Here comes December!

December is right around the corner, and I've filled it up with lots of inspiration. This is the fourth year I will be doing a December Daily, and I wanted lots of different ideas to keep myself going and inspired this year.


First of all, if you have no idea what a December Daily is, check out this post from Ali Edwards, who is responsible for me starting this project originally. My kids are responsible for me continuing to do this. They LOVE the books I've made, and are disappointed if I even consider not participating each year.


The thing about great ideas is that they are fun to share, and modify to make your own. Ali's project was originally inspired by Shimelle Laine's Journal Your Christmas class, which she has been running for years. I will be joining in for the first time this year. I am so looking forward to it, since my favorite part of the December Dailies I have done previously was the words. Shimelle is wonderfully inspiring, and if you haven't explored her blog, please do. She's got so many great ideas.

I will be getting more inspiration and instruction from Katrina Kennedy's Capture Your Holidays Through the Lens. My photos throughout all my December Daily books are okay. Some are wonderful, some are horrible, and some just are there. I'm hoping to improve the overall quality of my photos, as well as come up with some different ways to photograph the holiday season by taking Katrina's class. She's taught at the TrueScrap events, and her instruction is always enlightening.

Last but not least, I will also be taking BPC's 12 Days of Christmas. I love the idea of spending the 12 days before Christmas gathering photos and ideas and product and then turning it all into pages beginning on the 25th. This is a great introductory class for people who have never taken a BPC class before, since twelve different instructors will be running the class.

In addition to these classes, I will also be following along with Tim Holtz's twelve tags of Christmas. Each year he introduces new techniques and projects that are a great supplement to any holiday crafting project.

Wow, you say? How can I manage to fit all these classes into the normal craziness that is December? Well, these are all classes that will help me complete my December Daily project. There will be photo ideas, journaling ideas, and technique ideas. Any time I run out of ideas, I will have lots of resources to rummage around in. I don't expect to finish these classes, but rather to use these classes to improve and expand my December Daily. It's going to be fun!

Here's a quick peek at what I'll be using for this year's book.


Hope you'll join the fun and play along!

I am the typo queen!

I make a lot of typos. I correct them as I go, but when I am chatting or texting, typos just proliferate and bloom and take on a life of their own.

At least I have yet to send out an email with my name misspelled. Which I do just about every time I type it.

Hetaher
Hather
Hetahr
Heathr
heather
Heather

See what I mean?!

10 Years

10 years ago today, I was very, very pregnant. As in 5 days late pregnant.

I went shopping with my mother, and everywhere I went, people asked when I was due. I took great pleasure in telling them, "5 days ago." What is it about the idea of a pregnant woman going into labor that makes everyone so nervous?

The very last thing my mother said to me when dropping me at home was, "Don't have him tomorrow. Then he'll have to share his birthday forever." I think that idea appealed to him, since I woke up in labor that night and finally met him mid-morning.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day I became a mother. Tomorrow is the day I discovered life is nothing like what I expected, but everything I hoped for. Tomorrow marks the day I began an entirely different set of classes, where you were my teacher as much as I was yours.

Tomorrow you turn 10.

Happy Birthday big kid.



I love you.

Tips for Stamping Success and Chocolate Pudding Pie!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I've made just about every mistake there is to make while stamping. Blurred images? Incomplete ones? Ones that just look awful, even though I know there was enough ink on the stamp? Done it. And I have been doing this long enough that I know why I did not get the image I wanted. It can be frustrating to be unable to produce a beautiful image. Here are some simple things you can do to increase your odds. You may think these are all obvious, but anytime you don't get a good image, it's probably because of one of these things.

