It has occurred to me that I haven’t been sharing the layouts I make monthly for Simple Scrapper. Shame on me! Simple Scrapper is such a great resource for memory keepers. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already.
Wow, ok, so I’ve failed to share A LOT. Here is what I missed!
In no particular order…
Now I must go nap! Peace out!
You may have noticed I did a little housekeeping on this here ole blog. I liked the way it looked before but I know it was a bit cumbersome to navigate so hopefully I’ve simplified things a bit. Let me know what you think!
My intention was just to post some layouts I’ve done the past few months but somehow that led to a blog clean up session! Just as well.
Anyway, my posting layouts has been long overdue. I haven’t had much time the past few months to do much scrapbooking but I hope that will change in the coming months.
1. I wrote about my views on faith. I enjoyed making a paper layout. I was so happy I even used up some 15 year old vellum AND made a washi tape leaf too! I covered a wood veneer shape (Always) with gold glitter. That was fun.
2. This layout was so enjoyable to put together. Some whimsy, some paper, some tape, some thoughts. It does soothe my soul.
3. This was my heartfelt attempt to explain how my children are growing up and leaving their babyhoods far behind. I went digital with this layout.
4. I used instagram photos and Facebook statuses to document what I did during the same week in February during three different years.
5. Ah, Pinterest. How do I love thee?
6. Pocket Pages aren’t just for documenting your week. I used this one to tell the story of how I spent Saturdays when I was young. I love the nostalgia!
How fitting I should show my “Hello Saturday” layout last. How different this Saturday was from the ones of my childhood. Although my husband did text me an article about Golden Girls Lego. Not quite the same as watching an originally airing episode but I’ll take it. As well, I did indulge in some chips and dip. Definitely something I would have done in 1985.
Goodbye Saturday! Sleep tight!
The doorbell rang. It was the postman with a package sent all the way from Japan. Ooooooh, what IS it? Why I wouldn’t remember what it was is a bit confusing to me, but I’ve been rather flustered lately so I let it go. A couple weeks ago in a moment of self-indulgence, I ordered washi tape. I’m sure Maslow would have rated it as quite important in his “hierachy of needs”, right? Sure.
So, this wasn’t just any tape. This is SHINZI KATOH tape! Yeah, I know, pretty cool, right?
Ok, I’ll fill you in. Shinzi Katoh is an artist from Japan. He’s illustrated children’s books, is a fine artist, and a surface pattern designer for many different types of goods. Last year when I was at the World Showcase in Epcot, I saw a huge selection of his products being sold at the Japan Pavilion. Bags, cards, note paper, calendars, but NO washi tape. That is what I really wanted.
For some reason, a couple weeks ago I decided to google his name and found out I can buy directly from his online shop in Japan. All sorts of lovely stuff for sale.
This is what I bought for myself . Happy Valentine’s Day to me!
Here is the whole assortment. Yes, I splurged! I got a 5-pack of thin tapes. I can’t wait to try those out.
In case you’re admiring the items behind the tape, I’ll explain. I like to tape things. Next to my super awesome Barbapapa mug is a pencil holder I got from the union where I used to work. It was kind of ugly but very functional. So one day I covered it in washi tape and added a sticker. Next to that container are three Tetley tea containers. Once I drank all the tea, I rinsed and dried them. Then I covered one in mac & cheese duct tape, another in rainbow washi tape (that reminds me of 1985), and another with valentines tape. See, I NEED washi tape! Who knows what I’ll tape next!
I bought a set of 3 Christmas themed tapes. Shinzi Katoh has such a unique and whimsical style. The one with the monkey and banana on it can be seen here. It has safari animals on it. The tape is made from banana trees after harvest in Zambia. It’s a fair trade paper helping to give jobs to people in Zambia and to prevent deforestation and animal extinction. I like that!
I love all of these tapes but I have a soft spot for anything with phrases on it like the tape on the bottom right. I had stationery and t-shirts like this when I lived in Japan. They always made me laugh with their randomness.
Well, that’s what I’m sharing today! Have a great day!
Well, hello there! I hope you’re enjoying New Year’s Day. I had a fun New Year’s eve at a friend’s house, chatting with neighbours while the kids played. My daughter even got to skate in their backyard rink. Definitely the best New Year’s eve we’ve had since moving here over six years ago. My son looked so sleepy and I told him we’d go home as I knew he was so tired. He said “Mom, REALLY I’m not tired. REALLY Mom, really!” and then he fell asleep in my arms. So funny! We headed home and my daughter asked to stay up to countdown. This was a first for her. I was happy to have my head hit the pillow at roughly 12:05am. Ahhhh!
