Behind the Art with Melissa

Melissa here today to share with you a page created with the November kit LUCKY.

When I was pondering all the blessings in my life, my parents immediately came up.

I know that I am truly blessed to have parents who support me the way they do. They are always there for me. Really and truly, I am thankful for such amazing parents who have guided me on this journey of life. 

I'm thankful that they have let me explore on my own and have allowed me to make mistakes in order to grow. That is such a valuable thing and I am not blind to how much of a blessing that is.

 At the time of preparing pages using this kit, I was in the midst of a move. Once again, I was blown away by the generosity and support of my parents. Even at 37 years old... mind. blown. I know... I know... I'll always be my mommy's "kiddo" and my daddy's "little girl". I'm kind of okay with that.

But I know that most of my confidence and independence, has been a result of the way they have loved and guided me.

I hope, that if I ever have children, I can be the same way.

After finishing this layout, I realized just how rare I express my emotion to my family. We've never been a super emotional family. But our actions speak very loudly when it comes to expressing our love and connection. I think that's okay. Personalities are what they are and I'm so thankful for this outlet that I get to use, to express that emotional side.

I hope that you can be inspired by that and use our approach to visual journaling to express your emotions. Maybe you aren't very good at doing so verbally or face to face but, in an effort to get it out, you can use scrapbooking or art journaling to do so. It's so therapeutic and wonderful. I highly encourage it!

December Scrapbooking from the Inside Out Kit - Regret

December is a time of powerful emotion. As the year comes to a close, what better time to look back and look forward as we explore both the challenging and hopeful sides of this time of year with our newest kit, Regret.

This kit is super textural, with rich flocked and die cut paper from Chatterbox, Crate and Seven Gypsies, velvet ribbon, and Tim Holtz’s innovative clear plastic Fragment tags and Distress Stickles. It balances past and future with soft nostalgic patterns and clean, modern floral design. The colors are a loose takeoff on holiday tones, adding warm cream and brown to reds and blues. There are bare branches, cherry blossoms, and elements of time...

We'll be exploring and releasing moments from our past and making peace as we look forward to a fully expressed future with 'no regrets'. We hope you’ll be there to be part of this sharing and support. Don’t let this month go by without checking in with what’s really in your heart…join us!

This HUGE kit contains the following:

10 Sheets Double-Sided Patterned Paper:
Seven Gypsies Savannah Greene
Seven Gypsies Savannah Calhoun
Seven Gypsies Savannah Troupe
Chatterbox Together Ruby
Chatterbox Together Warm Floral
Chatterbox Together Stripe
Crate Mia Cherry Blossom
Crate Mia Water Lily
Crate Mia Mingle
Crate Mia Sparkle

4 Sheets Specialty Paper:
Crate Mia Hooked
Chatterbox Together Red Birds Pearl
Seven Gypsies Savannah Damask Flocked
Seven Gypsies Savannah Floral Flocked

Embellishments:
American Crafts Thickers, Gift Box Natural, full package
Scenic Route Letter Stickers, Bristol Chestnut, full package
Chatterbox Together Labels, 1/2 sheet
Seven Gypsies 97% Complete Journaling Tags, Real, 4 pcs
Prima Pebbles, Time Gone By, 2 pcs
Maya Road Cherry Blossom and Bird Chipboard, 6 pcs
Tim Holtz Fragment Charms, 6 pcs
Seven Gypsies Mini Paper Clips, Antique Gold, 6 pcs
American Crafts Boutique Blanc 2 Ribbon, ½ yd
American Crafts Boutique Rouge 6 Ribbon, 1/2 yd

Cardstock:
Coredinations Cardstock – Clouburst
Coredinations Cardstock – Bahama Blue
Coredinations Cardstock – Cream N Sugar
Coredinations Cardstock – French Roast
Coredinations Cardstock – Red Rose

Color:
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Stickles, Vintage Photo

Alterable Item:
Seven Gypsies Horizontal Zig Zag Album Kit, 4.75" x 6.75"

Stamp:
Seven Gypsies – Stamp Trio, Round Time

Contents may vary slightly.

Email me at info@scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.com for more info!

Scrapbooking and Inspiration

As someone who promotes emotional scrapbooking (and practices what she preaches), I find inspiration in so many places. Today I stumbled across a website that I found very moving:

Love and Forgive

Reading the stories and strategies on this site made me think about some of the people from my past and the part I played, and still play, in why we don't communicate any longer. I am going to think some more about (and scrap about) the people I could forgive in order to let go of pain in my past...and whom I wish would forgive me...

Here's a layout from an album I have in progress about friends from days gone by and what I learned from each relationship...

The website includes an especially good online exercise for releasing a burden...

Is there someone you'd like to forgive or someone you wish would forgive you so you could move on?

Here we go!

I have been scrapbooking in some form or another for as long as I can remember. As a small child, I made books about movie stars, poster collages of my dreams and wishes for my future, and magnetic albums with family and friends photos, embellished with stickers and handwritten journaling written on construction paper. I graduated to a wedding ‘storybook’ album made for close friends in 2000. Soon after, my friend Paige introduced me to the ‘new’ world of scrapbooking. I have been teaching at three local scrapbook stores in the Los Angeles area since 2007. I have really enjoyed the chance to watch others take my vision and transform it into something that speaks directly to their hearts. I live with my family in beautiful Santa Monica, California, just 10 blocks from the beach. Seriously, you gotta come out here–it’s amazing!

I'm excited to announce the upcoming launch of my business venture...

Welcome to Scrapbooking from the Inside Out™

This site is an inspirational source, kit club, and online community for scrapbookers who want to explore their inner lives and deepest thoughts and dreams. So many of us spend our time scrapbooking about the events in our family’s lives: the birthdays, the holidays. We also dedicate ourselves to documenting the people we love and the things that make them unique. I’m here to remind you that you matter, too! Your story needs to be told by you, both for you as well as for future generations. One of the most important gifts you can give your children is the gift of you-who you truly are and what you think and feel. And most importantly, in the process of telling your story, in all its beauty and depth, its glorious times, messy moments, and painful lessons, you will be transformed. My vision is Scrapbooking from the Inside Out™. While many scrapbookers start with photos or products, I advocate a different approach–starting with the emotion. It’s a form of what I call ‘Scrapbook Therapy’–using scrapbooking as a form of self exploration, self expression, and self discovery.

Each month, we’ll focus on a specific emotion. The monthly kit for sale will be geared toward products that can be used to explore what that emotion means to you, in your life.You’ll be able to access an ‘inspiration’ page each month with links to stuff that will make you think, help you explore and stir you to express yourself on the scrapbook page like never before. We’ll have music links, photos of great art, quotes, journaling prompts, and loads of ideas and samples from great scrapbookers to help jumpstart your creativity. And we need you–to share with other scrapbookers in your online community to support each other in reaching for scrapbooking as support, encouragement, catharsis, and processing life’s pleasurable and difficult moments. I am excited to share this with all of you as I believe that you’re here because your philosophy is closely aligned with mine. I believe that together, we can create something phenomenal -- we can encourage the use of scrapbooking as a way for us to tap into our deep inner worlds in the midst of our very busy lives. I hope you’ll come along on this journey.

Coming July 1st at http://www.scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.com/. See you there!