Todays Get Meaningful focuses on our school memories. As kids head back to school (or are already in school for those of us in the south!) I wanted to take this opportunity to go back to your school days and reminisce about a favorite subject or teacher. Something that you really really loved about school (and no recess! lol)

i took this opportunity to celebrate a wonderful substitute teacher I had throughout my junior and senior years in high school. Cammie Malloy was truly an inspiration and really taught me so much about life and myself. I wish I could find her and tell her thank you. I often thing about her and wonder if she knew as a substitute teacher just how much she could touch a students life.

Ive been really bad about not posting my design team work for creative soup so March starts a new month (Hush! I realize we are almost halfway through it!)

I am hosting a challenge the first monday of every month on Creative Soup as part of our Mojo Monday inspiration. Each and every monday we bring you an awesome piece of inspiration to get your creative mojo going!

For March our topic is stress!

This crazy whirlwind we call life often comes with it's fair share of stress: Stress from work, stress from family, stress from our selves etc...

For this month's challenge I want you to document how you deal with stress. Do you meditate, have a quiet spot to go think, play a video game, eat, shop etc..? We all have different coping mechanisms, some healthy others not so much. Does your method change with the stress you are feeling (or the person causing it?)

Create a layout on your stress management. Why it works (or doesn't) How you came across it, how it makes you feel etc. Document and write journaling of at least 40 words to complete this challenge.


I did mine on how much I love playing with my Blythe dolls when I get stressed (and yes i realize I have a ton of them!) But I really do get so much joy from them and the people I have met through this community that it makes it all worth while!

Lesson 23- I wish...

We all wish and want.
For little things, for big things.
For selfish things, for things for others.
For thing of great value and things of little value.
Some wishes could change our entire life, while others would be forgotten almost as soon as they are granted.

Think about the things you wish for and let that inspire you. You can create a page about a wish, a page about how you wish your life was like right now, or even just a page about what your wishes SAY about you.

I actually was so inspired by this prompt I am doing 2 projects. I did a page about how i wish my nephews grow up to be close the way my brother and I were, and I am doing a mini on things big and small I wish I had or could do. The mini is not quite done but i wanted to share my layout.






Supplies:
CS & scalloped Edge: Bazzill
PP:Scenic Route, October Afternoon, Daisy D's, Cosmo Cricket, American Crafts
Alphas- Doodlebug, Making Memories mini alphas, American Crafts thickers
Journaling Card- October Afternoon
Chipboard Tree- Maya Road

Lesson 22 - Something Cherished
Most of us surround ourselves with objects... from mundane everyday items to those special keepsakes we can't stand to part with. This week I want to you reflect of the objects around you and document at least one item that holds meaning for you!

Journaling reads:

This photo was taken in 1972 at my mom's baby shower. My dad is holding my very first bear. He has fur that's almost real and he used to growl when you moved him. Now bear is too fragile to cuddle with and only grunts if you shake him really hard. I still cherish him and the memories of his better days.

Supplies:
PP Wild Asparagus, Scenic Route, KI, Basic Grey. Chipboard: BG, Maya Road, Sassafras Lass

Ok so Ive been a blogging slacker and a get meaningful slacker. I haven't done most of them :( so you catch up with all of the lessons on the Get Meaningful Blog

Lesson 16- Then and Now
Lesson 17- 10 years from Now
Here's My take on this One


Lesson 18- The Meaning of Life
Lesson 19- So Cool
Lesson 20- Just Chill
Lesson 21- Evidence

Sorry I am behind in posting these (Ironically they have been done on time I just didn't take pics to post). Ive been a total slacker lately :(

Lesson 15 - Quirks

I love that everyone is an individual. I was raised to believe that being different or unique is a good thing. Life would be so boring otherwise! As I always say - Normal is for BORING people :D This week's challenge is about the quirks and habits that make you or someone you love unique!

• What quirks do you have that others notice? Is there any particular memory of how these quirks have made you stand out or impacted you in the past? Do you know how your quirks started?

• What quirks do you find more endearing or amusing about a loved one? How has their quirk impacted your life or your relationship?

Here is my take on this. I HATE pink. My hatred of pink is legendary and I get some good natured grief for it so I thought it would be perfect for this challenge:



Supplies:
I am forcing myself to use at least 2 things on each layout that are older than 2006.
PP- KI Color Theory
Black birds Maya Rd
Pink Bird Sass
Misc ribbon
Alphas- Heidi Swapp chipboard inked pink, American Crafts thickers colored in with copics

No I didn't skip 13 (well I am skipping posting it) I did it but I can not for the life of me get a good picture of it. AS soon as I can figure something out I will post it.

Lesson - 14 Beliefs
Whether you practice an organized religion or are a die-hard atheist, we all have beliefs that shape who we are and how we live our lives.? Think about the core beliefs that define you as an individual.? Especially consider the nuances of those beliefs, the contraditions you may have in beliefs, and the choices you have had to make the past because of your beliefs.


