Get It Scrapped! » Classes

“Beautifully Handmade” Series from Tania Willis now available

Debbie Hodge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:13:39 +0000

Color and over-the-top handmade touches

are the hallmarks of the pages Tania Willis makes for her family and for manufacturers like Karen Foster Designs and Little Yellow Bicycle. Tania Willis is the author of several how-to books and has been teaching papercrafting in stores and in written tutorials for years. She knows how to inspire and teach crafters at all levels.

We’re offering three self-paced classes from Tania right now

Each is in a pdf file with over 100 pages of beautifully-illustrated how-tos and inspiration. These e-books/self-paced classes are great for printing and spiral binding at home or your local copy shop. Every one of them will become a go-to resource for you and your loved ones who want to keep their hands busy while making beautiful embellishments, cards, scrapbook projects, accessories, and more.

“Cards: Beautifully Handmade” is discounted 20% until next Wednesday, August 4th!

Click here—> and get all the details on these classes now.

Check out FULL DETAILS on these self-paced classes right now.

20% “bundle” discount
buy all 3 together
and save!

Photography & Doodling classes this month – early bird pricing through July 12

Debbie Hodge — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 22:54:00 +0000

Your Kids: Captured Through the Lens

6 week workshop with Katrina Kennedy starts July 20th. Early bird discount through July 9th.

Cheesy grins and funny faces? Fast-moving subjects? Uncooperative teens? Capturing your kids in photographs can be tricky.

Join Katrina Kennedy and look through the lens together and explore techniques that let you take kids’ photos with less frustration and better results. What’s more, you’ll get the advice of several guest photographers who happen to be moms with infants, toddlers, adolescents, and teens.

Oodles of Doodles

3 week workshop (6 lessons) with Michelle Houghton starts July 19th. Early bird discount through July 9th.

Add awesome borders, backgrounds, and embellishments to your art journals, cards and scrapbook pages.

Doodling–whether it goes by the name of personal art, zentangles, tesselations or something else–has become popular on scrapbook pages and handmade cards as well as in art journals. Without some basic techniques and know-how it can be intimidating. Michelle Houghton will show you how to get started with easy ways to include your own “doodled” page art on your pieces. EVERYONE can do this!

12 ways to start a scrapbook page

Debbie Hodge — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:42:48 +0000

Have you ever wished there was a formula you could use to make awesome (and original) scrapbook pages quickly?

Would you like to understand why certain page designs work and how to make those kinds of pages yourself? Without sketches?

Would you just like to broaden your style or jumpstart your mojo?

I want to show you 12 approaches to designing great scrapbook pages. These are approaches I wish I’d had defined for me several years ago when I’d grown a tired of using sketches and was wondering how I could take my page designs to the next level. Back then, I spent a lot of time studying layout design, magazines, and online galleries. I spent a lot of time practicing and trying new things. In Building Pages, I not only define 12 “starters” (or approaches to the page) but I also show you the design underpinnings and implications of each. And . . . I show you multiple directions in which you could go with each approach.

These pages all come out of the “Golden” page starter. Can you see what they have in common? In Building Pages you’ll learn about lots of starters including golden, shelved, spacious, blocked, divided, banded, and slanted.

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to do this

If you’ve taken any of my classes you know that I think we memory-keepers/scrapbookers/journalers are a smart bunch. I’ve continually found that students I’ve taught are motivated to learn skills and really understand techniques that will take their creations to the next level.

Another thing you’ll know about me if you’ve been around Get It Scrapped! is that I love merging the analytical and creative halves of my brain. I believe that when you break something down into its parts, you’ve got a place to begin that can take you to new places creatively.

It’s not about buying the latest products (those some goodies are nice), and it’s not about spending hours measuring and getting everything into place.

Rather, it’s about understanding what story you want to tell or what moment you want to capture and then making basic photo and product selections and applying solid design skills — to get you on your way to scrapbooking efficiently and beautifully.

A framework underlies the building of both simple garages and elaborate cathedrals. Why not use a good framework for beginning your scrapbook pages? The right foundation does not box you into something formulaic, but, rather acts as a starting place. It is often a springboard to making original layouts that present photos, title, journaling, and embellishments in an appealing design.

I just have to say in writing that this is by far THE BEST class I have ever taken, in person or online. Seriously. Debbie, I cannot tell you how awesome it is to finally understand WHY stuff looks good or doesn’t. I have always looked at things and knew they were wonderful but didn’t understand why. So making it happen for my own work was difficult. Now that I am starting to SEE what it is that makes things work, I am gaining a whole new perspective for art and my own creativity. I feel like you have given me my mojo back. I told my RGH (really great husband) that I was so excited that all I can think about is my next chance to scrap. That hasn’t happened in over a year. To say I am grateful is an understatement. I am so happy. You can’t even know how much I have gained from this. Thank you so much. – Mary Cody

Announcing a new approach to making scrapbook pages

In January, I developed 12 lessons around 12 ways to approach the blank canvas. I presented these to a big group of Get It Scrapped! regulars. The response was fabulous, and now I’ve taken it a step farther and added videos to go with each of the 12 written lessons. I’ve also gotten everything organized into one pdf — with starter diagrams and 23 sketches repeated in the back for quick reference.

