What I've been up to in 2013

So here is a peek at what I've been up to in 2013!

After Finding Photo Freedom began in February I took Organizing FUNdamentals at Big Picture Classes (BPC).  I thought that I would just clean out a few things and get my craft room in shape for the rest of the year.  We ended up removing EVERYTHING from the room, repairing & painting the walls and woodwork, and washing the floors!  That was a crazy few weeks as all my craft stuff and furniture resided in other areas of the house.  But it was so worth it - I have a craft room that I really, really love and enjoy - although its not as neat and tidy as the top photo suggests.

Being a coach for Stacy Julian's Finding Photo Freedom (FPF) class was an amazing experience but left little time for anything else.  I'm hoping to be asked to coach again later this year for either FPF or another class that Stacy is developing.  More on that once I hear.

The third photo is my Summer Bucket List.

Fourth photo shows canvases of an art class I was able to take as part of a research project at University of Buffalo.  I'll talk more about this in a future post.

A 3 day stay in Erie, PA at the Bayfront.  In the distance is Presque Isle.  I love being on the water - ANYWHERE!

Next 2 photos are Pinterest projects I completed this summer.

Another trip to Presque Isle.

Next three photos are three different events in Bemus Point on Chautauqua Lake including one of three art shows (in various places) we've been to so far this summer.

I started this blog post with the intention of updating my small but loyal group of readers with what I have been up to but two other results have occurred:

1) I am pleasantly reminded that I've had a very busy and fun summer so far.  I almost always feel like all I do is work so this was a great reminder that I do lots of fun things to!

2)  I've got some great layout ideas as I created this blog post!

I hope you take the time to review your year to date and remember all the good things in your life!

What have they been?

Finding Photo Freedom

Sorting old film cartridges, negatives and index prints

Film cartridges and index prints in bags sorted by years

Stacks of photos waiting to go into storage binders

Library Lists

Category drawers

I haven't had much of a chance to blog over the last 4 weeks since Finding Photo Freedom started over at Big Picture Classes (BPC). I am one of five coaches assisting Stacy Julian as she teaches the 10 week-long class.  I am having fun but have found that it's a lot harder than it looks.  I appreciate Amy, April and Melissa who coached my class back in 2011 and have returned for this class as well.  Blayne is the other new addition to this year's class.  I'm slowly working on my system during the class and hope to continue through the spring/summer on my own. The photos above show some of the elements that we've been working on among others during the first 4 classes.

Finding Photo Freedom journey

As you know from a previous post, I am a Coach over at Big Picture Classes' (BPC) Finding Photo Freedom (FPF) course. Stacy Julian, the owner of BPC and the creator/instructor of FPF sent a suprise gift to celebrate the start of the class.  The photo shows her letter, some delicious Ghiradelli dark chocolate and a brand new Amy Tangerine stamp set.  I love getting suprise mail like this!
So now that we are a few days into the first week of class I've been busy working  on my own print and digital photos - purging and sorting along with answering questions on the message boards and writing blog posts.  

My Category Drawers

Piles of photos, photo packet, my Cold Storage Box,
my clipboard for my Task Lists, my timer and course notebook.

  Its such a great thing to get  photos organized so that you can easily find what you need when you are creating.  
I hope to do more with my older family photos this time around.  I recently purchased PSE 11 and am slowly learning how to use that. I've been scanning some of  my photos but I'm researching some scanning companies to see if that's a better alternative.  There's already been discussion on the message boards about scanning so I know I'll learn more there as well.
I'm having a lot of fun and am looking forward to the next 9 1/2 weeks of this course.

So Excited!

I am so excited!  I've just been dying to share my news but I needed to wait until it was officially announced.  

