NO Scrapbooking Police Blog Series * BUSTED FOR FRAUD!

Hi everyone!  Welcome to day 10 of the blog series hosted by my good friend and collaborative partner, Cara Vincens.  

I hope you are enjoying this little blog hop, entitled "No Scrapbook Police".  Cara will be finishing up the series tomorrow with her own post and she has chosen the subject "A Scrapbooker SHOULD always be caught up" and since she has six kids . . . well I don't know how it could be otherwise! ;)

The subject myth I get to debunk today, is "Scrapbooking should be 12 x 12 traditional paper" and truth, ladies, I thought this post was going to be a piece of cake!  Since I've never done a 12 x 12 layout in my life, Slam & Dunk, right?  Nope!  I've had such revelations these past several weeks, writing and rewriting this post countless times!  Not only because all the awesome scrappers before me kept taking all my good stuff, as in "Oh no, I was going to say that!" Back to the drawing board, again! :) And this time, well let's just say that if there were scrapbooking police, I would have been arrested on so many counts!!  As in slam the jail door and throw away the key! 

So, having said that, I have loaded this post with lots of super cute photos in hopes that an angry, scrappy mob of what I like to consider my peers, friends and fellow scrappers from all over the world, will not shun me for the facts that I am about to reveal! Just remember ladies, there was no malice aforethought . . .ever!

This is my scrapbooking crime and one last reminder ladies, I was in total denial about this. As in . . . NO CLUE! I have and always will consider myself a scrapbooker!  My defense is simple.  (Scroll through the post and look at all the cute photos again. :)

My friends, I was blinded by the bling, the beauty and the bond of the scrapbooking industry and it's amazing scrappers! I'll start with my "Title" crime.

• 12 x 12 traditional paper.  I've never made a traditional 12 x 12 layout in my life!  *GASP* In my younger days, I was simply too cheap and too lazy to do that. I thought using that giant paper for one or two photos seemed wasteful (that's the cheap part) and once I spent what I imagined would take forever to do just one page (that's the lazy part) that indeed, I could not do this.  All my imagined pages would have to be framed for people to gaze upon daily, because they would be so amazing, too good to be contained in a closed up scrapbook, high up on a shelf!

Now that I've got that m myth DEBUNKED, I realized that I really only have one scrappy crime and that is I am a . . . 

Fraud. I am a scrapbooking fraud. :(  There, I've said it.  I have NO scrapbooks full of of beautiful photos and layouts with lovely embellishments sprinkled everywhere.  I don't have any scrapbooks, period.  ZERO. No, that's a lie.  I have one, mostly because it is red with white polka dots and was 1/2 off clearance with an additional 25% off. :) It's where I store all the various & empty page protectors that I've accumulated.  

I've got 1 tiny box of photos and I've only got these because I've forgotten to give them to the kids (a few are just for me).  The first photo you see here is of my almost 16 year old granddaughter, Myriam and this was not scrapped until . . . yesterday! Seriously!  

But the truth is ladies, my kid's don't really care all that much about whether or not they have scrapbooks.  They are not making them for their children either.  So, I am not sweating it too much. In fact, not at all.

What I am doing, is this.  A hybrid type of scrapbooking. I have a major love of paper and all the scrappy "accessories" and I want to try it all!  For me.  For the sheer joy of creating.  I love to experiment and learn new things and techniques!  Down the road a bit, I think I might try selling some stuff too!  And do some videos and tutorials!  And teach more workshops! And just enjoy the process and the people.  Creatives are so fun to hang out with, they get me.  I love creating & crafting with them!  So I'll be making anything and everything that my imagination and my ENORMOUS stash of scrap happiness will allow. 

 

 So, since I don't do scrapbooks in the traditional sense, let me tell you how I do scrap.  All my photos will be stored and shared on my laptop and smartphone, with backups.  I'll be "scrapping" it my way on my blog, my Facebook page, my Instagram account, my Pinterest account and guest posts!  (if anybody wants me any more. ;)  I'll do smash books and mini journals & books and mixed media journals.  And I love, love, love making DIY Project Life and pocket page journaling cards.  This is my kind of scrapping. 

My passion. My way.

I figure, this way I get to have all the fun of "traditional" scrapbooking and all the ease of doing things digitally as well.  I've only just begun, really.  There are so many things I want to explore! I just got a smartphone not quite 3 months ago, and my world has turned upside down in such totally awesome & exciting ways!  The whole picture taking process is no longer any kind of hassle at all (oh and the cool photo apps like Rhonna Designs and A Beautiful Mess, I've had to add more memory already!) The time it takes to do things now is just like a walk in the park and mostly being able to connect and share in such an easy, almost effortless way . . . well, it's just amazing.  I am so enjoying this part of my scrapbooking/life journey!

