Showing posts with label scrapbook page. Show all posts

Check on Your Interoverts --- Not All Of Them Are OK, Either









We're hearing a lot of words and phrases right now --- many of which were not even around two months ago.  Living through a pandemic has necessitated it in some cases, and other new parts of our vocabulary have become buzzwords or trendy on social media.   There are certain ones I'm pretty tired of hearing, like "unprecedented times," "social distancing," and "quarantine," to name a few. 

There is another one, though, that I feel is a bit incomplete, which says:  "Check on your extroverts.  They are not OK."   Let me start by saying that I am not criticizing anyone who feels this blurb sums it up for them.  I'm not an extrovert and cannot speak to what their experiences with the pandemic are.  This is a great reminder for those of us who love these high energy, social folks. We should be keeping in touch with them and see how they are doing, as having to be social distant will be difficult.   As an introvert, however...I think there should be a companion statement which says:  "Check on Your Introverts.  Not all of them are OK."

Many of your introvert friends are having difficulties, too. Yes, there are many who are enjoying the chance to slow down, stay in, catch up on their Netflix watch list, and tackle projects that work and other facets of life have prevented them from doing normally. As an introvert myself, I have taken pleasure in these activities. There have been days when I enjoyed the slower pace, having everyone in the family home for dinner, and not having to drive the mom taxi. Honestly, though, I still miss people and the things we used to do together. This may sound funny, since it may seem contrary to your idea of an introvert, so let me clarify.

A few years ago, when my family was sitting at dinner, my daughter struck up a conversation about the difference between our personalities and introversion vs. extroversion. She identifies as an extrovert. She also recognized that I was an introvert. Her idea of a great time is to be with her friends as much as possible. She loves to meet new people and would rather be out doing something than at home. In contrast, I enjoy being home. I can pop on a movie or a great playlist of my favorite movie, and be content to do something while it's playing. I can do housework, some crafting, or cook in the kitchen. I'm also quite comfortable going to eat at a restaurant or a movie theater by myself. As we were discussing this, my girl came to the conclusion that I was anti-social. What I tried to explain was this is not the case. I'm not anti-social. I just socialize in a much different way than an extrovert. 


Does this mean I don't like going out with other people?  No, it doesn't.  Am I against
 meeting new people?  No, I'm not.  I still like to grab lunch with some gals from church, 
see a movie with my family, and love extended family gatherings.  And, I take fitness 
and ballet classes, where you will find me in the front row every single time if I can 
manage it.  I might often be content to take a back seat in a group conversation, but 
when I dance, I like to be up front, in the thick of it all.  


When I go to fitness classes, I get there several minutes before the class starts to just sit and gather my thoughts. I can take that time to shed off any negative thinking, let go of things that happened during my day that I didn't like, or just have some peace. When I'm home with my family, I speak a lot. Answering questions regarding dinner, what needs to get done at home, and so on. I'm also giving constant reminders: get back to doing homework, please clean up after yourself, comb your hair, etc. Some days, I feel like a chatty parrot repeating the same stuff over and over. So, if I have a few minutes to myself before class starts, and I can relax and enjoy the silence, I relish that.


If, however, one of the peeps I know from class sits down and wants to chat, I can do that, too. Or, I can choose to listen as they talk amongst themselves and silently enjoy what is being said. There are times I enjoy just being a listening ear for someone else.


So, after that long ramble, what is my point?  Many introverts are not anti-social. We still need people...but the way we approach it looks different than it does for extroverts. I miss going to my weekly ballet class and taking time to chat with the other students and our teacher. We all appreciate the adult interaction, as it is often the only conversations we get that don't involve managing family decisions,  kids, work, etc. I feel great talking and letting each of us have our say.


I also miss going to events. Last July, I danced in a Flash Mob with a boatload of other Shine Dance Fitness students. There were some who know me who were surprised to see me in a bright yellow dress, dancing in the front row. It was real thrill for me to take part! Dance is one of my best outlets for self expression. I grabbed a selfie with one of the instructors afterwards, and went to dinner with a couple of my brothers and their spouses. This doesn't sound like an introvert's idea of a fun evening, but for me, it was awesome.


