Hang It Up!

In the new issue of Simple there's a few ideas for displaying finished layouts. Among them is the idea of hanging your finished pages from a curtain rod. Well guess who's been ahead of the game for the last six months then?

I manage to get around 12 layouts along this strip and now as I finish another layout then one has to come down and be put into one of my new Library albums.

I love the little shelf too. It's just wide enough to display cards and mini albums. It's like a mini gallery as you take the stairs down to the basemant and walk towards my scrapbook room at the end.

Oh look, there's that mini album I made the other day too. My room always manages to look clean and tidy just before guests come over. Any other time - it's a complete mess!

All Summer Long - Fabulous

I seem to be on a girly trip this week. Here's another Miss Daisy layout, again, I pulled photo's from different times & places - from the category drawers I now use thanks to the LOM class.





















I then created this one - in honor of the Daisy's first ever concert.
I'm currently signed up for Have More Fun at Big Picture - and the don't worry about it - just go and do it attitude of having more fun is just where I am right now. that's just what I did with this one - pulled a sheet from that Rock Star paper pack (is it DCWV?) and slapped the pictures down. Really, this only took half an hour - and I am really happy with it.

Call Me Kylie

Miss Nina has always been so proud of her pretty little derriere - and not afraid to shake it in the face of anyone close enough to appreciate it!

I managed to combine her special "talent" with the story of how I wanted to call her Daisy but wasn't allowed!

Crack Me Up

These here are more pictures taken on the same day as THESE .
Since participating in LOM earlier this year I haven't felt such a great need to put all the photo's from one event on the same layout.

In fact, with the pictures that I took that day, I have already created at least 3 layouts focusing on different things.

Anyhow, this layout, like the other one is also inspired by a Vicki Boutin layout that appeared in a spring edition of Scrapbooks etc.

I used three different paper packs from CTMH, loads of liquid glass and sparkley things (including my all time favourite - prisma glitter).

Our House

well, flat, actually.
It's week 11 over on the Library of Memories class - and this week Stacy has challenged us to produce layouts for the "Places We Go" section of out libraries.

Stacy's request was for one photo and jotting down handwritten memories - still trying to work on getting it done in fifteen minutes though!
I really enjoyed re-capturing the memories of those times. I might even be inspired to make another page about this, our first home.

Dirty Boy.

Another Spencer story to tell, another page for the Spencer section in the All About Us album!

This was last summer - and I guess counts as event scrappin'. The original story was posted here.
I am loving this new Sasparilla paper pack - it has some of my very favourite colours in it Desert Sand, Twilight and Barn Red. Perfect for a dirty little boy!

Mapped

Page Maps was definately a source of inspiration last week. My friend Kari, had left me the new book to thumb through. Which also had me going back through the archives of the website too. Now, I can't remember which pages came from the book and which came from the website.

It may be lazy - but sometimes I definately need that starter to help me along the way!

Here's another Spencer layout using a Page Maps sketch.

I have already scrapped last summer's trip to Thunder Bay in a mini album and these pictures were duplicates.
So, I pulled them from various places in my category drawers and made a page that hightlights Spencers love of Roller Coasters - which he did not get from me! Both of these pages will go in the All About Us album in the Spencer section.

I still have mor of these roller coaster pictures left over - I think I will store some and add to them over the years - and maybe make another page when he's older - should he still be a thrill seeker!

Here's a Couple

While I may not have been here, I was still here.

Paying attention to my Library of Memories classes (as of today we're up to Lesson 10).
I'm still catching up on making section pages - like this one here for "Together You 2" in the All About Us album - pages about Georgina & Spencer, together and the relationship they share.

Whilst I may not be up to speed on section pages I am certainly loving the filing system of the category drawers - and how I can pull pictures from one spot highlighting an aspect of someone's personality.



Like this one here, of Spencer.

While I was putting together a layout for a gathering using the Reflections book (still LOVE that book)I was able to pull all these pictures from different times, (different years, even) that all show that special smile of his, in no time at all.

Gotta love that.

Free Spirited Artwork!

