  I'm not alone, thousands of scrapbookers across the world share my love of Stacy.  I've been a fan and a follower of hers for seven years now, I've taken several classes with her at Big Picture Classes, and although we've never met in person, I can tell you, she is pure awesomeness in every way.

 

So when I wanted to get the word out on "Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (March 21)", I knew that one blog post from Stacy would make a huge difference in the number of people "going" to this celebration of life created by my friend Julie "Rosenstud's"  late husband Bruce C. Rosenberg.  At this time we are at 2,900 "going" and I have the goal of having 10,000 going by tomorrow - is it possible?  I think so! Here is the Link to Stacy Julian's Blog. 

Chances are if you are reading my blog, you are a scrapbooker and chances are you are a fan of Stacy too.  Here are twelve links to my blog posts all about Stacy Julian and Big Picture Classes and Library of Memories:

1. Stacy Julian's Twelve Class in 2012 at Big Picture Classes

2. 12 Scrapbook Layouts about "You" meaning "Me" for Stacy Julian's Twelve Class 

3. How I Organized 60 Layouts Using Stacy Julian's Library of Memories Album System

4. Custom Made Storage System for My Library of Memories Albums

5. Library of Memories Storage System "After"

6. What Makes a Scrapbook a "Simple Scrapbook"

7. Stacy Julian's Creative Crop Challenge 10+10+10

8. Stacy Julian Appreciation Week Layout

9. Stacy Julian's Freedom Friday Challenge

10. Stacy Julian's Library of Memories Community: 1st Challenge: Red, White & You

11. Stacy Julian's Have More Fun Class: "No Toe Dipper"

12. Stacy Julian's Free BPC Class "Cocoa, Daisies and Stacy"

So Thank You Stacy for the blog post to get the word out about "Ice Cream for Breakfast (March 21)" Day and thank you for years and years of inspiration and scrapbooking fun!

If you'd like to support this blog and get Stacy Julian scrapbooking goodies, please check out these affiliate links:

 

 

Old School & Modern Wedding Scrapbooking

This Scrapbooking Video is about my old school magnetic scrapbook wedding scrapbook and my modern scrapbook albums and photo books.  It is in response to Noell Hymann's Paperclipping Roundtable #103 "Too Precious to Scrapbook" and the connection between what kind of scrapbooker you are in relation to how you planned your wedding. 

 

Click here for a link to the Ella Publishing ezine article I wrote about scrapbooking your marriage and relationship based on Stacy Julian & Lain Ehmann's ebook Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers and my adaptation of David Niven's book about Happy Relationships.

Click here for a link to Noel Hyman & Nancy Nally's podcast Paperclipping Roundtable PRT #103: Too Precious to Scrapbook relating wedding planning and scrapbooking.

If you wish to support this blog, check out these affiliate links which are related to products I mentioned in the video:

DIY Circle Garland Scrapbook Embellishments in 5 Minutes

Scrapbook embellishments on a string were a trend at CHA 2012, I'll show you how to DIY these trendy scrapbook embellishments in five minutes. 

 

I noticed lots of circle, butterfly and other types of garlands on a string at the most recent Winter CHA 2012 from Studio Calico, Dear Lizzy, and others, take a look: 

 

These images are on my Pinterest Winter CHA 2012 Board with the hyperlinks to the sites; photo credits are #1. Studio Calico from Scrappy Jedi's blog; #2. Studio Calico hearts on a string, #3 Jennifer Larson (I think she might have made these herself); #4.Flutterbys from the Neapolitan Collection from Dear Lizzy by American Crafts; #5 & #6 Etsy shops.  Cute embellishments with lots possibilities, but I feel like these are something I can make myself and take a look at the video and these pictures - it is easy - seriously so (sew) easy.

I also have heard and seen online scrapbookers say that they love these embellishments but that they don't know how to or wouldn't want to take the time to make them.   Angie Lucas mentioned these pre-strung banners on the Paperclipping Roundtable Episode #100 CHA, Baby! at about 34:30 minutes into the show; the Paperclipping Roundtable panel talked about how the triangles, circles, or banners were pre-strung and either wrapped around the card like the ones from Studio Calico or attached to a 12x12 paper like the ones from Dear Lizzy.  Its true that these embellishments are cute and already made; but I'm here to tell you that you can make your own circle garland embellishments from your patterned paper scraps in less than five minutes.  You can!  These tools will help:

 

I am not a technique driven scrapbooker but these are so easy and fun to make, I couldn't resist. Give these embellishments on a string a try and leave a comment with a link to your project, I'd love to see what you make!  Or if you do opt to buy the new pre-made embellishments, leave a comment to let me know why.

