Scrapjack #3 Amber Skolnick

I have had such a cool day today (saturday). All the kids were gone and I scrapbooked all day. I did this page for the scrapjack #3 (cool site!)
The idea was to take inspiration from a page shown by Amber (I have never heard of her before) and it isn't really my style but it was fun. I am still not sure if I like it or not. I don't hate it though.

I also did this one for the NZdares. The aim was to do a page with Black white and a colour pop! This one I quite live... what do you think?

And believe it or not I also did one for the Effer Dare 59;

It is finished

I can't believe how long it took me to complete this! It was supposed to be posted onto Ali's blog on 12 and here it is the 20th and I have just finished it tonight. However I have become a regular on the gallery for Scrapbooking by Design. and as a result of their feedback I have submitted some pages to For Keeps magazine. Here's hoping!

and here is my manifesto page:

Here is the journalling:

1 There are no rules only guidelines

2 the guidelines can be ignored at any time

3 the work will be at least in part original

4 the work will please your eye and your heart

5 there are no mistakes, just keep going until you know you are finished

Why?

It is Thursday and I am at home because CJ has a temperature again and I figured I better get him checked out. I could have said that I would work from home, but I just don't have that much enthusiasm for work these days. So I decided to take the time to catch up on errands etc... or course I will go in for a meeting at 11 that I can't miss, but apart from that I have the joy of a day that I can do whatever I want - and of course scrapbooking is one of those things.

I have begun working on my manifesto page - and it has really got me thinking. I have always made things. When I was a young girl in Otorohanga and we went on our regular outings to the public library and my (younger) sister Francie would get a huge stack of books well above her age, I could get cake decorating books and things to make and do books and books full of creative objects just to oooh and aaah over.

Since then I have done a million different things - from cross stitch to dolls to painting to wood work... lets see if I can find some pictures. This is a birthday cake I made for CJ when he was 4 or so... like so many projects when I have done them once I don't have much desire to do that thing again!
One of my 'small business ventures' was 'Best Friends' when we were in Blacktown, NSW where I made these dolls and sold them to gift type stores.
After I moved back to NZ my mum and I had 'Calico Cupboard' where I designed and we made a large range of wall hangings, mini-quilts and dolls.
After my divorce one of the things I did was start to take classes. The first one was woodwork (loved it!!) and then after that dry pastels... here is one of the ones I did and the photo that I was copying - not bad ay??

but there have been so many other things. I am going to do a mini album covering as many of these things as I can. I remember making little soft toys out of felt, designing and making clothes for dolls and then later for myself, stenciling, mini quilts, painting, sketching with pencil, pen and wash pictures, padded frames and folders, distressed frames, raffia hats, photography, jewellery making, designing and making babies clothes (Custard Kids), Calligraphy, bridal ware for a shop in Brisbane, painted craftwood shapes and I am sure there are others that I have forgotten. And there are others that I have wanted to do and have not had the chance - silk painting, dried flower arranging (Hmm these are pretty much out of fashion now aren't they!)

So why? Why have I always needed to make things, to create? I believe it is just my personality, a part of me that cannot be ignored. It is as important to me as eating and breathing. When I was studying I didn't find any time for creativity and I really suffered. That was when I started scrapbooking.

I had bought some supplies when I visited Sharon in the Sates about 6 months earlier but had not pulled them out. It was the day that I bought my first colour printer (actually my only colour printer since I am still using it!) and I wanted to test it out. I took some photos of Alyssa with my 6 month old digital camera (also bought in the States) and printed them off. It was so exciting that I needed to scrapbook them right away. Here is my first ever page: After that I made a page a day for several months. I was hooked. And scrapbooking is different from all of the other 'crafts' I have indulged in. I can't imagine ever giving up on it and not scrapbooking again, and I can't imagine ever getting sick of it! I have been doing it now for about 2 1/2 years (Is that right?) and that is longer than any of the others except photography (which will never end!) and sewing (which my girls won't let me give up!).

I love that each new page is a new start and can have some shared features with other pages or be something completely new. I don't have to follow any rules except own (if I ever get round to telling you my manifesto you will find out!) and I can change anything I want to at any time.

I just love making things -producing something new from my own mind and hands and imagination; making something that looks wonderful and evokes people emotions; exercising my mind and eyes and brain and imagination; being talented and creative. Yes I believe my creativity is a gift - something I was born with. I didn't learn it, or be taught it, or desire it and seek after it, it has just always been there.

And no matter what medium I am using there is a common thread... the thoughts I have been able to put together while working on my Manifesto

1. There are no rules or boundaries, only guidelines
2. Guidelines can be ignored at any time
3. The work will be, at least in part, original
4. The work will please your eye and your heart
5. There are no mistakes - just keep going until you know you are finished

Yes. I feel satisfied. That is it. .

Now I need to finish the page. BYE!

Thank you!!!

Thanks to everyone who responded to me with lovely words! but clearly we all need some simple instruction about blogs.... at the end of each 'post' or entry by me there will be a line of words... Kiwidee that is the name I put somewhere when I didn't know what it was for, and the time or date. then it says 0 comments. if you click on those words then you can add a comment there.... the envelope next to that is for emailing someone else about my blog... I think I might take that off.

So comment if you want to!

So it is Saturday and I have not scrapped for several weeks... sad! and I hope to do some this weekend. I have had a page half done most of that time and have sat down to it several times, but haven't finished it yet - oh I remember why now. I want to print some small word strips to stick on but my Word is not working. I might have to put that aside.

I don't usually do that, I tend to work on a page until it is finished and then start a new one... what about you?

I receive Ally Edwards newsletter - AEzine and each issue has a challenge of some kind... I am going to try to do this one. It is about preparing a personal creative manifesto... cool idea. I have done that in counselling with a few clients, or something similar. So it should be a fun experience... anyone want to join in?

Its time

I think its time to put this out there for the world to see...well my family at least! It has been wierd writing for no one in particular and I would love some interaction - comments or questions. and I have only stuck to scrapbooking as I feel a bit wierd about writing personal stuff. I want to, but worry for some reason what will happen with it. What do you think?

I just emailed all the people in my addressbook and gave them the URL and invited them to visit. So... Welcome!! and since you're here, here are some of my recent pages: