Scrapbooking from the Heart

really really really

2012-01-29T18:00:00.008-06:00

There is soooo much going on in my life nowadays that scrapbooking and blogging have had to take a back seat, simply because there aren't enough hours in the day. When you take the decision to follow your dreams and completely change your life, it takes up a lot of time! I am trying to get more organized and productive, but I'm not there yet. And I really really really miss scrapbooking (and blogging, which to me is an extension of scrapbooking).

I am, however, doing a 365 this year--actually a 366 since 2012 is a leap year--and I am absolutely loving it. If you want to see my photos you can go to my Flickr page. My main goal for this 365 is to improve my photography. I read over and over on the Clickin' Moms forum that doing a 365 helped others to improve, and since I am pretty much obsessed with improving my photography I'm giving it a try. Of course the scrapbooker in me (I was a scrapbooker before I was a photographer, after all!) also is using it to tell my/our story for the year, and I'm really excited about that part of it too. It's not Project Life though; as much as I've been admiring others' Project Life albums, (is it just me or does it seem like everyone is doing PL this year?) I am not there at this point. Too much else going on.

I take my camera everywhere now--I mean my big, heavy 7D, not just my little point and shoot--and I care less and less about feeling "dumb" by having it with me or taking pictures. And I got a monopod that has done more to improve my photography than any single thing else ever has done. I got it for Christmas--I ordered it online and when it got here I gave it to DH and had him wrap it and put it under the tree and I opened it Christmas morning. It was my favourite gift this year (well I only got two, so that wasn't that hard, but still, I love it.) I now get the most amazingly sharp and properly focussed photos now. It is like my dream come true. I have some seriously shaky hands!

And since this IS a scrapbooking blog, and I really, really, really don't like to post without a LO to share, I did this one just for this post.

Yes, super simple and super easy. The initial design inspiration came from a LO by Katie Mallett.

So that's all for now folks. Thanks for stopping by!

It's One Little Word time

2012-01-01T06:00:00.012-06:00

It's One Little Word (OLW) time. But I'm having a hard time coming up with my word. My word for 2011 was CALM, and I think I did become calmer. (I could be calmer still, yes... .) The year before that it was ENERGY. That was a non-starter. For 2012 I'm thinking abundance... believe... intentional (or intent)... possibility... sparkle ... ignite (or spark)... passion... grow... blossom... flourish... . I need the perfect word that will capture all that I want to be in 2012, and all that I want 2012 to be for me. I'll think on it a little more.

In the meantime... a layout.

It's been ages since I used a sketch; this Pencil Lines sketch 262 was perfect for my very special family photograph.

Most of the products used on this page are products I have for sale. I have stocked up on a few tools and supplies that I can either sell or use for workshops. The exhilaration of opening a box of scrapbook supplies just never diminishes! For now I have a few hardcore addicts (all people I've converted... heeeeee...) who are regular customers, and then others who buy just a few items. I make sure to buy only things that I would use myself, so if they don't sell, I'm not at a huge disadvantage. (I'm not sounding very business minded here, am I?)

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to go with the word GROW for my OLW... I'll sleep on it... .

All I ever wanted

2011-12-31T13:30:00.001-06:00

I liked Jen Jockisch's scrapbook page so much that I scraplifted it twice. This is a slightly different take on the LO (the first one is here).

This one is a little "messier", more "Australian style".

Photo taken by remote and printed on my home printer. (yay!)

I am loving these holidays for all the scrapbooking I'm getting to do!

What a year! 2011 Year in Review

2011-12-30T08:00:00.038-06:00

Confession: I forgot I had stated any scrapbooking goals for this year until just now when I went to look at the post to see how I'd done!

I only had three goals for 2011; here's how I did with them:

1. Get caught up.

Hahahahahahahahahaha. 'Nuff said.

2. Continue to work on and improve my photography any which way I can.

I definitely fulfilled this--I worked on AND improved my photography. I am somewhat obsessed, actually. I am planning to do a 365 project (where I take a photo a day every day) primarily as a photography project and secondarily as a scrapbooking/project life type project. It's supposed to really help improve your photography. (I tried one in 2009 and it lasted eight days.)

3. Start a scrapbooking section of a [friend's] store and do corollary workshops.

I didn't do this exactly, but I did pursue my dream of spreading the scrapbooking love and making a go of a scrapbooking business. So far there isn't a whole lot to report--it's still early days--but it is already going in amazing directions.

And goals for 2012? Actually, they're exactly the same as for 2011! Get caught up, work on improving my photography, and work on developing my scrapbooking business.

As for favourite LOs this year... I didn't scrap all that much, but of the scrapping I did, here are my faves:

I love the colours, the butterflies and especially the photos here (taken by a professional photographer). This is a very "me" LO, or what used to be very me. Heeeee... .

Funny, when I was choosing the LOs for this post I didn't intentionally choose two that have the same butterflies and brown & white ribbon but there you have it! Love these photos of my cutie pie too (which I took myself heeeeee.)

I got addicted to mists in 2011. This is one trend that I am so glad I hooked on to. Almost all of my LOs are misted now. White cardstock just looks so... well, plain, without mist.

I also have gotten more into a "messy" or "Australian" style of page, where things aren't quite so symmetrical as [what used to be?] my norm.

More mist again! I also got into doing 8.5"x11" pages in 2011. They make scrapbooking so easy! I love this LO for the colours and the photo (DH and I experimenting with lens flare), and also because of what the LO means to me. I made a lot of huge decisions and life changes in 2011 and this LO marks that turning point.

And one last thing that I want to mention: I got a photo printer. I've always been convinced that home-printed photos are not as good as those printed at a store/lab. But then I got a Canon Selphy and it is fantastic. Quite economical -- almost the same cost as prints at my regular place (which is more expensive than the US), very fast, the printer is tiny, and the photos look amazing. I love it!

So there you have it. I'm excited about 2012 for my scrapbooking and my photography and for my life in general... and all three are converging so much, which I'm so happy about.

What goes in and what comes out

2011-12-29T10:30:00.001-06:00

I did a little mini-tutorial for my Facebook page. First I showed the elements that go into a layout:

Then I showed the completed layout:

I scraplifted a beautiful layout by Jen Jockisch.

Just a quick share! Hope your holidays are/were what you hoped for!

I really never saw it going this way

2011-12-19T17:00:00.012-06:00

I started scrapbooking four and a half years ago and fell in love with the hobby pretty quickly. For a while I've felt like it was my only passion (besides my kids) but couldn't come to terms with that and how I could pursue this passion as a vocation, so I tried to ignore that little voice in my head (and in my heart). But then I decided to give in to it. I decided to follow my heart and do what I really wanted to do. And, as they say, things started to fall into place.

Okay, not everything has fallen completely into place, but things are falling into place. At one of the fairs I did in November, the Mandeville Craft Fair, I met someone named Marie. She's a social worker in private practice, specializing in therapy and rehabilitation for women and girls who have been victims of abuse. We got to talking about how scrapbooking could be used in the types of interventions that she does, and I gave her a pile of stuff to try it out with a project she was working on.

She used the supplies to make vision boards with a group of girls, ages 9-18, in a state care facility called the Granville Place of Safety. This group home had some problems earlier this year, and Marie was called in. One of the last exercises she did with the girls was for them to state some goals for themselves. She made labels with some of the girls' goals and, along with the scrapbooking supplies, each girl put together a scrapbook page with photos and their goals and of course some embellishments.

*That's Marie in the photo making a heart, to the right.

I was so excited about all this that I put a note on the Studio Calico message board asking for donations of unwanted supplies, and got such a great response. And, to my happy surprise, Studio Calico sent me a huge box of stuff too!

The project that Marie was hired for has ended, but she would like to do a follow up project with them, as the girls are in need of much more help. They are coming from very, very difficult circumstances, and though they are in state care, very little is provided for them beyond a roof over their heads and three meals a day.

So now I'm working with Marie to try to get someone to sponsor the project, which would run for a year, and which would include the girls making life books for themselves. This is where will use all the stuff that was donated, and that's where I would come in. (The state says it does not have funds to do anything more.) I will be there as the "technical" scrapbooking person while Marie and her team will be doing the therapy side of things.

If we can get the funding, Marie and I will run this as a pilot project. ie. We will run the project with the intention of formatting it so that it can be replicated in other similar situations/contexts. And there's more too, but we are still in very early stages.

Can you believe it? Can you believe that THIS is where pursuing my passion for scrapbooking has led me so far? I think it's incredible. I've said so often how healing scrapbooking can be, and how I'd love to work with therapists using scrapbooking as a healing tool, and look at where I am now. And I still have such a ways to go... and I'm so excited about the journey ahead.

Debbie P. it's you! -- winner of Ella cards eBook

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

I should have posted this yesterday but my internet connection has (and continues to be) very wonky, and it wouldn't let me! So sorry.

So we had nine people leaving comments, and random.org chose the number 6 and the sixth comment was left by Debbie Pereira. Congratulations Debbie! I am so glad you won. You always leave me such encouraging comments and I really appreciate them.

Debbie please leave me comment on this post with how I can contact you and I will get your prize to you asap!

Card Inspiration - Ella Friends Blog Hop! ETA - and giveaway!

2011-12-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

Though this was posted on Monday, I just got the go-ahead from Angie that I can give away a copy of this e-book! I will enter every one who already left me a comment plus anyone else who leaves me a comment by next Monday 12 December.

Also if you don't want to take your chances and you want to go ahead and buy the book now, use the code CARDHOP, which will save you $2 off the 31 Thank You Cards eBook.
Fine print: Cannot be combined with any other coupon code or gift certificate. One coupon per customer. Expires 12/10/11.

I have been going card crazy recently. I have just fallen in love with making cards! They are quick and easy, and you can use up bits and pieces of stash that you might not get to otherwise. And at the end of it all you get something eminently usable!

Ella's latest eBook, 31 Thank You Cards: 138 card-making tips, tricks, and tutorials by Kimber McGray, Heather Nichols, and Kristina Werner

has some beautiful and doable card designs and ideas that can be made into any type of card, not just thank-you cards.

I did this Christmas card based on the card on page nine of the book:

My term as an Ella Friend is just about coming to an end. They will be announcing the new 2012 Ella Friends any day now. It has been an amazing experience for me. Angie and Wendy are great to work with and for. And the other Ella Friends, well, I am still amazed to be included in a group of such talented, authentic ladies.

As a little farewell tour, we are doing a blog hop today where we are each featuring Christmas cards inspired by the latest Ella eBook, so please go and check out what the others have done:

Brenda Johnston
Donna Jannuzzi
Francine Clouden
Jenni Hufford
Jennifer Larson
Keshet Starr
Mary Jo Johnston
Monika Wright
Valerie Mangan

And of course, check the book out too! It's awesome!

Follow your bliss

2011-12-03T07:00:00.001-06:00

Are you living a life of passion?
Are you barely sleeping at night because you're so excited?
“When you follow your bliss... doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors; and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else.”
Joseph Campbell

YES!!!!

Wow. Just, wow.

2011-12-01T13:30:00.001-06:00

Where to begin? Well, let's start with a quote that pretty much sums up my life right now:

She packed up her potential and all she had learned, grabbed a cute pair of shoes and headed out to change a few things.

I've been really busy, and really happy. So much has happened, well not that a lot has happened, but so much has changed in the past few weeks. I made some huge decisions. And it's all really, really good. No, in fact it's GREAT.

I did another fair last weekend, and it went well.

I'm still in the awareness building phase, ie right now my main objective is letting people know that I'm out there and trying to educate a bit about what is scrapbooking. Nevertheless, I did have some customers, which of course I was happy for.

I had been inspired last week to make cards, which I sold at my booth, and they sold really well. So well, that I have been making cards all week to sell at another fair this weekend (I won't be having a booth at the fair, but a friend of mine who sells her handmade jewelry will sell them for me.)

Inspiration from all over. Check out my pinterest cards board and you'll see some of the cards I adapted. No two cards are the same, so even though I will be doing four of each design, they each have different wording, different colours, different size or shape Christmas trees, or something. My Slice has come in soooo handy!

Every single surface in my apartment is covered with scrapbooking stuff. Thank goodness I have a tolerant husband!

This is my dining table. I had to move here since my own desk is piled about 10 inches high with stuff, and the other little table in my bedroom is also covered with stuff.

Even if this venture doesn't work out, I am enjoying every minute of it. Following my heart and pursuing my dream is so incredibly invigorating. When you're doing what you love, it's true, everything just is so alive.

Now back to my cards!

2012 Ella Friends Team - Applications now open!

2011-11-17T08:30:00.000-06:00

2012 Ella Friends Team - Applications now open!

It's the annual Ella Friends call! Apply by November 30 (details below) to be a part of the 2012 team.
As a member of the 2011 team this was a wonderful experience for me and I got a lot out of it. I encourage any one who is "Ella-minded" (and if you are, you know what I mean), to apply. I was completely shocked when I was chosen.

What They're Looking For
Passionate scrapbookers who are active online, whether via blogs, online scrapbooking galleries, Facebook, Twitter, manufacturer design teams, and more.

Paper, hybrid, and digital scrapbookers. All creative types are welcome to apply!
Scrapbookers who offer a wide variety of styles, from simple to artsy
Scrapbookers from all over the world and from all walks of life

NOTE: Previous design-team experience not expected or required! They're looking to work with current influencers AND fresh new faces in the industry. This is not a popularity contest! And while they had nine amazing Ella Friends in 2011, (including yours truly heeeeee) they are not limited to any specific number. They may choose eight, we may choose a dozen!

What You'll Do

Be Ella's online ambassadors, helping them spread the Ella news via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, scrapbooking forums and galleries, and more!

Share ideas, insights, and anything else you'd like to share to help Ella grow and evolve.
Write articles, blog posts, and possibly even eBooks.
Support and participate in design challenges and product showcases on the Ella blog.
Offer feedback and guidance about Ella's upcoming editorial plans.

What You'll Get

Free advance copies of all new Ella eBooks.
Occasional product packs from their sponsor manufacturers.
A profile on ellapublishing.com, with links back to your blog.
Opportunities to guest blog, write articles, and possibly even eBooks.
Opportunities to design pages and projects for articles, eBooks, blog posts, design challenges, and more.
Occasional "happy mail" from Angie and Wendy.

How to Enter

Send an email to submissions@ellapublishing.com with "Ella Friend Call" in the subject line by Wednesday, November 30. In that email, attach pictures of four layouts or projects that you feel illustrate your scrapbooking or paper-crafting style. And in the body of the email, please answer the following nine questions:

1. Why do you want to be an Ella Friend?
2. Why do you scrapbook and/or what are your scrapbooking goals?
3. What are your top three sources of scrapbooking inspiration? (Apart from Ella, of course!)
4. Where and how are you active online?
5. How many people are you able to reach with your online efforts? (Share number of Facebook or Twitter followers and/or blog traffic numbers.)
6. What design teams are you on now or in the past?
7. How would you describe your scrapbooking style or philosophy?
8. Where are you from?
9. Give Ella one sincere compliment (insincere compliments are also welcome):
The new team will be announced on or around January 1, 2012.

It's still early days

2011-11-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible. Nancy Coey

Another passion quote I found online. I don't know who Nancy Coey is, but this is what I'm endeavouring to do right now. The support I've gotten so far is really great. Everyone is so hopeful for me. Indeed it is others' enthusiasm that got me to even give this venture a go. It's still very early days, I have no expectations, and I am taking it slowly & step-by-step, but I have to say, it feels good and right and I'm loving my life right now.

I did another huge stash purge the other day, after the last fair. I broke up most of my Studio Calico kits, I only kept intact those kits that I really really loved and which I had lots of add-ons for, so I had lots to work with still. Everything else was distributed between piles for blog giveaways, for big daughter to use, and for my outreach project (still in early stages so not ready to share about it yet). Plus of course a good portion of it went back into my stash, which was great because I felt like I got all this great new stuff! It feels so good to shed. Especially since I know I get a kit every month with new goodies in it. I think I was in organization mode, having had to be organized for the fairs.

Anyway, this is all a bit of a ramble, but I do have a LO to share, kind of an art journaling one:

I was inspired by the talented Susan Weinroth's page.