 

 

5 Minute Video for DIY Circle Garland Embellishments for Scrapbooking, Gifting, and Birthday Parties:    

CHA WINTER 2012: The Knock-Offs - #7 of the Bella Blvd. Scraplifts & Thoughts on the Creative Process & Middle Aged Mommy Sappiness & Scrapbooking as Therapy

Bella Blvd. Layout by Janna Wilson from Pinterest & The Scraplift:

 

Thoughts on the CREATIVE PROCESS:  Sometimes I like to switch up my creative process by using scraplifting, it provides boundaries and gives me a place to go so I can get layouts accomplished quickly and it provides a means of getting a little something done everyday.  Without this technique, I think that when I'm going through a creativity rut, I'd just stop scrapbooking, and the creativity muscle is like any other - it needs daily exercise.  So scraplifting gives me a way to "call it in" while I'm experiencing a creative low.  Sometimes, however, I do take a total break from scrapbooking when I'm feeling uninspired; but the scraplifting method seems more productive and gives me something to do and think about in the meantime.  My Grandfather was a painter and he'd so his own original art, but sometimes he'd copy the masters just to switch it up.  Scraplifting gives me that same sort of creative stretching.  Seeing all the new products and layouts from CHA 2012 provided some really great eye candy for this purpose.  I've been taking inspiration from CHA 2012 - specifically 7 Gypsies, Dear Lizzy and this week Bella Blvd.  I think I'm about done with my scraplifting series.  I'm ready to start fresh on something else, I'm not sure what yet, but I'll start something new starting tomorrow. 

In the meantime, here is #7 and the final layout in the "Scraplifting Bella Blvd." series:

The Scraplift:  I made the base part of the page a week or so ago and did the photos, embellishments and journaling this morning.  The original layout caught my eye since the girl in the photo looks like one of my best friends from elementary school (Katie Yerrid) and I liked the colors and it looked easy enough to scraplift.  This is a nice layout for highlighting one photo and having some creative time with your patterned papers.

The Story: It is Saturday Morning and I'm feeling a bit lonely.  My son is playing wii and wanting to go to Toys R Us (I so don't want to go there).  My husband is engrossed in the paper and HGTV.  And my daughter is off with her BFF.  I have the urge to go downtown to the Saturday Morning Market but no one wants to come.  I don't really want to go alone today.  So I find myself in my scrapbook room trying to occupy myself, knowing I could be working out or cleaning out closets or doing something more productive, but I think my daily creative time is important.  So I started out not feeling very creative but I took the base page and started anyway.  I came across this three year old photo of my daughter which was taken on a Saturday Morning on our way to to a craft fair on Corey Avenue, St. Pete Beach; back then she was only too happy to come hang out with me; now she's got her own plans many Saturday Mornings.  I know that's the natural process of things.  But still, I wish my kids thought I was more fun to hang out with - now they've always got their own ideas about what they want to do.  Gone are the days when I could just say "get in the car - lets go on wild adventure" and leave the house without a plan but end up having a day full of fun with my kids at the park or craft fair or beach or whereever.  So I'm feeling a bit middle aged - like my kids are half way through and I miss their little selves  and  all the snuggling that used to be part of my daily routine, now I have to practically beg them for a hug and never mind on the kisses, so not happening.  I guess all mothers go through this sort of feeling at one time or another but I'm feeling particularly sappy today, I'm going to indulge this feeling a bit but just for a day, tomorrow I WILL embrace a more hopeful, forward moving, productive attitude, but today, I'll lament the fact that my kids are growing up and needing me less and that I'm getting older.

SAPPINESS:  One summer while I was in college, I took summer classes at Eckerd and my roommate that summer was Yoko Yokohama, she was from Japan; Eckerd prides itself on being a very small liberal arts school and having students from all 50 states and many countries so the student body was very diverse which was really cool since there were only about 1500 students there when I was there (its my 20th year reunion coming up this spring - ahhh just one more reason to feel really like I'm getting older and time is passing more quickly than I'd like).  Anyway, Yoko was the most delightful person, she was like a puppy - all playful and fun and full of energy one minute and sleeping like a baby the next.  She was always so happy to see me (and anyone else) and she was sweet and nice and welcoming and had a excitement that was contagious.  I could really use a visit from Yoko today, I'm sure she's get me out of think funk I'm in today.  Whereever you are now Yoko, I miss you.  Ok, back to my original point.  One day, Yoko was in a funk, which was very unusual for her, and the conversation went like this:

"Ohhhh, Katie,  I'm so SAPPY today."  Yoko declared letting out a long sigh.

