My gift to you is my trust in you

What an absolutely stunning kit to work with this month! December's Trust kit is the perfect blend of soft muted tones, feminine prints and symbolism.

When it came time to thinking about trust, and how I gave my trust, how I receive trust, how it impacts my life, I automatically think of my husband. Finding this quote about trust really nailed the concept down for me. It's easy to think externally when it comes to the word trust. We think of people we trust, but what did it say of me?

This quote really said a lot to me about what trust was, particularly when it comes from me. While I often thought externally when I thought of trust, that is, who I trusted, or what I trusted, I decided to think about what it said of me. What existed within me to give that trust? How did that trust impact my life? And the kit really helped me think about that, with its symbolic border sticker/patterned paper, the sentiments on the word art, all of it. Being alone with my husband I can trust myself to be myself, because our commitment to each other runs that deep. After all, that's who we fell in love with - the real him and the real me. Why would I feel a need to be different around him otherwise?

December's Trust kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Being together makes me truly happy, and maybe that's because I trust him so much. That trust removes any additional weight I may have had to bear at work, or in the public, when I might have to show professionalism, or be more patient than I would have liked. I might have had a hard day just being what I thought I needed to be in particular moments, rather than just being myself. 

Maybe that's why I decided to edge with black this month, because it's a reflection of what's being kept on the outside - the bad day, the bad feelings. And I realized that I don't give my trust easily, but when I do, it can be soft, beautiful and give me so much happiness.

Wisdom and Courage

Hi everyone. I want to tell you about my journey I spent on this layout about Wisdom and Courage.

When I thought about wisdom, as I've said before, I didn't really reflect on my own wisdom or others around me, but what it meant as a whole. So I looked for quotes about wisdom on the internet and found one that spoke to me.

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's Wisdom kit

Wisdom is learning to let go when you want to hang on. Courage is learning to hang on when you want to let go. I found this very profound especially given the time I was going through when I made the layout.

I've recently been soul searching in terms of careers and while I absolutely love teaching and training, I came to the realization that I wasn't finding joy in it anymore, at least not in the position I was in. So I searched for a new training position in the department I am in, and in my area, and there just wasn't anything out there for me in training. I knew that I had to change jobs because I was actually getting physically ill from the stress of it. So I let go of my passion for training, the job that originally gave me pure bliss and looked for something new in a new field I had never worked in before. And it was scary. But according to the quote, it was the wise thing to do.

I love all the muted tones that I worked with too. It reflected my somber decision. The peach lightened the page up though, and I think that really reflects the hope I felt in following my decision.

Do you use colours to reflect your mood when scrapbooking too?

Time flies so you've got to make today your day!

I don't know why but Summer seems to fly these days. Have you noticed that too? And then we get into Fall and our lives become hectic, busy and downright chaotic at times.

All the more reason that I needed to sit back, enjoy a cropping day with friends at a somewhat local scrapbook store, and make some layouts so that I don't forget this Summer and the fun I've had.

Made with the Ambition kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

I really love this quote from Princess Diana because it makes so much sense, and it simplifies decisions you have to make at times. So I had to use it for my pictures from Quebec because it agrees with my heart whenever we visit.

What does your heart tell you to do? Go tell me in the comments please, and have a great week!

This is me today...more confident!

I have to say that I'm definitely on a mini kick lately. I've been having loads of fun playing with upcycled materials like cardboard and old canvas. I wanted to make a mini album using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's July Confidence kit, one that reflects what I'm more confident now in my, how shall I put it, mid-life years. 

Because I was working with canvas and paper I made sure to use Helmar's Premium Craft Glue to get everything to adhere to the cardboard, and of course I needed to use some Helmar Fabric Glue and Helmar Zapdots for some extra hold and dimension.

I've definitely learned a few lessons over the years, and I wanted to document them. I really love how this turned out. 

Have you learned any important lessons over the years that you want to take stock of as well? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks and have a great week!

A joyful transformation!

Happy long weekend to my Canadian friends! It's hard to believe that the end of June is right around the corner! Where did it go? I've been spending more time in my craft room thanks to some cooler weather and I got to pull out some photos that were a blast from the past.

Sometimes the quality of your snapshots are professional grade, but you still want to use them. I thought all the pictures of my niece in her toddler years were gone. I managed to find some and decided to scrapbook them since Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's June kit was about transformation, and she's now a teenager.

She's grown into such a special young woman, and I forget sometimes how much time has gone by and how much she's changed since she was a sweet toddler.

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's June Transformation kit

Because these photos are so precious to me, I made sure to use my Helmar's Zapdots and Helmar's Professional Acid-free Glue so that they will stay true for a long time.

Scrapbooking this made me think about how often we don't pull out our cameras for every day shots because they don't seem like special moments. But if you've lost photos of entire years of someone's childhood, due to flood or fire, or worse, lost someone you love, wouldn't you want to have as many pictures of moments spent with them?

Take all the pictures you can of the people you love now, even the every day moments, because they are moments that you'll treasure for always.

Transforming You and Me into Us

Hi everyone! I'm just sharing a quick layout that I put together using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's June Transformation kit. It's juicy and fun with Glitz's Uncharted Waters featured in this kit.

It was lots of fun to play with especially when I saw the gorgeous papers and the fabric flowers! Yummy!

I'm finally getting used to using transparencies, and I love how they add something special to the layout. Of course I used all Helmar Premium Craft Glue for most of the layout, and Helmar Fabric Glue for the flowers.

I also pulled out my die-cutting machine since I hadn't used it in a while to cut out some additional embellishments for the page. Do you use a cutting machine? If so, what's your favourite, go-to die? I'd love to know, so leave me your fave in the comments.

Have a great week!

It's a Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the SFTIO Design Team Blog Hop! We are showcasing layouts by the current design team using the June kit TRANSFORMATION. If you are just arriving at my blog, make sure you go to the beginning at Melissa's blog as you won't want to miss out on all the gorgeous inspiration. This hop is special as we say goodbye to some very wonderful ladies, who have been part of the SFTIO family for over a year and will continue to be forever family. We are also saying HELLO to our new TEEN COLLECTIVE. What is a "Teen Collective"? 

We are combining the Teen Designers from CreateU with our Design Team at SFTIO. This is a wonderful opportunity to have each of these girls give their perspective of the monthly emotion. Each Teen Designer will be joining us for one month as a Guest Designer but, will be a constant and active "voice" on our website and forum. 

Ready to begin?

Here's a layout I recently did using this wonderful Transformation kit! I had a lot of fun layering the papers and making this beautiful whale the highlight of the layout! I really do believe that you need to choose happiness to transform your life into something positive and wonderful!

Created with the Transformation kit, modelling paste, Helmar Professional Acid Free Glue

Without change, there would be no butterflies!

We also have a fabulous prize! Leave a comment below letting me know what change you've made recently to transform your life in some way by Saturday, 9 p.m. pacific time. The winner will be announced by Monday on Facebook and the SFTIO blog. 
 
Life is definitely more fun when you make your own future, and transform it with your own choices, rather than just let life happen to you.

Thanks for swinging by! Make sure to visit Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. We have a FREE Inspiration Page giving you loads of ideas using our current emotion, a welcoming forum and you can grab your own kit here!

Next on your hopping adventure is Heather. Click here to be taken directly to her blog. 

Self reflection - asking myself why

Every now and then I think it's important to take some time and reflect on your own personality, your history and what has brought you to where you are today. So I did this layout doing just that.

I used my Silhouette Cameo for the first time on a full 12X12 sheet cutting out the question marks and popping them up off the page, and creating depth as well with my Helmar Zapdots White Square 1/2" by cutting them to sizes that I needed. 

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's Curiosity kit

I also used Helmar Quick-Fix Adhesive Runner to layer the papers and photo. It was a very fun project to make in a very short amount of time because the cutting machine did most of the work.

Take some time this weekend to create a layout or art journal page about yourself and think about what might have brought you to where you are today. If you do, link me up in the comments. I'd love to see!

