1 Peter 2

I'm still behind in my own challenge. Here is my page for 1 Peter chapter 2. This was a hard one to do because I wanted a relevant photo, and I just didn't have any photos of living stones. I ended up digging out a photo of myself and using verse 19 as a starting point for a prayer. I'm not sure I like the yellow part of the title, but i was having a hard time matching up paint and not using too much blue.

Can I just talk about HOF for a moment? I have to admit that I have never actually followed the process before. I was never watching the pub board during all the excitement. This year it was as if I became drained emotionally AND I DIDN'T EVEN ENTER. I am so ADD to start with, and the deadline comes at such a bad time of year for us. Plus, I know I am nowhere near the league of the HOF winners. It's an amazingly talented group. Anyway, all that to say that I'm almost sad I didn't enter. Then I wouldn't feel so silly for getting all caught up in it. And I am so proud of the inspiring Wilna Furstenburg! It was exciting to see her name on the list, and I am sooooo happy for her!!

I think it's safe

I'm thinking I 'm ok to post my latest layout here. It's actually for submission for the BH sketch, so I'm not posting it in my gallery just yet. I picked up a copy of BHG Scrapbooks Etc. Design Secrets, and I am really lovin' it. It makes me want to pull out a few more design books. I've always had a hard time translating principles into my work, but I think it's getting easier.



I got my first goodies from my secret bunny today, and I'm excited. I got a nice little package with some AC Uptown blue ribbons and some Tazo Wild Sweet Orange tea. Mmmmmmm... I was thinking I will send my chick all of her goodies at one time. I need to be making a list since I'll probably be ordering most of it. For now, I am just keeping an eye on her blog!

1 Peter 1

It took me a while to get started on my challenge. I read the chapter over and over, but we had so much going on at church last week that I never had time to sit down and work on it. I took this opportunity to do a somewhat simple layout and to practice the swirlies from squillen's blog tutorial.

I had some fun with the hand lettering and rhinestones!

It's not quite publication...

...but Cherry Arte did respond to my contact e-mail and they offered to put my layouts in the gallery. It's the closest I've ever been to being published. They are supposed to be announcing details about their design team search later this month. I'm sure that will be big, so I'll savor my short time in the gallery for now!

Once again I will admit...

I don't alter. I just have enough stuff lying around my house as it is. I do, however, have a basket of stuff just in case. I was putting together some work for a DT call, and I decided it was about time to work up something that is a little more fresh. It's definitely different from anything I've ever done, and as you can see, I still need to work on my photography.

Anyway, I ended up altering one of those AOL CD boxes that comes in the mail. I'm glad I kept it. Now I just have to figure out where to put it.



You can see more photos of this project here.

I also have to admit that I haven't officially started my challenge yet. We have been so busy that I haven't done anything besides the altering thing. I think I'm going to post my challenge on the 2 Peas General board Monday. Then it will be a weekly thing. It seems like there ay be a lot of people interested.

It's a Go

I had actually been brainstorming before my last post about doing some sort of scripture challenge at 2 Peas. In the end, this is what I came up with. Anyone can play along, and I can't wait to see all the art!

1 Peter Scripture Challenge:

* I am going to read through one chapter of 1Peter each week. Part of my goal in this is to memorize key verses and to really allow the overall truths to sink in. (That means it will take 5 weeks to read through the whole book)

* I will do at least 1 layout a week. (I'm reserving the right to do more.)

* The layouts I do will be inspired by the chapter I am reading that week. I may use a few key verses for journaling, journal about how the truths apply in my life, make prayers about how I want the truths to affect my friends or family or myself, or just begin with an idea that comes from reading the chapter. (It's all about making what I'm reading naturally overflow and inspire the work.)

* I will not worry about what anyone will think of the design or the photos or anything that normally might hold me back. Well, if anyone else wants to join me just let me know. It's just a step I need to take. If you choose to do it with another selection of scripture, then that's ok too! Just let us see your work.

There will be a weekly thread for anyone playing along to post their work. I am aiming to have the first one done by Monday, March 6.

Let's have fun!

Rethinking it all

Lately I know everyone has been talking about "changes" in the industry. Who knows what that really means. I have been thinking about changes, too. Only I have been thinking about why I first started scrapbooking and what I wanted it to be all about. Now--I"m not going to sit here and say that my scrapping has been totally kidnapped by the "designer" aspect. I mean, I've never been published and I'm not on any DTs. I try but I certainly haven't been taking over by success.