1. Make sure your desk is smooth and clean. You don't want glitter, or uneven layers of paper under the image you're stamping. You will get voids and lines in your image if you stamp on an uneven surface.
2. Make sure you're stamping on smooth cardstock. Even a little bit of texture can affect how well the image transfers to the paper.
3. Use ink that is appropriate for the surface you are stamping on, and the material your stamp is made of. I love Tim Holtz distress inks, but they have a tendency to bead up on photopolymer stamps. That will get you a splotchy looking image. Dye inks can bleed into very porous papers. Pigment inks take a long time to dry, especially on non-porous papers, so can smudge after the fact.
4. Press straight down, and then pull straight up. Don't rock your stamp. Rocking will give you some ghosting around your image.
5. Don't press too hard on photopolymer/acrylic stamps. They have a lot of give to them, so when you press hard, you get the sides of the image and not just the surface.
6. If you aren't getting good ink transfer, put a foam stamping mat under the paper. That way you will be able to press harder without mashing the stamp. If it's a big stamp, stand up and press all over the image, not just in one place.
7. Lastly, make sure your stamp is clean. Not every last bit of ink is gone clean, but no glitter/glue residue clean.

If you make sure you've got these basics covered before you start, you should have a wonderful image every time you stamp. Unless you're like me. (Please note the remnant of glitter on the "n", and the "e" I had to restamp when I did not press straight down the first time.)

Scrapbooking is important. Except for when it's not.

You may not know this about me, but I LOVE scrapbooking. It combines so many things I love to do and think about that in some ways I think it has taken over my life. And that's probably a good thing.



My own interests have been pointing me at scrapbooking for a long time. I have had my own camera since grade school, and I have been writing for just as long. I always loved hearing family stories and gossip, and I did a bit of genealogical research as well. And I wouldn't be a member of my family if I didn't make something with my hands. My particular bent involves paper and ink. If I can stamp on it, write on it, or stick paper on it, I am a happy girl.



The wonderful thing about scrapbooking is that it combines all those things into one big, messy, creative, expressive miscellany of personal meaning. And the thing about scrapbooking is that it is entirely personal. The reasons any of us do it, the techniques we use, the products we fall in love with, the stories we choose to tell, are all a result of our own personal inclinations and history. Which makes this a very inclusive and accepting hobby.



Which leads me to why scrapbooking is important. This is how you can tell your story. The story that matters to you. You get to decide how to present it, you get to decide what to emphasize, you get to decide how much or little to do. It's YOUR story. And by your story I don't necessarily mean that it is about yourself. (Although who else is qualified to tell that part of your story?)



So it's your story. But scrapbooking is also a way to become more present and appreciative of your daily life. Think about things like Ali Edwards' Week In The Life project. Who knew minutia could have that much meaning? But it does. It all matters. It's all interesting and valuable, if you look at it in different ways.



Those are the two things about scrapbooking that really bring home how important it is to me. But they also help me realize how unimportant it is as well.



Living my life, and being there for my family is more important than a piece of paper any day of the week. While they may appreciate the pages I've made that share my love for them, they appreciate hugs, kisses and chicken nuggets a whole lot more. If I don't share my love now, it won't have any value to them later.



That makes scrapbooking so much easier. I don't have to be perfect, or even pretty. I don't have to agonize over which paper to use and how big a photo I should print. I just use what I have and go on. It's just paper. It's only words. And I can always go back and do another page if I don't communicate my thoughts well the first time around.

 It's only when a page is done that it becomes love.

Copic Markers vs Watercolor Pencils

**This blog is no longer being updated. If you want to see more of my crafty life, check out http://heatherdubarry.com/ or, if you have more of a scrapbooking bent, find me at http://noexcusescrapbooking.com/ Hope to see you there!**


copic vs watercolor pencils, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

I have loved stamping for a very long time. One of my favorite things to do was use some colored pencils and a dove blender pen to create lovely little scenes. As I used to say, stamping is coloring for grown ups! Until I had one student say to me she hated coloring. That is so sad. I have always found coloring to be very relaxing :)

At any rate, I like to color in my stamped images. I like color!
I have been hearing about copic markers for a few years now. Two? Three? A while anyway. And I wasn't too interested. I have plenty of markers. And I love my Dove blender pen. Absolutely adore it. I didn't need to spend more money on yet another set of markers, when what I have works.

