Using Scrapbooking as Therapy... today.

As I face my daughter's medical condition requiring surgery, I wonder how I will ever survive the stress. I will do what I have always done... Turn to scrapbooking to escape. Somehow, creating art squashes fear, and provides a way to pass time while waiting waiting waiting. I just now sat at my desk and made a layout with bright sunny pink and yellow patterned paper. Just what the doctor ordered after spending the second day in a row at the hospital. Hopefully, the glittered flowers will stay in my brain, and later remind me of happy things. Lord knows that when you are down, simplicity is best so you can put one foot in front of the other. Today it is pink and yellow, tomorrow may just be purple and green, my favorite! All I know is that when I am in my happy place, my scrapbook studio, all is right with the world. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Back to work, ya lazy bum!!

So... I ate too much. I drank too much. I spent too much, drove around town too much, visited with friends too much, and definitely baked too much. Now I must face the truth... I'm too fat and lazy to get back to scrapbooking!! I look in my studio and say to myself, "maybe tomorrow!" Is this what's happening to you, too? OKAY ladies, get off those big bums and get yourself back on track. You have probably made a New Year's resolution to lose weight, so why not make a New Year's resolution to get some scrapbooking done? I AM!!! From here on, I promise to get in my studio once a day. Even if I have only 15 minutes, I can do a small job like filing ribbons. You know, if you break down your jobs into manageable bits, it doesn't feel so overwhelming. So tomorrow, I will clean off my desk, I will put away all those embellishments sitting around, and I WILL get something done. I want you too, as well!! Write me and tell me how you are getting motivated; I could use the help!! Do you know what I'm talking about?

Scrapbooking and Football?? YES!!

What's a girl gonna do when she is faced with the choice to sit and watch Sunday afternoon football, or go upstairs and scrapbook? Both, I guess! You see, I hate just sitting like a lump in front of the t.v. when I know I could be doing something productive, even creative, in my studio. So in these circumstances I choose to do both... I went up and got my basket of ribbon pieces waiting to be wound on bobbins, and sat with hubby in front of football. I get some much needed time with my beloved football (and oh yea, husband,) and I get something mundane done towards scrapbooking. In the old days, I used to sit and cut out stuff with scissors to keep occupied. Remember that? These days, it's a bit harder to find those little housekeeping jobs that have to be done, but if I can do it, so can you! Go Chargers!! Do ya know what I'm talkin about?

I don't have time to Scrapbook. WAAAA!!

With every event going on right now, I don't have a minute to scrapbook. So how do you handle a 49 year old woman who wants to get in her studio but can't? VERY CAREFULLY!! Tread lightly around me, cuz not only do I have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, I have this great idea for a blue/green color combination on a tricky layout I've been procrastinating on! Oh, how I'd love to feel that tape runner firmly in my hand. How I'd love to smell some Stayz On ink! How I would love to ri-i-i-p that paper trimmer blade right down that cardstock. BUT NO, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Guess I will have to dream of ribbons and stickers instead. I hope you have the same wonderful, delightful dream as me! Do ya know what I'm talking about?

New Cricket magazine coming!!

That's right, there will soon be a magazine strictly for Cricket lovers! I got an email the other day and though the subscription was pricey, (about $36 for 6 issues) I went ahead and said ok. What I would like to see in this magazine are oodles of ideas. OODLES I say! I don't mind if they showcase a cartridge, and give me 50 ways to use it. I'm talking scrapbook pages, party decorations, and home decor stuff. Card making, vinyl art and glass etching ideas, too! And I don't want to see easy peasey simple darn ideas, only fancy, supercool artistic stuff. Stuff that uses lace and ribbons, tulle and rhinestones, inks and stamps. Ideas that blow your mind. You look at them and go, WHOA, let me get up off this couch and go cut some stuff!! Because I may not always have the best ideas, but boy can I copy something I see. That's right. I'll twist it and turn it and make it my own, but I need inspiration. C'mon Cricket magazine, BRING IT ON. Do ya know what I mean?

WHAT A FREAKIN MESS!!

That pretty much describes my scrapbook studio right now. It's a disaster. A real mess. I haven't put anything away in at least 3 weeks and clutter/product has taken over every available work space! I tried to get into a project last night, and gave up after 30 minutes with just about nothing done. So what does the Queen do when she gets stymied? CLEAN UP. The reason I take some time to do this, is because I truly believe that messes and clutter stop your mojo from flowing. Seriously! How can you have free flowing ideas and unrestrained creativity when you can't find anything, and you have to move piles of stuff just to lay something flat? So for the next hour, I am going to straighten, file, sort and organize from one end of the room to the other. Wish me luck, I tend to not like to do it very much, and there MAY be a few @*&^% words out of my mouth! Good thing I'm all alone in the house right now! Do ya know what I'm talking about?

Scrapbooking at all hours...

I admit I am not a regular sleeper. How about you? Do you get inspiration for a layout at 10:00pm when it's really supposed to be your bedtime? This happens to me all the time! I know enough not to fight it after all these years... I might as well get into my studio and start creating, otherwise the brain won't settle enough to sleep. I wonder if all artists have this happen to them? Just for once I wish that the 'powers that be' would regulate my creative times to the waking daylight hours. That would be SO much more convenient. Now, if you ever call me in the morning and I'm still a little groggy, you'll know that I was inspired late last night. Chances are there is a masterpiece sitting on my work table that just HAD to come out of me. It may sound stupid, but this is really how it works. Do ya know what I'm talking about??

Are all Glue dots the same? NOOOO!

