Confessions and Dreams

Confession time: I create pages about myself. Quite a few of them really. Most of them aren't event pages. They're pages where I try to explore for myself and share with others something about this person who is me. I even take pictures of myself periodically so that I have photos ready when I want to do a layout like this.

"Dreams" is a perfect example of such a layout. I'm starting many new endeavors related to scrapbooking recently: I started this blog, I was selected for the Paper Thrills design team and I became a Close to My Heart consultant. I have been pondering all these different but related developments and trying to figure out how they fit into my already busy life. What I really want, I am becoming aware, is to teach scrapbooking. This realization lead to this layout:

I used the May 15 sketch from Once Upon a...Sketch.

Let me just say again that I love this particular challenge blog because the journaling is part of the challenge every time. This time the challenge was to use typed journaling. I have easy access to a computer, but getting to a printer requires a bit more effort. Because of this, I tend to shy away from computer journaling, even though I always like it when I see it on layouts. I loved the way it worked here. I had lots to say about my dream of teaching scrapbooking. Since I typed my journaling strips, I didn't have to pare down my words or use hidden journaling; it all fit!


Notice the photos? Remember I said I plan ahead so that I have pictures of myself when I want to do a layout like this? These two photos are some I took on my birthday last year. I printed lots of the ones I didn't hate so that I can use them on multiple layouts. 

There it is my confession and a dream. Do you have any scrapbook confessions? Any scrapbook dreams right now?

What's going on Wednesday

What's going on? Check out a sneak peek:

Okay, it's up now! Head over to Paper Thrills to see the new challenge and my full layout! While you're at it, why not play along? I can't wait to see what you'll create!

How my scrapdesk saves me

Here's a quick card I put together for my hubby to celebrate our anniversary.

I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and it did come together quickly.

Wait, you're thinking. This is supposed to be about a desk, not a card. Here's the connection:
I know I said before that I don't really like to make cards. That is still true, but my scrapdesk is helping me see the beauty of a hand-made card. I sat down at my desk today and used only scraps of paper (and one little piece of ribbon) to put this card together quickly while my kids played because I had all my supplies right at my desk. (Some were even left on the desk from the project I worked on this weekend.)

I don't have a separate room for my scrapbooking. I have a nice sized desk in our family room, and it works well for me. I'll admit it is often messy - covered not only with scrapbooking supplies, but with dress up hats, Little People and game pieces. It also doubles as a home workspace so certain weeks of the year it is covered with essays and student projects instead of card stock and adhesive. But these are some of the reasons that it works for me. I can put together a card while my kids play ball. I can take a break from my work to journal on a layout. I can finish a project one step at a time over the course of multiple days. In all these ways my desk enables my creative side to interact with the other parts of my life. I know that I am saner because of it, my family is happier because of it.

Today my desk saved me. It saved me time. It saved me headaches. It saved me money. Not bad work for an afternoon!

Crop layouts...finally

It has taken me all week, but here are the layouts from last Saturday's crop, finally. (I had progress reports due at school this week and they took more time than I had thought they would.)

I started out with some layouts of my son's birthday last year:

All those patterned papers were from a one dollar kit that I found at Target two days before the crop (new products!)

One more from the boy's birthday:

A couple of my surprise birthday celebration 5 years ago (photos I've been avoiding).

 

No purchased patterned paper on this layout. One make and take at the crop was to make your own paper using Close To My Heart stamps. Here's a close up of my papers.

Another layout about my birthday. I completed most of this layout a year and a half ago at a workshop, but hadn't found perfect photos or finished it yet. (another project I've been avoiding.)

I've been waiting to do this layout of my son's first haircut because I always seemed to have either the hair or the photos. Finally, on Saturday I had them both together!

A quick one of my cute little nephew.

And one of my kiddos at the park last summer:

And number 14 - squeezed in at the end of the night. A layout using scraps and stickers left over from a Stampin' Up make and take.

So I managed to achieve all of my goals. I did 14 pages, used some new products (although not the kit) and completed some layouts I've been avoiding!

All in all a successful day!

Off to an all day crop!

What's on your Saturday agenda? Anything scrappy? I am blessed to be attending an all-day crop organized by my friends at Crop N Time. I'm have been looking forward all week to a day surrounded by paper, flowers, stamps, punches, good friends and of course some good food.

My goals for the day are:
    to complete at least 10 pages
                (I would love to do 14)
    to use some new products
               (including a new prize package from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out)
    to actually complete layouts that I have been avoiding
               (so that I can record the memories before I forget them!)

