Suzy Scrapbooker

Dressing up the word with paste and pencil

2010-03-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

catching up on my reading the newspapers from the last week and this article caught my eye. Dressing up the word with paste and pencil. In particular an exhibit at the Folger "Extending the Book" (grangerizing or extra-illustration). The article likens it to scrapbooking. Interesting reading and although I'm not too too far away a trip into DC isn't happening right now.

Negativity

2010-03-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

i've been spending a lot of time in my off hours scanning negatives.
my husband gave me the film and slide converter I'd asked for as a christmas gift. It took me months to get a chance to use it - but once i got started i've been a scanning fool. now i've got a ton of old photos scanned in and ready to print when i need them. For me - having these negatives scanned and in my computer served a few purposes. #1 - if anything happens to the negatives i know i've got another source for these memories. #2 - it's nice to have the ability to just quickly go to my computer files and pull up these photos instead of going thru the negatives. #3 - it's a heck of a lot easier to get prints made from the digital version than the negative. Remember the old days when you had to take your rolls of film or negatives to be printed... then wait? I've gotten so spoiled - just upload to Costco, order prints and have my prints the same day or the next.
Maybe for some people all the effort scanning wouldn't be worth it but to me - it's wonderful and worth the time. I'm still working on baby albums. And i've got a scrapbook project (other than my kids albums) that i'm going to be working on (a gift) - i needed to go thru a lot of these negatives to find pics. Now that's done.
The film and slide converter my husband bought me is a great little tool. I'll be able to use it when i one day tackle converting my grandparents slides to digital (that will be an undertaking of major proportions!). The only thing i wished i could convert is my 110 film. I've got a lot of 110 negatives.
As far as what i've been scrapbooking of late: graduation photos for both my kids, some random photos of my inlaws house. I need to get started with my daughter's baby album - that's the next ongoing project i'm starting. Maybe then i'll post some layouts. need to add a little pictorial to this blog!

Scrapbook and Self Works

2010-02-26T09:01:00.000-08:00

if you've got some time - or like accompaniment to your scrapbooking in the form of recorded material as I do - take a listen to this wonderful lecture given by Jessica Helfand and Rebecca Johnson Melvin at the Cooper-Hewitt here. The only bad thing about it is you'll have to stop repeatedly (what you're doing) to look. I still mean to purchase Jessica Helfand's book, Scrapbooks: An American History but in the meantime, I really enjoyed listening (and watching) this video. Gotta run....

Paperclipping Roundtable

2010-02-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted but here I am. I haven't stopped scrapbooking at all. There was a time, due to work committments, I had to put it on hold a little - but rest assured Suzy lives.
I've wanted to blog here for quite a while but decided time was better spent working on pages etc.
So why am I here today? Well I don't know about you but I scrap better with accompaniment in the form of music, tv shows, or podcasts. (I always studied this way too - gotta have some background noise!) I recently found "The Paperclipping Roundtable". It's a podcast I download via itunes. They have a new show every Wednesday and have some regular members as well as guests. Scrapbooking type folks - like Stacy Julian and Ali Edwards. I've enjoyed listening, for the most part. My only - i hesitate to use the word - complaint - is the endless references to "the industry". The members are part of "the industry" yet want to reassure listeners they are "just regular scrapbookers". It is a bit tiresome. I think we can just say - they work in the biz - and move on. Get back to talking about scrapbooking.
Which in today's episode they did!
I really enjoyed listening to the discussion of tools (always a fun topic for scrapbookers!) Hearing the members talk about the tools they've bought that were stinkers (frank and funny comments) as well as tools they'd like to buy: Renee Pearson telling how she'd like to have a Slice - Lain saying she loved her Slice so much she got rid of her Silhouette and the other members chime in with "ooooooooooo" - it was like listening to a group of your friends talking at a crop. And for me, today's show was just what I was looking for in a scrapbooking podcast just for that reason. There was information and fun girl chat (Izzy - the lone male member- notwithstanding - who, by the way is very entertaining himself).
I'd like to also mention that in addition to a weekly topic, there are segments for scrapbook industry news and product picks to round out the show.
So - if you haven't listened to the Paperclipping Roundtable, check it out. Dowload via itunes (or you can listen here.
Ok... hoping to be back soon to update on my scrapbooking progress!

Little Pieces

2008-06-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

I mentioned last time I was working on a layout originally planned as a 12x12. And also that I croppped the photos using my rectangle Nestabilities - here's that layout. I fooled around with it a bit more. Decided to use my corner rounder on the photos as well. I also took out my Quickutz Zoe font - i thought it worked nicely with the Making Memories patterned paper for some reason. Regardless I'm liking the whole 8.5x11 size these days. And who would think you could fit 10 pics on two 8.5x11 pages?

I still have a lot to do with the negatives - mostly because events around here are demanding my attention. And I have to begin the next phase of my Photo Freedom project. I'm still wondering whether or not I really need to purchase the storage binders. My photos are all organized and in boxes. Buying and using the binders just seems almost redundant for me. I think - not sure - I can use the boxes as she uses binders. We'll see. Gotta run!

Negatives and tools

2008-06-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

I finished my time line of my printed photos (ones using 110 and 35 mm film). I tracked down some negative sleeves at a local Ritz photo store. Actually 50 pages of negative storage. Each holds 7 strips of 35 mm negatives. (I will definitely be needing hundreds more of these negative sheets before I'm finished.)
Now I'm on a hunt for what to do with the 110 negatives. If anyone has seen storage (preferably sheets that fit into a binder: 3 hole, 8.5 x 11) I'd appreciate the info.
Anyway I began filling up those 50 sheets last night as I watched a little TV. That's going to take a bit of time - but little by little it will get done. I know in Stacy Julian's book "Photo Freedom" she says just throw the negatives in a box - keep them safe and don't worry about organizing them. But I am just not up for doing that. Her reasoning was sound (if some disaster happens she won't mind looking through the negatives) but for me - well I just don't want to do it. I have so many years of photos and will no doubt want to get reprints. I know this because as I've gone through the packs of photos I have found not all the prints are there. They were given away or used on some pages or I just don't know why they aren't there. So having the negatives organized is important to me. But like I said I will be doing the organization in small bites. A little here, a little there.
And a quick note before I run - I was working on a layout this morning. More for my son's baby scrapbook. I was looking at all the photos and realized they all could fit on 2 pages (instead of the original 3 I planned) if I cropped them a bit better. Then I realized I could use my rectangle Nestabilities and get this cropping done in no time. And I did! All cut to the same rectangle size in a matter of minutes. I love it!

I've been busy

2008-06-08T05:49:00.000-07:00

Reading .....
Photo Freedom by Stacy Julian and Family History Scrapbooking by Becky Higgins
Now you might be thinking - I thought you gave up on all these books and magazines. And yes I have. I stopped my magazine subscriptions entirely. But these 2 books have been nagging at me since they came out. The Becky Higgins book came out while I was still working at the store and I didn't even look at it I was so disenchanted with all the books at the time. The Photo Freedom book has only been out a few months but it talks about (in detail) Stacy's system that she's mentioned in both her previous books (which I have) and covers in her online class Library of Memories (which I'd love to take but it ain't cheap. I hoped for a "book" version and my prayers were answered LOL).
I picked up the Family History book at AC Moore with a 50% off coupon. It's really pretty great. I know it will help me down the line when I attack the stacks and stacks of old family (my childhood etc) photos I have. But what's on my mind is the pictures I've got from my college days onward - I was telling my friend June howI've been reading the book and began the timeline Stacy talks about in the beginnning. You timeline your photos so you have a reference point (who was what age when this happened for example). I created a little spreadsheet and am just about done with that and I've discovered I have 190 packages of photos in 9 boxes.
Frightening huh?
And that doesnt even count the 5 years of digital photos I've got.
So I needed to get this under control - and I'm thinking this book is going to help me out immensely. If nothing else, I've gotten a renewed enthusiasm and also realize there is more than one way to skin a cat (Frankie & Spencer - you didnt hear me type that!)
I'll be finishing my timeline probably today or tomorrow and then onto the scarey part - taking some of the photos out of chronological order (not all but some). I'll let you know how I do.

Whilst I wait....

2008-05-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

and wait and wait... sheesh you'd think they'd tell you when you order that its not in stock. I am a fairly patient person but when I order I like to know in advance I'll be waiting kwim?

So I'm while I'm waiting for my Photo Freedom I decided to finish up some layouts I started a bit ago.

You'll note I took the pics of the layouts before I did any journalling. I trust you can use your imagination on that ok?

Nothing spectacular but I tell you it is very fun to actually USE all this stuff I've bought over the years and even more fun to find out the colors etc all go very nicely together. I guess I am consistent in buying what I like and I like the same colors etc no matter the year!

Another thing I've noticed is that regardless of the poor photography, I love these pictures. They won't win any awards but they're real yaknow? The one of my husband, his Dad and my son - the Joe Boys -I just love this picture. I had t-shirts made for them for Christmas and I knew it was going to be one of those pictures we'd look back on later. My father-in-law was just so proud of his namesake as was my husband. (I think I hear Paul Anka singing "The Times of Your Life" right now... do you hear it too? ;-))

Okay that's enough for tonight. I'll keep you posted as to the arrival of my book!

edited to add - gee the pics I took of the pages really are blurry - sorry about that - the photos really aren't that bad at all.

National Scrapbook day came and went

2008-05-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

and i haven't scrapped in over a month - so there.
Life has just been so busy.
However I've been working on a project for the FIL's 80th birthday. We're having a little entertainment at the party - photos with music of his life and family. It will be wonderful. Last update from those putting it together is there will be over 150 pics submitted from all six siblings. Anyway I had to search through about 24 years of photos to get our entries. No small feat I tell you - but it will be worth it. He will love it. DH and I are going to follow up with a framed collage of photos and an album from the party.
As I looked through the boxes and boxes of photos it became abundantly clear I have gotten next to nothing done in the way of scrapbooking. Seriously, in all the years I've scrapped (10 years) I have so little to show for it. This is a recurring revelation. That is how this blog was born really. Getting so hung up in the scrapbooking world I'm not getting much accomplished.
I have to make some progress. I probably have to stop scrappin every picture (gasp!). So i broke down and ordered Stacy Julian's "Photo Freedom" book. It's the book wherein she tells her system that she teaches in her Library of Memories class. I'm hoping the book will arrive sooner than later this week. I'll do a review and then I'm going to get to work. I'm not sure if I'll follow all of her system - that remains to be seen. But I'm thinking there has to be a better way. My own little system here was definitely helping me make some headway but I've gotta get more done. Stay tuned!

Size Matters

2008-02-19T05:47:00.000-08:00

okay

you've noticed I do mostly 12x12 pages.

what you haven't seen is that I've done lots of 8-1/2x11 pages (not to mention lots of minibooks of all shapes and sizes)

When I was working on my kids school albums

(which I have just been updating for the past few years with each new year - and they are almost complete as these kids are almost done with school - a fact that totally blows my mind but i digress....)

I had a lot of items that didn't really require 2 full pages or even one full 12x12 page. I used Creative Memories albums for their school albums. CM made (perhaps still makes) these page protectors for things like awards and such - and they were really just like 8-1/2 by 11 page protectors. I used those for all their awards and such. They threaded right into the album like the other pages. Then I realized I could just make smaller pages in the albums - why not? So those albums are a mix of 8-1/2 x 11 and 12x12 pages. I guess I was a little ahead of my time huh? Cos now I see this same idea being used by a lot of other scrappers - I guess it just makes sense huh?

So, the other day I was getting ready to go to my new scrapbook club. I was looking at the photos that were up next in my son's baby album (notice how I have the school albums worked on but I'm still just at the beginning of the baby albums? ha!) A few pics here - a few pics there. None that needed a big ole 12 x 12 page and certainly didn't need a 2 page spread. So out with the 8-1/2x 11 cardstock. I made these 2 layouts and have another on my drawing table. I forgot how fast and easy these smaller layouts can be - and really a lot less stressful to boot. Fast and easy is good. No stress is good. It definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment - and for me - faced with decades (yes... decades) of scrapbooking to do - well that is definitely a bonus! Makes me want to do more!

walker happy

2008-01-23T06:19:00.001-08:00

I have to say the most fun part of working on pages of photos that are so old is you get to look at baby pictures of your children - total trip down memory lane. Lots of reflection as you stare into that sweet little face from so many years ago. The bad part is, of course, that some of the memories are slightly fuzzy. Like I can't remember exactly when I took these pictures. But really, in the long run, it doesn't make any difference. What does make a difference is that I have these photos now in a scrapbook, right? Right.

I used some of that Making Memories Boy paper and some cardstock. Used a punch by

StampinUp! that creates scallops - for the long borders on each side. The title block was scalloped using my Nestabilities. Hey - when you buy these pricey tools you gotta use 'em every chance you get! or make some opportunities right? I used Purple Onion alpha stamps and StampinUp! ink; also a StampinUp! marker to write in the rest of the titling. And looky at all those pictures I managed to fit onto 2 pages. 10 - countem - ten pictures. I wasn't going to edit a single photo. He was just too darn cute in all of them!

Cutest

2008-01-21T12:44:00.001-08:00

Well it's been a while. Happy New Year and all that!

I actually started this "Cutest" page before I went into my exile. And finally i had a chance to get back to it. Used some Purple Onion stamps and cardstock and that's it.

My big problem is that I cannot get over using every decent photo I have. So I'm always arranging and rearranging photos so they'll fit on a 2 page spread.

I've often thought I should take that Library of Memories class that Stacey Julian offers through Big Picture Scrapbooking. Since she came up with that class - what maybe 2 years ago - she also talks about her system in her book "Simple Scrapbooking" - I've thought about taking it but wish she'd just come out with a book detailing the system. Well - I read last week she is coming out with just that book! Yippee for me. It's called "Photo Freedom" and its due out February 1st. I'm not sure if it will finally convince me to not to scrapbook every photo but I'm willing to listen! I've loved Stacey Julian's other books so I'm going to give it a whirl. Even though I've stopped buying scrapbooking magazines and books - I'm not missing this one!

sorry i've been gone

2007-12-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

between things going on around here and Christmas - scrapbooking is on a serious back burner. However, I anticipate getting back to a regular schedule once the holidays have been packed away for another year. This is often the way for us Suzy's and I am really not apologizing about not scrapbooking. You have to work it in when you can and that is not right now for this Suzy. So happy holidays to all - see you in the New Year!

