30 minute page tips- Optimizing your scrap time

Hello there scrappy buddies!
I want to share a post that went up on the Scrap FX blog last weekend.
I took time to really research this because I'm currently trying to "optimize" my scrapping.
"Optimize" is corporate speak for increasing productivity.
WHY bring corporate culture into my scrap la-la-land?
Because in this case "productivity" means FUN TIME while "waste" is time NOT spent scrapping.

For this page I used Graphic 45 ABC collection paper- loove that grungy graph print! I also finally used some of my doily stash- see what re-organizing can do? I had completely forgotten these were around!

30 minute page tips

1. Use items from the same brand and line. ”DUUUH!” you say rolling your eyes. Here's the thing- I tend to cherry pick collections. I also tend to buy in spurts so my stash is arranged by orders instead of by item or brand.  Solution? Store items from the same collections together instead of separating things into categories like stickers, alphabets and embellishments. It doesn't hurt to try to arrange things by color as well but don't spend all your time trying to ROYGBIV your stuff- THAT is called procrastination- see item #6.

2. Set up your tools in advance. You want to use your sewing machine but it’s sitting in a box in the closet. You'd use your heat embossing gun more but it's a pain to unfurl the cord and find an empty socket. Solution? Give your machines pride of place. Put your paper in storage, you’ll need it anyway. Just make sure it's all in one place. If you store paper in three different areas you’ll tend to ignore the stuff that’s hard to get to.

Scrap FX lace tag set in red and String of lights model #2012261 

3. RUTHLESSLY CULL YOUR COLLECTION! This is the hardest part for me. I want to “collect” certain brands but I have a tiny room I share with my daughter so either she finds something and “uses” it or I find it AFTER I bought it again. So get rid of that old paper! It’s JUST PAPER! Yes, I KNOW you paid X amount for it! But it’s just sitting there taking up valuable living space. Donate tools and paper to a school, shelter, hospital or daycare center. Trust me- someone else will cherish it as much as you did.

4. Develop a personal “style kit”. Notice what tools or materials you use most and keep them in a box next to your work space. Tend to use a lot of gesso or twine? Keep that in your box. Don’t include "consumable" items like paper or stickers. Try to limit the box to items you see in a lot of your work. Every few months go over the items in the box and cull those as well. That butterfly punch no longer making it’s way into your pages? Storage! Maybe next year you’ll love it again!

LOVE this Scrap FX Bauble E Merry Christmas model #2012254

5. DO NOT scrap by the rules. NOTHING kills mojo like forcing yourself to scrap a photo you aren't ready for. Scrap the photos you are inspired by first. If that means pausing the lil one's birthday 2 pager- don't bother with guilt- SKIP IT. I am scrapping Christmas 2010 now because now those photos have meaning. Before I focused on the "flaws" and berated myself for not getting a perfect family shot. Meaning changes with time. Moments that seem everyday to you now take on huge personal significance later. Give yourself the time to reflect and you will be rewarded with scrapbooks that are more than pretty. If you're worried that you'll forget your first feelings about a moment, keep a photo journal. It doesn't have to be fancy- a sticky note on the back of the photo will do.  

6. Procrastinating habits: identify yours and stamp them out. Do you have a procrastinating ritual? Is it going on social media websites for “inspiration”? Time yourself. Pinterest? 15 minutes! Twitter? 10 minutes! Facebook? DON'T GO IN AT ALL! Facebook is the black hole of digital life. 

So what do you think?

Anything missing from this list? 

Before I thought this photo was boring and badly lit.
 Now I look at it and miss my baby! 

Thanks for swinging by!

Michelle

Christmas is coming! A Punky Scraps challenge page

Every parent has this moment:
It's 2 days before a major holiday (in my case, Christmas)

You realize that in all the hubbub you forgot one major holiday related errand:
(The photo for the Christmas cards!..... )
(AAACK!!! I forgot to MAKE the Christmas cards!!!!)

So you make do.

The cute camera flair button is from A Flair For Buttons on Etsy (Now also at Two Peas in a Bucket)
And that PERFECT shade of gold is from Heidi Swapp's Color Shine mist- get some! It's perfect!

Yes that is the hat from Miss Lola's chili costume.
What? That makes no sense?
Who said family Christmas photos had to make SENSE? :)
I stuck it on there to make her look like an elf. (???)
Lola woke up to find herself floating in mid-air with a flash going off.
Poor thing!

