Smashbook Monday: Block Party Weekend

I took the day off from work today and it is fantastic. I did...nothing.  That's what makes it fabulous.  I took two days to recover from a huge party at my parents house: our (sort of) annual block party. I say sort of because it hasn't happened in two years, but it's back and it was a success so I think it will be back again. 

This past weekend I made two large purchases:
1. I purchased another art class - DIY printmaking - September
2. I bought a portrait lens for my dslr

I'm excited for both purchases, even if they set me back a bit financially (I went grocery shopping in my parents kitchen to recoup some of the loss).  I've wanted a portrait lens for a while, the starter lens wasn't doing it for me anymore - also, its scratched.  The first art class I took was really fun and interesting and I think this one will be even better. I'm also taking it with a friend, so that adds to the fun (I sound so corny don't I).  I have the next 2 Mondays off from work, and while I am sad that summer is coming to an end, I am super pumped for Fall. It is my favorite season. Even though I'm not longer in school (thank God), it still feels like you are starting anew in Fall.  It's not quite the New Year but it will always have that feel.  

Anyway, I did do a quick smashbook page of the block party this weekend.  As I said, I'm trying to get these done as events happen so I'm not behind.  

the yankees win..i think?

I went to a Yankees game last night with a group of people from work. It was really fun, although I admit, I think I watched 10% of the game. I just like drinking and talking, although beers in the stadium are $12, are you kidding me? You can't even go to a game without going broke these days. I probably watched 10% of the game. I only knew runs were being scored when everyone cheered.  

The last few weeks I got behind on my smashbook, so I'm trying to create pages as events happen.  The build up is stressful and this project is supposed to be the least stressful thing in my life right now.  So, thanks to the magic of smart phones and facebook, I was able to steal others photos from the game and print them tonight and throw together a page in 15 minutes. I still love it though.  

And Early Night Scrapping...

Tonight, I started scrapbooking right after dinner. I had an idea in my head and I needed to work on it right away. I love it when that happens.  

I'm reading a book called Imagine: how creativity works by Jonah Lehrer. It's a really fascinating look into the brain with stories of creative breakthroughs.  More interesting is how they explore creativity and show how any person can be creative. Anyone could be an creative genius, with different methods or ways of looking at things. I thought that was really inspiring. I'm constantly down on myself for not creating these perfect pages that I see other scrapbookers make..but that doesn't mean they are any more creative than I am. 

One chapter of the book talks about how relaxation can fuel creativity. Interestingly, distractions also fuel creativity - people with ADD are better able to come up with creative solutions to problems. Persistence - constantly drawing the same picture or moving aspects around on a picture - can lead to artistic breakthroughs. Based on this, I think this more relaxed version of scrapbooking is fueling my creativity.  I've felt more inspired in the past two weeks than I did the entire time I worked on my Europe scrapbook.  It feels more free, my brain doesn't feel so boxed in.   

Anyway, here is tonight's page.  I cut out a piece of an ad from one of the many Alaskan free magazines I took.  The ad was for the same tour we took.  It fit better than any sticker I own. 

Tonight's image is a scan.  In person the design is not as centered, the scan cut off a sliver of the left side of the page, but still looks good. 

Scrapping in late night ..is 11PM late night?

I am tired and I have a headache but I did want to complete at least one page tonight. I don't want to get too far behind on the scrapbook because I'm a grumpface. 

This page, like a lot of pages in this album was pretty quick. I did want to keep some scrapbooking elements in this album, so I put together a little bit of a patterned background, pus used some stickers.  I've had a sheet of stickers forever with inspiration phrases about the sea on them and I finally got to use one on this page. 

I didn't scan the page because it has a few raised elements, so the pictures are a bit yellowy. I tried to edit it a bit to brighten it up but it still has a yellow tint. 

Quick Album Page: Seward

I skipped a day there. I promised you to continue the conversation tomorrow, but I made you wait.  It's not my fault! My headache lasted 2 days..seriously.  Maybe I should be concerned that it's a brain tumor.  I did kill a bug today by hitting it repeatedly and screaming YOU WILL NOT LIVE IN THIS HOUSE....so there are concerns about my current mental state.

The good news is, my headache is gone for the time being and I was able to continue on the Alaska album. I'm enjoying this photo album style.  It's much less stressful than planning layouts and picking patterned paper. I will incorporate a few of those pages in this album but it's nice to have the mix and not feel like every page has to be completely perfect. 

This page showcases our first day in Alaska, a trip to Seward. I will probably have a few more pages from this day.  We did spend the entire day there.  For the page I printed out a picture of all 3 of us in front of the Seward, Alaska sign. I also used a postcard I bought at the gift shop there.  The boat in the corner is from a pack of Alaska dye cuts I bought in a gift shop as well. 

A Closer Look at Alaska

I feel like the picture of my first Alaska page I posted yesterday did not showcase the page properly.  The raised element in the middle made the background very blurry in the scan and it looked distorted.

I made another page this morning, a quick one  -which honestly is how I want most of this album to be. Obviously, I want it to look nice and thought out, but I'm sick of planning layouts and being disappointed. 

I was going to continue working on the album tonight, but right now I'm 4 Advils deep and still have a terrible headache.  Even lifting my head up right now to type this entry is painful.  It might be a brain tumor or it might be that I woke up early and went to bed late. Lack of sleep does not a pleasant head make. 

Anyway, as I said, I was not happy with the picture I posted yesterday. So today, instead of using the scanner, I decided to set up a makeshift album studio on my couch and photograph the album instead. Enjoy.

Here is the first page:

Here is the second page: The first place we visited in Alaska was Seward/Kenai peninsula. I ripped out pages from the guidebook we picked up at the visitor center + maps of the area

A closer look at the bottom embellishment: I bought a bunch of stickers at a gift shop in Alaska. I wouldn't be able to get stickers this specific in New York. 

And a look at the album itself: I also bought the album in a gift shop in Alaska. I make smart decisions.

The spine:

Now off to get some rest. Let's continue this conversation tomorrow. 

Alaska Album: Started (finally)

Have you been wondering what happened in Alaska? Well, you are in luck. Tonight, after sitting on my couch with the olympics on mute, watching "breaking bad" episodes on my computer, I sat up and thought...I'm going to start my Alaska album.  I don't know where the sudden motivation came from but I'm grateful for it.

I want the Alaska album to be different from scrapbooks I've done in the past.  I want my scrapbooks to start having a real scrapbook feel - vintage elements, collages and incorporating more memorabilia.  I've been studying collage and mixed media artists and it's been inspiring. 

I did the opening page of the album tonight. I used fabric that I bought at a quilt shop in Alaska for the background (i lost my pinking shears, so the ends of the fabric are a little frayed).  I brought a folder with me to Alaska and saved every scrap of paper in it.  I used some of the cut outs from those papers - a map and the sunrise/sunset times.  I also found this children's book in my parent's house, a children's dictionary and I cut out the bear picture from it.   I'm satisfied with this page. I think the album will get increasingly better as I get better at the collage elements. 

My scanner is working again! The background elements get a little blurry because the Alaska Vacation sticker is raised: