Progress not perfection

And good morning to you!!  

I am giving my computer and home printer a workout this week. 

With my "vacation" coming to an end, one of my BIG projects is still looming over my head, and I am determined to finish it.  

My youngest sons albums didn't get finished before he graduated.  Probably because we didn't have a big party for his graduation.  Actually, we weren't even there.  Long "parent fail" story.  But, now, I am determined to have ALL of his school years scrapped (and out of my house).  

One of the hardest things about being so far behind, for me, is not remembering the stories behind some of the pictures.  I have one.  I know it was VERY important for me to take it.  I remember FEELING like it was important when I printed it just now.  But, I have no idea where we were or why it was important.  It brings back that feeling.  Like the smell of baking bread brings back a feeling.  I am going to have to ask him if he remembers.  Another moment that makes me feel like a bad parent.  I don't remember every ... single ... moment of his life.  

But ... I have the picture by golly!!

I love printing my pictures at home.  It gives me the time to decide what size I want.  It gives me the chance to visualize the layout before I print.  I tend to have less 'left over' pictures.  I only print what I am actually going to use.  And I never have to wait for the morning to finish a layout - If I forgot to print a picture, I can just do it.  This was a total win investment for me.  Of course, that is just this woman's opinion.  

In going through the files on my computer, I can see how my organization has evolved.  And can we all just take a moment here to say a quick "AMEN" for digital photos.  Having scrapped from 1992 - 2010 in the last 3 months, let me tell you, finding photos got way easier when I started taking digital pictures (2005).  And, I can see how my filing system is so much better now!!  I struggled to find some pictures I KNEW I had, even in 2009!  

Four of the albums I have finished this summer.  Jamie already took 3 home, and I am finishing up the last album from his high school years.  So many albums.  So many pictures.  So much love.  I probably did too many.  I don't know if he will even care.  They may sit on a shelf.  But I LOVED reliving these memories this summer!  I feel closer to him, whether he knows it or not.  LOL

And, on a final note, there are a few pages like this.  I finished the album these pictures should have been in.  I wasn't going to tear it apart to add one lost page, so I added this page to an album probably 3 years past the event. He needed to have these pictures!  I am at the FINISHED is better than PERFECT stage of the game.  The important this is that he has the memories.  #chronologicalscrapbookingfail  Some times I wish I could just scrapbook random pictures.  

Are you a chronological scrapper?  Do you scrapbook by theme?  If you scrapbook by theme, how do you not scrapbook a photo more than once?  Maybe it doesn't matter.  

So, thanks for reading my ramblings. See you next time,

C

Hello!!

I am sort of panicky today.  I am looking at the calendar and seeing that my time at home is coming to an end so quickly.  I am VERY excited to be going back to work, but I am also looking at my list of things I wanted to get done this summer and it's looking very unfinished!!  

Closets aren't cleaned out and windows aren't washed, but I have really enjoyed my time off and spent quality time with friends.  I've been to movies (maybe 6?), a couple plays, and a few rides in the hills. I've finished some scrapbooks and planned others.  

I've looked and my planner and scheduled a few classes for the fall, and I've made plans that I hope I'll be able to afford to do.  

Overall, I'd say life is very good at my house. 

One of the classes I've planned is a SYMPATHY CARD class.  I spent last Monday deciding on the card patterns and putting my demo cards together.   We are going to be using the paper and stamps shown in the picture below.  

Class size is limited. 

When - Aug 12  10AM - 4PM

Cost  $20

Must be signed up by AUG 10

I am so excited to get my card inventory re-stocked.  I never have time to make cards as events happen, so I keep cards on hand.  Because of this, I am planning on doing several card workshops!  

If you have a THEME you would like me to do

Let Me Know!!  

In the meantime, please contact me about joining this workshop.  

Connie

Recipes of Love

I am so Blessed to work with women who are so creative  and   who share their creativity!!

A fellow consultant named Bonny Tullo developed a BONUS recipe card workshop to compliment the GIMME SOME SUGAR recipe book kit sold by CLOSE TO MY HEART this year.  I offered it to my CLUB members and had 10 people sign up.  What a great class!