I am so glad to have gotten this off my chest and this blog post written once and for all! The scrapbooking community is just an amazing source of cammaraderie and inspiration and I'm sure they won't kick me out now . . . right guys?  (keep looking at the pics. . . cute baby, pretty stuff, lol)  

I hope you enjoy the photos.  If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear from you!  I also hope you'll follow me on my outlaw scrapbooking journey by following my blog for VIP status (up at the top, right of the post)and  while you're at it, I would love to meet up with you over on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too!  My journey is just beginning and I would love to have you be a part of it!  I've got lots of irons in the fire and some big news flashes coming up too, so stay tuned!  And last, but not least . . . thanks again, Cara, for inviting me to be a part of this series, it has been a journey in and of itself!

 I think you all are SUPER! ;)

Is she adorable or what?  I'll let you know what she thinks about me posting this for all the world to see!

In the above photo, note how I left lots of room on the bottom for journaling and a bit on the side too.  I always try to take my photos with this idea in mind.

In the above photo I made a collage using the same photo in two of the frames and in the third, I put in Myriam again.  Notice how I can shrink and enlarge pretty much at will?   That's why sometimes you might see a photo of mine and think, "Wow, that's way too busy for me", but I do that for a reason and not just cause I like to throw in everything plus the kitchen sink!  I can get so many awesome closeups from the same photo this way!  And then when I'm satisfied that I've exhausted all the shots, I'll then break down the vignette, layer by layer until I've completed the shoot of all available angles and permutations that I can think of.  Sometimes it's crap and sometimes I get some amazing shots. And to me, it's just plain fun!  I get lost in this process the same way I do with scrapping!  I also put a blank card on an easel to add journaling, a photo or a quote. Oh, and no special camera or equipment!   Just my cell's camera, a Samsung Galaxy s5.  This is an awesome phone with a great camera and for someone who was a bit (or a lot) shy about getting on board with this technology . . . well let's just say, I am catching up quick! I love it! 

Now the above is photo is similar, with some journaling done digitally with the same app I used for the collage.  I believe this shot is from A beautiful Mess photo design app.  I've also added a coordinating DIY pocket journaling card and then enlarged a different part of the same photo of Myriam. The rest of the photos are basically done the same way.  Oh, I must mention, and you may cringe at this . . . my hubs did.  The photo of Myriam and the photo of Martha and Elizabeth, (my daughters as Dracula and Pocahontas down below) well, I cut their bodies right out of the photograph and placed them on the layout and the DIY pocket journal card as I liked.  Yes, I "ruined" the original, but it's going to get a lot more mileage out of it this way!  People will get to see it and share it!  Folks who have probably never seen it AT ALL, cause it was hidden away in a box!  I think it's the best choice FOR ME! 

See that cool stick?  I found that while blackberry picking the other day.  It has a natural slot in it and is just perfect for slipping in a journaling card.  Love it!   I am always on the lookout for photo props everywhere I go.  I think think they can add so much interest and dimension to a photo!

My youngest granddaughter, Kinsey.  This summer!  I'm current!  Yay!

 

I love using different textures.  My current fave is burlap and this awesome grid cutting mat!  (You can see a peek of it in the background) Oh, and the hour or so before the sun starts to set, that is when I love the lighting the most!

Notice how I left lots of room for text, if I want.  This shot is naturally perfect for a lovely inspirational quote!

Lots of room for an uplifting quotation!  My hubs said, "The sky is the limit!"  Yes, he is corny like that! :)

I actually put a set of DIY POCKET PAGE JOURNALING CARDS in this page protector. WOW! I am to a real scrapbooker!! haha This set was made from a couple of blank greeting cards and kraft cardstock.  It also has bits and pieces of fussy cuts from scrap papers, punches, lots of machine stitching & a few other little bits of scrappy yumminess. 

My grandson, Hamza.   He has perfected the, "Guess what I'm dreaming of" look, wouldn't you say?  9 times out of 10, it is about food!

On the Domesticraft sign (above left) of which one of my Son-in-laws made, the middle has been left blank, on purpose . . . again so that I can write a new message or place a photo or quote.  It makes it very versatile!

Two more grandsons, Left . . . Yusef and right . . . Abdur Rahman, aka: Itty Bitty or you may also call him Superman. ;)  This photo was adorable to start, but I put a filter on it. Now it is awesome!  One of my faves!

