Telling a Story part 2

Lousie Nelson has given her spin on adding journaling to your scrapbooking pages over at the Aussie Scrap Source blog this week. Louise has a wonderful arty style to her scrapbooking and she shares inspiring ways to including journaling on your pages. Go see what she says here.

Continuing on with my sharing of other people's scrapbooking pages that inspire me with their journaling, I saw this layout by Nikki Antonello recently, and had to ask her if I could share it. Nikki is a regular reader here, and I love her input.

[Nikki has had this page accepted for publication, so I can't show it to you here any longer. Congrats Nikki!]

Nikki writes on her blog that she wanted to record her thoughts about her son's first day of starting school. Her journaling is so reflective of the emotions that most mums go through at this time. It will be a great page to share with her son sometime down the track - because it also records the positives: how proud she is of Noah and how much he's learning.

Linda Morgan shared a layout with me that also deals with an emotional struggle:

The page records a low point in Linda's weight loss journey. Thankfully she pushed on past it but she wanted to record how she felt at the time. She says "[...] i thought it would be good to write about my feelings. [...] To me this is the whole point of scrapbooking, the journalling, the feelings, writing something as if i was speaking so that in years to come my family will know how i was feeling as well as how i looked." I agree totally.

And, finally, Tracey Cavanagh sent me a link to this layout, about her pet lizards.

Tracey says "I actually love journaling but looking back through my recent layouts (I'm paper all the way) I was appalled that most of them had nothing more than a quote, a place, a name, a date.... I'm going to have to work on that! This one is from about 3 weeks ago that DOES have some journaling on it, and of all things it is about our pet lizards!"

I love that you've journaled about your pet lizards, Tracey :D. Why not? Who says that our journaling should be dedicated to serious life-heavy topics? There is so much about our lives to reflect on - the happy things as well as the mundane and the trivial. Have you ever noticed that what's trivial now becomes sentimental in ten years time?

I'll be back with more sharing soon!
Kathie

Recent Etsy Inspiration

I will get back to sharing some more layouts tomorrow. But today I thought that I would share some of my Etsy inspiration. At the moment I have a whole heap of artists in my favourites. Here is some of their work:



I hope it inspires you too!
Kahtie

Telling a story

Thanks to everyone who has been posting me links of their layouts that tell a story. I indicated that I would love to share some with you, and I will be dedicating a few posts over the next couple of weeks to showing you some work that has caught my eye.

Today I would like to share with you some layouts by Natalie Elphinstone. Natalie is a regular reader of my blog and I've gotten to know her scrapbooking style over the last year or so. I love her quirky heart-felt approach.

Nat just recently returned to work as a doctor, after a period of maternity leave. In her layout "how?", she's journaled about how much she's loved spending a year off with her girls. Nat writes on her blog that she loves sunrays and goes on to explain that she's created those on this page with some Glimmermist and a handmade stencil. I love the clouds and the kite too :).

This next layout "Bird Soup" tells the story about how one day Nat found her daughter outside brewing up a muddy concoction in the bird bath. Nat writes on her blog that it was just like a scene out of Macbeth, lol. The concoction was actually soup for the birds to eat. Layouts that capture these little stories about our everyday experiences are amongst my favourites.

This is another layout with heaps of journaling. Natalie wrote that she got a bit sentimental while creating this page, as it deals with her impending return to work. The design of this page caught my eye: both the gorgeous hand made floral embellishment and the way Nat's spread her journaling over the three luggage tags. This is a great way to break up the writing on what is a pretty journaling-heavy layout.

And finally, this page. The journaling tells the story about Nat being away on an all-day course on Mothers Day, and having her daughter ring her up and telling her "Mummy, I love you and I'm never going to stop." Awww. What a beautiful memory to record.

Thanks for giving me permission to share your work here, Natalie.

I'd love to see any other pages you've all created lately that tell a story. Remember to post them here, by 10 September, and be in the running for a package of scrapbooking product (Aust residents only).

Kathie

Sharing some creations

I have a couple of layouts up on the Aussie Scrap Source blog at the moment. The first features some Technique Tuesday stamps.