How to fix those not-so-good pictures

2007-10-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

does anyone know?

Oh you thought I was going to tell YOU?!

Silly.

First of all - 21 years ago there were no digital cameras (at least not that I know of). I was using a Pentax - not anything automatic and I really hadn't a clue what I was doing. Sort of a hit or miss affair. Back then - I just wanted to take the pictures and for the most part i did ok. These are evidence of my lack of skill with that camera however I have photos and that's what I cared about.

When i pulled out these pictures they looked decidedly Christmas-y.

And they are not Christmas pictures.

Really.

My husband's Aunt had sent this adorable bear to my son as a gift. And I had good intentions of taking photos of our son every month (after receiving it) with the bear to chart our son's growth - seeing as the bear was so large I thought it would be funny to see when our son actually overtook him - sizewise (of course if you'll notice in the photos, my dear son had some major double chins goin on - gawd the child was adorable - if you only knew what he looked like now you'd fully appreciate the irony - think very slim). Anyway that didn't happen - the monthly photo taking - but I do have these photos (and some others with the bear that you'll see soon).
And they looked like Christmas. Until I decided to pair the photos with this paper by KI Memories and some Bazzill cardstock. I wanted to take the Christmas out so i opted for blues and greens. And actually i think it worked. The alpha stickers are also KI.

That's all for today folks. Go make a page!

First Halloween

2007-10-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Now i'm actually to the first Halloween (and folks - this would mean my son was 4 months old - I've got a lot of stuff to do huh? LOL)

I am happy with this one - the pictures kinda just fell into place and I just needed to add some paper and a little journaling. I used some Doodlebug paper and cardstock, a Hero Arts stitching stamp, some black ink, my Martha Stewart writing pen and a little ribbon. The alpha stamps are, once again, from Purple Onion Designs - this time Garamouche Small. Oh and a little bit of ribbon on the tag. And I did use a small circle punch for the reinforcement on the tag. The only thing I think I would think about adding is maybe some more of that stitching stamp on the borders at top or bottom. I didn't do it because lining it up to go across the page was more effort than I wanted to expend LOL. I could just as easily use my sewing machine to get the same job done with a lot less effort.

A Father Son Talk and Classic products

2007-10-27T04:25:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed I've been using a particular color scheme for this album of my son's baby pictures. Not really a conscious choice on my part. More of a manufacturer's decision. Most of the baby stuff out there for sale is in some form or other of pastel shades. It varies slightly from year to year - some years there is an influx of the hot color combinations - but they are always pastelled down (i made that word up LOL - but you know what i mean). And actually all the papers I'd bought over the years I liked just fine. I bought them right? But you do notice that is what people expect to find for baby stuff - I have noticed some primary colored items but for the most part - pastel. And it can get a little boring. I pulled out theese photos of my husband and son and thought - no Making Memory boy paper for this layout. It just won't work. BUT... some Making Memories Kid Collection Embellishment Paper - Sam - will be just right! No I'm not a shill for Making Memories but I am a huge fan. I think they have made some of the nicest scrapbooking products ever. The word Classic comes to mind. How much more classic can you get than the paper I used in this layout? It will always look good - and on a variety of layouts. I also threw on some of their buttons (of which i have a huge supply) - I like buttons. And i was in desperate need of something to fill that space. The title is stamped using (another of what i consider classic) Purple Onion Designs Garamouche Medium. I used a Martha Stewart writing pen for the journaling - I keep forgetting to mention these wondeful little pens! Get some. They're great- and they come in a ton of colors (make sure if you're looking for the writing pen you don't pick up the permanent marker - totally different tip!) And of course then there are the photos. I just love these pictures of my husband and son.

scrapbook therapy

2007-10-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy around here but i decided i needed to get back to my scrapbooking. Making pages can be almost therapeutic. You kind of forget what is going on about you and just concentrate on what you're making. I bet you know what I mean.

I went back to where i left off with the baby pictures and picked up the next 2 photos and put them on a page. I used that Making Memories boy paper, some cardstock, my scallop circle punch and my circle cutter from Creative Memories, as well as the Garamouche alpha from Purple Onion Designs.

Oh and guess what - i actually completed 2 more layouts this week. I'll post them tomorrow and Sunday - how's that! Hope you're getting some pages done!

Jumping Around

2007-10-20T19:01:00.000-07:00

Chronologically speaking - jumping around.

I had been talking about these dinosaur Halloween costume pictures on Small Smackerels. I had the photos out and thought - why not. Just cos I've been working on the baby pictures doesn't mean I can't skip ahead, whilst I'm in the mood, and scrapbook these right?

I hunted through my supplies and found some paper and stickers. I even found some twistel! Remember that?

It's not the greatest layout but i like it enough. Cute colors, papers etc. The minute i started to agonize that the little trick or treat tag as well as the title were "floating" i said to myself - who the heck cares? did i really care? No. Deep down i didn't. This isn't some graphic design project or a design team entry. It's a scrapbook page. One day, I like to think my son and his future wife (whomever she might be) will look at it and say - gee our son really looks like his dad. (or something like that). Or maybe they'll say - we gotta get Mom to make our son a costume for Halloween this year!

The point is my son and future generations will have these cute photos to look at and reminisce about and that's what it's all about. Isn't it?

For the record:

Patterned Paper - Creative Imaginations

Stickers: All stickers are by Doodlebug except the thin black and white stripe border stickers which I got from Creative Memories (maybe they're Mrs. Grossman's huh?)

Twistel and Brads are from Making Memories.

Bat Stamp is a foam stamp from Making Memories - it may be hard to see but the black cardstock is stamped using the bat stamp and Versamark.

Getting back to "jumping around"....

I'm more of a chronological scrapbooker. I know many people are - I'd even say most people work on scrapbooks in this manner. And ya know I tried to get into the Simple-Scrapbooks-Stacey-Julian thought process about forgetting the dates and working on themes (that's a simplistic explanation). I even thought about trying her Library Of Memories Class - which sounds really wonderful. I know someone who did indeed take the course and they really spoke extremely highly of it. I have both of Stacey Julian's books: Simple Scrapbooks and the newer Big Picture Scrapbooking. I really enjoyed them both. I guess bottom line, it's just not for me. I like scrapbooking all my photos. I don't mind (anymore) that I have a bazillion photos to scrap. Eventually (God-willing) I'll make the scrapbooks for those photos. I have taken what I learned from those books and incorporated them into my own process and that's okay, right?

Thought I'd check in

2007-10-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

i wish i could say i've gotten some scrapping done.
I do have a layout on my drawing table right now which is almost complete.
It's been a while since I've had a layout on my table this long - pretty much all week. I was actually cranking out a steady stream for a while there.
I'm hoping to finish that one up today and then maybe work on some Ready-to-go files.
The RTG works great if you actually have small chunks of time to work on getting the items pulled together. And time has been at a premium lately. Lots of the spare time I've had lately has had to go into other creative endeavors (see Small Smackerels ). And with the holiday season coming up I know I'll have to start working on Christmas cards. But I'd really like to continue with my son's baby/childhood albums (if I ever plan to get to my daughter's!). We'll see. Hope you all are making headway in your scrappin. And if we all have to take a break on it lets all solemnly swear we won't beat ourselves up about it!

merry-hearted boys

2007-10-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

some cute happy pics of my merry-hearted boy when he was just 3 or 4 months old.
how do you like those chins?
it's so funny to look at these pics and know this kid now - he's so slim and has these wonderful cheekbones and strong jaw. but then again such a cute baby would have to grow into a handsome man. the best man (other than his dad of course).
it's hard to see but the quote is
"it's the merry-hearted boys that make the best men"
Ingredients: assorted buttons (i think all Making Memories brand), embroidery thread, KI Memories paper and some eyelets

what a face

2007-10-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

now ya see in person, you'd be able to see the photos on this one - they're really sweet. he was (and is) adorable. but most of the photos have a lot of shadow. you may be able to see better by clicking on the image i just am not sure.

Regardless - more Making Memories baby boy paper (every time i use it i kick myself for not picking up the pack for girls!) some brads and those cute Doodlebug cardstock tag alpha stickers.

Who's that in the mirror?

2007-10-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

A fast page with pictures of my son loving his little mirror. I remember getting a kick out of watching him look at himself - wondering at what point he'd realize it was himself he was lookin at.
More of that cute Making Memories baby boy paper as well as Quickutz CK Handprint for the title

sorry my fellow suzy's

2007-10-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

life around here has been so crazy.
certainly no scrapbooking going on (GASP!)
i do have some pages i need to post.
hopefully tomorrow.
lately i've had time to keep up Small Smackerels
but not Suzy postings. I'm gonna try harder this week!
This is, however, what real scrapbooking is about though now isn't it?
Fitting it in when you have time and actually enjoying it while you're doing it.
When i was working in the scrapbook store I would often tell frustrated scrapbookers - if it's making you crazy, you're doing it wrong.
I really believe it.
Scrapbooking can be what you make it -

very elaborate with tons of embellishments
simple design
photo corners and labels with names and dates
journaling
no journaling
chronological or not
a store house for matchbooks, ticket stubs, maps and bar napkins ;-)

but it shouldn't be anxiety producing.

so that's where i'm at right now - on hold - til i can fit a few layouts in here and there.

hopefully i'll return tomorrow with some of those layouts i've already got photographed.

a picture is worth a thousand words

2007-09-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

and also a few quotes. hence this layout of my husband and our son sleeping. sometimes my husband could get him to sleep by just laying down with him. i think maybe it was hearing his heartbeat that lulled our son to sleep? maybe. who knows but i do recall feeling very grateful at the time.

More of those K&Co fortune cookie type quotes with the Making Memories paper, cardstock and a little ribbon. i originally thought i'd stitch those quotes down - who knows - i may go back and do that...

our little star

2007-09-18T04:02:00.001-07:00

that making memories baby paper again.... i love this particular paper. all those polka dots - so cute. You know i had never bought a pack of patterned paper before this one. I'd always picked out paper by the sheet. I was never sure I'd use up a whole collection of papers - probably cos I'd never actually gotten this much scrapbooking done before! Yesterday, while i was out at Target, I looked for the girl paper - of course it wasn't there anymore. I coulda kicked myself for not buying it when i saw it. I learned long ago if you don't get it when you see it you might as well forget it! Oh well - i'm sure by the time i need the girl paper, i will find i have enough anyway. The boy stuff is always the problem - never girl stuff. I also used a doodlebug embellishment (the star in the upper right hand corner of the right page - can you see it?) as well as some K&Company "Proverbs to Go". I'd bought those proverbs on sale when the store was closing. They were quite popular at the time - the little strips of paper with preprinted things on them. I really loved the Proverbs version of this line - they seemed like chinese fortune cookie fortunes - all packaged up in a chinese food take out container. i thought let me see if i can find a few that would be appropos for this album. There are 400 two-sided pieces in the container - and i looked through them all to find suitable ones.

Yes - i'm nuts.

Baptism

2007-09-17T05:36:00.001-07:00

I am quite behind in posting but that's the way things are right now. But i thought i'd sneak in a few of these baptism layouts. I used some more

of that wonderful Making Memories boy paper as well as a die cut of the cross I bought so long ago I can't even remember. It was a pretty die cut but it was black. Doesn't that seem odd? A black cross? Well I thought so - particularly for a baptism layout. So i covered it in versamark ink and then white embossing powder. Voila - now it's a white cross and looks more appropriate. Oh yes - there is also some vellum that has the word baptism all over it - i believe it is made by Rusty Pickle (but don't quote me on that!)

A conversation with you

2007-09-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

i took some quick pictures last nite of the stack of layouts i've done to date that i hadn't posted. not the best pictures but i think its more important to get these up here - and hopefully show that i'm still plugging away and you can too!

this one is a two pager with pics of my cutie when he was somewhere between 2-3 months old. I would set him on the floor on a blanket and just start snapping pictures - talking to him all the time. I talked to that child all the time - I think it's really important to talk to babies. No baby talk - just regular chat. He seemed to love it. And was always talking right back to me - very animated as you can see by the pics. He'd babble and coo and squeal. We'd have a good old conversation. This continues today (sans the cooing - we definitely get some babbling and the occasional squeal!) The kid is a talker. He tells me everything (well probably not e-v-e-r-y-thing but most things - to the point I have to say hey... I'm your mother - I don't want to know that LOL!) He cracks us up most times. I recall a particular time - he was maybe 3 and he had woken up before us. He was quite happy and laughing and we all went downstairs to the kitchen to get breakfast. He told us he already had breakfast. We asked him what did he have? He brought me to the cabinet where the cereal was - I thought omigosh he got himself cereal - I said did you have some cereal? He said - No - I had cookies! He was laughing and thought he was hilarious - he knew he shouldn't have had cookies - but he also didn't lie about it. That's this kid. (can you tell i just adore this kid?) We did indeed have a discussion about cookies not making a good breakfast - just so you know.....

oops - in case you were wondering those alpha stickers are SEI (gosh i love using up my stuff!)

okay. gotta go.

