You asked for it!

Back in January, I introduced the first pieces of the Basics collection.  I wanted to design classic yet unique bits and pieces that would work well with each other and also play well with the other goodies in your collections...basics. Dare I hope, favorites?

The response was terrific- and recently there have been lots of emails and messages asking for more lovelies.  Maybe it's the sunshine, blooms and general feeling of promise that comes with this time of year, but I felt the color just bursting onto the drawing board.  First came the Papers, then the Pretties- then, as I was getting a little nostalgic thinking about upcoming Mothers day and looking at old photos of my boys, the Chalkart.  I think that may be my favorite. It's full of all the things I find myself saying when I look at photos from days past of my little guys- even if that day was just last Tuesday! )

I knew it was going to be a terrific addition to the Basics Collection, but was really struck with the beauty and joy in the art created by my Creative Team! You can enjoy some of their work by clicking play below....

Wondering who the talent is behind the art?   Well, I am working on a dedicated page for them, but I couldn't let this premier pass without sharing the smiles behind these gorgeous layouts!  So, please meet my awesome Creative Team! Of course its no secret that they create beautiful pages- but it needs to be said way out loud on this cyber hilltop- that they provide so much inspiration for me. Their support and energy keeps me going with a smile.  I'm lucky to be able to spend my days working hard, yes, but doing it in a profession I truly adore and  have such a great team to work with- and fans to create for!  :)

Feeling a little social today ;)

With National Scrapbooking Day right around the corner, it struck me how very much I depend on being "connected". My office is in the clouds- online is how I meet and serve my customers and how I stay connected to the industry.  But that's really no surprise, is it?  Yet what I have come to understand, especially this year as my big guy marches through his teen years, was how very important social media is for me staying connected with him.  Of course I drive him to and from school, and we have family dinners almost every night- we get lots of face time to be sure. But that light hearted fun talk- sending a link, sharing a video, texting a quick happy thought- that's something that was never even dreamed of when I was a teen! But now- wow! I consider it to be one of the reasons we stay so close :)

 I designed this mini kit- a "likeable playset"  you might say- as a little treat for your stash.  A simple kit that's an easy, fun way to collect screen shots and texts and a slice of your online life.  I hope you "like" it!

I Made Green

Last Saturday, I was fried.  Lots of projects were finally put to bed but I had a long list of boring business-keeping geek tasks to do and a house that was showing the wear of two weeks of a work load in overdrive. I set out with the best of intentions to get loads crossed off my to-do list- but by mid morning, I just couldn't get my "get-up" to go.

My little guy found a big bottle of bubbles, which,  as we all know is simply impossible to ignore as a six year old, especially on one of the first warm days of the year.  So, I pulled a lawn chair (which was on my list to scrub) out to the front yard, and just watched the little guy have some fun.  It was like the bubble Olympics. I would rate each one a 10, 9 or 8, depending on their degree of awesomeness and he would try and beat the previous score, his little eyes crossed watching the bubbles grow with each careful puff into the plastic wand. And so the morning passed.  

I made lunch, moved the pile of laundry that needed to be put away from the dining room table and we got lost in a few comic books together.  Then, after lunch, we took out some paints.  I had a big piece of cardboard that I was intending to throw out, but Liam had other ideas.  He wanted to make a HUGE picture for his room.  Explaining that mama had plans for a Pottery Barn  painting instead  just didn't cut it with the little guy.  We were going to make our own masterpiece.  I pulled out the colors I was willing to spare with him (feeling just a tad selfish that I held back a few bottles in my scrap stash) and we painted away.  In Liam's eyes, it was the solar system.... and he was having a blast! Then, he declared we needed green paint. I had none. And, I explained, there's not much green in space.... again, my mind wandered to the Pottery Barn mural of the solar system: its an orange, blue and yellow pallet, my friend, no green there. And it sells for $150- so it must be right :) But, he was determined. Green.  We needed it.  I must say, I felt a little like a magician as I combined the yellow and blue to make the green. He was delighted!  We added a few more drops of yellow, then blue and he had a blast just making the green change with each stir of the bush... and so we segued into another activity... mixing colors.  The mural became a huge experiment of color combinations.... and the afternoon slipped by.

When it was time for dinner, I realized nothing had been done. Not one thing ticked off- heck, I didn't even remember to defrost the dinner! We ordered pizza, and as I sat down to the table, I gave a big sigh.  I declared (with a tinge of the martyr tone I really try to avoid ) "I got nothing done today!" 

Liam stopped eating and looked at me in disbelief.  

"Mom," he said, looking very wise for his years, "That's not true. Today, you made green."

ouch.

I need to remember that sometimes what I think needs to be done is not as important as I think.  And the little things I do can sometimes make an impact that I can't even imagine. I remember a time a forever ago when I was Liam's age. Mom and I were stopped at a red light, and the windows were rolled down to catch any hint of a breeze that hot summer day in Brooklyn.  "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was playing LOUD on our car radio and my mom was making the car stop and go to the beat of the song.  Those days, there were no seat belts, so I was being tossed around the back seat like a rag doll.  We were both laughing so loud, I remember hardly being able to catch my breath.  The light turned green, and Mom turned it down to a safe volume and we drove about our regular business.  It was just a moment.  One that we never spoke of ; one that happened almost 40 years ago.   But I remember its every detail and I cherish it.  It is the perfect example of the simple fun my mom created for us so very often.   

Maybe one day, 40 years from now, Liam will see a certain shade of green, and think back on that Saturday we played together. The day I thought I did nothing- but to him, the day we did everything. 

