::ANNA::

Seattle Danskin Triathlon 2011

It's been a week and I'm still smiling, in spite of losing all my photos from that weekend. 

The memories made that weekend completely outshine that loss.  

You'll remember this layout from January in anticipation of completing my first triathlon.

I pledged to train hard but inflammation in my knees plagued me from March through to just 3 weeks before race day.  I just felt grateful to be able to complete the course.

This triathlon, just like the other races that have come before, are a big deal to me.  I am not athletic naturally and have worked really hard to get where I am today, and it's only by pushing outside my comfort zone and attending these events, that I have realized just how far I have come.

I signed up originally with the intent to prove something to myself, and perhaps to others, that I can succeed even in the face of doubt.  The truth is that I have learned so much more.  It's not about winning and times but about being part of something so much bigger than just myself.  

The whole day just oozed positivity and possibility.

Ali talked about the huge smiles, of which there were many, but the big theme for me was human connection.  Making GOOD memories with GOOD people.

 3 girls from 3 different countries, and differing walks of life, came together to take part in an event with 2033 other women, and I think I can accurately speak for all of us, when I say it's an experience that none of us will ever forget.

We formed a friendship that day that I will always treasure.

[One of Ali's photos taken by her Mom and Dad]

The following photos were taken by Brightroom Event Photography who photographed the event.  These are the ones I'm ordering in order to enshrine my very first triathlon experience.

 

   

Will I do it again?  Definitely.  

I think everyone should totally tri like a girl, even those of us who doubt ourselves.  

Here are my numbers: 

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Creative Team Applications

Please return all applications to anna_aspnes@yahoo.com no later that 5.00pm MST today if you would like to be considered for AnnaTeam.

Ella's in surgery this morning, so I will be away from my desk for most of the day.

Project 2011 | A Question Of Perspective

Digital Supplies: Project 2011 Template No. 8, which is free to AnnaNews subscribers; ArtPlay Palette Blooming Marvelous, FotoGlows No. 3; Fable Photo Actions by My 4 Hens Photography (TrueStory)

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 Techniques

• Be inspired to tell a story as opposed to opting for a chronological approach.
• Capture a different perspective by having someone else tell the story.
• Use questions to steer the direction of the story or to obtain specific details of an event.

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The Layout |  Ella features strongly again in this layout as this double page documents the events of her birthday.  Notice that I have revisited the earlier part of our Summer to document a story that didn't inspire me as much back then, as it does now.  I often find that it's a good thing not to scrapbook images right away, to let the memories percolate a little, settle, and think about how to best represent them.   The best part of this approach is revisiting the memories of good times past, at a later date.

I definitely used to be a chronological scrapbooker.  My predisposition to be an organizer makes this approach the most sensible in my mind, but not mearly as enjoyable in practice.  I often felt that I had to complete one event before I could move onto the next in the chronological series.  It seemed neater somehow but created a burden of guilt in not being caught up in my scrapbooking.  After I had forced myself to go back to photos and untold stories in my past, I found a greater joy in rediscovering those photos and the memories they evoked.  The process became a lot more enjoyable and has stuck with me through recent years.  I think there is so much more flexibility, and so much less pressure, when you're not continually focussed on dates and time.

Even though there are many stories within stories happening in this layout, the main focus of this particular event was the fact that it was Ella's 9th birthday.  Earlier in this project, I talked about using other peoples words and sayings as a springboard for a story in Project 2011 | Quoted.  In this lesson, I want to entertain the idea of looking at a story or group of stories through another person's eyes.  Why not have someone else have the journaling for you?  I certainly intend to include Ali's perspective of our recent triathlon event when I get around to creating a layout with those photos.

The level of perception expected has to be age appropriate.  Ella obviously doesn't have the same maturity or developed writing skills as Ali, for example, but that doesn't mean that she can't add value in documenting our family stories. As we discovered in the very first week of this series, Project 2011 | Six Word Stories, fewer words can glean a powerful message or insight.  Just yesterday, I posted a another example of the power of words, written by my little man, Luke.

