Write. Click. Scrapbook.

The Journaling Jar: Day 3

Thank you so much for coming back! Did you have fun reminiscing about your childhood yesterday? I have so many untold stories from my little kid life that swirl around my brain. Many of them are seemingly irrelevant except that they are a part of me. And that makes them awesome. hahaha.

 

So yesterday we did our past, the day before we did our present, so today we are going to talk about our future. Before we get started, I have a little story for you. A group of my friends went to Time Out for Women this past weekend. It is a women's conference filled with inspirational speakers and music, meant to lift and build you. One of the speakers talked about Dating Your Dreams. (Cute, no?) On the drive home, several of the women in the car admitted to one another that they don't really have any dreams. 

I was instantly so sad for them. I feel like there will never be enough years for me to learn all that I want to learn. I have places I want to travel. Cultures I want to experience. Photos that I want to take. I still have colors that I want to dye my hair. I want to return to the convention circuit and teach more classes. I want to have my whole house clean at the same time. I want to ride a motorcycle. I want to live on a beach. I want to see my kids graduate from college. I want to cheer them on in the stands during high school sports. I want to hold a grandchild. I want to set my mom's hair with curlers when she is elderly. I want to outlive my gluten intolerance and eat bread in Paris. I want to shuffle down a boardwalk with my husband when we are old and grey. I want to sew my grandchildren baby blankets and baptism dresses. I want to read more. Memorize more poetry. I want to be a better version of myself. I want to listen to my children give talks in church and learn more about them. I want to be a mother in law. I want to help people turn their lives around. I want to help make my friends laugh. I want to fill my home with treasures that have stories and meaning. I want to read every last book that Alice Hoffman writes. I want to see Sarah McLachlan on tour every time she chooses to hit the road. I want so many things. I dream of my life becoming more peaceful and more spiritual and more colorful. And then I try to make it so. I cannot imagine how I would get out of bed to face the tedium of my life if I didn't have something to look forward to. 

 

I have a feeling that we scrapbookers are a dreaming kind of people. Perhaps our efforts to notice our lives for what they are helps us to want to do more with the life that lies ahead. Perhaps the work we do to increase our creativity also inspires our imaginations. I do know that we are a lovely kind of people!

Today, our challenge is to set a timer, and for three minutes make a list of everything you think you might want to do in the next 5 years, 10 years, or just as many years as you will be offered. Forget the punctuation and the full sentences if it helps you feel more free. Forget what you should want, and write what you do want. Write realistic things. And pipe dream things. Little things, big things, and all sorts of in between things. 

And when you have your list, find a photo of you, or of something that represents your list of dreams, and let's make a page. A pretty one if you want. Or an artistic one. Or a mysterious one. Whatever best represents your list. 

 

I hope that you will make a list. Really. And if you feel in a bit of a rut, and think you mightn't have any dreams left, pick one tiny thing. Just one. And then do something to make it happen. I would pick something to learn, but perhaps you would pick something to do. It doesn't matter. But having dreams does. Dreams are hope. Dreams are why little girls fight to learn to read in countries that tell them they shouldn't. Dreams get us to pick up paintbrushes, walk on airplanes, and say yes to bended knees. Dreams are a vehicle for us to change and grow. When we look for dreams, we can see things not yet accomplished. Not yet experienced. Not yet felt. It awakens in us a yearning for more. Which then leads us to more. More doesn't mean bigger and better, but richer and deeper. If something or someone has told you you don't deserve to dream any more, I hope and pray that you will know you do. 

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope that you feel inspired to create and to dream and to become your most authentic self. I can't wait to see your pages and read about your dreams. Please let me know if you make one. Tomorrow is launch day-- see you then!

 

The Journaling Jar: Day 2

Thank you for stopping yesterday! I hope you took a moment to make a layout, be it one with a  list or not. I know they aren't layouts that exactly fit in our chronological albums, but they are fun to have and I hope that my kids will get a kick out of reading them one day.

