Scrapbook the Everyday

 

This video was shared to me by my mom. Who no surprise is my everyday inspiration. She’s the one who taught me to hold scissors, to love paper, to create. She’s the one 34 years later who still reminds me to find my inspiration in the everyday.

I have to say this 13 minute and 38 second video was a.maz.ing. At the 2:50 mark my jaw fell open and I said out loud in a room by myself “OMG. WHY haven’t I done that with my pictures?! A DRAWER!!”

With out giving to much more away, I’ll let you watch it. I will tell you it’s worth it. If you scrapbook, and your stuck. THIS is the video to watch. I know I’ll be watching this one over. And over again.

Be sure to let yourself forget how supplies are supposed to be used. Be proud of your craft, your hobby. Even if you teach Sea Monkey’s to jump over the toaster. And after you watch her video again, and again. Go visit her site at Shimelle.com.

I’m going to the art room, inspired and excited.

Happy Creating!!

JCat McGack

EVOLUTION OF A SCRAPBOOKER

"CUT a picture? You've got to be kidding!""Well those sure are cute pages. I'm not that creative." "You have IDEA BOOKS? Let me see.""I guess I'll need an album, some adhesives, and paper."
"Oh, and I'll also need some templates, stickers, die cuts, and one of those trimmer things."
"I can't get my page to look exactly like the one in the book!"
"You mean I have to write in my album? I will need some pens. What should I write?"
"I finished my first page. Do you like it?"
"You know I have a ton of zoo pictures, and Jr. needs his school pages done; I need another album and some more paper."
"You have printed paper? And precut paper? I'll take one of each!"
"NEW STICKERS? I'll take some!"
"NEW DIECUTS? I'll need those!"
"A NEW TOOL! I NEED THAT!"
"A NEW IDEA BOOK? GIVE ME THAT NOW!"
"Wow - even bags and binders to get my supplies organized? I definitely need those!"
"Sorry honey, you'll have to make dinner - I'm off to a crop!"
"Clean socks are in the dryer!"
"HOLD IT! I HAVE to get a picture of that for the scrapbook."
"Would you please wear this shirt? I have the cutest paper to use in my layout and it will match perfectly!"
"YES, I came up with the idea myself."
"YES, That is my own handwriting."
"YES, I make time to scrapbook."
"Honey, we need to add a room to the house for my scrapping room."
"Life is crazy. I just need to crop!"
Tax Time: "Yes, scrapbooking in a medical deduction - it's my THERAPY!"
By Nicole Humphrey

Had to share it, I swear I KNEW going into scrapbooking I’d never be able to turn back. Happy I started, and I LOVE telling my families story along with mine.

JCat McGack

Sunshine and coffee

The two things that can inspire and artist greatly. Sunshine. and a good pot of coffee.

It’s a chilly Sunday morning in Channahon. But while my husband works, and my two children play, I sit in the front living room. In the morning, when we first wake up we come down the stairs to open the front door and pull open the shades to let in the sunshine!

We eat breakfast, and Sophie who is KNOWN for being Solar Sophie, goes from her spot at the end of the king size bed, to eating her breakfast, and then to the oh so wonderful sunshine.

I choose the big brown leather couch. Never the brown leather recliner, while it’s nice and comfortable, it’s because it rocks. (I get motion sick in it. Yes I’m that sensitive)

Some days I like to curl up in the small green chair, with embroidered gold swirls. While cleaning out my Grandma’s home, my cousin and I both said we would like that chair, so she challenged me to a game of Rock Paper Scissors my paper beat her rock!

I love the front living room this time of day, it has no tv, radio, game systems. It’s books, puzzles, books and magazines… and more books. It’s a room to visit, to unwind from a day, or rest before a day. So in comes the flood of sunshine this morning!

I curl up on the couch, Sophie on her favorite dog bed (thanks neighbor Jill!)  My big cup of Starbucks (this week is Espresso Roast)

What am I reading this morning? Well SO glad you asked, for Valentines my mom bought me the February/March/April issue of Where Women Create. I LOVE to read on other artists, their stories, their form of art. Anything from knitting, sewers, jewelry makers, photographers, mixed media artists, fabric creators, drawers… all in one fantastic book. It’s more of a book, it’s big, it’s beautiful on my coffee table, it’s got the best cover, not glossy, more with a texture. Oh and yes I love it so, that I wrote this post back in August about it… which makes me want to go reread that copy! And yes it’s probably my best form of inspiration, this week I also got my copy of Scrapbook Etc., and Creating Keepsakes, but the best was this one! Talk about inspiration all at once!

It’s the reminder I need. To go create, to make things from shrinky dinks, to paper mache, make my ugly dolls. To create with paper, and glue and glitter, and draw, ALL the time.