For this layout, I came up with a series of questions for Ella to answer to help illicit her insights into the events that took place on her 9th Birthday.  This allowed me to steer the direction of the story while still allowing her thoughts and perceptions to shine through.  It was simply too much to expect her to sit down and write a couple of paragraphs about the event, so in providing her with some questions, I was able to meet her at her level.

The journaling reads:

What was your favorite part of your day? Getting my hair, finger nails, and toe nails done at sweet and sassy and that’s one of my favorite places.  

What was your favorite gift and why? A lock dariey because so Luke can’t look at my secrets.

What were we doing in the back yard under the sheet? Looking at stars. 

What were you most thankful for? Everybody coming.  

What do you remember most about your 9th birthday?  Having RIBS because RIBS are my favorite food.

Ella: 3 July 2011

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The Process |  Create a layout using the template, that will be delivered to AnnaNews subscribers later this weekend, but instead of writing the story yourself, document another person's perpective.  Either ask them to write or tell the story without prompts, or ask a series of questions to pinpoint the specific details you're looking for.  Remember to reach beyond the simple facts, of who, where, why and what.  Dig a little deeper into the extraordinary of the story you are telling.

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Thanks for participating in Project 2011 and sharing your pages.  Please post your links in the comments section of this post.  You could also post them at Oscraps.

Happy Finds

I found this in Luke's back pack yesterday which must have been one his first tasks as a First Grader on Monday.  Love these little treasures that give me a peek into his mind.  Now scanned and saved in my 08-15-11 photo folder waiting to be used on a layout in it's original format or made into a brush to be used in a similar fashion.

Vacation Memories

A few favorites from our time in the mountains.

Future Plans + Creative Team Call

Thank you for your patience!  

I know this post is long overdue and I appreciate you allowing me some time off in the mountains with my family. I ended my vacation by meeting up with Ali and Doris for the 2011 Danskin Triathlon in Seattle this weekend.  If you haven't already, you can read her post here.  I will do a post later in the week about my own personal experience.

Ella and Luke also went back to school this morning, and so now it's time to focus on what is next for me in this wonderful world of digital scrapbooking.  The first item on my long list, is to share some details about my future plans, where I'll be selling, what you can expect both short-term and in the future, as well as how I want to move forward in this industry:

A New Store | Oscraps will be the store from which you can purchase my designs from 1 September 2011 onwards.  Very careful thought went into this decision and I'm excited about the possibilites this move offers me as the designer, as well as you as the customer.  I am aware of my strengths and weakness and want to work smarter in maximizing my passion for designing and teaching in this industry. At Oscraps, I will have the freedom to run my own store without getting side-tracked with the technical side of the business.  I am confident in my decision and am excited to have the opportunity to work alongside the talented designers already at Oscraps.

Product Relaunch and Availability | I will be launching the new store on 1 September 2011.  I am anticipating to have at least 70% of my products loaded. The logistics of adding over 1200 products to a store in 30 days is problematic.  Each product must be added inidividually, a process which is tedious and time-consuming.  My Dad is helping me with the uploading, but even with his help, this is a process and it is going to take considerable time.  I anticipate we will be adding product throughout September and possibly beyond.  My main goal is to have as much product as possible available to you at the time of relaunch.  Some products will have descriptions and keywords added to assist in your search for particular products, however, most will have question marks instead of descriptions, which is a marker to me that descriptions and keyword need to be added, as soon as I can get to that task.  I appreciate that growing pains are frustrating in the short-term but I believe that this transition is of long-term benefit to both of us.

The Relaunch Sale | I will be having a 35% off storewide sale, excluding licenses (see below), when I relaunch my products.  It is the first time, and probably the last time, I offer this level of discount on my products.  The sale will last at least one week.  The same discount will also be offered on all my existing products added throughout September.