I, of course, forgot to take pictures during the class. I do have plenty of pictures of the pages we made.  Such a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon in July.  Friends and Air conditioning who could ask for anything more!

So, I'm sure you're not here to read my blather ... on to the pictures!!

Starting with the beautiful COVER piece.  This will be attached to the front of out BLUSH 6X8 ALBUMS.  The GLITTER isn't really showing up well in these pictures, but in person, it really makes the cover POP!

PAGE 1

Nothing like starting your album out with a picture of food!  I love the idea of having pictures in my recipe book!  I am looking forward to going through my photos and finding one of EVERYONE in my family in the kitchen!!

PAGE 2

I totally LOVE this picture of my grand daughter making chocolate chip cookies!  The minute I saw the ALBUM kit I knew I was using this picture! 

PAGE 3

I didn't have any 3X4 pictures ready to go, so I put place holders in.  3 photos on this page!! 

I love, love, love arrows with hearts on them.  I think this stamp set was totally purchased for the arrow and the camera!  LOL

PAGE 4 

More cameras.  That means more pictures today!  I know I can find some to fill these spots!  And check out the embellishments.  All of these were stamped and cut with a CLOSE TO MY HEART stamp and thin cut set!!  So easy!  And I will be adding many more to my album as I get recipes written and pages filled.  

PAGE 5

Because I put the kits together with what I had - some of us used B&T on this page, and some of us used the FLOWER PML card.  I love how the ZIP STRIPS on the right hand cards continue the flow of the album.  

 I just laid a PML card from one of the other kits over my page so you could see what it looked like.  The embellishment is from the SCRAPBOOK workshop, and will appear like the picture above.

PAGE 6

Again, the ZIP STRIPS at the bottom of the recipe cards pulls the viewer along the path.  And then you are at the 'picture' page!  Again, some home made embellishments make up the cluster in the lower right corner on the right hand page. And more GLITTER paper sparkles in real life. 

PAGE 7 

'FINE AND DANDY' in the instructions used stickers from the SCRAPBOOK kit.  I used those stickers on my scrapbook pages, so I stamped the phrase here.  I think it works just as well!  And, I gave away all my PML cards for the right hand page, so again , I stamped my own and cut out the rolling pin.  I popped mine with DIMENSIONAL TAPE for more interest.  

Isn't that a great album.  I can't wait to add the pages from the CTMH kit and get my recipes in there!  

Thanks to Bonny for sharing her talent and to all the girls who came to play with me this week!  

I can't wait for my next class!

C

Progress not Perfection

In case you were unaware of what is going on, I am home for the summer recovering from a hand surgery.   Since I had to take the summer off anyway, I decided to take this time to recover from my divorce. To heal myself, and purge and sort, and clean the ton of stuff I moved into my LITTLE apartment.  I've been here for almost 2 years, and it looks like I just moved in.  

I have been at it now for 4 weeks.  I am making time to enjoy life and spend time with friends and family, but I am also spending 4-10 hours working on the projects that I have decided need to be dealt with before I go back to work.  

Yesterday, it was my youngest son's albums.  

I should start by saying that part of my "big" plan is to finish my children's albums and get them in their hands instead of in my apartment.  If a photo isn't worth scrapping I toss it, and I am PURGING a ton!!  

My oldest son has most of his albums.  He has is SCOUT albums and his SCHOOL albums, but I still have photos to scrap from POST SCHOOL and of course the last 3 years of being a daddy!! This are mostly caught up, just a few pages to add and I can box those up for him.  

However ...

My youngest son's stuff is a mess!!

All of those boxes are full of photos (a bunch undated - just sayin') , ephemera, and memorabilia.

What a mess!  Yesterday I spent 9 hours, YES!! 

9 hours

 sorting, throwing, organizing and scrapping for him.  I am not done, but I have a great start.  I think I can have his done by the end of the week.  Such a good feeling to be able to move this out of my head and house.  

I am so excited to say that all of my children will be getting FINISHED scrapbooks for Christmas this year.  I am finishing them, boxing them and wrapping them up!  DONE!

My serious advise to you, as your friend, 

Get a STABILLO pencil, and if you print a picture, 

PUT THE YEAR ON THE BACK!!

