life in general

let's go on a date: march

the date envelope

contents  gift certificate to local climbing gym, Subway gift card, carabiner

cost  $35

the plan

(I was trying to channel "The Bachelor" with the note on my date card this month.  Do you think it's cheesy enough?)  This month the plan was simple.  Rock climbing at a local gym and lunch at Subway.  Some good physical exertion and a good healthy-ish lunch.

the date night afternoon

Open climbing hours (during which the gym provides a belayer for you) were during the morning, so we made this into a day date.  It was kinda fun to pick up a sitter on saturday morning and steal away for a few hours during the daylight.  All kinds of new experiences with this one:  going out in the day, an activity that neither of us had tried before, and wearing yoga capris and a t-shirt on a date (a first for me!).

We harnessed up, slipped on some climbing shoes and faced the wall.  I stuck with some of the easier walls (with a slight inward angle) but I did attempt several of the straight walls and made it to the top about half the time.  Scott also challenged himself with some walls that came out at you at interesting angles.  It was a fun time.  After about 45 minutes we conquered just about all that we wanted to and left the gym with smiles and sore arms.

Scott wasn't in the mood for Subway (we had eaten there earlier in the week), so we changed plans and went to the local pizza place for sandwiches and the salad bar.  

Once we finished, we still had an hour left before our sitter would be expecting us home.  Because it would be a crime to waste perfectly good childcare! . . . . we drove to Dairy Queen for Blizzards.  And then parked at the park by the river to finish eating them.  As you can tell, we were not in any real hurry to get back home.  :)

the scrapbook page

next month

satisfying our spiritual and physical hunger

 

to see all of our monthly dates in 2011, go here

a room just for me

When we first moved into this house my scrapbook desk, shelves, and computer shared the guest room.  It worked, but after a year or so I moved stuff into a small empty bedroom upstairs.  Ever since then I have had grand plans of showing off this space on my blog because I just plain love it.  But then I'd start a project and the piles would grow, eventually I'd find the time to organize and get through about half of the clutter, and then it would grow again, and so forth and so forth.

Basically, my visions of getting this room to a state of neatness where I felt I could take pictures to show it off have never materialized.

Then my mom asked me to take a few pictures of my workspaces & decor for an article she was doing on Blissful.  I'm always happy to help.  So to get my room picture ready I employed the following tactic -- Move piles from point A to point B - take a picture of A - return piles to A.  Move piles from point B to point A - take a picture of point B - return piles to B.

So, because I don't see a massive overhaul of this room in the near future (maybe a project for next fall?) I'm sharing the pictures I do have.  Because this is as good as it gets.

You come into the room and on the right wall you see this:

I love this work table from IKEA -- it's a stainless steel kitchen island, the UTBY.  I use it for stand-up work.  Love the open shelves, the industrial look, the sturdiness.  The bucket/rail system and picture frames are from IKEA.  Baskets are from assorted locations.

I love love love this black scroll frame.  In fact, I have 2 of them in my house.  I got the idea for the photo collage from Heidi Swapp's blog yonks ago.  The top wood frame includes several phrases and sentiments from Ali Edwards for encouragement in the creative process:  it is ok // embrace imperfection // simplify // don't make it more complicated than it needs to be // have fun // celebrate the everyday // share yourself. tell your story.

The bottom wood frame includes a quote and a little piece of ric rac:  Every morning is a fresh beginning.  Every day is the world made new.  Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment - this day - is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day - each moment of this day - a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity.  -Dan Custer

Then in front of you and to your left I have two desks that come to an L-shape with the printer in the corner.  The right desk (not pictured) holds my computer.  And the left desk has more crafty purposes.

Desks and shelves are from the Container Store.  I tried to keep the room mostly neutral - white, black, cream, grey - and add a few punches of red and pink.  I had plans to make a new cover for the vinyl machine, but I changed my mind.  The blue will stay.

And in case you were wondering . . . . . wall color:  Mascarpone (Pottery Barn) and black chalkboard paint.

Ironically enough, my mom's Blissful article was titled, "How to Organize Home Office Clutter."  I definitely need to take her advice and put it into action.  I especially like this tip

Helpful things to gather before tackling the project --   A friend - that can help you stay on track and to have fun conversation with.  Even the worst jobs seem better with a friend to help.

