Laundry & Scrapbooking

February 8th, 2010

Good Monday morning!

I’m recovering from an extended weekend that included an annual visit from our friends the Cordon (of Phoenix, AZ), the launch of Library of Memories, four full days of extra kids and extra activities and a super-bowl gathering of close friends, after church.

Weekend and life report coming soon!

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In the meantime, my laundry room (this morning) reminded me of an email I received last week from my friend Darcy (an LOMer)

Here are Darcy’s very acute observations concerning laundry and LOM (photo organization)
Since I’ve been immersed in picture organization while preparing for class, I’ve come to another realization – LOM is a LOT like laundry, with individual photographs a lot like individual pieces of dirty clothes! Let me explain:

1)  There is no such thing as “the last load of laundry.”  The same goes for pictures.  I’ll never stop taking them, so the cycle of caring for them is endless.  Sometimes this is disheartening (as in, “I have 5 loads of laundry on my laundry room floor – when will I ever get it all done!”) but more often than not it’s reassuring.  (”My family is active and happy – I have laundry!  It’ll all get done as I have time…”)

2)  The more I stay on top of sorting my laundry, the easier it is to stay in control.  Even though I have the same amount, if the laundry is divided into groups, it seems much more manageable.

3)  Some laundry can be placed in a few different groups, and that’s OK.  That light gray shirt can be put with the light colored clothes, or with the jeans.  It will be fine either way – it’s my choice! Same goes for many of my pictures.

4)  If I get the laundry out of the dryer right away, it’s easier to put away. If I do this, I can often fold or hang the clothes and I don’t need to spend extra time ironing or re-doing things.  The same goes for my pictures. If I tend to them right away (speaking in relative terms, of course!) they are easier to handle.  I have the most trouble, and spend the most time on, pictures from years and years ago that weren’t properly organized and were instead just thrown into a shoebox or drawer.

5)  I tend to have the most laundry after big events or vacations – and this is also normal and to be expected. I have more pictures after vacations, birthday parties, and special events, and I have come to expect and anticipate these backlogs.  Preparation and expectation is key.

6)  No matter how hard I try, some laundry still needs special attention. I take loads of dress shirts and suits to the cleaners each month so my husband can be dressed appropriately for work.  I occasionally puchase a special outfit or blouse that needs to be dry cleaned (this is very rare, but it does happen!)  Some things need to be hung to dry instead of thrown into the dryer with everything else.  My pictures are the same.  Some very special pictures need extra TLC – they need to be enlarged, touched up, or otherwise dealt with in a special way.  But my system takes this into account.  And since I know these items exist, I can watch out for them and give them the attention they need!

Hopefully you’ll think of this the next time you go to your laundry room and have a little chuckle…

and indeed I did.
Thanks Darcy … I’m off to switch the loads, do some yoga (breathe) and then get to work!

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Funny cartoons and Linchpin

February 5th, 2010

Two things.

ONE. How appropriate are these Cathy Cartoons for the first few days of Library of Memories …

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Trust me, when I saw you are not alone in the overwhelm that digital photography and technology has innovated in our world.

TWO. Just bought this with 1-click.

I cleaned up my studio while listening to Todd Henry’s interview with Seth Godin.
I’m sold.
Book is on it’s way to me. Click below and it can be on it’s way to you too.

It’s that important.

btw, Seth is speaking in Salt Lake City next Friday at an event with Startup Princess. Click HERE to register.
I wish I was going to be there. I tried my very best to make it happen — maybe next time.
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Random LOVE.

February 4th, 2010

LOVE that Library of Memories is finally OPEN. I forget how much excitement there is on the first day of class — it is so energizing.
I have great batch of new students and three times as many alumni — I need to pinch myself and realize how very cool it is that I get to teach my ’system’ online and I get to see so many happily and successfully adapting to their own lives.

And on that note …
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I absolutely ADORE April, Kayla, Monica and Tami. These four women are my AMAZING LOM trainers and they rock. I am blown away by their wisdom and selflessness and it’s the FIRST day of class!

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I am thrilled to introduce three new LOM coaches this year. Thank YOU Margie, Tracy and Molly for joining the FUN.

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Just got this iPhone app for Dropbox. Can’t even tell you how much I LOVE Dropbox.
It is the easiest way to know to share folders on multiple computers or share and work collaboratively with a friend.

If you don’t have it yet. Get it HERE.

