|
january 31, 2007 volume one : issue fourteen Right now I am on one of those scrapbooking highs. Do you know what I am talking about? That feeling that this thing we do is so very awesome, so very fulfilling, so very much in my heart of hearts. As I write this newsletter I am in the middle of putting together a new book. A book about the concept of Life Art and all that entails (look for it to be released this Fall ). Tonight I have been going back through a bunch of my photos and seeing, literally seeing, the passage of time right before my eyes. Photographs are so very wonderful. Having stories and details to go along with those photos is even better. Man, I love this art. Two weeks ago we investigated essentials - those basics that we reach for over and over. This week, in honor of the big Craft and Hobby Show happening in Anaheim, let's take a look at what I like to call the good stuff - whatever it is you are into right now that is making this hobby even more enjoyable for you. Enjoy. Peace. Ali the good stuff Just like sprinkles on cupcakes, there are those creative products and trends that make our hearts beat a bit faster. As I mentioned in the last issue of the AEzine, I would be more than happy to scrapbook with just my essentials. They keep me focused and allow me to concentrate on the main job at hand - telling the story. All that said, I like the fun stuff just as much as you (just a little guess). I am also guessing that you may go through phases, just like I do, where certain things are really catching your eye and making you want to sit down and create right now. I love that we experience phases in our creative processes - it keeps it interesting and fun. Here's my current list of favorite non-essentials - the stuff that I seem to be really into right now - those products that delight, inspire, and challenge me to tell my story even more creatively: 1. Paint. This is one of those products that seems to have come around for me again. I love edging my layouts, painting blocked areas for photos or journaling, and covering chipboard (both albums and alphabets/shapes). 2. Sewing machine. I have an old Singer, circa 1970 or so, that my Mom gifted me a couple years back. Now that I am in a new house I have made room for this machine to be out on a shelf, in the open, for easy access. When it was hidden away in the closet I never took the time to get it set up. Now that it is out and ready I have been using it a bunch for borders on photos or to link different areas on a layout together. 3. See-through stuff. Lately I find myself reaching for lots of different sorts of transparencies and looking for new ways to create albums that incorporate see-through elements. I have been inspired by the way that Kristina Contes uses transparencies - she makes me want to use them on just about every project. I have also been experimenting with page protectors (in different shapes and sizes) and trying to come up with some different ways to incorporate them into my albums. 4. Red. Yum. Red. Anything red. 5. Navy. A close second behind red right now is navy. Last year it was yellow and orange and green. Just delightful. Love that what we do allows us to celebrate colors and cool stuff and our families and our memories (I mentioned earlier that I have been feeling really passionate today didn't I?) 6. Buttons. This is where you may read this and say, "Buttons? They are so last year." Yep, and it is ok . I like them now. Right now. They are making me happy. I like lining them up to create a border or using them around a layout to create a visual triangle (three elements that aid in unifying the design as a whole). 7. Letter stickers. This is actually probably more of an essential, but I was reminded today while I was creating just how easy and effective letter stickers can be (especially in comparison to rub ons or stamps which can both take a lot longer depending on how many words ). 8. Light. Ok, I know this sounds like a strange response but it is making a difference for me. This last week I changed the lighting in my space (added more) and it is really making me happy and giving me more energy and allowing me to work later into the evening. It is all about being thankful for those little things that keep us on a creative path. 9. Photos. Over the last two weeks I have had over 1500 photos printed spanning the last few months of our lives. Having piles of photos to sort through invigorates me. It would be easy to be overwhelmed by the huge stack but instead I see possibility and potential and content. I love that I have stuff to scrapbook. I love that I have so many stories to tell that I have not told yet - our trip to Disney, learning to knit with Donna, Thanksgiving on the coast, how huge Simon is getting (a cool side note: many of the stories I will be telling have already been documented on my blog - when I start scrapbooking I can go straight to my computer and print my journaling). For awhile there I was not having my photos printed and was only printing them at home as