RVLife Meets Scrapbooking

There are so many times a day I stop and smile, thinking about how much I love the lifestyle we've chosen. Our space may be smaller but it seems easier to keep clean since we have fewer possessions. When we yell, it's not across the house at each other. When the kids are bored, we can send them outside (or threaten them with more schoolwork bwahaha). Our kitchen is now large enough that Ray and I can do dishes and cook at the same time! There is just one piece of my everyday "normal" that seems to be missing and makes my heart pine for the old place,  and that is...

SCRAPBOOKING.

Not that I don't have supplies along for the ride, oh you know I didn't leave home without them! A lot less if them, yes, but I like to think of that as a great reason to (someday) shop for more. No, what I'm talking about is the luxury I had and yes, took for granted, of being able to make a page at the slightest hint of inspiration. With an open door to my craft room and it's fountain of papers, embellishments and adhesives sitting out at the ready, I could easily start a page on a whim and complete it at my leisure. I loved it when my desk was clean and beckoning to me whenever I went to the bathroom, washed clothes, or, well it didn't matter where I was, the room's siren call would not be long resisted!

Now I must be more thoughtful about how I spend my time when it comes to crafting. Despite having more time on my hands than ever before, I must enjoy that time with my family. I must enjoy the great outdoors outside my door as never before! I have very little time when a hefty baby us not in my arms, and as much as I'd like him to help me, I can't have him touching the things I use i.e. adhesives, etc. It's not a sacrifice I mind making, BUT I do miss the 24/7 make fests I've been in the habit of creating for myself the last decade. I feel like so much of this chapter in our family's life story is being forgotten as it goes undocumented. Guiltily I think, "it's up to me to record all this fun we are having!"

All of this pining made this layout even more satisfying to create. It's the first page I've made since we moved into our moterhime, and the first picture of August I've scrapbooked. This little dude has me completely wrapped around his chubby finger and the sentiment on that large sticker is a nod to our connectivity. On his head he has a small hemangioma that his pediatrician told me is part of his placenta that broke off and was absorbed within the womb... so I like to think we share a special bond and cherish him all the more because of it ♡

So what gets in the way of your creativity? Is it physical, mental, or a combination. I urge you to break the block and "make" some time to follow your passions! Thanks for stopping to get crafty with me today,
♡

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Happy Scrappy Spring Class & Crop

This Saturday we'll be playing with Spring themed embellishments and papers in an all new CraftWithAnna scrapbooking class. Whether you've been taking pictures of your garden blooming, your family pics from Easter need a home, or you just want to make a dent in your scrap stash, this class will leave you with a new two-page layout for your album!
The bright and vibrant colors of Spring patterns, mixed with the textures of felt florals combine to bring warmth and energy to our layout, and your photos of any subject- even baseball- will be grounded by embossed cardstock. You'll find it easy to recreate this layout again and again on future layouts, and with a two hour open crop to follow class, you'll have the time to try!
Email craftwithanna@yahoo.com to reserve a seat at the table today!

Turkey Talk

Some people clean out their closets, set weight loss goals, maybe even get themselves a new planner to stay organized with at the beginning of the year. I'm one of those people (minus the weight loss, I'd just like to regain some muscles), but another of my tasks this first week into 2016 is to get my Christmas photos printed and housed.
As I've mentioned in previous blog postings, my Winter series of albums don't seem to ever get "finished." After pondering the pertinent questions of, does that matter?, why don't they? and oh, I forgot I was going to scrapbook that moment- how can I still fit it in? I've come to some conclusions:

No, to me it doesn't matter too much that my Christmas album from 2014 is just as incomplete as last year's. I'm always tucking photos away to go to crops- and then I print photos on the way to the event and buy papers to use with them there. And I know myself well enough to know THAT's not likely to change! But it's inevitable that I will always have gaps in my chronologically housed pages. I enjoy revisiting empty page protectors that sometimes have a few photos tucked inside- they are like treasures; scrap worthy time justifiably waiting to be used.
Why don't my albums get finished? Because Life Happens. New photos are taken. I'm also starting to wonder if the January, CHA spring and summer themed releases aren't moving me out of holiday move at more a rapid pace than my shopping habits of yesteryear did. I'm grateful to have the amount of time and space to dedicate to preserving the highlights of our life together. I love seeing all those smiling faces every time I go looking for where to put in another page that has finally seen it's way to completion.
Now, the fitting into previously deemed "completed" albums all those additional printed memories can be a bit more painful. Take this year's fall- 2016 run of albums... there are now five of them. FIVE, PEOPLE! Thank goodness for pocket pages, where I can slip in the photos I've printed, theatre tickets, embellishments, etc and keep them in the album they'll hopefully stay in until I can stick them all together on pretty cardstock. I say hopefully stay, because as my album clean ups have been showing me, I drastically underestimate the amount of space my photo documenting will take up.



