Project 12 Topic: Fun

Play is out brain's favorite way of learning.

~ Diane Ackerman. ~

FUN:  Enjoyment, amusement, or light hearted pleasure.  Playful behavior or good humor.  Behavior or an activity that is intended purely for amusement and should not be interpeted as having serious or malicious purpose.

One of Stacey Julian's mantras is "Scrapbookinfg is suppose to be fun."  She has therefore added "fun" as on of the 12 Topics of Scrapbooking, as a reminder to let go of the obligation, expectation, limitation or males and make it fun.  Fun pages can be anything, they can have a purpose, or just be becaue you wanted to play with all the pretty paper and embellishments.  Zero restrictions on your inner child and absolutely no accountability to your inner designer.

You get to do or try anything you want and you get to follow any decorative diversion that tickles your fancy.  They can be anything, as long as you can experiment with pictures  and journaling and colors and patterns that you love. 

It is 100% likely thay what you end up with won't have the slightest familiarity with anything you envisioned - in fact, it will be true evidence of creative abandon.

One of my exes once told me, "I love you, but I'm not going to say it again. Just know this to be true until I tell you otherwise".

It seemed unnecessarily cold and rigid at first, but it got me thinking about WHY I wanted/needed to hear those words anyway... And to be really honest, it was because of my own insecurities at the time. Let's face it: relying on someone else to feel loved (respected) wouldn't have cured my self doubt; it would have actually created a dependency... and masked my compounding issues instead of ever working through them.

The beauty is when we feel complete, confident, and secure with ourselves, and then our happiness and stability doesn't depend on others (nor their words or actions). And here's the most important thing: when somebody loves (respects) you, they don't have to say it. You can tell by the way they treat you.

Yes, it's nice to hear those words every once in a while, but if our self-worth depends on others, then we give them the power to take it away, too.

Geeky Designs

If your family is as geeky as mine, you will love this Blog and Shop, Designed by Geeks.   I found at least 30 or more SVG designs that will create great shirts for my boys.  Check them out if you have your own RPG, Zombie loving Geeks.

Project 12 Topic: Seasons (by Stacy Julian)

Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.

Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.

Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.

Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance."

~Yoko Ono

I love Yoko’s words about seasons because they seem to invite both a literal and a figurative exploration of what seasons are and what they stand for. Regardless of your geographic location or the weather patterns you’re accustomed to, seasons exist and they offer a lens through which we can view our life and our stories. The most universal interpretation of seasons has to do with the four sub divisions of the calendar year—which seem to always inspire photographs, but there are seasons for sports and activities (like soccer and fishing) as well as seasons of rejoicing or mourning, healing or health. Take the opportunities you have moving forward to celebrate all kinds of seasons!

Take pictures and scrapbook, scrapbook, scrapbook!

Cameo: Learning to set up a proto type

Today, a friend ask me to see a proto type of a design she wanted. 
Played around in the Silhouette Studio,
created the design and then downloaded a picture of a wine glass,
and then resized the design over the picture of the glass.

Project 12 Topics: Family (by Stacy Julian)

We all have a collection of stories that we remember and tell over and over again. Some of these tales are tall indeed and some, are different depending on who tells them! Family stories are as old as family itself and as scrapbookers we have an amazing opportunity to make sure we write and preserve the stories that will be most important to future generations. We can have fun scrapbooking stories, but we need to make sure that we are also identifying and documenting stories that define the people and relationships that make up our family.

While there is no right or wrong way to tell a story, there are stories that are universally important. The stories of how people are born, where they live, what they do and believe, whom they marry and how they carry on, contribute to or challenge the family legacy. There are stories about hard times and good times, stories about gathering and stories about separation and loss. Many of these stories are easy to remember and to illustrate.

Some of these stories are so difficult to revisit that they are rarely considered, let alone shared. But, stories of all kinds need to be told and voices and perspectives need to be heard—before it is too late.

I want you to think about your own life story and your children. Have you told the story of the birth of each of your children? Have you told the story of meeting your husband or spouse or significant other? Have you told the story of finding your home? That was, I think, an opportunity I gave you on Dozen Day this last month or whatever. I can’t even remember anymore. There are so many stories that are around milestones, around births, around education and getting sort of a life training, going to college and maybe to serve in the armed forces of some kind, stories around vacations and those big kinds of things. Certainly there are stories around loss and around separation and around death. I want you to just start a list of stories that you need to tell, that literally are important in the timeline of your life and in the lives of the people you love. Then I want you to just spend some time…I told you in the welcome note. I gave you the opportunity to unplug. I said to unplug this weekend with your family and your completed scrapbooks. So if you have completed scrapbooks, if not, maybe just watch some old movies, some family movies or pull out photos and just spend some time in conversation with your spouse or your children or brothers and sisters and see what kinds of things are shared. What kinds of stories people recollect, and just be ready to capture and to write those ideas down.

This is a huge, huge topic. We could spend an entire year just on family stories, so we are just going to get started but don’t be overwhelmed, but do be excited at the opportunities you have to tell important stories and then don’t forget to use your inspiration file to track a few of them that you can tell this year and to start to curate the photos and bits and pieces that you need to tell those stories. I am going to share with you the story of the mouse and the blender this week on Dozen Day and I’m excited to do that, and that’s just another fun family story. So regardless of the kind of story you are telling, just be encouraged that you are a scrapbooker and that you have the opportunity to tell stories and that you are committed to doing it because that is totally BIG! I’ll see you on the message board.

Collecting and telling family stories and histories can be an overwhelming task. Don’t be overwhelmed. Instead, be excited that you have a desire to connect to family and preserve and pass down the legacy that is yours.

Be happy in your family. No family is perfect and yet there is joy to be found in every situation. Express gratitude and love for members of your family

Cameo Cutting Settings by OnLineLabels.com

OnlineLabels.com Silhouette Cameo 2 Cut Settings

Material	Blade	Kiss Cut Thickness Setting Without Cutting Mat	Kiss Cut Thickness Setting With Cutting Mat	Suggested Speed	Thickness Setting for Full Cut With Mat
Standard White Matte Sticker Paper	2	2	3	4	16
Removable White Matte Sticker Paper	2	2	3	4	10
White Gloss Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
White Gloss Laser Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	13
Weatherproof Matte Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
Weatherproof Polyester Laser Sticker Paper	2	4	4	4	13
Weatherproof Vinyl Laser	3	5	4	4	32
Weatherproof Gloss Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	4	5	4	19
Clear Gloss Laser Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	17
Clear Gloss Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	4	5	4	18
Clear Matte Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	4	5	4	18
Clear Matte Laser Sticker Paper	2	4	5	4	18
Brown Kraft Sticker Paper	2	3	4	3	14
Blockout for Laser Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
Weatherproof Silver Polyester Laser Sticker Paper	2	2	3	2	14
Pastel Color Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
Fluorescent Color Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
True Color Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
Silver Foil Laser Sticker Paper	2	5	7	4	18
Gold Foil Laser Sticker Paper	2	3	5	4	16
Silver Foil Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	5	7	4	18
Gold Foil Inkjet Sticker Paper	2	5	7	4	18
Recycled White Matte Sticker Paper	2	3	4	4	15
Aggressive White Matte Sticker Paper	2	4	5	4	11
Magnetic White Gloss Full Sheet	4	N/A	N/A	1	30
Cardstock Paper	2	N/A	N/A	4	9
Iron-On Transfer Paper Light	2	N/A	N/A	4	7
Iron-On Transfer Paper Dark	2	N/A	N/A	4	13
Chalkboard Sticker Paper	2	9	12	4	30

Project 12: Things (by Stacy Julian)

Things:  personal belongings, items with a particvular purpose or action, Activity, thought.  General cricumstances, conditions, approaches or matters that are unspecific.

The topic of "things" probably seems like a great catch-all.,  But it time to scrapbook things that you might not otherwise think of.  What are the things that you treasure, you depend on, you abhor and/or appreciate, and what is something you choose to see in a new, more positive light?  These are the things that you need to slow down, recognize and scrapbook in class.

Once you get the hang of noticing all of those everyday things, spend some time exploring your mind and heart of personal opinions, values, principles, and ideas that can also be categorized as "things".  

I find myself looking at THINGS a bit differently for a while, and I like that. The topic and idea of THINGS is (obviously) not limited to the tangible, but to focus on THINGS we can see, touch, use or at least appreciate and (naturally) photograph. As you select and work on the assignments that I share, do keep in mind the intangibles in your life that can also be classified THINGS, and be extra vigilant in capturing those in your journal this week. For example, you might list the THINGS you want to impart to your children (beliefs, expectations, hopes, disciplines, etc…).

First up, I’d like you to use your camera—I asked you to bring it to class, remember?—to take a picture of you in class. The THING is, we’re all in this together and it is quite the adventure, so if you haven’t yet taken a picture of this THING we call online education, I invite you to do it. Use your self-timer if necessary and capture YOU in Twelve. When you’ve done that, grab a piece of paper and quickly jot down a list of 50 ordinary, generic everyday THINGS—off the top of your head.

Do this right now.

Next up, I would like you to gather five THINGS (items) that fit inside a brown paper bag that you could use to visually introduce yourself. Naturally, you’ll want to photograph these things too.

While your camera is out, take a picture of your current favorite THING and the THING that is most happening in your home this week.

Your final assignment is to schedule a day in the near future when you have the time to photograph everyTHING you use or consume from the time you get up until noon. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try and can’t wait to trade experiences on the message board.

As a recap, here are tasks in bullet form …

• Continue to use and nurture your inspiration file, read and re-read your topic lists and put more detail to your list of intentions for the topic of THINGS.
• Print and read the THINGS handout.
• Scroll through digital images looking for and tagging images of physical things as well as images that could be used to represent intangible things.
• Quickly jot down a list of 50 ordinary, generic everyday THINGS—if you haven’t done this already—and then follow the instructions below!
• Gather five THINGS that fit in a brown paper bag that represent your life (and as an optional assignment, your life right now). Share these items with a family member or friend and consider inviting others in your home to do the same exercise!
• Photograph your current favorite THING and the THING that is happening in your home this week.
• Set aside a day when you can photograph everyTHING you use or consume from the time you get up until midday.

Here’s my list of 50 ordinary things: toilet, pencil, toothbrush, mop, pen, television, radio, phone, washing machine, book, picture frame, lamp, paper, chair, couch, sidewalk, window, clock, bed, pillow, remote, soap, fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, mirror, keys, wallet, money, purse, shirt, pants, shoes, watch, bracelet, cups, flowers, trees, computer, mp3 player, video games, car, truck, street lights

Once you have your list, I want you to spend some time with it. Denote those items that your grandmother didn’t have or use and those items that you have seen added or that have somehow changed in your lifetime. You might also mark the items on your list that you have more than one of—ask yourself why this is. My hope is that this exercise will increase your awareness of the THINGS in your life that are unique to you and the time in which you live, so that you might find a way to incorporate them into your stories this year!

