Scrap Big

A Dimensional Life

We are multifaceted people; we live dimensional lives. There isn't one word or title that could encapsulate all that I am, or all that you are. Who I am is made up of the many details of what I do, who I love, and where I spend my time. At Big Picture Scrapbooking, we emphasize the importance of recognizing and documenting all of who we are.

Nic Howard’s newest class, Dimensional Details, will help you leave 2-dimensional scrapbooking behind, and enlighten you with all the tools, techniques and supplies available to bring your pages to a new level. I truly believe that Nic Howard is much more than a scrapbooker—she is an artist (and a good one at that!). Don’t let that scare you! I wouldn’t consider myself overly artistic, yet through her class I have been challenged to try new things and embrace the artist deep (very deep!) within.

We all long to share our life story—that’s why we scrapbook! If you want to move from “okay pages” to amazing, layered masterpieces…then this class is for you! Visit Nic Howard’s class description, and listen to her audio. She will tell you (as only she can do, in her charming New Zealand accent) more about Dimensional Details.

  
 
Please post a comment and tell us what dimension you need to grow in! I’ll select a random name Thursday, April 1st at 10am PDT and the winner will receive a free seat in Nic's Class!

 

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.” Anais Nin

 

And the winner is!!!!

I need to grow in looking outward and not so much inward (which includes my family). I need to be a better friend. As for scrapbooking, I would like to grow in the dimension of putting more of my own creativity into my pages and less copying others' ideas.

Posted by: Melissa | March 29, 2010 at 08:31 PM

Melissa! Send me an email ([email protected]) with your username at BPS, and I'll sign you up for Dimensional Details!  Congratulations!!

 

It's time to enjoy the creative process

Today's guest blogger is Nic Howard.  Nic shares with us a glimpse of her life and her thoughts about her new BPS class Dimensional Details. Enjoy... 

It's Wednesday and in my house that means a few things, but the one that immediately takes me to my happy place is that there are no after school activities to run around to today.  There is no hip-hop dancing, no swimming, no scouts and no math tuition. Nope, the kids and I indulge in an indulgent afternoon tea of Girl Guide biscuits, that’s cookies for those of you not yet fluent in NZese, and we all continue on a not-interrupted-to-go-anywhere afternoon.  The kids play and do homework.  Me? I scrapbook right beside them.

I occasionally hear a gem of journaling “I don’t know where it went, Jacob, It just misappeared!”  I’m writing that one down, it’s a word I’ve heard my six year old say before, but not one I’ve corrected yet.  For now it’s just far too cute.  

And so I’m inspired.  I have photos.  I have cute journaling ideas.  Goodness knows I have product.  Is this sounding familiar? 

Judging from the emails I have had since registration for ‘Dimensional Details’ opened, it seems there are many of us on the same wavelength.  “I can’t wait to actually use some of this product I’ve been stashing!” 

“I love what you do with your layouts, it’ll be cool to learn some of the same!” and my favourite “I signed up and had a sudden urge to shop – this workshop is all about enjoying creating fabulous projects with the products we have, right?  Well I just felt like I needed more!”

Yes, yes, and yes, the workshop will be all of the above, and more.  

As I have mentioned before, I totally believe that we are meant to enjoy the creative process.  Crafting papers and embellishments is what I’m all about and creating interesting, textural layouts is what I strive for.  I like to build each page from the base up with texture and detail. I do set myself a challenge though – it all has to be done while letting the story and the photo shine.  

Why don’t you join me on my mission?  Whether you are the kind of person that already loves dimensional, textured layouts and you want more, or whether you are the type of person that feels intimidated by embellishments, this workshop is for you. Class starts on the 1st April and I look forward to seeing you there!  

 

And the winner is Majda.  Here's the page she added to "Just for Fun" Gallery.  

 

Get to It! Have Fun!

If you've been following the blog for a while you know I like to write about BIG ideas.  I admit sometimes I get stuck in the vision and forget the details.   This happens in scrapbooking too, we get stuck worrying about the overall vision for our project and get overwhelmed with how we are going to accomplish it.   This is why you have the supplies all picked out, the pictures printed and a wonderful album but no action. 

In the spirit of getting started, here are some fun questions to ask yourself: 

Are you feeling low on inspiration?  

Is it time to stop planning and start creating?   

Do you want to learn new techniques?

Do you love detailed pages, but are not sure how to create them?

Are your supplies overflowing and talking to you?   “Use me please!”, “Remember me, I’m that cute paper you got last month at the scrapbooking store?”, “Hey, I’m pink ribbon and I want to be loved!”

Do you dream that your embellishments are having a fun weekend trip without you?  (Ok, maybe that was just my dream!)

