Behind the Art with Angi Barrs

Hello everyone! I am here to share another page with you that explores January's emotion - "Empathy"!

This page is all about being an empathetic friend.

My youngest daughter has the heart for being a true friend. When someone is down, she immediately wants to give someone a pep talk to make them smile again.

She truly has a heart for caring for others. Family members, teachers, and friends have all told me how compassionate she is. That is a wonderful quality to have - especially as a young person.

I just love the embellishments in the January kit. The "happy day" sentiment is just one of the phrases that Rachel expresses all of the time. She always urges others to be happy!!!

I encourage you to make more layouts about the sweet characteristics that exists in those around you. The kit has wonderful paper and embellishments that will make your page special for years to come.

Behind the Art with Angi Barrs

Hello everyone! I am so happy to be back again to share another page that I made using January's emotion - "Empathy".

I believe that we all can feel empathy for another person. We may see someone and feel this emotion while walking down a street. We may feel this when thinking about a family member. We may even feel this emotion in the workplace.

I created this page to represent the compassion that I feel for others in my workplace.

Many people know that I am a teacher. Not only do I teach academics, but I am also a surrogate mom in a way too. I teach in a low income area. Most of my students don't have the love and support that you would expect in the average household.

I feel so much compassion for my students on a daily basis. Some do not have all of the school supplies that they need. Some don't have a parent at home to make sure that they complete their homework. And some may not have enough to eat. The list of their needs is a long one.

The photo on this layout are my hands holding a little wooden bird. 

This photo represents my compassion for the kiddos in my class. They work hard to make good grades, despite their circumstances. I am here for them always! I do my best to ensure that they have a positive place to learn. 

The paper and embellishments in this kit helped me express the emotion behind the creation. I love the stitched embellishments and the wooden hearts. Be sure to check out this month's kit. It will surely inspire you to create more meaningful pages!

Behind the Art with Jen Matott

Have you ever felt that the news/ media isn't being completely truthful with the public?  I often feel like I'm being manipulated when I watch the national news.  I used to blindly believe all that they dished out but now that I'm older, I don't always take what is being portrayed completely at face value. I've had enough... I try to teach my children to see the newspapers, media, movies and commercials as only one part of the story.  Most of the time it is told in one point of view.  It is rare that you see a news broadcast that tells all sides of the story in a fair and open way.  I am tired of feeling like I have to have the newest thing, be the perfect mom, look a certain way or think what is popular to think. 

 For this layout, I used Bead Gel through the stencil and then sprayed with the gold/ silver Gelato mist that I made for my "Tough Love" layout.  I did add a bit of perfect pearls (pink from a previous SFTIO kit) to the mix to give a pinkish shimmer to it.

 I cut the speech bubble from one of the papers in the kit and backed the cut out letters with scraps from the various papers I used on other layouts. Great way to use up some little pieces.

 I wanted to show my lack of empathy for the news media's one-sided reporting by using a photo of me with my hand out.

Sometimes people can draw empathy from you that is not necessarily honest in their methods of doing so.  I resent that I can be manipulated in that way.  For kids, it's hard to discern what is real and what is fake... I hope my kids can tell when something is not all together true on TV.  What do you think? Are you easily swayed by media or do you question their motives and viewpoints? 

Behind the Art with Angi Barrs

Hello everyone! I am here to share a very special page with you. I'm also throwing in another tip to use as you create using January's emotion - "Empathy"!

What is empathy anyway?

It is defined as:
- The feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions.

There are so many people around us that have the keen ability to show empathy towards others. I am around people all the time. Sometimes you don't notice certain character traits right away. When I study and observe people that are close to me, I often see moments of caring shining through. These people are what I call "gentle souls".

This page is a prime example of this.

I'd also like to share another tip with you this week. Be mindful of choosing just the right photo for your page. The photo can help you express the emotions and feelings of your page.

For example, I purposely used a black and white photo. I believe that it helps express the softness of this gentle moment.

My cutie pie nephew is a miracle baby. My sister and her husband have been married for 15 years. They have gone through the terrible loss of three miscarriages.

What is really touching is how he has impacted my sister and brother-in-law with care and concern all through the pregnancy and beyond. He is a "Mr. Mom" with heart!

And don't forget about your journaling. Use embellishments around it to make it one of the focal points of your page.

I encourage you to make more layouts about people that have impacted your life in some way. The kit has wonderful paper and embellishments that will make your page special for years to come.

Behind the Art with Melissa

Happy Tuesday!

Do you FEEL me? 

Do you truly understand what I am going through? How I feel? And if you understand, is your empathy genuine?

