Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

Full Bleed! Taking your photos to the Edge of the Scrapbooking Page

Taking photos to the edge of the page - what a cool little design trick that I've never really explored before - until last night!  This concept was one of the challenges in Elizabeth Dillow's Twelve Design Challenges in the Big Picture Classes I'm taking AND it was coincidentally the topic of an article I read at Get It Scrapped by Debbie Hodge (click here for the "Bleed Edge" article there).   

I was super inspired and made seven of my "half baked" pages using this technique and I gathered almost 200 examples on my Pinterest "Full Bleed" Board.   I still have about 4-5 more that I'd like to get started.  AND! I even finished one of these layouts last night!

I had that 5x7 photo from a long time ago, I had played with the colors on the computer and printed it with a focal color on her face with black and white in the rest of the photo.  The colors came out really intense and while her eyes are really very blue, they look a bit unnatural and I could never figure out how to use that particular print on a page.  While I was looking for photos to use for the full bleed approach, I figured I'd use it since I was just "practicing" this new to me concept with these pages.   

SCRAPBOOK TIP!  Having the mindset that you are just "practicing" with your pages gives you more creating freedom!  Chances are when you "practice" you'll come up with pages that you never would have otherwise and some of them you will end up adoring, like I do with this one.

 

Journaling: "Vision:  Its not about how you look, its about how you see. (adapted from a Henry David Thoreau quote).  / You have your own unique vision and you are so sure of yourself.  You come up with the most creative ways to do things and you make observations that let us know that you are a deep thinker."

And yes, those paper strips are from my new 6x6 Amy Tangerine paper pack - the neon-ish colors worked perfectly with the overly bright focal colors on this photo.

I have been scrapbooking for a long time so it is so fun to have a new perspective, to learn something new, which has really been there all along. 

Want to learn more about design priniciples to use in your scrapbooking?  Check out these affiliate links:

I'll have more of the completed pages coming up soon!

How to Use Symbols and Instructions in Scrapbooking {+ DCWV #18 + #19 Layouts}

I'm taking Elizabeth Dillow's Big Picture Class called "Twelve Design Challenges" and I thought that this class would be all about scrapbook sketches.  I was surprised when I discovered that the challenges were more like concepts than sketches.  At first this stumped me a bit, but I think I'm getting my groove with it and I'm now loving this class especially since it is getting me a bit out of my comfort zone!

One of the prompts was to use symbols on a page.  To figure out what symbols to use, I did a search of Pinterest to get some ideas, there I found the recycle and the the sign language symbols so those were the starting point for the #2 and #3 layouts.  Last night I created a "Counterfeit Kit" and I had that phone block (Studio Calico) so I decided to use that as a symbol and tell the story about how I don't usually answer the phone at home.  So all three of these pages started with the prompt of using a symbol - by starting there I got to tell some stories that I probably wouldn't have otherwise.  I've been reading the Book of Awesome to my son before bedtime and I'll just say, the prompt thing?  AWESOME!

Here are the layouts:

1. Leave a Message at the Tone:  The symbols here of the phone and the home are from some Studio Calico patterned paper.  These two symbols reminded me of how we don't typcially answer the phone at home and we actually say that on our answering machine! 

 

Supplies: DCWV The Snapshot Stack so this is #18 of my self imposed challenge to make 24 LAYOUTS FROM ONE DCWV STACK (the quote bubbles); I also used papers from Studio Calico (the symbols), October Afternoon (journaling spot), & Margie Romney Aslett's paper (the banners).

Journaling:  "Hello, You've reached the Scott Family and we don't typically answer this phone, you can try the office or our cell phone or email is a good option....."  "We have a long message on the answering machine and rarely answer the phone."  "Hello, This is Kathryn, ... yep its, me, Katie."  "You can try my cell, but I don't usually answer it."  "Try me at the office or schedule a phone conference."  "I talk on the phone all day at work so when I get home I let the machine get it so we can relax with the family.

