a scrappin' fool!

I just completed this layout -- it's my 38th of the month! Woo-wee! (Of course, 24 of them were title & section pages for my LOM. Still . . . that's 14 layouts!) I don't think I've ever scrapped this much in such a short amount of time before!

I love how some layouts evolve over the course of several days and some come together in a snap. This is one took several days . . . and not because I was trying to tell a more complete story, but because the design was giving me fits!

circles?

Okay, I'll admit it, I've been a little anti-circle on my layouts. I'm not sure why -- I think it reminds me too much of the LOs I created in the early 90's. So when Kelli's challenge was to use a hole punch to make as many dots as possible, then glue them into multiple circles onto one lo, the challenge was daunting at best and miserable at worse. (See, I'm not a big punch girl either.)

As I was percolating on what to do for the challenge, my mom graced me with a goodie bag of old fibers and a jar of buttons. These would work perfectly for the Crazy Ladies photo of my daughters! I actually enjoyed sewing the buttons and I love the bright colors. I also found Kelli's idea of mixing and matching black letter stickers ingenious.

Using a silly photo with this quirky quote allowed me to be open to creative play. I let go of the "rules" and "my style" and just allowed the art to lead me. It was a fun experience and one I plan on having more often.

So here's to "Nonsense -- It wakes up brain cells," you know?

evolving.

Week three in my class at Big Picture Scrapbooking, Have More Fun, has really challenged me creatively. It pushed me. Many of the projects I didn't like as I was creating, but as I played and continued, I found that I liked them in the end.

Regardless of the outcome of the final project, I have appreciated being pushed creatively. I've been forced to create in new ways. I've been forced to try new concepts. And with that, I have allowed my art to evolve as I create.

The story takes shape as I create. My story emerges, the message becomes clear, and I feel more complete. I'm thankful to be evolving this way as a writer, artist, communicator.

On this particular LO, I was determined to use those Heidi Swapp Ghost Stars that have been taking up space for more than a year now. I also toyed a bit with texture. That was fun. I love playing with texture in miniBOOKS, and it was fun to do so on a traditional LO. Here's a close up that captures some of the layers of this page.

Many of the photos came from Mom & Grandpa. I would have liked to tell more of this story than I did. I'm thinking a future page called "Through Their Eyes," where I scrap photos that other people have given me.

After completing this, I decided I need more embellies. So I went shopping. I found myself drawn to letters + papers + words -- the same things as always. I had to make a conscious effort to pick up embellies. I didn't get too many.

So I was then inspired to revamp the organization of my embellies. I made a drawer for different colors and reorganized according to color. After only a few hours, I could feel my creativity once again refreshed. I think I'll really like this system because it will enable me to be more productive. Gotta love that!

home.

Without Here, I wouldn't be who I am out there.

Creating a safe home has always been a priority of mine. Thankfully, it's a priority for my husband too. About a year ago, over a colleague and I were doing a lot of thinking about place. I created a post that has stuck with me. And although, I couldn't wait to get the photo printed -- I went to the local lab the same day I created it and got two copies -- I haven't scrapped it. One copy has taken up permanent residence in a writer's notebook. The other has been waiting for a scrapbook page.

It called my name when I sat down to complete another challenge for Have More FUN. I love the results. The colors and the design and the stitching and the warm feeling it gives me make it a favorite. But more than that, my husband loved it. It struck a conversation between us last night around midnight about the importance of having a safe home . . . and the importance of recording these memories.


I've always known that he's my biggest fan, but it was heartwarming and refueling for him to tell me how much my hobby means to him -- how much he appreciates pages like this. How much our kids and even grandkids are going to appreciate pages like this. I'm so thankful for him and for our safe home.

FUN Defined.

So, for the class I'm taking at Big Picture Scrapbooking, we were asked to think deeply about the word FUN and how we would define it. After multiple lists in my writer's notebook, here's what I came up with:

FUN is the state of being relaxed and enjoying Right Now.

(And yes, I capitalized right now on purpose . . . in this context and in my mind, it is a proper noun!)

still picking --

I'm still picking glue off of my fingers from this week's project -- Getting Punchie. I wasn't too cracked up on using multiple punches, but figured, What the heck, and went with it.

I ended up breaking out the star punch that my mom bought me ten years ago when we set our wedding date near the 4th of July. I don't think I've used it for nearly 8 years now.

I'm not all that thrilled with the end result, but I was quite happy to be scrapping Christmas in July. Quite happy, indeed. I had a good time sewing the swirls. And I love the title. :)

When I pulled down my Christmas basket in search of the papers, I found my December Daily album. I only completed half of the pages (though I did blog daily, and have the printed photos to match the words) and I'm now inspired to complete it. I got goosebumps as I read the words and remember my thinking throughout my favorite season. Looking back, I can see how the Lord was preparing us for adopting the girls, even though it seemed out of the blue back in March.

I'm becoming more unabashed about the fact that I totally love this hobby. It's almost like I keep it a secret from people. I'm not sure why, but the more I blog and the more I photograph and the more I scrap, the more these things define how I live.