Back in the Saddle

Last year I struggled with creativity.  The one thing I did rather well last year was read - I probably read at least 300 books, and countless magazines.  But I had no mojo for any type of craft or hobby at all.  I barely took any pictures.  I really struggled when I had to complete something.  It was frustrating and depressing, and created a negative feedback loop.  When I look over what I did manage to get done last year, I can almost feel the complete and total lack of inspiration, imagination, and creativity in the work. 

But the New Year brought back the creativity to my life!  I've been non-stop making things since the holidays ended.  Lots of sewing, quilting, needle felting, and scrapping.  And I'm trying to take more pictures again.  This past Sunday, I spent the day scrapping with paper and for the first time in over a year just enjoyed the creative process, playing with color and design, and truly finding joy in what I'm doing again.  I was so happy and relaxed at the end of the day.

This is a layout of Matthew, trying to learn to dive.  He had the first parts of the dive pose down, but when it came right down to it he'd end up jumping into the water instead, arms and legs flying everywhere.  I had created the framed bits and extraction sometime last year, but stopped at that point.  They were technical steps, and I could manage that.  But I was stumped at how to actually complete the layout.  So I left it in my in-progress file.  I came back to it yesterday and it all just flowed. 

Summertime Boy.  Supply list:  Paper: Summer by Tracey Ann, Cabana Boy by Dani Mogstad; Labels (borders recolored): Pick-nics Alphabetized Summer Labels by Jen Wilson; Title: Pick-nics Sticker Wordy Titles by Jen Wilson; Overlay (modified to keep distressed edge only): Everyday Challenge 7/26/09 by Katie Pertiet; Brushes: Scriptease Summer 1 by Anna Aspnes; Staples: Something Springy by Anna Aspnes; Font: CK Ali's Writing.

Jeremy's been creating lately, too.  His class took a virtual  drawing lesson from Mo Willems, who creates the Pigeon books.  He learned how to draw Pigeon and Cat.  Here is his drawing of Pigeon eating a hot dog.

 And now I'm finally updating my blog again, and will try to post at least weekly. 

End of School Year Craziness

One of the other moms in Jeremy's class compared May to Christmas - tons of running around, shopping, and trips to school for all the end of year activities: teacher appreciation week, recitals, field trips, learning who the next year's teachers will be, etc.  Combining that with several work deadlines in the last 2 weeks has made me look like the proverbial chicken with it's head cut off.

I have managed to get a few digital pages done.  This first one is of Jeremy, the weekend he got to bring his violin home and give us concerts. He was just beaming with pride each time he picked it up.  (All images are clickable for greater detail.)

Weekend Concert. Digital Supplies: Paper: Flying South by Jesse Edwards, 

Simple Classics No. 2 by Katie Pertiet, Flowers and Pinstripes by Jesse Edwards, 

Journaling spot: The Good Earth by Zoe Pearn, Calendar: Pick-nics Lil Detail Card 

by Jenn Wilson Designs, Staple: Staple Its by Pattie Knox, Brush: Date Strip Stamps 

No. 2 by Katie Pertiet, Fonts: CK Ali's Writing, Elephant.

Journaling: Bringing home the violin is an exicting time for a Ravenscroft kindergarten student. Jeremy was thrilled to play concerts for us every day and show us what he's learned from Ms. Hitchcock. His favorite song is "See the Little Monkey" and his favorite note is C-sharp.

His class recital was on Monday the 17th.  After the recital, there was a reception in his classroom.  I made this layout to give to his teacher, who does a remarkable job with all these little ones.

Play. Supplies: Paper: Letter Box by Katie Pertiet, Sweet Mystery by Melgen 

Designs, Little Creepers by Mindy Teresawa, Vintage Linens by Shabby Miss 

Jenn Designs, Celebrate Paper Pack 4 by Baers Garden Designs, Frames: Classic 

Curled Photo Frames No. 1 by Katie Pertiet, Swirled edge: Colorful Edgers 

No. 2 by Katie Pertiet, Brush: Musical by Jesse Edwards, Alpha (recolored): 

Katie's Jewels by Pattie Knox, Stitches: Double Straight Stitches by Tia Bennett.

And finally, a layout for/about Ryan.  He's like me, and rarely in pictures.  He prefers to be behind the video camera instead of in front of it. Baseball is his passion, and I think that this page captures it well.