So many of my son's photos I remember the story, but have no idea if it was kindergarten or Third grade!  I'm a bit sad about that.  But, they will still be in a book with a story and I am sure that is all my son will care about.  

Hope you have a happy scrapping day!  

C

Getting Things Done

I am amazed at what  can get done with one hand!  I have set up a list of goals (on my phone, since I can't write!!)  and I managed to CRUSH the first one!

I follow an amazing scrapbooker named ALI EDWARDS.  I have for a long time. I have even purchased several classes from her.    

So, one of the things she does is A WEEK IN THE LIFE album every year. She chooses a week every year and documents the "reality" of the whole week. The food, the mundane, the shopping, the tantrums, the house, the yard, the whole shebang.  She offers  a new line of products every year to go with the process she does very publicly on her blog.  I haven't purchased the WEEK IN THE LIFE products (or class I don't think) but, I've followed her process and started it for 2 years!  I did (some of) the journaling, I took all the pictures, but never got them into an album.

My first project to finish while I am off this summer is my 2017 WEEK IN THE LIFE album.  I started with corralling the pictures on my computer into one place.  As organized as I thought I was ... this was enlightening!  I have some work to do on cleaning out my computer's memory.  (later!)

I printed the pictures I wanted after I decided I was going to use just a few 4X6 photos and mostly 3X4 photos.  I chose background CARD STOCK ( I have a bunch of retired I would like to get used up - another goal!)  I then pulled a limited supply of embellishments, PROJECT LIFE cards (I have a bunch of these from before CTMH made pocket cards) stamps, and inks.  I find that looking for things as I go and adding things all the time slows me down and overwhelms my creativity.

So, with my supplies out, I started on Tuesday afternoon.   I started with a 'loose' plan.

 1) a title page for each day 

2) a 'day' pocket for each day and

 3) and an 'initial' card for each day.  

With my goals and my loose plan in mind I filled the pages for the week with my pictures first. Then I added the CARD STOCK pages and pocket cards, then the PROJECT LIFE cards. 

And now, the fun part begins!  Decorating the pages.  At this point, I didn't understand how ALI EDWARDS and most of the other people who have done this project needed a whole album for this!  It was crazy!  I was gonna put 2 years in one album, not 'waste' a whole album.  Then ... I started decorating.

I love my title page!  I used a BECKY HIGGINS PL card.  I love that camera (and i just realized I need to put bling on the flash!)  The frame is an old RECOLLECTIONS piece I believe.  I used CTMH 'Marker Alphabet' #E1034 for my title, with BLACK INK and 'Week in the Life' is from the CTMH RETIRED stamp set Notice the Details #D1378. I haven't used this set much for as much as I loved it when I bought it, but I will, just wait, I will!

The pocket pages were next.  And they are so fun to decorate!  Remember I told you I was making CARD STOCK day pages?  Here is the first one. 

Just retired OCEAN card stock I hoarded. I stamped 'MONDAY'  in BLACK ink with the CTMH stamp set 'My Life' #D1572.  I used the days of the week from this set for the WHOLE book.  The font is different for every day, which I LOVE!  I am a bit of a font freak.  LOL  The embellishments are old RECOLLECTIONS pieces, except for the yellow flower which is from a very old CTMH paper kit. I looked for the name, so I could tell you, but can't find it. The embellishments were very bulky for that kit and I didn't use them in my big albums because of that.  And, other than for the workshop, I didn't use them on cards because I didn't feel that they would mail easily. 

I love the wood veneer 'hello'!  The adhesive was crap, but I love the look of it.  Wood embellishments are soooo cute in these small albums.  Personally, I don't like the bulk in my big albums. 

The other consistent detail I wanted in my album was the initial for every day.  On Monday I used a camera PL card (I love camera accents in anything!!)  I think this is such a nice little detail in the album. I'm really glad I made this choice. 

Once again, I used the Marker Alphabet set from CTMH.  Using up some old embellishments and bling as I go.  

Just a little more information before I leave you today.  I am using SIMPLE STORIES page protectors and album for this project. (cleaning out my stash).   2 years ago, when I made my grand daughter's albums for family, I DOUBLE ORDERED page protectors!!  WHO DOES THAT??  

