Disappearing Acts

It pretty much goes without saying that if I'm missing from this blog - I'm experiencing some kind of creative block. Thankfully I pulled out some pictures and really thought about some of the stories I've wanted to tell. I've been trying to create cohesion in my albums and there was a big hole in my nephew's story.

On the day Kai was born, I had the forethought to take a picture. I wanted to document my feelings about the birth of my nephew with a picture of the two of us. Since he lives on the eastern side of the country and I'm smack in the middle of the heartland, it wasn't possible to get a picture together. Luckily someone had flipped the switch on to my brain that morning. I took a picture in the car on my way to work. And then he was born and my heart expanded. I'm not sure why I've waited almost 11 months to scrap this story. I'm just glad I've finally did.

One of the things that I love about the Lucky Charm line is the use of the "You are My Sunshine" lyrics. It is perfect for expressing how I feel about Mr. Kai. I would like to say this layout was easy - but it would be an absolute mother-effing lie. I was constantly trying to make things fit into the rule of thirds, mixing colors, getting the story on the page, etc. I wanted to pull out my effing hair. And then it finally just clicked. Some people refer to that as serendipity...others call it luck...and I call it grace. Grace to be able to tell the story. Grace to be able to quiet the overly critical voices in my head long enough to do something creative. Grace to be blessed with such a beautiful little baby in my life - despite the distance. Just grace...

And I leave you with that and a quick update. Since my fiasco and futile attempts to make cards (which never happened), crafting has pretty much come to a complete stop in these parts. Thankfully I got my ass in my chair yesterday and took another spin today. The success is posted above. Today was nothing short of a cluster@#$!. Plenty of fodder for a fiasco post. I'm going to do my best to be around here more for the second part of the month. I hope you're all doing well. Until then...

Challenge Love: Sunday Sketch

Now that I'm part of the Studio Calico club - I decided to go on over to the Sunday Sketch challenge and see if anything there piqued my interest.  When I found this sketch I was initially a little befuddled.

Source Image

First, I don't do double page layouts.  Next, I've never been good at rocking the grid - although I might give it a try the next time I have 3X3's in the house.  Third, for some reason the left side of the sketch read like a card to me.  This is most likely due to my inherent need to layer things.  Finally, the example layout superimposed both sketches and I just couldn't wrap my head around it - despite the fact it was friggin' cool.  Then I scrapped four layouts and posted them on the blog.  A few hours later, my mind was still going and I was ready.

Supplies: Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye; Ink: Heidi Swapp, October Afternoon; Washi Tape: Target

I decided to stay with the basic foundation I used all day on Sunday.  I sprayed the Heidi Swapp Mint Green Color Shine Mist and really liked the results - finally a positive departure from the splatters (that I love by the way).  Then I went to work.  I decided to do the left side of the layout combined with the bottom third of the right-hand side of the sketch.  I thought I'd just set down the pieces and move on to something else - but the crafty bug had hit me...and I didn't stop until I was finished.

Supplies: Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Crate Paper, My Mind's Eye; Washi Tape: Target; Stickers: American Crafts, October Afternoon; Chipboard: Heidi Swapp; Ink: Heidi Swapp, October Afternoon; Pen: Sharpie; Other: Buttons

A few notes - the top line of journaling was added last - which should explain the weirdo spacing.  I just had to have that sentence there.  I know odd numbers rule the world of design, however, there are 8 buttons to represent the months this boy has been in our lives.  I used three stickers from the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Line.  There are three hearts - counting the one in the middle of the square sticker. That first sentence is driving me crazy.  I digress.

So that's it for this week (for now).  I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.  Until then...