Lifelong Romance.  Paper: Peeking Baseball kit by Ronnie McCray, Take Me Out to 

the Ballgame kit by Dana Zarling; Alphabet: White Felt Alpha with Red Stitching by Amy 

Bleser; Frames: Stuffed Edge Frames and Journalers No. 1 by Katie Pertiet, Basic Bare 

Chipboard Frames by Katie Pertiet, Border: Stuffed Edge Documents No. 1 by Katie Pertiet, 

Journal Spots: Basic Journal Spots by Katie Pertiet, Ticket, Shoe Lacing: Peeking Baseball 

kit by Ronnie McCray, Tab: Cardstock Tabs by Katie Pertiet, Tape: My Family Genealogy 

Clippings by Katie Pertiet, Label: My Family Genealogy Flashcards by Katie Pertiet, 

Software: Lightroom and Photoshop Elements 8.0 (both by Adobe), 

Font: Plantagenet Cherokee.

Journaling: Do you see that glove sitting on the bench? It belongs to my husband, Ryan. It tells the story of his love of all things baseball. It bears the scars of a quarter-century of use. It holds the dreams and excitement of the teen-aged ballplayer. It has been and continues to go to ballgames, in case there is a foul ball to be caught. It is treated with love and respect. It is well cared for, soft from decades of use, but still strong and functional. It now accompanies us to little league games. It helps Ryan share his love of all things baseball with a new group of children, eager to learn. It sits on the bench, after the on-field practice, but before the game, holding one used and one new game ball, ready for the first pitch. It holds the dreams and excitement of the father teaching his sons about the game.

Toothless and a Freebie

Another one of my templates is up for grabs on the ScrapStreet blog today.  I used to to make this layout about Matthew losing his top teeth.  He's lost a good 8 teeth in total now, and has had a pretty much continual gap since these pictures were taken last summer.  Jeremy's not been so lucky.  He turned 6 a month ago and doesn't even have one wiggling yet.  It looks like he'll be the only kid in his class to leave kindergarten without having lost a tooth.

Toothless. Digital Supplies:  Template: Framework No. 2 by 4Two2 Frameworks, Paper: Hugs and Artfully Intense by Lynn Grievson, Work Hard Playhard by Anna Aspnes, Other: tooth cartoon downloaded from the internet, Fonts: Jefferson, Georgia.

Journaling: Matthew had already lost both bottom teeth, but he didn’t have a “gap” for more than a few days, as the new teeth were in a big hurry to fill the empty space.  Now, however, he’s lost a top tooth, and he’s got a nice gap.  He’s had an ear-to-ear smile since losing it.

Being Satisfied With Doing Less

Many of you know I started back to work with a number of steady contracts in mid-December.  I've spent that time enjoying working again - I truly love medical writing and getting into the data.  But trying to re-balance my other household and child duties meant that my craft time suffered.  I'm finally feeling a bit more balanced again, have learned to streamline some chores, and am getting more time for crafting.

The March 2010 edition of ScrapStreet.com Magazine highlighted BasicGrey's Origins paper line.  Here are my projects:

Happy Birthday.  Supplies:  Paper: BasicGrey (Origins),Stamps: Papertrey Ink, 

Twill: Stampin' Up!, Flower: Prima, Tools: scallop punch (Fiskars), acrylic block, 

Specialty ink: Tattered Angels, Ink: Ranger, Other: leaves.

Friend.  Supplies: Paper: BasicGrey, Rub-ons: BasicGrey, Stampin' Up!, 

Pen: Copic, Specialty ink: Tattered Angels, Ink: Clearsnap, Ranger, 

Twine: Stampin' Up!, Dies: Spellbinders, Sizzix, 

Tools: circle punches (Marvy), Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), rub-on tool (BasicGrey), 

Adhesive: ThermOWeb, Scotch.

Welcome, Little One (a layout of my sister's Christening).  Supplies: Paper: BasicGrey, 

Stamps: HamptonArt, Papertrey Ink, Ribbon: Making Memories, other,

Twine: Papertrey Ink, Tools: scallop punch (Fiskars), corner rounder (Creative Memories), 

fingertip knife (Fiskars), glass cutting mat (EK Success), acrylic block, sewing machine, 

Markers: Copic, Zig, Ink: Clearsnap, Ranger, Other: thread, button.

