Less IS more...

A couple of years age I read something Ali Edwards wrote about creativity and stash quantity. She said that she'd found a really large stash of stuff can hamper her creativity; rather than actually creating, she'd spend the time sorting through, trying to find stuff, or even losing things in the clutter. At the time, I dismissed it, thinking, "Less is more? No, more is more..."

But over the past week and a half of unpacking my stored stuff - very exciting! - it dawned on me, looking at the sheer volume of product covering the study floor, that if I scrapbooked every day for the next few years, I still might not use it all up. Now, I don't think I'm particularly extravagant when it comes to buying supplies, but after ten years of collecting, the stuff really does pile up. Plus, it really was hard to find things I wanted.

So, as usual, Guru Ali was right. It was time to cull. Any double ups of a product....culled! Anything I couldn't immediately see how I'd use use.....culled! Anything I'd bought more than three years ago and hadn't yet used....culled! And do you know what? It felt fantastic! Now, I can find everything easily, and I have a stash consisting solely of things I love and can't wait to use. All very good. :)

Something else exciting (to me, at least) - I just realised I missed a layout when counting last time. So, last post was Fourteen, not Thirteen, and I'm not as far behind as I thought. :)  Which brings us to Layout Fifteen:

(Apologies for the slightly wonky photo there...) I've made a discovery over the last nine months of not having supplies: I really love scrapbooking recent photos. I used to be a strictly chronological kind of gal, but I really like hopping between the old and new. It's much easier to record memories while they're still fresh, huh?

And now, housework calls...Happy rest of the week to you and yours :)

Virginia Woolf was on to something,,,

Well, admittedly, a room of one's own is not a "must", exactly, but after ten years of scrapping on the dining room table, it's a pretty wonderful thing to have! Yes, we have officially Escaped to the Country, and after the frenzy of packing, moving and unpacking (nearly done), the whole family is loving the new house and land.

We were really blessed these past nine months to have had the rental we did  – excellent location and extremely accommodating landlord. That being said, I will not miss:

1. Freight trains at 4am
2. 3 kids in one bedroom
3. Living on a building site

The kids themselves, not being particularly thrilled by the wonderful cafes and shops nearby that were the enjoyable silver lining for us, found it a pretty challenging time. So I thought I'd make Layout Thirteen a "thank you" one to them, for how well they made the best of it all. Here 'tis:

It's been lovely to watch their excitement in their new home :) - they've earned it!

Layout Thirteen....just worked out that if I was doing one a week this year, I 'd be up to No. Eighteen. Still, moving house is a pretty good excuse to be behind. And think of all the fun of catching up, especially since I have my own room to do it in....:)

And now off to finish unpacking the study....

Inspiration from "North and South"

It’s been a little longer than I intended since the last post, I’m afraid. I’m not sure why I always anticipate that school holidays will give me more creative time; I think the opposite is the reality!

Happily however I have found time to indulge in watching my favourite DVD, North and South.  (NB: BBC version, not US Civil War. Much less carnage.) It’s so utterly wonderful, it’s beyond words. To any scoffers, I would like to point out that an hour after the first screening of Episode One in 2004, the BBC website forum crashed due to all the traffic. I’m not alone on this, girls J

I got to musing over what made it so satisfying a love story. And here’s my conclusion: restraint. Now I know that doesn’t sound remotely alluring, but bear with me…

So much of what would just be normal today was taboo back then. But before we start muttering “repression”, here’s the thing: when the big things are taboo, the little things – a glance, a touch, a word – become incredibly powerful. They don’t get lost or overlooked – they mean something.

That was the inspiration point for Layout Thirteen: restraint. Now, yes, I love new products. Buying stamps makes me smile. My heart sings the Hallelujah Chorus when I spy new papers. But just occasionally, isn’t it good to just strip it back to the essentials? A photo. A word. An exactly-right accent. Just to make sure the emotion… the story... the moment… isn’t lost in or obscured by the ‘stuff’ (wonderful though it may be).

