Hello Interwebz Citizens!
If you haven't noticed already, the Northern Hemisphere is beginning to pack up it's Summer clothes and toys. Fall will be here before you know it. It's always a bittersweet time of year for me because I so very much love Summer. I wish I could hit the pause button, especially now because I have a case of co-something-or-other-itis (the highly medical term). Laymen's meaning: the cartilage in my ribs has a virus, which causes inflammation which causes people to think they either have acute appendicitis, passing a kidney stone or having a heart attack or all three at the same time. I want to be at the beach, but just the idea of putting on my bathing suit is pain inducing.
Want to know the really wonderful cure for this nasty condition? You wait it out. It takes 14 days to 6 months to run it's course. Thanks medical science! It's all symptom management until then. For me, symptom management involves a medication for arthritic inflammation, some Vicodin (just call me Dr. House) and keeping my mind off the pain by occupying it with thought provoking videos and reading material.
I thought I'd share some of the videos I'm loving at the moment- the ones worth watching more that once- since I haven't been able to really make to do much else. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.
This first video is about the science of color. It's title is a question I have often pondered since I was a (nerdy) kid: Is your red the same as my red?
This next one is a cool dry erase board video about cats, one of my favorite subjects. Even if you're not a cat lover, it's still interesting.
Here is something for your ears. I love Daft Punk's Get Lucky, but pairing it with clips from Soul Train makes it visually fascinating.
Lastly, an amazing TEDTalk by Cesar Kuriyama who decided to capture one second of video for everyday of his life. The result is an astounding montage of memories.
♥ Carrie
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Mojo Monday: Blast from the Past
I'm schlepping myself from bed to completely embarrass myself. It may be delirium from fever or it may be to re-affirm that we all start somewhere when we decide it's time to go somewhere other than when we are.
Picture this:
It's 2001. I've just entered single-mom-hood and I was desperate for any outing. My sister asks me to go along to her sister's-in-law Creative Memories party. I have no idea what it is but it has food, a babysitter and people. No need to ask me twice. My sister tells me to bring some photos with me.
Can you imagine the rest? As an artist, as a person who'd spent her entire girl-hood collecting photos and memorabilia and stickers and putting them all together in those sticky albums I begged my mom to buy for me in the aisles of CVS (what was it called way back in the '80s? was it really CVS?). Long story short, I was entranced. I went home with the boy baby book kit (which was really some die cuts, stickers and album), some fancy adhesive, a pen and ever scrap of paper leftover from the demo pages that were made. A week later, I found some fancy shears at The Dollar Store that cut funky edges.
I'm not proud, but I am. It took five years, but I finished that album. I blew through the fear that I'd create something awful and just worked on it when I could. And it's terrible and wonderful. We look at it every year on my son's birthday. I cringe, he marvels, I smile.
I would not trade the awfulness for the world. That was where I was at the time. It isn't just the memories I've captured in the pages of the book, it's the memory keeper. My son will have a record of my growth through his stories. He will be able to know me a in a new way when he receives his inheritance. (after he gets over the fact that he's getting these albums instead of money). He'll know not just his mom, but the woman who was always looking to do better.
Now I'm crawling back into bed before I hit the rest of the to-do list for the day.
♥ Carrie
Picture this:
It's 2001. I've just entered single-mom-hood and I was desperate for any outing. My sister asks me to go along to her sister's-in-law Creative Memories party. I have no idea what it is but it has food, a babysitter and people. No need to ask me twice. My sister tells me to bring some photos with me.
Can you imagine the rest? As an artist, as a person who'd spent her entire girl-hood collecting photos and memorabilia and stickers and putting them all together in those sticky albums I begged my mom to buy for me in the aisles of CVS (what was it called way back in the '80s? was it really CVS?). Long story short, I was entranced. I went home with the boy baby book kit (which was really some die cuts, stickers and album), some fancy adhesive, a pen and ever scrap of paper leftover from the demo pages that were made. A week later, I found some fancy shears at The Dollar Store that cut funky edges.
I'm not proud, but I am. It took five years, but I finished that album. I blew through the fear that I'd create something awful and just worked on it when I could. And it's terrible and wonderful. We look at it every year on my son's birthday. I cringe, he marvels, I smile.
 |
 |
| the stencil I used came out of a cereal box |
 |
| I used some washi tape the other day to finally adhere these photos in the book. |
I would not trade the awfulness for the world. That was where I was at the time. It isn't just the memories I've captured in the pages of the book, it's the memory keeper. My son will have a record of my growth through his stories. He will be able to know me a in a new way when he receives his inheritance. (after he gets over the fact that he's getting these albums instead of money). He'll know not just his mom, but the woman who was always looking to do better.
