life. photos. scrapbooking.

Getting organized is half the battle.

As promised (below) - here's the video footage. :)

 

_______________________________________________________

Oddly enough. Having the boogers in preschool twice a week has kept me pretty caught up with the photography business as of late. Woot.

So caught up - in fact - that last Thursday - I granted myself reprieve on "getting ahead" on things and instead used the peace and quiet - to exercise my piece of mind.

Yes... I got down and crafty y'all. I scrapbooked.

And I was efficient.

You see...  I've developed a new system for helping me to dive in more quickly.

Sometimes I sit down and look at my "TO SCRAP" pile and I just get a little paralyzed. Where to begin? How to flip the creative switch and get busy on-demand? I only have an hour here people! That's what usually goes through my mind.

Usually I start combing through photos on my computer waiting for a great story to come to mind.... or vice versa.... I'll have the story written on scrap paper and I'm hunting for an appropriate photo.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Time's a wasting.

Then there's the process of sifting through supplies... Looking for just the right things that will help the layout sing. Finding those that will help tell the story more completely. The right patterned paper - the right embellishments... finding that bit of life ephemera to staple on.... Just, where did I put those concert tickets... Right?

Any of you suffer from this too? Sound familiar?

And finally -  just when I have everything at my fingertips and I'm about to start cutting and glueing - I'll get interrupted. The phone - the kids - the washing machine.

Derailed.

Fun time - over.

Layouts completed?

Zero.

Mamma puts up a big FAT goose egg on the scoreboard.

Knowing this was the way of things and I was determined not to let myself waste this afternoon in my empty workroom. I had a plan.

In order for me to scrap with speed and efficiency - I lift. I scrap lift. I take a sketch or idea from a layout I've seen somewhere - magazine - Pinterest - blog - book - advertisement... and I run with it. It may be the layout design... or just a color scheme I like... or maybe it's the way the person used some patterned paper that I own in my stash. Something to get me going.

SO! On Wednesday evening, knowing the kids were gonna be in preschool and that I was gonna use a bit of the afternoon to be a naughty little scrapbooker... here's what I did.

I compiled my "TO SCRAP" stuff and started sorting the stories and photos and put each coordinating thing into a simple page protector. Then I started combing through the various scrapbooking magazine tear outs that I keep at my desk.

I subscribe to "Creating Keepsakes" and "Scrapbooks Etc." and when I get them each month insted of dog-earing the pages to the layouts I like and saving the entire magazine (as was my old routine) - I've recently begun just tearing out the pages with layouts I find inspiring and throwing the rest in the recycling bin. I clip the whole stack together and then I would flip through it when I sit down to crop.

But not this time.

THIS time I unclipped that stack of inspiration and tried to find layouts that would pair nicely with either the photos or the amount of journaling that I had already in those page protector sleeves. When I felt I had a match - I slipped them inside the plastic as well.

In addition - I have a few books on scrapbooking (some of which I've written about here) - namely the ones by Ali Edwards and Cathy Zielske.

I leafed through those too looking for inspiration. Since I didn't want to rip anything out of these "reference materials," (or as I like to call my two SIGNED copies of Clean & Simple I & II - "my holy grails") instead I simply tucked the photo and/or paper containing my handwritten journaling inside on the appropriate page.

Organize.... divide... conquer.

I was ready for the day ahead.

Did it work?

Indeed it did.

Come Thursday afternoon - I opened one of those books to the first page I had marked with stuff stuck inside and I got crack-a-lackin'!

And I finished 5 - yes that's right  F-I-V-E layouts in a single afternoon. And completed two more the following evening.

I was on a roll.

Mamma's got a new system - and it's working baby.

Ok, folks - it's pretty late right now - and so I'm gonna hit the hay and get this post scheduled to publish.... but tomorrow morning I'm going to film a very short video showing you this great new system and I'll post it here by lunchtime....

So all you AM readers - come on back for a look-see. :)

And because I wholeheartedly believe that every post needs at least ONE photo... I'll give you one.

"Whassup wich U?"

"Awww. I dunno. Same ol' - same ol'. Whassup wichu?"

Say wah?

:)

Oh yeah almost forgot - ACTUAL fruit of thy labor (the layouts people) will be posted tomorrow! Stay tuned.

xo

Legend.

Penn Staters the world over are just sad sad sad at the news of Joe Pa's passing yesterday. Me included.

