Noodle Soup

Scrapbookers don’t lie, they just embellish

I had a good laugh revisiting this article I bookmarked a while back. In case you’re not familiar with The Onion, it’s fiction intended to parody news sources.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/30803

Of course the article is absurd – that’s what makes it funny – or is it? How many of us have sugar-coated reality for the benefit of our scrapbooks? Maybe I’m not as bad as Jane Hemmer, but I will confess to accentuating the positive on my layouts about our 2002 two-week family adventure in an RV.


(That's not really us...it's an image from the movie, RV.)

It was an overall fun vacation, but pack 5 people like sardines in a 30 ft. tin can for 14 days and you’re bound to have some bickering. And there’s nothing wrong with saying exactly that on a layout.

I try to tell it like it is, even when it’s not picture perfect, because I want my scrapbooks to be an authentic representation of my life. At the same time, I think focusing on the positive side of things is a healthy way to invite more of those types of experiences into your life – the whole law of attraction thing.

How ‘bout you? Do you feel like your scrapbooks include a good balance of the trials along with the triumphs? Or would you Photoshop yourself into family gatherings to hide the fact that you were serving time at the state penitentiary? LOL

Smart Cookies & Good Fortune

Last night I had the good fortune to teach the first ever crossover class from Big Picture Scrapbooking at Treasured Memories - a group of ladies signed up online for my Smart Cookie Fortune Keeper class, and then paid an additional fee to the store for the class kits & hosting time. It was a fun evening of Chinese food, chopsticks, fortunes, finished projects, and lots of laughs.

Here are a few photos from the evening…

 

Store owner Christine – “So this is what all these products are for!” (Love ya, Christine!)

 

Me taking a picture of Molly taking a picture of me taking a picture of Molly…

 

I’m no Cathy Zielske with the Photoshop skillz, but c’mon…you know that’s clever!

 

 

  

 

^^^photographic proof for Molly that Christine used the Zutter!

Thanks to Christine, Molly, and all you smart cookies who took the class and helped make it such a fun evening! Hope to do it again sometime. :)

Clickin’ back with some favorites

I’ve been gearing up for the big switcheroo from PC to Mac this week, running both computers at the same time while I move files and get my MacDreamy all set up the way I like it. It’s kind of like moving – getting rid of stuff I don’t really use, adding some new stuff, arranging things so I can find them but feeling a little disoriented, losing a few things in the process and hoping they will turn up later. Maybe I need a computer warming party. Haha.

One slightly crazy task I decided to undertake was to clean out and pare down my bookmarks, which were looking more like A Comprehensive Guide to the Entire Internet. I deleted a ton of dead links and things I couldn’t for the life of me remember why I had bookmarked in the first place. But I also rediscovered some gems. I decided I am going to share the linky goodness and post some of my favorites over the next week.
Here’s one for starters.

Handbook for Life: 52 Tips for Happiness and Productivity

And if tomorrow I’m an apple seller, too...

Over the weekend, Taite wrapped up a month-long run as an orphan in a local production of Annie. She had a blast, and the floor of my shower has never been cleaner. She liked to practice Hard Knock Life with the scrub brush I keep in there, somewhere in between lather, rinse, and repeat. It was a win-win, really.

 

 

 

That last pic is Taite with my dad. He came to see her final performance, which was pretty cool, since he took me to see Annie – my first-ever “real” play – at the Shubert when I was 10. I’m pretty sure that the impression it left on me is part of the reason why I have encouraged my kids to be involved in theatre.

Taite got really into her part and was obviously intent on understanding the intricacies of the storyline. She told me there was one thing about the story she didn’t understand – why did the bums live on a flower, and how did they get there?

??Huh??

“You know, the Whos down in Hooverville!”

I love that kid!

After the show, we headed over to the local mall to grab a bite to eat. All the subliminal messages about apple sellers must've gotten to Matt, because when we got there, he decided it was finally time to buy me a new computer. Yahoo! Off we went to the Apple store. My excitement pretty much drowned out my heart palpitations over the cost.

 

Right now I’m in the process of switching everything over, so I’m still running both computers simultaneously – which makes the difference all the more dramatic. The Mac will take some getting used to, but holy gigabytes, Batman! What am I going to do with all my free time that I used to spend waiting for web pages to load? I’m sure I’ll think of something!

Letting go of clutter

It’s that time of year…the birds are singing, the days are longer, the geese at the lake are definitely twitterpated (if you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know what I’m talking about!), and my Swiffer Sweeper is charging. I have been infected with the spring cleaning bug.

My favorite spring cleaning task is the kids’ closets. I think because it’s not MY stuff, I have an easy time making quick progress. Plus, once I clear out all those outgrown clothes and assess what’s needed, it gives me an excuse to shop. That excuse isn’t usually valid with my own closet. There, outgrown typically means I need to get myself back on an exercise routine pronto. Let’s face it. Shopping for the next size up is really only fun when it applies to the children’s department.

