Scrapbooking: Are You Ready for the Summer? and Guitar Goddess.

I thought I would start off the month with a couple of scrapbook pages. I've been a little unexcited by some my recent pages (Don't get me wrong - I like them just fine, but to me they've been more functional than inspired), but these I'm particularly pleased with.

This first one gets its name from a very cheesy song featured in the very cheesy movie Meatballs. And everytime I think of this song, it gets stuck in my head (Now I did it...make it stop!). Anyway, we did so many fun things this past summer, but I don't have the time or the motivation to make individual pages for every moment.

The photo placement came together fairly quickly. However, since there are many bright photos on the page, I struggled quite a bit with what colors to use. Then I remembered - when in doubt, use white card stock. I just love white cardstock. After that, everything else fell into place. The "summer" in the title is made of stickers and page pebbles that were some of the very first scrapbooking embellishments that I bought when I started out in 2004 - 2005. It's very satisfying when I can use my old stash in fresh way. The paper and stickers are made by SEI.



As a rule, I don't usually make pages without at least some journalling. Otherwise, for me personally, it's just not scrapbooking. Nonetheless, this page came together so quickly and effortlessly, that I couldn't possibly consider it anything less. Plus, it was nice to just have fun and make something while not having to fret about any stupid typos. Again, I brought out my old trick of cutting out the pattern from paper and adhering to cardstock. Paper and embellishments are made by My Mind's Eye.

Scrapbooking: Halloween 2008

My scrapbooking for 2008 is getting finished ever so gradually. A couple of months ago, I had purchased some super cute Halloween stickers on clearance, so I decided to do two pages in order to make good use out of them.

Journaling reads: When Lauren told us that she wanted to be Snoopy for Halloween 2008, little did we know what a challenge we would face. First, manufactured Snoopy costumes were practically non-existent, both on-line and in stores, and the ones that we did find were very expensive. The next plan of attack was to attempt to make our own from a white fleece shirt and pants. Then we found that kid sized sweats just don't come in white, apparently because only crazy people would dress their children in white. We even had Aunt Mel scouring stores for pieces that would work. Luckily, Daddy came through and found a real honest-to-goodness Snoopy costume on eBay for $20 plus shipping. And naturally, Daisy needed a costume too. After all, where would Snoopy be without his best pal Woodstock?



Journaling reads: Halloween 2008 fell on a Friday night, which was nice because everyone could come over and enjoy the festivities. Lauren had her very own entourage as she went door-to-door chatting up the neighbors and making out like a little bandit. And even though there were few trick-or-treaters who visited our house, we were still very entertained by our very own cast of characters.

A couple of weeks ago, I came home to a message on our answering machine from a representative from Shutterfly. She had been unsuccessful getting touch with me via e-mail (Because all I do all day at work is read and reply to e-mails, I don't check my personal e-mail accounts as often as I should) and was looking to get permission to use my photo book in one of their upcoming ads. Of course, I immediately got in touch with her and agreed to it. I didn't even occur to me until the next day that I might get something for my troubles, you know, maybe some free prints. Sure enough, when I checked my e-mail I had a message from another representative asking that I fill out some paperwork so that I could become a vendor and get paid! I was floored. Here's the end result: Mark and Lauren selling the good life through the magic of photo books:

Scrapbooking: The Return.

January continues to be a very uneventful month. Since there's nothing new to report, I thought I'd share some scrapbook layouts that I recently made.

When I sat down to scrapbook a couple of weeks ago, I realized that I hardly made anything during 2008, beyond the mini album for Lauren and a few pages. I still love scrapbooking, but unfortunately, my workflow takes a lot more focus and time than I have available. It goes something like this:

1. Come up with a concept: This part is easy. When I think of an idea, I make sure I write it down in my notebook. Then when I have the urge to scrapbook, I have a bunch of ideas to work from.

2. Create layout design, edit and print photos: This is done at the computer. Sometimes I'll flip through a book or magazine for inspiration on photo placement, sometimes I'll come up with something on my own just playing around in Photoshop.

