Catching Up...

It's a bitter cold day outside today so I've decided to use my day off from school in my creative corner catching up on my son's college soccer album.  I'm just a little behind.

I pulled some papers last night & set them out with my pics, then pulled out some of my dusty but trusty books for inspiration.  I sat in front on the nice warm fire last night browsing through one of my favorite books, "Designing With Color" by Autumn Leaves.  I look at the book not so much for the color combinations, but for technique inspiration.  Just feels like I've been in such a funk & I can't get my groove back.

So here is the 2 page layout I came up with today.  I pulled out the paints and my old sponge letter stamps & went to work.  Everything on these pages is from my stash - I have so much!

The journaling is on the old Karen Foster 12x12 Notebook paper - always loved that! 

The opponent in this game is always an aggressive team - ALWAYS!  Even the fans/parents get pretty heated.  Last year when we played there the ref actually stopped play & ejected a parent from their side after repeatedly warning them to be quiet!  This year was not much different.  This isn't even our biggest rival in D3, that would be Calvin!  But something about this team just puts us all on the edge of our seats.

Yet I am truly amazed at the composure of my son.  He amazes me at how he keeps his cool on the field, even when an opponent literally stomped on the inside of his ankle after checking to make sure the ref was turned towards the play going down the field.  He came out of nowhere, checked the ref's position & then did his dirty deed!  Shaun's ankle swelled & bruised & gave him issues the rest of the season, but he kept on playing.  He just makes mental notes for retaliation at a later time - just like his dad used to do in hockey.

I also think of people who are "football" people and think soccer is such a sissy sport.  They have never taken the time to watch a truly well played game & see what athletes these players are!  The game can get very physical and it's all done without the help of helmets & pads!

O.K. - I'll get off my little soap box now.  Back to creating.

Photo Books

If you follow my blog at all you know that I am photo hobbyist & that I love to take senior pictures for the kids' at my school at a much discounted price compared to the professionals.  It is really a lot of fun to get outside with them & just let them do what comes natural to them, be a kid!

With my photo session they get a variety of pictures that I edit, I never edit them all, a CD with all their pics so they can edit any that I didn't & a keepsake book with a selection of prints that I've developed.

I used to buy an 8x8 album and then realized when the selection was not all that impressive anymore that I could just make their books.  The kids' really seem to enjoy this little detail.  I always try to pic papers that reflect them, their favorite color, their personality, etc.

Every book includes one of their pictures on the front in some sort of frame & their first name.  The girls' always have ribbon tied to the binding, but not the guys' of course - that would just be silly!

These are the two books I completed this past Sunday!  It is so fun to come up with a different concept for each individual & I love their reaction when they get their books.

Yesterday when I gave Chelsea's (on the right) book to her, she looked at it & then said to me, "you have too much time on your hands." 

I laughed!  Oh if she only knew.........

Time To Get Creative.....Finally!!!

It would seem as if I've lost my creative mojo lately.....like the last 2 months or so.  I've been a terrible blogger (my sister reminds me to post) & I just haven't been able to accomplish much in my creative corner.

I'm not sure what or why this has happened, it just hasn't been!  I think part of it is the fact that we burned wood almost the whole month of December & into the 1st couple weeks of January as it was SO cold here & the meter outside was spinning uncontrollaby.  When we burn wood, the basement doesn't get heated & that is where my creative corner is located.   With temps in the teens & single digits & the wind chills being even colder, well - the basement isn't warm - AT ALL!  If I'm having a hot flash it's the perfect place to go & chill out, but not to create.  My fingers get all numb & stuff & mittens just don't cut it!

So the temps here lately have been in the mid 30's, very mild & the furnace is back to blowing warm air into all spaces of our living space!  I'm taking advantage of it & getting into the groove.

My Circle Journal group is starting another round of CJ's.  While they were supposed to be mailed by January 15th, I'm just a little behind.  But I know these ladies & they are very dear friends and very forgiving - (aren't you girls?) & I am in the process of finishing everything up today to mail out tomorrow.  Luckily they don't have to mail their finished projects back to me for a few months yet!!

I've also created a little something-something for each of them & the picture on the left is a sneak peek for them.  They don't know truly what they are or who's is who's?  So I feel confident that I can post this picture & peak their curiousity & get them a little excited!