Now, when I first saw this paper I was scared - really scared. It's so bright and the colours almost seem to clash (well, to me anyway!)The main colours are a vibrant purple, pink and blue.
Then, as I was flicking through my storage binders last night, I came across these pictures of my two and their adventures with markers (I wonder if we've read that Robert Munsch book Purple Green & Yellow too many times!)



Somehow, combining these pictures and these papers worked.
I'll be filing this one in my new LOM in the All About Us section under "Siblings Forever" - it's a working title!

Now - this is what you have to do - go find some scary paper - away from your regular comfort zone - whether that's going for a bright heavy pattern or toning it down to some real soft pastels (something else that I can't work with!) if you have boys then try and work a traditional girl colour in there - or maybe some flowers. You know what I mean. BUT.......

Can you do it?

That Grin Factor

These ideas and challenges are coming thick and fast - so enjoy it while you can. You just never know when I'll runout of steam! I'm telling ya - this LOM class has freed me in a way that I just didn't think possible!
So next, I'm thinking about telling a story about someone in your life. Just go grab a picture - it doesn't neccessarily have to be a picture of them in the act of whatever story you are going to tell - just a picture of them. Now create a page and tell us something about their personality.























I've told this story about my husband many times - and he really does this - when we're driving around town, when we're on a road trip, he'll even do this when he's at work driving his truck.
You know what, even if he was in a vehicle with someone he didn't know very well, I'm pretty sure he'd still do it - the passenger just wouldn't be aware of it!
It's a part of who he is. So, this will go in my new LOM, in the All About Us album, filed under Andy.

Now, Can You Do It?

Up next...

This time (if your'e playing along) I'm thinking about those pictures you take when you go somewhere and take a picture of the sign or the food or something else that "adds" to the story. How many times when you're scrapping do you actually use them? Anything like me I often don't even print them! So, go to your photo stash, find a picture with not a human sould in it, just inanimate objects and tell the story.

Can you do it?

Here's mine. Using these primary colours was a bit of a departure for me..but it had to be done!

I think this will go in my LOM under the all about Spencer tab.

May Madness

It's the beginning of National Scrapbooking Month - something that has grown up around National Scrapbook Day - which is this Saturday, May 3rd.

I've now come to a point in the LOM class where we can just pull photographs and scrapbook as inspiration strikes. I'm still trying to get my mojo back on that one. The head has been in the sand for far too long.

Anyhow, back in January, when everyone was doing the lets scrapbook everyday for a month resolution/challenge thing I just wasn't ready.
I'm not entirely sure I am now.

Even every other day would be good.

Begining to talk myself out of it again......

So, what about just go, go and pull out 4 pictures from one event & scrap a one page layout - quick, tonight. Add a link in the comments section - or just email it over to me.

Can you do it?

Here's mine - ok - & I used one more picture...
I've been looking at these photo's from Grandma's last visit for a while now - I knew I wanted to do something with them - but the story to tell ...apart from the usual (slow Karen voice here) we went to the mini golf and had lots of fun ....kind of story. So I think I'll put this in the People We Love album - filed under Grandma.

Here's another layout from Jenn
I always love her stuff - she's so freestylin'!

Butterfly Tri Fold Card

I don't like to start each every post with "it's been a while" - you know how it is - life gets busy and you just have to do what you can to make it through. It would probably help if I was a little more organised - but I find that it's easier for me to do what needs to be done on the day it's due!
Now the art class has finished for the season that's one less thing to do (& note to self for next term - spend the summer working on the projects!)

I'm still loving my Library of Memories class. I posted the KAGS title page to the class gallery and was so happy when I sw that Stacy Julian herself had posted a comment on it! (picture me doing my happy dance!)

Here's another version of the tri-fold card. I love how pretty this one is.



I've made so many of these and supervised the making of many more - I still think it's a real simple card to make and the possibilities are endless!





















I'll be in trouble though - this one should have been in the mail a while ago!

(Photo) Freedom

Still working my way through my Library of Memories class - but man am I enjoying it. This is the greatest evidence so far.
My photos are sorted, they are slowly being tri-aged into the category drawers and I was able to pull together the pictures I needed for the title page to my "All About Us" album very quickly.
Getting the job done is now becoming far more important than agonizing for hours over just one page.
This little baby came together in just over an hour - like a breath of fresh air.
I'm finding my Photo Freedom.

