Diary of a Renegade Scrapbooker

we went out for sushi last night. we found this amazing little hole in the wall place a while back but up until now have only ordered take out from them. we decided last night to actually make it a date and went out to eat for a change. it was really nice. i love spending time with him. and the good food made it all the better. i got one shot of the last sushi dish we ordered. i feel like such a nerd sometimes when i am out in public and want to whip out my camera and take a photograph of my meal or something random. i don't know why i care but i always imagine everyone wondering why that strange girl is taking photos of her food. :) 

we rented the social network and came home and watched that after. gotta say, i was surprised by this movie. i didn't really think i would like it. but i did. i never knew there was so much drama involved with the beginnings of facebook. the movie only reinforced some of my reasoning for deleting my own account. glad we watched it!

i saw blue valentine a few weeks back too. i was really excited because michelle williams is my favorite actress and ryan gosling is my favorie actor. i loved the movie. it was so well made. the story resonated with me, that's for sure. but it's definitely a sad story that will leave you walking away wondering why it is that so few people find true and lasting love in life. and the sad truth that most loves are usually only chapters in our lives with both a beginning and an end. sigh. great movie. thought provoking for sure. but the kinda movie where afterwards i wasn't sure if i was glad that i had seen it or not. if that makes any sense!

i rented eat pray love. but it went back to the red box machine without me watching it. gotta get it again because i really want to see it. anyone seen it? did you like it? i read the book. three times.

enough about movies! :) the weather has been so cold here but the sun has been out for two days in a row and that is rare here and makes me happy! 

i was thinking last night about all of the places that i have lived. i was born and raised in new olreans and that is where i have spent most of my life. 9 years in chicago and now a year and a half here in seattle. when i was younger i also lived in san antonio, texas for a bit. charleston, south carolina and also orlando, florida. those were all short stays though. most of my life has been spent in chicago and new orleans. each place is so so so different. out of the three cities i have spent the majority of my life in, they all have their pros and cons and are each so unique in their own way.

chicago......there is always always something to do, see or explore there. the city has this vibe that i love. the people of chicago have a strong sense of pride in their city and especially in their sports teams. there is no better place for sports. the sox, cubs, bears, blackhawks....sports rule this city. there is nothing like walking down lake shore drive in the spring or the summer. the fireworks on the lake. the festivals. and fall. fall is amazing in chicago. chicago has the best parks and recreation facilites i have ever seen. the parks are amazing. and they are everywhere. it's so so so clean. they really keep up their city. 

the one thing that kept me from totally falling in love with chicago...the brutal winters. and they are BRUTAL. and long. and gray. and long. it's bad. and i hate cold weather. hate it.

with. a. passion.

 

another downfall is the people can be kinda rude and are always in a hurry. the whole city seems to constantly move at a hurried pace. and the traffic. it can be pretty bad. thankfully, the city has some of the best public transportation there is.

 

seattle.....reminds me a lot of new orleans.

very eclectic and art based. there is a similar laid back vibe here like new orleans.

and the scenery is breathtaking.

 

there is a LOT to do here as well. most of it outdoorsy stuff. i've never met so many environmentally conscious people before in one place in my life. hippies are very alive and well here. if i had to sum up seattle in one word it would be...earthy. lol.

the downfalls are the ever present rain.

and by ever present i mean nearly every single day! seriously. it's more of a mist most days. but it gets to be a real pain. and the lack of sun does me no favors. the people here are no where near as friendly as back home. they can come off a little pretentious at times. i can't tell you how many times since being here i have heard derogatory comments about southerners and our lack of intelligence. but hey, what would the great united states of america be without sterotypes right? ;) overall i love seattle. but like any other place it has it's downfalls.