We have been on our journey to inspired scrapbooking for two full months. While there will be days when you will undoubtedly feel lost or just plain exhausted, you should be finding your creative groove and experiencing the delight of discovering and documenting stories that matter

Project 12 Topic: Personality (by Stacy Julian)

Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit, into that big black space where the audience is.~~ Mae West

Personality:  The combination of essential characteristics or qualities that form an individual distinctive character.  The sum total of physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics of an individual.

A personality is a unique as a fingerprint and the very thing that we most need to document about the people we love.  Yes, you already have a "people" topic, which should be viewed as an opportunity to scrapbook an array of individuals in your immediate and extended family, as well as friends and people you admire.  Certainly "personality will shine through on those pages, but for the people you scrapbook in an ongoing way, there is more digging and documenting to be done, and that effort is in excavating and celebrating personality.

With this topic, we are attempting to notice and record the totality of behavioral and emotional aspects in those you love the most.  You are to describe moods, attitudes, opinions, motivations, and style of thinking, perceiving, speaking and acting.  Personality is something that continues to be shaped and refined our world.  But yet if you are the parent to more than one child, you know that each child comes to earth with a distinct disposition and makeup.  Pay attention to the  details and use both your pen and your camera to pay tribute to the special, unrepeatable and exclusively uncommon traits, quirks, features and foibles of those closest to you...

And do it with personality.

If you want to take a free “Big FIVE” personality assessment that I took, visit www.outofservice.com/bigfive.

Extensive research has been done into nearly every area of human behavior based on these five personality traits. As you might guess, there are some gender differences that have emerged across cultures. For example, women consistently report higher neuroticism and agreeableness, and men often report higher extroversion and conscientiousness. Gender differences in personality traits are largest in prosperous, healthy, and egalitarian cultures in which women have more opportunities that are equal to those of men. Both men and women tend to grow more extraverted and conscientious and less neurotic and agreeable as cultures grow more prosperous and egalitarian, but the effect is stronger for men.

Conclusions about personality traits and birth order are many, but they are also inconclusive. There are scholars that hold to the idea that first-born children tend to me more conscientious and agreeable than later-born children, but genetics far outweigh birth order in these traits. Newer research does show evidence for a maturation effect. On average, levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness typically increase with time, whereas extraversion, neuroticism, and openness tend to decrease. In addition to these general group effects, there are individual differences: different people demonstrate unique patterns of change at all stages of life – which in the context of personality exploration should seem obvious, hey?

Ok … enough of scientific research, let’s move on.

Adjectives—words you can use to help you describe the personality of people you love. Scrapbookers are known for our overuse of words like cute and fun, so I thought I’d put some effort into the opportunity you have for much more compelling descriptions. I’m inviting you to print this list, hole-punch it and keep it with your other handouts, as a reference. Beyond that, you might print additional copies to play with. What if you read and highlighted one list for you, your spouse and/or your children—mark those words that describe each

Was mother right? If you can’t say something nice, don’t say something at all? It’s certainly true that we’re not all nice all the time, so I encourage you to familiarize yourself with this collection of useful words … I’m one who believes honesty can be achieved in the context of positive affirmation. In other words, you can throw in a few “less positive” traits as you take a more comprehensive view of people. I might use the following words to describe myself: warm, talkative, cheerful, demanding, distractible, impulsive, intelligent and impatient – since they’re not all bad, you get a much more authentic view of my traits. And if you’re like me in your neuroticism, you’ll want to be sure NOT to work with the Personality Plus list if you’re in an emotionally reactive mood. That just wouldn’t be fair!

The important thing is to observe and value the behaviors that stay with a person consistently over time and throughout a variety of circumstances. These persistent patterns, personality traits, are stable and consistent in a variety of situations, and truly define one individual from the next and what a boring world it would be if we were all the same!

As I send you off to contemplate the intricacies of personality, remember that we are all approaching this class from a unique place. Please don’t compare your efforts with others in class and please grant yourself the acceptance to be different in your objectives, adaptations and results.

Project 12 Topic: Inspiration (by Stacy Julian)

Inspiration:  the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

You may already know what inspires you.  Perhaps it is a particular genre of music, or a nice long walk, or a virtual jount through Pinterest.com.  Whatever it is, you need to go there often, and with confidence that sparks will fly.  Because inspired thought is often discovered as an answer or solution, it would be wise to fill your mind (and your journal or blog) with questions.

As you seek inspiriation it will come. 

Practice listening and learning, and be willing to change directions when inspiration calls.

I want you to visit a store and leave your wallet in the car (in other words, go shopping without the intention of making a purchase) and just wander. Stop and handle things, read labels or tags, touch, feel and notice. I love to do this and I do it quite often—when I do, I take photos with my phone (I posted a handful of these kinds of images in the classroom).

Another recommendation is to start a visual collection of the things you find interesting or inspiring. I’m certain most of you are aware of the cultural sensation that is Pinterest. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, please stop this audio now and go to www.pinterest.com and expose yourself to what is possibly the hottest trend in filtering content on the World Wide Web. If you have a Pinterest account, then spend 10 minutes this week nurturing your virtual pin boards. If you do not have an account, get one. If you need an invitation, let me know! I’m in LOVE with the idea of curating images and links to the original source of those images, so that I can satisfy my curiosity at any time!

And, since I don’t believe the connection between breathing and exposing yourself to exhilarating things is accidental, I want you to get outside this week and fill your lungs with good, clean, fresh air!

When it comes to inspiration, I’m of the opinion that it is less important to know what it is and more important to know how it feels and how to feel it.

I’ll close with more paraphrased words from life-coach, Amanda Harvey...