Hopefully, as you're reading this I'm working toward these goals. I know I will get more done simply because I typed them out!

What are your scrappy goals this weekend?

Once Upon A...Sketch - Challenge

As I've said before, I love a good challenge. Sometimes it is just what I need to get my scrappy mojo going. I found Once Upon A...Sketch and I was hooked. Each challenge includes a sketch and a journalling requirement.

The current challenge is to use this sketch:

and include write your journalling on a journalling spot.


Here is my take on the challenge:

I used a clear journalling spot for the journalling and a fun journalling tag for the title.  Thanks for the challenge ladies. It was fun!

Do you have favorite challenge sites? Please share. I'm always up for a new challenge!

What's going on Wednesday

What's going on? Check out a sneak peek:

 

 Want to see more? Head over to Paper Thrills and see the newest challenge and my layout. Then come on back and tell me what you think. While you're at it, why not take on the challenge yourself?

Inspiration

Look what my darlings got me for mother's day!

"This book is hard to find!" I said to my hubby.

"I know," he said.

I am so blessed to be married to a man who understands having a hobby that excites my passion. He is an inspiration (and so is this book!)

What about you? What inspires you?

National Scrapbooking Day

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day! Did you do anything special? This weekend was a very busy one for our family. I didn't think I'd get to scrap much, but things settled down earlier than I thought and I got out my photos!

I didn't get out to a face to face crop, but I did get to play along with some of the challenges at the Creative Crop hosted by Big Picture Classes and Creating Keepsakes. Although the challenges weren't timed, the fact that a new one arrived in my inbox every hour did keep the pressure on. I managed to complete three and two were real challenges for me - things I hadn't done before or wouldn't have tried without the extra nudge. Here are the layouts I created.

Challenge #1: Text
I found a paperback book that I didn't need to read again and cut it up for the text portions on the right hand side! (very new to me!)

Challenge #2: 10+10+10: ten products, ten techniques, ten words
I must confess, I didn't use any products or techniques that were brand new to me, although some were things I hadn't done in a while. Still, this is certainly more than I would do on many of my pages!

Ten products: card stock, father sticker, ribbon, journal spot, "strength" button, felt flourish, chipboard star, rub on star, brads, edge anchor.
Ten techniques: sanding, edge distressing, inking, stamping, hand journaling, clustering, tearing, gathering, punching, hidden journaling

Challenge #6:Think outside the box
Another one that was totally new to me.

It is kind of hard to see in this photo, but the strip that goes horizontally between the photos and the title is 12 inches long, but the base of the base page is only 9 inches.

All in all a very productive day! I hope you got a chance to do something crafty on National Scrapbooking Day! If you didn't (or even if you did) why not create your own scrapping day or time this week? You might surprise yourself!

New Paper Thrills Challenge!

There's a new challenge up at Paper Thrills today! Check it out. Maybe you'll have time to play along this week. It is national scrapbooking day on Saturday, you know! This weekend is very busy for our family this year so I doubt I'll get much scrap time in, but I plan to take lots of photos!

Making Cards

I'm not a big fan of making cards. Don't get me wrong, I love hand-made cards. I like to receive them. I like to admire them. I even like to give them. I just don't enjoy making them.

But my friends and family know that I am a paper-crafter. So I'm supposed to make cards. I have to say, everyone is appreciative. I always get nice compliments on them. As my friend Kerrie at Scrappy Happening says, at least I can use my card making to justify my scrap spending. If I spend $3 on some supplies that make at least one card, I figure the rest is money saved!

In my guilt induced card making, I've discovered that I enjoy making cards either with scraps from a layout I've just completed or in large bunches where I copy the same design again and again.

This time of year I always end up making lots of cards. We have four birthdays within a week at the beginning of May and that in addition to Mother's Day cards. So when I had some crafting time this weekend, I did the layout that was in my head (see previous post) and then got to work on the cards using both of things that I know work best for me. I used the scraps from my layout and used the same design on multiple cards.

Do you enjoy making cards? Do you have any good tips or tricks?
I'd love to hear them!

Challenge? You bet!

I'm always up for a challenge! Here's a layout I created for a challenge over at Ella Publishing as a part of their spring training week. The challenge was to use one sentence journaling (and that is a challenge for me!)

Check out the papers - from a kit on the Michael's clearance rack!

Journaling reads:
Just one of the roughly one million ways you have changed me.