2. The Story of the Green Coat:  This layout was all about that Reduce-Reuse-Recycle concept and it made me think of my thrifty Grandma and this coat. 

Supplies:  American Crafts Cardstock and letter stickers which are felt green which is perfect for this coat because the coat has a bit of a felt like quality although I think it is probably wool.

Jouranling: "Allison Grace:  My Granma Grace was thrifty and she saved everything.  She grew up during the Great Depression and those childhood lessons stuck with her and my mom/your grandma Chris and I both inherited a fair share of Grandma Grace's tendency to hold on to things "because you never know when you might need it someday".  This cot should get the Re-Use Award since my mom bought it at a thrift store in Calais, Maine in the 70s when I was little and I wore it during the cold winter months in Maine.  You wore it one cold day in Florida and I'm saving it for your girl! - Love Mommy 5/2012  (photos Winter 2009)."

3. Baby Sign Language:  I found these baby sign language reference images in Pinterest and when I went to look for a photo of Mac from when he was little and we did sign-language with him, I found this big photo that I cut around waaaaaay back in the day (2004), so I decided to use it since the way this photo is cut ( a decidedly dated scrapbooking technique)  also reminds me of when my son was young.  He was such a cutie.

Supplies:  The background paper is cardstock weight and it and the jouranling spot and "remember" tab are from the DCWV The Snapshot Stack so this layout is #19 in my challenge series.

Journaling:  "When you were a little guy, we taught you sign language and hands down your favorite sign was theone for "MORE!"  I love you More!  Love Mommy 5/12 (photo 5/04)."

Have you ever used symbols in your scrapbooking, I really loved this concept and I would love to hear more ideas about types of symbols to use? 

Please leave a comment.

Want to support this blog and get more inspiration from Elizabeth Dillow?  Check out these affiliate links:

 

5 Common Reasons for Scrapbooker's Block and 5 Easy Ways to Solve It and Get Scrapping!

 

Scrapbookers, Imagine This:  You just received your print order, several envelopes of your latest and greatest pictures, and you now have a new and exciting stack of awesome photos just waiting to be scrapbooked!  There's the birthday party photos, photos from your last vacation, and some really adorable photos of your 8 year old.   You are all excited to scrapbook them!  You rearrange some things on your to do list and you somehow find 3 hours of uninteruppted scrapbooking time.  You put your photos in your photo organization system.   You get out your adhesives, scalloped edged scissors  and that new pack of embellishments shown at the last CHA.   Ready!  Set!  And Nothing.  Instead of "Go!" you are at at dead end STOP!  You stare at the dreaded blank page and then it hits you:  The Dreaded Scrapbooker's Block.  

Have you ever been hit with scrapbooker's block?  If you are a kid, chances are you haven't and you can stop reading and go play now!  But if you are a scrapbooker who is over the age of 18, then you might know what I'm talking about.  If you haven't experienced scrapbooker's block or perhaps you just need a definition for this frustrating condition, here's how wikipedia defines this common scrapbooker's ailment {please note I took some liberties with the "writer's block" definition and adapted it for our concern "scrapbooker's block"}:  

    "Scrapbooker's Block is a condition, primarily associated with scrapbooking as a hobby in     which the creative goddess loses the ability to produce new layouts.  The condition varies widely     in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in choosing how many photos should go onto     a particular layout or which embellishments to use for a visual triangle on the page to tie it all     together.  At the other extreme, some "blocked" scrapbookers have been unable to work for years     on end, and have been known to continue to buy supplies despite the complete stop of production     of scrapbooking layouts or mini books.  It can manifest as the affected scrapbooker viewing her     work as inferior or unsuitable, when in fact it could be the opposite. Scrapbooker's block is a     common affliction that most memory keepers will experience at one time or another, it is "an     inability to begin or continue scrapbooking for reasons other than lack of basic skill or     commitment".  

Who's been there?  I know I have, more than once.  Can I get an "Amen" scrapbooking sisters?