The journaling is from a newspaper column written by my friend who owns the yoga studio who convinced me to do a workshop there that the mother & daughter came to and then the mother saw me some time after and told me what a healing experience scrapbooking with her daughter was... which was one of the key events that got me on the path I am now on. And Sharon's column really resonated with me, so much so that I had to do a page using it (it helped that I had this recent photo of myself, courtesy of DH, that I thought worked well with it.) It was very therapeutic to do that page!

And yes, I have at least one maybe two more giveaways coming up... .

Hard work isn't work when it's your passion

2011-11-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

I saw that (the title of this post) on twitter yesterday and boy did it resonate with me! I was searching for who to attribute it to (the person who tweeted it was retweeting someone else), and I found this:

I think a person who takes a job in order to live - that is to say, for the money - has turned himself into a slave. Work begins when you don't like what you're doing. There's a wise saying: make your hobby your source of income. Then there's no such thing as work, and there's no such thing as getting tired. That's been my own experience. I did just what I wanted to do. It takes a little courage at first, because who the hell wants you to do just what you want to do; they've all got lots of plans for you. But you can make it happen. Joseph Campbell

So maybe that explains why spending most of Saturday at a craft fair trying to sell scrapbooking stuff and talk people up about scrapbooking was so much FUN. Ha!

One of the highlights of the day was a little girl, maybe about eight years old, who was so drawn to my booth. She kept coming back and looking at things. Her mom bought her a little kit of stuff (that I assembled with her) and I gave her a magazine and some extra bling.

Perhaps the best thing that happened though was meeting a social worker who works with women and children and we talked about how scrapbooking could be used in their therapy and recovery. More to come on that one.

I had hoped to do a couple of pages at the fair, but I only had one table (as opposed to three at the other fair) so I didn't have the space. This was one of the pages I had planned to do:

I had been so psyched about doing it (wouldn't you be excited about doing a page with such georgeous photos? This was my niece and her best friend helping me out by posing for me so I could get some photography practice,) that I did it when I got home from the fair. Yes, I was tired, but it was such an easy page, and doing the page was actually very relaxing.

I have no idea who Joseph Campbell (author of the quote above is), but he is definitely on to something!

Wow that was a giveaway! Stamps winner announcement!

2011-11-14T08:45:00.000-06:00

I have done giveaways before but I don't think I've ever felt such a buzz of excitement as I did around that last one. Such positive vibes! I suppose I was also excited because I am now up to 191 likes on my facebook page.

Anyway, without further ado:

TheShermanFam, please leave me a note with how to get in touch with you on this blogpost (or my email is on my FB page).

Calling

2011-11-09T06:00:00.003-06:00

Therapeutic scrapbooking utilizes a person’s entire brain and actually enhances memory. It stretches creative thinking which overflows into all areas of life. It pairs the right (creative) side of the brain with the left (logical) side of a brain in a very unique way. Therapeutic scrapbooking strengthens visual memory through the use of photos, stabilizes emotions through self-expression, and increases self-esteem.

Read more: http://www.ridgemeadowsarttherapy.com/index.php/scrapbook-therapy/therapeutic-scrapbooking-an-art-therapists-perspective

I don't need to add anything to this, do I...?

So I'll just share a page, a little love note for my big daughter, which did for me everything that scrapbooking is purported to do, above:

This is an adaptation of a Jody Wenke LO. I scraplifted it before, last year. It is one of my favourite pages. I could do this design over and over again. Love it. I have to figure out where to put the date on here so it doesn't interfere with the clean-n-simpleness of the page though... any suggestions anyone?

And if you didn't already, enter my stamp giveaway. There's still plenty time before I draw a winner.

Everyday miracles (& stamp giveaway!)

2011-11-08T05:30:00.001-06:00

"I care about the process of telling my stories, incorporating my pictures and playing with paper. These activities fill me with joy and appreciation for life. That is why I do what I do. To acknowledge the deep and abiding gratitude I have for this life that I am leading RIGHT NOW. To pay attention to the people and things that surround me and the everyday miracles that abound."

It occurred to me that I really should do a giveaway to celebrate my foray into scrapbooking as a business. I still have two lots of goodies to give away from my destashing and breaking up of some of my Studio Calico kits.

But before I get to that, can you please just go and read France's amazing blogpost about why she scrapbooks? (I quoted it above but it's worth reading in its entirety.) I could (and have) read that over and over and over again. She nailed it.

Oh and I have a quick little card to share:

This is my favourite card design right now. Simple, easy and elegant. And I just loooove that patterned paper (Crate Paper). It's paper like that that helps make me addicted to scrapbooking. I wish they did cotton twill fabrics in patterns and colours as beautiful as scrapbooking patterned paper.

But I digress! The giveaway, right...?

Okay, okay. Here it is for all you stampers out there. One dozen (yes, 12) brand new, never used, still in their packaging Studio Calico stamps. The only thing is some of them have the kit name and date written on the plastic packaging in black sharpie.

If you'd like a chance to get all these stamps, I ask just one thing of you to enter in this giveaway... heeeee... I feel kind of chintzy for asking this but what the heck... please like my facebook page. Once you've liked it, let me know in the comments here, and then I'll choose one winner, at random, on Monday 14 November. Anyone, anywhere in the world can enter.

Is this really mercenary of me? Yipes...

I'm going to be back at Cannonball Cafe (Barbican) today scrapbooking from 10am to noon, so if you happen to be in Kingston, do pass by and say hi!

Vacancy: assistant scrapbooker. Apply within.

2011-11-07T06:00:00.002-06:00

I decided I need an assistant to help me at my booth when I set up at these fairs. Someone to scrapbook while I talk up customers. It is essential for people to see how easy it is to scrapbook in order to entice them to buy my goods and services. Otherwise they look at the pages and albums I have on display and think scrapbooking is totally beyond them. I did one page at the fair I did last week, but it was impossible to "man" the booth and scrapbook at the same time.

So I'm trying to convince one of my nieces to do it. She has never scrapbooked before but she is very artistically talented, and she has a little time on her hands. She came over for me to show her what it was all about and we did this page together (the photos are of her; DH took them at a family function and she had never seen them!)

We browsed my pinterest boards and chose to adapt a sweet LO by Paula Gilarde. We pulled elements from a bunch of different Studio Calico 2011 kits. When it came to what the page would be about she was stumped. I looked at the photos and said, "it looks to me like you're saying 'maybe'," and she agreed. So I told her, "write down five sentences off the top of your head starting with the word maybe right now." And voila, the journaling.

So we'll see if this works out. At the very least, I enjoyed making a page with her, and she loves it.

If you haven't already, please "like" me on facebook. Thanks to those who have already.

Until soon... .

These dreams

2011-11-05T20:00:00.004-05:00

'Academic researchers at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, in a study of patients' parents, "have demonstrated that [scrapbooking] sessions (for the parents, families and caregivers of sick children) promote hopefulness, in part by helping families recognize their strengths and by expanding their support network."'

Isn't that incredible? So not only can scrapbooking help children who are going through a difficult time, it can also help their parents. As a parent of a child who has had to be hospitalized, I can attest to the fact that when a child is seriously ill it is very hard on the parent(s).

In addition to my dream of spreading the joy of scrapbooking in Jamaica (in a way that makes it worth my while), I have a corollary dream of working with psychologists, counsellors and therapists, and their patients, using scrapbooking as a healing tool.

So one of the things I did as I pursue these dreams of mine was to spend a couple of hours scrapbooking in a popular cafe here in Kingston, which is patronized by many people who would be my target market.

One of the owners of the cafe is one of my best friends and it was her idea. It was great! Not only did I get a little exposure (whether I picked up any business or not remains to be seen) but I actually got to sit and scrapbook in peace. I did a LO:

I kept it simple--so that people can see that they can do it too--and I used a lot of the products that I am selling.

And I did a card (a thank you for my friend--she loves dogs).

I am planning to go back to my friend's cafe next week to do it again. So more to share soon.

Step by step... .

Debut!

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took a first step in following my dream of spreading the scrapbooking love in Jamaica. I took a booth at a craft-type fair.

It was a lot of work, and I just about broke even (counting everything that I had to spend to be there, including someone to watch my kids for the day, and the bus ticket for my stepdaughter who came from Montego Bay to help me!) But it was a good experience, and every journey begins with a single step (right?). I think I will do a few more fairs through to the end of the year, and then figure out where I want to go next with this.

I did a LO as a demo there, to show how to use some of the products I was selling, and also to show how to put together a simple, easy page with 4x6 photos.

And I've started a facebook page. Please like me!

I've done all the prep work already, so next time I just need to set up, which will mean there's a lot less work involved. I will also be doing a few other "get out there" things to raise awareness, including a scrapbooking-on-site at Cannonball Cafe in Barbican this Friday (4th November) from 10am-12pm. Now I need to go and sort everything out from yesterday and regroup!

Until next time... .

Jenni Bowlin Winner is Danielle!

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Congrats Danielle!
Please leave me a comment on this post to tell me where to send your goodies.

Let it flow

2011-10-21T10:30:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking my style is changing. My LOs are not as linear and spare as they used to be. I'd like to think they are more fluid... if that makes sense. I think what's happening is because I have so little time & energy to scrapbook, I am just getting pages done as quickly and easily as possible, so I just choose a LO to scraplift or a sketch to follow and GO. I also think since I've been following more "Australian style" scrapbookers I've come to really love how free flowing and organic their pages look.

Though Becky Williams isn't Australian (I don't think), I love her style too. I scraplifted one of her pages and this was my take on it:

Everything from different 2011 Studio Calico kits.

And in other news... I'm getting ready for my debut as a scrapbook retailer! I will have a booth at a craft fair coming up soon. Only problem is my goods and bags (to put people's purchases in) haven't arrived yet. Ack. Trying not to worry about it... . I got business cards printed and have started giving them out. This whole venture is truly me following my heart.

You can still enter to win my giveaway.

Hasta la proxima... .

Funny, isn't it? {Jenni Bowlin giveaway}

2011-10-19T15:00:00.007-05:00

Quote for the day:

I scrapbook. I save and savor moments. I take pictures and keep locks of baby hair. I do it for me and for them, and maybe someday for their children's children.

A quick & simple LO I did last weekend (I did four!!!!):

Design inspiration from Keshet Shenkar's cute LO. Everything from various 2011 Studio Calico kits. First time I'm using that beautiful plaid paper from Lawn Party (May 2011). I would have bought the entire kit just to get that paper alone. I think it's so beautiful.

Funny, isn't it, how a patterned paper or embellishment you were crazy about a year or two ago has no interest for you now? A couple of months ago I did a DEEP organizing and destashing. I broke up a year's worth of Studio Calico kits and then I went on to my regular stash. And I was ruthless. If I knew I was never going to use it, out it went, no matter how pretty it was, or how much I knew it could work on a LO. It was amazing to me that papers that I had hunted down a couple years ago were now in the toss pile.

And I also have nice, brand new, unopened stuff to give away... heeee... . Now this is for the Jenni Bowlin fans out there. Studio Calico usually includes one or two of her embellishments in the kits, and as cute and clever as they are, I rarely use them. So I put them all together to give away to a Jenni Bowlin fan.

Everything is unused/unopened. However, it might have the kit name and date written on it in black marker.

And it could all be yours if you leave me a comment telling me: How many scrapbooking blogs do you visit regularly? How do you choose which ones to visit? Do you subscribe to any? How do you decide which to subscribe to/visit? You don't have to answer ALL these questions exactly, but just give me an idea of your blog-visiting policy/philosophy, kwim? I'm just curious to know what other people's online habits are with regard to scrapbooking.

I'll randomly draw a winner (anyone, anywhere in the world is welcome to enter) on Monday 24 October. One entry per person please!

This one is for you Steve

2011-10-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'm not an Apple/Mac acolyte. Yes, I'm typing this on a MacBook, and I have a lovely iMac on my desk, and yes I have an iPod (two actually, one of the old clunkers and a newer Nano). But you won't ever find me caressing them lovingly, or having a conversation with someone about how amazing any of these products are, or standing in a long line at a Mac store for something they're selling. And while I admire some successful people, I don't follow every single step they make or breath they take; I'll read a good New Yorker or New York Times Magazine profile of them, but I won't be reading any biographies.

So when Steve Jobs died recently, it did touch me, because I recognized that one of the great minds of my generation had passed, but no more so than the passing of any gifted person before they were ready to go (that I was aware of). And yes, I had read his famous commencement speech to the Stanford class of 2005, and had noted it, as one does such things (just as I had noted Anna Quindlen's equally--in my view--inspiring and much-circulated commencement address at Villanova in 2005).

But in all the commentary and analysis that followed his passing, and the constant citing and replaying of that 2005 speech, this part stuck with me:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

I just couldn't get it out of my head. I even made a LO with it.

All the embellishments from various 2011 Studio Calico kits. These days if I can't scrap at home I take just one bag with me, of my SC kits. And then another bag with tools and mists. I am addicted to mists! Design inspiration from a lovely LO by my friend Helen Tilbury.

If you've been following this blog you might remember I mentioned my dream of a scrapbooking business. And if you've been around here really long, you might remember (I'm talking back in 2008 now) some pages and posts about passion. I have accepted that a business is not feasible, but I still can't get away from the fact that the only thing that motivates me these days is taking photographs (and studying/reading about photography), and scrapbooking. In fact, these have been the only things that I've had any genuine interest in for the past three years. And the ideas I have about a scrapbooking business just won't go out of my head. I don't want to be a photographer, and a scrapbooking business is not going to pay my bills (and I have to work.) But as I face the prospect of my leave of absence coming to an end, and having to go back to my job soon, Steve Jobs' message is ringing louder and louder in my head.

So I'm giving it a go. "It" being seeing where I might go were I to pursue scrapbooking as more than a hobby. I'm not saying I'm going into business. I'm not saying I am going to try to make a living from it. I am doing it very, very gingerly. I am going to take a booth at a craft-y type fair/flea market in Kingston at the end of this month. I will try to sell the remaining AC products I bought wholesale, as well as all my unwanted papers and embellishments (at a discounted price). I am taking a booth at another similar type of event in Mandeville in November. I have done up some business cards and a flier with this blog address on it (!) to advertise that I do private classes and scrapbooking sessions.

I'm just going to see what happens. No business plan, no strategy. I'm following my heart.

The worst case: I sell nothing, and noone wants my services. So buying the rights to use my logo from the designer, the cost of the banner (for the booth), the business cards and the spot (at the events), (all that comes to about US$200), not to mention the time away from DH and the children (and on a precious Sunday! ack!) will all have been for nought.

But I'm okay with that worst case scenario. At least I will have given it a proper go. And I will see what happens, gauge how I'm feeling, and decide what I do next (if I do anything at all.) I will have followed my heart and my intuition and listened to my inner voice. Right, Steve?

Wish me luck!

Scrapbooking classes in Kingston and Mandeville (Jamaica)

2011-10-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

I am available for private scrapbooking classes and sessions in Kingston and Mandeville.

I can bring tools and/or supplies, or we can use yours, if you have them.

The cost is J$2500 an hour, plus the cost of any supplies you use during the session.

For each extra person, up to a maximum of four people, the cost is J$500 (per hour).

There is a two hour minimum for each class/session.

Depending on where you are, I can come to you or you can come to me. If I come to you, you must have a large table (cleared of stuff!) that we can work on.

I customize the classes/sessions to suit your needs. We can cover scrapbooking basics, advanced techniques, basic photography principles, photo editing and collages, among many other topics. We can work on a specific album or set of photographs (say from a vacation or a wedding, or a first year baby book.) I can also help you to select your own tools and supplies from online stores.
All of my classes and sessions are geared towards equipping you with what you need--the resources and the know-how--to scrapbook confidently on your own.

If you're interested in learning more, just leave me a comment and tell me how to get in touch with you.
You can also find me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/scrapbookingfromtheheart.

What's real right now

2011-09-15T22:00:00.001-05:00

So there I was yesterday, trying to get stuff done. Trying to FOCUS on paperwork and things to do, etc. Of course I was also doing a little blog browsing too... and came across sweet Stephanie Howell's post about putting what's in your heart out there on your blog. I'm not much for sharing super personal stuff on my blog (for reasons I outlined in my recent FAQ), but I loved the idea and was inspired by her post and by the post that inspired her by Ali Edwards (whose blog I no longer subscribe to but I do think she's awesome.)