“Finding inspiration on a daily basis means aligning your heart and mind with the unlimited abundance of life, and consciously focusing on the possibilities that surround you. So, what is inspiration in practical terms? It is the flow of energy that moves through us when we are in tune with our higher selves. It is the state in which we can create without effort. Our actions flow through us, and rather than trying to make things happen, we get to surrender to the inspiration that we are experiencing, and let things happen.

Stop blocking your own inspiration with excuses not to create what you are destined to create. Believe in your heart that you have something important to contribute, and then take action and start doing it. The inspiration will follow.”

Project 12 Topic: People (by Stacy Julian)

There are some people, like Maya Angelou that Walt Whitman described as “so much sunshine to the square inch.” I know you associate with people (and hopefully have them on the “people” list) that you feel are sunshine in your life.

It’s very interesting to me that many of us, perhaps most of us, start scrapbooking because we want to remember and we want to celebrate our memories. Memories really are focused around the people we love and yet it is very easy to get into scrapbooking and begin to develop the skills, maybe learn how to organize pictures and how to design pages and pretty quickly and almost sort of naturally the focus shifts from maybe this idea that I’m going to scrapbook so that I can celebrate or record stories of my grandma or my own children or my childhood which is all very people focused. We shift. I guess it’s because sort of the general paradigm of photo organization is around events. Pretty quickly without even really being cognizant of it you can fall into a pattern of scrapbooking events.

You know – we did this, we went here, we celebrated this birthday, and sure grandma and grandpa are there and yes, of course, we saw the cousins when we went to the waterpark, whatever it is, but if you are not careful you end up with short captions that say, you know, fun was had by all. I say that a lot. I use that example a lot, but I really do see it as being a pattern that emerges in scrapbooking if you are not remembering why you started to scrapbook in the first place. With all of the pictures that we have and all of the overwhelm that sets in, and then there is the whole intimidation thing that creeps up because page are supposed to look a certain way. I know you’ve heard it before, but this audio message is dedicated to PEOPLE because people matter in our scrapbooks and here’s what doesn’t matter. What doesn’t matter is where the pictures are taken as much as what you are trying to capture. So what matters is not that you are scrapbooking an event or a moment or any one of the 12 topics, what matters is that you pay attention to who is involved in the memory and you try as much as you possibly can to say something about the people, say just some little snipped about the relationship that you have with them, the way you feel about them, something about that is unique about their personality, as much as we can, focus on people.

 Now what happened to the magazine is I ended up teaching that and presenting that exercise enough times that it really became something that we did at Simple Scrapbooks. One time my boss was in the room, he had heard about this exercise and I did it with him there and he came up after and he said that we should figure out how to share this more, better, so we had kind of a brainstorm meeting. We were on the verge of starting to do some product at the magazine and so Simple Scrapbooks, and I don’t know if you remember, you may or may not, but we had a little paper book. We wanted them to be a very low price point and we wanted to have them sell at retail stores. They were quasi successful. The quality of the product, sadly, wasn’t very great and that’s because we weren’t product manufacturers, but that’s a whole another story. We did produce for about a year and a half these little booklets. I actually made one. I have several extra that I still have and I think they threw a lot of them away, kind of sad, but anyway the exercise is still good. I have a little video that I’ve posted that you can watch in which I share one of the 2-minute memories little Top 10 books that I created for my sister Darcy. It actually is one of my projects this week. You can watch for that. I will touch on it again on Dozen Day which is this Sunday…very exciting. So stay tuned for that. At the end of the audio we will do the 2-minute memory together.

Okay, so, if you’ve got your paper and your pen or pencil and a photo of someone on your people list or someone that you love let’s go ahead and start the exercise. I have the timer on my phone set for a minute and go ahead and close your eyes and try and get comfortable and just go to a place where you are very familiar and you spend time with this person in this place. Begin to think about the conversations that maybe you’ve had or the types of things that you talk about with this person or the things that you’ve learned from them, thing about how this person has made you feel and now all feelings need to be positive, but what are some of the feelings you associate with this person? What are the things that you see that remind you of them? What are the things that you taste or smell or experience that immediately brings this person to mind or brings something that you’ve shared together to mind? I’m going to just go ahead and let you enjoy immersing yourself in memories of this person.

Okay, open your eyes and start writing as fast as you can. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. I’ll give you another minute to do that. Don’t try to write out all the details right now but try and capture all the different sort of topics that came to mind, just different foods or colors or feelings or places, or other people that you associate with memories around this person so that you could go back and sort of nurture or fill out each topic a little bit more. Just about 10 seconds left so keep writing as fast as you can. Usually at about this point when I’ve done this with groups of people live, most people have 3 or 4 or 5 things written down and at the end of a minute some people are still kind of writing a lot and some people have kind of hit their first pause with what else did I remember. What I’ve found is that everyone has something that they can finish up or revisit or go back to and fill in with more detail.

What I hope you experienced if you do this is just the fact that this kind of mental focus can generate memories. You can totally go immerse yourself in a memory of a person for just a minute, open your eyes and generate all kinds of good stuff. Hopefully you take time to do it with me but whether you are comfortable doing it with me or doing it on your own or doing it with someone in your family, you know, sit down family members and do it with them. I hope that you will practice this because it has been very helpful for me. Again, you can watch the short video that is posted in the classroom that is me sharing the result that of this 2-minute memory exercise focused on my sister Darcy.

So there you go. It’s People week. Spend time with your people list, see if you can distribute the worksheet to people that you know and love and get some of their perspective back and then engage as often as you want to and can throughout this year with this 2-minute memory exercise and use it to generate good detailed stuff about the people you love. People matter. Let’s scrapbook people!