"Sappy?"  I asked, thinking maybe she needed to look up that word again for the correct usage, I'd never heard anyone describing themselves as feeling sappy before. 

"Yes, SAPPY.  You know, I'm feeling sad and happy all at the same time."  She answered.  

That made perfect sense, I thought.  I remember thinking that I was pretty sure that wasn't the dictionary definition of that word, but that was the best definition of it that I had ever heard.  That moment somehow burned itself into my brain and I can remember it quite perfectly, where she was sitting, our dorm room, the entire place in time, even though I have no photos of that summer or of Yoko or our rooom, I remember the whole thing perfectly.  Some moments are like that, twenty years later, that seemingly regular moment is still burned into my brain and it is a conversation I go back to when I'm feeling SAPPY, and the memory of Yoko and how happy she made me feel and how profound her words were to me that day, often times the memory helps to get me feeling more on the happy than the sad side of things.  Thank you Yoko, you definately left a forever imprint on me.

P.S. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defintion of SAPPINESS is 1. the state of being full of or smelling of sap, 2. the quality or state of being sappy: foolishness.  I like that foolish word because of Steve Jobs's speech, so I'm cool with being a bit sappy from time to time - and my Dad used to tap our maple trees for sap and used to make maple syrup and sugar candy, so I'm pretty sure we were in the state of sappiness back then; plus I miss him and all of his sappiness.

Journaling: Main journaling block:  "Saturday Morning.  2009 /2012.  These photos are from when you used to happily agree to going to the art fair with me.  Fast forward 3 years and you've got play dates with your BFF.  Missing you today.  Love Mommy."   Side tab: "Can we rewind a little?"

Supplies: Patterened Paper from American Crafts and DCWV; Fiskars Border Punch; K&Company Tag (at top and side) and other random bits of ribbon, buttons and brads.

 

Blogging:  The act of making this page helped me work out the feelings that I was feeling this morning, but the page doesn't really tell the whole story does it?  Thats ok, sometimes my feelings come out better in blog form.  When that happens and I really tell the story better in the blog entry than on the page, I just print out my blog entry and either slip it into a 8x11 page proector opposite the 12x12 layout in my 3 ringed album; or I just slip it in behind the layout; either way - the whole story is there for anyone who is interested (or not) in the future.  And I feel like I've gotten then feelings out and can clear my emotional slate and move forward.  Scrapbooking as self therapy is a good thing because it feels like play and because the process gets recorded so that when I look back at the page I can remember the process and when I write down the process on the blog and print it out, then maybe sometime in the future, it will help my daughter or hers when she's going through a SAPPY time.  Or maybe it will help a blog reader who's going through the same type of thing.  Any which way, it makes me feel better.  And I do.  Ahhh.  Maybe I'll go to that Saturday Morning Market thing on my own and enjoy a Gyro and being amongst people on this fine day.

Want to read more on the creative process?  Check out these books:

 

P.S. Thinking I'll incorporate some of my One Little Word Class (Ali Edwards / Big Picture Classes) into my weekend and take a photo safari for my word "HOPE" and probably my last year's word "AWESOME" too - I could use a little more of both of those words in my head and heart today.

 

 

 

One Little Word: 2011 Year of Awesome in Review

Last year I did Ali Edwards' project "One Little Word" but didn't sign up for the class and didn't really incorporate my word into my life except that I did create a Book of Awesome Mini-Album and I did keep my word close to my heart and mind all year long.  I loved this word.  It was both sarcastic and sincere.  The year 2010 was a challenging year on many levels so it seemed like having an Awesome 2011 was in order and I must say that I think that the one little word helped.  At the end of 2011, I felt sad to let it go, but I'm not letting it go, I'm keeping the spirit of Awesome with me.   I never really defined the word, but looking back the meaning I gave it was: 

AWESOME:  The attitude of doing your best and making the best of things no matter what the situation and seeking out experiences and feelings of awesomeness. 