Now I'm crawling back into bed before I hit the rest of the to-do list for the day.
♥ Carrie
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
August Photo a Day: Week 2(ish)
I have been enjoying this exercise so much! If you want to play along with us, see this thread at Get It Scrapped. This is a no wrong way, guilt-free challenge to get your creative juices flowing and fall in love with your camera again challenge.
Some back tracking:
6. Full Plate
Thor is obsessed with the dishwasher. I have no idea why, but it makes doing dishes a little challenging.
8. Gobbledygook
At the base of my hubby's monitor. Lots of dust, a few wires and a WoW authenticator (sp?).
9. Apple of My Eye
A rare relaxed shot of my kiddo. This was a huge deal. I asked if I could take this photo, he obliged, then he began to do this pose, but corrected himself going into to rigid mode. I asked him to just snuggle with his blanket. He did and this happened. When it was over he said, "Wait a second, Mom. You tricked me!" The kid likes to act like he hates having his photo taken.
10. Shadow Dancing
I love the starburst pattern my neighbor's garden lights make. This challenge was a great way to capture it without anyone thinking I'm weirder than I already am. (cause I'm thatcrazy cat lady in my 'hood)
11. Bloom Where You are Planted
Cat mojo in action. Normally, Butters is afraid of everything including flowers. Here he is being a curious, confident cat.
12. Framed
I was gonna ask the kid to frame something. Then this happened.
12. Get to the Point
My favorite hair accessory: a chopstick from China Wok. Yes, that's a restaurant. I always get chopsticks so I can keep them in my kitchen. You never know when the urge to put up your hair will strike. Also, they double as a cat toy. Or is that triple? I probably shoulda put some product in my hair before I took this photo. Oh well. It's my authentic, crazy, wavy, simmer-time hair.
That's it for now. Wanna see Week 1? Click HERE. Wanna see if your favorite scrapbookers are participating in this challenge and the full list of prompts? Click HERE. Join in, share your links!!
♥ Carrie
Some back tracking:
6. Full Plate
Thor is obsessed with the dishwasher. I have no idea why, but it makes doing dishes a little challenging.
8. Gobbledygook
At the base of my hubby's monitor. Lots of dust, a few wires and a WoW authenticator (sp?).
9. Apple of My Eye
A rare relaxed shot of my kiddo. This was a huge deal. I asked if I could take this photo, he obliged, then he began to do this pose, but corrected himself going into to rigid mode. I asked him to just snuggle with his blanket. He did and this happened. When it was over he said, "Wait a second, Mom. You tricked me!" The kid likes to act like he hates having his photo taken.
10. Shadow Dancing
I love the starburst pattern my neighbor's garden lights make. This challenge was a great way to capture it without anyone thinking I'm weirder than I already am. (cause I'm that
11. Bloom Where You are Planted
Cat mojo in action. Normally, Butters is afraid of everything including flowers. Here he is being a curious, confident cat.
12. Framed
I was gonna ask the kid to frame something. Then this happened.
12. Get to the Point
My favorite hair accessory: a chopstick from China Wok. Yes, that's a restaurant. I always get chopsticks so I can keep them in my kitchen. You never know when the urge to put up your hair will strike. Also, they double as a cat toy. Or is that triple? I probably shoulda put some product in my hair before I took this photo. Oh well. It's my authentic, crazy, wavy, simmer-time hair.
That's it for now. Wanna see Week 1? Click HERE. Wanna see if your favorite scrapbookers are participating in this challenge and the full list of prompts? Click HERE. Join in, share your links!!
♥ Carrie
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
#Fail
I had the best intention to make a post for Monday, but I never got to it. Sometimes you have to whittle something off your list and my poor blog was that. Also, I spent Sunday finishing The Book Thief while Kelda used my laptop as a heated cat bed. I needed an technology break, the cat needed warmth. It worked out well.