Today, Stacy Julian announced the Coaches for the upcoming Finding Photo Freedom class at Big Picture Classes and I'm one of them!!  I've known since October and it's been so hard not to say anything.  As a Coach I'll be contributing to the Coaches' Blog periodically, answering questions and sharing my process with the class participants.  I took Finding Photo Freedom in 2011 and having my photos and images organized is wonderful!  It makes finding what I need for scrapbooking and creating so much easier and less stressful. Plus as you begin to curate your photos/images you begin to see connections and stories that make your memory keeping so much more meaningful. 

If you have boxes of photos and lots of digital images on your camera and SD cards then this class is for you! Check the class out here:  
http://www.photofreedom.com/photofreedom.php You can also get 10% off any class by using the following code - 
paperclipping2013 from Paperclipping Roundtable.

If you want to join Big Picture Classes to learn about their other classes go here www.bigpictureclasses.com
Membership is FREE!
Please leave any questions in the comment box and your email address and I will get back to you.
I hope to see you at Big Picture Classes!

So many blogs, so little time

I don't know about you but I could spend all day reading other people's blogs and websites.  There is SO MUCH out there these days.  When I first started scrapbooking there was so little - just scrapbooking magazines.  Then came books, classes, websites, blogs, Facebook and Pinterest!  I have to be careful since all the time spent on these activities cuts into my creative time.  So periodically I go through the blogs I subscribe to (I like to get my blog posts by email) and delete those that no longer speak to me.  On the other side I find new blogs and websites almost daily that I want to check out.
Here is one that I signed up for in the last week and already I'm very impressed by the material.  You might want to check out:
http://www.kaylalamoreaux.com
Her blog banner describes her blog's purpose well "Digital organization that moves you from chaos to creative flow"  I'm looking forward to more in her Photo Flow series.  Lesson Five includes downloadables for creating your own Photo Flow map.  For anyone who is a fan of Stacy Julian and her Finding Photo Freedom books/classes this is a must to check out.
In a different creative direction I also want to share something else that I received via Ucreate.  I've been following this blog for about a year. Many of my Pinterest pins come from this blog.  There is quite a variety of projects and most of them are realistically doable.  In today's email there is a free downloadable "Sewing Basics Resource Guide".  This would be great for anyone who would like to learn how to sew or for someone like myself that learned a long time ago and would like a refresher.  Here is the link to Ucreate
http://www.u-createcrafts.com/
Hope you find these interesting and of use to you.  What are some of your favorites blogs and/or websites?  I'd love to check them out.

Finding Photo Freedom Pre-class materials

I started reviewing the pre-class materials for Finding Photo Freedom (FPF) over the weekend and today I completed the following items:  the Finding Photo Freedom Pledge, my week's schedule, and my EQ (Enough Quotient).  I also watched Stacy Julian's pre-class video before I completed these items.  Looking at the sheet on the left in the bottom photo you may be able to see that a good deal of my week's time is spent at work.  I basically have weekend and weekday evenings left for everything else.  Stacy believes that we need to have a good understanding of what is enough for us to be happy with what we accomplish; and until we understand (realistically)know what that is it won't ever feel like its "enough".  In 2011, when I took FPF the first time I threw everything I wanted to accomplish on to my EQ.  Realistically though there wasn't enough time in my schedule to humanly complete it all. I think that this time I understand better what Stacy is saying and have created an EQ that is realistic and achievable.  I actually have one open space (see the sheet on the right in the bottom photo) for four of the five categories listed.  I may leave it like like this or add something later in the process.
Here's my EQ for 2013 as of today:
Weekly:
Spend 15 minutes three times a week with my digital images
Spend 15 minutes three times a week with my non-digital photos
Complete 2 page weekly spread in my Project Life album
Monthly:
Complete One Little Word 2013 assignment
Complete 3 layouts
This Year:
Re-visit Twelve
Re-take FPF
Home:
Fill photo frames with photos! (and hang on walls)
Update SD card in digital photo frame
Online:
Blog - three posts per week
Purchase PSE 11 and learn how to use it (Check out Ali Edwards' tutorials and other online tutorials/classes
Now I have to admit I have a lot more projects I would love to complete this year but I'm focusing on this list and I'll see how many challenges come up.  The first few months of the year tends to be fairly easy as the winter weather keeps me indoors.  As spring arrives it becomes more of a challenge to keep to a schedule inside.
Are you taking Finding Photo Freedom with Stacy Julian starting in February?  If yes, what's your EQ?