Except I like to try out new trends and techniques. After all, I teach this stuff. I should at least have a passing familiarity with it, right? At least that's what I told myself when I found myself at Hobby Lobby today looking for copic markers. I wasn't planning on buying anything except some kind of craft project for the kids. But I noticed a how-to video on the clearance rack on working with copics. Hobby Lobby carries copics? Let me check them out!

So that's how I found myself with a handful of copics in the check out lane today.

After I got home I puttered around, then decided I really should see if these markers are all that they're cracked up to be. First I had to decide what image to stamp and color in. My favorite tree? Sure. The versamark chalk ink pad was a little dry. Tried my Distress ink pad. Much wetter! How do they stand up to a dove blender pen? They both bleed. Back to the drawing board. I couldn't find my archival ink pad, but I did find my Palette. That did the trick. But when I tried to stamp them on the opposite side of the page, the linen texture kept me from getting a good impression. Okay then. Time for a different stamp. What to use, what to use? Oh yes! New stamp from Studio Calico. Love these circles!

A note about stamps and getting a good impression. You need a fairly smooth cardstock. I'm using the back side of a linen paper from marco's papers that I absolutely adore. Rubber stamps give you a crisper image for the most part, but if you use a foam pad under your paper and do NOT press too hard you'll get a nice image with polymer. If you look closely at the left hand image, you'll see a little ghosting of the ink, from me pressing too hard.

Okay then, time to color!
I started with the copics, and used a pouncing motion to color in the image, light to dark for each group of colors. Then I went dark to light to blend them together. Two interesting things I noticed about copics. One, they spread a little as you lay them down, but not very much, so they'd probably be great if you wanted to get really detailed coloring. And two, as you lay them down over each other, they sort of pick up the other color, without muddying up your marker tip. That was nice. Oh and here's a third thing. I went over them a number of times, and they didn't raise the nap of the paper or tear it like markers can do if you get the paper too wet. Although they did threaten to bleed through.

The second circle I colored with watercolor pencils. The left side I used a dry blending technique, which let the texture of the paper come through. You can cover up the texture by using a heavier hand, but I was just being lazy and didn't want to get my pencil sharpener out. The right side I colored by laying down three stripes of color, and then used my blender pen to blur them together.

Which technique do you prefer? I think I like them all :)

Oh, and you can blame this lady for me buying the copic markers. It's all her fault! ;)

Status Report

My to-do list is certainly not shrinking. Last month was super hectic, and I managed to miss a number of things, in spite of having them on my agenda. (I suppose it would help if I had them in my agenda on the correct day.)
Every day has been very busy, but because of the nature of the things I am doing, I have to frequently switch gears. I finally got one thing on my to-do list checked off today: Ethan's room has been decluttered. Well, except for the two boxes of books and the trunk full of toys that need to be carted up to the attic. But that's 5 minutes work, unlike most of the other tasks that keep piling up.
So let's list this month's highlights, and see how I do getting them done.

1. More cleaning and decluttering. I think I'll tackle Simon's room next. And then the dining room and back porch.
2. Painting. I still need to paint the hall, but Jonathan put his last coat of spackle on today, so I should be able to get to that this week.
3. Replacing the paneling in the downstairs bath. What's there now is just ugly. I hope what's under it is okay, so I can have beadboard paneling on the bottom and paint on top, but we'll see.
4. Yearbook. I'll need to place the order this week, so we can have it before school gets out.
5. Another PTA meeting. And RIF, because last month didn't work for the kids. Can you say state testing? I think I hate state testing.
6. My craft room! I have left this to last, and have been piling more and more stuff in there as I find more things that should probably live there.
7. There's more, like this month's open house and scrapbook social, but those are fun things comparatively speaking.

I just want to be done.

I think I need some curled up with a silly book time, but I'm under a self-imposed time crunch, so it will have to wait until all the big projects are on their way to done.

Speaking of big projects, can anyone recommend a good housecleaning company?

Josefine and Henry

josefine and henry, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

This may look like a page about my niece, but it's really for my sister. Now if only I had a picture of her playing with Henry...

Tomorrow is the start of another round of LOAD. I am glad it is starting again, but I expect this month to be much more stressful than past LOADS have been.
In no particular order, here's a brief list of the things that May will bring:

• Simon's birthday
• Jonathan's birthday
• Jason's birthday
• PTA meeting
• make PTA schedule for next year
• figure out how to fit in a school board budget presentation for our parents
• run another round of RIF (reading is fundamental--I love this program!)
• teach 3 more classes of a beginning scrapbooking class. Also something I love and look forward to.
• Open house at JoAnn's to try to get more students to sign up for classes
• Scrapbook Social the last Monday of the month. Another thing I love.
• Coordinate roofers, painters, and basement waterproofers to finally get done the work we've been wanting to do on the house for years.
• Interior painting, cleaning and decluttering. While I love my orange hall, I know most people won't really appreciate the color. And I have more books than most people want to look at as well.
• All so I can try to put the house on the market by the first of June.

Doesn't look like too bad a list right? LOAD's totally doable, right?

That's what I keep telling myself. But I've already given myself permission to NOT do a page every day this month. Because, in the end I want to make pages that my kids and I want to read. Not just because I've set a goal for myself. So if I have no stories to tell on a really difficult day, I am NOT going to make a page. Because after a day of painting or cleaning or packing, I may not have any words left to add to my pages, and I find that words are one of the most important pieces of scrapbooking for me.

Not the "go for it!" attitude you're accustomed to hearing from me? Au contraire. I am going to try. But I am giving myself permission to keep it fun. If LOAD becomes a chore rather than a reward this month, I am going to take my own advice and remind myself there is no "should" in scrapbooking. I love LOAD, and I want to keep it that way.

A little video show and tell.

I've been thinking about making a video showing you around my tiny craft room, and finally made one today. Simon helped a little bit by holding the camera for me in the beginning. Every time I see my craft room on film, I am struck by how dark it is. There's actually more light in the room than is evident, but it is really my little crafty cave.
Please forgive all the ums and pauses. I am not good at speaking off the cuff. (However I can type a mean sentence!)

...and now February is fully LOADed.

Did you do it? Were you able to complete a layout every day? Most importantly, did you have fun?

Goodbye Thomas

Good bye thomas, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

I packed away the Thomas trains after Christmas. Ethan hasn't played with them for months, and while Simon loves the movies and books still, he hadn't pushed a train around in months either.

I think I was the saddest to see them go. Ethan used to pore over the Thomas catalog, and obsess over the various trains that weren't yet in his collection. He didn't get them all (although you wouldn't know it by the picture I used) but a train and some kind of track or building every birthday and Christmas for 6 years really adds up. And then after Ethan felt like he was too old for Thomas, he got very excited about buying it for his brother.

Simon, although he loves the stories and movies, never really got into Thomas like Ethan did. He was more into Hot Wheels cars, which he still plays with.

So the trains are in the attic. I'm saving them, with the hope that one day Ethan and Simon will have kids of their own, who will love Thomas as much or more than they did.

Git'er done!

LOAD 211 13, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

I just thought I'd walk you through how I put together this page. While it's nothing perfect, it's a pretty solid page, and my process might help someone else get their own pages done.

I started by picking a photo storage binder at random. It just happened to be from the first half of 2008. I thumbed through it and came across these photos. I've already used them in a vacation mini-book, so they were ready for some other story. Perhaps, since I've been mentally preparing myself to get some writing done, I was reminded of how inspiring the Winchester Mystery House was both as a visual treat, and a story inspiration.

So, photos, then journaling idea, next? Papers! All the botanical details reminded me of the Basic Grey kit I picked up from Michaels last year, so I pulled all the pieces, except for the kraft cardstock and the Making Memories journaling spot, from it. I decided since I had 5 pictures I wanted to use I needed to do a two page LO, and since a 12x24 LO wouldn't photograph that well, I went with 8.5x11 so I could scan it. I then trimmed the photos to get rid of unnecessary clutter, shuffled them around till I came up with a pleasing arrangement, and then taped the pieces down.

