I'm not sure what that entry title really is trying to say, but I scrapbooked again, and it feels somehow…miraculous.
And Donna D. has got to be feeling so proud right now. Why? Trash to treasure, baby. The black stuff on the layout is the packaging for those cool Teresa Collin's giant chipboard letter thingies. And, more of the lovely Scenic Route line. And a few American Crafts chipboard letters/shapes tossed in for good measure.
This is miraculous to me, because I don't scrapbook much anymore. It all started after I wrote a second book. Nothin' to burn you our more on the hobby you love than to write a second book. And even though I seriously love how that book turned out, far more than even the first one, it sort of sucked me dry, creatively speaking. And you know what? It is what it is.
I haven't been recording much these days. I did this layout, because I was looking at Cole and I panicked: OH MY GOD! I'm not documenting ANYTHING about him, and he is AMAZING! I mean, there's just so much stuff I love about this kid. And so many things about being seven that are singular sensations, you know? So I grabbed a bunch of random snapshots from throughout this past year, and had at it.
That's so Simple scrapbooks-y for you. Chronologically unrelated photos. Random bits of information. Put together. Means more to me than say…a layout about what he got for his birthday. I'm not trying to slam those pages about what you might get for your birthday, but what I'm saying is, and I think En Vogue said it best: free your mind, and the rest will follow.
I may not do this hobby every day. Or even every week of late. But I wholeheartedly believe in recording bits and pieces of your ordinarily extraordinary lives. Wholeheartedly.
love, Cathy
kayte Ghaffar says
Thank you for saying this. It struck a chord with me today.
Ellie Arsenault says
Thanks for sharing this with us….it means something to be reminded that even the “pros” go trough this…And nice LO too!
A.L. says
I agree with how fantastic the new Scenic Route papers are. At a photo frenzy class 3 weeks ago, I got hooked on this paper doing a page of my son. Before then, I was not getting inspired by the hundreds (don’t tell the hubby) of sheets of paper at home…but the bold colours in SR Cape Town were just the hit for the page on my very bold 2 year old. LOVE the page that developed. Can’t say that about too many I had tried to start and not finish before then. Anyways, as always, enjoyed your second book, and have managed to get organized on just doing whaever page comes to mind(instead of trying to finish an entire album). Great concept, since I am 4 years behind on documenting my daughter too!
Have a great day.
PS: snowing beautifully in Calgary, Alberta today. We don’t get much snow here lately.
angie says
Of course, you the Pro, scrapbooker has lost creative mojo, you are human. I have no mojo left, no motivation. I didn’t write a book. I started knitting and the whole humdrums of life fill my day. I knit. It has become my new obsession like yours. I will start scrapbooking again hopefully like mad just in time for CKU-Detroit. Good day!
suetreiber says
I am totally agreeing with you 100%.
I shop, and buy the stuff, and push it around on my desk, but lately I would rather knit then think about picture placement and which embellishment is just right. On the other hand, it does feel good to make a great Lo and know it’s great.
Jennifer says
All I can say is Amen. Thank God you said what everyone needed to hear right now. This art should be fun, not a chore. Thank you for saying this to all of us.
toya says
Cathy, love the layouts and I totally understand what you are saying, you what. there is so much out there to experience, so many different crafts, so much more, every little thing adds more to our life, and in return,, I guess, we will have more to scrap when we do get our mojo..
take care
Mindy Booker says
That is so nice to hear. Sometimes I think I live life through other people and their blogs. Makes me feel like I am wasting time. No creative bone in my body at the moment. Time is spent cleaning which I think I do so I don’t have to scrapbook. By the time my daughter gets home from school my husband follows later and the day has disappeared. No desire to exercise and to play with all those fun scrapbooking products. Thanks for writing about your scrapbooking block. Nice to hear how other people struggle with creativity. NEED SOME SPRING TIME!
Stephanie C says
Love the journaling placed in the middle Cathy! But you always have great ideas:)
RScrapIT says
Woohoo another Cathy layout! Way to go girl! Love it – well I love all of your layouts, I think. I can’t remember ever seeing one of your layouts that I thought I didn’t like. Good to see you back in the game!