Here's the deal. I use up the glue dots and I think while I am in Walmart today... ok, they've got a scrapbook section and I'll just pick up some more. Bad idea! These generic ones are in a box, on a roll, two wide - who thought of that?? I mean, when you need to put one on a button let's say, you nearly always get the one right by it on your hand, or on a piece of paper where it doesn't go. Me, I like the good old one-at-a-time on a single roll. Yup. Peel back the paper and fold, get the glue dot by pressing the button onto it, pull it up, done. No muss, no fuss. Who knew glue dots would be so darn important or that they could frustrate me so much? And will I throw the less than average box away? No. That would be a waste. But I will not use them sparingly, right? Do ya know what I'm talking about?!!

Cyber Monday happiness

Did anyone else get really good deals on scrapbooking products yesterday besides me? Well let me tell you, I made out like a bandit! Since opening my Etsy shop, I've been getting these emails, sometimes daily, about featured products for sale on Etsy. For those of you who do not know, Etsy is the "Ebay" for artists. Both to sell and to shop. Anyway, I said, let's take 20 minutes and see what there is to be had on Etsy today, Cyber Monday, the best Internet shopping day of the year. So I browsed at bit. I found a guy selling randome bags of ribbon for $4 each, and there were 50 one-YARD pieces in the bag. Since I am a ribbon junkee, this was right up my alley! I bought 3! Can't wait to get all my ribbon. Then, I found this woman who was selling pre-made tags in the "Tim Holtz style." I was ALL over those too. Lastly, I got a really nice assortment of sticker sheets from various manufacturers for dirt cheap. Like some sort of closeout maybe. Whatever the reason, I just can't believe my luck at shopping yesterday. When I was younger, I NEVER imagined my life would be spent shopping on the computer. Now I can't imagine life WITHOUT the Internet. So I ask you... what did you buy yesterday??

ALSO!

If you are a member on Facbook follow the link below to my fan page! And please hit the "like" button!:)

Check out my Etsy shop online!

As we fall into this busy holiday season, you can rely on ME to help make your seasonal scrapbooks more unique. On Monday, November 29th I will be realeasing 10 BRAND NEW double page Christmas layouts on my Etsy Shop. Just click the link below and start shopping right from your home!

Does YOUR Mojo ebb and flow??

Some days I've got it. Some days I don't. I'm talking about MOJO! This is the artistic talent that God grants you... yes, grants you, on a daily basis. Sometimes I can sit down and whip out several scrapbook pages without a problem. They look great and I'm pleased with them. But, there are days when you sit down to scrapbook and have a hard time figuring it out. A hard time making decisions. A hard time seeing problems you'd normally pick out quickly. Frustration mounts until you give up! Sound familiar?
So what do you do when the mojo is not flowing like you want? Get up and walk away from your work table. Go to another activity and come back 15 minutes later. Excersize. Get a cup of tea. Call a friend and laugh a little. Do yoga deep breathing. Anything that switches your mind off of the creative task at hand!
p.s. I sometimes turn on HSN or QVC and do a little retail therapy!!
Those are my tips on getting your mojo going again. Do ya know what I mean?

For some reason, BRADS are on my mind!!

That's right, I'm talking about brads. These little things are a scrapbooker's best and worst friend. That's right, good and bad. You ask, why? If you've ever used one to hold together two little flowers on top of each other, they're great. To accent a layout, great. But have you ever tried to poke one through a teensy weensie hole, and the sticks bent? Or, once you have gotten it into that little hole, you've turned your work over, only to NOT be able to spread the sticks at all? Frustrating! And what's up with the painted metal brads, anyway? The paint literally glues them together, making it really inpossible to get the sticks apart! And FORGET about the mini ones. I mean, I wear cheaters as it is, I don't want to break out a magnifying glass! Now let's talk about what you use to break the sticks apart when they won't split. I've tried a pin... too short and not strong enough. I have used the precious end of my precious tweezers... don't try this at home. You'll ruin them as I did! And I have tried something that was absolutely free... my nails. Now that I don't have my fake nails, I find thin, fine nails are good for a lot of things. But NOT for splitting those stupid brads apart! I know I am not the only one who has broken one or two nails doing just this! Argh.
One more complaint. Why can't they make those beautiful decorative brads FLAT? Sure the jewel looks really pretty, but make one that is as flat as paper, please.
Here's today's tip: you can change the color of brads. Just hold a brad with tweezers, and heat it up with your heat gun. Then dip it in embossing powder, any color, and voila! The powder melts on the hot brad and you do your little happy dance around the scrap table! And it looks really cool, too.
So there's my diatribe about brads. You know what I'm talking about?

One of my favorite tools... Pokey

What can I say? I have had a love affair with my metal paper piercer tool for about 7 years. It started when I used to scrapbook with a friend once a month. I would need the tool to poke holes in the paper - perhaps to put in a brad, perhaps to start a hole for a piece of ribbon or such. Where the heck was it?? Search under this paper, look under that pile... finally one time I just said "Pokey, oh Pokey! Where are you?" And I guess it stuck. It became a joke, perticularly when under the influence of my favorite scrapbooking beverage... wine.

And believe you me, Pokey is something to love. It doesn't talk back to me. It's strong, doesn't ever bend. Sure, one end is sharp. But I'm careful about that end and Pokey has never hurt me. Have I wanted to use it to hurt someone else? You bet!! But I'd never compromise the straight as an arrow metal stick. Wish there was a cover for Pokey, I'd sure buy it. Until then, I place it lovingly on my work table,  between the Exacto knife and bone folder. It looks good there. If I put it back there every time, I'd never have to ask where it is. What fun would that be? Ahhhh. I so love my Pokey.