Just Telling Our Story

Introducing Pixels and Pix - and my first kit for sale!

I am so excited to announce that I have a digital scrapbooking kit for sale! And I have a new business to sell it!

My business is called Pixels and Pix Digital Design by Corie Farnsley. (If you're not a digital scrapbooker or inclined to do much design for the web, the word "pixels" probably isn't a part of your daily vocabulary like it is for me.) Basically, the combination of pixels (the little dots that combine to make images on your screen) and pix (pictures, of course) is the base for my favorite hobby ever: digital scrapbooking.

My business for now will be focused on selling digital scrapbooking kits. But in the future, I also plan to sell layered photoshop templates for scrapbook layouts as well as a couple of other projects I have made for myself but that might be useful for other scrapbookers. So stay tuned for those developments in the future!

My first kit is actually a series of kits called Graphic Nature. It includes:

• A paper pack with 18 papers
• Three element packs loaded with elements and an alpha set
• A Mega Pack (shown at left), which includes all four kits mentioned above (paper and elements)

Graphic Nature is a kit inspired by the colors we most frequently find in nature - greens, blues, browns and creams. I have found over the years of doing digital scrapbooking that finding kits with these bold, rich colors is actually not an easy task! Yet, I have thousands of photos of my family hiking in state parks, vacationing in Colorado and working in the woods at our lot that really call for great papers in these rich, natural tones. So I decided I would make a kit myself!

I think you will find the kit to be very affordable, and if you are a paper scrapbooker already, you'll find that going the digital route can be much more affordable than paper! (Although, I will admit that learning digital scrapbooking is a bit of a time commitment. For that, I'd highly recommend taking a class or two at JessicaSprague.com!)

Anyway, read more about my brand-new kit on my brand-new blog for my brand–new business! And watch that blog for more about digital scrapbooking. I don't know how much longer this blog will be active. I'm considering making my new blog my primary one. So if you subscribe to the RSS feed or e-mail notifications for this blog, you might want to do so for my new one as well!

Join me in a big happy dance as I launch my first product! I am SUPER excited! :o)

(Oh, and if you're wondering where the "graphic" part of the name comes from: It's from my scrapbooking style. I would be a considered a graphic-style scrapbooker, meaning my lines are usually clean, I don't typically tilt my photos, I like simplicity and I am attracted to rich colors. So, since the theme is nature and the style is graphic, we have "Graphic Nature.")

Grungy

I have always been what I would call a simple, graphic-style scrapbooker. My layouts are almost always completely linear -- with strong horizontal and vertical lines and very few crooked photos in sight. Embellishments are simple, few and far between. My favorite scrapbook designer of all time is Cathy Zielske, with Becky Higgins (picture simple sketches from Creating Keepsakes from what seems like long ago) and Ali Edwards so, so close in the ranks. I love them, because they're just my style - simple, clean, classic. I just can't get enough of that style in my albums.

I like to focus on the photos and typography, I guess.

But, enter a new class I am taking from Jessica Sprague, Digi: In Deeper (a birthday gift from my hubby). We're only three days in, mind you, but I might be falling in love with the "grungy" style of scrapbooking. Here's my first page exploring this style.

I like it.

Note the brush strokes on all sides of the photos and the messy, uneven, unpredictable borders on the main photo. Heck, there's even a photo cocked ever-so-slightly to the side. Soooo not like me.

But, again: I like it.

Will I ever do this style again? Only time will tell. Honestly, it's time-consuming and leaves a lot to the creativity of the designer. And frankly, I am feeling a little limited in the creativity department lately, at least when it comes to scrappin'. But it's been a fun stretch of my little comfort zone, and it's worth playing around with.

And geez, after wandering the Internet for more than an hour this morning, checking out all of the Photoshop brushes and textures available for free by way-too-kind designers all over the world, I'm pretty sure I could have some fun.

Soaking it all in

Ah, moments like these remind me of why I love being a mom.

Journaling:

I just can’t get enough of moments like this. The two of you are snuggled together on G’s top bunk, reading one of my favorite children’s books, Bats at the Library. E, you’re only 5 and you’re just learning to read simple words. G, you’re becoming quite the pro at reading, and I love that you’re taking the time to read to your little sister. You’re doing a great job, and she’s loving you for it. You two are so lucky to have each other. I look forward to many more moments like this to come.