Happy Moments Scrapbook Layout

Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly. 

 LEO TOLSTOY, War and Peace

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's May Curiosity kit

The second time around...but on new paths

You never know where life is going to take you, unless you make the decision that you will direct your own life. I've always believe that those that fail to plan, plan to fail. So imagine my surprise when I ended up loving a hobby that I tried out in my teen years and didn't enjoy.

Sometimes the timing isn't right, but sometimes it's our own mindset I think. We look at things differently as we get older and our value set changes a bit.

Take scrapbooking for me. As a teen, I thought it was all about putting snippets of my life's experiences in one place to recall them and have them together.Were the snippets important to me? I honestly can't remember. But at the time, I thought they were things I didn't want getting lost in the rest of the junk in my room, so I put them into a large scrapbook/sketchbook. And I quickly gave up on it once I started experiencing life in a way that didn't have little tickets, or papers, or things attached to them to put into the book.

But now, my life is more about the everyday and not the events, or the moments. And I want to remember the everyday little things that I did and enjoyed, and maybe that means I don't have anything to put on the page, like a ticket, or a photo. But of more importance to me is to put down my feelings on the page. I don't want to lose touch with that.

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's May Curiosity kit

So for me, getting involved in this hobby for a second time in my life is almost like taking a new path. I'm still on my feet and still moving forward, but the scenery is different, and so is the enjoyment of the journey.

Have you ever gone back to a hobby or recreational activity that at first you hated, but now you adore? Tell me about it in the comments! 

I hope you have an amazing long weekend! 

Do you see what I see?

Dwell in the world of possibilities and you'll be sure to tip the scales of life your way for sure!

I dwell in Possibility --
A fairer House than Prose --
More numerous of Windows --
Superior -- for Doors --

Of Chambers as the Cedars --
Impregnable of Eye --
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky --

Of Visitors -- the fairest --
For Occupation -- This --
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise --

by Emily Dickinson

Created using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's May Curiosity kit

Created using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's May Curiosity kit

Here's my happy place...where's yours?

You know that feeling...the one where you feel like you could just shout from the roof tops, feel like you are on top of the world? Do you have that feeling in mind right now? Think about it...really feel it again. Hold onto that feeling for a little bit more...Ready?

Now, imagine that you've just received some amazing news, or gotten that raise, or booked that amazing vacation for your family. I bet now you have that feeling even stronger in mind. Are you feeling the excitement? Anxious for it to all be real?

You've just found your real happy place. Now, when things get low, and sometimes they will, head back to that happy place and focus on it. Really think about your happy place and feel as if it's already happened.

Art journal page using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's April Fortune kit

Now you are ready to tackle that low mood and get on with being excited about life's possibilities! We never know what life will hold, but I can tell you something that the future has in store.

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out has an amazing kit coming in May! It's true! Are you curious?

Something to celebrate!

Sometimes it's difficult to find something to celebrate. Especially when you live in this area and get a freezing rain and snow storm in the middle of April. And it's still on the ground too. So it can be challenging to look around and be positive about your surroundings. 

I've been challenging myself to "tip the scale" when it comes to having a positive outlook. I fully believe that if you are focused on positive things, you see more and more positivity in your life. And sometimes it's just a matter of increasing your outlook by 1% to get that scale tipping to being more positive than negative. 

So I recently decided that I would create art that would help me be more positive, such as my recent art journal page I did for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, and a positive affirmation mini album using Prima's Songbird collection.

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's April Fortune kit

You can read the positive journaling

My positive affirmation mini using two paper bags and Prima Songbird

And I have some pretty amazing news to share as well today.

It's going to be an amazing year, because I've been selected to join a group of very talented ladies on the 2013 Helmar Design Team. It's such a thrill to be on this team, because I love their products and am anxious to challenge myself to use their adhesives and products differently.

Needless to say, this boosted my positive outlook and I really am in celebration mode, ready to continue to tip the scale every day and reap the benefits.