3 faces of you

2007-09-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

with a lot of things going on around my house i've not been able to post. i have a minute or two right now so i'm grabbing it. thank goodness i had taken a lot of pics but this is the last one - although i have a stack of layouts done i don't have them photographed.

this layout i used another one of those Making Memories Perspectives, some KI Memories paper and alpha stickers and a Doodlebug star embellishment.

we're so happy to meet you

2007-09-05T07:35:00.001-07:00

some pics of my older sister and nephew meeting my son for the first time.
used a making memories "perspectives" (its like a big piece of cardstock with precut spaces for pictures - this one had 2 openings for pics), a papershaper square punch and my Purple Onion Garamouche alpha rubber stamps.

playtime with andy

2007-09-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

my husband has four sisters - 3 of whom are older than he. the oldest sister is quite a sewer. she's even got a serger. made a lot of great outfits for her own children including the most darling pj's with huge buttons - cute. anyhow she also took to making each nephew/niece a Raggedy Andy or Ann doll when they were born - andy for the boys and ann for the girls. Not too many Ann's - out of the 17 grandchildren on my husband's side there are only 5 girls! (yes, it's a testosterone fest when this family gets together)

Here's my son with his Andy - the doll was bigger than he was!

patterned paper is stampinup and that's quickutz paige for the title.

cheeky little monkey

2007-08-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

the title is right on the money - agreed?

the funny thing now of course is those cheeks don't exist anymore - he's got a very strong jaw and high cheekbones - and not an ounce of fat anywhere. that he had these cheeks and chins to spare at one time is pretty hilarious to me.

Quickutz Paige lower, Making Memories baby boy paper and some ribbon

More bath time

2007-08-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

a few more bath pics - he was just so cute. i'm having such fun looking at these pictures. He was less than 3 months old here.

I kept thinking while i was doing this - what title should i give it? Does it need one? But you know I don't really think every page or layout has to have a title do you? I mean just cos that's what is in the magazines i don't think its necessary. That white space is a little disconcerting. I thought perhaps I might throw something on there then I thought again. I like the circles - seems like bubbles, right?

I have a real cute page for tomorrow's post... wait'll you see!

Just a swingin

2007-08-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

some of that Making Memories boy paper with cardstock and Quickutz Paige and QK flowers. I really need a sentence or two of journaling on this one about him liking the swing - for like 5 minutes at a time. He preferred me holding him to anything else - my arms were rarely empty as he wouldn't have it any other way.

Rub a dub dub

2007-08-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

well the colors are a little bright - i'm really not into primary colors. However - it's what i had (the yellow) and what really coordinates - so there you have it LOL! I bought this paper so long ago - the cute little duckies and you know - i'm not apologizing one bit for liking it - HA! It's cute. And what is cuter than a baby in the tub. I ask you? I also used a Quickutz duckie die to make that little duck.

random cuteness

2007-08-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

a little random cuteness!

its becoming ridiculously clear this album is going to be huge. a several volume affair I fear. I have so many pictures. Oh well. Maybe i'll actually use all the stuff I've bought that's blue! I do need more cardstock already. On this layout i used some of that Making Memories baby paper - which is like all their embellishment paper - a much heavier weight. It would serve well as the base but - while I love pattern I cannot take all that pattern with photos just straight. You've probably noticed already I always break up that pattern with cardstock. (here: the cardstock background in addition to each photo being matted).

I also need to mention i used my Quickutz Paige classic (i only have the lower case - so you'll see that a lot - maybe one day i'll pickup the upper on ebay!) and some ribbon. I keep forgetting to mention ribbon. I have a lot of that to use up. I also think it kinda cleans up the edges - crisps up the entire thing. more tomorrow!

my little charmer

2007-08-26T09:24:00.001-07:00

When i pulled out these pictures that's what i thought. this child is a charmer. From the time he was tiny, the kid could charm anyone. He just has this way about him. And he can talk to anyone (or - as is evidenced in the photos)- anything LOL. The pictures look as if he's talking to his stuffed toys - and i actually recall him doing just that (and here he is perhaps maybe 3 months old? if that!). Over the years, i've told him on countless occasions he should be a lawyer or a politician - the kid can talk. (and argue any point for that matter). He of course has other ideas on that score (he's more into computer languages now) and that is fine by us.

Let's see - what did I use? Cardstock, that Making memories Boy patterned paper (its a really cute paisley that is nice boy paper) stampinup inks and probably my all time favorite Purple Onion alpha rubberstamps - Garamouche (a combo of the small and medium sizes i think)

A babe in a house

2007-08-25T06:23:00.001-07:00

I had these sticker quotes hanging around and thought this was a cute one. I used the Making Memories Baby boy paper again, stamped the harlequin with paint on cardstock with Making Memories foam stamps, added some American crafts felt flowers and some buttons.
And yes - 2 posts for today cos i missed yesterday :-)

Out for a stroll - first set of wheels

2007-08-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

Used more of that Making Memories baby boy paper (i'm a sucker for polka dots) and Studio Quickutz font. I was flipping thru a booklet of vellum quotes and saw this "first set of wheels" title and thought - why not. I could save it for pics of his first car but will i remember? probably not LOL so i just tucked it under the mat and said hey its cool.

sweet baby

2007-08-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

i probably shoulda taken more time with the photographing of pages. but then that takes up too much of my suzy time so... bare (bear?) with me.

more stampinup patterned paper and a my minds eye (i believe) rub on (sweet baby).

I also realize i am not showing these in order. These photos are of my son in the first few days after we brought him home. I shoulda posted these before - oh well. it really doesnt make much difference now does it?

my cutie pie

2007-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

if you look close you can see the Doodlebug alpha cardstock stickers - attached with little brads. The patterned paper is Me & My Big Ideas.

You'll notice i don't mind including every picture i ever took of this child LOL! I know lots of scrapbooking people are very big into just picking the best photo to scrapbook but - not me! I use 'em all! Of course if a picture was very blurry or cutting off most of the subject i'm sure i wouldn't (but if i didnt have another photo - hey that blurry cut off photo would be on there too!) I have issues I guess. You know those photos they take in school every year? in the fall? Well here they also started taking them in the Spring (a good many years back i guess). Anyway i was annoyed. I knew that I would never be able to NOT by the pictures. They are of my child for heavensake! I just couldn't send them back to school saying "no thanks!". Okay, more tomorrow.

baby boy - bundle of joy

2007-08-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

what's fun about waiting to do these pages is that i have all these things i've been saving to use and even though they're from different manufacturers they work nicely together. Course that may have much to do with my personal taste (which runs to the more classic kinda style) For example here - at the top i used a stampinup "welcome little one" stamp and the little journaling rectangle stamp with American Crafts patterned paper and a SEI sticker. If i'd done these pages a few years back I'm sure i'd have come up with a nice solution regardless but i''m happy that it works out these products work nicely together. (I'm just lookin at the picture and the ribbon really is straight - its just pushed outta shape). Okay.. another one tomorrow!

Next Project - baby boy!

2007-08-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well I've been busy working on that baby album I mentioned last week. I'm starting on my son's album. You should know my son is now 21 years old. Why did it take me so long to do a baby album? When I began scrapbooking about 10 years ago I thought I'll never get anything done if I go back to the baby stuff. I'd be put off just by the shear magnitude of the undertaking. Even at that stage - when my son was only 11 yrs old - heck that would be 11 years of pictures (not to mention just the ones of his first year. First child = mega photo ops, right?) So at that time a few friends encouraged me to just jump in and work on a school album. That's just one small slice of a kid's life right? And that's what I did. In between I did other projects, but kept on putting off doing anything with the older photos. So here i am. He's 21 and its time!

I began by pulling out anything I'd ever bought for those baby albums. All the items I've been squirreling away for literally years. Patterned papers, rubons, rubberstamps, quickutz, and various and sundry embellishments. (I will admit to one purchase - the other day I was in Target - not looking for scrapping supplies but i can't resist looking. Well strangely enough they had the Making Memories embellishment paper packs marked down - the baby ones. How coincidental is that? So i just bought the boy pack - 24 pieces of that lovely Making Memories heavy weight patterned embellishment paper for 6.28... happy dancing ensued).

And I got to work. I think i'll post them all through the week. The first one is at the top of this post. I used my Purple Onion Pink Flamingo Large and small alphas and i believe that paper is StampinUp! I'll post some more tomorrow.

A little organization

2007-08-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

I mentioned i'd be tidying up my Ready-to-go file.I planned on doing that yesterday - but best laid plans and all that.

My family likes to eat so i had to go to the grocery store .....

and then i had a little visit with my sister (and nephews) before they left today.

So this afternoon was the day to clean up that file and do a little more organizing.

Here's my RTG file - all tidied up. I had some StoreInStyle folders (they're big enough for 12x12 paper/cardstock) so i used those for dividers. I have slipped some stuff into the folders themselves (small items with no place to go kinda things - like movie ticket stubs). In between each section are those large ziplocs filled with items for a layout or series of layouts on a particular topic/event. If i have the photos i put them in the ziploc too. And when i have time i can pull out a bag and add paper, cardstock and embellishments. When the bag has all the elements - then its truly RTG!

So now at least thats back to being organized only now its even better - with dividers!

While i was on a roll I thought i'd organize all the finished layouts I have but have not put into albums as yet. That was a pretty big stack of layouts since I've made so much progress since I started this Suzy blog.

I had the stack in a pizza box. The box was overflowing and I've been asking my son (who works for a pizza chain) to bring me some more boxes. Well last night he finally remembered - which is good cos he will be leaving for school this weekend! He brought me about 10 boxes. My cat, Frankie is here posing with the boxes. I put some of the boxes together and got to work sorting the layouts.

And here they are. All sorted. When I finally decide what albums i want to put these in, they'll be ready to go. In the meantime I have a few empty, unconstructed boxes to to use as these fill up.

While i'm at it I thought i would show you my photo storage. This is most of my photos. There is another box of various and sundry photos but these are the bulk of the photos. I often wonder what I'll be doing with these boxes when I have finished putting all the pics into scrapbooks!

I'm wondering how does everyone else store their photos until they scrapbook them? I know some put them in albums (the kind with the divided up pages). How do you store yours?

I'm back and I'm done

2007-08-12T08:20:00.000-07:00

well i might journal a bit more here and there

but essentially I'm done with the Wedding Album

can i hear a Hallelujah?

Hallelujah!

Here are the last of the pages with photos

And here are the pages with a lot of memorabilia - shower invitations and cards, Pre-Cana stuff, wedding banns from the church bulletin, items from the reception venue; a swatch of faric from the bridesmaids dresses; receipt for my dress; receipt for my husbands ring; our receipts from our blood tests - you know that kinda thing. Yes, I'm a pack rat but for all pack rats everywhere - there's no better place to store your treasures than a scrapbook!

The only thing remaining is like i said a little journaling and actually purchasing a scrapbook to fill with all these pages. I saw a really pretty one the other day at AC Moore (it was a K&Company album. They make such pretty albums - especially for an extra special occasion like a Wedding album).

What else have i been up to? Well other than what you see on Small Smackerels - let's see. Yesterday i did a lot of cleaning in my room here. I also found a stack of my daughters artwork from elementary school. I know i put photos of some of them in her elementary school album but just to be on the safe side I took photos of all of them (it was a small stack - only the absolute musts I had to keep for her) and then put the originals in a page protector to add to that album. I'll get the pics printed and add that as well when i have a second.

While i was cleaning up in here I kept finding odds and ends - things that need to go on pages. Mostly memorabilia. My name should be Suzy the-pack-rat Scrapbooker okay. I threw those in my RTG file. Tomorrows project will be to get that RTG file back in order so I can actually work from it again - its trashed folks! In the interest of actually getting the cleaning up done around here, I couldnt get too fussy with how i put stuff into that file.

After that's done, I think I'm going to stick with my plan to work on my kids baby albums. I won't be as crazy as i was about getting them done as I was the wedding album. Afterall - the wedding album was pretty limited in its scope. A baby album for each kid will take a lot of time. Because I know it's just not "baby". It's really their lives up until they reach school.

And, as I'm sure all you parents know - that's some premium photo takin time.

It's gonna take a while but thats ok. I know I'm going to enjoy looking at those pictures again.

Not much done but i'm still

2007-07-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

plugging away at my wedding album

i took a few pics yesterday of the additions i completed over the past week. Just too many other things to do to make more progress. But that's what Suzy is all about - working in the scrapbooking when she can!

I've been using these silver photo corners by 3L. They're self-adhesive and really handy. Because the pictures are one of a kind I really didn't want to permanently attach them to the pages so photo corners were the way to go. I realized the other day I'm almost out! For these pages I used some clear photo corners and I think it worked out nicely. However I'm going to need to track some more silver ones down to finish the album I think. (I'm going to have to look through the rest of the pictures to see what else might require the more formal looking silver ones.)

I used all Purple Onion Designs rubber stamps. The Great Circus alpha as well as the Zothique alphabet.

with a little bit of flourish and discontinued things

2007-07-20T09:37:00.001-07:00

excuse the lousy photos.

i guess i could spend a lot of time getting these primo shots but then i'd be spending way too much time bloggin and not scrappin

so fuggetaboudit

I finished those 3 pages up yesterday after visiting my friend June. I mentioned i would be borrowing her Quickutz flourishes. You can see them (with a little bejewelment by me) in the second photo. In real life it looks pretty fun. And I'm the only one I have to please so I'm happy! In this first photo on your left i found that i had a piece of cardstock I wished I had for the entire album. It's this Making Memories patterned cardstock - which is imprinted with a lovely flourish! It's from the same group of patterend cardstock Making Memories put out a few years ago. I only wish I had been able to find this flourishy version to make the entire album. I had bought the striped paper which i used on a number of previous pages I've posted here. It's real classic stuff that i thought they might not discontinue.

And I was wrong. Well at least I believe I'm wrong. I looked all over online to see if anyone still had this particular cardtock but to no avail. And this brings up the "discontinued things" topic. Seeing as its CHA time (the craft & hobby industry trade show is going on right now)it seems like a good time for the discussion.

I understand why manufacturers have to discontinue things. I really do. If something is not selling it makes perfect sense to discontinue it. When a company wants to put out a new line it may be the most fiscally responsible thing for them to do, right? You can't have all your money behind old product when you want to be selling hip, new and cool. Problem is these companies barely put out the products and then they're dumping them in time for the next industry trade show. I know everyone wants NEW COOL STUFF. However, it kills me when they discontinue great classic things - like this flourish paper. Maybe it doesn't sell well anymore. I can see that. However I could also argue that they don't promote it anymore and they also are caught up in the frenzy of scrapbookers who need - crave - gotta have something new.