And all of a sudden, I could focus! I was on it. I got this page together so fast, I couldn't even believe it!

I know, it looks really fussy, eh? But I was just so motivated to do it. It's kind of a cross between Australian style and shabby chic. Maybe more Australian style? (The envelope will contain the hidden journaling when I print it.) The original inspiration for the LO came from a gorgeous page by Jodie Butler.

Now my question is, why am I not motivated about the work I have to do? About the to-dos that are piling up? About the tasks that are awaiting my attention?

And then later that night I was soooo tired. I had put all the kids to bed and was trying to watch TV but was zoning out because I was so sleepy. I decided to go to my desk just to look at the LO (which was about half done) to see if I could figure out what I'd do next to it. And suddenly I didn't feel sleepy anymore! I was alert and sharp and ready to scrap! Which I did!

I'm actually a little freaked out about all this. What does it mean that the only thing that really seems to light my fire is scrapbooking... ?

Scrapbooking FAQ September 2011

2011-09-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

I last did this nearly a year ago, so it's time for an update. And I've added a couple questions for this go-round.

why do you scrapbook? Five reasons (in no particular order)*:

To organize and display my photos.
To preserve/record thoughts and memories, for me and for my little ones.
It’s a great creative outlet and hobby. Amazing stress-relief and relaxation. Cheaper and more fun than therapy. {Read: to stay sane}
The patterned paper and flower stickers are just so pretty.
The community and the sharing of layouts and stories.

*these answers haven't changed from last year!

how/when did you start scrapbooking?
I have a whole post on that.

what kind of equipment do you have?

A Slice die-cutting machine. It used to give me a lot of trouble but lately it has been working great. I was thinking of upgrading to the Elite, but for now I don't need to.
A sewing machine. I had grand plans of learning to sew (like clothes and home decor things) but besides a witch's cape for Halloween and some pennant banners, I've only used it for my scrapbook pages. (I love it though and have no regrets about buying it.)
Scrapbooking has gotten me into photography. The two hobbies are inextricable to me now. So my camera gear is my scrapbooking gear too. I have a Canon 7D, a 24-70mm f/2.8 standard zoom lens, a 50mm f/1.4, a 24mm f/2.8. I know how to shoot in manual (ie beyond auto settings) because I took a class irl and quite a few online classes. My husband is also a Canon guy, he has a 5D (classic), and (theoretically) we share lenses.* He has a mega telephoto lens and a super-duper telephoto zoom but they are too heavy for me to manage (we are thinking of getting a monopod). We also share an external flash. I also have a point & shoot that is always in my handbag and which I use a lot. We have a gorilla tripod and a plethora of regular tripods (many of them broken, which is soooo annoying.) *Many of the photos on my scrapbook pages are taken by the husband. He is an amazing photographer, regardless of what equipment he is using. He has pursued photography as a hobby since he was a teenager (ie for decades) and he has a natural artist's eye & a very steady hand. He could go pro if he wanted, he's that good.
On my wish list: an 85mm f/1.8 and a 100mm macro lens. One of these days, when I've truly mastered focus and have gobs of extra money I'd love to get the 5D III (when it comes out).* * I had no idea I would ever get so into photography and camera equipment as I have gotten. No idea.
A 12x12 printer that I adore. (I have a scanner too but I don't really use it for scrapbooking.)
An IMac and a MacBook. I went completely Mac earlier this year. I have not, however, joined the Apple/Mac cult. (ie I don't think that Macs are the greatest invention EVER and it didn't change my life, etc.) It was just more convenient with DH having a Mac and having the IMac since we share software.
Photoshop Elements 6.0 -- an essential tool/piece of equipment for me, and Lightroom 2.1. I'm not interested in upgrading to 9.0, as 6.0 serves me quite well, and ideally I'd like to do a course in Photoshop CS5 (or whatever version is newest when that day comes).

do you alter your photos?
I fiddle with almost all my photos, brightening, whitening teeth, cropping, etc. I use Pioneer Woman's free actions a lot. That said, my goal is to just take better photos in the first place! I also do a lot of collages so I am always sizing and resizing photos. I discovered Picasa collages this year and I use that a lot (but just for collages, not for editing or anything.)

what's more important...story or photo?

Whatever moves me--I don't have any rules in this area.

besides your children, what do you scrapbook about?
I do a lot of me pages. I find it very therapeutic. I'm not sure what their purpose will be in the years to come, but I'll figure that out later. I scrap about my husband and my siblings and my own friends too.

scrapbooking has a bit of a stigma attached... are you ever embarrassed to admit that you do it?
Over time I get less diffident about being a scrapbooker and admitting to how much I love scrapbooking. I have come to so believe in scrapbooking and its healing power, that I no longer have any reservations about other people knowing this is my hobby and my passion. It helps that now I've converted others, I'm not feeling so isolated.

what's your style?
Sweet, simple and from the heart. That said, I love experimenting with other styles!

what are your favorite lines of paper/products?
I don’t really follow the different paper companies and collections, but I can say that I like almost everything that American Crafts, Crate Paper and My Mind's Eye offers. I don’t follow scrapbooking trends in general, but I tend to be up to date with “the latest” because of my kit club.

do you subscribe to any magazines?

Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbooks, Etc. though I don't get as much from them as I used to when I first started out. Now I get most everything I want/need online from blogs and industry sites.

where are you with workshops these days?

I have converted quite a few people via my free workshops, which was my goal. I've also made some new friends, which was an unexpected bonus. I did my first paid workshop this year, but to be honest it wasn't really worth my time for what I earned. I am not putting myself out there to do free workshops any more, and I'm not seeking out opportunities to do paid ones either. That's not to say I'm not doing any workshops, but they have to seek me out, I'm not seeking them out, kwim? My time is just too precious.
ETA 10/11: I am now offering private lessons and sessions. Click here for more details.

do you buy a lot of stuff?

I don't live in the US so I don't have access to regular scrapbook shopping. I do shop online, which is costly to ship here, and has gotten more so in the past year. If I am going to visit the US I might order stuff and have it shipped to my destination. This year I have bought a lot less than I have in past years. In part because I am way overstashed, and it is seriously challenging to find a place to put everything. Also because we have a lot less disposable income (the downturn has hit us pretty hard). I continue with my kit club (Studio Calico) so I get a box of goodies every month, but I don't get as many add-ons as I used to. I really want to pare down. I've been doing a lot of blog giveaways and I have a pile of stuff I hope to sell at a craft fair soon.

what are your favorite scrapbooking websites/blogs?

I visit a lot of sketch sites, plus I add new inspiring scrapbookers' blogs all the time. (I listed my favourites not long ago.) But I unsubscribe from blogs/sites regularly. The website I am on the most this past year has been Clickin' Moms, a photography site. It's a paid site and totally worth it. I frequent a lot of photography blogs these days too.

what's the deal with your blog?

My blog is part and parcel of my scrapbooking. I started this blog three years ago as I was desperate for some scrapbooking company (this was before I started doing workshops and converting people.) I always meant for it to be "just" a scrapbooking blog, and that is what it has remained as. (However, since I post my scrapbook pages, quite a bit of my real life comes through the blog.) I only post if I have a page to share, or something scrapbooking (or sometimes photography) related to blog about. I blog mainly for me (no offense... really), and I don't ever assume that there's anyone out there holding their breath for my posts. I'm not doing this to gain a following, or to earn money, or to get my work "out there" or any such thing. So I don't feel any pressure to blog regularly, though sometimes I do.

You might notice that my "real name" isn't on the blog. I live in a very small society and my husband is a public figure, so I'm not trying to get people in my immediate environs to come here. It is possible to find me if someone tries hard enough, but since I'm not hiding anything, if someone that keen on finding me does end up here, well, so be it. Most of my online scrapbooking friends know my full name anyway, so it's not like I'm anonymous or anything.

how did you get to be an Ella Friend?

Ella is a super cool scrapbooking website that evolved from the closure of Simple Scrapbooks magazine. I loved that magazine and was disappointed when it ended, but was excited that the ethos and the sense of humour that undergirded it would live on. I was a huge fan of the site and its products; I bought almost every eBook they put out. When they had a call for their design team, I applied on a whim. I have never applied to be on a design team before simply because I have neither the interest, nor the talent, nor the time. I was truly shocked when I was accepted, but really I think it's because we are a good fit for each other. (And they never ask you to scrap outside of your own terms!) I am compensated with product (which is soooo worth it for me because I love everything they come out with. and there is an affiliate programme but I have never pursued it. My term is soon up but it has been a real pleasure to be a part of the Ella team for the past year.

any parting thoughts?

I've been scrapbooking for four years now, and it's a very important part of my life. This past year I gave serious thought to going into a scrapbooking business, but it just isn't viable here. Also, this past year I have come to appreciate especially the deep therapeutic aspects of scrapbooking and it really is a profound gift. I still fantasize about being able to make a living out of it--not just selling stuff and teaching, but working with psychologists and occupational therapists too. But in the meantime, I'll have to use my other skills to bring home the bacon, and enjoy scrapbooking as my hobby.

Thanks for reading all the way through. If you still have questions, please post them! If you do something like this on your blog, please link me up!

Chipboard Winner is Valerie Bishop!

2011-09-09T12:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway. I got some great advice, some of which I have noted and will implement if they work with the way things progress.

And the randomly drawn winner of the chipboard is:

Congrats Valerie. Please leave me your email address in a comment to this post and I will send you your prize as soon as possible.

Please note, I had 28 comments, but I only drew from 23. Two people asked me not to enter them. One person commented twice (honest mistake--not trying to enter twice or anything like that.) And I didn't count the two who didn't leave me any advice (or who didn't acknowledge that this was the criteria for entering the giveaway). I don't feel it's fair to include those who didn't follow the instructions at the expense of greater odds for those who did.

I have at least two more giveaways to come. The next will be of a pile of Jenni Bowlin goodies, so stay tuned peeps!

Stretching sketches with Donna Jannuzzi -- take three

2011-09-07T06:00:00.021-05:00

Today I'm sharing the third layout I did using Donna Jannuzzi's very versatile sketch from her Ella Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series.

I did a clean-and-simple 8.5x11 LO first, and then yesterday I did a 12x12 "shabby chic" page.

This LO goes in yet another direction completely; it's what I call an "Australian style" LO:

Here I flipped the sketch and borrowed some design touches from a page I saw recently by Maggie Holmes. The journaling is from the musical, Miss Saigon.

You can do your own take on the sketch and participate in the challenge, and if you enter your LO, you have a chance at winning three sets of stamps from Lawn Fawn. This includes their very popular Say Cheese stamp set. Plus a copy of Donna's wonderful book.

This is what you do: First, create your layout based on the sketch. Next, post it to your blog or any online album. Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption! Third, go to the Ella blogpost with the relevant Stretch Your Sketch Challenge Series (I've hyperlinked it for you) and share the link to your layout. All entries must be posted by September 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST. The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced over on The Daily Trumpet (Ella's blog).

This is the last sketch in the series, so it's your last time to enter and have a chance at winning.

And a reminder: there's still one more day to enter my chipboard giveaway.

Stretching sketches with Donna Jannuzzi -- take two

2011-09-06T06:00:00.029-05:00

I took the stretching part of Donna Jannuzzi's Ella Stretch Your Sketch Challenge Series very seriously and did three takes on the sketch. This is the last month of the sketch challenge. Like the other months, there will be two sketches posted and if you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries - doubling your chances of winning.

Here's the sketch:

I did three very different LOs with it, one that I posted yesterday, and I will post the third one tomorrow.

Here I went in the very opposite direction of my clean-and-simple LO yesterday and this time I channeled my friend Helen Tilbury and did my take on shabby chic with this page:

I seriously had to study some of her pages to see just how she works with all the little bits and pieces from Webster's Pages that I have a box of and am a bit at sea as what to do with them. I substituted a 4x6 photo for the two 3x4s in the original sketch. (Note: the title and lyrics are from the Bruno Mars song, which we heard a lot when we visited the US earlier in the summer, and now always makes me think of my beautiful daughter).

You can do your own take on the sketch and participate in the challenge, and if you enter your LO, you have a chance at winning three sets of stamps from Lawn Fawn! This includes their very popular Say Cheese stamp set! Plus a copy of Donna's wonderful book!

This is what you do: First, create your layout based on the sketch. Next, post it to your blog or any online album. Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption! Third, go to the Ella blogpost with the relevant Stretch Your Sketch Challenge Series (I've hyperlinked it for you) and share the link to your layout. All entries must be posted by September 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST. The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced over on The Daily Trumpet (Ella's blog).

I would love if you'd link me here too with your entry. I'd love to see what everyone else does with this great sketch.

AND: My chipboard giveaway is still going here, so check it out if you're a chipboard fan!

Stretching Sketches with Donna Jannuzzi - take one

2011-09-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

One of the perks of being an Ella Friend is the company I get to keep with the other Ella Friends. Among them is the fabulous Donna Jannuzzi, whose work I long admired before we both joined the Ella team. She has a fabulous Ella eBook that I bought as soon as it came out a couple years ago. I highly recommend it.

One of her most recent projects together with Ella is a bi-monthly (that's every two weeks, right?) Stretch your Sketches challenge series. And guess who she asked to work with one of the sketches? {squeal} Yes, moi! Here was the sketch she gave me:

This sketch came at the perfect time. This was one of the key factors that brought me out of my summer-long slump last week. Once I got it I was so excited to work with it. It's such a simple sketch but it is so versatile.

For starters, I did a clean-and-simple (a la Jody Wenke) 8.5 x 11 page:

(Though I don't know if Jody would have added that blingy flower.) I consider myself more "sweet-and-simple"--ie with a good dose of embellishments--so this is a little bit cleaner-and-simpler than my norm.

Now here's the best part: you can do your own take on the sketch and participate in the challenge, and if you enter your LO, you have a chance at winning three sets of stamps from Lawn Fawn! This includes their very popular Say Cheese stamp set! Plus a copy of Donna's wonderful book! And this is the last installment in the series, so this is the last chance to enter and possibly win these great prizes.

Here's how it works: First, create your layout based on the sketch. Next, post it to your blog or any online album. Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption! Third, go to the Ella blogpost with the relevant Stretch Your Sketch Challenge Series (I've hyperlinked it for you) and share the link to your layout. All entries must be posted by September 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST. The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced over on The Daily Trumpet (Ella's blog).

I'd love if you'd link me up too; it would be great to see what you all do with this great sketch. I actually did three LOs with this sketch, I liked it so much. They are all very different. I will share the other two during the week.

PS. I have a chipboard giveaway going here, so check it out if you're a chipboard fan!

Finally! (plus a giveaway for chipboard fans) *giveaway closed

2011-09-01T14:30:00.015-05:00

After nearly two months of no inspiration or desire to scrapbook, and even very little to take photos, (or blog--I did only two posts in August, fewest ever,) last week I finally got my memory keeping mojo back. At long last. I've realized that I go through these ebbs and flows, and I can never really understand just what causes them, so I just ride it out.

I downloaded a huge number of photos, edited some, got some together in collages for LOs, sent stuff to print (including a whole lot of photos that I had worked on and put in "to print" folder back in May!), and I'm back in business. Yayyyyy!

So here's one little LO I got together this morning and am so excited to share (not because it's anything special, but because I have a LO to share!):

It's a pretty straight scraplift of a page I saw in the American Crafts Design Team gallery by Becky Williams (how amazing are her LOs? I looooove them. Her style is right up my street)

I *still* have LOs to do to complete the 2010 albums (!) I haven't even touched the last two Studio Calico kits (which are very lovely) and the September one will soon be on its way to me. But hey, let me focus on the positive here: I am scrapping again.

And to commemorate my return (smile), I have a giveaway for the chipboard fans out there. I have all these bits and pieces from my three years of Studio Calico kits. I like chipboard okay, but these I am just not going to use, and rather than them sit in my stash, I want them to go to a scrapbooker who will give them the love and attention they deserve.

If you're interested, leave me a comment (just one, please) telling me how you get your kids to go to sleep. Seriously! I have failed at sleep training and am now trying to figure out how to get a proper evening/bedtime routine established for my three kids. So I am soliciting advice from any and everyone (I won't promise I'll follow it though ;-). I'll draw one lucky winner next Friday, 8 September 2011. Giveaway open to everyone, regardless of where in the world you are.

