Scrapbooking is fun! Time for photos.

My friend Ms. Jackie found a fun day to take classes at Scrapbook Territory. Had a great time though the chairs were hard and it was a long day. The projects were colorful and lovely. I'm vary into colors right now, so perfect! I did manage to catch the train and enjoyed my trip to Berkeley. Besides less stress on my neck by avoiding driving, it was great to be able to get something to eat while travelling. Got another photo of my LO for the Paperclipping Festival without the long afternoon shadows on it.

I'm looking forward to my BPS photography class Picture Summer! It's nice to be challenged to take pictures. I have not taken many recently.

Tomorrow should be fun. We are planning a trip to the zoo to see the new baby Sumatran tiger. Hope to take some photos there. It's nice and shady and spots to rest so should be relaxing. It is supposed to be very HOT tomorrow. Summer is definitely here.

Am finally starting to learn to "relax". Leaving work, accepting life's changes, accepting limitations have all been major adjustments. I'm enjoying my hobbies, feeling less frustrated with the slow pace of things and focusing on the good things. Finally, a summer I can relish!

Paperclipping Festival Project

http://www.paperclipping.com/2009/03/04/paperclipping-94-embellishment-crescendo/
"What is the hyperlink and what is the Festival Project?" you may ask.
Noell Hyman has ask those of us who are Paperclipping members to post a LO and discuss how the design principles from an episode of Paperclipping have helped us construct our page.
I used Noell's class on embellishment crescendo (Paperclipping 94) heavily in this LO. I often scraplift but never with the same products as the original LO. I'm not always sure how to cluster my embellishments that are never the same type or size as the original LO that I'm using as the sketch for my project.
I'm taking a BPS class by Nic Howard at Big Picture Scrapbooking where she encourages us to cluster our embellishments. She does mention some design principles but these are not the main focus of her classes. Noell's classes, on the other hand, stress the design principles and really helped me to see how some embellishments could work on the LO I chose.
As usual, I scraplifted. This is lifted from the Canadian Scrapbooker site.
I used Nic Howard's lessons in inking and rolling edges. Used Donna Salazar's Diztresser tool for the edges on the papers behind my handmade embellishment - made from a blueberry label found on the web. However, I found Noell's embellishment crescendo class most helpful. I used the green and blue ribbons as the point of my triangle which ended in the large embellishment cluster at the right just under the photo of me with that first blueberry in my mouth. Maybe not the prettiest photo; but, this is MY story! Cal, my husband, does special things for me and loves to grow things. Blueberries are a favorite food. The journalling reads "Cal planted this bush for me and made sure I picked and ate the 1st one." I wondered about the ambiguity of the word "one" at the end of the sentence but hoped my title "The Blueberry" made it clear!
I added a blue stickles swirl and one of the cork flowers to help lead one's eye to the right. The stickles were added to a swirl I drew in pencil and then colored white so the blue color would show up well on the green. Noell has a free class episode on using stickles here: http://www.paperclipping.com/2008/04/14/paperclipping-39-stickles-experiment/
The paper already had a floral cluster in that area that I used as a base for my large embellishment. This was not the only design principle I used from Noell. The LO at Canadian Scrapbooker did not discuss using ribbon under the photos. I used that element not only as a line for my embellishment crescendo, staggering in the blue ribbon a little to lead the eye. I also made sure the ribbon was there as a strong anchoring line. Anchoring lines and anchoring elements are taught in a few episodes of paperclipping.
Noell and other designers often teach about the rule of threes. I did use that principle in my LO, too.
I had fun doing this project and hope it will encourage a few scrapbookers to sign up for Noell's tutorials. They are worth the money. Noell also offers a lot of free products. Paperclipping Live on Tuesday evenings at 6pm MST, a blog, newsletter, and the Paperclipping Roundtable and The Digi Show - two free podcasts avaiable on i-tunes or at the Paperclipping website.
Thanks for checking out my blog!
P.S. - I wanted to get this up so the photo taken this evening. Will try to get a better photo of the LO without the shadows!
Papers, cameos, buttons, golden tag - My Little Black Dress kit club
Flowers - my stash, some Prima
Cork Flowers - Scarlet Lime June kit
Letters - Ameican Crafts from my stash
Ribbon - Down to Details monthly ribbon club (with thanks to Teresa Collins who gave this as a prize at Scrapbook Royalty)

New projects and thoughts...

I've been working on an art journal class by Donna Salazar over at My Creative Classroom. Class is done. I'm not. Still have 4 pages and a cover to create. Slow nd steady does win the race.
My Scarlet Lime kit arrives as I considered a masculine page with flowers for my Nic Howard class at BPS. Works well for this grad LO.
I am sore and tired today after doing too much yesterday. I've got to get the pace of life a little better! Ha, ha! As if anyone could!
On top of everything I've now got braces. Thank goodness only on bottom teeth in the front. Lets me chew but still not comfortable. It will be so nice when the year has passed! I hate that extra time to thread the floss and fuss around the braces. That and the Obagi routine I've started are really eating into my day! Lots of steps! I'm sure I'll like the results. I have no problem with getting, or even looking older. I just want things to happen later. I also want to keep my teeth. They get more crowded as one ages and with braces they'll be easier to clean - eventually! So, should keep my own teeth all my life. Knock on wood - no bone diseases.
Superficial of me, I guess. My big challenges on this journey are diet and exercise. Diet so easily sabotaged by Cal's baking and exercise is becoming a routine though I must get it into more days.
Then again, I do like to create my little art projects and the dining room and crafts rooms remain a mess! I started this little essay out with a comment about having a less frenetic life, didn't I? I guess it is not to be. I know that the neck problem (cervical radiculopathy) does limit how fast I can get things done. Time on the computer does too. Unfortunately, this chair is one of the most comfortable for me in our house!
Enough diary musings! Good nite blog readers.

Donna Downey Inspired Artist 2010

Inspired 2010 Slideshow from Paolo Liloc on Vimeo.

Scrapbooking and the non-techno Blueberry

Had fun using some of the techniques learned in my scrapbook classes on the NZ page. Cal planted a blueberry plant for me and the very first berry has been properly enjoyed!

Nic Howard's Class at BPS/ Donna Salazar's Class at MCC

I'm a big fan of Big Picture Scrapbooking as I know I've mentioned many times in the past. Here are a couple of LO's I've done for a class with Nic Howard. I love how I've had to mix a lot of pattern and texture in this class. Getting messy with art is one of my favorite things!

I love Donna Salzar's artsy techniques and am taking her class at My Creative Classroom. I'm WAY behind on both of these classes but have learned a lot. Donna definitely has one get MESSY! It's fun!

Here's what I've done so far in that class.