Additionally, three years in a row, I attended Brave Girl Symposium, which I went to by myself. The purpose of this event to is to find tools to heal, bravely live your best life, and connect with other like minded gals. I didn't go with any girlfriends in tow, but I saw friends I made at other Brave Girls events, and made some new friends, too. I danced, swam, ate, cried with, sang, practiced yoga, and attended classes with these gals. I asked to sit with groups of other ladies when going to the large meetings. I stayed up late to do some of the activities with all the attendees, and at other times, ducked out early to decompress after emotional speeches, or just to wind down and watch TV before bed (In case you are interested, I did a series of three videos where I show how to make the layout about the flash mob.  You can check them out here:)

And, here is what else I miss:

-I wish I could hug my mom. While I still see her weekly, since I try to be available to help her once a week, we don't give hugs because of the pandemic. I don't see my brothers because of social distancing guidelines. It bums me out.


-Not being able to do the normal things with other people is difficult. Unlike some of my extroverted friends and family, I'm not the life of the party, I've never been one to entertain at my house a ton, and may not make new friends every week. However, I still need people. I still miss my people. I really dislike the social distancing. I hate not being able to travel, or stopping to chat with a friend or acquaintance I see in the grocery store.


I know I'm not going to die.  I realize the pandemic isn't lasting forever.  It's just not always fun for me, either.  I'm mostly doing OK.  But often, stuff gets to me, as I'm sure there's stuff that gets to everyone else.  


Take it from an introvert. We're not all okay, either. So check on your introvert friends, too, and see how they are doing. See if they want to talk, text with you, or do a FaceTime chat.  I think in general, it's wise to check on your friends and family, whether we are an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert, we all still need connection.  
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Celebrating 100+ subscribers on my YouTube Channel (With Freebies)!




Hey guys!  I've been working on this post for a few months now.  I've been so excited to see the number of subscribers slowly but surely growing, and I wanted to do something to say thank you.  I know a lot of people like to celebrate when they reach 1K, or even 100K, but I feel like kicking up my heels now, since my subscriber list is a bit over 100.  I think small victories should be celebrated as well as the larger ones, and it's no small thing to me that this many of you follow me now.

I was so freaking scared when I made my first video.  I had to start over about ten times, I waited a 5 months or so before I decided to edit and publish it, and mustering up the courage to actually hit the publish button on my YouTube channel took a lot.

Those of you who've taken time to contact me, leave comments, and follow me here and on social media have really made my day and brightened so many moments in the past year or so.  Thanks for the encouragement and taking time to watch my content.

As a small token of my thanks, please enjoy these downloadable files.  I hope you find them useful  and like them.  Please give me a holler if you use them in any of your projects.



Bullet Journal Pages

Blank calendar grid: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f27e59r141bux6a/Bujo%20Calendar.jpg?dl=0





Gratitude Log: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vo7r4ckid7drceo/Gratitude%20Log%202.jpg?dl=0


Doodles, word art, and shape stickers (one one sheet): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lzxtjuyfsiwt9mn/AABbzY4vbinMcKl8ua75f4W5a?dl=0

Zip File of individual stickers, doodles, and word art (same as what you see above, but each image is its own individual file): https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7v4os693ux9hls/individual%20journal%20stickers.zip?dl=0

PDF files of all bullet journal pages listed above: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7b97d4ddetojlqg/PDF%20Pages.zip?dl=0



Scrapbooking Layout Templates


 


 

1 - 8.5 x 11 in. template & 1 - 12 x 12 in. template (these are layered .psd files): https://www.dropbox.com/s/ziw2nto6qev8x4n/Hundred%20sub%20templates.zip?dl=0




Layered Card Templates 
 



Card front templates (meaning, you use the templates to create the front of the card that you later adhere to a piece of cardstock.  Although not visible here, there is a small white border around the edge of the cards.  These are also layered .psd files), one landscape and one portrait: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yrwfv7txsritkx6/Hundred%20subscribers%20card%20fronts.zip?dl=0


Thanks a bunch for visiting here today!  See you next time..:)



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Five Great Reasons To Try Digital Scrapbooking

I made a video in response to questions I've had from other scrapbookers over the years about why I switched to digital scrapping, and thought I would share why I love and enjoy it so much:



If you aren't one for leaving comments on YouTube, feel free to comment here about what your thoughts are about digital scrapbooking...I'd love to hear any constructive comments.

