Ordinary Details » Scrapbooking

December Daily- December 1st

Amy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:29:36 +0000

It’s December Daily time again. I enjoyed this project so much last year that despite life’s chaos right now, I’m going for it again. It brought so much to the holiday season last year. I knew I needed to keep it simple so I created a basic design to be printed at home on 4X6 photo paper. This year is all about making these simple for me.

I don’t have real internet access these days (hoping that changes next week, she says crossing her fingers), so me and my cell may get behind in posting these. And these probably won’t be the normal quality images- I’ll be sure to post those when we get internet and update my layouts gallery. (You can see last year’s December Daily there or do a search here.) We also don’t have TV yet and I think that’s about to drive Cody crazy.

I also realize I haven’t shared the current chaos with you but this DD lets you in on some of it.

December Daily- December 1st is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Inspired: My Craft Channel

Amy — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:59:10 +0000

A new website launched last week and I’m finding myself really inspired by it. I’ve learned a number of things and now have several projects floating around in my head. The site is called My Craft Channel (www.mycraftchannel.com). Each weekday, there’s about thirty minutes of video- two different segments and a tip. Topics include sewing, baking/party throwing, scrapbooking, jewelry making, photography, and more.

I caught my first one on Tuesday- the Books & Crafts with Ella Publishing. Several scrapbook layouts came to mind as I watched- one of which is done and I’ll share it with you later this month. since Tuesday, I’ve made the show a part of my day- Cody comes home to watch PTI on ESPN, I settle in to watch my craft shows.

I’m really looking forward to this new part of my daily routine. Check it out! (You can go back and watch previous episodes too!)

Saturday, I went to Hobby Lobby to get some scrapbook paper and glue to the Book Binding technique that Heidi Swapp showed on her Create to Remember show.

Here’s the results:

This first book, I added calendars to- just printed some from Patti Knox/ Designer Digitals. I still plan to add some embellishments I’ll print from my digital supplies but I need to get printer ink first. I’m thinking I’ll use it for meal planning.

The second, I’ve no idea what I’ll do with it. I wanted to play with the different size pages. I did find it easier to line up edges by cutting them once adhered together- It would make things much easier to do them all after adhering them, I think. This was a case of just wanting to commit an idea to memory by actually doing it. I love the fun colors though.

I do wish I’d used something different for adhesive- Hobby Lobby didn’t have what Heidi used and I wasn’t entirely happy with what I did get. I did use my corner cutter to round the corners and loved the finished look it gave me.

For directions, check the episode out here.

Inspired: My Craft Channel is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Reflective Snapshots and Reflective Scrapbooking are now Ordinary Details

Amy — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:03:15 +0000

So, I’ve been working to merge things together and thinking about some things I’d like to do in the future. Add to that some thoughts I’ve had about life today and you get: Ordinary Details!

Reflective Snapshots and Reflective Scrapbooking will now be combined as Ordinary Details.

Being online for me has always been about sharing personal expression. I’ve seen several phases in my sharing and I think the overall contributer to that is change and growth. It’s interesting, to me, to see how we all find our way in life- especially our way online.

I’ll be blogging about the ordinary details of our every day life, making my hobbies a part of the ordinary, and, of course, my own personal thoughts about life- the joy of ordinary life. I’m hoping I’ll be sharing some scrapbooking freebies, tutorials, and more soon. I’m also wanting to share more recipes and ideas.

Now, if only I could finalize a design over here and get some pictures uploaded. I’ve got stuff I want to record here on my blog.

Reflective Snapshots and Reflective Scrapbooking are now Ordinary Details is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

A Week in the Life 2011

Amy — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:13:50 +0000

Late last month, I participated in documenting a week in my life. We were super busy finalizing a month and a half long project. For me, that meant keeping it really simple. I really love this project. I loved seeing the differences from last year to this year. I love getting to capture small tidbits that otherwise seem to get lost- like my love hate relationship with watching the X-games. What can I say, I just love simply capturing every day life.