Eclectic Winner is LANEY!

2011-08-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway. You can't imagine how happy it makes my heart that there indeed are scrappers who want these lovely tidbits.

Laney I'm so excited to send these to you. Please send me an email or leave me your email address in the comments to this post so I can get your address.

In case you're wondering why the range was only 35 when there were 49 comments, there were two deleted comments, one person who said not to enter them, and 11 who didn't tell me about their summer! I know it's a bit AR but I felt like I had to be fair and only give a chance to those who actually did as I asked.

I have at least three more giveaways to come of more great goodies, so look out!

The LO I forgot I did and a giveaway of eclectic scrapbooking stuff

2011-08-05T18:00:00.046-05:00

One of the last times I scrapped was about a month ago. It seems like forever. So much so that I had even forgotten I had scrapped those pages. Literally, I was finally doing some tidying in my scrapnook and did a double take when I saw some completed LOs. I was like, "whoa! who did those?" (seriously).

For this LO I used patterned papers and embellishments from May 2011 Lawn Party (gorgeous kit!) + Clear Skies add-on (I actually didn't get the entire add-on, just the add-on patterned paper; it's the reverse of the red Crate paper shown in the picture) and April 2011 Singing in the Rain + Tap Dance + Happy Refrain add-ons. I even got crafty and made a little ribbon flower (using a tutorial I found online.) Alphabets from Oct. 2010 (Still Life add-on) and Sept. 2010 (Open Pasture add-on).

The page design is my favourite for scrapping special occasions &a celebrations. I've used it to scrap weddings, funerals and 80th birthdays.

This LO is for my personal 2010 album; I scrapped the christening for the family album already. Just a few pages left and all the 2010 albums will be complete!

One of the other things I did today while tidying up was to bundle some of the many lovely and unused embellishments that I had put aside when I broke up my older Studio Calico kits. I have done up four sets of stuff so far to give away here on the blog.

This is an assortment of what I think of as "eclectic" items here. All are brand new and unused, from various Studio Calico kits (mainly 2010). Yes, that's a roll of washi tape on that piece of plywood. Some of them have the kit name written on the plastic packaging in black sharpie marker. These are lovely items that I just am not creative enough to figure out how to use them, but I know there are much craftier scrappers out there who do know how to put these to good use, so I'm passing them on.

Just leave me a comment telling me how your summer has been going. I will draw a winner next Friday. This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world. One comment per person, please!

yes, I'm still here

2011-07-26T10:30:00.001-05:00

You know, the life thing... no scrapping, no blogging, but all is well. Just so that the blog doesn't wither away completely, a page from a couple months ago that I haven't shared yet.

I saw this page about a new bicycle by Guiseppa Gubler on the AC blog right around the time I took some photos of my big girl on her new bicycle, and I knew it would be perfect. I have used this design before (of the patterned paper in strips, sewn down) and I love how it looks.

Yes, it's as brief as that! A bientot!

Dana it's your lucky day!

2011-07-07T17:00:00.010-05:00

I drew the lucky number 13 to win the new Ella eBook, Scrapbooking your Single Years.

Dana please email me so I can tell you how to redeem your prize!

Homage to "Australian style"

2011-07-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

*You have until tomorrow 7 July

to enter the giveaway for the Ella eBook!*

I have been having fun "trying on" different scrapbooking styles. Here's my take on Australian free style (Helen Tilbury made that up, as far as I know, and it sounds right to me.)

I scraplifted a LO by Jodie Butler. I like this a lot better than shabby chic, for me. I will definitely try on this style again, even if it's not really "me".

That's all for now!

Homage to shabby chic

2011-07-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

*Ella giveaway still open, go enter here!*

I said I was determined to try my hand at shabby chic, and here's what I came up with:

I followed, very very closely, a shabby chic LO (or at least I think it's shabby chic) that I think is so lovely, by Bente Fagerberg on the Sketchabilities blog. I had to follow it pretty closely because this is so not my style, and I wouldn't know where to begin otherwise!

I used mostly the Studio Calico March 2011 kit "Into the Woods" + the "Wildflower" add-on, with a few bits and bobs (buttons and the flowers and the label sticker and the yellow thickers and the lace) from my stash. Lots and lots and lots of mist. And finally a use for this grandiose border + corner punch set that I bought as a Christmas gift for someone, kept for myself, and have never used (until now).

I like it okay. I am not going to become a shabby chic girl any time soon though, I don't think. When I look at it I think, NOT ME. But I might give it a try again, just for fun. Maybe something pinkier and lacier, I need some doilies or something... .

Deep stuff

2011-07-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

*Ella giveaway still open, go enter here!*

Since I started scrapbooking four years ago one of the things that I can't get enough of is deeper analysis of scrapbooking itself. It's my nature, my personality, and my training that when I'm interested in something, I want to completely excavate and interrogate it. When I became a mother, I read not only your standard parenting books, but books about children and parenting by anthropologists and sociologists and psychologists and philosophers and psychiatrists.

But there isn't that much written about scrapbooking from any of those perspectives. I subscribe to Scrapbook Update which gives me a bit of insight, but hardly anything like what I crave. Until I happened across a dissertation about scrapbooking by Stephanie Medley-Rath. I felt like this was written for me; it's exactly what I've been wanting to read all these years. I know, that must make me a strange creature, but what can I say, that's me!

There's so much that's interesting in this study. After all, it is a Ph.D. dissertation. I'm nowhere near finished, and I will have a lot of processing to do, but for now what I feel gratified about is that scrapbooking was considered a worthy subject of serious scholarly sociological enquiry. I will confess that I wouldn't have even thought it so myself but it absolutely is. And what that says to me isn't that scrapbooking is necessarily a worthwhile activity (it is, I have no doubt about that) but that the act and process of scrapbooking--what and why a person scrapbooks--has meaning beyond being "just a fun hobby", or "just paper & glue & silly stickers".

Deep stuff, I know!

Here's a little levity by way of a LO that I did a couple weeks ago when I was on my little SBing roll:

I scraplifted a LO by Nicole Eshelman that I saw in the Two Peas gallery years ago. I'm loving the chipboard shape + button + baker's twine combo. So cute.

And if you want something really funny, this video has gone viral in Jamaica (and apparently around the world). And the song is now a huge hit. I even bought it on iTunes.

The situation itself is not that funny (the river flooded and people are trapped on either side), but what the young guy who remixed it did with it is hilarious. We have so much hardship in Jamaica, sometimes it helps to be able to laugh a little at it all.

So here's what happened (and an Ella giveaway!)

2011-06-30T22:30:00.018-05:00

I was on a total roll, doing all these LOs, scrapping on weekends, even getting in a little of scrapping during the week. I gave my scrapnook a proper clean-n-tidy and was so happy in there. It lasted about three weeks. And while it was on it was good. And then, just like that, something came along (um, like, life maybe?) and the streak was over. I haven't scrapped in AGES, and I miss it so much. And I can't even think to when next I will get the chance to spend some time scrapbooking (because of, um, life?) Sigh.

I do have a few LOs from that lovely scrappy spell, I just haven't had time to get around to sharing them. In the meantime I have done a few cards recently for end-of-year teacher gifts and I did scan those. Actually I have been doing cards here and there and not photographing/scanning them, which is really dumb of me, because I like my cards and I often cardlift myself (though usually I originally cardlifted someone else.)

And I have a giveaway for you! Ella has a great new eBook out, Scrapbooking Your Single Years by the fabulous Stephanie Baxter. It's a 30-page guide to capturing all aspects of your single years—whether you're in the midst of them or they're long in the past. It's full of great ideas for scrapbooking who you spend time with, where you live, the things you love, your hopes and fears, your greatest achievements, and more.

Now of course, as fabulous as this book is (and it is, I love it), I can't help but feel a little remorse that I wasn't scrapbooking in my own single years (I came to scrapbooking like most everyone else, after I had my first child.) I used to do collage albums with cute sayings and captions, but nothing like what I do now with all the pretty paper and flowers and cute stuff, and the journaling, and the putting my heart on the page (ie the therapizing), and the photographing of special occasions and people, and the recording of important events & feelings. I would have been such a happier person if I had been a scrapbooker all along. I have a scrapbooker friend who only got married a few months ago, and she did the most amazing LOs about herself, and I so wished I had had this amazing outlet back then, as well as I wish I had scrapbooks of back then, like the ones I have of the more recent past.

So, tell me, what's your take on all this? What would you have scrapped about had you discovered scrapbooking earlier? Or, put differently, what do you wish you had a LO of from your past?

I'll randomly draw one lucky comment on 7th July, at some point during the day, I have no idea what my day will look like!

Breaking up is hard to do

2011-06-08T15:30:00.007-05:00

The time had come. I had moved on. But I was sentimentally attached and was reluctant to say goodbye. However, I found the strength, deep within me, to say goodbye to some of my old Studio Calico kits and pull them apart, setting aside stuff to give away, and integrating the rest in my stash. *SIGH*

heeee... Seriously, I had two years of kits and I hadn't scrapped with some of them in over a year. And some of them were pretty much used up. What was left behind was there because, well, I wasn't going to use it *ever*. And they take up a lot of space, space which I don't have. So I spent an entire day dismantling all my 2009 kits, except for Garment District (March 2009), the kit that cemented my relationship with Studio Calico and which I bought quite a few of the bits of to replenish it, I loved it so much; and Marketplace (November 2009) which I got two add-ons plus add-on patterned paper so I still have a bit of it left. Those were my two favourite kits for 2009 also, so I wasn't ready to part with them yet.

All the 2010 kits are still intact, and having gone through them all I can say that my favourite kit for 2010, and perhaps my favourite kit ever (it beat Garment District) is Granny's Cupboard (May 2010). It is beautiful and versatile and oh just wonderful. I would say that for 2010 the only two kits that didn't rock my world were Continental (July) and Metropolitan (December). So 10 out of 12, not bad at all.

So far for 2011 I'm very happy with all my kits, but I suspect that this current kit Paper Moon (June 2011) (which I won't get until early July as I shipped it to my sister in the USA as the shipping costs to Jamaica have gotten crazy expensive) will be my first ho-hum for the year. (Again one out of six is great, as far as I'm concerned.)

I'm pretty happy with Studio Calico. I've been a subscriber since November 2008, nearly three years. The service is excellent (and, I understand from friends who have subscribed to other kit clubs, this is unusual and important in the kit club world). I won't say every single kit is a favourite, but if I was crazy over 10 out of 12 kits in 2010, that's a good enough strike rate for me.

Other benefits: the kit club helps me to "keep up" with the latest products, much of which I would have no clue even existed if it weren't for my kit, though that isn't all that important to me except it makes me feel like I'm up to date (I'm not someone who only wants to scrap with the newest hottest stuff, just as I don't necessarily wear the latest fashions). It's a great online community, which keeps me plugged into a scrapbooking world beyond my little bubble here; I definitely feel part of a global scrapbooking community there and I've "met" some lovely people. And plus that box of stuff always contains stuff I'd never have bought myself, but end up so glad I have when I'm searching for just the right "something" for a LO.

One of the good things about going through all those kits was I was reacquainted with all the great stuff in them. I even did a LO with one of them, Garment District:

Woo hoo! Everything from the kit except a few small embellishments (the button, the blingies and the journaling label.) The stitched down patterned paper I saw on a cute LO by Guiseppa Gubler on the AC blog. It's a great way to use up scraps and it looks soooo nice. And great timing because there's a challenge over at Studio Calico to use up our older kits. Heeeee... .

I will have a few giveaways coming up of some of the untouched goodies from the broken up kits, so stay tuned.

Catching up

2011-06-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've been going through all my zillions of photos and trying to get caught up with my photos and my scrapbooking. I'm on a roll and I'm trying to maximise this impulse to get the 2010 albums put to bed and get caught up with as many 2011 LOs as I can by the end of June before the summer starts. Ambitious, yes, and if it doesn't happen, no biggie. But can you imagine that I have photos like these just sitting in my computer?!

I take so many pictures of my kids and I don't always process and print them right away (because of lack of time) and then I forget I have them! Add to that that my photos are ALL OVER THE PLACE between two computers, a hard drive (of the old computer), and different photo software (iPhoto, Lightroom, Windows)... I know, I know, I MUST get that sorted out and it's a bit of a mess, really.

But there these were, from December 2010. I have no idea what album they'll eventually go into (probably my younger daughter's own album, whenever that materializes) but the photos are so lovely, I had to print them and do a page before they slipped back into file 13.

PS. I shared this page at the Ella blog on my blogpost about using free photo effects. I was showing this as a LO where I used Pioneer Woman's BW Beauty on some of the photos to add a little visual interest to an otherwise standard grid design.

Art journaling, perhaps

2011-06-05T12:00:00.001-05:00

I think some of my recent "about me" LOs are getting close to art journaling projects. Here's what I found describing art journaling:

Art journaling combines the written language and the visual language to give a greater breadth of expression and understanding. In essence art journaling is the combination of art making and journaling with the intention to create greater insight and understanding of the self and others. Art journaling is about expression, both written and visual, of emotions and thoughts; it is a space for questions that may not have answers, a place for thoughts that may otherwise not have a home, a safe container for emotions so that they do not have to be loose in the world.

Or maybe I'm thinking that because I recently came across the term and the concept... heeee... .

So I'm doing LOs like this one:

Very artsy for me. This is not my typical type of LO at all. One tiny photo, not much "real" journaling, tons of white space... kinda like the other "me" page I shared last post. (This LO was posted on the Ella blog where I showcased the "action" I used to get the photo to look like that.)

It's fun and it feels good, so whether it's art journaling or scrapbooking or whatever (a rose by any other name...?) I'm happy.

Check me out on the Ella blog!

2011-06-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

My first post as an Ella Friend on the Ella blog! wheeee!!! (It actually went up two days ago, but better late than never, right?)

I'm talking about free photo effects, specifically Pioneer Woman's action sets that I use a lot on my photos for my scrapbook pages, like this one which I shared on the Ella blog:

I have a few more LOs up there too... go have a look!

Asian style, Australian style, etc.

2011-06-02T06:00:00.011-05:00

So now for a LO that is totally unlike my norm.

Not colourful at all, a ton of white space, very spare. Very "graphic style". Inspired by Lisa Dickinson's LO that has been in my inspiration folder for nearly two years.

I am into a "trying on other styles" mood lately. One of these days I want to try doing (what Helen and I call) an Asian-style LO. I wonder if I can do something as involved and intricate and precise as Piradee or LG (Lady Grace Belarmino). Or an Australian-style free and beautiful type LO like Jodie. I really should try a shabby chic/vintage type LO too, to be inclusive, though that might be a bit frilly for me.

I've been thinking about all this a lot as it is the topic for my next session with my Latin American expat ladies' scrapbooking club. It will be about scrapbooking styles. Our next meeting will probably be our last (for a while) since the summer is coming. One of the members is be repatriated to Mexico. I'll miss her, but that's how it is with expats. We lost one last year, but she has gone back to Ecuador and started a scrapbooking business there. She came for a visit recently and showed us photos of her pages and projects; they are just stunning. I don't think I have to tell you how gratifying that is to me, to see her turn this hobby that she learned about from me, into her livelihood {... um... VERY... !!!!}

Scrapbooking seasons

2011-05-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

So I guess I'm not so much a Saturday scrapper and Sunday blogger after all, am I? heeeee...

Most of my LOs these days are done without much planning or preparation. This usually means 4" x 6" photos or 4" x 2.75" photos (which is what the dimensions are when I put two 4x6s on one 4x6 blank document in PSE); or a collage (usually zapped together in Picasa), with maybe a black & white photo or two mixed in with the colour photos. Gone are the days when I would follow sketches closely, and plan out each LO and size photos to all different sizes. I just don't have the time or headspace to do that these days. I still scraplift and follow sketches, but for the most part I try to adapt what I'm following to the photos I have.

For this LO I didn't know what design I was going to use, but I went ahead and did a little more creative sizing than usual, and it pretty much came together as I was doing it.

