Unexpected Destination | Debbie Hodge's Blog | Get It Scrapped

You're telling stories every day -- How are you collecting them?

You're telling stories every day

Making sense of and recording your life through story is compelling and satisfying. I see my friends and family doing this more and more now that we don't have to be in the same room to tell a story. You're doing it on facebook and with instagram photos and with texts to one another.

Why not put those stories into some kind of "scrapbook?"

By "scrapbook," I mean some central place where you collect those stories that you're generating all over the interwebs? (You really don't want to find out that your preferred yakking spot has gone out of business before you've gotten things into a central spot that you own). For me that central place is my collection of "scrapbook pages" -- digital images that usually include photos and a written story. I keep these in folders on my computer -- and at flickr where anyone in my family can get to them. (And . . . at long last I am working on getting them printed, too).

Where to start?

First: just keep telling stories -- with an eye toward selecting a method or spot for collecting them. Find a central place to collect those stories and photos. (I will write more about this in coming weeks).

Learn to find even more stories and to tell them well.

This month's focus at Masterful Scrapbook Design is "Telling Stories," and there have been both tears and laughs in the webinars--interviews with scrapbookers Emily Pitts, Celeste Smith, Noell Hyman, Audrey Neal and Karen Grunberg.

Here are just a few of the things I've learned and been inspired by this month.

1. Give more space to journaling

Emily Pitts wrote a focus lesson with several ideas for getting more journaling on the page and one of her points is to use a mockup to get your journaling fitting. I made this page as a result of that suggestion.

Trendy, Beach Party, Rhinestone Buttons and Bows, Mercantile Mix 4 by Jenni Bowlin Digital; Just Linens by Michelle Martin; Tidbits by One Little Bird; Yellow Paper Alpha by Katie Pertiet; Wanderlust by Pink Reptile Designs; Cookie, Century Schoolbook fonts

2. Tell everyday stories

During the webinar with Karen Grunberg, we talking a lot about her "Savor" project and getting all those little stories onto a different kind of page (something kind of like Project Life). It inspired me to scrapbook this little moment from Isaac's birthday party on a page all its own.

Comic by Enkay; Fresh by One Little Bird and Sahlin Studio; Art Play Play Out by Anna Aspnes; Never Forget by Erica Zane; Country Fair by Dani Mogstead; Reminisce by Leora Sanford; Seas the Day by Julianna Kneipp; True Colors by J Labre; Courier, Celestia, Cocktail fonts

3. Paint your characters richly

Celeste Smith's pages often feature her sons and she incorporates photos and journaling and dialogue that create a rich portrait of them and their thoughts and relationships. She inspired me to delve into just where my own sons are coming from in the photos I've taken and to get those stories on the page.

She inspired this page of my youngest son.

Easy Breezy by Crisdam Designs; TheTraveler by River Rose; Comic by EnKay Design; Knockout by Splendid Fiins; Blackout, Cookie fonts.

4. Find multiple stories in a photo

Audrey Neal's focus lesson showed us that every photo can contain a multitude of stories. She teaches writing and she included a process and tools for finding stories you might not otherwise.

I made this page about Isaac's full-out laughing -- and my discovery that he's well known for it by his friends.

Supplies: Fresh by Sahlin Studio and One Little Bird; Traveler by River Rose; Flossy Stitches by Katie Pertiet; Cookie, Raleway, Andrea Upright Script fonts

5. Go wider than 12"

Many of Noell Hyman's pages were sized like the one shown here. When I asked what the size was, she shared that this is a 12" x 12" page with a 6" x 12" journaling strip. It lets her design a 12 X 12 and get lots of journaling in --- and also design in a rectangular (18" x 12") format.

I've made several pages inspired by this layout approach. (So I haven't yet ended up going JUST 6x12 on the right side-- but it's taking me back to my 2-page roots and I'm getting a lot more journaling on the page.)

 Supplies: The Traveler by River Rose; Geek Like Me by Little Butterfly Wings; Mercantile Mix 2, Trendy Journaler, Classic Borders by Jenni Bowlin Digital; Vintage Flash Mini Alpha Blue, Classic Cardstock In the Night by Katie Pertiet; Straight Line Stitched White by Anna Aspnes; Country Fair by Dani Mogstead; Life Composition by ViVaArtistry; Brad Bonanza by Pattie Knox; Scribble Box, Pacifico, Century Gothic alphas

 Supplies: Rhinestone Buttons & Bows, Classic Border Shapes, Mercantile Mix 2 Papers, Butterfly Rub-ons by Jenni Bowlin; Glitter Stitches 2, In Distress Textured by Lynn Grieveson; PageKraft by One Little Bird; Reminisce by Leora Sanford (gems); Artplay Palette Concerto by Anna Aspnes (frame); A Simple Mixup Alpha by Lisa Sisneros; Typenoksidi, Pacifico, and Trajan Pro fonts

(and if you look back at recent posts, you'll see Greek Festival and Welcome Home were also inspired by this approach).

Story endures

So, seriously, keep telling those stories in whatever format you love -- and start thinking about how to collect them in one spot -- and I promise I will come  back with more specifics on this.

Want to get inspired and learn to tell stories even better?

Grab the Telling Stories issue of Masterful Scrapbook Design -- it's $16 right now -- after August 1st, it's only available as a part of the big $122 bundle.

Dancing at the Greek Festival

After Isaac spent the day with the Mangan’s at Mike’s band’s party at Lauren’s house, we all met at the Greek Festival in Portsmouth.

Lily danced with her classmates, and then the band started playing and everyone danced. Elaine headed into the group, and then Lily. Isaac stood up - he wanted to go . . . Lauren said she wasn’t going to, but then Isaac headed in and so did she.

It was hot and humid and even after the girls left the circle, Isaac kept dancing. He was next to an older boy who was leading the group in loops and jumps and Isaac was loving it, watching his feet and trying his best to keep up.

We had a delicious dinner and treats afterward. June, 2012.

Greek Festival by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Artplay Palette 3, Artplay Palette 5 by Anna Aspnes; Glitter Thread Stitches 2 by Lynn Grieveson; Lemonade Stand by Robyn Meierotto; Krafty Canvas No 1; Pegasus Normal, Archeologicaps, Andrea Slant Upright fonts

 

 

Communications from camp

Josh is at camp right now. We miss him big time . . . and, while he's at game design camp and has email, texting, skype, and steam communications pretty much at his fingertips all the time, we've only heard this snippett from him.

 

Hey I'm finally emailing you because I've been working since Monday afternoon without a real break and my group has cut me off because it's "unsafe" or something like that. I've got a great group, they decided to put all of the veterans in one group and we have a four day head start. The game is going well and I'm having fun even though the dorms are terrible

-Josh

 

Here's a scrapbook page I made last year with the minimal communications we got from him.

And here's a photo of Joshua that I took recently. Love this look at him.

Findings by Jenn Allyson; Petals by Sara Gleason; Alpha Set 5, Burlap Scraps, ArtPlay Snow Fun by Anna Aspnes; Chasing Fireflies by Paislee Press; Bollywood Dreams by ViVa Artistry

Design-driven Scrapbook Page: Embroider Me on Your Pillow

When I make scrapbook pages I usually start spurred by one or more of the following

- photos I’m anxious to get onto the page

- new product I’m inspired to use

- a design task or challenge I’ve set for myself -- like solving a puzzle, it's  a fun approach for me.

 

"Embroider Me" | Supplies: Sweet Storytelling by Sahlin Studio; Flair Box 3, Popup Studio Brushes by Paula Kesselring; Antoinnette by Shannon Hegarty; Stitch Medley by Quirky Twerp; Pure Happiness by Designs by Anita; Just Linens 1 by Maplebrook Studio; Etc by Polka Dot Pixels; Westchester by One Little Bird; Homespun Stitches by Kitschy Digitals; Storytelling Alpha 2 by Amanda Heimann; Felix Titling, Jane Austen, Traveling Typewriter fonts

This is a page inspired by a design challenge. My class “Scrapbook Page Layers” starts next Tuesday, and in the 3rd week of class I’ll be covering layering techniques and ideas for canvases as well as how combining favorite foundations offers great layering opportunities. Thus this page – a combo of grid and band foundations.

As I laid out the design, I started selecting papers without knowing what the subject would be. As things came together, I saw that this was a page that demanded just one (or maybe two) photos I loved for their look and the feeling they evoked. It wasn’t a design that was going to work for event photos or any of my messier everyday life photos.

So . . . I chose a photo I love and repeated it in black and white --- but what was my message? Well . . . that I love Isaac and our relationship. A poem I’ve loved for a long time came to mind and I used it to drive my embellishment and title choices.