However, my work has evolved over time, and I do think the whole call/contest thing has influenced that change. I check out what Stacey has to say often, and this post of hers reminded me of why I do this. I want my pages to be a reflection of Him. My work is not for "the industry" to love and to praise. It's to be a peek into our lives for those to come. I want it to reflect Him to Jonathan when he looks back one day. I want him to know that the aim of everything we did was to glorify God. Do my pages show that now? Sometimes, but not nearly enough. The call of "the industry" has watered down that message on my pages, and I don't want to give in to it any more.

Will I still submit to calls? Probably. Would I feel differently if I had been "discovered" and was getting assignments? Maybe.

I was totally inspired by a page I saw by Wilna in a magazine maybe a year or so ago--before I ever started the whole submitting game. I remember squinting to read every bit of handwritten journaling she had on that page, and when I had decoded it all, I thought, "That's how I want to do this." Not long after that, I think my work started evolving through submissions. I tucked Wilna's version of scrapbooking away somewhere in the back of my mind where the cobwebs live. Lately I've been thinking about how I need to return to that. I need to reflect Him in a part of my life that takes up so much time. I just happened upon Wilna's gallery and found her blog last week--around the same time as reading Stacey's blog entry. I was also thinking already about how God would want me to glorify Him even through my hobbies.

Anyway, all this babbling to show a LO I did last night. It's a start in the direction I want my work to head. I've also been reading and rereading First Peter (a new stratetgy to get it to sink in) and I think I am going to scrap it--well how it applies to my life and the people in my life. Hmmm...I feel a challenge coming on.

If you made it this far, thanks for enduring my thinking in type. I hope you'll notice changes in my work to come.

I'm seeing stars

As you can see I might be bordering on obsession lately. I'm not even sure how this happened. Stars just pop into my head. Maybe I'm just having the same idea over and over. Don't worry, I still have one more star LO rolling around up there and an unopened package of HS ghost stars too. Do you ever find yourself in a shape rut? I think this is a first for me.

The Star of the show LO here is the first one from a stack of the new Cherry Arte papers I just got today. I am loving the funkiness and non-matchy matchyness (that MUST be a word) of their papers. Now that's a DT I would love to find myself on!

The second LO is one that I am hoping will be publishable. I feel pretty safe posting it here because--let's face it (A) only like 2 people read this blog and (B) I have yet to get a call back on a submission.

Anyway, I think they are fun, and I wanted to share. Now you are all seeing stars!

Did someone say blogs?

I saw this blog challenge on a message board, and I thought it would be good for me to share. It was to list 10 blogs that you visit regularly. I do have quite a few that I like to visit for laughs and inspiration.

So....in no particular order, here they are:

1. Ali Edwards
2. Cathy Zielske
3. Tara Whitney
4. Elsie Flannigan
5. Jenni Bowlin
6. Kelli Crowe
7. Stacey Kingman
8. Lisa Truesdell
9. Danielle Thompson
10. Maria Grace Abuzman

Join me in gleaning inspiration from these ladies!! Especially check out kellicrowe. She's a riot!!

I love this page...

...about my dad. This picture definitely makes me think about how fun it is to watch him play with my son.

My Latest Creation

This was fun because I never get to play with pink. I'm kind of surprised I even had enough papers to do a real project. If it had been a normal size, I definitely would not! It was also a challenge because the tin is one of those tiny little sliding gift card holders from WM. I even had to take the page that is on the lid out of the book because it wouldn't close!

I like doing these little tin albums because I can just play around and see how it turns out. I think I let myself have a little more fun on this one than I have in the past. I just didn't worry so much, and as you can see, I fell in love with making white dots on black cardstock!

Finally...a project.

It's been slow going since the new year. I had a major cleaning session in my scrap and craft room/playroom/office --not that you would really be able to tell right now. I took the time to clean out the scary closet and to actually get rid of some stuff (just crafts stuff at this point). It's amazing how much space you can free up just by consolidating. I bought 1 set of 8 1/2x 11 plastic drawers and one magazine file, and the rest was pretty much rearranging.

I do still need to go through my scrap supplies and give some away, but I haven't been able to bring myself to that point yet. I have several goals rolling around in my head in regards to scrapping, but I haven't thought through things enough to actually write them out. I should probably do that. I'm just happy to be able to share an actual layout with you. I'm pretty happy with this one. I've been doing a lot of thinking about my style and I hope it will begin to shine through in my work. I also hope it will get me somewhere, but that's another story.

On another note, I did finally get a new camera!! I am sooo excited to get some better photos. Now my problem is going to be that I like too many of them. Not that I'm all that good right now, but it's such an improvement over my piddly camera I was using. I have a lot to learn, and half of the photography section of the local library is sittin on the floor in the den right now. I so wish I could take a class. I learn so much better through discussion and hands-on work. You can see some of my first photos (in auto of course) on the LO here. I have been able to start figuring out the manual stuff too, and it's not so bad. It is going to be great to have inspiring photos to scrap!!