I've definitely gone through "seasons" in my scrapbooking. From bookmarking LOs in magazines and books, to following challenge blogs, to using an assembly line approach, to using sketches. Now, for the most part, I'm just doing pages on the fly, whenever I can grab some time and some energy. I often stick stuff down before I know what is going where next! Though I am more doing my own thing than before, I am always inspired by others. Often when I need ideas I just look at my pinterest scrapbooking board and I can visualize a page. Like this LO was definitely inspired by Jamie Harder--not any specific LO she did, but I followed a similar design/structure that she tends towards in her LOs.

In a way it's like life, isn't it? You do what you do according to the circumstances around you, you bend and shift direction as necessary to keep doing what you want to do, to keep heading where you want to head. Hmmm... scrapbooking as a metaphor for life... that's deeeeep ;-)

So I had this dream...

2011-05-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

... of a little scrapbooking business here in Jamaica. I would sell bundles of essential tools, basic supplies like cardstock, manufacturer-put-together kits, (and perhaps, as time went on, custom kits,) and a few select embellishments. I'd offer classes to different levels, from kids to adults, on scrapbooking and all things related. And I'd work with psychologists, psychiatrists and occupational therapists to do art therapy type activities with people, because I deeply believe in the healing power of scrapbooking.

DH and I have been talking about this for a while now. I continued to do the research and find out costs and so on, but every time I'd go back to him with the information and we talked about it the numbers just couldn't work out to make the business viable. One of the biggest obstacles is the high import taxes in Jamaica. We don't produce scrapbooking products here, nor any of the inputs into scrapbooking products. So any and every thing has to be imported. Most wholesale prices are about half the (US) retail price. That 50% margin is what goes towards the retailer's overheads and profit.

Even though we had agreed that the business was not feasible, I just couldn't let it go. So I decided to do a small order from a wholesaler to see just how much shipping and customs duties would come up to. And I now know for sure that this business definitely cannot work here given the current tariff regime on imports. I ended up paying over 100% the cost of the items in duties and shipping. That was extremely sobering.

But in a way it's good to know this because I can stop wondering "what if?" and move on.

~SIGH~

Not that I wouldn't LOVE to have a little business like this. But if it can't make money, it can't survive.

So in the meantime I'll still do my little workshops here and there, upon request. I have a few complete sets of tools and lots of supplies to do workshops. I am not interested in soliciting people to come to my workshops, but I will consider charging a small amount for my workshops--though that would be hard. I love teaching, and I especially love teaching people about scrapbooking.

And what of the stuff I ordered? I have sold most of it to my scrapbooker friends, but at cost (which ends up being the US retail price) and I have made nothing on it. I can't sell it above that or else they'd just go online themselves.

There is the possibility that one day Jamaica will revise its import tariffs and liberalize imports completely. When my brain starts working again and I go back to work I might even research this to properly understand the rationale behind the regime which on the surface seems to just disincentivize potential business operators who would rely on imports for their businesses to be feasible. And then, perhaps, my little dream could come true. I love scrapbooking, and I love what it does for me and my spirit and my heart and my life. And I love sharing this love with others. This was, and remains, the motivation for this dream of mine--to share the scrapbooking love.

In the meantime... I'll keep doing my own layouts:

These were from our family portrait shoot a couple of months ago.

Don't think I'm disheartened about giving up this dream. Now that I've worked it through and really explored it, and seen for myself that it's not feasible, I'm okay with letting it go. And, too, sometimes things happen a certain way for a reason that only becomes clear later on, so I'm fully open to that possibility. I haven't ruled out the possibility of it ever happening, it's just not going to be right now.

It's all good... .

I should have known better

2011-05-27T06:00:00.002-05:00

I should have known better, I really should have, than to go back to back with so many photography courses. I thought I was on a roll, but I have fizzled out. Either fizzled out or overloaded. Or both. I have been bitten hard by the photography bug, and I'm taking tons of photos, so many I can barely keep on top of processing them, but I'm out of the whole being in a class "place"--keeping up with the downloads and participating in the forums, etc. It's really a mode you have to be in, and I was so in it, but now I'm not. So I did enjoy my portrait class and I learned a few new things, but I didn't get nearly as much out of it as I would have had I put more into it.

So for the next little while I think I will just take photos, though always working on improving, always. I still have a lot I want to improve on--I still cannot get that tack sharp photo that I aim for and I have loads to learn in composition. I will continue linking in to Clickin' Moms (I have learned so much from that site, it is so worth the annual subscription fee), following photography blogs, and looking through my class handouts and my photo books. But I think I'll go easy on the classes for now. Unless a one day workshop (in real life) comes up that I'm really interested in.

The truth is, I do not aspire to be a great photographer. I don't even want to be a photographer. I just want to take good pictures of my kidlets. And maybe if I were to travel somewhere scenic I'd want some nice photos of the place for my scrapbook pages about the trip. Not very ambitious, perhaps, but that's really the sum of my photography ambition.

I am in scrapbooking mode, however, which is good because I still have quite a few 2010 LOs to do to close out the three 2010 albums I've set myself to. I'm getting there, bit by bit. Plus try to keep up with all the photos I've taken this year. (I won't even mention the twins' albums... .)

Here's one I did last weekend for the big daughter's 2010 album:

The design inspiration is from a lovely scrapbook page by Jamie Harder. I love how she did the circles of paper with the buttons on top. I've done that with another LO (can't share it unfortunately because it has my daughter's friends in it and I don't post photos of other people's children) and I will probably be doing it a lot as a new favourite technique (is that a technique, actually?). The circles are mostly handcut. And the button in the painted chipboard cloud tied with the baker's twine, I think that's so cute; I got that from a gorgeous page by Susan Weinroth.

I did two visual triangles with this LO. I usually just do one but I felt like the page was just crying out for more embellishment, so I tried to add to it but to do so with some method to the madness.

Thanks for coming by!

I Got Sketch!

2011-05-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

One of my favourite sketch sites is Got Sketch? by Valerie Salmon. I've done many, many layouts using her sketches, which are fun and easy and very flexible. And she has a great set of designers for each sketch that really do great takes on the sketches. So I was supremely pleased (and quite surprised) that I got invited to do a layout for her latest sketch, #118.

I'm not much for circles (or at least so I thought) but I faced the challenge to do something different and I'm very happy with how the LO turned out. I chose to use some photos from Valentine's Day 2010 (and managed to get another LO done for the 2010 family album ;-) and stuck to a simple colour scheme that went with the occasion and the photos.

Do go over to the Got Sketch? blog and see the other fabulous takes on this cute sketch.

Ready, set... scrap!

2011-05-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

When I scrap away from home, I try to take everything I need with me. I have a set of basic tools that I no longer unpack (so basically I have two of everything), but I do pack up a pile of supplies each time I leave town (which is most weekends). I usually take my Studio Calico kits with me and try to use them up for my LOs, but I also take some of my stash that I just can't live without. Nevertheless, I often return home with unfinished LOs, especially those that I need to print the journaling directly on the page so I need my printer that can print 12x12, or I want to machine stitch on the page.

So here is everything set out, ready to scrap. And no, I didn't set it up just for the photo, this is really how my away-from-home scrapping workspace looks, before I start scrapping. Actually this is how my at-home scrapnook desk used to/would look if it weren't covered in MESS. Ack.

1a - large cutting mat, 1b - small cutting mat. You really only need one. I usually travel with the pink one but I had the large gray one there already.
2a - regular sized trimmer, 2b - small trimmer. I really like this particular small trimmer so I've resurrected it to use for smaller pieces of paper (like when I'm cutting journaling strips) and photos.
Large circle punch. I hardly use this but I took it with me because I need it for something specific. There are so many sizes of circle punch, but you can also use a circle cutter and if you have a die cutting machine then you don't need any punches at all.
Border punches. 4a are Fiskars, 4b are EK Success. I loooove border punches. If had the space and the money I would buy so many more.
Buttons
Brads
Twine
Mists (liquid paint in a spray bottle)
Label stickers
Patterned paper & card stock (in an Iris case)
Embellishments -- stickers, epoxy brads & ribbons
Thickers (alphabet stickers)
Corner punch
Glue dots
various adhesives -- glue sticks, liquid glue
scissors
tweezers
hole piercer
laptop

And here's one of the LOs I did yesterday:

This LO will go in the 2010 family album. I painted the green & brown thickers (they were originally white foam) with acrylic paint. I love this new trick of mine :-) And I handcut the pennant banner. I've been doing that for quite a few LOs lately.

Lately I've been a Saturday scrapper and a Sunday blogger, I'm realizing. I'm just glad I'm getting to scrap/blog at all as life is so hectic and busy (though I wish it weren't and I'm constantly trying to figure out how to decelerate everything.) But I should have a little surprise early next week, so I just may have to do a mid-week post. Hope you'll pop back in to have a look-see. Until then, take care.

Believe

2011-05-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

I got to do a few pages yesterday and this morning. Oh how I've missed scrapping regularly. Have I mentioned lately that I love scrapbooking?

Trying out some new "things" with this page:

Journaling straight on the photo, photos that don't really have anything to do with the page (though I love the photos), and the colour purple (I have a purple phobia because my high school uniform was a purple polyester skirt--five years of that is enough to give anyone an aversion). And a 8.5x11 just because (as opposed to my previous 8.5x11s which were for my workshop).

The inspiration was a gorgeous LO by Melanie Louette. It was so simple and beautiful. I don't feel like I've done it justice with my page at all, so I will probably try scraplifting it again. The saying that I've used as journaling I saw on Keshet's blog. It's my mantra these days so I really wanted to do a LO with it.

Important note about this LO: see those thickers? They were originally plain white foam. When I bought them I had the idea that I might be able paint them whatever colour I wanted, and I was right. I used my big daughter's acrylic paint (at full thickness; watered down didn't work) and it dried in no time. I feel most innovative having done this ;-) Could be a little neater, but I'm not a perfectionist... .

Thanks for your visit and (as per the quote on my LO), may you be calm and satisfied in the belief that there is purpose in where you are right now, whereever that may be. Lehitra'ot.

Favourite stuff

2011-05-13T17:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking about all my favourite things. I think it's maybe because my brain cells are too depleted to think about much else than what's at the very surface. I even did a LO about it (but too personal to share here... heeee... ).

One of my absolute favourite scrapbooking related things lately is Picasa for the collages. It is so easy. I can't believe how easy it is. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this. (I know Helen! You can go right ahead and say, "I told you so"!) Here is one of many collage LOs I've been doing lately:

So since I'm on the topic of favourites, these are the scrapbookers whose pages I love. Many of them their style is different from mine and I don't aspire to do pages like theirs. But I get so inspired seeing the amazing LOs they do and I am in awe of their creativity and originality.

Sasha Farina -- her LOs are breathtaking, I literally gasp when I see them. She is also really funny! I love her blog. If you want something to brighten your day just look at this post.

Piradee Talvanna -- her eye for detail is amazing. Her LOs are just perfect. There's an Asian scrapbooking style, don't you think? It's very refined and precise and perfect, even when there's lots going on in terms of embellishments and patterns.

Keshet Shenkar -- so authentic, and she has this inimitable flair.

Amy Tangerine -- her LOs are so fun and quirky and bright and colourful.

Jody Wenke -- clean and simple and just stunning. And she is such a sweet person.

Susan Weinroth -- I can spot her LOs from a mile away. Her use of colour and her eye for design are so original and nice to look at. I wish she had had her baby before I had mine so I could copy her baby pages (which she's keeping up with--it's too late for me.) And she takes great photos.

Jamie Harder -- how she puts out one gorgeous LO after another is just incredible. And the photographs she takes of her girls are what I aspire to for photos of my own kids.

Lucy Edson -- so many lovely elements go on her pages, and they all work together so well. Her pages are far more ornate than mine would ever be, but they are so beautiful.

Other favourite scrappy stuff

Tool -- Fiskars Threading Water border punch-- if I was limited to one punch alone this would be it.

Paper manufacturers -- American Crafts and My Mind's Eye.

New trend/product -- mists! I have over ten of them after promising myself I would not jump on the misting bandwagon, but they are so much fun.

Embellishment -- buttons! Funny because I was not a button person up until about a year ago and now I'm crazy about them.

I'm sure there's more favourite stuff but this is what's coming to mind right now.

Kinda random, I know. That's my brain these days. My husband is sure I have ADD. It's driving him nuts.

So that's all for me today. Thanks for popping by.

A scrappy weekend :-)

2011-05-08T18:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was National Scrapbooking Day, though I notice a couple of people adding "inter" in front of National, which suits me just fine. Dana, a new scrappy IRL friend (who found me online), suggested an all-day crop, so that's just what we did. We got together with some other IRL scrappy friends of mine (who I taught to scrapbook and who are now scrapbooking divas) at one of their office's large meeting rooms which had a huge table that we could spread out on. We each brought a dish for potluck and scrapped all day. It was great. I got to use other people's tools, like Dana's stitching templates, and to get advice from others on my LOs.

The design inspiration for both of these was a wonderful LO by Tina Cockburn in Ella's Scrapbooking the Every Day (my favourite Ella eBook ever). This design (and I did another single pager like it) is great for packing lots of photos on to a page without resorting to a plain ole' grid, and it's so simple.

I did 2 double pagers, and 2.75 single page LOs. Whoo hoo! And then today is mother's day--not a big fan of this "holiday"--but I took a little time for myself and did a little bit of scrapping too. So it's been a great scrappy weekend.

My big "to-do" challenge right now is finishing up my big daughter's 2010 scrapbook album. It is huge and I still have quite a bit to do. I still have a few pages of my personal 2010 album to do too. I can't even remember if I finished the 2010 family album... ack... I'm all over the place, aren't I? Besides having so little time to scrap, I can barely focus on what I need to do to get it all done. And let's not even mention the twins' albums... aye yi yi... .

What I was thinking

2011-05-05T21:00:00.004-05:00

My layout is featured over at write.click.scrapbook today! Keshet did a post on hidden journaling, and my LO is there to help illustrate.

A scraplift of Vicki Boutin's darling LO. Everything from the gorgeous Studio Calico April 2011 kit Singin' in the Rain, along with the Happy Refrain and Tap Dance add-ons. There is some hidden journaling behind the entire thing, see that little tab that says "year"? Pull that up and it's there. It's about my decision last year to take a sabbatical from my job, so very personal and probably not all that interesting actually. This is for my 2010 personal album (a journey of a thousand miles...).

Until next time friends... .

Anatomy of a scrapbook layout (kind of a beginner's tutorial)

2011-05-04T09:00:00.014-05:00

I got such a great response to those two info posts I did on tools and supplies, so I'm doing a follow up. I certainly would have benefited from something like this when I first started scrapbooking and didn't have a clue what I was doing.

So here's a regular scrapbook layout (LO). Nothing super special, I know, but it has some darling photos of my sweet boy that I just love. Once I had finished the page--and this one came together quite quickly, as it's fairly simple) I realized that I had stayed true to what I said about the things I use most when I'm scrapping.

So we have kraft cardstock, which you can see a peek of; I used it to back the two sheets of patterned paper that I cut and adhered to each other (with glue stick and scotch tape tabs) because the patterned paper would have been too thin to support the photos and embellishments. There's also a strip of off-white cardstock with which I punched a border that runs across the page.

There are the alphabet stickers--I mixed two, thickers and some other letter stickers. In the top left corner is a chipboard star that I misted to add a little colour to it (it was unpainted), first I misted it white, then when that was dry I added a layer of green. (I could have used regular paint, which I often do, but I didn't have any on hand when I was doing this page, though I wouldn't use mist on chipboard again as it made it very soft.) I put a brad through it, which both fastened it to the page and added a little more embellishment. To the right are three buttons, one with brown & white baker's twine. And then in the bottom left corner are some journaling stickers.

I used glue stick to stick paper to paper, glue dots to stick the buttons and the chipboard star, and sticky tabs to adhere the photos to the white cardstock mats. I used my paper piercer to get the holes to put the brad through and to pierce the holes for the twine to pass through. And I used my tweezers to handle the letter stickers (the ones that say "gets a").

So there you have it. I hope this gives a little insight into how to do this for those of you are just starting out. Happy scrapbooking!

Pretty paper and some glue (and giveaway winner!)

2011-05-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

OK, first things first. Sorry I'm a bit late with the giveaway winner but better late than never... and it's...

Keshet you lucky lady! I love Keshet and her pages so I'm so happy you won. Please email me your mailing address so I can send you the stickers. I can't wait to see what you do with them!

And now, back to regularly scheduled programming...

Scrappy quote for the day: "It's crafty and it's an outlet, but you don't need an art degree or artistic skill. Just glue it down." So says the owner of a scrapbooking store. This is one of the things I love about scrapbooking: it's accessible to those of us who aren't particularly artistically talented but still have a creative self that, when expressed, makes us feel so good. I'm no good at cooking, gardening, sewing, painting, drawing, etc. But with some pretty paper and some glue I can create things that I think are beautiful and I can express myself this way.

Right so we're in spring training, aren't we?* There is an awesome lesson today on photography and finding the light which is just perfect timing for me because my first assignment for the online portrait photography class I'm also taking (eek!) is due today and I haven't done it yet but I was waiting on this baby, which I just collected this morning.

Heeeeeee! Remember I said I was going to state my intention for this lens and wait for it to manifest itself? Well it did just that. My super sweet DH gave me a lovely pair of earrings for Christmas. I'm not much for jewelry and I had tried as best as I could to let him know that he wasn't to get me anything for Xmas. He's a retailer so Christmas for him is the busiest and most stressful time of the year, so I've always known not to expect anything from him, and that's fine. Last year I bought myself a Slice with his credit card and gave it to him to wrap and put under the tree; I opened it on Christmas morning and oohed and aahed and thanked him profusely and everyone was happy. True story.

But sometimes he feels guilty and gets a last minute gift. Very sweet of him, I know. Anyway, the earrings were lovely, but the catch on one of them was broken, so right after Christmas I took it back to the store for them to fix it. About three months later they called me to tell me to come in to choose another pair of earrings. I spent over an hour in the store and couldn't find a single thing I wanted so I persuaded them to give me a refund... and that's how I got my lens. Long story, but just goes to show the power of stating your intentions. That's my take on it at least.

And last but not least, a layout to share:

This was the third version of Sheri Reguly's gorgeous LO in Scrapbook & Cards Today that I had set as the challenge for my Latin American expat ladies' scrapbooking club last month. I did two takes on it already; this is my favourite. Sheri's LO has really gotten me into using white on my pages. I love the fresh pop it gives everything.

The ladies meet again this week and I am thinking of what I'm going to teach them this time. Any ideas anyone?

Hasta la proxima amigas.

*Today is day seven of Ella's Spring Training! Everyone is free to participate in their daily blog challenge and giveaway. You can still register for FULL access to all past and present videos, downloads, and bonus content here. Price just reduced to $30 for those joining during week two!

Ella Spring Training (better late than never!)

2011-04-27T15:30:00.000-05:00

So with all this blog makeovering I've been doing I have been neglecting some of my other scrapbooking duties, including sharing with you all that Ella is staging a fabulous Spring Training exercise!

Here's what's on offer:

● Four expert coaches (Angie Lucas on journaling, Wendy Smedley on inspiration, Tammy Tutterow on techniques, and Kelly Willette on photography)

● 12 exclusive videos (one per day) featuring coached training exercises (watch for 10 minutes, "exercise" for 10 minutes)

● A daily layout challenge based on the daily exercise

● Daily giveaways from the event sponsors (including Big Picture Classes, Jenni Bowlin, Little Yellow Bicycle, and more)

● Exclusive downloads and offers

● Access to the videos for a full 60 days after the event ends

Today is actually day three (day one was Wednesday) but you can still sign up here and use code SPRING33 to save $7 on your registration.

So here's the schedule for:
WEEK 1

Mon 4/25	Inspiration	Embrace Your Signature Style
Tue 4/26	Journaling	Say it in One Sentence
Wed 4/27	Photography	Portraits vs. Moments: how to capture both
Thu 4/28	Technique	Distressing
Fri 4/29	Inspiration	Learn from the Advertising Pros
Sat 4/30	Journaling	Adjective Exploration

And there's more! I have some codes for discounts on some awesome Ella ebooks for you. I have all of these books and I love them. Since today's lesson is about photography, the book on offer is 40 Top Tips for Better Photos and the discount code is PHOTOTRICKS. So just go to the Ella store and add the book to your cart and when you get to check out you enter the code and get $1 off. Cool, eh?

You can also still get discounts on Monday's and Tuesday's books. Monday's was 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers (discount code HAPPYSPRING) and Tuesday's was Journaling that Matters (discount code HAPPYJOURNAL).

You have until May 15 to use these codes, by the way.

I'm also participating, and so here's my day one LO (signature style) as well as some attempts I've been making at taking better portraits of my kidlets (as per day three).

Whew! That was a lot, but this is spring training now, isn't it?

Wait, one more thing! Please enter my little blog giveaway--entries close this Friday so there's still time.

Over and out ;-)

I'd love to know... and a giveaway too

2011-04-26T06:00:00.007-05:00

Scrappy quote of the day:

"If my pages feel right to me, if I adore them when I look at them, and I have fun doing them, that’s all that really matters as far as style to me." So said Carrie Ferrier.

Amen!

So... notice anything different? (If you're reading this in your reader, click on over won'tcha?)

WHAT DO YOU THINK?!

But actually, what I really want to know is about you. I saw Francine's (Callaloo Soup) post asking about who's reading her blog, and I thought, I want to know that too. So please, do tell me, how did you find my blog, and what do you like best about it (if anything... heeeee)?

And if you need a little incentive to answer all those questions, how about two packs of American Crafts Remarks dimensional stickers? Brand new, not only in that they are still in the package, etc., but also just released by American Crafts. Heeeee :-)

I'll choose, at random, one commenter on this post and I will mail you the stickers wherever in the world you are.

I'll pick the winner on Friday 29 April, 2011.

And here's a little LO I did with these same stickers, but I switched out and added some pearls which I thought went better with the photos.

So do tell! I'd really love to know!

Basic scrapbooking supplies, part 2

2011-04-20T17:30:00.002-05:00

I've taken up France's (bananafish) suggestion to do a part 2 to my post on essential tools for scrapbooking.

These are the tools and supplies that I use regularly, though they are not absolutely essential for scrapbooking.

Cardstock. This is the most basic basic. You have to have something to adhere your photos to and regular paper is not strong enough.
Patterned paper. A basic, yes, but there are many beautiful scrapbook LOs that don't use patterned paper (aka PP). PP is one of my favourite aspects of this hobby though. I used to love interior decorating/design but it's kinda hard to sustain that as a hobby (ya know?) and PP really sates that desire to play with colour and pattern.
Alphabets. My favourite is Thickers but I use other brands too. Thickers has a huge range of styles and colours though.
Twine. I use embroidery thread a lot (cheap and easily available here in Jamaica also) with my buttons but I love baker's twine and recently stocked up on a couple of samplers.
Stickers. Another of my favourite parts of this hobby is the cute stickers. I am partial to flowers, birds and butterflies.
Diamonds and pearls. A must have for me. I love the little touch that they can add to a LO. My favourite way of using them is in a little row of three.
Rub-ons. I don't use them a lot, but I count them among my regular supplies.
Mists. I tried to resist the misting trend but recently caved in and now have over 10 (I know... they're addictive). I don't use them a whole lot but that's partly because I have hardly been scrapping lately. Nevertheless I like having them!
Border punches. I included one in my first post as an essential. There are so many different shapes and patterns to choose from. I love them and if I had the money and the space to store them I would buy more. I use them on almost every LO.
Shape punches. I have a few butterflies and hearts, circles and squares. I don't use them all that often but I'm glad I have them (and my daughter uses them a lot lol). But I should say that if you go for a diecutting machine, shape punches are pretty much redundant. I have a Slice which I love, but hardly use because it gives me so much trouble. I'm contemplating the Making Memories' offer to trade in for a Slice Elite though.
Paper flowers. Very versatile, very economical. Use them with brads.
Brads. I love brads and use them a lot on my pages. I have a bucket full and can always use more.
Buttons. I am a recent convert to buttons and now I use them on almost every page. I especially love that they are one of the few supplies I can get here in Jamaica, and they're cheap.

Having said all this, I must say that there are a few challenges for the beginner scrapbooker with all these supplies.

Cost. Though I firmly believe that scrapbooking tools and supplies give great bang for the buck -- you could literally get a good range of every single thing I've listed here for the cost of a session with a psychiatrist (and I know this because I know psychiatrists here and in the USA and I know what they charge), that doesn't mean it isn't a small chunk-a-change. And times are hard.
Accessibility. This is particularly a challenge here in Jamaica. There is one place that sells a very small selection of papers and stickers, but they are very dated and very sporadic in restocking. You can order online but then there's the challenge of getting it here. If you ship it here you end up paying for it twice (calculate 100% of the cost of your items for shipping and import taxes). Of course if you are travelling you can get it yourself, but not all of us travel all that often. Or you can order online and ask someone you know coming to Jamaica to bring it for you, though that's a huge favour to ask of anyone. So this is a big challenge.
Storage. Finding a place to keep all this stuff, much less keep it sorted, is tough. I am lucky to have a small but dedicated scrapbooking space so I can have all these things on my desk or within arm's reach (which right now is a disastrous mess in part because I don't have enough space/place for everything). It is unlikely that a beginner would have such a space or would consider making such an investment. When I first started scrapping (with NONE of this stuff) I had to unpack and pack up every time I scrapped and that was a chore and a serious disincentive.

There's one thing missing from here that many scrapbookers would consider essential: stamps and ink. I am not a stamper. I have tried. I love how cute stamps are. But they are not for me.

I'm sure most of you reading this already know all this, but you never know if someone might find this useful, eh? And I can and probably will use it in another beginner's workshop (if I ever do another one!)

Hasta la proxima!

All-you'll-ever-need tools for scrapbooking

2011-04-19T21:00:00.001-05:00

When I saw France's (bananafish) blogpost with the picture of her tools, I just knew I had to do one too. Unfortunately my photo isn't as crystal clear and sharp as hers (if I have the time and am so inclined I might re-shoot it), but it'll do for now. I figured that besides eye candy, this might be useful when people ask me what tools they need for scrapbooking (which happens often enough), and also, if the day ever comes that I realize my dream of a little scrapbooking business, this would be the contents of the basic tools kit. I'd put all these together in a cute and colourful canvas tote, like this one (made from remnants of upholstery fabrics from years past).

I literally emptied by travelling box and bag to take this photo. So these are the things I actually use, what I can't scrap without.

1. A craft/self-healing mat. Brand not important. I have a large one on my desk and this one is for taking with.

2. A trimmer. I like this Fiskars one well enough. I had two fancy schmancy Making Memories ones, one which just went wonky on me and I had to throw it out (ouch). I really still like my first trimmer, the Cutterpede, especially since you can change the blades on it, but the swing out arm keeps breaking. I've had three break now. EK sent me two replacements for free but they haven't replied to my last email asking them if they'd even sell me another couple replacements. I also didn't like that you have to change the mats all the time, but that's not a big deal.

3. A ruler. I have many rulers. This one that is metal with a cork back is a craft ruler which I actually think is helpful because the plastic one I usually use the edges are getting jagged from getting nicked by the craft knife. I bought this EK Success one years ago, I can't find it online now.

4. A sharpener. I like the metal ones.

5. A pencil. Any pencil you like.

6. A border punch. I have about 8 border punches, and this one, Threading Water, is my favourite. I use it most often. Not an absolutely essential tool, perhaps, but I use mine often enough that I would hate to have to scrap without it.

7. A paper piercer. The one pictured is the one I've had for a while now. But it's annoying because whenever you take the cover off the stylus with the piercer comes out and you have to put it back in. But it does the job just fine. I just got a new one, but it doesn't have a cover for the pointy tip. This old one lives in my travel box.

8. Craft tweezers. I've tried others, and the Tweezerbees are my favourites.

9. A craft knife is an essential for me. I've tried different brands, and my favourite is my original Fiskars, but I also like this Martha Stewart one.

10. A corner punch. One of the first tools I bought and an essential. I don't think brand really matters.

11-17 are all adhesives. And I have a couple of others on my desk. This is just what travels with me. There are a lot of adhesives on the market. The ones I use I use because I somehow started using them and I like them so I keep using them. I have no doubt that the other stuff on the market is just as good. With the exception of Elmer's blue glue stick which does not work. I would be willing to try others too, except that what I have works pretty well for me, so I have no compelling reason to search out anything new. Each adhesive is used for different things, depending on what I'm sticking to what.

11. Sticker tabs for sticking photographs to cardstock. I use this Vario dispenser and have pretty much from day one when I didn't have a clue about scrapbooking and a seasoned scrapbooker, who at the time had a store which sold a few EKSuccess tools, recommended this to me. I like it well enough. But the refills are pricey.

12. I use scotch tape tabs a lot, mainly to cover the backs of brads so that they don't damage whatever is underneath. Also if I'm doing a 2-page LO I tape the two pages together while I'm working on it, and it comes off quite easily when I'm done.

13. I use pretty much any glue stick (except Elmers blue one) for sticking paper to paper. I used to be able to get Avery glue sticks in bulk at our version of Costco, and those worked fine, but they haven't had it in ages, so I just pick up whatever I can here and there.

14. I love these glue dots for stuff like buttons and other things that are proving tricky to stick down. They are sticky. ie you cannot remove them once they're pressed down firmly. They come in different sizes and specifications. I have, I think, all of them (glue lines, mini dots, poster, removable, and there are more) but this one is the one I use the most, so it gets to go in the travel box.

15. American Crafts recently came out with these This to That adhesives. There are three, and I usually buy the three pack. Though I use them interchangably, the one I like best is the one with the line of glue (not pictured here, it's light green), which I use for sticking down ribbon or other things that are not sticking down easily with glue stick. I use these adhesives sparingly though as they are pricey.

16. A glue pen for a thin line of liquid glue that when it dries is quite effective. I like this EK one okay, though I've also used the Martha Stewart one and it works well too.

17. A slim glue stick, it comes in a kind of pen form. I don't see these all that often and always pick up a couple when I do.

18. Scissors. I have about six pairs on my desk, but these Cutterbees are my favourites and are what go in my travel box.

19. Not a scrapbooking essential, but a must-have for me--lip balm. I have these everywhere I frequent in my home.

I should have included a journaling pen. But really once it's acid free, you can't go wrong with virtually any fine tip felt marker.

All of this that you see here, including a marker, all together will run you about US$100. Sounds like a lot, and it is a lot to outlay all at once. But once you have this stuff (with the exception of the adhesives which you have to replace as you use them up), you're set. And these tools will bring you so much use (and joy!) over and over again. It really is worth investing in them.

Not like I need to convince anyone reading this blog about that though, right...?

Another peek at a little piece of my island

2011-04-17T06:00:00.007-05:00

My in-real-life photography class wrapped up last Thursday. I am sad it's over already. I just want to be learning more about photography, any and every aspect. Not that I feel like I really learned all that much from this class, but the field trips were fun, and it got me thinking more about composition, (and I bought a book on it), which is something I haven't given much thought or put much effort into up until now.

But it's okay that it's over because I've signed up for another class which starts on Monday!!! It's a four week online class in portrait photography with Candice Stringham. I've wanted to do this class FOREVER, and I am so excited I'm getting to do it, and the timing is perfect. This will be my third photography course for the year. And starting two weeks later I start a beginner's Photoshop class. Woo hoo! I am so glad I am able to pursue this goal that I had set for myself.

And if all goes well, on the heels of this I should be able to do some one day workshops with two well-known Jamaican photographers who are not only doing photography classes, but also plan on doing some Lightroom and Photoshop-for-photographers classes. Wow, if that really happens... talk about dreams coming true!

More and more I am convinced about the power of stating one's intentions... .

Here are the eleven best shots from the last field trip I took with my class. These were taken in St. Mary, about an hour's drive from where I am in Kingston. Where you see the marker on the map of Jamaica.

Here I am, intrepid photographer...

This is on the road along to Robin's Bay, a bit before Port Maria.

This young fellow modeled for all of us, showing us his preferred spots to pose. Cute!

Not sure why, but I was compelled to take a photo of this little old shed. One of my classmates also selected a photo of this for her slideshow.

These are Indian cattle. I'm sure there's a more scientific name for them, but that's what one of the members of the class, who grew up on a farm told us. Apparently they're very stroppy and like to break down fences and run away and so on, so they are not very desirable.