Love it.  Does someone want to come over and be my de-cluttering friend?  :)

let's go on a date: february

the date envelope

contents  massage bar from LUSH

cost  $10

the plan

This month the plan is to spend a night in at the Brown Home Spa.  Whether it be a massage, bubble bath, a good foot soak, or facial masks . . . the point is to just do something to relax and pamper ourselves.  Oh, and there must be chocolate.

the date night

Scheduling this date night was pretty tricky as most friday and saturday nights in the month of February were spoken for.  So, we found a "free" Monday night and scheduled the date.  We put the kids in bed and told them that it was mom & dad's date night so they better not bother us.  Months earlier I had purchased a 5-step "sole revival" relaxing foot treatment at LUSH.  So we pulled out some towels, 2 large plastic tubs for foot soaks, and set up in the family room.  We took turns applying the volcano mask on either other's tootsies and wrapped it all up in plastic wrap (it was pretty intense stuff).  While all this was going on we watched some of our favorite tv shows, including "How I Met Your Mother."

Once the feet were soaked, scrubbed, and moisturized we enjoyed a plate of chocolate dipping delights - bananas and rice krispie treats.  And some kiwi for me (not for dipping).  

It was a great date night in and our feet smelled wonderful.

the scrapbook page

(I used the instruction sheet that came with the foot kit on my scrapbook page.  And, yep, I know the the photo on the left looks kinda creepy - like I've got a leg coming out of my chest.  It is what it is.)

next month

carabiner, harness, and rope

 

to see all of our monthly dates in 2011 dates, go here

let's go on a date: january

For Christmas this year I gave Scott a slew of golfing gear (shoes, balls, rangefinder).  Oh, and a new stainless steel double-action potato masher.

I also gave him something for us to enjoy together.  

This basket holds 12 envelopes.  Each labeled with a month of the year.  And each envelope contains a pre-planned, (mostly) pre-paid date just for us.  Some of the dates will take place at home, some are planned for the local area, and some will take us into town.  All 12 dates are different.  Several, actually nearly all of the dates are things we have never done before.

The plan is to open the envelope together at the beginning of the month, look at the calendar and decide on a date.  So right from the beginning of the month, we'll have a fun date on the calendar to look forward to.

the date envelope

contents  $15 giftcard to OMSI, $25 giftcard at McMennamins, brochure/map of McMennamins restaurants in the area

cost  $40

the plan

Eat dinner at one of the many McMennamins restaurants in the area and then do something fun at OMSI -- laser show, IMAX movie, or use it towards general admission.

the scrapbook page

Get ready to flip out because I . . . made a scrapbook page!

I brought along my Fuji Instax for picture taking. I love it.  It is just so cute.  I think I'll be taking it on all of our dates this year.

Our January date also doubled as our anniversary date.  12 years!  We enjoyed a hamburger dinner at Fulton Pub (a place Scott visits from time to time for work lunches, but I've never been before).  He even shared one of his tots with me.  :)  My "Communication Breakdown Burger" was awesome.  And before dinner we went to OMSI to watch "Hubble" on the IMAX screen.

I think I'm liking this plan.  11 more to go.

next month

a relaxing night at home

to see all of our monthly dates in 2011, go here

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Linking up:  Weekend Wrap-up party at Tater Tots & Jell-O

never say never

So I've been scrapbooking for, goodness, um . . . about 18 years.  Wow, really?  Okay.  

I love me some cardstock, adhesive, stickers and stamps, the slice of the trimmer, and the thrill of thumbing through a fresh batch of processed photos. I like the feel of it.  Of moving elements around.  Playing, getting creative, and making something with my hands. 

A few years back this new 'digital scrapbooking' thing entered the scene.  I took a quick look and instantly knew it was not for me.  I could spot a digital page a mile away.  The quality, the realness, the texture just wasn't there.  There was no comparing it to the real stuff.  I was never going to get into digital scrapbooking.

Never say never.

This past month I did something that would have been completely unthinkable to the scrapbooker in me just 2 to 3 years ago.  I made a digital scrapbook page.  Actually, 4 of them.

And I kind of liked it. {cringe}  I feel like I'm cheating on scrapbooker Shannon.

What has softened my heart?  Well . . . a number of factors:

• Time.  The last scrapbook page I made was one year ago.  Time seems to elude me these days, and scrapbooking, well, takes time.
• The mess on my desk.  Enough said.
• All the cool people are doing it.  Namely Ali Edwards & Cathy Zielske, 2 of my favorite scrapbooking/blogging/designing ladies.  Both of these ladies have a strong sense of design - very clean lines, simple, modern - and they both create digital templates and tools to make your pages look good.  Plus, their helpful video tutorials rock.