SILLY SONG by Federico Garcia Lorca

Mama,
I wish I were silver.

Son,
You’d be very cold.

Mama,
I wish I were water.

Son,
You’d be very cold.

Mama,
Embroider me on your pillow.

That, yes!
Right away!

 

First foray into hipstamatic prints

Ever since I saw Shimelle Laine's post on taking, printing and scrapbooking hipstamatic photos, the thought of trying it has been niggling at the back of my mind. 

Yesterday I tried it out :) And I really love it -- not going to use it for everything, but I love what it did for these photos at Prescott Park in Portsmouth last night.

The minute I got these pre-framed photos onto my canvas I thought of a page Cindy Liebel (turn off the volume on your computer before you click that link if anyone is sleeping nearby!) shared in a Masterful Scrapbook Design webinar on Wednesday (it'll be availalble for members this week). And then I remembered that during the Hybrid webinar (coming out this week, too) someone in the audience told me that Cosmo Cricket papers were availalbe in digi. I grabbed the Salt Air papers and made this page. Really shouldn't be sharing it because I'm working on 2 new classes and it would be perfect for one of them . . . but I'm impatient.

Supplies: Patterned papers by Cosmo Cricket (Salt Air). Solid papers by Maplebrook Studios (Just Linens 2) and Anna Aspnes (Layered tissue neutrals). Ribbon (Woven Ribbons 1) and borders (Oiselet Rouge Elements) and chipboard (King Me - no longer available) and alpas (Kraft Little Bits) by Katie Pertiet. Font is Pea Stacy Elizabeth.

 

This could be addicting. But not this weekend because I've got MANY hours of video to edit and render as well as notes to send to Jana Morton in preparation for this! 

 

Scrapbooking Oxford

The boys and I went to my parents at the end of June driving back July 4. I always love the photos I take there and love scrapbooking them – but I don’t do it all at once. I spread it out, which lets me dip back into the memories of being there. Here are three of the pages I’ve made.

Craze-d-

Joshua asked me to order a whole lot of paracord to be delivered to my parents’ house so he could teach his cousins how to make paracord bracelets. (He’s a big Instructables reader). Who knew it would be this compelling? Love the shot of Sara and Isaac in the haymow making bracelets. They were waiting for Uncle Matt to come back so they could  help him load his truck with hay but keeping their hands busy until then.

supplies from DesignerDigitals.com

Morning Bocce

We bought a bocce ball set on the way out – actually we bought a lot of things on the way out including a new game called “Dominion” that’s become a favorite. Isaac’s a bowler now (need to scrapbook that!) and he loves games and things he can work at getting better at – plus Grandma and Grandpa’s lawn is so perfect for this kind of thing. I’ve got more photos of Isaac and the girls playing. Saving those for another scrappy day.

supplies from DesignerDigitals.com

Market Fresh

One of the many differences between life at my parents’ home and life at our home is that they get drop-by visitors  A LOT! On this afternoon we were playing Dominion and making bracelets when two of Mom’s friends dropped by – they’d been out driving and shopping and were looking for a restroom pitstop. Pat and Linda have been Mom’s friends for oh-so-long and Pat has an incredible sense of fun. Somebody came running into the house telling me to get my camera and when I got outside, this is what I saw, Ethan riding in the market cart Pat was using to steady her walk across the rocky driveway.

supplies from DesignerDigitals.com

With Friends

I’ve had a few awesome outings with friends lately. Here are a couple – I’ve got one more to make that involves a snake and palm reading.

This one’s from my birthday. Lunch with Donna and Elaine and then some “hippie-skirt” shopping.

Lifted the idea for making a frame from the Bingo Card from Emily Pitts (just one of her many awesome ideas during our “stash-busting” month at MSD).

click for supplies from DesignerDigitals.com

 

This was a fun outing to a pawn shop that could only happen with Elaine.

Hey, Paula! Look I scrapbooked with the paper supplies I bought at CHA!

supplies: Cardstock by Bazzill. Patterned Papers by Sassafrass, Studio Calico, Fancy pants. Alphas by Studio Calico, Jenni Bowlin. Die cuts, clip, twine, butterflies, postage by 7 Gypsies. Journaler by Webster’s Pages. Brads by Making Memories.

And this was from the Manchester CK event – with Paula and Erin. So different from past years but so fun.

supplies from DesignerDigitals.com

Isaac's Band Concert and Solo

The band played from Reflections in Moonlight from Moonlight Sonata and The Stars and Stripes forever. There were several solos and group performances. Isaac played New Soul (fabulously!). Here’s a photo of him with a new friend – another sax player!

February Break

We spent our Feb break with family in Oxford. The highlight (for me) was that my dad turned 70! He’s had lots of health problems for several years – and things lately have been especially tough – but he keeps on keeping on and we love spending time with him.

And, of course, my Mom is the one who makes all this happen—the food, the fun, . . . . the . . . angry birds!

Love playing with cousins.

And traditions continue.

click on scrapbook pages for supply list

Journaling the embarrassing stuff in 2nd person point of view

I wrote the journaling (which is below in full) for this page in 2nd person point of view. I think it's awesome for getting some self-deprecatory (or even sad/hard) humor into a piece. In fact, my first published short story (in a little literary journal called Amelia) was written in 2nd person pov.

In second-person point of view, write “you” and “your” instead of “he,” “she,” “his,” “her,” “I,” “me” and “my” when you’re referring to the main subject of your journaling. In this way, the reader becomes the main character or subject.

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors is Self Help by Lorrie Moore. You can even read one of the stories from the book here. Second-person narration works with writing for guide books, self-help books, do-it-yourself manuals, interactive fiction, musical lyrics, and advertisements.

Writing well and considering point of view is one of the topics we covered in the January issue of Masterful Scrapbook Design. (You can buy the archive of all lessons, annotated inspiration pages, video and audio interview recordings for $14 -- or if you join Masterful Scrapbook Design before April 15th (for $10) you can take one archived issue FREE!)

 

Journaling: Wake and check clock to see it's 6:09. Roll over relieved to know you have 11 more minutes. When the alarm rings at 6:20, reach around to find your glasses then get out of bed and put on one of the already-worn sweaters piled next to the dresser. If you're not up on laundry, rummage through the baskets at the foot of the bed: socks for each son will be the hardest to find.
Say howdy to your oldest son and tell him his clothes are on the floor. Make sure you don't need to pee before you say howdy to your youngest son who will insist you "Come back!--I need you!" and then tell you that he doesn't feel good. Linger a bit. Tell him you love him and he can do it and his clothes are at the foot of the bed and you’ve got to go pee.
Know this: you shouldn't open the laptop. Fill the teapot and put it on the stove. Open a can of soup, pour it in a bowl, and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Put the small pan on a burner on low with a bit of butter--THEN go on over and open the laptop and quickly retrieve your email.
Realize it's 6:35 and everyone is in danger of being late. Do this every day. Without fail. Yell a less-friendly howdy to both boys, but not one that's loud enough to wake your husband. It would not be good to have his help at this moment.
If you think you can handle it, crack open two eggs and stir them in the pan--otherwise, turn off the burner and pour two bowls of cereal. If it's a good day, you’ll open the dishwasher and retrieve 2 clean soup thermoses, 2 water bottles, and 2 hot-drink thermoses (if it's a bad day: scramble!!!).
Tell yourself, once again, that these regular efforts make up for those less-frequent times when you yell at everyone to just shut up and move right now!

Pull out the cutting board and make one peanut-butter -and- jelly-sandwich and one turkey-salami-cheese sandwich. Retrieve soup from microwave and pour into thermoses. Remove teapot from burner and pour into hot-drink thermoses.
Call up the stairs that it's quarter of and everyone better get down here now, by gosh. Your younger son appears first, moaning about how much his stomach and head hurt. Give him some kind of fruit and tell him to put his socks on. Bag up something crunchy and something fruity or vegetably. Get lunches in the bags and put eggs on plates (if you went this way) and tell older son he better get down here, by gosh, and be sure to put on deodorant.
While your sons eat, get their lunches and waterbottles into their backpacks. Unlock and open wide the front door. Check the temperature. Check the time. It will be almost 7. Tell them to pick out their tea and get it in their thermoses. Rummage for shoes and throw them out by the front door. While your sons put on their shoes, grab their coats. While they put on their coats, comb their hair. Hold open the storm door and make sure they both have their hot mugs and stand on your tiptoes on the cold cement steps while they leave.
Say that you love them. That they're awesome boys. That you hope they have a good day at the salt mines. Watch briefly as they start up the driveway. Yell to the oldest to help the youngest with his sax. Yell again that you love them.
Finally: shut the door, pour a diet coke, grab a blanket and sink into your chair with your laptop. Your day has begun.

