Family and everyday life

Here is a page that I recently did of my precious family. I got an opportunity to go home, just me! It was nice, we kind of reverted back about 20 years or so..eating Whataburger in the car and sight seeing (well dad and Brett did sight seeing while the girls sat on a bench.)
This is the picture I used for March 25th. Don't forget to document your morning routine. You might think that it will be like this FOREVER, but it won't! I just wish I would have done this type of scrapbooking when my kids were babies! Wouldn't that be fun to go back and read???

Live Today!
Dawn

My Mothers Day

Wow! How wonderful Mother's Day is. A day to remember how much we are blessed to have family! I was reminded how much I have to be thankful for; happy and healthy children, a wonderful husband who provides for us and the ability to enjoy spending time together! We planted my peony bush, went fishing and watched one of my favorite series,"Cranford". It was a very relaxing day. I already have my journaling card filled out and it is waiting for me to print this picture to go with it. But, I will wait a couple of weeks. (It saves on shipping to print in batches!)
This is what I came up with to store my 12x12 6 up page protectors. I got so tired of seeing them stacked in no rhyme or reason. This is an express box from the post office. Yes! I thought about using it to ship something to someone, but then decided to use priority and just happened to have this left over. So...if you are THINKING of shipping something to someone, pick this up JUST IN CASE! And then you can just cover it and use it to store your 12x12 stuff. It is like 13x14 or something like that so 12x12 products fit PERFECT! I buy my page protectors at Ritzcamera.com. They almost always have their scrapbook stuff 20% off. I use We R Memory Keepers. $7.95 will buy you 25 heavy duty page protectors. Very reasonable!
Live Today!
Dawn

Creative Process

Like you, my creative process is constantly changing. Sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes nothing. Regardless I keep on going. Just bought Kelly Rae Roberts' book, "Taking Flight". Love. She is a mixed media artist who actually uses lots of scrapbooking products in her work. Last night I was just dying to try SOMETHING..so this is what I came up with. I didn't even bother trying to make it perfect or do it "right". I just started. And I'm proud of the fact that I did something new and out of my normal comfort zone. (that's the essence of the book.)
Now...as far as my "365" Project. Yes, I do take pictures every week. Taking the pictures is the first step. Once I take the pictures, I create a journaling card for that picture pretty quick so I don't forget details. (I keep some premade 4x6 cards of various colors in my studio to save time). So, I might have several cards in my album with no pictures to go with them...yet. I upload my pictures to Shutterfly in batches. Most of the time I do a couple of months worth at a time. I don't print every picture from every day or occasion. If I take 12 pictures of one "event" I might print 1 or 2 (or sometimes more) pictures for that day.
This is what May 5th looked like I have my journaling card and pictures to go along with that day. I actually had a couple of more pictures that go with this card and they continued on the back side of the page so the back looks like this.
The 3 pictures at the top are continued from the previous page and the 3 cards on the bottom are waiting for me to print off the pictures to go with them. This system actually helps me remember which pictures I want to print off. They are all important to me, but I don't print out everything!
This is May 5th waiting for pictures of our turtles...
This is a page from April. I try to use my children's handwriting as much as possible. R wrote down his recipe and so I just glued that on my journaling card added a few more details and I was done...no stress, no pictures stuffed in a box somewhere in hopes of scrappin' them later. I do have my layouts mixed in there. If I get inspired, I'll make a whole page and just stick them in. I try to keep the order chronological by date.
(The layout to the left IS upside down...) My albums are very eclectic looking. I don't mind though. It's all part of the process! :)

Live Today!
Dawn

P.S. This post looks extrememly off kilter because I'm trying different ways to upload my pictures...I want them to be clear and big. But, some of them look way too big and some not so clear. I'm working on that detail..:)

Mostly journaling

This is my very first journal that I received on my 14th birthday. I will be 34 in October, so I have been journaling for almost 20 years. This is my very first entry. I love to look back and see what I was thinking 20 years ago. More importantly, my children might find some amusement in looking at these later on in life.


I have read so many stories about how people react when they find out that there is a possibility that they might not be able to tell their children how much they love them or what they thought about life! I find it very interesting that when you don't have lots of time, you aren't worried about "things"...you just want your family to know how much you love them! I am so thankful that I have a spot reserved for them. Pictures are great and I really think that they will always love the scrapbooks...But, in my journals I talk about all kinds of things.


My journals are ongoing letters to my children. (I keep a journal for me and one for each of my children) I don't write in them every day or every week even. Sometimes I will go for a month or two and not write anything. Or sometimes I'll write in them several times in a week. Sometimes a couple of sentences, sometimes a couple of pages. Just depends on what is on my mind. I try to write down the cute things they are doing and saying at any given time. I also try to talk about values and things that I hold close to my heart.

Never EVER think that you don't have anything to say. If you are breathing oxygen right now, you have something to say. I dare you to just start writing. It doesn't have to make sense and you don't even have to be "interesting". Just start. Buy a journal at Target or Wal-Mart, open the book, put the date on the top line and just start writing. You really will shock yourself at how easy it is and how much you will enjoy it once you start. And think of it as a gift to your family.

This is my trunk that lives at the foot of our bed. This is a peak at all the journals I have kept over the last 20 years or so...

On another journaling note....I have taken the "Project 365" challenge. This is where I got so many ideas on how I want to scrapbook from now on. I don't want to forget our everyday life that is so wonderful and worth remembering. If you want to see where it all originated go HERE.
This is my picture for today. My husband is doing such a wonderful job of getting our little yard to go from dirt and drab to beautiful and green.

Your life is worth remembering....ALL of it!
Live Today!
Dawn