Will my scrapbook pages go 100% digital?  No.  I still like the cardstock & adhesive and seeing my own handwriting on the page.  This is just another medium for recording memories.  It is exciting to think that I could take a picture today, upload it to my computer and create a layout right away while the story is still fresh in my mind.  Whenever I can decrease the amount of time between the start & end of a project, that is a very good thing.

So here they are.  Each year I make a few scrapbook pages for my mom as a Mother's Day gift.  I'm running  a little late this year (sorry, mom).  But she did receive a mini album filled with pics from the spring event on Mother's Day.

(all layouts are 9x9 two-page spreads)

 

 

 

All digital templates:  Cathy Zielske (No. 18, 29, 3, 37)

Patterned Papers:  Michelle Martin, Lars

Solid Papers:  Michelle Martin, Lars Solids

Digital Elements:  Ali Edwards

Fonts:  Avenir, Jane Austen, and Cursive Standard

project life: january

january 9 - it's 43 degrees outside and the kids decide that this is the perfect opportunity for a water fight.  Crazy!  I don't understand it, but they were having a blast.

 

january 12 - a new thing in our house.  Math homework.  Conner's 3rd grade class is doing some prep for state testing this spring, so I think that leaves him with less time to finish his work at school.  Thankfully he can take care of this all on his own.

january 21 - lots of Harry Potter watching going on in our house these days.

 

january 30 - my saturday morning routine.  A bowl of cereal (today it's Raisin Bran Crunch) while I sit at the computer.

{I am doing a daily photo project this year titled Project Life.  Go here for details on the album kit or digital version.  Seriously, anyone can do this.  And you can start anytime.}

 

365 project

Have you ever heard of this?  It's an idea where you take a picture, one picture, everyday.  I remember last year spotting a few people on the web, blogs, and flickr who committed to this challenge - some did a self-portrait everyday.  I've always thought it was an intriguing idea -- but a picture of myself, everyday?  I don't know.

Then last month Becky Higgins started promoting the 365 Project on her blog and the new Kit of the month she had created to go along with it.  Knowing what was going to be waiting for me under the tree, I thought this might be a cool project to take on, a way to practice a bit with my photography.  Plus the idea of having a scrapbook that provides a comprehensive look at my family's life (our everyday life) in 2009 sounded very cool.  And on top of that, there would be minimal (practically zero) stress on the scrapbooking end -- everything was laid out, perfectly coordinated, right there waiting for me to slip into a divided page protector.  No adhesive.  No trimming.  Nice.

January 1st was the day to order and by some miracle and stroke of luck I got one!  (Yes, they sold out quickly.)

I started taking pictures on Sunday and thought I'd share.  I've done a Week in the Life project before (this requires lots of photos) and I'm in the middle of finishing my December Daily (which has been more of an artsy/creative project)  . . . but this is kinda cool to see snippets of your day and week represented in a single photo.  Watching everything come together over time will be very fun.

sunday, december 28 - semi- self-portrait

 

monday, december 29- Conner went to the dentist this morning to have 6 baby teeth removed.  A little vanilla ice cream and Lego Star Wars on the Wii makes it feel all better.

  

tuesday, december 30 -- Scott took the boys skiing.  So Anna and I went to the Children's Museum for a few hours and then ran errands around town.  She has been in love with these poppers since Christmas.  In fact, she brought a sheet along with her in the car.

  

wednesday, december 31 -- The kids got to stay up for our New Year's Eve bash.  We put together a family calendar and everyone got to decorate a few pages.  Here is Payton's page for February. 

thursday, january 1- time to finally find a home for the new Christmas toys.  A little reorganization & purging of the boys' toys.  I had fun with new Container Store stuff and my Dymo label maker.  When I shared my excitement over the new labels Scott said, "nerd alert!"

 

friday, january 2 -- a "we-need-to-get-out-of-the-house day".  Time for another round of bowling.  It is just the perfect low-key family activity.

 

saturday, january 3-- primary activity this morning.  Spent the afternoon painting new choosing sticks while watching Shrek 2 with the kids.

