Cathy Zielske's Blog

Communication in the Modern Age

I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg ever envisioned the Christmas list functionality of Facebook?

Make a Page Mondays No. 8

Welcome to the the eighth installment of Make a Page Monday. With Thanksgiving now a sweet, calorie-laden memory (one that I will be working off for days) I decided to make a simple page to note the holiday, but my story this year is one that even surprised me.

(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)

SIZE/MODE: 12 x 12 digital scrapbook page.

THE STORY: Here's a little story about a scrapbooking Mom who decided to just hang up the camera within minutes of arriving at her Thanksgiving celebration. I took a total of 17 shots for the entire day and guess what? It felt wonderful. The main reason? I realized once we got down to my in-laws (an hour south of our home) that I'd left my Thankful album supplies sitting squarely on top of my dining room table. WHAT? No Thankful album 2010? After a split second of embracing my incomprehensible forgetfulness, I took a deep breath and remembered what I most love about this holiday: everything. And so, I let it go and let the day and the gratitude in. So maybe I don't have a Thankful album to share this year. I have still have my family and the memories inside my head and on any day that is surely enough to fill me up. And besides, what's to stop me and the ones I love from filling it out at another ordinary family get-together? To remind us of our gratitude every time we gather?

THE JOURNALING: Thanksgiving at the farm, gathered in gratitude. After the “Doh!” moment when I realized I left My Thankful album project back in St. Paul, I set the camera aside for most of the day and just relaxed with my family. There are no group pictures of the Zielskes to be Christmas-card ready this year, and you know what? I think that’s perfectly fine. The best part of this day is how dependably agenda-free it remains. It’s my favorite holiday of the year for this very reason. A simple day to give thanks; to want nothing other than to share the day with the people you love. A brilliant concept for a holiday indeed.

I use this four-square design approach a lot in my scrapbooking. I call it, "Why reinvent the wheel?" Let's look at the design principles at work here.

1. Symmetrical Balance: The four-square base to this design creates an instantly solid, symmetrical design. The four photo/paper/journaling spaces provide a framework in which to build. You can mix up what you use in the space, and you can layer titles and embellishments over the spaces and still preserve the symmetrical foundation.

2. Repetition—Remember how repetition promotes the overall unity of a design? Here, you repeat shape (squares), and color (brown in the papers and type; white in the title and the stitching).

3. Unity—The placement of the four squares via their proximity to one another create a unified chunk of visual content. Add to that the overlap of the title and the placement of both the smaller title and the date, and you have a connected, purposeful grouping of visual content which creates a strong sense of unity and purpose. Placement is everything in a unified design.

Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing.

Download CZMAPMSketchNo8

digital template—Layered Template No. 76 (Cathy Zielske

digital papers—Krafty Ledger Paper Pack (Katie Pertiet) • Weathered Neutrals Paperie (Anna Aspnes)

digital stitching—Stitched No. 1 by Anna (Anna Aspnes)

digital brushes—Outline Years, Months & Days (Ali Edwards)

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? Leave them for me and I'll do my best to answer. Also, if you make your own version of the page, don't hesitate to share a link in your comment. I love to see how people are intepreting the sketches to make their own pages!

TO SEE MORE OF THIS SERIES click here.

Winners! Sponsor Giveaway: ReneePearson.com and JessicaSprague.com

The winner of a spot in Tiffany Tillman's newest workshop 25 Days of Templates: the 2010 Holiday Edition is:

 

The winners of the copies of Jessica Sprague's brand spankin' new book, Stories in Hand, are:

Ladies, email me at czdesign@comcast.net to claim your winnings! Hope everyone is having a restful, restorative Sunday. See you on the blog tomorrow.

 

Sponsor Giveaway: ReneePearson.com and JessicaSprague.com

One blog reader will win a spot in Tiffany Tillman's newest workshop 25 Days of Templates: the 2010 Holiday Edition.

