My paper stash

I signed up for this new class called "Pretty Paper Party" over at Shimelle.com and the first message/ ice-breaker challenge is to take a picture of your paper.  Your stash or your favourite piece or a bin of scraps or whatever you want.  She also talks about "types" of paper people so after reading that I feel I could label myself as:

• a reformed Pattern Contender -used to not want to cut fav papers - now I say screw that!! Let's get pages DONE!!  Here's a good example of me perhaps finding a creative way to "save" a fav paper.  See that paper with "BE YOU."?  I loved it and didn't want to cover it up so I am mounting it on a 12x12 canvas and putting it up on the wall (love the nasty MESS on the floor).  I am painting the BE YOU. in in red as my room is all turquoise and red and the letters were hot pink.

• I'm also a reformed Collection Packer - used to buy the paper packs from  a few fav companies and only make pages using those papers.  In THAT pack.  With THOSE stickers.  hee hee...  How did I cure that affliction??  I started getting page kits from companies that mix up companies and papers and FORCED myself to use them.  haha... now I love it and almost all my papers are sorted by colour rather than company.  But I'll admit, there are exceptions to that rule for a few companies (Echo Park, Crate Paper, Basic Grey) but I have had pretty itchy fingers lately and a teeny tiny voice in my head saying "sort them out.... pull the stickers... use those papers sister!!"

 L to R: themes (only for "boys", "winter/Xmas", "travel" and "school" as I was having issues finding those), 2 paper holders sorted by colour, 2 paper holders sorted by manufacturer, {next row} 12x12 cardstock, blue bin full (FULL yay!!) of kits. {next row are all card making stuff and 8.5 x 11 cardstock}

• I AM a Paper Collector!  I love paper, it's really the cheapest part of scrapbooking if you only buy a few sheets but I have never had a conversation with a piece of paper before (that is a whole other level up from me... now my Thickers... pretty sure we've had several conversations!!)  You can see above my 4 shelves of paper (oh the shame!!!).  And okay, yes, it's actually 5 shelves of paper but the bottom one is 8.5x11 from when I used to be a Stampin' Up rep and did card classes.
• And I am a Scrap Sorter.  Cause I'm an anal kind of person!!  Do the words "let's organize" send a thrill down your spine?? They do to me and yet... I'm also a super visual person so those two tendencies can to collide sometimes.  {I'm working it out... sigh}  Here's my scraps file, sorted by colour (cardstock and pp together - but yes, the pp is all at the back and cardstock all at the front, that is my anal-ness showing again)

So there you have it. My pretty long winded accounting to myself and the world about my pretty paper habits :) I'm just glad she didn't ask us to account for our letter stickers... that is where this all gets downright embarassing!!  (case in point, very top picture of the crap all over my floor... I count 8 alpha minimum in that stack of stuff, LOL)

Take to time to do something scrappy today... (or just go buy some new paper!)

Jen

Sketch of the week

I am currently obsessed with Shimelle Laine and every layout, video or class she's ever done.  Yes, I will admit it.  But I love her style and love her videos that she does start to finish with just a bit of creative editing (cause she's right, we really don't need to sit and watch her ink everything but I love that she TELLS us she did that!).  So I am obsessively working through her awesome blog (www.shimelle.com) and found her Sketch of the Week series. Here is my take on her sketch for Nov 2, 2011.  I did some serious scraplifting here but loved the simplicity of the layout and how it let the picture be the focus.  Cause this was one of those pictures I cry while I scrapbook (yes, I know I look really happy in it).  And one that after I take it... I almost dread scraping it cause I know it's gonna make me cry.

So here is Shimelle's version:



And here is mine:

And so you know why this seemingly happy picture made me cry, here is the journalling:

"I'm always sad the day before the boys' birthdays.  My babies are growing up and while I love their new independence and traits, I miss them little.  So my last hug ever from a seven year old of mine cause he's (title) not quite EIGHT yet..."

Take the time to do something scrappy today.

Jen

Some new pages...

I've been busy and here are the results...

I've got a few more but haven't edited the pictures yet.  On here very soon.

Take some time to do something scrappy today!!

Jen