The picture on the right is what they will be receiving to complete for my CJ.  My theme this year is......"A Day In The Life".   They are to use the black pages I am sending them, a clock must be present somewhere & some sort of stitch.  You know - A Stitch In Time - and all that.  I thought it was quite clever!  Each must include pictures of themselves & pictures of tasks they complete throughout the day, whether it be a work day or play day. 

I came up with the round shape for my journal to replicate the shape of most clocks.  The square edging will be on the left for my binding when I receive all the pages back.

I look forward to the fun we are all going to have this year completing these journals.  We tried a new twist this year in that we've mailed out the products to each other w/ instructions, rather than the whole book!  We've all mailed (well I will tomorrow) our stuff out so we can work on them as we have time.  Each month is assigned to a specific person in the group & we are to have their project/pages completed & mailed to them by that date. 

I can't wait to see them when I get them all back & assemble the book.  The 7 other ladies involved are some of the most creative people I've come to know!  I'm so glad I sent out that request on 2Ps 4 or 5 years ago to start a circle journal.  While not everyone in our group is from that "charter voyage", we have all becomed intertwined through the connection of the few of us who were!

So I must get back to business - have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Thinking Of You

The top photo on this layout which was created by a friend for me is of my longest, dearest friends......Amy & Ann.  We have literally never known a moment in our lives where the other didn't exist.  We are 2 years apart (I'm older), but we were born across the street from each other.  Our parents & older sisters were friends too. 

Pat, their mom, took ill last Thursday & has been in the hospital ever since.  She's been struggling & the doctor's were unable to find any causes for what was happening.  She passed away this morning.  She was my other mom while growing up.

Even though the twins and I don't see each other for years - we stay in touch via email and through their parents. 

I spent a lot of time this past weekend at the hospital with them all, sitting with Pat while they were in meetings with doctors and just being supportive.

I have so many memories over the years of time with them.  I will NEVER forget when one day Pat interupted our very important play time and made us sit & watch T.V.  There was a "special announcement".  It was of President Nixon.  We watched as he resigned from office.  Pat told us that this was a historical moment, one that we would always remember!!!  Well, I do - especially years later while on my senior trip to Washington D.C. I walked up to the case with the letter of resignation from President Nixon in it.  That moment came back to me so quickly.

So as I pray for the family through this difficult time - knowing all too well the loss they are feeling - I remember too all the love & laughter our families have shared through the years.

I don't know of many people who can say they have known a friend, REALLY known a friend, all their life.

One Photo....

I have been faithful so far in taking my photo a day for my 365 project.  I am trying to shoot objects or scenery that remind me to keep things simple.

We have, or I should say, hubby has been doing all the work - I just come up with the designs - been remodeling our bathroom.  It is really starting to come together. I promise to take picks soon, it's just that right now there are no doors on the cupboard unit up top.

But I am slowly working on the decor.  On one of our recent trips to Lowes, I think they're beginning to know us by name...or atleast sight, I was rummaging through the molding section because we were putting new molding around the base board.  I found this "groovy" molding & decided it would make awesome frames!

Well, hubby has made the frames & I have painted them, I'm just trying to figure out how to put the "glass/acrylic" protection on it in order to mount my picture.  I've been experimenting with a few techniques but haven't yet been successful.  I have to think of the moisture in there due to showers & such.

BUT I have come up with the print(s) I want to put in the frames.  The frames are black squares with a 5 1/2" square opening.

I took a picture of this silk gerbrara daisy I have laying around:

Now I had this really cool vision in my head but since I'm am no pro at photoshop, I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to achieve it!!!  I was playing with it at school & decided to ask our desktop publishing teacher for some tips.  His tip was to have a student do it for me!!

So he went to work for me - he was trying to do something that was far to complicated so he showed me this other way that he had tried.  He didn't like the results & didn't think I would either but he was WRONG!  They were exactly what I was looking for.

Here they are:

Seriously - how cool are these??  Our bathroom walls are a light lime springy green.  The trim is all in white, as will be the cupboard units after my hubby rebuilds them & all the accents are either natural or black!

I will be sure to post when I get them framed finally & hung in the bathroom!