And just as an everyday life scrapbooking aside -- here's a page I did last year on a similar topic but approached differently.

click on layouts for supply lists & links at Designer Digitals

Scrapbook Pages inspired by . . . Video Games!

We’re finishing up a month-long study of inspiration at Get It Scrapped. Usually I get my inspiration from product and other pages, but this month has really pushed me to look at soooooo any other sources—esp since the guest teachers all have such different ideas and approaches.

When I look around our house there is no shortage of video entertainment inspiration and here are a couple of pages that get their looks from games.

This look of this page was inspired by the video game that my mom and boys are engrossed in here: Angry Birds. I didn’t have exact matches for things, but I could find some colorful hand drawn birds, a black-and-white pig and clouds to represent the sky the birds are being flung through.

And this one’s look came from the video game we were lined up to buy at midnight: Halo Reach. The logo for the video game inspired my color choices and the orange cloudy brushwork The journal that came with the game inspired my journaling treatment on the page.

The guest teachers this month pushed me to:

• get inspired by the shapes and colors outside my window.
• begin pages with inspired photo layout for quicker design.
• interpret inspiration in a non-literal way.
• take inspiration beyond the obvious lift.
• reuse and evolve my application of inspiration.
• use print media for sharp title treatments.
• translate the mood of an inspiration piece to the page.
• make inspired page embellishments.

Cookies for Santa

This is my most favorite layout I’ve made in a long time. I love that Isaac takes this tradition so seriously and that he made sure we did it (yes, you may think you’d never forget . . . but some of us have . . .). I love all the papers and embellishments here and I love the layout design. I’m working on a new self-paced class – sort of like Building Pages but more for those starting out OR those who want quick go-tos for getting pages with a particular number of photos. I’ll be using some new interactive training “stuff” to make this.

click on the layout for links to supplies at DesignerDigitals.com

Dear crazy boys

This year:

As last:

click on layouts for supplies at Designer Digitals.

Columbus Day Weekend with Neil's Family

We haven’t seen Ron and Holly for nine years – and it was really wonderful to spend time with them last weekend. Here are the photos I’ve scrapbooked. I still need to scrapbook Ron and Holly’s introduction of geo-caching to Isaac --which he loved.

(all supplies are from designer digitals and all layouts are linked to my gallery where there is a full linked supply list)

Tips for scrapbooking 5 kinds of travel & vacation trips

The Get It Scrapped! home page is being transformed this month to offer resources for beginning and advanced scrapbookers, journalers--memory keepers in general. Here's one of the first posts -- I'm putting it here but won't always -- so if you're interested in these kinds of articles, you should come on over to the Get It Scrapped! home page and click on the link to subscribe to our feed --- and get us in your reader. Thanks.

SCRAPBOOKING 5 KINDS OF TRAVEL & VACATIONS

Chronicling your travels on scrapbook pages allows you to relive the trip even when you’re back home. Photos, memorabilia, facts and journaling impressions are all part of this.

Helpful links:
Uniting multi-page events
Scrapbook page planner for trips
6 coordinated page sketches
6 coordianted page templates (layered psd files)

While some travels are best looked at chronologically, others benefit from a “subject” approach. Consider the following types of travels

scrapbooking the Weekend Getaway

A weekend getaway can be as much about the company as the destination. It might be a short trip to hang out with friends, find some romance, see an exhibit, or just take a break from your typical weekend routines. With fewer photos from fewer activities (than you’d have with bigger trips), the scrapping of weekend getaways can focus on impressions, stories, companions, and moments.

layout from a weekend in boston

Try this: find a strong opening photo and a strong closing photo. Put each of them on their own pages and then make several pages for the middle that show the key stories/moments on this short getaway. Get the stories written down as soon as you can, in a diary or on a blog, if you’re not scrapping the pages immediately.

scrapbooking the Road Trip

A “road-trip” type vacation is not necessarily a literal trip in a car on a road or highway. The “road-trip” vacation is one that takes you to a series of what may be quite different locales over the course of one trip. The road-trip is a story that’s well-suited to being told in chronological order (more or less).

Try this: Use the Travel Page Planner to start detailing the different stops on the trip. After you’ve listed them all, go back through and think about whether they all really need to be included. Think, also, about whether there are some stories that merit their own pages and how best to get the pages and stories in order.

Traveling from LA to Vegas with cousins

scrapbooking a trip that’s about Being There

Some trips take you to one locale. There’s limited sightseeing on this type of vacation, and it’s more about enjoying place, people, and activities. Examples of this kind of vacation include:

• visiting family
• staying at a lakehouse/beachhouse
• going camping
• the ski slopes

Try this: It’s often more efficient and makes a better presentation when “Being There” trips are by categories or logical groupings. These groupings (which translate into pages) might be:

• the people
• the place
• the spots at the place
• the constants
• the hightlights
• the activities

The things that make a trip to my parents' home so lovely.

scrapbooking a vacation when you go On Tour

The “On Tour” travel experience is one in which many of the details are decided ahead of time–and, in fact, taken care of for you–so that you can relax as well as experience new sights and experiences. There are many ways to go “on tour” from taking a cruise to going on guided hike and camping adventure. You might take a bus tour through Europe or go on safari in Africa.

The photos you take while on tour will include those of the sights you visit as well of those of the aspects of the tour experience (i.e., lodging, people, routines). A combination approach that mixes chronological telling of the trip with select subject pages would work well for this kind of travel.

Try this: Make two lists: one of the trip chronology and one of the aspects/subjects you want to feature. Use a chronological flow with the featured aspects inserted where they flow best.

Photos from one outing on an Alaskan cruise.

scrapbooking the Themed Vacation

The “themed” vacation is one that takes you into a created world where you are doing more than viewing, where you’re entering into and experiencing a manufactured reality. You may have gone on a Disney vacation, visited a historic settlement where you’re re-enacting the way things were done in the past, travelled to Santa’s Village, or many other variations on the themed destination. The photos from a themed vacation can cover a lot of territory, and they don’t usually require a chronological telling. Aspects of a large theme/amusement park may include: characters, rides, performances, events, posed portraits, sights and more.
Try this:Begin with your “stack” of photos (prints or digitals). Select the keepers AND select the photos that are spectacular and that should be featured. Use the page planner to start defining the pages your photos demand of you. Once you’ve made a first pass at this, you might need to cut the planner up and play with order and arrangement of pages.

The highlight of a 5 year old's first Disney experience.

Looking for more help getting your Travel and Vacations scrapbooked?

Be sure you’re on our mailing list so that you receive notice when my self-paced class, “Scrap Your Travel & Vacations,” is available in the Get It Scrapped! store. It should be available before Thanksgiving.



start here: beginning a new scrapbook page

A big part of the fun in scrapbooking for me is in coming up with a composition that 1) lets me include several photos and 2) looks good. Working this out is the equivalent of solving a puzzle (and many of you know that I love math puzzles). Solving the same puzzle, though, can get old so I'm always looking for new angles. My angle this week is to think about "the divide." I started each of these layouts with the thought that I wanted to divide the page in half.

"Autumn Outing" has a vertical divide and "To School 09" has a horizontal divide. They were fun to make. They include several photos. I like looking at them. Puzzle done. Scrapbooking enjoyed :)

All supples are from www.DesignerDigitals.com. Click on the page name to see supply links.

Autumn Outing

To School '09

Looking for other starts? Jane Howden will be posting a new sketch in the Get It Scrapped! public forums this morning and a challenge to go with it. Everyone who participates in Jane's Friday challenges this month is entered into a drawing for an October Work In Progress kit.

Other starts? Doris Sander's Product Pizzazz classes are available in self-paced form. Each includes detailed product, technique, and design lessons and then ends with a "Use It Now" challenge. 

Designing with dots and stripes on your scrapbook pages

{please excuse the odd bulleting in few spots -- i'm trying out the new typepad}

When I first started scrapbooking and shopping for papers, I gravitated to eye-catching patterns with motifs like flourishes, stars, paisleys, and florals. The dots and stripes weren’t as interesting to me, I didn’t see why I needed them, and I rarely bought them unless they were on a double-sided piece.

Somewhere along the way, I started realizing that the dots and stripes were essential to the kind of pages I really love – pages with multiple photos and multiple pattered papers and layers. I've come to appreciate the way dots and stripes can do the following:

• add design interest,
• create movement, and
• set tone
  ---------WITHOUT detracting from my photos or creating too much busy-ness on my usually full pages. On this 2-page layout, I've got 10 photos, a pocketful of memorabilia, and three different patterned papers. But it's not cluttered. Note that two of those patterns are sedate and linear dot arrangements.
  
  

Take a look at these paper collections by American Crafts (Tea Party) and Crate Paper (Little Sprout). See how the strong motifs are balanced by stripes and dots. See also the different tones that are set by color, pattern regularity, and dot/stripe size--more about that below.

American Crafts Tea Party

Crate Paper Little Sprout

ABOUT STRIPES

There are millions of ways to create and vary striped (and dotted) patterns, including:

• stripes ranging from strong lines or bars to motifs arranged in rows (i.e., a row of flowers or stars)
• stripes with regular widths or varied widths; these widths may vary in an obvious pattern or they may seem more haphazard
  
  
• they may be arranged in a pattern of colors or more randomly
  
  
• they may use many colors or just a few; a tone on tone pattern is usually more formal and elegant
• mixing stripes:
  
  • with prints: the key is balance; stripes go well with botanicals and florals; avoid geometric and swirled patterns as they may be overwhelming
  • with other stripes: use stripes of differing colors and sizes; like ticking with a bold pattern

• 

ABOUT DOTS

• dots respond to a wide range of color treatments, each of which conveys mood; for example:
  - multi-colored=funky
  - pastel shades=formal
  - bold, monochromatic colors = retro
  
  
• dots can be styled in several ways; which, again, affects mood small or large
  - random or arranged in evenly spaced rows
  - mono, two-tone or multiple colors
  - small repetitions – timeless (like dotted Swiss)
• 
  

USE STRIPES & DOTS TO

• convey mood and tone (colors, pattern variations, and size can all affect the tone you set).
• with dots:
  - pale clearcolors on white = clean, cool, fresh, transparent quality, playful cheerful
  - black dots on bright clear colors = slick, stylish mood
  - white dots on vivid brights = clean vital sporty
  - black dots = aggressive, urban

• add movement (with both stripes AND with dot patterns that have strong linear arrangements)vertical = more energy; horizontal is restful

In "Doing It" horizontal strips of paper contain vertical stripes that add energy. What's more the eye will move straight down the column of photos with the help of these strips. In Seder Anticipation, again, there are horizontal strips but these contain horizontally running stripes. The result is a calming and more formal page.
 

 

• use as a border; use to define a space

See the vertical strips of paper that act as borders in "Bulkhead Watch" (striped) and "At Grandma's Table" (dots).

• create a background or mat

The background design in "Inferred Beach Conversation" using bold paper and a diagonal line for placement gives the page a lot of energy.

• provide subtle design interest; i.e., smaller, two-color or two-tone, regular pattern

The dotted background on the right side of Celebrate is subtle and lets the photos shine.

• make a bold statement; i.e., large, irregular, multi-color dots or stripes
• make the perfect accent; incorporate into:
• • backgrounds
  • tags, strips, covering for other embellishments (i.e., bare chipboard)
  • patterned paper blocks that "fill in the grid"
  • borders and edging strips
  • "throw pillows:" small perfectly placed accents.

scrapbooking EVENTS -- uniting multiple pages from one event (sketch bundle included)

{open pdf of printable bundle of 6 coordinated sketches}
{download layered psd templates of 6 coordinated sketches}

There are events I’ve scrapped with several pages that each stood on their own. Lately, though, as it’s become easier and more affordable to make photo books, I’ve found myself preferring to make a series of layouts that are unified.

I unite pages with story OR design OR both story and design

Unite with story

To me, story is synonymous with narrative flow -- a logical movement from one page to the next. Thus, I make:

• A strong opening page
• Pages in the middle that flow logically
• A strong closing page

 

A strong opening page will:

• Identify the event. You could do this with an obvious title and/or a focal photo that signifies the subject.
• Convey the tone of the event. Do this with color, motif, design (i.e., linear vs freestyle).
• Invite the viewer in and make them want to see more.

 My openers usually have minimal journaling and rely on photos, title, color, and motif to signal the topic and set mood.

"Labor Day," shown here, has an obvious title, an engaging enlargement with my subjects looking straight into the camera, and motifs that support the riverside party setting.

When I was scrapbooking a weekend trip to Boston, I was faced with the problem of not having a really good opening photo. SO . . . I contrived one (which you can see below) by purchasing an inexpensive stock photo of Boston Commons in the winter from IStockPhoto.com. And then . . . I grabbed photos of each of my family members that winter and "stickerized" them. You can do this digitally or with your scissors. (How'd They Do That? No 11: Sticker Art -- digital tutorial by Cassie Jones)


pages in the middle (the story!)

Getting a good flow in the following pages is like determining whether the layout of a scrapbook page is well balanced: you play around with it until you know. You could put them in chronological order. OR, you might make pages that cover the event by subject: the people, the food, the activities. OR perhaps you have a mix. Play with the order so that it feels right.

I've included several pages from a Boston trip below and the order is not chronological--primarily because I needed to get one-pagers on spreads and so I looked for what worked. "Riding the T" made sense to start out with, since that's how we got around the city. And "Quincy Market" is a well-known must-see destination for us whenever we go to Boston. From there "Fanieul Hall" is the next page --- since it's part of Quincy Market. Once the subject and flow was established, it didn't seem to matter which museum page I put next - Science or Art. And then finally is my closing page.



      

a strong closing page

Good closing pages will give the viewer a sense of closure and signal that the series of pages are complete (this is especially good to do if these pages are integrated into a larger annual album). Try to find a photo that represents the event -- and if it represents the end of an event that's even better. Photos like doing the dishes, hugs goodbye, and loading the car all do this.

From the moment, I began going through the photos, I knew I wanted to use the photo of my sons next to the hotel Christmas tree on the final page. I love how Joshua has his hand on Iz's head. I loved how Iz was holding (and presenting) his stuffed animals.  love how it signaled season and place. Notice I "stickerized" the boys again --- This time I didn't have to do that since I had the actual photo, but I wanted to for a sense of coming full circle with the first page.

Unite with design

In addition to creating pages that create a strong flow in order to unite an event album, you may also use design.


unite with layout/composition

• use coordinated sketches. I'm including a link here to a "sketch bundle" that I used to make these Boston Weekend layout.
  

  {download printable bundle of 6 coordinated sketches}
  {download layered psd templates of 6 coordinated sketches}

  
  Take a look at the template sets at Designer Digitals, also. Katie Pertiet and Anna Aspnes have many products that include multiple coordinated templates/sketches, like Katie'sBlocked and Framed Layered Template Book and Anna's MultiFoto Layered Template Album
  
  
• create your own layout and repeat design elements throughout. These include: title style, borders, rounded corners, margins. Take a look at the pages from my Boston Weekend album and you'll see many of these elements repeated.

unite with product

use: coordinated paper and embellishment lines, the same title stickers throughout, a common product type (i.e. buttons, ribbon tabs, overlays, paint, stitching)


unite with color

You could use the same color scheme throughout your pages. Use the gallon-quart-pint principle, but vary which color is the gallon, etc. Select one color to be present on every page. Select a common background color. I'll cover more options in a future post.

Are you interested in more scrapbooking lessons and sketch bundles? My online class, "Scrapbooking Your Everyday Life," has just begun and is full of prompts, journaling and photography lessons, and 3-sketch bundles.

running hot and cold - seasonal routines (win a pass to a July class)

comment here with a link to your weather-related page by midnight edt 7/12/09 for a chance to win a pass to a July class at Get It Scrapped!

Today's lesson for "Scrapbooking Everyday Life" is full of prompts and suggestions for scrapbooking your everyday life at home--including routines. What routines do you have that are driven by seasonal/weather changes? Have you scrapbooked any of them? Here are two that I've done - one hot and one cold.

And . . . the hot one is not from this (chilly & wet) New England summer, but from one a couple of years ago. The photo isn't especially artful or eye-catching, but it's FULL of context. I wrote the notes for the journaling back when I took this photo--which is a good thing, because I wouldn't remember some of these details now. We only have air conditioning in the master bedroom, and when it gets REALLY hot for a few days, the boys end up camping on our floor. This layout is a shot of the bed they make out of sleeping bags and blankets AND all the paraphernalia that ends up in here. (See supplies & journaling for "Evidence of a Heat Wave.")

My cold page is from this past VERY SNOWY winter. We live on a cul-de-sac, and the circle where we wait for the bus gets plowed high when there's lots of snow. One morning, the kids starting rolling snow boulders out into the road to block the school bus . . . which plowed right on through to their happy yells. That they could never actually stop the bus didn't deter the gang from building these walls almost every morning --and while it was never a problem for the bus, it was sometimes a problem for the parents' cars. See supplies and journaling for "Stop the Bus."

Show me your routines around different seasons -- comment here and include a link to a layout by midnight edt Sunday 7/12 and I will draw a name to win a pass to a July class at Get It Scrapped! 

