I Do Accomplish Things

My days aren't all about eating bon bons in afternoon I can actually accomplish a thing or two. Lately, although I've been guilt of blog neglect here and there, I have been doing some scrapping. I entered the So You Think You Can Scrap contest hosted by After 5 Designs and The Shabby Pickle. I'm not good enough to win anything, if you check out some of the layout designs that have been chosen you can see the competition is extreme.

Even though I don't stand a chance of winning, it has been fun and I've completed some layouts that I am really happy with. A few I have to share here simply because I want someone to oooh over them and make me feel like I don't really suck at this. Which honestly usually leaves me feeling after contests which is why Mr. Man hates when I participate in them.



I absolutely love this one and Hannah is thrilled with it. This is totally out of my style and something I wouldn't have normally done if it weren't for the contest.



The challenge for the week when I completed this one was to choose a favorite photo that we took. I went through hundreds of pictures and nothing really stood out to me. It is like asking me what kids is my favorite when you get down to it. But than I realized that this photo was the last one I ever took of my mother. So odd that something so simple and mundane at the moment would impact me so much latter on. Close to three years latter and this picture, this moment in time, impacted me in a way I doubt I would ever think of when I took it.



This challenge was about 'flash back' years that have long past and it sent me digging in old pictures. That is me and my brother when we were small, I had to be about 5-6 at the time and I'm sure it was on a Sunday because those are church clothes. We match, it is cute right? My mother made everything she could. I think the only thing she didn't make were shoes, but she made slippers, knitted ones that sent us flying around the kitchen. I had to laugh looking at these pictures. Sadly I'm not as crafty as my mother, but I try.



An all about me challenge of course, not contest is complete without one. I don't take pictures of myself, in fact I hate to be photographed. It is the whole self conscious body image thing that way too many women have. It isn't that I think I'm ugly, I just don't think the camera captures the real me. There is some jinni in the camera I think, that plays tricks and what appears is the boy of a woman I'm not. I feel thinner, younger, and more beautiful than what the foul jinni produces in the camera! What is funny about the "ME" challenge is that this was supposed to be an anonymous contest. That was quickly blown out of the door when people were posting full pictures of themselves on the first week.



This was for the last week and quite honestly I gave up caring about the contest. I couldn't figure out what the judges were looking for. Was it how we rolled with the challenge? Was it about design? Was it about how we used a kit? Was it more graphic orientated (graphic extractions are all the rage now in the digi scrapping world. I can't really figure out why)? Or did the look for realistic shadowing (which is a whole pet peeve of mine) and more of a traditional feel? To many unknowns so I gave up because the pictures being picked as the top 10 each week had no cohesiveness to it, not that the picks weren't wonderful it just left me questioning what I was scrapping way to much.

The challenge for the week I entered this one was what you could do to a picture after you took it. But than one of the contest hosts said that what you did to the picture really didn't matter it wasn't what they were looking for. Add in that some ladies use stock photos which I'm so against personally and forget it. I'm not even sure if I'm going to enter this weeks, it is due tomorrow.



This one I just love. Not part of the official judging rounds of the contest and it is so simple it wouldn't stand a chance to be picked. But I just love it. The simplicity of the design along with the simplicity of the picture works well. I just smile when I look at it.

All of those pictures are click-able and it will take you to a larger version with credits for the products I used. Also if your interested take a look around the contest galleries on the different websites there is some amazing layouts in there.

I'm not all digital I do have projects flooding my table and as other crafty gals can relate to I keep adding to it. Since Ikea opened in Khobar it has been worse because I have that many more craft ideas. I just completed this for Hannah today.





This was a bare DIY wooden mirror frame that I picked up for like 25SR. I painted the edges with paint from Jarirs and than added the scrapbook paper. I belong to I Am a Scrapaholic, which is a monthly paper scrapbook kit where I get a load of goodies that I generally stock pile. I used the papers for the base, as well as the chipboard pieces for the bird from the club. The ribbon, felt (wing on the bird) and flowers were from my stock I purchased from Ebay a few years ago. The letters are wooden which I found in a local craft store in Saudi that I painted and used glitter (another Ebay find) on. And a small rub on that were the perfect color which I found in the Bahrain scrapbook store was the final touch.

This is really easy to do and I completed it in a few hours complete with interruptions from kids and Mr. Man.