So my recent scrappy obsessions (when time permits) include Papertrey Ink products, Copic markers (and coloring pretty images with them), and hybrid projects.  I have had this wonderful photo (ca. 1973) of my grandparents feeding the calves on their farm in a frame in my house for years.  But a long time in the sun has taken its toll, and it's time to put the photo into an album or risk it fading to nothing.  This Webster's paper, with its old-world feel, combined with some of Katie Pertiet's digital stamps (the cow one in particular), made for a fun layout.

 La Vie Est Bonne.  Supplies: Paper: Webster's Pages, Bling: Prima, Ink: Ranger,

Specialty ink: Smooch (Clearsnap), Pen: atyou Spica (Copic), Tools: finger tip knife (Fiskars), 

glass mat (EK Success), minimister (Ranger), Adhesive: Scotch, EK Success, Digital supplies:  Brushes: Countryside Clusters and My Family Genealogy Definitions by Katie Pertiet.

 A few of the Street sisters and I entered a digital card-making contest.  Alas, we didn't make it too far. My challenge was to do an easel-style card.  Digital stamps of Alice and the mushrooms, paired with some Fancy Pants rub-ons and Cosmo Cricket papers, made a fun card to send to my niece.

Spring Wishes. Supplies: Stamps: Papertrey Ink, Paper: Cosmo Cricket, 

Kraft paper: Stampin' Up!, Die cuts: Fancy Pants, Markers: Copic, Ink: Clearsnap, Ranger, 

Twill: Stampin' Up!, Tools: acrylic block, Cuttlebug (Provo Craft), Die: Spellbinders, 

Adhesive: Scotch, Therm O Web, EK Success, Glue Dots,  

Digital Supplies: Stamps: The Greeting Farm.

Earlier this week, I decided to try out the Copics on some highly detailed digital stamps. I selected and sized them using Photoshop Elements, then printed them out and colored them in the evenings while watching TV. I really love how this card came out. 

Spring Bird.  Supplies: Paper: Webster's Pages, Cardstock, stamp: Papertrey Ink, 

Markers: Copic, Ink: Ranger, Bling: Walmart, Cloud 9,   

Digital supplies: Paper: Classic Cardstock: Cleansing by Katie Pertiet, 

Brushes: Birdwatcher Silhouettes No. 2 by Katie Pertiet, Birdwatcher Clusters by Katie Pertiet, Software: Photoshop Elements 8.0 (Adobe).

And finally, I'm trying out a new venture.  I've begun to make some digital templates and quick pages, under the name 4Two2 Frameworks. Grab the freebies on the ScrapStreet blog:  Framework No. 1 and Castle Cutie Quick Pages.

I made the layout below with one of my quickframes: Jeremy's hands holding a frog.  Can you tell I'm a mom to boys?

Catching Up, part 2

And finally, a few more layouts I completed in December.  They were done to give myself a short break from all the holiday preparation chaos.

This one so we can remember our trips to the flea market.  We head down there every 3-4 months, and sporadically during the summer if it's not too hot.

This one, from the December 2009 edition of Scrapstreet Magazine.  A group of us were asked to respond to Stacey's phrase "how can you not?" at our summer meeting.  My response was to document things that I find irresistable. How can you not 1. sigh with pleasure as you slip into a bubblebath, 2. have a favorite color, 3. be passionate about something, 4. play with your kids’ toys, 5. decorate for the changing seasons, 6. want to cuddle a sleeping baby, 7. eat chocolate, 8. love finding the perfect pair of shoes, 9. sing along with the radio, 10. eat popcorn while watching a movie.

And finally, one that epitomizes both boys' dreams for the winter: snow and lots of it.  (To qualify for the northerners reading my blog, "lot of it" here in the south means 1-6 inches, most of which is gone in 2 days.)  These are pictures from last year's March snowfall.  This layout ran in the Pixel Place column of Scrapstreet Magazine's December edition, and featured the digital kit Winter Shimmer.

Catching Up

I thought I'd finish out the year catching up with some layouts I did at the end of the year and have not shared yet.  It's a bit long, so grab a cup of coffee and get comfy.

In October and November, I was a participant in the Last Scrapper Standing contest over at Divine Digital.  There were 6 elimination rounds.  (I made it to the finals, but I was not the Last Scrapper Standing.)  Each of the weekly challenges had 10 requirements, including extensive journaling and some advanced digital techniques.  I'm going to post 4 of the entries here today.

First up, Who Are You, about Jeremy's love of all things costume in the past year. Since this was made, he has added  Captain Rex (Star Wars Clone Trooper guy) to his costume box.