Journaling reads: I always joke and tell people that if I were a better person I would be Buddhist. I love all of their beliefs but continually struggle with this one.

(and it's the BIG one. lol)

supplies:
LOTS of stickles
SEI flower and brad
Maya road and Heidi Swapp Birds

To finish out this series of lessons that focus on our senses, this week is all about TOUCH.The feeling of grass beneath your feet, the chill of cool water on your hands, the touch of a mother soothing her child, the tight embrace from someone you love...

Ok I actually did this a while ago and totally forgot to post it.

I grew up a home full of music and can't imagine my life without it. So many of childhood memories are tied to music. Even as an infant, I was lulled to sleep each night by same album, Sittin In by Loggins & Messina.

Music is a part of both our everyday life and those special events. For this lesson, I want you to use music to help you think of memories you want to record. Some things to get you thinking:

1. Did you grow up with lots of music in your home? How did your parents taste in music influence you?
2. What music did you like in when you were younger? Think about specific songs you really loved (or still do!). Try listening to them and get inspired to scrap memories associated with those songs.
3. Are their songs that hold special meaning to you... perhaps the song you danced to at your wedding, a song you sing to your child, or a song that got thru a hard time.
4. If you had to pick a theme song for your life what would it be and why?
5. If all else fails, consider using a song to inspire the title or journaling of your page.

Here is my layout:

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.

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

Lesson 6 - Favorite movie, book...

Pick out your favorite movie, book, character, song, quote, art work---anything that was created by someone else, and explain why it is so important to you. Explain why this particular work speaks to you. More often than not we answer these questions with superficial answers such as, "well I can listen to it over and over again" or "it's just really pretty or fun to watch". What we're looking for today is to dig a little bit deeper into what has created this bond for you? Here are a couple questions to get you started on looking for that bond.

My favorite book of all time is the Lord of The Ring trilogy. I know I know how uber dorky. BUT I really do think it stands as one of the greatest works of literature of all time. I mean the detail work in these books is just mind boggling. I read and re-read them all the time. They live on my headboard and serve as the perfect bedtime reading.

My beloved P introduced me to them. His copies are totally battered from their 20= years of use and I was sick as a dog one day and he read to me. I was immediately transported to a world so familiar I could picture every stone and tree in my head. I was hooked.

And so here is my layout (which looks sooo much prettier in real life)

Supplies: Basic Grey chipboard alphas, Mellow patterned paper and back ground paper- which was sprayed with home made glimmer mist. Grunge board flowers, Hambly transparency, 7 Gypsies Gaffer tape and the photo is a famous Tolkien's artists interpritation of Lothlorien.

Lesson 5 Use a Series of Photos

"Often you can tell a story with photos. This week, I want you to tell a story, any story, using 3 or more photos. You can tell a more traditional story - using pictures to capture the events of a day, or a more conceptual story, using photos to represent various aspects of your story. Be creative. But must importantly, focus on a story worth telling - from silly to serious, your choice."

For my layout I chose to do a story about my absurdly elaborate Christmas village display. I am a total Christmas NUT. Most years I go super over the top and even have a different decorating theme every year.

My DH LOVES our Christmas village, and I take days to arrange all the little figurines into little vignettes so each one tells a story. Crazy I know.


Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock, BG, Paper Studio and Daisy D's PP
Heidi Swapp Blue plastic letters, Red vinyl thickers, jenni bowlin journaling spot cut in half, MAMBI glitter snowflake rubons.

Lesson 4 - Story Behind the Photo

"Too often I see pages with no journaling. Don't get me wrong, I believe there are NO rules in creating. You don't want to journal, fine. But at the same time, there are often things we can not learn from that photo. The details, the context, the emotions. This week, I want you to tell the story behind a photo. It can even be a photo you have scrapped before. Dig deeper. Ideas to get you going"


Since this lesson was all about the journaling I kept my layout super simple. This is a layout mounted on a 12x12 piece of cardstock that has been folded in half like a giant card resulting in a 6x12 page. This way you open it up and have tons of room for journaling.

This layout Ak Eglite Ak Eglite is the story of how during Christmas our family has a tradition of getting our real tree and holding on to the tie downs on the drive home and singing Ak Eglite (Oh Christmas Tree in LAtvian). The photo is of my nephew Kristoper right before his first Christmas holding the rope Aleks used to tie down the Christmas tree. It was a super special moment as my dad had just passed away (I was actually in NJ for the funeral) to continue a tradition he started.


Supplies: The paper is super super old imagination project paper called Sweater Weather (and looked very latvian to me). Some gray bazzill, some stickles and pearls are all I used. Thickers are American Crafts Dolce.

I just got back from a wonderful long weekend I spent with my Atlanta scrapping buddies. One of our friends owns a fantastic cabin in Ellijay GA and has made a super nice scrapbooking space that's just perfect for a weekend long crop.

The Cabin is just beautifully appointed with super comfortable beds and linens, a beautiful kitchen and the showers are just gorgeous (it's the all about the little thing's!). The scrap space has roomy tables and really great lighting not to mention a giant TV! We really just had an absolute blast!

I actually managed to get a fair amount of scrapbooking done in between all the yakking and goofing off I did! I will hopefully be able to post some pictures tonight. I finished a super cute mini album on my one little word as well as worked on several of the Get Meaningful lessons that are coming up.

I am super super excited about this FREE year long class. If you haven't already done so please check out all the information HERE. There is no pressure to do stuff every week (although we always love to see projects) and the prompts are wonderful. Jessica*Bree and Kristin have put a TON of work into making this a thoroughly engaging class and it really will change the way you think about scrapbooking.

Anywho that's all I have for the moment until I actually get a chance to unpack from this weekend and take pics of my projects hopefully tonight!

Lesson 3 - Fake Photo/Real Memory

"Often, we have feelings or memories that are important to us, but we don’t have a photo that goes with it. Don't let that stop you!

I want you to create a page or project about something you are feeling or a memory you want to record that you have no photo for. But that does not mean you have to do the page with no photo."

I wanted some way to document the beginning of my TTC journey so I used a piece of packaging from my box of vitamins. I also LOVED that the image on the box was of a red head (and her genius baby!)

I'm also playing with white space but think it looks unfinished, I may go back and doodle on the edges.
Supplies used:
Scenic Route chipboard letters
Maya road chipboard clock
Basic Grey chipboard flower
Patterned Paper - Basic Grey (Orange), Target dollar spot (purple)and Stampin Up (green)
Bam Pop Journaling frame and Sassafras Lass swirly stamp that was then hand cut.

This is the second lesson of Jessica Bree's Get Meaningful class.

Lesson 2 - Scrapping a Meaningful Photo

"Last week, your assignment was to pull 3-5 photos you love and to spend some time thinking what those photos mean to you. This week, I want you to scrap one of them. Preferably one you have put off scrapping - but this is NOT a requirement. Often I find I hold on to some of my most cherished photos, and feel a little intimidated about scrapping them. Or I scrap them, but don’t really take the time to journal about why they mean so much to me. So this week I want you to DIVE in! Heart first :)"

So I went through all my photos on New Years and chose several for lesson 1. And decided that I wanted to make a page about my relationship with my mom.

As some of you know I have gotten out of the habit of scrapbooking and the thought of a yearlong class is sort of scary so I decided to scraplift a layout. I find that sometimes when I get scrappers block that if I start with a layout to scraplift then the creative juices start flowing and my mojo eventually returns.

There are so many fabulously talented people out there to draw inspiration from. I found this layout on 2peas and just loved it.

Here is my take on it.

Tucked behind the clouds is journaling about my evolving relationship with my mom and what a better place we are now in. And yes that is PINK on the layout (As anyone who knows me will tell you I HATE pink! but it really worked with the page. lol)

And the closeup photo is of lollipop flowers that I made. So easy to do and I think very pretty. I am also super proud as it uses some ancient paper- Scrapworks and Wild Asparagus circa 2003.

So there ya have it 2 lessons down 50 to go!

My uber talented buddy Jessicabree has started a year long project to add more meaning to our scrapbooking and asked me to play along. You can read all the details of the project HERE.

Lesson One - Meaningful Photos.

I selected my photos by going through some old photo albums I had forgotten about in my spare bedroom. I pulled these 4 out and have been staring at them all week formulating exactly why I picked these 4.

Photo 1: My uncle and godfather Vismuts on a NYC subway. My godfather was an extremely talented artist and a very loving soul. And apparently quite the hottie. He was also an incredible dancer and artist. At his funeral I was asked to help put together a memorial board and realized there was this huge chunk of his life I didn't know about. This photo is the perfect glimpse into that life.

Photo 2: Me and my first love Walter. This was taken after our kindergarten (PS 99) dance special where everyone was supposed to wear costumes representing their heritage. We were so in love that he gave me a ring and some Hello Kitty jewelery (that I still have) when he moved away to Miami Florida. There is just something super sweet and innocent I love about this photo. There were many loves after this but Wally will always be my first.
Photo 3: My mom the reader. I adore this photo of my mom reading. The look on her face the vintage dress everything! Its very rare to see my mom without a book in her hands even to this day. I love how beautiful and young she looks. Its just a perfect photo of her.
Photo 4: Me and my mom. My mom and I have had a strained relationship while I was growing up. Its much better now and I look at how happy we both are in this photo it just makes me smile. You can also see sort of how we look alike even back then.