THE holiday templates class for digital scrapbookers is back! Join Tiffany Tillman in a brand new 25 Days of Templates workshop for the 2010 holidays. This highly inspirational class provides daily tips and techniques that will help you craft a holiday album using layered templates as the foundation.

Class begins December 1st and runs through the 25th.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have 3 copies of Jessica Sprague's brand spankin' new book, Stories in Hand, to give away.

Stories in Hand is a book that was inspired by a wildly successful free workshop Jessica created a few years back, and now the content of that class has been compiled into a book. Aside from being an amazing digital scrapbook designer, Jessica is passionate about getting stories told. This book contains prompt after prompt after prompt to help you do just that!

I was honored that Jessica included a few of my stories in this book. Proud to be a part of something that puts such an emphasis on the words of our hobby. Read more about the book by clicking here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of Jessica Sprague and free workshops, Jessica's newest free class, "Inspiration Everywhere" begins on Monday. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment today and tell me if you've worked off that holiday meal yet? I'd have to run for 6 hours to work off mine!

[comments are now closed. check back to see if you've won!}

And the winner of the $250 gift card is…

The winner of the $250 gift card from Todays Mama and Game Stop is:

Mary, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll get you hooked up. Thanks again to Todays Mama and Game Stop for the extremely generous giveaway!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I hope you are with the ones you love, gathered today to simply be thankful and share a meal together.

Cheers!

Renovation update

Things are moving right along with the Great Zielske Home Renovation of 2010. Above is a shot looking out the front door of half of my new front porch, which will soon have a built-in bench, stucco where you see the dark wall, and copper pipe in the open area to the left to create a screen. The cedar smells so good every time I step out to get my paper in the morning, it reminds me of my childhood home in Everett, Washington where I swear you smell damp wood everywhere.

The other half of my porch is in progress. Here's a shot from when they started laying the tile.

Here's what it looks like this morning. The goal of this porch is to be a 3-season space. We aren't sure exactly what we're going to do with it yet and we may only be able to afford bean bag furniture for several years to come, but boy that tile sure is pretty, huh?

It's hard to tell by this photo, but the coolest part? The floor surface is actually level. BOOYA!.

I'm planning to save the before and after shots until everything is completely done (which won't be until Spring now, because it's too cold to paint the exterior of the house), but here's a shot of the old porch, from a sort of similar angle, and the slant is only slightly exaggerated.

There's a reason Cole's bike was leaning that far over. Apparently the wood that was supporting our porch was pretty much rotting out. And all those lovely windows you see? Only a few of them opened anymore without extreme brute force.

The back room is still covered in plastic.

I'm thinking it will be for at least another two or three weeks.

Here is a shot of the matching tile in our new back entryway.

And here's what I etched in the mud before they laid the tile down.

What? How'd these get in here?

If you're wondering how banana sex muffins fit in to a renovation project, I'll just say this: contractors working outside in sub-20 degree weather appreciate a warm snack.

 

Speaking of the season of giving…(a $250 giveaway you might not want to miss)

 

With Thanksgiving coming this week, the Christmas season is directly to follow. Does this make you happy? Or do you think, "Dang! I have presents to get, and quick!"

I tend to fall into the latter of those two categories.

But today my friends at Todays Mama and Game Stop have a pretty sweet deal for my blog readers.

They are giving me one $250 Game Stop gift card to give to one of my blog readers.

That's right: $250 to spend as you please over at the Game Stop website.

Do you possibly have some youngins (or olduns) in the house who are craving some of these this year?

I'm thinking a $250 advance could be mighty helpful, yes?

So not only can you enter today on my blog to win this gift card, but Today's Mama is also hosting a whole mess of Game Stop giveaway goodies on their website. The grand prize over there is an XBOX 360/Kinect combo pack, the Special Edition DSi combo pack, the Special Edition Wii combo pack and a $1000 gift card to Gamestop.