Jeanette says
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Cathy. Bits and pieces of our lives are worth scrapbooking. And great job on the trash to treasure item. I’ve gotta remember that one!
Dawn says
Cathy ~ I love you girl! Totally feeling it…
I also find I go through times (like right now) as Sue said, collecting the stuff, pushing it around on the desk… and yet I have a HUNGER to create something and feel that something is lacking in my life if I am not able to. What’s a girl to do?
-45C here today… (-49F for my American friends) UGH!
BeckyKay76 says
Thank you, Cathy! I haven’t been scrapbooking much lately either. I’ve been busy happily sewing purses for my Etsy shop and craft shows and feeling guilty for not scrapbooking. I appreciate knowing that you go through non-scrapping times, too.
Jen Donnelly says
Yep, doesn’t it feel good to come back from a break, refreshed and excited again? I’m just glad you’re back, we don’t want to lose you completely to the needles and yarn crowd…
corinne delis says
lol I used the same packaging on a lo as well, thought I was the only one who didn’t threw it away! looks great!
Corinnexxx
Maureen says
*exactly* the kind of page I’ve been meaning to create lately! Love this!
Molly says
You are always so inspiring. Love your ideas. Love your blog. This layout makes me want to start creating again. Thank you!
Ashley Schultz says
I’m loving this layout. I think sometimes it’s good to take a break. I just wanted to let you know that your second book is the most inpiring scrapbooking idea book I’ve ever read and I adore it. Sorry it sucked you dry…but for what it’s worth, it’s absolutely amazing. I tell everyone about it.
Lessie says
Thanks for your inspiration! Will definitely crop lift this layout. 🙂
Kimberly L.C. says
Thank god for you and the thoughts you express at seemingly the perfect moments for my life. I sat down to scrap last night and nothing… nada… zippo. I went back to watching re-runs of, get this, “Growing Pains” with Kirk Cameron. Talk about some mindless TV!
Anyway, it’s good to hear you have the same thoughts and stuck moments as us amateurs, but more importantly, that you express them so those of us who have family members who think life should be documented chronologically and tell us so can be told to “back off” if even in our own minds.
Michelle says
TOOOOOOTALLY WITH YA GIRL.
My theory, as long as I’m alive we’ll do birthday parties (even if it at the last minuted planned by the Peter Piper Pizza people) and we’ll get a Christmas Tree, and hunt for Easter eggs. If my heart is beating it will happen. To me, recording that isn’t fun. I don’t want to open my book and think “okay and here we having ANOTHER green tree, with even less silver bulbs than last year because mom’s too lazy to buy more after you 3 kids played baseball with them in the middle of January long after the tree dried up to nothing” (okay – THAT might be worth scrapbooking but you get my drift”
it’s the LITTLE STUPID CRAP. The crap I can’t remember 10 seconds after it happened. THAT’S what I want to put to paper. How little Kate scrunches up her face when you smile at her (which by the way she no longer does) Or the moment I realized Sarah ‘grew up’ because she was no longer in pants that snap at the inseam. And of course how Noah says “what’s up yo” LOL
All the little crap that happens between the big crap. crap…I guess that’s what I want to remember. Cuz the big stuff is hard to forget.
Michelle says
OH! oh yeah. And I still LOVE YOU. In case you were wondering. Which I’m sure you were. I mean, how could you NOT! BWAH!
Ania says
Ahh….just wanted to cheer you on – do whatever feels right for you! I love to scrap and I *need* to do it everyday….but then again I havent made any books or anything so it’s all just for me…:)
Heather H. says
YOu rock no matter how often you scrap. thanks for sharing this with us.
Angie Svoboda says
Let the creativity continue!!! LOVE IT!!
Haylie says
Cole rocks. Never met him but he rocks.
Robyn says
Great how you used the “packaging” from another product. That’s real SCRAPbooking to me! Real creativity.
Kirsten says
Swish!
JoAnn says
you are awesome- I have to go pick up a new simple right now….