So that was the challenge I set for myself this week: essentials only.  Here ‘tis:

Verdict: Essentials only is hard! There’s definitely more on that page than I thought there’d be. And I think the trickiest part was finding the right photo. A stripped-back layout needs a really strong focal point. Mine’s not technically brilliant, but for me, it captures the emotion of the moment. (Though I admit, I could be biased ;) )

All in all, while I’m not sure that I accomplished what I set out to, I had fun along the way and ended up with a layout I’m happy with. So we’ll chalk it up as a success.

Until next time, then...may your holidays be relaxing and refreshing :)

Looking beyond the obvious...

Had a nice little reminder to do exactly that the other day. We’re living just off a fairly wonderful shopping / café strip at the moment, and are finding plenty of excuses to meander up and down its length most days. A few days ago there was an obviously  homeless man sitting on the ground outside one of the shops. He waved cheerfully at my five year old as we walked past, who promptly waved cheerfully back. The next day, the man was again sitting outside the shop, and Mike watched him intently (with another answering wave) as we passed. I could just about see the wheels in his head turning, and, sure enough, he looked up at me with brow furrowed and said, “Mummy, that man was sitting there yesterday.” “Uh huh,” I replied, and mentally geared up to explain ‘homeless’. His eyes grew huge as he exclaimed excitedly, “Mummy, he must own that whole shop!”   

Oh how wonderful to have eyes that see beyond the so-called obvious! Eyes that don’t dismiss what they see, or miss the magic in the everyday….Thanks, Mikey – I needed that reminder.

Now in a perfect world I would have a layout inspired by that, but I don’t – busy, busy week. However, I did find time to do a couple more mini canvasses for New Project Part Two (must come up with a better name than that…;) ) Have a feeling those are going to be my creativity fallback position – the art you do when you’re too busy to do art. J

Kinder artwork makes me so happy…Think I may need to redo my teacup photo though – it’s just a bit large for the canvas. Will see if it bugs me when it's up on the wall...

Until next time, then! Happy scrapping :)

Celebrating love…and getting philosophical in the process :)

Last weekend we went to what was probably the most wonderful wedding I've ever been to (except my own, of course ;) ) I don't think I've ever seen a couple so utterly, joyously and unashamedly happy as the bride and groom. And, being two of the most jaw-droppingly creative people around, they made their day exactly what they wanted it to be - a whole-hearted celebration of life, love and family. From the invitations made of old children's book illustrations to the 'hangi'/'hungi' (meat roasted in underground pit for a day and night) reception on her family's farm, and everything in between, it was just amazing. And I still get a wee bit teary - in a good way - when I remember his speech: "The day I met Laura, she ticked all my boxes. And ever since then, she's been drawing new boxes, and ticking them..."

From a what-was-inspiring-and-how-can-we-apply-this-to-scrapbooking point of view (because I know I'm not the only one who does that, hey??), I was really inspired by how authentically "them" their day was. There was nothing that was done simply because they felt they 'should', or because some magazine had said it was this season's "must-have/do". Every little detail reflected something of Jono and Laura themselves - and everybody there LOVED it.

I've been thinking about that and it struck me that while, yes, new products and trends are wonderful and exciting, and while it's good to try something new every so often, at the end of the day what's most important is that I tell my stories in my own authentic creative voice. I can think of several layouts I've done just because a product/style was trendy at the time, and they're definitely not the ones I enjoy going revisting once a bit of time has passed. I guess what I'm really talking about is learning to be satisfied with the way I express myself creatively, rather than letting what's fashionable, or other people’s opinions dictate it. After all, so long as I'm satisfied, that's what really counts, huh? It was a timely reminder (and seems to be an ongoing life lesson for me :-/ )

Enough philosophising! On to Layout Twelve. Here 'tis:

(That illustration below the photos was on the front of their invitations – just gorgeous) This was the easiest layout I've done in a long time, mainly because all the elements (book text, sheet music, scrabble tiles - scrabble tiles! :)  - keys, twigs) were just mimicking the wedding decorations. Too easy! In fact the hardest thing was trying not to think about all the supplies from my still-in-storage-stash I could have used, while I was buying this lot. Missing stash quite badly now - 9 months is a long time... Nearly there!