A few questions to consider when scrapbooking the people in your life:

• Name:
• How you met:
• Occupation at this moment, and when you met, future goals...
• 2 things you have in common
• 2 things they are good at
• 2 of their favorite things
• 2 of their least favorite things
• 2 of their favorite foods
• 2 of their favorite books
• 2 things they are doing this week
• 2 things they have learned

Project 12 Topic: Ritual (by Stacy Julian)

A ritual is something as simple as a morning routine, where you greet the day in a predictable way.  The actions we can take on a daily basis that add better health, scuccess, joy and peace of mind, to our lives, are ritualistic.  Wehther it is a morning work or an afternoon cup of tea, if you practice somethine to help you create a sense of balance or mindfulness, you benefit from rituals.

Rituals, like listening or reading to inspirational media, or laying out your clothes for the next day.  Are all rituals that need to be honored in your scrapbooking or journaling, because they form the familiar structure on which we hang our out-of-the-ordinary events, like holidays and vacations.  When rituals formulate, involve to include others or occur on a specific day, we often refer to them as traditions in the content of culture of religion, often become so important that they shape perspective and guide decision making.

We need things to ground us, to support us, to give us courage and connection.  I encourage you tto identify these things, develope those things, and celebrate those things in your scrapbooks.

Definition:  Ritual
Everyday routines, a defines series of actions that help us transform from one emotional state to another.  Observances or acts practiced in an effort to establish stability or balance in life.  Custom, tradition, convention, formality, procedure, or protocal.

Project 12 Topic: Everday (by Stacy Julian)

Definition Everyday:  Of or pertaining to every day, daily; an everday occurrence, as contrasted with special occassions.  -- Ordinary, common, usual, regular, familiar, conventional, run-of-the-mill, standard, stock.

Ah, the monontony of everyday life.  The getting up and going and doing and working, eating, playing, waiting, teaching, helping, sharing and loving.   It is the very essence of what we do and who we are and it should, in my opinion, fill most of the pages of our scrapbook. 

If you are not a daily picture taker, I encourage you to be one.  You can train yourself to  pull out your camera and capture the mondane things of every day life.  The messy imperfection of every day life and the "nothing special here" moments, that you share as you go about your daily life.  These things will be just as fun to look back on as the vacations, hoidays and other milestone events.

As we learn to document and appreciate the very familiar, there grows in the ability to recognize novelty even in the most predictable part of our lives.  Novelty spurs curoisity, which encourages full engagement, which must exist for full creative expression. 

As we scrapbook everyday life, and create a collection of disjointed pages, a pattern will emerge that unify individual pieces .  In and of itself, it might not amount to much, but it becomes significant when part of a common theme, a common purpose, your life.

Project 12 Topic: Places (by Stacy Julian)

Oh The Places You’ll Go …

You’ll likely recognize this phrase as the title of a beloved Dr. Seuss book that is often given to those who are graduating from high school or college or who are approaching some other crossroad in life—the idea of going places is often equated with the potential we have to discover, explore or aspire to greatness. Places, and especially the cognitive exploration of past place, are central to the process of mining memories because we so readily associate experiences and feelings with a particular location. I believe places fall into two major “memory” categories: familiar and novel. If you think about it, we tend to form strong memories or attach vivid mental imagery to those places that are either very familiar or those places that represent brand new experiences—so, for example a childhood home vs. a first-ever trip to the ocean or Disneyland

We have gazillians of memories that are tied to specific locations and yet we often neglect these places in our scrapbooks. 

Wether it is a destination of a "once in a lifetime" moment, or the very familiar curve of your favoirte chair to sit and read.  They are scenic destinations, but also the grocery aisle that you know by heart and the exact place where your favorite treat is kept. 

 Any place that is loved and often visited or even just fondly remembered, deserves to be told as part of your story.

Pay particulat attention to those destinations and locations that you can tag as a "happy place."  Remember that the visual information and the written information of why these places make you feel are equally important.

Definition:
A particular position of place in space, that can be used for a specific purpose or activity.

Project 12 Topic: Holidays (by Stacy Julian)

Definition:
a day fixed by law or custom on which ordinary business is suspended in commemoration of some event or honor.  A day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.

Holidays sometimes get a bad rap in scrapbooking.  We often emphasize the importance of everyday life to the detriment of holidays, when in reality, countless wonderful and happy memories and traditions are made, as we celebrate with family and friends.  Cherished family traditions often center on annual holidays, or the days leading up to that specific holiday.  

What do you celebrate?
 How do you celebrate?
Where do You celebrate?
Why do you celebrate?
With whom do you celebrate?

Project 12 Topic: You (by Stacy Julian)

Definition: 
The pronoun of the second person singular;
 used of the person being addressed:   yourself. 
Something identified with or resembling the person addressed: That hat is so you!
The nature of the character being addressed:  Try to discover the hidden you.

There really is just one story you are most qualified to tell and that is our own story.

Some of your scrapbook pages will have photos, and some may not.  What a page about you needs most, is your perspective, your thoughts.

The longest journey you will ever take is the 18 inches from your head to your heart.

Be yourself.  Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through in every sentence you write, every page you finish.

Think for yourself no one else is qualified.

Project 12 Scrapbooking: Organizing by Color

Part of "12" is to organize and scrap by color.  We will be using 12 colors to reflect 12 topics.

Color can influence emotions, actions and how we respond to people, places, things and ideas.  When you research "color meaning" on the Internet, there are thousands of results.  Depending on culture and experience, each color represents different things to different people. 