Looking good - it runs in the family
Original "done" pic of album pages

 

 Case in point- this year I plotted out two albums to fill with this time span of Thanksgiving through New Years. Yesterday, as I sorted pics into pockets and included all those holiday papers and embellishments I keep finding I've purchased- strange... I have no recollection of doing so- I realized I really needed an in-between album to lead me from the last weeks of November, maybe even into the first weeks of activity filled December, and another for all those fun family pictures taken during the week of Christmas, and then another album just for Christmas Eve and Day themselves! Oh, and then another album for the papers I had to have and the pictures from our trip to Long Beach over New Years. WHEW!
But then, to relieve some of the stress of sorting without creation, create I did. I started with a layout inspired by the EmbellishKits.com January scrapbooking kit. I'm hoping to have a video up with that process, but that's another post's content. Having quite a few Thanksgiving pictures, I figured I'd finish up those layouts and that would help me transition fully into the documentation of all things Holiday related. Took my photos and collaged them as you see above.
Except, then I realized that my story would fit into my album better if my pocket pages were located before my two page spread, not after. So I changed that all around and then figured I'd slip the rest of my photos into place, making a total of 4 layouts completed. I really like the kid-colored Native American who looks like she's walking from our house to my mom's, where we took all our food to celebrate with due to her having surgery earlier in the week. And when I rearranged all the photos from my "done" pocket page photo above, it was really easy because I didn't have to cut  and past or anything like that.

Custom colored embellishments go here ^
Thanksgiving at our house pics on this page

Flip the page to go to my moms house
Redone and just as easy to put together

Spoiler Alert! Next video's layout above!

 Now, I've got plenty of yard chores to do and that video I mentioned to edit and upload, but a crop of golden embellishments awaits me- this evening my happy, scrappy friends and I are getting together to indulge in a bit of cut and paste (with a side of chocolate). I've already submitted three orders to Walgreen's, so I'll be right back in the now where can I fit these photos boat by night's end.
And for that, as well as the readership of people just like YOU, I'm very thankful.

Pelican Powered

 This weekend I enjoyed the company of some very scrappy ladies up at Camp Beausite, in the Olympic mountain foothills. A friend we met on the cruise earlier this year, Lani, arranged a crafter's retreat and I could go for a full 24 hours with my other friends, Becca and Daphne. There was plenty of yummy meals provided and at the end of my stay I was completely satisfied... but wanting to create more of course! Which I did have the pleasure of doin yesterday evening but more about that later this week :-*
One of the fun things about having a friend continue to scrap long after you've gone home is that they can send texts of what they continue creating in your absence. I love seeing all of the different styles of memory recording and life sharing that takes place around me at events like this. The mixing of styles and personal preferences on all manner of things adds to my creative fervor and I come with batteries drained and recharged at the same time.
One of the things I realized about myself this weekend is that, just as I enjoy these large gatherings of creative minds, I really embrace the mixing of patterns through paper. Wow, do I ever! Also, layers are an easy way for me to build a background for my photos, jump starting my story's telling and creating a theme for me to enhance with stickers etc. So, with that new eye towards recognizing my distinct style, I've chosen to share with you an example in this page I made about three weeks ago.
Note there are no less than 4 patterns or colors as well as a transparency under the 2 4x6 photos. I love using the manufacturer's strips left over from cutting papers down to size;  there is a quote down there in the bottom right corner, and it is one of those company advertisements as well. Two more are included above the hand writing- kind of a signature inclusion.I'm a fan of adding banner to my outdoor pages, so there is a multi layer pennant made from a journaling card and scraps at top right. Topped with an old postage stamp, some die cuts, and another designer paper's titled "Giddy up"

 A benefit of adding so many layers to my pages is that the 22 12x12 pages I made are full of movement, the energy of the emotions I feel I want to share, and color symbolism- and my paper stash is considerably lighter. Not that anyone could notice, as I still have oodles of cardstock and patterned papers galore. I'm a paper hoarder too- for example, it looks like those paper strips continue down the length of the page, but they are small pieces cut in half and stuck to the edge of larger pieces.
When I made this page I wasn't sure where in the album it would go, but this is where I decided to house them; next to some bright blue pictures of water on a navy background edged with twined rope. Another signature design I see a lot of in my albums is a square on top of a square with a long block over the top, and that's what I chose to do to balance the chaotic page of the pelicans.
Funny, I just thought of another signature scrap habit of mine- never use what I have the most of or love to think I'll use, i.e. ribbon and overlays. Both are included here though! I love the way the seriousness of the dark navy and the overlays contrast with the fun, bright colors I paired them with. Two hearts punched from yellow cardstock lead the eye into the next scene/page and coincidentally agree with it's color pallet.
Thanks for joining me for a little study in my personal Scrapology theories!

