Cathy Zielske's Blog

How do you find the time?

I posted this on Facebook yesterday when I got back from the gym:

And within a few minutes, someone had commented, "I don't know how you find the time to do this all!"

Funny thing is, I had just had a post-workout conversation with Dan about this very subject, about being fortunate enought to have both the time as well as the financial resources to go to a gym and exercise.

Time is something that on any given day, we all have roughly the same amount to work with: 24 hours. In that 24 hours, certain things have to happen. Sleep, work, cooking, cleaning, child rearing, pet rearing, Facebook posting and perusing, etc. Some things are always going to take up more of our time, leaving less for things we deem optional. (I'm talking directly to YOU Facebook.)

Since February 2009, I've been back in the world of self-employment. The great thing about my set up is that I can make the time to run, and hit the gym, and prepare somewhat healthier meals for me and my family. I am fully aware of how fortunate I am to have the time to do these things.

But I'll be honest with you, I only have made the time since January, when I started moving more and eating less. There were a whole 10 months after I got laid off from Simple Scrapbooks magazine in 2009 where I had all the time in the world, technically, but did nothing other than move less and eat more.

Then there was that time in 1997, after Aidan was born and I went back to work full-time when she was 4 months old. Back then, I also decided to move more and eat less. I woke up every day at 5 a.m. to do step aerobics with Cher (on video, mind you, she didn't come to my house every day in person) and her trainer, Kelly Roberts. Every. Single. Day. For a solid year.

That was an example where I truly had to make the time. I didn't have the money for a gym membership nor did I have spare hours in my day with a new baby. I had to take some extreme measures to make more time. And by making that time, I dropped the majority of the baby weight I was trying to lose.

My fitness binges have come on gone. At some points it's been hard to find time to conveniently make it happen. Pair that with a lack of motivation, and fitness falls off the map of my day with lightning speed.

Right now, I'm in a fortunate place where I have both the time and the motivation. I'm also striving to make fitness non-negotiable. Watching "Oprah"? Negotiable. Running 3 to 4 days a week, non-negotiable.

Where are you at? Do you have time but no motivation? Do you have the motivation but no time? Do you find time despite the fact that your life is already too busy? Or are you like I was for most of my adult life: fitness? What the hell is that?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

Make an Excuse Mondays (plus a special video message)

American Gothic, updated. Photo by Aidan Zielske

It had to happen: no scrapbooking this weekend ergo, no Make a Page Mondays. You have to understand that life occasionally gets in the way of—gasp—my scrapbooking.

Still, I had time to continue workshopping my winter uniform. Lucy tights, Athleta skirt, Gap thermal tee and my Columbia Mighty Lite vest. Yes, I am the enabler. That, and I really hate coming up with new looks. One look for one season. Works for me!

With that in mind, I hope to get back to scrapbookin' real soon like, but until then, I offer up a very special birthday wish to Big Picture Classes. They're ringing in 5 years of teachin' scrapbookin' on the Internets. Who knew it could work so well?

They sure did. And I for one am proud to be a part of it. Happy 5th, BP. Love, Cathy.

Happy 5th Birthday to Big Picture Classes from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

Winner of the Jo Totes Camera Bag

And the winner of their choice of Jo Totes camera bags is:

Kristin, email me at czdesign@comcast.net and I'll get you hooked up with Jo Totes to order your bag!

Such a fun giveaway! Thanks to April at Jo Totes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to gaze out the window as my hubby continues to shovel away this wet, thick snow that just keeps falling.

Oh, Minnesota, you don't disappoint!

 

Sponsor Giveaway: Jo Totes Camera Bags

I'm really excited to give one Jo Totes camera bag away today on my blog to one of my lucky readers. I recently became the proud owner of the rose bag in bronze.

And yes, it's adorable. And yes, I think you want one!

Jo Totes wants you to stay ladylike while protecting your camera! Rose and Missy, are their new vintage-inspired totes, are perfect for carrying your camera and an extra lens with your purse items while out and about. They just introduced four new colors in October...Rose in Pewter, Sugarplum, and Raspberry; and Missy in Gray. You can also check out their Facebook page for more info and product updates.

TO ENTER: Leave me a comment today and tell me what type of camera you would carry around in your Jo Tote, or, what is the dream camera you'd LIKE to carry in it?

I will choose a winner at random sometime on Saturday after Noon C.S.T.

[comments are now closed. check back to see if you're a winner!]

 

Tales from the Scale: The WTF (where's the fries?) Edition

Did you know that if you want to look thinner in pictures, you need to be looking up?