Did you answer yes to any of the questions above?  If so, you are in need of Nic Howard’s Dimensional Details workshop.  

Dimensional Details is designed to:  

Encourage and inspire creativity.

Spark a desire to get lost in the creative process.

Build a library of techniques that can be applied as a little detail or over the top designs!

Use up LOTS of product and immerse yourself in a variety of techniques to create stunning pages.   

And most important this workshop is designed to remind you that Scrapbooking is meant to be FUN!

Remember fun?  This weeks challenge is to remember a time you really had fun with the creative process and share with us in the “Just For Fun!” gallery a page you created during that time.   We will be giving away on seat in Nic Howards Dimensional Details class. Entries must be in the gallery by 10AM PST March 24^th and the winner will be announced during Nic’s guest blog later this week.

I want to close today’s blog with some words from Nic and her goals for this inspiring class!

“I want for each student to walk away from this workshop with a new collection of techniques.  I aim to give a confidence that will have them add a little bit of detail, or alternatively a LOT of detail to any layout they create.”  Nic Howard

Making Beauty Appear with Tracey Clark

Today, Tracy Clark discusses her motivation behind designing her new BPS class Picture Spring. 

As I prepared for Picture Spring, an amazing thing happened. I experienced exactly what I have set out to 'teach'. I found that by following my heart and by focusing on the everyday details of my life I found more peace, gratitude and great satisfaction than I had had before I began. Although I have already bore witness that turning my lens onto my own life has changed it dramatically, by distilling 30 prompts that will help other people do the same slowed me down, kept me in the moment and gave me the deepest appreciation for my life I have ever known.

30 simple yet creative prompts of perspective and daily celebration of spring is all it took. Leo Tolstoy said, "True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” I don’t know how it happens like that. It just does. I guess it’s just the kind of transformation that comes with any daily practice or meditation when you approach it with willingness and an open heart. I am giddy to be able to encourage other women to join me in a photographic process that can be so transformative.

When I find an unexpected display of love in my daily life, it’s pure bliss. When the undeniable determination of a blooming bud catches my lens and I can honor that beautiful strength, it makes me happy. When my daily routine looks as pretty as any spring bouquet ever could, it reminds me that I am exactly where I should be.

It’s easy to get down in the face of daily chores and responsibilities but when you have something to focus on that offers a refreshing perspective, things can look a whole lot better and much more hopeful. I know that for me, taking some deep breaths, looking up at the sky, feeling my feet on the earth, lighting a candle, or using my camera can set my soul straight and fill me with hope.

A dear friend and an exceptional writer, Katherine Center recently shared, “looking for beauty makes it appear” and that’s exactly the kind of saving grace that I know we can all find through our lenses when we allow for it.

I am eager to begin the Picture Spring journey in a few weeks; to help make beauty appear for everyone who wants to look for it.  

Thank you for posting in our "Photos I Love" gallery.  Although the contest is over, we will leave up this gallery so can post pictures you love whenever you like.   Our winner for Picture Spring is Joa2307. 

Here is her beautiful photo:

Sing for your supper

This photo just makes me want to sing too!

Take my Picture!

Pictures are the heart and soul of scrapbooking. Without pictures, we would simply be journaling or designing. For many of us, scrapbooking started with a love of photography. As in, "What am I going to do with all these pictures? I'll start a scrapbook!"

The motivation for taking a photograph is similar to the motivation to scrapbook. We want to create, we want to remember the moment, and we want to see the obvious in a new way. Photography and scrapbooking share that special feeling of preserving and sharing memories, moments, and feelings.  

We are so exited to welcome Tracey Clark as a new instructor for BPS.  Tracey is the founder of Shutter Sisters, a collaborative photo blog and thriving community of female photo enthusiasts. She is also a published author with her latest book Shutter Sisters Guide to Photography due out this fall (2010). 

Tracey’s new class Picture Spring: 30 days of soulful seasonal celebration is a 30-day guided e-class that will encourage and inspire you to use photography to celebrate the beauty that surrounds you — even amidst the dishes and laundry, deadlines and demands.  Whether you are an expert photographer, or just starting out, this workshop will help you see things in a completely new light with the final goal to ensure that each picture you create is its own piece of art.

All you need to participate is a camera (any camera) and the willingness to learn!

I encourage you to sign up for Tracey’s class soon, it’s filling up fast!

We will be giving away one seat free to Picture Spring.   Please submit a photo that you love in the "Photos I Love" Gallery by Wednesday, March 17th at 10 AM PST and write a short note in the gallery telling us why you love the photo.   We will announce the winner on March 17th in Tracey Clark’s guest blog. 