I edited this shot of the cows with PW "heartland" action.

This is St. Mary Parish Church, the Anglican church in Port Maria, built in 1861.

We ended at Pagee Beach in Port Maria, a fishing beach mainly, but also okay for swimming, though the water was a bit rough.

We timed the trip to end up on the beach with the evening sun just before it set. It was absolutely gorgeous. I so wished I had my own kids there to photograph them in that exquisite light. But since they weren't there, I found some other cute kidlets instead ;-)

This is the mom of the three kids.

So now I want to get my kids on a beach just before sunset to photograph them.

I love the name of this boat!

Stereotypical beach shot, I know, but I couldn't resist.

Those colours are real! That's what evening sun on a beach does!

So that's another little taste of Jamaica for you.

I'd love to know, just out of curiousity and if you care to say, what's your impression of Jamaica from these photos?

Thinking of making some changes (what say you?)

2011-04-15T18:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still here! I just haven't been scrapping much. Not for lack of desire to scrap, but primarily lack of time and also lack of energy. Sigh, life. And when I don't scrap, I don't blog. I do have a couple LOs I did a couple of weeks ago that I never got to share though, so without further ado...

These are both scraplifts of Sheri Reguly's gorgeous LO in Scrapbook & Cards Today. I had given this LO as the assignment for the Latin American expat ladies' scrapbooking club, to introduce the concept of scraplifting to them. So the task was everyone was to do their own take on it.

I did a third one of the big daughter, but I have a couple finishing touches to put on it before it's done.

So I've been thinking of making some changes around here. I'm not sure if I want to continue going by the moniker "Lonely Scrapbooker". I'm not lonely anymore (yay!) and I want the name of the blog to be more aligned with the spiritual and therapeutic aspects of scrapbooking that are so important to me. You know, the whole "from the heart" thing. Plus there's that blog makeover I've been dreaming of since early last year that I gave up on after a few failed attempts at it.

Just some thoughts... what do you think? I would love any feedback anyone cares to give on this.

A bientot mes amies.

The healing power of scrapbooking

2011-04-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

I had no idea when I started scrapbooking that it would be such a positive force in my life. And it didn't hit me all of a sudden, it was more of a gradual dawning on me that I felt so good while I was doing it, and I felt so refreshed and centred afterwards.

Now that I am so much more tuned in to the notion of scrapbooking as therapy, I keep coming across articles about this. Here's a family counselor:

People have long used journals to record feelings and thoughts. We use scrapbooking and crafts as a tool to record memories. Putting the two together in art journaling is a therapeutic tool I use in my private practice with clients which is not only enlightening but also a vehicle for releasing stress and working through life’s inevitable struggles. Using expressive journaling with creative art is a powerful way to allow for connection building and profound learning about you and your inner self. It allows for time to create and for time to process. Guidance from your inner self is not only healing but extremely helpful as you heal. It is very therapeutic.

Besides this blog (which very few people in my real life know about, not because I'm ashamed of it or anything, but just because I don't think they'll get it) I also share a few of my scrapbook pages on facebook. I'm very selective about what I share there, because I know that facebook is not private, no matter how you have your settings, because people who are your "friends" can post your photos to their profile where their friends can see them, etc. So I only put up the pages I would be comfortable with "any and everybody" seeing. However, it has been a great way to "spread the word" about scrapbooking to people who either have never heard of it or who don't really know what it's about. In fact, my first workshops were for facebook friends who saw my pages and asked me to teach them.

One friend who has seen my LOs on FB (who is no longer living in Jamaica) has for a long time been telling me that I've inspired her to scrapbook, and she has finally gotten started (everything in its right time...). Here's what she said:

"Scrapbooking has brought me so much joy and ignited my self-expression, it has affected my life in ways I could never have imagined.. . This has been amazingly effective and efficient therapy! In less than 3 weeks, I feel myself changing. Incredible."

Another friend, one of the Latin American expat ladies who meet every month, wrote me an email after the last get-together to say (this is my translation from her spanish, but this is the main gist of it):

"I value scrapbooking a lot and it has helped me a great deal, above all in these difficult moments since I lost my father. From my heart I thank you because scrapbooking has turned into my therapy and my escape, I disconnect from the world when I am scrapbooking up to the point of working until two in the morning."

Isn't that incredible?

And I do have a LO to share too:

I used mainly the Studio Calico March 2011 kit "Into the Woods" + the "Wildflower" add-on, (it's a gorgeous kit; I love it) but I also pulled bits and pieces from other SC kits. Once it was yellow it was in! I am at the "outpost" so am very limited in my available stash which I am trying to not feel frustrated about. I have this situation where I have the best scrapping situation at the outpost--right in the middle of the kids so they can play and I can scrap pretty much all day on a Saturday--but all my stash is in Kingston, so I am limited to what I bring with me, which is usually about 6 SC kits. And I forgot my butterfly punch which I really missed. Argh. Anyway it's a good way for me to use up my kits which are piling up as I am not scrapping nearly as much as I would like to (because of lack of time, mainly.)

As for the design... well this is truly inspiration from all over. I'm now using pinterest, which I am liking so much. I basically scrolled through the LOs I have pinned there (I only just got the account, so this is just recent inspiration pages I've saved) and took bits and pieces from different LOs. But I knew I wanted to do something with lots of little bits and pieces in clusters, and I knew I wanted it to be super sweet and pretty because I love that photo of my big girl so much. (She loves the page, especially because I used some plastic beads that came off one of her hair accessories on it.)

And the journaling was inspired by a blogpost by the mega-talented Lucy Edson. I've been journaling challenged recently, actually... I think my brain is just tired.

I didn't mean for this to be such a long post, but I guess that's what happens when I don't post for a while! Thanks for reading through to the end. A bientot.

Jenny Alfonso come on down!

2011-03-28T18:15:00.016-05:00

I drew the winner of the Ella eBook Scrapbooking the Everyday: 34 fresh new ways to celebrate your daily life by Elizabeth Dillow and Tina Cockburn.

Congrats Jenny! Please leave me a comment on this post with your email address so I can email you about how to claim your prize.

The best Ella eBook yet! Bloghop and giveaway!

2011-03-21T05:00:00.046-05:00

Hi everyone who's hopped to my blog from my Ella Friend Francine Clouden's blog. And if Francine didn't send you, welcome anyway ;-) Today we are doing an Ella blog hop and giveaway to celebrate what is shaping up to be the Ella Friends' favourite eBook ever.

I loved Ella and bought their eBooks from their very first publication. In fact, theirs is the only design team I've ever applied to, because I so identify with their scrapbooking ethos of authentic, beautiful, simple scrapbooking. That said, their latest eBook, Scrapbooking the Everyday: 34 fresh new ways to celebrate your daily life by Elizabeth Dillow and Tina Cockburn, is my favourite yet.

I have a long list of LOs to do based on the challenges in the book, plus just some plain ole' scraplifting of the amazing scrapbook pages that Elizabeth and Tina have shared.

This is my take on one of the pages that caught my eye and captured my heart. Elizabeth Dillow had a similar LO in the book that I fell in love with:

This is a pretty close scraplift. I liked her LO so much I wanted one just like it! ;-)

I have a copy of this great book to give away, to one lucky person who comments on this post and tells me about a favourite everyday moment they are going to do a scrapbook page about. I will draw a winner next week Monday 28 March.

Next stop on the blog hop is the lovely May Flaum. Go see her LO which will give you another peek into this wonderful eBook, and get another chance to win!

Here's every one (all the Ella Friends in the bloghop); they each have a copy of the book to giveaway, so you have many chances to win today.

Come join me for a walk in downtown Kingston

2011-03-20T11:30:00.002-05:00

My photography class's first field trip was to downtown Kingston, the old hub of the city where I was born and grew up. Though I go to places in downtown often, I have never walked around amid the hustle and bustle of that part of my city. So in many ways I felt like a tourist in my own town. It was for me a wonderful morning. The vibe of the city is so electric and the personalities of the people and just of the place is so captivating. I really just felt so alive to be there. So, if you have a few minutes, join me on my excursion...

Just for a little context, here's a map of Kingston. I've marked with an X the area I was in downtown. The other X near the top of the map, at Constant Spring, is the area that I live in. It takes about 15-20 minutes driving, with no traffic, to get from Constant Spring to downtown.

This map is a bit closer up of the area that I was in and where the photos were taken. I started at the waterfront where the X at the bottom is. I then went north to the green square, that is Parade, and there are two Xs there. Then west from Parade to the last X where the Coronation Market is.

One last thing I want to mention: all of the people in the photographs gave me permission to photograph them or actually asked me to photograph them. It seems that Jamaicans are hyper sensitive to being photographed, I'm not sure why, though I have some guesses.

This is the downtown Kingston waterfront. It is very beautiful but due to a number of complex reasons, mostly deserted. This man was fishing with a line for bait.

He seemed to have been fishing for the older man who was sitting next to him.

This gentleman appears to "live" on the waterfront and this appears to be his companion.

This is his bedding and his bag of possessions on the bench nearby.

Just a reminder that we're in the tropics!

On his way to work, perhaps?

I'm not sure what this is but I think it has something to do with state-owned oil refinery, Petrojam (since it had a big Petrojam sign on it ;-)

Looking uptown.

After decades of economic stagnation, exacerbated by the fallout of the global economic downturn that began in 2008, there is very little growth or construction outside of the tourism industry in Jamaica. This large construction project, the building of the new headquarters of Digicel, a mobile phone provider and one of the largest companies in Jamaica, is seen as a beacon of hope for downtown, which is on the cusp of a massive and much needed rebirth & revitalization.

This fellow appears to be reflecting ahead of his day. Or perhaps after his night? The sunflare here was too yummy to resist.

Traffic is starting to pick up.

This fellow was very articulate as well as very photogenic. When you talk to him, and some other homeless people downtown, you recall that our problem isn't so much one of homelessness as it is one of lack of support for people with mental illness. Many of the homeless people you see have families and homes but those families don't have the necessary support to manage their relatives who have mental illnesses.

This is his "home" and his possessions.

My photography instructor and two classmates photographing him. He loved being the centre of attention.

Having left the waterfront we move north towards Parade, a central point of downtown Kingston.

This is the Kingston Parish Church, and right in front of it, a poster advertising a "Hot Wuk" dance.

Scenes around Parade.

The ad on this bus is for Claro, the Mexican-based telecommunications company that came to Jamaica to counter Digicel's incursion into Central America. Just last week it was announced that Digicel and Claro agreed to a swap, where Digicel will buy out Claro here in Jamaica and Claro will buy out Digicel in Central America. Which leaves us with a near monopoly. We might wish we could still see these ads on buses in a year or two. The bus is in front of the Ward Theatre, a historic building.

Right beside the theatre, in the midst of people moving about, another homeless person.

A statue of Norman Washington Manley, one of Jamaica's seven national heroes and considered one of independent Jamaica's founding fathers.

Every colour shoelace for sale here.

Jamaican costumes for sale. Both the traditional bandanna and the flag-colours are popular for children to wear on national holidays for school functions, etc.

This young man asked me to photograph him, so I did.

A broken water pipe. Everyone walking past it commented on how it had been broken for days and the water was wasting away.

A fire engine racing to the scene of the crisis.

Kingston is actually quite a clean city. I'm figuring that this garbage just hasn't been collected yet.

On the way to the covered market there are hundreds of vendors set up on the sidewalks selling just about everything.

Meals on wheels. This guy makes fried egg + sausage + plantain sandwiches.

Closer to the market the fresh produce is what's on offer.

Buying and selling thyme, escallion, sweet peppers, beetroots, irish potatoes and green bananas.

It's otaheite apple season and the apples are everywhere. They are so yummy but have virtually no shelf life. Buy them today eat them by tomorrow. So I don't think they're exportable. They're also called pomerac, Malay apple, mountain apple, pomme malac. I think they were brought to the Caribbean originally from Polynesia by Captain Bligh.

Outside the market there is everything just as on the inside. People wander in and out looking for the best deals and the best produce. I went outside looking for Julie mangoes which are just coming into season (a bit early it seems to me) and I couldn't find any inside the market.

Another young man who asked me to take his photo. I got the contact information for everyone who asked me to take their photos. I plan to go back down there in a couple of weeks to shop and I will take the prints with me. Anyone I can't find in person I will mail them at the address they gave me.

Inside the market. The light was tricky but I tried my best. It is newly refurbished and very beautiful. It gladdened my heart to be in there. That area of Kingston has gone through so much trauma that the market's revitalization is much needed. By the way, Digicel sponsored the renovation.

Fresh produce everywhere. Cabbages.

Carrots. Our carrots are knotty but sweet!

This man asked me to take his photo. He told me he wasn't drunk. I had no idea why he said that to me as I didn't ask. Then I smelled his cup... .

This lady is selling yams, a staple food of Jamaicans.

This little boy was taking a nap amidst all the hustle and bustle. His grandma, who was selling in the market, lamented that he wasn't awake for me to take his photo. I still snapped away as he was cute even fast asleep.

My new best friend in the market. This guy followed me around the entire time and cracked me up. I may be biased, but there is just something special about Jamaicans and their personalities... . He sells phone cards, including with a mobile credit card machine.

So that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed a peek into a slice of life of my city. This was as much a journey of exploration and adventure for me as I hope it was for you.

Winner of Ella eBook Creative Ideas for Events and Holidays

2011-03-18T10:30:00.024-05:00

According to random.org,

the winner of the great Ella eBook Creative Ideas for Events and Holidays is

Congrats Dana! Please leave a comment on this post with your email address or email me directly so you can claim your prize.

No stress scrapbooking

2011-03-17T05:30:00.002-05:00

I definitely need to NOT stress about how many albums I'm doing and what LOs go where. I'm just going to do the LOs and not think too hard about it. Stress is not allowed anywhere near my scrapbooking! Not like anyone reading this should need convincing, but yet another article recently came out stating that, "scrapbooking is a fun, rewarding hobby to have [and is] a great escape for many busy moms and a creative way to document their family life."

That said, I think this LO will be the "intro page" for big daughter's 2010 album (which I am close to finishing, yay!)

Everything from the gorgeous Studio Calico February 2011 kit, Candy Shoppe + Lollipop add-on, except for the pink ribbon and the trim at the bottom from the January kit. Design inspiration from Jamie Harder (her exact LO that I was inspired by is removed for publication! No surprise there ;-)

I used trinket pins for the first time ever (no worries Helen, I have no regrets ;-) and just feel pretty pleased with myself in general about this LO.

Yay!

PS. There's still one more day to enter the Ella eBook giveaway for the new eBook Creative Ideas for Events and Holidays. I will draw the winner tomorrow mid-morning so come on by!

Hold fast to dreams

2011-03-15T05:30:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about scrapbooking lately, and not only about all the layouts I need to get done and the albums I need to put together. More and more I am convinced of the healing and restorative power of scrapbooking, and what a powerful positive force it can be in a person's life. (And if you still don't believe me, read this thread on Studio Calico about what their monthly kit box means for them.) And I feel like I want to share that with as many people as I can.

Then there is my dream to make a living from spreading the scrapbooking love. Or at least get an income from it that makes it worth my while from an economic perspective. A stand-alone store would not make it here in Jamaica, for a myriad of reasons. So I'm thinking of other possible ways of doing what I love so much and earning something from it. But I've run the numbers and it just doesn't work out. So for now it's not going to happen, but I do believe that we are to hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken winged bird that cannot fly (Langston Hughes).

In the meantime, I'll continue scrapbooking as my hobby (and my therapy.)

And oh what a hobby (and what great therapy) it is. I just love it.

I did this page on Saturday. I spent almost all day scrapping! It was wonderful. I got the initial design inspiration for this LO from Elizabeth Kartchner's sweet page.

I think I am going to do an album for my big daughter after all. I have so many LOs that are very her-specific. Oh me and my album sagas... .

Celebrate life with scrapbooking

2011-03-13T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have to admit, when I first saw the title of the new (well one of the new Ella eBooks), Creative Ideas for Events and Holidays, I wasn't super excited, since I'm moving away from being an events-focussed scrapbooker. Can I just say how wrong I was? This is NOT a book about how to do a cool Christmas page, or how to scrapbook your child's birthday. When they are talking about events and holidays, they are talking about the celebration of life, of your life. I love this book, and all the challenges in it. And the layouts in the book are so inspiring. Pure eye candy, though quite simple and easy to scraplift (very important for me!)