Monday, we visited our local ER because my son had a nasty infection in his middle finger nail bed. It can happen when you bite your nails and hangnails a lot... like a kid with Autism and anxiety will do. We'd treated it as best we could over the weekend- soaking, keeping clean and dry, obsessive monitoring (let me see your finger, kid!) all day. Visiting the ER here on the weekend is an all day event thanks to having just the one hospital despite there being an extra 10,000 people in area it serves. Instead we decided to wait until Monday. (Did I mention we we're between pediatricians? Cause that would have been easier.) I knew he'd have to be lanced, drained, cultured and given antibiotics and that's what the ER did for him (I shoulda been a doctor, except I hate innards). He was a trooper and is recovering nicely. Plus, because he's not in pain, he's a lot less snappy.
Monday, we visited our local ER because my son had a nasty infection in his middle finger nail bed. It can happen when you bite your nails and hangnails a lot... like a kid with Autism and anxiety will do. We'd treated it as best we could over the weekend- soaking, keeping clean and dry, obsessive monitoring (let me see your finger, kid!) all day. Visiting the ER here on the weekend is an all day event thanks to having just the one hospital despite there being an extra 10,000 people in area it serves. Instead we decided to wait until Monday. (Did I mention we we're between pediatricians? Cause that would have been easier.) I knew he'd have to be lanced, drained, cultured and given antibiotics and that's what the ER did for him (I shoulda been a doctor, except I hate innards). He was a trooper and is recovering nicely. Plus, because he's not in pain, he's a lot less snappy.
Because I'm me and I hate germs, I also spent a fair amount of time covering our house in a fine fog of Lysol.
Yes, I failed at my blog posting, but I'm okay with that. Now I need to have a coffee break, so enjoy this photo of Thor yawning:
♥ Carrie
Thursday, August 8, 2013
August Photo a Day
Photo a Day challenges are awesome! We have a fun list up at in the Get It Scrapped forum so anyone can play along. I'll be sharing my here each week.
I like starting these challenges with a creative photo from a calendar.
2. On Cloud Nine
We had some gorgeous blue skies with a dotting of puffy clouds that were perfect for this prompt.
3. If the Shoe Fits
My kid has a ton of shoes and they are in piles around my house. The funny part is that he hardly wears shoes. He's just like his mom.
4. New
A piece from my hubby's antique medical collection. It's never been opened so it's technically new.
5. Ant's Eye View
This is our cat, Butters, who decided he was going to help me get this photo. I put the camera on the floor in order to get a shot looking up. Butters decided the camera needed to capture up his nose.
6. Full Plate
Opps! I missed this one.
7. Architecture
This photo isn't a literal interpretation of the prompt. These are words from an activist in Zimbabwe torn from an article in National Geographic. What Mazvarira said really spoke to me. It's these sort words that are the architecture of change in a society... and for women globally.
If you want to join in the fun, feel free. This is not a rigid challenge- you can take all 31 photos daily or pick the prompts that inspire you. You can do an entire week in day. There really is no wrong way or any cheating. The idea is exercise your creative muscles and photography skills. Come share with us on the GIS Forum.
Ready! Here's the first round:
1. August
I like starting these challenges with a creative photo from a calendar.
2. On Cloud Nine
We had some gorgeous blue skies with a dotting of puffy clouds that were perfect for this prompt.
3. If the Shoe Fits
My kid has a ton of shoes and they are in piles around my house. The funny part is that he hardly wears shoes. He's just like his mom.
4. New
A piece from my hubby's antique medical collection. It's never been opened so it's technically new.
5. Ant's Eye View
This is our cat, Butters, who decided he was going to help me get this photo. I put the camera on the floor in order to get a shot looking up. Butters decided the camera needed to capture up his nose.
6. Full Plate
Opps! I missed this one.
7. Architecture
This photo isn't a literal interpretation of the prompt. These are words from an activist in Zimbabwe torn from an article in National Geographic. What Mazvarira said really spoke to me. It's these sort words that are the architecture of change in a society... and for women globally.
If you want to join in the fun, feel free. This is not a rigid challenge- you can take all 31 photos daily or pick the prompts that inspire you. You can do an entire week in day. There really is no wrong way or any cheating. The idea is exercise your creative muscles and photography skills. Come share with us on the GIS Forum.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Scrapping Special Needs
Special Needs people are not as rare as they used to be. The incidence of Autism is rising, for one. People have accidents and issues that change them forever. Chances are you have a SN someone in your life. I've heard a lot of people in the scrapbooking community ask for more convesation about scrapping Special Needs kids. I'm going to take it a step further and include adults as well.