All of these classes are awesome -- Cards & Still More Mad Digi start next week. Masterful Art Journaling & Scrapbooking Everyday Life still run for two more weeks & the materials are resources you'll refer back to. Click on class thumbnail for more info  . . . AND SHOW ME YOUR PAGES! Someone's got to win!
 

Patriotic Scrapbook Page

Happy 4th of July and . . . to get in the patriotic mood, I scrapbooked Memorial Day photos. Two products coming to the Designer Digitals store tomorrow got me inspired. Lynn Grieveson's Uncle Sam Mini Kit and an awesome new HTDT (How'd They Do That?) lesson from Cassie Jones --On the Border . . . check it out! I made that star border strip from Lynn's paper. Love this lesson. Here's a link to the layout (Memorial Day -- digital layout) and I'll update the store links on it when the new products come out.

And speaking of coming out --- the sun just came out here so we're going to grab a little outside time before the rain returns. Happy 4th and much gratitude to the men and women who protect and fight for our country. Thanks.

Scrapbooking Your Everyday Places

This is a preview lesson for “Scrapbooking Everyday Life.” For details on the complete class and registration, click here. To read and print this lesson in pdf form, click here.

Note: the journaling for the layouts here is at the bottom of this post.

Your Everyday Places

• prompts & approaches for: everyday places
• focus on journaling: meaning without schmaltz
• sketches for scrapbooking everyday life

“I want to go home to the dull old town, with the shaded street, and the open square, and the hill, and the flats, and the house I love, and the paths I know -- I want to go home.” -- Paul Kester

The places we come from, the places we’ve traveled through, and the places we long to visit  all inform who we are. How many of you have had the very longing described in the opening quote here? When you experience this kind of longing for a place, the place itself takes on associations and triggers feelings.  

Writers and filmmakers understand this connection between place and character, often creating a story setting with such power it becomes a character itself. Think of 1920s Long Island in The Great Gatsby. Its geography and society inform the characters’ actions--both those who’ve lived there all their lives and the newcomer Gatsby.

When I want to plumb my own thoughts on the places in my life, past and present, I often turn to the poem “First Year” by Irish poet Eavan Boland that begins:

It was in our first home--
our damp, upstairs, one-year eyrie--
above a tree-lined area
nearer the city.

That first stanza can carry me immediately to a “garden” apartment in Silver Springs, MD, and from there I’m recalling the furniture, the deck, the view of the parking lot below it, and even the stories. The ending to this poem drives home this poet's belief in the impact place has on character (and even the relationships that a character is capable of)

Where is the soul of a marriage?

Because I am writing this
not to recall our lives,
but to imagine them,
I will say it is
in the first gifts of place:

the steep inclines
and country silences
of your boyhood,
the orange-faced narcissi
and the whole length of the
        Blackwater

strengthening our embrace.

Against Love Poetry 
by Eavan Boland

Many of my favorite scrapbook pages are those I’ve created as my own nod to the places in my life. “Been There” (above) and “Its Charm” (below) are both about my childhood home--a topic I scrapbook again and again.

prompts & approaches: YOUR EVERYDAY PLACES

To figure out and decide which places of your life to scrapbook:

Pull out a piece of paper and begin making lists that answer the following:

• What are the “MACRO” places in which you live your everyday life? (These would be places like: home, town, work, school, errand destinations, fun destinations, etc.)

• Within each of these “MACRO” spots, what are the “MICRO SPOTS?” (i.e., for the macro spot “home” the micro spots might include: kitchen, porch, desk, garage, garden, driveway, foyer . . .)

• Now go through your lists and check off the spots that compel you. To decide just how you’ll approach documenting a particular place, ask yourself these questions --and make notes as you do. The answers will help you get at the place’s significance in your life, the tone you want to take in your journaling, and even details to include in the journaling:

- is this spot a part of your daily routine?
- is it a place you like to go to? what feelings do you have about it?
- does it have a strong influence on your character (or on that of those living with you)?
- will you remember it in 10 years? do you want to remember it in 10 years?
- what makes it interesting or compelling?
- what do you usually do at this spot?
- who else is with you at this spot?
- what is/are the lighting, the temperature, the smells at this spot?
- what are the most important concrete details about this spot?

• With your lists and answers in front of you, pick a place and decide upon an approach for making your page. In other words, decide upon the scope and angle you’ll take. Will it be thoughtful, documentary, snapshot, or contextual?

 thoughtful
Create a thoughtful (perhaps even reverent) celebration of an important place that helps the viewer understand your feelings about the place and the role it plays (or has played) in your life. “Been There” (above) is this kind of page for me. I firmly believe that the place I was raised has left an indelible (and good) mark on my character, and this is one of the many pages I’ve made in homage to it. “Trestle” (at the end of this post) records how the train tracks and trestle near our home have fit into our life over the years.

documentary
Make a document or record of your personal world. “Your Room” (below) includes several photos of my son’s room last year. I wanted a record (for him and for me) of the things that he surrounded himself with and the style in which he did this.

“Sweet Dreams” (below) is another bedroom page. The bedroom documented here is the one my sons share when they’re at their grandparents’ home.

snapshot
Take a (perhaps fun) peek at a very localized spot in your life captured at one moment in time. “Like a River to the Sea” is this kind of a page for me-- I took a photo of the odd items that accumulated on my dresser top recently and then journaling a list and some of the reasons these things are there.

context
Scrap a page that’s not specifically about a place, but that uses photos of place to provide context. In “See Why” (below) the farmland in the photos sets the context for my Dad’s story and allows me to make a record of what his land looked like at this time.

 

focus on journaling: MEANING WITHOUT SCHMALTZ

Purple prose, sentimentality, schmaltz: all of these are ways of describing writing that uses exaggerated or affected emotion. Sentimental writing relies on cliches (“heaven on earth,” “a feast for the eyes”) and abstracts (peace, despair, joy) to grab at a reader’s heartstrings rather than taking the time to render a subject with complexities and specifics. The result is writing that we don’t quite believe and definitely don’t feel.

Try these techniques for pages that have meaning without being “schmaltzy.”

• Pay attention to concrete details.  

In both your writing and your photos, focus on conveying how you experienced something concretely (as opposed to naming your feelings) including any of the five senses for which you have relevant information. Relevant is key -- detail for detail’s sake can weigh things down and make it hard for the reader to figure out what’s important.

Photos can show lighting, colors, and specific sights. In your writing, you can include smell, sound, touch, and taste.

The best way to do this writing is to allow yourself to initially free write and then revise with a checklist:
* Use no more than 20% abstract concepts and 80% concrete description. (See sidebar here.)
* Avoid “pretty prose” by eliminating streams of adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors.
* Avoid clichés, simplistic expressions, and “Hallmark”-isms.
* Be clear. Revise language that’s “fuzzy,” i.e., sweet and abstract, and replace it with concrete details.

Concrete details are those of images that can be sensed (seen, heard, touched, smelled, even tasted). Including details gives your image specificity. “Creature” is a vague word. “Animal” is more specific but still leaves a lot to the imagination. “ But tell us about your “long-haired Persian cat with a wide face” and you’re getting specific.

Significant details are those that matter to the story. You don’t need filler. A significant detail suggests an abstraction or feeling like beauty or stress or joy without using that abstract word. When you write the detail rather than the abstraction you’ve got a more compelling piece.

The journaling in “See Why” opens with a listing of the constants of a farmer’s life and a brief history of how my father got there, then moves on to recount a specific outing. This outing provides a few concrete details that supplement the photos -- and that build up to provide the basis for my new understanding of where he’s coming from. The photos work with the journaling to establish the concrete details. Views of land with lots of green grass, blue sky, bits of water and trees all give a sense of the natural world in which my father has moved about his entire life.

 

• Evoke an emotional response with color, image, motif, and design choices.

On a scrapbook page, you have more than your journaling available for conveying a feeling. It’s possible to use a combination of images, color, and motif to convey the joy or disappointment of a moment, place, or subject. In writing about art (specifically about Hamlet), T.S. Eliot talked about the “objective correlative,” a set of objects, or a situation, or a chain of events that evoke an emotion in the audience. Rather than writing “He felt sad,” in a story, the author can use weather, gestures, and even the things the character observes to the same purpose. On many of the pages you scrapbook, you will absolutely have a feeling or attitude about the subject you’re scrapping. Consciously think about every choice you make to create a whole that’s evocative of a mood or emotion.

Specifically, you can work with:
* color associations
* pattern (oversized, stylized florals convey a different tone than bright dots on white background)
*photo cropping and editing
* image and motif

 The layered papers along with curled and worn edges and warm colors in “Sweet Dreams” convey a cozy tone that goes with how I feel about this room. A bedtime motif of the cow jumping over the moon and a gingham bow complete this feeling and support the subjects

• Show don’t tell

Hold back from telling the reader what they should think about your subject (or at least save it for the end). Trust that if you report an experience as truly and accurately as possible that it will speak for itself. Do not try to shape a response, but, rather, seek to present the kind of clear picture that lets readers come to their own understanding of meaning. The journaling on “Its Charm” above accumulates details that work to earn the abstract “charm” in the page’s title, listing the many aspects of life at my parents’ home that are both different than those at my home and that my family loves.

The journaling and photos in “Trestle” also accumulate details. The photos were taken in different seasons and from different angles. The details accumulated in the journaling are of incidents relating to this place. Together they sum to show just how this spot fits into our lives now and in the past.

sketches: FOR SCRAPBOOKING EVERYDAY LIFE

Click here to download layered psd files of these three sketches.

LAYOUT JOURNALING

Latest sketch bundle at Get It Scrapped!

We're posting sketches every Friday now -- free to all. I was up to make the sketch this past Friday. Here's a peek. A link. And a page made with one of the sketch variations. Layered psds for digi scrappers are included with the sketch.

First game rocks!

Isaac. First game of the season. Your team is the Timber Rattlers, and Paul Mroczka (Rose’s Dad, Joshua’s first coach) is your coach. Your 2nd time up to hit you swung two fast strikes, and Paul came running over to you. You nodded your head, went back to bat and . . . hit a triple, bringing Rose in! And then you slid/dove in soon after. I asked you what Paul said. Smiling happily, you said, “relax.” May 2009.

New craft project

Joshua, As I left to take Isaac to baseball practice, I told you to get off the computer and either get some exercise or do something creative. As a paper-crafter, myself, I was totally amazed to see this articulated, jointed robot you made from paper and rubber bands. What a lot of precise and careful work this took! For days now, you and Isaac have been making these kinds of creations before and after school. The den floor is COVERED with small bits of paper and rubber bands and several pairs of small pointy scissors. May 2009.

The website with the templates is Paper Robots 1999.

Around the House -- May 1 (and a sketch bundle)

I did this layout quickly this morning to fit a challenge in Tami's Mother May I class AND to use the new sketch bundle I posted in the Get It Scrapped forums --- a look at the day.

The party surprise

Here's a layout with the photos from Lily's party that I posted the other day. This layout uses the sketch bundle posted in the Get It Scrapped forums at our 1 year Birthday party.

Stop by our party this weekend: chats, challenges, miniprojects & prizes

We've got some gifts for you on the 1st Birthday of Get It Scrapped!

Thank you all for being a part of the community that has made Get It Scrapped! a growing and just plain nice place to be. To celebrate our first complete year in business, the teachers have put together chats, miniprojects, and challenges. We'll be giving out prizes at the chats and challenges that include scrapbooking product, passes to future classes, and mugs and totes with the Get It Scrapped! logo. I hope you can stop by sometime this weekend and take a look at our offerings. The schedule follows --- all times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Chats----------------------------------------
in the chat room -- please register and set up your password ahead of time--we'll have a tough time giving immediate help during chats.

Friday, April 24
7 pm - 8 pm EDT: Party Kick-off with Debbie Hodge & Doris Sander.

Saturday, April 25
10:30 am-11:30 am EDT: Inspiration Chat with Paula Gilarde & Lynn Weber.
11:30 am - 12:30pm EDT: Multiphoto Layout Chat with Debbie Hodge.
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT: Motivation Chat with Tania Willis & Lynn Weber.
9:00 pm - 10:00 pm EDT: Stripes & Dots Chat with Debbie Hodge.


Challenges----------------------------------------
in the Birthday Forum

Friday, April 24, 8pm EDT
Hybrid Challenge from Paula Gilarde
Sketch Challenge from Debbie Hodge
Doodling Challenge from Michelle Houghton
Motherly Challenge from Tami Taylor

Saturday, April 25
10am EDT Who's Who?
3pm EDT I Spy
6pm EDT Let's Get it All Together

Miniprojects----------------------------------------
in the Birthday Forum

Friday, 9pm EDT Challenge Jar by Tami Taylor
Saturday, 12:30pm EDT Mini mini book by Doris Sander
Saturday, 4pm EDT Ink resist technique by Dina Wakley

Get It Scrapped! @ www.debbiehodge.com

Sale weekend at Designer Digitals starts in about 2 hours . . .

and here's a page with a couple of the new products that will go into the store this weekend. Links to supplies are in my Designer Digitals gallery. There's 30% off storewide starting tonight and going through to the wee hours of Monday.

These photos are from yesterday. It was amazing how much time these guys spent in the rain --- and it wasn't really all that warm a rain. But they were constantly moving.

Around the house --- boys playing chess

Passover

Two years ago, I realized that while Passover is not "my" holiday and while it always falls at an incredibly INCREDIBLY busy time for me and while it is a holiday that requires a substantial amount of time to prepare for, I need to host it for our family. It's an important holiday for the boys and neil (and me) and there's too much that can go wrong counting on others to take care of it. So here we are! Celebrating this joyful holiday with dear dear friends.

JOURNALING:The Lents, The Cohens, The DuroBans, Josh’s friend Adam, & us. Robin made chicken mirabella, Regina made a salad. Pattie made a chocolate torte with raspberry sauce (which Joshua claimed was a work of art). I made vegetable broth & matzo balls, vegetable cutlets (with matzah meal), & carrot pudding (with matzah meal). Neil & Iz made the charoset. Josh made his unleavened garlic bread (which he tried for the 1st time last year and burned--but which this year was successful).

There were 14 at the table, and I used GG’s little cherry side table with the leaves to make the table just long enough. The kids held the afikomen ransom for a while --and then turned it
over to Neil for some silver dollars and small toys.

News highlights.
From the Lents: Not only is Katie
pregnant, but so is Abby. From  Joe & Reg:
Gail is pregnant!
From the Cohens: Pattie is running unaopposted
for Newcastle
town selectperson.

New layouts: on homework and Passover preparations

"Seder Anticipation" supply list at my DesignerDigitals.com gallery.
"Same Page" supply list at my DesignerDigitals.com gallery

putting a zoom lens on your point of view: The Night Hank Williams Came to Town

Driving with my oldest son on Saturday morning, we were listening to some Johnny Cash. "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town" played, and I commented that I thought it was a perfect piece of writing, and Josh asked me why I thought that and listened while I told him. And then we talked about really important moments in our own lives and how we'd tell those stories.

Here are the lyrics and below I talk about the zooming aspect of the point of view here---and you can click on the you-tube link to hear Johnny Cash sing this.

The Night Hank Williams Came To Town"
written by  Bobby Braddock and Charlie Williams

Harry Truman was our president
A coke and burger cost you thirty cents
I was still in love with Mavis Brown
On the night Hank Williams came to town.

"I Love Lucy" debuted on TV
That was one big event we didn't see
'Cause no one stayed at home for miles around
It was the night Hank Williams came to town.

Mama ironed my shirt and daddy let me take the truck
I drove on out to Grapevine and picked old Mavis up
We hit that county line for one quick round
On the night HANK WILLIAMS came to town.

A thousand people sweltered in the gym
Then I heard someone whisper; "Hey, that's him"
That's when the crowd let out this deafening sound
It was the night Hank Williams came to town.

On and on he sang into the night
'Jambalaya', 'Cheatin' heart', 'I saw the light'
How'd they get Miss Audrey in that gown
On the night Hank Williams came to town.

Mavis had her picture made with Hank outside his car
She said; "He sure is humble for a Grand Ole Opry Star."
Mavis said: "Why don't we hang around
It ain't often that Hank Williams comes to town."

While Hank signed his autograph on Beaulah Rice's fan
Mavis got acquainted with the Driftin' Cowboys Band
The effect on all our lives was quite profound
On the night Hank Williams came to town.

I think there are three things the writers of this song do superbly and that contribute to the song's effectiveness: 1) their writing is simple, clear, and unadorned; 2) their pacing and movement between narrative and scene is awesome; and 3) they've got a zoom lens on the 3rd person point of view they're using to tell the story<---and that's what I want to write about here.

The 3rd person point of view in this song zooms in and out to reveal a country, a community, this man's companions and this man himself--all on the night that something exceptional happened to him.

Look at the first stanza. It begins by stating who the president of the country was--we get a sense of an entire nation; the next line states what you'd pay for a coke and burger, and then the third line tells you that the narrator was in love with Mavis Brown--not a woman, but a very specific woman: Mavis Brown. We're zooming in. The fourth and final line of the stanza tells you what happened at this very moment (in the life of a nation, a community, and a man) that Hank Williams came to town.