Finding Photo Freedom

One of the classes I'll be taking at Big Picture Classes (BPC) in 2013 is Finding Photo Freedom (FPF).  I took this class in 2011 and LOVED it!  Stacy Julian is an amazing teacher and it re-inspired my scrapbooking and memory keeping in ways I never could have imagined.  I'm really excited to be taking the class again.  I also received a surprise regarding this class and will be able to share that with you sometime after the new year!  Now that I'm enrolled in the class I'm reviewing the Pre-class materials and preparing for FPF.  One of the decisions I need to make to this weekend is whether I'm going to purchase Photoshop (PSE 11).  I've been debating this since the last FPF class.  I'm not sure why I'm procrastinating, oh I know, I hate the fustration of learning new programs!  Poor excuse, right?  There are so many free tutorials out there now and lots of classes so I just need to make this a priority.  Plus I learned today (from one of the BPC's message boards that there is a book Photoshop for Dummies that someone found very helpful and takes you step by step through the program.  I'll have to check that out and make sure its updated for PSE 11.

Yesterday I showed you my work tables - the photo above shows what my desk looks like.  I've printed out the pre-class materials for FPF and will be working on my Enough Quotient (EQ) and sign my Finding Photo Freedom Pledge.
I'll be checking the supply list and checking over what I already have to see if I need to order anything.  I think I'm pretty set but may need to order a couple more storage binders.
If you are interested in Finding Photo Freedom go here for more information:
http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/photofreedom.php
I'm also going to check out Echo Park's new Photo Freedom System.  I have the Dear Santa pack (I love all things Christmas/holidays).  I'd like to look at the other packs too plus what page protectors are available as well.  With everything I want to finish up and complete in 2013 I'll need products that are simple and easy but look amazing!  For more information on Echo Park's Photo Freedom System, go here:  http://www.echoparkpaper.com/pdfs/EP_Photo%20Freedom.pdf
This will take you to the pdf that's sitting on my desk.
More tomorrow!

One Little Word Blog Hop

'Illuminate'

My apologies -for the second month in a row I've not completed the month's prompt.  However, I didn't want to drop out of the Blog Hop two months in a row so I thought I would at least write a blog post about where I ran into trouble and my current progress. 
July's prompt really threw me for a loop.  We were asked to choose 9 songs that were meaningful right now..  Well, I love music, almost all kinds, but I can not tell you the name of a song to save my life!  Or who sings it.  Definitely not a candidate for that show Name That Tune!  I know other people did a variety of things but nothing came to me - my mind was a blank!  I did a search on my word 'Illuminate' to see what I found and the songs that came up were unfamilar to me.  Between dealing with a medical problem since January and working on Finding Photo Freedom I just didn't have it in me to do the prompt.
So along comes the August prompt and I'm thinking this is easy.  I can get this done this month.  Still had no idea what to do for July.  However, in August I'm finishing Finding Photo Freedom, starting MotherLOAD and preparing for surgery in early September! 
So, here is where things stand....the Finding Photo Freedom class is done and I can work on the remaining items a little bit at a time.   The marathon part of MotherLOAD  begins today, Sept. 1st but I already know that I won't be able to complete a layout every day of Sept. because of the surgery so I'll do as many as I can and not worry about the rest.  Whatever I complete is more than if I hadn't taken the class!  As for  One Little Word my plan is to complete both July & August as time allows.  I have an idea (FINALLY!) of what I want to do for July.  I'm going in a different direction than Ali but I think it will be fun and it still involves music.  And August won't take long to do its just deciding my take on it and what direction I want to go.  I want to take time with the process and have it be meaningful rather than just rushing through it to get it done. 
Thanks for reading through to the end. 
One other thing that I almost forgot to include.  In July & August I was also involved in the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap and Blog Hop and the Big Idea Festival over at BPC one weekend in August.  If you're interested you can click on the links to the right for the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap blog hop.  It officially was held this past weekend but the links still work.  The Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap will be held again in early 2012 so check out my blog post9the one before this) if you think you might want to particpate.
So to continue on the One Little Word Blog Hop visit