My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of high-functioning Autism. My husband has a host of neurological issues after having corrective surgery for his Chiari Malformation. Our daily life includes a complex set of challenges. Sometimes the kits that scream happy-happy get a little depressing to work with, especially when my husband can't remember the special moment we shared last week, for example, or my son is re-enacting the entirety of World War 2 at 10pm in his bedroom because he has sleep issues. Yet, those are also great reason to document the memories.
My approach to scrapping these difficult topics is to find the silver lining in them. With my husband, it's really about capturing who he is as a dad, as a husband and as person. What do I want to make sure to remember, what do I want his kids to know about him?
In "The Day Life Got Real" I give a general overview of this life altering event. Despite all the challenges, despite the uncertainty, the core of who my husband is and how he fits into our family has not changed.
In "Random Reasons I Love You", I really told the story of what kind of husband I have. While it's from my perspective, it really characterizes who he is as a person, not just a husband.
For this page, I documented a fight we had that was caused by a communication fail. Communication can be extremely frustrating for my husband at times, especially when I'm notthoughtful or patient being nice in the least. (no worries, total happy ending)
These three examples focus not on the challenge itself, but on coping or forgetting to cope with the challenges we face daily. An -ism, disease, problem, or challenge does not define a person. I scrap from the point of view that our challenges are what they are. We still have a live to live. I, for one, prefer a life lived fully in a way that works for me. It may not be the kinda life belongs on Pinterest, but it makes me happy. I've grown to cherish messy and imperfect.
This leads me to scrapping Autism. I don't do many Autism themed pages because I don't have Autism with a kid, I have a kid with Autism. As difficult as it can be to cope with, it is also hilarious funny to be an mom of a different kinda kid. My scrapping of my son reflects that view, the positive one, for the most part.
Most kids would have conquered the firepole on the playground before age 10. Most kids don't have crippling anxiety. This was a huge milestone for my kid. I want him to remember the braveness, not the anxiety. I want him to know what he's conquered. He will need that reminder one day (as we all will several times during our lifetime).
In "Birthday Over" my son was perseverating on his presents. That means he could not think about anything else until he performed the act of using his new things. That's really what this page is about... and the delicate balance between expectation and reality even on special occasions.
I created the above page to document a small victory. Autistic meltdowns are seriously intense and often are caused because my kiddo can't cope with his intense negative feelings. We are continually working on ways to cope with the bad stuff and how to express yourself appropriately. Here I documented the fruit of that labor. This page always makes me a little misty eyed because it reminds me how far my kiddo has come in the past year.
In "Bazinga" I relay a conversation overheard by husband of my kiddo and his friend. I love the way my son's mind works and seeing the world from his point of view. I really like creating pages that focus on how he sees the world, I like to capture the things he says and does that make us smile. Just because he has Autism doesn't mean he isn't devoid of feelings, perceptions, and personality.
Being an mom and wife with special needs family is an incredibly humbling experience. You really learn what grace is, you learn to let go of the idea that life is supposed to be a certain way and you begin to understand the value of the mess. You learn to breath and grow in the space provided the same way a sapling in the forest contorts its branches towards the sunlight.
Simply put, the way I scrap special needs is the same way I scrap my life because it IS my life. I find the sunlight then put it on a page so that we can always remember. Sometimes the light is brighter than others, but it's always there.
Here are some noteworthy links on scrapping Special Needs:
Paperclipping Roundtable episode 151- Facts and Feelings: sharing ideas about scrapbooking children with special needs
The Digi Show episode 30- (not necessarily special needs related, but worth the listen) Everybody has stuff: Ideas for deciding when to share or when to leave it alone; how to scrapbook the hard times and what can be learned from documenting the difficult situations we face.
Jana always impresses me with her authentic, heartfelt approach to scrapping about her son with Autism. One of my favorite pages by Jana is aptly titled Autism.
This list is entirely too short. If you have any good links, feel free to share them in the comments!!
If you are an parent of a child with high-functioning ASD and need a place to vent, share, learn, laugh, connect and grow, with no judgement ask me about a special (completely secret and private) Facebook group you can join.
My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of high-functioning Autism. My husband has a host of neurological issues after having corrective surgery for his Chiari Malformation. Our daily life includes a complex set of challenges. Sometimes the kits that scream happy-happy get a little depressing to work with, especially when my husband can't remember the special moment we shared last week, for example, or my son is re-enacting the entirety of World War 2 at 10pm in his bedroom because he has sleep issues. Yet, those are also great reason to document the memories.