I made my choices based on what I like and what supplies I have on hand, or those that can easily be purchased.  Also based on color combinations, what I thought would look good together, for when themes are combined.

CTMH Cardstock Color:  Topics
Baby Pink:  ME
White:  Holidays
Olive:  Places
Outdoor Denim:  Everyday life
Honey:  Rituals
Black:  People
Sky Blue:  Inspiration
Hollyhock:  Personality
Sunflower:  Things
Pacifica:  Family
Sunset:  Season
Grey Flannel:  Fun

Project 12: Creating an Inspirational File

The assignment is to create an Inspirational File.  This is to be used to collect photos, and bits & pieces of everyday life for potential materials for scrapbooking layouts over the next year.

Naturally, the creative process will be different for everyone and different for each page you make, but I'd like to outline some general steps to get you moving in the right direction.

1. Draft a list of possible page ideas/subjects on each topic card.

2. Clip this list to the appropriate divider on your inspiration file.

3. Review your lists often and begin prioritizing ideas by the degree of effort required and the level of interest you have -- in other words, which subjects do you feel like tackling before others?

4.Start curating photos and other pieces of information and ideas that might be helpful in the design/assembly phase. Slip these items/notes into your inspiration file.

5. As you go about your life, pay attention. Memories and little details will come to you, as you watch, listen, read, converse--interact with everything in your day. Note any specific ideas and hang onto things that might have relevance to subjects on your list. Pay attention also, to other possible subjects that you need to add to your topic lists.

6. When you get excited about one particular page subject or at least settle on a subject, transfer it to your monthly checklist, so it's actually in your cue for the current month. At this point, it's time to begin to ruminate about the details of the design or specifics of the story--how many photos do you envision using and how lengthy (or not) will the journaling need to be?

7. Once you have a few specific ideas on your checklist, revisit the 12 Triggers and see if there is anything there that triggers something for you. I view these a little like design challenges, for example I kept mulling around the idea of a white one word title

Books to Inspire you to Journal better

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battle by Stephen Pressfield. Even though Pressfield is a writer, this book isn’t really a writing book, per se. It’s equally as applicable to any creative endeavor. Its main focus is to help you overcome your natural resistance to pushing forward through what is hard about creativity. This book has changed my perspective about creativity more than any other book I’ve read. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it For Life by Twyla Tharp. Tharp is a choreographer and dancer, so it follows that this, too, isn’t a book just about writing. It focuses on creative processes, how to establish them in your daily routine and then how to let them help you thrive. It includes assignments and exercises to help you develop your processes, as well as stories from Tharp’s life that illustrate real-life applications. One of the things I love about this book is how varied her examples are—you don’t have to be a dancer to see her perspective.

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury. The thing I love about Bradbury writing about writing is his enthusiasm for the task. There’s no whining or moping around about how hard it is. Instead he revels in how fun it is. “If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun,” he says, “you are only half a writer.” This little book will help you find more of your complete writing self.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. The fact that this book, published in 1995, is still in print is testament to its endurance. Lamott explores the writing life, from writing a first draft to the final publication. Even if you don’t want to write novels, what she writes about writing itself will inspire your journaling.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. Goldberg manages to connect spirituality and creativity in this classic book about finding your inner writer. Her words are so securely confident and assertive that your own confidence cannot help but grow as you read it.

What is a "Good Life"?

There are many answers to this question, is defined by the person asked. 

To some, it means good health. To others, it means being surrounded by family and friends or whoever brings warmth, love and happiness to their life or relationship. 

It can mean opportunity for education, leisure time, delicious foods, or an opportunity  for so many things. 

It could mean a life made easy or easier. A life made comfortable with material possessions, entitlements and wealth. Wealth allows you to afford whatever we chose, and many aspire to this status.

However when we have whatever it is we thought we wanted, do we lose sight of what truly matters? 

The answer like the question is fluid.  And it changes with time.  As we age and mature, as we experience gain and loss, when we  realize what we've been missing, or when we learn something unexpectedly.

Journaling Ideas

Today, I wanted to share with you some of the techniques I use to get my journaling onto the page. This is something I struggle with. I have alot of pages that are not completed, simply because the journaling never gets done. This is one of my goals for this year. To get the journaling onto the page.

Use a journaling spot as part of your design – This is one of the easiest ways to get your journaling onto the page. If you incorporate a journaling spot into the design of you layout, you have an automatic place to put your journaling.

Use your journaling to balance the layout – With such a strong cluster and photo placement in the lower left corner of the page, having the journaling in the upper right corner helps create balance on the page.

Put your journaling in a frame - Often, when I am working with a template, I don’t have as many photos as the template has on it. Sometimes, I’ll replace one of the photos with a journal spot and put a frame around it. To me, this kills two birds with one stone: I have one less photo spot to worry about, and my journaling gets on the page.

Tuck the journaling along the edges of the main focal point – I was working with a heavily blocked design, so the journaling is tucked along the bottom and it formatted to match with the blocked design.

Project 12

In 2012 Stacey Julian, developed a scrapbooking idea that was absolutely amazing.   She developed 12 topics to inspire others to create a fully viable scrapbook

Today is a day of celebration.  Dozen Day, which we will celebrate on the 12th of every month.

Beginning in April, on the 12th of each month, I will post 12 photo-taking prompts and 12 page-making ideas.  By the end of the 12 months, you will have created at least 144 pages of memories. 

You may do what you will with these ideas.

They needn’t be tracked and you shouldn’t feel any specific obligation to them.

They are simply additional ideas that you can consider—ideas that will hopefully move you to action with your camera and your scrapbooking skills.