Journaling: January '10: 1. Visiting with Sonia and her family in Perth. 2. ABCKids with a little friend. 3. City Beach, Perth. 4. In the pool with Jamie's cousins. 5. Building sandcastles with Auntie Sonia. 6. Climbing and jumping and climbing... 7. Learning with Dad.

The second features BasicGrey's Max and Whiskers range.

Journaling: He might look cute and sweet, but he's oh so neurotic. He has a fear of bowls. He will not eat out of one and will run away and hide from anyone who has a bowl in their hands. He only eats one type of food. He barks at shadows. He howls when the phone rings. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he's totally kooky.

And there's a new colour palette up at the Color Room:

Have a great weekend!
Kathie

More instruction sheets

Yes, I have been in the mood to give you some instructions, in case you have a fancy to re-create some of my pages :). Here are some more:

1920s - instructions here.

As seen in Scrapbooking Memories 12(3)

Summer - instructions here
As seen in Scrapbooking Memories 12(2)

Shel, Mandi and Me - instructions here
As seen in Scrapbook Creations Issue 79

Instruction sheets

Just a heads up to let you know that I've added some instructions to my blog for some of my layouts:

Love You - instructions here
As seen in Scrapbook Inspirations May 2010

20.02.08 - instructions here
As seen in Scrapbook Inspirations May 2010

Instructions to a Young Child - instructions here.
As seen in ScrapZine, Brazil, No 3

Artwork - instructions here.
As seen in Scrapbooking Memories 12(6)

If you know any scrappers who are just starting out, then please let them know that these instructions are available.

I'll try to make more instructions available as I get a bit of time here and there :)
Kathie

Rainbows

On Friday night when I left work it was pouring cats and dogs, and already quite dark. I drove down the main street of the Adelaide central business district on the way to Jamie's childcare centre. As I was waiting at the lights, I happened to glance up and.... look!

A double rainbow!!

Now you have to forgive the photo - I was on the main thoroughfare through the city, waiting at the traffic lights. They had turned green (can you see the green light there in the bottom RH corner? That was mine :). And I was scrabbling around in my handbag for my point and shoot camera. I had just a second to roughly point it in the direction of the rainbow and click the shutter. Of course, the darn thing has focussed on the raindrops on the windscreen!

I told myself I'd get a better shot when I got out the car at childcare but it had disappeared already by then. Lucky I got this one shot! Now that I've seen my Winter rainbow, I'm well and truly ready for Springtime. Only a couple weeks of Winter left! Yippee.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments on my last post. It wasn't meant to be a sad post; it was a sort of happy one, lol. It was a post about being open to the interpretation of your dreams. Because sometimes our dreams are answered, but the answers aren't in the form that we immediately recognise.

Hello to my visitors from le scrap de Carol! Thanks for stopping by :)

Kathie

An aha moment

Today I had one of those moments. A moment where something clicked in my head and I almost gasped at the realisation.

Most of you would be aware at my grief at finding myself unable to have another baby. I have always wanted two children. Part of my desire for two children comes from having been one of two, myself. The other part comes from having spent vacations with my sister in Perth when my nephews were about Jamie's age. I adored seeing them outside, laughing and giggling together. And I had held that snapshot in my head: that snapshot of two small children playing together, their giggles and childish voices floating across the backyard. And I yearned all this time for it to be translated across into my own life.

I cannot tell you how much grief that snapshot in my head has given me. Nor can I express the regret I feel whenever I see that image in my head. The regret over every circumstance that has led me here to this situation where I can only have one child. To this situation where that snapshot in my heart is incapable of becoming a reality.

But today I had a sudden realisation. Because as I stood in the kitchen preparing snacks, I looked out the window across the yard at my son playing with his little friend in the back garden. And I heard them laughing and giggling with glee. And all of a sudden my mental image and my reality transposed over each other and aligned. And I realised that the Universe does deliver. Just sometimes not exactly as you have it in your preconceived ideas. Sometimes you just have to be open to other possibilities.

Happy days!
Kathie

Journaling

Did you know that Elle's Studio is running three week online journaling class? They are exploring the way others journal and providing heaps of tips to help you with yours. Guest scrapbookers are giving their spin on journaling. These include Stephanie Howell, Dina Wakely, Tara Anderson, and Ali Edwards.

If you're wanting some inspiration for your own journaling, have a look here.