Today we are going to create a childhood layout. It totally doesn't matter if you have any photos or not. I have very few photos from mine, but I can't let that get in my way! And yes, I realize I could just write my stories down in a journal, but honestly, scrapbooking is how I journal my story, so it seems more fun to pretty up the words with patterned paper and pretty embellishments!

 

I have always written faster when my topic is defined for me. Tell me to write a story and I will stare at a blank paper for hours. Tell me to write about a time when I worked hard to get something I wanted, and I will fill pages of notebooks. Silly, I know, but it seems to be how I work. I thought maybe some of you might be the same, so I came up with a list of things we could use to record a few ideas about our childhood.

• our family vacations were often to.../fun/crazy/troubled/awesome
• my mom was an amazing/awful/absent cook
• my room was decorated with... and I loved it/wish it had been/felt so lucky
• our family car was a (color/make/model) and I remember driving in it to...
• on Sunday afternoons, we used to...
• sleepovers were not allowed/a regular occurrence/the greatest thing ever invented
• I met my favorite childhood friend when...
• books changed my life
• the teacher than most affected my life was...
• when I was little, my nickname was... and I got it because...
• my mom used to do my hair and it usually looked good/ridiculous/hilarious/stylish
• when I was little I wanted to be a ... when I grew up
• my home was filled with music (type/volume/lessons)

 

I started with the books prompt. I have already recorded my love of Nancy Drew, so I took a different approach and made a page about a tiny little picture book that changed my life.

I hope you find the prompts helpful! I look forward to reading more about you in your pages!

until tomorrow,

The Journaling Jar: Day 1

Hello and happy Monday! I am so excited to be with you this week for a week of journaling fun. This week is going to be all about journaling: prompts, ideas, starters. All sorts of fun to get your stories told. Are you in?

 

Today we are going to start with the present. I was so inspired by our gallery and all the ideas for capturing our present day adventures. I loved Lisa's list of 13 things and thought it would be a great starting place. Here is the list: 

1. I make
2. I watch
3. I enjoy
4. I crave
5. I like
6. I dislike
7. I will
8. I love
9. I need
10. I want
11. I plan
12. I listen
13. I am

I liked this list as I thought I could either use it as a list, or I could use any of the 13 as starting points for a layout with a little more. Thoughts?

 

For today, I picked the easy route. A layout with the list. :) Though I am completely going to make a few more in depth layouts, too.

 

I look forward to our week together! If you make a layout, please leave me word!

Sunday Photo + Words

In Review

As April draws to a close, we are going to take a moment to look back through our amazing April gallery, Selfies, for one last chance to pick up some journaling, photography, and design ideas. Ready? Shall we go together?

 

We thought these five layouts had wonderful ideas for journaling our own lives. Some give us good strategies for our writing, some give us good ideas. All are helpful to recording bits and pieces of our lives. Let's look.

 

This is So Me | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 11 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (BasicGrey) + enamel dots (Freckled Fawn ) + tag (Evalicious) + journaling card (Project Life Neapolitan mini kit) + clip (Studio Calico) + datestamp (Becky Higgins) + sentiment stamp (October Afternoon)

Tried and true and never out of style, list making is a wonderful way of catching snapshots of our current lives. You can use them as bullet points as Lisa did, or use them as starting points for a much more in depth story.

 

Confessions | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye, Studio Calico) + buttons (Studio Calico) + gems (Doodlebug) + stickers (Studio Calico, Jillibean Soup) + pen (Copic) + photo turn (7gypsies)

This is such a FANTASTIC idea for a layout. And using a patterned page like this helps eliminate the daunting side as it makes your confessions just snippets of thoughts and happenings, rather than making you feel like you are at the police station having to write down the whole story! Jenny, thank you for a truly clever idea!

 

Hello 32 | Kate Christensen

8.5 x 11 | materials digital kits (Sass Mouth by Valorie Wibbens and Lauren Reid) + kraft paper (Stated by Sara Gleason) + mist (Perfect Amount of Mess V.2 by Amy Martin) + alpha (Clearly by Robyn Meierotto) + style (Digital Glitters by Sahlin Studio) + font (Traveling Typewriter)

Do you sometimes shy away from journaling because you are afraid to write? Kate's layouts reminds us that a few descriptors can be a very effective means of journaling.

