Having fun with Camp Scrap!

I am participating in May Flaum's Camp Scrap at Big Picture Classes and am so happy I signed up for this class.  I am loving the encouragement May has provided so far to just get started!  I needed that extra kick because I have been procrastinating crafting for quite some time.

At the beginning, May suggested saying what you're afraid of in your crafting to help you figure out what's holding you back.  I realized that I am afraid of being disappointed with my finished project, that it somehow won't look as good as what I have envisioned in my head, and so I stall out with a lot of unfinished projects.

Case in point: two 4th of July layouts that I started last summer.  I had made the base layout for one (cut out the papers and left a space for the photos, see above). I liked it so much, I wanted to use the same papers and layout for another set of photos.  But I didn't have exactly the same papers, and so I ended up not finishing either layout, out of fear that I would use the wrong photos with the one layout I had.

Camp started, and I wanted to get some unfinished layouts done.  So I pulled this one out and finally stuck the photos down.  I also made a 6x12 extra to hold one more photo that didn't fit in the space I had left.

With May's encouragement in Camp Scrap, I also pulled out the papers I did have, a new piece of paper I bought recently and made the second layout.  And I love it just as much as the first one (if not more).  Yay!  So happy to have these layouts done!

Here's the link to the class if you're interested in joining in the fun! http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/classes/campscrap2013/ 

One Little Word Blog Hop for December

It's December 1!  I'm very excited to start my December Daily album.  But I'm here to report on my One Little Word album!  My word this year is design and it has been a great word for me.  I have been working hard to catch up and used this month's blog hop to motivate me to finish November so that it wasn't looming over my head.

I like this prompt a lot - and ended up having a lot to write!  It was hard to fit it all onto the 2.5 x 3.5 cards.  I'm still figuring out if I will make a separate page for the journaling that didn't fit.  I think I might just put it in my Yearbook in a Snap for Stacy Julian's Twelve class.

Here's what the draft looked like - almost filled the blank cards too!

One cool aspect of my design for this page is that the number patterned paper has my birthday in it.  Can you see it?  My birthday is 11 - 24 - 77.

Here are the other participants in this month's hop.  Next up: Karen!

Margie    http://xnomads.typepad.com

Lisa    http://backtoallen.com/category/challenges/one-little-word/

Kimberlee   http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Monica    http://scrapinspired.com/category/one-little-word/

Naomi    http://www.poeticaperture.com

Cheri    http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Ruth     http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Veronica   www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Kara   http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com

ME --> Cynthia  http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com

Karen   http://womenontractors.blogspot.com/

Kelly  http://mindingmynest.com

Carolina  www.micinnamons.blogspot.com

Missus Wookie  http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.co.uk

And special thanks to Lisa for organizing this month.

One Little Word blog hop for July

Scanning over my blogposts, it seems that One Little Word is the main thing triggering me to blog!  I guess that's a nice unintended consequence of signing up for the class.  But I have been so behind on the prompts this year, that this is my first blog hop for 2012.   Many thanks to Margie for organizing and keeping me on the email list!

My word this year is design.  It has been a good pick and a good fit for my goals for this year.  In fact, I was going through the dictionary/thesaurus prompt from January just last week (like I said, I'm BEHIND!), and I was really surprised by how many synonyms captured exactly what I have been focusing on this year by choosing this word, like action, accomplish, create, even big picture!

I had so much fun with the June prompt to play.  I didn't paint or make a mess, just pulled out some of my current favorite and inspiring patterned papers and moved them around on the floor for an hour or so until I found a combo that I liked.  And I love what I ended up with.  I am very deliberate when I scrapbook, and take forever to make a decision, even a decision to cut into the paper, that having permission to play and mess up and make something for no real purpose stretches me.  But that's a good thing.  And something I want to do more of.  Something I want from this word and for my creative life more generally.

Next up, Donna!

And here's the whole list if you want to check out everyone else's words:

Margie  http://xnomads.typepad.com

Monica  http://scrapinspired.com/tag/one-little-word/

Jamie   jmpgirl.blopspot.com

Jenn    www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Amanda  http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Ruth    http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Cheri   http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com 

Naomi   http://poeticaperture.com

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/challenges/one-little-word/

Veronica  www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Missus Wookie http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kelly   http://mindingmynest.com

Nikki   http://www.inkyart.com.au

Jill                http://jillconyers.com/

Brighton www.simplebrighton.com

Tere    http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com

Cynthia http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com/

Donna   http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Some "digital" scrapbooking

I have had three scrapbooking tasks on my to do list for a while now. As of today, I can check them off (plus two bonus ones)! Yes, I am totally procrastinating finishing my dissertation. I keep telling myself this is how I work best.

