Recovery and Scrapping

Hi! I have been busy trying to recover all of the data that I lost when the computer had a factory reset....crash. I lost a lot of promotional factory programs that were not included in a standard factory reset and I am a bit miffed that they are gone. Especially Adobe Photoshop Elements 10. I really loved that program but I suppose this will force me to buy Elements 11 sometime this year, until then I am using version 7.

I have been scrapping along, working on some pictures of the grandkids that I love. I am getting an order ready to print more photos to use in project life. I picked up a couple of templates for PL to have multiple photos printed on one page. It should make it easier and I can do collages.

I have scrapped a couple of layouts of the boys that I love and are different. I will show what I have so far and will have to take a picture of the last one on a day when it is sunny.....cloudy and frigid here today.

This layout is one I love! It uses lots of dots and stripes in various forms. The mat behind the pictures is a light blue dot that is hard to see. The title word "cool" is also the same color blue as the mat but didn't photograph well. I have lots of practice to do using my camera. My favorite picture of Aiden is the one of him looking over his glasses.

This one of Logan is just too cute. Love his face so kissable! This layout was created with the cardstock pulled from my stash and the rest were scraps of paper on my desk. I wanted to use what was just sitting there. The kraft mat was a bit sparse so I decided to stamp on it. The arrows at the bottom are ones I got from Studio Calico in a kit for their Silhouette class. The outline arrow I stamped in brown was just really flat and just so-so until I picked out my sharpies in colors to match the papers and colored them in.....love how it looks custom! The crochet hearts are an element that I love. Bella Blvd. has a line of crochet hearts they debuted at CHA Winter along with feathers. I fell in love with them but have a limited scrapping budget and I know that they will be expensive when they hit the stores. I know how to crochet so I looked up a pattern on YouTube and got to work. I crocheted 60 hearts out of various colors of embroidery floss during the inauguration. The feathers are cuts from my Cameo, they don't have as many cuts in them that is something I did with my scissors to make the more "feathery".  I really love how this layout came out.

Computer Crash...........OH NO!!!

This is an attempt to see if I can get another couple of layouts posted that I did a couple of weeks ago. This was pre-crash with my computer. I don't know what was wrong with it but it was driving me crazy and I had to call Tech Support. Don't get me started on that, suffice it to say that I don't relish talking to someone from India and trying to fix something as complicated as a computer. Not Good!!! After 4 hours on the phone I had to hook up my external harddrive and back up files for the tech so that he could restore the operating system to factory. Lost my Adobe 10 that came with the computer along with other software...........Not Happy!

So without further ado.....here are a couple of layouts. I did some of my pictures from my first recital. I was 6 years old in these pictures and now I know why I have never been carded.....I have always looked older. Then I have a layout of Aiden and Logan.....how cute are they?

That's it for now, I am sure I will be at this desk for a good week trying to restore all of my files and images. I am trying to get all of my Silhouette images from various sources. I am waiting on Kerri Bradford to get copies of the files I have gotten from her. She has the best out there and I love her work!! Have a great day!

One Little Word

Speaking of One Little Word.....I finished my layout sans photos to remind me daily of my little word and to show up and be PRESENT. I was waiting for my order from 2peas to finish. I needed some small letter stickers in a color other than black or white so I was thrilled when the order showed up yesterday. Lovely goodies from Authentique ( a company I have never worked with before) in the form of a weighty paper with a linen like texture. A couple of rolls of washi tape in aqua and pink chevron and the Lily Bee letter stickers. I love this company because you get a real value for the money. 8 sets of letter stickers on one sheet and with a variety of colors.

This will also help me along in my weight loss journey in reminding me to show up and be PRESENT every moment and remember to record all of my food choices. It works when you work the program. I was at my Weight Watchers meeting last week after following the program the way it is written and lost what I read as 2.4 lbs. I loved that! Then yesterday I was looking over program materials and cleaning out my purse when I came across my new weight tracker.....where my weight was recorded. Instead of 2.4 I lost 4.4lbs. Now that is a weight loss.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to all of you (who am I kidding no one reads this) and a long and prosperous life to come.

This year I am not doing resolutions. It is maddening to me to find myself a failure at just a week or two out from the start of a new year. Instead I will be participating in the OLW (One Little Word) project. This is a word that you choose to be your mantra for the year, something that speaks to you or an area that you feel you need improvement. My OLW is Present. I am sadly lacking in being present in my own life. Time slips by so fast and I can't recall anything productive that I have done or what has happened in this time period. Sad really, if you think about it. My life is much ado about nothing...at least the way I have been living it. So I am going to couple that with PL (project life) and record and document my life for a year. Hopefully this will gently force me to show up in my life and be an active participant instead of letting time fly by.

This photo was taken in Erieau, Ontario Canada on vacation with my daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. It was the one time I felt totally present in the moment and can remember with clarity the entire vacation. I love that feeling and it is something I want to experience more of. I also added the frame in a class I took at http://www.jessicasprague.com .  I love learning about new things and the digital world will definitely play a part in my paper and glue scrapping.
 

I haven't formally joined any scrapbook club or blog offering project life guidance or goodies. I decided I would do this on my own and see how easy or hard it will be. I did download some free project life goodies from http://www.cathyzielske.typepad.com  that will be helpful in getting a head start. I will also be looking for other free goodies to use in conjunction with my own stash to keep this going. Taking a few pictures a week and keeping records daily will help keep me PRESENT in my own life.