one thing i thought was odd when moving here, is that there really is no really run down areas or any "ghettos" as we would call them back home. i remember asking andrew where the bad area of the city was. but there really isn't any. in chicago you've got the south side. a really really really rough area. and in new orleans you've got the ninth ward and general de galle. areas you wouldn't want to be caught walking around in at night. seattle for the most part, is pretty well kept and i have yet to see a "ghetto" or what i would consider a shady area of the city.

then there is home. my favorite place on this entire planet.

friendly people, wonderful food, abundant sunshine, mardi gras and crawfish.

there is nothing like it. to me, new orleans = perfection. and i miss it every single day.

downfalls....i can't think of many. but then again, i am biased! lol.  some might list the crazy intense summer heat as a downfall...but to me, i always loved it. loved being outside swimming and being in the sun. the only major downfall for me is economically related. louisiana is a poor state and there is not a lot of funding for parks and recreation, schools and general upkeep of the city. but i guess in some ways that is part of what makes it what it is. new orleans most certainly isn't the cleanest of cities, but what it lacks for in cleanliness it makes up for in character. for sure. 

so out of those three cities new orleans is my favorite, chicago is my second and seattle comes in third. my life dream is to one day own a home in the garden district of new orleans with my children and my soulmate and live a rather simple life. one day! 

that was a totally random post, but FUN! i will see ya soon!

peace,

kate

art journals are my favorites. because they are a "whatever" kinda book. whatever inspires me. whatever i want to express. whatever i want to create. no rules. no theme. whatever. i am excited about this new art journal and i love the cover!

yes, i am a little obsessed with the little circles that come out of the hole punch. i love the way the different colors and patterns look on projects. i punch holes out of real photographs and magazine ads rather than patterned paper. i think the colors are more vibrant that way.

i can't wait to fill it with all kinds of fun things.

and an outfit photo...i am taking a bunch of these for a layout i have planned. ah. i love clothes.:)

i know a lot of my scrapbooking friends and i used to keep in touch via facebook. i have gotten a few emails asking what happened to my account. i decided to delete it. and i am SO glad that i did. the reasons were many. it's a time waster. and i have so little free time. and on a deeper level, i just didn't feel it was healthy in my life. i talk on the phone or text or email with those that i love. and that's how i like it. and it frees up time to do more creative and fun things. like make art. or make out with my boyfriend. :)  one of my goals this year is to simplifly so that i can live more. do more. see more. experience more. so my life is now facebook free. and better for it.

have a great day guys! see ya soon!

 

"I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.
Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?
And if you'd 'a took to me like
Well i'd a danced like the queen of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well."

lyrics from my favorite song ever...."new slang" by the shins.

that song never fails to move me. it's on the soundtrack to garden state...one of my favorite movies ever as well. 

one of my goals this year is to blog more. and to share more of myself and my life. to share my personal journey along with my art. because to me blogging has always been somewhat of a journal as well. 

i can't exactly pin point why it is that i am so excited for this new year. i think it's just a season of change in my life in general. the new year just so happend to coincide with change already in progress. 

i have been through more than i care to remember in the past three years. a lot of it has been the hardest stuff i have ever gone through. it's all been a learning experience to say the least. 

change began to happen for me, when i finally not only realized but started living this truth....life isn't perfect. life is never going to be perfect. there is always going to be some unattained goal, some habit that needs to be broken, some crisis that needs tending to, work that needs to be done...etc.

peace and happiness came when i started being happy....regardless. happiness is a choice. and i can choose to be happy each day knowing that my life isn't where i want it to be. that there is still change that needs to be made, work that needs to be done and goals that have to be met. but enjoying the journey, the in-between, that's what life is made of. for the most part we are always "in between". 

i deserve to be happy. i deserve to protect my personal space. to only allow those that bring joy and happiness to enter my space. i deserve to enjoy my life in the midst of working hard to make it better. i might not be exactly where i want to be in my life right at this very moment. but that's ok. i am getting there. and in the meantime, counting my blessings and loving my rather simple life. 

that's why i am so excited for this new year. that's why i am so excited about life in general. because i feel that now that i am finally living in the light of that truth, that true change can happen. that by simply relaxing and taking things day by day i am giving myself back energy that used to be directed towards stress and negativity and redirecting it where it should be. the present moment. and i find myself a whole lot happier because of it.

so back to the shins... if you haven't heard "new slang"...you so should. as natalie portman said in garden state..."You gotta hear this one song. It'll change your life, I swear."