1) Make a 6x6 layout of pictures from my in-laws' Solstice party to put into my December Daily album. This is the very last page I have to do before the album is complete. DONE!


2) Make the 5x7 Beginnings layout for my One Little Word album. DONE!


3) Make a 6x12 layout so that I can print another 6x12 layout I made a year and a half ago. Put the two together to print as one 12x12. DONE!


4) Make the 8x10 February photo collage for my One Little Word album. DONE!


5) Place all of these as a single order at scrapbookpictures.com. DONE! (And even managed to get it in before their sale expired!)

Two new layouts

Two new layouts this week! (Actually 3, but I decided not to post the third for privacy reasons.) I am feeling uber-productive!

#1) LSA annual meeting
I was inspired by this episode of the Paperclipping Roundtable to create a layout about my work. This layout is about the linguistics conference that I attend every year and some of the highlights from this year's conference.

I have had the lined patterned paper for a while, along with cardstock in coordinating colors, but was waiting for the "perfect" topic and finally decided this was it!

#2) Having fun with paper

I was sifting through the pile that is growing on my workspace and came across some stickers that I saved from a kit I received from Studio Calico. I decided it was now or never -- use them in a layout somehow or throw them out. I made this about how I am inspired by Studio Calico kits, saving 2 stickers to use on it and tossing the other 2. I used this sketch (also from Studio Calico) and entered it in their Sunday Sketch Challenge! Fingers crossed for a giftcard :)

One Little Word blog hop

Welcome to the One Little Word Blog Hop!

My word for the year is embrace.

I want to be better about embracing the projects I undertake and getting them done without too much agonizing and perfectionism, so I decided to participate in this blog hop to give myself a deadline for the January assignment from Ali's class. I don't totally love the final result - the mix of papers isn't quite right - but I am EMBRACING it as is. Maybe I will change them up, maybe not, for now I am calling it good enough.

Our assignment this month was to look up the definition of your word, its synonyms, a quote that included your word, and to explain why you chose it. The linguist in me loved this task! Here is what I did:



I think the quote is my favorite part: "It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."
-- Alan Cohen

The participants in the blog hop are all in the class. Next up: Kathryn!
Here is the entire list if you want to see who else is participating:
1) Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com
2) Jill Conyers http://jillconyers.typepad.com/life_as_i_see_it/
3) Monica http://scraplifters.blogspot.com
4) Lynn W http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
5) Miranda http://mirandasscrapsite.blogspot.com
6) Mandy http://captureandcreate.wordpress.com
7) Kathy http://katswonderings.blogspot.com
8) Lisa http://makeyourownescape.blogspot.com
9) Donna http://donnabryantdurand.blogspot.com
10) Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
11) Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
12) April http://capturethememories.blogspot.com
13) Nicky http://seejanebake.blogspot.com
14) Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
15) Relly http://rel.ly
16) Nancy http://goshery.blogspot.com
17) Cynthia http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com/
18) Kathryn http://katlodesigns.com
19) Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au
20) Heather http://scrappyhare.blogspot.com
21) Gayle www.lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com
22) Kristina http://ciqis.blogspot.com
23) Debra http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com
24) Becky http://beckyandjames.com
25) Amy http://reflectivesnapshots.com
26) Marlene http://moore-fun-in-the-sun.blogspot.com/
27) Maureen http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com
28) Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
29) Monica Scrapmom http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
30) Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
31) Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com
32) Margaret http://www.gutsymom.blogspot.com
33) Sharyn http://www.analteredlife.com
34) Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

December Daily album cover

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am using this album from Stampin Up! in Real Red. I found the candy cane ribbon at my favorite scrapbook store in Wisconsin, Making Memories and More. Unfortunately, I don't know who makes it, but I immediately thought of my December Daily when I saw it in the store this past October and snatched it up. It is adhered all the way around the cover using the Xyron sticker maker.

Here is what the album looks like when you open it up:



The tags were made by putting this snowflake sticker from Paper Source (all of their stickers make me drool) on to a round metal tag and then adhered to the cover with glue dots. Unfortunately, the glue dots don't stick super well to the fabric cover, so I have had to re-adhere and apply lots of pressure to make them stay. But I love how the tags look on the album - it makes it look so polished and less bland.

And since you could see it in the picture of the open album, here is a close-up of the intro page:


The star letters are from Jenni Bowlin, purchased at the same time as the candy cane ribbon, and the rest of the product comes from my stash. I covered a piece of semi-chipboard cut to size with a piece of ivory paper that I inked with Antique Linen distress ink (the "chipboard" came in a package of pillow protectors). You probably can't see it very well in the picture, but I stamped stars into the background using the same Antique Linen distress ink. It looks really subtle in person. The December strip came from a sheet of 12x12 paper that had all the months on it -- I originally got it to put in my honeymoon album. And the 2010 comes from a set of alphas that I have had for a while. I don't remember who makes them.