Lisa         at               http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Here are all of the September 1 OLW Blog Hop Participants

Margie                  http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog    

Monica B              http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Julie Ann               http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com

Jill                          http://jillconyers.typepad.com/

Cheri                     http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/

Melissa                 http://blog.mshanhun.com/

Kathryn                 http://www.katlodesigns.com/

Amanda                http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Sam                       http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/

Chrissy                  http://getcraftywithchrissy.blogspot.com/

Lynn                        http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com/

Lisa                        http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Jen                         http://byjen.com

Nikki                       http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Cassie                   http://craftycassiescorner.blogspot.com/

Jamie                     http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Cindy                       http://seriousplay.typepad.com/

Thanks for hopping by!

Puppy Love layout

I created this layout with photos from around 1975-76 of my first dog as an adult.   Snoopy (yes, she was named after Charles Shultz's Snoopy) was such a sweet and lovable puppy.  (My dogs are all puppies no matter their age.)  She was an AKC registered Brittany Spaniel - I don't remember her fancy registration name anymore.  She would have definitely been a great bird dog for a hunter.  We almost lost her one day when she took off after a flock of birds while we were having a picnic.  Fortunately she finally listened to us, stopped and returned.  She also loved the water and would jump in without hesitation.  She's still wet from a swim in the photo underneath the title "Puppy Love"  Don't ya just love her face?
I'm using the Close To My Heart kraft cardstock again but I don't remember where the other items came from.
An update on my classes - Finding Photo Freedom is winding down although this is something I'll be working on for as long as I'm taking photos.  I have a great system in place but now it will need time and attention regularly to maintain.  We have another week after this then I'm on my own along with the LOM community.  More about that later.
With MotherLOAD we are still in "training".  I have several items to do on my training log and need to post some photos and layouts over there.
Thanks for stopping by!

Our First Father's Day layout

I have been getting some layouts done now that the Finding Photo Freedom class is winding down and the MotherLOAD marathon has not begun yet.  Here is one of my son and his son enjoying their first Father's Day. 
I am loving Close To My Heart's kraft cardstock.  I think it's great for masculine pages and outdoor photos.
The journaling cards and letters are from Simple Stories Life Documented Kit. 
Watch for another layout tomorrow!

Flip Flaps Part 2

 I've shown you Close To My Heart's Flip Flap Memory Protectors before but today I wanted to show you a new way that I am using them.  Nothing earth shattering but solves a problem for me.  With my Project Life album I'm regularly finding that I have one or two vertically oriented photos each week or so.  When I have more than that I put them in a vertical pocket page protector.  I have several varieties of those.  But with 1 or 2 I didn't know what to do...until now.

 Here is the acutal Flip Flap.  Clear pocket for one or two photos front and back.  The white strip pulls off with the adhesive strip underneath.

I cut a piece of cardstock approximately 5 1/2" x 7"
and punched holes in the left hand side.

I slid my photo into the Flip Flap.

Adhered the Flip Flap with photo onto the cardstock.

Placed the Flip Flap with photo into my album.  How simple is that!  I love simple!

The best part is that this photo is now able to be seen along with the other 3 photos taken at the same time! 
I still can add another photo to the back of this one and it would just flip up to see it.If  I don't have a second photo I can put cardstock with some journaling, stamped images or embellishments on the other side.