My approach to scrapping these difficult topics is to find the silver lining in them. With my husband, it's really about capturing who he is as a dad, as a husband and as person. What do I want to make sure to remember, what do I want his kids to know about him?
In "The Day Life Got Real" I give a general overview of this life altering event. Despite all the challenges, despite the uncertainty, the core of who my husband is and how he fits into our family has not changed.
In "Random Reasons I Love You", I really told the story of what kind of husband I have. While it's from my perspective, it really characterizes who he is as a person, not just a husband.
For this page, I documented a fight we had that was caused by a communication fail. Communication can be extremely frustrating for my husband at times, especially when I'm not
These three examples focus not on the challenge itself, but on coping or forgetting to cope with the challenges we face daily. An -ism, disease, problem, or challenge does not define a person. I scrap from the point of view that our challenges are what they are. We still have a live to live. I, for one, prefer a life lived fully in a way that works for me. It may not be the kinda life belongs on Pinterest, but it makes me happy. I've grown to cherish messy and imperfect.This leads me to scrapping Autism. I don't do many Autism themed pages because I don't have Autism with a kid, I have a kid with Autism. As difficult as it can be to cope with, it is also hilarious funny to be an mom of a different kinda kid. My scrapping of my son reflects that view, the positive one, for the most part.
Most kids would have conquered the firepole on the playground before age 10. Most kids don't have crippling anxiety. This was a huge milestone for my kid. I want him to remember the braveness, not the anxiety. I want him to know what he's conquered. He will need that reminder one day (as we all will several times during our lifetime).
In "Birthday Over" my son was perseverating on his presents. That means he could not think about anything else until he performed the act of using his new things. That's really what this page is about... and the delicate balance between expectation and reality even on special occasions.
I created the above page to document a small victory. Autistic meltdowns are seriously intense and often are caused because my kiddo can't cope with his intense negative feelings. We are continually working on ways to cope with the bad stuff and how to express yourself appropriately. Here I documented the fruit of that labor. This page always makes me a little misty eyed because it reminds me how far my kiddo has come in the past year.
In "Bazinga" I relay a conversation overheard by husband of my kiddo and his friend. I love the way my son's mind works and seeing the world from his point of view. I really like creating pages that focus on how he sees the world, I like to capture the things he says and does that make us smile. Just because he has Autism doesn't mean he isn't devoid of feelings, perceptions, and personality.
Being an mom and wife with special needs family is an incredibly humbling experience. You really learn what grace is, you learn to let go of the idea that life is supposed to be a certain way and you begin to understand the value of the mess. You learn to breath and grow in the space provided the same way a sapling in the forest contorts its branches towards the sunlight.
Simply put, the way I scrap special needs is the same way I scrap my life because it IS my life. I find the sunlight then put it on a page so that we can always remember. Sometimes the light is brighter than others, but it's always there.
Here are some noteworthy links on scrapping Special Needs:
Paperclipping Roundtable episode 151- Facts and Feelings: sharing ideas about scrapbooking children with special needs
The Digi Show episode 30- (not necessarily special needs related, but worth the listen) Everybody has stuff: Ideas for deciding when to share or when to leave it alone; how to scrapbook the hard times and what can be learned from documenting the difficult situations we face.
Jana always impresses me with her authentic, heartfelt approach to scrapping about her son with Autism. One of my favorite pages by Jana is aptly titled Autism.
This list is entirely too short. If you have any good links, feel free to share them in the comments!!
If you are an parent of a child with high-functioning ASD and need a place to vent, share, learn, laugh, connect and grow, with no judgement ask me about a special (completely secret and private) Facebook group you can join.
**credits for the layouts in this post are on available on their associated flickr pages.**
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Project Life Alternative: Months in Review pages
I'm finally starting to catch up on my Project Life inspired Months in Review pages. I'm keeping it simple so I can keep up.
page 2 of April (see page 1 here)
May:
June (a two pager!) The Align and Distribute commands are my new best friends:
There you have it! I'm so glad all the photos I liked, but would never had time to scrap, now have a home. It's pie. :)
♥Carrie
page 2 of April (see page 1 here)
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| Just Jaime e April Storyteller Bundle Fonts: SF Movie Poster, Yummy Cupcakes, Bohemian Tyepwriter |
May:
 |
| Just Jaimee: Storyteller May Collection; Fonts: SF Movie Poster, Bohemiam Typewriter, Yummy Cupcakes |
June (a two pager!) The Align and Distribute commands are my new best friends:
 |
| Just Jaimee: Storyteller Collection-August; Fonts: SF Movie Poster, Bohemian Typewriter, Yummycupcakes |
 |
| Just Jaimee: Storyteller Collection-August; Fonts: SF Movie Poster, Bohemian Typewriter, Yummycupcakes |
There you have it! I'm so glad all the photos I liked, but would never had time to scrap, now have a home. It's pie. :)
♥Carrie
Monday, August 5, 2013
Mojo Monday Project: Product Inspo- Color Focus
One of the Get It Scrapped forum topics last week asked for help filling mojo back up. Everyone chimed in with such great ideas that it inspired me! I've decided to keep my blogging more regular-like, I'm going to do a post every Monday to get our mojo on.
