Teri Fode Photography / Blog

real beauty...

[scrapbooking l inspiration]

note: this layout was created with the photo I used on a recent blog entry on the subject of...real beauty.

 

RED TYPE on photo reads:

"I used to think that beauty was measured by the way that you dress, the color of your hair, the features of your face. I used to believe the world...that beauty is based on a person's looks. But now I know the truth, God's truth. Beauty is measured only by your heart. Beauty really is within. It's the loveliness in your heart. The way you talk. The way you treat man-kind. It can't be paid for. I now know that "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7"

Inside the envelope is a hand-written letter to my dd about beauty: 

"My dd. You are so beautiful. So pretty. So lovely by the world's standards. But always remember this: God created your beauty on the outside, but really only looks at the beauty of your heart.

He cares about the way that you talk. He cares about the words you choose to use and the things you talk about. He cares about your humbleness and absence of pride. He instructs us not to boast of ourselves but rather, let others speak good of us instead (which breeds a humble spirit). He instructs us to put Him first above all others.

A beautiful heart is humble, kind, loving, forgiving, uplifting. A beautiful woman treats others as she would want others to treat her.

My deepest prayer for you is that you will never be caught up in the world's interpretation of beauty. I pray that you will never compare yourself to a billboard or a magazine or a model. I pray that you will know that the beauty in Hollywood is artificial and unrealistic. It's a beauty based on man's understanding rather than God's wisdom.

Please know this: you will never have to pay for beauty. It doesn't come in a jar. It doesn't come in a beauty salon. It doesn't come in a department store. And it definitely doesn't come through cosmetic surgery. These are all artificial. And by pursuing them a person can only find more...emptiness. No, the true beauty I speak of can only come from the humbleness of heart that is produced from knowing God.

It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it only matters who you are on the inside. It's where true beauty is. It's a beauty that attracts people without them even understanding why.

Be beautiful my dst. Always be beautiful."

From the TraDigi™ book.

more glimpses of Memory Trends...

[scrapbooking]

note: I'm home...and exhausted from all the walking, excitement and fun!

My feet ache, but it was a ball...

After awhile, everything starts to become a big blur, and it's gets overwhelming...so you have to pace yourself so that you really take it all in. Lots of booths have "make and takes" using some of their new products...Heidi Swapp had an adorable lanyard "make and take", being demo'd by none other than her hubby in a bright pink "Heidi Swapp" logo men's shirt (not a product, just a "show shirt"). Here is a photo of the lanyard using one of her new flower products and pins for the middle:

Tim Holtz doing demo's of his latest products (he's the designer of "Ranger Inks"...LOVE those inks):

Here's the DCWV booth...and Creating Keepsakes (Primedia Banner, high above) booth. We had a wonderful chat with Tracy White, the Editor. She's such a genuine, warm lady. Really like her...

My adorable sis...she went for "cute" this day instead of "practical"...and she paid for it...see her shoes? Yeah, cute all right. I told her to quit whining after she made such a silly choice. We BOTH went for "cute" on day one...we were both wearing band-aids and carrying our shoes around at night going bare-foot through the shops in so much pain (we closed the shops on day one! THAT was fun). But ME...I went for "practical" on day two unlike my younger sis. Must be the wisdom that comes with...age...  :)

The swarm around Making Memories "make and take"...their booth was impressive...love their new "Runway Line" (luggage-type totes for supplies) which come in green, pink, black...

Ran across Donna...she's such a nut...told us to smile real crazy and...I was the only one that did...gonna get her for that...

Bazzill's tables were never empty...always full of buyer's buying their fabulous product...

Here's the warm, wonderful, big-hearted Thena Smith...she was at the show debuting her new books...