Sources:

• Frame: Katie Pertiet, Curled Photo Frame, DesignerDigitals.com
• Yellow and white background papers: KTeague, Dirty Stocks kit, TwoPeasinaBucket.com
• Fonts: Chunk Five (title) and my handwriting

Lost motivation...found.

(A little of what we've been up to lately.)

Well, it doesn't take the most alert person in the world to discover I've been missing from the blogging scene in a while. Yes, it's been far too long since my last post. Yes, I am aware that a blog is only interesting if one updates it on occasion. Yeah, I know. But for many, many weeks now, I just haven't been feeling it. I haven't felt like blogging. I haven't felt like scapbooking. I haven't felt like doing much of anything but taking a break when I found some free time on my hands. And free time? It's a luxury around here.

Life has been busy. Like it is for everyone else I know, life is always busy. The kids are both in soccer. My son is in baseball, too. They're both in school all day, every day. I'm working a new schedule that is taking some getting used to. I don't have Fridays off anymore, and that's throwing me for a loop. I also stop working a couple of hours earlier than I'm used to, when the kids come home from school, which means I'm working more evenings after they go to bed to make up the time. We're lucky to get laundry done, get to the grocery, clean the toilets on occasion, clear (or just move) the mail and newspapers and kids' schoolwork and random toys off the kitchen table long enough to eat a meal or two, get the kids to school on time, get our work done, get showers every day, etc. There just hasn't been a lot of time for doing the fun stuff, the creative stuff I need in order to keep my sanity.

Add to that the fact that my weekly routine of planned, scheduled scrapbook time with friends, which has been on my personal calendar since shortly after I got married 11 years ago (albeit with an ever-changing group of friends!), came to an abrupt halt recently, and the fact that my regular source of inspiration (my scrapbook magazines) have suddenly dropped from 10 and 12 to six and eight issues a year, and my creative juices have been suddenly sitting idle, longing for a little stir now and then.

I've been feeling the effects. I know I need a little creative time nearly every day to keep myself feeling square with the world. Not scrapbooking or making time to learn more about photography or take photos of my kids or organize my ever-expanding photo library has left me feeling blah.

But just in the last week or two, that little creative spark has returned. I can't put my finger on why. Maybe I just needed a little break after all of these years of scrapping. Maybe I just needed to settle into our new school-year routine. Maybe my brain finally got in synch with my body again. Who knows? But you know what? It feels good. I hope to be back to scrappin' and back to bloggin' with some sort of regularity again soon. Just not this week - or next. Work duties call, and I'm on deadlines! But I have a feeling the passion has returned...and will be sticking around for a while. So I'll find a way to squeeze 'em in.

*****

Scrapbook page sources:

• Chalkboard paper and pencil: Old School kit, Marcee Duggar, The Digital Scrapbook Place.
• Pink papers: Katie Pertiet, Catch a Rainbow, DesignerDigitals.com.
• Fonts: Marker Felt (headline and date line), unknown body font (I accidentally flattened my PSD and can't go back to find out!)

PS All of those odd white spaces in the journaling are where I've blocked out my daughter's friend's names and some other personal identifying stuff. Can't be too careful about privacy these days, right?

A week in our life

Well, once again, life has trumped blogging in my little corner of the world. I can't complain; I've been blessedly busy -- mostly with work, but also with sports, the end of the school year and 100 other things. It got me thinking, actually, that my scrapbooks only really document the leisurely things we do as a family and with our friends -- but have never addressed how busy our lives really are with all of the other stuff we do.

So I decided to document our real life - from the perspective of time on the calendar. This two-page spread will need a one-pager to introduce it and explain what I just said above (and include a few photos from the week), but that's for another day.

 

(The above image doesn't get much larger when you click on it. Try clicking on the individual pages below for legible journaling.)

 

For the scrapbookers out there, if you haven't documented a week in your life, I'd highly recommend it! Documenting our life in this way made me realize why I feel so worn out and somehow validated my feeling that way! Plus, I know our lives are constantly changing, and next year, our routine will be vastly different! (In fact, with this being the first week of summer vacation, our morning routine has actually changed this week over last week.) And some day, when I'm retired and wondering what to do with my time, I can look back on this layout and realize I should just be thankful for the gift of time.

