Just some of my goodies

I'm still organizing and trying to get my scrapbook area more functional.

You Know You're a Scrapbooker When...

You always have your camera with you.
You wonder if you'll ever get caught up.
you have tools your husband doesn't know how to use.
You pull buttons off old, unused or outgrown clothes to use on a layout.
You know who Lisa, Becky, Ali, Jennifer, and Tim are.
The clerks in your local scrapbook store know you by name.
Your house is a mess because you've been scrapbooking all day.
You know what CK, CKU, CKC, HOF, SOY, & KOTM stand for.
You can spot an Elsie sticker faster than you can say "Louis Vuitton."
You check online galleries and blogs more often than you check the news.
You save the ribbon off Godiva chocolate boxes to use on your pages and cards.
You change your child's outfit to match the paper you just bought...so you'll have the perfect photo to go with the paper.
Your scrapbook bag is the first thing you pack for vacation, prompting your husband (or non-scrapping friend or family member) to mention something about your priorities.
You know that "Scrapbookers don't lie. We embellish."

Yes, I'm definitely a scrapbooker, and proud of it!
Taken from Creating Keepsakes magazine, Feb 2008

A few of my old layouts

Just thought I'd post a couple old-school layouts. I did these a few years ago.

My Sister's HS Graduation (I was 15 years old--can't you tell? ugg)

This is about when my parents moved from the house I grew up in (when put together, says HOME) not "HO" and "ME"!!! :)

Photography Beginners Course

2 Peas in a Bucket (my fave scrapbooking website) is offering a free 12 week online photography course that I've been taking. It is currently in week four, but you can join in at anytime. They even have pdf files for each week so if you don't have time now, you can go and print them off week by week and get to it later, plus it's a great reference for the future when I actually get a REAL camera!
Interested? Go HERE.

Mystery of Transformation

I stumbled upon this and it just fits perfectly here! I swear I did not see this before I made this blog!

Taken from Daily OM:
(link: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2005/420.html)

In our human lives, we sometimes find ourselves in the chrysalis state. During those times we don't have much to offer the outside world because, whether we realize it or not, much of our energy is consumed with an inner transition. We might feel sluggish or disinterested in the outside world. We might feel impatient with ourselves, wondering why we don't have the energy we used to for our usual routines. But if we remember the chrysalis-the dark, inner sanctum that provides the environment for a remarkable conversion-we can relax and let ourselves be, finding ways to support our process rather than cajoling ourselves out of it.

If you see a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, the temptation may be to help it break out. But the physical challenge of this part of the process is necessary for the butterfly to build its strength so that it can survive outside the chrysalis. The same is true of us. Sometimes we have to labor on our own to discover the force we need to be our new selves in the world. Similarly, when seeing friends or family members struggling, it's easy to become impatient and want to help with their emergence, but we have to learn to let others make their own way. Taking on the challenge of liberating ourselves directly enables us to thrive in our new freedom. Sometimes the greatest supports we can offer others and ourselves are patience and quiet confidence in the process unfolding, along with faith that the result will be extraordinary.

My Chrysalis

I decided I had enough ideas and random inspiration swirling about in my head to start a second blog so I wouldn't dilute my other blog with the artsy-fartsy, scrapbooky, wanna-be-photographer, painter, writer, side of me. I want to use this space as a creative outlet for all of these things. (which is what "scraptacular" originally started out to be, but has grown into our family blog that I enjoy so much!)
I am definitely going through a "chrysalis" stage in my life right now, in many ways. Although sometimes scary, frustrating, and unsettling, I also see this as a time to grow and bloom, expand my horizons, and achieve those goals I've always had in the back of my head. Some are little, some are big. Change is a part of life and you have to learn to adjust or be left behind. Aren't we all in a constant state of growth? Welcome to my Daily Chrysalis...