We've got yet another day of rain. Last night it rained all night. The lake is as full as we've ever seen it! School is closed for our county due to flooding in some areas. I think this is like the 5th or 6th straight day of rain.
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Print Something!

So I just came back from
the 2nd DSP Adobe Laptop Crop held in San Jose, CA at the Adobe
headquarters. I have come away from the crop with a renewed energy
towards my scrapbooking.  I also set some new goals and saw some areas
I want to improve in terms of my scrapping.  I want to have something
to SHOW OFF!  A couple of the members brought along some great examples
of their printed albums and photo books. I am always so impressed by
seeing DSP products in print. The pages just pop and the realism is
mind-boggling. I was disappointed in myself for not having a finished
product to show off at the crop.

GOAL 1: Get a photo book PRINTED! 
Then
it got me thinking why don't I already have a photo book printed? I
have tons and tons of layouts but nothing to show off??  One of the
things that holds me up in getting photo books completed is my
perfectionism.  I like to have everything very planned out and in
chronological order. I like to have a clear picture of the theme of the
album with a specific beginning and a specific end. With that criteria
I actually have lots of albums started. I don't scrap in chronological
order so these albums will be open for a while.  I have come up with a
solution in the mean time though.  I am going to get my scrapping
portfolio printed in a photo books.  These books will just be for
showing off at crops and helping me to see my scrapping evolve over the
4 years I've been scrapping. There are NO RULES to my portfolio.  I
will include pages I love and pages I don't quite love yet. I will
include pages of all sizes and pages with a completely different color
schemes will sit right next to each other. As I complete a page in my
scrapping regardless of what album it fits in I will put it as the next
page in my portfolio.  I am soo excited about this!! I am
letting go of the restraints of theme and purpose and just getting
things done.  What will be cool is seeing how my scrapping style and
ability has evolved over the years. Wait until I see you at the next
scrapbook crop I will definitely have something to show off!

GOAL 2: Identify my scrapping style and CELEBRATE IT!
One
of the comments over heard while a member was looking at Lauren Bavin's
365 album is that her pages all match.  Lauren promptly responded no
they don't and upon closer inspection the pages didn't match.  It
appeared that way because Lauren has a distinct scrapping style! The
next goal I set for myself is really pinpoint what my scrapping style
is.  What do I like what do I do?? If I don't do what I like then LEARN
IT! Once I identify what my scrapping style is then I am going to be
PROUD to be a ______ scrapper!!!  It seems to me if I know what my
scrapping style is I can really find a comfort zone and be more
productive.  Now that doesn't mean I can't go outside of my comfort
zone and scrap something in a different style. Or maybe my style will
change? Who knows!

GOAL 3: Become an Expert!
I think
I know alittle about alot, and that's all well and good but one thing
I've been seeing in myself lately is that I am not becoming an expert
in anything, and I'm specifically speaking of my crafts/hobbies.  So
this goal is to pick something, photography, a scrapbook technique,
something and learn ALL I CAN. Now I don't have to be an expert for
anyone but myself.

GOAL 4: Make the TIME!
I have all
these specific goals related to my scrapbooking and photography and I
get ideas on a daily basis of what I can learn. The reason I don't get
any done or make any steady progress is that I just don't make the
time! So I am determined to set aside time to work on these projects
and goals. I want to get out of the house with the laptop and scrap
away from the distractions that my house provides.  I'm only thinking
1-2 hrs per week of focused self improvement time.





What do you think?? Think I can do this? I've definitely have accomplished more scrapping in the last couple weeks than I have in a long time. Speaking of here is another new scrapbook page completed this weekend:

More pictures from the kiddo's first year. This album is going to get done pretty soon.

Just got reminded of God's love for me and how I can share His love with others :)

I love finding little hearts in unusual places. Do you see the heart?
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I saw on Pioneer Woman’s blog a post on Ed Emberley’s drawing books and thought they’d be perfect for learning to draw with my tablet and Adobe Illustrator. I’m not an artist artist so any help in learning to draw things would help alot. Here are some of the doodles I’ve done so far using the books Make A World and Trucks and Trains by Ed Emberley.

A Monster Truck:

 

A Camper:

 

A jumping froggy:

 

A Walrus:

An Alligator:

These books are for little kids but that’s definitely where I’m at with my abilities :P. It was fun to draw on the computer and get more of a feel for my pen tablet. We’ll see if these are just more than doodles and if I can get them on any scrapbook pages.

Yeah more scrapping done!!

 

This layout was done with pictures from this past month of our family goofing around with Jack’s fireman hats. Jack found his hats in the garage and wanted us all to wear them and then for me to take our picture.

Goofy, Silly, Family

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

 

Another layout with recent pictures from my phone. This was the day after Jack’s birthday party and that weekend we had some AMAZING AMAZING weather. I wanted to take a nap outside on the hammock and Jack came out and played with me. We goofed around and had a ball as you can probably tell from the pictures.

You Make Me Smile
 

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits

 

This layout has pictures from 2007 so long ago and when the kiddo was still a baby. Jack is giving Grandpa B his father’s day card. I love how he is looking at my dad reading the card. So precious!

Together with Grandpa

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

Yep that’s right more scrapbook pages completed!!  I’m so glad to be getting some pages done. It’s kind of been a long dry spell the last few years so who knows.

 

This Smile layout was done in less than 1 hour at a speed scrap held at DSP. Speed Scraps are a timed activity where you get a piece of inspiration from the challenge host then scrap it!  Here was the inspiration piece for this week.  There is a speed scrap held every Tuesday night by Lauren Bavin. They’re fun and rewarding to get a layout done in such a quick time.

Smile

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

 

This Little Indian layout was done with pictures from when the kiddo was 3 months old WOW! Such a long time ago. The headdress was a souvenir from our trip to the Smokey Mountains.

Little Indian

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

The Rare Find layout is done with a picture from last month when Jack went to his first baseball game. Boy did he have FUN! I’m really loving Suzanne Walker’s latest kits they’re so fun and funky!!!  They kind of have a retro feel to them too. And oh the COLORS!!!

Rare Find

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

 

The Ball Game layout was again from photos of the baseball game we went to last month. We just got the Gwinnett Braves this year. It’s fun to have a minor league team and have them so close!  The stadium is amazing too!  The Quick Click I turned the big circle mat into a baseball. I drew the laces myself. That was fun!

 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits.

Those are the latest layouts I’ve done. I’m believing to keep up this momentum and get more layouts done in the next few weeks. Happy Scrapping!

I’ve been on a roll the last few days, I’ve gotten four new layouts done!  You’ve already seen the family reunion layout. Here are the other three:

Ice Cream
 

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These photos are from this spring the kiddo enjoyed an ice cream bar on a warmer day while I sorted my coupons.

The next layout is using pictures from when the kiddo was only seven months old! Oh wow they grow up fast, and the photos pile up!:

I Will Always Love You

 
Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits

This is a beautiful plopper by DSP Designer Heidi Kuester what’s great about a plopper is that all the designing of the layout is done. All I had to do was put my pictures behind it. I used a fourth picture to fade into the background to give the page a little more interest and to make it more my own.

The last layout was done today using pictures that my sister took of me on Sunday. It’s so unusual for me to have photos of myself.  I’m thankful to have some decent ones now. I’ll have to do a blog post on the Jamboree from Sunday.

So Joyful

 

Click here to see the layout larger and to see scrapbook supply credits

These are my latest scrapbook pages! Have you done any scrapbooking lately?