 

41 | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts) + pens (American Crafts, Zebra) + date stamp (My Mind's Eye) + font (merge)

Amy's random list is another successful means of collecting details that might otherwise go unstated in your scrapbooks. Having the number coincide with your age helps give you a parameter but it would be just as easy to pick 25 or 100. Another helpful measure if you choose this route for your journaling is to set a time limit on each one (or on the whole) so that you just go with what comes to mind and don't get too caught up in the process.

 

Technology | Cristina C. Scrap

12 x 12 | materials Real Life collection bundle (Digital Design Essentials), Journal Junkie - Bright Heart, Good Harvest, Doodles-a-Fancy Borders and Blessed Beyond Belief (CD Muckosky), The Golden Friends fonts (Heather Joyce)

Many of us have documented our movies and music, but until now, have you thought to document your tech? or your feelings about it? So much of what we do now revolves around it, especially if you are a a techhead. Thank you, Cristina, for the reminder to capture that side of ourselves as well!

 

 

As you look through these next few layouts, notice the awesome ideas for getting some shots of ourselves.

 

Something Cool Like Aliza | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (BasicGrey, Studio Calico) + transparency (Studio Calico) + sequins (Teresa Collins) + thickers (American Crafts) + enamel dots (Teresa Collins) + stickers (Evalicious, Skipping 5, Studio Calico, 7 gypsies, October Afternoon) + other (Jillibean Soup, Maya Road, Two Peas in a Bucket) + fonts (Skinny)

This photo reminds us to capture the regular moments of our lives. Here Aliza was scrapbooking on vacation. But it could have just as easily been at home. Set up the tripod or ask someone to capture you scrapbooking. It is a huge part of our lives. And what fun to see your process in front of you? Great idea, Aliza! 

 

Me & My Friends | Monika Głód

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico) + alphabet (Studio Calico) + badge (Studio Calico) + mist (Studio Calico) + stamps (Studio Calico) + printables (Studio Calico)

Remember how awkward it used to be to ask someone to take a photo of you and your special girlfriends when you were out on a girls night? Remember how now in the time of camera phones, no one thinks twice about taking one themselves or asking someone to do it for you? No more, here is my big camera that will scare off any passerby. No more here is the button you push. Nope. Now just hand over your phone. Everyone knows where the buttons are. Everyone knows what to do. It's awesome!! 

 

Currently | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill, Strathmore) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Bella Blvd, Hambly, Lily Bee) + wood veneers (Studio Calico) + enamel dots (Twine + Ink) + printable labels (Studio Calico) + mist (Studio Calico) + ink (Hero Arts, Studio Calico, Tsukineko) + stamps (American Crafts, Evalicious, Technique Tuesday, Studio Calico) + tag (Elle's Studio) + twine (The Twinery) + washi tape (Studio Calico) + plastic hearts (Hello Forever for Studio Calico) + doily (Royal Lace) + adhesive (Scotch, Glue Dots) + pen (Sharpie, Sakura) + fonts (Lobster 2.0, PT Sans Narrow) + software (Rad Lab, Adobe Photoshop) + printer (Canon)

We love how Christine took one photo and added different filters and washes to create three different looks. And while at first you might think that it is still just the one photo, upon looking closely, you will see that the different effects create different images. One is happy and sunny. One is reality. And the other is artsy and contrasty. The filters you pick tell a little about yourself and help add to the story. A quiet and cool hidden bit of the story.

 

Days Like These | Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Fancy Pants, Crate Paper) + mist (Studio Calico) + die cuts (Fancy Pants)+ pen (American Crafts) + cut file (Silhouette Online Store)

How much time do you spend in the car? Let us count the hours. These photos are priceless. Such a wonderful way to capture a slice of life and to tell the story of a busy mom. Sometimes in the passenger seat with a whole family behind her. Sometimes in the driver's seat with a tiny in a carseat. But always surrounded by love. It makes you want to hurry to your car and take similar photos, right?

