Ok...so if you look at the dates you might realize that I did in fact skip a day, but you know what I decided...
it is OKThis is a philosophy and phrase that has been made popular by the talented Ali Edwards and I think that it is a great one...to read more check out her blog {A}.I have about a million things I want to write and post about today, so I will probably be making posts throughout the day...in my head this will make up for those that are lacking.
Number one: I was SUPER tired this morning and had a tough time getting up...I was laying in bed reading about Greek art for a paper I need to write and the sun was coming in the window at the perfect angle. This then inspired me to try and take a photo of "my morning" like the ones on
3191. Here are the two that I took.
Number Two: AEZine is a weekly online newsletter that I receive from Ali Edwards and she always has some sort of topic or theme or the week and a little challenge to go along with it. Now that I have a place to post my answers to the challenge I will begin doing them. They usually deal with scrapbooking and being a life artist in general, and the one from last week asked about what my creating essentials were. Then this weeks was what is the "good stuff" that you use for creating. So below are my two lists.
Essentials1. White, black, and kraft cardstock--I use all of these all of time. I usually use them as my "blank canvas" if you will. They allow the colors of the photos or other elements that I am working with to really stand out.2. Paint--I never really used to use this much, but it has definitely become an essential of mine over the past few months and I don't see it leavin any time soon. Any color acrylic paint (haven't tried watercoulor yet) will do. For stamps, photo mats, borders, on transparencies...the possibilites are endless.
3. Fiskars paper trimmer--I have the old school gray one and I have been using it for about 5-6 years. It does everything I need it to do so I haven't purchased a new one, just replaced the blades.
4. Hermafix tab dispenser--It is strange how once you start using an adhesive you just kind of stick with it. I haven't tried a lot of the other ones out there like the dots or tape runners. I like the tabs but now that I get to thinking about it a runner would cover all edges of my photos and make sure they were really stuck down. Note to self: try new adhesive.
5. Gluestick--Now this is one adhesive I will never give up. Works great on small stuff and thin paper. Also great for covering chipboard and book covers. I think it is a given that if you are a crafter of any kind the gluestick is your friend.
6. Ink--Again, any brand and any color. I use it for stamps and to ink the edges of things. But lookin at my layouts I use it on almost everyone and that makes it an essential.
7. Photos--This one is obvious, but lately I have been experimenting with layouts that have no photos. However, they are still essential. They capture the moment and are a great way to share a slice of my life.
8. My Creative Notebook--This is a binder that I just recently put together. It now holds a section for sketches, one for journaling, one for techniques, one to just take notes on the everyday, my current issue of Creating Keepsakes, and my doodle notepad. This is where it all begins and I don't know what I would do without a place to put all my ideas.
Good Stuff1. Rub-ons: I buy them in a variety of everything. I like them because they can go seamlessly over pictures, paper, embellishments, pretty much everything. What I don't like is when I try a new type of rub-on from a different company and they don't rub off!! So frusterating!2. 7 Gypsies: I am putting them in their own category because lately I am using a ton of the 97% complete stuff. Word stickers, tags, rub-ons...all kinds of goodies.
3. Ephemera: I used a lot of other things I collected from certain places along with my pictures when I first started...then it because cheesey for me, but now I am finding more creative ways to work them into my layouts. By ephemera I mean tags, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs...that type of stuff.
4. Patterned Paper: More specifically dots and stripes. dots and stripes. I can't get enough. I love that they aren't themed and can be used on anything, as a whole sheet or just scraps.
5. Thin Point Sharpie: I never used to hand journal on my pages. I thought it looked messy. So because of that I didn't journal at all. Then I got into typing everything out, which, don't get me wrong, I still like to do, but now I will write out long stories by hand. I have come to love my writing which many of you scrappers know takes time.
6. My Buckets-O-Goodies: I really don't know how else to describe them. I have like three or four little containers filled with a wide variety of whatever. Bits and pieces. I go through them for inspiration and to find little accents for my pages. They are unorganized in an organized way though.
