Day ???

I had to give some real thought as to what day today is. I mean, I know it's Friday, but I had lost track of what day of 37 today was. I had to count from day 10. That's not good. Not good at all. I am trying to get back in a groove. This blip in my 37 Days just reinforces my theory that creativity is cyclical. One cannot be expected to be able to create all the time. A page a day, as simple as it sounds, is turning out to be a very big undertaking. I am not giving up, I've not lost hope that I can do this. But I am realizing that at the end of 37 Days, I may not, probably will not, most likely won't have 37 layouts done. Life just gets in the way sometimes. We have to put aside those things we really want to do, things we've made a priority in our lives so we can focus energies elsewhere, be it getting ready for and enjoying a holiday, vacuuming out the garage after a long winter, or shooting hoops in the driveway with the kids. The key to happiness is finding a balance between both. It also helps when you can combine what you want to do with what you have to do: like fiddling with a layout while dinner bakes in the oven, or sitting on the rug cutting out embellishments while the kids drive cars over your scraps!

Oh, by the way, it's Day 18. And I've done 14 layouts.

Scrapbooking Words of Advice

Here are some lessons that I've been thinking about in recent months. Maybe you scrapbookers will find them helpful, or maybe you already know all this stuff.

1. Find ways to weave scrapbooking into your daily life. Scrapbooking tasks can be broken down into manageable chunks. Look through magazines for inspiration while sitting in a waiting room, or in the looping line at school, or at traffic lights (sorry, it was probably me at the front of the line when the light turned green). Draw up sketches while your kids swing, or do homework (nice together time), or eat lunch. Get out paints, or Play-Doh, or beads for the kids while you sit with them to create items for your page. Keep a notebook handy to jot down page ideas, inspiration, conversations, journaling, or anything else that comes to mind. If possible, keep layouts in progress out where you can walk by them several times throughout the day. Ideas sometimes spring up at the craziest moments. I also often start a layout at night, and finish it in the morning. I love the fresh set of eyes I can look with in the morning, and sometimes ideas come to me as I'm dozing off to sleep or in the shower.
2. Scrapbooking does not have to be this great overwhelming task. You don't need to create a publishable work of art, with loads of handmade embellishments and intricate designs. Matching photos up with the stories they tell is about all it takes.
3. I have realized that I will never be "caught up"; to accomplish that I would need to stop taking photos, and that's never gonna happen! So now I scrapbook whatever I feel like doing (I'm not a chronological scrapper). Sometimes I impose deadlines on myself (complete vacation album before next year's vacation), sometimes I scrapbook recent photos because nothing motivates like fresh pictures. But most often I grab a stack, thumb through them, jot down thoughts or feelings, and scrapbook a page to tell the story.
4. In the words of Ali Edwards, "embrace imperfection" These two words have become my scrapbooking mantra. In 25 years, no one is going to analyze the color scheme you chose, or critique your writing with a red pen. What they will notice is the time and effort you took to tell the stories of those you love. Don't you wish you had an album of what you were like as a child? That's the important stuff of what you're creating.
5. Use those supplies. For so long I would buy papers, stickers, embellishments, etc and then think they were "too good" to use on my layouts. I was a hoarder. And for what? Because you know what happened? I looked through all that cuteness and prettiness and realized it wasn't my taste anymore, or it looked dated. There will always be new papers, embellishments, etc coming out. Trends change so quickly, so use up what you bought while you still love it. Besides, nothing is as inspiring as new product. Next time you pick up new paper, force yourself to cut into it within a week. I find it very freeing to crack open a new paper pack, or peel off a new sticker. Once you do, it's no longer new and you'll have no excuses not to use up the rest.
6. It's only paper. Cut it, tape it, paint it, create with it. If you mess up, you can just get more. And what really is a "mess up"? Most of the time, what you think of as a mess up can actually be used, either elsewhere on a layout, or in another project. Cards are perfect little projects to use up those tossed aside embellishments or miss-cut paper scraps.

Well, there it is: everything I know about scrapbooking from my little hands and into your brains. Don't tell me I never taughtcha anything ;)

Day Five: Feeling a change

It's funny how I started this 37 Day challenge with some hesitation and doubt. I wasn't all pumped and geared up, I didn't glorify how wonderful the whole thing would be, I wasn't 100% motivated, and certainly not 100% sure I could even do it. But now 5 days into it, I'm feeling really good. When I had Logan, I would scrapbook every waking moment he was asleep. By his first birthday I was totally caught up on his first year. Crazy, I know. Somewhere between child one and child three, my page production decreased dramatically (gee, I wonder why!) Anyway, my point is, this 37 day challenge has put me back in touch with the "getting it done" part of scrapbooking. These past few days I haven't just been thinking about the pages I want to create, I've been creating them. I'm thinking that all these years of stewing in my own creative juices is culminating in these 37 days (and beyond) of delicious production. That's my philosophical rant for Day 5. Here's my page.

37 Days

Tonight I found the blog of Patti Digh, author of 37 days, a book that poses the question, "What would you do today if you only had 37 days to live?" Right now she is challenging her blog readers to do something meaningful for the next 37 days straight. Err, make that the next 33 days, because, unfortunately, I'm 4 days late for this party. But I love this whole concept. So what would you do? Besides soak up as much time with my children, husband, family and friends (and say to hell with all the housework--they'll have to clean up the house after I'm dead), I would want to scrapbook as much as humanly possible. I do have this secret fear that I will not be able to tell my children's stories (or my own, for that matter) before I die. That hundreds of stories will be left untold, thousands of pictures will sit in envelopes or on a hard drive without stories and anecdotes matched up with them. It's one of the main reasons that I scrapbook: because someday someone will pick up these albums, look through the photos, read the stories and say, "So that's who so-and-so was."