 

Crazy Beautiful, Seriously Awesome    &    Fort Lauderdale, FL

 

Family Time

I've received a few invitations to some upcoming Craft-the-weekend away retreats this fall. My fearless artist daughter Rainier has even been invited to accompany me to one that's set in a amongst the hiking trails of the Cascade Mountain range. Interestingly enough, the other takes place in the foothills of the Olympics. The people I've met while attending these events are all really sweet and it's an awesome feeling to be in a room with like minded, artistically inclined women. Sharing the stories that go along with the projects we work on is all part of the fun, and then there are all the snack options too.
 While I'm looking forward to accepting and planning for what I'm bringing along, there is this strange compulsion...to scrapbook as much as I can BEFORE I go! Now, why is that? This is not a new sensation, folks. I mean, if you read 2-5 posts on this blog, you soon realize that the need to create is serious in this artist. And that memory keeping and telling tales to go along with the thousands of photos I take each year comes naturally high up on my list of desired projects.
Year after year, my DF and I travel to the Creating Keepsakes Convention for 2-3 days of papercrafts immersion. And more years than not, I bring a long about 20 premade kits complete with photos, sticker sheets, cardstock, patterned paper and other embellishments like brads, twine or bling. Do I use any of those kits? Sometimes! But more often than not, I end up using the items acquired in the vendor faire or during classes I learn and assist in. If you haven't seen one of my movies before, I've got one that includes a lot of the tips I've learned over the years about packing for a "crop!" Just search for CraftWithAnna on YouTube.

 This layout features pictures taken while chatting
long distance with the East Coast grandparents

Perhaps it is this knowledge that leads to the compulsion I mentioned before. For some reason I now want to eliminate every unused kit in my collection so that I can a. create more kits for these coming events- I gotta use that stash! b., I have to use the stash! lol including photos that I haven't seen for years because they are hidden amongst the plastic bags full of goodies that I also have forgotten I own. c. because the memories fade as quickly as ... hmmm, I know I was going somewhere with that one. :-D

Now, sometimes the pages I end up making don't turn out to be what I would consider award winning presentations. This page I created is really just a bunch of off cuts or scrap pieces I've cut from the other layout I had already made from this homemade scrapbooking kit. The pictures aren't great; they are unedited, feature poor lighting, high contrast of shadowing, and are even blurry. But you know what? They are now in an album. They can be seen again! They tell a tale! And best of all, they have the perspective of appreciation for moments we won't get back included in the journaling.
Another point to this post- I said this layout isn't great... but why isn't it? When I texted this image to a scrappy friend of mine, she thought it looked like it was quilted... what a splendid interpretation. Patchwork becomes patchwork! With a little stitching, either with my pen, or (gasp!) the sewing machine, that look will really come to life.
Oh who am I kidding; this page is already in it's protective cover, and I'm digging through my stash for my next goodie bag of old memories. Hoping you are partaking in a labor of love on this Labor Day weekend- thanks for taking a moment to muse with me!

Crafts vs. "Real" Art...

I had never considered the art of papercrafting to be a very deep subject, until I started developing my Scrapology class series... As I considered the topics I felt passionate about covering; the thought process involved in the creation of those beautiful stories on paper, and the amount of energy which goes into selecting all of the elements that combine to share our musings, I realized that I in fact do feel very strongly that what I do is ART.
You know, I didn't go to college to earn a degree, with subjects such as Card Creasing 101, (prerequisite class being Cardstock: Fiber to Fascinating), Photography 101(more like-10,001), and Album Management. No, I learned those through time and by playing. A LOT! lol
I've brushed up on skills through the years through a wealth of online You-niveristy courses, interacted with fellow artists at annual conventions, and my subscriptions to various printed resources are (prohibited from meeting the garbage can) all stored up for easy access. Debated with confidence the pros and cons of certain styles, compared fussy cut images to those manufactured with the aid of a machine, and yes, I've been openly critical of both my own paper backed projects and those of my peers.

And yet, when I entered these beautiful, framed scrapbook pages highlighting the memorable occasion of our second daughter's birth, and that fun greeting card above, which says little but expresses so much of my impression of a life changing event, to a local juried art show this spring, I was informed that my submissions did not qualify as Art and are instead to be categorized as Crafts.
Say What?! (imagine coffee spraying from my astounded pursed lips)

So what are your thoughts, dear reader? Does an Artist's Trading Card created with talent and tiny found objects deserve any less consideration than an 8x10 canvas splattered in no apparent pattern by various colors of paint? Can you think of pieces you've seen hanging in museums and thought to yourself, huh, I could totally do that! Seen any of the beautiful reclaimed art pieces and wanted to dig in your own burn bin for well distressed compressed fiber blocks (i.e. fence posts)? Well, you may be an artist!
Thanks for taking the time to ponder with me as we head into the fireworks of Fourth of July. Let the oohs and ahhs around you and in your heart inspire some fantastic works of art for this month's sharing... Watch for my next EmbellishKits.com summer scrapbooking kit review and Tutorial video coming soon, and Stay crafty!

