Performance

It's been awhile since I've posted anything new. I was sick for several months (ugh) and then school let out and we were on the move! So I have recently (finally!) found a little time for scrapbooking.

My latest scrapbook page, Performance, is of my oldest son when he was in 4th grade. He was in a performance about the Gold Rush, and it was the first time I saw his enthusiasm for performing.

I used a unique color combo here, just to try something new. Lots of layering, distressing, punching and such. The gorgeous butterflies were purchased from reneaboquets etsy shop. She is also on Scrapbook.com. Her work is gorgeous, and her etsy shop has beautiful things! I think the butterflies pull the whole page together.

Would love to hear back from you! How is your summer going? Are you finding time to scrapbook? Hope this finds you and your family well!

Hugs, Stephanie

I haven't written or posted any new photos (or scrapbooked) lately because, like so many of you out there, I have been sick!!! Just a sore throat, headache, cough, congestion kind of thing but it has really wiped me out.

Looked a lot like this guy:

Felt a bit like this guy:

The funny thing is, when I'm sick and have no energy to create, I start creating in my mind. I'll think of photographs I really want to scrapbook, and I'll start to create a page in my head. If I'm up to it, I'll watch youtube videos of scrapbooking techniques or, as I've been doing lately, mixed media projects.

Here is one that I LOVE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPUPVJpvoag&feature=share&list=UUOrDn6PZwRJPJTU5gYP9-kw


I love how the finished product is shown right away (really helps to narrow down what videos are of interest if you can see the finished product first) and how detailed she is about her process. She has so many great videos that have totally inspired me to try mixed media.

So I'm finally starting to get "up and around" and I'm headed to Michael's today to buy a canvas and some matte Mod Podge and Gesso. I'll need to go to Home Depot for some chicken wire so I'm not sure when I'll get up the strength to do that, but, I'm excited about trying out my first mixed media project!

Have a look at the video and let me know what you think. Have you tried any mixed media projects? Have you taken a class on it? Share your thoughts and ideas, and remember -- keep washing those hands!! It seems to be a cold and flu season that won't give up easily!

Stay well, Stephanie

My newest layout, "Happy", is based on the color palette challenge at The Color Room Blog! This is the first time I've tried The Color Room challenge, and it was a lot of fun! Look at how beautiful this palette they provided is:

This is my cat Bear. He is the sweetest cat I have ever had. So funny and relaxed and just a happy boy -- hence the title. Isn't he regal looking? He has the most gorgeous eyes, which I thought would go well with this color scheme.

I used many techniques in this layout. A lot of stamping and punching, and I was excited to try out my new Tim Holtz markers!

I used some gesso on the cardboard (a recycled item) and Tim Holtz alcohol inks to make my own distressed papers. Sooooo much fun!!!

Would love to hear your comments! Thanks for taking a peek, and thanks to The Color Room for great inspiration! xo Stephanie

I am surrounded! It's boys boys boys everywhere I look!!! My two boys are 13 and 10 and while they are such amazing kids, I often get the itch to scrap something girly. We have two male cats named Jet and Bear, two male dogs named Bentley and Figaro, and ONE female dog -- Lola! She and I are the only girls in the house.

And what a "girly girl" she is!!! To me, she is the Zsa Zsa Gabor of dogs :-) Lola is a Great Pyrenees adopted from the Great Pyrenees Rescue. She was found on the streets, matted, skinny, and starving. I took one look into those eyes, and I knew she was for me! I called her "Lola" because to me, she is a showgirl!! Look at that gorgeous smile she has!!!

I also have the opportunity to scrap some of my cousins' beautiful girls, which I love to do! I find it's so much harder to do masculine pages, so when I get to go all "girly" it's a rare treat! Thanks for having a look!

Do any of you out there do this? Do you find yourself getting completely lost in your creativity? Sometimes I fall so far into the process, that when life interrupts (kids, dogs, doorbell) it feels so abrupt. Like I've completely forgotten about the world around me.

I guess that's why I love scrapbooking so much -- it's a complete and total escape from the mundane. It's a chance to jump off into something beautiful and almost magical. It's a chance to pour the love I have for whatever memory I'm preserving onto the page. Perhaps a chance to re-live that memory a bit?

I remember years ago on The Oprah Winfrey show, Oprah talked about keeping a "gratitude journal." The concept was that the more often we focus (if even for a few minutes a day) on all that we feel thankful for, the happier we humans will be.

I feel like scrapbooking the ones I love is like my own gratitude journal. It's a chance to take a precious memory and wrap it up in beautiful layers and surround it in lovely colors and textures. It's a chance to journal about why it was such an important day, or event.

Framing my finished scrapbook pages and hanging them on the wall is a little like a visual gratitude journal. Little pieces of the beauty in my life there to look at, reflect on, and enjoy whenever I walk down the hall.

So I think that's what brings me back to my crafting table again and again. I am looking forward to learning more about this art. I want to challenge myself with new techniques, and really push myself creatively.

I would love to know your thoughts.... What drives you to scrapbook your memories? And what are your creative goals for 2013?

Thanks for joining me!

Stephanie