From the Drawing Board: For The Record

Your comments were AWESOME!  I made the Word Cloud above with them- and as varied as they all were, its amazing how much they had in common! That's what is so terrific about this hobby we love: as different as we all are- the  common thread is an insatiable desire to capture and persevere our moments in an artistic way.  It records our history and feeds our creative souls. It truly rocks!

I am so excited to share this new design, FOR THE RECORD with you- and instead of just posting some previews for you,  I wanted you to feel the energy and fun that fills it!  Just click "play":

 

Take a look at few of the amazing layouts created by the ForeverJoy Creative team:

And- as promised, to help celebrate, Mr. Random dropped by the studio.  He agrees that ForeverJoy fans are just amazing, passionate memory keepers and picked one person- (randomly of course) to receive this kit as a gift. Take a look at who won:

Congrats Lisa!!! Drop me an email at ForeverJoy.Designs@gmail.com and I will get you all set up with your goodies!  And a big thank you to all of you for playing along- I love reading your comments and getting to know you all a little better- and so many of your ideas inspire me to create in new ways to help capture the memories that are important to you!

enjoy.

renne

Let's Play!

I have a new design premiering this week at the Shoppe and I just cant wait to share it with you!  It's a fun take on recording the everyday moments in our lives with a color pallet I designed to be neutral enough to compliment - but with just enough *pop* to add fun style to your pages!  Here's a little peek:

How about some fun? Leave a comment here about a memory you'd like to record, or a story you'd like to capture "just for the record"- and Mr. Random, that sly dog, will stop by Thursday night (April 11th) at 7pm EST and pick one "record keeper" to receive the kit as a gift!

EnjoY!

Balancing Act

I opened my inbox this morning to a letter from a woman who reads my blog often.  She writes me every once in awhile to let me know when an article or design has touched her- and, truth told, it's like vitamin E for my soul. Definitely a great way to start the work day.  What stuck her and moved her to write me on tis day was a term I use often- "unbalance".

I am quite fond of saying that I embrace unbalance.  What's funny though is that you wouldn't catch me saying that when I was in my early 30's, a new mom with a career I was desperately trying to hold onto.  I worked so hard to balance it all. Family, motherhood, marriage, friendships, home, self, health, fun.. dear Lord, I'm getting exhausted just writing all that down! I don't know when it hit me, it was really a gradual understanding, like a sunrise. Rays of acceptance spreading across my everyday slowly and gently- warming to the fact that balance is not what I needed.

I needed unbalance.  I needed to understand that in the course of any given day, I could not give things equal attention. I could get about 70% of what I needed to get done.  And some things, always, no matter what, needed undivided attention.  In the 90's, "multitasking" was a big thing.  Doing lots of things at the same time. Sometimes, it makes sense.  Waiting on line- great time to read a book. Driving in the car- good time to listen to the radio. But, sitting with the kids at the park. nope. I needed to focus.  Diving my attention between the little guys running around in front of me and a magazine or book- meant I would miss out on the moment playing out right now. When I call someone to catch up on the phone, I came to understand the conversation was so much more meaningful when I gave it my full attention. there are some moments that can not be lived unless you are 100% present in them.  Maybe that would mean I couldn't "do it all".  But I've come to accept that's OK.  I may have a great day at work and have a terrific dinner planned for the evening- but guess what? The laundry pile will have to grow a foot or two.  Or maybe all the chores will get done, and I will take some me time to just refill my creative cup - and I wont get to clock in a full day of assignments done.  I may have a terrific day getting home and work balanced- but, I'm doing it all in yoga pants and not a stitch of makeup. I do work extra hard to make sure the kids don't ever get relegated to the laundry pile- but sometimes, I have to ask hubby to take them out for a few hours so I can focus on something else.

Unbalance is OK, because in the big picture, the long run, everything gets the time and attention it deserves. And something terrific happens once we accept this.  Not in a defeatist way mind you, but in a calm embrace. The ones we love accept it as well.  Not to sound self important, but I believe the women in the house really set the emotional tempo of the home.  If we are running around juggling it all and plates are crashing down around us- it creates a dark veil of stress that ways heavily on everyone around us.  But- oh! What a great lesson for our children to learn from us that perfection really only exists in a relative way. Perfectly unbalanced.  It's the perfect way for me to "do it all" - and to to make the everyday life of doing it joyful.

Trust me, it's cake!

By now you should know I love a Holiday- any holiday! Any excuse to be a little silly- to share a few smiles- well, count me in!  In fact, we even celebrate "tax Day" here! April 15th, I use 1040 forms as place mats and we have franks and beans... a few apples and tin cans with pencils decorate the table (a'la depression-ware!) - just so we can commemorate the annual fleecing of our pockets!

April fools day is no exception!  I remember many an April 1st i would torment my poor little sister- saran wrap on the toilet seat, phony adoption papers with my right to revoke, waking her up at 3am and telling her we were late for school just to make her shower and dress on a Saturday (early) morning.  Would you believe we are best of friends?  The girl's a saint. Or has had a very localized case of amnesia..

So now I move on to my poor boys!  I wanted to share with you one of my favorite tricks I played on Ryan.  I baked a meatloaf in the shape of a cake and covered nice and smoothly with mashed potatoes I tinted pink with food coloring.  Then, when it was dinner time, I told him we were going to do something silly for April Fool's day- we were going to have dessert first! I brought out the pink frosted cake and cut into it.  When he raised a brow to its color inside, I explained this was fancy German chocolate- very expensive.  The poor guy dug in! And his little face turned to horror at the taste of the meatloaf.  Now, it must be said that mama makes a mean meatloaf- but when your expecting gooey chocolate, its a bit of a culture shock to the taste buds!  Here's a scrapbook page of the whole thing- just look at his progression of emotions!

Have a terrific April Fool's!  And be sure to let me know if you've caused a little trauma today!

xo
renne