Scrapbooking My Faith

I have been raised by a devout Catholic mom.  We go to church every Sunday.  I was educated in Catholic schools from kindergarten until college.  My faith has anchored me through life's most difficult situations.  My faith played a huge part in my decision-making.  My faith gave me hope and encouragement when I need them the most.  

Surprisingly enough, my faith is the one area in my life I least scrapbook about.  Just recently, I took an online class about scrapbooking my faith by Courtney Walsh.  I also bought her book, Scrapbooking Your Faith, in hope of getting faith into our scrapbooks more.  I want my children to read my thoughts, give them encouragement and strength to look up when they feel so down, to say a lot of a little prayers, to be mindful of the God that will provide for them and keep them safe.  I want them to have a personal relationship with God like I did.  

Here are the three layouts I did.  I have another layout that is much too personal that I'd rather keep to myself.  

Template - Scrap Orchard; Papers - Princesa Kit by Jessica Sprague; Journaling Strips - Crystal Wilkerson; Quote Fonts - Georgia and Zapfino; Journaling Font - Pea Marie Christine; Date Font - Myriad Pro

Template - Scrap Orchard; Papers - This Week by Carla Dudley; Title Font - Big Mummy; Journaling Font - my own handwriting

Template - Anna Aspnes; Paper - Nancy Rowe Janitz; Journaling Strips - Crystal Wilkerson; Journaling Font - my own handwriting; Title Font - Carpenter ICG and Big Mummy; Amen font - Zapfino; Date Font - Rockwell Extra Bold


The following photos + words are sized 4x6 that contain passages and quotes that moved me, encouraged me, strengthened me, touched me.  Some of these quotes were taken from Pinterest.  I am printing them as 4x6s, slipping them into an ongoing album which I'll keep adding into.  I have made use of the landscape photos I've taken over the years.  My hope for doing this is that my children will someday find strength, encouragement, hope, and faith in reading these passages and quotes.   

If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to scrapbook about your faith (if you're a scrapbooker like me), or write about it in a journal.  You never know who among your family will one day need a lift, and maybe that's the type of encouragement that will change their lives for the better.  

Remember, Celebrate, Appreciate, Live, Love

Yesterday's Oprah show feature on Erin Kramp touched me to the core.  Though she was battling breast cancer at that time, she summoned the courage to record hours upon hours of video for her daughter and her husband.  Her final words summed up why she did all this - TO BE REMEMBERED.

As a mother, Erin's story resonated with me.  I also have an overflowing love for my boys and I have so much to tell them.  Perhaps we just chose different mediums, but we want the end result to be the same - so that we can be remembered.

Photography and scrapbooking has enriched my life in unimaginable ways.  Sure, I get tired and I should probably just use the extra time I have resting and sleeping rather than scrapbooking.  It makes me happy though.  Scrapbooking gives me a deeper appreciation of life.  It allows me to celebrate our everyday.  It gives me the chance to record moments so that they will be remembered.  It allows me to speak to my boys and tell them just how much I love them.  It gives me the opportunity to teach them lessons.

I am proud to say I'm a mom with a camera, always hunting for memories to capture so they can be recorded, documented, and re-lived.

Live life.  Celebrate the everyday.  Appreciate the blessings.  Share the love.  Treasure the moments.  Life is beautiful!

Of course I couldn't end a post without sharing something.  In this case, a layout of Calix's milestones and personality at age three:

Template - CT Rachael Sheedy from www.digilovely.com; Papers - Little Boy by Echo Park; Paper Clip and Tag - Cutie Pie by Sir Scrapalot; Staple - Pattie Knox; Fonts - Zapfino, Ali Edward's Handwriting, Comic Sans MS (Title), Myriad Pro (journaling)

Layers, lots and lots of it

I have always admired scrapbookers who can layer patterned papers, embellishments, texts, fonts!  They're not my style but they're still eye candy to me.  I'm a clean and simple, graphic and linear, fast and easy scrapbooker.  It is very challenging for me to create intricate layouts because I'm afraid of overpowering the focus on words and photos.

Just recently, I came across template designer Cindy Schneider from this post.  She creates the most intricate digital templates.  Luckily, I have a couple of her templates in my arsenal which I got for free so I decided to try one of them out last night.  The whole process took me an hour and a half but I love how it turned out!  Sure, this isn't normally my style because I'd rather create simple layouts with lots of journaling.  However, on times (like last night) when I want to play, it's nice to know that her designs allow for that.  The only downside with this is that I couldn't write long journaling, but in times when I have very little to say, this is perfect!