Did you also know that despite the unbridled joy illustrated in the photo above (where indeed I am looking up) I'm really not feeling too hot about the scale this month?

Disclaimer: I am not in the best of moods as it relates to so-called Tales from the Scales. If you want sunshine and roses today, you may have to a) look up at the sky (so long as there is no cloud cover to obscure your view), and b) go buy yourself some flowers. Why? It ain't coming from me today. That, and I may use the word 'ass' in the following post. You have been warned.

Weight loss journeys are hard.

They are hard when you truly realize, "Ohhhh, this is how I have to eat FOREVER if I want to wear these smaller sized pants!"

I have had a lot of success since starting in January. A lot. Beaucoup, as the French might say. I'm not here today to downplay this in any way, but I do feel I need either a mental adjustment, or a full-on wake up call because sugar has been haunting my unstable ass since Halloween.

Side story: this past weekend, I ran into someone I hadn't seen in a while, and he said, "Wow. You're looking thin."

What is it about such a comment that'll make you stop everything you're doing/thinking/believing to reply, "What? Really? Awww. Nooo. Really? THANK YOU!"?

I inject this little story only to let you know I am aware that I've lost a lot of weight, and should be singing my own praises on a daily basis. I get this, in theory.

The part of me that doesn't get it in reality is the part that decided to stop doing Weight Watchers and just go to straight calorie counting. It's the part of me that is seeing the scale up for the second week in a row. It's the part of me that knows deep down that points and calories really don't measure up equally. It's the part of me that knows I'm on a dangerous precipice right now and not so far down below are the white sugar-sanded beaches. And the mini donuts. And the sex muffins. And the Lays. And the Sprite.

All waiting for me to fail.

But I keep reminding myself that things are different this time. For one, I exercise. For two, I look forward to said exercise. I need to keep reminding myself that I don't have to follow the same pattern I've followed twice before, when I lost weight, only to gain it back and then some.

And even if I did, would that make me a bad person? Deep down, in my core?

What the hell is wrong with my female thinking when part of me says, "Well, not technically…but maybe just a little bit."?

Why does being lighter make me feel prettier, happier, more successful, more in control—more…you name it?

This is all coming in the wake of the Halloween sugar fest that I'm still not quite ready to kiss goodbye. It's all coming in the wake of a 4.4-pound shift in my weight over a 7-day period. It's all coming in the wake of the fear that I'm slipping up.

I share the good, the bad and the ugly on this trip. Not that I'm buttering you up for my imminent failure, but I get a lot of email from women like me who are finding inspiration through these Tales posts, and I just want to make sure I'm presenting a fair and balanced story.

Believe me, I'm no fitness guru. I will admit that when Oprah's weight goes back up, I always feel just a bit more connected to her. See! It IS hard. It's not just my imagination! That somehow, if she fails, it's okay for me to slip up too.

I'm no Oprah either, but I do shoulder the sense that I'm not just letting myself down if I backslide, but all of you who've come to read and comment and are working on your own journey.

Long story short: me, human. You, good blog reader.

Another month in the journey. I'm not as stable as I'd like to be.

But I sure as hell wake up every day trying.

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Want to join in? Or document your journey? Or whine along? Or celebrate successes? Both the template above and this one are available at Designer Digitals for those who want to track their progress along with me. There's a Flickr Group as well, to share your pages with others making similar changes.

SUPPLIES: Layered Template No. 38 (Cathy Zielske) • Krafty No. 7 Cardstock Pack (Katie Pertiet) • Aki Solids Paper Pack (Michelle Martin) • Avenir and Archer fonts

To read more on my journey of Eating Less and Moving More, all posts on fitness related issues can be found here.

 

 

Project: A Gratitude Album for the Holidays

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and this year I'm bringing back a project I did last year and plan to continue as part of my family's holiday tradition.

Meet the Thankful 4 x 6 Album Project.

This project is designed to let you create journaling cards to hand out at your Thanksgiving gathering (or any holiday get-together) so your friends and family can fill them in with what they are grateful for.

When the album is complete, you can give it as a gift to whoever has hosted the gathering. (Lucky you if it's at your house this year!) Last year, I gave the completed album to my sister-in-law. This year, it will go to my mother-in-law.

The thing I love most about Thanksgiving is that it truly is a day set aside for gratitude. It's not about gifts. It's not about blinking green trees. It's just about taking stock of what your blessings are in life. That's my kind of holiday.

The cool thing about this project is that you don't need Photoshop skills to create the cards. Then entire set comes with printable PDF files in assorted colors (brown, orange, red rust and gray) that are easily printed out  using Adobe Acrobat Reader (a free program).

All you do is supply the cardstock and a simple 4 x 6 photo album and you're good to go!