 

Our week in a nutshell.  362 more days to go.

create & be happy

pumpkins

 

Pumpkin carving family home evening!  Conner designed & carved his pumpkin all on his own this year.  I cringed a little bit when I saw his teeny tiny designs, but decided not to say anything and just let him go for it.  Anna dictated very specific instructions to Scott for her pumpkin's design.  And he obeyed.  Like, a triangle chin that looks more like a goa-tee.  Payton chose a bat design from the pumpkin carving booklet and we carved it together.  And our friend, Pirate Pumpkin, makes a repeat appearance.  Aaarrgghh!

transporter

 

On Saturday we spent a good chunk of the day doing some shopping around town (outlets, beehive clothing, the mall).  The kids were great.  But it was a lot of running around and they did get tired.  At one point when they asked how much longer, we explained that we had a few more stores that we needed to drive to.  Then Scott told them, "You know what would be great?  If we had a transporter.  Then it would only take a second to go from place to place.  Maybe that's someting you guys could create."  The kids thought that was a pretty cool idea and immediately had questions: like, how do you build a transporter?  Did I mention that the kids have been watching Star Trek lately?  Scott told them, "Well, it would probably take a long time to build a transporter.  You would need to start out by writing out your plans on paper."  So as soon as we got home, guess what Conner did.  Yep, he wrote out plans for a transporter. 

4x really long plugs.  2x stands.  1x plastic pails that are hollow.

There you have it . . . a transporter.  My son is going to be a billionnaire. ;)

leaf rubbings

 

Payton came home with some leaf rubbings this week.  He was so proud of them.  Like much of his artwork, he immediately hung it on the fridge (next to his "birthday chicken").   

hair-do

 

Anna is getting better and better at enduring her hair sessions each morning.  Often she'll start off by saying, "I'll be still mommy." She always loves the end result -- loves the compliments, showing it off to dad, she even tells herself it is so cute.  A few weeks ago we had a knock-down-drag-out Sunday morning in the bathroom.  Even Scott had to step in and tell her to be still!  I told her, "I'm sorry this is taking so long Anna.  But you just have to get used it."  This is going to be your life!  We don't usually do anything too fancy or detailed . . . the art of a clean and even part still eludes me.  But it does make me very happy that she is developing patience.

week in the life

 

I finished my week in the life pages today!  Woo-hoo!  I love how it turned out.  I decided to follow Ali's design plan, and therefore eliminated a lot of extra time & work to come up with something on my own.  I LOVE the divided sheet protectors (made for trading cards).  Cute, cute, cute!  I used my printer to output all my photos at home.  This was my first time using it for a project this big and I have to say I am very impressed with the results.  It may end up getting more use than just printing out primary visual aids.  If you want to see the rest of the week, go here and here.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.  No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.  Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment."  -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So go create something and be happy!

twelve on the 12th

morning t-ball game * watching Scott coach * Payton loves to bat, but gets a little bored in the outfield * Anna picks her usual dandelion bouquet, finds a little friend among the spectators, and they dump grass in each other's hair and compare belly buttons * Candyland * my new pink sweater * loads and loads of laundry * an adorable diaper cake * Sheila's baby shower * Conner was determined to finish all his vacation homework * banana splits for dinner * banana splits on Anna's face

In the Jan/Feb issue of Simple Scrapbooks magazine I came across the most ingenious idea for scrapbooking everyday life.  "Take 12 on the 12th".  (the scan is a little wonky).  The idea is, on the 12th of the month keep your camera with you and take pictures of what you do that day and other random everyday stuff. I thought it was a great approach and I think I might be circling the 12th on my calendars to remind myself to do this each month. 

Then all you do is print up or order one 4x6 and eleven 2x2 photos, slap them on some patterned paper or cardstock, add some list-style journaling and finished.  A cool snapshot of your family's day-to-day life.

I plan for these photos to end up on a scrapbook page, but I can see how you could easily translate it into a blog routine.

inspired / creating

inspired

• Two weekends ago I had the chance to go to the CK Scrapbook Convention, do some shopping, and take an awesomely inspiring class from my favorite scrapbooker - Ali Edwards.  The class was called Ali's Top Ten and in addition to the creative, technique, and product ideas (and being able to peruse through her personal albums & mini-books) she supplied us with a goodie bag filled with her top 10 favorite products.  Can't wait to play with some of that stuff!  I also made sure to pick up her Life Artist book while I was there. 
• My favorite booth in the convention was a company called Cocoa Daisy.  They do monthly scrapbooking kits and I just loved their style.  I picked up a few kits and would like to subscribe to their club in the future.  But I'm making myself promise to scrapbook with the stuff I already have before I can buy anything new.  I know myself too well.  Because there isn't a local scrapbook store around anymore, and I don't like going into town to shop, and I hate shipping costs from online stores (and not being able to see/touch the product) . . . .I think a kit club like this might suit me really well.  Then they can save me the work of looking all over the place for the newest & cutest stuff and trying to match it all together.  Like I said, I really liked their style -- and Ali has raved about them on her blog too.
• This butterfly mobile.  Isn't it just the cutest thing?  I totally want to do this with little birdies for  Anna's room.
• A couple weeks ago I started a class at Big Picture Scrapbooking -- it's Stacy Julian's Library of Memories.  I'm loving it.  It's all about organizing and streamlining the scrapbooking process.  Right now we have assignments to organize our photos -- all of our photos (in print and on the computer).  I'm about to order almost 800 digital prints online with much more to come once my budget takes a breather.  My goal for the end of these 16 weeks is to emerge a more organized, efficient memory keeper; keeping my focus on the stories I really want to tell and letting go of everything else!

creating

• a guest journal. For years my mom has had a guest book in her house.  A place for guests to sign their name, date, and write a few sentences about their stay (reason for their visit, what they did while there, compliments on her cooking . . . ).  I tried to do something similar when we got married, but it wasn't very cute and I always forgot about it.  I found these cute papers the last time I was at the mega-scrapbook store in Twin Falls (seriously, the biggest, craziest scrapbook store I have EVER seen), and last week I put it all together.     I love it!  I pulled out my sewing machine to do all the zig-zag sticking (click on photo for a larger view).  After the guests leave all I have to do is print up a photo (in this case a photo collage) and stick it in the book.  I'm excited to fill this album up!
• okay, this next one almost became a blog post all it's own.  I was thoroughly, totally, ecstatically impressed with myself.  Last month I bought a bunch of fabric from IKEA to play with in the guest room.  Saturday, I was sitting at my desk staring at my vinyl machine.  I love that there is a perfect little spot for it in the scrap/guest room.  But I hate that it's not so attractive.  So my wheels started turning and 1 1/2 hours later I had created this: It's a frickin' custom-fitted cover, people!!  I mean, hello?  This required some skills.  You should see it from the side because it is all perfectly cut to fit the angles of the vinyl machine.  I'm not sure where in my brain I pulled this one from - I didn't know I had it in me.  Okay, so I don't usually brag about myself but I have to say that I am pretty darn impressed with shannon brown. 
• On that note, I'll leave you with this and a promise of pictures to come later:

school of life

So what do you do when your kids grow up and leave the house and get married . . . Do I hand them volumes and volumes of scrapbooks that I have painstakenly created over the last 20 years? How do I say good-bye to that? Will they really appreciate it? Will they keep it safe? And what about my empty shelves - do I really want to turn to my scrapbook shelf and see a dark, blank space?  Emptiness where happy memories and tales of diaper blow-outs in Las Vegas used to reside? This is something that I had been contemplating for a while. Then last year I came across Stacy Julian's book called, "The Big Picture" and as I turned to page 108 it was like a light came shining down from heaven.  Here's the idea . . .

She creates an album for her children that summarizes each year of their life in school. She calls it the "School of Life" album. There's room for a school portrait, pictures from school that year, personality & family pics, and a pocket page for some of that stuff (cards, notes, school papers, drawings) that accumulates. The format is simple, it's the same every year, minimal embellishments, totally doable.  I totally ate it up and said, I'm definitely doing this. 

Then I got a hold of Cathy Zielske's book this spring, "Clean and Simple Scrapbooking - The Sequel" and on page 120 she took Stacy J's idea (giving her the credit) and translated it into her ultra clean & simple style.  It looked awesome.  So I decided to be a big fat copier (I take no shame in that label) and started albums for Payton and Conner this last weekend.  Here's what Cathy did.  And here's my ridiculously similar version.

layout 1:  school portrait & pictures from school throughout the year (including first and last day of school)

layout 2: packed with personality pictures, activities, and family

layout 3: on the left hand page I put one photo for halloween, christmas, birthday, and our christmas card picture. On the right hand page I made a pocket for misc. papers.

Supplies used:  cardstock, 1 sheet of patterned paper per year, brads, a report card tag, journaling spots, and titles I created on my computer.

It's so simple and I love the way it turned out. I think the key to making this work from year to year is drastically limiting the number of embellishments you include. I had to keep telling myself over and over again, keep it simple.