Template - Cindy Schneider; Papers and Embellishments - Memories by Sweet Shoppe Designs; Journaling Tag - County Fair Journaling Tag by Elle Studio; Fonts - Papyrus (journaling), VT Portable Remington and Scriptina (Title)

A couple of layouts and a Template Freebie

I wanted to scrapbook Kail's speech and language progress but couldn't find a digital template that had ample space for long journaling so I created my own.  I wanted the template to be simple since my focus would be on the photos and the journaling.  Here is the layout I came up with:

Credits - Papers and Flower/Ribbon Embellishment - Sweet Heart Collection by Jodie Lee at www.jessicasprague.com; Date Tag - Photo Tabs by Elle Studio at www.jessicasprague.com; Font - Cafe Rojo (title) from www.kevinandamanda.com and applied Burntwood Action from www.atomiccupcake.com, Century Gothic (Journaling), Papyrus (Date)

Here is the freebie template:

You can download this from here.

Here is another layout I completed last night using Digi Lovely's Template Tuesday:

Template - CT Brenda Neuberger from www.digilovely.com; Papers - Think Spring by Splendid Fiins from www.jessicasprague.com; Flower Element - Sweet Spring by Karen Funk from www.designhousedigital.com; Fonts - Century Gothic (date and journaling), Ali Edwards Handwriting and Cry Kitty (title) from www.kevinandamanda.com

My Evolution as a Life Artist

I got introduced to scrapbooking in 2004 by a good friend, Christine.  Back then, it was therapeutic for me, being in a long distance marriage at that time.  I also wanted to scrapbook the dozens of photos we have of our wedding.  Here is my very first attempt, and one of my all-time favorites at that (photos by Chito Vecina)!

Up until 2008, I was a paper scrapbooker.  I have tons of scrapbooking supplies that fills up an entire room in our house.  Sadly, I'm more of a hoarder than a scrapbooker because I tend to buy more than I am able to churn out pages.  I love the high of getting my hands on the latest and greatest product.  I love the feel of paper in my hands.  From 2004 until 2007, I have created 64 paper layouts.  In fact, here is the last paper layout I created way back in 2007:

But let's face it, I'm a wife and a mom first and foremost.  I also have a very demanding full time job and I have a household to run.  I do not have the luxury of sitting down for hours on end just to plan and create a single layout, and then spend another hour or so cleaning up the mess.  I also cannot lay all my supplies on the floor without my kids playing along and contributing to the mess, which was why I basically stopped creating layouts, but continued to accumulate supplies. 

In 2008, I ventured into digital scrapbooking when I created layouts for Calix's first birthday guestbook which you can find here. As you can see, the photos looked awkward because I didn't know how to size them properly at that time, but I was immediately hooked!  I love that everything I needed was right at my computer.  I can re-use my favorite papers and supplies over and over again.  I do not have to make a mess of the room, and spend considerable amount of time cleaning up afterwards.  I love that my layouts are not bulky anymore.  My husband has been constantly teasing me that I'd probably need to rent storage space for all my albums.  Now, I can fit 60 pages (the most I've done in a year) into a single 12x12 photobook, and print individual pages for my kids' respective albums.  I can easily print layouts in duplicates.  I can print photobooks of all the layouts I've created for the year for the grandparents to enjoy.  With the help of digital templates, I can easily whip up a layout in 30 minutes (give or take a few).  In fact, I have created a total of 103 individual pages and 5 photobooks to date since 2008 - December Daily 2009, 2009 Year in Review, A Week in the Life, Beautiful Evidence albums, plus Calix's first year layouts which I used in his guestbook.

I have definetely gone a long way since I first ventured into scrapbooking in 2004.  But, paper or digital, I continue to fulfill my main objective of documenting life, preserving memories and telling stories.  This is the one thing that will never change, even as I continue to evolve as a life artist.

The Power of Words

I first saw this video from the show 7 Live.  It showed exactly how powerful words can be.  This is why I rarely create a layout without journaling, and why I love reading.  Words have the power to move us, to change us, to motivate us, to heed us to take action.  Words are powerful.

On a related topic about words, here's a journaling-heavy layout I created from last night:

Template - Ali Edwards; Papers - Rainbow Sherbet by Crystal Wilkerson; Black Solid Paper - Ethan Solids by Michelle Martin; Title Font - Phoenix; Journaling Font - Courier; Date Font - Papyrus

2011 Digital Layouts

It's unbelievable how long it had been since my last post. Blogging took a backseat in lieu of scrapbooking. Thus, I'm happy to report that I was able to create 60 layouts last year. Sadly though, I did not meet my goal to blog more.

Three months into 2011, I decided to do a total makeover of this long neglected blog, to hopefully encourage myself to post more often, though I will not commit to that. But I will share a photobook of all the digital layouts I created last year, yes, all 60 of them!

