Moments to Capture...how would you?

Tonight, with sleepy eyes before my 3-year-old son drifted off he softly said to me, "Did you know, you're my whole life?" and then kissed my cheek. How blessed am I? Maybe he repeated something I said to him, maybe he was trying to express love to me in as grown-up way as he could, or maybe he really feels that I AM his whole life! And how do I capture a moment like THAT for my scrapbook.

Recently I experienced a similar situation with him. As he is at the learning to read stage he will occassionally grab various things with letters or words and "read" them to me. While organizing the scrapbook office he was "helping" by sorting ribbons. He grabbed a spool with letters on it and "read" what it said to me. Using a photo I love that had come out blurry, much to my disappointment, I converted the photo to black and white and combined it with the ribbon he read. That is how I captured THAT memory....any ideas for this one?

"Mommy, this one says, 'Love, Love, Love Mama Mia (that is me) forever,
forever, forever and everytime I will always kiss her heart." -Jack Rome, age 3

This will be a busy week....

It is my guess that this will be a busy week for a lot of the scrappers out there given the month is about to end. Many design team calls are coming to an end now (good luck to those doing the selecting, I am sure things are just insane with responses) plus some of our favorite magazines and books have deadlines for calls this week. Such as Scrapbook Trends Magazine; Paper Crafts Magazine; Scrapbooks Etc.; and even Creating Keepsakes Magazine has some calls out there.

I was really happy to get an update from Candace at Paper Crafts by Candace over at Scrap~A~Doodle~Dee~Doo's blog because she has a summer project contest about to end on Saturday that I think I should like to participate it. She also has a new Cricut challenge with a zoo theme...so ironic as we just said we were going to take the kids to the zoo this coming weekend AND I just bought some great paper for scrapping from VIP Papers which is exclusive to them. I really like that my local shop VIP and R are able to carry exclusive papers to our area. For example I can grab the Honkers paper at RSC and Como Zoo at VIP. So I strongly recommend that you always shop your local scrapbook/paper shop because this is the place to pick up those speciality papers.ochester Scrapbooking Company

Anyhow, I am getting off topic. Another exciting thing? Better Living Through Scrapbooking is preparing to go live with the site on August 1st. This is going to be a blog with contests and kits to win and I think random give aways. In fact they just gave away a Teresa Collins - Welcome Home kit which I recently learned can be had on clearance at Amazon.com....yes, I didn't win...this time! LOL I was only 1 person away though :) I really like that BLTS uses random.org as the way of choosing winners and it is displayed right there on the blog site so you can see the generated winner. Congrats by the way to Liz who was the winner and will use the papers for a gift for her mom. Oh yeah, you can currently win a gift certificate right now from BLTS too for $50.00. I'm not going to tell you how though you are going to have to check it out. In the meantime, I wish all the luck to BLTS as they try to choose the members of the new design team this week while also heading to CHA!

Well I am off to try my hand at one of Liz Chidester's new sketches which I will be sure to post here as soon as it is done. As you can see I am pulling another all nighter :)

My Mini Girl Scout Album

One of my passions for the past 8 years has been Girl Scouting. Last year my wonderful co-leader gave me a great end of the year gift. It included a 12x12 Girl Scout Scrapbook Album, K&Company Girl Scouts Two-Sided Paper Pad , some embellishments such as stickers and rub-ons and more. I hadn't done anything with it being busy with so many other scrap projects but then I finally decided to start a project with the supplies for the end of the GS year. I decided to put together a mini album of the year and while I do not have all the photos in it, I thought I would share anyhow since many Girl Scouts are coming back from summer camps and other troops are getting ready to start back up soon. Hopefully if you have a GS in your life, child or adult, you will feel inspired to create something for them. Right now I am busy completing a different style of mini album as a thank you gift for my co-leader.
This album is constructed of chipboard and is hand cut. The paper comes from a pack manufactured by K&Company but individual papers can also be purchased. The various items used included Martha Stewart's Edge Punches, Recollections Gems, American Crafts Ribbons, Paper Company's Paper Flowers, Stickles, Color Box Cat's Eye Chalks, various brads and paper floss. As you can see the entire thing is held together using rings. If you have specific questions about something you see or how something was done please do not hesitate to inquire.

I was able to create the cover by only cutting the section of the 12 x 12

paper I actually wanted.

An Up and Coming Sketcher

After learning about this blog by another stay at home mom looking to make her mark in the scrapbook world; I checked it out. I really enjoyed the bright fresh pages she created here. I would recommend this page to other scrappers as an addition to his or her blog collection if seeking something different to be inspired by.  From the bit I did see, those who aren't very comfortable with following sketches might enjoy this page as her sketches seemed very simple. If you are looking for something new this might be it.

http://scrappylife.blogspot.com/

What a find! Well she found me and I appreciate it...