3. Choose cardstock, paper and embellishments: If I have a mental block, this can be very time consuming.

4. Put it all together: Now at this point, I can easily entertain Lauren while I work just by giving her some paper, stamps and stickers of her own to use.

5. Journalling: Back to the computer. I made an honest attempt at using my own handwriting, but I just can't do it. More on that later.

So my newer hobbies like embroidery didn't really replace scrapbooking, but it sure is a lot easier for me to follow Lauren around from room to room with my embroidery in hand than it is for me to have uninterrupted time at the computer. Nonetheless, I'm going to continue to try and figure out ways to make my scrapbooking more efficient, because I have a lot of good ideas that I want to bring to life!



Here is one of my first efforts in making more family oriented pages. As Lauren gets older, there will be less and less firsts to document and more of how we interact together.



I actually started this page sometime last year, but never finished it. It was originally to have a small photo of Lauren sitting in the chair, but I needed the space to fit in the journalling. It actually worked out better because it's more a page about the chair than about Lauren. This gave me the idea to make more pages about special objects in our home and why they are meaningful. Of the four, I like this one the best, even though the "R" looks like I bled on it and the type isn't centered.



The Scrabble tiles were left over from another half finished project of mine. The title was the only word that the remaining tiles could spell out that was relevant to the page. Stupid me didn't get a photo of Mark pushing Lauren that day. I had to screen cap the video that I took. As a result, that photo is poorer quality than the rest, but the page wouldn't be complete with out it.

Lastly, each of these pages originally had hand written journalling. At that point, I had considered them complete and had thought that I had convinced myself that my hand writing didn't look so bad after all. Then I had to go and flip through my albums and see how nice and clean the printed type looked on my pages. So I typed and printed all the journalling in Photoshop. With this kind of obsessive compulsive behavior, it's no wonder that I only made four pages last year!

Scrapbooking: Being Two.

Because I haven't shared anything scrapbooking related for a while now, it probably seems like I've given up scrapbooking for other crafts. Not so! Although I must admit that I haven't devoting time to it like I should. Even if I don't make anything, I still like to keep track of funny / cute things that Lauren does so that I can revisit them when the urge to scrapbook strikes.

For example, take this little project. I've had the idea for this album written down for almost a year, but I didn't actually make until about a month ago. It took me about a weekend to complete from start to finish. I'm glad I stuck with it, because if I take a break from a project, I have a tendency to not to finish it. Someday you may see the wedding shower album that I started in January. Someday.

The entire album is made from a kit produced by SEI called Penelope's Potpourri. SEI is another favorite of mine, and I have a nice collection of their papers. The album itself, made by John Porter Everyday Archives, was purchased at a dollar store about two years ago. I bought seven that day, but now I wish I cleaned the store out because they really come in handy. This is the third album I've made so far.

I customized the cover myself. I glued squares of paper to a piece of cardboard and used Modge Podge to give it a finished look.

The dedication inside reads: "To Lauren: Some say that being two is terrible, but I think that being two is pretty darn wonderful. Love, Mommy"

Here are some sample pages. Note the repetitive use of "Being two..." is my own little tribute to my favorite book, Happiness is a Warm Puppy, by one of the wisest men who ever walked this earth, Charles Schultz.



Being two means "No" is not just a word, it's a way of life.



Being two means you're not only old enough to eat cookies, but you are also old enough to make them.



Being two means proving that man can indeed live by bread alone, and grow inches while doing it.



Being two means whining isn't just a form of communication - it's a means to an end.

See the show.

Click here to view this photo book.

Yesterday, I was checking out Shutterfly's website to see if there was a way to share online the photo books that I made so far. Sure enough, there was!

You can now flip through all of my books here.

Later in the day, I received an e-mail from a Shutterfly representative informing me that my Best of 2007 book had been chosen as a Featured book on the home page of their Community gallery. Cool!

So I guess now it's kinda late to ask permission to use the images of those of you out there who are pictured in this book, huh?

Creative pursuits.