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LOVE this layout that Mary (Canay on the BPS forums) sent me. Mary’s very sweet husband drove over six hours so she could take Finish Line Scrapbooking at the Craft Super Show in Anaheim. You can see a little sneak peek of her very cool Disneyland album that now shows off several years of Disneyland highlights — so cool!

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LOVE our ‘heart attack’ wall that we created at Family Home Evening, when we hosted our very own love fest (have you read your *sprinkle* this week?)

LOVE my two new blog sponsors
Cherry Blossom Studio (where you can purchase among many other things, Kokuyo adhesive from Japan)
Elle’s Studio, a delightful online shop full of cool things (like really cute & colorful vintage calendars — mini!)
Elle's calendar

also, LOVE that fact that I have such wonderful blog readers. As of this posting there are less than 10 Complete Bliss kits left. You people ROCK — this means, I’ll get to do more product kits soon and I LOVE that.

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Complete Bliss KIT for sale, HERE! (edited 2/4)

February 3rd, 2010

CompleteBLISS

Guess WHAT?
You can purchase my brand new Complete Bliss Finish Line Scrapbooking kit (right here on my blog!)

Cost: $45 (this includes domestic shipping)
Contents: Everything you need to create a wonderful, warm and happy 6×6 album filled with memories of people you love.
More specificallly:

  1. A 6×6  American Crafts modern album that comes with 10 page protectors (in blue)
  2. pre-cut cardstock and pattern papers (Cosmo Cricket, My Mind’s Eye and Basic Grey)
  3. 50 colorful embellishments (Jenni Bowlin, Maya Road, Nicki Silvis and more)
  4. gorgeous ribbon from Making Memories
  5. a fun little “window” from Compendium
  6. really cool sheet of transparent words and a sheet of teeny, tiny letter stickers (Adorn-It)PLUS … an exclusive (and collectible) postcard and a little “bonus” package of Jelly Bellies :)

I have also posted a BRAND NEW pod cast on the “Living With Your Library” pod cast page, called Finish Line Scrapbooking. After you receive your kit, you can download me to your iPod and create your very own class at home — I will walk you through the creative process of scrapbooking 40 photos in 4 hours or less!

As you may know, I debuted this premiere kit at the Craft Super Show in Anaheim. I LOVED meeting many of you there! I prepared 200 kits and still have about 125 to sell. Once they are gone, they are gone. I would really like to create these kits 3 or 4 times a year, but this first kit is a TEST, to see if this is indeed an idea/product that you will love and use. So … show me!

We’ve set up a PayPal button on the left-hand side of my blog. All you have to do to purchase this kit is click on the “Buy Now” button and it will take you to a PayPal screen with more information. If you live outside the United States you may purchase a kit by clicking the BUY NOW Button on the RIGHT SIDEBAR. Shipping is $43 (in the future we’ll work on bringing this down!)

If you want to see the finished pages in my album, click here and scroll all the way down, or go to stacyjulian.com/completebliss
I am converting my live Finish Line Scrapbooking class into a self-paced project class for Big Picture Scrapbooking (coming soon!) If you want to learn more about Finish Line Scrapbooking, right now, go to stacyjulian.com/finishlinescrapbooking.

Kind of exciting don’t you think?
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Q+A Making a Tribute Album

February 1st, 2010

note: got the idea of a cute little speech bubble from Kelly Purkey.

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We ALL have someone we would like to pay tribute to in a scrapbook. The problem is our expectations of what that tribute should look like are generally unrealistic. We expect ourselves to create a complete memoir that will parallel in beauty and grandeur the life we have lost. We expect a BIG, 12×12 book with photos and memorabilia along with thoughts, feelings, life-lessons — you know.

I’m not saying such a project is impossible. I am saying that for most us it is unrealistic.

Here is my solution.
I sent Danni some happy mail with two little 2-Minute Memories mini-books inside. I created the 2-Minute Memories exercise years ago for my Simple Scrapbooks class at CKU. Several years after that, we (the Simple team) were allowed to create a product built on this exercise. To this day, it is the very BEST way I know to cut to the chase and connect to the emotion-packed memories we most NEED to share in tribute of a loved one.

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Here’s how the 2-Minute Memories exericse works (and I promise, it works!)

1. Go to a quiet, comfortable place with a notebook or your journal.

2. Set a time for 1 minute.

3. Close your eyes and immerse yourself in the memory of the person you love.

4. Use all of your senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) to recall memories related to this person. What specific recollections do you most cherish? What are the places, activities, possessions, foods, people you most associate with this person? After intentionally posing these questions, just sit (eyes still closed) and remember everything you can — focus on this person’s character and the influence he or she has had on you. NOTE: You’ll be surprised how much time one minute is if you are focused.