Angela is the blogger for  "The Prissy Pixel" and today I had the chance to see some of her work. I really enjoyed it and appreciate that while her work is very awesome it is very unique and fresh, unlike a lot of what I am seeing when seeking inspiration.

I wanted to share her facebook album with others and so I posted a link at my Facebook site I thought if there is anyone out there who actually looks at my blog I want to share with them as well. My teen daughter was totally inspired by her artistic voice. So anyhow, if you want to jump start your scrap week and see something new while possibly being inspired yourself then I recommend the album. You could even take it a step further and visit her blog so you can view her entire creation gallery.

If Angela happens to be someone out there reading this, thanks for sharing and thanks for the invite to get to know you.

The Layout That Just Wouldn't End!!!

You ever find yourself working a layout or some other project and it seems like the entire universe is determined to keep you from finishing your page? When I scrapbook I can get very focused and I cannot recall maybe more than 2 or 3 times when I didn't finish a layout at the time I sat down to create it. In fact, I have been known to not sleep for several days straight when I am designing because I become that engrossed and fixated...sadly, this layout I began yesterday morning became one of those objects of obsession and the more involved I became the more the Scrapbooking Gods seemed to try and sabatoge me.

The goal? 1 photo on a 12x12 single layout that would utilize a specific piece of Bo Bunny cardstock with a "Back to School" or a "School Days" concept that would also tell the story of my daughter starting middle school 2 years ago. Easy right? I am sure most of you would whip this page out in your sleep! Oh no, not me, I formulate the plan of action and get a some what half a visual of the layout I want to make in my head, then I collect the desired papers with some inspiration embellishments and sit down to start...so I think.

First problem? The July/August Creating Keepsakes magazine catches my eye and for the hundreth time since I purchased it I need to flip through it again! Minor distraction at 5am but not a big deal. Next? I check out my Facebook page which leads to checking out other pages and blogs I follow...before I know it I am stumped on my layout concept and only able to mentally retrieve bits and pieces which do not add up to a 12x12 page with a theme. I rarely ever use sketches unless working a challenge or a specific project that I have been requested to utilize a sketch but in the end I finally turned to Page Maps using Becky Fleck's sketch on page 88 for a guide.

It seemed like every technique or idea I attempted I messed up...even things I do all the time...like sewing on a page for example. I do know that my sewing machine needle will not go through a glue dot on cardstock so why in the world was I shocked when that dot literally ripped the machine's needle right from the cradle!!! Oh and of course my error isn't enough, the machine could sense this I am sure because suddenly it begins jamming, tangling, TEARING!!! Come on. So what should take only minutes, takes hours (as I needed to take frequent breaks because the scrap therapy was causing me to want to seek therapy).

Uncharacteristic to me, I decide to use paper sticker letters for my title as I think this might just simplify things but it bores me. So I will Glossy Accent the stickers to dress them up and give them dimension. The fine tip is clogged and my tiny needle will not push through which means I need a larger needle...in the end, only the paper piercer would get the job done which meant no more fine tip. That is ok, I can still work with it as long as I am patient and neat. Well I delicately put the accents on each slim little letter and use one of my many pointed tweezers to wipe away any excess overflow and I set it aside to dry and firm up while I prep the grounding piece for the title. Guess what. Yeah, I did that backwards. The stickers needed to go onto the title background before I put the gloss on and so , yes, that is right, I had to start over the right way or spend forever tediously trying to cut out the sticker with an exacto knife. See...I knew all this just based on scrap experience & logic but could I get it together? Nope, I am self destructive apparently.

OK, so long, very long, long story short...it took me (including some breaks of course to talk myself down LOL) 30 hours straight to finish this layout. Are you kidding me??? I didn't sleep, I barely ate, I just scrapped. Which normally I would LOVE and say YES 30 hours straight, here are 5 or 8 layouts but just 1? And not even the most amazing layout there ever was????

Well it isn't amazing but it IS pretty good since it DOES tell all about my beautiful (now 13 years old) daughter and the story of her starting middle school. Also, she was delighted to wake up and find a new page about her with a story she could read. Well goal met...Layout over!

The "I Only Blinked" first day of middle school layout can be viewed in the next issue of Scrapbook News & Review Magazine to release on August 29. http://www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com/

A Tip & A Recycle for the Cricut Mat Covers

When I am creating a scrapbook layout, I like so many others like to get my papers & embellishments with photos and layout the design before doing any actual adhesions. Unfortunately this isn't always possible such as when using stickers or embellishments with adhesives or when coloring or doodling on a page. When something is irreversible or risks damaging the work I have already done I can get nervous about doing it and then having to figure a way to cover it later. So, I have begun using the old clear plastic Cricut Mat Covers to assist myself.