I thought I’d share a few photos from my December.
I worked a bit on an album of the month of December but didn’t get very far. The usual reasons. Busy times and colds.
1. Here is my first page for December. It still needs a bit of detail work.
2. I thought I’d take a lot of photos but the month seemed to zip by. I did take a photo of my cat. She’s 14. I’d just given her a haircut. The photo next to it is an ornament that looks like ribbon candy. My daughter thought it was bacon. Which is extra funny since she is vegetarian.
3. I was pleased as punch to take this photo. “It’s a Small World” is my favourite ride at Disney World and I like the light in the photo.
4. I spent an hour one afternoon playing around with shaped Bokeh. Fair to say, I haven’t perfected it yet. I punched shapes out of black cardstock and attached the paper to my lens. My photography goal for 2015 is to master that technique. When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.
5. The wreath on my front door.
Tomorrow I’ll show you some digital layouts I created in December.
Happy New Year!
Eeks! I forgot to pick a winner last night! Better late than never, right?
Without further ado, the winner of Kelly Sill’s Discover December holiday class at Scrapaneers is…
… Susan!
Thanks for participating!
How appropriate snow has arrived as I write this blog post. My daughter ran up to me and started singing and dancing about how winter has arrived and we can now play Christmas music. I guess that is what stirs her Christmas spirit.
I’m trying to think what gets me all jolly and festive. Maybe smelling chimney smoke while walking in the snow? It was the best part of walking home from school when I was a kid. Now it is a rare thing as very few working fireplaces remain. What else? Probably looking at my Christmas Scrapbook supplies. Yes, everything always comes back to Scrapbooking!
I think all of us “scrappers” can admit, we like to anticipate how we will capture the holiday magic in our albums. We start off with high hopes and many of us probably end up overwhelmed with half finished albums. Am I right?
Well, I have two things that might be helpful to you:
1. Sign up for Simple Scrapper’s FREE Seasonal event “Holiday Focus“. Ideas, planning, peer support, and more to help you document AND enjoy your holiday season!
and (drumroll, please)…
2. I’m hosting a giveaway to Kelly Sill’s Discover December holiday class at Scrapaneers. I’m particularly excited about this one as I had the pleasure and honour of designing the class kit. Plus, there are additional supplies designed by Karla Dudley and Taylormade Designs. How awesome is that?
The class was created with busy holiday schedules in mind. Kelly offers time-saving solutions to help you not only start but FINISH your holiday album.
Wouldn’t you like to be take part in the fun? The first is as simple as signing up! For the latter, I am offering a giveaway for one person to get the class for FREE! Please leave a comment telling me how you plan to make your holidays special this year. A winner will be randomly selected on Tuesday, November 18th after 9pm (EST).
Can’t wait to see your comments! Happy Sunday!
October 14, 2014
Maybe I’ll feel like Mary Richards in the opening credits of Mary Tyler Moore. A free spirited and ambitious woman out on the town on her own terms. Um, maybe. More likely, I’ll look a tad bit more disheveled, despite my best attempts to look stylish. I’ll look a bit more compact like someone is trying to turn their full screen into wide screen. Not so tall. Not so skinny.
I used to live in Toronto. It feels like a past life. I attended university there. I lived there off and on for most of my twenties. I left on what I’d consider bad terms. Toronto and I had a nasty break-up.
The last time I visited Toronto by myself, I was 30. I took the train for the day. I met up with a friend and we wandered around on a cold winter day. I had a handful of other brief visits to the city over the next ten years.
Now I am 40. I wonder how my view of the city will change. It has certainly changed since I last lived there 12 years ago. More so, I have changed. I am eager to visit my old haunts but will any of them still be there? Will they feel familiar or will it be clear, I have moved on?
Well, it is now the beginning of November. I had a wonderful time in Toronto. It was surreal walking into my old territory as a “middle aged” woman. Yikes, this is the first time I’ve ever referred to myself as middle aged. You saw it here first, people.
First thing we did after I got off of the train, was eat supper at a local pub called C’est What? which is on Front Street. I first went there on a double date when I was 20. Back then, it was a cozy basement pub with stacks of board games with a small menu of appetizers. The place appealed to literary types and perhaps students. Now it is a full on restaurant catering to local foodies. Most of the people looked like business types. Instead of being the youngest in the place, looking at the 30 somethings thinking they looked old, I was one of the older people looking at the 30 somethings thinking they looked young. Yes, the tables have turned. I did feel a bit of superiority knowing I’ve been coming to this place for 20 years. I felt I should maybe get a badge to wear.
