Pixels and Scraps

Photo Friday

Renee — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 08:10:56 +0000

This week of photo taking brings a little bit of variety. First up a beautiful sunset and geese. Mason and I caught a glimpse of hundreds of geese, interestingly enough flying NORTH!Saturday we spent a fun evening with friends playing Mexican train dominoes and eating lots of yummy food! We don’t get together often but it is always delicious and fun!

My daughter and I saw this car at Target and had to take a photo. Cutest little car.

Checking Fluids in the van was on Monday’s agenda.

Mmmm…. one of my favorite snacks!

More snow. Heavy snow all day long. School was let out early and the district even canceled school on Thursday shortly after the kids had gone to bed. They were ecstatic!

One of the best things about cold and snow are the opportunities to warm up when you come inside.

After a long day at work, I came home to a big pot of delicious chili!

Here is where the snow goes when it is cleared from campus…the West side of the Bramlage parking lot. I can only assume the area to the right that is not cleared is left for those kids who need practice driving in the snow. That pile is already more than 6 feet high, if this weather pattern continues, it won’t melt until the 4th of July!

Photo Friday

Renee — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:56:33 +0000

This week has offered me a uniques series of events that has made daily photo taking easy. K-State Women’s basketball had $1 day. Tickets and some snacks were only $1 so a friend and I took five high schoolers, six middle schoolers, four 6th graders, and five 3rd graders. While we totally admit to being crazy, it really was a lot of fun! Then we had enough snow to cancel school (but not work). I thought I was going to be taking snow pics all week, but sadly, that was not the case. We suffered a major leak issue at the library yesterday. Sadly, there is water damage on a mural that was being restored from previous damage and to children’s books. Ever wonder why you are told not to take your book in the bath tub? You’ll see the reason below.

There will be some tough choices about what to put on my calendar this week, but I am uploading a gallery of photos here so you can see a few more. What events have you experienced this week?

Photo Friday

Renee — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 20:50:51 +0000

Update on the photo-a-day project. It is going to take a little time to get in the habit here. My usual mode of photo-taking is nothing for a while and then 200-500 of one event or maybe even 1500 or so if I am traveling! I’d like to end up at a point that it is habit for me to take photos of our “regular” events and life. Photos and words aren’t just for special occasions! I missed a couple of days, but filled them in with a series of shots from sunrise, midday and sunset in Manhattan. Below is how I am going to track my year of photo-taking. I will post the photos below that for the remainder of this week and update weekly with the new shots. What will you take photos of next week?

A clean desk is the fruit of hours of labor and a gift that I hope to maintain (at least for a while…so far so good, almost a week down!)

A package ready to ship to my brother and sister-in-law. I hope it will be a blessing to them.

And finally, Sunrise, Midday, and Sunset in Manhattan. The first was taken from my room in the middle of town, through the trees in the neighborhood. The other two from Claflin avenue, beautiful blue sky and fluffy clouds (though they were moving very quickly) and a gorgeous sunset behind a bunch of gray clouds. Cold weather and we are being told snow are on the way so I had to take advantage of this gorgeous day!

Photo A Day 2011

Renee — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 07:08:26 +0000

This year, I am going to attempt a photo a day. I think it will be a great way to document my year and see what is important. If you’d like to join me, I’d love to see what others are doing as well.

I nearly missed my opportunity for day 1 as we made a trip to Salina to pick up my oldest who spent some extra time at Grandma’s house. On the way back, we caught the most beautiful sunset in the mirror. We tried to take photos with the cell phone, but they don’t do it justice! I included it anyway to help you realize that your photos don’t have to be perfect. Just take them, keep the good ones and maybe even some of the bad ones, but keep taking them. They’ll get better, I promise!

Today’s photo is just a shot of our family’s shoes. This would have been a really cool annual shot (those of you with wee ones still…it’s not too late) with the shoes lined up to see how the sizes change over the years. You may not be able to see the condition of the shoes, but each in its own unique way reflects the strengths and weaknesses of their wearer. One pair with laces undone, one with the rubber pulled away from the toes in the front, another with insoles for added support. We all have moments when our laces are undone and we can’t pull it together. We have places that get rubbed the wrong way and get a little rough. We have a need for additional support…support we get most immediately from our family regardless of their condition or current needs.

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10 Things I Like About 2010 and 11 Things to Prove in 2011

Renee — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 03:24:35 +0000

A friend posted on Facebook 10 things she learned in 2010 and challenged others to do the same. I am going to give it a twist by making it 10 things I like AND take it a step further and add 11 things I hope to prove to myself in 2011 (These are things my head knows are true, but I don’t allow to happen for whatever bizarre reasons, feelings, or lame excuses…so friends, hold me accountable!).