Project: Using Glitter Vinyl as Rhinestones

Have you ever tried the  technique where you cut HTV using a rhinestone template

and then iron it onto a ribbon base.

 Deciding what color base ribbon to use. 

See how the different base colors effect the overall design.

Press the HTV onto the ribbon base and then form your bows.

Love of Lists

I love making lists:  things to do, things to learn, things to research, chores to do, bills to pay.......  You name it and I have probably made that list or will sometime in the future.   Lists keep me organized and on track, helps me to remember what things I need to accomplish (which often happen at last minute & in panic mode).  

Day 8

 Fashion, toys, books, almost about anything is brand new at one time, goes out of favor and then recycles back into being the "newest and greatest things ever."  I should of added Mason Jars to the list above too.  I love the things you can create with mason jars.

Day 9

 A note to a younger me, I think I talks for it self.

Day 10

 Like most people, I have been in a love-hate relationship with my body for years.  This is something that I am currently working on.  o feel better about my body.

Day 11

 The grocery list has changed since the kids are grown and gone.  But it still has the 6 basic food groups.  Yes, chocolate is an essential food group.

Day 12

 Technology:  I can never keep up.  Not very computer savy, always have to ask my Son or one of my Team Members to help me figure it out.

Day 13

When you get married and have kids, you learn to compromise and educate yourself on subjects of interest to them.  But there are still some things  that I have had to learn for myself.

Day 14

I love to learn and have a stack of "How to.." or "Books for Dummies...."
I will probably be adding more to this list.

Project: PI Day

My husband is a science geek..

Thanks to an individual in one of the FB groups, I am in.

I was able to make him a shirt to wear.

Thanks Theresa Creager !!!

(Translation:  I eight sum PI)

Project: Reuseable Cards

I have not taken the time to create cards in a while,

but saw these cool "reuseable" cards and had to give it a try.  

 They have a clear acetate pocket, so that you can see what is written on the index card

 You  can replace that inner card and reuse the outside pocket card

Then I created a silhouette cameo file,  so that I can easily make these cards again & again.

Just a few Lists

I love making lists:  things to do, things to learn, things to research, chores to do, bills to pay.......  You name it and I have probably made that list or will sometime in the future.   Lists keep me organized and on track, helps me to remember what things I need to accomplish (which often happen at last minute & in panic mode).  

 

Day 1

 

 

The first day of the month is also the day that I look at my monthly goals for the year and see the progress I have made and the progress that still needs to come.   With this one task, I was able to cross off a few sub-tasks of long term projects:  Journal/Scrapbook about Me, learn a new skill (Photoshop Element 13) and updating my blog at least once a week (which I think I am behind on).

 

 

Day 2



I think the above list is self explanatory.  How many times (years) have we made resolutions only to trash them within a few days or weeks.  There are a few that I keep.

 

Day 3

 

This list was specific to the music I listen to... the thing is there is really never anything specific.  I listen to Country in the car and something with a beat when working out.  If I hear a song I like, I will buy it on iTunes. 

 

Day 4

 

I think this one is self explanatory.  It also explains a lot of my interests.

 

 

Day 5

I think at some point every one feels sad and we each have our very own tricks to get ourselves happy again.   A few of my favorites are listed above.  Though there have been events of sadness that have only been left behind by letting time pass or having to take a new path.

Day 6

Wish there was a Book Club in Northern Colorado. I love to read and would be interested in joining a group. there use to be ones at Barnes & Nobles here in town, but when they closed that was it.

Day 7



• These lists were created in photoshop elements 13 (on my list to learn) and with Becky Higgins Project Life series. 

30 Healthy Habits

30 Healthy Habits by A Mind Unleashed

Marc and Angel are the authors of 1000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently. Here’s their amazing list of 30 things to start doing for yourself. If you enjoy this, be sure to visit their website for more inspirational advice and tips for life.

 

#1. Start spending time with the right people. – These are the people you enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally.

 

#2. Start facing your problems head on. – It isn’t your problems that define you, but how you react to them and recover from them. Problems will not disappear unless you take action. Do what you can, when you can, and acknowledge what you’ve done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.

 

#3. Start being honest with yourself about everything. – Be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life, always. Because you are the one person you can forever count on. Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are. Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there. Read The Road Less Traveled.

 

#4. Start making your own happiness a priority. – Your needs matter. If you don’t value yourself, look out for yourself, and stick up for yourself, you’re sabotaging yourself. Remember, it IS possible to take care of your own needs while simultaneously caring for those around you. And once your needs are met, you will likely be far more capable of helping those who need you most.

 

#5. Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are. Be yourself. Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms. Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it.

 

#6. Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle. Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you. Right now is life. So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future. Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past. Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening. Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.

 

#7. Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you. – Mistakes are okay; they’re the stepping stones of progress. If you’re not failing from time to time, you’re not trying hard enough and you’re not learning. Take risks, stumble, fall, and then get up and try again. Appreciate that you are pushing yourself, learning, growing and improving. Significant achievements are almost invariably realized at the end of a long road of failures. One of the ‘mistakes’ you fear might just be the link to your greatest achievement yet.

 

#8. Start being more polite to yourself. – If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend? The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others. You must love who you are or no one else will.

 

#9. Start enjoying the things you already have. – The problem with many of us is that we think we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life – a level we see others operating at – your boss with her corner office, that friend of a friend who owns a mansion on the beach, etc. Unfortunately, it takes awhile before you get there, and when you get there you’ll likely have a new destination in mind. You’ll end up spending your whole life working toward something new without ever stopping to enjoy the things you have now. So take a quiet moment every morning when you first awake to appreciate where you are and what you already have.