Scrap FX Antler Animals pack (model #2012234)- when I got this in my DT package I was all- hmmm.
Then I was Like YAY!!! This deer does NOT approve.

The second Punky Scraps challenge for October is to use the following elements on a page:

• Masking (I used the FABULOUS Aboriginal pattern from Crafter's Workshop)
• Staples (Mine attach the twine to the photo)
• 3 kinds of punches (On this page: corner punch by Ek Success, the pinked circle punch all around punch by Martha Stewart and American Crafts pinked edge punch)
• Chevron pattern (My Mind's Eye print and stickers from Echo Park)
• 2 patterned papers (My Mind's Eye On the Bright Side and American Crafts Ready Set Go)
• 1 photo 

I remember being so ANNOYED that our 2010 family Christmas photo wasn't a perfect air brushed family in matching sweaters in front of a tree or outside in a pretty cityscape.

Scrap FX funky alphabet 2012286- a HUGE favorite for it's rounded edges.
I used Picket Fence Stickles on it to give it that snowy look.

But I think this photo is more authentic.
It perfectly captures the inner workings of my brain.
I can't say family- both husband and child put up quite a fight during this shoot and every frame shows someone frowning in some way.
Can I anyone blame them?
I'm so sorry guys! Can we laugh about it now?

Please swing by Punky Scraps to get in on the challenge!
You have till November 15th to come up with your own zany page.

What a family portrait looks like when I DON'T interfere.

Smooches!
Michelle

When your mojo goes on vacation- shoot photos!!!

The wall- I've hit it.
All my former "no mojo" fixes are out the window.
I'm supposed to be working on a page for Punky Scraps that is due by thursday- so I will TRY to eek something out tonight- it might be hideous.
I'm determined to work through this dry spell!!
Here is an attempt to stamp my way out:

Foiled AGAIN by the ipod's low resolution camera! 

THANK YOU to Adele H. for recommending I check out Nat Kalbach's Creative Jump Start. I joined up today and was rewarded with a GREAT video from fave artist Louise Nelson (YAAYYY!)
If you guys are also hitting a wall, I suggest you swing by and check it out- it's free. (best price ever!)
Today I took photos at a place I have ALWAYS wanted to visit-

Keith Haring's "Crack Is Whack" mural in East Harlem. This is a DREAM COME TRUE! I've been wanting to go for YEARS. It's right next to the FDR so it's hard to get there via public transport but we managed it.

The 80's in the Bronx were like the wild west- with zombies. Burned out apartment buildings, crack vials littering the playground, junkies with half closed eyes walking in circles on the sidewalk. Our neighborhood is actually one of the better ones in the area and my parents did their very best to shield my siblings and I but we still saw a lot. So this mural has a lot of meaning for me. And it's freaking AWESOME.  Can't you just HEAR "White Lines" by Grandmaster Flash playing softly in the distance?

I have to keep reminding myself that there are many ways to stay creative. There's no need to panic. Creativity ebbs and flows- the ebb part sucks.
I also finished my December Daily! YAY!!!

12/24/11 My brother treated us all to the Christmas Ever performance of
The Nutcracker Suite at Lincoln Center- AWESOME!

BY this point the pages had stopped matching- I just grabbed the prints I liked best.

My FAVORITE image from this year's holiday take. I didn't have space inside
so I added it to the back cover.

There's 4 more pages but these are the best bits. Years from now I will look through it and laugh at the first pages being so beautifully detailed and the last so obviously slapped on quickly. I did make sure to take time to journal. I really enjoyed the process of making a holiday mini book. I see many more in my future- if for nothing else- to have a reason to buy KEUUTE holiday themed stash.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily- Playin' Catch Up

So you are now officially "over" Christmas. Perhaps you would rather gnaw your foot off than see one more post boasting (OOPS! I meant "sharing") innovative handmade presents, wonderfully close family moments or cooking exploits.
Can't say I blames ya!
But I am finishing my danged December Daily and posting it if it's the last scrappy thing I do!!! I didn't shoot my presents which consist of one Sizzix machine (still "enroute") and one book "Snuff" by Terry Pratchett which I have already devoured and LOVE. We ordered (note I did not say MADE- as in that way lies madness) some traditional Puerto Rican pasteles and ate till it hurt- overall a fantastic holiday if you ask me.

Oh LOOK ornaments! I didn't buy those. And see the photo taken on the 22nd?  The photo I wanted to add here was too big to fit in a 2 inch circle so off to another day it goes.