I had the priviledge of working for the Penn State Football program as an undergraduate, and the even greater honor of becoming close friends with his son Jay and his wife Kelley.

One Christmas, Jay and Kelley gifted me the book you see above. I treasured it then as I do now. I pulled it off the shelf yesterday and ran my fingers over those words. "To Katie, Thanks for all your help. - Joe Paterno"

No Joe. Thank you.

Though I know some will not view your legacy this way... I myself choose to remember you for the dedicated family man you were. For your devotion to a University you helped shape. For your expertise and honor on the football field. For your insistence on excellence from the young men who played for you, academically, athletically and otherwise. For you and Sue raising such wonderful kids in Diana, Mary Kay, David, Scottie and Jay.

It is said that Joe's father gave him the advice, "make in impact" when he chose a career in coaching over law school. And you delivered.

And your son, Jay and his wife Kelley did the same for me in my life. They made a huge impact on my days at Penn State, that I carried into adulthood. Carry still.

My heart goes out to all of them.

Your Penn State family is with you now and always.

 

 

Currently Loving...

Thought I'd share a few things I'm loving right now. Click on any of the photos below to be taken to the links!

 

Except I'm doing it at bedtime... (the house is a lot quieter and more settled)

 

Little guys with lots of energy...

Essie nail polish in "Master Plan"

(*scored this image from Google - this is not my hand... my nails aren't anywhere this nice."

My TOMS!!!! - Got my eye on THIS PAIR next!!!

One of these from the freezer around 3pm when the kids are napping and mamma needs a little extra sugar to get through the afternoon...

Chubby little girl toes...

Adler...  a fun vintage typewriter font.

To unwind in the evenings... this is my K-cup of choice.

New gear...

Nikkor 24mm 1.4G... wide angles baby.

Cute new strap from etsy...

Clark's handywork in the playroom. A cork floor. It's so NOW (again). Easier to maintain with dogs and people going outside from two exits in this room than carpet - yet still soft enough for littles to play on and crawl around. Thanks Mom and Dad for the sweet hookup! xo

Utterly delicious smelling hand soap/lotion duo Cucina Lime Zest & Cypress  at my kitchen sink...

Welcome back y'all.

 

Book Review & Giveaway!!

When was the last time you read a book that totally rocked you? I mean - as Twi-hard as I am - the book I just read just shook me in a way that was brutal and glorious all at the same time. Bella and Edward are great and all - but not like this...

Tuesday night I got in bed next to Clark with my itty bitty book light and the next thing I knew it was 3:30am and I was weeping.

I wept.

And then I got out of bed and went into Macho's bed and spooned with him till morning. So what does that tell ya?

I'm hesitant to tell you too much about the actual plot.... I'd rather you pick it up and read it without expectation... just recommendation. All I'll say is - it's a powerful retelling of the Book of Hosea.

It's not a new book. Came out in 1997. And has sold over 1 million copies. The cover and title make you think it's some trashy romance read... but it's not.

It's a love story, yes - but the most profound and greatest of all love stories. A story of betrayal, redemption, forgiveness, friendship, heartache, hatred, loyalty, obedience and love.

Amazing read. Thank you Casie for sending it to me. What a Sister in Christ you are and have always been to me! Love you!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go order like 10 copies from Amazon to give out!

OH! I almost forgot!

Love this book so much I wanna give a copy to one of you too!

Leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner this weekend sometime.

 

"Come, let us return to the Lord;

for he has torn, that he may heal us;

he has stricken, and he will bind us up."

HOSEA 6:1

 

Without Further Ado...

I give you my new professional home online...

Katie Pegher Photography

It's been fun putting this together over the past couple of weeks. I've been excited to share. And - after last week's blowout retirement sale on the jewelry - it was finally time to throw the switch. 

As Macho is insistent on yelling from the backseat while we run errands, "Green means GOOOO!!" Today is therefore, "greenlight" day on the website.

Now GOOOOOO!

Have fun browsing around :) There's a link at the top to come back to the blog (which I'm totally keeping.. don't worry about that!). I'd love to hear what you think of the new digs.. or if you've found a typo or something!!! ahh! So, if you have a minute, come on back and leave me a comment. :)

Happy Monday!

 

Oh... and because it feels totally weird not to include a photo with a post... here's a cute near silhouette photo that Clark took of Macho and I at the beach two summers ago. We got up early to watch the sunrise. A MUST do (at least once) for me on beach vacations...

