Weekend Photos & Workshop Input

I've been waiting for your class for ages now and will 100% for sure sign up as soon as it's live :)
My request for the class would not so much be for a specific subject but rather for a good "scrapping mood". I'd love for you to go through some of the "there are no mistakes/embrace imperfection etc" - mentality that you speak of in "Life Artist". I really love this book and would so love it if you could bring up a bit (a lot!) about this during the class. Thanks so much even for considering this :)

As far as scrapbooking your past, I would like to see something on divided families. My parents divorced when I was 13- so I have a ton of photos of our entire family before the divorce. How do I scrap those? Everything wasn't great, so I don't want to make a book where everything looks perfect, but I also don't want to make a book that comes across as sad or depressing. This is where I struggle the most! So I have not touched any of the pictures. When I have children though, I would like them to see me, my brother & sister, and our parents as we once were. Any ideas?
Also, I just got your mini-books book for my birthday! What an excellent book! I love all of the ideas

What would you like to learn about scrapbooking your past?
I struggle with telling the not so great life stories too. I would like to document these things because they are an important part of who I am even though I may not share them with anyone. I think hidden journaling will be a big part of some pages for me. And unlike so many people that are overwhelmed with old pictures and memorabilia from childhood, I have very little.
What would you like to learn about scrapbooking your present?
I would like to document the difference between how I thought my life would be and how it has become. I am happy, content and at peace now. And I have finally stopped waiting for the bottom to fall out.

although i'd like to be caught up to scrap the present ( and i should jsut probaly start now before it becomes a 'past')
i'd like to know how to scrap my past better.
thanks ali
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This sounds exciting Ali. Scrapbooking about my childhood is something I really want to do. My problem is I have very few (no?!) photos of those years. I have done a few pages without photos before, and I was happy with those, but the thought of scrapbooking an entire childhood without photos is a little daunting.

I think it would be interesting to create a scrapbook around older pictures leaving a pocket or place to journal what you thought when the picture was taken, then what you think when you look at the picture today and leave a card or place to journal in the future. For example: If I took a picture of a gathering on the fourth of July in 2000 I may have been focused on the event. 9 years later (today) I may realize how much of a tradition that event had become and how important it became to my children. 10 years from now (Future) I may reflect and add a note about how my children have grown, how the body I had then I hated so much, but now look at and think, "I didn't look so bad!", etc. Does that make sense?
In essence, I have been wanting to set up a book that captures everyday life that I can reflect on and add to in the future.

How funny is it that my daughter fell asleep during the fireworks too! She is 4. Daddy covered her ears because she didn't like the loud noise and out she went after a long day of swimming and playing with no nap!
Ali, I'm really looking forward to your class!
For the PAST and ME....I'm in need of an outline....or a timeline (know you love them!) to be able to document and tell my story. I need a framework of what is important in our past to document...questions and topics that will spur my memory and remind me of something I need to share.
Could also be an idea for a new DIGITAL ALBUM for you to put together for Designer Digitals! Lauri in the first post has a wonderful idea....being able to document our life experiences in a way for our children and grandchildren to learn from them.
I'd also like to start working on my Mom's old photos....scanning those that are important to me/spur a memory and then tying them into stories of today..like Stacy Julian's category drawers where I can tell stories from photos across decades...traditions, hobbies, etc...
My PRESENT....where we are all at in our lives...what is important to us right now, what we think about, how our current world is impacting our lives and thoughts and decisions we make.

The past: dealing with issues related to "the good, the bad and the ugly" that happen in our family histories; some organization suggestions that are flexible and adaptable; journaling prompts; suggestions for how to include "everyday life" details from long ago that weren't documented at the time.
The present: how to keep up with it while working full time and still enjoying time together with my family.
Myself: how to document without trying to turn the scrapbook into a personal journal.

Not a comment about the class but about running the 10K next year, do it! I was a runner in high school and then stopped, it had been almost 20 years since I last ran any distance. I started up in January and on the 4th I completed a 15K. The feeling I got when I finished is hard to describe but I will when I scrapbook the pictures my family took.

Fireworks make me happy too!!! As far as your class goes my past is the section I am most tentative about. My parents took tons of photos (which all have that yellow/orange tint to them) and saved tons of realia (which has also aged.) I don't really want to scan thousands of photos and do photo correction, but I don't want to be limited by that yellowy color scheme. Also how can I save all this realia when I don't know the full stories behind them. Save asking my Mom to make this album, how can I be sure I get the right story?? I took a Christmas class which asked us to make pages everyday and I don't know about you but with kids this is an impossibility! I hope that your class will have more flexibility :) Thanks for letting us share our thoughts!