I think these 3 layouts do a great job of summarizing the year for my kids.  And this way they'll be leaving home with 2 albums instead of 12.

A note to my mom:  yes, I am taking good care of the childhood albums I snatched from home years ago.  But please stop me the next time I try to take decorative scissors to my childhood photos.  I know, I know it was 1992 and that's what was in style, and I was a stubborn 12-year old who thought she knew everything.  I take full blame.  Thanks for all the memories.

school album

So I thought I'd share the school album that I just made because it turned out really well and I'm very excited about it.  Basically, the idea of the album is to be a place to hold my kids' school portraits through the years (2 years of preschool through 12th grade). 

 

As you can see the basic layout is a strip of patterned paper at the top, a title block (circle in this case) identifying the grade, and two photo mats - each with room for a 5x7 photo and the child's signature that year.  I thought that would be so fun to keep a record of their handwriting across the years.  Good thing I'm starting this now!  On the back it looks basically the same (no title block there) with room for two more photos.  So, if you want to copy this idea and you have more than 4 kids I don't know what to tell ya.

SUPPLY LIST

- 3 sheets 12x12 patterned paper (for strips - I used Rusty Pickle)

- 1 sheet of 12x12 patterned paper or cardstock (for the title block - I used Making Memories Ledger Paper)

- 15 sheets 12x12 cardstock (for background)

- 30 sheets 8.5 x 11 cardstock (photo mats)

- various stamps, ink, paint, black pen.  I used Autumn Leaves journaling stamps for my title circle with black stamping ink;, Making Memories foam stamps for the grade numbers with 3 colors of acrylic paint.

- black photo corners

- a few sheets of white cardstock for signature blocks

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

I always like to pre-cut all my papers and then put things together in a somewhat assembly line fashion.  I think it makes it go a lot faster.

Cut all of your patterned paper into 1x12 inch strips -- a total of 36 strips (you'll only need 30)

Cut all of your 8.5x11 cardstock in half -- so you end up with 60 mats that are 5.5x8.5.

Cut the white cardstock into 1x3.5 inch strips for the signatures -- you will need 60

For the title blocks:  Stamp the journaling circle on the MM Ledger paper with black ink.  Use scissors to cut out each one.  Then stamp the grade number with acrylic paint and fill in the rest of the details with a thick black pen.

Assemble the pages as shown here -- pretty quick and simple.

Add the school portraits to the photo mat with black photo corners (I use the lick and stick kind).  Adhere the signature blocks after your child signs it.  I plan on keeping the blank strips in a separate sheet protector and then add them as I need them.  That way if one of the kids messes up on their name, I don't have to tear out something that's already glued down to the page. 

Wa-la!  No more misplaced school portraits.  Now they're documented, out in the open for everyone to enjoy instead of hiding in a folder or filing cabinet because you don't know what the heck to do with them (that was me for the last 2 years).  And I think it will be so much fun to see the kids side by side each year to make comparisons.  I'm anxious for them to start another school year just so I can fill the album a bit more!

national scrapbook day

Happy National Scrapbook Day!  Did you all visit your local scrapbook store or make a layout in honor of the holiday?  By the end of the day I'll have checkmarks on both of those items.

THIS is definitely a happy day for me.. You must go here and see why!!!

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update for my blog archives (in case this link disappears soon) . . .

Several weeks ago I got an e-mail from Rachel Ludwig (CK Hall of Famer, 2Peas Garden Girl) asking me if it would be okay if 2Peas featured me & one of my layouts on National Scrapbook Day.  After picking up my jaw from the floor I quickly responded yes!  So I made up a "never before seen layout" and submitted it for this special day.  I had no idea how many people would be participating in this feature, but it sounded pretty cool to me.  Turns out they featured over 150 scrappers in their "User Inspiration" section . . . . but!  lucky me, my layout was the third one listed!