It’s a good combination. It’s the coffee, the sunshine, a squishy couch or a green and gold chair won by chance, the company of a beautiful boxer, of an inspirational magazine.

What’s your combination to be inspired?

JCat McGack

I give up… here’s some wall art!

I’ve given up on walking into a spotless art room every time. Silly me, so this New Year it’s resolved. Much less days cleaning, and organizing my room. More making.

And speaking of making… well this isn’t too far out there on the creativity reach there. BUT I did think up to tear this out of Better Homes and Gardens, (BHG magazine does this where they put a very cool image with a quote in it. I’ve got a Halloween one to do as well) mat it on Chocolate and Summer Sun paper (by Stampin’ Up!) and frame it.

I’ve got it right in my kitchen, and it’s nice to read every day. And to treat every day as such.

THIS next project is ALL over Pinterest. I made it for Ed for Christmas, and I didn’t say what it was. I just wrapped it. Gave it to him, and was pleasantly surprised at how much he liked it.

Looks like a big frame of numbers, and, well that’s what it is, but it’s our numbers… his birthday, mine. Our first official dating date, the day we were engaged (yes 5 months dating!) Married is the red number, and Mia and Alex’s birthdays.

All those dates are what made us. Us.

Easy peasy. If you’ve got a Cricut cutting machine, or a die cut machine. glue them down to white paper, mat it, frame it!

I’ve been tinkering with some clay, that’s a first in over 10 years, thinking that tomorrow will be an art room day with me and Alex!

Happy Creating!

JCat McGack

Disaster

My art room… is NO art room.

It’s a cluttered, cat hair covered, throw it all in there for the Christmas Eve party, wrapping paper, photograph disaster.

It’s almost depressing to go into. I’ve got my sewing nook that is clean and cleared. My laundry area is all good too. And I’ve managed to find a 2x2 little counter space on my main desk to work… sigh.

I have been going online to Pinterest to search ‘Craft Rooms’ to see what my room used to look like, colors lined up, glitter bottles lined nicely (before my cats knocked them all over)

I’ve started part yesterday, and tried again today to really get some cleared space. I’ve got SO much table space, and counters, it almost works against me. Because the more space I’ve got the more crap I load up on there.

Thinking about hauling half of my stuff to Gigi and my booth to sell. I’ve been doing well selling my old Stampin’ Up! catalogs, and some older stamps.

I NEED a clean room to be inspired to create, so I can create so I can SELL! Needed to blog this out of my head. I’ve got the house back to normal after the Holiday’s, now it’s time for my creative dungeon to get back to it’s normal self!

Happy Creating, or organizing!

JCat McGack

Catching up

Yikes it’s been over a month! Sorry I had Bronchitis and was a hot mess all of October!

What’s new…

Well the art room that you all remember from this post back in January that was a tour of the whole room… well through that one out the window. I spent ALL last week dedicated to resetting my art room.

The reset is something this room needs… I originally had my dad build me a table so big (it was built in the room it was so big) so I could seat 6 comfortably for my card making classes. Awesome, but after 6 years of teaching, I no longer need THAT big of a table in the center of my room. It’s a room just for me. (and sometimes the kids!)

The fact that I’m not teaching in here, the functionality and the flow of the room, well they just were not working for me. I went to Better Homes and Garden’s website, they have this really cool ‘Arrange-a-room’ feature, that you can use, for free. To plan out how a room will work. I mean these tables in here JUST fit… while I seem to be a bit of a fan of moving rooms around just by guess-timating the fit this one was going to be tight!

While moving the room around, looking for what should go where, I had a genius ‘AHA’ moment, and I mean I yelled “OH MY GOD! I HAVE THE. BEST. IDEA. EVER!!” followed by a running man dance combined with some walk like an Egyptian and butterfly moves. (scaring my cats to their cat tower, and my children to flee to their toy room. Dancing sometimes works wonders that way!)

The AHA moment… well I’ll just have to have you wait till it’s done… (cliff hanger!)

AND, since I’ve been moving ALL my desks, tables, and art supplies ALL over, I had to stop. Pack them up. And take them to a crop!

It was a much needed break, and to get out with the girls. My mom, the Queen and I love to do these scrapbook weekends, she’s not so much a scrapper, but she does ATC cards (Artist Trading Cards) and paper crafts as well. We had our good friend Pipe, and Lisa go with, stayed at a local hotel (it’s a 45 minute drive back home) and took over the local Archivers! (if you’ve never been be warned. It is addicting. It’s full of fun things, glitter, shiny, and pretty things, all that will make you say ‘ohhh… I want that’)

(This is Maureen and I, she’s an employee there and treats me like an old friend. So much of the staff at the Orland Park, IL store are so great!)

We showed up at Archivers at 10 am (doors opened!) on Friday, and stayed till they kicked us out at 11 pm… went to the hotel, and were back again on Saturday for another 13 hours of paper crafting heaven!