The Color Room 20

This week's color palette in the Color Room is fabulous (when do I not say that though?):

And this is my layout.

Journaling: At five months of age you have become a real little personality. You are also experimenting with your voice - woops, squeals and coos. You reach out for my face and hold it in your hands, examining my nose, my mouth and my hair. You giggle and you laugh. Except for the camera. Never for the camera. When the camera comes out, this is the look we get. Mr Serious!

I was a little late to the party this week, as I got my dates mixed up.

But the page is done, photographed and uploaded.

Have a great weekend.
Kathie

I really have no memory!

Thanks to Joanne for pointing out to me that I had, in fact, taken a video of Jamie singing the song depicted in the layout below. See here.

Awww. Sweeet. He's grown up so much in nine months!

Hmmmm. I seriously have a memory problem, don't I? It would seem that I will not have to wait for my dottage, as I wrote below, to not remember things lol. Thank goodness I have been scrapbooking my memories!

But I rejoice in that little video. I cannot believe how seriously cute it is.

Thanks to those of you that have linked me up to layouts - I am enjoying having a look at them all and reading your stories. Remember to leave me a comment here to share.

Kathie

Journaling

This week we kick off a series of weekly posts on journaling over at Aussie Scrap Source Blog. As you know, I tend to write essays on my scrapbook pages. I am a little over-anxious about getting the stories recorded. So that when I'm 90 and in my dottage I can read back over all the little moments in my life that I've forgotten (providing, of course, that I can still see to read, lol).

I made this:


with the journaling in my handwriting:

Can you see the words of the song on my layout? It is sooo cute! "There was a crocodile, an orangatan; a flying eagle and a silver fox. A rabbit, a beaver and a crazy elephant. Na na na na na na! Na na na na na na!"

and all those hand movements. Just too sweet!

And I made this.

“I heard your dad gasp and then I heard you cry. I looked down and they were lifting you up to me. You were here! They placed you on my chest and you snuggled into me, all sweet and warm. Oh! I gazed down at you, drinking you in. You were so tiny and so very very perfect. I was smitten. I was overwhelmed with emotion. Do you know, I loved you so very much from that first moment I met you. You were with us. Finally! You were real!"

"I held you close and the midwife wrapped us both in a big, warm blanket. All warm – you and me. Your dad and I looked at you in wonder. Our little baby! “Look at him!” I said. “Do you think he looks like a Jamie? I think he looks just like a little James.” Your dad agreed and so you became our Jamie.""Now, several hours later, I look at you in your crib and I can’t believe it. You’re mine. So perfect. My baby. My son. I can’t get my head around it yet. After so many years of longing and yearning, I have a perfect baby boy. It still seems surreal, like I have someone else’s child at my breast. But you came from us. You are our flesh and blood. A part of us. I blink back tears. Who would have known I could feel such overwhelming love for you!"


"I hear your little noises as you lie sleeping and look across at you. My baby son. So adorable all wrapped up in your striped blanket. You begin to stir, to wake and fuss. I call out to you softly. You stop, listening. You know me already! My heart swells. I love you so much. So very much more than I ever imagined possible.”

Actually I'm quite pleased with this one. You see, I've scrapped this photo twice before and it never went right. One of those "too precious to scrap" photos. But I've done it, and I feel quite pleased with myself! The journaling is from my journal on the day that Jamie was born.

I've also included a couple of layouts by other scrapbookers. One is a layout by Melanie Harris that appeared on the Journal Challenges Blog. And the other is a layout by Ronda Palazzari, one of my favourite scrapbookers. Read what I have to say about them in the blog article.

ETA. The journaling on Melanie's page is a bit difficult to read on the ASS blog, but she's just posted on her own blog the story behind the page, and also reprinted the journaling. The link is here.

In my search for layouts that we could showcase for our journaling feature, I made a rather sad discovery.... paper scrapbookers don't seem to journal! This shocked me. I hadn't noticed the demise of journaling. When did this happen? Digital scrapbookers seem to journal essays on their pages. Paper scrapbookers don't seem to add much more than a date. Why is that?

Do you journal on your layouts? It's my opinion that it's so important to record our stories on our pages, as well as to play and make pretty things. So, I am setting you all a challenge:

Send me links to your recent layouts with journaling on them .... it has to be substantial journaling, capturing and explaining a story. I want more than just a few words scrawled on a journaling spot as an afterthought. OK?