Title/Intro Page for 2011

A lot of my pages captured all the things we checked off our to do list. This one also captured soemthing I’d forgotten how much I used to enjoy- sitting on the back porch reading and resting.

Monday seemed like a fitting day to reminisencse on the polka dotted sidewalk in our yard. (Many moons ago it seems, Billy, Cody, and I could do nothing but laugh as it was raining while we were pouring the concrete sometime after about 10 PM)

Oh Tuesday- this one was not our typical date night for sure.

Loved the Ryan Bingham album I downloaded on Wednesday.

Oh my gosh the fork incident. I could have filed this under the weird things I wonder category. . . .

Women really are smarter than men. Our locks were determined to show Cody that it seems.

I was so glad to get to Saturday. Cody was super glad to see his freedom to go on ride-a-longs return.

Back Cover Page:

Want to see my pages from last year? You can check them out here.

A Week in the Life 2011 is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

We’re All A Little Bit Crazy

Amy — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:41:47 +0000

I believe, no really, I know that all of us scrapbookers are just a little bit crazy. Not because we want to capture our memories. But we will go to “extreme” heights in order to do that.

Here’s case in point:

As a coach in Finding Photo Freedom, I’m doing blog posts for the class. I wrote today’s post about the importance of archiving. And then thought about the two things I would grab in case of fire etc- probably even before my pictures. My quilt that my best friend’s granny made me and my waffle iron. Literally, I’ve been known to put my waffle iron in our fireproof gun safe. I love it that much!

I realized I wasn’t sure if I even had pictures of my waffle iron. And if something did happen to it, I’d want to at least have a picture to remember it by. (And yes, I dread the day it stops working)

So, I set out to rectify that. I made my husband go to Wal-mart and get some buttermilk. So, I could make waffles. Not so I could eat them- but so I could shoot them with my camera. Of course, I did eat the waffle I made for dinner last night and will use the batter this morning for breakfast. I even purposefully over filled the waffle iron so that I could get it to overflow like I remember happening with mom’s when I was child.

The next thing I did as I thought about all the reason it was so important was go ahead and make this page.

Journaling Reads: This waffle iron is one of my two most prized physical possessions- seriously, It’s one of the first things I try to protect when a hurricane or wildfire comes our way and would be one of the first things I’d grab in a fire. You see, it’s probably not replaceable. It must be over 30 years old. I got this waffle iron from Aunt Elta’s house- oh how I loved that house growing up. I knew instantly I’d hit the jackpot when I found this waffle iron- it’s just like mom’s was. I cringe at the thought of the day that will inevitably come. The day when it won’t work anymore, it’s given me a couple of scares and we’ve had to replace the cord several times. I have so many memories wrapped up in this waffle iron. Memories of mom making waffles and watching (and silently hoping for a disaster) when the batter would ooze over as a child. Mom was good at that. Her waffle iron gave up the ghost a long time ago but it was nowhere near as perfectly seasoned as this one. It makes perfect waffles- all I have to do is whip up some homemade batter- never the powder mix. Mom spoiled us that way and I’ve passed that down to my nephew who can whip up his own batter. And of course, waffles always make a god dinner. This waffle iron is so very precious to me.

Supplies: Ali Edwards- template, twill, label; Carina Gardner- ribbon and papers; Anna Aspens- stitching; Splendid Fins- “lace”

What crazy things have you done to capture a story?

We’re All A Little Bit Crazy is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Beloved Waffle Iron of Mine

Amy — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 11:50:28 +0000

Have I ever told you about my waffle maker. It’s more precious to me that you might imagine. Ask me what I would take if I had 5 minutes to save stuff out of my house and my waffle maker would be #1 or 2 on the list. Seriously, I’m a bit crazy about it and the quilt that my Lisa’s granny made me. I’ve been known to put it in the fire-proof safe at times

This waffle iron is unlike most any other waffle iron- you’d be hard pressed to find one like it that works today.

Here’s I’ll let the layout do the talking.

(And yes, mom, I overflowed it just to capture that memory of something you almost always did!)