Scrapbooker's block can be caused by these five common problems:

1. Lack of Inspriation:  Oh sure there are dozens of inspiring projects on Pinterest and over at Two Peas, but nothing really "speaks" to you and your creativity just isn't sparked by anything - not even a glittery fire lit with hot-off-the-CHA-floor-patterned-paper by scrapbooking LOAD Coach Lain Ehmann herself.;

2. Over Awareness of the Audience:  Whether your audience is your own family or your online scrapbooking friends, you cant' seem to make anything because you keep thinking about what so-and-so will think of your completed scrapbook project so you just don't start or complete anything.;

3. External Circumstances like stress or health issues of the scrapbooker.  This will happen to all of us at one time or another.;

4. Sophmore Syndrome: Intimidation from a previous success.  Maybe you had a layout published in a magazine or recognized on an online scrapbooking gallery and now you are afraid to make another layout because you don't think it will be as awesome as the last layout.; or

5.  Perhaps the most dreaded of all "Trying to be Perfect":  You can't seem to do anything at all for fear that it might not be perfect and you'll ruin your photos, your supplies, or your own ego.

 Let's check in with wikipedia again and see what they say about the brain on scrapbooker's block {again I'll take some liberties and re-phrase to make it crafty}:

    "Scrapbooker's Block is more than just a mentality. Under stress, a human brain will "shift     control from the cerebral cortex to the limbic system". The limbic system is associated with the     instinctual processes, such as "fight or flight" response. Because the person is primarily thinking     in instinctual (learned) behaviors, creative processes are hindered. The person is often unaware     of the change, which may lead them to believe they are creatively "blocked"."

So enough of the problem, chances are you are just as familiar as I am with the causes or stresses of scrapbooker's block; what you really want to know is just how do you cure scrapbooker's block?

1. Take a Scrapbooking Class or Listen in on a Scrapbooking Group Discussion.

A few years ago I took Lain Ehmann's LayOut A Day (LOAD) Challenge and the exercise of making a scrapbook layout everyday for a month helped me get to a place where I could scrapbook no matter what; I think the key factor in this system is the short deadline. 

While I have been scrapbooking for well over a decade, I still take an occasional scrapbooking class to keep things fresh.  My favorite place to take online scrapbooking classes is Big Picture Classes.  I'm currently taking Stacy Julian's Twelve Class and Elizabeth Dillow's Twelve Challenges Class.

My favorite "Scrapbooking Discussion Group" otherwise known as a "podcast" is The Paperclipping Roundtable Podcast.   The Paperclipping Roundtable "airs" on itunes every week and is about an hour, topics include scrapbook organization, the process of scrapbooking, and scrapbooking tools and tricks.  Listening in always gets me in the mood to do some scrapbooking.

2. Keep a Scrapbooking Ideas Journal.

Whether you keep your ideas in a plain notebook, a fancy and embellished journal, or on your iphone; writing things down helps.  Even if you never go back to the list, the act of having written down an idea helps to keep it and grow it in your mind.  Depending on your personality, you may love or hate lists; but either way, try writing down ideas for a month and see if your ability to overcome scrapbooker's block improves.  My bet is that it will.

Pinterest is also a great place to keep ideas.  Major warning:  Pinterest is also a major time waster and can result in feelings of insecurity and inferiority since there are amazing ideas and photos there; so use Pinterest with caution.

3. Do some Free-Scrapbooking.

My husband often tells the story about how he was a bad student until he learned the trick of "getting ready" to do homework.  He'd tell himself that he was just "getting ready" to do some homework, he'd get his books and pencils, a snack, and sit at the desk; he didn't pressure himself to actually do anything, but, he says, once he was all set up and sitting there he'd do the homework.  Try that with your scrapbooking, get some photos out; get out some paper; don't pressure yourself to make anything but if you get even an inkling of inspiration, jump on it and go with whatever gave you that spark. 

Another idea is to make a card,  or a page in an ongoing mini book with a standard structure, or just to start doodling or punching or free hand cutting some patterened paper.  Just start moving and your brain will follow.