It was awesome to get out, and get some work done, I sadly only did 12 layouts. I blame the dinner out to Buffalo Wild Wings, and Texas Road House, and the shopping around us well… there is also the fact that I LOVE to chat with all the other croppers… I mean counting us each day there were close to 40 women in the work rooms. And being the social butterfly I am… sigh, THIS is why I try to do most of my cropping in my art room, alone with my music so I can focus!

My good friend, Lisa was smart she brought ALL the stuff to work on her trip to Florida… I don’t have that kind of attention span to work on the same project for two days, little alone 2 minutes.

Above is pictured my stuffs I bring. OH it’s a whole lot of everything. I have to say I am pretty organized, I know where EVERYTHING is that I brought…

Here is my work space, this was my last page (not quite done yet here)

My mom got a hold of their die cutting machine, and never sat down! They have a WHOLE wall full of dies to choose from, and 3 machines, and they were always busy!

She found a box die cut, and was cutting them out for a party favor (she needed 60+ of them!) Not to mention all the other cute one’s she found!

I have to tell my mom there is a new rule with taking pictures together… she slouched down, and I was sitting up super straight! Bah, I look silly! Either way the two of us had a blast together… as always. We make our own fun and have the best time we possibly can!

Oh and not pictured is Piper… I’m just learning to accept that some people refuse to have their picture taken… as much as this annoys me for the sake that my ONE friend is not documented… I am trying to respect the fact that she just doesn’t want to be seen on camera. (now my husband Blue? He doesn’t get that pass… it’s not an option)

So I’ve been busy, trying to heal from my bronchitis, from my foot issues (planters warts removed) and finally getting to the art room. I will be posting when I get the room all done, I am SO close!

Until then you can read about my daily ramblings at Unconventional Randomness! Hope your all doing well!

JCat McGack

The kids? What did I do with them these last 3 days?My beautiful babies were with my In-laws from Friday morning till today! (Sunday, lucky me!)

Your Own Worst Critic

I read this today from my friend Sass's FB page, and I swear she was in my head. I think I've told you, if not I will about my Sock Monsters. They are amazing little creatures, I make them out of... socks. And odds and ends. Like ribbons, or buttons, and bells, bells are fun inside tails.

They are something I can create, and have made about 7 so far, and I like them. I'm getting better at them, and even the one that I TOTALLY messed up (he has not tummy, I cut his legs up to his neck. But it was my 4 year old daughter at the time who said "Finish it Mommy. I'll love it"  See when your an artist of ANY kind. From paint and drawing, to journalist, gardening or a baker, it's all an art and as my teacher told me, and I think every teacher should tell their art students.

"You will ALWAYS be your own worst critic"

So true. It reminds me to ask others, to walk away from my project. Come back later, maybe a day, week, or a month later. You might just look at it from an outside point of view. And the quote above, from Sass, is what I need to read over and over and over again. I quite when it gets to hard for me. I won't lie. I know I try to take the easy way out. And when it's your own project you can quite. Easy. But for me those projects are still remembered as things I wish to finish. Try harder.

See there is scrapbooking. And I do it well, very well, I can rubber stamp and create with paper easily. Cards, stationary, boxes, I can do it. BUT it's the other things I love, sewing, painting, paper mache and clay. THOSE are things I haven't done in years, but wish to get better at them again. I just need to keep tinkering with them!

I was once at a seminar for Stampin' Up! a wonderful rubber stamp company. I did demonstrations at people's homes, I mostly focused on classes in my home. So at this seminar, I was sitting in a business class, and we were told, if you look on our business side of the website we could see on a map how many demonstrators were out there. And scary enough how many were in our area!

I live in a small village but there was at least 10 of us in just a 10 mile radius! Imagine if you lived in a bigger city! I mean it's selling rubber stamps, it's NOT exactly a home staple, and NOT that many people do paper crafts in my little town! But they said the percentage of those that are demonstrators, so few actually PUSHED their business like they should. YOU could be THAT person that is the stand out demonstrator. THAT is what stuck with me. With my life, with art. That I could be the stand out artist.

I do need to keep sewing, painting, gardening, and creating. All to better my craft, to be amazing at what I do. Sure I rock at paper crafts I've been up to my eyeballs in paper and rubber stamps for the last 8 years straight! I need to balance my arts, so I get to enjoy them all.

On this not I will leave you with a great quote I heard on Glee last night. I mean talk about loving art! Theater and music have always been a favorite of mine, so what better show to quote from?

The scene is with Mike Chang, who has just received what they call an Asian F, an A-. His father wants him to quit the Glee club to study harder, and Mike is torn about it, being that Glee is what he loves more then anything. After fighting with himself, over to keep doing what he loves or make his father happy he says this...

"It's what I love to do. It's NOT a waste of my time" 

JCat