Get Meaningful Lesson 9

Lesson 9 - Sense of Smell

For the next few lessons, we are going to focus on memories linked to our senses! First, we will start with smell. Spend some time thinking about smells that hold meaning to you. Use the memories of those smells to help you relive the memories and inspire your journaling. I really enjoyed this lesson once I gave it some thought. I did two pages and have two more planned! It is amazing how strongly smell links to memories.

Here is my take on Jessica's fantastic challenge!


Detail:
The smell of wet Tatami mat brings me such a sense of peace as it is such a vivid recollection of my martial arts training. To cut with a real sword took such concentration and yet came very naturally to me.

The smell now focuses my thoughts in almost a meditative way. ( wrote the journaling on the back and wrote a Haiku to capture just the essence on the actual layout.
Supplies: Painted Bazzill CS
Hambly overlay
Prima packaging for the frame
Fancy Pants lace ribbon
Basic Grey chipboard.

Crappy Photo Cool Layout

Even with my good lens I just don't have enough light to take decent pics of my layouts. I think I'm going to start dragging them into work on nice days and taking pics outside during my lunch break.

Anywho.....


I LOVE the way this layout turned out, which in and of itself is a small miracle as I usually hate what I do and struggle through the process. The minute i saw this picture I took at Zoo Atlanta I KNEW just the type of layout I wanted to do.

First I should confess I have an absolute awe of Great Apes. I spend hours watching them every time I set foot in a zoo. To see all of our commonalities is a never ending source of fascination for me. On this day this Orangutan and I just sort of clicked. We made all sorts of eye contact and she kept watching my ever move, and I hers (maybe with my orange hair she wanted to know why I was on the other side of the barrier. lol).

So here it is my layout about these amazing beings.

Supplies: PP-Basic Grey, Sassafras Lass. American Crafts thickers, Maya Road ticket and flower sheer, Borders- Bazzill just the edge (orange) Doodlebug (black flower) Cosmo Cricket above photo)

Scrapbooking Milestone

Ok I know this is going to sound so basic and surprising to some of you out there- but I JUST for the first time ever filled an entire scrapbooking album!!!!

I know I know! I am such a slacker and for soooo many years I have been way more of a shopper than a scrapbooker but I am really working on that.

It was such a little thing but it meant the world to me. I didn't even realize it happened as I just had layouts sort of laying all around my studio. When I went to clean everything up I put them into an album and- Voila! One full album! I even had a couple that didn't fit!

Ive had a gift card to Joann's that I have been hoarding forever. I treated myself to 2 new 12x12 American Crafts 3 ring albums and some page protectors (and more cropper hopper photo boxes so I can start moving my families photos out of those horrible magnetic glue albums from the 70s).

I will have to take a pic of my stuffed album tonight. It's all about the baby steps!

Im in LOVE

Ok so I have been debating on adding an accent color to my VERY orange scrap space. Ive been vacillating between an olive-ish green and a deep teal.

I think I just found the perfect product that made my decision simple.


It's decorative Packing tape!!!!!! Its from an uber cool store Tape Swell.

They also cary rolls of sticker labels and envelope wrap arounds. Just really cute cute stuff. I think i am going to get a roll of each (there are 30 yards of tape per roll!!!) and wrap them around my cropper hopper vertical paper holders so it's not quite so dull.

That's MUCH easier than recovering them or stamping and cutting out cute images to put on there.




Secret Bunny Sneak Peek

Here is a look at the card I made for my secret bunny on Scrap Freak. I used the same basic idea I used for this owl card and made an Easter chick. (I tried to make an Easter bunny but that was a complete disaster!). Ironically it all uses REALLY old (like from 2000) patterned paper I have had in my stash. I don't usually buy yellow so this has just been sort of hanging around since then.

I think it's pretty darn cute if I do say so myself :)




I Love my Mom

She really is about the cutest thing ever. She called me last week and asked me to make her some cards (I make her hand made cards to mail from time to time). I was thinking sure just tell me what occasions you need right?