At the moment, I have a sizable backlog of projects, but I'm working my way through them. One of my priorities is to get my photo organization current. I take a lot of photos and find that they can be difficult to manage. I only upload and print the ones I really like and burn the rest to CDs. From a printing standpoint, I'm caught up until Easter of this year (Waiting for a really good coupon for free prints so that I can get current!). However, in spite of the near computer disaster that occurred late last year, I'm still way behind on backing up my photos.

I actually created these CD covers last year, but didn't bother to print them out until this weekend. I shamelessly ripped off the idea from Pottery Barn: Photos. When I turned to that page in the book I began drooling over the orderliness of it all. I remember thinking to myself, "But who has to time and inclination to be that organized with their photos?" Well, heck I do, that's who! Okay, I don't really have the time, but I do have the crazy, er the inclination. Yes, that's what it's called.



In other news, my photobook arrived today from Shutterfly. Nothing really new to see compared with last year's version because I didn't have time to reinvent the wheel. When I conceived this idea last year, I meant the book to be a collection of photos that I loved but wouldn't really get seen otherwise in my photo albums (Like all those photos that I take of food!). This year's book contained a lot more people photos, as I was trying to be more representative of the major events of the year. Do I spy Crazy Uncle Craig on the cover?

Of course, as I was flipping through the finished book, I found a typo. Would anyone out there like to be my copy editor? I'm hiring!

Scrapbooking: Let's blow bubbles!

Thus ends a spectacularly crappy week. Instead of complaining, let's take a look at a happy scrapbook page. Yay!

Lauren is nuts about her bubbles, so I just had to make a page to capture her in her bubble making glory. Once again, I chose to cut out the patterns on the paper and use it to border the page. It's really become my go-to maneuver. What can I say, I'm a one trick pony.

Because I was in a hurry to finish, I used my own handwriting for the journaling instead of running the page through the printer. While I dislike my handwriting (It's just not girly enough) and think that it detracts from the design, it does make the page more personal.

Do you see the photo on the left? That was taken about ten months ago. Look at those chubby baby legs! Those have since been replaced by long little girl legs. I remember the exact moment several months ago while I was changing her diaper when discovered that her chubby legs were gone. So sad.

Journaling reads: "That was Lauren's mantra during the Summer of '07. We must have gone trhough 5 gallons of bubbles!"



And as promised, here is Lauren's first scrapbook page. She picked out the photo, the paper, and the stickers with a little help from me, but otherwise, the cutting and pasting were all her.

Crocs.

Around this time last year, I had a minor freak-out when I realized that Lauren was about to turn two and I only made six scrapbook layouts to chronicle her second year.

So imagine my dismay when I performed the same evaluation this year and realized that I only made five scrapbook layouts to chronicle her third. Since then, I've been attempting to do one layout per week in hopes of reaching ten before her birthday. But I'm not holding my breath that I'll actually accomplish this.

Journaling reads: "As you grow up, things will come into and go out of style. What's a must have today is a fashion misstep tomorrow. Who knows if Crocs are here to stay, but in case they ever lose their appeal, let it be known that you had a pair. And that you loved wearing them."

Oops...I just realized that I misspelled "misstep" on the page. Since there is no spell check in Photoshop, I end up doing that all the time. Makes it all the more endearing doesn't it? At least that's what I tell myself.

On a related note, I told Lauren that I was going to buy her a green pair of Crocs to wear during the summer. Needless to say, she is beside herself with excitement over the prospect.



And on another related note, having seen Mommy scrapbooking, Lauren has decided that she too wants to join in the fun (Note that despite having a perfectly good workspace, I still prefer to scrapbook on the floor, hence the mess.). Stay tuned as in the near future I will be posting her works as well!

Scrapbooking: What's all the buzz about Buzz?

Before Christmas, we were having a Buzz Lightyear renaissance of sorts. Lauren's interest in Buzz had waned during the fall, that is until I got her a new Buzz. After that, New Buzz became the alpha toy once again. When he wasn't jet setting about town with us, he could be found cavorting with the lovely ladies in Francie's house (Kind of like a space age Jack Tripper.). Realizing that Buzz indeed had staying power as a fixture in Lauren's life, I decided that he deserved his own scrapbook page.