Projects update

Layout for Finding Photo Freedom and MotherLOAD
(photos are from 1975)

 

Photo Central has moved from dining room to living room



Dining room is now Layout Central

I'm keeping up with Finding Photo Freedom and MotherLOAD fairly well.  I don't get all of the tasks done in the week they are assigned but I'm working consistently on my digital workflow, still organizing straggler photos (like bunny rabbits more keep popping up!), and just getting a good sense of what I have, what's done, what needs to be done and beginning to work on creating layouts regularly.  Right now my 2009 photos seem to be missing (there's only 97 from that year but still what could I have done with them?  They should be in a storage binder but it ends at 2008 and I just realized this.  I have then on CD so I can reprint if need be but....I don't like mysteries like this!  Earlier this week I was having problems with Picasa and as typical I just needed to let it sit for a day and come back to it.  Problem solved and everything is sorted properly.  I was pleasantly suprised this week when I got all my albums in one place and went through them page by page that so many were actually finished and the others only need 2-4 things done in them.  I also found a large number of layouts that were completed but had no home - I hope to remedy that soon. I've made a list of what needs to be completed in which albums and where gaps in albums are.  I will be taking all my pages out of these albums and moving them to We R Memory Keepers Classic Leather 3 ring albums as time and money allow.  I just ordered my first 3 in cobalt.  We're in Week 7 in Finding Photo Freedom and we actually have 2 weeks for this task list.  MotherLOAD is in its 3rd week and is starting out slowly and will build as we get to the Marathon part in September.
So as things shift I've moved all my albums, my storage binders, category drawers, cold storage box, memorabilia box, family tree drawer, 2 piles of more things I just found this morning and a box with all my film cartridges, index prints and negatives are now in my living room,  Lily, our dog, is not happy as that corner is where her doggie toybox used to be.  The dining room (previously Photo Central) is now Layout Central.  The dining room table has all my Project Life and A Week in the Life stuff in the far end and this end is ready for layout making - I have 2 double layouts in the making right now.  I do need to do some catching up on my Project Life album. I just picked up some photos I was waiting for this morning and should be able to work on that tomorrow.  So that's where I am for now....

A Week in the Life, Composition for Collage, Finding Photo Freedom, Mother LOAD



Horizontal compositional structure - Composition for Collage



Three full storage binders - Finding Photo Freedom

I thought this would be a good time to provide an update with where I am with the Big Picture classes that I am taking this summer along with some of my other projects.   Top photo is my horizontal compositional piece that I finally finished.  I just really laugh every time I see that piece.  Kind of my view of how life goes - your sailing along just fine and then a duck comes along blocking your way!  Hope you enjoy it and get a laugh from it as well!  Just a fun piece and trying not to take it all so seriously!  This Thursday is then end of Composition for Collage - I'll be working on a grid compositional structure piece between now and then. 
Bottom photo is the 3 storage binders I have filled (more in them then there should be).  I've ordered 3 more binders from scrapbook.com and they should be here Tuesday.  I'm not sure at this point but I may need to order 1-2 more.  These are Pioneer 3-up storage binders.  In Finding Photo Freedom (formerly Library of Memories) storage binders are where the photos you want to scrapbook in the future go.  This is after purging & rating.  I'll try to remember to take a photo of the inside and talk a little more about this in the future.  I'm just keeping my head above water with the two classes these last 4 weeks but I'll try to go into more detail in the next few blog posts.
I need to finish up my postcards this next week for the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap - its due July 15th (where did June go?).  I'm trying to decide whether to use one of my compositional structure pieces from the Composition for Collage class or the piece I did for One Little Word this month.  Stay tuned!
Ali Edwards posted the code for this year's A Week in the Life if you want to pick that up for your blog.  Just go to http://www.aliedwards.com/ and check out her blog post for June 23rd.  She also posted links (same one I provided in my last blog post) to resources for A Week in the Life.  If you are thinking of doing Project Life in the future this is a great opportunity to see if you like this style of scrapbooking.  A Week in the Life is a more intense, in-depth type of Project Life. 
As Claudine Helmuth's Composition class ends, Lain Ehmann's MotherLOAD (Layout a Day) class will begin.  Very exciting!
Hope your finding creative time as summer swings into high gear!

