Growing
Arg. My mind is in a fog today. Only one word stands to describe me at this very moment - Fragile. It may have something to do with the fact that I didn't retire until 2:00am last evening. I've taken in about six hours of sleep total in the last twenty-four hours. Usually, I'm not one to feel sleep deprived, but last night was an exception. I obviously needed to get some shut-eye and I didn't allow that to happen. Instead, while CNN was blaring in the background (because I'm trying to get the lowdown on McCain's running mate), I sat at my scrapbook desk and put together a layout. Sometimes, I fail to recognize the giant size clock that sits above my desk. Whether it be ignorance or my natural oblivious tendencies, I don't even think to look at it while scrapbooking. I simply choose to ignore it. Laugh. So, here I am, drowsy and attempting to update my blog. If you find a misspelled word or a major flaw of some sort, no worries. Blame it on lack of sleep. Smile.
I'm starting to understand why scrapbookers often feel behind on scrapbooking layouts. Ethan is growing at the speed of light. Changes happen quickly and I can't keep up...not even with a digital camera. I remind myself that not every moment needs documenting. I never scrapbook in a chronological fashion anyway and I'm not a parent that focuses on traditional "milestones". I record mostly day-to-day events and put those to paper instead. There's usually less pressure to "get pages done" while scrapbooking this way, but keeping up with day-to-day stuff presents it's own unique set of challenges. Photos quickly outdate themselves and events come and go without notice. It's easy to fill up a hardrive with images while collecting piles of photographs on my desk. There's a certain amount of stress in wanting to keep up with everything I photograph, but something tells me that "keeping up" is misleading. There isn't a finish line in life. Life is constantly evolving and changing. There will always be something to preserve and share on paper. It's impossible to "stay ahead". It will never happen, but I can find a happy medium where I feel ok with what I've accomplished. So far, I think I'm faring well with the ongoing's of Ethan's life...though if next week I found him six inches taller and able to read, I'd certainly feel behind. Really behind. Laugh.
The layout above reflects just how fast my little guy is "Growing Up". He's really been making a lot of developmental strides lately and one of the biggest changes I've noticed this last month or so is his appearance. His face is maturing and he's increasing in height. It's remarkable to watch these changes happen in such a short period of time. Kids grow so fast!
"Jack's World" by Cosmo Cricket, is one of my favorite scrapbook lines from CHA Summer. I just purchased the line along with the matching chipboard and die-cut shapes. This is a die-cut/chipboard car from the line. It's super oh-so-cute! It's playful nature is perfect for the layout. I did a little landscaping around the car. The black rub-on tree is Maya Road and the yellow cloud rub-on is Cosmo. Anybody want to go for a ride in this cool green car? The only thing it's missing is a driver. Couldn't resolve that issue..didn't have a driver to put behind the wheel. This would of been a great way to showcase a photo of someone...shrink the photo and fit it beneath the window of the die-cut car.
Believe it or not, the bubbles are coming from the car...similar to car exhaust. I know, how crazy is this idea? Remember, it was late in the evening when I worked on this layout. Laugh. Actually, I chose bubbles because of their playful nature. Thinking of bubbles exiting the back of a car reminds me of some of the fun cartoons that Ethan and I watch together in the early morning hours.
I haven't done a lot with buttons lately. As a collector of buttons, I feel like I should be using them more often. I absolutely love them. On this layout, I surrounded the journal circle with pink & red small size buttons using my favorite adhesive, "Glue Dots".
On a quick last note, I would like to thank Karen Russell, Barbara (what's your link Barbara?), Penny Smith, and my good friend, Melissa Phillips, for their kind gestures and words. Thank you so much ladies! Truly appreciated. And also, to the rest of you that read my blog and in in response, offer me endless support and hugs. Thank you everyone!
There have been inquiries from some of you concerning "project kits". I would like to let you guys know that I've considered (on a very casual basis) putting together the occasional "project kit" and selling them via my blog. I haven't necessarily organized all the details just yet, but it's something I'm currently working on. Stay tuned for more info.