Just to post

There isn't so much creativity flowing right now. We're trying to get back into the swing of things this week.

I just wanted to post these lyrics because this song hits me every time I hear it.

This Fathomless Love

Lord, what moved Your heart to love lowly man
before any star could herald Your praise?
And why did You come, abasing Yourself,
veiled in a robe of frail human clay?
Why would You, the pure, give Your life for the vile,
the innocent seeking the guilty, to be reconciled?

I can't comprehend this fathomless love.
I'm gripped and amazed at what You have done.
Why would the adored become the despised,
to bear all the furious wrath that was mine?
How awesome this mystery
of Your fathomless love
for me.

Why would You adopt and take as Your own
those who had crushed Your one precious Son?
Why mercy and grace towards Your enemies?
Your name they have cursed and Your throne they have shunned.
Oh, how could you choose to show kindness to these?
The ones who would mock You and hate You, the ones just like me?

words by Steve & Vikki Cook

This song is from Sovereign Grace ministries. They have some great stuff. You should check it out.

Here are some pics

of the tin album. It is a winter theme, and the snowflake was already on the top of the tin. I made a little money on the advent calendar for Crystal's new camera fund, so I might try to sell this too.







I know the photos are pretty small, but hopefully you can get the idea.

A Little Something

Well I am happy to say that my house is mostly clean, and I have been able to work on a little project some the last few days. I finished it this morning while my house was being trashed by the little fellow again. It's amazing how much damage he can do in a short time!

I made an altered tin album from a gift card tin I picked up at WM and left over pp from last year that I got at WM. My sister picked it up for something I can't really remember, and then we didn't really use it. In the end this album was soooo cheap. Hmmmm...It looks like WM should pay me to help them push their scrap stuff.

Anyway, I need to fix some photos to post. I'll try to get those up here soon. I'm so happy to be on my way to being on a real schedule! That's a good thing since there are some call deadlines approaching, and I have to finish some knitting stuff before Saturday! We'll see how long it lasts.

Discipline.Order.Organization

Whatever you call it, I need it. Things always seem to get incredibly crazy this time of year. I am almost done--yes I said done--with gifts. Even though I have that part under control, I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

I think there are several factors that are contributing to the craziness. I just started volunteering one day a week, and that has tossed our general schedule up a bit. Since all of our family is out of town, the holidays mean either visitors or trips. That means either less time at home to get regular things done or more time spent trying to make things presentable for guests. Add to all this the fact that holidays are busy times for churches, and as a pastor you don't really get to skip church functions--not usually for visiting family or for the sake of sanity.

Anyway, I am determined. I WILL make a schedule. I WILL purge toys before Christmas. I WILL get all gifts out of the way ASAP. I WILL find my desk again (This could be the most difficult of tasks.) I WILL make time to record some of the holiday memories we are making.

Alright, here is the part of my rambling where I plead for any of you out there in cyber space to share how you stay sane and still get in some scrapping and creating. LMK what works for you. I have to keep some things going or this blog wil be dead soon.

~ C ~

My latest Project

This one is headed a little more in the paper direction. I can't take credit for the original idea because I saw it somewhere else. It actually took way longer to make than I had expected. I had intentions to make 3 as I went along, but I gave up pretty early on that idea.



It's a magnetic advent calendar. Each piece is numbered and has a magnet on the back, so they can be stored on the back side of the cookie sheet until you need it. Each day you put another piece on the front until the last one that says Christmas Day! How fun is that? This one is actually on ebay in an effort to start my savings for an XT. I'd love to be able to take advantage of the rebate they have right now. We'll see how well that all goes.

Some Photos

These are some samples for an assignment that is waaaay overdue. I just though I'd share some of them that turned out OK. Going through this process made me realize how few really sunny days we have had around here. It also made me want a new camer reaaaally bad. I want to have more control.



















Enjoy!

A finished Project

Here are some of the finished things I have been working on. This is a fun scarf and hat. It's not really a Christmas gift like some of the other things I have been working on, but I'll probably give it to someone.



I don't know really why I haven't been in a paper mood of late. The yarn thing seems so much more fun--and less stressful. Plus I can knock out some gifts along the way! I'll try to share more of what I have been up to lately.

This is why I have been away...

It's not that I've forsaken my love of paper. This time of year just always gets me going on gifts and ideas for the holidays. And this year I happen to be headed more in the yarn direction than the paper direction. I won't stay away long!