Beloved Waffle Iron of Mine is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

On the Scrapbook Front: Happenings You Might Not Want to Miss

Amy — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:16:27 +0000

Finding Photo Freedom- Registration Ends Saturday around Noon Central

I mentioned that I’ll be a coach in Finding Photo Freedom at Big Picture Classes. If you’re interested in telling you’re story through words and photos, I highly recommend this class- especially for all scrapbookers. You can read my posts about it here and here. You can register for the online class here.

Joplin Support

I woke up Sunday with Missouri on my mind. That’s when the inspiration for this layout about my Show-Me State nature hit me at 5:00 in the morning. I nearly finished this layout before church and finished it when we got home.

Less than a few hours from when I finished that layout, Joplin was hit with a tornado that killed over 100 people and wiped out a good part of the town. Cody and I typically go through Joplin on our way to Kansas City and one of the pictures in the landscape picture in this layout is from that drive. The bridge featured in this layout was part of our Route 66 windings that went right through Joplin where part of the tornado caused damage.

My cousin helped inspire me to do my own part to try to help the tornado victims up there. And, so, I’ve decided to donate proceeds from sales of my digital scrapbook supplies and created a digital kit that will be available throughout the summer will benefit Joplin. You can read all about how I’m working those details out here. I’m also doing two digital scrapbook webinars today and tomorrow to kick it all off. If you even just want to see how I put my layouts together, I encourage you to sign up for one or both- they’re free. You can read about them and find the links to register for them here.

On the Scrapbook Front: Happenings You Might Not Want to Miss is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

My Little “Vacation” Coming to a Close

Amy — Mon, 23 May 2011 01:22:11 +0000

Well, my scrapbook “vacation” is coming to a close and it’s back to work I go. Of course, I’ll keep on scrapbooking. I’ve got several stories on the brain that I want to tell. My scrapbooking in teh last two weeks was interupted by the book “The Wilder Life” (Love it, read it in a day, and hope to post more abou it.) and SFA’s last home games.

Here’s a look at the pages I’ve done since I last posted.

I did a couple from last year’s balloon races.

I took this first page and updated it and then added a second page to this old layout so that I could tell the story that I didn’t tell way back when I originally did the layout.

Then there’s this one. . . . So in love with it and all the pictures over time. It’s been on my brain since February. But, if I’d done it then, I wouldn’t have had the pics of me and my uncle or the others from cooking with folks that week.

Then there’s this one. . . it hit me at 5 this morning. So, I got up at 5:30 and had it nearly completed before it was time for church.

My Little “Vacation” Coming to a Close is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Scrapbook Escape

Amy — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:14:16 +0000

It seems I was handed a chance to scrapbook more! Ok, perhaps, I’d trade teh office for the couch but at least I can manuever the laptop so that I can scrapbook. Here’s the pages I’ve created over the weekend and yesterday.

Scrapbook Escape is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

It’s All About You!

Amy — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:22:18 +0000

Yesterday, I shared with you some thoughts about how my pages are “All About Me” even though the story may not be about me. Today, I thought I delve into that a little more and then ask you to do the same with your pages.

I’ll share five basic facts about me and five character traits represented in my pages- ones that I wouldn’t classify as being “All About Me”.

Basic Facts:

1) TV Shows- I love NCIS. I shared this layout yesterday but it bears repeating. I also used to watch 90210.

2) I’m a hockey fan (and a Nascar fan, somewhat, and a huge Baseball fan.)

3) I get headaches.

4) I like genealogy and history.

5) I like to drink cokes.

also confirmed in this layout:

Character Traits

1) I’m a geek. . . as shown in this layout about having more memory on my SD card than my brother and getting shots of him without his camera.

2) I wouldn’t be caught dead in a shirt that read “Wanna See My Tattoo” or “Seriously” (But I have a best friend that wears them all the time.)

3) I believe there’s more than one way to measure winning and success.

4) My Christian Faith- see above or this layout or several others:

5) I appreciate and am grateful for many things- big and small

Now, it’s your turn:

What five basic facts and five character traits are resprsented about in your pages- the ones that you wouldn’t classify as being “All About Me”? Feel free to share in the comments or add a post to your blog and share a link below.

