Cathy Zielske's Blog, page 239

Make a Page Mondays

Welcome to the the final 2010 installment of Make a Page Mondays for this year. This little blog column is taking the rest of the month off mostly because December is month I find little time for scrapbooking consistently. Never fear, it'll make a return here and there in the new year, when inspiration hits. This time, I'm dipping way back into an old favorite page from my first book. Ready? Okay!

(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)

SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 scrapbook page.

THE STORY: I don't scrapbook a lot with older photos, but I've got to tell you: this is one of my most favorite layouts of all time. Taking those photos that span a decade, each one featuring me and two of our very much loved family dogs, and putting them all together with a nice little chunk of journaling…well, this is what I want scrapbooking to be all about. Stories that matter to me.

The first three shots are of me and Sandy, a dog that my parents adopted from a shelter right after they adopted me. We grew up together, literally. Second hand me, and my second hand dog. We were meant to be. The fourth picture features Pal, who came to join our family when I was 11 years old. Another shelter puppy, that dog lived to be 20 years old. Vive le Pal, is what I still say to this day when thinking of that little guy.

Simple squares and lots of margin space are the core of this design. Let's break it down.

1. Symmetry: There is is again—my favorite four-square photo arrangement. What does it yield, time and again? Symmetrical balance. What I have on the left, I repeat on the right. Solid, simple, predictable.

2. Repetition: Here I repeat shape (squares); color (black type, black bar); and margin spacing around the edges of the page. Everything can be repeated on any given design. When you do find things to repeat, it reinforces the overall tightness of the page.

3. Unity: What happens when you group photos and preserve purposeful spacing? To create a sense that your placement of elements is purposeful and cohesive. This translates to a unified overall design. Nothing willy nilly going on here.

Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing.

Download CZMAPMSketchNo9

software—Adobe InDesign
The papers for this layout have long since disappeared from stores. That'll happen when posting a page from 2005. But you can take any two coordinating patterned papers or cardstocks to use as the base of the design.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? Leave me a comment today and I'll do my best to answer. To see more of the Make a Page Mondays series, click here.

Winner of the kits from Scotty Girl Design (plus a peek at my family's holiday photo for 2010!)

The winner of two new digital scrapbook kits from Scotty Girl Design: Snowfall Pink & Serene is:

LJ, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll get you hooked up. Thanks to Scotty Girl Design for the digital fun!

I had fun reading through your comments, hearing how prepared (or ill-prepared) some of you are with the old holiday card tradtion.

I haven't sent cards for the past two years. It's not that I'm a Scrooge by any stretch, but I just sort of thought, "Bah, humbug!" (Of course, I jest…)

I'm not doing cards this year either. My excuse? It took too long to assemble everyone for the family photo.

We're always missing our eldest, but with him home, I at least got this shot.

Season's Greetings from the Shizielskes.

 

Sponsor Giveaway: digital kits from Scotty Girl Design

Two blog readers winners will receive both two new digital scrapbook kits from Scotty Girl Design: Snowfall Pink & Serene.

ABOUT SCOTTY GIRL DESIGN: Scotty Girl Design is an online digital scrapbooking boutique full of colorful, modern and unique papers and embellishments. Graphic designer and avid pattern designer, Shannon Hegarty, started the shop as a hobby which quickly flourished into a business. She is the sole owner and operator of Scotty Girl Design.

Be sure to check out Scotty Girl Design's blog, Facebook page and Twitter page for the latest information from this talented designer.

SPECIAL FROM SCOTTY GIRL: Scotty Girl Design is also offering a limited edition paper pack to all of my readers, inspired by my favorite color palette. Every order over $15 will receive the pack. Be sure to include the code CZ2010 in the message to seller at checkout!

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment today and tell me if your holiday cards are in the mail, still on the table, or not even a glimmer in your creative eye. I'll choose a random winner sometime on Saturday after noon C.S.T. Good luck.

Making me happy

That the day after seeing a midnight screening of the new Harry Potter flick and going on about 3 hours of sleep, my 9th grader dressed as said hero for her school photos, complete with lightning bolt shaped hand-drawn scar.

That I can use old scrapbooking product to customize my holiday gifts. (Who didn't love those awesome rubber letter stickers from Scrapworks?)

That scrapbooking stuff in general comes in really handy for making quick gift tags.

