Weekend Photos & Workshop Input

Hi Ali - I will be taking your class this fall - it's the only thing I want for my birthday (which is in Sept - perfect timing!). Anyway, I'd love to learn how to capture/retrieve thoughts/experiences from my past that are meaningful and relevant to my own future and that may inspire others who look at whatever I've created. Also, I'm always thinking, I should write down how I feel about "this thing that just happened to me as a 43-year old wife/mom/daughter/sister" to see if it influences my perspective when my kids are the same age and going through similar life experiences. Not sure if that makes sense. I am SO looking forward to your workshop! Lauri

Fireworks make me happy too!
I think the past is the only thing that I have a problem with . . . I didn't start scrapbooking until 1999 or 2000, but my girls were born in 1996 and 1997. I never backtracked, so I don't have a lot of their baby time and toddler time done. I can go back and do the highlights, but I guess I feel like that most significant and special times in our lives will never be recorded the way it should be.
I also have another issue . . . I have a "family" album. This is where I put all of my current scrapbook pages . . . chronologically recorded. I have two daughters . . . who will get these "family" books one day? I have no idea WHY I didn't do multiple books, but I didn't, and now there is such high volume! Copying the pages would not be something that I would want to do, but maybe it's the only solution?

I don't have any suggestions for the workshop but I can't wait until registration. I will be in the process of moving from Florida to Cincinnatti but I am going to take the class even if I can't participate fully. I can't wait.

I don't know if this could be part of it, but recently I signed up for Ancestry.com, and on there you get alot of old public documents from your ancestors, like passport applications, draft card applications, census data, stuff like that. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of pictures of these people, but if you could touch on how to incorporate these kind of documents in an attractive way, that would be wonderful! I'm really looking forward to your class. I took Cathy Zielske's class last year and while I didn't do all the layouts she did, even just reading about them influenced my designs a lot. I really like the experts series!

Hi Ali - With regard to scrapbooking your past, my question is how best to scrap the not-so-happy stories. I have two little boys and I am working on a heritage album for them, so they have details of their grandparents etc. Sadly, my paternal grandparents marriage ended in separation (they never divorced) and I only got to meet my grandfather once. I have their wedding photo which I have wanted to scrap for a long time, but have yet to do so as I cant decide how to document their (bittersweet) story. Any ideas would be welcomed! Thanks, Ali

Beautiful children! I would like to learn about scrapbooking the giant box of old pictures and paraphenelia that needs to go in a book that will give teh essence of my mother to my children, who never got to meet her. So, the past.

Hi, Ali...
I am very much looking forwasrd to taking your class this fall. I am already so inspired by how you tie together the three things mentioned in this blog (past, present, self)...by reading your blog, your books and your Studio A column in CK. I guess I would want to take that inspiration to the next level...from admiring that you do tie these elements together on your pages to actually doing it myself...so maybe challenges/assignments with specific goals in mind. Also, more of your step by step approaches (getting inside of your creative brain) and use of stash/products on hand...using up bits and pieces of this and that. You talk about that a lot in your books, etc., but a further breakdown of your process would be wonderful. I look forward to anything you plan to share. I admire and follow several designers, but your style/vision is by far my consistent favorite and your blog is the first I check each day. Happy summer to you and your family!

Hi Ali!
I would love to learn how to scrapbook old, old photos. My grandparents photos. They are tiny, curled, black & white and so very very tiny. I want to preserve the memories there, but not sure how to do them justice.
THanks!
Jen

I'm single, no children and I am starting to run out of ideas about what to scrap about myself. Topics? Style? I've done pages for my friends and family but sad to say I have such a hard time parting with them so I end up keeping them. How much of your work do you give away for friends and family and when you do, do you make one for yourself as well? Do you give some of your work as gifts too? What can I do if I only have about 5 pictures of one friend and I know making a 12 X 12 page is not a practical idea especially if they are not a scrapbooker like us. What can I do so I can give it to them as a gift without handing just 5 pieces of picture? Any suggestion? Tips?
Thanks Ali and looking forward to your class. Anna is so cute and Simon too with his Clark Kent glasses.

Ali-I plan to sign up for your class and can't wait. I currently do not scrapbook myself. I think I have just one page done about me and that's it. I don't know that I am too interested in documenting my past, except for a few special memories, but I am certainly interested in documenting my recent/current self. Documenting me as a new mom, wife of 6 years, scientist, etc. I need the inspiration and challenge to document myself and who I am at this moment; and inspiration to continue to document who I am at future moments. Also, some ideas/inspiration/challenges to document my marriage and our relationship. I seem to be very focused on scrapbooking our son and want to shift some of that focus back to us.
Thanks for teaching the class! Any idea on the cost yet? I need to start saving up!

one of my big projects has been going through the thousands of photos my parents have taken in the last 20 years, getting them scrapbooked. and while i love it, i'm stuck with how to do it - i'd love suggestions on how to mix my memories of events with telling stories of the events from a more outside perspective, stuff like that.

Hi Mary-Jumping in here with an idea...when I do layouts for people that don't scrapbook, I give them the layout in a black 12x12 frame so they can display it. I think I picked up my frames at Walmart for very little (approx $6, probably less).

I can not wait to take your class! I'm currently taking Jenni Bowlin's class as part of the 4 experts series and am very excited. I would like to know how you get your old old photos from your childhood look so clear and crisp. When you scrap your old photos, it looks like the photos were just taken today. I've scanned pretty much all my old photos from the 1970's and got them printed at scrapbookpictures.com. However, most of them are gritty and blurry. Can you share any simple techniques you use (maybe in Photoshop Elements) on how you can improve old photos?
Thanks for the daily inspiration. Anna is absolutely one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen. Seriously! And Simon is just adorable. I've been following your blog for years so I feel like I have been watching him grow. I can't believe how big he has become! God bless!

what I would expect is better way to document the past, even when we don't have many pictures of ourselves as kids or our parents, I talk about myself the few that I have are with my mom overseas and most pictures of family some she destroyed because issues at the time with my dad.So how to document some memories I still have from my childhood.
Talking about present now with so many things go on new baby, how do we select what stories to tell, because sometimes I want my son to know everything that is going on , in his day by day growing and our adaptation to him.
Looking forward for this class.

Hi Ali, I really battle with scrapping anything about myself. So anything that would help where that's concerned. I mostly scrap everything and anything that's got to do with my little girls. I can write about them and to them with the greatest ease, however, when it comes to writing or scrapping about myself I just can't. I'm concerned they're not going to get a sense of who I was or am:)

My husband and I just recently took our kids on vacation to our home state of Michigan. Being that we grew up there and our kids didn't, we have been to Frankenmuth and Mackinac Island before, but we wanted to share those things with them. My suggestion would be to incorporate pictures from a vacation spot, or home, from years ago with pictures from today of the same place. Some suggested prompts would be from different perspectives such as the parent - planning, preparing or watching the excitement in our children's faces; or from the child's point of view - waiting, driving and experiencing new things. Also, the contrast of how things have changed or stayed the same (cost, landscape, etc.). Our childhood memories and what the kids remember most about the same trip now. These are just a few ideas running through my head at the moment, but I am sure there are a lot more that can be done with this!

Ali, when does registration begin for this class? I would like to sign up for something this fall to get my creative juice flowing. Thanks!

With several BPS classes about scrapbooking "me" under my belt or coming up shortly, I think I have that covered. What I'm needing right now is more of scrapbooking the present moments without making everything sound same old, same old. I can't make every layout heartfelt and sappy, but the "here's Sarah's 19th birthday" just isn't cutting it. Maybe it is about finding a new perspective, a new way of presenting material, a different voice? Not sure, but that's what I'm needing most. And I guess it goes without saying that I'll be signing up! :)

hello again, ali. i can't wait to take a workshop class from you.
something that i've had a hard time coming to terms with in scrapbooking is how to go about documenting the sadder or more painful moments of the past that are, like it or not, part of my life story. i'd like to find a way to document my full story, not just the happy moments, in a healing and productive way.

i'd love to take a class focused on scrapbooking for singles.

For the past I think I'd like to see pockets and other ideas on how to incorporate papers/records that come with genealogy. For the present incorporating different sizes and simple elements to answer questions about what if happening right now in our lives. Maybe along the lines of how has the current economy changed our lives, recycling, growing veggies, biking places, staycations, game/movie night at home, etc. As for myself, that's harder. I think a focus really on me and then smaller branches off to husband/children/family, focusing on the story and keeping the pages very simple. Hope this helps. Can't wait to take the class. By the way, tell Simon Fire works make me happy too!

Hi Ali! After taking a CKU class from you a couple of years ago and seeing how easy you make doing so many things I cannot wait to join you on this upcoming3-month journey.
I for one haven't attempted to scrapbook anything from my past. I have pictures and have access to thousands more but just haven't done it yet. Some stories that could be told are not always the easiest to tell, and even current family issues are not making the page.
I know that anything you have to teach will be great and I look forward to being you student again. Thanks.

wow! i didn't know you were in eugene! will you be having any workshops there in august?

I am taking my first BPS class right now and I was talking to my husband about wanting to take another one already - well now I know what I'll be taking next :)
I have a lot of old photos of loved ones who have passed away and I'm nervous about how to approach these photos and the stories that go with them. I want to make sure I get my grandparents and cousins in my albums and get those relationships and stories told so I would love to get some guidance towards doing that.

Honestly I am sorta scrapped out on the tradional pictures of the family and such. I am always looking for new ways to scrap about myself because I really want for my kids and grandkids and such to know who I was, who I am, and who I might become.
Music is and has always been important to me and I am looking for a way to create a scrapbook all about it. The songs of my past and my favorites of today, not just the song title and lyrics though, but why I like them and what the song says to me. I have always found it interesting why some people prefer one artist or song over another. So that is a workshop that I would be interesting in taking, how music and songs speak to us and impact our lives.