It’s All About You! is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

It’s All About Me!

Amy — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:11:06 +0000

While checking out the forums at Big Picture Classes, I came across a post about how to get more “you” in your pages. It is something worth thinking about. It made me think about how there’s an unwritten rule that you need to do pages all about yourself. Or at the very least, it’s a topic of discussion that seems to have some pressure. It’s another thing we “worry” our minds with. Maybe it’s my Show-Me State birth, but I get wary when anyone tells me there’s something I should do in my hobby- prove to me why. You see a “should” is a “have to” and there aren’t any “have to’s” in scrapbooking no matter what anyone, myself included, tells you.

But, I want to be in my scrapbooks so it bears thinking about. Sure there are things that inspire me to want to do pages that are solely about me. And there are often valid reasons behind why people want to do so- often they wish they knew little facts about people they knew or wish they’d known. They want to leave that same information about themselves for future generations. And, I think it’s the desire to leave something behind that adds to the pressure to do pages “All About Me”. . . . we lose sight of the fact that we scrapbook because we enjoy it and start to think about things beyond our control- after all someone else would have to read our pages down the road.

There was an lightbulb blinding me though as I thought about the post. I paused and thought about the pages that I’ve classified as “All About Me”, I couldn’t help but think that IT IS All About Me! Each page I scrapbook has a piece of me and tells you more about me- regardless of what its about. Perhaps “All About Me” is often thought about as “Just About Me”.

I choose the stories that I want to tell- that says something about me. I tell the stories- Me, from my own perspective! I use my words, my mannerisms come through on the pages. What’s important to me, my values, the things I do, my relationships, etc- it’s all there in those pages.

So, I’m shining all the way through- each page tells about me no matter what the topic may be- each page is literally about me.

So, I start with the story I’m inspired to tell- I don’t fret about making a page about me. Sometimes the story I’m inspired to tell actually is really very clearly about me. . . like this story about my love for banana cake (or that I make my favorite cake following a bout to eat healthy because the bananas ripen so fast). . . . but none the less they tell about me.

You can read the journaling/story for this one here.

But the majority of my pages aren’t solely about me. They are about things and people that make me who I am today disquised as ”simple little stories” that we don’t think about being about ourselves.

It says something about me that I wanted to tell this story and feature three photos of my nephew doing the same thing at different ages. I can be sentimental and I appreciate seeing the world through someone else’s eyes. Yet this layout isn’t “All About Me”.

This story is all about how I forgot to unplug the truck one morning. Thought it’s not about me, I’m shining all the way through it. It tells about my life- and it tells that I like to capture little things. There are facts about me nestled in this story as well- I drove a truck, I worked, turkey season was a part of my life, I missed my husband when he was gone- and that I’m forgetful and sometimes overly anxious. . . . and that I had a husband who loved me and appreciated those facts.

Journaling reads: “It was the week before turkey season began. “Cody went out the deer lease on a Thursday evening to go scout for turkey with David Whitehouse. I stayed home. Before he left, Cody asked if I wanted him to plug in the truck. Since I knew I’d forget to do it later on, I said yes. I don’t sleep well when Cody’s gone and Thursday night was no exception. But, I had to go work, so I got up and got ready. On the way to work, I turned on the heater. . that’s when it hit me. . . “Cody said he was going to plug the truck in.” My thoughts raced. I don’t remember seeing it plugged in. Do I turn around? What if it messed up the plug on the truck? or the garage or outlet? Surely I would have noticed the cord. When I got to work, the first thing I did was to check the plug on the truck. It was all tucked away. . “good I thought, he must have forgotten.” I wondered and worried about it though all morning long. I didn’t want to call Cody for feat they’d be on some turkeys when I did. So, I waited. He finally called after 10:0 sometime. I asked if he’d forgotten to plug in the truck. He said no, he remembered. I came clean about my omission earlier that morning. He went home to check on things before he came to work. He later said he started to get mad but could tell I was really worried. As he thought about it more, it was funny to him. I was so relieved when he called and said things were fine at the house. Note to Self: Don’t Forget to Unplug the Truck.”