 

My Fave Things | Jennifer Hignite

12 x 12 | materials template (Nettio Designs) + circle labels (Karla Dudley) + chipboard (My DeLeon)

This is the perfect photo challenge, summarized in one layout. Take your camera (phone or otherwise) and for one week (or a day) capture all those things around you that you love. Or be more precise. Photograph !% things you love. And then use the sketch from last week to recreate Jennifer's layout so you can showcase your favorite things. It's like a tiny little pinboard. And who doesn't love pinterest? It pinterest for your own life!

 

 

And last, but not least, we selected these six layouts for the design tips they inherently offered. Get your pencil out, you are going to want to make a list of these!

 

#planneraddict | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics Paper) + spray ink (Kesi’Art) + patterned paper (Sassafras Lass for Studio Calico) + journal cards (Studio Calico, Kesi'Art, Callaloo Soup Designs) + stickers (Studio Calico, Sassafras Lass for Studio Calico) + paper doily + glassine bag

All the rage right now is writing with a paintbrush. It isn't as easy as you might think, but it is a lovely way to be artistic, have fun, and brighten up a page with the perfect color of title. And just like most things in life, practice makes perfect!

 

It's A Keeper | Sue Althouse

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Elle's Studio, Jenni Bowlin) + chipboard letters, stamp, enamel stickers (October Afternoon) + tags, frame (Elle's Studio) + floss, vellum (We R Memory Keepers) + paper clip, camera transparencies (Maya Road) + staples (Tim Holtz) + fabric corner (Amy Tangerine) + ink (Hero Arts) + border punch (Fiskars) + typewriter (Remington)

Sue's pages are such studies in balance. She truly is a master. Though, today, we are focusing in on another well done technique. Look how she created a polaroid overlay that is sitting vertically on her horizontal photo, thereby "cropping" out the superfluous and drawing your eye in to the important part of the photo.  Then she smartly layered other bits and baubles around and under her photo providing depth and texture to the photo. It was so well done, we bet some of you didn't even see the rest of the photo peeking out the sides. (It's okay, we missed it the first time, too!) Isn't it magical? Purposeful magic makes for wonderful pages.

 

I Love Color | Diane Payne

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico) + buttons (Studio Calico) + brads (American Crafts) + flair (A Flair for Buttons) + die cuts (American Craft, Studio Calico) + bows (American Crafts, Studio Calico) + paper clip (Freckled Fawn) + stickers (Freckled Fawn, Twine & Ink) + pen (American Crafts)

Amazing! We are going to look to four specific things that Diane does to make this layout sing. First, to balance ALL that color, there are two wide expanses of white space. And bit of blacks for grounding. This layout would have been frenetic chaos without these two things. Next, while Diane uses all five rainbow colors, she doesn't use shades of each as well, thereby maintaining the actual number of colors to 5. Third, the hearts, while plentiful, are small and repeating. Think of her having spilled a colorful button jar along the middle band. While lots of sizes, really only two shapes (hearts and circles) which again created controlled chaos. Lastly, Diane switched her photo to black and white (and a very blown out black and white) which eliminate any competition between the colors in the photo and the colors in the layout. You may want to rebuild this layout, but go against any of these four techniques, to better understand how smart they are for helping keep a neat and tidy layout. Diane, you get a gold star for this one!

 

Me At This Very Moment | Amy Kingsford

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Seize by Allison Pennington) + buttons (Seize by Allison Pennington) + brads (Seize by Allison Pennington) + alpha (Seize by Allison Pennington) + die cuts (Seize by Allison Pennington) + flowers (Seize by Allison Pennington) + cork (Happy Go Lucky by Allison Pennington) + other digital elements (Seize by Allison Pennington) + Template (One of Each 2 by Amy Martin) + fonts (KD Everyday)

This layout is in our scrapbook section as we were completely beguiled by the diagonal cut on Amy's photo. Brilliant! Do you see the subtle arrow drawn below the title? Built bu the box, the two triangles comprising the square, and the two triangles placed to create the arrowhead? Then look to the left and down a little and you will see that there is another arrowhead facing left. And then the circle with the dangling key in the center brings your eye in and holds the balance perfectly. This layout is art. Truly a mini masterpiece. Brava! Amy, you are amazing! 