I wanted the page not just to be about Buzz, but to be Buzz. The white background with purple and green text was a no brainer, but I think the brads in the top left corner that mimic Buzz's buttons were a little stroke of genius.

Journaling reads: "It all started when you watched the movie Toy Story for the first time. Or maybe it started when I put some Toy Story figures in your room. Whatever the cause, you have become a huge fan of Buzz Lightyear. You beg us to draw Buzz and play with puppet Buzz. Your Buzz doll accompanies us everywhere, including Giant Eagle, Target and the mall. As of this writing, you have gone through four Buzz Lightyears! As time goes on, you will no doubt have many idols, but hopefully you will always remember your first. To infinity and beyond."

Scrapbooking: Devilish

You wouldn't know it from what you see here, but I've actually been scrapbooking quite a bit since Christmas. My efforts have been primarily focused on a long overdue album project, but because I didn't feel like working on it this weekend and I was tired of looking at the same layouts that I've had on display in the den and in the kitchen since before Halloween, I instead made a couple of layouts for Lauren's album.

I like this paper because the colors are reminiscent of fall, without making you feel like you should go rake some leaves and drink some apple cider. Or, they may make you feel that way, but you don't know why you feel that way. They're covertly fall. I also like how the orange flowers look like upside-down Jack Be Little pumpkins.

What I didn't like was having to cut around all those tight places. My scissor work isn't all that great, so I messed up in a couple of places. I don't think you can tell from far away unless you squint a little.

Journaling reads, "For Halloween 2007, you were supposed to dress up as Blue from Blue's Clues, but instead you were perfectly content just to wear Mommy's blinking devil horns. Should we be concerned?"

Scrapbooking: Green is good.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought Lauren some new Play-doh. The set came with a green can which she proceeded to carry with her everywhere she went throughout the day.



This example of Lauren's fixation with the color green inspired this page. As I was planning the layout, I knew I wanted to make a grid out of photos and patterned paper, but otherwise, I didn't know where I was going with it. The arrow was a last minute edition as I was originally going to have the title run along side of the page. This was definitely the better choice though, because I'm finally putting my chipboard collection to good use. But what I especially like is that although the page is about the color green, green really doesn't dominate it. Instead, it has a nice balance of different colors. And although you can't tell so much from the scan, the corners are rounded to match the pattern on the orange paper.

Scrapbooking: Anniversary projects.

One last anniversary related post and I swear that I'll move on. In honor of our fifth anniversary, I thought it would be fun to make a album containing photos of the two of us together through the years. I had originally thought of doing a page for each year that we've been together as a couple, but that was a little too ambitious for now. So I just included a photo of us from each year that we were married (2002 - 2007). Ironically, even though the album is titled "Five," there's actually six pages. Oops.



Anyway, this was more a craft project than a scrapbook, as I didn't include any journaling. The pages are cardboard coasters that I "stole" quite awhile ago from Chili's. This made hole punching very challenging, so much that Mark had to intervene because I wasn't quite strong enough to do it. In the end, we broke both of my hole punches.



Instead of giving Mark a card, I wanted to let him know how much I appreciate the specific things that he does, so I made him a page listing five of those things. The title is a little over the top, but hey, when you want to make someone really feel good you sometimes have to go to the extreme! One of my goals this year was to make a family oriented album, so at least this is a start.

Scrapbooking: Thrill seeker.

It's safe to say that I probably have more paper and cardstock than I will ever use (Or two or three of me would ever use, for that matter!). So although I'm occasionally compelled to buy more, for the most part, I try to work with what I already have.



This page was created from a kit that I bought about a year and half ago on eBay. It's called "Springtime," and it's made by one of my favorite paper companies, SEI. I don't think I could find paper that would better coordinate with these photos. It's moments like this that justify all my past purchases.