The 12 different “page shapes” in Building Pages are not sketches: rather, they are starting points. In each lesson, you’ll learn about one page shape and how to use it in a variety of ways–making it your own and, always, ensuring good use of design principles. We’ll also take a look at what details can do for each shape. And—because we all like a sketch at least once in a while—every lesson includes an original page sketch with an accompanying digital layered template you can use in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS to make a digital page.

Debbie! IMHO, this is the only class I’ve ever taken that is an absolute MUST! I’ve always loved to scrap & have never had nearly as much time to do it as I’d like, but ever since this class started, it is the ONLY thing I want to do & I’m beginning to get aggravated that life is getting in my way!! I genuinely hate to see this class end . . . this experience has been PHENOMENAL!! I can’t say often enough or loudly enough how delighted I’ve been with every single aspect of Building Pages. -Dee Pounds

Here’s how Building Pages works.

As soon as you register, you’ll receive download links for the following:

12 lessons all in one (140-page) indexed pdf. Starter diagrams and page sketches are repeated in appendices for easy reference.
23 page sketches with 23 layered templates for use in Photoshop Elements or CS. Twelve of these sketches/templates are only available in this class, while variations of the additional 11 sketches have been shared in the Get It Scrapped forums over the last two years.
12 video lessons to accompany each written lesson. The videos are in mpeg4 format and may be viewed in your web browser or downloaded and saved to your computer for viewing in Quicktime on macs and pcs.
NOTE: This class is for both digital and paper scrapbookers. Additionally, we focus on the square (12″x12″) canvas.

The amount of work and thought that Debbie put into each lesson is incredible. The quality is superb! What a treasure we have now. I printed it and saved it in a binder. Thanks so much. It has improved my scrapping immeasurably. And did I mention-it’s been great FUN!!!! -Chris Rickert

Do you need more details?

Lesson 1 Blocked

Learn about making pages that have a “blocked” design. These pages have an obvious underlying grid structure. Begin with a grid and move to using variations.

Lesson 2 Golden

Make pages that incorporate a rectangular inner canvas upon a square canvas. The principles are based upon the idea of the “golden” ratio and its implications for appealing design.

Lesson 3 Spacious

Design a page that includes generous and “active” white space.

Lesson 4 Foundations

Explore the idea of foundations–of that first layer or first organizing element that you begin your page with. Understand the variety of ways you can create foundations for your page.

Lesson 5 Teeter Totter

Make asymmetrically-designed pages that are well balanced. Understand guidelines that help you sense when you’ve achieved visual balance.

Lesson 6 Layers

Take an approach to the blank canvas that incorporates layers. Understand the implications for white space, materials, meaning, and mixing patterned papers–then make your own layered pages.

Lesson 7 Shelved

This lesson builds on what you’ve been practicing in previous lessons and takes a very specific approach to design: put your elements on a “shelf.” Use the analogy of a fireplace mantelpiece and master arranging elements for balance, flow, and emphasis.

Lesson 8 Banded

Arranging your photos in a strip or a band and then using the remaining space on the canvas for journaling and title is a page foundation that is easy to use AND that provides lots room for variations.

Lesson 9 Divided

This lesson’s starting point is a “divide.” Begin by dividing most or all of your page either horizontally or vertically and then (this is important) make that dividing line key to your design balance and impact.

Lesson 10 Slanted

You can use lines in your layouts to elicit an emotional response. A diagonal line is action. It’s a line on the move, and it can add interest and energy to your pages. Make a page designed on a diagonal.

Lesson 11 “L”s and “T”s

Squares and rectangles are probably the most common geometric shapes you encounter. You can use the building block of rectangles–the right angle-as the basis for page design.

Lesson 12 Circling

Circles are eye-catching, fun to work with, and freighted with meaning. They are associated with unity, wholeness, and infinity, as evidenced by expressions like “circle of life,” “circle of friends,” and “circling the wagons.” Let’s take a look at some ways to make circles an important part of your page design.

If you’re ready to starting “Building Pages” this week . . .

you’ll get a terrific deal on the class. Through July 2nd, the entire “Building Pages” class is $42. On July 3rd, the class price goes up to $54.

Click on the button below to purchase Building Pages for $42 today
(as of 6/22 10pm ET — class is *almost* but not quite ready – so you can’t put it in your cart yet)

If you took the earlier version of Building Pages in February, you can upgrade to this version for $10 through July 2nd — you’ll need the coupon code over in the old class forums. (That link is only going to work if you took the class before AND if you’re logged into the forums.)

What if you don’t love Building Pages?

Test drive the materials for 30 days and see how you feel about the scrapbook pages you make as a result. I think you’re going to find that the information is solid: the starters show you not only where to begin but provide a number of possible directions for proceeding; the sketches and templates give you a quick way to get pages made and understand the design even more.

If you don’t agree, let me know within 30 days of your purchase. I’ll be very happy to refund your money, and we’ll still be friends.

I’ve found myself looking at layouts, whether it be in a magazine or in a gallery and actually SEEING the various foundational designs that we’re learning under Debbie’s instruction. And I, too, am chomping at the bit every spare second to do a layout, and a meaningful one at that!! – Cheryl McCain

When can you start?

You’ll receive access to all materials within a few minutes after payment. A confirmation email will have download links for everything–there’s no waiting for access to a private forum and tracking down individual lessons.

I’m very excited about the information in Building Pages. If you are too, please click the button to get your materials today at the early bird price of $42.

What do you see through your camera’s lens?

Debbie Hodge — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:43:47 +0000

by Katrina Kennedy

Events. Moments. Emotions. Places. People. So many things to capture and so many ways to capture them.

Join me on May 26th in my online class Your Life: Captured Through the Lens–(yes, it started yesterday, but it’s six weeks long and starting today or tomorrow isn’t too late). We’ll take photographs that reveal the stories you want to tell. In six lessons we will explore focus and composition, demystify the buttons and knobs on your camera, and practice seeing differently. You’ll receive step-by-step instructions for virtual assignments and supportive, safe feedback in our private online gallery. Weekly videos, live chat “office hours,” and ongoing forum conversations give you an opportunity to really step up your skills.

I hope you’ll join me on this fun adventure as we look at Your Life: Captured Through The Lens! This class is good for beginners and point-and-shoot camera users as well as those with digital SLR cameras.

One more thing — a good reason to take this class now is so that you’ll be prepared for Your Kids: Captured Through the Lens which I’m teaching in the fall — right when lots of us want to get great portraits for those holiday cards.

I hope to see you in class where I promise to give you lots of personal attention to get you taking photos you’ll love.

All best,

Katrina Kennedy

Note from Debbie: Make sure to take note of our new policy change: Registration for this class absolutely, positively closes on May 28th–no exceptions. Anyone registered by Sunday night (5/23) will have access to the welcome forums to say “howdy” first thing Monday morning. Plus–we’ve got an awesome new shopping cart that’ll get you through the process faster than you’d believe possible.

Scrapbook “Your” Story #11: Routines

Joshua Niman — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:01:59 +0000

consider yourself: How Do YOU Do It?

Source: stock.xchng / 13dede

Look to your behavior to find material for scrapping yourself:

Begin with your habits and routines around daily life—from what you like for breakfast to a look at the errands you run regularly. Chart out a typical day. Think about how long it’s gone this way, what it was like before, and how it might change. Scrap the parts that you think reveal something about you, that you don’t want to forget, or that you just feel like scrapbooking. Make sure to include journaling that: 1) includes details not shown in the photo, and 2) talks about you and how this routine is related to who you are.
Look at other cycles in your life and list the routines you have around them, including weekly routines, annual routines, and things you do when the seasons change. I scrapped “Two-Week Accumulation” with a photo taken on cleaning day at my house—which comes around every two weeks.
Next, consider your own unique approach to things big and small: Do you plan dinners or do you eat out or do you rely on someone else or do you just fly by the seat of your pants? How about vacations? Do you like to be busy sightseeing or would you rather sit by the pool? Think about your “I’d rathers” and scrap those that most compel you. “I’m A Schlepper” is a page I did about my tendency to take a lot of stuff with me when I go places. In the journaling, I included both details about this behavior as well as thoughts about what this says about me.
Once you’ve got a list of your habits, routines, and approaches to life, it’s time to get contemplative. Consider evaluating some of these tendencies. To do this, write about whether you think the behavior is a good or bad thing. Defend it or write about changes you’d like to make.

JOURNALING: I prefer purchasing house-cleaning services to purchasing new clothes . . . or even new craft supplies. It’s been almost two years now that I’ve had this extra money to make this possible. The best thing about it is that it ensures the house does get cleaned at least every two weeks. This does not mean that I don’t clean. Indeed, picking up for the cleaning person is a major undertaking around here. When Jenn arrives, I’ve usually finished picking up downstairs and I move to my bedroom, where I put some things away and pile even more on the bed -- to be put away right before I’m ready to crawl in it 12 hours later. My office is a nook off the bedroom, and so we’re all often here in the late evening, doing homework, reading, the boys taking baths in our tub while I do a little work and watch MSNBC. These photos are a great shot of what most accumulates in this room: books, clothes, and an odd assortment of toys. (Oh, wait, I already took the 15 drinking glasses downstairs.)

priming the engine: ask yourself this

list 5 things you do almost every day (or every weekday) because you must
list 5 things you do everyday because you want to
what item from these lists do you think does the most for your life?
what item does the least for (or even harms) it?
what are some pages you could do about your habits?

think about it: quotations

Use these quotes as a springboard to thinking about your approach to the small and big things in your life. Pull out a pencil and paper before you start reading, so you can make notes about ideas that come to mind.

Good habits, which bring our lower passions and appetites under automatic control, leave our natures free to explore the larger experiences of life – Ralph W Sockman
Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. – Lou Holtz
Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t. – William Shakespeare
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. – Maya Angelou
Manners are the happy ways of doing things; each one a stroke of genius or of love, now repeated and hardened into usage, they form at last a rich varnish, with which the routine of life is washed, and its details adorned. If they are superficial, so are the dew-drops which give such a depth to the morning meadows. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Curious things, habits. People never knew they had them. – Agatha Christie
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. – Herm Albright
Human Beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. – William James
Abundance is, in large part, an attitude. – Sue Patton Thoele
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. – Mark Twain
Nothing is stronger than habit. – Ovid
Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable. – Sir Francis Bacon
Art and science have their meeting point in method. – Edward Bulwer-Lytton

write it: journaling prompts

Complete these prompts and jumpstart your journaling.

There’s actually a good reason I do it this way . . .
Just, please, don’t interrupt me when I’m in the middle of . . .
I’d rather ____ than ____. (For example: I’d rather spend my extra money on a housecleaner than new clothes. I’d rather read a book than watch TV).
I’m a night owl/early riser because. . .
When spring/summer/winter /fall arrives, I immediately want to . . .
At least once a day/week/month, I . . .
It’s not my favorite thing to do, but nevertheless, you can count on me to make sure . . .
The first/last thing I do in the morning/evening is . . .
I know I shouldn’t _______ but I do anyway because . . .
I spend way too much time . . .
I’ve memorized these phone numbers because . . .

I take a lot of stuff to the beach--shovels, buckets, chair, pop-up tent, food, drink, extra clothes, sand-sculpting tools. This behavior extends to other outings. I think it has to do with wanting to be prepared--but, even more, it may be that I think if I’m prepared, I have control & then all is right with the world. In my defense, I’d like to point out that at least I’m a self-aware schlepper. 08*07

Scrapbook “Your” Story #10: Interests and Passions

Joshua Niman — Tue, 04 May 2010 13:09:35 +0000

consider yourself: your interests & passions

What are your interests big and small? What are you good at and what do you enjoy doing? Ask yourself these questions about yourself at different times in your life. Have your passions changed since childhood or are you still loving animals and painting? When you look around your home, at the items that fill it, what do they indicate about what’s important to you? Perhaps you have several interests that you pursue with varying amounts of energy.

MY ELUSIVE DREAMS: analyzed in a Venn Diagram I love listening to the plaintive Roger Miller duet, “My Elusive Dreams,” in which a couple sings about a man’s “elusive dreams and schemes.” He is apologetic and sad and just plain unable to make progress. So what about my dreams? I will say that my dreams have never equated to schemes. And that I have made progress on each of them. And that pursuing them doesn’t take an enormous toll on my family (though there is some toll). But, WHY? Why, when I could pursue other paths that would provide a much greater chance of success, do I pick dreams in which there is so little reward for so many fellow dreamers? And why don’t I stick with a dream? My novel is almost done. My non-fiction proposal is finally out to agents. And now I want to publish scrapbook layouts? What keeps me from making that final focused push? Maybe, though, I am pushing. Maybe I’m not jumping from dream to dream. Because, LOOK HERE!, at this Venn diagram and see how things overlap. Maybe writing fiction and non-fiction and scrapbooking are all the same dream and I’m pursuing this dream well. And, even more, when I really think about it, I just have to ask: “if a dream weren’t elusive, then would it still be a dream?” January 2005.

