Why I Scrap: Documenting and Creating

I've been reading a lot of different blogs lately from different scrap sites and designers. Some of the focus has been on why you scrap. So that got me to thinking about why I scrap. My initial thought, of course, was that I scrap to document the memories. And while that is true, I have realized that I do enjoy the act of creating almost just as much, if not more. I get a lot of pleasure from making something beautiful, while being able to document that memory. Because, essentially, posting pictures on facebook or Instagram is a kind of digital memory keeping. But that does not give me the same type of gratification that creating something does. There is something that I love about putting a layout like this together: picking a template, choosing the pictures, selecting the embellishments, and then seeing the finished product. I love it.

A-Splishin' and A-Splashin' (left)

A-Splishin' and A-Splashin' (right)

The only thing is that it takes longer to do (at least for me and my borderline-perfectionist tendencies--when creating), than I have time for in order to get everything that I want to done. I mean, I STILL am working on "My Story of Us" album, and I've been married for 8 years now.

So, I've discovered pocket-style scrapbooking, which has been the trend for a couple of years now. (I did some pocket-style pages in 2013, shown here, but then I stopped to create more layouts.) It does help to move things along much more quickly. I also find it ideal for all of those random photos that I take, which wind up being the everyday things that you want to remember. Half the time, on a regular layout, I struggle with embellishment placement. You can only do so many flowers, even for a layout about a girl. So, since the pocket-style has pre-made journaling and filler cards, it makes it so much easier to embellish! And there is still that element of creating.

Items by Just Jaimee

The bottom line, though, is that I plan to do a combination of both. Overall, the stand-out photos or events may get layouts, while the more everyday photos (or even those stand-out events with lots of pictures) may get the pocket-style page. It's just whatever I want to do at the time.

Turning 2 (Well, 9 months ago)

I've been really behind on posting things that I've wanted to on this blog, so I'm trying to catch up now that I'm on my summer schedule. This was supposed to be posted some time in the fall. 

Emery turns 2!

Emery turned 2 last September (so she's really almost 3 already). It's so hard to believe that she's not a baby anymore. She literally has grown up right in front of my eyes. Tinkerbell has been the theme of the year, since she has become a favorite character of Emery's. First, she referred to her as "the girl," then "Tink-a-gul," but now she says her name correctly. So I went with a Tinkerbell theme for the birthday, which resulted in purple and green as the colors of choice. My mom made this great tutu out of a combination of tulle and other fabric. She also got this great little Tinkerbell motorcycle. She likes to ride it for a few minutes at a time.

Right Now...

This post was started back in March, and I'm just now finishing it...

I recently looked back on one of my previous posts from a little over a year ago, and was glad to see some detailed information about what Emery was doing at that time. (Here's another one, too.) I keep thinking about how good I've been about getting pictures of Emery, but I haven't been as good at specifically recording the different things she was doing at different stages. So I want to use this blog to help with some of that. 

So, here are some of the things that Emery is doing (or saying) now...

1) I made up a little song with her name, and she has started singing it. But she says "Emery Elibazeth"

2) When she has an itch, she tells me that she has bugs. I'm sure that it started with a mosquito or something, but every time that she says it, I wonder if her teachers think that she's dirty.

3) 

Well, that was all I had written, and I'm glad that I had even that little bit, because I'd already forgotten about the bugs. And I don't know if I had a #3 in mind already, but if I did, I don't remember what it would have been. Another reminder for me to record these stories, and just what's going on, more often.

So for now, in June:

1) She currently likes watching "Caillou" and Disney movies. Her current favorite is Cinderella. I love that she calls her "Cindery-rella." So cute.

2) Of course, Frozen is a favorite, too. I think it is for most little girls, from what I've heard. This includes wanting a braid -"on my neck", singing "Let It Go" (with the hand motions), and watching YouTube videos of random girls singing "Let It Go." 

3) She catches a lot of what is going on around her and is really into people's names. When American Idol was on, her favorites were Alex and Jena. She remembered their names from week to week, and asked where they were. She knew the last names of a lot of her school friends.

4) She's learned that red means stop and green means go. Yesterday, I was pulling up behind a line of cars where the light had just turned green, so I had to stop. She said, "What are you doing? It's green." I tried explaining it to her, that you can't go right away, the light had just been red, but she was adamant that it was green. (Which leads to another topic...how extremely odd it is to see yourself in your child.)

5) Our typical morning routine right now is that when she wakes up, she sits on my lap for a few minutes, watching whichever show or movie she's requested, drinking her milk, before we get dressed. I know those times won't be possible for much longer, so I enjoy it while I can.

6) She has pretty strong opinions about what she wears right now. Some days I can get by with giving her 2 or 3 choices of shirts that she's not too crazy about, and some days it HAS to be what she wants. She currently is into dresses. You know, because she's a princess.

7) We attended 3 weddings within about a month back in the spring, and her teacher got married around the same time, so she was really into noticing when people were wearing fancy dresses. The other day she saw one of our wedding pictures and told Jason that that was when Mommy got married. Jason was like, "I was there, too," but she didn't buy it.