(Stamp from Cat's Life Press; tag punch from Creative Memories.)

And that pomegranates exist.

That is all. For now.

The winner of the Totally Rad Actions sets is…

Amy, email me at czdesign@comcast.net. And congrats on the pending arrival of  your new photo subject!

Thanks again to Totally Rad Actions for the sets!

Win some rad action sets from Totally Rad Actions

Some of you may or may not know this, but when it comes to tweaking my photos, I'm a slave to Photoshop actions…a slave to LOVE that is.

One of my favorite companies for actions is Totally Rad. Their actions are bombalicious and here are some examples of their overall radness.

Exhibit A, the original photo, taken in my presently being remodeled family room which now boasts 70 % more natural light. Aw yeah.

Sigh. Be still my aching heart. My child is leaving his childhood behind.

I'd love to wax sentimental, but instead, let's look at some actions…in, well, action!

CONTRAST LUMA
Mmmm. Just a bit of a bump and overall deepening.

BITCHIN' BLACK AND WHITE
Love the tons on this all-purpose action.

GRUNGE ROCK
Come on boy moms…you know those boys rock the grungier effects. Come to think of it, my girl does too. See, it works for EVERYONE!

LUX SOFT
Dreamy and ethereal. I think this is my favorite of all of them. Sigh.

Totally Rad: The Original and Totally Rad: The Revenge sell for $300. Totally Rad wants one of you to take them home to play with. (Note: these actions work with full versions of Photoshop only.)

Another cool thing about actions? You can combine them to achieve endless results. Check out Totally Rad's Recipes Page. Really great ideas for playing with actions. Plus, check out their cool blog and their Facebook page as well.

WANT TO PLAY? Leave me a comment today telling me something you think is rad—and it can be anything from boys who will hold still long enough for a quick photo to sugar free banana sex muffins—and I'll draw a winner tonight after 9 p.m. CST.

Tales from the Scale: The Loser Edition

I've made no secret of it lo these past 11 months: I want to be a loser.

December marks the beginning of the 12th month that I've been living in Move More, Eat Less mode. 12 months. Just like that.

And this month finds me on a much needed return to following the Weight Watchers plan. If you recall, two months ago, I blogged about going off the plan and trying another online calorie counting website, MyFoodDiary.com, mostly to shake things up and see if I could be successful with a slightly different approach. And the resulting answer? Not so much.

Turns out that counting calories compared to counting points doesn't really measure up evenly, and especially not when you're trying to cram roughly 600 calories worth of muffins or cookies into your daily allotment that apparently says, "No problem. Eat 'em up, Sister!" I was milking the system for as much sugar as I could get my hands on.

So it's Hello Weight Watchers once again.

As many of you have heard by now, Weight Watchers has overhauled their Points system for the first time in over a decade, recently introducing the new Points Plus system. This is as new to me as anyone so I feel like I'm in test mode for the month. Can I lose weight and eat all the points-free fruit I want? Time will tell. 

Let's be honest here: some days, Cuties vs. Banana Sex Muffins seems like some really heartless joke. It's very easy to delude myself into thinking I can bake twice a week and maintain a healthy attitude towards sugar.

But the reality is that I can't.

It's like those few times I tried to quit smoking in the 90s, and I'd make these ridiculously transparent rules. Rules like: I'll only smoke when I'm drinking wine, or, I'll only smoke after 5 p.m., or, I'll only smoke when the sun is on the other side of the Earth, and so on and so forth. Every path eventually led to complete immersion. I have an enormously difficult time moderating my addictions.

It's the same with sugar. I try to convince myself that baking for my family is a way to show them I love them, but it's mostly a chance for mama to get a big time bump.

Case in point: last Saturday, I went out with my sisters-in-law for our annual holiday shopping outing known in St. Paul as the Grand Meander. We had a lovely lunch at our favorite bar, The Wild Onion, where we shared onion rings, sliders, lettuce wraps, and chased it all down with a nice round of Bloody Marys (mine was a virgin mind you, I just like the spicy tomato juice and the fixin's, the vodka, not so much.) And all was well and good until I kept noticing every store was offering tasty cookies, and I kept noticing I couldn't resist them. Then I got home and promptly at 4 muffins and a two tall glasses of orange juice. The sugar was literally coursing through my veins and I felt like I was high, minus the paranoia.

