Diary of a Renegade Scrapbooker

hello there.

it's been a while! a lot has happened since my last post. my dad was in a pretty bad motorcycle accident. had the family shook up for a bit. he is doing better now. thankfully!

fall has settled in here in the great Northwest. the leaves are changing colors quickly and everything is so so so beautiful! we have a trip planned for this next week to go to the arboretum. i can't wait! i got some great shots there this time last year. and since this will be my last time to experience an entire fall in Seattle, i am taking advantage of it! there are so many neat things to see here. 

 andrew and i finally finished a garland. he likes helping me make stuff! when we both finally get home from work, late at night, we will spread out on the floor in front of the tv, eat dinner and make stuff together. i find it adorable and endearing that he enjoys my hobby with me. 

we actually made two garlands for our place. one is about halfway to the floor and the other one is ceiling to floor. i love them. absolutely love. however, they are quite time consuming. hours and hours. but well worth the effort. 

i also went around the place and took photos of our little corner of the world. i want to make a mini book with the pics. when we get to chicago i will make a mini with photos of our new place there too. i think it will be neat to have little books to look back on the different places we lived.

i love our little space! but also feel very very anxious and ready for the move. time can't pass quickly enough it seems. and that frustrates me. because i have a really hard time not constantly thinking of the goal. and often forgetting to stop and experience the in between.

some days are easier than others. but i am thankful for a lot of things. phone calls with my mom, my sweet daughter's voice, elliott's laugh, my mom uploading photos of my nephews on facebook so even though i can't see them in person i can look at their sweet faces via my computer, my job, and this man....

i couldn't ask for a better best friend or life companion. we have had our rough patches. our relationship has not been easy. i come along with a lot of baggage. ya know? but this man supports me, encourages me, and loves me unconditionally. he tells me i am beautiful countless times a day, texts me throughout the day to just say hi and call me hot stuff, he believes in me more than i believe in myself some days. he tells me i deserve to be loved more than anyone. and love me he does very very well. we have come a long way. instead of giving up when the hard times came, we worked through them and are working through them because we know, what we have is so worth the fight. and we have grown so much as a couple because of those struggles and hardships. this relationship is making us better people. and that's what it should be about!! so just a quick ode to my man. and all he has done for me these past few weeks.

this is a random post! ;) the best kind!

i have been working on a "book of truth part two". it's been sitting on my desk for a while so i will get some good photos and share the rest of the book this week. but here are a few photos of it so far. i made my first "book of truth" back in 2008. i thought it was time for a new one! the last one was so therapeutic to make. i might continue with them every two years. that would be neat!

here are the two side by side...

just a few pages. the entire thing is huge. i will share all of it this week.

i can't believe tomorrow is halloween! we are carving pumpkins tonight and watching favorite scary movies! i love halloween. wish i could have had more time this year to get into the season. what are you up to for halloween this year? 

thanks for reading my randomness! have a great halloween!

peace,

kate

 

 

well well

i made it here two days in a row! how 'bout that! :) 

and i have a LOT to share! today was a rainy and chilly day in seattle. perfect day for baking and scrapbooking. which is exactly what i did! 

i need to post links to the recipes i use here. i often try out new stuff. when i say i love to cook, what i really mean is that i love to bake. allrecipes.com is one of my favorite places to find recipes. i like that they have reviews for the recipes by people who have tried them. anyways...you can find the recipe for the reeses peanut butter cup cookies here.

they are soooo good. but we really like peanut butter.

here are the layouts i made today. i kinda ended up with a theme of summer wrapping up, a new season beginning and a new focus in my life.

i really like this first one. i just loooove how it came out.

fun. gosh. i love scrapbooking. i think that's about all the layouts i am gonna make for a while though. i am so excited to get started on my fall mini book. i made a list of the places we haven't been to yet and i plan to get out there and really experience seattle this fall. and document it in my book! there are some really neat fall themed products out there right now. you guys should join me in making a book! i plan to document all the way through november. you can join in whenever!

i usually plan out my mini books in advance and basically make a "kit" of all the things i want to use in a book. it just makes the creating process easier for me. here are a few of the things i chose for my mini book, basically the "kit" i will work from to make the whole book....

these stamps are by technique tuesday. i love them. i want to use that big branch on my cover somehow.

this hambly overlay....

i really love the colors of this 7Gypsies gaffer tape. i think it fits the fall theme nicely. i won't use that reddish tape though. i have papers that clash with it.

these little library envelopes are gonna look cute in a mini book. i have them in kraft.

i want bits of yellow in the book. i love these rub ons. the color of this one is so pretty.

these alphas....

and these are the main papers i am going to use in the mini...

