::ANNA::

44 Observations About Our Modern Day Layout

My layout using the 44 Observations Layered Template.  I found a photo of Mount Rushmore, converted it to black and white, and then added a single family photos, shot by Farrah Jobling Photography last Summer.  The journaling is a list of pretty opinionated observations about our modern day.  They are written in no particular order. I just wrote them down as they came to me in the form of a numbered list. Lists are a much easier way to get down large amounts of written content onto a page.

Digital Supplies:  US of A PageSet, Light Textured Neutrals, ArtPlay Palette Autumn Crisp (flower - recolored), AnnaBlendz Artsy No. 1 BrushSet; Absolutely Acrylic Elements and Staple Its by Pattie Knox.

I clipped the papers from the US of A PageSet to the masks and used the AnnaBlendz Artsy No. 1 BrushSet to create black/edges behind some of the masks to emphasize the edges of the papers.  If I bring this layer to the top of the Layers palette, the AnnaBlendz Artsy layer can be seen as follows:

I also came across another neat article, Bicentennial Essay: Growing Up in America--Then and Now, that could be used as a source of inspiration.

Presidents Day + Free 44 Observations Template

Today is Presidents Day in the United States.

Last week I was inspired by a GAP email advertising 44 styles at 44% off in celebration of the 44 United States Presidents.  

44 Presidents?  That's a lot of evolution.

This got me thinking about what life looks like today in comparison to the times of George Washington.  I often wonder what life was like back then, and evolution has only gained in momentum since.  You might remember this Signs of the Times post I did in January of this year.  

So how about noting 44 observations of your life today that you can look back on in 20 or 30 years from now?  Many more presidents will have passed through office by this time and life will look very different. 

I created a free 44 Observations Layered Template for you, should you decide to pursue this.  I think it's a fun project for anyone, whether you live in America or not.  Adjust the template as you need to make it work for your preferences and circumstance.  

The observations could take the form of a body of text or numbered bullets; they can be about American life, culture, politics, news or world affairs; or you can take a completely different approach and document 44 observations about your everyday.  All of these are likely to change much faster than you think.

A few on-line resources you might find useful for inspirations on modern day American culture:

• New America Today
• Today's American Dream
• Good Morning America
• Inventing Modern America

I have both Eric and the children home for the day but I hope to get my page added to this post later today.

Quote Challenge No. 1

Something a little different today:  A quote that I came across via iheartquotes, that sparked my interest, and as a result became a piece of wordART.  I hope you can use it to create a page that demonstrates what it means to you.  Click here to download.

Quote Inspiration

From Children WordART No. 5 

Wacom Contest: 10 Things 2 Heart

I'm hosting the February Contest at Penscrappers which launched today.

Create a layout that showcases the ten things that are most special to you or someone you love.

Entering is easy: simply download this month’s kit, add your own photos and creative touches, and upload your finished layout to the Pen Scrappers site. Remember that your layout needs to include at least one element from the featured kit to be eligible to win.

Prizes this month include:

• 1 Bamboo Craft
• 1 Serif Digital Scrapbook Artist
• 1 Serif PhotoPlus X3 Digital Studio
• 100 iStockphoto credits
• a one-year subscription to Paper Creations Magazine.

Then, tell Wacom what you like by voting for your favorite designs. You and the rest of the Pen Scrapper community will decide the winners. Keep coming back to see who’s won – it could be you! 

*Good Luck*

Scrappers Give Thanks

Such a cool challenge to unite our community this holiday season.

Check out the details and prizes here.

Thank you so much for your support.

National Card Making Day + Operation Write Home

*Edited*

The chat with Katie was at 10am and not 10pm.  I apologize for any inconvenience.

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Today is National Card Making Day.  Where you are a paper or digital scrapbooker, there are lots of events taking place around the web this weekend, including a special chat with Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals a 10pm EST.

I have to admit.  I'm not much of a card giver and it's not that I don't like giving them.  I have a really hard time buying cards.  I prefer to make them, if and when, I can find the time, and time is often the biggest obstacle for me.

Recently, I have come across Operation Write Home, a non-profit group of crafters from across America and beyond, whose mission is to support our nation's armed forces by keeping military members connected with their families during often long deployments.  They send blank greeting cards overseas to write home, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage our warriors.

So far this organization has sent 204,701 cards to deployed military members who are away from their families anywhere from 3 to 18 months, most working 12 hours a day 7 days a week in a dangerous environment and with few home comforts.

They're currently looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. 

You can find more information here.

I was hoping you might join me in taking part in *Operation Write Home* and give back to not only all those men and women who keep us safe, but the families left behind who support them.

Whether you are a paper, digital or hybrid scrapbooker,  I challenge you to create just one card for this cause. 

That's all it takes to make a difference.

I've made a personal goal of designing three digital cards which I will upload to Shutterfly for print and direct ship.

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I was just away for 4 days, not in a war zone, but just a state away teaching.  This was created in the days following my return.

It meant so much to me to be handed this little *card*, but looking deeper, it also made me realize just how hard our absences are as parent on the little people in our lives.  Eric is number 2 on the list to deploy at the moment and so this is a cause close to my heart.

When absences are unavoidable, as they often are in the military, staying connected is the best you can do.

Right Now

I checked in on a few of my fave blogs over lunch today, and saw Ali's "Right Now" challenge.

Normally, I would have moved moved on to the next blog, but today?  I thought *what the heck*, grabbed the camera and snapped my "right now."

• 3 drinking vessels on my desk that have accumulated throughout the morning.
• yummy salad of leaves, avocado, cucumber, pear red onion, chevre, candied pecans and dried cranberries with a drizzle of agave nectar.
• paint chips *all over the shop* as we try to decide on a color for our spare room.
• accumulation of handwritten letters by Ella that I want to incorporate into a layout entitled "transitions."
• camera lens caps thrown aside as I get lost in the moment of taking the shot.
• clad in gym gear, ready to partake in some sort of exercise that afternoon.  I ended up changing into my bike gear for 3 times round the reservoir (25 miles or so).

itunes inspiration

I took part in the itunes inspiration challenge this week on the Designer Digitals blog.

I'm finding these types of challenges are helping me get at least a few pages done each week even in the busiest of times.  Summer schedule has kicked in and I officially began work at 9.55pm this evening.

This particular layout celebrates each of our first birthdays all in one page.

(supplies list)

I like this page so much...I'm releasing a layered template version, 365 Day Layered Template, into the store this weekend.  I used it as a birthday page but it could also be used to document a particular anniversary or for a "year in review" themed page.  Sky's the limit :D

Another Challenge

I am hosting the Everyday Inspiration Challenge at Designer Digitals this week.

And mine:

[supplies + technique + journaling]

I also took the opportunity to do one of the other DD challenges this week:

[supplies + journaling]

I find challenges are a great way to be inspired to try something new and scrap pages that may otherwise remain "in the queue".

I'm not scheduled to host any more challenges for the next few weeks, but the response to my last few challenges has been so great, I'm releasing some 12 X 12 CreativePrompt Overlays into the store this weekend to keep you busy in my absence. 

Please continue to post in the gallery as these are so much fun to read!