Finally I wrote my journaling, and then added the title. There was a sticker sheet staring me in the face, and I racked my brain to come up with some way I could use something from it. If I don't use it now, it may never get used. So, once again with the architectural details on my mind, I added the flower and flourish. Looking at it now, I may add more stuff along the right side, and under the hinge photo. Then again I may not. I'm not into second guessing myself.

Hope that was somewhat helpful or interesting! Now back to LOAD!

christmas in nyc

christmas in nyc, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with the daily pages. I'm trying to not spend too much time online... Yeah that's not working out so well.

At any rate, I had fun with a bunch of papers from the December Studio Calico kit. If I sewed on my pages, I would totally have sewed an edge on the black brackety piece of paper.

Oh, and the little tiny "i" and "n" are from some rub-ons I bought in 1988. Yes, 1988. Apparently I knew I was going to want them SOME day.

Concert Buddy

Concert Buddy, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

I'm embracing imperfection. Can you figure out what picky details I'm not happy with?

I am happy that it's done. And that I found the set list for that evening. It's hard to keep track of such things with an almost nine year old boy sleeping on your lap.

Unstoppable

Unstoppable, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

Today's prompt was to come up with a title using a song. Rascal Flatts to the rescue!

I love this photo of Ethan. I should blow it up and put it on a wall somewhere. It describes him so well.

A page with no title...

LOAD 211 02, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

But it's got some memorabilia on it--the thank you note my brother and sister-in-law sent after their wedding.

On a sadder note, this is the only photo from their wedding that I have. Our computer was dying, so we backed up all our photos on disc and then Jonathan reinstalled the OS. Unfortunately, he (I should say we) didn't double check that all the photos had been saved, and we lost 6 months worth of photos, which includes Ross and Nancy's wedding, and Ethan's second birthday party. Mom, Jess, Ethan and I made the coolest train cake ever. But I have no record of it.

Which brings me to my final point for today: backup, backup, backup. And throw in some off site archiving as well.

Off to a swimming start!

LOAD 211 01, originally uploaded by Heather's treasures.

Sorry. I coudn't resist the pun.

I'll be updating daily this month, just because I can. I'll try to add in some interesting content as the month progresses, but mostly this month is all about LOAD. It's not too late to join in the fun!

Drum Roll Please...

The winner of my giveaway for the LOAD blog hop is Jenny McGee. I've emailed her directly. Thanks so much for all your comments. It was so nice to have visitors!

See you in LOAD!

How to Succeed at LOAD Without Really Trying.

***EDITED--The contest is now closed. The winner will be announced shortly.***

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

I hope you've been enjoying your trip through LOAD world. At the end of my post, I've got a little giveaway, and links to the other blogs participating in today's blog hop, but first, I'm going to blather on about how I make it through a month of dedicated scrapbooking.

I have to admit, I haven't had a lot of problems completing a LOAD. There have been days when I'm less motivated than others, and days when I've been forgetful or neglectful, but on the whole, LOAD has been fairly easy for me.

Part of the reason I've been so successful is my motivation. I'm doing this for ME. Not because I have to, not to win prizes, not to earn the moniker of  "uber-scrapbooker," but because scrapbooking makes me happy. Seriously, if you approach scrapbooking as a chore, step away from the glue stick immediately. Go do something that makes you happy. Garden. Organize your closets. Play hockey. Whatever you look forward to with enthusiasm. Do it, and find some other way to tell your story. Blog it. Record it on video. Tell your children as many stories as you can stand to tell, and they can stand to hear. Or keep it to yourself. That's okay, too.You do not HAVE to scrapbook.

So. Anyway.
I am a self-motivated scrapbooker. Think about what motivates you, and then move on. There are a few other things you need to think about and do in order to be ready for LOAD.