Supplies:  Cardstock, Pokemon Trading Card Box + QuicKutz Studio letter die cuts; 12 photos printed 4 to a 4x6 photo (so three photos), sewing machine stitching.

This year I am signed up for the Big Picture Classes One Little Word and I'm interested to see how doing a montly project will bond me to my word.

My 2011 word worked, even without any class, and we had an awesome year full of totally awesome experiences and attitude shifts and I got to notice it the entire time.  Not to be redundant, but it was AWESOME! 

Scrapbooking Christmas Photos with Outdated Scrapbooking Supplies

If you are a scrapbooker, and chances are you are if you are reading this blog, then you have probably at one time or another, visited the craft store and looked at or even purchased a "Memory Kit" - come on - show of hands please?  Right, just as I expected 99% of you have and the other one percent is in denial.  Who could resist 59 pieces of scrapbooking embellishments for $2.99?  Not me.  But truth is that I'm guessing this fabulous pack of Starlite Christmas awesomeness has sat in my Christmas scrapbooking stash for the past ten years.  I pulled it out this morning and felt sorry for it so I decided to see if I could challenge myself to make a layout with it and have it look "not awful" - and I think I succeeded - let me know what you think:

The top three photos were all in bathrooms and taken with my canon - and/or my daughter's canon - point and shoot and the bottom three with my iphone.  None are particularly good - with the exception of the top right - I think that one was pretty good and I felt very fashion-y that day because I was wearing a long necklace - I forced myself to put it on as I'm not really much of a jewelry or accessory girl.

Journaling:  "I decided that this year I'd make an effort to be in the Christmas Photos!"  "I'm the one behind the camera."

The second line is an inside joke-ish reference to one of my family's favorite movies "Deep Impact" with Tia Leone  when her Dad shows her the photo of her and her Dad on the beach & she was angry with him for marrying a young woman and leaving her mother along - and she snapped back "Where's Mom?!?"  And he answered "she was the one behind the camera"  - that scene always makes me cry big streaming sappy tears - and I pretty much cry the rest of the way through the movie - especially later when the giant tsunami wave is coming and she is with him on the beach facing it and certain death and she says "Oh, Daddy."  If you haven't seen that movie, watch it - its a good one.

Back to the OPA (Old Product Alert) - this is a term from Cathy Zielske's Big Picture Classes class "Design Your Life" which I also highly recommend, in fact, I think whoever designed the pages for the front cover of that Memory Kit product could probably benefit from the class - although my guess is that those pages were made 10+ years ago so chances are their skills have improved since then. 

I got crafty with those little Christmas trees - check it out:

Also - the title and journaling in the middle of the page with the six photos on top and bottom lined up is a very, very easy way to get six photos on one scrapbook layout and have it looked pulled together, at least IMHO.

Tell me:  Did you take photos of yourself this past holiday season?  Do you scrapbook yourself?  AND how old is your oldest product and do you still use it?

 

 

Twelve Scrapbook Layouts about You (meaning Me)

I am taking Stacy Julian's Twelve Class at Big Picture Scrapbooking and I think we are still in set up mode and that the first assignment will be creating a layout about "YOU" meaning each of ourselves, or for me meaning ME.  I wanted to look back and see if I created 12 scrapbook layouts about me in the 2011, let's see:

1. Muther's Day.  Ok, technically this is a holiday but this is May last year and it doesn't look like any layouts in the first 4 months of the year were specifically about me, so I'm going to use it for these purposes.

2. Top of Mountain Caution Sign.  Ok, technically another one not specifically about me, it is more about how I found that caution sign so funny since they put it at the top of the mountain instead of the bottom - so by the time you read it - you've already done all the dangerous stuff - I'm actually kind of glad it was at the top and not the bottom because we went up somewhat fearlessly thinking it was a do-able trail when in fact it was a higher skills level trail;  but I am the only one in the picture so I'm using it.

3. Guiding Principles.  This one is all about me, it has no photo, but it is all about my guiding principles.  I did this as part of Ella Publishing's Boot Camp and it is a scraplift of an Elizabeth Dillow page.  I love it and I could make 12 more like this one.

4. Kayaking With Dolphins.  Here is another one that could really go under "Things We Do" but since I am primarily the kayker in this family and it is something about me, I'm using it for the "All About Me" category.  This page didn't actually go into any of my Library of Memories Albums - it went into my BOOK OF AWESOME!

