scrapulescence

Just Create!

Seriously, the date on my last post was in JUNE????  Really.  Wow, there is one for the new resolution list.

I'm so excited to have a new round of classes available - digi-scrapbooking, PhotoshopTMand of course,  traditonal scrapbooking, mini albums and cards.  If you're out there and interested check the website for schedules and class descriptions.

Can I just say how much I love sharing scrapbooking skills with new students?  It is so fantastic to see the light bulb blink as they learn something new.  It's such an honor to help them learn to preserve their own photos and memories. 

Speaking of teaching...Christopher has been asking me to teach him Photoshop. I've been a bit hesitant to because I (of course incorrectly) assumed that at 7 he may not grasp all of the concepts with layering, brushes and such.  WRONG! After explaining just a few basics in what I thought, but was not needed, pretty simple terms, he is now sitting at his computer "creating".  Last time I checked on him he had something like 7 layers of graphics and was very proud to tell me he had just discovered the "Gradient Tool" and "look what it does". I may be a victim of proud mother status, but don't you think this is cool?  At 7, his mind is just a big sponge.  He loves paper scrapbooking too - the more glue the better!  I love that he loves to create...anything.  I love that his mind is free of the "what ifs" and "will that works" - he just does it.  I think this is a good lesson for my own creativity.  To just let it go and do! 

 

Saying Yes...Bad Photos...priceless.

 
This is not a good photo.  It was taken with a phone camera and not even with properly made adjustments.  The lighting is poor, the subject is blurry....no prize winning photo here.  But I love it.

Why? 

While sitting in the afternoon car line at my son's school a few days ago, I began thinking of how many times a small child hears, "No we can do that later." or "How about we do that tomorrow."  It's not that as parents we want to say no to so many things, it's just that sometimes busy-ness gets in the way. Am I right?  I was thinking that it must be difficult at six years old to think that going to the bank, the post office or the grocery store can be as important as going to the park, Chuck E. Cheese's or the Build-A-Bear store.  Now don't get me wrong, we spend LOTS of time at all of those places and do many fun things as a family, I tend to think that we are a pretty cool threesome actually, but it's not always on my sons "terms".  Chris was performing out of the area, so it was just me and Christopher for the night so I decided it was up to him what we did. I decided to say "yes", to just about anything.  Long story short, it was McDOnald's for dinner (after almost an entire bag of Cheese Combos and Gatorade, by the way), followed by a bit of Christmas shopping. Once it was dark enough, and way past his normal bedtime we went to one of the local parks to see the Christmas light display.  Now normally this "light looking" trip would involve Mommy having the camera, at least one extra flash card and very possibly matching,if not at least Christmas-y attire.  Not this time. After a second trip to McDonald's for hot chocolate, we explored the light display.  I took a photo each time he asked with the only photo equipment I had, the aforementioned camera phone. No poses, no waiting for others to move out view...no flash.  We had a fantastic time! 

On the way home,  he remembered that had seen some Christmas themed pencils in the Dollar Spot at Target.  Why he thought of them at that moment, I will never know.  So, of course we had to stop and get them right then.  Then we had to peruse the Lego section of the Toy Department so he knew what to put on his list for Santa.  We won't even discuss how far past his normal bedtime it was by now, suffice to say that Target is open late for the holiday season.

When we did finally get home, over a late snack of PB&J, we watched a couple of Christmas shows and then he nodded offf the sleep.  

So back to the photo, I love it not because it's a perfect photo, but because it reminds me of a special time. A special night.  I think that as scrapbookers we often concentrate on the perfect photo, the perfect paper, the perfect embellishment and may sometimes forget why we are scrapbooking in the first place. I am guilty of that myself.

 So it this photo perfect?  Absolutely not.  Will it end up in a scrapbook? Absolutely!

 

Just a new digi page I was playing around with.  Christopher at the beach.  Love these photos!  Oh and love this font - it's called "Bleeding Cowboys", found it here.

Uh....snow.

So  we are visiting Chris's parents in South Carolina and I'm thinking it may be a bit cooler there than in Florida....until we get there and.....SNOW!!! Couldn't believe it.  It's been years since I've seen snow and seriously?  My Yankee blood has been getting thinner the longer I stay in Florida...it'scold!!!!

Not a great photo...but this is us...in the snow. Can I just say Brrrrrrr?

 
Christopher however, has been having an absolutely rockin time.  This is his first time seeing snow an it's just too much fun.....to eat....to toss and most importantly to make snowballs with.  However, I did manage to teach hime the first and most important rule of snowball etiquette,  the rule that says you can throw snowball at everyone except you mother!!!  Hee-hee!  didn't work too well though as you can see.

When You Turn 1,2,3,4...FIVE!

When you turn FIVE, you get a scooter.  When you turn FIVE you can "do it yourself", "please don't show me how to make the scooter go...or how to wear my helmet....just let me go!"

When you turn FIVE, your mother wonders where the last five years went.  When you turn FIVE your parents remember that tiny baby they brought home from the hospital. 

When you turn FIVE you have a very happy birthday!