The journaling reads:  Since he turned 5, Jeremy has been especially interested in costumes and make-believe.  This year he’s been a superhero (in a glittery cape that I made for him with fabric he picked out), Batman, and Harry Potter (both birthday gifts from Grandma and Grandpa).  In the last few months, he’s become, well, let’s say obsessed, with all things Star Wars.  He loves getting out his light saber and working on his “Jedi Training”.  This apparently consists of a variety of moves, coupled with a fierce expression and deep, glowering eyes.  Oh! And killing bad guys, of course.  He’s going to be Captain Rex, the clone trooper hero, for Halloween.  I can’t wait to see who he turns into next...

This layout captures our T-ball season in one page. This challenge required use of a shadow box, and extracting an image (removing it from the background).  Both the season and creating this page were a lot of fun!

Journaling: Baseball is our game, and T-ball was a family affair this year. Dad was the coach.  Matthew and Jeremy were players. Mom was in charge of getting the kids into the batting order. Supplies at hand: helmets and bats, gloves and balls, cleats, and the tee.

It was Matthew’s second year playing, and he loved every minute. He made good contact with the ball, ran hard between bases, and made a valiant effort at fielding.

It was Jeremy’s first year playing and he was not so much in love. He exhibited great creativity at the “duck and cover” move when a ball was hit or thrown anywhere near him, kept his eyes closed while batting, and made faces at the coach (Dad) when getting batting advice. Oh, and who can forget him building sand castles in the infield?

I did another page about Jeremy.  He is absolutely desperate to get the dog to obey him, and really worked hard at it this day.  (She hasn't listened to him since...)

Journaling:  Today, you were playing outside while Matthew did homework. Our yellow lab, Ribby, was running around the yard with you. You desperately wanted her to shake with you. “Ribby, sit!” And she ran this way. “Ribby, shake!” And she ran that way. Finally, you asked me to get her to sit. Once she did, you moved in front of her, held out your hand, and said “Shake!” And she did nothing. And you tried again. And still nothing. And again. And eventually she lifted her paw up, and you grabbed it. Success! You reached over to give her a hug and got nuzzled on the side of your head. “Mom! She liked it and kissed me!” At the tender age of three, you announced “I don’t like work,” and you really haven’t deviated from that position in the nearly 3 years since. But today, you worked hard to accomplish your goal.

I hope you remember this accomplishment some day in the future when you think you can’t do something. It is going to take hard effort - yes, work - on your part. You might need a bit of help from someone else to get started. It probably won’t work the first or second or maybe even the tenth time you try it. You are going to have to be persistent. But remember how great it felt for Ribby to shake your hand and give you that kiss.

And last of today's set, but not least, is Creative.  It had to include three identical photos, one original version and the other two treated differently.  My variations included a b/w old-fashioned look, and a sketch or woodprint looking version of the original (top in the layout) photo.  It also required discussing a family trait.

 

Journaling:  My father was a teacher and a jack-of-all-trades. He was a mason, woodworker (particularly cabinetry), and carpenter. In both of our houses, he built beautiful front steps (both brickwork and stonework) and various cabinetry pieces. In our second house (we moved when I was 10), he refinished all the original hardwood floors, as well as building storage units for the root cellar (yes, we had an actual root cellar!) and re-sided the entire house with clapboard. In this picture, I’m riding in a sleigh he designed, built, and painted. It’s pulled by our German Shepherd, Happy. My siblings and I, as well as a number of the neighborhood kids, had great fun riding down the street in this sleigh during the winter.

Dad knew not only the basic skills of these trades, but the craftsman’s tricks to make a job easier, faster, and/or more beautifully finished. As the oldest, I was his first pick as a helper during the summer months when he wasn’t teaching. He always had number of large projects scheduled. I got to learn why he selected particular woods, or rocks, and which nail sizes, and why those things mattered to the finished product. I learned to appreciate the need for a variety of tools, each to do specific jobs. (I also learned a lot of swear words, but that’s a different topic...) I began to understand the nuances that elevate simple work to an art form. While I never really grew to love any of these jobs, I can handle a lot of basic fixes around the house.