On a final note, thank you to all of you who take the time to leave comments – they really are very much appreciated! Ooh, and if anyone knows of a company that makes Scrabble style patterned paper, I'd love to hear of it. (I thought there'd be stacks out there, but apparently not...)

A note to self

Hello and happy Friday to you! Blogging has taken a back seat this week, I'm afraid; every spare moment has been spent engrossed in a book. I've been reading "The Sunne In Splendour" by Sharon Penman, and I have a feeling it's set to become one of the old friends on my bookshelves that I return to again and again. It tells the life of Richard III (stay with me...), who's been reviled as one of history's great villains. The book is the author's attempt to "reclaim" him, so to speak, from what she sees as the vicious rewriting of his history by his enemies after his death. It's just wonderful.

Plus, it got me to thinking about just how powerful - and enduring - the written word is. It can utterly destroy a reputation, or it can celebrate, inspire, encourage and heal. (Can you see a link to scrapbooking hoving into view here?) Made a mental note to re-commit to telling the stories of my family's lives. Stories matter. Stories endure. And when it comes to my family, my taking the time to record their stories is tangible proof that they were deeply loved and appreciated.

And so on to Layout Eleven (done prior to this week, obviously!)

These shots were just practising-with-camera-settings ones initially, but when I looked at them, the splash of red in a sea of steel grey seemed to symbolise Mike's personality nicely. They made me smile, and when partnered with some "Alphabet Soup" papers, became one of my "Friday" layouts. Good fun.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you, Eleanor Roosevelt!

Was it she who said “do something every day that scares you”? Can’t remember. In any case, that quote was the springboard for Layout Ten. I came across it again and started thinking about what “scares” me in scrapbooking terms. Or, if that’s a little strong, what it is I avoid for being too intimidating or simply “not me”.

Two things sprang to mind: Bright, in-your-face colours and bling. I’m a quiet soul generally, and I think that carries through onto my pages. I love rich colour, but I like it to blend in and harmonise with my photos, rather than contrast. I’ve mentioned my Bling Aversion before now…

So, breathing deeply and with photos in hand, I trotted off to the local store, and bypassed all the sections I usually beeline for.

Here’s the end result:

(I’m not sure that the purple of the paper and rhinestones shows up in the photo here as it actually is; it’s a really vibrant ultra-violet in the flesh.)

First thing I found was that I had to play with my photos a bit. I liked the shot itself, but it got lost when I held it against anything bright. So I messed around with the colour and brightness levels, until I got (what I thought was) an intense ‘arty’ effect. Discovery: You don’t need Photoshop for this – it is in fact extremely easy to do! After doing that, the photos actually preferred the company of the brights.

Second thing I found (and I hope this isn’t cheating) was that I was happiest with a bright + neutral scheme, rather than a bright + bright one. That scheme seemed to work best with the photo – the bright emphasised the intensity of the photos’ colours, while the beige echoed the serenity of the pose. Whatever the reason, it made brights Dani-friendly. J

And so to the bling. Do you know, I actually felt slightly anxious as it started to go on. Had to keep repeating, wild-eyed, to myself, “thematically justified! It’s thematically justified!!”  That’s what made it work for me, along with using it tone-on-tone. That was a discovery – when you use bling in the same colour as the background, it’s there without being THERE!!!!  Ha! Bling for the shy and retiring…

  

So, this week has taught me that “do something every day that scares you” is still valid and pithy advice. I shall make a mental note and try to follow it – though perhaps just every other day ;)