Click here to learn how you can enter over at Today's Mama. It's pretty fun because you get to share your holiday wish list with them, and link it back to your own blog. You simply copy their list and answer, which is what I'm going to do now.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? My wish for the holidays (and every single day of the year) is that we are together in love and peace and health.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? Believe it or not, we have had to wake up the kids nearly every single year to get them up and at 'em. They sleep in, even on Christmas. None of that 5 a.m., "Mom, is it time to get up yet?" nonsense. Then, we do stockings first, then presents.

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? An iPhone 4 with a prepaid plan for 5 years. And possibly a pony.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? Without any money? I could say we sit around in a circle and hold hands and talk about all the stuff we already have and how we want for nothing in this world. But that's just how I make them special. Next…

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? My favorite game was called "Sneak into Mom and Dad's closet to see if you really ARE getting that Baby Alive for your 11-year-old Christmas." That was a favorite.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? From my childhood, we let the kids open one gift on Christmas eve. From Dan's childhood, lots of church.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? To Las Vegas, to spend Christmas with my Mom, Dad and brother.

8. What are the top items on your GameStop Wish List this year? Xbox 360/Kinect (seriously, no remotes? so cool!), Zumba Fitness for Wii (you know, for some holiday rump-shakin' calorie burn), and the classic but updated Super Mario Brothers, because I have a soft spot for Mario and Luigi. (Dan and I still play the old-school versions and it's time to step into the new millennium).

TO ENTER TODAY: Leave me a comment and answer question number 3 in the comments. I know this is a season of giving, and it's hard to think of what you would wish for yourself, but it really can be as simple or as complex, as altruistic or as selfish as you can think of. I will draw a winner for this giveaway on Thanksgiving morning.

[comments are now closed. check back to see if you've won!}

Make a Page Mondays

I carved out a little chunk of time to scrapbook over the weekend, which means I'm ready for another installment of Make a Page Mondays. This week's page? A wee reminder of my motivations for moving more and eating less.

(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)

SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 digital scrapbook page.

THE STORY: Somewhere between a new found love of baking muffins and cookies, I have been fighting those urges to overindulge and throw caution to the wind. The sugary post-holiday carnage of Halloween will not be the start of my downfall for yet another holiday season. I made this page to remind myself that self-care is the ultimate goal, and that to continue feeling good (and looking good) I need to keep taking care of myself. Period. Non-negotiable. I wrote it in second person, so I would remember: this is a message to you!  (Have you ever journaled in the second person? If not, try it. You might just like it!)

THE JOURNALING: The holidays are barreling in and you’re feeling the need to feed. A little baking here and there won’t kill you. Just don’t get carried away and don’t think you’re invincible where sugar is concerned. It’s been almost a full year that you’ve made these significant changes. Almost 12 months of moving more and eating less. Remember how good you feel now. Remember how it affects everything—your mood, your energy, your outlook. Taking care of yourself is a good thing. Sweating is a good thing. You can continue to do this. No baby with the bathwater this time.

Let's break down this simple design.

1. Asymmetrical Balance: If you divide this page down the center, what you have on the left is different than what you have on the right. The journaling and the title lend more weight to the right side of this design, throwing the balance into the asymmetrical realm. Any time you have a shift off center, you tend towards asymmetry. 

2. Framing White Space—Part of why the asymmetrical balance feels so solid in this design is the framing white space. Notice the equal margins of white cardstock on the top, bottom and sides. This creates a visual cushion for the page content, that although is not symmetrically balanced still communicates a stable overall feeling.

3. Unity—The direct edge-touching relationshiop of the photos, combined with the title nestled in at the top and the subtitle and journaling tacked on at the bottom creates a very unified block of visual content. Unity in design is all about creating the feeling that everything goes together. Here, the elements fit together like a nicely finished puzzle. Remove any of the pieces, and the overall integrity of the design suffers.

Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing. I've included a very simple idea to adapt this design to a 12 x 12 that includes lots of yummy framing white space.

Download CZ_MAPMSketchNo7

digital template—Layered Template No. 9 (Cathy Zielske)

digital brush set—Resolutions (Cathy Zielske)

digital cardstock—Just Linens No. 1 (Michelle Martin)

digital patterned paper—Girl About Town Solids Paper Pack (Mindy Terasawa)

font—Avenir

software—Photoshop Elements 8.0

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To see more of the Make a Page Monday series, click HERE.

Questions? Comments? Leave them for me here and I'll do my best to answer. Happy design to you on this fine Monday. What will you create this week?

Winners! Sponsor Giveaway: Scrapbook Circle and Willette Photography

The winner of the the November Kit from Scrapbook Circle is:

The winner of the spot in Finding the Holiday Joy online workshop from Willette Photography is:

Congrats, ladies. Email me at czdesign@comcast.net to claim your prize.

Thanks for sharing your T-day faves. It's making me very, very hungry.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go support my hubby who is priming new drywall today. We didn't include any painting as part of our remodel project to save some coin. So, we're (and by "we're" I really mean Dan) is priming walls before some of the next phases begin.

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. See you next week.

Sponsor Giveaway: Scrapbook Circle and Willette Photography

One blog reader will win the November Kit from Scrapbook Circle.

LEARN MORE: Scrapbook Circle is a monthly kit club that has been creating kits for almost 5 years and loves getting to share these kits each month. We offer a 2+ month subscription which means that you only commit to receiving two kits and then you can go month to month and quit at any time.

We combine multiple manufactures each month for a unique kit that you won't find anywhere else. We also include a custom downloadable page that coordinates with each monthly kit.

Plus, we offer gift subscriptions. Makes the perfect holiday gift!

Be sure to visit the Scrapbook Circle Idea Page and Blog for daily inspiration. You can also join us on Facebook where we do kit giveaways and you can follow us on Twitter too.

Page by Audrey Yeager featuring the November Kit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One blog reader will win a spot in Finding the Holiday Joy online workshop from Willette Photography.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP: Learn how to get ROCKIN’ photos this holiday season with willette!
this is a two week mini e-journey (an on line photography class) that continues with the original “finding the joy” class concepts (but it is not necessary for you to have taken the other classes).

Lessons for this class will be posted on line in a forum setting and will consist of tutorials (both written and video), some downloads, shot lists, how-to set up shots to best capture your holiday festivities, a calendar to help you make sure you best capture your holidays on “film.”

Class will begin nov 26th and will continue until dec 10th…with a timeline and calendar to help you continue through christmas.

This is a self-paced class with no deadlines, and the class forum will be available until march 2011 for you to refer back to. Class will conclude with a 10×10 coffee table album template for you to compile all of your gorgeous photos.  the class fee is $50.

Recommended materials:
• camera (p+s or dslr),
• tripod (not required)
• Photoshop Elements or Photoshop (you can download a free trial version on line) (but this is NOT required)
• if you have a dslr, then i recommend a prime lens such as: 30mm 2.0 or 35mm 2.0 or 50mm 1.4 or 50mm 1.8 (but this is NOT required)
• you will leave this holiday season with TONS of awesome photos of your family’s celebration!
• a welcome packet will be emailed out to you the week before thanksgiving to help you get ready, and the first lesson will arrive in your email inbox the morning after thanksgiving

Sign up here: this is one online photo course you do NOT want to miss!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment today telling me your most favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, and I'll choose a winner sometime on Saturday after noon Central time.

I'll start: mine is stuffing, but specifically a stuffing that I make where I cut up a few italian loaves and toast them in the oven, then combine with traditional stuffing seasonings (sage, sauteed onion and celery) and then add the sausage. HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL! It's all about the sausage. Then, you bake it in a casserole. To. Die. For.

{comments are now closed. check back to see if you are a winner.}