Here are photos of the pages I featured in my video, if you'd like to get a better look at them:









Also, if you need the link to the Adobe PSE free trial, here it is: Free trial for PSE15

Thanks & have a great day,





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Right Here, Right Now 1.24.14

If you've read my blog before, you know I think it's important to scrapbook about yourself.  My husband and kids show up on my pages most of the time, but I do make an appearance on layouts as well.  Sometimes, it's because I feel I can express what I want to say best on a page.  At others, I make layouts about myself so my kids see that I'm not just this person who washes dirty socks and makes them brush their teeth.  I kind of like them seeing me as a person with my own interests, goals, and ideas.

I've noticed lately, when my children look at my scrapbooks, it prompts them to ask more questions about our family, our history, and my husband and I.  All of this got me thinking that it might be fun to do some layouts a few times this year using a prompt of "Right Here, Right Now."  I'd like to create a page or two about myself (either something I'm going through, or feelings I want to express), or maybe about things that I'm into at the moment.  Or maybe there will be some random topic I feel like putting down either on an art journaling page or a digital scrapbooking page.   The title of the layouts will not necessarily be "Right Here, Right Now," but I think my ideas will still come across.   

So for today, I have two "Right Here, Right Now" types of layouts to show you.  The first one shows a small snapshot my life as it was just last month:



I like pages that come together fast like this one.  I just did a quick summary of the things that were making me happy (including finding and fitting into a pair of cute skinny jeans).  Sometimes, you don't have to have paragraphs of journaling to capture the happiness of the moment.  I used Kim Jensen's Me Right Now kit, which is such a fun one for doing pages about yourself.

Something I've recently discovered the joys of is make up.  Granted, I've always worn a little here and there, but it's been hit and miss so much over the last few years.  The make up I've had on hand was getting old and needed to be replaced so I hit the mall and some of the make up counters, and used this page to document my experience:




It was a little intimidating to walk into Sephora for the first time (I know...it's crazy that I've not been in before now), but it was fun at the same time.  Just a year ago, I wouldn't have ever thought I'd visit stores like that.  I'd been watching YouTube videos on products and application, as well as doing research on the web, so I figured it was time to bite bullet and go shopping.  I was actually able to apply it myself the next day and like how it looked...which I cannot say happened before now when I bought make up.   This is a small thing, of course, but it's been fun for me to play with make up and understand why so many other women love it.  I think pages about these little things we are interested in make our scrapbooks more fun and real to look at.  My tween daughter has been especially inrigued by all of this and was actually shocked to find out that I carry lip gloss just like she does...;)
If you like the kits I used, they are also from Kim Jensen: Frame-O-Mania-2 kit and Rhyme and Reason kit.

Thanks for spending time here today, and I'm curious:  What are you liking right now?  What things are you doing right here, right now?
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Look at My Boy....



...isn't he cute (yes, I know I'm biased)? It's so hard for me to believe that he was ever this little!! I love this page. This was his first ice cream cone ever, and he didn't know what the heck we had in front of him. He certainly wasn't sure if he wanted to eat it. Once he figured out it tasted good, though, there was no holding him back. It's amazing how fast he's grown. I'm so glad we took these pictures. I forget how his little face looked, and what things he was learning, and these photos are bringing it all back. It's so nice to look at these and relive those moments.

If you have time this weekend, I'd encourage you to find some photos you love and scrap them. This is why we all scrapbook, right? To look back in time and remember why we took our photos in the first place.

Another reason I created this page was to help out one of my scrapping pals, Sam Barrett. She created a digital overlay grid and asked some of her friends to try it out and see how we liked it. I generally use templates, so I sort of created a template that more or less fit into her grid so she could see how others might make a layout with it. Thanks a bunch, Sam, for letting me try it out.

If you like Sam's overlay grid, here is the post on her blog about it.

Enjoy your day...:)
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