Hey Ali, thanks for the chance for input! I would love to see unique ideas for scrapbooking myself without great photos of myself! I don't have many to choose from, and the ones I do have are usually event-related, not just general shots of me. So ideas with no photos or creative photos, etc., would be great. Also, I don't have a lot of photos of my childhood (I can count the number on one hand not counting school-year photos), but would love to scrap those stories as well. Again, I'd love to see pages/ideas that don't use any photos. Thanks! Can't wait to learn more about your class! :o)

I would like to read/hear more about scrapbooking the everyday! i dont' have children (don't intend to) and feel like i don't have much to scrapbook unless i am doing something BIG (trip, family gathering, etc). i need ways to see the moments. hope that makes sense. when does registration start? thanks! you are so inspiring!

Past-First of all, where to start? Second, what to scrap? How do I decide what I should include or not? Otherwise I feel it is too overwhelming to bother with.
Present-I feel ok with this part of things.
Myself-I am pretty good about scrapping me things. But, maybe a few new ideas would be fun.
Thanks Ali!

I would love really good advice on scrapbooking heritage photos. It's the project I have that I just can't seem to get started on!
Rinda
p.s. your photos are great. Your two kids seem to have the same adorable, crooked smile and Simon is looking so much like Chris. Thanks for the window into your world.

I want to experience how to simplify my lo. Show the photo, say what NEEDS to be said, and cut down on the embellies that I seem to think are so necessary. That's what I love about the look of your los. They do not need a lot of "stuff" to make the point.

Although I'm definitely not wishing away our beautiful summer weather, I *am* looking forward to your class in September/October! My issue is how much paraphernalia I have! I would love to have ideas as to how to include these on their appropriate pages. I sometimes include them in page protectors behind their pages, but I would rather have some ideas as to how to include them directly and subtly on the pages.
Thanks, Ali!
PAM

I'm really looking forward to your class.
I have completed all the traditional grandchildren albums as well as some gift albums for them, all our trips (wish there had been more trips)and a book starting with my ancestors and going through my wedding (I focused on happy memories...didn't think my family needed to concentrate on anything traumatic I had experienced in my life.)
What I need now are 1) ideas that don't relate to the children or grandchildren...ideas about scrapbooking my husband and me, how our life and love have changed through the years. Our life is so full of our family (always has been and that's wonderful) but now it's hard to think of, and harder still to scrapbook, us as a couple.
2)I am also interested in ideas for theme albums (including all the family) perhaps mini albums but primarily ones that follow a theme. Should they be one event, one topic, one holiday. I can think of a topic, but don't know how to develop it. I sure could use some help with that. For example, I love the beach, but have hundreds of beach trips documented in my photo library. How do I pull it together?
So I guess my biggest need is gathering the skills/steps needed to develop a concept...tell a story.
Thanks Ali for the upcoming class but also for your friendly and informative blog. I know, especially with Anna (beautiful!)that some days it must be difficult to give us all that you do.
Sorry this is so long. Perhaps I should do an album on the value of being concise.

I don't know if this was already mentioned, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on scrapbooking the things that were once so very important to us, but seem silly in retrospect.

How about the everyday both past and present. My kids are grown and my husband and I are both kind of boring--work--clean--rest---work.... It is hard to remember all the things that happened in the past so I get really stuck with the everyday concept. I have tried 3 times to do a week-in my life and have never finished it cuz life is just mundane!

Ali, I think the most valuable thing we can learn in taking this class is how to take important events from our past and incorporate them with our present storytelling..i.e. telling stories about how things in our past may or may not shape the way we live our lives today... whether it be events brought on by happy times or traumatic events or even family holiday traditions. It would be neat to somehow explore the many things that influence us in our lives today. "Making Connections" - "Heredity", "External Experiences" or "Living in the Moment", and "Taking Chances" all come to mind.

I want to learn how to scrapbook ...the times my heart ached.
The happy times they are a snap...But, I can
t find my voice for the tough times. The it is not possible for a human to live through this pain and survive times....I don't' know how to begin to leave a record of the pain.
A quick reality check tells me....the day to day, the special and the extraordinary times are flat without the painful as well. But...I don't know how to go there.
From the outside we live a charmed life... relative affluence, extremely bright kiddos, good health, respected professionally.....but, I don't want my grandchildren or greats when they arrive...to look at our lives and not know, how we navigated the really hard times.

You have such a beautiful family--and Simon is so handsome in his glasses!

Probably the most challenging is scrapbooking about past... gathering memories, putting them together nicely... I would surely some valuable tips on it!
Ari

Ali, I'm looking forward to your class. I am worried about not having enough of the right photos... I don't
have a lot of early ones and of course I'm the photographer now so I'm not in a lot of the photos. Also, I think someone else said they wanted to be able to retrieve the thoughts and experiences easily. And to tell the story without the picture. I love your blog and your way with the creativity spark.
thanks for sharing your talants and skills,
betty

I want to learn about/scrap about feeling ok about it all-my past, my present and my future. that's my mistake are ok, I'm still a good person. and that my victories are hard earned and I should be proud. In fact, I think I'll add Ok and or Proud to my word of the year!