A Different Kind of Challenge

I am usually a sketch challenge kind of girl, but this month I decided to play along with a different kind of challenge at Cocoa Daisy. The challenge is to create a layout following in the style of one of their Design Team gals. This month the challenge was to scraplift the style of the fabulous Denise Morrison. Her style is best described on the Cocoa Daisy blog: "There’s a cool messiness to her work. She paints, she mists and masks, she scribbles, she layers." It was very freeing to approach a layout with someone else's style in mind. It made me pull out mists and stamps. It made me rip paper. I laid some things diagonally.  I even scribbled a bit. (And I don't even like to hand write on my layouts.)

And then I didn't worry about writing a long story. I just wrote some words that I liked. Though really there is a long story about my title. I'll try to keep it short. 

I am quiet. I am shy. I am even anxious. Sometimes, really anxious. And that can  really make it difficult  for me to get things done. Still, I feel quite confident and strong in who I am. Even if who I am is a quiet and shy and anxious person. But, I know what I am good at. I know what is hard for me. When it's worth it, I will push past the anxiety. I will push myself outside my "comfort zone." But not always. Because I think it takes just as much awareness and confidence to say, "No, Thanks. That's not for me. I will take the easier road, so that I can be a better mother, and a better wife, and accomplish what I want to accomplish in my time here on this Earth." 

WCS Sketch, and A Star is Born Part 2

The following layout is based on this sketch at Write.Click.Scrapbook.

I have to say, that my favorite part of this sketch is that little triangle in the upper corner. I loved it so much, I added another one in a lower corner too.

I took this sketch pretty literally, which helped it get done licked y split.

And the story behind it all: I recently shared a layout about Max's first foray into the performing arts. That is, he had a part in his school play. There, I mostly just marked the date, and the fact that it happened. But, you know, I always feel like there has to be something deeper (though really there doesn't have to be) in my scrapbooking. So I paired another play photo with a shot of Max preparing for his first debate. Until this year, Max has not been the type of  kid with an ongoing interest, or extra curricular activity. Which is fine, but it's also comforting to see him choose something to do outside of school work; to see him work hard; and to see him succeed. Just so I know that he can. Because, really, once you can set a goal and work to reach it, you can pretty much do anything.

Sneak Time

Time for a sneak peek of my layout for Write.Click.Scrapbook's May gallery. This is also the part where I exclaim that I can't believe it's almost May. Here goes: OMG, I can't believe it's almost May!!

Moving on, here's the peek:

You can see more sneaks on WCS's Facebook page.

Come see the rest on May 1st.

My New Hobby

While I don't think this will replace scrapbooking any time soon, I have fallen in love with another activity. Whereas scrapbooking fulfills my creative and tactile needs, this new hobby is all about the whole body.

This January, Sam and I went to a place called Brooklyn Boulders, to give indoor rock climbing a try. It seemed like something fun for Sam to do over his winter break, and I figured I'd join in too, just for the sake of bonding over a shared activity.  Anyway, long story short, I loved it. I had fun. Pure, unadulterated fun. It was hard, and I was sore, but I felt so invigorated. I think the key is that it's all about lifting your own body weight, and there is something very satisfying about that. You just feel connected to your muscles and your core. And while, it's always cool to make it to the top, even when you don't, you still feel like you accomplished something. 

I knew this was something I wanted to scrap about, and this sketch at Cocoa Daisy seemed perfect for a layout about climbing. Because of all the brightly colored holds on the climbing wall, I kind of went to town with  colorful embellishments here. I had some fun with arrows too.

Now, at Brooklyn Boulders, in addition to many climbing walls, there is something called the slackline. It is essentially like a tight rope (Well, to my untrained eye it is just like a tight rope. I suppose it could be very different.) It is extremely hard to walk across, though I can't seem to get enough of trying. Once again, I feel like if I can just get my core strong enough, I can make it. However, I think 3 steps is my record right now. But I am getting better at standing in one spot.

The slackline also gets its own layout. I even got some pictures of me in there. Because of the graffiti walls in these photos, I kept this one way more simple. Any time I tried to add some embellishment, it all seemed very loud. 