5. Open your eyes and set your timer for one additional minute.

6. Now, write. Make a list of everything that comes to mind — do not discard any thought, emotion, recollection.

7. After minute #2 is up, create a list of 10 specific things you most admire and love and remember about this person. Do not feel like you have to incorporate all of your free-write ideas into your list of 10 things, but look for items that could be grouped into a similar memory.

8. Use your list of 10 memories to celebrate and pay tribute to your loved one.  Feel free to finesse your list and re-order the items.

9. Pair each memory or item on your final list with a photo. Be open to using a variety of photos — the more mixed up your little collection of images, the better!

10. Put words +  photos together in a mini-book or album of some kind. Share your tribute with your loved one or perhaps even more important, with others who love this person.

No, this won’t be a comprehensive tribute. But … it will be a very authentic and meaningful tribute. A small 2 Minute Memories tribute/mini book is far better than no tribute at all, and could be a wonderful jumping off point for something more detailed.

Several years ago, I created a  2 Minute Memory mini-book for my father. Here are some images:

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I also created a 2 Minute Memories mini-book for my grandma Addie. It is featured in my book, The Big Picture (pg. 78)

And, guess what else?
I have several of these little 2 Minute Memories books stashed away in my scrapbook storage area. I would LOVE to give ten away. Leave me a comment and tell me who you would pay tribute to and why. I’ll close comments on Friday, select ten comments and help you create a very special tribute in a very doable way!

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Humanitarian Aid for Haiti

January 31st, 2010

I haven’t written a Sunday post in a long time. I think this is because with everything going on (CHA and LOM prep) I have been very selfish with my ‘day of rest.’ But I feel compelled to talk a bit about Haiti today and why I love the opportunity I have through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to participate in humanitarian aid.

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The LDS church is organized throughout the world into stakes, wards and branches. These locally governed groups of members receive direction and communication from church headquarters on an ongoing basis. When disaster strikes (even in very remote areas of the world) an immediate and effective response is put into action via these channels of communication and organization.

Members of the LDS church pay tithing (10% of income) which along with other funds covers the costs of administering  humanitarian efforts. This means that 100% of the donations given to humanitarian aid are received and utilized by those in need.

On January 13th, the day after the earthquake devastated Haiti, emergency response was already in motion. Trucks with hygiene and newborn kits left from the Dominican Republic and on Thursday, the 14th, planes left Denver and Miami carrying 160,000 lbs of food and other resources. READ the full story here.

On January 22nd, the First Presidency of our church issued the following statement:

Our hearts are filled with sadness as we have watched the suffering in Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake. We turn to the example of Jesus Christ, who reached out to “lift up the hands which hang down” and “strengthen the feeble knees.”  We are keenly aware that many in America are dealing with economic challenges caused by the recession. However, we are appealing to members to donate to Church Humanitarian Services as their means allow in order to help our Haitian brothers and sisters.  Many have already contributed and others are anxious to do so.

Money is not the only need in Haiti. People are frightened, bewildered, and wholly uncertain about their future. In addition to what people can do in helping with food, water, and shelter, there needs to be a calming influence over that troubled nation. We invite our people everywhere to supplicate God for a spirit of calm and peace among the people as urgent aid and reconstruction efforts continue.

This video clip comes from a recent talk by President Thomas S. Monson — it’s good stuff!

I was raised to give generously and anonymously, but when I read the invitation from our prophet I wanted to share it with you, my blog readers. I love that we are encouraged to give what we can, as often as we can. I also love that we were reminded of the power of prayer in times like these. If you would like to donate via the LDS Humanitarian Aid Fund, please click HERE. I am very thankful for all churches and organizations that facilitate relief efforts in time of intense need. I am very thankful that I have an effective way to reach out and perhaps make a difference.

I’ll be back later in the week with another opportunity for giving to Haiti.
Stay Tuned.

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home and happy.

January 30th, 2010

So, happy, happy, happy to be home.

I’m getting old, so I’m much more willing to take things (like trade show recovery) slow. Don’t forget S-L-O-W is my word. I got home late Tuesday night and took ALL day Wednesday off. Did not get up early (7:00 instead of 5:30), did not unpack, did not turn on my computer. Did read, play and fingerpaint with Addie, did go to restorative yoga, did take Taft to the orthodontists, did make dinner and did watch American Idol with my family.