Here are some areas that might take center stage in your life:

sports
wellness (holistic pursuits, exercise, food)
helping others
faith
arts (drawing, painting, writing, photography, music, singing, dancing, acting, listening to/viewing art and music and performances)
crafts (sewing, beading, needlework, scrapbooking/papercrafts, altered projects
digital design, mixed media/collage, decorating)
study/learning
travel/adventure
animals
cooking (food, wine)
work or your own business
gardening, flowers
time with others (friendships, family, organizations)

priming the engine: ask yourself this

What are the labels you’ve given yourself (i.e, student, mother, caregiver, runner?). In other words, which of your activities have you taken on as a part of your identity?
Are there any of these you’d like to lose?
What’s at least one label you’d like to add?
What are some scrapbook pages you could do about your interests and passions?

think about it: quotations

The Soul is the voice of the body’s interests. -George Santayana
It is a cursed evil to any man to become as absorbed in any subject as I am in mine. –Charles Darwin
The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well.” –Horace Walpole
For an interest to be rewarding, one must pay in discipline and dedication, especially though the difficult or boring stages which are inevitably encountered” –Mira Komarovsky
A person with a hundred interests is twice as alive as one with only fifty and four times as alive as the man who has only twenty-five” -Norman Vincent Peale
My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose. -Bette Davis
Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied. -Niccolo Machiavelli
Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things. -Denis Diderot
Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. -Georg Wilhelm
A human being is only interesting if he’s in contact with himself. I learned you have to trust yourself, be what you are, and do what you ought to do the way you should do it. You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it. -Barbra Streisand
You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about, the more you have left when anything happens. -Ethel Barrymore
The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it – every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have. -John D. Rockefeller
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. -Langston Hughes

write it: journaling prompts

What’s something you really like about yourself?
When you’ve got time absolutely to yourself, what do you do?
What would you do if money were no object?
How do you spend your “mad money?”
What did you love as a child?
What’s keeping you from pursuing one of your interests?
What would you do if there was a guarantee you’d be successful?
What’s something you dream about doing that you’ve never told anyone?
What do you fantasize about doing while driving your car or taking a shower?
Who do you know who is doing something you’d like to do? Describe yourself doing it.
How could you make the world a better place for yourself and others?
What are five things you’re good at?

Since 1997, I have made parties to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, teas, new seasons, endings, and beginnings. Themes have included: summer snow, Vikings, Harry Potter, cowboys, space cowboys, video adventure, knights, machines, woodland picnic, Kindergarten graduation, back-to-school, and . . did I say knights? The boys and I have mass-produced stick horses, swords, jousting poles, shields, jet speeders, armor, spell books, medieval goblets, axes, and puppets.We’ve written and produced games, quests, performances, videos, comic routines, and ceremonies. Out of boxes and sticks and string and paint, we have made Diagon Alley, castles, spaceships, snow storms, ogres, outer space, corrals, and Rube Golderg machines. I even wrote a proposal for a book about making parties with children. Giving parties was how I put myself out into the world and how I spent time with my kids --- envisioning, researching, budgeting, shopping, making, and staging parties. And then I discovered scrapbooking. My family, though, has grown accustomed to making complex parties. I suggested a laser-tag party at a fun center last week for Joshua’s birthday. “I don’t think so, Mom,” he said. “It’s not how we do things.” I guess he just wants to be invited to a laser-tag party, not host one. :) Mar 08.

Scrapbook “Your” Story #9: Your Stuff

Joshua Niman — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:01:12 +0000

consider yourself: your stuff

OK . . . so it’s hard to find quotes and inspiration about scrapbooking material possessions. Almost anything quotable notes that material possessions are not what bring happiness. I get that. As a former business student, I also get that much of us in the world live in capitalist economies, which works best when products are being made and sold efficiently. No, it’s not quite the “circle of life,” but it’s also not the worst thing under the sun, so consider turning the page now and scrapbooking some of the objects in your life.

One afternoon before I dug in to picking up our home, I realized the things lying around this year were different than those last year. And so I photographed our little messes and scrapbooked them.

why scrap your objects?

For the same reason archaeologists study the artifacts of past civilizations. The items in your possession reveal information about you personally and about the culture in which you live. In other words: it’s interesting and even revelatory. Am I sure about this? Ask yourself what items you’d quickly throw in the closet if company was coming and which items you’d quickly dust off. Does this say something about you? Are you getting the idea?

which objects should you scrap?

Begin with anything that compels you–treasured items, well-used items, items you take for granted. If you’re having a hard time coming up with ideas, think about the following and makes notes.

what objects are required because of:

your work
your hobbies
your daily needs (eating, shelter, housework, yard work, transportation, communication)
the other people in your life

what are the decorative or sentimental or just non-utilitarian objects in your life:

knickknacks
gadgets
heirlooms
accumulated junk

what objects do you really enjoy having and acquiring?

and how do you acquire these things? online, stores, barter, gifts, self-made?

what objects would you put in a personal time capsule?