5. Pursue Your Passion.  I made this page as part of Stephanie Medley Rath's Scrapworthy Lives The Happiness Project Blog Hop.  Yesterday's post was the last in that series but I really enjoyed the concept and the monthly accountability; I'm hoping she will recreate another blog hop like this one.  (P.S. Stephanie just in case you are reading - your blog hop was much appreciated!)

6. Weight Loss Goal of 2011.  The photos in this layout are from 2010 but the page was made and the journaling was done in February 2011 (I double checked).  In July 2010 I decided to lose 50 pounds.  I have never revealed my starting weight but here it is  - dun dun dun daaaa - 180.  This was a low point for me to see that number on the scale and not be pregnant.  My daughter was five years old in the summer of 2010 and I was ashamed of myself that I hadn't managed to lose the weight I put on having her.  I've moved past the shame and I am now very proud of myself that I haven't given up my goal.  During this journey, my lowest weight has been somewhere around 149 but most steadily at 155 but recently - since Halloween and through the festivities of Christmas - I put on 10 pounds.  This is the wrong direction so I have corrected that and I started this year, 2012 at 165 and this morning I was 163.  I am going to do Bikram Yoga hardcore (everyday) until I get back down to 155.  I'd like to accomplish that before our ski trip which is coming up soon.  Seeing this layout reminds me, however, that I haven't bought a new awesome pair of sneakers in a long, long time, maybe today I will do that.  The goal is 130.

7. Story Time: Prom 1988.  My daughter loves to hear stories about when I was little, she also doesn't see my actual sister very much but we do meet up with my best friend from highschool on pretty much of an annual basis at Disney World - Nancy has a daughter who is about Allison's age so it is always a fun girl's weekend.  So, I checked, and this page was made in February 2011 right after we got back from one of these Disney Trips and it was prompted by a conversation I had with my daughter about Nancy - even though the title of this page is Prom.  And the picture is fuzzy - we didn't have many back then - so know that I was sticking my tongue out and I was wearing Converse All Star Hightops to my prom and my prom dress was a mini - which wasn't done a lot back then even though it was the age of the mini skirt - and my teacher made me this dress after I drew it for her on a napkin - Thank you Mrs. Siroux.

 

8.  Us. Here is another page that is not all about me, its about my husband too and our different personalities.  But he has been a big part of my life since I met him in October of 1995 and today is the 13th anniversary of our wedding in 1999, so I thought it qualifies as an All About Me page - I wouldn't be me today without him.  I love you honey.  And your Mom just called to wish us a happy annversary  - and I wished her one back - we have the same anniversary as his parents and they got married right before WWII so I think it was maybe 1942?  So that would make them married 70 years today?  Is that right?  If it is we probably should have done something special - I need to check my dates on that right away.

9. ALL ABOUT ME 2011!  Ok I found one scrapbook layout that is All About Me in 2011.  Those were all self timer photos -  the big headshot one was taken in my shower because the light seemed good!  Note to Self:  Wear that red dress more often.  I love wearing red.

10.  Secret Me.  Here is a little secret most people don't know about me - but if they read my blog, I guess they will now.  I cry in the car.  Not all the time or anything.  But after my Grandpa died in 1999 and again when my Dad died in 2003, it was the place I most often cried; I think it is because it is private and quiet and the songs on the radio seem to speak to me.  I haven't actually cried in the car in a long time, but chances are, when something sad happens or something is bothering me, I'll know it because the tears will start flowing in the car.  I also think it is a place where my feelings come out since I am still, even though I'm driving, and otherwise in most of my home and work life, I'm racing around doing stuff so I don't have the stillness space available to cry.  Just a little secret thing I thought I'd share.  On this particular day in the photo, I was crying happy tears because I had just dropped Allison off for her last day of pre-school and the song "Sunrise-Sunset" swelled if only in my head - quickly fly the days, the years.  Life is beautiful and goes by so quickly, so fast.

11. Bikram Yoga Me.  Yoga has been a much needed quiet place for me and has strengthened me inside and out.  The most challenging part of yoga for me is often the lay on the mat resting time - it is challenging for me to quiet my mind and just be, but I have improved this ability so much over the past year, it is amazing.  This page is about how much I love Bikram Yoga and the benefits it has given me in my life since I started in April 2011.  The quote is one I heard on the Paperclipping Roundtable Podcast, Noell Hyman mentioned it and I love it so much, it goes something like this: "Everything you want {in life} is just outside your comfort zone."  I LOVE that quote and it has given me so much strength over the past year. 