First the album. Target has these great little 4 x 6 photo albums right now for $3.99.

I loved the rust and orange on this one, but they also have a handful of other colors to choose from.

To get started, you choose the color you want to work with, open that PDF file and print out your journaling cards onto your choice of cardstock. Each printable PDF contains two cards with crop marks:

You simply print, line up your trimmer using the marks, and trim your cards. Then repeat until you have enough cards to cover your approximate number of family and friends who will be at your gathering.

I put my cards into a little metal tin (also from Target) to set out on the table at the gathering.

The set includes 3-sizes of printable "thankful" tag circles to choose from.

Simply print onto cardstock or photo paper, and using a circle punch, pop one out to use as an embellishment.

I also like to have a circle tag to adhere to the stretchy album band as well. I mounted the 'thankful' circle onto a simple metal-rimmed office tag.

Also included are two title page options for the first page of the album.

You can leave it plain, or embellish it to dress it up a bit.

At your gathering, make sure you take a photo of everyone in attendance to use for completing the pages. Each card has room for a 3.25 x 2 inch photo.

For Photoshop users, this year's set has a layered 4 x 6 photo template to let you get three photos onto one 4 x 6 print. Very handy to save space and have control over the crop of each shot you want to use.

Here is a quick video showing how to use the template:

Thankful 4 x 6 Album Project Photo Template Tutorial from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

The final step is to adhere the photos to the completed journaling cards.

Of course, my kids' cards aren't completed yet because I have not yet mastered the art of time travel. But rest assured, they will be filled in with wise and grateful words come this November 25th.

Then, the cards go into the album.

And that, dear blog readers, is a peek at my Thankful 4 x 6 Album Project for 2010. The set also includes fully layered PSD files for digital scrapbookers who want a bit more customization.

If you have any questions, leave them in comments and I'll do my best to answer.

This set is on sale for 30% off as part of the Designer Digitals 4th Quarter Sale which ends at 3 a.m.. E.S.T. Wednesday.

 

 

 

Make a Page Mondays

Welcome another edition of Make a Page Monday. This week, we document the recent Halloween festivities, Zielske-style.

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

SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 digital scrapbook page.

THE STORY: At the end of Halloween night, I had a sinking feeling that somehow I'd missed something. Turns out I missed getting a shot of Cole in his costume. What? But, but…I'm a scrapbooker! Oh, this was bad. Very bad indeed. Every year since that imp was born (beginning with his very first costume, a pumpkin at 3 months of age) I have never missed a shot of him on Halloween, even the year he was so sick he only made it to one house before calling it a night. This year? I failed. I got nothin'. I keep asking him if he'll just put the Anakin Skywalker get up back on, for some retroactive documentation. So far? No deal. There's always cash bribes, right?

THE JOURNALING: Can you see what’s wrong with this collection of Halloween photos? I believe it marks the first year that lacks zero visual documentation of a one Coleman Asher Zielske. What? No pics on Halloween? No pics of the $60 Anakin Skywalker costume he hounded me to get him for two solid months? Well, never mind that. This was, after all, a year of stellar dress ups. Dan, capitalizing on the scads of construction plastic in our house, went as everybody’s favorite serial killer, Dexter.  Aidan, went as everybody’s favorite, kooky, fashion trail blazing Icelandic pop singer, Bjork. And me? Well, I think you know the drill. So maybe there’s no proof Cole was even there. You know what they say though…it’s really just about the memories, right?

Let's break down the design goodness of this page, Coleman Asher's absence not withstanding.

1. Symmetrical Balance: Slice it and dice it and you will find a solid, even-steven balance to this design. A grouping of 4 equal-sized photos placed over a same-width journaling block creates a solid block of visual content. 

2. Unity: All of the primary content of this design is grouped together via placement and proximity. All photos have a direct relationship to each other, as well as to the journaling below and the line of text above. When elements are placed with such strong physical relationships on a page, the unity of the design is enhanced. The content literally hangs together.

3. Repetition: Square shapes are repeated in this design (the photos); color (orange); fonts (all type is Archer); and the spaces between photos and around all elements are repeated.

4. Framing White Space: There is it is again: that framing white space. I'm such a firm believer that open space makes every single design breathe just a little bit easier, thereby creating a more welcoming invitation to the viewer.

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. A 12 x 12 sketch option is included. Click on the green link below the image to download a high resolution PDF file.

