Since the first of the year we have had all kinds of struggles to say the least. Multiple Sclerosis is that ugly little critter we keep hidden in the basement. WE KNOW it is there and can raise its ugly mischievous head at any time. Because of it, Viruses and such are so much easier to just knock me down sadly. I had done SO good. 2013 had been a GREAT year. 2014 started out EHHH kinda yuck. Some wicked stomach bug attacked me like kryptonite to superman. IT WOULD NOT LET GO. THEN because of the fever and Viral infection (Cue psycho music) out came shingles. NO I wasn’t upset about stuff. well some stuff, it was mainly the infection that caused it. SO I have been in my house back like the old days since January. A good reminder of how things were.
NO Driving No gym (can do a little at home but mostly stretching blah) … No going out into the world hanging out with friends… No church activities.. NO CHURCH much. I did get to go one Sunday before she shingles started then wham… out again. I do listen to it online but it just is not the same as getting to participate. I love our church so much. I had been feeling like A NORMAL person again. Like before. How quick the lord can remind us that we need to be ourselves and not try to be something we are not! And we all definitely know I AM FAR from normal.
HEY… I heard all the AMEN’S. YOU DID not have to agree so quickly to that! <grin>
SO what exactly have I been doing? I knew you all were sitting on the edge of your chair just wondering and just pacing the floor in angst waiting to find out. WHAT has Nancy BEEN DOING.
I have been scrapbooking.. yeah I know.
I have been doing the 2012 photos of our Disney trip which have really been bringing back good and also some sad memories. Most are wonderful but also make me miss Ma.
I have laughed so much but also shed so many tears. I have sooooo many photos to scrap.
I have joined a challenge group for February called L.O.A.D. (layout a day)
Where you do a challenge layout a day. I have done this before and it is soo fun. I have really been getting things done. I have 22 ish pages done so far. (some of them I did BEFORE I started this challenge group)
I wanted to share some of them with you. (I KNOW you cannot wait)
These are phone photos so … (hey I have had shingles be nice!)
(I did these before LOAD)
The silver circle things… those are wishes that Fairy Godmother gave us.
This was from a sketch I found on pinterest
first page in our Disney album
another sketch
photo of this layout didnt turn out so great (night time in my kitchen)
Bella didn’t like this page.. she said it was boring.. and that I COULD DO BETTER. ha I will remember that dear child.
Whispering Canyon (our favorite place to eat)
Photos out and about around Wilderness Lodge where we Stayed.
I have since I am feeling better, but still couldn’t quite get out yet, have started cleaning out, organizing, donating, and rearranging in my crafts and art space. I found lots of pages I made from when Bella was a baby.
I have learned some important things.
1. USE GOOD ADHESIVE. When I started I used glue sticks and whatever adhesive was cheapest. Those pages are now falling apart, missing letters, and I am now reattaching things and missing things off of them that I cannot find.
2. EVEN THOUGH alphabet letters have adhesive on the back of them.. GLUE THEM DOWN ANYWAY. Especially things like self adhesive chipboard letters or embellishments. I have so many that are missing that there is no way I can match them again. Some of these are 8 and 9 years old. I will just photo them and pray someone has hoarded the few letters I need and pray they will share. MOST scrappers are nice that way 🙂
3. KEEP YOUR FINISHED PAGES IN SCRAPBOOKS WITH PAGE PROTECTORS (that way if the embellies fall off you have a good chance they will fall off into the page protector!!) although I did on some of these but they were put back upside down and fell out of the page protectors…sigh.
4. KEEP RELIABLE glue and or adhesive YOU KNOW is reliable and dries quickly at hand so when you look through your albums. You can make quick repairs. DO NOT put it off till later. YOU WILL FORGET and then the letters will be lost. (yeah it happened)
5. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ALBUMS for your pages at least put them in page protectors and put them in a safe place. I found a STACK of layouts (yes at least 20) that were a couple years old in a shelf. just stacked up there. YA NOT GOOD. buttons had come off the edges were bent up. I was NOT happy.
I AM SURE there are many more tips you all have learned that you could add to this. FEEL FREE to add them in the comments. Things you have learned over you’re years of scrapbooking. Care wear and tear of pages, mini albums etc. I welcome your advice.
I am sure we have some new crafters or even those that have been doing it a while that may learn something.
ThatsNancyWithaJones 