What is mojo? It's the internal stock of creativity you project out to the world. When your are mojoless, you need to explore the world around you to find more and do things to shake you out of your comfortable creative spot.
I'm going to break each Monday of the month into four categories: Product, Pinterest, Process, and Past. I'll scrap a page to show you how I've used these things to inspire me and hopefully get your mojo recharged, too!
Let's begin with the product that inspired me today:
Digi Scrap Addicts' Group Therapy | Life – Defined collection. Now a little disclaimer-- I did find this because Just Jaimee contributed to this collection. Before that, I wasn't even aware it existed. But boy, was I pleasantly surprised when I saw the giant inspo e-zine you that requires zero purchase!
The colors of the kit were completely outside my comfort zone. To me, orange says Halloween and fall. Even for Halloween and fall, I am not drawn to orange. The times I have used orange en masse are on pages I kinda want to forget. I had this kit in front of me full of oranges and decided to turn aversion into color focus challenge. People scrap great pages with orange all the time, so I should be able to do it, too!
Product Mojo tip #1 & #2: Start with a open mind, positive attitude and embrace product outside your comfort zone. Then go look at amazing pages made with product you wouldn't normally use.
I decided to go all in with the color orange. I started by thinking about what the particular shades of orange in the collection made me think of... and it was definitely sunshine and warmth. That led me to photos taken on a super sunny day at the beach (instead of the normal humid haze). There was a shot of my sandals in the sand that was rather monochromatic which I decided would fit perfectly with a color focused layout.
Product Mojo tip #3: Let the Product inspire the story and pick photo(s) accordingly.
Since my photo's colors didn't quite match the orange papers and embellishments, I used my handy-dandy free photo filter program, Photo Effects 4, to add some orangish filters, a little over exposure and a little light leak to the image. It took me only a few minutes to tweak, which is why I use Photo Effects instead of PSE or PSP.
I picked out the orange chevron and solid orange ombre from Jaimee's contribution the collection. While I loved the ombre of the solid orange, I liked the movement and texture of chevron. I decided to blend the two together so I could have ombre, movement and texture to mount set the mood for my summery page.
I put my photo at the bottom of the page because it seemed to ombre itself down there (see the page below). Notice the overexposed bit matches the bottom of the background. Serendipity! I decided to help my photo stand out, I'd edge it black. That gave the photo a funky, unexpected contrast and there's no doubting that it's definitely the focal point!
I created my title using a speech bubble and sketched title font in white. If I'd use an alpha or a dark color for the word 'summer', it would become really heavy. Sunlight is not heavy, so the sketched font keeps things airy and light. Shoes don't talk (yeah, I actually said that to myself while scrapping) and the speech bubble didn't happily make a smooth transition from the photo, so I added in the star flair. Now the star is saying "Hello" and we all know (I hope) our sun is a star meaning the summer them is reinforced by that flair.
There are some great journaling labels and word art I wanted to include in the page, but again using them as is killed the light and airy feel of the page. I still liked the shapes they created, so I decided to try blending them (screen, dodge and overlay are awesome) and then fiddling with the opacity. That's my secret weapon for wanting to add it all without making a heavy page!
I used a journaling card for actual journaling and added that flower to ground it together with the photo. I picked this particular card because of the red quotes for two reasons: Firstly because they work with the red label on the sandals in the photo. Secondly because the star flairs are more yellow-y, the red balances out deviation from orange. Red and yellow make orange therefore you can have a little of each on an orange focused page to add subtle tension without throwing things off. Try it- it works.
Finally I added my journaling in two spots, defined that top journaling spot repeating the flairs (small, contrasting with the big one in the title), added some date stamps and framed the top and bottom edges with black to keep your eye in the page. (I like to call that framing of the edges "visual Pong")
I hate orange, but I love this page!