Jen Mohler on Saving your Sanity

Yes, I am one who takes on far too much in my life. I guess you could say I am one of those people who has a hard time saying, "No". Even though I have this struggle, I also know myself very well. I know that I work best when I am busy…too much free time and nothing seems to get accomplished. Yet, I know there is a happy medium between being busy enough to keep my work, life, and family flowing smoothly; and the absolute utter chaos that can occur when far too much is on my plate. It is within this happy medium that I strive to live my life, it is where I find myself to be the happiest and most efficient. I have spent the past year really trying to identify how I can best maintain my life without losing my sanity. 

What I have learned the most over this past year is that the more organized I become, the more chaos stays away from my front door. As I re-organize different areas of my life I find I have more time to spend on what I enjoy. I am a better wife, mother, and friend when I have the time to be creative. I design with a simple style and love turning nothing into something. Creating scrapbook pages, home décor items, gifts, albums, and art rejuvenates my soul and that allows me to handle moments of chaos and insanity so much better! 

 

I began designing the Saving Your Sanity series of workshops based upon my own need to have less chaos in my life, so that I could focus more on what really is important to me. I began to tackle areas in my life that I felt I have neglected the most. Celebrations sprang to the top of my list of areas I truly have neglected.  I have found that everything must have a place; that is the first step to saving my own sanity. So, in each workshop this is the topic I tackle first. Simply knowing where you have put items relieves much stress. Throughout the rest of Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations the focus is on planning and preparations, creating handcrafted gifts and cards to give to the guest of honor, and creating a birthday celebration album.

This is a four week workshop that is full of sanity saving content, creative projects, pages, and albums, and many organizational downloads as well as exclusive art and product designed by me to make everything a bit easier along the way. 

This month, Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations will kick off my new series, and it will be followed by Saving Your Sanity: Summer Travel in June, and Saving Your Sanity: Throughout the Holidays in September. I am excited to teach my take on how to save your sanity this year at Big Picture Scrapbooking! If you are looking for a way to be more organized, create more gifts, pages, albums and projects, plus pick up some tips for saving your sanity in the process, then my workshop series will be a perfect fit for you. I hope to see you in class!

 

Thank you for sharing your stories.   Very funny stuff!   Our winners are Cindy Peterson and Lisa S. Cindy I know that you have already signed up for this great class and we appreciate it so we are going to give you one of Jen's other new Save Your Sanity Classes, Summer Travel or Throughout the Holidays. Email me at [email protected] and you can decide which one.  

Dogs and Kids and Balance! Oh My!

 

I've been thinking a lot lately about balance.   Am I spending enough time with my kids, am I working hard enough, is the house clean enough?   Enough already! I want to scream!   

 So, I'm going to share a story that is typical me and probably typical you too.  One day last week, I was feeling really good.  The house was somewhat in order, the blog was written and posted, and my other BPS work was on track. Later that evening, I decided to go to the gym.  The kids wanted to go to the rock wall after I finished working out. Good mom points here, right?    So, I get to the gym and start my workout and about 5 minutes in the phone rings.   I didn’t recognize the number so I ignored it. Then a text pops up. “I have your dogs, Charlie & Shadow, I can only hold on to them for 10 min and then we are going to take them to the pound”. Then I hop off the bike, go to a quiet area and call the person who has my dogs.  I explain that I am on my way.   I pick up the kids from the childcare, run to the car, speed to the dogs, thank the couple that picked them up and go home.   Then, I return to the gym with the kids to hit the rock wall (no work out time for me!) What a way to end a day!

If you are an optimist you picked up the good in this story, the house was somewhat in order, the work was done, the kids got to go on the rock wall and the nice couple held the dogs till I could get them.   Yes, that is all good. But where is the balance here?  Where is the “me” time?  Notice I did not get my workout in?     

This is typical of my life and I’m happy with it.  I wouldn’t know what to do with myself without the craziness.   But a little planning probably would have helped.  Planning you say?  How could you plan for that?  Well, I confess, the dogs have jumped the fence before.   And, we did go the very next day and bought a crate, one problem down.     

Ok, I know you are wondering how I’m going to tie this crazy story to BPS? Well, as you know our philosophy is to fit your creativity into your busy life. Things will never be perfect and the timing will never be quiet right but you can find the time to capture your most important memories.   I’m happy to tell you about Jen Mohler’s new workshop series: Saving Your Sanity.   This series is all about planning and having fun doing it!  Saving Your Sanity will help you organize your life, and manage your time, so you can truly enjoy scrapbooking. The first workshop in the series is Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations. 

Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations will help you plan and organize the celebrations that you are hosting or attending throughout the year. You will learn to create handcrafted cards, invitations and party décor; as well as create gifts that can be given to those you are celebrating. It is time to learn a new way to approach celebrations that you experience each year; an approach that can rid you of unwanted stress and anxiety. Jen is a veteran BPS teacher and a firm believer that everyone can scrap more with less stress.

If you’d like to go to this class for free, here’s your assignment.   We want to here your craziest party story.  Share with us a party you gave or one that you attended where things didn’t go smoothly (names can be changed to protect identities).   We will be giving away two seats in Jen Mohler’s Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations.   Winners will be announced Wednesday, March 10th. 

And since this is a class about celebrations; there is a special gift for this class. Everyone who register for Saving Your Sanity: Celebrations will get 50% off Jen’s Project: Save Your Sanity! Project: Save your Sanity is a self-paced class that provides an excellent foundation for the three upcoming Save your Sanity Workshops.  

We look forward to hearing your crazy party stories!   

Have a great week and remember there are still kind people in the world that will save your dogs (thanks again, to the nice couple who picked up Charlie and Shadow). 

 
 
   

Charlie & Shadow (My fence jumpers) 

 
 

Are you getting enough Stacy in your life?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase  “take me to your leader”?  I always think of the little Martian in the cartoons first.  But seriously, when you think about a good leader what do you think about?Someone who inspires people to do better; someone who leads the troops through battle; or someone who quietly works in the background to make their team shine? When I think of the leadership of BPS, I think of all these things.  Stacy is constantly inspiring the team to do better and Kayce is always working behind the scenes to make the BPS team shine!  And speaking of battle, it’s amazing that we have continued to grow and improve in this economy.   So thank you!  Yes, you!   You, our amazing students are the most important part of the BPS team!

If you’re feeling you need some inspiration, motivation or just some quiet background support to keep going on you scrapbooking journey, now is the time to say “take me to your leader” and check out one or more of Stacy’s Self-Paced classes….many of which are free!

Start with these free classes taught by Stacy Julian!

	Cocoa, Daisies, and Stacy (FREE)
	It's All About Me! (FREE)
	ScrapHappy (FREE)
	Mini Memories (FREE)

Need more Stacy?  These classes aren’t free but pretty darn close! ($10 each) 

	Colorful You! ($10)
	Glimpses ($10)
	The News on Hues ($10)

Stacy’s philosophy is the core of Big Picture Scrapbooking’s vision and community, if you have not taken a class before or have not taken a Stacy Julian class please Start Here! With Stacy!

Here are some pictures from the ScrapHappy Classroom Gallery.  Angie, one of our wonderful BPS students, recently posted these of her finished project. 

 
 

 

Edited: UR2 Cre8ive Winners!

Thank you everyone for sharing your sources for creativity! I can't wait to try several of your ideas!

The three winners of Stacy's new book are...

I go outside and sit in the sunshine for a few minutes and just let all the sights and sounds soak in. Usually a good breathe of fresh air and sunshine gets me going. If that doesn't work, then I do something messy in a different medium. Whether it be baking sugar cookies, finger painting, or drawing on the driveway with the kids in chalk, usually just playing in a different medium is all it takes to jump start my creativity.
Posted by: Renee | March 02, 2010 at 05:04 PM

Music is a HUGE part of my life as well. I have a journal where I keep titles of songs that remind me of something or somewhere in my past. I even jot down the picture that I intend to use with that song/lyrics. So, I guess the answer is that I often just end up scanning my song journal for inspiration when I fall into a slump.
Posted by: Kathy | March 01, 2010 at 07:42 PM

Taking a walk usually gets the creativity flowing. I'm always inspired by nature and the physically activity clears the clutter from my head.
Posted by: Melissa | March 01, 2010 at 01:10 PM

I will be emailing the winners with details!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No matter how you say it, it's the truth: YOU are creative. You have a unique way of seeing the world, combining ideas, and creating art. And yet you probably still lack confidence in your abilities and insights. Well, that's about to change. UR2 Cre8ive is here to help unleash your full potential.

Filled with eloquent observations, energizing exercises, and enticing projects (inspired by the Big Picture Scrapbooking workshop of the same name), this eBook condenses Stacy's inspirational message into a portable creativity guide, illustrated by beautiful pictures and projects—some new, some tried-and-true.

Includes:

• 68 innovative creativity boosters
• 14 FUN pages and projects by Stacy Julian
• An entirely new perspective on creativity

We have THREE copies of this fabulous new e-book to giveaway! Just leave a comment and mention an activity you do to boost your creativity! Three lucky winners will be selected Wednesday (3/3) at 5pm PST!