so...that's my fall mini book kit. i add some stuff from my stash as i work but i usually don't stray too far from what i pull together to start with. 

i will be putting together the bones of the book so that i can just add to it as the season passes. i will share that here in the next day or so as i get it finished up! i was going to share some photos of our recent thrift store finds but this post is already photo heavy enough i will save that share for next time!

peace,

kate

 

i'm gonna ramble.

because it's my blog. and i can ramble if i want to! :)

i have a few projects to share. although i have not been feeling very creative lately. all these projects are ehhh to me. i KNOW when i make something really really good. and i get super excited. i didn't get excited over any of these. but what the hey. i'll share anyways.

hopefully my creativity returns soon so i can make something i love love love!

i have a few random photos to share. i made this garland the other day. well......finally put it together i should say. it took quite a while to punch all the circles and glue them together. but oh so well worth it. i adore it and am now thinking of other creative things to do with garlands. 

not the best photo but you get the idea.

i actually took a few self photos this week! i haven't done that in a loooooong time. i am getting back into my camera and taking photos and learning more about photography and using my camera. i have had it over two years and still am learning.

  

i love self shots. they are so much fun!

and a few of my scrapbooking area. that i never use. i always pack up my stuff and scrap in front of the tv. on the floor. on the bed. anywhere but the desk. isn't that silly? i like to spread out. but i love my space anyways. it's cheerful to me.

i'm not going to be doing too much more decorating here though. my plan is to be relocated to chicago by the end of the year. as much as i love seattle, and it's been an adventure.....i know this is not the place for me. and as much as i have contemplated moving back home, i know louisiana is not what's best either. this is something i have struggled with for a while. a huge decision for me. and now i have made it.  and that's half the battle. the other half is saving and preparing for the move. fun. NOT. but once i get there it will be worth all the work.

well i think that's it this time around. i will be back soon with more projects. and more randomness. thanks for stopping by! 

 

   

    

a photo heavy post

because i have a LOT to share! today has been a great great day. i got a few emails and some of my work has been picked up by scrapbook trends magazine. i was really excited about that. and that great news followed up a great weekend.

we attended a wedding in the san juan islands here in washington and it was amazing! i will share some of my photos from the trip later in the post.

first i want to share the sneak peeks of my design team work for august over at for the luv of art.

 

now some photos from the wedding. gosh. it truly was amazing. it was right on the ocean. i saw whales and sea lions and jellyfish and all kinds of other wonderful sights. we had to take a ferry to get to the island. the whole experience was so so cool. here are a few of my favorite shots from the weekend.

see you soon!

peace

kate

            

       

hey hey hey

i realize i caused some confusion with my last post. i got some emails and such wondering what my scrapbooking news was. sorry for the confusion. 

so...............here is my announcement.

i am so excited and honored to be a part of the volume 25 team. jessica put together a fabulous team and her work is a-ma-zing. i love the graphics she made to introduce the team....i want to print mine and do something creative with it.

and here is one of my projects made with the "ahoy" overlay set. her digi kits are fabulous and perfect for scrapbooking. 

 

and i know this sounds totally geeky....but one of the things i am most excited about is i am on a team with Jen Johner. she has been one of my biggest scrap crushes for years. she is ridiculously talented. ridiculously. and i am on a team with her. w.o.w. :)

in other scrapbooking news i just got my monthly kit to do my design team work with at for the luv of art. it's beautiful. it's packed with all kinds of new stuff from the american crafts "dear lizzy" line. i am SO not a girly girl but this kit is simply beautiful. you should so snag a kit if you can! here is a peek from one of norma's projects with the kit....

the kit has a ton of those pretty flowers. tons. i see a very pretty mini book in my near future. 

i also guest designed for a really cool kit club for august. so should be back in the next few days to share the link and my work.

well i guess that's it for today. i am off to wait tables for eight hours. have a great weekend people! see ya' soon!

peace! 

   

summer

sitting outside tonight. with the laptop and coffee. enjoying a beautiful summer night in the pacific northwest. summer here is completely different than anything i am used to. i miss the constant sunshine like we had in louisiana. but it is still so darn beautiful here. the weather is very mild. and tonight it's simply perfect. i haven't gotten many summer nights like this....warm enough to sit outside in a tank top. so i am enjoying it. 

i had such a nice day today. i had the day off and i spent a lot of it perusing websites and collecting more photos of decor ideas i like. scrapbooking a little. 