JOURNALING for “I Love {Getting} Dishes: I’m not sure what came 1st. Was it my mom giving me dishes and me thus loving them or was it me loving them and my mom thus giving me more? Anyway, I’ve got a lot of dishes. I like using real dishes even for large parties, and parties are usually an excuse for me to get a few dishes (’cause they do break when you use them well). 1) I bought 4 doz. new wine glasses at Crate & Barrel for Neil’s 50th Birthday Party. 2) Neil & I bought this white stoneware (12 settings) at Bennington Pottery (and then we bought a green and black set--see bottom row 1st plate); 3 & 9) Grandma Hodge gave me her Aunt Allie’s china; 4) The wine & water glasses we got for our wedding; 5 & 6) Mom gave me punch bowls & punch cups & tea glasses & I’ve thrown several really large family tea parties. 7)4 doz. flutes for Neil’s 50th. 8) more dishes in the basement. Bottom) I’ve got many sets of plates -- usu 12-18 each (just incase we have a party). March 2008.

how could you scrap your objects?

take an inventory of one particular location (i.e., your purse, closet, desk, car . . .) and photograph and document the key objects
contemplate yourself as a consumer and collector and your general tendencies
create a page about one object that’s especially important to you, telling its history and meaning
scrapbook a collection of those things you have in multiples (i.e., purses, shoes, dishes, magazine subscriptions . . .)
scrapbook a theme (i.e., “things I use everyday,” “favorite knickknacks,” “things I haven’t touched in years but still have,” “things I inherited,” “presents I’ve never used,” “handiest gadgets in my house,” . . .

We play a lot of board games in our house and each holiday and birthday brings new ones into our home. This is a page of all the new games we got in December 2008.

priming the engine: ask yourself this about your stuff

As quickly as you can, write down two or three things in/on the following places:

your purse
your home entryway
your car
your kitchen counter
your bedside drawer
your desk
your bathroom counter
your coffee or end-table
just outside your front door
your dresser-top
the table where you eat
under your bed
your closet (that’s not clothes)
your attic or basement or primary storage area

THEN . . . . what pages do these answers make you want to do?

think about it: quotations

Inanimate objects can be classified scientifically into three major categories; those that don’t work, those that break down and those that get lost. – Russell Baker
Decorate your home. It gives the illusion that your life is more interesting than it really is. – Charles M. Schulz
Culture relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to people and is a phenomenon of life. -Hannah Arendt
It is perhaps a more fortunate destiny to have a taste for collecting shells than to be born a millionaire. – Robert Louis Stevenson
Property is the fruit of labor; property is desirable; it is a positive good in the world.”- Abraham Lincoln
Property is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it with rights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is not man – Martin Luther King, Jr.
The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor. – John F Kennedy
A house that does not have one worn, comfy chair in it is soulless. ~May Sarton

write it: journaling prompts

The last little thing I bought for myself was _____.
The last big thing I bought was _____.
An inherited item that I keep out or occasionally use is _____.
Losing my _____ would be a big problem.
An item smaller than a bread box that I use every day is _____.
An item bigger than a bread box that I use every day is _____.
The most cluttered area of my home is _____.
An item that gives me comfort is _____.
The object I’ve had longest is _____.

Scrapbook “Your” Story #8: Friends and Other Folk

Joshua Niman — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:01:36 +0000

consider yourself: friends & other folk

Source: stock.xchng / Mattox

who are they?

Think about the many people with whom you interact:

Who are the (non-family) people in your life–the ones you’ve chosen (or who’ve chosen you) to spend time with?
Do you have friends for different parts of your life? Work friends, neighborhood friends, mommy friends, hobby friends?
Do you have friends you rarely see but who still figure prominently in your life?
Who are the people are that aren’t really your friends but with whom you frequently cross paths because of work or common membership in organizations or because of their connection to others in your life?
Who are the people who have inspired, taught or mentored you? Who are the people you’ve taught and/or mentored.
Which of these people belong in your scrapbook?

journaling: This girl, Patty, is the one I trust . . . the one I’d want to be stranded with on a desert island -- well, that’s if either one of us actually wanted to be stranded on a desert island (we are not fans of camping -- even when allowed to bring a pillow). Why this girl? - I’ll say it again: I trust her.- She’s interesting.- She’s kind . . . really kind. - She’s smart . - She makes lists of fun things to do--(and I can tell you our kids appreciate this :p). - In many ways, we are “cut from the same cloth.” - She doesn’t whine.- She is EXCEEDINGLY capable.... and that’s just a few of the reasons this girl is one of my favorite people in this world.

how can you scrapbook these relationships?