Then the crash hit. After about an hour, I felt like complete kaka du jour. My solution to feel better? Eat two more muffins. Then fall asleep.

This is not how I want to live my life.

So for now, it's More Broccoli Please!

Beginning today I'm re-dedicating myself to another year of Moving More and Eating Less. I've proven that I know what it takes and I'm not willing to get cocky or careless with it. Stay tuned for more info on how you can join me in 2011.

For now, my last official Tales from the Scale layout of 2010:

(click on the layout to see it larger in a new window)

SUPPLIES: Layered Template No. 38 (Cathy Zielske) • Krafty No. 7 Cardstock Pack (Katie Pertiet) • Aki Solids Paper Pack (Michelle Martin) • Avenir and Archer fonts

Want to join in? Or document your journey? Or whine along? Or celebrate successes? Both the template above and this one are available at Designer Digitals for those who want to track their progress along with me. There's a Flickr Group as well, to share your pages with others making similar changes.

To read more on my journey of Eating Less and Moving More, all posts on fitness related issues can be found here.

Winners! Sponsor Giveaway: ReneePearson.com and Scrapbook Circle

The winner of the spots in both of Laura Coyle's workshops at ReneePearson.com is:

 

The winner of the December kit from Scrapbook Circle is:

Ladies, contact me at czdesign@comcast.net to claim your giveaway goodness!

Hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday.

 

Sponsor Giveaway: classes from ReneePearson.com and a kit from Scrapbook Circle

One blog reader will win a spots in both of Laura Coyle's workshops at ReneePearson.com.

Win access to Adobe Illustrator expert Laura Coyle's popular Make It Now Workshops:

In "Holly Shop," you'll enjoy building your Adobe Illustrator skills while working on a project you can use for holiday crafts. Laura will guide you through the process of creating three holiday greeting card designs from start to finish.

In "Swirl Shop," learn step-by-step how to make beautiful flowing flourishes and frames, ready to adorn your layouts, invitations and web projects.

ABOUT MAKE IT NOW
Make It Now Projects are self-paced video workshops that focus on a single project or topic. Unlike our scheduled multi-week interactive classes, Make It Now projects are available immediately and designed for you to work on your own. Should you need help, you're always welcome to contact the instructor with specific questions.

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One blog reader will receive the December kit from Scrapbook Circle. Get into the festive mood with some new yummy scrap goodies to play with.

ABOUT SCRAPBOOK CIRCLE: Scrapbook Circle is a monthly kit club that has been creating kits for almost 5 years and loves getting to share these kits each month. We offer a 2+ month subscription which means that you only commit to receiving two kits and then you can go month to month and quit at any time.

Our December Kit, Winter Wonderland, is filled many many of our favorite brightly colored winter products.

We combine multiple manufactures each month for a unique kit that you won't find anywhere else. We also include a custom downloadable page that coordinates with each monthly kit.

Plus, we offer gift subscriptions. Makes the perfect holiday gift! This month we have Grab Bags where you get at least $30 of product for only $10!

Be sure to visit the Scrapbook Circle Idea Page and Blog for daily inspiration. You can also join us on Facebook where we do kit giveaways and you can follow us on Twitter too.

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TO ENTER: Whoops! I forgot to tell you what to do to enter. Most of you have figured it out, but if you're just now leaving a comment, tell me the following: Snow—fan? or not so much?

I'll draw random winners sometime after noon CST on Saturday.

{comments are now closed. check back to see if you're a winner}

Confessions of a Subversive Stamper

I'm not the world's biggest rubber stamper by any stretch, but looking through my stash, you'd never know it.

I got me lots of stamps. Most of my favorites come from a little company called Cat's Life Press (love, love their designs!) I feel badly that they sit there, all adorable yet unused for long periods of time.

Take my stamper's guilt and combine it with fresh drywall, and you get a little something I like to call Stamping Fun 101.

So as the sun was lowering in the Western sky, I broke out a few stamps just to dress things up a bit.

We had the holiday angle.

And we had the romance angle.

And we had the all-important Sucking Up to the Contractor Angle, which really didn't involve stamping at all, but did involve a black Zig writer.

And finally, we had the Not for Young Eyes angle:

I know. I'm horrible.

But let's be honest, how many scrapbook pages are you making that can justly include that "S" stamp?

Better to hide it behind soon-to-be-built cabinets where at least I'll know just how subversive a stamper I can really be.