Monday, April 28, 2014

Embracing the Imperfect

My family has had a rough few weeks, and every time I think things are back to normal, we've been hit with something new.  The last time I posted, I mentioned my son's fractured wrist.  Well, right before Easter he came down with a severe lower respiratory infection.  Thankfully we caught it before it turned into pneumonia, but we had some scary days (and nights - the nights were so much worse).  He is doing much better (though still on a nebulizer a couple times a day), so I'm finally returning back to the blog.  

During those long nights, I started to watch Lain Ehmann's past Scrapbook Improvs, and her focus on telling the story and letting go of creating the perfect page really resonated with me.  So, I've decided to stop stressing and start creating!  I even made a video that goes through my why a bit more, and also goes through the kits I'll be using to start things off.  (Advance warning: sometimes my mouth and my brain have communication breakdowns.  There's a perfect example at the 10-minute mark.)




Extra credit if you watched the whole video.  :)

After filming the video, I brought the kits into my craft room, pulled out an Amy Tangerine embroidery template, and set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes.  I ended up finishing in 48 (it was the hand-stitching that did me in...I'm really slow).  Since it normally takes me well over an hour to finish a layout, I called it a win.  Actually, just finishing a layout is a win!

Here's the final product:



True story: I meant to create an 8.5 x 11 page on the orange cardstock, but totally forgot to measure it before starting the layout.  Once I noticed that my page was a bit larger than it should be (it measured 9.5 x 12), I decided to cut it down a bit and mount it on a 12x12 sheet.  Lesson learned: measure first gals!

Here's a close-up of the stitching that took me so darn long:



And here's my favorite part of the layout:


We're the crazy folks who look for hidden Mickeys throughout the park (my son had us buy the book)...I guess the next logical step is to start putting hidden (or not-so-hidden) Mickeys on my pages.  :)

I'm so proud of my page.  Honestly, it's been a couple months since I've created a traditional scrapbook page.  I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoy the process.  As soon as I get some homeschooling and chores finished, I'm heading back to my craft room.  I'll be sure to share my next project with you.

How about you, Nesters?  Anyone else struggle with perfectionism? 

4 comments :

  1. I'm sorry things have been crazy for you lately. It always seems to come all at once.

    But crafting is a great way to get your mind off of things. This layout is gorgeous, I love the hand stitching you did!

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  2. so many fun aspects to your page!
    love the stitching and "mickey" enamel dots :)
    And I love that green paper. Do you know what brand?
    Sorry things have been so rough! Here is hoping that things slow down a bit for all of you!

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    Replies
    1. Mary Jo, of course that was one that was missing the branding strip. :) But I think it's from the Studio Calico Darling Dear line. The flip-side has speech bubbles, if that helps.

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