At the top of the page with the thumbnails of everyone's layouts it reads:

USERS AND LAYOUTS WE'D LIKE TO POINT OUT

Do you ever get tired of looking through the gallery? Do you think you have seen it all? All the ideas and fabulous layouts created and posted on the site?  The last few weeks the Garden Girls have been putting together a big list of Users that they want to make sure you see... They want to point out their wonderful work, the great things that they create and post on Two Peas for the joy of all of us to see and be inspired by.   We wanted to say " Hey! Make sure you don't miss this one! This one has done some seriously fun work! This one really inspires me...". So check them out, look around, look at what other work they have done, and add them to your Book of Scraps (Bookmarks) and let their layouts inspire you again and again. Then when you click on my layout it takes you to another page with comments from Rachel (thank you my dear!) This layout chosen by Rachel Ludwig: Title: the cutest halloween costumes like, ever by shan979  I've been a fan of Shannon's work for a long time. I remember seeing her pages in Simple Scrapbooks a few years ago. I love that's she's stayed true to her clean-lined style while her pages are still fun and fresh. On this layout, I absolutely adore the fabulous picture on the first page. Could her kids get any cuter? I love how her second page balances the first, how Shannon used individual pictures of each of the kids and how she used stickers to create a visual triangle. I also like how her title spans both pages and unites the layout and makes it flow nicely. Thanks for all the inspiration Shannon! :) Oh, and here's the layout.

scrapping this month

I feel like this has been a really good scrapbooking month.  Although, to date, I have only completed one layout in March, my desk is a total disaster, I've got ideas for about 5 scrapbooking projects floating around in my head at the moment, and there is a year and a half of digital photos sitting on my hard-drive that really really need to be backed up before something bad happens.  But for some reason it's all okay and I'm feeling good.

I've mentioned before that the AYTR theme for this month is gratitude.  Heidi had us create a scrapbook page on "the things that you are grateful for that have MADE you who you are." Along with that we had to choose one word that encompassed our feelings.  She always shares her awesome layout and gives us step by step instructions & tips, but at the same time allowing individual creativity we create our own layouts.  Anyways, here's my layout:

(yes this is a 12x12 page -- not my usual thing, but it's a fun change).  My word was blessings and the title reads "I am grateful for the many blessings that have made me who I am and enriched my life."  From there I chose 5 specific things:

• "the cutest & the smartest" ENCOURAGE -- (that's what my parents always told me when I was little)
• BYU EDUCATION
• temple MARRIAGE and loving him -- (arrow pointing to Scott)
• becoming a MOM to these 3 turkeys
• choice and opportunity to be SAHM -- (this stands for stay at home mom)

Anyways, I was pleased with the layout, for getting those thoughts down.  I posted it to our class gallery.  There are about 1000 people enrolled in the class and by the end of the month there are anywhere from 650 - 800 postings in the gallery.  Sooo, much to my surprise I was elated one day to find a personal comment from Heidi Swapp on my layout!  (She is the only one who can comment in the gallery).  Here's what she said:  "nice job with this art challenge too! dang, i love that paper! thanks so much for sharing in the gallery! looks so great... heidi".  Now, it's not like she's gushing about my layout or anything, but still -- to get a comment from Heidi Swapp was pretty dang cool!

Earlier this month I got to attend a Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention with a few of my cute friends.  We had a great time.  Took a few classes, shopped, met Ali Edwards, and just made it our little day away.  (I think Sheila chronicled the details).

At the Conventions they always sponsor a page layout contest.  I have learned from past experience (my first convention, and CKU) that you should always enter the contests.  The reasons are:  1)not that many people actually enter because they think everyone else is doing it or that everyone else is better than they are.  2)the real truth is that 60-70% of the entries aren't anything special -- in fact, many of them are just bad.  3)you never know what kind of mood the judges are in that day (or what planet they are on).  I remember seeing winning entries for various CKU contests and thinking, "that really won?"  So, to make a long story short I entered one of my pages in the Simple Scrapbooks contest (pictured to the left).

So get this, one and half weeks after the convention I found out that I won!  Third place in the contest.  I was so surprised!  They announced the winners at the end of the event, but we didn't stay that long.  It wasn't until I stumbled upon the website again, saw that the winners were listed (I hadn't been contacted) and scrolled down to see my name!  Pretty shocking.  So on tuesday of this week I received a package in the mail from CK with my prize!!

I received 4 idea books from Simple Scrapbooks.  I'm so excited about getting the new Clean & Simple by Cathy Z. and the Beautiful Basics has got a serious book binding (not your ordinary magazine idea book) and includes all the pieces to make a 6x6 mini album.  The retail total is $54 -- pretty sweet!  Kinda makes me wonder what the 1st and 2nd place winners got.  But not too much . . . I'm happy with my prize!!

This weekend I finished our Hawaii album -- woo-hoo!  I went with a pretty simple format.  I found a cute photo album at Target -- the kind that you just slide your 4x6 photos into.  So I stuck my photos in there and then for each "layout" I cut a 4x6 piece of white cardstock which I used for my title, journaling, and added minimal embellishment.  My supplies included a Fontwerks stamp set, one sheet of Heidi Swapp rub-ons, 4 KI Memories patterned papers, and some Heidi Swapp flowers.

