[warning :: this post is long and completely scrapbook-related]
i took another class at
scrapbook oasis last night down in irvine. my in-laws were nice enough to get the kids in the afternoon so i could leave before traffic got too bad. (
thanks b+d!)
since i had a bit of time before the class i headed to
paper source's new store at south coast plaza. the selection was basically the same as the beverly hills store but it was 10-times better because i was there
alone and could take my time looking around.
n-e-way, the reason i was taking another class at scrapbook oasis is because
kristina contes was teaching the class; she's one of 'em organic, free-stylin' scrapbookers (like
maria grace, whose class i took last time at sb oasis). i think i mentioned before that i am
not one of 'em organic, free-stylin' scrapbookers. but i am really warming to this style and trying to learn to just go with the flow with my creativity. not to sweat the small stuff. to enjoy the process.
it doesn't seem possible that i could
learn to be like that; it's so counter to my ocd/type-a scrapbooking personality. but, cheesy at it sounds, watching others scrap and just being exposed to their enthusiasm for this art form is inspiration enough to take my scrapbooking to a different level; not just documenting the special times in our lives, but the ordinary and not-so-special times, too. to be more
real, i guess.
the
class project was to document an ordinary part of someone's life. i chose to talk about my tea-drinking during the winter. it seems like such a mundane topic and not something most non-scrapbookers would think is important enough to document. but, in the end, aren't these the kind of things that define us? i think a lot of scrapbookers are moving in this direction, instead of focusing on event-specific layouts (although there's nothing wrong with that either).
kristina's version is a 12x12 and she actually journals about the things going on in her life
today (a specific date). i made mine a 8.5x11 size so it would fit into my album. for specifics on materials, click
here.
after the class there was a crop until midnight. because i wasn't chosen to have a layout created during maria grace's class, i was determined to have kristina create something for me; when i saw she was making stuff i asked her to make me a layout. honestly, i didn't care if the other students thought i was too forward. i wanted to have something in my hands that was made in a free form style. kristina didn't disappoint. she accidently cut the patterned paper the wrong size (no thanks to me telling her where to cut -- oops!) but that didn't stop her from tearing it and using it anyway. she made an adorable layout of maya while we chatted about new york (where's she from).
thanks, kristina, i totally love it!(
link to the store's posting about the night.)
i really wish i had taken kristina's thursday night class,
right now mini album. i've never made a mini album but they're so cute and a quick, creative way to document a single subject. kristina's was a great way, i thought, to get into documenting the
everyday, her favorite things right now. but i also wish i'd taken the class because kristina was really fun to be around. this weekend was her first time teaching a class but she has great projects, techniques, and energy. i guess part of that's the "lawn-guylander" in her! listening to her accent was endearing and brought back memories of my days in new york. she also brought some of her recent layouts from the
effer site and i particularly liked seeing the simple layout from
dare #55. she brought the adorable "
otto the owl" stamp by rubber soul to class, and it was really popular among the students.
although it'll be a good while before i could ever scrap like kristina (if ever), i'm embracing the imperfections of creating. i kinda screwed up on the layout i worked on during the crop (
posted here) but that's okay, i salvaged it and kept chugging away instead of getting frustrated about it. and i hope that'll cross over into my everyday living so i can accept the crappy days and not dwell on the negative so much.
other highlights of the evening: i got 3 compliments on
my threadless shirt,
the dares were there in support of kristina, i won a
typesetter letter stamp set by
fontwerks in a drawing, kristina liked my (incomplete) hanukkah layout enough to take a picture of it,
shimelle laine (from england!) was taking the class, one of the other students was surprised that i had two kids -- she thought ian was my little brother and i was still a student(!), and we got some free
purple onion stamps. all in all, not a bad evening. not bad at all.
unsolicited plug: kristina's husband is owner/chef of mosaic restaurant in st. james, ny -- check it out if you're in the area.
patterned paper: fontwerks
the class project was to document an ordinary part of someone's life. i chose to talk about my tea-drinking during the winter. it seems like such a mundane topic and not something most non-scrapbookers would think is important enough to document. but, in the end, aren't these the kind of things that define us? i think a lot of scrapbookers are moving in this direction, instead of focusing on event-specific layouts (although there's nothing wrong with that either).
after the class there was a crop until midnight. because i wasn't chosen to have a layout created during maria grace's class, i was determined to have kristina create something for me; when i saw she was making stuff i asked her to make me a layout. honestly, i didn't care if the other students thought i was too forward. i wanted to have something in my hands that was made in a free form style. kristina didn't disappoint. she accidently cut the patterned paper the wrong size (no thanks to me telling her where to cut -- oops!) but that didn't stop her from tearing it and using it anyway. she made an adorable layout of maya while we chatted about new york (where's she from). thanks, kristina, i totally love it!
we were invited to a mochi-tsuki taikai (mochi pounding ceremony) today by a japanese friend. well, actually, she's the wife of rupert's boss ... but a potential future friend. ian's familiar with the machine-made mochi but he's never seen the traditional way of making mochi, which uses something similar to a mortar and mallet. special mochi rice is steamed and placed in the mortar (usu) and pounded with the mallet (kine). ian even got to pound some rice with a mini kine.
you have to be very careful when eating mochi because it can easily get lodged in your throat if you take too big of a bite or don't chew it thoroughly. every year people die from choking on mochi. so we were cautious when feeding maya the mochi, but she liked it enough to eat it with red bean (azuki) and (kinako).
ian prefered his mochi with a sugar and ground black sesame mixture.
it took two weeks but we finally replaced the laptop in the house. rupert was kind enough to quickly purchase a laptop so i could get back to emailing and blogging. usually it takes him forever to decide on a (high-price) purchase; not only does he research various options, but once you think he knows what he wants to get, he usually changes his mind and comes home with something else ... after like two hours at the store. but this time we looked through the sunday ads, chose a laptop, he went out and came home pretty promptly with the one we chose. so, thank you, dear. (fyi, i usually do not call my husband, "dear" because i am not a dutiful, nice wife.)
unfortunately, i ended 2006 with a 
we spent new year's eve at home playing 1313 deadend drive and guitar hero 2 while drinking some sparkly. rupert and i even managed to stay up until midnight, but we missed the ball drop in times square because we were watching something else!
maya @ 14 months :: january 4, 2007