This layout, written about my brother’s bladder on a road trip, actually is quite telling about me and how I relate to my brother.

Journaling Reads: To my baby brother,We went out to eat today. You set yourself up for a reminder of one of your finest moments when you said you’d had too much tea. I couldn’t help it. I was reminded of the call you had to make to Tracy. It’s funny to look back at these pictures and see how young you look. It doesn’t really seem like we’ve aged that much since 2004 but I guess we have. Of course, these pics are from several days after the infamous incident. We all got such a laugh out of you that night we drove 17 hours straight to Tampa. It was hilarious when you said you had to go potty and asked us to call Tracy and them in the other vehicle. Oh no, we weren’t going to call because you couldn’t hold your bladder. Of course, we made you call and had quite a laugh at your expense. We’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of that moment for many years now. Love, Your Sister- who will be reminding you of this incident for many years to come.

You’ll even find some of those things you might see on an All About Me page found elsewhere in my layouts. I can think of at least three right of the top of my head that mention TV shows I’ve loved. Here’s an example- I think it tells you more than if I’d done a layout about my love for NCIS. . . .

Journaling Reads: The mystery became our case when we came around the corner and did not see any deer feeder. It took some serious sleuthing to find it. Our only clues- feeder legs and some mechanism parts. The hogs left a trail of parts leading towards the road and we used our best N.C.I.S. skills to find the feeder barrel which was dragged almost to the road. I took crime scene photos as we went. Gibbs trained us well.

Here’s the thing, though, my pages tell my life from my perspective. I whole hardly believe it’s the only story I can tell. . . . my story. Even if it’s about something with my nephew like the layout above or something that my brother did- I can only tell my perspective about it.

Let’s think of this another way. When you read a book, there may be a few lines about what a character looks like other traits about them (i.e. what they like, what they may do, etc.). But you don’t know the character through those lines, you know them through the whole story- how they think, how they react, how they handle other people, etc. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say about me being represented in my pages.

That story you read in a book may be fiction- but in our case, if we stick to what we know, what we see, what we feel- we stick to telling the stories we choose to tell from our hearts, then this story is even better becuase it’s not fiction. That story will tell more about you than any page about your love for _____ (insert your favorite dessert) could ever tell.

Even if I never did a page about how I like banana cake but rather always scrapbooked stories involving other people in my life. . . as long as I tell that story from my perspective- as long as I’m true to the one creating the pages- I’m going to be respresented in my pages- You’re going to know who I am.

So how do I incorporate pages about me into my albums? I simply scrapbook the story that’s calling me when I decide to do a layout. I feel confident that in telling those stories, I’m going to be well included.

It’s All About Me! is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Warm-Up Songs

Amy — Wed, 04 May 2011 07:11:28 +0000

If you’ve read any of my personal blog it’s no secret that I’m a huge baseball fan. As of late, I’m most enjoying our local college team. Loving it! I’ve made nearly every home game this season and can’t wait until this weekend when we play our “arch-rivals”- Slam Sam!.

There’s a song by one of my favorite singer song-writers with a line that says “I don’t believe in everything like the designated hitter”. It’s a line that always resonates with me. Another thing I don’t believe in is walk-up songs. This trend in playing songs as players come to bat only emphasizes the “I” and not the team. But they still get stuck in my head.

This last weekend’s games were really exciting. Sunday we came back from an 11-1 near catastrophe that went down hill quickly and in the ninth with the score tied and runners on we brought Jason West on the mound. As he came in his song, “Flowers” by Moby came on. And I realized there is something about that song when he comes on the mound. Truth be told I think it’s more the way he comes on- with little doubt that this sidewinder is ready to get down to business. As the ball hums, the up and down lyrics make you think about batters coming up to the plate and being sat down. The situation, his demeanor, and the song just get you pumped up.