I was happy to see my fast walking pace returned once I was in the city. I used to be really speedy but lately I’m the slowest when walking with friends. I guess I’m used to walking with children. Apparently, my speed is location specific.
I noticed that things have slightly changed but mostly stayed the same. Actually, I was surprised to see most changes were improvements.
The other thing that got my attention was how much smart phones have changed the way I experience Toronto. No need for a TTC (transit) map. Just check my phone (borrowed my husband’s phone actually). Can’t find a store? Check my phone. Have a question for a friend? Text them. Send a photo. Feeling a bit lonely? Instagram a photo to share the experience. See an interesting sign? Take a photo. Bored waiting for a bus? Edit some photos for Instagram during the wait. How crazy different would my life have been if we’d had smart phones at 20? I remember my frosh week at York University. The fine art students had a scavenger hunt that took us all through downtown. My group got terribly lost and everything was a challenge to find. Now, it would be a breeze. Such a different world we live in.
So, I had a great time. I got to eat lots of food (Chinese Vegetarian, Coffee, Sri Lankan, Coffee, Raw Vegan, did I mention Coffee?), and visit neighbourhoods and stores I’ve missed. It was just the sort of mini vacation I needed.
Here are a few scrapbook layouts I made that relate to my trip:
For the above layout, I included a photo from my view on the train when I arrived Thursday, my root beer at C’est What, a view of walking in the rain after we left the pub, the dessert section of Loblaws and the spot where the centre ice used to be.
The layout above is about the Friday, when we walked around downtown and visited China Town and Kensington Market. It was a great day.
The layout below has photos which were taken during this trip on the Saturday. The layout reflects on where I was the day of September 11, 2001.
Have you visited a city or place from your past and had a similar experience? I’d love to hear your stories.
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Happy National Scrapbooking Day everyone! I’m convalescing on the sofa bed in my craft room on this gloomy day. My mood cannot be dimmed as today is a happy day! I would like to be creating layouts but I have just enough energy to do a little writing and take frequent naps. I had my wisdom teeth yanked out 48 hours ago so priority #1 is getting some R&R.
In April, I worked on decluttering and organizing the house and my craft room. The Easter Bunny came for a visit and left the kids lots of treats. I had the pleasure of taking a solo trip to Nova Scotia to visit my best friend. It was JUST what I needed! Now it is May and time for me to share my layouts.
Both layouts were made with a template that comes with premium membership at the Simple Scrapper. I am linking up this post with my layout to the Simple Scrapper blog for the Community Show & Tell. Check out all the other layouts and add your own layout or creative project for everyone to see. For details on linking up, see the Simple Scrapper blog.
1. Easter Bunnies: Oooh, I had fun with this one. I finally succeeded in stitching on a layout with a sewing machine (the circles under “wonderful”). Huge accomplishment for me. Check that off my bucket list! I bought the photo booth Easter props at Target for $5. I’m loving that retro vintage bunny chipboard sticker.
2. You & Me: The goal was to create a layout telling the story of how I met my best friend. I ended up sharing more of a timeline on the times and places we’ve been together. I made the layout the week before I got to visit her in Nova Scotia! It had been 3 years since we’d last visited each other. Such a good time! I love putting lots of journaling on a page. I hope to add more journaling to my pages in the future.
Again, I’d like to remind everyone that I’ve been asked to teach on a scrapbooking cruise (Pure Magic Croppers) for next winter. Do you want to join me, Feb 22-Mar 1 2015 on a week long cruise to Florida and the Bahamas? I’ll be teaching a class on each of the three “at sea” days. If you would like more details, check out the Pure Magic Vacations page on facebook.
March has flown by. Well, more like roared… lion-like. ROAR! Snow. Snow. Snow. Freezing. Snow.
In more joyous news, birthday parties were had. Relatives visited. Moods lifted. Clutter decluttered. Stuff happened.
I also found time to scrapbook. Or as I like to say, “Craft happened”.
Before I get to showing my two layouts, I wanted to also share something interesting that popped up on my calendar. I’ve been asked to teach on a scrapbooking cruise (Pure Magic Croppers) for next winter. Do you want to join me, Feb 22-Mar 1 2015 on a week long cruise to Florida and the Bahamas? I’ll be teaching a class on each of the three “at sea” days. If you would like more details, check out the Pure Magic Vacations page on facebook.