and spent a lot of time reflecting and centering myself before i start a busy few days of work. i can't believe we are already halfway through this year. time flies that's for sure. i find myself making lists and trying to really study my priorities and my goals and see what changes need to be made to keep myself on a positive track. i have a lot of things i am striving for right now. mainly trying to find my niche in life. i am trying to look at the big picture. where it is i want to be in five years. what is is i want to accomplish. i am feeling very optimistic about everything these days. and that's a good thing. but i could use a little more self discipline in a few areas. always room for improvement. there is this line in a brother ali song i love....."if i don't like my life i gut it and rebuild it. fuck it. keep nothing but God and my children." we have that power. to change our life whenever we are unhappy with the way we are living. it's when we realize that power and utilize it that our lives are transformed. when we take responsibility. and strive to be better each and every day.

ok that was a ramble! i have a few photos of projects to share. just the covers of a few mini books. i will share the insides whenever i get around to photographing and editing all of those photos. last time i shared photos of projects i decided not to edit and just upload them as is to save time. they are all dark and now i wish i would have taken the time to edit them. maybe i need to learn to use my camera better! that's on my to-do list. 

anyhoo....

here's the first one. it's my road trip book. i had a lot of mistakes when making these books. but i just kinda go with them and don't freak out too much. these books are for me and my family so little mess ups really don't bother me. 

on the cover of this one the holes were punched on the wrong side of the cover!!! :( we saved it and i found the little circles we punched out and glued them back in. you almost can't tell. lol! this book came out really cute. i kept the book simple and focused on my journaling and the great photos we got. 

these photos are all phone pics so they aren't the best. 

those pictures suck! i will take better ones with my camera when i photograph the whole things.

here is the date book. this thing is huge! i used 4x6 chipboard sheets for each month. the idea for the book is that each month has a little section for me to write down birthdays and anniversaries and i made a section in the back for contact info. i have been wanting to do this forever and i made it so it is decorative. i plan to put it out on the coffee table or something. i am going to add photographs of everyone on their birthday page. 

i haven't added rings yet. that black and white tape is 7gypsies and i am in love with it. seriously. love. i used a cork sheet for the back page of the book.   

 

it's huge. but i love it.

and lastly my book of lists. it's just a little book. i put lists of all my favorite stuff inside. movies, food, celebrities and stuff like that. something cool for the kids to look back on one day. and i made that label myself! 

and i am going to leave you with a few of my favorite photos i found today of some cool home decor ideas. oh and i love this etsy shop.....milk&cookies. i love all of her pillows. i am planning to do my living room in a red, grey, black and yellow color scheme and i already have some pillows collected but i have been looking for some more yellow and grey ones. she has some neat ones in her shop.

i especially love this one..

oh and this one...

 

isn't this cool?!? i want to do one or two over my scrap area. i love that idea.

 

i love how the green chairs and the orange jack on the table really pop in this room. i love little splashes of color like that with neutral furniture.

 

and i am in love with this. and that light?!? amazing. i am definitely doing something like this. i see so many cool colored glassware pieces in thrift stores around here.

  

and this would be my ideal scrapspace. i am so so so doing that bulletin board thing covered in fabric. so doing that. i love the large scale of it. and the overall simpleness of the space.

 

that was fun. gosh i get sucked into those decor blogs. next thing i know hours have passed and i feel like going immediately to the thrift store when i am done. they have awesome ones here in the seattle area. 

well that's it for now. hope your week is going fabulously! 

peace,

kate

ps....make sure to leave a comment if you stop by so that i can visit your blog. i have been trying to visit everyone who visits me! :)

 
    

 
 

mini books galore

hey everyone! hope you are doing well!

today was a beautiful day here in seattle. i'm kinda bummed i didn't get out and do something fun. i did get some scrapbooking done, photos uploaded and am finally ready to share some new projects.

i have been cranking out the mini books out lately. i have four different ones to share over the next week so let's get started!

i snapped a photo of all of my favorite books. i love seeing my favorites all in one photo like that. so cool. you can see the new books that i will be sharing here on the blog in the photo!

 

i couldn't decide which book i wanted to share first! i love them all. but i decided on the one i finished up this morn. i named it "decor obsessed". i have been wanting to make a book like this for a looooong time. i am always saving home decor photos that i come across and that inspire me on my pc. when we get our next place, i finally want to decorate it the way i have always dreamed of. i can not freakin' wait! so i have been collecting all of these super inspiring photos and wanted a home for all of them in one place. something i can take with me even, when we start purchasing things for our new place. it will be cool to have it in the stores with me and be able to look at my ideas and what i want and see if something i am thinking of buying fits in with my theme. 

anyway, i am glad all of these wonderful little photos are all in one place now. just about all of the product i used for this mini is from studio calico. i love this line. it suited the book perfectly. this was my first order from studio calico. and it gotta say....i am hooked! i love the papers, stickers...the woodgrain alphas!!!! all of it. i am a huge fan now. 

my covers and some of the inside pages are adhered to 4x6 kraft chipboard. i love the way it adds some thickness to the book. i use chipboard and sometimes even cork throughout my mini's for that affect. 

gosh i love those papers. to get the title on my sticker i used for this cover, (i don't have a typewriter....yet. it's on my thrifting list!), i simply printed out what i wanted it to say on cardstock. then lined up my sticker on top and ran it through the printer again,then cut it out and glued it to my cover. a typewriter would make this whole process so much simpler for me so i am on a serious hunt for one. i would do all of my journaling on a typewriter if i had one. if you haven't noticed, i only use one font. teletype. i rarely stray from that font. it just works for me. and i like the unity it gives throughout my work and albums.