I'll dedicate a couple of upcoming posts to sharing some of your layouts here, and I'll choose someone at random to receive a pack of goodies from me. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post linking me up to your recent pages that have a focus on sharing the story and include substantial journaling. I'd love to see them :). I'll keep my challenge open until midnight (EST) Friday 10 September 2010. Open to Aussie residents only, sorry. International postage rates are a bit out of my scrappy budget!

And keep an eye out on the Aussie Scrap Source blog as the other DT contributors share their layouts containing journaling!

Kathie

Scrapbook Inspirations

I was very excited a few months back to have two pages included in the Scrapbook Inspirations May 2010 idea book (UK). Now I can share them with you all:

Love You

I've created a collage from old book pages on the background, then overlayed images from Sassafras Lass Anthem collection (I still adore that collection!) Of course, what makes this layout beautiful is that photo I captured of Jamie.

20.02.08

Haha, and I've just realised that both of them use Sassafras Lass! This one features the Pocketful of Rosies collection. The journaling is taken from my blog post here (awww, look at those little photos! I forget how little he used to be..... it seems like yesterday, but he's grown up so much!)

And this all reminds me once again, that I must get back into my habit of recording what he's up to every month. I am going to regret that I've gotten out of the habit, I fear....

Happy Sunday everyone. We have a playdate arranged here this afternoon, so I had best go clean up a bit.

Kathie

Finishing Touches

This post is for the ladies that took my class at Seriously Scrapbooking this afternoon :)

Cover

p1-2

p3-4

p5-6

p7-8

p9-10

p11-12

p13-14

p15-16

p17-18

Page 17
Crop down three 3x2inch photos so that they fit nicely in the space allowed.
Cut “Cherish every moment” sentiment from Families are Forever paper and adhere below photo cluster.
Cut out journaling strips from cream cardstock and add journaling.

Page 18
Mat 4x3inch photo with cream cardstock; ink and distress edges. Adhere to page.
Add title using letters from Families are Forever paper.
Add “Memo” chip tile above title
Add journaling to side of title/chip tile cluster.

p19-20

Page 19
Mat four 2x3inch photos on cream cardstock; ink and distress edges.
Adhere in middle of page.
Cut journaling strips from cream cardstock and add journaling.

Page 20
Mat 4x3inch photo with cream cardstock; ink and distress edges.
Adhere at base of page.
Add journaling strips with journaling above photo.

p21-22

Page 21
Mat 3x4inch photo with cream cardstock; ink and distress edges.
Adhere in middle of page.
Add “Note” chipboard tile above photo
Add journaling above photo.

Page 22
Cut down a 4x6inch print to fit on the page. Mat on a piece of canvas; fray the edges.
Adhere on page.
Cut out “XOX” sentiment from Families are Forever paper and adhere below photo.
Add journaling below photo.

p23-24

Page 23
Cut a piece of canvas measuring 11x12cm; fray edges and adhere in centre of page.
Cut out a small scroll pattern from top RH corner of Families are Forever paper.
Tie a piece of string around Clock chipboard tile.
Arrange scroll paper, clock and medium black button in a cluster on the canvas.
Add title using letters from Families are Forever paper.

Page 24
Mat 3x2inch photo on cream cardstock; ink and distress edges.
Adhere at top of page, to the side of the fleur de lis.
Adhere “Family” chipboard tile below the photo.
Add journaling to spare spaces on page.

p25-26

Page 25
Trim down a 4x6inch photo to fit space.
Mat on cream cardstock; ink and distress edges.
Adhere to page.
Adhere small strip of canvas below photo, and “We Are Family” tile.
Tie bow in some string and adhere over the top of the canvas strip.
Cut journaling strips from cream cardstock and adhere below photo.
Add journaling.

Page 26
Add 3x4inch photo.
Add cream cardstock journaling strips below photo.

p27-28

Page 27
Add 3x4inch photo

Page 28
Add two 6x4inch photos to Damask overlay.
Cut clock from clock transparency and overlay on top of photos on LHS
Cut out “Memories” sentiment from Families are Forever paper and adhere over clock.
Tie bow in string and adhere above “Memories” sentiment.