An icy look

More playing around. We went to our local Winterfest last weekend, where they had all these cool ice sculptures...chairs and tables made of ice next to a fireplace of ice...very cool. I was trying to make my page look more "icy" to go with the pics. It's hard to see in the picture but I used this blue glitter behind the title. Then over the word "Winterfest" I put crystal effects (a clear glaze). The iridescent beads also help the look. Makes me cold just thinking about it. :)

This was a challenge on CK's site to scraplift an CK artist.  I scraplifted a page from Jennifer McGuire, found on page 33 in the Dec. 07 issue of Creating Keepsakes.

Experimenting

I have been trying to creat unique flowers on my pages, and they never quite turn out the way I think they will. But that is ok! I am experimenting! Seeing what things look like! It's exciting and fun, and a huge part of why I scrapbook.

Flowers

It is not often that I get to make a page featuring flowers since I am in a family of boys...but I am SUCH a "flower" person. I love them and wish I could use flowers on every page. So when I came across Creating Keepsakes call for making your own flowers, I jumped on the chance. I plan to try to make a few more pages as well. I am very pleased with the way this one turned out. Man--it feels so good to be scrapbooking again!

Finally

So, we have a new house. Bought it in September and been working on it ever since. Now we are finally moved in (mostly), and although there is more work to be done I just HAD to stop and create a scrapbook page! I was in withdrawel! So, it's not my favorite, but it sure feels good to scrapbook again:

I scraplift

Yes, it is true. On occassion...I scraplift. I always feel guilty though. Magazines say it is fine...people say it is fine. I personally do not mind if someone scraplift's my work...in fact it is a compliment. So...I shouldn't feel guilty. It's fun, and I have many beautiful layouts because of scraplift. So, if you, like I, feel guilty about copying someone else's work...don't! Just don't take credit for it as your own :)

The top pictures are of my scraplift...and the last one is of the original. The original can be found in "101 Things You Can Do With Your Scrapbook Supplies, with Jennifer McGuire." This was one of Creating Keepsake's special issues. The layout I lifted is on page 21, and the original artist is Kelly Noel.

Women's Retreat

Lately I have felt like I am slipping away from my Lord, Jesus Christ. The “stuff” just keeps getting in the way. I am not making time for Him. Sadly, I am not spending time in prayer. I am not reading my Bible. I am just busy, busy, busy…even if it is just being busy with nothingness. But I have felt it…the drifting away…the NEED for HIM. That is why I was excited for this women’s retreat this weekend. It was through my church. I was excited enough that I showed up in the first minute of check-in time, leaving an hour to sit and wait for it to start. I was so glad to be there…I needed to be there! That, of course, is when the headache came. I tried to ignore it, but it got worse and worse. Soon, I had to leave the activities and go up to my hotel room where I threw up for the next hour and a half before I had my husband come and pick me up. Yep, I had a very inconvenient and unpleasant migraine. I left my highly anticipated women’s retreat. I was devastated. What happened? I needed to be there Lord—didn’t I? It wasn’t until today (when I was feeling better) that I realized that as much fun as the retreat would have been…I didn’t need it…I needed Him. This has been the case all along. I don’t need the retreat, or my desired Bible study to start to bring me closer to Him. I just need to do it on my own.

This blog

I do not mind if people read my blog, or even comment. But I do not intend to promote it, because its main purpose is for me. My spiritual journal…my spiritual journey. So if you have stumbled across this, feel free to read it and struggle alongside me in this journey we call life. Anybody that comes this way must be brought by God, because you won’t have come here because of me.

Out of sequence

I think the best thing I ever did for my scrapbooking was to stop scrapping in chronological order. I still intend to arrange all the pages in chronological order, but as of now I just scrapbook whatever pictures I want to. It's nice, and a lot less confining. Now--when I have an idea for a layout aor a challenge that I want to do--then I can search for the pics that I want to include in it. It's a freeing sensation. I pile my finished pages in a plastic container and I will get them all in albums later. So my most recent page that I did included pics of Austin as a baby. Slowly and surely I am getting all my pics scrapbooked, but I don't care if it doesn't happen in order.

New Stamps

Yeah!!! I got new stamps (they are all from Stampin' Up!). I am really excited about these. I know that many scrapbookers out there do not use stamps...but I am here to tell you the STAMPS RULE!!!

Sad times? Scrapbook!

Today I was a bit bummed. See, we put a bid in on a house we really like, but found out today that the bank accepted an offer that came in right before ours. Anyways, so I thought I would try to scrapbook to cheer myself up. And it worked! And the boys actually let me scrapbook! They played with stickers while I made a couple pages. Before long, I had forgot about everything. I had so much fun. It feels like forever since I scrapbooked much. And I hope to scrapbook some tonight too!!! The laundry and cleaning doesn't really need done--does it?