 

 

gosh i love it! adorableness. little books are my absolute favorite thing to make! 

i do have two layouts to share before i go. stop by tomorrow and check out my "adventures in seattle" mini book! have a great night.

     
            
 

sunday musings...........

hi y'all! hope your weekend has been absolutely fabulous. mine has been!

if you have a moment, go and check out for the luv of art. i will be designing for the site for the next six months. very excited about that!

make sure to check back here next week. i am going to be posting three different mini books i have made recently as well as techniques used in the books and some detailed info on the books. i can't wait to share them!!!!!

in the meantime here are two layouts i made while watching the real housewives of new jersey this morning! lol. i love that show. all reality tv really. 

  

sorry for the short post today....but i gotta run. don't forget to check back this week!

peace,

kate

hello friday!

and the weekend. nice.

there is actually sunshine today! after a long week of rain and cloudy skies i am a very happy girl today. 

my creative streak has continued. i made four layouts since yesterday. and two are 12x12. i never scrapbook that size. but i wanted to try. i think i did pretty good. i will share those later. i need some help in scanning them in. once i do that, i will share them here. i am curious to see what y'all think of them. the size of the paper intimidated me. those took me a while. 

i have a lot of projects "in progress". lol. i start something, then will get inspired to start another project....and so on. right now i am working on a mini book i am going to call "adventures in seattle", some garland i saw on the hambly blog, my atc spinner and a mini book for my baby, elliott. sigh. i need to finish what i start before beginning a new project. 

i did finish these 2 layouts. 8 1/2 by 11. still my preferred size.

  

i have a really great idea for a mini book class. i am putting together product and ideas and will let you know here once i have a coherent plan! :) i am really excited to do an online class again. they are my favorite.

i find that when i have a lot on my mind i become even more creative. i get lost in it. the art. the creating. and escape, sometimes, is a good thing. i have some things in my life that i need to face right now. i have a few rather large decisions that need to be made. about my life. and the direction of it. and i am struggling with those decisions. i sit down and start making stuff, and a few hours later i have a few pages done or a mini book and i also have a clear head. so this creative streak of late, has been very much needed.

i might be back later tonight with those 12x12s. hope you have a great friday and a great weekend!

leaving you with a few photographs.........

  

    

scrapbooking and other randomness

i am back again. so soon. i don't know if i can keep up my blogging stamina! lol. but lately i have been in such a creative mood and then i want to share what i make. so as long as the creative streak keeps up i guess you can expect to see me around here a lot. :)

i have had a nice lazy morning. listening to alicia keys on repeat. love that song "a woman's worth". just love it. it kinda inspired one of the layouts i am sharing today. this one.....

the journaling is about learning to love oneself. this is something i have struggled with the past few years. i was carrying around all this guilt over mistakes made in life, had been worn down from the demise of my marriage and what i went through with that....and was just feeling really really down about myself and who i was as a woman. and i started to accept treatment from others that i did not deserve. i stopped standing up for myself and allowed myself to be in an unhealthy relationship. to be walked all over. and it took me a long time, and the help of my therapist to realize it was because i didn't love myself anymore. this saying is oh so true.......

 

it's been a long hard journey getting back to a place of loving myself, who i am, again. and i'm still walking that path. still not completely where i want to be. but at least i am working on myself with an awareness now that i have to figure all this stuff out. these open wounds within myself have to be healed so that i can move on in peace. and having awareness is the first step towards fixing anything in life. you have to be aware there is a problem in the first place and what that problem is before you can do anything about it.

but i am SO thankful i am in a much better place now. things are moving in such a positive direction in my life and even though i still have a lot of work to do, i do love myself again. i had to let go of the past. let go of my mistakes and stop punishing myself for them. learn to stop worrying so much about the future and to enjoy the present moment. and most importantly, i had to learn to forgive myself. and all those who hurt me. 

alrighty then. enough deep stuffs! :) this layout of lily bean makes me SMILE! she's always good for that. i just looooooooooove how it came out.

  

and one for my boys.......

 

well i guess that's it this time around. see you soon! 

peace!