By now, if you’ve stayed with me, you’re probably thinking all this baseball talk belongs on my personal blog and not here. But, after researching the song, downloading it, and wondering how this 20 year old kid chose a version of this song that came out over 10 years ago, my thoughts turned. The moment in the ballgame just impresses me. The song starts to amp you up because you know whose on the mound, you know it’s a high pressure situation, and you know West is ready to work. I thought about how we can apply that in other parts of our life. I’ll certainly be adding the song to my workout rotation. But, I think I’m going to start listening to it when I begin to work on scrapbooking or photos. I want that feeling that it’s time to get to work and have some fun.

So, what song can you play when you start scrapbooking that will get you pumped up, ready to settle in for some fun?

For pitchers they usually call this sing their warm-up song.

A song, a routine- they help set the mood and the tone. They set your body and mind into motion and down the path you want to take. They help you envision what you want to accomplish. It’s the case for Jason West when all his preparation leads him onto the mound, in the game, and throwing that first pitch into the catcher (let’s hope it’s a strike). Consider how you prepare to scrapbook- do you have a routine? A go-to set of actions that get you started- hopefully without much thought. For me, it may be that I get the programs I want open, settle in a story/picture(s) I want to tell, and choose a template- all without to much thought- just doing it. It’s not always that way, I might get hung on what to scrapbook- but like a pitcher has go to stuff he’ll use when he’s not at his best, so do I. Often I’ll go to a particular area of pics and just choose a story- or I might work in editing/organizing. But there’s a routine when I start, a warm-up.

PS We won it in the tenth when the “improbable” became the hero to score the winning run. Another great moment to savor and ponder. Jason West got the win. (And yes, the two songs mentioned here couldn’t be more different- I’m just that way.)

Warm-Up Songs is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Lessons From The Past- The Little Black Book

Amy — Tue, 03 May 2011 22:38:47 +0000

I thought today, I might share a winded twisted tale. One of Family History. But also of lessons learned for my own personal scrapbooking and telling my own story- through a man I never got the chance to meet.

My husband’s Grandfather, Robert, kept a scrapbook with pictures mainly from the early 1930′s. It’s a black scrapbook with black photo corners and white writing that I scanned to my computer one year when we were visiting family. That’s him. . . . gasp- there’s a lot of pictures of him in the scrapbook (often with other people. I wish I was as good about making sure I was in the pictures!)

I’ve always adored this little album of pictures. There’s scenery from all over the United States- Kentucky, Chicago, Texas, California, Spokane, Arizona. Perhaps I should re-phrase that “scenery”- true there are mountains, the dessert, and the Grand Canyon, but there’s more “people scenery” than landscape scenery. In almost all the pictures, regardless where they are taken, are people. And, by far, most of those pictures are young women. I love the clothing and the hairstyles, the vehicles, the hats, the suits. They’re just a fun bunch of pictures- a glance at a different time.

Almost all the pictures are labeled with a combination of the people’s names, the year, and the location. Through the pictures, you can get a little glimpse into who he was. I love that he took the time to label the pictures. It even helped me prove that the 1930 census record for Phoenix in which I found a Robert Jenkins living as a boarder was actually my husband’s grandfather who lived in Kentucky and then moved to El Paso. You see, I have pictures of his fellow boarders all in Phoenix and at the Grand Canyon. . . . so it was through those labels that I could prove that it was him on that 1930 census. And the two pieces of information together help tell a little bit more of the story. I recongize that I’d like to be sure to label as many folks in my pictures as possible and have begun keywording them.

But, it’s only names, years, and location. Nothing More. So, it leaves a lot up to the imagination. I mean, there are women and lots of women, for goodness sakes. Was he a total flirt? Was he the friend that all the girls liked but never loved? Or was he the guy with a gals in every port? Were these labeled pictures really his little black book to help him remember who was who? We’ll never know more than names, years, and locations. But we do know he knew the ladies.

It helps me remember that I want to be sure to tell the story in my scrapbook pages- not just the facts or a quote- but the story.