Now about those layouts. Both layouts were made with a template that comes with premium membership at the Simple Scrapper. I am linking up this post with my layout to the Simple Scrapper blog for the Community Show & Tell. Check out all the other layouts and add your own layout or creative project for everyone to see. For details on linking up, see the Simple Scrapper blog.
1. My plan was to make a layout showing something currently in my home that honours my past. I have a great attachment to my maternal Grandma and I keep several items I inherited in my kitchen. My life has changed so much in the past decade and I live hours away from my hometown. Surrounding myself with these mementos connects me to the people and places that are no longer in my life.
2. I am slowly documenting my Disney vacation from last November. The entire trip is in a D-ring album with pocket pages. The highlights of the trip will become 12×12 pages. This layout is a small moment that might not seem worthy of a whole layout. Yet, to me, it is exactly why I wanted to take my kids to Disney World. The place specializes in magic. As a kid, I remember that sense of wonder and amazement at water fountains and colourful lights. I think I was as excited as my daughter to see these stones twinkle as we were leaving Epcot at twilight.
Happy Spring! May it bring lots of flowers and happy moments!
“Grief is the loss of normal.” ― Brené Brown
When I heard these words in an online class by Brené Brown, I immediately thought of a moment in my life many years ago. Well, more than a thought really. It was like someone slapped me back into the body of the 17 year old girl sitting in a hospital room watching her beloved Grandfather die. I can still not think of that moment without my eyes welling up and a choking feeling in my chest.
Until that point of my life, I hadn’t experienced the loss of a close relative. I had lost pets and that was painful. I hadn’t lost a person. Someone who was very hard to live without. I loved my Grandpa very much. We lived a five minute drive from my grandparents’ home. I spent a lot of time there and he was a fixture in my life.
When he became ill I could hardly believe it. When the illness was pronounced terminal I was in a state of panic and probably denial. When he died I was broken.
It was the January 2nd, the day I spent by his bedside along with family: grown children, teenage grandchildren, and wife. His siblings and other family and close friends wandered in and out of the room all day paying their last respects. I remember having a hard time making eye contact with anyone else. I think I wasn’t alone in that. If we looked at each other, we might have to admit what was happening was real and permanent. I used all my will to not cry. Only possible by avoiding connection. The room felt like it was buzzing with electricity. To me, that was perfectly how “the loss of normal” feels. All I could do to hold on to what little reality I had left, was listen to the rattling breath of my Grandpa. He was struggling. I think I left around midnight. He died early morning.
When I received the journal prompts (story starters) and theme for the month at Simple Scrapper, I knew I wanted to tell this story. I don’t have a lot of photos of my Grandpa in those last years. I found one that had belonged to my Grandma, which was taken at his retirement party several months before he died. It wasn’t the greatest photo but it captures the Grandpa I knew and loved. I scanned it and edited it with Rad Lab to make it less stark on my layout. I also wanted it a bit dreamlike.
Here is the scanned photo:
Here is the layout with the edited photo:
It was an emotional layout and I think I had a bit of trouble focusing. I made some errors trying to place the title, simply because grief lingers. Mistakes aside, I will cherish this layout.
My layout was made with a template and inspired by a journal prompt that comes with premium membership at the Simple Scrapper. I am linking up this post with my layout to the Simple Scrapper blog for the Community Show & Tell. Check out all the other layouts and add your own layout or creative project for everyone to see. For details on linking up, see the Simple Scrapper blog.
Happy Monday! I’m here to show you a couple layouts I made last month.
Both layouts were made with a template that comes with premium membership at the Simple Scrapper. I am linking up this post with my layout to the Simple Scrapper blog for the Community Show & Tell. Check out all the other layouts and add your own layout or creative project for everyone to see. For details on linking up, see the Simple Scrapper blog.
Also, DO NOT forget to check out this post where you can still leave a comment to win a spot in Jennifer Wilson’s Before Your Story at Big Picture Classes.
1. This layout also used a story starter prompt involving the things I’m really into right now. I decided to do it digitally. I even threw in a screen capture of an online purchase.
2. This layout is actually a 6×6 as I wanted to fit it in a 12×12 pocket page that has four 6×6 pockets. I was prompted by an art journaling project where I take a photo from my childhood where I feel the most “me”.
I have lots going on in February so I’d better get a good night’s sleep so I can blog all about everything in the coming weeks. Have a lovely week! Night night!