My husband’s ENT group (Spokane Valley Ear, Nose and Throat) has been building a new surgery center since last May. The building is done and open for business and the open house is scheduled for February 23rd. Geoff has wanted me to help him arrange furniture in the waiting rooms, purchase art for the walls and add decorative touches, etc… throughout. My answer has been “after CHA …” and so Thursday I made good on a promise to focus on him and this new surgery center — it really is such a beautiful building and we worked on it ALL day long. I was so tired, but very pleased with the progress we made. We’ll be painting two accent walls today and hopefully we’ll also find two tables that I have pictured in my mind. I really wish I had taken some ‘before’ pictures, because darn it, I’m GOOD. Even just moving chairs and end tables around and bringing in greenery here and there has made such a difference. I can’t wait to finish up!

I can hardly believe that Library of Memories starts in less than a week — SO EXCITING! I am eager to dive in this year and let it consume me.

So, before I get too busy and miss my chance, I thought I’d share a FEW of the products that delighted me at CHA this year. I haven’t been to trade show in over two years and I had so much fun seeing and talking to industry friends. I really, truly and most sincerely enjoyed walking around and feeling the excitement of innovative products, people and ideas.

If you have not yet had a chance to listen to the Paperclipping Roundtable, then you might not know that I am going to be a rotating panelist with Noell and Izzy’s team, that includes Nancy Nally and Ana Cabrera. I’m very happy about this. I have missed the industry community that was a part of Simple Scrapbooks magazine and I have been very impressed with Paperclipping and Scrapbook Update, so I’m joining in to see what I can learn and what I can contribute. If you click on the link above you can listen to the roundtable show that “we” (Izzy really) recorded from the Hyman’s hotel room. It was FUN and since my very short lists are very short, so — I recommend you visit Paperclipping and Scrapbook Update to explore some of the videos and links posted there as well.

TWO Paper Lines I LOVED.

(from among ALL the paper lines I loved)

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BASICS from Basic Grey
This is a line of lines, ledgers, dots, grids and more. Cannot wait to get my hands on these versatile papers and make a special place in my paper files where they will live (forever.)

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LUSH by My Mind’s Eye
So, this is obviously more than a line of paper. It is a ‘by color’ collection of fabulous and usable products. Lush comes in other colors like black, red, blue, green and pink (I think.)

ONE *NEW* tool that I am going to OWN.

(and I’m not even a tool girl!)

THE CINCH by We R Memory Keepers (filmed by Oh My Crafts)
I am super excited about what will be my book-making tool of choice. I love round holes and I’m totally sold on the feature that allows me to choose how many round holes I will create — I sort of ‘accidently’ made a video with the girls at Oh My Crafts. I guess I just got a little excited and couldn’t help myself.

There’s more … much, much more, but I’ve got to go jogging and finish my unpacking (seriously.)
Have a wonderful Saturday.


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Friday FIVE Winners (for January 22nd)

January 29th, 2010

Wow.
Did that week ever fly by FAST!
Thank you so much for leaving wonderful comments and playing along.

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Congratulations to the following Friday FIVE Winners!

WINNER
Simple Stories by Memory Works.

Jenny Johns

My favorite Christmas gift was not a physical gift…truly, it was seeing the joy and smiles that my son showed when he was able to ride his new extreme bike (and he’s 14)! You treasure those moments and hope that they never go away, and yes, I did take a picture of that! Thanks for the peek into the FIVE and for the chance to win! Have a fun and safe trip at CHA!

WINNER
Lucky Me by Little Yellow Bicycle

Heather Noto

Wow, Stacy, you got some great gifts! :) My best gift was the leather jacket I’d been asking for. My old one is about 20 years old, so I really needed a new one. Otherwise, spending time with family is the best gift ever.

WINNER
Tickle Monster book + mitts

Sherri

My favorite gift was a DVD that my son made for us using our wedding photos. He cleaned up the photos and put beautiful music with them. I was surprised and of coursed cried tears of joy. We will enjoy watching this in February for our 20th anniversary.

WINNER
FREE pass to Nic Howard’s Point of View workshop

Carmen S.

