CREATE

It's been 18 months and 2 blog entries since my last blog......

I had all good intentions of maintaining this blog on a regular basis but 18 months on and not a peep out of me in all that time!!! Someone once said, "You can't change what you did or what happened yesterday, but there is always a new day and new start tomorrow...."

So here it is ~ my new beginning......

I have always been creative but have never done anything with it until about 10 years ago when I discovered scrapbooking. As I have always been a social scrapper, I don't have 10 years worth of scrapbooking to show but I do have that many photos to catch up on.

When I went on maternity leave when my youngest was born (3 years ago now), I had all good intentions (there's that word again) of not only getting lots of scrapping done but also channelling my creativity, and specifically my scrapbooking, into something solid and productive so that I wouldn't have to go back to work. That obviously didn't happen but my fire has not diminished. If anything it has increased to the point where I feel like I'm going to explode if I don't do something creative.

I don't however, just want to "CREATE". I want to be successful at what I do. I want to turn my creative energies into something tangible and worthwhile not just for my own personal use but to contribute something to the greater community. Of course, just because I want to do this doesn't mean I can get over all my fears and insecurities.

So this little blog spot is my start. I can't guarantee that I'll actually produce anything but I'm hoping that it will be a constant reminder to me to "CREATE" ~ whether that be scrapbooking, quilting, knitting, sewing, cooking or just taking inspiration from the world around me and those in it.

P.S. I would like to give thanks for the inspiration from Ali Edwards and her One Little Word class ~ hopefully this little affirmation "CREATE" will encourage me to one day be brave enough to get out there!!!

"E" - Technique: Hand-cutting & Punching

Specialty papers can cost a lot of money - anywhere up to $5 a sheet. And in reality, we all have the tools and skills to make our own.

In this layout, I used a specialty paper which had a scalloped and punch edge as a template. You can also purchase templates and stencils specifically for this purpose. Firstly, I copied around my paper to the size I wanted. I then hand-cut the scallop edge and randomly punched holes in the scallops. To finish off my "specialty" paper, I inked around the edge.

I then positioned my page by colour-blocking my papers and photos.

I just love floral and patterned papers but have difficulty using them because I don't want to cover up their beautiful design. In this layout, I hand-cut around the flowers and then mounted them on "Magic Mount". This not only makes the flowers stand out as a feature but also gives the page depth.

Finally, the embellishments and journalling are very minimalist and are centrally placed on the page to draw your eye to the photos.

A New Beginning

The last time I "really" scrapped, was almost 2 years ago. At that weekend I found out I was pregnant and have since been blessed with my 3rd beautiful little cherub, Charlotte. However, life since then has been an absolute whirlwind and I don't know where the time has gone.

Last weekend I went on a scrapbooking weekend away and was amazed how easily I fell back into the swing of it. Even though I only completed a couple of pages, I was happy with what I had accomplished and even tried some new techniques.

I didn't realise how much I had missed scrapbooking and how much I needed it. As I scrap each photo, I remember what is important to me. I came away from that weekend feeling re-invigorated, re-focused and very motivated, not just in my scrapping, but also in my role as a wife and mother.

So thank you to all my old and new friends on the weekend. You don't realise how each and everyone of you have shaped me....