June Scrap Share

Dad's Day is Coming! 

This week, Poppop and Nana are occupying the "T" -as we call the camping trailer we keep for out of town guests. Working with the June Scrapbooking kit from EmbelliskKits.com already had me in a nostalgic, old timey car loving mood, but that feeling is always enhanced when in Bundro company. As a teenager, my older brother painted the image of Ed's truck onto the rig's air filter. Even after the truck was sold we were surprised to see it while filling up at the local "Four Corners" Texaco. One of my clearest memories of my younger brother as a toddler is of him exclaiming "Car-ee" while proudly holding up the decoration off a birthday cake. Needless to say, it was no trouble finding memories that went perfectly with the designs included in this month's kit.
 

Let's get SCRAPPY!

One thing about memories, though, is that they don't always have tangible photos readily available. That didn't stop me from using up all but 3 die cuts, a few inches of twine, and roughly 4 x 0.5 inches of the papers Shelby assembled for our two, double page scrapbook layouts! The stickers were harder for me to find homes for, just because personally I'm not inspired by "son" stuff- SUN stuff, yes though lol.

Add caption

My daughter's have taken practically every class I've taught, and being the mimics that kids are, a mini cardmaking class was taught to Poppop in the front yard next to our newly created firepit.
Using a group of similiar themed items is a great way to embellish a card or even a scrapbook page. Put them in a grid as my family of crafters chose, or group them with some fibers, brads, and or bling to create a whimsical banner as I did on our second layout created from this month's kit!










 



Throwback Thursday

My brother's birthday being this week, there was plenty of inspiration for those car themed items. One of my annual goals is to use supplies in my stash that are collecting dust, and acrylic of any sort seems to be the product I can never think to include. I've always liked the look of acrylic cards and decided that a little birthday card/mini album for my bro would be the perfect way to give him photos from that trip we took to Lake Cushman last weekend.

Inside features awesome family camping trip pics

 

Back Cover closes with a Smile

I love having a pre made album prepped before an event... knowing which shots and even which orientation I need photos for not only makes for a terrific finished product, but helps me seek those shots that make it so. And then, sometimes those candid moments come completely un-staged, like the ones I included of us climbing into photo shoot position and of Ed flexing his guns for his visibly unimpressed son.
For the second layout feaured in the June Scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com, I was really stumped for pictures. I considered doing a layout about my own dad, with a focal/main photo of him holding my girls, and an accompanying page of him through the years with each of my brothers and myself. Alas, as mentioned before in this post, sometimes the images of memory aren't readily available in tangible photo form. Instead, I crafted up a couple lovely cards perfect for Father's Day.
Then, inspiration hit! That title of This Is What Handsome Looks Like brought to mind the hilarious photo Rainies dad sent me of her one day while I was still working full time (at being a part time employee). Our little chub-a-lub was decked out in an ill fitting polo shirt with an accompanying caption of "Isn't he handsome?" We have two daughters, folks!
Anyway, I still crack up thinking about it and decided to give Sunday a few more reasons to resent my scrap-a-licious ways by dedicating that "handsome" decree to images of her first haircut. See how I layered icons that fit my theme to create a banner similar to the one shown in this month's design? This is a super fun way to use a lot of products to create a wow embellishment.

Second layout from this month's EmbellishKits.com scrapbooking kit.

By continuing those same icons in embellishment clusters across the two pages, we can easily create a coherent layout! Considering the amount of pictures I had on hand, I could even spread those themes of time, barbershop, and camera across a couple more pages. The top two photos on my page flip up to reveal an additional layer of cute, as well as my personal musings about why in the world I get so emotional about a few snips with the scissors. For now I've housed the remaining photos from this sentimental snapshot in pocket pages. If I forget to come back and scrap them, they will still be on show for viewing, and I can always add a few patterned papers or project life cards and call the story told.

 
I couldn't help but reflect on how much I ended up enjoying working with both the May card kit and this June scrapbooking kit, both of which featured patterned papers and embellishments from the Jack and Jill collection from Echo Park. Shelby included so much product with each shipment, that I had enough left overs to create over ten additional projects! And, having those smaller patterns left over to add to this kit made it possible for some more wood veneer fun, like the "hello" I adhered with mini glue dots next Sunday smiling with her new hair-do. Hey, justifying an addition to your club membership is certainly something I'm qualified and happy to do! You can find more subscription details at EmbellishKits.com.
So what's next for creativity this week? I've got my CraftWithAnna team registered for this weekend's Relay For Life at Peninsula High School where my crafty friends will guide participants through a quick but cute thank you card to send out their supporters. We'll also be creating mini memorial albums, so a lot of fun and memory sharing will be bound to fill my heart with happy. I'll be spreading the word out about my upcoming craft cruises, too- wouldn't want to deny any crafties the vacation of their dreams don'tcha know!