Journaling reads: When we took Lauren for her first trip to Kennywood Park, we were a little apprehensive. She was going through a phase where the unfamiliar freaked her out, so we weren't sure how she was going to react. Little did we know that she was such a thrill seeker! Granted, she may not seem so thrilled while she's riding, but she's already demanding another turn before the ride comes to a full stop. So ride on, thrill seeker!

On a side note, I can't get enough of that photo of Mark and Lauren riding the Little Phantom. It is just too cute!

Scrapbook: Undeniably you.

If I was to give the primary reason why I scrapbook, I would say that I scrapbook the things that I want to remember (and because it's fun!). Nevertheless, when I scrapbook about Lauren, I always try to keep her feelings in mind. Once she grows old enough to read and understand what's on these pages, I hope that she doesn't feel embarrassed or weird about the thoughts that her mother puts to paper, but you never know!

Journaling reads: I admit that sometimes I wonder why you're not like other toddlers. Why you don't shower us with hugs and kisses. Why you don't take naps in your stroller. Why you won't let me put your hair in ponytails. Why you mostly prefer Daddy over me. But I'm beginning to learn that children aren't like hamburgers - they don't come made to order. And that's okay. Because sometimes when you just let the short order cook do his thing, you discover a combination that you didn't know that you loved.

(Yes, the analogy is sort of weird, but I ran with it anyway!)

Photobooks: Are they addictive?

I associate scrapbooking as a fall through spring activity, so it's not surprising that I made approximately 1.5 pages during the last three months (The half of a page was made during a Creative Memories party.).

But creatively, I haven't been completely dormant. Instead of paper and glue pages, I made photobooks. These were ordered from Shutterfly, which for some reason considers me as an extremely valuable customer deserving of a lot of free stuff. So everytime they send me tempting offers, I make a photobook.



The first one I had made as a gift for Mark for Father's Day. Each page completes the phrase "He's the one..." and shows a photo of Mark in supreme daddy mode. The 8 x 8 books start at $29.99 plus shipping, but this one was free. The only catch was that I had to order $10 worth of prints and pay for shipping. Monty, I'll take the deal!



The second one was just a collection of favorite photos from 2006. Each page contains when and where the photo was taken, who was behind the camera and a description of what was going on at the time. I had to play around with the page templates to get the layout how I wanted, but I was still satisfied with the end result. I'm already planning to create Volume 2 with 2007 photos. This book was discounted 20%, with free shipping, plus my account was credited with 75 free prints for placing a $20 order.

The possibilities are really endless with photobooks because using imaging software you can customize your page exactly the way you want it and than upload it as a photo to match the size of the pages within the album. I haven't gone that far yet (Too much work!), but I did make my own graphics, albeit simple, for the covers.

Although I don't think that they're not cost effective enough to give, say, as holiday gifts for everyone on your list, I think it's definitely worth the price to build your own little library of stories. I'm certainly going to give it a try!

I am a cooking scrapping fool.

I've tried not one, but two new recipes this week. On Sunday, I made Steak Pizzaiola (which on Everyone Loves Raymond, was Raymond's mother's signature dish). Mark really ate this up so I will probably make it again. Then tonight, I made Spaghetti Carbonara, which Lauren really ate up. I'm thankful that my mother does not actively read this blog, because if she knew that we were consuming something involving raw eggs stirred into pasta, she would have heart palpitations.

I am ashamed to say that I did not take photos of either dish.

I've also been trying to catch up on some scrapbooking. A couple of months ago, I had a really productive weekend where I made three pages, but I haven't really made anything since then. Over the course of the last 3 evenings (while Lauren watched Blues Clues on iTunes), I made this:



The photos were taken sometime last September. They are some of my favorites, so I really wanted to get them all on a page. I used what was left of the paper that I used for my Aunt's album, because I just love that paper and couldn't bear to let any of it to go to waste.

Journalling reads: Lauren, you may not be a good eater, but you sure are a cute one.

By the way, I dedicate this layout to my best gal pal, Melissa, who knows who the "good eater" of the Ross family really is.