It's gonna drive them all out of business. This jumping on the bandwagon. I've seen it countless times in the years I've been scrapbooking. Someone - some company - becomes the new hot thing. And then every manufacturer copies it so they can get in on the action. Its understandable but - here comes this Suzy's long time opinion - not smart.

Not everyone wants doodles. Not everyone wants shabby. Not everyone wants vintage. (i think i've just named the last three big fads). I know the company is rare that does not jump on the bandwagon. But i swear I applaud them.

I have been known to want desperately some hot new item. It's been a while but I recall the feeling. I also remember thinking now that (for example) Making Memories is making these foam stamps - now everyone and their brother is making foam stamps (or metal, or flowers.... i could go on). If you didnt' like all that stuff you were pretty much screwed. The stores were filled with one company's vision. Just made by every single company (and a few new ones) that was around. You couldnt find anything different. And they keep doing it - over and over again. I think hoping to become the next HUGE thing - like Making Memories was for several years. (btw I still love Making Memories).

I think we're past that now kids. Now more scrapbook mania. I wish all these companies would figure out what they do best and make that and stop copying one another. Offer us some variety. ok.. little rant over!

Didjamissme?

2007-07-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

well i'm back.

i got to thinkin last night as i was uploading pictures that this is moving along very nicely. i know i was complaining a wee bit about being bored. But i took a look at the old album, and how much i've pulled out of there and how much i have left to go and i feel a little renewed. I'm making terrific progress!

I've also been thinking about my next big project - beginning my kid's baby albums. Actually anything before they began school really. And, if you are a parent - you know what that means - a ba-zillion photos.

It's almost a little scarey.

The mind boggles.

I should take a picture of the boxes and boxes of photos i have.

However i'm not going to dwell on it.

I really am looking forward to it.

I have put it off for so long.

Way back when i began scrapbooking I thought how do i even begin. I had a few friends who advised me to just jump in and start working on my kid's school albums.

And it worked out ok.

It was a place to start.

School stuff gets a little monotonous. Course you can get on a rolll - so much of it is the same that you can repeat certain motifs and layouts and it really works out nicely.

But you do get bogged down in looking at the same stuff all the time.

I'm thinking to prevent that monotony with the kid albums i may just skip around.

Revise my Suzy schedule a bit to reflect the narrowed topic.

Or i may just set it aside and work on another topic which could get a little boring - Holiday layouts.

I'll have to do more thinking on it. I want to be productive but i wanna enjoy it.

In the meantime here are a few more pages I made. I have three more pages on my table in a semi-ready state. I know how the pictures will be laid out. Tomorrow i'm visiting my sweet friend June who is letting me use her Quickutz flourish dies. I think those flourishes will be the perfect touch on these three pages!

More Wedding and fighting the boredom

2007-07-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

it's been a few days - sorry about that. i wish i could say i've gotten lots more layouts done but it wasn't to be. I did manage to finally finish this one - been on my drawing table for days.

As i was working on this i was thinking i've gotten a bunch of these done but ya know i'm a little bored. It's a project i've been dying to work on but ... at the same time you can get worn out working on page after page of the same topic/theme.

It's almost the same as birthday or Christmas layouts although with birthdays - well you can change up the papers and embellishments right? And then the photos look different year to year too. The Christmas pages - same thing really - i have quite a collection of different kinds of papers etc - i don't think i'll get too bored.

Yeah i think in this instance - with a whole book of wedding - its the theme. And trying to get it done and over with. I imagine if I was working on a Disney album I might feel the same way. Generally with a themed album you try to use the same papers and embellishments throughout to create continuity. With that wonderful continuity - you get boredom.

I could put aside this wedding album. Work it the same way i work the rest of my Suzy schedule but I think I'd like to stick it out and work on it some more. I hope you'll all be patient with me while i work it!

Some of the wedding pages

2007-07-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on these. I wish i could scrapbook all day but thats not the way this Suzy's life goes. (especially when everyone

is still on vacation and are around every day. I keep reminding myself Monday is just around the corner)

I will admit to going a little crazy with embellishments which is something i don't ever do. I used my Martha hydrangea punch to create vellum flowers and a bunch of MME Bohemia clear gems (then i ran out. yeah i had to buy some more gems. i ended up with some Jewelry & Craft brand ones from Michaels). As I said i'm not normally one to put lots of shtuff on my pages but in this case - well i said what the heck. My wedding dress was very classic - princess-like really. But what made it really gorgeous was all these clear sequins sewn into the lace on top. I still remember my Aunt saying to me she thought i was wearing a diamonds around my wrist. It wasn't diamonds - it was my dress. It was very understated I assure you - i'm just not a sparkly kinda girl but that dress - i still remember finding it and saying now THAT'S my dress.

Oh i should also remind you these pictures were proofs we bought - not the best photos that were put into the final photographers album. But i still love these pictures.

I don't plan to spend this much time on the rest of the pages but who knows. Once you get started sometimes these projects take on a life of their own. And i know something else - i like the pages and i don't care if anyone but me and my family do! ha! (believe me this is brave Suzy talk but i'm thrilled that I can honestly say it doesnt matter to me what anyone else thinks)

ok i need to get moving. I've already got a few more pages setup to glue down. I'm gonna do that while i still have a little free time left to myself.

oh the suspense of it all

2007-07-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

especially when i figure i'm talkin to myself most of the time here. (wink)

ok the last picture i posted was of this album

I bought this album in 1984 - shortly after I was married. We had a stack of photographers proofs, candid photos friends and family had given us, and various and sundry memorabilia i had collected - all wedding related. (actually there are a few relationshippy items too) I needed a place to put them so they would be safe.

Safe is the operative word in that sentence. When we moved here 10 years ago i had put all the photos together in i think 2 large boxes - this album and a few other albums included. I think that was the last time i looked at any of them. At the time they seemed fine. A few months ago i hauled out the unpacked box and pulled this album out and was a little concerned. There were obvious signs of deterioration - not to my photos - yet - but to the pages of the album. Since the album is over 20 years old I know now it is a very unsafe place for those pics etc to be. The pages have this glue on it - under the plastic protective peel up pages - i guess they really didn't mean "magnetic" its really just plain old sticky. Anyway that glue is turning brown. And fortunately for me my photos etc are not stuck to it. (I know how bad these kinds of albums really are: my mom had one and the photos and news clippings are stuck so bad to the pages you'd have to destroy the items to get them out of there. Bad. Really bad. When I made her an album a few years back i had some of those items colored copied to include in my album - as well as save them at that stage of deterioration.)

Here's a picture of the inside of my album. If you click on the photo you'll be able to see the browning at the edges of the pages.

So - finally it was time to get this project off my tadoo list. I don't want anything to happen to these pictures etc. They're old and there are no negatives. Yes, I have the photographers album (which is gorgeous and has the best photos of the day) but it doesn't have all these pictures and memorabilia.

I will post some of the pages i've made thus far. I'm not going totally Suzy and just getting it done - but i'm not going off the deepend either with papers and embellishments either. Sort of a happy medium.

Now i've come to the portion of our program kids where i'm gonna do my first little rant. I know its most unbecoming of Suzy to rant but allow me a small amount of latitude.

Preservation is important. Saving old photos is really important. And ensuring that original photos (where there is no negative available) are safe is a worthy use of your time. I think its very important to consider the products you're using. Most of the stuff out there for sale is pretty safe. But i've noticed a trend in scrapbooking where people are using anything and everything on their pages. Recently in particular i saw some people reusing packaging from different products to make things. Recycling is a wonderful thing - but not on your pages that have irreplaceable photos - ok kids? If you wanna make art do it with a copy of your irreplaceable photo - not the original.

Ok- that wasn't so bad now was it. Suzy doesn't like controversy so she tries staying away from all those boards and blogs that get nasty. It just isn't worth my time to be honest - i like to use what precious time i do have on my scrapbooking (and other small smackerels )

For now - i'm off to do some un-Suzy things and then get back to work on this album.

Wedding pages

2007-06-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have had these pictures in my RTG file since probably right after the wedding (of my nephew) almost one year ago. It is the last large bunch of photos on one event in my file. The rest of the pages-in-waiting I will do when i have only a small amount of time to scrapbook. I knew these wedding pictures would take up a number of pages as well as a decent chunk of time. Right now I have a little time so it was the perfect project.
I originally set aside some Making Memories double sided patterned cardstock I thought would be very "wedding" - simple and elegant - and just right for these photos. I have also been planning on taking my own wedding photos out of the very-bad-unsafe album they have been in for 22-1/2 years. I decided - ya know - since I cannot find anymore of that Making Memories cardstock I'm keeping it for MY wedding pictures! Therefore I needed to find something else that would work with the pictures from my nephew's wedding. I flipped through all of my paper. Nothing. Not only did i have no cardstock that coordinated I had no paper. So yes that's right - I had to break my Suzy rule and go buy some cardstock. Hey - it's gonna happen as my supplies dwindle I figure. And I'm not gonna make a habit of it! I knew i needed to pick up a glue pen (i love the 2way glue pens by EK Success) so on Thursday I headed off to AC Moore. I don't know when they did this but AC Moore here has added some Bazzill-by-the-sheet. Perfect. I picked up the number of sheets i needed in a nice green. I also found a patterned paper by Basic Grey, Beatrice, from the Perhaps line I thought would go nicely. I used some Quickutz fonts (Empire Minis and Paige Classic lowercase) and some pens for journaling here and there. Overall i'm very pleased. I took about 40 photos and fit them onto 4 two-page spreads that are nice to look at and best of all they're out of my file and into the finished pile.

My next project is this:

What is it you say? Stay tuned!

A Different Kind of Album - Special Project

2007-06-26T13:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the other day i was hoping to work on a special project over the weekend. And while i did a portion of it, I had to wait til yesterday and today to complete it. Since it was a birthday gift for the husband i needed him to be out of the house. He seems to pop up in my little room here at random times. Most of the time I don't even hear him approaching LOL. Stealth dh. (not really - its more like i get into my own little world and don't hear a thing. bombs could go off and i'd still be sitting in this chair happily working away on some project.)
Onto the gift.
I have noticed that since my husband took up golf he has these scorecards laying all over the house. I thought why not make a little album for him to store these? He can tape/glue them in when he comes home from playing golf. I think he'd like them all in one place (i know I would...) where he can review them - see how he's doing over the course of a year. (yes, he is an analytical sort).
Now a few months back I ordered a lovely little binding machine called a Bind-it-all . I had been looking for a binding machine that was affordable for years and this defnitely fit the bill. It had arrived a few weeks ago and i was wondering when i'd get an opportunity to try it out. And then I had my little brainstorm about the scorecard album.
I printed off pages for the inside: one side where he can make notes about the game he played and the right side where he can attach the scorecard. I used my Quickutz Studio font and golf dies and i think it came out cute as can be. (i wished i could think of another name for his album - it does seem a little juvenile - but then again he gets a little silly when he even thinks about playing golf. he loves it so). I'm looking forward to giving it to him tomorrow - i think it'll be a big hit.
Oh i should say the Bind-it-all was very easy to use. If you have one (or plan to get one) you just need to heed their advice and play with it before you use it on a real project. It really was worth the time i took playing with punching the holes & understanding how to make them line up correctly and using the different settings. With this book I cut two thickness of lightweight chipboard for the covers abd glued them together. Then i covered the covers with a colored paper (an old Making Memories watercolor collection blue! you can use up your old stuff!) - and then used a layer of Bazzill (the blue and a strip of green) on top of that. I know now i should have gone ahead and punched the holes at that point and embellished later (that white/green/title section got a little beaten up in the bind-it-all because it just got too thick).
Okay i'm off to the races - actually i have done the races already - i need a nap.

Working with what you have and GASC

2007-06-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

I have been working with what i have for a few months now. Trying not to buy anything. Finding ways to use my stash (which, people, is considerable. I have a room full of scrapbooking, stamping, sewing and art supplies. Literally a room full of shtuff) I've mentioned before that in my favorite Rebecca Sower book she talks about not getting all concerned about having the perfect shade of cardstock. I aspire to this point of view. I am a color person. So lately I find that

yes - I can use up my stash - but to do so I am using up my neutrals. Things that go with anything. And avoiding color - cos if I use color it has to coordinate. It can't clash. My teeth will hurt if it does ok? So the other day - Thursday I guess it was - I decided i'd do some more laundry (see previous post) - and do a birthday layout. My daughter's last birthday. I looked through the photos and then went to my carsdstock and paper and thought WHAT am I going to do. I finally - i mean i spent maybe 10 minutes pondering the possibilities - chose this Bazzill orange. The daughter's favorite color is orange. There was some orange in the photos (miniscule as it was ) and better still - there was blue - which always will compliment the orange. (get your color wheel out if you are puzzled). Next I went to my patterned paper - I really need to use this stuff up. I flipped through a lot of paper and finally i happened upon this Imaginisce paper. (I have no recollection of buying this paper - at all.) And you know - it went really nicely and had stars all over it. I thought - she's my star so why the heck not. Some Quickutz Zoe font added and i was pretty much done. There were a lot of photos that birthday for some reason. I ended with 3 pages. Yes, I used my Creative Memories cutting system to cut out the photo of the cake (or rather the Ice Cream Pie - its a family thing). If you don't have the Creative Memories Cutting system, I highly recommend it. They have theeee best cutting stuff around.

Onward

The Great American Scrapbook Convention rolled into town again this year. I've gone every year. I hate to say it but it was not the experience it has been in years past. The first few years it was wild - you could barely move around and the noise was just incredible. Now granted I got there not long after they opened on Friday. I am sure that today it will be a lot busier. However, I wasn't finding the shopping so great. It's possible, because I have so much stuff, I just wasn't finding it tempting at all. I think its more that there just isn't the product that is knocking my socks off. I think its peaked out ladies. I've been saying this probably the last two years - the industry is gonna peak out and fall hard. Just too much all the time and really fast and finally there will be nothing i have to have.

Having said that - I did indeed buy a few things. First - I spied one scalloped circle giga punch by Marvy Uchida. I have the scalloped oval and was kicking myself I hadn't gotten the circle. There it was - and i wasn't going to hesitate cos I only saw the one.

