Thank you, Kristin!

My dear friend Kristin is an amazingly QUICK scrapper - she is busy with a big family and all that's required in running a household. But, she always finds time to SCRAP! It keeps her sane, she says :) This year, 2008 that is, she accepted a challenge to scrapbook a page a day...yes, 365 pages in one year...and, ya know what?! She's almost DOUBLED that! AMAZING!

When I asked how she did it, part of the trick is her new found love with the simplicity of digital scrapbooking. But, she also said she scraps every night for about an hour or so before bed. It relaxes her and gets her mind off all the craziness of the day. And, it gives her the feeling of accomplishment - something neat and tidy that she actually finished.

She encouraged me to do the same, and last week, I got started! Every night before bed, I have given myself an hour (or two if I'm up for it!) to do something creative - it doesn't have to be a page, it could be a card, or just a little project. What I have done this week amazed me! I scrapped 5 pages this week! Yes...FIVE. I know that might not seem like a lot, but for me it was a really big deal...usually I spend hours and hours deliberating over my pages, stunting the creative process in exchange for my unending perfectionism. BUT NOT THIS WEEK! This week I let my little inner artist come out and play!

One of the most liberating things I've done lately has been to allow myself not only the time to scrapbook, but also the freedom to scrap any size I want. I've started dabbling in 8X8, 8.5X11 (vertical and horizontal), 6X12 or 12X6, and MORE MINI BOOKS! I'm LOVIN'IT!! The nice thing about these smaller sizes is that they're also easier to scan and SHOW YOU :) So, here are a couple pages I did this week - they're from David's graduation (yes, that was in MAY...so I'm a little behind?!?!)

For this "Ascend Together" page, I used little pieces of transparencies to soften the pure white papers. I'm really going to miss my Chatterbox letter stickers when I run out...gotta find more of these! The finishing touch was my Stampin' Up Baroque Motifs stamp - a STAPLE, I tell ya! One of the pictures is David supporting me at my graduation, while the other is me supporting him at his graduation...awwww....

This page is very Ali-esque, I know! I softened the edges of the cream colored papers by using a make-up applicator and some soft inks (SU going grey, bordering blue, and creamy caramel). The "Gifts" title is done with Technique Tuesday acrylic stamps, first in Whisper White craft pad, then with More Mustard craft pad over that. Then, I used a blender pen to join the letters together to make it look like it's all one word. YAY!