Scrapbook: A Tale of Two Litas

I've had this idea for some time now, so this page came together really quickly for me. After I used red card stock and multiple embellishments on my last page, I reverted back to my comfort zone of white card stock and stickers. I guess you can't always walk on the wild side. I did ink the stickers, so maybe there is hope for me yet.

Paper and stickers came from Chatterbox's Greenhouse kit. Chatterbox is hands down my favorite scrapbooking company. In fact, I've used their patterned paper on three of the four pages that I've shown here.


Journaling reads: It was the best of times, it was, well, pretty darn good times. On July 4th, 2005, your great aunt Phyllis gave you two adorable dolls called “pew babies”. You were too little to play with them, so we put them away until you were about a year old, when Daddy gave one to you to cuddle. We even gave them names, Lulubelle and Carlita, but to you they both became “’lita” (Or “dita”, since you can’t pronounce “l”). You and the Litas are inseparable. When you are upset about something, you'll call out for her as if she's going to spring into action and save you! One good friend is hard to find, Lauren, but you’re lucky to have two!

Scrapbook: Mama

I've had the journaling written for this page for some time, but because I wanted to add just the right photo, I kept putting it off. Then I came up with the idea of doing a collage of Lauren and I together during her second year.

This took me the good part of a day to assemble. And that's taking into account the fact that this isn't an original design but someone else's 12x12 sketch that I converted to11x8.5 and changed the color scheme. I really wish I could work more quickly! But I am proud of myself for employing a triumvirate of embellishments - ribbon, paper flowers and a tag. That's a lot for me!

Oh, and one last thing. Over the last couple of weeks, I've lost the title of "mama." I am now officially referred to as "mommy." Things change so fast - this, my friends, is why I scrapbook!

Journaling reads: Finally. Sometime between your 18th and 19th month, you finally said the word that I’ve been waiting to hear. After over a year of countless “dadas,” the dog’s name, your doll’s name, the postman’s name (okay, that’s an exaggeration. Even I don’t know his name), you identified me as “mama.” Funny how two syllables could make your heart feel like it’s going to burst. And then there’s how you say it - soft and sweet, almost like a question. It’s the most wonderful sound that I’ve ever heard. I hope that I never forget it.

Scrapbook: Merry morning

With Lauren's birthday approaching, I was looking through her scrapbooks to evaluate how her second year compared with the first. Here is the tally:

First Year

32 one page layouts
1 Christmas theme album
1 mini albums

Second Year

6 one page layouts
1 mini album

That's pathetic. Granted, the second year isn't as full of milestones as the first, but she's practically reached the zenith of cuteness, and that must be documented.

My goal is to have at least 15 total second year pages completed by her birthday. I already have 6 pages worth of material conceived, so I just have to come up with 3 more to meet my quota.

So I guess I had better get scrapping. But in the meantime, here is Year Two Page #6:



All the materials came from a kit that my mom-in-law gave me for Christmas.

Journaling reads: Is there a better morning than Christmas morning? Since this was only your second Christmas, mommy and daddy were probably more excited than you were. However, for the second year in a row, you went straight for the presents under the tree. Yes, you show great promise in the ways of Christmas, little one!

Scrapbook: 5 influences

This is the project that has kept me occupied during the last week. It is a 5x5 mini album that I made as a gift for my Aunt Phyllis's 50th birthday. It's called "5 influences" because it contains 5 ways that she has influenced me.

This is the 4th mini album that I've made, and I have to say that this is my most favorite way to scrapbook. Their small size makes them both easy to manage and quick to complete, and there is little measuring involved (which is my weak spot). The album was originally supposed to be 6X6, but the post bound album I won on eBay didn't arrive in time. As a result, I had to scramble on Thursday evening not only to make my own album but to also come up with an entirely new color scheme. In the end, I'm glad that things worked out this way, because the album came out exactly the way I envisioned.

I have to mention that it wasn't until I placed the number "5" on the cover that I realized that together with the circle, it appropriately made the number "50"! I admit that for a brief moment, I basked in my brilliance, even though I'm really not actively brilliant, just brilliant on a sub-conscious level.

Here is another page. The rest of the album, along with the journaling can been seen on Flickr