Take the Scrapbooking Bull By the Horns
Sometimes you have to take the bull by the horns.
I wrote last week about the fears I had about my daughter starting a brand new school. Needless to say, I was dreading the arrival of the first day of school. As the day grew closer, I began to realize that I wasn’t the only one who was starting to get nervous…my daughter’s nerves were starting to get the best of her. That night before school began was a tense one, and I went to sleep wondering what the next day would hold. The next morning was rushed…as you can imagine, seeing that all four of us started school on the same day. I barely had a minute to think about how she would react to the change. It wasn’t until I was halfway through my first class that I thought about it. I put it out of my head, fighting the urge to call my parents to see how it went, fearing the absolute worst.
Want to know what happened?
She was fine. In fact, she was great. She was a brave, brave girl walking to her class with no fear. In the midst of all the nerves, the nerves of all the people around her, she pushed forward and was brave. Later, when I asked her how she managed to be so brave, she said to me, “I knew I just had to do it Daddy.” At six years old, my daughter took the bull by the horns and faced her fears head on. I’ve never been so proud of her.
It got me thinking…how many things are we afraid of, and not willing to face? Why are we always so reluctant to look our fears in the face and say, “You don’t scare me.” I’ve decided, that for the rest of 2010, I am going to try and live by my daughter’s inspiration and take the bull by the horns.
It didn’t take long before I was face to face with one of my biggest fears.
I love pattern paper, and I especially love pattern paper backgrounds. I am always reluctant to use a pattern paper as a background because I can never figure out how to add the journaling to the layout. I don’t usually journal on tags or such, so I need a good space to journal right on the page. Well when I went to make a page about the first day of school, I the pattern paper v. journaling fight came up. I had a pattern paper that I was dying to use as a background, but it would prevent me from journaling right on the page. I tried everything. I tried journaling on it, I tried using a solid instead, I tried journaling somewhere else. I was reaching frustration, and then it came to me….
take the bull by the horns
I put the pattern paper back, and layered a solid directly underneath it, so you could see the pattern paper, but not the solid. Then I took a distressing brush, and set it at a low opacity. I took the brush, and I started to lightly erase the pattern paper in the journaling spot, revealing the solid underneath. I did it very lightly, until I had created a block that would be good for me to journal in. When I was done, the effect was something like taking a piece of sandpaper to a paper and wearing the paper away in that space. This is the completed layout, which I have fallen in love with.
What Scrapbooking fears will you take head on for the rest of 2010? Are you ready to take the bull by the horns? We’re here to help…just let us know how.
Let’s talk in the comments below.
Sometimes, Scrapbooking is Therapy
What are your favorite topics to scrapbook about? I asked this question on my Facebook Fan Page and on my Twitter account yesterday, and I was not surprised by the answers. Most people said things like their children, their loved one, or significant others. Holidays, nature, and pets ranked up there too. When I started scrapbooking, these are all the topics that I imagined scrapbooking about. To this day, many of them remain my favorite topics to create layouts about. Recently, though, I learned of the true power of creating a scrapbook page.
Read MoreIt’s Grab Bag Time Again!!
It’s been AGES since I’ve done a good Grab Bag, and I am so excited to share this one with you!! This time, I teamed up with fellow FPD designer Jaclyn Bernardo to bring you the Punky Preppy Grab Bag!!
This back is PACKED to the brim too! It has two mini kits, two template packs, and two alphas!! All for one LOW price. Check it out now, I’m sure you’ll love it! As usual, my CT has rocked this release out..check out their layouts after the jump.
Read MoreA Fool-Proof Method for Uploading to Multiple Galleries
Have you ever forgotten to upload a layout to all the galleries you have? Isn’t it frustrating to go to a gallery and find that you didn’t upload all the same layouts to each gallery? I have been in the spot SO many times. When designers do a CT call, they often as for a link to your “most complete gallery.” What gallery are you supposed to use? What if all my layouts are spread out in all different galleries? I struggle with these ideas all the time…mostly because my mother usually visits one of my galleries, and I like to make sure that it’s complete for her…and it’s always the one I forget.
I thought the best way to learn about uploading to multiple galleries is to go to an expert. One again, CT Laura to the rescue. Laura is on like 100 CTs, so I figured she knew a bit about how to get this done. She had recently shared her methods for uploading with one of our friends on Twitter, so I knew she would have something to say. Here’s Laura after the jump.
Read More5 Links You Can’t Miss Right Now!
As I’ve been running around the digi world, avoiding lesson planning, I’ve found some awesome links that I think you need to check out. Go ahead, click away and have fun!
5 Links You Can’t Miss Right Now!!
- aliedwards.com – Ali is a constant source of inspiration for me, in all the facets of my life. She recently launched the new version of her site and it’s fantastic! It still contains all the Ali goodness, but keeps everything organized. I especially love that she had two blogs, creating a separate blog for her projects! Incredible.
- Masterful Scrapbook Design – A new site launched from the team at Get It Scrapped! Masterful Scrapbook Design is dedicated to taking your scrapbook design to the next level, through tutorials and lessons in a variety of formats. they are currently offering a 10 Day Trial for only a penny!! You should definitely check it out.
- Light Your Fire – Light Your Fire is a digi course from Jennifer at Simple Scrapper. It’s intended to reignite the fire within for scrapping. I am already signed up for the course, and I hope to see a lot of you in there with me.
- Kitschy Digitals - I found these designs a while ago, but just recently have I really started LOVING them. I love the retro look of all of Danielle’s products, and she’s a wealth of interesting information on Twitter. You should check out both her products and her on Twitter.
- Scrapzilla! – I know I’ve posted about PDP’s upcoming contest before, but I don’t know if you realize how great the prizes are. Check out what the first place winner gets:
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Bamboo Craft Tablet from Wacom |
I think that’s about it for now!! Keep checking back over the next few days…I may have a few giveaways up my sleeve!
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