The funny thing is, with all this talk about rock climbing and slacklines, I've actually only been there three times. But, I'm pretty sure, I will be there again some time soon. 

P.S. Sam loves it too. Max came once, and liked it just fine.

P.P.S. I have no desire to climb actual rocks, outside, where falls would not be cushioned by several feet of matted flooring.

A Star Is Born

Making layouts has been quite slow-going lately. It has been really hard to make and find the time to do it lately. When this happens, I get really antsy and crabby, and it can really hard to get back into the groove of creating regularly.

Slow as it has been, there is some creating happening in my life, like this layout, here:

Just a quick little layout to document Max's performance in his school play. This was a first for him, and he worked really hard at it. And, he looked great in a tux. I have a feeling this might be the topic of another layout or two, especially since a couple of other dozen photos were made available from the performance.

What I am proud of in this LO-I used two different stamps, and three different embossing powders. Every month I receive beautiful stamps in my Cocoa Daisy kit, but I am not great at making use of them. Except for here. Here I used them. Yay, me.

A Long Time Ago...

Sam used to look like this:

I could eat those cheeks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Well, his cheeks are smaller now, and he's much bigger, but the essential softness and squishiness of those cheeks, remain unchanged.

I still nibble on them when I can.

Preparation is Key

Max and Dave have been watching a lot of The Walking Dead. I have been watching some of The Walking Dead. But, it's definitely a show that in this home we call, "rated NM." Which means, Not for Mommy. I like it, I just can't see most of it due to all the blood and gore and general scariness. I've had scary dreams.

But that is not the point of this story. After watching a season or so, Max declared one day that he doesn't think he has what it takes to survive a zombie apocalypse. Well, not with that attitude, young man! So, we began what any responsible nerd parents would do, and began to come up with our survival plan. For several weeks in a row, mostly on Friday nights, we had some pretty long discussions about what we would do to survive a zombie apocalypse, specifically,  in New York City. And then, of course, I needed to scrapbook about all these lovely family discussions. 

It was a challenge to take a photo of a cover of The Walking Dead comic book, and to create a layout when my stash of scrapbook supplies include lots of pretty papers with flowers, delicate patterns, or words like "The Best Day Ever." Black seemed to help solve some of these issues. 

It's not my most favorite layout ever, but it's a story told. Sometimes, when thinking about why I scrapbook, I picture what someone in the future will think as they look through my pages. And for the most part, I hope they see and appreciate the family connections, the love, the fun, and even the monotony that we have shared together in this home. But, this page, I'm pretty sure, will have some descendant of mine scratching their head and thinking, "What the hell...?" 

Layouts from some time ago

At the end of February, I had my first blogging week over at Write.Click.Scrapbook, where I talked on and on about creativity and the creative process, which is a topic I am quite fond of. Or, shall I say, a topic of which I am quite fond. My first day, consisted of layouts about appreciating all the ways the people around you are creative. That post included lots of layouts about my kids and their play.

Max is mostly done with the kind of imaginative play where you are lost in a story of your own creation. But Sam is still going at it in full force. Even though we are all "plugged in" in so many ways, Sam still manages to play with this old computer keyboard, that is not connected to anything. But it features heavily in his stories.

On occasion, I can catch a glimpse of playful Max, but he is often busy with very important teenage things. But you can rest assured, I will capture that playfulness when I can.

WCS Gallery

One day, I saw my darling children lying together on the couch, like so:

And, like so:

And, I thought, "Wow, that is sweet. But, man oh man, there is no way that this will end without them fighting." Even so, I don't think that negates the fact that they were enjoying each other's company here. And even with some of the brawling that followed, I think they both kind of like it, and it's there way of bonding. So, for the most part, I try to stay out of it, and let them be. Together. 

But still, I had these lovely photos, so they turned into my layout for Write.Click.Scrapbook.'s April gallery. 

The theme this month is shapes, so I immediately created a nice, square grid. And then used lots of circles to break up all that square-ness. And arrows. Because, it's almost impossible for me to make a layout nowadays without arrows.

What shape do you find yourself using again and again?
And, do you let your kids fight?