Tell specific stories of times together with one particular friend or one particular group of friends, especially those that illustrate what your friendship is like and what it means
Scrap a portrait of one friend and of your friendship. Use “dash-facts” to cover a lot of ground, or journal your feelings in letter-form. (See “This Girl” above.)
Scrap a “directory” of friends including a photo and important details about how this friend fits into your life.
Scrap a page about yourself and what kind of a friend you are in general. What are your attitudes and behaviors around friendship? (See “Note to Self” below.)
Scrap a history or time-line of an ongoing friendship.
Scrap about what particular friends have “put onto your radar screen.” In other words what aspects of your current life are a result of a friendship?

priming the engine: ask yourself this

Answer these questions with NON-FAMILY members (or maybe a cousin who is like a friend—but not your immediate family). Also note – the people you list may be friends, they may be acquaintances, and they just may be people who cross your path.

who was the last person you SAW?
who was the last person with whom you SPOKE?
who shows up in your dreams?
to whom do you owe a call/letter/visit?
who causes you to have a “deer-in-the-headlights” reaction (in other words, you want to get away from)?
who causes you to want to make a cup of tea and settle in?
with whom must you spend time?
in whom do you confide?
with whom do you keep a distant but cordial relationship?
with whom would you choose to be stuck on a deserted island?
who would you trust to throw your next big birthday party?
who would you agree to help put on a community event?
who do you wish you knew better?
who do you wish you knew less about?
who irritates you?
who makes you laugh?

Based upon these answers, what are some pages you could make?

journaling: I enjoy spending time with friends -- but I’m not good at making time for it. This was a year ago January. Right now I’m a bit on the outs with Jill because of my infrequent appearances this fall -- right when I’d announced I’d be more available -- but all of a sudden Mondays are the only day she can meet and on Mondays, I need/want to work. It took me over 30 years to discover how much I like being alone -- and then once I had a family being with them. So . . . there’s only so much time to go around, and I’m stingy with it . . . but maybe I should be more generous in 08?

think about it: quotations about friends & other folk

Use these quotes as a way to think about the friends & acquaintances in your life.

It is in the shelter of each other that the people live. -Irish Proverb
Friendship with oneself is all-important because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. -Kahlil Gibran
Friendship is like money, easier made than kept. -Samuel Butler
Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to. -Arnold Glasow
Friendship was given by nature to be an assistant to virtue, not a companion to vice. -Cicero
It takes a long time to grow an old friend. -John Leonard
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? -George Eliot
It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.” – Oscar Wilde
One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession. –Sophocles
Some people are electrifying, they light up a room when they leave. -Yiddish Proverb
Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives, and remembering what one receives. -Alexandre Dumas
I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones. -Oscar Wilde
Where a blood relation sobs, an intimate friend should choke up, a distant acquaintance should sigh, a stranger should merely fumble sympathetically with his handkerchief. –Mark Twain
Sad people dislike the happy, and the happy the sad; the quick thinking the sedate, and the careless the busy and industrious. -Horace
Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week. -William Dean Howells
Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with. -Mark Twain
I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we meet?
–Rebecca West

write it: journaling prompts

When I get good news, I always like to tell ____ first.
My first best friend was _____ and I picked her/him OR she/he picked me. (circle one).
When I’m at the grocery store and see _____ I usually go down another aisle quickly.
When I first met _____ she/he was the last person I ever expected to become so fond of.
I may be a little too dependent on _____.
The friend I’m most likely to disappoint is _____.
My friends and I most often get together at _____.
The friend I talk to on the phone most is _____.

Scrapbook “Your” Story #7: Work

Joshua Niman — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:01:53 +0000

by Debbie Hodge

This is number 7 in an 11-part series full of ideas for making scrapbook pages about yourself.

consider yourself: work

Without labor nothing prospers. -Sophocles

It could be paid employment, personal gardening, home keeping, raising children, volunteering or any number of things, but almost every one of us does some work. For many of us work is a central part of our lives and even our identity. Why not get it in your scrapbook? As soon as you begin scrapping your work, others around you will probably have a new respect for all that you do that they’d never suspected.

approaches for scrapbooking work

While the following are written in the language of “jobs” and “employment” you can apply any of them to other work you do — whether it’s being a parent or a volunteer or keeping a home or creating a garden.

Create a layout that is an overview of the many types of work you’ve done and/or jobs you’ve had. You could use a time-line or resume format.
Convey the sense of one occupation or work on a layout.
Use “dash facts” or bulleted items to cover lots of topics in a limited space.
-tell about what you do, your job title
-List boss, coworkers, employees
-note hours and relevant details about the daily schedule or routine
-include address, commute route, lunch destinations
-add details like pay, cost of commute, raise history
Scrap a page that’s a “day-in-the-life” at work.
Use a day-planner format to note what you did hour-by-hour on one particular day. Trust that the essence of the job will come through via this detailed example.
Scrapbook a specific project, accomplishment, or task. Include journaling and/or photos that reveal:
-what the task was
-the “before” situation
-how you did the work, including approach, what went well, what was a problem
-the end result
-your feelings about your work on this project.
Scrap about the importance of work in your life.
Scrapbook your work done at home:
-what is your approach to house work?
-what do you see as your main responsibilities? what are your priorities with regard to housework?
-what is the work that no one realizes you do?
-what are the extras you do (are you an especially good cook, party thrower, taxi driver)?