By taping a portion of the transparent piece on a work mat and leaving at least a corner free to lift so I can slide my pages, die cuts, cards, etc. under the mat I am able to adhere and doodle the items I am working on without worrying about ruining the piece. For example when using sticker letters I can lay them out on the top of the mat, slide the creation under the mat and experiment. In the photo below I show how I use the tip to develop the word placement with stickers only to find I need a larger die cut so they fit. Using my long bent tip craft tweezers and an exacto knife I can then lift the stickers back off the mat one at a time sliding them under the mat to the creation for permanence. Especially beneficial? You are able to still see the project "finished" but in layers as you work it out.

I enjoy taking my Sakura Pigma Micron Pensor my A and doodling on the layouts or the paper & chipboard embellishments I create but then sometimes after I have done this I feel as if I have destroyed my layout with one irreversible mistake. When I use the Cricut mat cover I can write on that over the creation and preview how things will appear. I feel the Cricut mat cover is the best choice (versus perhaps a transparency in my stock) because I know things are not likely to stick to it, I know a Slick Writer, or a Smooches  or a Stickles will adhere to give me an idea of the outcome and I am able to reuse & and recycle my scrap items...thus justifying how much I spend LOL.merican Crafts Slick Writer Pens

**Oh and please, if you have great tips that you haven't heard of others sharing before please, share them with ME I would love it.

Photo 1. Delicate stickers are placed on a Cricut Mat Cover where I discover (though I knew really) that the die cut is too small to hold my entire phrase. Photo 2& 3. Note the black pen markings around the edge of the inside pink heart in photo 2? I can see the affect but nothing is permanent, just lift the  mat and it all disappears. Also, to clarify for you, the entire top word & half of the bottom word in last two photos are under the mat while position & design continues to be tweaked.

Blog before Art...apparently.

I have been a scrapbooker for more than 10 years. In that time I have had hobby turn to passion, then to true addiction (a scrap-girl can go broke with a paper/tool addiction if not careful), and finally over the past year I have begun to evolve into professional. I began developing my hobby into a side business for extra money to spend on what else, scrapbook paper!!! As the year has progressed I have found that my craft cash 'business' is slowly growing into a career.

I have found that developing into a professional scrapbook artist requires that one work regularly, being productive for the profession at minimum weekly, always creating for growth, always learning about the field, always being focused. It is more than something fun to do once in a while if you want to be a professional rather than a hobbyist. It is not a title that men or women should be easily attaching to themselves just because they attend a weekly local crop, have a CK subscription or experience bouts of periodic creativity a couple times a month resulting in a couple new pages of the baby or a mini-album for mom. It is a way of being everyday for me and for so many others who call themselves 'professional artist.' So I find that personally I am evolving beyond the idea of craft shows and online craft auctions with a focus on a serious professional path in my sights.

One of my creative business partners had commented last month that after the summer, due to economy, she wouldn't be a part of Reflections any longer. I feel this decision on her part has helped drive my motivation to be more than what perhaps I had been or we had been and so I am actually grateful for her desire to go back to having a hobby instead of company. I have also come to notice that while camaraderie exists amongst scrapbookers, cropping together is almost mainstay for many and the interdependence we have on each other for inspiration and education is inescapable the fact is this is kind of a solo gig. I mean I don't ever see "Marla Kress AND" or "Jessica Sprague AND" listed anywhere. 
It is for this reason that I have developed a Facebook artist page spun off from my Reflections business and set up the personal works gallery at my domain-site for myself. As I pursue opportunities of joining teams and becoming published or featured I have learned that a personal blog is an almost MUST HAVE to showcase oneself and his or her works. So I have joined the masses to leave my just set this up to feature my work and promote my affiliates.

It is true that we can only get out what we put in to something and I feel like lately I have been getting the least out what I am putting in. So I changed my perspective and I have become focused on being that person who will benefit the most from my time, my work, my money, my creative energies etc. And in making this decision I turned back to designing for myself only to find that people are interested in seeing those designs I am creating just for myself. Of course I will still provide scrapbook layout consults and custom designs, and of course people can still special order items from me, and I am sure the time will come when I create something just for the sake of creating and put it up on the sale block but right now I am just focused on the personal development I can achieve and have been achieving. You know I wonder why there is not a college degree majoring in scrapbook layouts, techniques and embellishments? I am sure I would have preferred that over psychology!
Well, enough of this, I have papers and photos strewn before me begging for trimming, stickling and distressing so I really should close. I do hope you will take the time to know me, explore my other pages that feature photos of my work, allow me to inspire you and hopefully you to also inspire me, and be a part of my journey down the path towards TRUE professional scrapbook/paper artist. At the very least I am sure we both have a tip or two to share with the each other...