Goodbye, Carrot

Our beloved family dog, Carrot, an eager red heeler, passed away Monday evening...it was very sudden and tragic but our family has accepted the loss with as much love as we can show for our friend. Thankfully, we were watching my parent's dog; having Rex around really made it easier to transition back to a one dog house hold.

Keep Smilin'

Carrot was really sweet. When I first met Ray, I loved how she would heel to a sharp "Ch!"  She loved the girls and was fiercely protective of us on our walks and runs and bicycle rides. When ever a car would come she would stand right next to us with out a leash. If you've ever had a dog that doesn't do that, you know what a wonderful quality that is in a dog.

She was my dance partner when I got wine-y. And I liked having her trotting around beside me as I ran errands around "the farm." I'll be the first to say I won't miss her signature presents left in just the most walkable places. I will miss her signature smile though. And the way she would clean up for me around the house with food and kids. I never had to put any mat down unless she was on vacation somewhere! Mornings in the kitchen are not the same. She had a hearty appetitive and ate healthy like us :-) Rex and Spunky, aka "Tata," aka "Little Rat Dog" (mine) are not into their fruits and veggies! One funny thing about her, she wasn't very good at catching food when I threw it at her- it would bounce right off her head or straight to the floor. Could have been some pitcher-related erring involved though hehehh.   

We had  nice ceremony in the front yard for her; she is buried within a scoop of poop's throw from the front porch. For a few days we'll have a chair out there that the girls can sit in if they want to visit her. There is a stunted red maple tree nearby and I sprinkled a few of it's rusty purple leaves within a circle of stones above her- a few carrots are within licking distance down below.
Just after we put her to rest, the sad news of my friend's little Chihuahuas' passing hit my fb newsfeed. I was tagged as Auntie, and that really made me break down, honestly. I really loved that little dog! I remember the first time I (or anyone else) saw or got their first glimpse of "The Woo." She was super tiny and had a big old bug eyed head and could lick right up in between your fingers if you didn't keep them closed tight. Someone once asked if she was a real gremlin... but really she was adorable and super sweet. But she had grit, too; you look over, and here she is, guarding a bone as big as her body ...always a moment of hilarity. Even after being in a terrible car accident, she lived far beyond what she might have if not for the fact that as a dog loved by an entire community, she continued to thrive and allow people to love her. I realized Carrot was a truly loved dog, all of the supportive comments that came with our own "announcement" online helped me to remember that losing friend is never easy, and so we must focus each day on loving those around us and contributing to society honestly and from the heart, as you never know what can happen the next moment. Live, love and laugh, REPEAT!
If you aren't crying yet, I leave you with the words from a sentimentally appropriate and classy classic song,

And I never thought I'd feel this way
And as far as I'm concerned
I'm glad I got the chance to say
That I do believe, I love you

And if I should ever go away
Well, then close your eyes and try
To feel the way we do today
And then if you can remember

Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Well, you came in loving me
And now there's so much more I see
And so by the way
I thank you

Oh and then for the times when we're apart
Well, then close your eyes and know
The words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember

Keep smiling and keep shining
 I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Read more: Dionne Warwick - That's What Friends Are For Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

Pocket Page Practice

All those gorgeous Easter outfits sitting in your camera or on your phone today can help fill a few minutes of down time, just load them into your favorite photo grid app and you'll practically have your scrapbook pages complete!

I used the Android app PhotoGrid to create these ready to print 4x4 square photos. There is a really neat app out there called Snapbook that lets you download Project Life style cards in assorted designs. This app also has an editing program for fun borders, stickers, and more, but for this project I just saved a few patterns I thought looked Easter-y and then added them to my photo line-up in PhotoGrid.

I could have stopped right there, but you know, I have what I call a preservists mind set; if there's a story or sentiment leading the day, I want to include that along with the photos. Otherwise known as scrapper's dilemma, journaling is really what makes these more than just cute pics of the kids and family dressed in their best. Without the story, there isn't much for the observer to do other than flip the pages of cute after cute after cuteness.

For example, see those great selfies my mom took up there? I found myself throughout the day turning to point things out to her or just to smile or share a moment during the sermon. Since last week was her chemo day she wasn't really supposed to be exposed to the level of germies present at church yesterday, but thanks to technology, I still brought her to the pew! Adding those sentiments to that photo collage really enhances the images featured.

Now, there is always room for more embellishment, and I'm sure I'll be digging into my extensive Queen & Co. bling collection to complete these mini pages, but they will also make great snail mail gifts just the way they are. I'll be using yet another app to send these to either Costco or Walgreens (half off at photo coupon code is: FIFTYORDER) and then we'll see what their next step in scrap-evolution will be :-) I've got just a few scraps of the April 2015 EmbellishKits Jubilee Card Kit left, so you'll most likely see my layouts on that next card share. Click HERE for the last one.

 Wednesday night I'll be up at Michael's showing you all the tricks of using the Cricut Expression, a magical device that transforms your cut out wishes into tangible embellishments for your cards or scrapbook layouts. I've even used them for home décor pieces so really the options are economical and limitless- just the way they should be!

Ten Minute Layout Inspiration

A lot of times I will turn to a scrapbooking magazine for inspiration. Sometimes it is the color combination, or use of tools I have like the scalloped border punch featured in this Creating Keepsakes issue. Their last-page, 10-minute Layout article is always good for a quick and easy spark of creativity.

Of course sometimes even the best intentions fly out of my brain when I select my products or photo, and tonight was no exception! I had put those three project life cards with the photo and the pink die cuts, along with an old package of brightly colored of rub-ons, a few random blings and pearls and a tiny pink felt flower. 