My Scrapbook Goals

Yes, I have specific scrapbook goals. My big goal is that by the time both boys are in school--I would like to not have to go back to some boring job but instead be a professional scrapbooker! Meaning...getting paid for published work regularly and being on design teams. I guess my dream goal would be to have a column in a scrapbooking magazine and/or do books of my work, etc. Really...I am just starting off on this adventure, with nothing on my scrapbook resume. So here are my shorter term goals:

• Have a layout of mine featured on a main page. **Yippee, this already happened to me once...CK's site on August 1, 2007, my page called "We Were Meant to Enjoy Life" was a featured layout. But I'd love for this to happen again!   ***YEAH!!!  My page called "My Girls" was featured on CK's home page on March 27, 2008.  :)  **Yes!  My LO called "Chocoholic" was featured on CK's home page on May 9, 2008.  
• Make"Page of the Day" for CK **Yeah, this happened on 1/2/08...my page called "Family" was picked as "Page of the Day"...SO cool!
• Make page of the day for other sites: Yeah...on 1/30/08 a layout of mine made page of the day at Scraplovers! Yeah...on 2/15/08 a layout of mine made page of the day at Scraplovers!
  
• Get published! Yeah! A idea of mine for a flower was published (online) for the May 2008 CK articles, it can be found here.  **Yeah...a page of mine was requested by Scrapbooks, Etc in July 2008.  :)  **On Oct. 15, 2008 Scrapbook Trends requested a card I did...woo hoo!!!  It will be in the March 2009 issue.  **Woo Hoo....Memory Makers requested a layout that I did for their "baby" call.  :)  It will be in the May 2009 issue.  
• Post my excellent work on my 2peas gallery , my CK gallery, and here.
• Do calls for various sites/magazines and submit them.
• Attempt CK's next Hall of Fame Contest (2008) * attempted :)
• Catch up on the Scrapbook Challenges sketches and challenges.
• Try out for design teams. :)  Yeah!  On February 18, 2008 it was announced that I made the design team at ScrapLovers.com  ** On February 20, 2008 I announced that I made the design team at the Coconut ScrapShop.  :)  
• Do big contests.   BHG Scrapbook's Etc held their Ultimate Summer Challenge contest summer 2008.  I was a finalist in the first three rounds...won round three and moved on to the top ten finalists of the whole contest.  I did not win, but it was very fun.  
• Other: * On March, 11, 2008 three of my LO's were added to the Basic Grey gallery.  * On April 3, 2008, my LO called "you. {right now}"made the voted top ten at 2peas!  It actually made it to the no. 2 spot!  * On April 2, 2008 my LO called "Document A" was mentioned on a thread called "Pages that make you say 'Oh My'" over at www.twopeasinabucket.com.  * On April 5, 2008 my LO called "Document A" was picked and featured on designer Teresa Collin's blog.   * On April 25, 2008 a LO of mine made it onto the Weekly Digest over on CK (Erin's blog).  *On May 9, 2008 a LO of mine made the Weekly Digest on CK's Erin's blog.  **Woo Hoo, got my Scarlet Lime newsletter today (6/17/08) and Christy featured two of my LO's on there!  I was so surprised...see it here.  **On Nov. 30, 2008, I posted my layout called "First School Pic Ever" on 2peas and it made the voted top ten (spot 5)!!!  

Future goals will include seeking out design teams and sending resumes and portfolios out. I will also attempt the Scrapbooker of the Year contest for 2008. (I did submit a portfolio for that this year, and while I didn't get picked as a finalist, it helped me develop a personal style and prepared me for submitting work).
You may notice that most of my goals are for Creating Keepsakes magazine. That is because this is my favorite magazine. I only have subscriptions to it and Simple Scrapbooks, so really I don't know much about the other scrapbooking magazines that are out there. So I just got a subscription to a few other ones (Scrapbooks etc, Memory Makers), and I will try to not narrow my possiblities simply to CK.

ETA:

Goals for 2009!!!

*Make another Design Team.  :)
*Keep trying for Manufacturer Design Teams.
*Submit, Submit, Submit...for every call.
*Get published more than  10 times in 2009.  (I already have 4...so really this is at least 6 more times this year).
*Try for MMM 09.
*Blog regularly, at least 5 times a week.

My Favorite Layouts

**I am labeling this as a top ten post, even through it is only 3 so I can look back at my style over the years.  These are my 2007 top three.  :)

Here are my personal favorites of all the scrapbook pages I have done...my top three.

A New Blog

So I decided to start a scrapbooking blog. I can post my layouts, my goals, and photos. Maybe I will also post great products. So welcome...welcome to Pamela's World of Scrap!