SOCIAL MEDIA

Good-bye Splendid Sunshine...

8.29.2010
good*bye splendid sunshine

Okay, not really (I think the sun is supposed to be shining tomorrow) but the fact is that the end of summer (as in "back to school") starts tomorrow for myself and for my husband and then on Wednesday for Zoey. So as an ode to our summer days that are now coming to an abrupt end I thought it fitting to commemorate some of our special summer memories in a layout. Kinda messy, kinda imperfect and using scraps...I kinda like it. For the scallops I used the Die-Namics Jumbo Scallops Die by MFT's Stamps. Love that die (pretty sure it's my favorite).

Even though I'm a bit sad about summer coming to an end, I am excited to get into our new routine and cozy on in for the long haul that will be our fall and winter. I always love the change of seasons so much and this year is no exception.

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Art Journaling : Getting Back To It

8.24.2010
Art Journal Page

It's amazing how creative energy is such a driving force in my life. It's what fuels me forward and it's what swings me back...it is something very much alive inside of me that needs nurturing and care in order for me to succeed the day to day. It's taken awhile for me to see that, embrace it and to take care to protect it. It's taken awhile for me to see the difference between living a creative life and actually embracing my own personal creativity vs. going through the actions of what seems to be creativity on the surface. I've been wanting to sit down and work on my art journal now for several months. Upon coming home from my job (working at my local scrapbook store) I was too burned out to tap into my own creativity...to actually sit down and work on something for me. Because of this, I felt as though there was a battle going on inside of me and it leaked out into my life with my family, with Zoey, and with friends I am sure. I need to be okay with knowing that one of my needs is creative time and space. Time for me to dabble and create. When I allow this for myself I am a better person to all those around me, including to myself.

That said, after a little over two years of working at my local scrapbook store as a member of their staff I've gone ahead and given notice that I will no longer be working there as one of their employees. It took much thought to come to this conclusion and it was very hard but I felt that it no longer was where I needed to be or where my creative energy needed to be spent. I have graciously accepted the offer to stay on and teach classes on occasion and am very thankful for that continued opportunity as it was the most gratifying part of my job there...that and getting to interact and help the customers (who became fast friends).

I am embarking upon another journey now, one that has me excited and a bit nervous (which my dad always has said is a good thing). It's going to allow me to be creative in a different way, hopefully leaving some creative juices left over for me when I'm at home and want to create, and it's going to be rewarding personally on a much different level. I also will have the same work schedule as my family which means the world to me as I see how fast time is going by and I want to savor every minute of this life with what is most important. My family. It will mean more time spent with this little girl...which has her very, very happy these days.

Zoesie

It seems like just when something seems impossible something happens that shows that that just isn't so.

You can see that I was able to work on an art journal page (pictured above) recently. I have to say that it felt good to finally get it out of my head and on to the page.

Here's to what lies ahead!

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Hi!

8.22.2010
At the Beach

We are enjoying our last little bit of summer while it's still here...the school year is creeping up quickly upon us and we're being sure to be as diligent as possible at enjoying our summer days all that we can. Today that meant a day spent at the beach enjoying things like building sand castles.

Sand Castle

And wearing goggles...

At the Beach

to spy on the...sand?

At the Beach

See ya!

At the Beach

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Picking Wild Blackberries and Raspberries

8.15.2010
Blackberries and Raspberries

Spent the afternoon with the family picking these beauties! Now we get the job of enjoying them!

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Remember When Layout using Narratives

8.14.2010
I started out trying to scrap this photo using papers from my August Mosh Posh kit but it just wasn't happening and I kept on thinking that Narratives by Creative Imaginations would be perfect for the look that I wanted. I pulled out one of the transparency sheets from the collection and played around with it a bit cutting it up and layering it, and ended up with this:

Remember When

I added some of Marah Johnson's music note paper behind my photo and the page just felt right. I think this layout will find it's way into a frame eventually. I love it and I love the memory of the day when the photo was taken. Just looking at this brings back the feeling of that day, I love it!

Remember When Close-Up

Ethan's participating in a Triathlon this morning (we all got up early this morning to help get him ready) and this afternoon us girls are off for a bit of school shopping...should be a good day!

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More Creative Imaginations Projects

8.13.2010
Here is a layout that I just did yesterday for a sample for my local scrapbook store featuring the Winter Woodland collection by Christine Adolph. I love it when a layout just seems to come together on it's own and this one seemed to do just that.

DSC08749

I actually put some patterned paper behind the die-cut negative of the tree and adhered it with 3 dimensional adhesive to make it look more pronounced.

Holiday Family Memories

And here is just a simple but happy little card using the Birthday Bliss collection by Creative Imaginations.

Everything Wonderful Card

Happy Friday!

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My Creative Imaginations CHA Show Projects

8.12.2010
Now that the hype of the Craft and Hobby Association Show is winding down a bit, I thought I'd share some of my projects that I made for the Creative Imaginations booth this year (just to keep the fun going on a wee bit longer).

I loved my mini created by using the Kennedy album from the Bare Elements collection. The paper collection is called Happy Camper by Renae Lindgren and is shipping to stores now. It is absolutely perfect for living in the North woods like we do...lots of camping, hiking and fishing to be done here!

Loving the Outdoors Mini-Album

Loving the Outdoors Mini-Album

I also had fun altering the Peggy Frame by Bare Elements using the new Back 2 School collection by Renae Lindgren.

Back to School Frame

And despite that it's the middle of summer and it's hot..hot..hot, I got to play around with some holiday lines as well. This layout (and the card pictured below) features the new Polar Christmas collection by Debbie Mumm.

Holiday Layout

Debbie Mumm CHA card

Super fun stuff! Be sure to check out the many other releases on the Creative Imaginations blog.

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Back Home

8.10.2010
We just got back from spending some time in Door County and I thought I'd quick share some of my favorite photos. I really didn't bring out my camera that much over this visit and it actually felt kind of good.

dock

It felt good to take photos of things that I wanted to take photos of.

on the beach

It also felt good to spend my days at the beach getting to enjoy the beach. It made me realize that this summer there have been far too few days that I've spent at the beach here at home with this little girl enjoying our time together. I really miss that and am a bit shocked at how easily it happened to take a backseat...it's like you have to fight our societal norms to make family the center of your world when it just should be, without a doubt, hands down priority number one.

on the beach

Here is a shot that I took of Lake Michigan while Ethan and I were on one of our evening walks.

Sand Point

This was just an intriguing little shed by the water that looked to have a story to tell.

Shack off of the point

This getaway was a bit of a thoughtful one for me. I had lots to think over and am thankful to have had the time to do just that. I'm in a place right now where I'm experiencing new growth in both my personal and professional life and while it's exciting it's also a bit scary. The changes needed changing though so here goes to the future days ahead!

Sundown

If there is one thing that's for sure, the sun will always set and rise again in the morning.

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Check It Out : a Giveaway!

8.02.2010
Mosh Posh is hosting a fun giveaway...read on for the details!


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