Download CZ_MAPMSketchNo6

digital cardstock—Just Linens No. 01 (Michelle Martin)

digital stamp—Spooky Sentiments Brushes and Stamps (Cathy Zielske)

font—Archer

software—Adobe InDesign

(Note: I designed this digital page using Adobe Indesign. Sometimes, when I know I'm keeping the design simple, I'll opt to create using this program that I'm so familiar with due to my work as a graphic designer. There are things that are much easier in Photoshop, and things that are easier in InDesign. For example, making the dotted frame around the entire page is controlled by a simple menu item in InDesign. I still haven't figured out how to do it using PS.)

Questions? Comments? Leave them today and I'll do my best to answer.

Pictures

 

The dumpster out back.

What the family room used to look like.

These are my children.

Lunch date for one.

Self portrait at youth soccer game.

Beer.

Laptop still life in the Northland.

Engrossed.

Rufus Wainwright concert tees.

Construction accident.

Fall traditions.

Just a few photos from my October folder, many which will surely make their way into my Monthly pages, when I get around to making those pages. I'm happily behind in my progress right now, enjoying looking through photos, and thinking about layouts I want to make.

Here's to a productive and creative weekend!

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The 4th Quarter Sale is going on at Designer Digitals now. Save 30% on everything in the store, including my entire collection. It's a great time to save on any products you may have been keeping your eyes on. Also, keep an eye out this weekend for the release of a new "Thankful" 4 x 6 album project. Last year, I created a set of 4 x 6 journaling cards to bring to my family's Thanksgiving celebration. Everyone there wrote down what they were thankful for, and I gathered the cards, along with photos of each person, and saved them into a 4 x 6 photo album. This year, I've changed up the design a bit, and the set will be available in the store on Saturday and 30% off, as part of the sale. Look for a blog post next week on this year's album preparations.

 

Now trending…at my house

 For those of you who are known to enjoy The Twitter, you know the term 'trending' from topics with specific hashtags (the #subjectlines you see tacked onto many a thoughtful Tweet). They arise from any number of things that the people are gettin' real chatty about in Tweetdom.

While I've tried in vain to get some of my things to trend (recent efforts have included: #halloweencandyregrets, #everyoneishappyatthestartofaremodel and the humorously-intended but ultimately ill-fated #titsup!), I can safely assume my Tweet topics won't be taking Twitter by storm anytime soon.

But that doesn't mean things are trending…at my house.

Things like…cleaning products!

Dan and I went out to dinner for our anniversary at Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis. Aside from being succulent, amazing and horrifically expensive, I had the single greatest hand-washing experience of my life from an aromatherapeutic standpoint. Why? Because Restaurant Alma uses Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Basil Scented Liquid Hand Soap.

When I returned from the restroom, even Dan said, "Mmm. What smells so good?"

That would be my basil-scented hands, thank you very much.

Leave it to OCD girl to stock up courtesy of Target the next day.

Even my contractor thinks it smells divine.

And the trend watch continues with:

The return of Dr. Oz's Green Drink and my brand-spankin' new BlendTec Blender.

I don't know about you, but the post-Halloween level of sugar in my blood stream is bordering on the insane. If you installed a spigot in my side, you could drain out my body fluids, strain them and have enough sugar to bake several batches of sex muffins.

Save me, Dr. Oz.

I'm in love with my new blender. I actually got it as a trade for design services with a client who works in the restaurant supply business. I had to haggle with him a bit, and it may or may not have included a promise for that I would one day soon make a "scrap"—his term for scrapbook pages—about him. So when Make a Page Mondays features a dude named Peter, you'll understand.

Mmmm. Green drink.

And the trend watch wraps up with:

I am definitely sensing a necklace acquisition trend in this house. I am sensing it, because I am the one acquiring them. Lisa Leonard's Key to My Heart Necklace is an early Christmas present to myself. (Forgive me for mentioning the "C" word, it being early November and all, but it's okay to do a little early shopping for yourself, right?)

I need to steer clear of her site, because if I'm being honest with you, there are more future trending acquisitions just waiting to happen.

So maybe I should start a new Twitter topic with the hashtag of: #daddyneedstotakethecreditcardaway.

It's a good thing Dan only reads this on Mondays and Wednesdays.

 

Trick or treat?

Another Halloween has come and gone.

Another chance to bust out The Bee is now just a sweet, high-fructose-sugar-powered memory.

But this year, I had some serious competition and dare I say, I have to concede victory to my better half on his Halloween look.

For reals.

Seriously.

I am married to a serial killer.

And I seem really happy about this fact.

Oh, oh, oh! Inject ME with the unidentifiable sleeping agent!

And while you're at it, get your kid, too!

I know what you're thinking. A bunch of sick twists, those Zielskes.

Well so be it.

(Get it? So 'beeee' it?)

Thank you.