I also happened upon a booth by a company I don't think i've seen before: Distinctly Me They were the nicest two ladies with some lovely products and, as I told them, the nicest layouts on display at the whole convention. They had the most classic layouts I've seen displayed. Not tons of product all over them - just well designed, good looking pages. And you could see their photos. The pages would sell anyone's products the way they were done. Anyway i bought a package of very pretty cork embellishments as well as a bottle of something called Paper Glide made by Inspired Crafts . They demonstrated this product for me and I was sold - it makes dry embossing very easy to do - the stylus just glides right over your paper.

Okay - I need to do non-Suzy things now. I do have a little special project I hope to share in the next few days. We'll see how much time I get to work on it over the weekend.

Yeah Yeah Yeah and distractions

2007-06-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mondays can be planning days (see the schedule) or they can be actual scrapbooking days.
I decided since I had this in my head - had stuff in the RTG file, I'd go with it and make this page.
I love this silly picture. When i found it in that pile of pictures i was really surprised. I hadn't remembered the Beatles wig. What a hoot. Anyhow, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts for my kids. I normally pencil in the journaling so I'm straight but I didn't this time and it's rather obvious. Oh well. Not going redo - this is Suzy. She's a doer - not a re-doer.
If you look closely you'll see a spot next to the first "h" in yeah. I think its a drip of glue. Another possible reason to re-do but again I resisted the temptation.
These are, simply put, distractions.
(you could argue they're a perfectionists nightmare - and believe me, they are tugging at me. But i'm a recovering perfectionist. I'm doing pretty well just posting this and all the rest of my imperfect layouts. )
Every day is filled with distractions. Tons of reasons not to get things done.
My little Suzy schedule is my method of dealing with the distractions.
I am good with a list/schedule.
It helps me see past the distractions to my goal of getting my scrapbooking done.
And so far - it's working like gangbusters. I am very pleased with my progress.
I've got a stack of layouts done - o'course now I need more scrapbooks to put them in but hey, one thing at a time.
I'm not getting hung up on what everyone thinks is "scrapbooking". I'm doing my own thing and its working well.
If i veer off the schedule - sorta - like today doing a page instead of planning more pages - that works too. Ya gotta be flexible.
I could give a fig if anyone likes my pages but i truly appreciate when someone stops by here and says kind things. That's always nice.
But my purpose here is to get my scrappin done. Enjoy it.
If I help someobody else along the way, with my Suzy ways, well then I'm pleased as punch.
Oh - almost forgot - I used Wordsworth Fun Letters Alphas for the title.
And now - I'm off.

birthday layouts are like laundry

2007-06-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

no sooner than you're done with it then it starts all over again
know what i mean?
i don't really mind doing them.
actually i enjoy looking at the pictures
i get nostalgic
birthdays past
i'm kind-of-a sappy sort anyway
especially about my kids (although i don't think they'd describe me that way)
however, i digress as usual
The point is my RTG file is full of birthday layouts waiting to be done.
Since yesterday was Thursday (my kids day - see the schedule to your right) i chose to do my son's last birthday (it's practically his next birthday! a big one at that)
I looked at what i had - a few pictures and a variety of birthday cards. There seemed to be a lot of green so i went with some green patterned paper. I mounted it on top of some white cardstock so it wasn't so flimsy.
I'd made a birthday card - hey June remember that class? - and thought it would make a good title - why make another when i had a perfectly good card to do the job right?
i did want to put a caption under the main photo - my son making one of his silly faces at me - he really is most cooperative of my picture taking - but he also is a little bit of a clown.
On the left side i made a pocket for all his birthday cards (i can't help myself - i save every card). The one with the pirate caricature of my son was drawn by my daughter - she's pretty darn amazing isn't she? And, for him - the card was perfect. He loved it.
So there you have it.
Just like most of the layouts i've been doing since adopting my Suzy philosophy - there's no award winning layouts going on here. no amazing design.
There is, however, lots of scrapbooking getting done.
And I'm happy with that.
oh - a few products i should note - Purple Onion Designs Submarine alpha for the "this is what 20 looks like" caption and some very old (but who cares cos its festive and birthdays are all about the festive) Making Memories green paper with dots. Also if you're curious - thats a MiMi accessory tote holding some other rubber stamps i have (decided against using them - they didnt have the right look and didnt fit the space well). I love this little piece of organization. I dont bring myself places to crop much - but just having 3 sets of tiny stamps all in one place is wonderful.

Using stamps and lost & found

2007-06-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

so i pulled these pics out of my RTG file and began to work on it yesterday. (i had to put the whole thing aside - these people actually wanna eat everyday - go fig!) I just finished it this morning in an unprecedented early morning scrap. Anyway....

I decided to use my Lizziebelle stamps from Purple Onion Designs as i thought they'd go nicely along the wave. The title was going to leave a very empty upper left hand side of the layout. As i was thinking about that little dilemma and playing with some quickutz beachy dies (i settled on the starfish as you can see) I recalled doing a tag a few years back that had a beachy theme. (yeah, i like the word "beachy" this morning). I dug through a shoebox i have filled with little projects hoping to find the tag. I can't always find what i'm looking for in this room despite all my best efforts at organizing. (Ask me where to find a particular brad or pencil - yeah i can tell you that - they've got a home - my drawings and little projects - well they're kind of here, there and everywhere, kwim?) Fortunately the tag was in the shoebox and i made an audible squeal - not only did i find the tag, but the color i remembered using on it was just so right. Problem solved.

I got to thinking i really should stop my practical ways of making things for certain projects. Lately it seems i'm not making things for the sake of making them - and i really should. It happens that i was able to use my lost and found tag - but if i hadn't made it in the first place i'd probably still be wondering what i'd be doin to fill that empty spot. Well this is a discussion I should save for small smackerels huh? ok. back to your regularly scheduled Suzy program....

As i said, I used my Lizziebelle stamps and stamped them with a turquoise ink (SU!) and colored them in with a white prismacolor. I'd tried a few different color inks on some scrap paper trying to decide which ink would work best and all-in-all i'm pleased with the results. I have to say I spent way more time on this layout than I've been spending - given my new Suzy philosophy. But every once in a while that's okay. I did feel much more Suzy in that i didn't agonize overy a single thing.

Okay - onward. Today is thursday so I'm gonna go check out what i have in the way of RTG page stuff on my kids.

R and me

2007-06-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here's another fast one of my brother and me

The large R was made using a stamp i carved of his signature

I stamped in versamark then embossed with gold ep

I wish i could remember where i got the red/gold cardstock

i used as a border

but i do know i used Artchix german scrap as the trim

the photo has some hidden journaling underneath

The picture is pretty cool itself as it has some double exposure going on - i love the look on his face

Suzy's back in town

2007-06-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

i've been otherwise engaged. busy. whatever.

i know its monday but i have no planning to do - but i do have a fast page. nice and simple the way i like to keep it.

a scrap of patterned paper, some buttons with floss, and that scallop punch and pen and ink.

one of my favorite pics.

i did some drawings of this picture

seen here:

http://smallsmackerels.blogspot.com/2007/06/been-making-few-things.html

for possible inclusion into the layout

but i decided to go with this, as is.

okay michelle - i ain't slackin no more! :-)

more busy

2007-06-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

just have had to put my scrapbooking on hold -EEEEEK - i know. not for much longer. just too many other things i'm sposed to be doin. kinda stinks but thats what is. i have done some drawing and cardmaking when i've had a little free time. Cards that needed to be made and get out the door - i just missed the mailman and now the latest 2 cards will be late. oh well. hopefully over this weekend i can dip into my ready-to-go file and make a page or two. thanks for your patience

still busy

2007-05-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

a little bird watching

(see http://smallsmackerels.blogspot.com/ )

a little card making with my girlfriends yesterday.

so no scrapping.

However yesterday afternoon i did a lot of scraproom cleaning

it seems i'm cleaning up in here once a week.

I make a lot of pages, cards, whatever

and the room turns into a disaster area

(as i pull things out of every nook and cranny - trying to use up my stuff)

I'm still not done with the cleaning up however my

drawing table is considerably less junked up

yesterday there were piles of stamps, stamp pads, stacks of cardstock

now just a few things.

so i can work i think now

In the meantime i've got a layout to share

A two pager with pics from a play my daughter was in. Some cardstock, vellum quotes, quickutz star die, a 3D keeper from Deja Views to hold a dried flower (daughter received at the play), and a cut up page protector to house the program from the play.

Now to stop blogging and get on with some scrapbooking (along with some laundry.......)

suzy's been busy

2007-05-29T12:42:00.001-07:00

doing other things -

check out

http://smallsmackerels.blogspot.com/

among other things. i'll post them over there probably tomorrow

i've had a few layouts on my desk

which i've had to remove to make a few cards

so i'll get back on track soon

having family around all holiday weekend was also not conducive

to getting any scrapping done.

but that's ok

all those pictures aren't going anywhere

i did have a few interesting ideas however that i'll share soon

About saving memories when there aren't any pictures.

hopefully i'll be back tomorrow

in the meantime, another one of those layouts i'd made week before last. this one i used a vellum quote i had about family

It was wednesday

2007-05-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

sorry i didn't get back to post yesterday. i promised to add some more things i'd done last week. so today i'll give you two:

i've been catching up on my daughter's school album. we're into a new album (pre-k thru middle school is huge - in horse terms it's one hand high LOL) i started for high school. Actually i should post the main page to that one soon. I like my idea - taking the index file pics and using them to create a cover page for her entire high school career. yeah - i'll post that one next week. Anway this photo shows you a bunch of pages i made to catch up on last year and the beginning of this year in her album. Homecoming from last fall, first day of school this year, the school portrait and a pic from summer school and her report card for the summer class she took (they offer classes during the summer at her school so they can pick up classes they need but can't fit into their schedule during the regular year). No fascinating techniques used here. Just a lotta Quickutz!

this page came about because i had three random photos of things (one from the spring formal which really wasn't too formal LOL) and two from the last day of school. So i thought why not just put them on the same page and call it a day. and it worked out quite nicely. i used Quckutz for the word Formal and a quickutz tulip die (i love that little die!) as well as Purple Onion Designs alpha Skinny Dip which is the cutest alpha and worked just right.

ok... i've gotta run.

It's Tuesday

2007-05-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

but i'm not posting something yet about the category for the day - me

i will give you another pic of some pages i made last week but first i'm going to digress a little and tell you about 2 books.

The first one i just included in my sidebar - i'd pulled it out last nite and realized i should mention it here:

Scrapbooking Life's Little Treasures by Rebecca Sower

if you don't have this little treasure i highly recommend it. I think i've got most every idea book there ever was - up until about 1 year ago - when i decided they weren't doing me any good. (I don't want to put anyone's book down - i had just come to a place where it was not for me anymore. I was on my way mentally to the Suzy place i'm now at in my head - how's that?)

I absolutely adore this book. I return to it over and over to just look at and be inspired by. I actually have her other book Scrapbooking Life's Little Secrets as well - and a fine book it is - but the Treasures book will always rank among my favorites.

If you're interested I'm sure you can find it available from the Creating Keepsakes website.

Okay - i said 2 books

The second book is a novel.

Rockville Pike by Susan Coll

here's a link to it on amazon ( i wish i could figure out how to hide these links within the title - however )

http://www.amazon.com/Rockville-Pike-Suburban-Comedy-Manners/dp/B000OZ28JW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3756686-2294242?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179870804&sr=8-1

I'd read a review in the Washington Post some time ago about this book - named after a road in not-s0-far-away Maryland. I am always amused by books with familiar locales in them (and we always get hysterical at references to the area in movies - they always show lovely locations but the actual geography of living in the Nation's Capital area - well you never see the traffic in the movies and it never seems to take any time to get anywhere LOL) but what really intrigued me is that the main character gets involved in scrapbooking! It's a small but somewhat important part of the story. I don't know if I'd necessarily recommend the book but it was strangely amusing and the references to scrapbooking definitely had been researched (perhaps the author had been to a Creative Memories party or two).

Okay here a few more layouts i've accomplished. Nothing fancy but I had a lot of photos of places in Washington, DC. We'd done a day downtown for the Cherry Blossom Festival and to see 2 of the monuments we hadn't been to (WWII and Korean War) and revisited a few others (Lincoln and VietNam). I used some River City Rubber Works stamps as well as Quickutz Zoe.

It's Monday

2007-05-21T04:29:00.001-07:00

and its time to plan again
actually today i'll be going thru my RTG (ready to go) file
I've been getting so much done my file is getting smaller
this is a good thing
but it also requires that i see what needs to be done imminently and also to start planning some pages for the future - so when i've got time i can just pick up and work on something!
i'm pondering a few possibilities:

working on my wedding photos (not the official wedding photographer album - got that - i'm talking about all the photos people took that day and gave to us, the memorabilia from that time frame - that kinda stuff. i actually put all that stuff in an album years ago. during the first year we were married. I've been married - eek - over 22 years! so that means all that stuff is in a bad, i mean BAD kinda album. So i really need to make this a priority.)

working on my kids baby albums - from reading previous posts you have already assessed the ages of my kids - one in college and one in high school. so Yes - working on baby albums is long overdue.

those 2 projects alone could keep me busy for a long time. Not as much the wedding album - the kids baby albums and childhood albums. I've been working on their school albums for a long time and they are mostly up-to-date.

Ok so thats what i'll be doing today in my spare time - which is not so spare today but i'll do my best. I promised more pages so here's another.

i used Purple Onion Design stamps: Pink Flamingo Small, Skinny Dip (the word "smiles") is colored in with prismacolor pencil and the little flourish is from the Vintage Journaling set.
ok - go make some pages or plan something to make this week ok?

I know i know

2007-05-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

I promised days ago i'd be posting all kinds of pages i've been doing.
And i will. I will keep my promise and post them.
I took tons of pictures of them.
It is just the way life is around Suzy's house.
Things happen.
And scrapbooking didn't go by the wayside this time
I have made even MORE pages in the last few days.
But blogging did go by the wayside.
It takes time - uploading photos etc etc takes away time i wanted to use to scrapbook when i could fit it in between little crises round here.