And last, but by no means least is a shot I took the other day while over for a visit to my grandkids!  Zami, my 11 year old grandson, suggested we take a pic of the apple with the water droplets and I agreed.  Spectacular shot! No filter. One very perfectly placed inspirational quote! 

Done!  I hope you were inspired!  I know I have been from all the super talented and scrappy bloggers, especially Cara!  You'll not regret taking the time to check this series out from the beginning if you are just now joining.  This is some really good content!  Here are the links to get you on your way!  Thanks for visiting and I hope I'll be seeing a lot of you!

Nancy 
xoxoxo

There is NO Scrapbooking Police, The blog series.

August 4 - Paige Evans

A Scrapbooking page SHOULD always have a story and lots of journaling

August 5 - Ashli Oliver

Scrapbook pages SHOULD be fast and simple to just get them done

August 6 - Jen Gallacher

Scrapbook pages SHOULD look perfect

August 7 - Melissa Shanhun

Digital scrapbook pages SHOULD look as much like a paper page as possible 

August 8 - Ashley Calder

Scrapbooking SHOULD be done *this* way  

August 9 - Caroline Davis

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook FOR her family

August 10 - Lisa Harris

Scrapbooking SHOULD be a legacy for the scrapbooker's family

August 11 - Connie Hanks

A scrapbooker SHOULD follow the trends and be aware of what others think of her pages

August 12 - Marie-Pierre Capistran

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook chronologically

August 13 - Nancy Gaines

Scrapbooking SHOULD be 12x12 traditional paper pages

August 14 - Cara Vincens

A scrapbooker SHOULD always be caught up

August 4 - Paige EvansA Scrapbooking page SHOULD always have a story and lots of journaling - See more at: http://vincens.typepad.com/cest_la_vie_ours_anyway/2014/08/there-is-no-scrapbooking-police-seriously-a-blog-series.html#sthash.oB9hwHdp.dpuf

August 4 - Paige EvansA Scrapbooking page SHOULD always have a story and lots of journaling - See more at: http://vincens.typepad.com/cest_la_vie_ours_anyway/2014/08/there-is-no-scrapbooking-police-seriously-a-blog-series.html#sthash.oB9hwHdp.dpuf

August 4 - Paige EvansA Scrapbooking page SHOULD always have a story and lots of journaling

August 5 - Ashli Oliver

Scrapbook pages SHOULD be fast and simple to just get them done

August 6 - Jen Gallacher

Scrapbook pages SHOULD look perfect

August 7 - Melissa Shanhun

Digital scrapbook pages should look as much like a paper page as possible 

August 8 - Ashley Calder

Scrapbooking SHOULD be done *this* way  

August 9 - Caroline Davis

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook FOR her family

August 10 - Lisa Harris

Scrapbooking SHOULD be a legacy for the scrapbooker's family

August 11 - Connie Hanks

A scrapbooker SHOULD follow the trends and be aware of what others think of her pages

August 12 - Marie-Pierre Capistran

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook chronologically

August 13 - Nancy Gaines

Scrapbooking SHOULD be 12x12 traditional paper pages

August 14 - Cara Vincens

A scrapbooker SHOULD always be caught up

- See more at: http://vincens.typepad.com/cest_la_vie_ours_anyway/2014/08/there-is-no-scrapbooking-police-seriously-a-blog-series.html#sthash.oB9hwHdp.dpuf

August 4 - Paige EvansA Scrapbooking page SHOULD always have a story and lots of journaling

August 5 - Ashli Oliver

Scrapbook pages SHOULD be fast and simple to just get them done

August 6 - Jen Gallacher

Scrapbook pages SHOULD look perfect

August 7 - Melissa Shanhun

Digital scrapbook pages should look as much like a paper page as possible 

August 8 - Ashley Calder

Scrapbooking SHOULD be done *this* way  

August 9 - Caroline Davis

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook FOR her family

August 10 - Lisa Harris

Scrapbooking SHOULD be a legacy for the scrapbooker's family

August 11 - Connie Hanks

A scrapbooker SHOULD follow the trends and be aware of what others think of her pages

August 12 - Marie-Pierre Capistran

A Scrapbooker SHOULD scrapbook chronologically

August 13 - Nancy Gaines

Scrapbooking SHOULD be 12x12 traditional paper pages

August 14 - Cara Vincens

A scrapbooker SHOULD always be caught up

- See more at: http://vincens.typepad.com/cest_la_vie_ours_anyway/2014/08/there-is-no-scrapbooking-police-seriously-a-blog-series.html#sthash.oB9hwHdp.dpuf