December Daily albums are a hard project- you have to fight your own bad habits to get finished. Mine are procrastination, an inability to stick to a unified theme or color scheme, tendency to get overwhelmed during family moments and forgetting to actually SHOOT A PHOTO and posing people when I miss out on a moment. My family grew very tired of me saying "STOP! Let's do that AGAIN."

Day 22- you are only as old as your parents let you feel. I was not allowed to "restage" this.

Let's be real- anything with Lola is likely posed 'cause girlfriend REFUSES to look at the camera. This is what I figure- your brain will rewrite the memory later anyway so why not provide a pretty picture and start the historical rewriting right now? But I didn't make stuff up just to have it in the album.
When Lola is older though I will revisit the 31 NYC holiday hotspots in 31 days idea and use it as a way to keep from just sitting around at home all the time.

Day 17 is an iTouch photo of a regular photo. Lola was staring at the giant Christmas tree in absolute wonder. Day 18 is about how Lola got a new pair of pants from a nice old lady who FORCED me to hand them over so she could buy them- NY style generosity- let me treat you OR ELSE. ;)

Reality check number two? I take Instagr.am pix of 35mm images I shoot with my Leica using a real flash- cheating? YOU BETCHA!!!!
Why? Because otherwise my pix would all be muddy pixelated pieces of digi crap. I really hope Apple comes out with a better camera in the next iTouch iteration- I'm NOT paying for an iPhone data plan.

Day 23- Merry Christmas from the Hernandez (and company) clan!!

Reality check number three- I also choose moments that happen in a day I have already covered for my next page- am I REALLY going to remember the pants thing happened on the 20th and not the 18th when I open this book later on? NOPE! So why worry?

I love that stupid plastic snowman. I wish I had a yard so I could light it up with one (or a 20). Day 20 is about how it's been raining cats and dogs here. December has been freakishly warm- except for the day Letty, Robby Rob (her husband) and I decided to walk to Rockerfeller Center- it was 15 degrees that night and I tasted roasted chestnuts for the first time- DOH! I didn't take a PHOTO!!!

I'm working on the final few pages- I'll probably stop at day 30 and take down the tree- or just stage it and leave the actual tree up till early February as usual. I haven't decided yet. GRIN. So there you have it- a direct order to just let go of the rules and get crafty- it's just paper after all!

December 24th- Do you know how many of these I had to shoot (and repose- ha ha) before Lola looked anything but annoyed to be "opening presents" at MIDNIGHT? That's the Latin American custom and let's just say- it doesn't mix well with the under 10 crowd. PS- I also have the annoyed shot- you'll see it in my next post.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily- getting into the ZONE!!!

So I'm groovin' along the December Daily project- it's been great at keeping me in the spirit of the holiday even though I'm not actually making any Christmas presents (like I said I would).
I have to keep in mind that:
1. This is totally voluntary.
2. I don't have to break literary ground with my journaling or take a splendiferous image every single time.
3. I don't have to work in sequence! Just break the rules.

Day 5and 6- I'm finally using some American Crafts glitter paper I loved but was too thick for punching stars from. The small alphas are from Lily Bee- I should have bought 3 pages of the Memorandum ones! Slowly using up my Studio Calico woodgrain Thickers- I really need to get those from the shop before they sell out forever.

Here's my goal- capture the emotion of each day and be present in the moment. I'm usually the kind of Mom who's like "WHAT? Lola can count to 10? Who taught her THAT????" (The answer is ME- I taught her that- but not on purpose)
Yup- disconnected.
So these days I'm paying more attention- not just reading the book aloud but pointing to the pictures and asking "What's that?" Wouldn't you know it- she has all the answers!

Day 7 & 8- you seen page 7 already. I added page 8 and I'm STILL loving those Ormolu tags!!! The 8 is a 99 cent store yellow kraft paper stencil set I LOVE.

Lola is counting to 20 on her own- it's easy to learn when you have 3 flights of stairs to climb each day.
She also knows the basic colors and has favorite shapes! (red square- blue circle- she's not loving hexagons... YET)
She's finally understood the concept of "me". Now it's all "ME ME MEE!!!" when she wants something or "I'm tired!" when she wants attention.
I'm trying to get her to say "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" but she just yells "Me CHICKEN!" or "Me JUICE!" at random moments- it makes for some seriously funny pauses while my brain plays catch up.

Love page 11 where I CHEATED and used a photo from day 5. I hated the whole lot of day 11 photos! Also page 12 is blank because I messed up and made 13 first- oops!

Page 13 and journaling envelope. I haven't written anything in the journaling page yet. I want to come up with something meaningful. Page 13 is my reaction to the current meme on real versus manufactured trees.

The other day Dave and I took her to the park. Out of nowhere Lola says "DID YOU SEE THAT?" Nope! We missed whatever it was.
She says "COOL!"
We say "AWESOME!"
Then I try to get funny and say "RADICAL!" and Lola responds with "BITCHIN'!!!"
Dave and I (and half of the park goers that day) all GASP in unison.
Where did she learn to say "bitchin"??? I've never said that- ever! Plus how did she know it goes with awesome and radical???
A mystery!!!
Then it hit me- what happens at Grandma's STAYS at Grandma's. I KNOW Mom has a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!! I've seen it!!!
No wonder she's been jumping on the couch so much- she better not try to use my cooking spoons as nunchucks!

Some photos for a Light Challenge over at One Story Down:

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily Monday! Do you "redo"?

Ok December Daily friends- how many of you switch photos around to fit your story or redo pages when you find out they don't quite flow with a new entry? I guess that's why it's smart to choose a kit or a specific set of papers and make pages ahead. But then how do you get to play? I kinda like the improvisation.

This is my latest version of page 1:

Page 1 was supposed to be cool with the scallop hanging in the air but when I added a second binder ring (also over the weekend) I realized that the page was hanging away from the rest and it rally started to bug me.  Those are Lola scribbles on the bottom half of Day 1.

Day 2 got some washi tape, a duck ornament photo too small to go anywhere else. I redid my "photo list" with some tea stained typewritten notes that I think I will use on all my pages- I really like how much info can be squeezed onto the page without bothering with individual stickers, I only have 1 photo off this list! YIPES!

ACK! Light mismatch! The sun is hitting the pages directly here- better for color. I really love that photo of Lola with her fave toy- a plastic shopping cart she wants to take everywhere- added it even though it's not from December.  Page on the right has been redone 4 times- I want it to look effortless but so far it just looks messy.

Now for some unfinished pages:

That's a Pink Paislee frame from their Hocus Pocus Halloween collection. I love these frames! Just pop the middle out and you have a winter blue frame. THANK YOU JEANNIE for the fun mail!!!
Why is there a white paper there? I'm trying to go hybrid and not print photos anymore as each cartridge costs me 31 dollars. Guess what? I need to learn how to mask and layer properly in Photoshop- the edge of the frame did me in.

Imagine this photo is in that white piece of paper please:

Day 6- letting her play in the puddles

Lyrics to a favorite Christmas carol from when I was a child- Arbolito. Right side? Who knows! Day 7 or 8 maybe.

So that's it for now- I realize I've showed much of this content before so it's back to the drawing board to get current. How are your December Daily minis coming along?
I think I prefer a white background (and the black frame- need to learn to make my own in Photoshop!

iPod Instagram photo- nice but the fuzziness is REALLY apparent here.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

December Daily- Central Park and FAO Schwartz

So after all my whining in yesterday's post about the crowds over at the Christmas Market in Union Square guess where I'm going to day?
Well you don't have to guess- you saw the title.

Day 1 with journaling.
Materials: Crate Paper peppermint collection journaling square from Paper Issues on Etsy,  Jillibean Soup corrugated flower and summer journaling spot. December pin from Ormolu

I love Christmas- yes, really!
I love the smell of special holiday food cooking.
I love that I get to see my sister Leticia and her hubby Robby Rob.
I love my crazy Aunts coming over from Pennsylvania.
I love that you finally see RED clothes in stores- my fave color- although this year it seems everyone is crazy about BORING silver and beige palettes.

Random unfinished page and Day 3.
Materials: American Crafts paper from Paper Issues, Cosmo Cricket market collection paper, stickers from Cosmo and Crate. Ki Memories snowflake from one of their lace papers.

I bought Lola's holiday outfit yesterday at a local high end thrift shop called The Flying Squirrel. It's great place to find boutique kid items super cheap. I would consider a visit if you are in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, love "brands" and have kiddos. I just really wanted to find something red and made from good fabric- dressing Lola in beige or black for Christmas is so NOT my bag. And WHAT is up with all the awful cheap fabric clothing in stores lately????

I have my photo for today!

Day 5- Christmas outfit found!
Satin Polka Dot Dress for 10 bucks and real cotton sweater 4 dollars, The Flying Squirrel. Leather shoes from TJ Maxx.
Where did the camera hating kid go? I couldn't get her off the floor! It's nice to see her be positive about photos. She looks like a 30's gangster with that lollipop in her mouth. Where she found it is a mystery as I did not give it to her.

Inside cover materials: Basic Grey Luscious paper, Fancy Pants filter paper, Studio Calico and Maya Road mists,
Martha Stewart gifts punch. alphas from Girl's Paperie and Cosmo Cricket

I am packing for today's photo expedition-
Juice boxes? CHECK!
Extra carriage blanket? Check!
Tranquilizer gun for frustrated tourists who try to sit on Lola? CHECK!

There's this really cool elevated doorway on the same street as Flying Squirrel.
No need to crouch to get face level shots! I will be using it again.
Materials: Crate Peppermint Collection paper and stickers from Paper Issues on Etsy, red corrugated alphas from Little Yellow Bicycle, Corrugated flower from Little Yellow Bicycle, glitter paper from American Crafts, Arrow flower punch from EK Success.

We decided to hold off until after the morning rush hour. We believe FAO Schwartz might be passable and their large windows mean lots of wonderful natural light inside the store. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've noticed that my iTouch takes really fussy blown out high light photos compared to the new iPhone 4- can't be helped as I refuse to buy a 500 dollar phone I will only use as a camera.

The story behind this photo. I spotted this GORGEOUS gold light bouncing off the Empire State Building right before this shot- by the time I got here with Lola in tow it was almost gone. And by the time I reached the empty park table in the photo the sky was dark. Difference in time? 1 minute! Great photography is half technical prowess, half waiting for the right light moment.

Where there's a will- there's a way!
MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Post-Christmas Page

Maybe I should send this out via email instead of staring at my DIY cards all day and wondering what the heck to do with them, right? This is for a Studio Calico challenge. It's heart break AGAIN!! I was waiting for the January kit to come out so I could place 1 order- now it's sold out.
WAAAH!

Christmas 2010

Materials: 
-Plastic Merry Christmas from store bought cheese cake
-Fiskars Extra Large and Medium Star punches
-Martha Stewart Deep edge Gifts punch
-Martha Stewart white dots on red tape
-Red Magic Mesh
-Green dots paper from Studio Calico
-Scallop tag from Maya Road
-Hearts strip from Sassafras Lass
-Silhouetted Santa is from a card I cut up

It's been BANANAS here in NYC with 20 inches of snow. I thought this would be no big deal but apparently budget cuts have meant that people got stuck in unheated subway trains or buses for hours- as did the snowplows. I'm just glad we stocked up on milk and baby food. Dave did not have to work which is seriously the best Christmas present EVER as I had time to think about pages.

Lola's first walk in snow- she HATED it.
She's just like MOMMY!

Here are some tags I did for our extended family Secret Santa...

Tree tag

Snowman tag

Inside of Snowman- poem

The poems I wrote to get people to guess who the gifts belonged to did NOT go over well. So much for starting that tradition stateside- it's imported from The Netherlands.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
M.

Craft Elf! No- craft GREMLIN...

Lola is a constantly amazing me. Naturally I think she's a genius and incredibly fascinating- and funny- and adorable- the most lovable thing since sliced bread with lemon curd and cool whip on top.

Here she is casing the join for paper to DESTROY. This is her new hobby- make Mommy scream in anguish. I love her- this is proof- anyone else going into my plastic cases would get the ol' heave ho.

I created this page for the PAPER ISSUES Christmas Challenge. Go check this website out- there are so many spectacular projects there I can hardly stop reading and looking to make my own.

Craft Elf using Pencil Lines sketch 215 by Jennifer Matott

The circles have photos of my favorite ornaments.

Here are Lola's:

These are constantly coming off the tree and traveling to far off places- like the bathroom. 
I love felt ornaments. The more rudimentary they look the more I want them. This year I'm stalking West Elm and Lord & Taylor- when they have their 75% sales I am SO there!

For the second Christmas page I used Core Impressions Cosmo Cricket neautrals. The paper is Turquoise but of course the scanner turned it green. I had a devil of a time trying to turn it back and didn't succeed. I really need to take some advanced photoshop courses...

Anyways I also used some felt, some wire ribbon for the borders and strips, a Jillibean soup kraft tag and packaging for the journaling and my new favorite embellishment string. The gold border is German and I got it from Vintage Images In Time- an Etsy shop.

I love stitching! It allows me to talk, listen and think but not watch tv- it's the ultimate zen craft.

Talking to Santa Giraffe 

MuChOs SmOoChEs!!
M.