I'm rarely on time for anything since having children, so I'm okay with being 4 days late. Tomorrow will be my Day One. And here's my contract: (copied from Patti's blog; I hope that's legal)

"I, ___Michelle Neddo___, being of kinda sound mind and body, have willingly decided to try to do one thing consistently every single day for the next 37 days. C’mon, self, it’s just 37 days.

The one thing I will try to do every day is this: create a scrapbook page (or some semblance of one) to add to my family's legacy.

I’m not going to pick two things or nine things because that will dilute my focus –- just one thing. One. One simple action. An action, not a goal. An action, not a value. An action, not a wish. Something I can DO.

I’m doing this challenge at this time because: with every day that passes I am one day farther from these memories and one day closer to not being able to record them accurately.

I’ve chosen this particular daily action because I believe if I do it consistently for 37 days with no (NONE, ZERO, ZIP) exceptions, I will: grow as an artist, feel more accomplished as my family's historian, be more aware and mindful of our lives, and feel generally better for having engaged my creative energies.

If I should fail, I won’t blame anyone but myself (not even my partner, that idiot with 29 items in the express lane at the Piggly Wiggly, the IRS (so needy!), the people who make frosted Pop Tarts and Lofthouse Cookies, or Fate).

I also realize that this contract is solely with myself and carries no rewards, penalties or punishments other than those associated with the reflection of the strength of my character.

New things will happen for me.

I’m ready.

TODAY IS DAY ONE. "

A little project with a whole lot of love

Inspired by Elizabeth Kartchner's adorable mini fabric album, I set out to make one as a gift for my friend who delivered her first baby boy last month. This was so much fun to put together; of course the cutie pie subject matter helped a lot! I would just like to try to find some little chipboard embellishments to accent the pages before I ship it out to her.

Baby Kalmin was born 2 1/2 months prematurely due to a rare congenital high airway obstruction. Baby Kal continues to fight and can use, along with his parents, all the prayers they can get.

Corn on the cob, preschool's end and a silly baby

Squeaking in a few pages for June:

An afternoon of scrapping

Made three pages today--yippee!

Playing catch-up on Maddox's first year book. After all, he'll be 3 this summer!
Made these two pages with a new paper pack I bought on clearance at Target--man, I love that store. And I love using new products before they have a chance to collect dust (and before I forget I have them!).
A super quick page: one piece of patterned paper + one photo + some computer generated text=easy peasy lemon squeezy scrappin'!

A work in progress

Doesn't look like much now, but I can't wait to see this finished. The journaling is all typed up (Monday through Wednesday anyway). The boys will pick their favorite photos from the days. Then it's just format the pics, print everything out and adhere it in. Oh, yeah, and a cover--still thinking about that.

Pieces of Me

A quick little project I started last night:

This is a small ringed binder I picked up at Target's Dollar Spot (can I ever walk into Target and walk by this little area?!). It was an ugly orange color (some of which you can still see on the inside cover--need to do a bit of touch-up) that I sanded and painted "baby pink" with acrylic. The torn out page from a recent Pottery Barn Kids catalog that I was using to cover up my workspace became the inspiration for the cover motif. You never know when a piece of trash will become the basis for your next creation! So I punched white circles, stamped a title ("pieces of me") and used one of the cutie owls from my Hambly rub-ons. Sometimes it takes a bit of effort to use something from my stash that I just love. I have to quiet that voice that asks, "Is this project worth that really cute owl? What if you need it for another project and you've wasted it here?" I have learned that there will always be something else for that next project. Use what you love now, because before too long you'll be loving something else. Disclaimer: I only feel this way about scrapbooking supplies! Anyway, back to the book. To ground the punched circles in my title I penned rings around the outside edges. Love this very easy and effective technique. The purpose of this book (another Ali inspired project): to house the little, well, "pieces of me". It contains indexed alphabet dividers. So far I have a photo of the boys that's been kicking around my workspace under 'B', and the Starbucks cup wrap under 'S'.

From Life Artist: "It's a simple, quick way to feel like you're doing something, recording something, documenting some part of your life as you experience it. It's a book that can grow and change right along with you. It's also a wonderful way to create in a continuous way, a way to go with the flow and record what's happening as it happens."p. 44 Love it. . .

When inspiration strikes

I have this mini album idea inspired by, who else, Ali Edwards. Are you surprised? Anyway, I have an old board book, well a few of them, recycled from my children's book shelves. It's been sitting on a closet shelf just waiting for the perfect project. I took it out the other day and counted the pages: 5 two page spreads, plus a front and back cover. I had seen in Ali's book (Life Artist) what appeared to be a child's board book altered with acrylic paint (turns out, when I reached the end of the book and found a materials list for every project in there, that it was actually a funky little chipboard album that she covered with paper). Anyway, my sister had tried this with some trouble and I thought, why not sand the shine off the pages and cover them with acrylic paint? Then inspiration hit me, right smack in the middle of the boys' February vacation, as to what I can use this little album for: a recording of their five days off from school. So, here I sit with emery board in hand and vacuum within reach as I sand the pages. I could go down to the basemement to get a larger piece of actual sandpaper that would make the job go faster, but frankly I am too lazy at the moment to get out of my chair. I'll let you know how it all turns out. . .

Free Scrapbooking

This page was created with freebies I downloaded from the internet this week. A scrapbook page that didn't cost a penny! I could get used to this (and Perry could, too!).