You must be the change you want to see in the world . . . .

. . . . and other great quotes! Click here Enjoy!

{a} ali edwards

Okay, so I really love Ali Edwards. I have thoroughly enjoyed her latest book, Life Artist. If you like her too, or want to learn more about her, here are two video clips for you to check out:

Interview with Ali with Scrap n Style at a Memory Trends Convention, where she talks a little bit about Life Artist and about her son, Simon, who has autism, and how she got started with scrapbooking.

Ali's Favorite Crafting Tools - check out to see whether you're using one or more of the 4 tools she says are her favorite crafting tools.

Happy crafting!

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
~Steve Jobs

Every day, passion speaks to us through our feelings. That's why when you allow yourself to become anesthetized by what others think, you literally block yourself from living the life you were called to live. I promise you that if you make a choice that doesn't please your mate, your friends, your mother, or whoever, the world will not fall apart -- the people who truly love you want you to love yourself. And as you become clearer about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you -- the first time around.
~Oprah Winfrey

A Zest for Life

If you did not get a chance to see Gustavo Dudamel on 60 Minutes
this past Sunday, go to this site and watch! Gustavo Dudamel

His enthusiasm is infectious!

Just a thought. . . . .

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...
let it be something good."
~Author Unknown

Papers. . .but not the scrapbooking kind

This week I am lucky enough to have the week off from school. (My district combines the President's birthdays together with a few other days and we get a whole week in February!) But instead of getting the chance to play with my scrapbooking papers and other fun embellishments, I'll be slaving over a different set of papers. . . . . . writing papers for my Master's class and to become a National Board Certified teacher. Here are a couple of pictures of the piles of papers I have to work with this week. . . . . .

Wish me luck!

Inspiration

I was dropping off some supplies at Cool Scrapbook Stuff for Operation Replenish, and, of course, I had to look around the store a bit afterwards. I was adamant that I would NOT buy anything, just look. Then I saw this great paper ---- loved the colors! ---- and since it was the LAST one, I decided I needed to get it. Don't know what I'll do with it (besides look at it) but I thought it was too special to pass up. I think it is very artistic and will help remind me to create.

Something to think about. . . . .

Please go to this blog to read the February 13th post &
watch the YouTube video:

http://robenmarie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/02/
would-you.html

If you're so inclined, read the entire Washington Post
article that accompanies it. It is very long, but it explains
and analyzes the whole premise of the video.

I do think we miss a lot of the beauty in this world because we are
all so busy/preoccupied with life.

Don't forget to stop and notice the wonderful things that
are around you every day!

Another blog to check out

I am always overjoyed to see other scrappers/crafters who are organizationally challenged when they are in the creative process! Somehow, seeing others in a state of chaos makes me happy! Check out the photo that Tim Holtz snapped of his latest creative session! Organized Chaos (I've added Tim's blog link to my list of 'favorite blogs' so you can check out his latest designs from time to time).

Operation Replenish

http://www.coolscrapbookstuff.com/OperReplen.htm

Here's a great cause! All you southern California scrapbookers/paper crafters need to get involved! Cool Scrapbook Stuff is coordinating a drive to replenish the supplies for those people who lost their homes in the recent (October) wildfires. They are collecting unused scrapbook supplies, crafting supplies, and gently-used tools. This sounds like such a great idea! I know so many people who lost their homes, and one of my favorite scrapbooking friends lost hers----- I can't imagine that she has to try to replace all of her supplies & tools!! I really want to help--- and to promote this idea! SO ---- if you can, look through your supplies, pack up some of the ones you're not using or can spare or are willing to share ----- and drop them off at Cool Scrapbook Stuff in Poway. : )

Scrapbooking supplies

My friends who think that I have a lot of scrapbooking supplies should check out this woman's scrapbook room:

http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1285148

I have a l-o-n-g way to go before I have that many supplies!

Of course, even with lots of supplies, the real problem is lack of TIME to scrapbook! Oh well!