If you're interested in how other scrappers have approached this topic, check out a couple of my favorites:

• Ali Edwards: Week in the Life (explanation and finished project)
• Cathy Zielske: The Monthly (buy it!)

Enjoy!

From first tooth in to first tooth out

I always wanted to do a page like this with my son (he lost his first tooth last year), but never have gotten around to it. So happy to see this page come together. Just happened to get a fun shot of E's toothless grin today and had to scrap it. :o)

Journaling:

AT FIVE MONTHS OLD (FIRST TOOTH IN: JULY 29, 2005)

• Can sit up on her own for many seconds...a long time!
• Is mobile! Rolls from side to back (almost belly to back).
• Reaches arms out to Daddy when he reaches for her.
• Grabs Mommy’s cheeks and pulls her to her for a kiss!
• Bottom two teeth come in at once. Bottom center left one coming in faster.
• Laughs hardest when Gabe does something silly.
• One month later (six months): 19 lbs., 13 oz. • 28 in. tall

AT FIVE YEARS OLD (FIRST TOOTH OUT: MARCH 24, 2010)

• Can sit and play for long periods of time.
• Is mobile! Loves riding her bike, running, swimming, walking, playing!
• Loves for Daddy to hold her, especially on his shoulders.
• Tells Mommy she “can’t stop hugging [me]!” at night. Love it!
• Bottom two teeth loose at once. Bottom right center came out first.
• Gets maddest when Gabe does something that annoys her.
• At the doctor in March: 50 lbs. (not sure of height!)

Supplies:
Fonts: Rockwell ("from/to first tooth") and Louisiana ("in" and "out")

Shop. Play. Create!

If the thought of digital scrapbooking has your interest piqued but you don't know where to start, try downloading some kits (there are plenty of free ones from which to choose) and just jumping right in. You have to get your hands dirty to plant flowers, right? Well, you have to start somewhere if you want to scrapbook! I find having a few new supplies on hand is always a great way to be inspired to play.

(one of my all-time favorite kits, Happy Go Lucky, from Shabby Princess)

Here are a few of my favorite online sources for digital scrapbooking kits:

• Shabby Princess - go download all of these free kits NOW. This is one princess you'll never get sick of! :o)
• Designer Digitals - you could get lost for hours in this store. TONS of great kits. I have a jillion of them bookmarked in a folder called "Kits I'd like to buy." Some of my favorite designers (Cathy Zielske, Ali Edwards, for two) sell their products here.
• The Shabby Shoppe
• Digital Scrapbooking Freebies
• Sweet Shoppe Designs
• Digital Design Essentials
• Digital Scrapbooking Studio
• Digital Scrapbook Place
• Scrapbook-Bytes
• Three Paper Peonies
• Polka Dot Potato
• Two Peas in a Bucket
• Peppermint Creative
• Cottage Arts

Googling "digital scrapbooking kits" should lead you to lots more sources!

Oh, and if you're interested in subscribing to a blog that aggregates dozens of the digital freebies on the Web every day, you need to visit www.craftcrave.com.

Sometimes they love each other

Today was filled with lots of moments when they weren't quite so lovey with each other. (I'd rather see moments like this one, trust me!) It didn't keep us from having a good day, though. It's been nice to have two days off of work for the kids' spring break. We've all needed it!

Journaling:

OK, so I know having each other as siblings won’t always make you this happy (it certainly hasn’t always to date), but the fact that there are, in fact, moments like these...well, it just makes me happy. I love seeing you having fun and loving each other. Thank you for sharing that love with me.

Supplies:

• File tab and journaling block background: Aidan Bundle, retrodiva designs
• Fonts: Sweetheart script ("sweet"), ChunkFive ("sibs") and Avenir (journaling)

A few favorite sources of inspiration (for the scrapbookers out there)

Thought I'd share a few of my favorite sources of inspiration for those of you who are just getting started with scrapbooking or digital scrapbooking (or those of you who have been doing it forever!).

