Someday - Using Picture My Life Cards on a 12X12 layout

Someday. It is a word full of promise. I recently created a layout about one of my dreams of “someday.” The design was inspired by Shimelle.

The journaling that was the genesis of the layout is brief, but it captures an important dream of mine right now. Since I was documenting my dream, I included a photo of myself. 

I emphasized the time elements that started with the title by not cropping the clock out of my photo and using a pocket scrapbooking card with the months of the year. I used other cards to emphasize my dream of feeling free.

I ended up including six different cards on this one page (five are from CTMH's Avonlea Picture My Life). I cut the cards for the cluster on the bottom of the page which allowed me to use both sides of one card in smaller pieces. I loved combining the cards with papers from Timberline and Balloon Ride.

I am a teacher

A couple of weeks off from school with plans that mostly involve hanging out around the house has led to some fun layouts! Even better, I'm home in the daylight right now to photograph them! I'm thrilled to be playing along with Stuck?! sketches this month! Check out this fun sketch:

This sketch worked perfectly with my current school photo to tell a story that occurred to me while doing holiday baking with my kids.

The journaling reads: I am a teacher in the classroom - but also in the kitchen, craftroom, grocery story. Teaching is part of who I am; it is how I approach others and the world.

For me scrapbooking is, at its heart, about recording stories. Although this journaling is brief, it captures an integral part of my personality, something I need to be reminded of and that I hope my kids will remember as well.

This layout seemed to come together on its own. I had some pieces that I had cut while playing with CTMH's Artbooking Cricut cartridge in the fall. They seemed to fit well with the story I discovered while baking. A school picture was just the right evidence for the story. Thanks, Stuck?!, for the sketch that provided a perfect canvas for this layout!

Well Read: A post about favorites

This month's challenge over at Scrapping Everyday Miracles is to create a layout about favorites and use office supplies. I love a good challenge, and I love office supplies so I jumped on this one. I started the page once everyone in my house was asleep, so I decided to work with some of my current favorites. Digging through my stash to get going, I found the Scholastic paper and Stickease from CTMH and I knew what favorites I would document - books!

Since I am an English teacher by day, many people ask about my favorite book, but it is a question I have a hard time answering. I struggle to name an all-time favorite. I wrote about that in the journaling below the photo and then listed six current favorites and described a bit about why I love them.

Although I don't often use themed items, the paper, zip strips and Stickease were perfect embellishments for this topic. It was fun to tie in the different elements.









I love this Thoreau quote from the Stickease sheet! One of my philosophies about reading is that life is too short for bad books (unless they have been assigned, of course!)

I thought the staples and paper clips were a good fit with the theme and style of this layout (in addition to being part of the challenge!)

I repeated the idea of a quote in this cluster near the title as well. There were so many quotes about reading that I had a hard time choosing just one (and an even harder time making it fit on the paper!)

Thanks for the challenge! I enjoyed deliberating over my favorites and creating this page!

What about you? Do you have a current favorite book? (I'm always looking for a new one!)

Get a Job!

If you know anything about my scrapbooking life, you know that I often scrapbook about myself. A conversation with my two kiddos last month made me realize they only know me as a teacher and a mom. That perspective inspired this layout about the jobs that I have had:

I've loved the rose paper since I bought it, but hadn't found the perfect place for it. I liked the combination of the more casual chevrons and polka dots with the more formal roses. It fit with the journaling that lists the many different jobs.

 Incidentally, after I finished the layout, I realized that I had left out two jobs I had while in college (between #3 and 4). I'm not sure how I'll remedy that, but at least for now my kids will have a record of some the things that I have done in addition to being a mom.

As with many layouts about myself, this look back made me reflect on where I have been as well as where I am. I never would have guessed that I would have this many different paying jobs. This layout ended up be a pep talk for myself as well as a story about me for my kids.