Now off to pick up more senior pictures from the photo shoot I did this past Sunday....it was SO cold!  But they turned out absolutely gorgeous with the sun & the white snow as a back drop.

It's Snowing.......Again!!!

It never ceases to amaze me!  I've lived in Michigan my whole life and we have always had four seasons.  The spring is wet, muddy & yet beautiful & sunny.  Summers are hot & muggy most of the time.  Fall is absolutely breathtaking with its crisp air & glorious colors and then there's winter.  Yes, it gets cold - bone chilling sometimes.  Yes, it snows - sometimes less & sometimes more!!!  Get over it people......it's January in Michigan & it is going to snow & it is going to be cold!  I can't tell you how many people I've heard saying they "hate the cold & snow"!  It just cracks me up!  So - either learn to like it & live with it or move?

Yes, it is snowing again today.  We tend to get a lot of "lake affect" snow around here & the closer you move to the Lake Michigan shoreline, the worse it gets.  They got pounded the 1st part of this week - over a foot of snow in one day.  We were spared - we live far enough inland that it didn't hit us, but go 15 miles to the west & they got 4" - 5"!

But today a storm system has moved in & settled over us.  We've gotten almost 4" since I left the house at 7 a.m. today and it's just gonna keep piling up all night long.  We're expected to get up to 8 inches or so by the time this is over.

So, in keeping with my word "simplicity" & doing my 365 project.....here is today's pic:

My youngest is still home from his college break, so he donned the "lumberman jacket" & went out to snow blow!!  I love this - the snowblower makes it so much easier to remove snow when we get hammered and I just laugh at his lumberman jacket - he ASKED for this because it was like the jacket's his grandpa (my dad) used to wear!!!

Here's the same pick in color so you can get the full effect - the red & black buffalo plaid:

I was supposed to work at the LSS today after school, but the roads are awful.  I'm not normally a sissy about driving in this weather, but when one of the busiest Interstates (I-94) in this part of the country is shut down - you KNOW it's bad & to stay off the roads.

So I'm going to take advantage of my "free" time & get some pictures uploaded to Snapfish - they have a great sale ending today, "50 pics for 50 pennies".  Can't beat that!!

Then I'm going to work on my 2010 circle journal which is due to be shipped out January 15th!

Enjoy your evening everyone - stay safe if you're out in the storms driving around!

Project 12 & A 365

While trying to simplify things this year in my life, I've decided to try and work along with two different concepts.  While it may seem this will add more "complications" to my daily routines, my way of thinking is that it will keep me on task & make it simpler to stay that way.

Project 12 is a monthly layout format designed by Becky Fleck.  You make one layout a month for the year.  This site gives you a monthly sketch to use as your inspiration.  You can use as many or as few pictures as you want from happenings of that month!  I'm not sure if I'll use pictures from this year, or maybe use the pictures from my family slides that I've been working on for the past year.  It doesn't really matter, the sketches are there for my inspiration in whatever manner I chose!  I just know that this will at least keep me on task to complete a layout every month.  Doesn't that sound sad?  I used to scrapbook and complete one or two layouts a week, but it seems that I've let life get to busy as of late - so it's time to simplify!!!

Project 365 - I've started this before & only made it through the 1st few days' of the new year & not much farther.  The object of this is to take one photo (at least) each day.  Whether to document something from that day - work on your photography skills - or follow your year through pictures, it's kind of a cool concept.  I've managed to take a shot every day so far this year!!!  I'm trying to find something in each of my days' that makes me think of simpler things, simple joys, simple ideas - I think you get the picture.

Now I won't be boring you with my pics each & every day, but I will download some from time to time.  Along with my 365 photo taking, I've purchased a small journal & I'm journaling every day about the picture I took & something from that day that brought simple joy to me!

simplicity

This year has started - a new year, a chance for new beginnings, new memories, new dreams & new chances.

Last year my "word" was BELIEVE.  I love that word.  I have it all over my house to remind me that all I have to do is believe.  I still hold this word close to my heart.

This year I've chosen a new word ------- SIMPLICITY.

I need to simplify my life in so many areas.  Cleaning out the old & simplifying my life, my home, my job, my finances, so, so many areas.

So here's to a simpler life in 2010.  Here's to making things less complicated & more simple.