I hope you've had a great weekend so far, and continue to be positive about the future. What are you celebrating today?

First World Problems

You know you have them too. We all take our lives for granted sometimes, and that's why I decided to scrapbook one of my first world problems using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's April Fortune kit. After all, it seems rather appropriate that when you think about fortune, you think about what you have. So I thought about that, and had these pictures from a fairly recent vacation, and a rather interesting dinner party that my family had that evening in Prince Edward Island, so I scrapbooked it with tongue in cheek.

A seafood dinner on Prince Edward Island

The East Coast of Canada is truly my happy place

Leave a comment with one of your recent "funny" first world problems and how you feel about it now. I'd love to hear about your experience too!

I Loved making this canvas!

It's been an incredible week! It's Friday and I am so happy about that...not because it was a hard week. There was a lot to do and pressures to be sure. But it's been a week where I've been feeling in control, and appreciated. Appreciated by peers, and loved by family.

This month I finally got back to doing some art canvases. This is my first love of mixed media, one that I used to do fairly regularly but got away from. So it felt really good to get back into it. I did this piece on a canvas board and have it framed on my mantle now.

Mixed media canvas board using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's April Fortune kit.

Everyone who knows me knows I cannot have a layout without flowers. It's not in my nature. No pun intended! So I had to create this layered flower using my Sizzix machine from the yummy papers! I threw in a few other flowers from my stash and some ribbons that I had as well. I used Helmar 450 Quick Dry glue to allow me to have a bit of flexibility to move them if I needed to while making the layout, and at the same time make sure that it would have a solid sticking factor, especially since it was going to be moved around from time to time. I also used some Golden Light Molding Paste through a Prima brick stencil to give the layout some additional texture, while toning down the bright numbers that I didn't want overpowering the picture.

When's the last time you decided to create a layout on something other than paper? Try it out! It's a great easy way to create home decor that you'll see every day, and it's just as easy!

Respect Yourself - it's about self care!

Today is the perfect day to show you a layout that I recently created using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's March Respect kit. Why? Because this layout is all about respecting yourself by caring for yourself in one way or another. And I took steps in that direction today.

In my case, sometimes self care is about learning to live with my own limitations, and not challenge those limits because that will have negative consequences. Many times we think about how we need to take care of ourselves better, and we do a lot of thinking about it, and a lot less putting it into practice. Know what I mean? After all, think about the last time you decided to go on a diet because you wanted to lose pounds to feel better, both mentally and physically.

Well today I put these thoughts into practice and decided that I needed to practice self care in my life more often than talk about it. I decided that it was time to really live with my limitations instead of trying to challenge them. And I took a baby step in that direction and it feels really good. Even though I haven't actually implemented my plan, just knowing that I have one, a plan I mean, feels really, really good!

Using Scrapbooking from the Inside Out's March Respect kit

Layers, lovely layers

What do you do to take care of yourself? Do you exercise? Get regular massages? Do you prescribe to the retail therapy side of things? LOL

Leave a comment here and let me know! I'd love to hear about it.

Simple but it means so much to me

Can you believe that after nearly eight years of marriage, that I am only now getting around to scrapbooking my wedding? It's true! I printed out some of my pictures and these two really touched me. As the title says, my husband is a real one of a kind (but that's for another post. LOL). But he's really sweet and sentimental and I wanted to post a layout about him at our reception.

These two photos although not perfect, to me perfectly show off his sweet side. But in looking at our reception pictures, I noticed something in the pictures that made me teary. That's the photo of my mother dancing with my husband. She's so happy that she's near tears. And seeing how happy she was at our reception, because she was dancing with my husband, made me fall in love with him all over again. Because he showed respect and love for my mother.

Respect is the theme of the challenges this month at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. You should challenge yourself this month to think about what respect means to you and scrapbook it. If you do, link me up to your layout in the comments. 

You are worth it!

If you follow my galleries, you'll find that there is one message that consistently turns up in my journaling, whether it be on scrapbook layouts, or art journaling. That message is that you ultimately are responsible for your own happiness. This piece of wisdom is one that I will always treasure. I remember when my mother told me this, and to this day it still resonates with me. I think it is partly what gives me strength when going through tough times.