Products |  I hope to have a few new products available for the launch, however, my main focus is to have everything up and running as soon as possible, and so I ask for your patience.  All old pagesets are not being added and will be reworked as ArtPlay Palettes as I move forward. Similarly, Album templates are being grouped with more simplistic purchase options.  That said, please note that I am more able to respond to your input as I move forward, and so if there is something I had in the past that you cannot find in the me store, please email me.  Similarly, if there is a product set you'd like to see in the future, let me know and I will do my best to accommodate you.

Pricing | My standard prices, for the most part, will remain the same. I do intend of offering a discounted fixed price for my full release each week as well as one AnnaSelect item priced at $1.00 to $2.00 for a select period after release.  New pricing structures may be necessitied in the future with the introduction of new product sets.

Licensing | I will continue to offer Limited Commercial Licenses to Photographers and Scrapbookers for Hire (S4O/S4H).  I have lowered the prices on these licenses and they will be available as separate purchases from my store within Oscraps.  Each product will be linked to the appropriate license in the store.  I am also making my BrushSets available to other Digital Scrapbooking Designers with the purchase of a new Limited Commercial License with a separate Terms of Use.  No download will be received when purchasing these options.  Commercial Terms of Use will be posted on the home page of www.annaaspnesdesigns.com on 1 September 2011.

Terms of Use | My TOU also used to include Instructions for Use.  I have now simplified the TOU to accommodate just one page and this is included with every product you purchase.  I have combined all instructions for all my product sets in an e-book in .pdf format that will be available as a free download from my new store at Oscraps on 1 September 2011.

Classes and Teaching |  I will no longer be teaching classes at ReneePearson.com, however, I will continue to guest post and collaborate with them.  My teaching moving forward will contine to include video and written instruction, but they will be delivered as much smaller a la carte self-paced teaching components. I believe this will offer you greater choice in information delivered in bite-size chunks, that requires less of a time commitment on your part, ultimately resulting in a better learning experience.  All instructional modules will reside alongside my product offering in my new Oscraps store. Questions and assistance will be handled via my email at anna_aspnes@yahoo.com.

Creative Team |  I am in search of a small number of enthusiastic digital and hybrid scrapbookers who would like to assist me in contributing to my blog and using my products to create layouts that promote ArtPlay and my Art.  If interested, please email me at anna_aspnes@yahoo.com and I will send you further information.

Collaborations |  I look forward to and intend on collaborating with others in this wonderful industry as I move forward.

I think that just about covers it.  Did I miss anything that you can think of?

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Please post all questions about any of the above infomation in the comments section and I'll answer them as soon as I can.  

Again, I'd like to thank you for your patience and continued support.

Project 2011 | Past and Present

Digital Supplies: Project 2011 Template No. 7, which is free for AnnaNews subscribers; ArtPlay Palette Floralis, FotoGlows No. 3

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Techniques

• Achieving balance in your scrapbook albums.
• Tell a story from today which makes reference to a story from your past.  The connections we make with our past says so much about who we are and where we have come from.  

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The Layout |  Ella is the focus of this double page.  You may remember earlier in the project, Project 2011 | QuoteBlendz and Lists, there was a spread dedicated to Luke.  I do make a conscious effort to make sure both Ella and Luke are represented equally in my albums even in the face of their distinct differences. It's not as hard you might think.  They're both evolving and growing at different rates and at different times. I may have a huge number of photos and stories for Luke one month but then Ella becomes more prominent the next.  I don't keep track of the number of pages for each of them. I just try to remain aware about my scrapbooking tendencies.  If I have done a number of pages about Luke, then I try to balance out any bias by documenting something about Ella.  This relaxed-but-being-aware approach makes the process really quite effortless.

The double page layout tells two different stories that inlcude Ella, both of which are connected to personal experiences from my own past.  In an earlier post, Project 2011 | Say What You Feel, I talked about using your own unique sayings and colloquialisms to add depth and personalize your stories.  In correlating today's stories with those from your past, you are not only building connections to your heritage, and perhaps embarking on your own journey of self discovery, but your stories instantly become more interesting.  A story is just a story until you incorporate personal experience, and then all of a sudden, the reader of that story is able able to relate in some way to that experience, and a human connection is made.  The story instantly has greater depth and is ultimately more meaningful to both the story-teller and the reader.  

I think a big part of what makes us human is the need to belong, and have a common connection with others.  This could be those who came before us or those in our present life.  Sharing your personal experiences, your perception of them and how they have shaped you, is vital to creating meaningful stories in your scrapbook pages.  Sharing these stories isn't just about memory keeping but there is also a much bigger picture.  It's all about fostering relationships, growth and happiness, all of which lead to a better life experience, in general.

In the first page of the spread, I share a story about our first garage  sale last month, and connect that to Ella's entrepreneurial interests.  This particular story explains the facts.

 Journaling reads:

On 16th July, we embarked on a new adventure in having our first garage sale.  Since moving to Denver 3 years ago we've been accumulating quite a stash in our basement, especially this year as we have moved toward living a simpler life with much less.  We are not early risers and very much took a "wing it" sort of approach. Ella was the most enthusiastic and took charge of pricing, and it was a perfect day for a lemonade sale using the new stand. Both she and her brother clubbed together and used their leftover Christmas money to upgrade from last-years cardboard box and white board.  

In the second page of the layout, I continue with another story about Ella planning a cupcake business and draw on my own perceptions in making connections about the similarities I see between us. I did not include the story about me going to door-to-door selling home-made perfume in our neighbourhood at a similar age, because this story has already been told and resides in a different album.  There is no point repeating myself, but introducing a different angle to this story, not only deepens the impression, but shows consistency in Ella's personality traits as she grows up.

The first body of journaling was pulled from a recent blog post, the same day I wrote down my thoughts about her having a hernia, how I worry and how I come from a long line of women who have also worried.  All these stories are all related, and so inkeeping with my efforts to scrapbook efficiently, I created a another stories with a story spread and weaved the stories together, which are divided only by 3 different bodies of text. 

Journaling reads: 

On this day, she decided to start a cupcake business in California, to be called "Diamond" or "Hollywood Cupcakes".  Loved watching her feverishly writing and drawing, the ideas gushing from her mind to paper, not wanting to stop until she was done.  I often see myself in her even though she very much her Daddy in spirit. Despite being a little lazy at times she's always looking for ways to make money.  She's an entrepreneur in the making and a dreamer for sure.  I want to encourage that.  Dream BIG Baby Girl.  Dream really BIG.

I'm a worrier.  I come from a long line of women who have worried.  Both my grandma's worried themselves to migraines and my own mum is not much better.  In my head I know it's pointless to get worked up about the unknown, but in my heart, it's a totally different story.  I'm  always worrying about something.  This  Summer I have been worried about this wee girl.  She got out of the shower one Sunday night in July and I noticed a large lump/protrusion in her groin area.  This lump was quite elusive over the following days and weeks, appearing and disappearing with no rhyme nor reason.  We waited patiently for appointments, laying low quietly at home, observing and watching and worrying, trying not to cause her any alarm. She was eventually diagnosed with a hernia which will have to be fixed with surgery next month when Summer is over.  

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Process |  This week I invite you to have a go at telling a story from today which includes connections to a similar story from your past.  Use the information provided in previous Project 2011 posts to assemble the layout using the template that will be delivered to AnnaNews subscribers later today.

• Think of a story you are inspired to tell which relates to your Project 2011.
• Be open to first thing that pops into your mind when you think about this memory?
• Ponder on the past memories that are evoked when you think of this story?  What does this story remind you of?  What is your perception of this experience and how does it relate to someone or something that happened in your past?
• Make connections between this story and those past memories using one or more of the journaling techniques that have been covered in this Project 2011 series.

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Please post your links for your completed pages in the comments section of this post.  I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Many Steps

An inspiring little video and documentation of people from all over the world taking steps and moving forward.  

How are you moving forward today?  A good idea for a scrapbook page perhaps...

MANY STEPS from Takayuki Akachi on Vimeo.

ScrapAttitude

Courtesy of Seth Godwin: The Heckler.

How does this relate to your approach to the scrapbooking process?