My favorite gift this year was having all of my kids home for Christmas. In our family this isn’t an easy thing because they live all over the world–South Africa, Germany and Seattle and Salt Lake City. I knew three were coming, but thought that our youngest who’s a student in Germany wouldn’t be making the trip. So the Saturday before Christmas we picked up my middle girl and her husband at the airport, ate dinner, and came home to make cookies. The doorbell rang and when I answered it was our youngest girl. What a huge surprise!! There were tears and hugs all around!!! It turns out that everyone, including our son who lives in town had chipped in so their sister could come home. It made our holidays so special this year to have EVERYONE home

WINNER
FREE pass to Library of Memories and a copy of Photo Freedom

Kaly Court

I am new to your blog and I love it and your perspectives on life and scrapbooking! My favorite Christmas gift was actually one I gave, but get to participate in the receiving as well! I enrolled my husband and I in a silversmithing class. It’s an activity where we can learn something new while spending time together. We’re really looking forward to it.

If your name is listed as a winner, email Allison@stacyjulian.com and put Friday FIVE Winner in the subject line.
Have a wonderful weekend.

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no goals for 2010

January 26th, 2010

Since I’m on my way home from CHA today, and totally missing my yoga, I thought I would post some thoughts I’ve had written for awhile.

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image source.

I’ve mentioned my experience with Baron Baptist’s 40 Days to Personal Revolution before. This six-week (spread out over 8 weeks for us) yoga program has helped me approach everything–even yoga–differently.

I was FAR from perfect in applying the principles or the progression of yoga in Baron’s book and program.The fact that I attempted this process during the holidays had something to do with this — but I also think the impossibility of complete adherence was a big part of my personal breakthrough. I finally “gave in” and am really, truly accepting the fact that an inner revolution is not about taking control or exercising will power.

The final chapter in Baron’s book was a HUGE light bulb moment for me — of course it only has meaning because of the experience itself. It opens with the statement, “In body and soul, you’ve changed. Whoever you were at the beginning of these forty days no longer exists; you are a different person.” When I first read that sentence I started to resist the idea that I had changed, because I had NOT completed the program in the way I envisioned completing it — then I read it again and knew that I had changed. I did not change in the way I anticipated changing, but I changed.

Baron talks about the confusion between purpose and goals. This is by far my favorite part (and seriously, I do NOT expect anyone to read all of this. It is more for me than anyone. If you want to skim, read the colored text!)

“I was once having a discussion with a man who was a very well-known self-improvement guru about what it is to have a successful life. He said, “I believe there are certain principles that, if followed, will produce a life of success. The first one is to have clear-cut goals for oneself.”

I told him that I had a totally different take on things. For me, living a successful and happy life means not having any goals. “In fact,” I said, “the only goal I have is to have no goals.”

Of course, he was shocked to hear this, but I went on to explain that at a certain point in my life, I had to ask myself which was more important: my goals or God’s goals. My goals were an attempt to manipulate reality in my favor (or so my ego thought). My purpose, however, was to be a vessel for good in the world, in whatever form that took. In this way, I could live out God’s goals for me. Really, giving up goals is a high form of faith.

If you look at young children, you’ll notice that they have no goals. They tend to be much happier than we are as adults, much more free and light. Why? Because without goals, they can simply relax, be creative, and learn from reality as it is. When we have fixed goals, we are struggling to force things to turn out a certain way. Hence we close ourselves off what seeing what is possible and what else is available to us. We can’t see the bigger picture.

So does this mean we lie down and become doormats? Of course not. It means we walk by faith. We do our work and trust that the visions, the intuitions, and the guidance will come to us. When we ask to be used on behalf of goodness’ sake, we may be used for great things. Part of our growth is continuing to get ourselves out of the way so that we can become instruments of a higher power. There is a flow of love, goodness, justice, and compassion in the universe, and we serve that flow not be setting goals based on what we think that flow should be or what is should look like, but by being willing and open vessels through which this flow can manifest itself in the world.

(skipped a bunch here)

There may be things in my mind that I would like to do, and those things are seedling intentions that will sprout once the proper elements organize themselves in the right ways. If those seeds dry up and blow away, they weren’t meant to take root in my life; they were not part of the higher plan for me. This attitude has helped to keep me free and allows me to live in faith. I believe we all need to discover our potential, not create it.

and I (this is stacy now) believe that we CAN create an environment and develop rituals and habits that foster faith and personal discovery. I am learning that the practice of creativity, like the practice of yoga is something that can help you find your center and your purpose.

I’m taking tomorrow off to hang with my kiddos, but I’ll be back soon with some CHA highlights!

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Registration for Library of Memories 2010 Closes

January 25th, 2010

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Tonight.
Thanks for signing up. I can’t wait to ’see’ you in class.

CHA Report coming soon.
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