Nope.

She had come here and then visited my gallery and went "shopping" So I recreated the cards she asked for.

I did get to make one for a set of twins a childhood friend of mine just had too.

So here are the cards for my mom:

Supplies: SU Cardstock, Paper Studio PP, Stamp- SU Voila, Silver Stickles

Supplies: DCWV Carstock & PP, Amuse car stamp, My Little Shoebox Alpha stickers

CS, Ribbon stamps - Paper Trey Ink, PP DCWV,SU Label Punch, Cuttlebug Embossing folder

Get Meaningful Lesson 8

Lesson 8 - Another Photographer
I thought we would mix it up just a little week and work on something that I've been pushing myself to do lately. This week's lesson is going to be about using photos that you haven't taken. Whether they be older photos that may have been passed down to you; pictures that were taken at a group event; pictures at an event where you didn't attend; or just random photos that you really like, but didn't take.


I know I am posting lesson 8 before lesson 7 (although both are super late.) I have lesson 7 done I just need to do the journaling.

My take on Lesson 8 is a photo of my grandmother and I was totally inspired by this blog post I did about her.

Supplies:
PP- Basic Grey Boxer and Vagabond
Chipboard alphas- Basic Grey and Chip Chatter
Hambly transparency
Jenni Bowlin library card
Grungeboard swirls
Eureka Stamps paintbrush stamp

Projects from Scrapfreaks Birthday Bash











ok I haven't fallen off the face of the earth....

I have actually just been super busy. Working on the house and actually scrapbooking! I know!!!!! Shocking isn't it.

I spent one whole weekend cleaning out our garage. Who knew 2 people could have so.much.stuff. I donated 30 lawn sized trash bags off old clothes and linens, and took everything out of cardboard boxes, and re packaged the remaining stuff into Rubbermaid totes. I wish I had taken before pictures (i know bad scrapper!). The transformation is amazing.

We found a ton of older electronics and computer stuff we are slowly listing on ebay and will be selling a TON of older scrap crap as well.

On the home front we have been tidying up the yard and DH even planted a small lettuce and carrot patch so we can grow food to feed the wild rabbits n our yard. I mean could he be any sweeter?!?!?!

We have been feeding our birds too and are really toying with the idea of taking steps to make a real wildlife sanctuary in our backyard. And maybe even add some sort of water feature. Time and budget will tell.

This past weekend was ScrapFreak's second Birthday bash and online crop. I swear I get more done during their events than I do at any other time during the year. I think a large part of that has to do with scrapping at home vs out with my friends. Part of it has to do with the distraction of having a fantastic time chatting but a much larger part is not having all my stuff around me.

It was super great to print off my sketch, find and edit my photo and print it to whatever size I needed then walk around my studio gathering up what supplies I needed for that specific project. MUCH easier than trying to guess in advnace what I may or may not need.

10 Things i learned from this past weekend...

1- the more I scrap the easier it gets. I am so rusty that even the plainest layouts seem to take me forever!
2- It takes just as much time to find, edit and print pics sometimes as it does to make the page
3- I REALLY like (and there for must buy) pre-made journaling spots
4- I love to journal but not always on the layout. i HATE my handwriting and if there is a story to tell I can always write it on the back of the page.
5- If you don't stop to pee you get more done
6- If you don't turn on the TV and get sucked into watching a movie you get more done
7- I totally need more practice adding embellishments to pages. It comes naturally on cards. On pages not so much.
8- I'm getting better at mixing paper manufacturers so it's not all matchy matchy (which I love but need to break out from)
9- Sometimes looking through old photos of people you have lost can be hard emotionally.
10- All of this is only possible because of the exceptionally supportive atmosphere on the Freak!!!!!



So there you have it a quick recap of the last month. I will post pics of the projects I have done this week :)