Another card just waiting to happen

Aside from that hub-bub of fab, I've got just a few more scraps to, well, scrap, including this pile which just happened to fall into a card design on it's own... gotta love it when THAT happens! Watch my instagram account @AnnaBradshw to see how it turns out and to catch highlights from this weekend's event.
Now, GO GET CRAFTY!

 

 

Into the Great Wide Open

Pure entertainment...

One of my favorite outdoor activities has always been camping with my family. As a little girl, my parents would load up a van or camper and we'd all head to the Nisqually valley where we belonged to a camping club with property on Lost Lake. The thrill of going was never as good as the exhausted glow that would surround our vehicle as we pulled out for I-5 and the traffic blocked drive home.

Pure Water

This weekend we took the girls up to the beautiful Lake Cushman area for some hiking and even a bit of river washing. The crystal clear waters of the Olympic National Rainforest are so pristine, and I couldn't help but think to myself how lucky our kids are to witness this kind of glorious growth with their own eyes.  To be able to say, I climbed inside a tree trunk! -and have photographic proof thanks to mom lol.


Pure Joy

There aren't many places I've been that seem to hold the magic that this forest does- even the Twilight fans have to agree with me on that one! It was easy to picture wolves running amongst the undergrowth, but actually it was the "watch for bears" sign that had me peaking over my shoulder from time to time. Once, a thundering approach actually did nearly frighten the dickens out of me, but when the gruntngly hefty teenager ran past me, I was able to laugh off the close call with a need for new undies.

Sitting Pretty Betweeen Bundros

The best one can hope for in a shared camp space is for good company, and I think this picture says it best; "The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life."-Richard Bach.

Now, to see what I end up doing with all these amazing photos I took you'll want to subscribe to my YouTube CraftWithAnna channel. I'll have a neat mini album to share with you, using the pieces left over from the abundant June 2015 Scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com . Thanks for stopping by!

It's Time For A New Scrapbooking Kit Preview!

Remember how much fun we had in last month's EmbellishKits.com cardmaking kit preview video? Well this month we're using the super sized versions of those Echo Park papers to build some scrap-tastic layouts! The Jack & Jill collection by Lori Whitlock features old-timey icons like antique cars, baseball, bowling, airplanes, horses, and more- all cool stuff to pair with your favorite heritage photos or even just your friends hanging around the ball park.

The June 2015 Scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com also includes beautiful aqua neutrals from Simple Stories, a great big wood veneer from Heidi Swapp that spells out Journey, and black and blue toned fibers to accent our layouts. To further customize our pages, we've got a full 12x12 sheet of stickers AND a 12x12 sheet of pop-out-your-own die cuts to play with!
I like to take all tear all of the die cuts away from their paper backing right away; for me it's easier to store them in one of those plastic packaging bags I always seem to have floating around the craft room. Don't have any yourself? Hmmm... I think a shopping splurge at EmbellishOnline.com may be in order lol.
I've seen crafters store their die cuts in pretty displays of stacked cake plates, elaborate drawer systems, baskets, and even Tupperware containers! It's all about doing what works for you, in your craft space- the important factor is your ability to enjoy them :-) And enjoying the die cuts included in this month's kit is easy to do- think subtitles, & embellishment clusters! Next week you'll see how I use some of these fun little paper bits to enhance a few handmade greeting cards and even a mini album... as one of the tags reads, "the sky's the limit!"
For this month's kit preview CraftWithAnna tutorial, we're building a fun, two page layout featuring photos of my two girls living the life of jet setters! You know me, I'm always interpreting the examples my own way; something that is so easy to do with the designs and products included in each kit from EmbellishKits.com.
Of course, there are wonderfully detailed written instructions and the full color examples to guide you with product placement and the general look of what your layout can look like if you do everything just as directed. Either way, you'll soon have a beautiful layout to include in your album!
I hope you enjoy our latest preview video- be sure to that subscribe button so you don't miss the exciting reveal of what I come up with using the supplies included for an additional two page layout. I know I'll be able to create additional projects using those numerous die cuts, stickers, an off-cuts too. So follow along on instagram @AnnaBradshw or search for #CraftWithAnna to see what's coming from the craft room and comment away!

National Scrapbooking Day Video and Challenge!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Isn't it awesome that around the world, crafters just like us are celebrating with more than a bit of glee at having a valid reason to be making today... after all, it is a National holiday! And I've got a new EmbellishKits.com video to share- check out the new, 2015, May scrapbooking two double page layout kit!