 

Selfie with Flower | Jina Jean

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts) + glitter label (Studio Calico) + labels (October Afternoon) + tag (American Crafts) + ribbon (Gossamer Blue)

Jina does color washes unlike any other. And she is SOO good at the little details. The stamped feather blowing in the breezy clouds. The stitching in the clouds for added texture. The loose threads hanging off the end provide movement and help you feel the breeze you see in the photo. The droplets of water on the patterned paper that reinforce the water in the photo. The repeated bits of loveliness in the pink scattered here and there. The addition of the little yellow bow to the flower in the top left hand corner repeats the color of the journaling strip by the photo adding cohesion. Do you see how all the random bits are anything but random?

 

Love Me My | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Glitz) + tags (One Little Bird) + arrow (Glitz) + flair (Pixels & Co. Collaboration) + fonts (The Maple Origins, Montez)

Going digital gives you the freedom to play with hues. Liking making all the blues in your papers a tiny bit more green to make you eyes stand out? Or making things a little bit lighter here and a little bit darker there to better tie them together. If you are digital, don't be afraid to play with the depth or shade of the colors in your kits so that you can create the perfect hue for your layout.

 

Thank you, for stopping by and for being a part of our write. click. scrapbook. reading family! We love having you and hope that you have enjoyed our look back through our gallery! Only four more days til a new one!

Blue is...

So here we are together on our final day of color week. I am sorry that it has been such a tricky one with the site up and down. And I thank you for being here in spite of the circumstances.

I have been reminded this week of how much I love color. It's one of the things that I have always loved about scrapbooking. I love putting them together. And seeing how they help create the right mood. Big happy sigh!

 

Today's color is blue. The final one on the 5 color rainbow. Here is a bit about blue.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquility and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.

You can use blue to promote products and services related to cleanliness (water purification filters, cleaning liquids, vodka), air and sky (airlines, airports, air conditioners), water and sea (sea voyages, mineral water). As opposed to emotionally warm colors like red, orange, and yellow; blue is linked to consciousness and intellect. Use blue to suggest precision when promoting high-tech products.

Blue is a masculine color; according to studies, it is highly accepted among males. Dark blue is associated with depth, expertise, and stability; it is a preferred color for corporate America.

Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite. When used together with warm colors like yellow or red, blue can create high-impact, vibrant designs; for example, blue-yellow-red is a perfect color scheme for a superhero.

Light blue is associated with health, healing, tranquility, understanding, and softness.
Dark blue represents knowledge, power, integrity, and seriousness.

::source::

 

I wear blue jeans nearly every day. Navy is one of my best friends. And I haven't yet met a shade of blue I don't love. I have touches of blue in everyone's bedrooms. Be it navy, sky, or turquoise. It's calming. Soothing.

Or can be electric--I even wore blue eyeshadow the other day. (Welcome back to the 70s!)

I think of blue as a lovely backdrop. A perfect dance partner. It goes with everything. And it is happy to be in the back row so that they other colors can shine. I guess that's part of what I love about it. I think it's why I use it so often on my pages. It's easy and perfect and because there are so many blues to choose between, I can always find a great match.

 

Blue and red. True love.

 

 

 

Denim blue and green. Stormy sky and trees. Nature made it perfect. I just borrowed it.

 

 

Navy grounds the rainbow.

 

 

Sky blue is true peace.

 

 

Is this one blue or green? Either way it's lovely.

 

 

One of my favorite ways to use blue is with blue graph or grid paper.

 

 

There's nothing like a whole spectrum of blues to go together.