 

I used this format once before for my Disneyland album and I absolutely love it.  I think it's perfect for something like a vacation where you have taken a TON of photos and you don't want to make page after page after page.  You get your photos in a place where you can see them, you jot down the memories, and you're done.  Simplify the process.  No guilt.  Doing what works for you.

I just started reading Cathy Z's book "Clean & Simple" and I just have to share this little excerpt from her first chapter.  She's talking about photo albums and what a great tool they can be for eliminating those piles of photos, and thus eliminating the guilt that you must scrap each and every one. 

Narrow definitions just can't apply to this hobby.  There are more ways to document the bits and pieces of your life than you can imagine.  That's the truth.  Even if you were only to create photo albums and write notes in the margins . . . guess what?  I believe that is scrapbooking.  Think about it:  if scrapbooking combines photos and words to tell a story, then all expressions of this very fundamental definition apply.  Scrapbooking is not exclusive.  You don't need a special club membership card to get in.  And you don't need to scrapbook all of your photos, either.

And just because I think she is hilarious, here's another one:

I'm always surprised at the reactions I get from people when I tell them what I do with so much of my spare time.  But I can never say, "scrapbooking," and leave it at that.  I feel this moral obligation to elaborate -- to help vaporize the stereotype of ladies wearing applique sweaters, running amok with decorative scissors and teddy bear stickers.

See, the scrapbooking of today is really an exploration of life through words and images.  It gives people the chance to celebrate that which matters, that which enlightens, that which makes up the very fabric of life.  It's really cool.  No, I'm serious.  I see you smirking, but I'm telling you:  don't knock it until you try it, and then, don't come crying to me when you've maxed out your credit cards on scrapbook stuff.

Sick of hearing about scrapbooking?  Well, tough!  It's been 2 months since I've made a scrapbook related post so I'm just catching up.  xoxoxo

aytr goodies

Today I got a package full of goodies for my AYTR class!  Actually, it came yesterday but the Fedex man didn't knock on my door or ring the door bell.  So I didn't find it until this morning when I pulled out of the driveway and saw it propped against my front door.  I have to tell you that was painful to actually drive away knowing it was just sitting there.  But we needed to get to school.

The foundation for the scrapbooking part of the class is this 12x12 calendar album.  The bottom is obviously a calendar page that I can jot notes on and the top is a sheet protector where I will put my class assignment layout.

The other stuff, starting at top left and moving clockwise:

* "just for looks" pink idea book -- it's 95 pages of pure ideas.  All Heidi's layouts, no ads, no articles, no commentary, just stuff to look at.

* the heart bling -- she says that she originally created this with our class in mind and then decided to add it to her product line.  They are hot off the manufacturing line and she says that we are the very first people to receive them!

* those 3 squares -- I don't know what to call them but they each have a work on the front (thanks, bliss, love) and then you open it up and it has a cool quote.  They're from a company called Compendium.

* the giant stickers sheet with square & circles -- I wish you could read all the little phrases on the stickers because they are so fun.  Heidi created these exclusively for the AYTR class -- you can't get it in stores, nowhere.  The stickers are meant to be used on the calendar pages as little accents and stuff. 

* "a year to remember" iron on -- it's sitting directly below the big sticker sheet.  Also an AYTR exclusive, I guess we're supposed to iron this on to the front of our album (which is black -- the iron on is a shimmery white).

* more sticker sheets -- just for fun.

* oh and the black thing up by the idea book is some ribbon to be used for tying the album closed.  There are grommet holes in the front and back covers.

It should be fun filling it up with memories from my year.  And what's best is if I never get around to scrapbooking any photos from 2007 on my own, I'll at least have this.

While I'm posting I wanted to share a couple recent online finds

• I love the new wallpaper for my desktop and I got it from here.
• I ordered Payton's b-day stuff online from California Fun Toys.  The selection of toys is pretty specific, but they had exactly what was on my list.  Anyways, I ordered the stuff on Monday and it arrived on Thursday with free shipping -- everything ships free.
• This entry on Lisa Bearnson's blog was so touching.  I want my boys to grow up just like this!
• For a daily quote and weekly color inspiration go to Big Picture Scrapbooking.  I love the blue and chocolate brown combination for this week.