2010 was an eventful year as we welcomed the latest addition to our growing family. He joins his brothers to bring more adventure into our already hectic lives. To all those of you who are still reading my blog even after my long absence, thank you. I sincerely hope that you will hear from me more often (perhaps a post every three months or so, tee-hee!). But I dedicate this album to you. Because of my absence here, I am able to document our lives more. Cheers!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to view this photo book larger

Ali posted a couple of my layouts in her blog here http://www.aliedwards.com/2010/05/week-in-the-life-reader-submissions-part-two.html

2010 Goals

It's halfway through January 2010 and I have yet to get used to writing 2010 on my checks, LOL. I just couldn't believe that 2009 came and went like a blur in my memory.

This year, I have set specific goals for myself and having blogged twice this month, I think I'm on the right track, LOL. So, without further ado, I thereby present to my my goals for 2010:

Spend quality time with family. Though I'm home most of the time, I can say that there are times when I'm busy doing something else rather than spending those precious moments with my boys. I know that kids grow up fast, which brings me to my first goal - to spend as much quality time with my husband and kids as humanly possible. This means that my computer time would have to wait until after the kids are asleep and my husband isn't demanding that I spend time watching a movie with him. I just have to keep reminding myself to live in the moment and savor each minute with my family.

Live healthy. Okay, I'll admit, I tend to indulge myself on unhealthy foods. Can you blame me if those are the ones that taste heavenly? So, in light of the bad genes I inherited from my ancestors, I truly have to watch what I eat and make sure I get enough exercise to balance it out. It doesn't help that I live with a carnivore husband who throws up when asked to eat veggies. I have to make sure I eat enough veggies so my kids will grow up so unlike their dad in terms of eating habits, so help me God!

Blog More. I have been a bad, bad blogger last year that I think I've lost following on this blog (not that I have that many in the first place). But because this blog is also a reflection on our daily lives, part of my documenting everyday moments, I have to make sure I blog more often. I will strive for a once a week post, and more if my time allows. After all, I'm a wife and mom first, a working mom second, a life artist and photographer third, a maid fourth, and a woman fifth.

Create More. This is probably the only goal that I didn't slack on last year. I have made so many layouts last year that I have albums brimming full. Hubz even teased me that I have to rent a storage room for all my huge albums because our house will soon be full of them, LOL. Kidding aside, scrapbooking and photography feeds my creative soul so I will continue to do this as time allows.

Use my time productively. I have to make a mental note to myself not to slack off because time is gold. That said, I am big on lists. I make a list of all the things I need to do and check off those that I've accomplished one by one. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to be able to cross something off the list. But, I am just human and I tend to slack off sometimes so this is a reminder to get me back on track.

Never lose faith. With so many people struggling these days, the economy being in its current shape and form, it is easy to lose faith. Despite the many trials that has come to our family in 2009, I am truly happy to say that my faith in God has become stronger. He has been (and still is) my anchor, my shield, my protector, my crying shoulder, my strength, my everything.

Believe. I have to keep reminding myself that despite tough times, I have to believe that all these will come to an end, no matter how long or painful the journey.

Hope. I have chosen hope as my word for 2010. I choose to hope for the best and hope that after all this, I will evolve as a better and stronger person.

Before I end this post, I would like to share with you my first two layouts for 2010:

Template - Kate Hadfield; Papers - Little Dreamer Designs (blue background); Ali Edwards (all others); Cupcake Embellishments - Kristine Pocock; Fonts - Pea Jay (journaling), Georgia (title)

I got the idea to scrapbook portions of the christmas cards we received in 2009 from Ali Edwards. Every christmas, we receive a number of cards I have no idea what to do with. Now they'll be a part of our scrapbook.

This layout was easy enough to create. I used square punches, Basic Grey Fruitcake paper, Stickers for the title, pen for journaling, and some adhesive. I think I am going to do this every year.

Another set of digital layouts:


Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague, Katie Pertiet; Font - Justus, Charms BV

Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague and Katie Pertiet; Fonts - Parma Petit, Georgia, Ornament Scrolls

Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague and Katier Pertiet; Word Art - wordle.com; Font - VT Portable Remington (journalling) and You Are Loved (Title)

I've been out of touch again but with good reasons, LOL. I've been so busy scrapbooking - digitally and I'm loving it! I didn't think I'll say this but digital rocks! I've never been this productive - 9 layouts just in the past month (mid-September to mid-October) and an album with 20 layouts plus title and back pages in a month's time (mid-August to mid-September)!

