A New Addition

My mom and dad picked up this desk for me from a yard sale.  I love it! Such a fun addition to my scrapbook room.  I haven't really done a lot of work on it yet.  Just cleaned it up with Murphy's oil and  then added  orange oil to nourish it.  The wood was very dry.  I am not sure how old the desk actually is.  

Underneath the seat it has a stamp from the local high school.  I can't imagine these actually being used in the classroom.  I have paint in the picnic basket and the large basket underneath the seat holds my ongoing albums.  As you can see the large jar on top has ribbon.

Little by little I add and tweak to my scrapbook room.  It is an ever evolving process.   The next big thing that I want to change is the computer desk that sits at the left of this little desk.  It is in a constant state of clutter and disarray and I really need to get a handle on it!  One of these days, one of these days.  Till then.  I will work and putter, tweak and change till I get things just the way I like them.   Maybe one of these days I will even post this eyesore of a desk that I am currently sitting at while I type this.

I hold onto things

O.K, I'll admit it.  When it comes to my beloved scrapbook stash I find it difficult to part with things.  I don't necessarily think of myself as a hoarder but, there are times when I shake my head and wonder what I was thinking. Often I have a "gotta get'em all" mentality. As a result of my inability to sufficiently clean out my stash I have been forcing myself to actually use what I have on hand and only buy the basics, like adhesive and cardstock.  Every once in a while my resolve weakens and I cave but, only if I find a "too good to be true, can't possibly pass up" kinda deal.   For the most  part however, I have remained strong, proudly plowing through my stash with great pluck and determination.  I genuinely love the feeling that I get when I use an item that I have had forever . It feels like I have accomplished something.  Oh, the little things! 

 for the Say Cheese layout: Bazzill for the cardstock, I think the patterned paper is Autumn Leaves, the brads are MME, the cb letters are American Crafts and I am unsure of the fiber.

 This fiber is a great case of using an item that I have had forever! Remember when we were all collecting fibers by the truckload?

Redwood Creek Challenge: Bazzill, star paper is colorbok, the stickers are Sassafras, the brads are MME, and the metal plate is MM.

Just Be Yourself

One of the things that many scrapbookers ponder is the notion of their personal scrapbook style.  I have questioned and searched out my own personal style for almost as many years as I have been scrapbooking.  I guess one of the concerns I have always had is that I didn't want all of my layouts to look identical,  but at the same time...I don't want them to look like anyone elses either.  I want them to look all mine.  I try to let the photos dictate each individual layout but overall they have a similar feeling.  I suppose that's what it's all about .  To be true to myself and create from the heart.

 For the layout entitled: Now Wait  I used the following supplies: Bazzill for the card stock, the stickers are Sassafras, the flowers Basic Grey, the brads MME and the metal plate that reads imagine is MM.

 For the Tower of Terror layout I tried to evoke a feeling from the year of the towers supposed hey day.

 I added a little whimsy with the brad Mickey and I added the frame in the next picture because it felt like an art deco piece.  The stamps and other stickers are Graphic 45, the brads are MME, the flowers are Prima and the cardstock is Bazzill.  I am not sure who manufactured the patterned paper.

 

Creative Energy

Sometimes my creative energy is brimming over & I can't wait to create-other times however, not so much.  I don't need to be in a manic state of constant creative chaos, just a steady flow or constant trickle would do nicely.  Thankfully lately my creativity has been flowing nicely.  A fresh set of pics is always helpful!

 The beauty of scrapbooking is that we have multiple creative outlets to explore: photography, artistry of creating the layouts as well as the written word.  A cornucopia of creative options! One of the many reasons that I love this craft!
Lately I haven't been very good about recording my supplies.  Partly because I have been trying to use up my stash and  many of the items that I have been using are 5 years or older!

For the above layout I used Bazzill as the base, the border stickers are Sassafras, the fabulous flowers are Basic Grey and the brads are MME.

For the Toontown layout I used:  Bazzill as the base, border sticker is Sassafras, flowers are Basic Grey, keys are MM and the journal tags are Basic Grey.
Have an amazing week!

One page or two?

One of the dilemmas that I face with my scrapbooking is whether I want to do a double or a single page layout.  I used to be a die hard double page girl but after moving and carting all of those albums to the new house, I decided that  maybe I should rethink things!  So, I forced myself to pick only my favorite photos and streamline my layouts so they are mostly singles.  I still do the occasional double but for the most part I stick with singles.  They take up less space that way and I am still recording the memories!

 For the above LO I had 5 pictures that I wanted to use.  I toyed with the notion of creating a 2 pager but I decided that I could fit them all on to one.  I am happy with the way things turned out.  The title is difficult to see in the picture here  but it says:  Riding the Rails.  We rode the train about a hundred times this last trip!

I am in love with this washi tape!  The tape measure motif goes with so many of my LOs.....a new favorite!
Have a great weekend all!

Every little bit helps

My scrapping has evolved over the years but mostly due to time constraints.  Now that I work full time out of the home I don't have the time to devote to scrapbooking like I used to.  I have had to adapt.  One of the things that I have found helpful is using collage prints.  I loved the one about the Haunted Mansion and it came together so quickly.    It was fun using both Christmas and Halloween embellishments to try and capture Jack Skellington's take on Christmas.  Because when Jack takes on Christmas you might get a trick or a Halloween treat!   I love the Haunted Mansion at Christmas!

 All the kids got new ears this year and I loved the pics that I got when riding It's a Small World.  This is another quick LO. I kept the L0 pretty simple because the  pics are so bright and vibrant and tell the whole story!

I did have one dilemma with this LO though  and that was: should I include both pics of the kids and their ears.  The first one is clearly the strongest and I love it the most but the second included my other niece and it felt just wrong leaving her out of the LO. In the end  I went with memories over aesthetics.

Happy New Year?!

Happy New Year!  This year I hope to be a much better blogger.....how many times have I said that?   I just celebrated a milestone birthday.  40! Yep.  The big 4  0.  It was hard at first  but as soon as I decided that age is only a number and that I was going to spend my birthday at Disneyland, I quickly got over it!   

 I have been trying to use up my stash and one of my rules for this Disney album is that I will buy no new items and only utilize what I already have in my scrapbook room.    I have had having fun using items that I have had forever. I have been out of the scrapbook loop for so long that I am no longer aware of the latest fads or products anyway!  I am not  up on any must have items and frankly I am o.k. with that.  Last year, or the year before that (I can't remember), I pledged to get published.  Since that declaration I have submitted zero items for consideration.  I would try to create a LO for a submission and I would freeze creatively.  I have long given up the dream of publication, I just can't handle the stress of it all.  So instead: I will just enjoy, create and share in a much less pressure filled environment!

Everytime I see this LO I smile.  I love the picture of my little driver!