This deft use of zooming in and out with point of view continues throughout the song. The result (for me) is that I feel a part of the times AND of the strong feelings that narrator has on this night.

WIDE ANGLE: Harry Truman was our president, "I Love Lucy" debuted on TV
SLIGHTLY CLOSER IN: a coke & burger cost *you* 30 cents, a thousand people sweltered in the gym, we hit that county line for one last round
ZOOMED IN: Mama ironed my shirt; Mavis said why don't we hang around; Hank signed his autograph on Beaulah Rice's fan
MACRO/IN THE NARRATOR'S THOUGHT STREAM: How'd they get Miss Audrey in that dress? (I've got to say that this is the point that seals it for me --- that totally captures me in the story's stream).

And NOW . . . take a look at those last two lines . . . on their own they'd seem unremarkable --- "profound" is an abstract; "quite" is a weak modifier; and, ok, that's great he came to town. . . . BUT all the writing that has come before makes these very simple statements RESONATE. Yes! we not only see that the effect on all of their lives really was quite profound---we believe and feel it.

Get It Scrapped!: Organizing Everyday Life Photos

The chapters in my book, Get It Scrapped!, are organized around 6 basic page types: Events, Everyday Life, Moments, Collections, About Yourself, and Leaving a Record.

Everyday life photos are those that aren't necessarily associated with an event or holiday. They can be broad in scope and don't always lend themselves to chronological organization.This post is about how I decide which everyday life photos to scrap and how to scrap them.

At the end of each month (or sometimes at the end of a quarter) I look through my photos and identify and file or flag or tag:

1) photos from  "mini-events" that I want to scrapbook on a single layout or spread. This could be making a snowman, having a squirt-gun fight, or working on a school project. Hobos in March is an example of this kind of page.

2) photos that are revelatory of more than the moment photographed--photos that show "how we do it around here" -- for example, in the book, I have a page called "Garbage Night" that includes photos from one Sunday night and taking the garbage cans to the top of the driveway. The journaling talks about more than this one instance and describes a Sunday evening. The page above"Sweet Dreams," records the room where my sons sleep when they're visiting grandparents in NY.

3) photos that will be grouped with others from other months to go onto collection pages. The kinds of tags/categories I keep track of include: with Grandpa, brothers together, Neil & Josh . . . The layout here, "All Told," gathers both event and everyday life photos from my oldest son's 6th grade school year.

 

In addition to the chapter in my book that covers scrapping Everyday Life photos, "Scrap Your Everyday Life" is a 10-lesson archived online class available immediately. Check out a full sample lesson.

meaningful pages don't have to be about epiphanies

background

To me, meaningful scrapbook pages are those that:
1) combine everyday life and event photos with journaling and images that combine to create a message that goes beyond the obvious; and
2) tell truths that matter.
I've written about this HERE

So how, specifically, do you accomplish these goals? Here's one way, and I'll be sharing others in future posts.

USE CONCRETE & SIGNIFICANT DETAILS

Meaning doesn’t have to be a grand epiphany. In “Puzzling” I scrapbooked an activity that’s a regular part of my life: doing number and logic puzzles. I began my journaling by listing the physical items --books, pencils, erasers-- and then moved on to my behavior and preferences. The result is a page that shows I’m a little obsessive and unmoderated about this -- without ever using the word “obsessive.”

Concrete details are those of images that can be sensed (seen, heard, touched, smelled, even tasted). Including details gives your image specificity. “Creature” is a vague word. “Animal” is more specific but still leaves a lot to the imagination. “ But tell us about your “long-haired Persian cat with a wide face” and you’re getting specific.

Significant details are those that matter to the story--they should matter to the story and do more than fill space. A significant detail can suggest an abstraction or feeling like beauty or stress or joy without using that abstract word. When you write the detail rather than the abstraction you’ve got a more compelling piece.

How I used concrete & significant details in scrapbooking a simple thing in my life in “Puzzling:”

• with photos.
  I took photos of the items that are a part of my “puzzling” activity: the books, the pencils, those all-important cap erasers that I buy in bulk, and some individual puzzles.
• with design.
  The focal point here is the enlarged photo of my puzzle books, pencils, and erasers on my bedside stand. Photos and strips and blocks of paper are blocked in a way that mimics the grid layout of many of my puzzles.
• with journaling.
  The journaling begins with the details of the items I use and where I keep them. It moves on to describe how and when I do puzzles. The accumulation of concrete and significant detail conveys that I’m a little extreme about this activity without saying “obsessive” or “extreme.” With this much evidence, you can draw your own conclusions.
  
  JOURNALING on “Puzzling:” I keep my bedside drawer full of pencils and cap erasers. I keep the puzzle books on shelves in my office, in messy piles in my office, under my bed, in the basket next to my chair, in my messenger bag--and there are many I can’t always find but that do turn up eventually. I do puzzles on and waiting for public transportation. I do puzzles when I’m waiting for my kids and can’t do other work. I go through intense puzzling phases where I do them upon waking and before going to sleep.
  
  Sometimes I do easy puzzles and time myself. Sometimes I do hard puzzles that take hours. When I’m learning a new puzzle and get stuck, I go to a fresh one and another fresh one and then eventually (when I’ve learned a bit) I come back and do the ones I couldn’t do. I come up with coding systems. If I mess up a puzzle badly, I might erase and start over or I might write “ugh” or a frowny face and turn to a fresh page. I like to have good quality erasers and books that erase cleanly. The minute I finish a puzzle, I have the urge to start a new one, and a lot of time can go by.
  
  I do the puzzles because I enjoy solving them. I enjoy the slow progress from the easy section of the book to the medium section and sometimes even to the hard. I do the puzzles because they keep my mind and hands busy and I’m not wasting time. I do the puzzles to avoid talking on airplanes. I do the puzzles to avoid other work. I do the puzzles to solve them. January 2009.

all layout supplies from Designer Digitals.

Class excerpt—from Product Pizzazz 101 by Doris Sander

The students from Doris Sanders’ most recent class at Get It Scrapped! rave about her lessons.

Nikki says, “Doris has an amazing balance between the logical "left brain" and the creative "right brain"... both in her layouts and her teaching! She is able to take an analytical, almost scientific approach to the design of a page, and team it up with wonderfully playful embellishing to create layouts that work on many levels. And her class setup and challenges are both structured and FUN!”

Doris' new class, “Scraproom with a View” begins this week.

Here’s a small sampling of the material she presented in Product Pizzazz 101.
(from lesson 8 of Product Pizzazz by Doris Sander, Feb 2009--all scrapbook pages by Doris Sander)

 WHITE SPACE DEFINED

I’m thinking that after all that working out in the previous lesson, we should take a spa day today, what do you think? Seriously, those times when we can have a few moments of calm and meditation are critical. We simply don’t function well if we never have time to rest, relax, and regroup. This concept of down time is also necessary for a well-designed scrapbook page. It is all too easy to get caught up in the “more is more” mentality, but more isn’t more if we don’t have the time to enjoy it.

In design, as in life, sometimes less is more: enter “white space.” White space is a very important concept in design; it is what gives the viewer the visual break to allow the mind time to enjoy your creation to the fullest.

Merriam-Webster defines white space, often called negative space, as “the areas of a page without print or pictures.” In literal terms, it is the places on the page that are left unmarked: the empty spots between graphics, margins, and gutters; it is the lead-in between lines of text—even the spacing between letters. However, white space shouldn’t really be thought of in terms of empty or blank space. It is actually a very dynamic element of design that serves many purposes. Let’s take a closer look at those purposes by analyzing two types of white space: macro and micro.

MACRO WHITE SPACE

Macro white space is what you see when you glance at the overall design of a layout. It is the larger chunks of white space between your major design elements such as the photos, title, journaling, and larger embellishments. There are three basic principles to remember when dealing with white space:

Doris goes on to explain and illustrate these three principles with numerous pages.

1. avoid trapped white space
2. white space doesn’t have to be white
3. white space can be either passive or active

blogging + challenges = i get it scrapped!

if i look through a series of photos and pick one or two for my blog and write about them --- i am much more likely to Get It Scrapped! Witness birthday post of a couple of days ago. I'd committed to do the Daily Dose challenge at Designer Digitals and needed it done by midnight saturday. While driving to the ski slope, I thought about what to scrap--and quickly settled on the birthday photo. The title and journaling were pretty much all set because I'd blogged them. My kids let me hang out at the lodge for a couple of runs and I sketched a page on the back of a ski rental form. Got home tired but ready to scrap this page.