I chose to do the challenge to share the significance of a frequent, favourite outing.

And the good thing is this is one of the 2010 pages that I have been procrastinating on getting done, so this was great motivation to finally do it.

The best news of all though is that I have a copy of this wonderful book to give away to a lucky commenter on this post! Just tell me about a frequent, favourite outing that is special to you. I'll randomly pick a winner from among the commenters on the morning of Friday 18 March.

How do you get a good family portrait? I need to know!

2011-03-11T20:00:00.000-06:00

I'm soooo excited! My in-real-life photography class started Thursday! I just finished the Natural Light 101 online class at Clickin' Moms, which was pretty good. But I have been longing to do a real life class. I had signed up, three times, for a travel/outdoor photography class at one of the only places in Jamaica that offers such courses, but each time they didn't have enough students to actually hold the course. But they've now re-named the class as "intermediate photography" and they have a new bunch of graduates from the beginner photography class.

We had our first class where we sorted out the logistics for our three field trips (squeal!) and talked about the ins and outs of just how we are going to approach our first field trip--a visit to the downtown Kingston Coronation Market (the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean, it was recently refurbished and I have never been there despite living my entire life in this country and indeed in this city!) I might just have to do a photo post if I get some good ones!

Here's the last of the 8.5" x 11" LOs I did for the workshop. I will mount this on a 12x12 sheet of plain cardstock I think. It is just too busy with all the patterns. There's nowhere to rest the eye.

This photograph was an attempt at a family photo, not a serious attempt as one of us wasn't there, but we all got dressed in coordinating colours (planning that was so much fun!) and a friend snapped the photos.

Can I just tell you that it is practically impossible to get small children to cooperate in a family photo? Not long after this we had a professional photographer come and do photos of me, DH & our three kidlets, and good grief we took so many shots and there were only two semi-decent ones where all three children looked passable. Not a single one where all three were looking as sweet & cute as they do in real life and all looking at the camera. Just passable. I had no idea it would be so hard.

I look at so many photographers' blogs and see so many lovely family photographs with beautiful children all smiling nicely and everyone looking relaxed and like they love each other so much, and I wonder, is it the family or is it the photographer? Sigh, if anyone can answer that question for me, please do!

Ursula you won! (Ella Personal Heritage eBook winner)

2011-03-09T08:00:00.012-06:00

I drew the winner of the Ella eBook How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage, and it's Ursula!

Ursula, please leave a comment here with your email address so I can send you your prize. Congrats!

I have another Ella eBook giveaway coming up soon, so do check back to see if you'll be the next lucky winner. !Hasta la proxima!

Sweet, simple & from the heart

2011-03-08T05:00:00.002-06:00

I've figured out how I want to describe my scrapbooking style, it's a lot more concise and rolls of the tongue more easily than what I used to say ("pretty, fairly simple, and meaningful"): sweet, simple & from the heart. I think that sums it up quite nicely, don't you?

And I had another epiphany. Over the weekend I spent hours (thank you beloved DH for giving me some quality kid-free time on Sunday; it was much much needed!) sorting through my LOs to see where I was at for my 2010 albums. I had six piles of scrapbook pages - one for me, one for each of my three children, one for the family, and then one with layouts of the twins together. And I accordingly went through each, put them in order, and made a list of what was missing to make a complete album for them.

That evening, all I could think was, I will never be able to catch up much less keep up if I am doing so many albums. And then it occurred to me: I will just do one album for me, and one album for all the other layouts. One gigantic family album, as it were. If and when the time comes, the three children can battle over who gets them. All of a sudden I felt a proverbial load lift off my shoulders.

So now it's for me to re-collate all the LOs (there are LOTS! Goodness! Did I do so many scrapbook pages last year?!) I will still do first year albums for each twin, but after that, it all gets mixed in to one grand book. I will try to do the same number of layouts for each child (not sure how the LOs of the twins together will factor into that equation, but anywayz...) so noone can say I favoured one over the other (though I'm sure they will anyway).

So that said, here is the cover page of the 2009 "family album".

I used my new mists for the first time. I had been saying for the longest time that I was not going to cave to the trend of mists, but I kept seeing so many beautifulLOs that used them, LOs I wanted to scraplift. So I gave in and bought a few. This of course is very rudimentary misting, but I just wanted to try them out. Plus I was dying to get this page over and done with, so I could wrap up this 2009 album and get on with the 2010 ones!

Everything from the gorgeous Studio Calico February 2011 kit, Candy Shoppe + Lollipop add-on. I have to say, they just keep knocking it out of the park over there at Studio Calico. The March kit add-ons sold out in TWO MINUTES. Yes, two minutes. I got there 1/2 hour after pre-sale reveal thinking that after the made rush of February (when the add-ons also sold out quickly, but I was there at noon on the dot so I got what I wanted) things would be a bit calmer; I was so wrong. Harvard Business School needs to do a case study of SC. I hope April is making bucketloads of money ;-)

There's still time to enter the Ella eBook giveaway!

TTFN

Scrapbooking your personal heritage

2011-03-07T05:00:00.002-06:00

I don't know how they do it, but Ella just keeps turning out one great eBook after another.

I scrap a lot about myself. A lot. I have albums and albums that are, ahem, all about me. Even my family album, if I'm going to be brutally honest, is about me. I do sometimes wonder if I'm overly narcissistic.

Truth is though, I love doing those pages about me. They are great therapy. Like this one where I reflected on an article in O Magazine the other day by Martha Beck that has stuck with me, about listing adjectives that would describe how you want to feel in your dream-come-true scenario. I'd never quite thought of it that way, but I couldn't get it out of my head. So I made a page about it.

Even though I did this LO for the workshop, it is still full of meaning for me. I was being completely honest with the LOs I did for the workshop to try to exemplify what "scrapbooking from the heart" is, and to show how you can put yourself in your pages. I've actually scrapped that photo before but that's ok!

So the new Ella eBook is just up my street, with great challenges for doing layouts that are about you. It was hard to decide which of the challenges in the book to do. They are all so intriguing, and very different from the usual "all about me" pages that I do.

I have the privilege of having a copy of this fabulous eBook to give away to a lucky person who leaves a comment on this post. What are the three adjectives that would describe your perfect life? I'll randomly pick one commenter on Wednesday 9th March, at some time in the morning, so anyone who gets a comment in before then has a chance (one comment per person, please.)

I can't wait to hear what you all have to say!

About this scrapbooking as therapy idea

2011-03-06T06:30:00.002-06:00

I've often said here on the blog and in real life, in a somewhat humorous tone, that scrapbooking is my therapy, and I've likened my scrapbooking to the art therapy that inmates in insane asylums do. I've come more and more to approach scrapbooking as more than recording memories and decorating photographs. It is so much more than that for me, it goes so much deeper.

My recent workshop, Scrapbooking from the Heart, was much more explicitly about the spiritual aspect of scrapbooking, how scrapbooking is a way to reaffirm life's positives and to be present to the good and beautiful things in one's world. (And my friend Dana, who helped me with the workshop, her blog is called Scrapping Therapy! By the way she wrote a wonderful description of the workshop on her blog too.)

But two days ago I had a conversation that has left me more amazed and wondrous about the power of scrapbooking than ever. I had just gotten out of my car in the parking lot of the yoga studio where the workshop was held, and one of the participants who attended with her nine-year old daughter was driving out, and she stopped to chat. I don't know her very well, but Jamaica is a small place, so I know who she is. She told me (as she had that evening at the workshop) that she had brought her daughter so they could have some bonding time, just the two of them. She has two littler girls (2 years old and 3 months) so she wanted to do something special with her big daughter.

I won't go into the minute details of the conversation here, but basically she said that the workshop was wonderful for her daughter, who has been having a tough time with her parents' having split, etc., and how healing it was for her to be there, just her and her mom, playing with treasured photos and pretty things, and thinking about what the photos mean to them, and celebrating that. (My eyes are welling up with tears just writing this.)

Oh my heart. Even after all I've said about scrapbooking as therapy, that completely floored me.

And it's funny, someone at the workshop did say, in a somewhat offhand remark, that I should team up with psychologists and psychiatrists so they can recommend scrapbooking to their patients. I thought, when she said that, yes, good idea. But now I'm like... wow, that could actually be an amazing thing.

Read this, written by a psychologist:

Many people find that the process of choosing special photos and other memorabilia (ie scrapbooking) gives testimony to what matters most.

He goes on to say, inter alia, that by capturing experiences through photography, and then working with paper and crafting tools and embellishments, (or as he says "a variety of sensory modalities",) people can foster self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-analysis; gain a more explicit and overt awareness of the realization of their goals; and more meaningfully and purposefully “connect the dots” of their life experience, and track their life satisfaction.

And this, by an occupational therapist:

Scrapbooking has many qualities that can help restore an overall sense of well being, accomplishment, and self-worth.

And this, from the abstract of an article published in a peer-reviewed academic journal about an application of narrative therapy to counselling programs with children between ages 9 and 12 years that combines the principles of narrative therapy with the industry of scrapbooking to provide children with an enjoyable process that enables them to find a new perspective for some of life's difficulties. In essence it helps a child to externalize problems and eventually regain some optimism for the future. It has been particularly helpful for children with physical disabilities, limiting medical conditions and emotional-behavioural difficulties stemming from known trauma or long-term hardship.

Powerful stuff.

I'll wrap this heavy (but full of so many inspiring ideas!) post up with a couple of the LOs that I did for the workshop.

I set out to do 8.5"x11" pages that used the same number and type of items as I included in the kits--1 sheet of cardstock, 2 sheets of patterned paper (most with patterns on both sides), a journaling tag/label and three embellishments (mainly flowers with brads or stickers); there were packs of alphabets available for titles, as well as extras of everything.

I specifically wanted the pages to have non-event type photographs, because I was keen on imparting the message that scrapbooking doesn't have to be only about birthdays, vacations, and babies' milestones.

This one is off centre, I know! I didn't realize until I had stuck it down with some strong stuff. Ack.

I did pages that were "from the heart". After all, I had to practice what I was preaching.

And I also wanted to include "all about me" LOs to get across the idea of scrapbooking as a way of self-expression and centering oneself and being present.

And finally, I had to keep the pages simple and easy-to-do, so that beginners could easily copy them.

And this isn't all! There are still a couple I will share with you next time. I have to say though that I was amazed at how easy doing one-photo 8.5" x 11" pages was. I also realized while doing these LOs that even though I was doing them according to specs, and specifically for the workshop, and even though I was going to be sharing them with strangers, I could not fudge it. Even if it meant not including some really personal details, I had to be true in what I put on these pages.

This scrapbooking thing... there is so much in it, so, so much... .

More on photography and accomplishing 2011 goals

2011-03-03T12:00:00.000-06:00

Besides the online photography course I'm now taking, I also have a book specific to my new camera. The book is Canon 7D From Snapshots to Great Shots by Nicole S. Young and though I read it through once already I am reading it again, in pieces, with the camera in hand, and also with the lessons and assignments from the course at the front of my mind. And now I'm really getting something out of the book, and getting more from the camera too. Yay! (I also have David Busch's Canon EOS 7D Guide to Digital SLR Photography, but I haven't yet gone through it the way I'm now going through From Snapshots to Great Shots.)

I am really loving that I am learning something new, and also that I am moving towards one of my 2011 goals (taking better photographs).

Another of my 2011 goals is to get caught up with my scrapbooking. I'm moving towards that too. I'm finally finishing up my last outstanding 2009 album (not including the babies' albums). It's supposed to be a family album. It's the first time I've done a family album. Before I just did an album for me and and an album for my big daughter. But there were so many pages that I wanted to do that didn't fit in either of those, hence a family album.

This is one of the last pages for the album:

Really simple.

Now I just need to do the cover page and that's that for 2009. And then I have three 2010 albums to work on (mainly to do a few LOs and then sort out what pages go where). But the real task will be the twins' first year albums.

Lots and lots of scrapping to do!

PS. An anonymous commenter asked me to say which online photography class I audited so that she could know what course not to take. My point was that auditing doesn't work for me, it's not about the course. I need to have to hand in the assignment with the prospect of getting feedback to do the assignments, and if you don't do the assignments, you can't put the theory to test. Also I need to be fully participating and able to post to the online forum to be interested in the others' submissions and the comments made on their work (which is another aspect of the learning experience).

I didn't name names in the post, but I did link to the courses I took, so just click on them to see what courses they were. The problem I had with the first online course I took (as a full participant) is the instructor took way too many students in, and couldn't give the attention to each student that I expected for the amount I paid. The handouts were very good, and I learned a lot from them, but I didn't get the feedback I needed to really advance. If I hadn't paid so much I wouldn't have felt so chagrined about it. The Clickin' Moms courses seem to have a cap, which I like, based on that experience.

About my workshop part 1

2011-03-02T18:00:00.000-06:00

So my workshop was last week. The turnout wasn't great, but that has never been a concern for me--I care more about the people who are there rather than those who aren't. Not very good if I want to make money, but I cannot realistically expect to make money doing this.

And I think that the people who came enjoyed it and I just might have converted them. I'm also glad the numbers weren't more than they were because I could never have managed when it came time to do the layouts. Thank goodness I had help. Dana, an expat living here in Jamaica who found me via the Ella blog (and it turns out we have mutual friends) helped me put the kits together and came to the workshop and helped me there too. I couldn't have done it without her.

I have lots more to tell about the workshop, and I want to share the LOs I did for it -- all 8.5"x 11" using six elements or less (!) -- but for now I just want to share two really simple LOs I did for the 2009 (yes 2009!) family album as I'm trying to close it out:

These are two of my stepchildren who I don't do many pages about, but I wanted to include them in the album so I got these photos out and went to town doing pretty pages with their photos.

Really simple, not too many words. Scrapbook pages don't always have to have tons of journaling!

I have so much coming up, so do check back later this week. I have two Ella ebooks to give away. By the way, have you seen their eZine makeover? It looks amazing!

A bientot, mes amies!

Photography update

2011-02-23T06:00:00.010-06:00

One of the things I love about scrapbooking is how it has opened up other creative activities in my life. Chief among them is photography. I am totally camera crazy--a certified mamarazzi ;-)

I have a wonderful husband who fully supports not only my scrapbooking but also my budding photography hobby. He bought me my first digital camera (a point-n-shoot) a couple months after our first child was born in 2005, my first dSLR in November 2007 shortly after I started scrapbooking, and most recently, a fancy-shmancy dSLR, a Canon 7D last November for my birthday, now that I'm so into photography. (He also manifested me the 24-70mm lens that I was coveting, and the camera bag (though I got the six million not the seven million) to hold it all ;-)

One of my biggest photography challenges is getting a tack sharp photo. I'm not so great on composition either, but I'll tackle that once I conquer my focus issues. One of my goals for 2011 is to take a crystal clear photo. So I'm trying to improve in any way I can.

Right now I'm doing an online photography class at Clickin' Moms, Natural Light 101, that is really pushing me to improve my photography, as well as to learn how to use my new camera. This is the third online photography class I've taken. (I also took an introductory photography class in real life where I learned to use manual.)

The first online course I took was good, but there were too many students in the class for the teacher to be able to pay us the attention we needed. So while I learned to take better photographs, and learned new techniques, I felt shortchanged. (If I hadn't paid as much for the course, I wouldn't have felt that way.)

The second one I took as an audit student to save money, but it ended up being a grand waste of money, because I had little incentive to follow the course or to look at other students' work, which is an important part of the learning process. Plus it was when I was at my worst from chronic sleep deprivation. But I now know never to take an online class as an audit student again.

I much prefer to be in a real life classroom, though. But I have not been able to find a suitable photography class here in Jamaica (the one I've signed up for three times hasn't had enough students to actually go forward) so I had to settle for another online one. And so far (nearly halfway through) I'm really enjoying it and I feel like I'm learning. (What a wonderful feeling!)

Here's the last of the LOs I did from the wedding. I have one left to do, but it won't be the same design as this one (and the other two).

It is such a joy to scrapbook with gorgeous photos. This is why I am so crazy about taking good photos!

The workshop is tomorrow!