12.   Big Idea Me. We have had the same financial planner since 1997 and he comes and meets with us a few times a year.  He has commented that I'm the Big Idea Girl and that Charlie is the Detail Man.  I have paid attention and realized that he is absolutely right.  I have discovered about myself, that I do love the big picture - and get annoyed with nitty gritty details.  So my husband and I make a pretty good team because we are different.  Knowing that about myself is a good thing because I know my strengths and weaknesses, so I pay extra attention to details when I'm at work but I also know that I'm happiest when I'm exploring big concepts or learning new things.  I made this page about an Improvisational Comedy class I took last summer. And NO.  I am not funny - just ask my kids.  And YES!  This class opened up the creative side of my brain and I realized that learning new things - anything really - is a crucial part of my happiness and creativity and life.  I know that I need to be what they taught us to be at Eckerd College - a lifetime learner.  There really is happiness and vitality and creativity - and it flows like crazy - when you are learning something new and are standing just outside your comfort zone.  Here's to more of that in 2012.

I encourage you to take a look back at the scrapbooking you did last year and see if you can come up with 12 pages about you.  If you did, take a look at them and check in with your 2011 self and think about what you want for yourself in 2012 - what is the same - what do you want to be different.  If you didn't make 12 pages about yourself in 2012 - come join the Twelve Class at Big Picture Classes, I am certain is it going to be awesome.

Click Here to Sign Up For Free Big Picture Classes Membership there are several free classes and I'm pretty sure they give me some kind of points if I refer a friend - so thank you in advance for clicking through to BPC.

 

 

 

 

 

Always Moving Forward

Cart Before Horse.  If you'd like to join me in any of these Big Picture Classes, please use this link to sign up:  CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR BIG PICTURE CLASSES!  The membership is free and there are several free classes if you just want to dip your toe in to the online scrapbooking class world, this is an excellent place to start.

Story People Quote: "Feels like some kind of ride, but its turning out to be life going absolutely perfectly."  And I stamped my finger print in the stamp square on the "this is life" 4x6 card in the lower left corner.  I'm feeling fairly clever about that.

Yes.  I know I still have a major portion of December's Project Life to catch up on and a few days of December Daily, but its like Walt Disney said (it went something like): "We don't spend much time looking back around here, we are always moving forward."  I'm excited about the new year.  I love beginnings.  And I saw Cathy Zielske's post about her family self portrait and her new class and was inspired to get my family to sit and pose for the Project Life Albums - I'm sticking this one in the end of 2011 & in the beginning of 2012:  (two birds - and no Kelly I don't think killing birds is ok either - which doesn't explain your delicious chicken dip btw - just saying)

And NO! I am not wearing pajama jeans.  The rest of my family wore sweat pants and I went in to work and they kept teasing that my jeans were pajama jeans, they were not - they were dark wash boot leg regular old jeans thank you very much, and yes I did put back a few pounds on during the holidays but I had no trouble buttoning them, it was a controlled kind of feast; I am ready to get back on the hard core workout train.

P.S. I am using Becky Higgins' Clementine Core Kit plus Page Protector Style A for my 2012 Project Life Album:

I couldn't find the link for page protector style A so I linked B - word of advice - if you like this stuff - buy it quick because it tends to sell out.

P.S. On Beginnings:  We saw a movie called Beginners the other night - it was pretty good - here is the link, plus one for beginning yoga, and one for an old David Bowie movie called Absolute Beginners which was pretty awesome - I remember loving it but don't remember what it was about anymore; and on that note - there is a quote about children not remembering what you said or did but they remember how you made them  feel - does anyone know that one?

P.S. For more from the Story People:

Mission Impossible?

Why does finishing December Daily seem like Mission Impossible - I technically only have two more days - but it seems like a really gigantic job.  I'm hoping to put it - and my kids - to bed in the very immediate future.

Meantime, I did add a fluff page after being inspired by Katrina Simeck's Blog Post Winter Staycation, I actually copied and pasted her post and then put in my own words but the structure is the same.  Easy and done.  Here it is my take on this idea:

I did the page in word perfect (yes I prefer word perfect to word) and printed it out on plain white cardstock and glue-sticked a Christmas card (blue) to the left side of the page, and on the B side of that page, I just stuck a bunch of random stuff that was on my desk. 

