Season of Selling?

November is a time for gratitude, and I always feel that when I get to spend the day with my mom in a booth selling whatever we've made to shoppers in the mood to purchase handmade awesomeness.
We decided to take part in my local elementary school's first such event, and it was a truly enjoyable-albeit chilly- day in the gym.
The best part of the day, aside from being with my mom and sharing a delicious breakfast she packed for me, was when our good friend Becca stopped by. Not only did she exclaim as many other's did over my mom's super cute snowmen made from socks of all things, but she also bought a handful of pre-made scrapbook layouts I'd created.
Later that day, Becca really set my heart aglow when she texted me the completed layout- I love the picture she chose! You know, for some scrap bookers, only using one photo on a page can be a bit of a challenge, but I have grown to enjoy it because the photo really gets to take center stage this way.
This would be an easy page to recreate, or "scraplift" as I say; just take a 12x 12" piece of solid cardstock, this will be your base. Then take a 12x12" piece of patterned paper, and cut it down to 11.5x11.5." Next, you'll need either some striped patterned paper, like I've used here, or some border stickers, or some ribbons, and lay them to one side or the other, across the top, or down on the bottom- it's your layout! Add a photo mat, a title and a journaling box under a light sprinkling of embellishments, and you're set to scrapbook!
Here's another one of those layouts I'd made- this is actually just a photo! I have no physical version of this any longer, but I was still able to use it for a photo of a Pampered Chef party I hosted as a fundraiser for our preschool. How? Through the magic of a favorite (free!) app I have installed, called Photo Grid! I opened up the photo, added text and the photo, and bata-bing-botta-boom: Insta-sta-scrap!
Let this be a reminder to you that it can pay to take photos as you go, before you actually add the photos, haha. You could use a few pages to create a whole album of template scrapbooking, right on your phone, and then send it off to a photo book service for additional cool points :-)

School's In Session!

Oh, be still my heart, school's out for summer!

 

We wrapped up the year with a picnic in the park. I made a fabulous salad and ate three deserts. Dirt cake, how could I say no?! 

Now, what will we do with that bit of extra time Monday through Thursday...
Did somebody say, "more time for crafting?"

I Only Have Eyes For You

Waiting outside the school in the "parent pick-up" queue for the kids to come out, my eyes watching for the variegated grey stripes of her poncho, I suddenly lock eyes with the most beautiful girl in the school; my sweet Rainier smiles back at me and we share a secret: we are in love with each other <3

 

Pre-Funk Friday Family Flashback

 Earlier this week, my younger cousin Daniel left a very sweet message for our family on my facebook timeline... did that message inspire this 8.5x11" layout? Not entirely, but it did prompt me to ponder what a treasure this sometimes misunderstood young man is to our family. In my head I responded with similar praise for him. I came up with flowery sentiments that expressed how much I value his healthy way of interacting with others, how the lifestyle he has may not be what I have in my life, and yet in many ways parallels the choices we make in our natural approach to existing.

You know, to be an original takes guts. It also takes a positive attitude about oneself, lacking in grandiose illusions. It takes research. It takes initiative. It takes follow through. Sure, there are small ways each of us can rebel against "the man" and what society tells us we must have for success, but to live a life that recognizes rebellion as a stance for ones own life, well that to me is no a rally cry for anarchy lol. I guess I'm trying to say that thoughtful living is a trait I've learned is worth admiring.

Alas, I wasn't running to post my thoughts and with the usual living we do around here, the flowery sentiments slipped away... I was still able to post a quick and reciprocal "thank you for being part of my family," yet, this feeling of strengthened kinship lingered. And then it happened: this tiny photographed picture of little Danny and our cousin David out front of grandma's house surfaced from amongst the paper piles in our craft room. Well where the heck did that come from?! Serendipity!

I'm still working out of the kit featured in my August YouTube videos, EmbellishKits.com's Alternative 17 scrapbooking kit. It features the Legacy collection from Simple Stories. I also have the 6x6 paper pad from that line, so I cut out some of those smaller patterns and added them to a piece of that creamy textured Bazill cardstock to build this old-school-sized layout for our family's album.

 

 I love how the vintage tones compliment the '90's vibe of the boys all dressed up for school. I love that I can see my grandma's neighbors yard looking vibrant in it's hey day. I love that I knew the picture was at grandma's house right away! I love how the boys are posed; the special relationship they shared at the time and how it reminds me in an instant of seeing them with my brother, who is their same age, grouped together in matching outfit as infants.

I love that although the paths of the lives my cousins and I have taken have led us in different geographical directions, led us to alternative career followings, have introduced new ideas about eating healthy to our aunts and uncles, and yet still intersect in this same photographed location: grandma's front yard, the doorway to our Happy Place.

Thank you for making this a Family Flashback Friday, folks <3 Love you, Daniel!

 

First Day of School

It's hard to believe but today was Rainier's first day of school. Preschool, that is! She is only three and a half years old and I guess that seems kind of early to be in school to me. Good news is, she loves it~ in fact the first thing she said to me when we got in the car this afternoon was, "Mom, why did you not leave before we started learning today?!"
I explained that today I was lucky enough to be allowed to volunteer in the classroom. I'll admit that my excitement level increased when I saw that my duties included monitoring the art project! The kids were given paper and paint: blue and yellow in big cups with even bigger paint brushes.
Watching the kids create was a nice reminder that, in art, there are no rules. And, that you can do whatever your creative spirit is leading you to make! Now, can you imagine how hard it was for me to just stand there and WATCH and not have a chance to put paint to paper myself :-)
Of course, as soon as I got home, I fixed that feeling and made one of my October Die Cut Crazy projects. I'll have time to take photos and submit it before the submission deadline for once, in part because we hare hosting my beloved in-laws this week! They are always happy to take care of the kids and I cherish both the time with them, and the time they give me for myself too.
So, what are some of your creating memories from school? I can still visualize the large sheets of paper which had lines at the bottom for a sentence and an empty space above for our illustrations. I'm sure I still have some too, thanks to my mom doing what all good moms do; saving my incredible artwork!
Since we have two prolific artists in home (not including myself), I have to try to be selective when I'm saving... not an easy task for a gal who thinks every bit of awesome should be savored for tomorrows memory loss heehee.
Hoping you're finding some time to capture some fall flavor in your crafting,
xox Anna