Yesterday I was inspired by the Simple Scrapper’s blog post “34 Things I Want You to Know About Me“. Jennifer Wilson is sharing a portion of her list every Wednesday for the next month. She’s invited others to participate as well. So I rang the doorbell and she let me into the party.
I created my own list and added a few extra facts for good measure. I spread out my list across a 12×12 layout.
For over a year now I’ve been collecting the bottom strips of my scrapbook paper. You know, the ones that give the company and collection name? Sometimes they’re super cute and I can’t bring myself to throw them out. I challenged myself to use them in a layout.
I glued the strips down on a piece of plain white 12×12 paper. To cover up company/product information, I either covered portions of the strips with the tags and stickers, or cut two strips into pieces and placed together in a line. Sometimes I purposely exposed the paper/collection names written on the strips, to enhance the layout (ex. Togetherness, Made with Love, Look over here).
Additionally, I used some wooden arrows, alphabet stickers, and a few embellishments. Some of my list is written right onto the paper strips. For the rest, I used a number of journal tags and stickers. I used foam pop up dots behind the labels to give a bit of dimension to the layout. It’s hard to make a layout like this cohesive as there is just so much to visually take in. The arrows were necessary to help guide the eye around the page.
I have a plan to elaborate on the details of each item, in separate layouts. This layout will end up being a table of contents for that album.
Here is my layout and below it is my list:
How would you like a spot in Before Your Story at Big Picture Classes? The class is A Simple Approach to Autobiographical Scrapbooking, from Birth to Adulthood. The class has a value of $45 and starts February 27th. ENTER TO WIN by leaving a COMMENT below telling me a story you’d like to document from your own childhood. I’ll pick a winner on February 14th.
About the Class
There are milestone events in life, such as marriage and motherhood, that divide us permanently into a “before” and an “after.” It’s easy to become so immersed in the after—the glorious here and now—that our “befores” rarely appear in our scrapbooks.
In this 6-week workshop with Jennifer Wilson of simplescrapper.com, you’ll have all the guidance you need to tell your growing-up story in one gorgeous 12″ x 12″ pocket album. Her class combines the ease of slipping photos and journaling cards into photo sleeves with the brilliance of Stacy Julian’s “Library of Memories” scrapbooking categories.
Jennifer excels at making big goals reachable and overwhelming projects finish-able, with her step-by-step processes and detailed planning worksheets. You’ll complete a simple, streamlined album that will help your spouse or partner catch up on the years leading up to the moment you met. Or, it’s the perfect answer to that age-old question, “Mom, what were you like when you were my age?”
In November, my family went to Disney World. It was the first visit for my kids. My husband and I hadn’t been there since he proposed eight years ago. One of my goals for 2014 is to complete the album of our vacation. I’m using pocket pages in a 12×12 D-ring album. Between pocket pages filled with 4×6 photos and journal cards, will be full page 12×12 layouts.
For the two layouts I’m sharing today, I used templates and a story starter journal prompt from the premium Simple Scrapper membership.
1. For this layout, I was inspired by a journal prompt listing all my favourite things. I put my own twist on it and instead wrote about the favourite ride of each family member. I had intended to use a list and number the photos with the items on the list. In the end, I wrote a paragraph with a more in-depth description about the rides and didn’t number the photos.
I used traditional paper supplies.
2. For this layout, I used all digital supplies. I had this cute journal card I wanted to use but the sentiment on it wasn’t working for me. So I used the clone tool to “erase” the words and then added the word “destination” in a font and colour of my choosing.
For the title “holiday”, I used the arsenale white font. I added a drop shadow and then warped it so it would look like a cut file. I put a stitch through the middle. I think it looks like paper!
Digital Supplies used:
All Mapped Out | Elements by Dawn by Design
Walt’s Park: Holiday Kit by Scotty Girl Design
Penny kit by creashens
Wonderland | Journal Cards by Sabrina’s Creations
To see more blog posts sharing in the Simple Scrapper community show-and-tell, click here!
The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.
Oooh, I have so much to scrapbook! I went to Disney World last month and since I returned I’ve been racing to catch up on emails, projects, scrapbook layouts, and getting ready for the holidays.
Here is one of my layouts made with a template that comes with premium membership at the Simple Scrapper. I am linking up this post with my layout to the Simple Scrapper blog for the Community Show & Tell. Check out all the other layouts and add your own layout or creative project for everyone to see. For details on linking up, see the Simple Scrapper blog.
Sketch template from Simple Scrapper’s Premium Membership
Melanie Ritchie 