And yes, those Christmas Barbies have sung "Deck the Halls" about a bazillion times and Miss Ally Lu Lu came in to the scrapbooking room another bazillion times to have me sew pink Kleenex into sleeping bags, pillows and other room accessories for said Barbies - I really should have taken a picture of that too - ok, I just took some  - (I wonder if there is a reaction to December Daily of taking less than normal pictures in January - we'll see).  Presenting home made Barbie pillows and Barbie Snow Park complete with real snowman and sled and Barbie Fishing Pool with homemade fishing poles, etc:

Ok back to the December Daily Wrap UP.

 

Wrapping Up Christmas

Stacy Julian had a line on her blog about being OK with the Mess of Christmas because it is evidence of the day's abundance; I paraphrased her and added it over a photo and I keep repeating it to myself to be OK with all the stuff that needs to be cleaned up.

Along those lines, I have been listening to this song called "There's Hope" by India Arie - give it a listen while you are wrapping it up.  Trust me it will give you some hope to tackle job of cleaning up Christmas:

 

And its got a good upbeat for cleaning.  Seriously Awesome.  I'm trying to add a little of my One Little Word into each day, I'm going to plant something today in this pot I painted yesterday:

I planned to wrap up Christmas today and put all the decorations away, but there are 5 kids in my house! So I don't think that is going to happen. I did manage to clean up the kitchen and have told the kids that there are no more dishes today - we are paper plates from here on out. The boys are playing wii and nerf guns and can be heard from miles away despite that they are in my son's room with the door closed. The girls are eating ice cream cones and playing Barbies and peeking in on the boys since there is a set of french doors with blinds on my son's room that we keep permanently closed but that make for a good spying place for the girls on the boys. I am also working on wrapping up December Daily but that is going to be delayed a bit too since I don't like the girls and boys to play together unsupervised - so I'm on Mom Duty until things settle down a bit more. Here's what I did get done this morning:

More wrapping up of December Daily to come soon !

December Daily: 12/2/11 & Improvisational Comedy as applied to Scrapbooking & Whacking Fiskars Border Punches

December Daily - Day 2:

and more and more pages in December Daily and we're only on December 2nd:

I made some ustream videos while working on Project Life and December Daily - these videos are not how to videos and they are not, probably, particularly interesting.  However, if you enjoy background noise chatter about scrapbooking while you are scrapbooking, then you just might dig them.

Project Life & Time to Get Back on the Weight Loss Wagon:

 

December Daily - Day 2 - Part I:

 

December Daily - Day 2 - Part II - and how the concepts of improvisational comedy can help you find your flow in scrapbooking and any creative process:

 

P.S. My son listened to that last video and got a huge kick out of me whacking the Fiskars Border Punches - he giggled for 15 minutes - which sort of proves my point about being fully committed is what makes you funny  and the mistakes are what make you funny in improvisational comedy or awesome in scrapbooking - its the imperfections that are the awesome part.

Here are some links to some of the supplies and resources I used in these videos:

 

December Daily Album Base & December Daily Number Tabs & Why the Cropodile is the most awesome scrapbooking tool ever.

 

I made a ustream video to show how I've set up the bases of my December Daily Albums; yes, albums - plural - I need to figure out which one I'm actually going to use .  Actually I think I'm going to transfer all the pre-planned pages into the brown one and then use the red one for the finished pages, so there's my system.

Here are some photos of the December Daily albums right now:

I tried to keep them general and neutral enough so that I could do anything with them.  I have several free printed numbers and I'm not sure which I am going to be using yet.  Here are the links to the adorable free printable numbers for December Daily:

1.  Free Printable Journaling Cards with Numbers 1-31 for December Daily from Creativity Prompt:

2. Free Printable Whimsical Numbers 1-25 from 4shared:

3. Free Printable December Daily Circle Tags with Numbers 1-25 and Half Circles by Alyssa's Scraps:

(for some reason the image above came out too wide but the tags print perfect circles).
 
Highlight Reel:  The Adventures and Story of My Most Favorite and Resilient Scrapbooking Tool:  The We R Memory Keepers Cropodile & the Cropodile II.