So... I promise - i will upload more but right now i'll throw one out into cyber space just to show you Suzy ain't full of baloney :-)
i don't think the photo is the best (i laid a bunch
of layouts on the floor and starting taking pics) but i was quite pleased with this one. I used stamps from my favorite company www.purpleoniondesigns.com
the alpha is pink flamingo large and the flowers are also POD stamps! cute huh? i stamped them and then used prismacolor colored pencils to color them in and used the Magic Colored Pencil technique to blend the pencil.
more to come hopefully tomorrow!
Oh - i forgot to mention i used a new punch from StampinUp to create that scallop border on the left. And yes that is me and my sisters - i'm the one on your left with the glasses.

Wednesday - Family Husband

2007-05-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

I will probably return a little later to post something for today specifically but i'd promised to show some stuff i've been making. I need to do a few errands this morning so I'll post this one now and come on back later

I made this one about my (paternal) grandmother. I have more to tell about her but this was the first page with 3 photos of me and my older siblings. I used some Chatterbox paper that i love and stitched it. I also added 2 ribbons - on on top of the other and created a loop at the top which i kinda like. And finally i added some drawings of my own to illustrate. This for me was essential as my grandmother liked to adorn letters to me with her drawings. Whenever I find myself thinking about her i seem to draw the same little drawings: ones with strawberries, pudding, and smiling flowers in pots - all things that mean Mom-Mom to me. She was a wonderful grandmother. Oh yeah - i also used my quickutz index tab die. And the drawings were done with pen, ink and colored pencils (prismacolors natch)

I decided I will be doing more of my own little drawings in my scrapbooking. Seems much more me than anything else.

Tuesday - Pocketbook Lover

2007-05-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

So here's a page about me 'cos it's Tuesday.

I don't think I've ever done this many pages about myself - it's because I'm working that Schedule (over to your right - a day for each topic)

And that is really a great thing

Most of us never take the time to scrapbook anything about ourselves right?

Well, I haven't done much of that.

I've got a lifetime of photos to do (and while we won't mention my age, suffice it to say that's a lotta pictures!)

I had this picture of me at around 3-1/2 years old holding - no, more like holding on for dear life - my pocketbook. It just cracked me up - perfect evidence in photo form that I've always loved a purse. And i'm all dressed up in a pretty dress with a matching little jacket. (very much the fashion at the time for girls of all ages dontcha know - although i still don't know why i'm holding a black purse - it doesnt match and that was definitely not the fashion. My mother dressed us impeccably when we were little. We had hats, shoes, gloves, coats - the whole shebang. Perhaps she didnt deem it necessary to match the purse for the one occasion - whatever)

There's a lot of information in that one little picture for my kids but i did just focus on my pocketbook-love.

I would like to note here that the color is completely off in this scan. The cardstock has definitely a salmon cast to it - to go perfectly with my dress. I got lucky and had a piece in my stash that went quite nicely. I put two pieces of ribbon together side by side - it is pretty thin ribbon but the color was right. I used a Marvy punch i had to create the border - which, if you can see it, is reminiscent of the trim on my little jacket.

And lastly the pocketbook charm.

Maybe 3 years ago I was in a local bead store looking for - beads - and saw this little charm. I snapped it up the minute i saw it. I knew I would use it one day - most likely on a scrapbook page.

So - with the pocket book charm in mind - here's my advice for the day:

If you see something cute - inexpensive - and you know you'll use it one day:

Don't even think about it - buy it.

If you don't, you won't find it later - trust me.

Perhaps my taste is boring.

I prefer to think of it as classic. :-)

I don't have much in my stash of supplies that I wouldn't use today.

Or in 5 years from now.

So picking up something I knew I'd use - like this charm - is something i do on a regular basis. But again - I stay to the classic look that i love.

Not a lot of trendy stuff per se in my stash of shtuff.

Oh I forgot to mention the mat for the photo is my favorite Stampin Up floral background stamp. I stamped it slightly crooked.

Not on purpose i assure you.

But it is a true test of my perfectionist rehabilitation that it doesnt bother me in the least it is a little off.

My page is done - HA!

And also - the alphabet stamps are made by www.purpleoniondesigns.com (wow what a surprise huh?) - the name of them is Pink Flamingo. So cute!

ok....on to taking a few pictures of the layouts i've been doing the last week or so

Monday morning hello

2007-05-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

As you can see to my right - Monday is my planning day.
Sort of a catch all day in my scrapbook world
In addition to planning some pages to work on the rest of the week
I'm cleaning up in my little craft room here.
I know i'm very lucky to have a room devoted to my stuff
It keeps it all in one place
although when it is messy
as it is now
i often take things out of here and work downstairs
which for me is productive - i still get to work on things -
yet this room has reached the point of explosion.
The "i can't stand it" level of mess
It makes it impossible for me to think in here with so much stuff
on the floor, all over my drawing table, on my computer desk.
I am one of those people who can indeed work in the mess
I can find things in piles of mess
But to be creative, and productive, I need a little order
So Monday's are good for planning, cleaning up and starting new.
I'm also hoping to get a little scanning of old photos done
That's a long range project i've been working on.
Tons of photos from my childhood that I'm scanning into my computer
Categorizing by the people in the photos
When i'm all done - it's going to take months - i plan to give a CD of the pictures to both of my sisters. They are big subjects of the photos along with myself, our brother, parents and grandparents. My sisters will love this gift. Everyone in my family loves to look at old photos and reminisce.
Between today and tomorrow i also will be taking some pictures of what i've been making.
Latest pages.
I also want to mention a few other things:
In case you haven't visited Purple Onion Designs lately you may not have noticed - POD is in June's Creating Keepsakes hilighting the fabulous vintage postmark set! Check it out here
www.purpleoniondesigns.com and click on the "As seen in Creating Keepsakes" - great samples at the bottom of that page too.
If you didn't get a chance to see Martha's shows last week - they were all about scrapbooking. There are some great videos from the show on her website. My absolute favorites were the segments she did with Darcy Miller who showed off theeeee most wonderful scrapbooks she has made.
They are my kind of scrapbooks - real old-fashioned - tons of scraps, bits and pieces of their lives - scrapbooks! Check out these links and watch the videos. I think it may just remind you what we all started scrapbooking for - it did me

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=8713f6d63d272110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=darcy's%20scrapbook&rsc=ns2006_m1
and
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=5f11d69a31571110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=darcy's%20wedding%20scrapbook&rsc=ns2006_m2

still scrappin

2007-05-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

just being a bad blogger
Actually in the last two weeks i've gotten a lot of pages done in between this and that.
What i need to do is take a few pics. I promise i'll do that for tomorrow
In the meantime - i did do a bit of scrapbooking on National Scrapbook Day. While i was cutting and gluing etc I watched QVC which was having a little scrapbooking day. Those are always fun to watch. I didnt buy anything which is a good thing. Still trying to whittle down my sizeable stash. The only thing i'm finding is that i'd like some cardstock.
I seem to use the same colors over and over.
And now i'm pretty much out of all my favorites.
I'll have to make do in the meantime - which may encouage a little more patterned paper useage. I adore patterned paper - not unlike most scrapbookers i know. I have found that while i love the paper I don't use much of it on my pages. I definitely use it on my cards. But the pages - not so much. I have tried to figure out why and the only thing i can come up with is - the paper fights too much with the kind of photos i take.
Like I've said before, I'm no photographer. I love to take pictures but have no inclination whatsoever to become a some faboo photographer. I'm recording moments with my photos. I don't want to get all caught up in the photo taking. I am happy to just point and shoot. And i don't want to pose anyone - other than lining up family members to fit them all in the shot!. There are times when I do closeups and attempt to get a better shot - but a lot of my photos have extraneous things. The things either get cropped out or they don't. And if they don't - well sometimes the things fight with the paper.
At least that's what i think is the problem.
And as problems go - that's pretty minor right?
see you tomorrow with some pics

Happy National Scrapbooking Day

2007-05-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

yes, i've been among the missing - suzy did get in a little scrapbooking over the past week but no blogging time. i'll be better i promise. Things happen and stuff to do is all.
However i couldn't let today pass by to check in and hope y'all are celebrating the day by doing a little scrapbooking.
Me - well right now as i type here -
i've got QVC on in another window on my computer screen :-)
I'm not buying anything - i have enough stuff right now
(truly the understatement of the year - or many years)
but its fun to watch and there are always great ideas to be had.
Actually what i did right before i came up to my little scrap room here -
i was taking pictures
:-)
my daughter just got home from her all night cast party
(we went to see the final performance last night)
Her dad collected her from the party house - there is always one brave set of parents who host the party (and really they aren't that brave - these are a bunch of absolutely awesome kids who, at the most, might get a little loud - but they are the most amazing high school kids I've ever had the pleasure to meet - so not brave parents - perhaps lucky to live close enough to the school to host the party!) Anyhow he picked up our daughter and brought her home and she did what she does every time she comes home from one of these cast parties....
she heads to the family room couch
and falls asleep within 5 minutes.
The kid has been running on fumes for weeks (school and practice for the play has been keeping her running from 5:30 am when she gets up to at least 10:30 pm when she has gotten home)
so today is her sleep catch up day
and i always take a picture of this couch crash
cos i think it sums up this part of her life pretty well. :-)
(and not incidentally how we - her mom & dad - feel as well - we need a long nap too!)
so are you taking pics of things like this to remember these little moments?
I hope so - if you aren't - think about it, k?
Happy NSD kids!

Working on pages and Martha preview

2007-04-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

so last week i left off where i shoulda been makin Friday stuff - Pets or Special Projects right?

well i began to create pages of our recent trip into DC - pictures of lots of memorials and cherry blossoms etc. I took a whole lotta photos and i'm not a good editor. rather i prefer not to use one photo when 2 or 3 will show a fuller picture of events LOL

I laid out 4 pages (containing 24 photos) and then had to set it aside to take care of some other things around here. I still have more photos to put on pages then I'll go back and journal and title things.

I scanned a few photos yesterday for a layout idea I had. Hpefully i'll work on that today.

But while I had a little time i thought i'd head over to Michael's as I read somewhere online that Martha's products were already being displayed. I had read some mixed reviews - most notably a long thread on a well-known board about the very large and expensive albums she was selling.

At my Michael's they were still working on putting out all the product but there was a good bit out already to safely say, here and now, it's all lovely. Just what i expected for the most part. It's classic and pretty. I wasn't altogether thrilled with some of the patterned papers in packages - the scrapbooking paper - but that's ok as I find myself not using too much patterned paper on pages. I use it mostly on cards and for other projects. There were 3 different sizes of albums: 12x12, 8.5x11 (landscape) and the large 18x18 size. She had 18x18 paper as well and lovely wrapping paper that could be used for scrapbooking. I liked the stamps she had and i came home with 3 different colored journaling pens (i really don't need anything right now, but pens i cannot resist - specially if they are in pretty colors!)

There were all kinds of other items and i shall have to return when ALL of the product is out but I like it. I'm so pleased. I don't think she's trying to rock the scrapbook world but I think she's made a lovely addition. I'm kind of weary of all the same companies making the same products and hers seemed much more "me" than most companies are making right now. Yes, I know you can't use your 40% off coupon on her things. I like using a coupon but if i want something i'll buy it just the same. When I return to Michael's I am going to take a better look at her albums - they looked pretty darned nice and I'm getting so much done lately I have a stack of pages but no album to put them in!

ok... back to work....

Birthdays

2007-04-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Huge subject of scrapbooks - birthdays - well, at least my scrapbooks.

I suspect its fairly typical in most scrapbooks.

One of those events that must be documented.

For every birthday, I take pictures of the birthday girl/boy, the cake, presents.

The usual I guess.

When the kids were younger we'd take pictures at their birthday parties.

I'd make sure to get shots of the guests, the cake, the presents.

Maybe capture a few of the games or activities at the party.

All kind of typical. I spose maybe someone would think - how boring.

But I don't. I really enjoy looking at those birthday pictures.

I love making the birthday party pages.

Birthdays are a big deal.

And the pictures and pages - well think about it like this:

Birthdays are probably THE only time you don't forget your camera.

Who doesn't take a picture of their kid blowing out the birthday candles?

And since you have that shot - the obligatory cake and candle shot - that's a little timeline you are creating for that person.

You'll always have that birthday picture.

And what they look like on that special day.

I suppose you could say the same about the first day of school picture

or the actual yearly school portrait

But the birthday picture -

It's always special.

Cos it's that person's special day.

And there is always a special smile - a real one - in those birthday pictures.

Anyway - here's the most recent birthday page I've done.

Actually I just finished it about 10 minutes ago.

And it took about that long to make - even better!

I used another one of those Making Memories Perspectives, my sewing machine and my Quickutz (this time the Zoe font).

Oh i forgot to mention - i inevitably make a pocket somewhere on the birthday pages - to hold the birthday cards. (I'm a packrat - I never throw out a birthday card).

The pocket this time is on the left hand side of this page.

I laid down a sheet of white cardstock - positioned the photos on it - placed the perspectives mat over the top and sewed down the right and left sides as well as between the two groups of photos . The perpective mat already had the large photo sewn to it.

I may actually get some more pages made today as this one went so quickly!

Easter Pictures

2007-04-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

I was actually able to get a 2 page spread done today - yeah!