This little album came to mind while I was doing some genealogy research recently. I was fully emerged in one of my favorite research past times- the old newspapers. Thankfully, El Paso has many of them online. I can get so lost in those newspapers- they’re another glimpse back into time- I’ll get lost in the advertisements and the news stories. I’ll wonder what it would be like if our comings and goings were announced as social events in the paper (oh, I forget we have Facebook- but it’s not as high society sounding, is it?).

So there I was when I found this social happening article about a party thrown for the bride-to-be of Robert Jenkins, Son of Mr. and Mrs. C E Jenkins. Well, given that his father was Charles Edward Jenkins, you can imagine that my interest was peaked. It was REALLY peaked. . . you see that bride-to-be’s name was Hazel which wasn’t my husband’s grandmother. . . . and this was only a few years before they had their first child. My head was spinning. I kept researching until I was able to determine that yes, that Robert Jenkins was my husband’s grandfather. I found where he and the Mysterious woman Hazel were married in December 1934 and then where they filed for Divorce in December 1936. Just a few months later, I know he married my husband’s grandmother.

I couldn’t wait to delve into the scanned images I had of that scrapbook. I just couldn’t wait to see where Hazel was in the album. You can imagine my disappointment when there were no pictures of Hazel. Why was she not in the album? It only left more questions about this marriage no one living knew anything about. I wondered if she broke his heart. I wondered if he’d fallen deeply in love with someone else, perhaps my husband’s grandmother. I wondered if he’d been on the road a lot. Had they just drifted apart? I wondered if their worlds were just too different. I’ll never know.

It only confirmed that I want to include the full story in my storytelling- the good and the bad. I don’t want to create an album missing what had to be a significant time period. And while I may not tell that story on a scrapbook page, I can always share it in a journal or a blog post. Even though I know back then there was a stigmatism associated, I’m sure, with their short lived marriage, today we, his family, want to know more. We’re not judgemental. . . we just want to know the story. . . we want to know him better. I want to know how it shaped and formed him and his future relationships. I know this was a part of his life and made him a part of who he was.

I hope that you’ll consider just how you’re including your entire story in your story telling process and learn a lesson from this man’s little black book. Life shapes us and bad times and/or bad relationships remain a part of who we are long after they’re gone.

Lessons From The Past- The Little Black Book is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

Exciting News: Join Me for Finding Photo Freedom

Amy — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:05:27 +0000

So, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the chance to announce this and encourage you to join me for Finding Photo Freedom. Finding Photo Freedom is the 2011 version Library of Memories taught by Stacy Julian. I took Library of Memories for the first time last year- right after I’d gotten back into scrapbooking. It was clear to me then that I needed a better way to handle my pictures. . . . the sheer volume and the month-to-month albums of pictures were clearly slowing me down. . . . keeping me from telling my stories- here on this blog and in my scrapbook pages.

This system originally began for paper scrapbooking but when I took the class I set out to make the system mine- and that meant digitally. The class works for all scrapbookers and truly, I think anyone interested in telling their stories. (Even if that’s on facebook or in a blog). It’s allowed me to focus on the stories that I want to tell- especially those priority stories- the ones I never want to forget.

This year, Stacy asked me to be one of the coaches for Finding Photo Freedom and I couldn’t be more excited. I love this system! I want to encourage you to sign up and join us for what can be a storytelling life changing experience. I’ve seen in my own scrapbooking life and the hobbies of other alumni.

Exciting News: Join Me for Finding Photo Freedom is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary

And Winning the Sinton Paper Collection is. . .

Amy — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:02:22 +0000

Margie:

“You are so talented! I love all the digi work that you have done. That paper collection is gorgeous. I am comforted just by reading all you have to say about home. It sounds so soothing. Thanks for participating in the blog hop! xxxx Margie
PS My word is serendipity”

I’ve emailed Margie with to get her the collection. She was the lucky one with #7. I used Random.Org to randomly draw a number among the comments. You can see the result here.

And Winning the Sinton Paper Collection is. . . is a post from: Ordinary Details - The Joy of Ordinary