4. Just Do It.  Make a Page even if it is Not Perfect, especially if it is not perfect!  In fact, make an Imperfect Page! 

Take your worst, blurriest photo and the ugliest piece of paper you can find.  Make a page.  Just do it.  Once that's out of your system, you'll at least have done something.  The fact that its not awesome will give you the confidence to make the next one a bit better because it couldn't be any worse.  Just try it. 

In the alternative, set your kitchen timer for 15 mintues, and don't spend any time thinking, just do this:  1. Open your photo file and pick one without looking (1 minute).   2. Then pick a neutral colored cardstock, don't spend more than (30 seconds) picking.  3. Pick some letters, give yourself a minute.  4. Paste all that together (2 minutes).  5. Write something on the page - draw four or five lines and just start writing.  (5 minutes tops) .  6.  You are 8.5 minutes in and you can call it done if you like, but if you wish, pick a few embellishments and stick them down in a visual triangle (5 minutes tops). 

5. Find a Positive Place to Share Your Scrapbooking Work.

If you've been scrapbooking for any length of time, chances are your family has lost the level of excitement for your scrapbooking layouts that maybe they had in the beginning.  You need scrapbooking friends for this job my friend.

Feedback can be awesome, find a place where you can find some friendly scrapbookers who are at a similar scrapbooking skill level and share your work.  You can set up a flickr group or join in a variety of many, many scrapbooking communities online.  Or pick a few friends to be your viewing buddies. 

***

Want to hear me read this essay?  Check this out:

 

 I hope that this article has been helpful or at least a bit entertaining.  Please leave a comment to share your most common cause of scrapbookers' block and your favorite solution.

If you'd like to learn more about "scrapbooker's block" or even "writer's block", check out these affiliate links:

 

 

 

 

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? 

Improv Scrapbooking & How I Keep My Creative Flow in Scrapbooking

A scrapbook layout and a video:

I actually made this layout while making the video.

If you've visited my blog before, you might know that I've been developing a concept of applying the concepts of improvisational comedy to the creative process in scrapbooking.  Here's a video of my process (you might want to do something while you are watching and think of it more of as a podcast with video attached).

 

Bear with me, I'll have better videos up this week, stay tuned OK?

Here is the Sunshine Snow Days layout:

The Story:  Improv Scrapbooking + The story of a disappointing snow day and then two awesome ski trips.

Journaling: "Sunshine Snow Days.  Back in December, Allison and I went to downtown St. Pete for the snow fest, but got there just as the bulldozer was getting rid of all that exciting snow.  It could have ruined the day, but instead we found a small pile of white stuff and had a snow ball fight.  Then, in January we all went up to Ober Gatlinburg and even though there was no actual snow, Allison was thrilled to experience the man made stuff and learned to ski and we even made a snow man. "  Journaling stickers: "Happiness is not having what you want, its wanting what you have." and "Life Is Good.  Today was ... the best.  Ally got a 2nd trip to see snow & go skiing in Boone, NC."

Scrapbooking Supplies:  DCWV, Echo Park, Fiskars Border Punch & stickers.

Want to learn more about Improvisational Comedy Concepts?  Check out these books:

 

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:    

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.

Blogging & Scrapbooking Holiday Hiatus & Party Planning

I've been missing my scrapbooking blog and actually scrapbooking.  But this time of year gets busy for me and sometimes I've been known to go on a blogging and scrapbooking hiatus.  I had a burst of productivity in October and I thought it would help me become more creative everyday, but it had the opposite effect.  I haven't done a lot of scrapbooking lately at all.  So, I'm retweaking that system and plan to report back on my retweaks.

Meantime, I have been creative in a party planning sort of way.  We have been on a party hiatus at our house.  We used to have a lot of parties - we even had a year when we had friends and family over every Friday night.  But just like the overdoing it with the scrapbooking and then resulting dry spell, we did an all to nothing thing with the parties.  I'm not a giant fan of that quote about everything in moderation, apparently.  Anyway, after a bit of arm twisting - by Charlie, my husband, not me - surprisingly - we are back into party mode.  We have three parties planned for the next month!  1. My Daughter's Birthday.  2. A Giant Christmas Party at Our House.  3. A Cookie Exchange Open House at our Office.  So I'm gearing up for the next 3 parties in the next 30 days.

