Layout: Sweet Cousin

Today Ryan assembled a new paper storage unit for me and I sorted my paper by color. I have been skeptical about doing so, but taking Shimelle’s Explore class allowed me to see the benefit of organizing by color rather than keeping all of my kits and collections together. I am able to see new combinations and mix things up a bit!

This weekend Shimelle has been offering lots of challenges on her site- one of them was to scrap a page only using half of the paper. I love using white space so this challenge was meant for me!



Happy Sunday!

Explore: Creating with Color and Adventure

I am still loving the prompts of this class and they have opened my eyes to new ways of scrapbooking, documenting, and thinking about life as an adventure.

I have started several new adventures lately. One of the more challenging is my job. I love working with youth and their families and find it challenging and rewarding. Part of counseling is being creative and seeing different ways to address challenges. One of my youth lives for nature, fishing, and wading in the creek. I find being by by creeks, rivers, and waterfalls relaxing and refreshing. As a reward for when the youth participates, I reward them with time by the creek. Even when nothing is said, I feel that it is a therapeutic time for them as well as for me. I am able to relax and be fully present while I prepare to close one session and move onto another. It is very grounding for me.



It was fun to create this layout using new techniques and ways of thinking. I picked the color combination based on the pictures, then built the embellishments, layered the main part of the layout, added the title, then picked the background paper. I usually build from the background up, but this was very freeing and resulted in a shift in my style. I will surely try this again!

What grounds you? What can you do to relax and renew your spirit?

Explore: Explore with Color

Anyone who knows me knows that I love blue. I have always wanted to dye my hair bright blue, but have never had the courage. When Ryan and I were discussing becoming engaged I mentioned that I would prefer a blue stone over a diamond. We debated between blue topaz and sapphire and I was so thrilled to receive a blue topaz as my engagement stone. (Ryan mentions replacing it with a diamond every couple of months, but I love my ring!)



I loved what Paper Source had to say about my favorite shade of blue, or what my friends call Rachel Blue. I paraphrased what they said in my journaling here:


I've been hanging onto those letters for about a year because I used them to mask the title for this layout and knew that I would use them someday. So glad my hoarding tendencies paid off!


What is your favorite color and what do you think it says about you?

Explore: Catching Up!

I have been enjoying the observation encouraging and technique stretching prompts this week.

Here are a few of my pages. I will have some more to post on Saturday!






Happy almost Friday!!!

Explore: Observation

Today's prompt came bright and early, which is a good thing since I left bright and early for an out of town training for work.

Where I Sleep

It was hard to leave my bed this morning, it was still dark and my pillows were so comfortable! Yes, that is a teddy bear. It had been sitting on my nightstand since Ry moved in, but last week I decided I wanted to snuggle something while I slept. Exhibit A why Ry should give in and let me get a kitten!

Where I Sit

I drive a lot for work. I sit in my car and drive all over East TN. I love my job most days, but the drive is sometimes too much. I use the time to record my notes, make phone calls, and listen to NPR or various podcasts. Something that I admitted in my journaling (I'll post my playbook tomorrow) is that I don't like spending that much time by myself. I love having time to myself, but not when I'm driving- so I let people talk to me while I drive. I can't stand to listen to music anymore while I drive.

Where I Stand

This is where I stand. I value the time I stand in the kitchen preparing healthy (and sometimes not so healthy) meals for Ry and myself. I love cooking and trying new things and Ry loves to eat. I also stand to eat because we just acquired kitchen seating on Saturday. Ry is assembling furniture while I'm away this week. We both look forward to having seating at our bar between the kitchen and living room.

Explore: Get Creating*

It has been a fun week of scrapping and exploration with Shimelle's Explore class. I feel that I have scratched the surface of some of the prompts and gone deeper into the others. I love the flexibility and inspiration this project provides.

Friday's prompt was to create something outside of the playbook. It wasn't until yesterday that I had the right material to scrap about. (Yes I have a ton of pictures yet to be documented, but nothing jumped out at me this week)

Yesterday, Ryan and I went to the speedway about 30 miles from our home and redeemed our wedding gift to each other. Driving lessons in a stock car. I have never been one to like speed or even being in a fast moving vehicle. We sat through a class and learned about the line to drive on the track and important things to know about the car and how to drive a race car. I was fine until they talked about crashing and the talented, experienced drivers who have wrecked at this speedway.

Bristol Motor Speedway

When it came time to ride along, I somehow ended up in the front of the line. I didn't have time to panic. Then I was strapped into the neck stabilizing device and helmet and sent to the track to get in a car. I started to have a panic attack. I couldn't breathe or form coherent sentences. I somehow relayed to the kind man whose job it was to stuff me into the car that I was highly anxious and couldn't breathe. He was very soothing and tried to make jokes as he helped me climb through the window of the car. The driver strolled over and the gentleman helping me into the car informed the driver that I was nervous and uncomfortable. The two of them talked to me while they hooked the 5-point harness system and offered to loosen my fire suit around the neck in order to make me feel less anxious. The driver assured me that he had never had a wreck with a patron in the car and that we would be fine.

