inspiration.

my question for you all today is...what inspires you?

not just "what inspires your art?" but "what inspires your life?"

i find myself taking inspiration from so many things.

whether it's a magazine ad, a quote from a book, a song, a picture...the list can go on and on.

i feel i'm often inspired to not only create better and more meaningful art, but to also live a more meaningful life.

that is the best inspiration.

a while back, i made this 6 x 6 envelope mini for a challenge blog.

i found myself bogged down with magazine pictures that i tear out, quotes written on post-it notes, and just random little tid-bits.

so, i made a home to house all my inspiration.

i made each envelope represent a different category.

the first one is random inspiration.

the second one is for decor (obviously).

i like to tear pictures out of magazines, and keep them in this envelope for the future, when i'm decorating a room.

the third is for fashion.

i love fashion.

most of the time, i cannot afford the beautiful fashion that i so love, so i stick the picture in my envelope and try to find a cheaper version of the shirt/shoes/jewelry/or whatever it is that i'm so into.

the last one is for life.

this is where i throw random quotes, scriptures, song lyrics...anything that inspires me to be a better woman/wife/mom/friend...

this is my favorite folder.

i love this mini cause it's so minimal on the outside, but chocked full of goodness on the inside.

so, again, what inspires you?

i challenge you to keep it all together in some way...it really comes in handy to have it all in one place!

have a great weekend!

peace,

eMiLy

MMmmmm...

This lovely creation was made by my dear friend, Jen Bueck. She made it for a gal who was headed off to college this week and she wanted it to share with the WIP bloggers. Too stinkin' cute, isn't it? I'm totally ripping this idea off for my daughter's new tween bedroom...

Thanks for all the nice comments on the Blog Birthday! The feeling is mutual my friends! The winner of a WIP Project kit for September is:

(Okay, I picked THREE...)

jeana said...

Ohhhh Friday Is my birthday .. what a great present that would be!!.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY WIP!

AND...

Tami said...

Happy Blog Birthday!! I stop by on a daily basis to check out the scoop. Thanks for hosting such an inspirational place to visit!

AND...

Amy Jacobs said...

Happy Birthday WIP blog! You don't look a single day older ;)

Please email your addresses to me at Turay413@gmail.com and I'll get your kits out to you!

Congrats to you all!!

Now, in case you missed out on your chance to win a free kit this time, there is still one more chance! Simply sign up for my online class and I'll draw a name from the entire list of class participants on Sunday night! Class begins Monday--and I hope to see you there!

Happy Friday everyone!

Green Scrapbooking? Say what?

Hi everyone!! And Happy Birthday WIP Blog!!Don't forget to leave a comment in Trish's post right below this one so that you can be included in the drawing! She picks a winner at midnight tonight and the winner receives a September kit!! YAY!

Ok, green scrapbooking. Yeah, I know. How can we be green when we scrapbook and constantly hoard...er, um...buy new supplies all the time? Well, it's actually easier than you thought!

A few companies are actually starting to produce green scrapbooking supplies. Piggy Tales is one of them, and I hear more are on their way to providing greener options in their lines. But you can do it yourself everyday just by being creative!

How, you ask?

I'll talk more about green scrapbooking in the next couple of months, but the easiest option by far is to send a handmade card instead of buying one. Last New Year's Eve, I pledged to make every card that I send from now on, and so far so good (and yes, I'm doing Christmas cards too).
I made this one over the weekend using some white cardstock and a pop up tag from the WIP August project kit (which would also be great for hidden journaling on a layout, by the way). Here's a couple more that I've made using the WIP August Kits:
And a few that I've made this year with scraps from my stash:
They don't take long to make, and they don't have to be that detailed either. The object is to make what you can buy. Use those supplies, especially those scraps, that you already have.

You can even take it a step further by recycling an envelope that you have at home. Junk mail is filled with return envelopes that can be altered with a little mailing label to hide the return address...or put those unrecyclable return envelopes with the thin plastic sheet over the return address window to good use (a tip I learned recently from a friend of mine...hi Amy SKP!)

Trust me...your friends and family will appreciate a handmade card so much more than a purchased one. I know I do!

Happy Card Making!
~Colleen

ETA: I see in the comments section that Paper Trunk also scraps green. If you guys know of any more, please share them!

Happy Birthday, Bloggers!

In celebration of the blog's first birthday tomorrow, I'm giddy with delight!! Post a comment in today's blog and I'll pick a winner at midnight tomorrow for a lovely Work in Progress Kit!! Woo Hoo!

I can't believe this blog is a year old already. Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day everyone!

Simple and Delicious!!

I baked cheesecakes yesterday and thought "Why not share the recipe?". I have been using this particular recipe for over 15 years and know it by heart. It's extremely delicious, but oh so simple to make.

Ingredients

Filling
1&1/2 pounds Cream Cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
Dash of vanilla or other essence

Crust
Pre-made Graham Cracker crust
OR
1 package digestive biscuits or graham crackers.
1/4 cup butter
Pie dish

Topping
Fresh fruit - I like to use strawberries and kiwi, sliced thinly and alternated around the top.

Instructions.

To make crust:

Crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs. Melt butter and mix into crumbs until all crumbs are moistened. Pour crumbs into pie dish and using the back of a spoon press mixture onto base and sides of dish to form the pie crust shape. Place dish in refrigerator for a few hours. I try to do this bit ahead of time, but since I always forget, I just place the dish into the freezer while making the filling!

To make filling:

Allow cream cheese and eggs to come to room temperature. In mixer combine cream cheese, sugar and eggs. Mix until smooth and creamy, adding in a dash of vanilla essence.

Pour filling into crust and bake in a moderate oven for about 35 minutes or until filling is firm to the touch. Allow cheesecake to cool in oven to avoid getting cracks in the top.

Once cool, add fruit topping and chill for several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Since I've been making this out of my head for so long, some of my descriptions may not be very precise.

ETA: A digestive biscuit is a type of cookie or biscuit in British parlance made with coarse wheat flour, ground wholemeal, a light amount of sugar, and a rising agent such as baking soda, along with oil, salt, and sometimes milk as well. The result is a slightly savory cookie with a crumbly texture and a simple flavor which some people find quite appealing. Graham crackers are very similar to digestives and can be substituted in the recipe.

Enjoy!
Francine

Photograpy Tips...

Had a wonderful time with a great group of enthusiastic ladies at the Photography workshop yesterday. Special thanks to those in attendance and to the most wonderful teacher ever, Jen Bueck (and her ink-refilling husband, Robert.)

I wanted to share a little tip on the blog today about adjusting the ISO setting on your DLSR cameras. As you can see, it can make a big difference in your results.

Here is a photo using an ISO speed of 100 on a sunny day:Here is the same photo with the speed set at 200:
The same photo at speed 400:
And at 800:
And finally at the highest speed, 1600:
Learning how to set and adjust your camera varies, depending on the make and model of your camera. I would refer you to your camera manual if you were interested in learning how to "play" with yours. The objective is to use the lowest setting possible to get the clearest shot. The higher up you go, the grainier the picture becomes.

While we're on the topic of photography, I'd also like to mention a few of my favorite sites for tips and such...

For equipment overall: www.bhphotovideo.com and www.amazon.com. I also recommend www.adorama.com as well...

For tips: Karen Russell, Candice Stringham and The Online Photographer .

For inspiration: Karen Russell and Tara Whitney both just speak to me.

My dear online friend Gina Marrow is incredibly talented and has a website here. If you live anywhere near Hudson, Wisconsin, you should totally look into booking a session with her--I would love to have her do a photo shoot of my family for me someday. She is a great scrapper and approaches her photography from a storytelling perspective, and I love that.

I just finished up an online class that I would love to recommend with Candice Stringham here, and I would recommend it for those of you who are looking to brush up on your skills. I am also interested in taking Love Your Camera here in late September as well...

I'd love to know about your favorite sites/blogs for photography if you'd like to share! Please remember to add the links for others if you are able too...I am a student of this art form and love hearing from you regarding your favorites!

Enjoy your day!

techniques.

do you have a favorite one?
something you have been wanting to
try--but it intimidates you?
something you do on almost every single layout?
tell us what your favorite technique is.
tell us something you would like to try.
myself, i used to be a HUGE inker.
nothing was safe from the inkpad.
but then i finally started handsticthing,
i resisted it for so long, im a lazy scrapper
and handstitching is so time consuming.
but it looks awesome when you are done,
i tend to do it while watching tv--then it
seems to go by quickly. if you are stuck on
a page, try pulling out the needle and thread
you will be amazed at what a few little stitches
can do for your design! here are a few i have done!

Photographing Children

One of my favorite things to do--hands down--is take pictures. Up until about a year ago at Karen Russell's Photography Workshop, I had been using my Canon DSLR like an automatic point-and-shoot. That one class gave me the courage to push the boundaries of my own mind and delve into a whole new world.For starters, I stopped using the automatic setting on my camera. I started reading the manual (I know--but you can really learn a lot that way...) I started practicing two little things I learned in her class. And slowly, I became happier with my photos.
Don't get me wrong--I'm still a student of photography. In the past year, I've taken two more classes, and with each one, I've improved a little more each time.
One of the biggest things is to take lots of pictures. These shots of my dear friend's daughter are a few of over 200 photos. I took the time to survey my surroundings. I thought before I started snapping the shots, and took time to adjust my settings, whereas before I would have just kept snapping away, hoping to catch a few that were okay.
I let her play. I didn't interrupt her from doing what she was already doing. How many times have you stopped your own subject to ask them to pose? When she began to realize I was paying her some attention, she wanted to see the results in my camera. She got a real kick out of seeing the finished photo of herself in the viewfinder.
So I'd like to encourage you all to do the same. Take a leap doing something you want to learn. Whether it be a technique on the computer, using something new on a layout, or improving your photography skills--do it. You'll be so glad you did!!

And for those of you who have signed up for the photography workshop on Sunday with Jen Bueck and myself, don't forget your cameras & manuals!!

Have a wonderful weekend...

The September 2008 Work in Progress Kits...

Here is the full shot of the Main kit, which is currently available here for $32.Contents of this kit include 18 sheets of patterned paper (2 KI Memories, 1 Creative Imaginations, 3 Melissa Frances, and 12 Scenic Route Sonoma ), 1 sheet “our family planner”, 4 Heidi Swapp felt butterflies in brown, 1 sheet of loopy lou doodlebug alphas in red, 1 sheet SEI soft yellow alphas, 1 sheet Scenic Route Sonoma Stickers, 1 die cut sheet Scenic Route Sonoma labels, 24” grosgrain ribbon, 1 sheet Glitz Design Rub ons, and a label stamp from Apple Blossom Studios.

There is also an add- on that is not pictured here, featuring the Mr. Campy line from Cosmo Cricket. And you know how you all loved Jana's blog post last week with all her adorable camping recipes? She was kind enough to share those with me and if you order that kit as an option, I'll be sure to forward those recipes on to you in the September 1st newsletter! Thanks for sharing such a cool idea, Jana! I am planning on making one for our family for sure...

And last but not least, the winners of the free kits from the Back to Class roster are:

Staci Parks and Doris Shafer!!

I'll be emailing you gals shortly for you addresses. Congratulations!

More drawings to come as the class draws near...enjoy your day!

Three Delicious Things...

ETA: For those of you who are sending in your subscription requests for the September Work in Progress Kits, the Cardstock Option is officially SOLD OUT. Thanks so much!

I love a quick and simple two ingredient dip, don't you? Mix this......with a an of marshmallow fluff and get this...
The yummiest fruit dip EVAH!! My kids finished off a whole batch this morning...

And for more delicious goodness...
I picked this little stamp set up from Office Max and I can't wait to put it to good use! They're similar to the 7Gypsies interchangeable ones that were out, only smaller and with red and blue ink!

And last but certainly not least, take the time to make the from-scratch version of this. You won't be sorry. I made it for a neighborhood gathering two weeks ago and it was heaven. Tasted just like it did when my grandma made it...
And for those of you who are on the fence about signing up for my Back to Class class, I'm drawing random winners for goodies this evening! The winners will be announced here on this blog and over at the Debbie Hodge website too.

Have a super day!