We loved meeting Jennifer and Tina, the co-authors of the new book entitled "The Envelope Book" by Pine Cone Press...can't wait to get my HANDS on that book!!!:

Just love Suzy West, the author of the "Scrapbooking on the Wall" series for Canvas Concepts...she is so energetic and bubbly...I PROMISE I'll come visit you in S.F, Suzy...promise, promise, promise!!! (I got in trouble for living an hour 1/2 away and never coming down to visit her store!  :)

Okay...I think you get the point...these shows are FABULOUS...great fun, lots of networking, meeting people, seeing people again, previewing new product...and of course, being silly and goofy as you've seen and heard about the two SASSY SISTERS.

Want to see 100+ photos of the new products up close? Go to Chris Jenkins typepad photo-album...she did a fabulous job of displaying TONS of photos...enjoy!

Had fun, Heidi!!! Can't wait for CHA in January!!!

Oh...didn't I tell you guys??? We have a little...

s-e-c-r-e-t

to

share

with

you...

soon!!! :) :) :) :) :)

photos...memory trends with comment updates!

[scrapbooking]

NOTE: COMMENTS WERE UPDATED WITH MORE INFO AFTER I GOT A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP...JUST IN CASE YOU PREVIEWED PRIOR TO THIS UPDATE...

Memory Trends...

Heidi and I are having a ball...FABULOUS stuff debuting at this show...and I'm shocked at the NEW companies debuting for the first time. Just when you didn't think there was any room for another company in the multi-million dollar industry, up pops another company with fun stuff!

FIRST...

Heidi and I had a ball the day we arrived (the day before the show started). We walked the shops at Caesar's Palace...w-o-w. These are the types of shops your dear husband would NEVER step foot into in a million years (hi Donnie! xoxoxo)...

We were happy...so happy. I mean, I can't imagine Don going into the "Celine Dion" shop...full of girlie stuff...Heidi and I both bought her new perfume (yum)!

Okay...then there was CORSA...tons of crazy purses!!! Check this out:

THIS is the perfect purse because it makes you feel so *tiny*...it's a big as a house!!!! Who could actually carry this thing? :) And check out the FURRY thing that would be perfect for your North Pole trip! These purses were HUGE!!! And they were not a bad price...under $1000.00...LOL! :)

 

And...doesn't this look like a scrappin' bag? It reminded us of patterned paper...the designer MUST have been inspired by the Scrapbook Industry!

Another store...this one FULL of inspiration for colors/patterns! It's "Ice Accessories"...and this is me with an adorable tea cup...

and tons more fun stuff to get color-ideas from...loved this store...cute stuff...very spendy though:

But enough of our goofiness...on to the show...here we are with Deb Jennis of Pine Cone Press Books...and...drum roll...our new book! Yes, the cover is different than the proto-type and poster board...I personally love it! (yep...that's Tori and mommy) :)

And we are so happy with how it turned out...we've heard lots of positive feed-back so we're excited!

Okay...more fun photos...in case you've never been to a trade show, here is a photo of 1/1000th of the floor! These shows are HUGE...we've only walked 1/3 of the show in a day...although we stop and talk to people we know which slows us down, but all-in-all, it takes several days to cover the whole floor when you're taking the time to look at everything.

Heidi Swapp's booth: new stuff? FUZZY rub-ons! Like that "flock" texture...very cool. Also, her "Credit Card" line which is a plastic line of fun stuff like "clip ons" etc. Lots of new photo corners with cute designs. Huge flowers. And she is known for her "give-aways"...I'll take photos of some things tonight...but she has lip-gloss, pink bubble gum balls and peanut m&m's (I ate NONE!!!), a black-and-white polka-dot lanyard with a big pink flower in the middle...BUT...I'm not impressed with her paper-line debut. Just a bit boring for the market...but that's just my humble opinion and it really doesn't matter because her over-all line will over-shadow the boring papers.

A2Z Essentials booth, and a photo of (L to R): Heather Preckel, Heidi, Kate Teague (and her yummy paper line behind us), me, Heidi (Heather's sister)...loved meeting them all! Their booth is SO classy...very chic and tons of exciting product including a "school" line created by Heather herself!