Product Mojo tip #4: Design the page with intention. It really works when attempting something outside your comfort zone.
The Result:
Now I challenge you to try using product and colors that don't thrill you. Feel free to share your creations with me in the links!!
♥ Carrie
What is mojo? It's the internal stock of creativity you project out to the world. When your are mojoless, you need to explore the world around you to find more and do things to shake you out of your comfortable creative spot.
I'm going to break each Monday of the month into four categories: Product, Pinterest, Process, and Past. I'll scrap a page to show you how I've used these things to inspire me and hopefully get your mojo recharged, too!
Let's begin with the product that inspired me today:
Digi Scrap Addicts' Group Therapy | Life – Defined collection. Now a little disclaimer-- I did find this because Just Jaimee contributed to this collection. Before that, I wasn't even aware it existed. But boy, was I pleasantly surprised when I saw the giant inspo e-zine you that requires zero purchase!
The colors of the kit were completely outside my comfort zone. To me, orange says Halloween and fall. Even for Halloween and fall, I am not drawn to orange. The times I have used orange en masse are on pages I kinda want to forget. I had this kit in front of me full of oranges and decided to turn aversion into color focus challenge. People scrap great pages with orange all the time, so I should be able to do it, too!
Product Mojo tip #1 & #2: Start with a open mind, positive attitude and embrace product outside your comfort zone. Then go look at amazing pages made with product you wouldn't normally use.
I decided to go all in with the color orange. I started by thinking about what the particular shades of orange in the collection made me think of... and it was definitely sunshine and warmth. That led me to photos taken on a super sunny day at the beach (instead of the normal humid haze). There was a shot of my sandals in the sand that was rather monochromatic which I decided would fit perfectly with a color focused layout.
Product Mojo tip #3: Let the Product inspire the story and pick photo(s) accordingly.
Since my photo's colors didn't quite match the orange papers and embellishments, I used my handy-dandy free photo filter program, Photo Effects 4, to add some orangish filters, a little over exposure and a little light leak to the image. It took me only a few minutes to tweak, which is why I use Photo Effects instead of PSE or PSP.
Original:
Edited:
I picked out the orange chevron and solid orange ombre from Jaimee's contribution the collection. While I loved the ombre of the solid orange, I liked the movement and texture of chevron. I decided to blend the two together so I could have ombre, movement and texture to mount set the mood for my summery page.
I put my photo at the bottom of the page because it seemed to ombre itself down there (see the page below). Notice the overexposed bit matches the bottom of the background. Serendipity! I decided to help my photo stand out, I'd edge it black. That gave the photo a funky, unexpected contrast and there's no doubting that it's definitely the focal point!
I created my title using a speech bubble and sketched title font in white. If I'd use an alpha or a dark color for the word 'summer', it would become really heavy. Sunlight is not heavy, so the sketched font keeps things airy and light. Shoes don't talk (yeah, I actually said that to myself while scrapping) and the speech bubble didn't happily make a smooth transition from the photo, so I added in the star flair. Now the star is saying "Hello" and we all know (I hope) our sun is a star meaning the summer them is reinforced by that flair.
There are some great journaling labels and word art I wanted to include in the page, but again using them as is killed the light and airy feel of the page. I still liked the shapes they created, so I decided to try blending them (screen, dodge and overlay are awesome) and then fiddling with the opacity. That's my secret weapon for wanting to add it all without making a heavy page!
I used a journaling card for actual journaling and added that flower to ground it together with the photo. I picked this particular card because of the red quotes for two reasons: Firstly because they work with the red label on the sandals in the photo. Secondly because the star flairs are more yellow-y, the red balances out deviation from orange. Red and yellow make orange therefore you can have a little of each on an orange focused page to add subtle tension without throwing things off. Try it- it works.
Finally I added my journaling in two spots, defined that top journaling spot repeating the flairs (small, contrasting with the big one in the title), added some date stamps and framed the top and bottom edges with black to keep your eye in the page. (I like to call that framing of the edges "visual Pong")
I hate orange, but I love this page!
Product Mojo tip #4: Design the page with intention. It really works when attempting something outside your comfort zone.
The Result:
Now I challenge you to try using product and colors that don't thrill you. Feel free to share your creations with me in the links!!
♥ Carrie
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Grids & Blocks
Wow. It's been awhile. July flew by!