Today is Wednesday so that means "Family/Husband" so why not do pictures of the Husbands family?
We went to my brother-in-law's home for Easter dinner. And that's exactly what I took photos of - the dinner table. Well, actually, the adult dinner table (which included the youngest child who is about 22 months old and a pistol - the other 5 kids ate on their own and it worked out fine - my "kid" is a little old now for the kid table - so she sat with the adults).
You know one of the things I love about scrapbooking? It's the reliving the event or the moment as you create the pages. We had such a nice day on Easter. It was nice going over it all in my head. And it is certainly easier to journal events that just happened a short time ago - everything is so clear in your head.
I know its probably not fashionable to scrap "events" but I don't mind it at all. Actually it makes it quite simple if you ask me! I went thru my considerable stash of shtuff and found this sheet of O'Scrap Easter images - I figured why not use some of those - they were light and pastel and the photos seemed a little dark. Together the combo worked out just fine. I used some light colored cardstock that complimented the photos and the O'Scrap embellishment and it came out nicely. Oh and I used my Quickutz - Studio font for the title.
Remember I'm not trying to win any awards or get in any magazines - I'm trying to get these memories put in a scrapbook AND use up my supplies. The pages work - and my family will love them so what more could I want?
Tomorrow is Thursday - My Kids is the topic. Let's see what I can do with that!

Budding Beauty

2007-04-17T15:32:00.001-07:00

Budding Beauty Vanity that is - a much desired present that I received as a little girl.
It's Tuesday again - it seems lately i'm getting the "me" stuff done - oh well i guess it's about time i did some scrapbooking about myself. Anyway this page is about the gift I wanted and how it might seem strange i wanted a girly gift, since i was such a tomboy.
I used anothe one of those Making Memories Perspectives mats, some Chatterbox paper, a skinny ribbon and the most lovely Great Circus Alphabet from www.purpleoniondesigns.com

Yesterday was sposed to be a planning day but i wasn't able to do much planning per se. That's ok cos i've got a bunch of photos i had recently printed as well as my RTG file to pick from.

It was a dark and stormy night

2007-04-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

okay here in Suzy's neighborhood it is a dark and stormy afternoon.

The weather leaves a lot to be desired. However we're feeling grateful because the original prediction was snow. I know some of my northern friends are dealing with that - Sorry girls.

I feel for you. This is 'sposed to be spring!

Anyway

"it was a dark and stormy night"

Reminds me of Snoopy writing his books and beginning with that phrase.

And i was thinking of that writing thing when i got on here to post some pictures of my special project i mentioned earlier in the week.

Writing anything in school was like torture for me. I don't know why. I hated it with a passion.

And so strangely enough I never mind doing the journaling stuff in my scrapbooks.

Maybe its cos i know i'm not getting graded :-)
But really i think i don't mind journaling because when i do it - i just write what i'm thinking - I want it to sound like me - so one day, when my kids read it they'll almost be able to hear me talking to them.

As most of you know i'm not one for the "explore, dream, discover, journey" business. It's just not me - and my kids know it.

However, I am not adverse to writing some pretty mushy stuff to my kids in my scrapbooks.

They'd recognize that as being me on occasion.

Moms are allowed mushy moments.

Which brings me to my special little project.

My sister asked me to make an album for a friend of hers. It's a special occasion for the friend and they're having a party. The album will be presented at the party. It's filled with all kinds of quotes regarding friendship mostly. But my sister and her friends wanted to be able to add notes to the friend to go in the album. The notes are of a personal nature and not to be shared with everyone. So i came up with a solution that i think worked very nicely. See what you think:

This i s the cover. No special embellishment on it - I decided we'd just let the pretty paper (Anna Griffin) be displayed and I added a whole lot of ribbons on 3 binder circle clippy things (what do you call those anyway?) which held the album together.

On the inside there are 15pages - 28 sides with quotes and stamped (in versamark) and chalked images. 1 more page with just a mat on each side for pics. You can see that there are 14 tabs. Each set of 2 sides was attached to a center white sheet of cardstock (sortofa cardstock sandwich - 1 blue 1 white 1 blue). The white center sheet had the tab attached to it. I ran tape along the long sides and the binding side which created 2 pockets for those personal notes. I hope this description is making sense - its kind of hard to describe. I'll throw in one more image just so you get the idea.

I used a whole host of stamps from my collection for the images. The background stamp on every page is one of my very favorites - a script stamp from www.purpleoniondesigns.com

I use it all the time. When its stamped in versamark on colored cardstock you just get a lovely hint of pattern but it only adds to your page and never detract. I printed out all the quotes on the maize colored cardstock and stitched them and the images to the pages. The tabs were all created using my Quickutz tab die. I love that die.

So there you have it. Now on to other things on this dark and stormy Sunday afternoon.

Tomboy

2007-04-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

here's the layout i did yesterday - it was Tuesday so it was about me
I found a picture of me as a little girl.
I got to thinking as I worked on this about why these pictures of me really mean so much.
Obviously they bring me back and I enjoy the trip down memory lane.
However I've always enjoyed looking at photos. Older ones seem so much more precious.
Way back in the day, when i was a little girl, my grandfather was the photographer. He had a 35mm camera with a lovely brown leather case. I don't think I can remember a Sunday where he didn't bring that camera with him to take photos of us. My father was an only child so we were the complete objects of my grandparents affections. As it should be don't you think?
Anyway, he took tons of pictures of us as well as ones of he and my grandmother on vacations etc. He must have been the one who took photos of my dad - I have some wonderful ones. But photo taking back then - well it seemed different then. It was a big deal. Nowadays we document every single burp our children make (not a bad thing - just an observation). I remember my grandfather taking our photos a lot but it seemed different. Nowadays people don't think a thing about taking hundreds of photos on a vacation. They just didn't do that back then. So the pictures are much more precious perhaps because there weren't as many photos taken? I don't know. I am just grateful my Pop-Pop took this photo of me. He really captured a sweet little moment here - me with my bike showing off my new horn! Such a little tomboy.
So what did i use?
I used a Making Memories perspectives (cardstock precut mats - well really its a piece of cardstock with a hole cut out for the photo - i have a variety package of these and they're really great. this particular one is for one photo but the package contains a variety to use on pages up to 6 photos.)
I backed it with a piece of red cardstock so it looks double matted.
I also used some Making Memories chipboard letters - easy and quick to use and makes a nice impact. (I just used my jumbo Zig 2 way glue pen to adhere them)
Stitched around the mat and the journaling block
Added 2 embellishments I found squirreled away - both given to me by my friend nursemichelle (you can visit her at http://solistenup.blogspot.com/ - hi michelle!) some time ago. She made the adorable heart clip (she's talented isn't she?) and the little stamp was a good color and I thought a nice compliment subject matter wise (girl on horse - girl on bike)
Today I have to veer off schedule and work on a special project - which is normally a Friday thing. I promised my sister I'd make an album she can give as a gift to a very special friend and it needs to get finished and mailed by Friday. Rest assured I will share what I make.

Catching up

2007-04-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Spring break is over and we're back to business around here
It seems when there are vacations, there is a lot of picture taking.
Over the break we took a little excursion (translation: picture taking opportunity)
And there was a birthday (translation: another photo opportunity)
With all these photos being taken i got to thinking about all my scrapbooking in general.
I have a bazillion photos to put in scrapbooks in some way, shape or form.
All that thinking and photo taking gets you into the
"Will i ever get caught up?" mode

When i worked in a scrapbook store this talking about "catching up" was very prevalent among customers frequenting the store.
I heard the CU phrase used in many ways (grammatical tenses and otherwise)
"I'm all caught up" said quite proudly
"I'll never catch up" said with disgust
"I was all caught up but then....." said in an excusatory manner
I am normally of the school which says being caught up isn't the be and end all of everything.
If you're enjoying making the scrapbooks, you should let yourself off the hook.
Just continue to work on pages, save those memories, blah di blah
I really do believe being all caught up isn't necessarily the point
But, sitting here, with piles of photos and memorabilia surrounding me -
I'm thinkin it wouldn't be so bad

I'm off to upload the photos I took yesterday at the Easter dinner with family and order a few to be developed. I can work in those photos to be scrapped on Wednesday (the family/Husband day). Perhaps by working my schedule - which allows me to scrap all kinds of topics each week (to prevent boredom if nothing else) I can work the old stuff and the new and somehow reach the fantasy-land of "All Caught Up" one day.

Suzy's Spring Break and Suzy meets Martha (well sorta)

2007-04-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Recap since last Suzy posted:

last Friday i did work on scanning a nice bunch of photos in - the pics had family dogs (that covered the pets on the schedule HA!) and heritage photos (photos of my father as a little boy, my parents on their wedding day among others - that counts for Saturday) and in the meantime i've been working on a little project - a swap with some very good friends (my charms are coming along girls :-))

BUT technically this week, where Suzy lives, it is Spring Break -and it's my daughter's 16th birthday to boot! So we have a number of things we have to accomplish this week and adventures to embark upon :-) My scrapping will fit in when and if it can.

Today one such adventure was going to an eye dr apppointment then we got to make a trip to Michaels for some things both Suzy and her daughter needed. We found our items and went to the checkout. And it was there i saw it. It, being this little bag stuffer ad for MARTHA STEWART CRAFTS.

You probably don't know this but Suzy Scrapbooker adores Martha Stewart! Yes, I do. Martha is wonderful in my book and has always been. I've been watching Martha for forever. BAck to her PBS days. Perhaps its because Martha and Suzy both are from New Jersey? well, it's possible. But i think it's more likely because Martha and Suzy like pretty things. And we both like to make things.

If you look closely at the ad it shows an open scrapbook - with just the minimum of items - the pictures and a minor item to embellish it. And off to the side there is, what one could surmise, memorablia that could go in the scrapbook. OH I'M EXCITED! I can only imagine Martha is going to set the scrapbook world on its end - if the ad is any indication. Perhaps get scrapbooking back to what it once was - a place to save your memories. Wow - what a concept. I am going to guess that at least. She might have some papers, adhesive, photo corners, items to hold memorabilia. But it will all be pretty, functional and not over the top.

Very Suzy-friendly.

That's my guess and my hope.

And what store better to introduce her products than Michaels.

As far as scrapbooking goes, Michaels has carried some items - not the scrapbook fanatic's place to shop - definitely more Suzy-friendly. Just your basic items to get you started and that is a fine thing. But with Martha on board - well who knows.

I will be at Michael's at the end of the month to check it all out - rest assured.

Mommy Love Note

2007-03-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

So it was Thursday and time to do a layout about one of my children. I had put aside these pictures of my daughter in my RTG file with an entirely different patterned paper some time ago. I had bought this adorable Basic Grey paper with space ships all over it - really cute. When i laid it down next to the photos on Thursday i thought - ew - nope - that isn't going to do at all. It just was too busy for the photos and not the feeling i had in mind at all. And this is ok in my book. Even though i had ever intention of using that paper for this layout i realized it wasn't going to do. Refile paper and pull out something else. Again it was Basic Grey. But something that complimented the photos and not the idea behind them. Incidentally these pics are from 1998 - a trip downtown to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum (yes, we are very lucky to live so close to such amazing places to visit - Washington DC is a treasure trove of fun things to do for kids and adults). It was Space Day or something - and my daughter got to try on a real space suit - she looked so darned cute. Anyway these pictures are from an "event" however when i look at them - and when i went to make a scrapbook page about them - i had more of a "moments" thing in mind. I don't know of another way to label it - "moments". It is one of those terms that gets bandied about when scrapbooking is discussed. A lot of layouts with one photo and one word or short phrase. And i have to admit sometimes the ones i've seen in magazines had a phoney feeling for me. It just isn't me. Those of you who know me well know how much i detest the "explore, dream, discover" thing - the worst for me is "journey". How i hate that word. Almost as much as "awesome" but i digress. I want my scrapbooks to be me - and real. So i don't do too much of the moments thing. I am proud and happy to scrapbook events. But you know it IS all good. So when i took a look at these pictures of my daughter i thought - look at little miss confidence. You can just do anything you set your mind to cantcha? And truly she can. So - a moments layout was born. But i hate that moments connotation so i guess its more of a Mommy Love Note. When she looks at this page (in the near future or in years to come) she will know that I think she is amazing - that she has this tremendous I-can-do-anything confidence - and i know she'll be a success at whatever she chooses. And that is something i think might come in handy for her to remember on occasion when life gets tough.
Ok - friday is pets or special projects. Hmmmmmm

I'm back

2007-03-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry its taken me a little time to get this stuff posted. Anywho -

Wednesday's pages were to be of Family/Husband.

I originally thought i'd go to my ready-to-go file and pull out a bag with a bunch of wedding photos from my nephews wedding last summer. I decided against that and went for some vacation photos from last summer. There are still a few pictures left in that bag but i did manage to do a 2 page spread of a little side trip we made to Cape May. There would have been even more photos of Cape May but my camera decided to break during our trip. Now that was awful. Me without a camera - and all those gorgeous Victorian homes in Cape May i'd been dying to see and photograph. The trip was in August and for my birthday (in September) i got a new camera. Phew.

On the right hand side you can see i made a pocket out of a page protector. (I always have some kind of memorabilia i want to save, so i do a lot of pocket pages.) I sewed that on to the cardstock after i had put down a photo. For the title block i used some Purple Onion Designs alpha stamps - Pink Flamingo Large. Stamped those in versamark and added some Tim Holtz Distress Antique Linen embossing powder (which looks kinda like sand in this venue). The patterned paper on the left hand side is Karen Foster. I used a Quickutz sand dollar die that i covered in versamark and then dusted with Pearl Ex micropearl.

You know as basic as these are i wish i could say they didnt take any time. I still take way too long doing this stuff. Its my way, i guess, to work slowly. I think of things i'd like to do and then hem and haw about doing them. And end up doing it anyway. Oh well. They are still done and that is the important thing. I need to think less and do more - how bout that!?!?

School Pictures

2007-03-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

sorry for the delay on posting yesterdays entry. i had a little technical problem. no matter.

I was going through a ton of photos my mother had given me a while back. Spent part of Monday and Tuesday scanning about 40 of them into my computer. It's not even a small dent in the pile but it's something I want to do for a few reasons. Many of the photos are very old. From the 1920's and some even older. Some of the pictures are newer but not very good quality (think early Polaroids) or are bent or torn. The ones that are a little damaged or fading - it just seems wise to do this so they are preserved. I'd also like to give each of my sisters a cd of the photos. I know they'd like having copies.