And...look at the awesome design of Melissa Frances' booth...so shabby...so fabulous...love it...we went to it several times just to stare at her amazing and incredible talent. Her product is amazing too...

Very impressed with Heidi Grace's procuct line...and she had an adorable booth with a couch in the middle, full of glitter...and she was covered in glitter herself. She's very fun, spunky and trendy.

Flair's new paper lines include a fabulous holiday collection and baby collection...both are fabulous with vellum quote books.

We're seeing TONS of "naked-boxes" around...lots of different shapes, sizes...ready to be decorated and designed with products similar to the "lunch box" idea...Wood Hollow has a fabulous line.

Monograms are still here...tons of colors, shapes, textures, sizes.

Still lots of bright colors...a bit toned down...not as BOLD but still very bright...and of course the Basic Grey Christmas papers which Kelly Goree debuted over at 2 Peas are to die for. Can't wait to get my hands on that stuff.

Okay...that's it for now...we have TONS of show yet to see...will try to upload some more photos soon with more "product previews"...so far, lots of fun procuts...but also a lot of the-same-but-redone-with-a-twist products as well...just being real and honest here.

And...a last parting shot for now..more to come later...this is a shot of our *fun* watches...blurry photo, but you get the idea!

Okay...off to bed...so tired...my feet ACHE...neck is killing me...need my beauty rest :) to do it again tomorrow!

off to memory trends

[scrapbooking]

warning: i hate to fly...but God gives me peace!

It's here!!! The big scrapbooking trade-show in Las Vegas, "Memory Trends", one of the three shows per year where all of the manufacturers debut new product that will be rolling out in the brick-and-mortar stores and on-line stores!

Heidi and I are off on a jet plane...meeting there Sunday afternoon...Heidi from Montana, me from California! We are giddy with excitement to "see" our Tra-Digi™ book for the first time! Can't wait...we don't know what the cover will look like yet...the cover I've shown you is a "mock cover" but Deb will actually choose a layout for the cover (not the 2 shown)...we are excited to see which one she chooses!

We both met in Atlanta last January for the biggest show of the year...so amazing, these shows. The biggest one is the first one of the year...but Memory Trends is just as exciting with lots of new products being debuted! Including our little book together with the "Envelope Book" by Jen. These are the 2 new books for Pine Cone Press and their "book club".

I won't be back until Wednesday, BUT!!! Stay tuned!!! Heidi is taking her lap-top and we will be taking lots of fun photos. I'll be updating my blog with photos while we're in Vegas! Stay tuned by Monday night (late) for some exciting glimpses of our activities at the show!

And...please say a prayer for my flight...I hate to fly...but I have peace knowing that God will station His angels on the wings of that plane. The only other person I know that hates to fly as much as I do is Terri P (my assistant / friend at work)...we both DREAD it.

Plus...Las Vegas is NOT my favorite city. For someone that doesn't drink/smoke/gamble, it's not the greatest place in the world to spend time. PLUS...I'm determined to continue eating/drinking healthy. Ugh...such challenges in "sin city" as they call!  :)  But with God's grace, I'll make it through!

"Talk to you soon!" Stay tuned for photos late Monday night...

to the printing press!

[scrapbooking]

warning: the Tra-Digi™ is set to print!

Heidi and I saw the proof of the book this past week! So fun...so exciting...so surreal! It was so incredibly awesome to see our little creation in print...on a computer screen for now!

So, we proofed, and proofed some more. A little tweaking...a few more step-by-steps added for the digi side of it, and off to the printers it went! According to Deb at Pine Cone Press, it was set to print on Friday.

So...Heidi and I will be off to the Memory Trends trade-show in Vegas in 2 weeks to...see an actual copy of the book and to help promote it! Can't wait...our little book project is almost real!

I'll leave you with a few "snippits" from the book...just to tease you!  ;)

Have a BEAUTIFUL weekend...

:) :) :) :) :)

more fun & funky...

[scrapbooking]

warning: once you try that fun-funky style...you'll be *hooked*!  :)

Busy weekend...but thought I'd post a couple more "Fun & Funky" layouts I did for fun...more "Elsie-inspired" style. Really havin' fun steppin' up the eclectic-ness of it all!

Have a great weekend...

["just like spring"] used a transparency, laid it over the tulip design from my sketch book (Target) I used for the "Tra-Digi" book, traced with sharpies and white sakura pen...

[explore] lots of doodling! Had a ball! Try it! Take Elsie's fun style and make it feel like your own with your own "funky" doodling and *playing*!!!

Have a great weekend!  :) :) :) :) :)

PS: Check out Heidi's blog for a 30-day parental-prayer list for parents!

a fun, funky style...

[scrapbooking]

warning: it's fun...it's crazy...it's funky...

Anyone that knows me well knows I'm eclectic...wanna know why? I love all kinds of styles and love to blend them and use lots of different things! Take my house decor, for instance...I have very a traditional style mixed with elegant, country flair, Target and Pottery Barn!

So, in scrapbooking, it only makes sense that I would be eclectic! Take this page from my Hall of Fame entry for example...one big photo with lots of little ones mixed with lots of eclectic "schtuff"! Kinda fun, kinda funky, kinda crazy (scroll down the page, yes, past the fabulous Katherine Brooks and Rhonna Farrer! Yes...there's 'lil 'ole me with short hair!)

So...then clean and graphic and linear came on the scene. And I just couldn't do it for the life of me. I tried, really I did. But in the end, I decided that what really matters is what makes you happy when you are creating keepsake-memories with your photos. You can read my views on that here...oh...and the funny note to myself as I posted to myself on this entry a month or so ago after re-reading it myself...

I had temporarily forgotten the very important point I had even made in this entry on a day that I was down about missing a page call...yep, even Hall-of-Famers have dissapointments...go ahead, peek at my dorkiness! Can't even believe I'm telling you about that comment I posted "to-myself-from-myself"!!! (it's the last "post/comment" on the above referenced entry). :)

But now...have you seen? Have you heard? Did you know? Funky is all the rage!!! And...I...LOVE IT!!!! Yes! It feels so *freeing* and *fun* and *artsy* and *creative*!!!

We can thank Elsie Flannigan for this trend-setting style...and I've seen it slipping into the designs of Rhonna, Carrie Colbert, Allison Kimball, and others...

No...don't feel compelled to *have* to start being funky! If you are clean and linear and love the fabulous style of the awesome Cathy Z., then keep on keepin' on!!! That's the beauty of srapbooking. It's what YOU like...it's what makes you happy...it's what feels good during the whole process!

I do predict that we'll be seeing a lot of this style in the mags very, very soon...they love "fresh" and "trendy" and this is a very fun style for the magazines to portray. But not everyone will be able to relate to this funky fun, so we'll still be seeing lots of other fabulous stuff too.

As for my TraDigi™ book? A little funkiness...not a ton...but some! Lots of influence from Karen Russell in my work in that book because that's who has been my favorite scrapper from the beginning of...well, for a long time. I just gravitate to that "layering-of-photos" style and it makes me so happy! :)

But, this was so much fun! Okay...here's the scoop on this page and the products...FIRST...the adorable little girl is my cute, spunky, adorable little niece). SECOND...the products are from my kit I received from MY FAVORITE MEMORIES.

It's a fabulous "Kit-Club" and yes, I'm endorsing it right here and now!!!

About a year ago, I received an email from Shari Kimmey, the owner of My Favorite Memories. She explained that she was starting an online Kit Club and asked me to be her first designer. From that point on, Shari and I have *bonded* and I call her one of my close *cyber-friends* because even though we are both so busy, we can let a month or more go by and then pick up where we left off...she's a wonderful lady and OH MY you MUST check out her site!!! I don't endorse too many things...so please know it's from my heart.

Don't miss her "Previous and Current Designers of the Month"!!! You'll find fabulous designs from the likes of Trisha Ruebens, Layle Koncar, Carrie Colbert, Heather D. White, Rachel Ludwig, my sis Heidi, and MORE! Mellete B. designed for her too but I'm not sure why I couldn't find her designs. Okay...and I'm still in there somewhere under "previous designers"...:) I created a fun Christmas monogram decoration that I can't wait to pull out of my Christmas box this year! You'll have to check it out and let me know what you think...it was so fun! (Big wooden letters spelling out "J-O-Y" that are decoupaged with KI products from her December 2004 kit...it's in the gallery under "past designers").

So...this funky page, above, is completely (except for the white pen) from her August Kit...the white flowers? I used a KI transparency in one of her special KI Kits and then TRACED over it using a transparency and a white pen! Okay...and don't miss a sample of her Add-Ons too!

If you are into Kit Clubs...or have never heard of them...you can buy a single month or save money by signing up for several months at a time. The fun thing about a kit-club is that it gives you a pre-packaged group of goodies to play with. A kick-in-the-pants if you're in a rut! I love her kits...

Why am I promoting her? Well...really just because I had such a FUN TIME today playing with this page and am so excited about trying a new "thang" but still staying true to my "artsy-eclectic-use-tons-of-stuff" style! And...I have a ton of respect and "like" for Shari. Hi Shari!!! Are you surprised??? (I'll be emailing her a link to this entry...she'll be a happy girlie I'm sure). Hope you have lots of new people checking you out and peeking in on your new MESSAGE BOARD!!!  :)

Okay...that's it for now except to say that my Pastor ROCKED at church and I can't wait to share some fabulous inspirational stuff this week that really had me...feeling very blessed and happy and  peaceful today...

SONG THAT IS PLAYING ON MY BLOG: ...It talks about how God knows us inside and outside...and that no matter where you go in the world, there's no love like His...and how captivating and saturating only HIS LOVE IS.

T.

:) :) :) :) :)

book project...done.

[scrapbooking l misc]

First...

Thank you.

So glad to hear from so many of you via comments and the over-whelming emails. There are so many views on this catastrophe, so much being said by so many people, but we all share this: sadness for the people going through this.

I haven't been on my blog for a few days for a couple of reasons. I guess I just wanted to let my thoughts "settle" with me before coming back to write about...everyday life. Because my life is "normal", and so many lives "aren't" right now. Such a strange thing to stop and think about.

And I hated this feeling of "okay, so while so many people are homeless, sick, suffering from loss of loved ones, let's move on here and talk about scrapbooking and photography and other stuff"...

But...here's the reality:

My life IS in it's normal state. And for the past week, during this chaos in our country, I've been up until 2 or 3:00am (for the past month, really) finishing my book project that was due to the publisher on September 1st-with-a-5-day-extension.

A stark contrast to the reality of so many other people right now, buy my reality none-the-less. And it just seemed (and is) so trivial compared to the...lives of so many others right now.

So, to lighten up the mood around here, but not to diminish the very reality of the continued situation in my country, I thought I would share the experience Heidi and I have had in writing our book! And by the way, the title (Tra-Digi™) is pronounced "tra-DI-geeeee", emphasis on "di", as in "Traditional" scrapbooking combined with "Digital" scrapbooking.

We sent the final project to Pine Cone Press this week. And what an all-consuming (and awesome) project it was to be involved in.

When we were invited to do this project, I'm not quite sure either of us realized the scope of the project in its entirety! In the various projects I've been involved in with Creating Keepsakes and Memory Makers, the "book" itself was already designed; I simply created my page(s) and submitted them to the publisher!

But for this project, we were asked to completely design the book, cover-to-cover! From the text design, to the font, to the title and table of contents, we did it all. Color scheme? Yep...we were in charge. Placement of scrapbook pages? Once again...our decision. How many scrapbook designs and the size of each? Another design point to consider.

Sound fun? Yes, it was. But...very, very time-consuming, tedious, and stressful at times. Complaining? No. Not a bit. Because I feel very blessed to even be a part of it. Very fortunate to be included.

And I hope you like it.  :)  It ships to the book clubs end of November, and to the stores shortly after that.

It's not a huge book...36 pages. But packed with some fun things. My sister, Heidi, of course, is a "digital" scrapbooker; I'm a "traditional" scrapbooker. But I've loved incorporating some digital elements into my pages and photography these days together with all of the texture that I love! These are some of the things I'll be sharing. And Heidi, in addition to sharing some fabulous digital designs, will take you through an easy "step-by-step" of your first digital page!

I know I've mentioned this before: I really loved creating the pages for this book. I used some of my favorite photos and stories. And lots of journaling right off of my blog.

Pages with lots of meaning behind them...together with some fun pages to round it all out.

So, we (Heidi and I) spent many nights these past weeks, on our speaker phones in our studios "creating" this book. Lots of funny conversations ("wait, Heidi, these aren't numbered the same...go to your sketch book page 33...see? No!!! It's not right!...okay...this color doesn't work for the header...what? you don't like that? why? okay...let's try this...hugh?), lots of serious conversations (family, Katrina-disaster, faith topics), and lots of "quiet times" where we realized we were both working and not talking and paying for our silence via a long-distance call!  :)

Every time the phone rang this past month, dh and dk's wouldn't even attempt to answer it..."it's for you mom...it's gotta be Aunt Heidi"...yep. No doubt. What do you think, Heidi, maybe 8 to 10 times a day? Minimum?  :)

We started the book out by actually "sketching it" into a notebook. We each had identical "sketch-books" that we would refer to, since we live 1000 miles apart! And these sketchbooks became our life and blood in the whole process.

We work so well together, even when we are developing product. When I have a vision, I "describe it" to Heidi, and she can make it "come to life" on the computer via a "mock-up". During the book development, I would often "pencil draw" something, and she would create it in Photoshop for us! It was quite an incredible experience and one I'll never forget.

So, that's what my life has been full of for weeks-on-end. Dh and the dk's were "hooraying" around the house when I came home and said "the project is shipped off to the publisher" on Tuesday!

Ummm...I don't think I'll tell them yet about the fun little projects I'll be working on for CK soon...let's just let them have me back to normal a bit first.  ;)

COUPLE OF NOTES BEFORE I LEAVE TODAY:

Regarding the Katrina disaster: I have some direct information regarding "starting the process" of applying for an SBA/Disaster loan. I'm an Escrow Officer at a title company and closed an escrow for a gentleman last week that is an Agent for the SBA/Disaster Division and is being sent to the disaster area soon. He shared some very helpful tips (I was intrigued at the process and found myself asking a million questions...didn't even know why...until I received an email from someone who has friends affected that lost EVERYTHING...and then the wonderful ways in which God mysteriously works unfolded as I was able to pass on some "inside tips" to a family I don't even know...will never even meet here on earth)...just amazing. God is so good!

If you are in need of some information or know of a family or people that are feeling confused about the process of obtaining an SBA loan or grant, please email me direct (or post a comment here stating "please send Katrina info"), and I will send you the tips and instructions he shared. These loans are at 3% and cover the loss/damage to a victims home, contents and automobile! Victims must FIRST register with FEMA before contacting SBA/Disaster division...MUST obtain a "registration number" first...then the process evolves from there. I've created a word document with the tips he shared and am happy to share them at your request.

(Bloggers: please help share this info? Family by family, person by person. If we even help one, it's a blessing.)

May God bless the victims of Katrina.

{creatin'}

[scrapbooking]

warning: my creative-space looks like a disaster-zone...all in the name of creativity!

Okay...remember the commercial campaign a few years ago that went like this: "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs." ?

Well...

This is my studio:

This is my studio on drugs:

Can you say BOOK PROJECT DUE IN ONE WEEK with me???? ARRRGH!!!!!

I NEVER go to bed without cleaning up my area...because I need a "clean slate" or "clean canvas", so to speak, to start with before the next project! So I restore my studio back into it's "normal self" (ie, first photos above) after any project.

BUT...

I'm in the middle of creating the Tra-Digi™ book and up to my elbows in projects and so I went to bed last night EARLY (midnight) without cleaning. THIS (above photos) is what I woke up to! Had to take photos for you to see my creative...heaven.

Don gets so annoyed when it gets like this because we share this room and he hates finding "string" on the floor..."It's NOT string, honey. It's RIBBON." That's how the conversations always go around here when I'm AGAINST A DEADLINE!!!

And let me just say, it's a deadline alright. One that is looming (next week) and I'm creating pages like a mad-woman for this book.  :)

I can't wait to share some of the layouts...the book ships end of November...

These are layouts that are REALLY special to me. I haven't felt this much creative mojo since Hall of Fame! Really!

There's such a creative freedom when you have NO assignment or box to force yourself into. I've chosen photos and stories that are at the core of my heart...favorites. I'm even using a lot of my "blog" entries (from my "Inspiration" category) for my journaling.

I can't wait to share those layouts with you because for those of you that read my blog, and have read those stories (ie, the Father's Day entry about Don, Jordan's "The Road Less Traveled", my stories about Tori), you'll *know* where the layouts come from! My heart! 

So...that's where I've been the last few days and where I'll be the next few...in my *studio-on-creative-energy*!!!

Have a great rest of the week...I'll be back soon...gotta get some work done  :)

{nature} cj

[circle journals l scrapbooking]

warning: another fabulous circle journal to share...

Thanks to Trysha Hoskins, I spent Sunday afternoon in a very peaceful, serene state of mind! Her Circle Journal theme? The Wonders of Nature...

My entry into her journal was entitled Majestic Mountains...with photos from our recent day-trip to Silver Lake near Lake Tahoe, California.

Closer view:

I had a wonderful time creating this entry using Basic Grey's Vagabond line. What I love most about doing these Circle Journals is that you can create whatever suits your mood at the moment...

And at this particular moment I was feeling rather collage-y...yes, that terrible-unpopular-don't-you-dare-create-a-collage-or-messy-layout-because-everyone-hates-collage-and-messy-and-shabby-these-days style...and I *loved* just doing whatever came to mind...mixing it all up and creating a page just from the heart without a thought as to what the magazines might think.

Don't get me wrong...I love seeing my pages in print...but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that creating *on assignment* can feel like a job rather than a creative outlet.

THIS was a creative outlet. No boxes to fit into. No worries about what anyone might think. No cares about perfection or style trends or popularity votes.

Can you say it with me? C-r-e-a-t-i-v-e F-r-e-e-d-o-m!!! Aghhhh...the beauty of creative freedom...it's what scrapbooking is all about...at least to me.

Okay...here's a peek at Trysha's cover page, her layout, and the other gal's work created thus far in this Circle Journal:

Trysha's Cover Page: (notice the fabulous texture of died burlap)...

 

Trysha's sign-in page (note, my *sign-in* tag, above)

FYI: all images enlarge by *clicking*...

Trysha's own entry into her Circle Journal:

Michele's entry (this is her street...isn't it beautiful?)

Sonda T.'s entry...isn't this beautiful? I might have used the "sea" too...but her choice made mine easier because it was a toss up for me between the beach / sea and the mountains...

 

Okay...are you wanting to join a Circle Journal group? Want some tips and ideas? I listed some tips, ideas and other circle journals (including my own in this same group) HERE.

PS: I'm still sorting through and post-editing vacation photos...can't wait to share! Soon...