Nicole says
Love that you put this together for your kiddo 🙂 I can identify with the burn out thing, as I once was a regular painter, who hated to be told when to paint and eventually gave it up (in a whole bunch of wacky other stuff). It feels SO good when you are finally able to do something when you are in the mood and on your own terms. Sweet, indeed!
Sinead says
And that is what I love about you, Cathy. Very well said, indeed.
susan opel says
Ummm – En Vogue rules – what a perfect quote!
Scrapbooking rules, too!
And so do you!
Jaymie says
nicely said!
leah says
Cathy….I just spent the last hour reading every entry. Knew you were back a bloggin…just had not checked it out. so glad I did. I adore the felt/knit bags…LOVE em. and I love your humor, your truth…and your family seems cool, too! I just wanted to say thanks.
Heidi says
So glad to see you doing a layout or two. LOVE your style and love your words. The purses are very cool—but I miss seeing the snippets of your family,life and thoughts through your scrapbook pages. Hope the mojo returns. You’re the best!
Helle says
I love your honesty! It´s so refreshing to read your entries, you say it like it is. Love that. Thank you!
Jo says
Sorry to hear that your second book sucked you dry. Ironically it has inspired me to create loads of layouts, thanks for inspiring me. Hope you get your mojo back soon.
Jo says
Sorry to hear that your second book sucked you dry. Ironically it has inspired me to create loads of layouts, thanks for inspiring me. Hope you get your mojo back soon.
Jo says
Didn’t mean to duplicate that last entry. My 18 month old was sitting on my lap at the time and pressed something! Here’s to Motherhood and trying to get some Me time too!
Lauren Carter says
Hi Cathy,
On a totally un-scrapbooking note…I was just wondering. Knowing that you love Neil Finn & that you have been introduced to a number of b-sides and other bits and pieces.
I was curious to know if you had been shown the following 2 songs ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Sexual Healing’?
Neil performed them on an Aussie radio show called Andrew Denton’s muscial challenge where artists are challenged to sing songs originally from other artists.
He does them rather well, and I thought you might like to hear them if you haven’t already.
cheers
Lauren.
Beth Brown says
Cathy:
I found a knitting pattern for a bag I thought might appeal to you. I am posting it here, as I have no knowledge of how to email you, and as I am a stranger to you, this is likely the best method anyway!
Here is the site:
http://www.catbordhi.com/documents/CharcoalDeniseBag.pdf
It was listed on my local knitting store’s website, and when I saw it was a) color blocked, and b) felted, I thought of you!
Enjoy – and thanks to you, I have re-taught myself the art of knitting. Although, at this point, what I am doing is hardly an art. More like trial and error.
: )
Beth
Laura Reaux says
I can go weeks without scrapping, because time just seems to slip out of my hands (not that I have a good grasp on it anyway)… but I absolutely think it’s so cool and important to record these priceless memories. Even if it is only once a year.
Love all of the colors in that LO from all of the random pictures!
maria says
Yes, this is exactly why the world loves you Cathy….we need reassurance that it is okay to be free to scrap without restrictions or self-imposed deadlines…that life happens and we must simply live it. Scrapbooking the special moments should be a treat. An enjoyable moment. A gift to ourselves. When the time is right that is.
courtney says
could not agree with you more about the birthday pages vs. the random everyday ‘this is where we’re at right now’ pages – my kids will probably think we never did birthday parties! lol (Or Christmas, or Thanksgiving…) but they’ll know every cute conversation we ever had. I guess that’s a fair trade! 🙂 Love the LO, btw!
Susan says
Thank you for sharing your dryness!! I went through that about a year and a half ago and was totally without creativity and that first layout was so good!!!!!!!!! I’m glad you’re coming back to you!
Carla Cavellucci Landi says
And, that´s not what scrapbooking is about?
Tropical regards 😉
Ms. Scrapper says
Cathy,
Would you please tell me what are the must-have features in an inkjet printer? I dream of producing pages like yours. Your bits and pieces ARE extraordinary.
beckyswisher says
I am thanful for my life and EVERY single person that’s been a part of it!