 

 

Lately, I've been drawn to the bluer blues. It must be a trendy thing. It's not my usual shade. Though they certainly are everywhere. Especially with the big comeback of denim!

 

I hope that you have had a fun week! I hope that you have spent some time looking through your layouts, too. It's good for us to celebrate our hard work and to get lost in the stories we are preserving!

Thank you, always, for taking the time to come by!

Green is...

I am having such a lovely time scrolling through old pages and looking for color patterns. I hope you are, too! Usually, I just do what I do with my pages, but sometimes it is good fun (and a good exercise) to evaluate what I am doing and why. Do you find it helpful for you to do the same?

 

Today we are looking for green. To see how it shows up in our pages. Let's again begin with a little about green.

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money.

Green has great healing power. It is the most restful color for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance. Sometimes green denotes lack of experience; for example, a 'greenhorn' is a novice. In heraldry, green indicates growth and hope. Green, as opposed to red, means safety; it is the color of free passage in road traffic.

Use green to indicate safety when advertising drugs and medical products. Green is directly related to nature, so you can use it to promote 'green' products. Dull, darker green is commonly associated with money, the financial world, banking, and Wall Street.

Dark green is associated with ambition, greed, and jealousy.
Yellow-green can indicate sickness, cowardice, discord, and jealousy.
Aqua is associated with emotional healing and protection.
Olive green is the traditional color of peace.

::source::

 

Green. It could use a whole week worth just to cover all the shades. Evergreen. Teal. Lime. Celery. Apple. I find they all have their place but for different things, of course. I wear teal, celery, and army. I decorate with lime, apple, and pear. I eat avocado, lime, celery, apple, lettuce, pears, asparagus, kale, cabbage, broccoli, grapes, and artichokes. I avoid olive and olives. (The color and the fruit.) I have plants in every room. (Mostly the same plant, as I don't have the greenest of thumbs...) I am certain that green has a presence in my pages, but also curious to see which shades are the front runners.

 

It looks like I am partial to leafy greens.

 

 

And it seems that I am not afraid to do an entirely green layout!

The biggest thing I have learned though, is that I often pose my peeps in front of foliage. I seem to consider green the greatest backdrop, ever. :)

 

Tomorrow our colorful week comes to a close. Please join me for a blue-sy day!

Yellow is...

While we have just looked at two of my most used and most easily used colors. Knowing how much I adore orange, it probably won't surprise you that yellow makes me happy, too. I am so excited to see how it shows up in my pages. But first...

Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy.

Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Yellow is often associated with food. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter, which is the reason taxicabs are painted this color. When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect; it is known that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Yellow is seen before other colors when placed against black; this combination is often used to issue a warning. In heraldry, yellow indicates honor and loyalty. Later the meaning of yellow was connected with cowardice.

Use yellow to evoke pleasant, cheerful feelings. You can choose yellow to promote children's products and items related to leisure. Yellow is very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design. Men usually perceive yellow as a very lighthearted, 'childish' color, so it is not recommended to use yellow when selling prestigious, expensive products to men – nobody will buy a yellow business suit or a yellow Mercedes. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Light yellow tends to disappear into white, so it usually needs a dark color to highlight it. Shades of yellow are visually unappealing because they loose cheerfulness and become dingy.

Dull (dingy) yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, and jealousy. 
Light yellow is associated with intellect, freshness, and joy.

::source::

What is it about yellow that I love? I love how it pairs with other colors. I love how it makes me feel happy. I love tiny splashes of yellow. Itty bitty bits are here and there throughout my house. And in my closet. And I have long been on the prowl for some deep yellow ballet flats. Mmm.

The past two days have shown me that my use of color in my pages often parallels how I use that color in my house. Let's see if that is again true today.

 

Yellow paired with other colors. Tiny splashes of color. Happy shades. It's all here.

 

 

I surprisingly found one with with lots of yellow!

I remember choosing the big burst of yellow as I thought it was the best to help see Lavender in the photo. And it makes me happy to see now, so I guess it was a good choice!

