Siblings Layout

Love your layout!! Your kids are so cute!!!
How often do you replace the ink in your new printer? Is it worth the price of ink versus using scrapbookpictures.com or another vendor?
Thanks. Happy New Year.

ok, ok i "think" i am getting motivated to check out digi scrapbooking....when i was in college I used a real typewriter and onion skin paper, so this will be a GIANT learning curve.
my word for this year is DISCOVER. it reflects all of us in the family and especially me at this time in my career, my creative goals, and my health. I like it too because it sounds action oriented and for me is likely to keep giving me some motivation to discover what a GREAT year is in store for me! ;)
thanks for providing me a creative boost every day!

Oh that large photo is just wonderful. Pure love.
I'd love it if you'd take on journalling as topic for a future post. Do you always write as though your children are the intended audience? Are there times when you write for a more generic reader? Or to yourself? Do you approach this in any systematic way? Or is it just intuitive and organic.

I haven't had it long enough yet to really sense a pattern. For me I appreciate the "have it now" aspect vs. waiting for prints back from scrapbookpictures.com - just depends on what's happening + when it is needed. In this case I printed it out last night because I wanted to show what it looked like in today's post.

Hi Ali!
What a beautiful layout. You are such an inspiration.
I've been following you and Cathy Z. regularly for a while now. I'm just about to take my first step into scrapbooking. I'm a full-time graphic designer so in the evenings, the thought of going in front of a computer again after meeting deadlines all day just wasn't too appealing. But after seeing this layout, I think I'm going to go the hybrid/digital route. I'm super crafty so I wanted the hands-on part to be there but it's so simple & clean to go digital.
Do you have a preference of one over the other?

Love everything about this layout!

Such a sweet layout. I love the colors that you used. Put me in the mood for Valentine's Day. :)
I was wondering if you could share some tips and advice on how you organize/store all your digital elements. For example, you mentioned making this layout above while at your parent's home so I am assuming that you store some (or all) of your digi scrap stuff on your laptop hard drive?
Thanks,
Jamie ~ Alabama

Hi Diane - I totally understand this sentiment (not wanting to be in-front of the computer any more than necessary). I felt that way for a long time. What I really love is being able to do both - having the choice to tell my story one way or the other depending on time, situation, motivation, etc. Many of the paper pages I have been doing recently have been heavy on text - I definitely use my computer for those (the writing at least) and often print the journaling portion onto cardstock here at home and then add "regular" non-computer embellishments. It's a nice combination of both.

Sure Jamie - look for a post that addresses that next week ;).

A beautifully sweet, simple layout. An amazing photo. Looking forward to your upcoming info.

That photo of Simon and Anna is pure love. What a great photo. You can't help but be inspired to blow up that one! It is a beautiful LO. I had a good giggle at the laptop thanksgiving, that was funny! Glad you are finding time to scrapbook just beacuse you want too. Good for you!

I love this layout and can relate to your journaling. My youngest is 1 year old and my oldest has just turned 6; it's so much fun to see them in their different life stages, but also to see them interact.
Also wanted to share my word for 2010 here, if it's ok with you. At first I thought it would have to me an active or at least creative word, because I'm trying to start working as a professional photographer. But then I fell quiet......and that's the thing I need and want the most this year!
QUIET. a quiet life: free from disturbance or tumult, tranquil and peaceful. Free from disturbing thoughts and emotions: mentally peaceful.
My first action today is NOT to watch tv and NOT to do stuff on the bus to work, but simply enjoy my music and watch the time slow down!
Thanks for helping me start of consciously in 2010!
Marlies

Hey Andrea - this one will go in our family album. You can read more about my organization thoughts now that Anna has joined us here: /2009/09/organizing-scrapbook-albums-an-update.html

What a beautiful layout! Add me to the group of interested in switching to digi/hybrid scrapbooking. I'm looking forward to your post next week addressing Holly S.' questions. One thing that I've been wondering about is the longevity of the photos printed on a home printer v.s. at a photo lab. I love the idea of the convenience of printing at home but I thought I had read somewhere that photos printed on a home printer won't hold up as well. Also do you notice a difference in quality from your printer? Thanks for any insight in printing at home.

This is really cute

love the layout, and the all-over-the-page pictures!
Am totally into that! Sometimes more is more ;-)!
More photo more awww!

Ali-
love the enlarged photo picture and layout (and karen's inspiration - i'm taking her class right now :) . Your photo printer sounds really great - i think i'll put that on my wish list - mine is a joke when i try and print out pictures! look forward to seeing your last few completed dd pages. i placed my order last week to scrapbookpictures for the rest of my pages. I look forward to wrapping up the project. thanks again for your inspiration - i loved doing the album for the 1st time.

Love this layout, Ali.

Sibling 'layout', so much better than a sibling 'fallout'. Just kidding - love you guys! Happy New Year to you and Chris and two of my favorite kidlets.

Seems like a lot of us are getting on the digi train, whoo hoo. I won a place in Renee Pearson's next class from Cathy Z and am so very excited. I have never attempted a fully digital page and just recently learned how to add brushes, etc from a free Jessica Sprague class. I took full advantage of the 25 cent holiday extravaganza at Designer Digitals knowing that I would try to take these new steps in scrapbooking.
Could you tell me what you thought of the Office Max photo paper? We have an Epson R1900, which is a wide format printer, and always buy the Epson paper thinking that store brands will not produce anything acceptable. Would you buy it again?
Looking forward to your post next week about all things digital, photo organization, which is getting ridiculous around here (we are on a Mac, use Aperture, and I am learning to do some editing in PSE). Oh, and please answer some of the questions from Holly S, too!
Thanks again for featuring one of my DD pages on the blog...it's an honor. Really. It is.

I would and will buy that paper again Monika - I have been really satisfied with it.

Thanks Amy - I was talking to Cathy Z about that today - how what I really liked is the LARGE photo contrasted with the smaller ones (and being able to use a lot of white space next to that really big photo).

LOVE this spread, Ali! I may just have to scraplift that for the Challenge of Me class! LOVE it. :D As always, thank you so much for sharing your life with us.

adorable page Ali! i'm really liking the enlarged photo:)