Two things are true: 1) I love scrapbooking, and 2) I hate proofreading.
It’s been a while since I shared a new layout and today’s page is making me all kinds of happy. At least it was until I was taking photos of it and there it was: a typo in the journaling.*
But if you know me, you know that I’m either a) going to Photoshop it out for the pictures, or b) just leave it and move on because life is too freaking short to sweat this one out.
I chose option B. And it also made me laugh until I had tears in my eyes because it literally changed the meaning of the sentence. If you look on the 8th line down, it says “I am not into makeup or cloths.” That is a lie. I freaking LOVE cloths. (It was supposed to say “clothes.”) Click on the image to see a larger version.
There’s just far too much going on to re-do the page, and this page is really just for me, and you know what? I’m cool with that. Because the design itself? It’s pretty cute. And the subject? One I feel very passionately about but have been neglecting of late: stories about me.
And the thing is, anyone can journal like this. Each sentence starts with I am… that’s it. It’s a fill in the blank about you right now. (To see another version of this concept, check out this post from 2015!)
I am not perfect. If my page has an imperfection, that’s completely acceptable to me. Plus the design is solid. It has nice common margin space. It has simple repetition with the flowers and the tabs and the green title that picks up some of the green from the patterned paper strip at the bottom of the page. All the things I love on a layout are here. Mama ain’t changing a thing.
A few weeks back, I wrote a bit about me, something I hadn’t been doing as much in 2018, and when I was planning some new template designs last week (another thing I just wasn’t doing much of in 2018), I realized I hadn’t done a page like this in a while.
I feel there is a level of invisibility afforded to women as we settle into this middle place of life. There are aspects of this that I find quite comforting, actually. I like that there is a 99% chance I can walk down any street and no one will shout out, “Can I have fries with that shake?” I like that I can walk into a room and look around… observe… take things in… because I will not be the center of attention. But I won’t stop documenting my story.
I don’t believe the story of middle age should be invisible. I think it needs to be talked about. Understood. Shared. Celebrated.
And that is what I plan to do.
Today I’m sharing a Pixel to Page process video, something I also would like to do more of. Every time I create a layout, I’m usually pretty geeked about it and I get that same feeling the first time I made a scrapbook layout: this is pretty cool!
My page began its life as a digital template, as many of mine do, in true hybrid fashion. This new template features the title “currently” which is actually a graphic because the font is not a free one and I wanted to make sure it read as designed on everyone’s computer. The font also matches my favorite alphabet die set, Archie Solid Alphas at Simon Says Stamp. I love having the ability to create my own die cut titles. No limits on how many letters you need or if the color will match. You make all those decisions and create your own alphas.
If you have arrived at my blog from my card making community, hybrid scrapbooking is just the process of including digital tools in your final creation. For me, it has been using my computer since day one when I typed up some journaling onto a piece of cardstock and glued it down onto my very first scrapbook page.
I saw the potential all those years ago in combining paper-and-glue crafting with computer-generated stuff and I have been smitten ever since. I’ve never been fully traditional, nor have I been fully digital. I’m smack dab in the middle. Just like my life right now.
Today’s video just focuses on the page process. Here’s to telling your story.
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*Actually, there are two. Makeup should be one word or hyphenated. Who knew? Now I do. Still not gonna change a thing.
Cynthia Friese says
The Middle Place is a damn good place to be! and if your not into Cloths? go on with your bad self! Love the page too:)
Cathy Zielske says
Ha! I agree!
carlajinAR says
LOVE THIS….Classic CZ
Theresa says
I have been a CZ fan since the day I started scrapping – your books are still my bible. All the feels for the classic design, the clean look. And most of all, for the sentiment. As I approach the five o, I appreciate the honest look at how we begin to blend. Thanks for being an amazing scrap designer, as well as a human willing to share,
Cathy Zielske says
Wow, thanks, Theresa! Appreciate your comment. 🙂
Helen Rosen says
So happy to see your new templates (I bought them immediately) and a page to go with them. I love your style and will definitely be scraplifting this one. I hope this is just the first of many this year.
Cathy Zielske says
Thank you so much, Helen! I appreciate customers who keep coming back and have any interest in what I am designing. My goal is to keep them coming in 2019!
Heather says
Love this! I’ve missed your layouts! Looking forward to more layouts and templates from you in 2019, the inspiration and starting point makes my process so much easier. ❤️
Cathy Zielske says
Thanks, Heather!
SueO says
Can I just say? That is a really cute picture of you. Oh, and I love the layout!
Cathy Zielske says
Why thank you and yes, you CAN say that. lol!
I was purposefully trying to be coquettish and cute. And I took the shot using the Camera App trigger on my apple watch. And I took about 10 shots until it looked just right. That’s the truth.
Lyn Lovell says
I have so missed you posting your layouts. This one is so quintessentially you and I absolutely LOVE it! Very inspiring as I too am a woman of a certain age.
Cathy Zielske says
Thanks, Lyn. I have some goals to create more layouts basically covering stories about me. This time in life does not and should not have to go undocumented.
Jenni Teague says
I’m into cloths too!
Cathy Zielske says
E-cloths rock my world.
Cheryl says
LOL … I’d have to add the hyphen to make-up, and a “^” under cloths between the “h” and “s” and add the “e” above … I’d just do it in pen though. Too many years as a secretary…the typos would make me crazy.
Cathy Zielske says
Using a pen is a fun idea, actually! I love it!
Michelle Tercha says
This is beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Thank you. Michelle t
Cathy Zielske says
Thanks, Michelle!
Connie says
Love your layout…I’ve missed your scrapbooking pages. Thanks for sharing! A funny story about blending in. I was in an unnamed (code word to keep it vague) city in the theater district, having drinks with my son & his wife and listening to music. It was getting later in the evening and the theater performances were ending. Surprisingly it turned out that there was a cast party for one of the play’s entire group of cast members in the upstairs of a building next to us, including one pretty famous unnamed actress. I suggested that we should try to get into the party. The kids were hesitant, but I just said “stick with me, no one questions a mom”. We paid our bill and walked out the door of our restaurant, as they quickly followed me into the door of cast party location, right by the security staff and up an obscure stairway into the party with no one stopping us….we were truly invisible thanks to me, the middle-aged mom. It was an incredible & interesting experience for a couple of hours, and one I still laugh about. I think my children are still impressed. So middle age does come in handy at the most unexpected times!
Cathy Zielske says
That’s an awesome story!