The Find of the Century

Do you have storage facility? How about an attic or basement? Well I visited my storage facility today. I am transitioning out of it and only a few items left, thank goodness. But I picked up a couple of boxes, mostly labeled picture frames and photos. I have to admit that I got a little chill of excitement. It was THE FIND OF MY CENTURY. Granted the century is only 11 years in, but a find nonetheless.

I have recently been thinking about all of my letters. Letter writing is a lost art. When I was 12, I spent the summer in the Dominican Republic. I was only supposed to go there for 21 days with my grandmother and cousin. 3 weeks turned into 2 months and despite a lot of begging and pleading, my parents would not allow me to live there. After my grandmother left, I stayed with my Dad's sister in her home. That summer created a lasting bond and friendship with her that has lasted until today. Granted we no longer write to one another, but we do speak on occasion on the phone and I make sure to send her photos of my son as he grows up.

Oh yes, the point. I found some of my letters. I am almost brought to tears when I think about them. I haven't even touched them yet. I am just happy to have them. It's not all of them. Most are lost. But even if I only find one or 2 in tact, that's enough for me. Having them as a sample means I'll never forget.

So the enxt time you walk by that basement door or that attic staircase or your storage unit, think about making an appointment for yourself to go down/up/in there to find what is really never been lost.

Embrace Imperfection

That has got to be one of the scariest statements I've ever heard. I've never thought of myself as a perfectionist but in the end I think I truly am. It keeps me from doing many things. And while I think I do a good job trying to embrace imperfection, I think perfectionism has kept me from accomplishing a few big goals. But baby steps right?

Big Picture Classes hosted a 2 week class with just that title taught Karen Grunberg. With LOAD 211, I have to admit, I didn't pay much attention to the class until today. It was almost a therapy session. Granted, the topic was scrapbooking not world peace, but the life lessons are the same. At least I like to think so. Maybe if more people scrapbook and embraced the world's imperfections, then maybe we would be closer to world peace.

The project for the class was a mini book that would help us embrace imperfection using some quotes. I got the mini book done in a couple of hours and even though it was one of the simplest projects I have taken on, I really like how it turned out. Karen's sample project didn't have any photos. The quotes were the center pieces of each page. I found photos that allowed me to embrace imperfection. They were either photos of things that illustrated the need for perfection that were just never realized OR photos that were so imperfect that I would never have used them in any project, until now.

This could have been a great photo but it was completely blurry. I assure you my photography has greatly improved.  Quote: Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence. --- Rosalynn Carter

Circa 1970. This is my own personal quote: What is more Perfectly Imperfect than FAMILY?

Here is my husband and my attempt at renovating our 1st floor apartment including some French Doors. Needless to say, there is nothing perfect about the paint stripping. The project is now in the hands of a contractor.

I thought this was perfect statement for this project. Letting go of perfectionism provides a level of freedom!

I don't need to say much here, right? Gotta love a good tantrum to really
make you feel like your doing a bang up parenting job.

Not the normal New Year's Resolution, but I think it's a good one to aim for. Who needs all the pressure?

Thank you Karen and BPC. I can assure you I have embraced imperfection. And that's a great thing!

LOAD Creations

More Vintage Photos

 

Vintage Photos

 

LOAD Day 4

Before I begin, I just want to say THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY! Sometimes I get the urge to write an ode to Friday or something. Roses are red. Violets are blue. Friday is great. Woo Hoo Hoo! It's like a great weight is off my shoulder even if only for 48 hours before the weight returns.

Anyway, that's why I scrap. It is my art therapy if you will. The layout a day challenge continues in ernest and I really liked what I came up with today. I think it was more about the story that the photos compelled me to journal about. Or perhaps the fact that the story was so compelling helps me enjoy the layout that much more.

The challenge was to use only 5 items: 2 pieces of patterned paper, up to 18" of ribbon, some bling, and one set of letters for the title. Check, check and triple check. Cardstock, adhesive and the black pen were freebies. I actually took these photos this morning on my iPhone. It suddenly hit me how fast this kids was growing and how independent he was getting. He knows how to get out of his car seat on his own, climb into the front and then exit the car by himself. He closes the door, waves again and then joins the rest of the classes on the steps, waiting for someone to open up.

Another Snow Day - Creative Opportunity

Sigh. It's another snow day here in lovely NYC. My son's school is closed and my job had a 2 hour delay. In the end, I didn't make it in to work. One might think that this is great. Once in a while it is. But the reality is that snow days are double work. I am working at home trying to keep my son busy and fed but I am also available to my job by phone and email. On top of that, not going in today, means the possibility of more work tomorrow.

With that said, I took advantage of the time to get a little creative. LOAD 211 is well on its way. Today's prompt was really interesting. I searched my name, Rosann, on Ebay, and found inspiration in a doll with the same name and same spelling (which is rare) and the color palette on the cover of business book whose author has my name as well. It took some time to think it through and then eventually execute, but I am happy with my busy, yet artsy for me, layout. It is so true that inspiration can come from ANYWHERE or ANYTHING.

   

Here's what I came up with. It's a little busy but I like it. Since the prompt was about my name, I thought why not scrapbook myself. It reads...Know Thyself. Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look. --- Marcus Aurelius.

This is special resist paper from Stampin' Up. It comes completely white with a resist pattern. Using inks (fluid or pads) you use whatever color combos you want to bring out the design...very cool! All the flowers are from Prima. The butterflies are made of nylon and wire but I have no idea who makes them. The bling is from want2scrap.com.

Here was yesterday's layout. My son is a constant source of laughter and inspiration. I am sure you can see why. The bulk of the paper and elements are from Memory Works Elementary line. The mat behind the photo is from Project life and I don't know who makes the stickers knobs and wire.