Well, me apparently.  So, I have a ton of page protectors and 1 album.  Now 0 albums, and still a ton of protectors.  I will be shopping for a couple more albums so I can use up the page protectors.  It's OK though.  I love mini albums.  They mean FINISHED projects. 

Have an amazing day and a scrappy weekend!

C

Recovery - the first of may updates

Well, it's amazing how much time one spends on the computer when you can't really do anything else.  I am catching up one the blogs I follow, the instagrammers i watch and the shopping places i try   not to spend too much time (or money) at.

my computer time is helping me prepare for projects i want to do while i am recovering. i have a list of goals for the time i have off.  id love to write them down, prioritize them and do some brain storming, but, alas, i can't write anything down!  i had no idea how much i used my hands. specifically, my right hand!  hopefully, until i am more agile, i can LEARN!  i have several online classes and youtube tutorials that i need to spend time on. i will continue to research and do what i can to improve my online presence and my personal history recording.  i am still struggling towards my goals . what do i want in my future? what goals do need to achieve the future i want? what steps do i need to take to achieve those goals?

sorry, meds kicked in .... mind wondered ... rambling ensued. LOL   my point was, in the 5 days I've done very little other than surf the web, I've discovered a few things id like to change.

1.  i need to take more pictures of my life.

         


              So, my first , honest picture of my life.



             I need to send more cards. I make them.  I save them.
             I organize them (see photo for proof)  This was my                 first project in my summer off!

             Now - I need to start mailing them







this i discovered while reading the WEEK IN THE LIFE blogs by Ali Edwards.  
I have pictures from this year and last year that i would like to get them in albums with journaling before i go back to work.
                Anyway, Ali takes a ton of pictures, and actually scraps 10-12 a day. I only took 4-5 a day, and not all of them are scrap worthy!  I would like to be more aware of moments, aware of things and people worthy of recording. Things i see now  ... i want to REALLY SEE.



2. I can and probably should blog more about the process.

         


          This is the first step in the PROJECT LIFE 2017 album                                                                                        

          I am determined to finish this year!    

          I am grouping the photos from that week, I am then going to narrow down the ones I plan on using, I'll put them in the page protectors, then add papers and embellishments.

          You will be seeing more photos of this album soon.







I tend to blog about big things.  When they are done or if they are important i record.  That probably isn't necessary. I can share just the pictures with notes from my days. Or I can scrap the same. general photos, notes from the day. Everything isn't a huge thing to everyone else, but i know I don't record some thoughts that I would like to remember.


3. The blog is a great place to record some history and some thoughts.

             
          If you follow my FB page,

                 2cut's HEART

          You have probably seen this lovely picture of my arm.  I am 13 days out from surgery and already frustrated and wishing recovery was over.

          I think if I could be better about posting things here .... I might have a better timeline for some of the thousands of open thoughts  and projects rambling around my head.




 I don't utilize my computer to NEAR the potential it offers. It is a great resource. There is so much potential and i have not even explored the possibilities. I am hoping to explore resources that will work with my cra-cra thinking.  Maybe I can accomplish more.  Or, maybe I can just bore you all to death with my rambling!

Either way, you are going to be getting a taste of my crazy thinking.  My sorting my thoughts.   And my trying to get control of my space.  Welcome to this crazy ride!

So Welcome to my World

C

Touching base

So, today is the last day before I have surgery.  I am finishing up one more day of work and some scrapping and personal things around the house.  

I have big plans for what I plan to do with my 3 months off, but honestly, I am not sure what I am going to actually be capable of doing.  I'm kind of freaking out a little this morning.  I'm not even sure I can drink coffee left handed.  I don't think I can butter bread left handed!!  Not that I'll starve to death very fast, but, REALLY!!  I am so NOT left handed!!  

So, today, grocery store, change sheets on bed, pay some bills, get my CTMH order in, and try not to have a melt down thinking about surgery tomorrow.  I will be glad when I am into the recovery.  But today, I'm a little nervous.  

I imagine while I am off you will hear from me often.  I think I will be able to type better than I will be able to do any other form of communication. And I may need a place to feel in touch with my friends, I hope you will be here!!  

See you on the other side ...

C