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.
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