I also enjoy purging my paper shelves and embellishment drawers in my studio. I actually do this several times a year, not just in the spring. I am always more inspired to scrap when I have cleared some clutter from my workspace. I am convinced it declutters my brain at the same time and makes room for new ideas as well as new supplies.

So how about you? Do you like spring cleaning? Dread it? What are your best tips for keeping on top of clutter? How often do you purge your scrap space? What useless item have you been hanging onto the longest?

I came across a great blog post on that all too common “What if I need it someday?” syndrome that we have all experienced. Check it out if you need some straight talk about getting rid of things that have been hogging up space in your space for too long.

4 Ways to Fight “But I Might Need It Someday” Syndrome

Grab a tissue

I came across a video I adore this morning at Crème de la Mode. I’m serious about the tissue, folks. I’ve watched it 5 times so far, and every time I’ve been a sniffling, grateful, life-loving (and inexplicably thirsty for Coca Cola) puddle.

It’s an amazing message, even if it is a commercial. And – surprise! – it so reminds me of the perspective that scrapbooking helps me achieve. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day “downers” like bills, conflicts, and the state of the world. Or the fact that your vaccinated child broke out with chicken pox on the very day you finally had all kids healthy and back in school for the first time in a week, and now you’re basically chained to the house until she’s not contagious anymore. Oh wait, that’s just me.

As Josep says, you’re here to be happy. The negatives are just a blip on the radar in the whole scheme of things. The focus should be on the stuff that makes us smile, defines us, brings meaning to our lives. Those are the things I want to recognize and capture in photographs and stories, to remind the current generation, as well as the next, that life rocks…if you let it.

Go find what makes you happy!

Recycling is in, right?

Life got in the way of blogging this past week. We’ve had a pesky virus bouncing from kid to kid, and last Wednesday it finally got me. I rarely get sick, but when I do it usually lands me flat on the couch for a couple of days. The good news is I’ve cleared a ton of shows from my very full DVR.

So I’m back in the saddle this week, with all my kids in school (albeit minimun day for one). I've got lots of catching up to do between being sick, having sick kids home 4 days out of 5 last week, and playing chauffer/Florence Nightingale to my older son who had his wisdom teeth out on Friday.

I didn’t want my poor blog (and blog readers) to feel any more neglected, so I’m putting up a repost from November 2007 for your reading pleasure. Let’s call it recycling and say I’m preserving the precious but limited resources of my brain. ;)

It’s actually one of my favorite posts, and the original inspiration from Jonathan Adler still hangs over my desk. Enjoy! I’ll be back with new material before you know it. 

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My Manifesto for Irreverent Scrapbooking

(originally posted November 17, 2007)

Several weeks ago, I came across Jonathan Adler's fabulous Manifesto via a link at the drool.icio.us blog. It spoke to me in a big way, and I immediately printed it out and hung it over my desk. Every time I look at it I think about how that attitude can apply to so many things in my life. Below is my version for scrapbooking, inspired by and paraphrased from the original.

 

I believe that your scrapbooking should make you happy.

I believe that when it comes to recording your memories and expressing your creativity, you are always right.

I believe that my scrapbook pages turn out better when I am drinking Dr Pepper.

I believe saving your best supplies for an unknown future page is a bummer.

I believe scrapbooking is life-enhancing.

I believe pages can be accessorized like an outfit – appropriately funky or demure depending on the occasion.

I believe in gleaning inspiration from anyplace you can – certainly magazines and online galleries, but also street signs, clothing tags, catalogs, TV ads, the colors of the latest line of Gymboree outfits, a passing comment from a child that stands out in the carpool din, the to-do list on your desk, window displays at the mall …

I believe in the innate versatility of basic white cardstock.

I believe in changing your style to fit the mood of the photos or your creative mood at any given time.

I believe in embellishments.

I believe that everyone has a life worth celebrating, whether or not they are a celebrated personality.

I believe in clean and simple, white space, typeset journaling, and single-photo pages.

I believe in freestyle, handwritten journaling, and multi-photo pages. I believe in collage, vintage, heritage, funky, classic, trendy, and eclectic. I believe in strong photography, and I believe in crappy, everyday photos.

I believe my pages are award-winning to my family, whether or not they have actually won any.

I believe in supporting fellow scrapbookers because we are more alike than we are different, and I believe in supporting the arts in all forms because creative expression is good for the soul and the universe.

I believe dogs, cats, and children should be allowed in my studio, as long as they stay off the table.

I believe in comfortable chairs and functional, organized spaces.

I believe you should get out from behind the camera and live the moments you would like to see in your scrapbooks.

I believe color is everything.

I believe in blowing your spending money on pretty paper.

I believe pictures of you belong in your scrapbooks, whether or not you look as young or as thin as you would like.

I believe in irreverent scrapbooking.

Jumbled thoughts

I’m feeling a little off-kilter today due to the time change. Don’t get me wrong – I love when it stays light later! It’s just that my brain hasn’t quite caught up yet.

I have a few things I want to share, and there really is no rhyme or reason to them, so I’m just going to list them in the same scrambled style they come out of my head.