These are questions I mull over in life. No matter what I am feeling, I wonder if others truly empathize with what I'm going through. Or are they only concerned with themselves?

And if they are, maybe those relationships just aren't worth my time. 

Because, not only do I want to practice empathy, I want others to show that same compassion towards me.

Along those lines, I, at times, wonder if I'm hard to read. Do I put up a wall without knowing it? Or maybe my emotion is so obvious, like a good rain downpour, that people try to avoid me. 

My mind could go on and on with all kinds of thoughts. I could imagine scenarios of what others think about me. When I'm happy or sad. It doesn't really matter.

Maybe you are like me and just want people to give you a hug  in times of sorrow or an amazing high five when things are going well. 

Empathy intrigues me sometimes and I love letting it out on this layout. I created a grid design, of sorts, to symbolize a puzzle. Putting together the pieces of life. 

Do you feel like others get you? Grab one of our kits and journal about it! We've done the ground work and now you can see just how therapeutic it can be.

Behind the Art with Angi Barrs

Hello everyone! I am so excited to begin my journey here at Scrapbooking From The Inside Out.

I have one bit of advice if you are new to this type of scrapping - "Breathe and enjoy the journey!"

Each SFTIO kit has an emotion behind it. January's emotion is - Empathy.

I created four layouts this month based around this theme. I chose to show this one first to give you a grasp at how you can begin making pages that follow your journey through 2014.

To make a page of your own is a sweet process. First, take a hold of the emotion "empathy" and let it sink in for a moment. After that, grab a thesaurus and look up the word.

I found several synonyms that really hit home for me:

- compassion
- insight
- comprehension
- rapport

One of these words really stood out for me. It was the word "insight". To really feel empathy for another person I need to gain insight into what they are really feeling.

Sometimes I get so busy with doing things - running errands, returning a telephone call, grading papers, answering emails...

I get so focused on tasks that I find myself getting sidetracked from listening to family and friends who want to talk or vent about things that are bothering them.

Once you get your page together add a bit of journaling. Keep the emotion in mind as you write. And be sure to just write from the heart.

As the month goes on I hope to share more tips with you. Stay tuned!

Behind the Art with Melissa

Hi everyone,

Is empathy something you struggle with?

I certainly do. I want to say I don't. I would love to say that I immediately think of others. I want to be someone who thinks of others immediately.

But I don't.

However, it is something I want to be better at.

Somehow, recording these thoughts on this layout helps. There is something interesting that happens when thoughts in my head become recorded on paper. I chose the photo because of the thoughtful gaze. It reminds me of being deep in thought and I see hope in my face. A positive look. Which is one that I hope to exude when I think about showing empathy to others.

Butterflies symbolize so much! Hope. Rebirth. Growth. And I love that they can symbolize Empathy. Gentleness. Thoughtfulness. So I used several from the kit on my layout. I also used the gold embellishment to symbolize reflection. I know when one speaks about empathy, we are to look at others and think about others. But, I also like the thought of taking a look at myself and giving myself reminders. 

As always, after finishing one of these layouts, I feel a sense of relief. And I hope that by sharing this with you, you can just get another small glimpse at how freeing and healing it can be to record your thoughts with one of our kits. 

Behind the Scenes with Jen Matott

What prompted you to pick this take on Harmony ?

I chose to do a layout with the opposite of Harmony... Chaos.  I sometimes feel like it's important to acknowledge both the good and the ugly parts of life.

Why did you choose this photo?
I took these photos on a beach in Florida on a windy day when a storm was approaching.  We had stopped to get photos at sunset and the clouds came in bringing wind with it.  It was not a great photo opportunity and I was disappointed that we couldn't get nice sunset photos but it best shows how life throws curve balls at us and the photos were not great but they are moody and fit this idea perfectly.

How do you feel about the message of your layout?
I sometimes feel that my life is out of control... too many obligations, too little time, too much mess, unexpected negative things that pop up.  It's not always a good photo opportunity everyday.  I can't always do all that I want to do in the time I need to do it.  Sometimes you have to go with the flow and just count your blessings at the moment.  Sometimes the wind blows it all around and we end up disappointed when our plans do not work out, but it's life and we are lucky we can have the good with the bad.

What symbolism did you pull into your design?
I wanted a busy background to symbolize chaos.  I also love the tags in there to journal my thoughts on.

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page.
I think that this is a bit of controlled chaos on here. It actually looks a bit too orderly to me.  I would have added more "mess" to the page before gluing it all down.  But I love how the photos look with the colors and tags.

Let 'Er Rip by Lori Wilbanks

New design team member Lori Wilbanks is sharing with us on the blog today one of her specialties... ripping up paper!

Let's take a read, shall we?

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Well, I admit it, I am a messy crafter!
Okay, so that's not much of a confession, but I have to tell you, sometimes a little mess just makes me happy!
I want to share a little technique with you that may make some of you a little nervous...that's okay! 

Often in my scrapping and art journaling, I find that ripping that paper up is just the look I want!

I think this torn paper helps add to the idea that we are not always harmonious and careful with each other. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking..."but my beautiful patterned paper!!!" Look, you can carefully use your trimmer and save most of that 12x12 sheet, but I'm telling you, a little tearing can be quite a stress reliever! 

i don't use this technique on everything, but I find I really like that distressed look....plus I have a hard time making all my lines and elements straight....sigh.

For this layout, I really wanted again to show kind of the "opposite" of harmony....the ripped edges helped create a little chaos on the page. Plus I really wanted the monotone contrasting to color to show up. I love that yellow popping through.

So, your challenge is to try a little tearing! i want to hear the glorious sound of ripping paper echoing throughout the land!

Shabby Flowers with Kiki Halbert

We have new design team member Kiki Halbert on the blog with us today sharing some of her "shabby" expertise. Let's see how she is dressing up her "inside out" layouts using the contents from the January kit HARMONY.

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I adore flowers. No layout is complete with at least a few flowers. They are my go-to embellishment for giving a layout its final touches.

So imagine the irony when I was actually nervous making my own flowers. When I started scrapbooking I didn't have any fancy die cutting machine, so I stuck with using pre-made flowers. I figured that making my own shabby flowers would be complicated and I would mess them up. Oh, how I was right...but in a good way!

It's a simple but fun thing to do when you need a little something on your layout and have leftover paper scraps from the kit.

Now, for a couple of my layouts, I did use a die cutting machine:

I used a couple of paper scraps to create the paper flowers with some small brads to secure them. I like to crumble them up for some texture, and even brush the creases with Vintage Photo distress ink for some extra dimension.

For the layout below, I used some simple flowers in my stash and used one of the charms to make some whimsical centers for the flowers by taking the charm apart. On one flower I used the pompom, and on another I used a crystal.

On this following layout though, I created my own really shabby flowers by cutting rough circles out of paper scraps, and then sprayed the circles with water lightly.

I scrunched the paper in my hand to give it a really shabby feel. I then layered the scrunched papers while they were still damp and formed them into a flower shape, and set a brad in the middle to keep the two layers together. Once the layers dry, they stay in that shape very well. And there you have it...two very shabby flowers.

Who Are You?

This month has me all revved up.  I'm having such a great time perusing all of the inspiration over at Inside Out and scrappin' about me in the simplest of terms:  who am I?  What makes me, me?  Because it's all about Individuality this month!  Let me give you a taste of the inspiration that has me fired up starting with my absolute favorite quote of late:

And another:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. 
Dr. Seuss

Some music to pep you up:

And a fabulous message from one of the members of our Design Team:

layout by Bonita Rose

Please... I invite you over for more Individuality inspiration.  Take some time to get inspired at this month's inspiration page, or join the community to view the galleries and get involved with the conversation about individuality!

I hope to see you there!

New Year - Express Yourself!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our new kit, Individuality, has launched.  What a spectacular kit!  I have already had my hands on this and it's full of just plain 'ol GORGEOUS!  Just like YOU.  It is a perfect time to explore yourself.  The New Year brings with it a New You.  A Fresh Start.  Time to dig deep (or just a little) and explore your Individuality.

What makes you, YOU?  How do you express yourself?  What speaks to you, sings to you, entices you?  Embrace and celebrate your uniqueness.  Share your quirks.  Open up and let your soul shine!

We want you to do it with us.  Join us.  Watch what's coming up here and share with us, or hop on over to our community to see all that's going on right now, or join in on our challenges and ...

EXPRESS YOURSELF!

It's going to be a great year!

Journaling Your Journey

Hello all!  Make sure you check our list of winners from our blog hop and contact Rachel with your mailing address!

I'm back to share with you one more of our design team's tutorials using the Reflection kit contents before we jump into Vulnerability tomorrow! 

Before I go into the full-blown tutorial, I have to mention that we have so many more great tips, tricks and full-blown tutorials in our community.  I have not been able to share every one with you here (although I want to, and will strive to do so next month), so please, please, please, if you haven't already, join the Inside Out community and see all of the great inspiration that arrives on our message boards every month.  And inspiration does not come only in the tutorials, we all share ideas, thoughts and feedback with each other.  I love that!

Without further ado, here is our Felecia and some great tips on journaling:

Journaling Your Journey

by: Felecia Krech

It seems like I’m always saying to myself, “I’ve got to write that down.”