Beginning with three photos from a business trip, I started digging for more to put on the page -- and to trigger memories. I found a version of my resume on my hard drive, the negatives from my company head-shot in a box of really old photos, and then I looked around the web for a logo since this company is no longer in existence under this name. The biggest memory trigger turned out to be these aerial shots of where I worked and my commute route from Google Street Maps.

priming the engine: ask yourself this about work.

Give quick answers to the following and then jot down ideas for pages. If an item doesn’t seem relevant or even interesting, skip it.

first job I ever held
shortest job I ever held
longest job I ever held
hardest job I ever did
easiest job I ever did
work I wish would go away
work I can’t get enough of
work I never expected to do
work I dream of one day doing
pages about work I could do

think about it: quotations on work

God sells us all things at the price of labor. -Leonardo da Vinci
Nothing got without pains but an ill name and long nails. -Scottish Proverb
We are closer to the ants than to the butterflies. Very few people can endure much leisure. -Gerald Brenan
Without labor nothing prospers. -Sophocles
What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.” –Julia Cameron
Without work, all life goes rotten. But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies.” –Albert Camus
The harder I work the more I live.” –George Bernard Shaw
Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results.” -James Allen
Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard –Colin Powell
If hard work were such a wonderful thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves. –Lane Kirkland
I’m a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. –Thomas Jefferson
Monday is a lame way to spend 1/7 of your life. -Author Unknown
If you have a job without any aggravations, you don’t have a job. -Malcolm S. Forbes
I’ve met a few people in my time who were enthusiastic about hard work. And it was just my luck that all of them happened to be men I was working for at the time. -Bill Gold
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. -Confucius
More men are killed by overwork than the importance of this world justifies. -Rudyard Kipling
By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day. -Robert Frost
When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

write it: journaling prompts

Complete these prompts for a current job and/or one in your past.

The first person I speak to when I get to work is _____.
My commute to work entails ______.
I’d really love my work if it weren’t for _____.
The item I use most in my work is _____.
I got this job by _____.
On my lunch break I _____.
I’ve personalized my workspace with _____.
One of the perks of my job is _____.
My favorite part of my work is _____.
It’s hard to explain this part of my work to others: _____.
I worry about _____ at work.
My favorite person at work is _____.
I’m especially good at this aspect of my work: _____.

Scrapbook page journaling: justification that strengthens design

Debbie Hodge — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 06:49:00 +0000

by Debbie Hodge

Last week I wrote about lots of spots on the scrapbook page where you can put your blocks of journaling in 10 Ideas for Placing Your Scrapbook Journaling On the Page. Today I’m writing about all the ways I know to arrange my journaling within one of those places.

Justification is all about how you’re going to line things up—or, rather, align them. Read more about alignments in Strengthen Your Scrapbook Page Design with Alignments.

left-justified journaling

Sometimes I left-justify my journaling. Actually, left-justification of my journaling is what I do most frequently. This is the arrangement those of us who read books in languages that go left-to-right are most used to. It’s familiar and it’s comfortable, and, thus, it’s accessible to your scrapbook page viewer.

When I use a journaling tag, I usually left-justify the journaling, as you can see on “March Flood.”

When I place my journaling in unexpected orientations, I usually left-justify. On “Competent” the journaling has been rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the norm, and I’ve justified it to what would be the left if it weren’t turned on its side.

When I’m writing a scene and including dialogue, I keep things left-justified–just as it would be in a book. I want my viewer to “get” the scene and, thus, don’t want to do anything that interferes with that quick understanding. The journaling in “Suburban Legend” is an example of this. Each new paragraph is indented several spaces.

right-justified journaling

When I’ve got a strong line, I emphasize it–and this can mean using journaling that aligns with the edges of other elements. On “Celebrate Today,” the right edges of the two photos were showing me a line to work with. By right-aligning my journaling, I continued and strengthened that line – the result of which is a page that is cohesive.

full-justified journaling

What about when you’ve got two strong lines? On “Cardboard Sword” I had lots of journaling justification choices that would have worked. What I decided on, though, was to create two strong intersecting bands – like the letter “T.” I used full justification to create alignments with the two photos on this page. Using full justification means using tools in your software that spread each line out to create a straight margin on the right as well as the left.

center-aligned journaling

Once in a while, centered journaling is a good choice. Centered journaling often creates a formal look – think wedding invitations. On “Us Out,” I centered the short lines of journaling under the page title. The addition of decorative dingbats between journaling sections mimics the look of a menu – appropriate for this page subject.

combining left and right justification around an axis

When you’ve got a strong “axis” – or line around with things are aligned on either side, you could consider mixing justifications. On “To School ‘09,” the photos are arranged around a center vertical axis. For the journaling to the right of this axis, I used left justification and for the journaling to the left of this axis, I used right justification.

However you justify your journaling, just take a minute to realize what you’re doing and make a conscious choice to use justification that enhances your scrapbook page design.