I am loving the process of making my album -- it is so putting me in the Christmas spirit. And I am proud to say that I finished the foundation about 2 weeks before December 1!! I think that's the first time I have ever finished something ahead of schedule!

A peek at my process

What it looks like when I can monopolize the dining room table! You can see at least three layouts on the table - this post focuses on layout 1 which is in the center right and layout 2 which is in the upper left corner.



Here's a close-up of these two layouts in their "early stages":

Layout 1: Black/Red/Swirl line


Layout 2: Orange and Navy


For both of these layouts, I started with the product first. Layout 1 is a set of patterned papers that were all sold together and that I absolutely loved at the time that I bought them. I bought the ribbon at the same time, but it's not part of the original line. I already made two layouts using these papers (pictures to come soon), and I have been keeping all of the papers together to continue to use them together, especially since I didn't use the ribbon on either of those first two layouts. Recently I decided I was kind of done with this paper (I bought it over a year ago!) and would do one more layout using the coordinating products (plus the ribbon) and then distribute the papers into my organization system, which is organized by color, not by product. I tried to think of some pictures that would go with the styling of the paper and decided on these from our trip to Prague in 2007. Here is the final product:



For layout 2, I had it in my head that I wanted to use orange and navy together. I pulled out everything that I had that was orange and navy and started to scheme up a layout. Then I thought of a picture that would coordinate and have an upbeat feel (something I associate with orange) and got this:



You might recognize it from this blog post.

Recent layouts - trying new things

Finally spending time with my paper again! Here are some of my latest projects:


Title: Nurture this relationship

There are several new-to-me techniques in this layout:
1) Write your journaling about something other than what is conveyed in the picture. The picture is from our trip to Canada, but the journaling is more about how my sister and I want to live closer to each other.
2) The 6x12 size.
3) I used Tim Holtz distress ink in Antique Linen to dye the paper that I journaled on.
4) I purposely used ribbon in a new way.
5) Not a new technique, but a new mantra - I am trying to use up what I have. The "nurture" epoxy sticker is part of a set I have had *forever* and I am glad to finally be using it!



Working Title: Grape Stomp

Trying something different with this one as well. I used brown rhinestones to continue the strand of lights in the photograph and clustered my photos in a way I don't normally do. I am debating whether this needs a title above the rhinestones -- I don't know what it should say though and none of the letters I currently have would work. I don't really want to hand write it either, so I'm leaving it as is for now. I consider it an experiment in white space : )


And a sneak peek at Week in the Life in its current form - I'm getting close to done!

“Oh Patrick”

I try so hard to take pictures of the things we do together, the moments that I look at you and think “I want to remember this.” Getting cones at the dairy. The time you hung the curtains in the bedroom. Making dinner. Just being together on the couch. You don’t always play along. Or the camera doesn’t always cooperate and you are left recreating a pose that was only meant to be instantaneous. In those moments, you make a face and say “not again”, or you stick the ice cream up your nose, to which I roll my eyes and say, “Oh Patrick.”

Week in the Life Progress

I know it is practically July and I still have my Week in the Life banner on my blog and I haven't shown you any pictures of the album yet. True confession here, folks: finishing projects is not my strong suit. I am a good shopper and a good planner and a good starter, but finishing... well, there's room for improvement there. I am determined to get this one done, though, so here is an update on the album.

I have all of the memorabilia assembled, I just need to finish doing the photos! It is taking a while because I am cropping my photos to fit 4 photos onto one 5x7 canvas. Ali Edwards made it look so easy, a one day project. Yeah, well, it's not that fast for me. Here is a sample of one 5x7 from Wednesday:



Each day will have a page with a large 8.5x4.75 photo on the top left, a 4x6 picture of what I was wearing that day (lower left), and the first page of notes for that day. At the end of that day's section, there will be room for another 8.5x4.75 photo (or layout), and the rest of my notes from the day. The notes are included exactly as I originally wrote them in my notebook, no editing, no transferring to nicer paper, no stress. I had thought I would write more when it came time to put the album together, but I'm trying to make it easier on myself to finish, so I just ripped them out of the notebook and plopped them in the page protector. Good thing they fit!



In between those "anchor" pages of sorts will be various pages for miscellaneous paper from the day:


as well as baseball card divided page protectors for memorabilia, smaller photos (the aforementioned 2.5x3.5s) and journaling:





(The letter on the right is from my uncle Eric, who does not have his own email account or access to the internet. His handwritten letters are definitely a part of my day-to-day life and I am so glad this one was dated within the dates of week in the life so that I could include it (even though it arrived later the next week). This is something that I will look back on and be glad that I have, and it serves as a reminder for why I want to FINISH this project!)