New Sketchabilities Sketch

And here it is!!!

I loved working with this sketch so much. It made this layout come together in no time. I LOVE when  that happens.

It is yet another layout from our road trip. I am still eking out some layouts from that vacation. We did A LOT. Here, we visited the Wild Turkey distillery,which for Dave, was like coming home. Well, not really. But we do love our bourbon. And it is almost never boring to see how things are made. Really, never.

Once again this sketch is sponsored by Flying Unicorn, and this is the prize for the winner of this sketch challenge:

Good luck!

Take Twelve Layout

Here's my layout for this September 12th. I was in a bit of a rush in trying to get this done before Rosh Hashana, so to help with that, I just printed my photo collage in 8x10. I love how fast that made things.
There is a little time left to enter your photos or layout here for a chance to win a seat in Big Picture Boot Camp.

Sketchabilities Sketch

Here it is, folks. My first layout as a design team member for Sketchabilities. 

First, the sketch.

Then, the layout.

Then my rambling about how this layout came to be.

I struggled with this sketch at first, I had a whole different set of pictures, and I was taking the sketch very literally. It just wasn't happening. Then I remembered that a sketch is a jumping off point. I realized I can leave off some layers of paper, and move some elements around. Then I walked away from it, so that when I came back, I could judge it from a fresh perspective. Upon returning, I decided I still liked what I saw, so I tweaked a few things, added my journaling strips, and then, success! Do you ever do this too, or am I the only one?

Then some details.

This month's Sketchabilities sketch challenge is sponsored by Flying Unicorn. Link your take on the layout here, and don't forget to check out the rest of the design team creations!

Oh, and by the way, Friendly's ice cream ROCKS. The rest of their food is utterly un-kosher, so I have no idea whether it's good or bad. Oh, but the ice cream....

Take Twelve Photos

Before we begin, please enter my giveaway here. It's a good one, so chekc it out. I am giving away a spot in Tracey Clark's self-paced workshop, Picture Color, over at Big Picture Classes.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

This September 12th:
-The kids are back at school. We are back to waiting together for the bus. But now that Max is in high school, he leaves earlier than the rest of the us.
-I am back at work, though my students have not started yet. We visit each child at home before school begins (they are very little), and with 3 classes, that mean 33 visits. So I've been walking A LOT around Brooklyn. This year, more than other years, I have been constantly struck by how beautiful it is.
-We wrote up our first lesson plans of the year. There are 2 of my co teachers.
-Art supplies=pretty
-Back at home  lots of folded laundry awaited its return to closets and drawers.
-Homework is here again. Max is especially out of practice, since I don't think he did any in the last half of eighth grade. And Max admitted he needed help to cut down on his screen time. Admitting you have a problem is the first step.

My Favoritest Picture

Remember I said I was taking Elizabeth Dillow's class called "Photo Challenges?" This is my favoritest picture that I took so far:

So, I scrapbooked it tout de suite.

That title is a direct quote from some stranger as Sam walked by. Looking sharp, indeed.

You can still enter my Big Picture Classes giveaway here.

Ella Publishing and Big Picture Classes (and a giveaway)

Have you heard the news yet?

Ella Publishing Co., home of top-quality eBooks for scrapbookers and crafters, is now a part of the Big Picture Classes family! Even more exciting is the reunion of the visionary team that brought the world Simple Scrapbooks magazine (2002-2009). Stacy Julian, Angie Lucas, Wendy Smedley, and Cathy Zielske are back together under one umbrella—along with the other valued staff members of both companies.

You can read even more about this fabulous combination (like, chocolate and peanut butter fabulous) here.

And, you can sign up for Big Picture Classes Big Idea Festival, which is free (FREE!),with some more big announcements to come.

And finally, in honor of  this exciting occasion, I get to give away a spot in Tracy Clark's self paced workshop Picture Color. 

Through this 30-day photo-centric celebration, Picture Color will encourage you to turn your lens toward the colors that delight you most. With daily email prompts delivered right to your inbox, you will be greeted and inspired by a myriad of colorful shades to awaken your senses and your inner-artist as your camera clicks color after vibrant color!

To be entered, leave me a comment about what kind of classes you like to take.  And, if you like, you can follow me, and leave me another comment, for another chance to win. (If you already follow me, leave me two comments. Really, go ahead.) I will pick a winner on Sunday, September 16th.

And Now Back to Work...

Yep, all the Deutsches are just hours from being back to school and work. 

So, we're all done taking it slow for now. In fact, there's quite a lot to do already. 

Tomorrow, Max is starting high school. He will be going to school where Dave teaches. Yesterday, Dave confirmed that Max won't be in his class (which we all figured, but there was still a chance it could happen). Both of them had mixed feelings about this. Dave would have liked to have Max around, and to have the chance to lecture him about history in a setting where Max would have to listen. But, he knew it would make grading fairly impossible. Max knows that Dave is entertaining and a well-liked teacher (so he's heard through the grapevine), but, well, to a fourteen year old boy, having your father around at school is not priority. But, really, the fact that they both sort of want to be in the same class means that they generally like each other, and that is good.

A few weeks ago, I was wondering how this whole thing will play out over the next few years. Will this be the thing that Max swears he will never do to his own children, or something that he will always cherish about his childhood? My gut feeling is that most days will be fine, but there will be times when it will get ugly. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

As many scrapbookers do, as they ponder their family life, I scrapped  about it:

These last few weeks

I've been somewhat remiss at blogging, and at updating my galleries.

But, I have been hard at work at taking it slow. Rather than count down the days until we are all back at work and school, and trying to cram in as much as possible on my summer to do list, I've been taking my time with projects and errands and chores.  I'm still doing them. I'm just doing them more slowly.

And when I'm not doing projects and errands and chores, I have been working at not thinking about projects and errands and chores. I've just been enjoying the time, the people, being in the moment, and not trying to do so much. It's quite nice.

And I've been taking this fabulous class at Big Picture Classes, called Photo Challenges with Elizabeth Dillow.  (Registration is currently closed, but if it become available again, I recommend  it 100%) It's been helping me capture it all.

And, wait. I might even include a picture of myself. Can I do it?

Yes! I can!

There, that wasn't so bad.