Note: As I logged onto WordPress this evening, I happened upon a DailyPost or PostAWeek Challenge. Seeing one of my items is to post regularly in 2011, I am throwing my hat into the PostAWeek ring. I’d love it if you drop by to read occasionally. Feel free to share with others or leave a comment or encouragement. I really do enjoy the writing process and I need to make time for it. Have a happy and safe New Year! I hope this brings some fond memories/inspiration as you end 2010 and begin 2011.

10 Things I Like about 2010:

1. I like having gates on the fence we installed 2 years ago.
2. I like “The Climb.” Life isn’t about the destination, but the journey and when I have to work for it, it means so much more. More importantly, my climbing companions are always there to support me!
3. I like that my children have awesome teachers. We are blessed in this school district to have so many!
4. I like that my boys enjoy scouting and my girls enjoy 4-H.
5. I like that my older children can share an activity in high school (theater).
6. I like that I have someone that I can be totally real with, to share struggles and excitement equally for each other.
7. I like that my children really do love their siblings (even if they have difficulty showing it!)
8. I like that my daughter still has carpet in her room (and I can see it).
9. I like that my son (with asthma) has found that he can have perfect attendance for a whole semester.
10. I like that my husband is at home when my kids are and can take care of the house while I am working.

11 Things to Prove in 2011:

1. Letting go of control will give me freedom to enjoy life.
2. Saying NO will give me time to enjoy my new found freedom.
3. My children will still become wonderful adults without accepting every program opportunity that comes their way.
4. A real vacation with my family will allow me to re-energize and our family to connect in a deeper way.
5. It is OK to take care of me first.
6. I CAN make time for exercise.
7. Creative Time is good for my soul.
8. My business can grow if I invest in business activities.
9. Alone time with my husband is good for the whole family.
10. Blogging can be done on at least a weekly basis.
11. There is good in everyone and everything.

Pure and Simple?

Renee — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:30:35 +0000

It has been a while since I last posted. I was really hoping to get into a regular routine as writing seems to be a great creative outlet for me. There have been a couple of hurdles that I have come up against in this attempt. Pure and simple… Oh wait, a household with 4 children is NEVER pure and simple. Take scouts, 4H, regular school activities, and two kids involved (in different ways with different schedules) with the high school musical, add in a full-time job, a husband who is a home child-care provider, bills, maintenance, doctor, dentist, and eye-care visits and you have a recipe for CHAOS!

I USED to be able to thrive on activity and chaos and never got stressed or flustered when something new came my way. I USED to be able to remember all my commitments and schedule and phone numbers galore! I USED to send out monthly newsletters (when all we had were paper newsletters) and even for a period, I USED to send out weekly e-mails. I think what happened is I USED all my brain power and energy up keeping up with the kids and have none left for myself.

So what does all this rambling have to do with scrapbooking or photography? I think it boils down to routine. When I have been the most productive, I have had a routine (at least for that one item). When I did weekly e-mails or monthly newsletters, I had a deadline and time set aside. The same is true for your scrapbooking, photo-taking, even my blog writing. If we set that time aside we will do it. I have often heard over the last 15 years (yes folks I have been doing this–scrapbooking, not blogging–for that long) that someone doesn’t “have enough time” to scrapbook. I can guarantee, you won’t have more time in the future, just more things to fill it. If it is a priority you have to TAKE the time to MAKE it happen. I am hoping that I can help you all do just that by providing regular crop time (the remainder of this year will be a little scattered). I am hoping to be able to provide for both traditional and digital in the same location, offer crops the same weekend each month (subject to change for holidays or football games of course!), and hopefully be able to resume the Friday night/Saturday schedule to allow more cropping time.

I am also hoping to make this writing more routine. I am sure I won’t get here every day, but I’d love to at least make it a weekly event. Feel free to hold me accountable! Sometimes that Chaos we call life just distracts me. Sometimes it just wears me out! My challenge to you all is to TAKE time to LIVE your lives with your family. Then TAKE some time to celebrate those moments. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, artsy scrapbook…it can be simple and sweet, a few photos on an Everyday Display Board or even just a photo card with a simple note. To take a line from Nike… “JUST DO IT!”

Tools (and new logo)

Renee — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:56:00 +0000

Every year, I wonder how Creative memories can come up with a new tool. After all they have the best and most innovative tools in the industry. Well, they have done it again. Take a look at this video (you’ll see the new logo at the beginning). There are also some limited time chalking inks that are great for adding accents to your pages. All products can be ordered from my webpage at: http://www.mycmsite.com/reneegates or you can call or e-mail me as well.