If you've ever thought about hopping into a kit club, I can speak from experience that you will find oodles of goodies and inspiration, as well as technique tips, in each package that comes your way from EmbellishKits.com and embellishonline.com  I really enjoyed the direction these layouts took, but I still have some left overs I'll use to create a bonus project, so be sure to subscribe to the CraftWithAnna YouTube channel, and next week's share videos will show up in your watch list auto-matic-ally. "I AM" excited (can't believe I just used that adjective) to work up a project that turns the scrapbooking eye introspectively; my what I'm doing now mental list is turning into a tiny mind novella!

So how will I be spending a day that seems to have been custom-created just for me? Alas, as has happened in years gone by, I have booked myself for involvement in a no-less attention worthy cause; the Etta's Project auction in Lakewood, WA tonight. I first learned of the effervescent young Etta when I started working for the bank. One of my coworkers had a daughter who'd been a schoolmate of her's, and shared lots of stories about what a wonderful girl she was; how her smile would light up a room, how all of her friends loved to have her around because they felt so good in her presence. Unfortunately, I have only met this community outreach angel via word of mouth. While traveling on a Rotary trip through Boliva towards the end of high school, she was in a fatal bus accident that left her family and friends stunned and heartbroken. Her mom channeled some of that grief into doing god in Etta's name, created this organization, Etta's Projects, and in doing so built a legacy that does amazing works of good, all in Etta's name and spirit.

Etta has friends who continue to carry her energetic spirit into rural Bolivia, furnishing villagers there with skills such as nutrition management, small business loans, and most importantly in my Western eyes, compostable latrines. Tonight is one of their biggest fundraisers, and an event of this emotional significance has come to be one I look forward to almost before the night is over. I look forward to seeing what is out on the auction tables, sipping my custom, brother-blended Etta-tini, all while overseeing the check in and bid packet pick up process. I'm also looking forward to dishing on current events with my bestie who graciously volunteered her pleasant attitude and 10-key skills to work alongside me gathering credit card info.

So what will you be doing today? Might I plant the not-so-subtle suggestion that you try out this Scrapbooking Playlist? Or perhaps you need a stronger challenge: Pin or Instagram a project with the #CraftWithAnna and I'll enter your name into a drawing for a custom set of scrapbooking embellishments (one of my latest crafting endeavors in preparation for the two cruises I'm teaching on next year)!
1. Try testing out that "I Am..." journaling prompt to include a list of your currents; breakfast foods, wardrobe favorites, job responsibilities- whatever comes out of the pen or pencil, that's what you're using on your layout.
2. Create a page about a lost loved one... consider including details like, when you think of that person most often, surprising times you miss them, or even just about how much fun you had (or didn't have) when they were nearby. This could be a rather touchy subject, and frankly, we tend to over think projects like this, so take it right on into challenge number
3. Let it go. Just Do It. We are different, but same-same...same-same, but different! Whatever movie quote or commercial mantra you can latch on to, use it to create something. Heck, use it as a title for your page! Please, don't let fear of doing it right, or perfectly interfere any longer with expressing yourself in either of these areas through the magic of pretty paper and shiny bling- after all, it's a Holiday!

Hoping you know how not alone you are in your obsession to make your pictures into stories (that can be told long after you can remember the details), and for the scrap-God's sake, get a bit of your YouTube on!

Right On Target!

Best Friends for Life

 This week my dad was in town and booked us for a few nights in the Silver Chalet condos up on Crystal Mountain, just past Greentree, WA. My brother and I used to go on ski trips once a year with Ed, but once our older brother started his family, and I had my two girls, we now congregate in the summer months. Summer's a beautiful time of year in the Pacific Northwest, but we're talking over 5 years of no snow filled adventures with the dudes in my life!
I managed to entice my long time best friend Jen into coming up to stay and watch the kids, hoping that with her along, I'd find it easier to sneak up the mountain for a couple runs on my antiquated snowboard. They are the same boots, bindings, and short board I started sliding on in 2001, and you know what they say, if it ain't broke, there's no need for an upgrade! Well, they also might suggest that if it takes you a good five years to learn to ride the front edge of the board, you may want to stick with what you know lol.

Sweet & Sunny Shopping

Well, you know I wasn't planning to be up there for three days with no supplies, and I was up into the wee hours scrappin away. I love how these leftovers from an Embellish It Valentine's kit were versatile enough to be used with my fall pictures of Sunday waiting with me in Target customer service. She is such a little cutie. I crack up during each of our photo shoots; whenever I ask her to smile, she sticks her tongue over her top lip. Not sure where she picked that trick up but it's hilarious! I'll add tiny letters to complete my title, "Target of my Love." This was like, our first trip to go shopping together alone. So Sweet.

