The Passing of Time

Time has come & gone and once again the signs of fall are in the air, it's clear summer is giving up the fight. I get a little sad to see summer slip by so fast but I do love the changing of the seasons and the coloring of the fall. This time of year makes me antsy and I tend to be restless most of the time anyway, so it's down hill from here for me. I think about all the things I didn't accomplish over the summer and all the projects that are still sitting in my mind's eye that have yet to be realized. I wonder will I ever have enough time without missing out on the real stuff? I'm supposing the answer is no but I keep forging ahead. With fall closing in and the rain coming down and down and down, I am making a mental note of what I really would like to do and/or learn before the year's end; two things automatically come to mind, I want to learn digital scrapbooking (solely for the options) and I want to make this blog a regular weekly thing. Now that I've said that the key is to find the extra time, because I dare not cut in to my 'scrap' time oh no no no! ; p Seriously though I think both are obtainable goals just going to need a bit of concentration on my part. A few other things that I'd like to finish are layouts that have been sitting for awhile and a few mini books that have been started and just not assigned with a purpose yet. But all in due time as the saying goes and for me ' it is what it is', I suppose if they get done GREAT and if they don't they don't oh well. As Ali Edwards says, "I don't deal with guilt in scrapbooking", and with that I totally agree, this is my outlet and my release from reality no sense in making it more than that (even though I do at times). Now as for what I have actually done this summer, well let me take an inventory: 6 mini projects/books, 4 single 8 1/2 x 11 layouts, 15 single 12 x 12 layouts, 5 double 12 x 12 layouts, finished 3 incomplete double 12 x 12 layouts, and started my very own blog. When I put it all down on paper like that, I'm amazed. I wish it were still somehow more but for a mother of a 2 1/2 year old and a full-time job, with a husband to boot- that's not to shabby!


Part of the reason I love scrapbooking so much is that there is so much you can do with it. Layouts are not my strong suit but I am willing and able to learn. I started 15 years ago when I got frustrated with the price of greeting cards and thought that I can do that and well here I am today. By the way I still make all of my own cards!



In each layout there is either one or two photos, or maybe several small photos, photos of just flowers, I even have a few layouts that have no photos just journaling; that's the beauty of it! And who would of thought a coffee cup was photo worthy? Mrs. Ali of course and it holds a lot of meaning to her and myself -- I wouldn't function without it---at all.



The stucture for building a layout is entirely different as well depending on the photos you want to use and the story you want to tell, which leads to even greater creativity.



In the layout above I did what is called a "scrap lift" meaning that I took someone else's format and used all my own papers, products, and of course photo to make a 'like' copy. This is fun because all the hard work is done for you, all you have to do is choose what to use (which sometimes is the hard part...)

In this final layout I had taken pictures of our lilac bush in the backyard this spring while it was in full bloom and the photos turned out beautiful so I decided to scrap those pictures too; because eventually we will move out of this house and that will be something that I will want to remember (might even have to plant a new bush @ our new home whenever we get to that point : ) love 'em).

So you see the possibilities are endless and these are only a few examples of layouts. As I said earlier there are: mini books, mini albums, photo books, home decor projects , kids crafts, and a ton of holiday paper crafting ideas. One of my favorite scrap artists (as I call them) is Ali Edwards and her inspiration is in the little everyday things which I think is a great idea, because really the everyday is what defines us and our lives, the daily battles we fight, the daily grind of our job, then the worries and concerns of family and friends. In the end that is what makes us who we are, the core, and as morbid as it sounds it bothers me that on my grandparents tombstones there are only 2 dates: date of birth and date of death---that does not even begin to tell the story of their lives, which is another reason I'm so passionate about this hobby. In 50 years I hope my granddaughter will have a better understanding of me and my life now because I took the time to do this and hopefully will know herself a bit better as well. So in closing I say "Share" !!!! Share all that you are and who you are with those that you love because in the end that's what we all want is a connection; whether it be to the past or the present, lets certainly leave it for our future.