 

Did you notice how often I pair yellow with blue/tourquoise? Just like the orange. What's more curious? That I do it? or that I am surprised to learn that I do? :)

How does yellow show up in your scrapbooks? Do you love it? or avoid it? it's a bright one. And I hope you have a bright day!

Orange is...

Thank you for your patience with Typepad being down, then up, then down again. They have been working diligently and tirelessly to work out the trouble. Thank you to them for doing so, and for you for sticking with us despite the trouble!

Today we are moving to orange! Here is a bit of discussion concerning my absolutely fantabulous favoritest color ever:

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.

Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Orange is very effective for promoting food products and toys.

Dark orange can mean deceit and distrust.
Red-orange corresponds to desire, sexual passion, pleasure, domination, aggression, and thirst for action.
Gold evokes the feeling of prestige. The meaning of gold is illumination, wisdom, and wealth. Gold often symbolizes high quality.

::source::

Orange is the happiest color on earth. For me. My mom, on the other hand, finds it dreadful. I bet you can guess that it shows up in my scrapbooks more than hers (if she scrapbooked, that is...). I wear a lot of orange. Solids, usually. I decorate with in in small doses. Usually in patterns, oddly enough--chevron, stripes, ginghams--any will do. Interesting that there is a difference in there between decor and fashion. I wonder how that translates to my pages.

Hmm. I notice lots of patterns (especially tone on tones) and little bits of orange here and there. I don't really have any layouts that are all orange. I did find a couple with bigger splashes...

but even those aren't really oceans of orange as much a bigger puddles.

 

I also realized that I often pair orange with blue/tourquoise. Perhaps because they are my happy colors??!! That duet came as no surprise!

I hope you have a happy sunshine-y day bathed in radiant orange! Tomorrow is yellow day. See you then!

Red is...

The other day, my baby asked me what if we drove cars that matched us. She said angry people would drive red cars, sad people would drive blue cars, and happy people could choose between orange and yellow. First, I thought, hmm. That's not how I would have assigned the colors. And then I thought, goodness me! I LOVE how we are so affected by color. Even at 7!

Which got me to thinking, let's spend a whole week swimming in color! Lots of color! Today we start with red. In looking to see what emotional responses were connected to red I found this:

Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love.

Red is a very emotionally intense color. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment are usually painted red. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage. It is a color found in many national flags.

Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions; it is a perfect color for 'Buy Now' or 'Click Here' buttons on Internet banners and websites. In advertising, red is often used to evoke erotic feelings (red lips, red nails, red-light districts, 'Lady in Red', etc). Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). This color is also commonly associated with energy, so you can use it when promoting energy drinks, games, cars, items related to sports and high physical activity.

Light red represents joy, sexuality, passion, sensitivity, and love. 
Pink signifies romance, love, and friendship. It denotes feminine qualities and passiveness.
Dark red is associated with vigor, willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice, and wrath.
Brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.
Reddish-brown is associated with harvest and fall.

::source::

I really love red. Around my house, there are splashes of red in more than a few rooms. I have had red runners (in Canada that's what we call casual athletic shoes) for more that 10 years. I love red striped t-shirts. And putting my littles in red polka dots. And somehow I have lived for years and years in red/white cities (Salt Lake and the University of Utah, Madison and the University of Wisconsin, Columbus and The Ohio State). But how do I use red in my scrapbooks?

As I looked through a big stack of layouts, I began noticing a few things. First, I found that red most often shows up in my books as an accent. Sort of like my house. A little here and a little there.

 

I also noticed that I most often use a true red. (Sort of the same as all those university jerseys. :) ) But if I don't use a true red, I tend to go for the paler red. Some might think it a rosy pink, but it really is a pale red.

 

And lastly, every now and again, I will splurge and go big!

Somehow big red layouts seem to revolve around the love theme. You, too?

 

I loved noticing the patterns. I am excited for this week to better understand my use of colors. I hope that you will join me in looking through your layouts and seeing how you use red, too!

until tomorrow,