I'm a cutie and I know it

So did I ever get up the mountain? Well despite my friend being called back work, yes I did get the chance to ride a couple runs with my bro, who still kindly waits patiently at each turn so he knows I'm okay and still behind him. What a gentleman. Almost makes up for the countless snowballs and ice chunks he hurled at us throughout the week! Imagine how I felt when I learned that prior to this trip he had never been around for a bed time observation. He even got a chance to babysit Sunday for the first time, pulling her around in a sled until she slept like a little pink popsicle at the base of the kiddie lift.

Aww, relief- now get these boots off!

Rainier and I signed up for a mother-daughter ski lesson- what an experience! I have never attempted it but last year I found a good deal on some old fashioned skis at the goodwill. Roxy boots that fit perfectly made me feel quite stylish- until the instructor advised me that the skis were actually too small and that she would not want me to go down from any higher than the bunny slope. Fine with me! Riding down with my oldest between my legs was exhilarating enough, I certainly did not feel the need to add any levels of danger to our thrilling descents. She had been up last year with her dad, who actually does know how to ski, so really she taught me a thing or two. I was so proud to see her trying, not giving up, and relishing the thrill of learning alongside me. And was she afraid of the chair lift? oh no, not at all! Wow, another great example and source of strength for her height hesitant mommy.

Beauty is more than skin deep

I finished out the weeks craftings with a reflective page titled, "Embracing my no blush flush." Funny thing is that in this picture, I probably have quite a bit of makeup on, but I wrote about how I've learned to embrace my pregnancy-induced rosatia as this physical reminder of my greatest accomplishment; my Rainier. She helped shape my destiny and focused my attentions of living as the woman I know I can be. Not a day goes by that she doesn't somehow inspire me to love at another level, and I wouldn't change that for any degree of beauty. On the flip side of that inspiration is what she learns from me; hopefully that God made us each perfectly, and that natural beauty comes from the inside!
So what imperfections have you learned to accept? Or do you have a funny mountainside story? Click on that comment link below this post to share!

 

JYC 2014 Album Prep Payout

The stars at night...
my Artsy Super Star, Radient Rainie!

This year I signed up for Shimelle.com's Journal Your Christmas class. The daily prompts allowed me to explore Christmas memories throughout the season and also provided some really intriguing photo-taking challenges.
 I figured early in the month that I'd be doing a lot of writing, but more than that, I'd be doing a lot of Christmas card making. Which I did! Well, not so much the writing, but definitely a lot of cards were made and sold which was really invigorating for me. Every day there was also a short video showing a 3x4 card being dressed up for the season, and I enjoyed watching and using the ideas on a few of those cards I made, as well as in creating little mini masterpieces with the girls.

I knew in the past that it has taken almost an entire album to contain just the one month of December's scrap worthy photos, so early in the process I chose an album and then after about five-ten prompts I added patterned papers, project life cards, and embellishments that fit the seasonal theme. I figured it would be easy to maintain a consistent theme throughout the entire album with this base to build on, plus I just like to build kits without pictures for a challenge occasionally. I used the prefilled sleeves that came with the album, added pocket pages as well, and kept everything for the season's recordings in there, adding mementos as they came across my desk.

Now, the title of the class does include the word Journal, which has never been something I've really enjoyed doing in my albums- I'm more of a record happenings daily on a calendar person than a record feelings type of person. So while I thought a lot about the ideas presented, what I ended up doing was more about talking to other people, sharing my own traditions and anecdotes, while learning more about my friends and family through their own story telling.

Photo Prompt: Through the Window

Some of my favorites; Hearing about the little boy who got a bike but didn't know it until he was completely disappointed about not having found one under the tree (it was in the backyard)! The little girl who was shocked to receive a paint by number set from her parents (she thought they were oblivious to her artful inclinations). My friend whose dad took her and her sister to get their ears pierced on a whim while their mom shopped the other side of the mall. Sharing my own story of being up on stage in preschool and being so mesmerized by my granddads shiny bald head glowing under the lights that I forgot to follow my classmates into the wings!

Photo Prompt: Add Sparkle

So, not having written most of the storytelling down as it came my way, how HAS my album benefit from this class? Well, for one thing, I've been able to take some really cool pictures throughout the month that I may not have thought to try otherwise, like this amazing picture of my mom and Sunday in a restaurant before dinner. Tried out a few new apps and created really cool effects on otherwise terrifically seasonal photos. I'm thinking more about stories that I've told over the years and how they all impact how I enjoy the sights and sounds and the whirl of Christmas cardmaking around this time of year... and the awesome bonus is that I'll have access to this class for many years to come and can continue to visit the prompts and tell those stories that make the background for my families traditions.

Thanks for joining me today, I wish you and your family all the best of the Holiday season, and the best hopes for a happy, healthy, scrappy New Year!