My Daughter's Party has an under the sea / octopus theme - she's turning 8 and lately her favorite stuffed animal is an octopus and an octopus has 8 legs - so that's how the theme came together.  Above are pictures from my first ever attempt at paper mache and my first ever attempt at those balloons wrapped in string - I don't have the paper mache / pintata octopus painted or put together yet - but I'll post more pictures when I do. 

And yesterday, on a total whim, after a lunch meeting that happened to be next door to a pet store, I bought 20 goldfish for 29 cents each and 3 tiny lobsters (they are actually crawfish but don't call them that in front of Allison) planning to use them for party decor / goody bag take homes and Ally is completely delighted! 

Just in case you need that note translated - it came in an envelope from her special stationaryset that she received for her birthday last year - and for which she usually saves such special stuff only for Daddy - but this one was addressed to me! :

" From allison  For mom:  Dire Mom,  thank you for the Fish you are the best.  i love you so much.  the Fish are loveing the gravle.  wut cind of Fish are They.  wite it hir ->"

So I went up and told her they were goldfish - I didn't want to give the note back to her because I wanted to save it for the scrapbook! So far I've only taken 15 pictures this month - but I'm sure I'll make up for that in the next 30 days.  I'll post party pictures soon & hopefully my scrapbooking hiatus will pass soon - I am starting to miss it. 

P.S. There is a country song that goes "How can I miss you if you never go away?"  So I think it is useful and good to have scrapbooking hiatuses from time to time as the mood strikes me and I go with that flow because I know it is part of my overall creative process & when I come back to it I'll be re-energized.

Improv-Scrapbooking & Making 40 Scrapbook Layouts in One Week.

I had this idea for making scrapbook layouts.   A fun idea that had been brewing for a while.  An idea about applying Improv Comedy Principles to Scrapbooking.   I took an Improvisational Comedy class last summer and mid-way through the class a burst of inspiration struck and I've been chewing on the concept ever since.

So this past week, I tried it out.  It was AWESOME!  I made 40 layouts in 7 days.   Yes.  Forty.   That's 5.71 layouts a day.   AND  it was FUN AND EASY!

I solved my own problem of going into my scrap room and not getting a lot done, having to figure out where to start, and I am very excited about this Improv and Scrapbooking Mash Up.   It is fast and fun and I love it.

And I had to stop myself because I could have kept going.

But I stopped and this morning I took photos of the layouts and I'm planning to write about how I did it, more on that coming up soon.

Here's a little peek at one of the Improv-Scrapbooking pages:

That's our family self portrait for this year's Halloween costumes.

Mac's face is hidden by his Ninja weapons; today he earned his PURPLE BELT in Karate - Way To Go Mac!

And Allison is a Skull Fairy and she went to a costume party today and won the Scariest Costume Award - Yay Ally! 

I am Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz  and Charlie is going to be Crusty the Clown from The Simpsons - he actually ordered his costume last spring.  Go figure.

I'll have more on Improv-Scrapbooking in the near future.

Scrapworthy Lives: The Happiness Project: Pursue a Passion

Welcome to this month's Scrapworthy Lives - The Happiness Project Blog Hop!

You should have arrived from "My Creative Days in Beijing" (see below for a complete blog list with links).

This month's theme for the Happiness Project was "Pursue A Passion" - sounds like fun right? 

It seems like it should be because I pride myself on pursing things (passions) that make me happy - scrapbooking, picture taking, having adventures with my family, kayaking, practicing Bikram Yoga, taking Improv Classes, and whatever else strikes me at any given time as something fun to do.  I'm also proud of the fact that I am able to have balance as a working mom and still take this "me" time. 