Have photos you want to use ready and available. If you're a digi scrapbooker, make sure they're organized so you can find what you're looking for. If you're a paper fiend like I am, make sure you have plenty of photos on hand that inspire you. I just ordered a bunch of pics from Shutterfly, and they should be here with plenty of time to spare.

Do you like to work with sketches or pre-planned page kits? Have those at your finger tips. Have your paper organized so you can find what you want when you want it. Put your favorite embellishments somewhere you can see them, use them, and be inspired by them. Have tools that you use all the time closer to your workspace than things you only use occasionally.

You do not have to go shopping. What you have will work fine. Unless you hate it. And in that case, why are you holding on to it in the first place?

Make sure you have lots of adhesive on hand.

And then on the first day of LOAD, scrapbook. Make one page. Make two pages. Make a mini book. Go wherever your muse leads you. You do not have to follow Lain's prompts. They can be fun to do, but if you're not feeling the inspiration, find your own. You are a scrapbooker. You are creative. And you can do this.

Do not make excuses for why you can't scrapbook. Put scrapbook time on your to-do list. If you're a technique heavy person, work on pages in stages, with one page in the works, while you finish another page. You don't need to do your scrapbooking all at once. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, really add up.

Commit. If you're one of those scrapbookers who shuffles things around on your page for days before taping it down, give yourself a time limit, and stick with it. Perfection is overrated. And don't look back until LOAD is over. What you get done will amaze and delight you.

Don't forget to upload. Take a picture or scan your layout. Check out the pages of other people who have already uploaded. Share some love, and comment. Don't worry if your picture is blurry. Ask for help on the message boards if you need it. We all want you to succeed.

What it all boils down to is this: Organize your supplies in the way that you use them, and make scrapbooking a priority. It's not just a reward for getting all your other chores done. (And really, when are all your other chores actually done?) It's something that you need for yourself. The latest Paperclipping Round table episode talks about that idea at some length. If you aren't sure about how to organize yourself, LOAD will be a great way for you to figure that out. By scrapping every day, you will be more aware of how you look for things, and you'll be able to organize yourself after it's done. I don't recommend organizing during LOAD, however. While that can be fun, the goal is to make pages, not think about making pages. ;)

 I've got a little giveaway for you. Five 2-page layout kits from Creating Keepsakes, a 6x6 mini chipboard album, and a sticker maker from Xyron. I'll include a copy of the assembly instructions for you, in case you want to make your life easy and scrap fast! Here's what I used my mini album for. I'm sure you can come up with a creative use yourself.

To win, just leave a comment, and I'll choose a random winner on Wednesday, the 26th.

Now, on with your journey!

Lain http://www.layoutaday.com/getting-ready-for-load/


Danielle H. http://scrappindanielle.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-layout-day-blog-hop.html

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/2011/01/preparing-for-load-blog-hop.html

S http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/2011/01/preparing-for-layout-day-its-blog-hop.html

Lisa http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/2011/01/preparing-for-load-blog-hop.html

Laura http://mom2nick.typepad.com/heres_whats_new/2011/01/preparing-for-load-layout-a-day-.html

Rosann http://brooklyngirlnextdoor.blogspot.com/2011/01/gimme-l-gimme-o-gimme-a-gimme-d.html

Gayle http://lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-too-could-do-layout-day-load-211.html

Jennifer http://atthebluebarn.blogspot.com/2011/01/hippity-hop-its-load-211-blog-hop.html

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/2011/01/load-2011-blog-hop.html

Niki http://thepaperpeddler.blogspot.com/2011/01/load-211-blog-hop.html

Janet http://khashabfamilymusings.blogspot.com/2011/01/welcome-to-blog-hop-for-load.html

Lee http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/2011/01/blog-hop-load.html

Danielle T. http://dani-adayinthelifeofacoffeeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/01/loading-up.html

Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/lead-up-to-load.html

Julie http://www.juleshollis.com/2011/01/february-2011-preparation-blog-hop.html

Why I LOAD (and you should too!)