And I usually do.

I’m a journaler by nature…I write things down. I would like to tell you that its because I’m so efficient and organized. I’d like to tell you it’s because I have a plan and I’m working my plan. I’d like to tell you that it’s because I feel like I've got a fantastic idea to share. But NONE of that is the reason I journal.

Back before there were computers and smart phones and even word processors, my grandmother Dorothy was a writer too. She wrote down recipes. In those spiral-bound index card books, she would write down recipes she either wanted to try or had already tried. There was NO rhyme or reason. She wrote them down as she came across them or used them. She would make comments about how she had changed the recipe, whether or not it was good, what she thought of the ingredient list. And when she died, I received one of those little spiral-bound books as my inheritance. It is one of my most precious possessions.

I write things down because I believe in two things: 1) I will forget it if its not written down and 2) the things I write down will be precious to somebody some day. I don’t know who and I don't know when, but somebody someday will treasure these things I write.

Journaling isn't as mystical as it seems to be when I read about it in magazines and on message boards. The key is creating the right kind of attitude and environment. If you are all about detailed organization, then by all means journal that way. If you are more free, journal that way. The point, I guess, is that failing to journal is the only wrong way to do it.

1) You don’t have to have any special type of journal and you don’t have to have just ONE journal. I use a combination of date books, notebooks, journals, moleskins, scrapbook pages and my computer to do my “journaling.” How do I keep track? Well, basically, the right kind of “journal” is located where ever I’m likely to do the kind of writing that goes into it. Prayer journals are where I say my prayers. Book journals are with my books. My process is not at all scientific, just practical for how I live my life. Don't think you have to write in any particular type of book with any particular type of pen in any particular type of room. Just find something that works for you.

2) You do not have to write every day. I did a class once called “The Artists Way” based on the book by Julie Cameron. She advocates writing three pages long hand every morning as a way of “emptying the well.” I did this for the 12 week duration of the class. Then I scaled back a bit. I probably journal on average twice a week. There are days I have the time and space to write and days I don’t. I journal on the days I have the time.


3) Let your mind wander. A lot of my good journaling comes from letting my “to do” list languish and relaxing a bit. The good stuff comes from a brain at rest, not a brain on the run. The upside down journaling of this layout was a total mind-wandering experiment. I had all my pieces cut and ready to assemble as a NORMAL reflection with a page title of just “Backward.” But while it was on the table, I let my mind wander a bit about what it would look like if I turned a part of it upside down. After a few minutes of playing with it, I got the elements balanced and *POOF* it was the way you see it now.

4) Write when you are inspired. When we find out the theme for each month at SFTIO, I sit myself down and look at the dictionary and thesaurus and I let my brain sort of run wild with the topic. The ideas are written down immediately, with little notes next to them like “title“ and “journal about this“ and “definition“ and “quote. “ I use these inspirations to drive the journaling on scrapbook pages. When I took photos of my boys for a different project, I got to looking at the photos and thought “Wow...they look so much alike…and they have my nose. “ The inspiration carried me through journaling the whole piece. Go with your first impression of photos, inspiration over a product or the way a title makes you laugh. That first inspiration can carry you a long way.

5) Which brings me to the most important point of journaling: Be as honest as you can bear to be. Find a clean page (or open a new word document) and just write honestly. If it’s too raw or too honest or you would be embarrassed by having it seen, just delete or destroy. I jotted down “Mirror Mirror on the wall” in a journal when we found out about the theme “Reflection.” Instantly, I realized, “I hate that phrase” and wrote that down too. I had an urge to just toss the page, but chose not to. When it came time to put the journaling together, my original inspirations were there to draw upon and it led to some very deep journaling. Its very honest and open...and I’m glad it’s out there in the open.

6) Lastly, edit. I never have just the right amount of words. There are always too many or too few. Editing lets me expand or collapse my journaling to fit on my pages, to make the story clear, to make the point. The words from this piece are edited significantly. Believe me, you don't want to read the whole piece!

As I’ve said many times, journaling takes practice. The more you do the better you get at it.

Scrapbooking is about the photos to be sure, but the pictures, no matter how many words they convey, don't always tell YOUR story. Your words do that. Journaling is the way we get the whole story of what things mean to us out there on the page.

Happy Scrapping!!!

Such great ideas!  I used to be quite the journaler and my biggest problem is "downsizing" my full story to the great bits included on a layout.  So that last tidbit about editing... I think I need to work more on that!

By the way, I think I have the photos fixed on our previous tutorial about Smooch Spritz.  Please check it out and let me know!  And as Felecia said, Happy Scrapping!!!