Do I get it right all the time?  Heck no!  I have to tweak and re-tweak the routine and how everything fits together and there are some weeks when things fall off the radar.  But generally I feel like if I'm juggling 100 balls - I'm keeping the important one ones from dropping - that I'm keeping all the plates spinning (to switch cliche metaphors).

  
So this month's blog theme of Pursing a Passion should be super fun for me, right? Um sure, but for whatever reason, this topic seems to bring out the angst in me. 

Apparently I'm not alone in this reaction.  Gretchen Rubin writes "Some people feel overwhelmed by the question "What's Your Passion?" It seems so large and unanswerable that they feel paralyzed."  in the chapter titled "Pursue a Passion" in the The Happiness Project book.  This is not exactly my reaction, however.  Mine is a response from a perspective of being a bit hard on myself for not having already started on the action part of pursing passions - and my brain goes to the goal setting / resolution brain with strict rules.  I started writing out my feelings and then wrote a list of those nagging goals:

 
I printed the journaling out and it goes through all my angst ridden feelings.  I pulled a piece of red cardstock - maybe I subconsciously picked the one with the skunk because of how I was feeling a bit stinky about this.  I decided to hide the goals and include a page from the actual book - yes I did rip it out. I did some machine stitching on the page but otherwise, it didn't feel like it needed any embellishments, that I wanted it to be straightforward even through some of the writing - and that skunk - were hidden.  Here is the finished layout:

 
So I'm happy to get all that angst out and get back to my happy place.  I'm happy with the layout and I'm happy that I wrote the goals down, but also that I put them in an envelope.  I've often found that when I do this, I tend to find the list again in a few months or years, and then I feel happy when I see that some of the goals have been accomplished.  I am going to schedule some time in to get working on those goals and passions.

In the meantime, I do think I already do a very good job of pursuing passions on a daily basis - take a look at these scrapbook layouts that evidence that:

 
Proof of Pursuing My Passions In the Layouts:  Mountain Climbing; Kayaking with Dolphins; Bikram Yoga; Throwing Parties; Taking Pictures; Seeing the Space Center; Tampa Bay Rays Baseball; Growing Flowers and Vegetables; Day Tripping to Orlando; Researching Our Ancestry; Taking Kids to the Beach; Hula-Hooping; Summer Fun; Road Trips; Playing on the iPhone; Work; Kite Flying; Hanging Out With the Hubby; Traveling to All 50 States; Winter Ski Trips; Girlfriends; Improv Classes: Girl Time with my Girl.

I really do think its important to pursue your passions and I have many; I don't have trouble identifying them; and I do still love to do the same types of things I loved to do when I was 10 years old and I have no trouble at all filling up Saturday afternoons (and the wee hours of most every night).  Gretchen Rubin suggests that if you are having trouble identifying your passions ask yourself "What you enjoyed doing as a ten year old or choose to do on a free Saturday afternoon is a strong indication of your passion."

I hope that you are making time for pursuing your passions and that you don't get too tough on yourself when goal setting.  I also hope that you enjoyed this post and will enjoy the rest of the blog hop.

Here is a full list of the Happiness Project Scrapworthy Lives Blog Hop sites:

1. My Creative Days in Beijing

2. Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking by Katie Scott

3.  Your Memory Connection

4. Slice of Life

5. Take a Picture and Remember This

6.  Scrap and Sass

7. Pie For Breakfast

8. Scrapworthy Lives

Your next stop on the Scrapworthy Lives Happiness Blog Hop is #3 Your Memory Connection.

{Week 2} Learn Something New: Heat Embossing with a Toaster for Scrapbooking

Learn Something New {Scrapbooking Techniques}:  Heat Embossing with a Toaster! 