I'm plugging along with the latest issue of Masterful Scrapbook Design which is all about grids and blocks. The teaches this month are some of my favorite scrappy people: Doris Sander, Tiffany Tillman, Lynnette Penacho, Lisa Dickinson and Summer Fullerton. I guess I shouldn't leave out Debbie Hodge because she's a hands on kinda gal. They've shared some amazing pages and great tips for using grids and blocked page design.
I really love the beautiful hand out (all 200+ pages of it!), but my most favorite thing are the live webinars! There's one interview with each teacher and then 'Office Hours', which is really a mini critique workshop. They are incredibly informative and a little hilarious, just all around fun. If you can't make it to the live webinars it's okay: The recordings are posted ASAP for forever viewing. One of my favorite things to do is to grab a coffee, stick in my earbuds and scrap while re-listening to the webinars. (click HERE for an example of Office Hours!!)
I really love the how MSD can be either self-paced or in real time. The either-or format fits my crazy life and I can have a toe in the scrappy pool or just dive right in. Also, there is a forum to hash the issue out as you need and a gallery share your pages and get insightful feedback. Some of the girls share really great lists from each webinar as well so that you don't overlook those really neat tips, tricks, or bullet points from the live conversations.
This issue has been timely because I've been doing a lot of grid and blocked layouts lately. After a couple of weeks of being immersed in grids and blocks, I feel like I have a handle on why my older pages work (or not) and can now scrap with more confidence. I believe that your mood always comes across on a page. Confidence is important!
This page was inspired by Grids and Blocks:
This is one of my favorite pages to date. I just love that watercolor brush! It really leads you through the whole page while reinforcing the theme. Breaking the borders with the embellishments keeps the grid from being boring. It's clear, it's focused, it does it's job of capturing the memory visually. You probably don't need me to tell you what the journaling says to understand the story-- Photos from the first time my son was up close and personal with the ocean. MSD really reminds me to scrap with intention.
If you'd like to join me in this issue of MSD you can sign up for Grids and Blocks, you can buy save big bucks by using this link to purchase the rest of this year's issues: Grids & Blocks, Tension & Color. If you want to try just one issue at time at $12.50 an issue, that's fine, too!! Click Here: Grids & Blocks. I'm just blown away at all the goodies that are packed into this issue and I have a feeling you will be, too!
I hope I see you there!!
♥ Carrie
I'm plugging along with the latest issue of Masterful Scrapbook Design which is all about grids and blocks. The teaches this month are some of my favorite scrappy people: Doris Sander, Tiffany Tillman, Lynnette Penacho, Lisa Dickinson and Summer Fullerton. I guess I shouldn't leave out Debbie Hodge because she's a hands on kinda gal. They've shared some amazing pages and great tips for using grids and blocked page design.
I really love the beautiful hand out (all 200+ pages of it!), but my most favorite thing are the live webinars! There's one interview with each teacher and then 'Office Hours', which is really a mini critique workshop. They are incredibly informative and a little hilarious, just all around fun. If you can't make it to the live webinars it's okay: The recordings are posted ASAP for forever viewing. One of my favorite things to do is to grab a coffee, stick in my earbuds and scrap while re-listening to the webinars. (click HERE for an example of Office Hours!!)
I really love the how MSD can be either self-paced or in real time. The either-or format fits my crazy life and I can have a toe in the scrappy pool or just dive right in. Also, there is a forum to hash the issue out as you need and a gallery share your pages and get insightful feedback. Some of the girls share really great lists from each webinar as well so that you don't overlook those really neat tips, tricks, or bullet points from the live conversations.
This issue has been timely because I've been doing a lot of grid and blocked layouts lately. After a couple of weeks of being immersed in grids and blocks, I feel like I have a handle on why my older pages work (or not) and can now scrap with more confidence. I believe that your mood always comes across on a page. Confidence is important!
This page was inspired by Grids and Blocks:
 |
| Just Jaimee: Wood + Veneer Journal Cards, Storyteller July Collection; Amber Clerrg: All Glitter & Sparkles Alpha; Fonts: WakingUp, MS Gothic, Pea Shally |
If you'd like to join me in this issue of MSD you can sign up for Grids and Blocks, you can buy save big bucks by using this link to purchase the rest of this year's issues: Grids & Blocks, Tension & Color. If you want to try just one issue at time at $12.50 an issue, that's fine, too!! Click Here: Grids & Blocks. I'm just blown away at all the goodies that are packed into this issue and I have a feeling you will be, too!
I hope I see you there!!
♥ Carrie
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