Here are some layouts I'd like to share:



Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague, Katie Pertiet, Trish Jones, KH Mize; Font - Santana Black, Georgia and Shelley Belley (http://www.kevinandamanda.com/fonts/)

Template and Papers - Jessica Sprague; Fonts - Georgia, Polywog (arrows), Inked God, VT Portable Remington, Century Gothic

Template and Papers - Jessica Sprague; Fonts - Broadway, Georgia, Pea Jay, Big Mummy, Pointers and Monkey Love

Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague and Ali Edwards; Fonts - Yukon Gold, Impacted, Pea KT Doodles (www.kevinandamanda.com) and Times New Roman

Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague's Princesa Kit; Fonts - Times New Roman, Laine, LL Rubber Grotesque

New Digital Layouts

Here are my latest layouts for the Beautiful Evidence Album. I only have three more layouts and the cover and back pages to go and I can upload these in Shutterfly to print my photo book!


Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers and Ribbon - Echoes of Asia Kit by Jessica Sprague; Font - VT Portable Remington

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers and Ribbon - Jessica Sprague and Jan Crowley; Font - VT Portable Remington

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers and Ribbon - Jan Crowley and Meredith Fenwick; Font - VT Portable Remington

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers and Ribbon - Jessica Sprague and Katie Pertiet; Font - VT Portable Remington

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jan Crowley, Jessica Sprague; Michelle Coleman; Font - VT Portable Remington

Another Day... Another Layout

Here is my page 9 layout for the Beautiful Evidence album. Because I have to go to the office tomorrow, I won't be able to create another layout tonight (bummer!) but I'll catch up whenever I can.

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jan Crowley, Meredith Fenwick; Fonts - VT Portable Remington, Porcelain (for the initial "A")

US... Right Here, Right Now

This photo was taken today at Clearlake, on our way home from an overnight camping with friends. It is pretty tough to get us all in one photo together since I am behind the camera most of the time. When we do, however, there's always someone doing something else or looking somewhere else. This photo depicts our current life - a very busy one with two highly strung boys. Despite all the chaos, I wouldn't trade this life for anything else in this world.

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jessica Sprague, Jan Crowley, Meredith Fenwick, Katie Pertiet; Font - VT Portable Remington

A couple more...

Here are two more digital layouts from the Beautiful Evidence class:

Journaling: I never thought of myself as creative until I found my niche in photography and scrapbooking and a little baking on the side. I love taking photos, creating paper or digital layouts or momentos. I'm so glad creativity has found me! I sure hope it's here to stay!

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Jan Crowley, Jessica Sprague, Katie Pertiet; Font - VT Portable Remington

Credits: Template - Jessica Sprague; Papers - Katie Pertiet, Jan Crowley, Jessica Sprague; Font - VT Portable Remington

New Layouts

The Beautiful Evidence class over at Spraground is currently in full swing. I created these two new layouts for Days 1 and 2.

Here is my title page. These are my treasures in life... the moments that make me smile... the moments that make me thank God each day for a blessed and fulfilled life... the beautiful evidence that I live a charmed life:

Credits: Papers - Jessica Sprague and Jan Crowley; Font - VT Portable Remington

Here is my "Me" page. Since I live with 3 boys, I have to infuse my life with pink from time to time to remind me that I'm truly a girlie girl at heart... :)

Credits: Papers - Jessica Sprague, Meredith Fenwick, Jan Crowley; Font - VT Portable Remington; Signature - my handwriting

New Digital Layouts

I created three more layouts from templates and quickpages. Here they are:

Credits: Template - Liv Esteban; Easter Kit - Brenda Mascari

Credits: Template - Tracy B; Kit - Jessica Sprague's Echoes of Asia

Credits: Quickpage - Mega-Doodle Inspired

Here's a new layout fresh from Photoshop, LOL! The photos were taken from our camping trip at Avila Hot Springs Resort in Avila Beach at San Luis Obispo. It was Calix's first camping trip and Kail's second. It was a fun but exhausting weekend!

Credits: Template - Simply Yin Template 365 Set 9; Papers and Elements - Nature Kit by Jackie Eckels for Memory Makers

It's almost midnight but I was in the mood to create some digital layouts from my backlog of photos. I'm really loving digital scrapbooking because I can just sit in front of my computer (which I do a lot anyway), pull out a template, pick my photos, papers and templates, drag and drop them, and voila - a page ready to be printed and placed in an album! No messy adhesives, no cleanups needed either!

Credits: Template - Liv Esteban Time of the Year Template; Brads - Liv Esteban's Sun Fun; Papers and Elements - Michelle Coleman's Wild Sorbet for Memory Makers

Credits: Template - Simply Yin's Template #77; Papers, Elements, Photo Mats - Gingerscraps Independence Day Collaboration Kit