Stuff everywhere!

 This table is covered with items I'm working on for Composition for Collage and One Little Word(OLW).  I'm waiting for feedback from Claudine Hellmuth (our instructor) to see if I need to work on my first collage more.  Will post a photo once its done.  Will also post the artwork for OLW once its done.  We've been encouraged by both instructors to work on the pieces and then let them sit for awhile.  I have a hard time with that as I'm programmed to finish what I start.  So this is going to be a lesson in patience for me.

I currently have the dining room table covered with my 2011 Project Life album at the far end and Owen's baby album on the side toward the windows.  At this end are all the boxes of photos that I'm now starting to work on for Finding Photo Freedom (FPF).  With FPF my goal is to have all my print photos and all my digital photos to a point where I can find any photo within 5 minutes.  They will also be organized so that I can tell better stories with my layouts and get away from strict chronological scrapbooking.  I'll keep you posted as to how that is going over the next 10 weeks.  This week we've been working on putting digital prints into folders as well as purging photos that we do not want or are poor quality- I'm using Picasa.  We also are to take 250 print photos, purge what we don't want and put the rest into storage binders.  I'm about half done with that and am pretty much set with my digital photos.  I need to order a couple more storage binders now that I've decided to definitely use the 3-up albums.
Besides keeping on top of the classwork my other goal for this week is to get my craftroom back into shape.  The tables are all in our garage as we finish up our yard sale this week.

Finding Photo Freedom.....



Photo Central



Film cartridges, index prints, large photos, old photos, and ???



Photos stored chronologically  in a family box and each son has his own box

 The top photo is of Photo Central (my dining room).  At the far end is my Project Life album and supplies for that.  At the near end are my boxes of photos (a slight step up from how Mom left photos for me - shoe boxes full in her closet).  The photos are mostly organized chronologically.  Amazes me that I have 10 full albums of family photos and 4 albums for the boys and there are still all these photos.
I started scrapbooking while my oldest was in college so the photos definitely had a head start on me.  Today is the first day of Stacy Julian's Finding Photo Freedom class (formerly called Library of Memories or LOM) and I'm looking forward to utilizing her system for my photos and memorabilia.


Memorabilia

 Besides working on the print photos and memorabilia I've been working on my digital prints as part of our pre-class work.  I've downloaded Picasa (quite painless and easy) and pretty much have my digital photos organized there.  I don't have them rated yet as Stacy has outlined.  I have to think about that some more.  I don't have as many digital photos as most people do.  I have less than a 1000 total on Picasa.  We've only had the digital camera for 4-5 years (yes, we're slow adopters of new technology!) and I have been good about deleting poor quality shots or photos I know I'm not going to do anything with.  Plus our sons are all grown up, married and live on the opposite side of the country so most of our photo taking occurs a few times a year with visits back and forth.  So my journey begins in Finding Photo Freedom....I'll keep you posted!

Clipboards

Today I painted 2 clipboards that started out as brown $1.69 6 x 9 clipboards from Office Max.  I promised myself that I wasn't going to obsess over trying to make them perfect.  I'll be using them for Big Picture Classes and Stacy Julian's Finding Photo Feedom that starts this week.  So they are just for me and for fun.  I ended up not liking the acrylic paint on them so I ended up covering most of the clipboards with paper and Mod Podge.  Then used some embellishments and flowers to dress them up a bit.  Both papers are from Close To My Heart.  I've had them awhile and I don't believe they are available any longer.  The flowers are Prima and I added a little pearl to the center of each.  I've decided in the future when I paint something that I have to use a better quality acrylic paint.  After 3 coats of the yellow you could still see a brownish cast.  And I like something that leaves a smoother coat without brushlines (if that's possible).  I'm also switching to Claudine Helmuth's Multi Medium as I don't like the Mod Podge either.  I need to get some gesso to and try that.  So more experimentation will be in my future as I work to find products that I like for these type of projects.