 

#10. Start creating your own happiness. – If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you’re missing out. Smile because you can. Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow. Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it. If you look for happiness within the opportunities you have, you will eventually find it. But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you’ll find that too. Read Stumbling on Happiness.

 

#11. Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance. – In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work. Most of the time you just have to go for it! And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win.

 

#12. Start believing that you’re ready for the next step. – You are ready! Think about it. You have everything you need right now to take the next small, realistic step forward. So embrace the opportunities that come your way, and accept the challenges – they’re gifts that will help you to grow.

 

#13. Start entering new relationships for the right reasons. – Enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person you are and the person you want to be. Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment. And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them.

 

#14. Start giving new people you meet a chance. – It sounds harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you’ve ever made. People and priorities change. As some relationships fade others will grow. Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as you naturally let go of old ones that no longer work. Trust your judgment. Embrace new relationships, knowing that you are entering into unfamiliar territory. Be ready to learn, be ready for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone that might just change your life forever.

 

#15. Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be. Aim to break your own personal records.

 

#16. Start cheering for other people’s victories. – Start noticing what you like about others and tell them. Having an appreciation for how amazing the people around you are leads to good places – productive, fulfilling, peaceful places. So be happy for those who are making progress. Cheer for their victories. Be thankful for their blessings, openly. What goes around comes around, and sooner or later the people you’re cheering for will start cheering for you.

 

#17. Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations. – When things are hard, and you feel down, take a few deep breaths and look for the silver lining – the small glimmers of hope. Remind yourself that you can and will grow stronger from these hard times. And remain conscious of your blessings and victories – all the things in your life that are right. Focus on what you have, not on what you haven’t.

 

#18. Start forgiving yourself and others. – We’ve all been hurt by our own decisions and by others. And while the pain of these experiences is normal, sometimes it lingers for too long. We relive the pain over and over and have a hard time letting go. Forgiveness is the remedy. It doesn’t mean you’re erasing the past, or forgetting what happened. It means you’re letting go of the resentment and pain, and instead choosing to learn from the incident and move on with your life.

 

#19. Start helping those around you. – Care about people. Guide them if you know a better way. The more you help others, the more they will want to help you. Love and kindness begets love and kindness. And so on and so forth.

 

#20. Start listening to your own inner voice. – If it helps, discuss your ideas with those closest to you, but give yourself enough room to follow your own intuition. Be true to yourself. Say what you need to say. Do what you know in your heart is right.

 

#21. Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks. – Slow down. Breathe. Give yourself permission to pause, regroup and move forward with clarity and purpose. When you’re at your busiest, a brief recess can rejuvenate your mind and increase your productivity. These short breaks will help you regain your sanity and reflect on your recent actions so you can be sure they’re in line with your goals.

 

#22. Start noticing the beauty of small moments. – Instead of waiting for the big things to happen – marriage, kids, big promotion, winning the lottery – find happiness in the small things that happen every day. Little things like having a quiet cup of coffee in the early morning, or the delicious taste and smell of a homemade meal, or the pleasure of sharing something you enjoy with someone else, or holding hands with your partner. Noticing these small pleasures on a daily basis makes a big difference in the quality of your life.

 

#23. Start accepting things when they are less than perfect. – Remember, ‘perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good.’ One of the biggest challenges for people who want to improve themselves and improve the world is learning to accept things as they are. Sometimes it’s better to accept and appreciate the world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal. No, you shouldn’t accept a life of mediocrity, but learn to love and value things when they are less than perfect.

 

#24. Start working toward your goals every single day. – Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Whatever it is you dream about, start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen. Get out there and DO something! The harder you work the luckier you will become. While many of us decide at some point during the course of our lives that we want to answer our calling, only an astute few of us actually work on it. By ‘working on it,’ I mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

 

#25. Start being more open about how you feel. – If you’re hurting, give yourself the necessary space and time to hurt, but be open about it. Talk to those closest to you. Tell them the truth about how you feel. Let them listen. The simple act of getting things off your chest and into the open is your first step toward feeling good again.

 

#26. Start taking full accountability for your own life. – Own your choices and mistakes, and be willing to take the necessary steps to improve upon them. Either you take accountability for your life or someone else will. And when they do, you’ll become a slave to their ideas and dreams instead of a pioneer of your own. You are the only one who can directly control the outcome of your life. And no, it won’t always be easy. Every person has a stack of obstacles in front of them. But you must take accountability for your situation and overcome these obstacles. Choosing not to is choosing a lifetime of mere existence.

 

#27. Start actively nurturing your most important relationships. – Bring real, honest joy into your life and the lives of those you love by simply telling them how much they mean to you on a regular basis. You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people. Decide who these people are in your life and treat them like royalty. Remember, you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of.

 

#28. Start concentrating on the things you can control. – You can’t change everything, but you can always change something. Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and stagnation. Invest your energy in the things you can control, and act on them now.

 

#29. Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes. – The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next positive step forward. No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. Read The How of Happiness.

 

#30. Start noticing how wealthy you are right now. – Henry David Thoreau once said, “Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” Even when times are tough, it’s always important to keep things in perspective. You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night. You didn’t go to sleep outside. You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning. You hardly broke a sweat today. You didn’t spend a minute in fear. You have access to clean drinking water. You have access to medical care. You have access to the Internet. You can read. Some might say you are incredibly wealthy, so remember to be grateful for all the things you do have.

 

This is such a wonderful list. If we take little steps every day and practice these things, we can make great improvements in our lives. Share this post with your friends and loved ones. 

 

Credits: 

marcandangel.com

lifebuzz.com

whydontyoutrythis.com