Books

I really, really enjoyed reading Life Artist by Ali Edwards! Her book is full of ideas about how to "just scrapbook". . . .leaving all your hang-ups aside, embracing life, embracing imperfection, and just getting your story told. She truly is an inspiration to living a creative life!!

I'm still enjoying the wonderful words of Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love. I've been eating with her through Italy and praying with her at the Ashram in India, and now that we're in Indonesia, I'm guessing we'll be doing some loving! Again, she is a wonderful author and I love all her metaphors. . . . ones that make me say, "Oh yeah, that's exactly what it's like!" even though I would never have thought of it in that way before reading her words. Great book!


*****************************************************************

And now I'm thinking of the new books I want to read. Here are two on my list:

I have like 10,000 pictures. And I am not exaggerating! My 'boys' are 22 and 20. I have pictures of indoor soccer games, outdoor soccer games, t-ball, games, minor-A games, minor-B games, majors, pony league, pop-warner football, volleyball, high-school football games, broken arms, stitches, Halloween pictures, Christmas pictures, birthdays. . . . . .well, you get the picture. (Pun intended). So I've been reading about Stacy Julian's new book, Photo Freedom, which is supposed to be a treasure trove of how to deal with all the pictures without being overwhelmed. And even though I'm making a dent in the thousands of pictures I have, I still feel like I need help. The book can be pre-ordered on line (through Creating Keepsakes) but I want to spend the money locally if I can (yes, I'm one of those types of people) so I asked Gena at Cool Scrapbook Stuff to call me when they got their order into the store. I'm hoping this new book will help me get my act together when it comes to my stacks and stacks and stacks and stacks of pictures!

Another book I read about on various blogs of my favorite creative people was this book, 52 Random Acts of Everyday Creativity. First of all, since my word for this year is create, this book seems like a natural way to kick-start some creative juices in me. As their site states: "52 Projects is an exploration of your creativity -- from the culinary to the literary to the artistic". I like that it stretches you in many different areas of creativity. I'll let you know how it is!

Happy Reading! : )

Words of Wisdom

Some quotes I like & some quotes I've had on my mind lately. . . .

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. ~Attributed to both Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Six Degrees of Separation

Not only do I love 'creating' my blog, I love reading some of my other favorite blogs (I have some of them listed on the left under Favorite Blogs). I just entered a new one: Becky Higgins' blog. If you're a scrapbooker, you know that she writes articles for Creating Keepsakes magazine, and has lots of books published (my favorite one of hers is Creative Companion). Becky just created a "School Years Kit" that looks absolutely awesome. Watch her video clip on her blog to see it!

One of my favorite blogs is Lisa Bearnson's. You know, the Lisa Bearnson, editor of Creating Keepsakes, pretty much the 'guru' of scrapbooking! I was reading her post from Jan. 18th-- "Count down to my Big Day" (her birthday)--when she mentioned a restaurant that she loves named Food for Thought. She mentioned someone who works there named Tresa (which made me think, "Hey, I know someone named Tresa (pronounced Theresa but spelled differently) who used to live here but moved to Utah, and I know she works for a restaurant...."). Lisa wrote that she is friends with Tresa, "who is a big-time scrapbooker." (And I thought, the Tresa I know is a big-time, scrapbooker!) And of course I thought --- What are the odds that there's another person who spells their name Tresa, who lives in Utah, who is a big-time scrapbooker, who works at a restaurant?!!??! (But, of course, I checked with our friend Monica to make sure----and yes, it is indeed the same Tresa!) So now I'm excited for Tresa, to be friends with the Lisa Bearnson......and to know that I know someone personally that knows Lisa Bearnson!!!! You know, that whole six-degrees-of-separation thing. I'm separated from personally knowing Lisa Bearnson by only one other person! Okay, little things make me happy! And this definitely makes me happy! : )

Happy scrapbooking (or whatever CREATIVE endeavor you choose)!!