Anyway - I was just scrolling through some old photos and this one just stuck out. Oh, my heart... it aches for that sweet baby... Life just goes at the speed of light doesn't it? Sniff.

Ok - now GOOOOOO click on that link up top!

Psalm 127:3-5  "Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

 

 

 

 

They Changed Me, They Could Change You :: GIVEAWAY!

Today, my ever fabulous readers, is a great day for you. I'm so excited and pleased to announce this giveaway!

One of you lucky ducks is gonna win BOTH of Cathy Zielske's books:

People, these books changed my whole attitude on scrapbooking. Before reading them, I was "in the closet" about my hobby. I have been making things with paper and glue since high school, but it was never quite stamped on my forehead that, "Yes, I'm a scrapbooker."

To me - that word, "scrapbooker" meant you had gigantic quilted covered albums filled with photos cut into circles pasted haphazardly on construction paper and covered with hoardes of "junk." It meant that you only documented the big stuff... Christmas and birthdays, etc.

I never identified with this, so I stayed comfortably in the closet... quietly keeping fun little journals and mini albums.

Then one marvelous day, destiny caught up with me and I got my hands on Cathy's first book. I realized that, "Holy cow! There are others like me out there!" People who like to scrapbook about the little details in life. That's the good stuff! People who love taking pictures and telling stories and making layouts that are.... CLEAN and SIMPLE!

These people were ALSO "scrapbookers" - and they were COOL!

Cathy's book inspired me not only to put a big fat label on myself and my hobby - but also taught me tons about design, and keeping it simple and provided loads upon loads of inspiration for layouts.

Then I found out there was more! A second book! A sequel! I had to have it! And Miss Z, didn't disappoint. It was just as resourceful and informative and inspiring as the first.

So here we are.

I'm a huge fan of Cathy's... obviously. She and I are "email acquaintances." I try to keep a lid on my fan-atic affection for her when we chat - but it's kinda hard. To me, she's a celebrity. I know she must think I'm a total wacko! Nah, she's too sweet for that.

So...

When I was on bedrest a few weeks back, I emailed her to say that I have been plugging her and her books for awhile now to my readers but wanted to go to the next level and give away a set of her books. I had planned to order them up on Amazon, and I was just looking for her blessing and wondered if I sent them to her, would she mind signing them.

Well, she went one further... She sent me some books just for you, kids.

Yes, you heard me correctly. The set you are eligible to win came straight from Casa Zielske.

Rockstar, that CZ, rockstar.

Well... now that I've blathered on and on...  it's time to get down to business!

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment between now and Tuesday night at 8pm EST and I'll pick a winner and post it on Wednesday. Good luck guys!

 

Scrapbooking... Setting the record straight.

Hey kiddies. Sorry for my absence yesterday. Had a teensy scare with the bambina-in-waiting and spent the morning hooked up to the monitors at the hospital. Doc says total bedrest until Friday... and then hopefully I should be in the clear. I thank you for your patience and cooperation.

This has been a public health message.

Thank you.

Good bye.

 

 

Nah....

Just kidding.

Now, onto some business.

So, not long ago I was contacted by a reader/friend who had some questions about scrapbooking. Specifically, what's all this talk about digital v hybrid v. traditional. What the?

I asked this blog reader/friend if she would mind if I used the contents of her email to address this more fully. I figured, there may be more of you out there with similar curiosities.

So here is a portion of Miss Lindsay's email: 

My question for the scrapbooking queen is when you discuss layouts and design on your blog is it all digital or is some of it "old school" paper and stickers? :) Silly I know but I was just curious as to when you talk "digital" I didn't know what that meant to someone like me who always thought scrapbooking was what the aisles in Micheal's is for....hahaha. Do you make everything on the computer and then print it out to be a flat page that looks like it has dimension? Silly...yes but was thinking of it and wanted to ask you.

Keep Creating :)

Smiles,
Linz

 

Thanks so much Lindsay for your question!

Here goes:

So far as I'm aware, there are three general types of scrapbooking nowadays.

1. Traditional: This means you are using ACTUAL, cardstock, patterned paper, scissors, adhesive, and embellishments (ribbon, stickers, etc.). You are cutting and pasting and adding photos to real-life, tangible layouts. Here's an example of a traditional layout that I scanned... No part of this layout was made on the computer. It's real cardstock, letter stickers, an 8x10 photo I rounded the corners off of, real ribbon, buttons, clips, a ball point pen for the journaling, date stamp, staples, etc.