Guest Post | By Kayla Lamoreaux

Kayla Lamoreaux discovered digital scrapbooking in 2002.  She's blogged about it since 2006 and is the mastermind behind Digital Scrapbooking 101.  Kayla loves to create and is passionate about teaching. She has worked on several design teams and taught for Weber State University, Big Picture Scrapbooking's Stacy Julian in Library of Memories, Scrapper's Guide and many other websites and events.  Kayla loves teaching and interacting with students yet her favorite place is still at home relaxing with her husband and five kids.

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Let's Out The Elephant In the Room - Photo Libraries Are a Lot of Work!

Today I'm going to share WHY you'd want to organize your photos. I've learned through experience that mentioning keywords, captions, and star ratings can cause quite a bit of stress. And that's no fun for anyone. So rather than focus on the details of how you get organized, today I wanted to share something different. When you are just getting started organizing, it can be really difficult to see how all this work is going to benefit your memory keeping. So let me start with an example of a photo library you are probably already working in....

Look familiar? It's Pinterest. You can find Anna on Pinterest here and my Pinterest feed here. The thing that makes Pinterest so fun? It's like sitting in a virtual idea room with people who totally inspire you - AMAZING!

Now to relate Pinterest to a photo library. Have you ever noticed that when you "pin" something that Pinterest REQUIRES you to add a description? Ever wondered why?

It's all about KEYWORDS. Do you realize that with the thousands of users on Pinterest adding pins daily that Pinterest has become an online photo library of inspiration? Millions of photos are catalogued and organized just by their captions. Big deal, right? Yes. Let me explain why. It's all about search capability.

Let's say I want to find an inspiring photo that includes wings. I just type in "wings" in the search bar and get photos like this -

I can also click through to the original found here by Rosie Hardy. There's literally 3,686 pins and 108 boards that have something to do with "wings."

Another favorite was found when I searched "wings, fly" -

 

Seriously - one could go down a virtual rabbit hole searching the Pinterest photo library. While writing this post I coudn't help myself and put in "baby photos" and came up with literally thousands of images of cherubic angels:

How This Applies To Your Personal Photo Library

Let's face it - Pinterest is fun. I would go so far to say that precisely because it is so much fun, many of us spend at least twenty minutes a week there. Let's contrast that with what could happen if you made the same amount of time in your day or week to work on cataloguing your personal images.

Inspiration images are fun but what if you put the same amount of time into your personal photo library? Over several twenty minute segments of focused effort you could have some pretty amazing results.

Recently I was asked to share some photos of my oldest daughter's basketball experience over the years. I was able to literally find the photos I needed in sceonds by clicking a few buttons and having my organization software do the work -

Here's where it gets really cool. My library has almost 70,000 images in it (including digital scrapbooking supplies) and within seconds my software had narrowed the photos down to 276 that met the criteria I wanted. This is finding needles in a haystack at its best!

Now instead of finding "inspiration" images, I can find images that have great meaning to me personally because I've invested time in my personal photo library. Every twenty minutes I spend there it just keeps getting better and better.

Another factor to consider. So many people I correspond with say they don't need photo organization software. I'd have to say if you are planning on passing your photo library on to future generations you do. Folder organization can only take you so far whereas software literally provides ways to view and organize your photos in almost endless contexts with a few key pieces of process in your photo workflow. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Anna for having me here. I have been a fan of her work for years and I am grateful for her support and friendship.

Your Turn: I'd love to know your thoughts. Do you currently use organization software? If so, which one? I'd also love to know if you feel "organized" when it comes to your photos. If you don't, I'd love to know what your biggest obstacle to getting there seems to be. Want to learn more? Check out my blog where we talk more about photo libraries and other digital scrapbooking items. You may also find this post inspirational - Why Your Photo Library is More Important Than Scrapbooking.

ArtPlay Palette Freebie

A little gift you this lovely Monday morning.

You can download here.

One of my intentions, as I move forward, is to rework some of my AnnaClassics into ArtPlay Palettes.  

I wanted to share this one with you first to see if you like the idea.

Have a little ArtPlay, and then please let me know.