If you've had rough days, weeks or months and you just feel like throwing in the towel, it goes without saying that you aren't alone. And today when browsing Facebook, I saw a meme that resonated with me, and a friend's words go along with it. Samie Kira Harding (aka Journal Girl) runs online workshops and has a Ning site for art journalers. I happen to be a member of her Creative Warriors group. The group is designed for people who have chronic illnesses or need support in one way or another. And one thing I admire about Samie is that she tells it like it is, but she one thing she stands by is that while we may have a chronic illness, we are by no means victims. That message is slowly drilling itself into my heart and my being.

And it complements my mother's own sage advice. Because if we take the attitude that we are victims, we are relinquishing control over our happiness. Being responsible for your own happiness means that you take control. If it doesn't make you happy, change something. Change the circumstance. Change the outcome. Or change your attitude. And that last one my friends is the hardest. It is a difficult thing to accept something as hard as chronic illness and decide to change our attitude. But I am a firm believer that changing your attitude is truly the key to getting past the pain, the despair, and finding hope and strength again.

Using the Respect kit for the month of March, from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

And for having that understanding I will never be able to thank Samie, and most of all my mother, enough for their wise words that have given me tools to use when things look like they are hopeless.

So if you feel like you wish things were different, make them so. Take courage and change something. Find support from friends, like people who are going through the same issues, like I did with Creative Warriors. Journal out your feelings and take a look at what you've written to give yourself more clarity as to what you can do to change the situation. 

It is not easy to decide not to be the victim. It's a hard personal journey to take, but like any journey, the destination is usually worth it.

The "Why" has changed

Have you ever had those moments where something triggers you to become very clear on something you are doing, or an area of your life? I had one of those moments last night.

I was out for dinner with girlfriends last night at The Sidedoor (an aside: you need to try this restaurant if you live in the Ottawa area). We were discussing scrapbooking, as usual, and we got to talking about styles and the whys of what we scrapbook. I came into scrapbooking by way of mixed media. First, by artjournaling my life without pictures, to canvases, again without pictures, and then into scrapbooking. But when I started scrapbooking, my "why" wasn't about the story, or even the photos. It was about doing something with gorgeous product lines. I would search for pictures that looked good with a particular paper line, and not even consider the story behind the picture. I also wouldn't scrapbook what I considered "bad pictures" of me. Now things have changed, and I really feel that it's because of my role with Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

So now, I'm pulling pictures out of my stash that may be years and years old, but I want to tell the story. I don't care that I don't have makeup on. I don't care that there are dark shadows. These are the pictures that I have of the event, the pictures that tell the story. And now, I'm happy to say, a lot of my layouts are about the story. Which is what makes working with SFTIO's kits so much fun. Because they challenge me to think about a particular theme. This month's theme kit is "Respect".

This trip that I decided to scrapbook taught me a lot of respect. Respect of nature. Respect of time limitations. Respect of my own body and what it could and couldn't do. And I'm so glad that I took the time to scrapbook these now.

The other thing that has really changed for me is that I journal in my own handwriting most of the time now. It's not pretty. But it's mine. And if anyone else reads my journaling, from my family to my friends, they will know what my handwriting looked like. And I was never comfortable with my writing. But I'm okay with it now. It's authentically me.

I hope you'll drop by the forums at SFTIO to challenge yourself in the near future. It's a lot of fun, believe me!

Have you played yet?

I'm so excited! I just finished playing with my kit for the month of March, and boy was it fun to use. The theme is challenging as well. So keep your eye open for that soon.

And that means....that there's only another week to play in our online crop at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out! You definitely should check it out. I'm having this challenge, I've already told you about, where you can scraplift the design team. Well, colour me floored when Rachel decided to lift one of my layouts! Take a look!

I think she did a spectacular job! Don't you think? Drop by the gallery to leave Rachel some love on her layout, or upload your own challenge layout and play along with us!