Bottleneck!

Hmmmm... I mentioned in an earlier post that I had so many ideas I wanted to get done and that my creative juices were flowing. Well, they are - at least in my HEAD!

I'm not sure why, but it seems when I sit down to do something, I can't quite work out how to pull it together. Might be the humidity, or the heat - or just about ANYTHING!

Last night when my scrapping buddies were over here, I was expecting to be on a roll. Well, it turned out that after getting the cards done that I wanted to have finished last night, I couldn't work on any of the layouts that I have noted! How does that happen??

** There's a white background challenge for the SE forum - didn't have the photos printed as I had only taken the photos a couple of days ago. Maybe I will print them off here at home. Quality won't be so great - but that page will hopefully get done.

** There's the BOM challenge issued by Janine - I'm planning on doing my handbag contents. Nothing much has changed so I know I can do the pic for it - I just NEED to do it!!

** There's the sketch that I know will work really nicely for a few pics I have from a couple of christmases ago.... I just can't quite find the right paper. Think I've got one pattern sorted, but it needs some stripes..........

I know htat there are going to be 101 projects coming up - I'm about to pick up that motherload of photos soon! I just need to get on and DO IT!

So this brings me to the thought of the day that I got from Ali Edwards' newsletter. What is my Personal Creative Manisfeto? A WHAT??! I hear you ask. In a nutshell, I guess I'd interpret it as a personal description on the philosophy behind the creative stuff you do- a creative mission statement. She's challenged us to think about building one for ourselves. After reading this, I kind of had the thought that maybe that is the bottleneck issue for me. WHAT am I trying to create? Who am I thinking I'm creating it for? At the end of the day, it's all meant to be fun and something for me to enjoy doing instead of angsting over whether I'm doing it well enough for someone else to like it. So, I'm thinking that maybe I could spend 10 minutes pondering this idea further. Hopefully at the end, I'll know a bit better and actually get those ideas OUT OF MY HEAD or notebook and ON TO PAPER!

In the meantime, I DID manage to stick the final piece on a layout - so I did complete one last night in the end.

The First in the Aussie Circle Journal

It's been a while since I actually completed a layout - it seems I've been doing a lot of cards lately. All fun so that's all good. I have a couple more to do for upcoming birthdays so look out for them here.

But last night and tonight I worked on the second of my circle journals that I have signed up for. To get this finished, I'm actually very HAPPY {there's that word :)}
Although I picked the topic, when I came to put something on paper, the concept was quite elusive. I never intended for there to be a photo on this page - put somehow by putting one on, a couple of things came together. I think it's come together quite OK.

I actually need to get this posted on teh group site. Hopefully the computer will play nice.

I have a mountain of pics to be thinking about - I got them into be printed this morning. When they arrive there will be some fun! But in the meantime, the gals over at SE have been putting some cool challenges up. The Fortnightly challenge at teh mo is to use a white background. Took some picutres of PEGS for that....... so hoping that's going to come together in time.

On top of that, one of my aims for this year was to scrap more about me. Janine has got some good thinking and challenges going so I hope to be working on one of these too.

Ohhhh how the creative juices are flowing. Well, they ARE doing that around my head. We just need to get time and space to co-operate!

BTW: while I'm dropping names here - and I think I was! - go check out this Belgian dare site. It's new and I think it'll be quite cool. Don't worry - It looks a lot like dutch - and it is! - but there is enough English in there for us all to get the picture!

Ciao for now!

Lists

Are you a list person?

I'm not really. Ok, I'll make grocery lists and To Do lists - but it seems that the only time I refer to them is at the end of the task / day to see what I missed. Somehow the actual act of writing things down puts those things in my head. The important stuff sticks - mostly. The not so important stuff often doesn't stick. I think this is called "Volcano Management" !

Anyway, a couple of fun lists via Ali Edwards looked interesting so I thought I'd try and make them.

THE ESSENTIALS

These are the items that you reach for time and time again - the things that you absolutely must have in order to create.

• My paper trimmer - it's the only way I know I'll cut a straight line!
• Scissors - I finally got some sharp, pointy ones so I can now cut in nice and close
• Inks - chalk ink is becoming a must have, but I would use ink somewhere in almost every page I think. The absolute minimum colours for me would be black, platinum, and sepia.
• Photos!
• Pens - i'm doing my best to "love my handwriting" - I use a black zig, and white pigment ink pen
• Adhesives - i have a few but the two I use most are double sided tape and Henzo glue
• Cardstock
• Patterned papers - I have to have some

OK, so with that list I could create. Don't know if I would be happy with every page. Probably would like to have a list of things that I'd like access to even if I couldn't bring them myself.... ribbons, brads/eyelets, rub-ons. Yeah, I think they are almost on the Essentials list!

The second list was "THE GOOD STUFF" - those things that you're using lots at the moment and are making your brain zing!

• Flowers - yes really! With two boys I haven't been doing many girly pages so with a few challenges and a determination to get some sort of "pink" in there, I'm getting flowers on many things!
• Rub-ons - ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes! Titles, swirls, Big swirls, stitches.... yes please gimme!!
• Buttons - I'm a newbie to buttons - and I LIKE
• Chipboard - I'm liking lots. Still a little restrained as I figure out what to do - but I'm wanting to use it quite a lot.
• SERIOUSLY patterned paper. I'm trying not to be scared of mixing it up. The couple of pages I've down wit more than one bit of pp I'm liking LOTS. More experimentation coming up.
• paint - yet another "new" thing for me - but I love the effect I'm getting. i got a bottle of texture paint in a kit last month. Have no idea what to do with it at this point so feedback on some ideas would be welcome!
• Serviettes - I got put on to this by a friend for card making .... and now I see it creeping into a couple of my pages. All to do with the FUN serviettes I've been given!

So these are my lists. What would be on your ESSENTIALS and your GOOD STUFF lists?

[Will post some pics once I've organised (!)]

Circle Journal beginnings

I signed up for a circle journal via Scrapbook Essentials earlier this month and the date is fast approaching. I kind of knew what I wanted to do when I decided to have Friendship as my theme. Thought that would be easy! However, come the time to actually commit something to paper -- YIKES! Turns out that although I have many faces that I want to include on my pages, I don't actually have a photo of everyone. How does that happen??! There's yet another mission to be completed this year: "Take More Photos!" So, anyway, here is a peek at the first pages of my circle journal.

It's been a busy couple of days round this place - not exactly doing much but busy all the same. We've been trying to get ORGANISED for school starting next week, get back into the rhythm of non-holiday living, and also getting some quality family time in. All to often we find ourselves rushing in our own directions - or at times - the directions of one or other of the boys. Some weekends the four of us sometimes only come together to eat - or exchange parents before heading off to get something else done. No wonder our section looks like it's owned by vagrants! Must get on to that - but that isn't on today's To Do list!

DH tried his hand at fishing on Saturday night. He didn't catch anything but he did take the time to enjoy the environment. It was a lovely calm night and there were quite a few people walking or fishing along Petone Wharf. DH remarked on how having a fishing rod in his hands meant he felt able to just sit and take it all in. No wonder people like to fish so much. Personnally, I can handle the sitting around, taking things in, the quiet reflection the time gives to you. But then what happens when you actually catch something. Ugh! no thanks!! This will be a Dad and boys activity I think!!

[BTW, I should mention that Gillian was the inspiration behind stamping my big flower!]

A christmas present

I made two of these mini albums for my parents as a gift this christmas. They were made using a Daisy D's kit - and I must thanks Scrapbook Central's Pip for showing me an example using simple embellishments (as opposed to the very embellished option that i was going to do!). the Simpler version meant that I COULD get 2 of them done in time for Chrissy!




I quite like the format of mini albums as gifts. It's kind of nice to be able to present something of you as well as the actual photos. I think it's also able to give the information behind the picture too so when you can't be there, the albums tell the stories just the same. Actually - isn't that the whole point of scrapbooking full stop???