Halloween Scrapbooking Magic

So many things to talk about in this post:
*I printed my pictures before leaving for work of course, so as soon as I could get the chance, I could scrap my Halloween pictures in a super fast fashion!
*I had a kit of papers already prepared, consisting of the gifted Witch Hazel and Farm Girl collections and some Creative Imaginations papers I bought while visiting Long Beach, WA in August. I have cut a lot of the patterned pieces but still had a few cardstocks in warm peach and yellow gold. *Rainie is dressed as a kitty in velour and Sunday wore the monkey suit. It has been worn four years now! Pretty good value cause I think my mom got it dirt cheap at Old Navy. It is sooo cute...
*The embellishment clusters include paper strip layers, fussy cut icons, phrase stickers and die cuts. I used the manufacture's strip as a title.
*See the striped block on the right? That was inspired by a layout created by Embellish It!'s Sheby Dredge. Basically I took a screen shot of her last email and then used that image to build my foundation. Scraplifting, or using sketches is a way to get your creative juices flowing, and then where you go from there is up to your imagination!
*Learned that one of my favorite companies, Queen & Co., is going to be donating some goodies for my giveaway! So that's pretty awesome. Enter by commenting on any YouTube video of mine. Subscribe and or follow this blog and you'll get another entry in the contest!
*The winner of my contest will be drawn at the conclusion of the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Bellevue, WA- CKC Seattle. There is still time to sign up to volunteer I think, so if you don't have much money, this is an option to consider. All the knowledge but you just pay for parking!*You can find out where I got that mask and more contest details in this video

More Quick layout inspiration

Last night while waiting for my favorite show, Survivor, to load between commercials on the computer, I ran into my craft room and grabbed two sheets of paper, based on a layout I had admired earlier in the day, at left in this picture, featured in Northridge Media's, Create: Quick and Easy Scrapbooking. Its a little magazine with big ideas for capturing memories in a flash. All very do-able ideas I might add!
So last night all I had selected was that burgundy flourished background and the green and cream music notes piece, the reverse of which has a delicate grid with scalloped border going round the edge. Grabbed this pic of my mom and I at one of our favorite hang out spots, the Wine Studio in Gig Harbor. I thought it was a good match for the two papers because we love music and singing together and the only thing better than drinking wine for us is a little Karaoke! Aside from that, there was a lot of wood in the photo background and I like how the faint striping in the background mimics the racks of wine shelved in this place.
To mimic my example's kraft border, I simply cut along the grid lines of the green and cream print, then turned over the cut out piece, and curled the edges up for added visual interest and texture. You can just see a little of the background color along the edges and this looks extra shadowy in real life. There is something about the shabby look of those curled edges that I don't ususally include in my layouts... but when I do, I always think, why don't I do this more often?!
Another look I love is sewing on paper, but despite moving my sewing machine to sit directly in front of me while crafting, it continues to collect dust instead of improve the look of my paper piecings. My latest excuse is that it's too hard to plug in... funny though, I can plug anything else in down below that location, no matter how much I need to move or crawl, so yeah, that's not a great reason!
My aunt recently garage sale-d a bunch of kid's stickers, including a set that looks like it came in a Carnation packet or something. I decided they would be a better addition to my stash, and used them right away by adding the little sentiment stickers directly on the photo- in part to hold it in place, because it was bedtime for me!

So this morning Rainie helped me select and lay out flowers and brads to finish off this gorgeous layout. My October product of the month challenge has been "flowers," but along with that I think the challenge for me has been "hot glue gun!" Not a tool I'm used to reaching for, but damn it does make adhering easy! It's all those strings at the end that don't make me so happy. It seems like they keep appearing no matter how vigilant I try to be about getting them off!I love the smiles my mom and I are sharing in this photo. She is my number one go-to hang out person; she has a different way of looking at and reacting to situations, we have a lot of fun and can find a reason to laugh about all of life's ups and downs. Part of the inspiration to add the flowers came from that quote by Emerson, "Earth laughs in flowers." Getting to preserve the memory of that fun night out with my own daughter completes my circle of happiness!

I love that in our house it is not uncommon for the three of us girls to be in the craft room at 7:30 in the morning making things together- while Rainie and I worked at getting everything in just the right place, Sunday was busy placing her own stickers on a little mini book she had crafted (by book, I mean a piece of paper, folded over)! After that it was on to painting, acrylics for Rainier and water for Sunday. We can't find our water colors, so just water works for us lol.

Thanks for stopping by to read today and keep watching for the next Card Magic: Part Three, which will have contest info and a whole lot of fun contained within :-) Catch up with Parts One and Two on my YouTube channel- subscribe and don't miss a thing! There is a purple button link to all my social media accounts at the top right of this post.