2. Digital: This is where you use a software program like Photoshop Elements or Photoshop - or heck, even Microsoft Word, to add photos, and text and embellishments to a page. You can purchase "digital" scrapbooking supplies - like "digital patterned papers" and "digital cardstock" to use in your creations (I shop almost exclusively at Designer Digitals, and O Scraps!).

Everything is done on the computer and then entire thing is saved as a file. There are even handy things called "digital templates" that you can purchase and download that take a lot of the guesswork out of designing the layout.

These digital layouts then can become a "real life pages" - by uploading the file to an online printer of your choice (I use Scrapbookpictures.com) - having it printed and mailed to you for you to file away in an album.

Yes - sometimes you can't tell the difference between a TRADITIONAL page and a DIGITAL page when viewing it online because there are all sorts of drop shadows and neat tricks you can do with Photoshop which give your pages "dimension" - and make them look really, real.

I find that most people who choose to go ALL digital - do it for two main reasons...  1) They are computer savvy - and 2) They don't like the "mess and clutter" that having traditional supplies in your house inevitably creates.

Here is a look at an entirely DIGITAL LAYOUT. All I did here was upload the file from my computer for you to see. No scanning necessary (although I do have a "paper copy" printed and in an album). I used Photoshop CS4 to build it - and used a template by designer, Ali Edwards. Even the staples you see aren't real - they are digitally placed elements.

See how I added a subtle drop shadow to the center "sticker"? I did that to make it look more like a real page... ya dig?

3. Hybrid. This is exactly what you think. A mix of the two. And this is where I would categorize myself as a scrapbooker.

This is where you use your computer AND your traditional supplies to create a layout. Typically, I like to take my photos and resize them in Photoshop and then print them out vs. just having them printed all 4x6 or 5x7 or whatever and cutting them up with scissors.

I also like to type my journaling on my computer and print it out - either directly on the layout - or onto some cardstock that I can print and paste down.

I invested in a large format printer HP8550 - that I can feed 12x12 sheets of cardstock through. I love it.

After you print out what you want from your computer - you basically assemble it in a traditional way... Arrange, glue everything down, add embellishments, and done-zo.

Here's an example of a HYBRID layout. This is the scanned, finished design.

I began by opening an 8.5 x 11 blank canvas in Photoshop, adding my photo to it (cropped to the size I wanted). I adding a text box with my journaling, and adding a block of color with letters in "white ink" on top that I could print out and then use a circle punch to punch out and cut into a strip-form to add to the layout.... This is what that canvas looked like when I sent it to print.

Basically, after I printed this out - I cut up the elements and adhered them to the blue patterned paper - then added the "bee sticker" with a foam pop up dot to give it some dimension.

Voila - hybrid layout. 

I should also mention that I "scrap-lifted" the layout design from one of Cathy Zielske's amazing books - Clean & Simple Scrapbooking, or Clean & Simple, The Sequel... can't remember which.

Seriously people - these two books changed the way I look at this hobby entirely. After reading them, armed with my newfound perspective, I was sooooo proud to be a scrapbooker. It never bothered me anymore when people would laugh or roll their eyes at the hobby.

They just don't understand. I cannot recommend these two books enough to those of you curious about scrapbooking - especially with a non-cluttered approach to layout design.

Anyway, I love the hybrid approach because I love my MacBook and all the nifty tricks that Photoshop (or Elements) does for me... and, I just can't bring myself to stay away from purchasing actual scrapbook supplies. I just love the feel and smell of paper. I love to sit down and play with actual supplies - and feel like I'm "creating with my hands."

So, Lindsay and the rest of you dear readers, I  hope I haven't confused you any more than you were already! Please feel free to leave me a comment with any of your additional quesitons! Always happy to answer!

Write On, Momma!

by: Jen Hunter

Okay, so first things first: I'm Jen, one of Katie's friends and guest bloggers for the week. When Katie asked if I'd be interested in helping her out this week, I knew I wanted to do it, but I was a little nervous about (a) having a deadline and (b) writing for public consumption, because, well, it's been a while since I've done that, and before I put myself out there, my mind always goes through an entire gymnastics routine worth of cartwheels and flips, analyzing what people will think of me, how I will come off, yada, yada, yada. Yes, I am a little tightly wound at times, but this condition is usually best managed with a glass of wine and a little grabbing-myself-by-the-collar to say, “Girl, shut up, stop your whining, and just get on with it already.”