Tools–Shapes

Overwhelmed and SO EXCITED!

Renee — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:30:47 +0000

That is the best description for how I am feeling with all the new information we have received this weekend! I have so much information to process and SO MUCH I want to share with you. I can’t talk about it in one post and I know you’ll want to see it in person. If you haven’t planned on it, please plan to attend my “Get the Scoop” event on Friday, August 6, from 7-10 p.m. It will be a come and go event EXCEPT that from 8:00-8:30 I will host a Photo Solutions Party. You can “double dip” on this event, by bringing a friend. The first 5 folks to RSVP for themselves AND a friend who doesn’t scrapbook (That’s right, DOESN’T scrapbook! Did YOU know that Creative Memories has products for people who don’t scrapbook? Did you know there were people who don’t scrapbook? ) will receive a $10 product certificate. No minimum purchase, just $10 off.

For now, though, I will lead off with 2 major announcements and post more as the week goes on! Are you ready?

While we know there are folks who do NOT SCRAPBOOK…we know there are many of you that do. We also know that many of you own Cricuts! Creative Memories and ProvoCraft have partnered to offer you not one, but TWO exclusive Cricut Cartridges! They match our TWO new power pallettes (Cheerful and Reminisce) and I know you are going to LOVE them! I will try to have them available Friday and maybe I can even talk one of my good friends with a Cricut to bring it over and we’ll cut some samples as giveaways.

Secondly, Creative Memories is changing. Honestly, they have always been in a state of change which is necessary to keep up with the times and create a stable market. There are two major business changes that I’d like to share. First is a new logo! I can’t share it with you yet (The transition begins tomorrow) but I think you’ll agree that it is a fresh new look and like the blue oval, will provide something with a distinct look that will help you recognize us right away! Also changing is our party! OMG, I just said PARTY! We have called it a class and a get together, but now it really is a party. Our Photo Solutions PARTY is about having fun with friends and showing off the Photo Solutions that we have for everyday people who may or may not scrapbook. That opens up a whole new world of people for you to invite to your party! Do you know anyone who takes pictures?! DUH! We still have a full line (including new stuff) of scrapbooking supplies in both digital and traditional formats and I will still offer my scrapbooking workshops along with some focused project classes. Even better, if you host a party in August, you get to “Double Dip” by receiving DOUBLE host benefits if your party is $400 or more (That’s $120 FREE for you!). Have 10 or more people in attendance and you also get a bonus gift. I WILL be asking at least some of you personally as well…beat me to the punch and I’ll throw in a second gift.

Want to be a better photographer?

Renee — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:02:33 +0000

Of course you do! I think everyone that cares enough to scrapbook their photos cares enough about their subjects to want to capture them at their best. I can tell you that all the cropping I did early on in my scrapbooking career, really made me think differently about how I take pictures. I still take way too many (you know you all do it, take 20 photos for that ONE great shot), but I look for things that I didn’t see before. Usually it is the things that I was cutting out of photos. Do you see the lamp post popping out of someone’s head? how about the plant that could double as a hat?

I now have another excellent resource for improving my photography. Nick Kelsh (whom I hope to meet at convention this week!) has done a couple of great videos “How to Photograph Your Baby” and “Photo Tips for Scrapbookers Volume One .” You can find them here: http://howtophotographyourbaby.com/dvd There are also some instructional videos and other information, so explore the site.

Even better, is his How to Photograph Your Baby Facebook Page. Folks submit photos and he (and all his fans–now over 5,000) critiques them and shows the edits he would make. It is an amazing way to learn and allows you to think differently about how you would take a photo to start. Check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/howtophotographyourbaby?ref=ts

Pieces

Renee — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 19:46:26 +0000

In trying to choose a title and define this blog, I tossed through many options none of which sounded right. Way back when (the mid-late 90s) when all our newsletters were done in Word or Publisher and labeled and stamped and mailed, I had titled it snippets. Little bits of information much like the little scraps that we snipped off our photos or paper. Pieces of a larger whole if you will. Pixels and Scraps are after all pieces. Pixels, the individual bits of photos and scraps, well, you know the leftovers. Scraps though is also used as a verb to say that one does scrapbooking and we talk about scraps of information. I am hoping to provide you with the pieces and parts, the pixels and scraps that together will make up the whole picture and add that special touch that brings it to life. Whether you are into digital or traditional photography and scrapbooking, I hope that you will find this blog full of useful information, inspiration, and encouragement. Please take a little time to leave a comment to tell me what you’d like to know more about, what topics would you like me to explore?