All of those items were contained in a medium sized product package I had laying around. I am in the habit of collecting these clear plastic bags, which can be a bit bothersome at times, but they are great to have on hand.  So it wasn't just lying around, it was with a bunch of other clear bags in a nice stack under some other nice neat stacks of scrapbook-cardmaking type things :-)

Creating kits like these out of like-colored bits and pieces out on my desk make it easy to whip up a simple layout. Ironically, my last post was titled Ships Ahoy, and that evening I ended up scrapbooking a page whose title will likely be Ships Ahoy~ or maybe it should read, Sisters Ahoy? Rainier and Sunday are sitting in the stearn of a little dingy at Gig Harbor's Historical Museum. They were so into acting like they were steering a ship and all of us were enthralled watching them tug at the long lines and swing the sails around.

 There is already a small title on the bottom left, so I may just leave it as. I rarely use a white paper background but adore the look. The simple borders along the top and bottom ground the scattered cards and random flowers, and it all looks delicate and pretty.

It was really easy to find the borders I wanted to use in the colors and designs etc, as a result of another item which I have trouble letting go of, which is the manufactures' strip at the bottom of papers. I have a nice BAG to store them in though, it is a large 12x12 clear, and I have it folded in half. One side has the barcode strips and I can see them all alongside almost all of my borders stickers. There are a lot of Queen and Co. edgers and felt borders too mixed in there too.
 There is another place where I store border stickers that are still on their 12x12 sticker sheet though, so it's not the best system ever. It does work well for me and my personal creative process, I mustn't let my creative flow get interrupted. When I want to MAKE, I need to be able to grab my supplies quickly, adhere and cut, embellish, etc in anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The faster I can see what there is to use, the better!
So what is one of the best organizer things you've installed in your life? There is a new video coming out next week in my Card Magic series... Part Three will also feature a sneak peak at my Super Subbie YouTube contest!!! I have almost got 50 subscribers as well as some of my favorite designers following me on Instagram so I think a contest is in order.
Oh and not to brag or anything but I get additional 40% off at Michaels extra employee discount, whaaat? Look for some repurposing Halloween stuff posts coming up this winter, as well as more pocket page / project life style scrapbooking tips. Thanks for reading,
~Anna

Labor of Love

Okay these are not childbirth photos so you can go ahead and look at the photos :^)

I'm scrapping at the Sharon Memories here in Olympia and wanted to share my first completed layout with you. 

Pictures of three special dads available for spending Father's Day with are offset with warm wood tones, blues and even the surprising pink! 

I'm hoping my honey will journal about his road to fathering and what it's like parenting our brood (does two count as a brood?)- I even placed a sticker of an old fashioned pen at an angle a lefty like himself would hold it.

Nautical stickers echo the Gig Harbor Historical Society's emphasis on the Mosquito Fleet's local influence . I also added a burlap lol through the magic of Washi tape!

Thanks for cropping by to craft with me tonight!

♡ Anna

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

Project Life- My Way

 

Ok, Sharin Memories in Olympia is hosting a freestyle crop next Friday night from 6-10pm. Store owner Jodie there calls it "Project Life- My Way," and it's meant to be sort of a, free-for-all work time for crafties. Who may be bringing snacks :-) My friend DF and I have gone once before. The store has beautiful displays on show to inspire, and lots of table space to share.

Project Life, if you aren't familiar with the phrase, is a term used to describe a style of scrapbooking which captures the everyday details of life. It used to be that generally, only the "important" photos would get the fancy paper treatment, but about 5-7 years ago there was a shift in the industry to include the more everyday photo as well. Probably a direct correlation to iPhone's release! Next came a concept called the Smash Book, which was basically an artsy journal to place all of your saved ticket stubs, airplane tickets, fortune cookie strips, and brochures you might be saving, all mixed in with photos.

There have always been embellishments like die cuts and pockets to include with your memory preserving, but now these are available in standard sized kits and pocketed page protectors. Simple Stories might be a company who deserves credit for introducing a time saving way of preserving which appealed to newbies and old-timers like myself alike. Many companies have fallen suit and Becky Higgins presented a program of scrapbooking called, Project Life.

Available in any theme you can think of, a project life kit can contains as many as hundreds of 3x4 and 4x6 die cut cards, printed with cute phrases or just pretty patterns, to go along side your photos in the pocketed page protectors. Some people (like me) mix these in with their standard full sheet pages, and others devote entire albums to this style, capturing a week in photos in each "spread." Friday, Shimelle posted how she and three of her friends are approaching Project Life, and it got me considering my own style, and Jodie's phrase, and how I really DO do this my way.

I include the pocketed pages right next to my full size 12x12 pages. Sometimes I include a group of photos that all speak to the same theme, and sometimes, it is all about one day, or moment. My photos may be turned the "wrong" way, and that doesn't bother me, I just turn the album to see better and keep flipping!

There are times when I have a full sized page and a pocket page next to each other and they are all about the same event, but most often they are not. Usually I am creating just one "side" of the page at a time. One of the conundrums I've encountered in my learning process is that these pages almost have to be worked on consequentially, and that's not particularly my style- I tend to jump around in my memories quite a bit.

So how do I go about making this style work for me? You can watch one of my first attempts here, or join me at the Gig Harbor Michael's for a Project Life class! Each class is only $15, which is one of the least expensive classes the store offers. Email me if you are interested, and we will find an upcoming class time that fits in your calendar.

Interested in peeking over the shoulders of some other scrappers? There's that Project Life- My Way event next Friday at Sharin' Memories in Olympia, and next month, a Scrap-In on September 13th from 2:30-6:30, again in the Michael's classroom. Sign up for only $5 online, bring some pictures and basic supplies, and we'll get you figuring out how to work these products, Your Way!