So, here I am. And after some deliberating, I've decided to write about writing, even though the topic of procrastination ran a close second, and lemme tell ya, I could provide some mad tips on how to put off today what you can do tomorrow. But that'll have to wait because today, the talk is about how to pick up a pen or cozy up to the keyboard and write, specifically about your experiences as a mother.

I've always loved to write. It's just been “my thing” for as long as I can remember. I enjoy it for a lot of reasons, but I think mainly it has been the primary way I organize my life (since I have no other organizational skills to speak of!). From the mundane grocery or chore list to the more reflective journal about how it felt to get dumped by my college boyfriend (yep, gotta love that), writing has been and continues to be the way I “pull myself together,” except of course when I whip out the Spanx hosiery for a special occasion, but I'll spare you the details of that pulling-together process.

When I became a mother to my son (currently 4 ½ going on 34 ½), I knew that I would not only want to document our new family life with photos and video but also through words. I joined the blogosphere and was dedicated to that task for about two years but eventually became overwhelmed with it and gave it up. But I still wanted to write, to chronicle the day-to-day, even if it was only to have for myself to look back on many years down the road.

I remembered in my blog travels seeing a book featured on a friend's blog about chronicling your motherhood experience. Even though I knew I was going to take a break from the blogging, the book Writing Motherhood by Lisa Garrigues helped me to get restocked with fresh ideas for organizing and privately documenting my experiences as a mother.

Writing Motherhood centers around the idea of keeping something called a “Mother's Notebook,” which can be as simple as a 4 x 6” spiral flip pad or as elaborate as a leather bound journal. Garrigues does suggest using something simple and small that will fit in a purse so you can always have it with you at any given moment to jot down something you don't want to forget – like for instance, when your car runs out of gas and you are stuck for almost 30 minutes at a busy intersection on a hot summer day (yes, this happened to me recently). My first Mother's Notebook was just a simple purse-size, black spiral notebook – nothing fancy. I am in need of another one soon, and I am still sold on the idea of something compact that can be slipped into a purse, pocket or stashed beside the coffee pot! I suppose for the really tech-savvy among us, an iPhone or BlackBerry might even suffice.

Garrigues encourages her writing mommas to write for at least 15 minutes a day, filling at least 2 pages of the mother's notebook. The writing doesn't have to be in paragraph form or even complete sentences, but instead just include snippets from the happy or not-so-happy chaos of the day, favorite quotations you stumbled upon, the obscene rudeness of your boss or someone in the check-out line, or a celebratory song about the fact that you can now squeeze back into your size 6 pants (God, what I would give for that). I think one of the best things that I've found to include in any kind of “notes” I write these days are all the comical things my son says, like when he announced very simply the other evening: “I hate opera.” You know, just in case his Dad and I were wondering. The kid is f.u.n.n.y.

So what's the point, you're thinking, just to have a notebook full of random kiddie quotes, rants about running out of gas, or about your husband working late or how the pile of dishes in the sink rivals the dog's pile of poop in the backyard? Recording the details of life – even the seemingly mundane ones – can produce something that later can serve as a source of intense gratification, nostalgia, and joy. And, if you're motivated beyond your Mother's Notebook and have the time, you can turn your writing into pieces for publication or use your writings as a springboard into starting a blog, creating scrapbook pages, filling a baby book, creating captions for a photo album, starting a journal to give to your children when they're older, or, heck, even updating your Facebook status, I suppose.

The point is, we all want to remember our lives and to tell stories and to be able to pass on our own history, even when we are perhaps no longer physically here. And writing is one way we can do this.


I'd also like to say that even though Writing Motherhood is obviously written for mothers, I think the model can be used for fathers who want to document their family life as well. A Mother's Notebook could easily become a Father's Notebook, or you could, in addition to your own notes, have a book you keep in a general area of the house that you both write in. The point is to write, and to write often. You won't regret it. I still have and marvel at the first diary I ever wrote when I was around 10 years old. It's just, well, for lack of a better word, really cool to have that and to flip through it from time to time.

For more ideas and information about Writing Motherhood, you can visit the official website HERE and you can preview chapters on Amazon.com (link is above) if you wanna take a lookey. Included in the book are tons of writing prompts and ways to get your brain well-oiled and ready to write. So, write on, momma. Write on!

Thanks again to Katie for letting me fill her shoes for a day. They're some impressively beautiful, sparkly, one-of-a-kind Manolo Blahniks, and I hope I wore them well.