Finally I finished my least common layout from Lesson 2 of LOM. Going though the albums and labelling them really was the easy part. I think I made the scrapbooking part harder than it needed to be by not stopping to think ..... .... about what I was doing (pretty normal for me!).
I put pictures of my very special pen-friend & I together from every visit we've ever had - the first in 1987 the most recent in 2007 - but then I still had to answer why. Why what? Why we're such good friends? Why we're still friends? Why she inspires me to be a better person?
Lesson learned - have the story in my head first. It was so hard - I wanted to write the WHOLE story of how Leanne & I became friends and where we are at now in our friendship - and I had to stop myself, over & over again.



The story of Leanne & I will, I am sure be a HUGE section in my new Library of Memories albums - under People We Love and in Places We Go. I could probably even squeeze out a few Things we Do too!


I've never worked so hard on getting the journalling right - but I'm glad I did.

Lesson 4 will be up in 2 days time - so now I had better go get busy completing the tasks from Lesson 3!

Lesson Two of the Library of Memories class requires us to go through all our completed layouts (in or out of albums) and label them.
The Library of Memories system incorporates album titles of All About Us, People We Love, Places We Go & Things We Do.In tagging these layouts it stands out loud and clear what we are scrapbbooking and more importantly what we are not scrapbooking.
People We Love (which includes our extended family and our friends) is the section I tend to gloss over - rather a lot actually.
Funny looking back at the old stuff with a clearer view from before I was too bothered about how a layout looked - but the photo and journalling memories were there - even if the page was only decorated with a strip a triangle and a "sneeze" of stickers.
When I started scrap booking (2004) back in the UK, we didn't have a computer, and there were no scrap booking magazines (unlike now). My sole source of inspiration was Creative Memories (& yes, it is ok to mention the words). Now, here I am with a scrapbook magazine addiction, overwhelmed by all the diferent styles and trying desperatley hard to make a page meaningful - by how it looks - that what it's really about has been lost.

Time to make amends. I LOVE this class. I knew it was the right thing for me to do and I will succeed.

Another blank

this is another blank - still no picture to complete it. I have to confess that this is a complete scraplift from a Maggie Holmes layout published in Memory Makers January 2008 edition (pp86). Right down to the subject - "sometimes I wish.........."


At the moment I am having too much fun pulling photos from all their hiding places and organising them Stacy style.
Tomorrow sees the beginning of week two in the Library of Memories classroom - with a chat on Saturday morning - can't wait for that.
I've printed all the photos from 2007 that I would like to scrapbook and I'm working through 2006 - I'm just about ready to hit Costco with the next installment. The girls up there are getting to know me!

The best thing so far? I finally bought myself a kitchen timer - (ok, so it's a nice sleek, black KitchenAid one!!)and I set it for 15 minutes to get me through a task. Right now I know it takes 8 minutes to flat iron my hair (Time left over!) and 10 minutes to put orders in bags and staple the orer form to the front! This little timer is so much fun! Focused on the task at hand for just 15 minutes - stuff is getting done! (And I'm not stopping off at the computer to daydream for half an hour!)

Scrapbook Saturday this weekend - and it's a 9am until midnight session. Better get organised for that one then....

It's a rare sight

well, here in my house anyway. I haven't printed a single picture in over two years (can you believe that!) Since joining the digital revolution it's become all to easy to enjoy the instant gratification of downloading those JPEGs, enjoying the images on the computer screen, then moving on.

This little pile of 309 photographs represents January to June of last year. I'm working on the folder for the October to December 2007 and then that's another six months of pictures I'll be taking to the printers.

Tomorrow, begins the rest of my scrapbooking life. Tomorrow 12 weeks of Library of Memories classes starts over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.
It's going to help me organize ALL my photo's and memorabillia so that I can use them in different ways and make connections with them that would not happen with chronological scrapbooking. It's what I've been waiting for since I read Big Picture.

You know, Ali (Edwards) has been inspired by Stacy, Cathy (Zielske) too. If it works for them it has to work for me!
Time to breathe and enjoy this hobby again without the constraints of chronological scrapbooking.