My creativity is expressed in cloth, paper, and pixels instead of wood and stone. I started sewing when I was 10 years old, and from the beginning I was hooked. I’ve spent nearly 35 years learning the sewer’s tricks to make a job easier or faster or more beautifully finished. About 20 years ago I was introduced to quilting, and shortly thereafter to scrapbooking. The use of color, pattern, and design make my heart and soul sing. I don’t know if my creativity is based on “nature” (a genetic inheritance from Dad) or “nurture” (due to the exposure I got to his creativity while I was a child). Either way, I’ll take it and celebrate it.

Summer In My Heart

As we sit here in the cold, I can't help remembering our wonderful trip to the Cape this summer.  I had a few minutes yesterday and scrapped this page.  The photo was taken at dead low tide on the Brewster flats.  It was an extremely overcast morning, so there was very little color to the sky, and what there was was an iron gray.  So I ran the photo through a few filters in Adobe Lightroom and got this fabulous look.

The quote, by Rachel Carson, reads:  To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of year, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.

Boys and Trees...

are inseparable! Mine love to play in the woods behind our house, and trees are endlessly fascinating playthings for them. Dead, alive - it's all good.

But Nana has the most amazing pine tree in her front yard, and the branches radiate from the trunk at perfect spacing for climbing. And so, for the first few days we were in MA for our vacation, if they were outside we knew we'd find them up the tree. I did this layout today so they'd remember the fun they had.

Journaling: The boys are more than a bit obsessed with the climbing tree in front of Nana's house. No, not the one in the main picture, but it's the same height as the climbing tree (of which a branch can be seen on the left), so you can get an idea of how large it is. The boys were allowed to climb about to the height of the second floor window. (And yes, I did worry about the broken arms, but let them do it anyway.) If they were outside, they were in the tree. Picking the bark off it, creating "rooms" to hang out in, they looked like little clothed squirrels.

And here are a few more pictures of them in the tree. They both loved posing and having their picture taken while in it, so you know I took full advantage of it.

Cape Cod, the Book

Well, the soon-to-be book. I have begun making layouts from the pictures from the Cape. I'm beginning to think of a bound book of them, that I can give to my mom, sister, and brother as a memoir of the trip. (All pictures can be clicked on to pull up a large version.)

This one is of Ryan (the hubby) showing Jeremy (ds#2) a hermit crab; I love the sandy hand!

Credits can be found here.

You've seen this picture before, of the kids watching the sun set. It's one of my favorite pics of the trip, and this layout may just become one of my favorite layouts of the trip.

Credits can be found here.

And last, but not least... Really not least, because I envision this becoming the cover of the book! A few pictures that I think captured the trip. My favorite is the one of my mom - you can just see how happy she was to have all her kids and grandkids together. It was taken the first night were were at the Cape.

Credits can be found here.

Capes, Cards, and Band-aids

The boys and I are off to the Cape for a few weeks today. I haven't been to Cape Cod in at least 20 years, and my memories of it are largely those of a child. So it will be interesting to see the changes there. The boys are excited to see their cousins and get to spend lots of time with them. I don't have a beach-themed quilt (yet), but the trip just might inspire one!

I was inspired by a greeting card to make this quilt, which I call Ode to Joy. I received the card nearly 15 years ago and had always kept it on my bulletin board because I found it to be bright and cheerful. And I decided it needed to be bigger so I could enjoy it from across the room. So I used the card as a template and created a pattern. The pieces were fused in place, then heavily machine embroidered to complete the top. The quilting added additional thread work and dimension to the piece. And I took a technique from my good friend Michelle and finished the edge with a few layers of zigzag stitching, then couched on a bright and fuzzy fiber to top it all off.


As we head off on vacation, I have to wonder if my boys have managed to sneak emergency band-aids into their backpacks. What, you've never heard of one? I'll leave you today with this layout of one of their recent adventures, in which Jeremy starred.


The journaling reads: Once upon a time, two brothers were riding their scooters down the sidewalk to the front door of their house. Their mother told them to try to fall in the grass, and not on the sidewalk, because it would hurt less. But the younger brother fell on the sidewalk. He got all scraped up above his knee, and it bled and hurt a lot. The older brother, concerned, asked him if he needed a band-aid. The younger brother said “yes” through his tears. Then the older brother asked him where he stored his emergency band-aid. (The mother had never heard of such a thing!) The younger brother let him know it was under his pillow, and the older brother ran right off and got it for him. The mother got his scrape cleaned up and put on the emergency band-aid, gave him a hug, and helped him back up to the house. And that is the story of The Emergency Band-aid.