 

 

it's an amazingly beautiful day here today. and i just so happen to have it off from work. :) 

the sun does not come out a lot during the winter months here...very reminiscent of winters in Chicago. so even though it's deceivingly cold on days like today when the sun makes a rare appearance, i still have to get outside and enjoy it. this morning is no different. before andrew headed off to work we went and visited jimmy hendrix's gravesite. (i can now check another thing off my "must see in seattle" list). it's so neat how so many talented musicians came from the same place. i still need to make it to the kurt cobain memorial site. 

so much creativity going on around here these days. i have so many projects done, photographed and waiting to be shared, projects in progress, and ideas for projects floating around in my head. that's good! :) 

my scanner went kaput a while back so i am photographing all of my layouts which kinda sucks. the scanner did a much better job. i see a new one in my near future.

and i also took a random shot of my outfit today for no other particular reason than i really liked what i was wearing! i am going to start taking more of these. i like outfit shots like i like foot/shoe shots. i like the perspective of the photos and they are fun to look back on and to scrapbook!

well that's it this time. i hope you have a fabulous weekend! i will be posting often so check back.

peace,

kate

i guest designed over at the story matters this month! the kit was super cute and i had fun making stuff with it.

i added some more to the "fun corner" in our place. this was the first time i made tissue paper flowers and i love how they came out. i want to make more in different colors. i want to eventually fill this corner with all kinds of fun things.

it's progression....

i made this mini book for sei. i absolutely fell in love with their valentine's day themed papers. lots of sparkle and glitter and really neat patterns. i love this book that i made. it's one of my favorite projects ever. because it is mainly for the kiddos....i kept it pretty simple.

happy love day!

i took some time off from blogging. obviously! :)

i've mainly been concentrating on work. i got a huge promotion right after Christmas. which has required more hours from me. which is a wonderful thing!! i never thought i would end up on the management end of my industry. but the opportunity presented itself and i took it! i can't even explain how much my promotion means to me. the training. the opportunity. all of it. it means a better life and i am happy and grateful for that.

i have also been creating. a LOT. i have so many new projects to share in the coming weeks. i am feeling so inspired and creative these days. with impending spring weather and so much optimism in my days right now....i just feel really really good. :) 

andrew is helping me work on a blog redesign. i am hoping to have that up and running sometime this week. with the new year i made a huge list of goals and aspirations. i have really never done that before. but i feel like this is a year in which change is truly capable in all areas of my life. i really want make things happen this year. grow as a person. save my money and plan for the future. exercise. create. step out of the box a little and do things i might not normally do. get out and see things. explore. i just want my life to be full and happy and good. and blogging is on my list of goals. 

i am really going to try my best to be a better blogger! to use it more as a journal like i used to when i first started blogging. that's when i loved it the most. when i just wrote whatever i was thinking and really shared my life and myself. i plan to do more of that this year!

i also plan to submit more of my work this year. i was so happy to see one of my pages in february's issue of creating keepsakes. i also have 2 projects in scrapbook trends this month but i am super upset because i can't find an issue of it anywhere and they have not sent me one in the mail. i have not gotten any word from them at all. a little bummed about that. anyone seen it? if so did you see my two projects in it??? it's kind of frustrating knowing i have two projects on the magazine this month but i can't see them. ugh.

 

 

i love that layout so i am really glad they chose it.

here are a few sneak peeks at some of the projects i will be sharing in the coming weeks!

that's it for now! see 'ya soon!