First Solo -- layout from Isaac's band concert

Snow continues to be the predominating motif around here

Some new layouts. All digital--click on them for product links at Designer Digitals.
 

Bright Spot

Last Friday we were in NY at my parents' home and expecting a rainy day and instead we got sun and warmth. Took these photos that day, when didn't need coats for sledding. All supplies from Designer Digitals -- Mary Ann's on fire lately and these geometric papers, the worn glitter, and the date words are all new products by her. Click on layout for supply links.

Recent digital layouts

Click on layouts for supplies and journaling. The photos in "ICY Morning" are from last Monday -- the boys' first day of break. We cross country skiied at Doe Farm. 

The next is Isaac with his new hat helping me bring in wood. Lots of new products on here -- Katie's Journaling Lines and stitches and Pattie's Scrabble alphas and Jesse's Shades paper.

And the last is the only one I've done from the many fab photos I took in Oxford. Just loved this main shot of my brother with his two youngest kids.

T & Oranges

a digi scrapbook page with the photos I posted yesterday (and it's packed with lots of new Designer Digitals products--click on the layout for journaling and supplies.

Victoria's coming to breakfast!

on Sunday morning. This is Victoria --- I just recently did this layout (for "Get Real" -- it's a "stranger-comes-to-town" story). And I've been thinking about her and . . . she's in town and called.  :) We're all excited, actually!

When this primary campaign began, I had no idea how much time I would spend with Victoria, nor how fond of and impressed with this 19-year-old I would become. Through hours of canvassing the streets of Durham, we learned about each other -- personally and politically. It was amazing how much in synch we were with our political beliefs. It wasn’t just that we had a lot of agreement-- it was in the things that others said of the candidates or the election that both of us just didn’t “get.”  It was especially hard the morning after the victorious primary to come hug her goodbye and watch her drive off to Dartmouth. Poof! Like that! Six months of hard and frequent work together--done!

July 2007. The boys and I start going to Dover to the Clinton campaign office to make phone calls. We go on Tuesdays after music lessons.
Sept 2007. We meet Victoria at UNH’s Durham Day – she spots my button and corrals me in to talk though I’m already a supporter. I go find Neil and we convince him to let Hillary speak to his classes about volunteering.
Nov 2007. House party for Hillary. Co-hosted with Sara.
Dec 2007. I canvas Durham with Victoria regularly. on Mast Road, Newmarket Road, Packers Falls Road, Worthen, Griffith, Surrey, Carriage, Little Hale, Wednesday Hill, Hampshire, Fitz Farm, Mill, Mill Pond, Faculty, Valentine Hill, Burnham, Church Hill, Chesley, GArden, Smith, Thompson, Oyster River, Madbury, Emerson, Edgewood . . . the street names just keep going through my mind.
Jan 4-9, 2008. Get out the vote efforts. Durham office opens. I canvas daily. Hang door hangers on Tuesday morning then canvas more and then man the polls til closing time.
Jan 10, 2008. Meet Victoria at the Durham office where --- she’s totally packed and leaving town.
Jan 11, 2008. Help clean up at the Dover office. Say goodbye to Jonathan and Illana and clear road signs.

Quarterly sale at Designer Digitals has begun!

The quarterly sale at  Designer Digitals has begun: 30% off all products in the store through Tuesday, February 24th at 6am Eastern. There will be chats all day on Saturday with freebies given out every hour. I'm hosting a chat called "Words to Live By" at 6pmEST -- about coming up with titles. Here's a page I did with the new Anyday papers by Katie Pertiet and Big Stitches Swirl Set by Mary Ann Wise (click on layout for full product details).

About the page: During her time home from school in Scotland for winter break, Shelby & her family made a cookie decorating party for the neighborhood. It was a lovely Sunday afternoon in early January, and the kids totally enjoyed the cookies and their time with Shelby.

Hee haw!

That's the comment that Mollie posted on this layout in my Designer Digitals gallery this morning-- Totally made me smile and I know it'll crack up Isaac when I show him later today. In fact, I'm wondering if I should work it into the page. Link to page & supplies in my gallery.

unexpected destination

Yep. the name of this blog came from a "deep thought" (picture me making quote marks in the air with my fingers) I had a couple of years ago --- and that I scrapbooked recently for a "Be Real" lesson. Supplies are linked in my Designer Digitals gallery.

yay, winter!

If we're going to live in New Hampshire, then it might as well snow and be cold! Love that the snow has come and stayed and been freshened up regularly. We'd planned to go skiing on Saturday, but I didn't feel good and Isaac went to sleep weepy and complaining about his head doing weird things he couldn't describe so . . . we stayed home. And Isaac continued to be weepy.

And then he got a bee in his bonnet to get a rink cleared on the river. The first time we started to go down to the river, he got all dressed and then started crying about his head hurting again . . . so . . . we curled up and watched the Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And then finally he stopped complaining about his head and we got to the river. And he said, "It just feels good to know you're on the river." We ended up being down there for hours. Isaac and I did most of the shoveling while Joshua sculpted a snowmobile, initially mistaken for a walrus and then for a sphinx by passers-by (the river when it's frozen is busier than our road -- cross-country skiers and snowmobilers and skating neighbors were out).

We went back down today --- things were really slushy with the 40+ degree weather. The boys played hockey and argued and finally left me alone to finish clearing and smoothing a larger area. I'd love it if we could have a party next weekend --- we've got a lot of brush we could burn for a bonfire. Let's hope the weather cooperates.

These photos are from yesterday and today --- and the layout is from Isaac's FIRST time skiing a couple of weeks ago. Supplies are linked in my Designer Digitals gallery.

i'm almost not behind anymore

really and truly. and so here's a quick blog post before I sleep. I did this layout for the last Be Real lesson -- on expressing the inexpressible. It's a digital page and all the supplies are listed here.

This one goes out to Tania in Ohio . . .

WARNING: Paula and Myra -- do not look at this post . . . . SERIOUSLY DO NOT LOOK

Tania had a rocking blog post today about what life's really like in her home this month. I took these photos at the beginning of this week when I was trying to dig out from post-holiday, post-Florida, post-lots-of-work, post-boys-home-for-long-weekend --- I even typed up a list of recent regrets and was considering making a page for my "Be Real" class, I can't find that list today --- i think it was depressing me and I never saved it, and, hey!, do I really need to beat myself up? Here are the photos, though.  Since I started making this page I've been humming "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home" and thinking about how Anna gets the kids singing it in "The King and I" to needle the king and then I think about how when you are king, you just KNOW and I'm thinking since I'm at least queen of this house, I know that this will pass.

This is a digi page and all the supplies are from designer digitals.com (link here)--there are lots of great heart-themed goodies showing up in the store right now.

Be Real starts tomorrow --- and what do I mean by "Being Real?"

The focus of “Be Real” (my class starting tomorrow) is making scrapbook pages from your everyday life and events photos that have meaning. Specifically, we’ll be making pages that:

 1.Take your everyday life and event photos beyond the obvious—we know that apples can be sweet and crunchy, and if we see a photo of someone at the orchard biting into one, we make that connection without being told. What we don’t know is that the high-schooler in the photos had to be begged to come along on the outing. Let your photos show the obvious. Use your journaling to tell us what we don’t know. Use your design choices to create a mood that supports and expands upon the tone of your subject and stories.

 2.Tell truths that matter. A huge part of scrapbooking has to do with managing memories—with adding to the narrative that is your life. We tell ourselves our stories, and then we tell other people our stories, often with changes. These stories can be entertaining, self-serving, inspired. They can change depending upon when in your life you tell them. But somewhere behind these stories is something called the truth. Scrapbook pages that matter are working to get at and record some pieces of that truth—with an understanding of where the diarist-archiver-storyteller behind the message (you!) is in life right now.

"They're Here" is a page that takes a moment from an event (when everyone starts arriving) and uses the the concrete details as a path to revealing feeling and behaviors that are not only happening right then, but that are common to my family any time we entertain.

Be Real is one of three workshops that make up the Sense & Sensibility Scrapbooking Symposium and it starts tomorrow. On Wednesday, Janet Ohlson's "Lighten Up" begins and on Friday, Sharyn Tormanen's "Get With the Times" becomes. Each workshop is $20 on its own or you can take all three for $45 (a 25% savings). These class materials, printed and bound, will make a great reference after the class is over.

guest designing for The ScrapRoom

I'm becoming a big fan of kits --- in my digi and paper scrapping -- and I was happy to say yes to Tammy, the owner of the kit club The ScrapRoom, when she asked me to do layouts with their January kit. This kit actually has 4 kits within it --- which makes it easy to do several pages from an event, time, season that are coordinated. Here are a few of the pages I did. You can see the rest at The ScrapRoom.