Let me take you back to the fall of 2009. I had been hearing about LOAD (LayOut A Day for any non-scrappers out there) from people at Big Picture Scrapbooking (now Big Picture Classes) and through various social media sources. Everyone who had taken part raved about how productive and inspired they were during the month-long sessions.

I was intrigued. My productivity had fallen off, mainly due to the unexpected death of my mother-in-law that spring. I hadn't fully completed any classes I was taking at BPC or JessicaSprague.com since then, and was feeling a bit disappointed in myself. I needed a challenge. A goal. A plan of action.

LOAD to the rescue!

I wasn't sure what to expect that first day, but I knew what page I had to do first. I'd been mulling over a page about meeting Whoopi Goldberg for days. I took advantage of the wide-format printer that my mother had given me, and printed the title and journaling directly on a piece of patterned paper. A few images snagged from the internet, and I had my first page for LOAD done. I took a picture of it, uploaded it to Flickr, and went on with my day.

I am a rather solitary scrapbooker. I am not a joiner by nature. I don't have friends who understand how cool scrapbooking is. So it came as something of a surprise when I went back later, and had comments and compliments about my layout. I had feedback! I wasn't alone!
This LOAD thing was awesome.

October 2009 LOAD

 As the month went along my stack of pages grew and grew. My kids eagerly read each page. They helped me choose topics. Simon even helped me put together one of two mini books I completed that month. (He loves buttons and flowers, just so you know.) I got so much DONE! And my family appreciated what I did. The housework didn't suffer any more than usual. Everyone was fed, and got to bed and school at reasonable times. And I was happier. I was getting creative every day, and feeling more inspired as the mess on my desk piled up. The people on the message board were supportive, and funny, and generous. I spent as much time as I could commenting and spreading the love around as well. I couldn't find a single downside to the whole process.

I still haven't.

February 2010 LOAD

I'm hooked. I love the people who sign up, who take the leap and ATTEMPT to push themselves creatively. There is no failure in LOAD, even if you don't finish a single page. There's only the certainty that you have tried, and you have completed more than you would have if you didn't take that jump.

If the idea of doing a layout each day flummoxes you, if you can't imagine finding the time or the inspiration to make a scrapbook page, you're in luck. The theme for this month's prompts is all about inspiration. Every day you'll get a link to a little prompt with ideas to get you scrapbooking, just in case you have no idea where to start. There will be interviews with Stacy Julian, founder of Big Picture Classes, Julie Comstock, president and designer for Cosmo Cricket, digital designer Anna Aspnes, and Page Maps author Becky Fleck. There will be camaraderie, and sharing of the ups and downs of life as a dedicated scrapbooker. And you WILL get more done than if you hem and hah and dither and live in the world of CAN'T instead of CAN.

May 2010 LOAD

To encourage you, and give you some ideas on how to prepare for a month of scrapbooking goodness, I and a bunch of other LOAD alums as well as Lain are hosting a blog hop Monday, January 24th, beginning at 10am eastern. I might even scrounge up a giveaway from my crazy stash. Join us!

And I said I wasn't a joiner.

Two ways to sign up: click on the LOAD 211 link on the top right (I'll get a portion of your sign-up fee) or click right here. (And leave me out of it.) Either way works, and both lead to FUN! Hope to see you there!

October 2010 LOAD

 What are you waiting for?

Just a quick share...

I am in the process of going through my photos from this past summer and fall, finally. I have an old version of photoshop elements (3!) that I was using, and it has been dying a slow and painful death. But that may be the junk computer I'm using. At any rate, I treated myself to the latest version of photoshop elements yesterday, and have spent today getting it installed, and starting to go thru the past 6 month's worth of photos. (gotta archive them, before something bad happens to them...) (cos it will. I've already lost a total of a year's worth of photos due to computer issues since I got my first digital camera Christmas 2001.)

As I have been going through my photos, this one leapt out at me. Not because of the wonderful interaction between Simon and Jonathan, but because of the imp filling the bottom of the frame.

Made me laugh out loud when I noticed him. How about you?