My friend Sara sent me a link to this over the weekend:

 

Holy cuteness, I have got to make some! How adorable would they be as little ornaments all over a mini tree, or tied to a take out box that included a gift of a Smart Cookie Fortune Keeper?? Thanks, Sara!

I have been keeping up with the Creativity Project, even though I didn’t manage to post for a few days. Whether it’s something little like watercoloring with the kids, or indulging in some studio time for myself to make something fun, I’m hanging in there for the duration!

On my creative agenda today is working on a few class samples for projects I’ll be teaching at a retreat in August. More details on that coming soon, but here’s a teaser…

 

Right now I am off to tidy my studio, make a Target list, and get some soup on the stove for my sick boy who is home from school today.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Which came first, the kung pao chicken or the eggroll?

SoCal locals can ponder this and more with me on March 28, when I have the unique opportunity to teach my online Smart Cookie Fortune Keeper class, live and in person at Treasured Memories in Oak Park.

The fun starts at 6pm with an informal Chinese takeout dinner. Bring your own takeout (there is a Panda Express about 5 minutes from the store) and let’s bond over eggrolls! We’ll hang out noshing & chatting (and sharing fortunes, of course!) and then at 7pm we’ll kick it into creativity mode and crank out the fortune keepers.

This event is being presented in cooperation with Big Picture Scrapbooking, and it is required that you be registered in the online class to participate. Additional class fees for the in-store event vary, depending on if you want to bring your own supplies or have them provided for you – check out the class description here for more info.

You Can Lead a Kid to Scrambled Eggs and Whole Wheat Toast, But You Can’t Make Them Eat

The first thing you should know about me is I am not a morning person. My natural biorhythms would have me staying up until 2 or 3 am, and sleeping until 9 every morning, if not for two exasperatingly perky children who hit the ground running at sunrise, even on weekends. I am also a huge nutrition freak who strongly feels my kids need a good dose of protein and complex carbs with a reasonable glycemic index to start the day right. This is especially necessary for Reece, who has some focusing issues and needs a “brainy breakfast” as our dear pediatrician would put it, to help boost his concentration in school.

So when it comes to school day breakfasts, I am faced with dueling personas, one of whom wants to be the Rachel Ray of juvenile breakfast cuisine and the other who wants to growl like a grizzly for being interrupted during REM (the sleep, not the band…although if I’m trying to sing along to The End of the World As We Know It, you probably shouldn’t interrupt me then either, because the words are really fast and it might mess me up).

And what do my kids want? Crummy, nutritionally void, sugar-laden cereal with sugar on top and a side of sugar, please. (Which I won’t buy, btw. Mean, mean mommy.)

You can see my dilemma. I fumble my way through breakfast preparation, the kids down a bite or two, and they’re off. I’m left standing over a sink full of breakfast dishes and wasted food, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and wondering what’s worse – a fabulous, healthy breakfast that they don’t eat, or sub-nutritional calories that at least fill their bellies and fuel them for a little while. Some days, I’ll admit, it’s tempting to consider pulling the covers over my head and sleeping an extra 30 minutes while they go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.

Luckily, what I lack in morning perkiness I make up for in creativity, and I’ve managed over the years to stuff a few breakfast tricks up my pajama sleeve. It occurred to me that there might be others out there who have the regrettable combination of morningitis and fickle breakfast dodgers, so I decided to share my tried and true breakfast standby, the oatmeal sundae.

All you have to do is make some oatmeal (I like the organic, steel cut stuff from Trader Joe’s). Sweeten it with a little bit of honey, or some natural maple syrup. If your kids don’t like oatmeal, try cream of wheat, quinoa, malt-o-meal, or yogurt instead.

Spoon some into cute little dishes – the packaging is important, as we scrapbookers know! C’mon, how many of those brads in adorable nail polish jars did you buy a while back?? See what I mean!

I happen to know my kids won’t eat more than a few spoonfuls, which is why I keep the serving size small and pile on the toppings so it packs a good nutrition punch. I hide a little flax meal in there, top with fruit – we like strawberry, peach, or banana slices, blueberries, raspberries…or any combo thereof. Frozen works if you don’t have fresh – just nuke to defrost and you’re good to go.

Then I toss on some crushed raw almonds (I buy them whole, chuck a handful in a Ziploc bag and bang them with a rolling pin. This step has the added benefit of venting morning grumpiness!)

Finish with a pinch of sprinkles…it will make them think it’s a treat!

 

Variations:

Oatmeal cones - Stir flax meal, crushed almonds, & fruit into oatmeal, cool, and spoon into an ice cream cone. Top with a pinch of sprinkles. These are particularly awesome for on-the-go breakfasts (we went through a whole year of Reece having to eat breakfast in the car while driving Kendra to school). Just make sure the oatmeal is cool or the cone will turn to mush almost instantly.

Breakfast Banana Splits - Slice half a banana lengthwise, arrange a couple of small scoops of yogurt or oatmeal between the slices, and top with fruit, nuts, granola, sprinkles, etc.

Fuel them up, shoo them out the door, pat yourself on the back, and finish waking up at your own pace.