 My We R Memory Keepers Cropodile is my favorite tool; I loaned it to my husband and he left it outside after he did some "work" on our office building.  That Cropodile survived outside for more than 2 months of Florida weather.  In the meantime of waiting for my husband to return my Cropodile, I bought the Cropodile II for making altered mini books out of old hard cover books.  I love both of these tools and I think I'm putting the original Cropodile on my Christmas list so we have one at home and one at the office.  Here is the link to the awesome Cropodiles that I love so much I want to marry:

I don't actually have the We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper - but Pssst.  Charlie: honey, if you're reading my blog - maybe this would be a good addition to standard bottle of Calvin Klein Eternity perfume I ask for every year - here's the link to that too, just in case you forget which kind I like:

I can never have enough of that perfume - I love it and I'm currently out. 

December Daily!

In the scrapbooking world, December 1st has come to mean the first day of December Daily. 

Side Note on Scrapbooking as a Subculture:  I went to a business ladies morning tea yesterday - in a real tea room with crumpets and everything - totally adorable - and I we were talking about New Years Resolutions and I told the ladies about the One Little Word concept and the Learn Something New / New 52 concept and how I know these things from my scrapbooking hobby and we got into a discussion about how scrapbooking is a whole other world with its own customs and language.  There was another self proclaimed "closet scrapbooker" there so we instantly bonded over scrapbooking.

Ok, so Scrapbookers - you know that December 1st means you've got to make a decision - are you going to do December Daily this year?  Maybe you've do it religiously every year?  Maybe you've tried to keep up with it in the past but fell off the wagon mid-month?  (Like Me).  Or Maybe you've never tried December Daily?   Even though I typically start the project with lots of gusto and loose steam midway through and then somehow regain it towards the end, I love participating in December Daily. 

Ali Edwards, who created the concept of December Daily and has vast resources on her blog, wrote a post recently that I really love about December Daily - click here for ideas about writing stories for December Daily.  For me, this is the go-to post for ideas and I even jotted them down on a list and posted them up on my board in my scrapbooking room - I scanned it in so I could share it with you. 

Rather than using my list (which you are perfectly welcome to do if you wish), I recommend you go to Ali Edwards's site and look through that post and then jot down the list yourself - do it by hand and I think you will remember it better than if you just copy and paste it, just try the handwritten list even if you don't like your handwriting, I think it "sticks" better in your brain and when you look at it it means more.

The two albums in the picture are 8x8 American Crafts.  I stocked the brown one with very neutral Christmas themed papers and I stocked the red one with bright and happy colored Christmas themed papers; I'm not sure which one I will be using yet; and I might use both and then consolidate them into one album at the end.  I'm just not sure yet.  I plan to post updates to this blog often in December so we'll see.

Here is an Amazon affiliate link to the American Crafts Albums I am using (the red and the brown) and I added a link for another 8x8 option with the American Crafts Modern Albums - I have several of these in 12x12 and some in a 6x10 format that I love - but I think that the customizable feature of these albums would make it work perfectly for December Daily:

If you want to use something you already have instead for your album:  I am planning to make some videos of my previous December Daily albums and in the past I have used the shells of very old magnetic photo albums with the magnetic photo pages removed and my own pages inserted - I'll have more on those soon.

 

Twelve in 2012

I am so excited to have signed up for Stacy Julian's Twelve Class at Big Picture Classes.  I can't wait for class to start!  Yes, I'm that nerd in the front row with two number 2 freshly sharpened pencils laid out neatly in front of me and my notebook opened and ready to take very detailed notes.  I love learning and I am always inspired by what Stacy Julian has to share. 

The pre-class project is to repurpose an open bin that you already have, I used a "Stacy Julian Green" metal locker style bin that I picked up at Joann's Crafts a few years ago.  It is about 10 inches deep, 10 inches front to back open at the top and 1o inches across at the top and about 7 inches at the bottom so I had to cut the divider sheets for the unique shape of the bin.  As per class instructions, I made 12 divider sheets with cardboard bases and colorful patterned paper and binder clips; I added the envelopes from Ditto.  I also sewing machine stiched the paper down to make the patterned paper stick down better; I am actually in the process of finishing the stitching on all of them.  The black and white checkerboard at the top is duct tape!

See you in class!

P.S. Stephanie - here's a link to the envelopes I used - they are Ditto by Hampton Arts, colorful binder clips from Office Depot, and the awesome patterened duct tape!

Did you see there is Hello Kitty Duck Tape??? And the Black Damask and Houndtooth look awesome too and the Candy Cane??!!  I love that they are making fashion colored duct tape, it is a happy, happy thing.