 
Scrapbooker Katie Scott (that's me) tries out heat embossing with a toaster - I'm a long time scrapbooker, but I'm a novice in the embossing department. Watch me try to heat emboss using a toaster. Yes, this video is actually about 13 minutes of watching paint dry (or in this case embossing powder). Thrilling I know.   Check out the video on ustream:

 

I'm not a technique driven scrapbooker but I have made a little resolution to learn some new things in the scrapbooking technique department and I was inspired by Ella Publishing's Boot Camp Challenge about heat embossing and Episode #54 of the Paperclipping Roundtable: At Peace With Buckling ; so since I don't have a heat gun I tried the toaster trick (suggested by either Dina Wakley or Kristina  Werner)   and filmed my try - here's the link to that:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded....  I think it worked, but I'm no embossing expert.  But thanks to Ella Publishing and Paperclipping Roundtable for the idea of heat embossing and the idea of heat embossing with a toaster!

P.S. I actually tried this last week but I hadn't finished my first "Learn Something New" post so here it is.

Another P.S.  My husband was indeed mortified by this whole thing.

 

I Interupt the Scrapbooking Frenzy to Show Off the LOVELIEST APPLE PIE Ever Made!

No, I don't normally make apple pies, or any other kind of pies.  Normally I'm making a ridiculous amount of scrapbooking projects, just look through my blog archives if you have any question about the quantity of scrapbooking pages I make.  Its a crazy lot. 

But.  Tonight.   Allison and I made a pie.  An apple pie.  In my not-so-humble opinion, it is the LOVELIEST PIE that ever was created! 

The photo doesn't even do it justice, it is perfection.

 
Mmmm. Seriously, it is perfect in every  way. 

I'm checking "Apple Pie Baking" off my Fall Bucket List - but in truth, I may have to repeat this experience again and again.  It was exceptionally satisfying.

 
And again and again and again. 

 

{Week 1} Learn Something New: DIY Chevron Stripes

 
I am starting a new weekly series on my blog called "Learn Something New".   I find that I'm more creative in general when I'm learning something new. 

 
I plan to post once a week with a new Scrapbooking Technique.  Even though I've been scrapbooking for years, I'm not an especially technique driven scrapbooker.  Therefore, I have a lot to learn.  So if you are like me and want to learn something new or if you are a beginning scrapbooker, tune in every week for a new scrapbooking technique, then create something using that technique, and then leave a comment with a link to your project. I saw this tutorial at the October Afternoon Blog and gave it a whirl.

 

Journaling:  "We talk a lot about the Big Questions of Life - about how the universe was created and about God.  And we talk about How Your Attitude Determines Your Life!  If you think you can, then YOU CAN!  Love, Mom."

Supplies:  The cute little tags came from my local scrapbook store Whim So Doodle and are from Jillibean Soup, they are called "Soup Labels" and the version is "Homemade 6 Bean Soup" a $1.00 - and the best part is that the sheet of 9 labels was only one dollar!  They also remind me of the many labels I love from October Afternoon which is where I found the idea for the chevron stripes - so I don't think any of the supplies are from October Afternoon, but it seems like their kind of stuff, and I love their stuff.  

 

5 Ways to Jump on the Learn Something New Bandwagon:

1. Learn Something New Every Day Book

2. Pick the Brain - Grow YourSELF

3. Scrapbooker ElinJanne's Learn Something New MiniBook

4. Scrapbooker Shimelle Laine's Learn Something New Class

5. Shimelle's Learn Something New Flickr Group

4 Great Scrapbooking Sites for Learning About Scrapbooking :

1. Big Picture Classes

2. Paperclipping

3. Ella Publishing

4. Bite Sized Scrapbooking

(Also I thought I saw Nancy Nally's Scrapbook Update having a link to this October Afternoon Tutorial today - but I can't seem to find it now to link it here - if you have a link please leave it in the comments).

6 Great Quotes about Learning Something New:

* You learn something every day if you pay attention.  ~Ray LeBlond

* You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity,he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.  ~Clay P. Bedford

 * Each day learn something new, and just as important, relearn something old.  ~Robert Brault

*  No matter how one may think himself accomplished, when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle, he has entered a new realmas truly as if he were a child newly born into the world.  ~Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle

* Anyone who stops learning is old,whether at twenty or eighty.  ~Henry Ford

* When the student is ready, the master appears.  ~Buddhist Proverb