Favorite scrapbooking blogs

These are blogs I check regularly. They have amazing ideas. I can't tell you how many of Cathy's ideas I have marked as "must do" in my list of things to scrap! :o)

• Cathy Zielske. I LOVE her simple scrapbook style, her witty writing style and that she combines digital and paper scrapbooking (called "hybrid" scrapbooking). She also has some great tutorials if you watch her blog regularly. Her two books, the Clean and Simple duo, are two of my all-time favorites. She has links on her blog about those. Get 'em if you can! Also, be sure to check out her digital designs at Designer Digitals.
• Ali Edwards. I love her style, and she offers some great tutorials, too. She does everything from traditional scrapbook pages to designing digital products (for Designer Digitals) to putting together mini books that combine junk mail, photos and memories. Very creative person. On a side note, I have actually met her. I took a class from her several years ago. She's just awesome. Down to earth. Hip. Laid-back. Fun. Has an admirable "no-sweat" approach to scrapbooking. I think you'll love her stuff.
• Becky Higgins. Becky used to do a series of sketches in Creating Keepsakes that I absolutely LOVED. She had a couple of books of sketches, too, which are fantastic. Her regular scrapbooking style is one of my favorite ever. Unfortunately, she's gotten away from this a bit lately and isn't doing traditional scrapbooking anymore (at least that she shares). Instead, she's taken a new approach. I share this blog because, if the thought of "traditional" scrapbooking scares you or you don't think you have time to scrapbook, you might be interested in her Project Life approach.
       I'd first say, though, that, at least in theory, you have time to do whatever you MAKE time to do. I really shouldn't have time to scrapbook, but I make time because I love it. If you have a hobby at all - gardening, cooking, reading, knitting, sewing, photography, hiking, playing sports, working out, whatever - you have made time to enjoy it. You could have time to scrapbook, if you decide you love it and want to make time. Just jump in and do it! There are no rules for being or staying "caught up" - I only know one person who can claim she is completely "caught up" with her kids' books. Everyone else I know just does what they want when they want to. It's perfectly OK if the rest of your photos and memories never make it into books or even into prints from the photo lab. It doesn't have to be a stressful hobby.
       (That said, I completely understand that traditional scrapbooking can feel overwhelming at first, so maybe Project Life is something that would be easier for you to do and enjoy. You don't have to make it as complicated as a photo a day. You can mold it into whatever you'd like.)
       This long-winded explanation is my way of saying that I share this blog to give you another option for scrapbooking. Any way you save your memories is a good way. Find what works best for you.
• Creating Keepsakes. I love this magazine, and they have some generally interesting topics on their blog, too. They have an inspiration jump-starter each week that gets the creative gears going on a Monday morning.

More scrapbooking blogs

These are some other good blogs, although I admit I don't follow them as regularly. (That's only because I have too many scrapbooking, photography, friends', etc. blog subscriptions to possibly keep up! You might find some great inspiration on these.) If you're looking for even more blogs, just leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I have subscribed to many more blogs I could share with you, too!

• Rebecca Cooper
• Lisa Bearson
• Shabby Princess
• Shutterfly Digi Scrap
• Elizabeth Kartchner
• Stacy Julian
• Jennifer McGuire (she's more of a cardmaker, but you can find some ideas that translate to scrapbooking, too)
• Jessica Sprague
• Ella Publishing Co.

If you need a way to keep track of all of the blogs you stumble upon, I'd highly recommend Google Reader. I have it set as my home page, so every time I start Firefox, the newest posts to my favorite blogs are immediately ready to read. Check it out.

Hope you find something interesting! If you have other favorite blogs you follow, or if you stumble upon any others, please share in the comments section or send me an e-mail. I'd love to find more fun blogs to read!

Oh, baby!

A page to share:

 
This is one of those old favorite photos of my little girl that I somehow have never gotten around to scrapbooking. She was just one year old here...seems like such a long time ago! (Now barely 5, she just lost her first tooth! My, how time has flown by with my little kiddos.)

Supplies:

• Papers: mITSYBELLE (Love Blossoms and Awaken kits), www.digitalscrapbookingstudio.com
• Tag: Heather Ann Designs (Americana Mini Kit)
• Stitching: Grandmastemplates.blogspot.com (JL Salem Hills High School kit)
• Fonts: CK Jot ("oh..."), Avenir (journaling), headthinker ("baby"), 2Peas Oh Baby (flowers at top right)