The scanning is very time consuming however. I can fit usually 4 photos on my scanner at a time but each photo needs its own entry if you will. I've created little files to cover each category (one for each family member, one for photos that show my siblings and me together - that kind of thing) and i will periodically save them to the external hard drive i got for Christmas. (I'd tried this scanning old photos before only to have all that time and work disappear into the void when i had a computer problem).

I picked some school photos of me to work on Tuesday. There don't seem to be too many so i decided one page would do it. At the top there's a handwritten title but what you can't see is that it opens up and there is a significant amount of journaling underneath. I used a piece of Foofala paper for the background, some Heidi Swapp journaling spots (i love those things) to label each photo and for the title block I used the antique ledger background stamp from Purple Onion Designs (kinda gives a library card look to it) and a pen.

Today is Wednesday so the topic is Family/Husband. I have some things to do this morning so I hope to work on that this afternoon. Maybe i'll have a chance to post something tonight.

the weekend was a bust

2007-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

as far as scrapbooking was concerned.
Are you all laughing at my grand schedule and how i haven't kept up?
well i was going to panic and say - Hey Suzy, this isn't working!
You said Saturday was Heritage - and you didn't do any of that
(well actually i was doing a lot of cleaning on Saturday and uncovered some photos my darling husband just set aside - not with all the rest of our photos - and they were definitely what i would call Heritage :-) Pics of his parents as children. Adorable wonderful copies of the originals one of his sisters had given us. So yeah that's Heritage and they need to get out of the manila envelope they are in. Check that! And put in an album.)
Then Sunday was Miscellaneous - and gosh was it ever - i did everything but any scrapbooking!
So like i said i was about to panic and then i thought -
No - that isn't what this is about.
I'm not going to beat myself up for not getting any scrapbooking done.
I have my schedule and when time permits, I'm going to follow it to facilitate my scrapbooking.
But i have a life - and sometimes it doesn't permit me to do what i'd like to do.
But when i do have time - I won't go wasting all of it.
I'll check my schedule and see what is on the agenda for the day and go from there.
ahh... that feels better :-)
So today is Monday - you know what that means
(for those of you that are old enough - does this remind you of the Mickey Mouse Club - I'm talking the original Mickey Mouse club with Annette, Cubby, Roy.. )
Monday is planning - so i'll go through my file and see what i've got semi-ready so tomorrow, and the rest of the week, time permitting, i'll get some scrapping done.
Have a good day!

My Hollygirl

2007-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Since it's Friday it's a Pet page

(actually i'm already tweaking this schedule thing - Friday will be Pets and Special Projects)

I had great expectations - thinking i'd get more than one page done but i'm happy enough with this. And i put the rest of the photos and papers etc in another ziploc into the readytogo file for next week.

if you're wondering, i used paper from a kit by Sticker Studio. I never buy kits - but this one was cute and the store didn't have any of the paper selling by the sheet. I'd bought the kit a few months ago and it was the perfect opportunity to use it. I also used: ribbon and a button i'd had for a long time, heidi swapp journaling spots, and my studio quickutz font and quickutz flower and tag dies.

better late than never :-)

2007-03-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

okay so i'm a little late with posting this.

I went to take a picture of it this morning (kinda conked out early last nite) and apparently i had unplugged my camera and it wasn't charged.

Then i had to wait for it to charge.

small sigh.

by the way i'm not going to be scanning pics of layouts.

scanning and then merging etc - too time consuming and definitely not suzy's purpose here.

the purpose again is to get moving and start scrapbooking

with no real concerns about what is hot and what is not

maybe using up some of my considerable storehouse of supplies

and tools

Now normally i would never use the colors i did on this layout of my daughter and driveway chalk drawings. And i bet there was a time i would have never used the patterned paper i did. It's this paper that looks like a driveway with chalk drawings.But one day i came upon that paper in the store and i thought hey that would go very nicely with those pictures. No real need for anything else. its decoration enough. I filed the paper with the pics.
I went to the ready to go file - everything is in large ziploc bags - and these pictures of her was the first available bag with pics my kids (it was Thursday).
So i pulled everything out of the bag and realized i still needed to pick out some cardstock. So i started looking through the cardstock and initially thought - no i don't have what i need. DING! Wrong answer. If i am going to get things done i really need to stop the perfection thing. You know what i'm talking about - theeeee perfect paper and theeee perfect cardstock color and theeee perfect embellishments. Nope. No more. Uh-uh
I remembered something i read in one of my favorite scrapbooking books - by Rebecca Sower. The book is Scrapbooking Life's Little Treasures
here's a link on Amazon for you
http://www.amazon.com/Scrapbooking-Lifes-Little-Treasures-Rebecca/dp/1929180330/ref=sr_1_1/002-9650614-4419251?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1174660827&sr=1-1
She talks about "making do" and how she never gets bothered about having the exact shade of cardstock. "It's likely that when you're searching for that perfect shade of blue, at least two dozen other colors or shades will work beautifully".
Now that one stuck with me. Initially i thought - what are you crazy? I was a graphic design major in school. It's all about the color for me. Putting together colors etc.
But, in the grand scheme of things
- remembering my Suzy goals -
i thought you know - she's right.
Who is my audience here?
My daughter.
Will she care?
Not a speck (with this particular child, artist that she is, believe me, she won't care. It's just not her nature. )
So i looked through my stash and i picked the blue and the orange -
a lovely shade of cantaloupe
and orange is my daughter's favorite color.
cool
so there you have it.
Now lets see if i can meet a goal for today
ttyl

the how i'm gonna get this done part

2007-03-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

the tricky part.
i have boxes of pictures
tons of photos.
way back - over 10 years ago - my sister had a fire in her house.
and she lost a lot of photos. precious photos of her son.
one of a kind photos
it set me on a tear about organizing my photos back then.
i went thru the house and found every package of photos.
and believe me they were everywhere.
don't ask me why but i never had put them in one place.
we were busy - two little kids. pics got looked at and put down
then swept up in some cleaning frenzy of mine.
anyway my photos are pretty much organized.
at least the ones i've taken are organized. I've kept up with that organization since then.
then there is another box that is just full of all kinds of other photos
but they are all together at least
so right now here's my plan of attack to get going on my scrapbooking.
number one - create this blog
(that's accountablity - i need to have that - it's part of my personality i guess. i need to say i'm gonna do this and here it is everybody so keep a look out)
number two: set up a schedule of some kind so i can look at it everyday and say ok - what am i doing today.
I'm a list kinda girl.
i work off lists every day.
And i LIVE to cross things off the list.
So the schedule is kinda like my list.
I have a loose schedule i think i can keep to.
By loose i mean - if something comes up in my life that has to get done - well that comes first.
I will make time to do this every day but things happen and i'm not going to beat myself up about missing a day or not getting to cross off something.
You following me?
Bottom line is i want to enjoy this but i also want to get something accomplished.
I took a look at what i want to do and basically here's my outline of a schedule
Monday - Planning
Monday, in general is my catch up day around here. I run a lot of errands and such. If i do a little planning to work on things the rest of the week i believe i can get it done. Planning would include picking out what i'm going to work on the rest of the week and making sure i've got supplies to do it. Making copies of pictures if needed. Pulling paper and embellishments and putting them in my ready to go file. That kind of thing.
Tuesday - Me
pages about myself. i have pictures - believe it or not - of myself. i really should work on all those college photos for example :-)
Wednesday - Family/Husband
I have a lot of photos hanging around of all of us - my kids and husband. This is more my family album stuff. Trips we've taken, just everyday stuff. And my husband has lots of photos he's brought home from work - he's been given a lot of awards and things - or his trips that are just sitting around gathering dust. They need to get in an album
Thursday - My Kids
I could work for a month and everyday be a Thursday and not make a dent in pics of them! But i need to get working on baby albums (yes, i never did that!) and catch up on their school albums
Friday - Pets
Even though i have only the two cats - they're my babies and i've got tons of photos of them. I imagine Fridays might end up being a sort of catch all day if this schedule works - i will eventually catch up on their photos and they'd i'd be free to use the time otherwise
Saturday - Heritage
I'll use the term Heritage loosely here. I've got photos of my father and his parents - very old that are definitely heritage. But i'd also use this heading to cover photos of my siblings and parents - old photos from my growing up. I would also be scanning a lot of these old, one of a kind photos - the kind there are no longer negatives available - on this day. I really need to get going on that. I would like to have them scanned to make copies for my sisters and also as a preventative measure. Some of the really old ones that were my grandmothers pictures are 100 years old
Sunday - Miscellaneous
as the name implies. whatever i feel like working on

Like i said its a loose schedule but it is one - and i need that. I'll tinker with a little after i get going if it needs it.
I know it sounds ambitious but like i said its a vehicle to get things accomplished. If things get busy then the next available day i will look at the schedule and say ok - what can i work on today? and i won't be spending a lot of time trying to figure out WHAT to work on.
Oh yeah - my ready to go file - this is key.
When i sit down to work - that planning on Monday should have yielded items that were put in that ready to go file. I will have already pulled out stuff to work on. So i'll just dip into that file - and i'll be ready to go
Sounds good right?
Oh yeah - i'll post what i do. I am not sure if i'll post them here or have a link to flickr or some place like that - still checking that out. But you'll see the results. That's that accountablity thing.
Right now I've got my ready to go - already in progress. So i think we'll get started tomorrow. That's Thursday - my kids. good topic
See you tomorrow!

Stop the Madness and Start the Scrapbooking

2007-03-20T07:29:00.001-07:00

Okay so i said i'd explain why i'm doing this and what kind of scrapbooking I want to do.
I was thinking about why i'm not getting anything done. Anything of real signifcance.
I got distracted.
That's a pretty simple explanation.
I bought a lot of stuff.
I looked at endless books and websites.
Before I got into all the madness that has become scrapbooking - maybe 8 years ago - i actually created a cute scrapbook for a friend of mine. My first "new" scrapbook.
I'd put photos in albums but never wrote things down, added decorative elements. that kinda thing.
I spent maybe a week on it.
Oh and i'm sure if anyone saw it now they'd be horrified at all the Mrs. Grossman's stickers and deco scissors i used.
But you know - I had a ball making that book for her.
We were Brownie leaders together and had become good friends.
I'd taken pictures the whole time - as i am a picture taker.
I really love to look back and remember fun times, good friends. you kwim.
Anyhow, I had the best time making that album
And you know it was one of the best presents i ever gave - she adored it.
We laughed the entire time she looked through it.
I know she'll keep it forever and have great times looking through it in the future.
And if i hadn't made it - well time has a way of fuzzing up the memories doesn't it?
You remember the basic elements but you forget the little things that clear up the edges.
After that i made an album for my mother - that one took much longer.
Course it took in a lot more subject matter but still - it took longer.
Then i made an album for my little sister.
That album took a year to make. And i know why.
It was about that time that i really got into looking at magazines etc about scrapbooking.
Again, I'm not blaming anyone but me.
I just got very distracted by all this pretty stuff in the magazines.
And got very critical of what i was doing in these books i was making.
I didnt just make them anymore - i agonized over every little thing.
And - really i don't know why.
Who else but the recipients were going to see them?
Well - in my mother's case - others did see the book.
She showed my aunt and my cousins when they came by for lunch one day.
They were mesmerized.
And went on and on about how much they loved it.
And let me tell you i was not in full madness mode yet at that time.
So - wow - someone else saw the book - liked it a whole bunch - and i wasn't even going totally crazy at that point.
Hmmm.
Made me realize - as i remembered back on that occasion - even though i wasn't making these publication worthy pages - mine didn't look anything like what i was seeing in the magazines - the recipient and others actually enjoyed it. They loved it in fact.
So - conclusion - i can just go back to making my scrapbooks and stop worrying about every little thing.
So that's where I'm at now.
I've remembered why i was doing this in the first place and remembered that people liked what i made just fine before i got overly involved in all the products and ideas and techniques.
Blah-di-blah
I can still do something a little off beat or try a new technique or incorporate some interesting new product if i feel like it. But i'm not going to obsess anymore.
Well - not anymore than is possible for someone like me
More than anything i just want to make my scrapbooks. So i am going to.
I've stopped the subscriptions to the magazines i was getting. I loved them. But instead of scrapbooking i was reading them - and getting distracted and confused.
Confused?
Well they weren't showing the kind of pages i like to make.
And I'm going to leave it at that. I don't want to digress (yet again) into what is wrong with scrapbook magazines anymore.
I'll just say i am making something different and mine are ok. And to continue looking at magazines that aren't helping me accomplish my goal is just - well a waste of money for one thing. and my time. They're all lovely magazines. I'm just not their target audience.
And that's ok :-)
I'm gonna make things for my family - and for me.
I want to remember stories of my family - past & present.
I want to save some seriously deteriorating photos.
So that's what i'm going to do and i've already begun.
More on that tomorrow - the how i'm gonna get this done part

Not something everone aspires to

2007-03-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

being Suzy Scrapbooker.
I think the name has taken on a bad connotation
Not me.
I set out years ago to scrapbook my pictures.
I had seen wonderful magazines and knew people who made these cool looking new kinda scrapbooks.
i said - that's for me.
i have a bazillion pictures.
Pictures of my children.
Pictures of me as a child.
Pictures of my siblings.
Pictures from my grandparents.
I wanted to do this.
Write down all the stories i knew.
The ones that were getting forgotten.
My grandparents are long gone.
My father died and as he was an only child - a lot of his stories died with him.
Then my brother died.
He was the real story teller in the family. He was the oldest and knew all our family stories better than anyone.
And my children - well i was afraid they'd forget him.
So I set out to scrapbook.
And i got very engaged in all of the wonderful products and magazines and books and...
i didn't do a whole lot of scrapbooking.
I've done some
but not near enough.
I bet.... no, I know i'm not the only one in the same boat.
Now i'm not blaming any magazine or manufacturer for my lack of progress.
I'll say they were enablers :-)
But the blame falls on me.
And a busy life.
But i'm here to say i would love to be suzy scrapbooker.
Just your regular old garden variety scrapbooker who is actually getting some scrapbooking accomplished.
And the kind of scrapbooking that i want to do.
More on that next... the kind i want to do and the purpose of this little blog place :-)