The first lap went by and I decided I should open my eyes if I wanted to see how to drive this thing. With some deep breathing and positive thinking, I made it through the 5 laps with the driver. He gave me a thumbs up about half-way through and I gave him one back.

When it was my turn to drive I was less nervous. What does this confirm for me? I panic when I'm not in control. This is not a new thing. Things I have learned that send me into a panic attack- flying, deep sea fishing, heavy traffic, being in places where there are a lot of people and too much noise, and being in a speeding car driving in an oval.

Willingly climbing into a racecar

Thumbs up!

Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock, Crate Paper- stickers, paper, brads, Maya Mist, Sharpie Pen, American Crafts Thickers.

Sketch by Shimelle

When was your latest adventure? What did it consist of?

Explore: Maps and Perfection

Prompt 3 asked us to include a map in our play book. I picked up a few free maps and brochures as I left the gym on Wednesday night. I settled on the map of the area highlighting must-see nature spots and outdoor sports in the area. I love hunting waterfalls, wading in creeks, and rock jumping. I have set a new goal to use that brochure (or a duplicate copy that I haven't destroyed for a scrapbook) as a guide for my upcoming East TN Bucket LIst.



I loved the colors of the map so I just halved it and pasted it straight to the cardstock of my playbook. I have yet to work on the map themed embellishments, but I have the supplies ready for when I have some more time to craft.


What is perfection?
I have struggled with the idea of being perfect for a long time. Striving for the perfect body, the perfect grades, striving to be the perfect person in all of my roles. Over time I have softened to the notion that imperfections and difficulties are what make this life more precious.

The idea of a perfect body type has shifted from one of thinness to one of overall health. I will never have the perfect dancer's body. I wish I could have told that to adolescent me. I doubt she would have listened. I will, however, find a place in life where I'm learning to love a sport that tortured me from middle school through college.

I will never be the perfect daughter, sister, friend, spouse, or employee. However, I will strive to be authentic- honest and consistent with my words and actions to represent my true self in all aspects of my life.

Perfection is no longer about being afraid to make a mistake. Fear has immobilized me for far too long in this life. Perfection is about living life, mistakes and all, and learning how to be a better human being throughout the process. Perfection is an end result of how mistakes are dealt with and the growth that can come out of difficult times. Perfection is a life well lived, full of adventures, authenticity, and love.



The journaling behind the photo reads:

This photo isn't perfect and I don't think our love is either. I do think that we are a perfect pair. We compliment each other really well and build on each others strengths. This picture shows the sheer joy we felt on our wedding day.

And now...

Playing catch-up with photos:




This is the postcard I sent myself:


This was the journaling I wrote on the back of the card:

Explore: Postcards and Adventures

I finished my playbook cover and the pages to go along with prompt #1 last night.




Today's prompt was about postcards and adventures. Part of the prompt was to write yourself a postcard and mail it to yourself. I chose a postcard from my collection that I purchased last year in Bolivia. The journaling on the postcard reads:

I feel most adventurous when I travel. I love trying new things and embracing the culture around me.

I will also be including the following in my explore album with a picture of the card below:

I made this postcard and sent it to a Postcrossing partner last week. It was so exciting to make a handmade postcard and share the joy with someone else. I got an email today that it reached it's destination. I feel overjoyed by the comments of others and how many have 'liked' the card. It was very neat to combine two of my hobbies into one.

Explore: The Beginning

For the next four weeks I am joining Shimelle and many others for a scrapbooking, journaling, and blogging adventure. I started Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas last year and nearly finished when I was stopped in my tracks by a family situation. Scrapbooking was the last thing on my mind and I never finished the album, I will though, when I can sit with pen and paper and finally rewrite the journaling I scratched down last Christmas.

I'm excited about this class and the limitless possibilities of the direction the album can take. Some of my journaling will be both in the album and on my blog and some will just be in one of the two places. I'm not going to bind the album until it is complete so I will be updating with single pages until the final prompt is completed.

This is the journaling I wrote in response to the first prompt:

Note to self:
Take time to explore the world around you. Dig deeper into your soul. Do the work that is hard to do. Embrace all of the new adventures you have begun. Relish in the freedom to create a new future with the man you love. Allow yourself room to grow. Give yourself permission to like Tennessee. Find reasons to stay here rather than run away to somewhere comfortable. Everyday remember why you committed yourself to Ryan and made a giant leap into a life together. Relax and make room for change.

The first photo prompt was a self portrait in the mirror:

That is me after running intervals on the treadmill and before the session with my trainer. I look slightly happy, I enjoyed my run/walk/run/walk. I did not look so happy after training.