needed. I still print at home on some projects, but I am back in love with having a pile of prints to go through, to be inspired by - they motivate me in some special, tangible way. weekly challenge This week I want you to take a look at those "extras" that are truly delighting you right now and making you want to create. Make a list and then CREATE a layout that details your favorites. I love how people ended up making layouts about their essentials - very cool idea. Come by my blog and post your response to the challenge on Monday, February 5, 2007. Looking forward to seeing your creations and reading your thoughts. inspired by Inspired by: Moo: Flickr Mini Cards A couple weeks back a kind reader sent me a link to check these out. Even though I have not had a chance to order any yet, it is such a totally cool idea and on my list of things to do. Perfect for scrapbooking. question & answer Q from Julie : My question is born somewhere between wonder, amazement, and frustration. I'm completely into the life as art concept, but I can't be the only one who can't seem to schedule the art into my life. For those of us who don't do this for a living, who have to fit precious scrapbooking moments in between jobs, kids, housework, etc...it can seem overwhelming. I would love to do weekly challenges, scrap something about myself, my home, my life.... then I realize I'm 3 years behind my son's photos, the last 2 Christmases haven't been done, the family reunion pictures are still waiting.....and I can easily become paralyzed and just give up. How do people with piles of real life projects prioritize? Any suggestions for getting the art back into life? A : Hi Julie - great question. Have you read Stacy Julian's book Big Picture Scrapbooking? She is really the pioneers of talking about scrapbooking as a lifestyle . She, as well as I, advocate for not worrying about being caught-up and scrapbooking more based on inspiration rather than coming from a place of always feeling behind.� I have tons of projects sitting around here in piles. Creating layouts and albums are a big part of my job, but I am also a mom, wife, etc with a crazy schedule - a lot of my work involves writing and the business end (finances, planning, ordering products, planning classes, packing kits) - it is not all scrapbooking. I look around my room and pick whatever is inspiring me most when I have a chance. Sometimes I know I need to do something about myself. Some days I do something about Simon. Other days I will do something about me as a child and then a Christmas page from this last year.� I think part of it is allowing yourself a bit more freedom in what "needs" to be done. And like everything else in life, it is one step at a time, one day at a time.� 1. There was an article this past year in Creating Keepsakes that advocated for setting aside 15 mins a day for scrapbooking. What can you do in 15 mins? Upload photos. Print photos. Gather supplies. Clean off your desk. Jot down some journaling thoughts. Breaking tasks down into manageable chunks will allow you to be really ready when you have a bit more time to play.� 2. Breathe. This is always a simple reminder that can make a big�difference when we are feeling overwhelmed.� 3. Start looking at your daily life as a scrapbook. As you are living your life, write stuff down. Keep a notebook in your purse, on your kitchen counter, in your bathroom (I get tons of ideas in the shower) -�convenient locations for you to jot down stories you want to tell. This idea goes hand in hand with becoming best friends with your camera - bring it along with you throughout your day. Keep it out so it is easily accessible.� 4. Adjust your attitude about being caught up. Tell the stories you can while you can. Make sure you are telling some of your own stories as well. I think this is especially important for women with small children - life with small children is crazy and amazing. Our thoughts, our feelings, our ability to juggle so many diverse elements makes great content for our scrapbooks.� Do you have suggestions for tackling this issue? Send me an email at ali@aliedwardsdesign.com with the word TIME in the subject line. I will publish comments in a later issue of the newsletter. If you have a question you would like to have answered in an upcoming issue send me an email (ali@aliedwardsdesign.com) with NEWSLETTER QUESTION in the subject line. Copyright � 2007 Ali Edwards/AE Design/Life Art Media. Please do not reproduce any content without permission. Ali Edwards, author of A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking and A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper, is Creative Editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine where she writes a monthly inspiration column called Studio A . She is a wife, mother, artist, writer, and seeker of balance. Owner of AE Design and Life Art Media, she conducts life art workshops around the globe. You can find her online on her blog or contact her through email at ali@aliedwardsdesign.com
|
|||||||||||
