In case you didn't notice...

I added a section with links to my gallery on the right side of my blog. That way, you won't have to scroll through all the posts for the link to the ALBM project.

"ALBM"--part 2

"A Little Bit Me" will now be abbreviated "ALBM" just for ease and convenience...

Let's talk about pictures. There aren't a LOT of pictures in this book, but you WILL need a few. Here's a list so you can gather them up and put them with the rest of your supplies. The book is only 6x8 or so; keep the pictures small (like wallet-size or 3.5x5) if you can.

1. A picture of yourself for your biography page. This can be you at ANY age. If you don't have one, take one! If you don't feel like you can do it yourself, have someone significant in your life take one. Try outside or in front of a window for nice light. When I take my self-portraits every year, I take about 100 pictures to get one that I really like. It's totally worth it to get one you like, and with most pictures today being digital, there's no "wasting" of film. You have no excuses. Get a picture of yourself. You'll be glad you did
2. A few pictures of some of the significant places you have lived. Get things that mean something to you.
3. Some pictures of your Very, Very, Very Important People. At least one picture of the most important person(s).
4. A picture of one of your modes of transportation, if possible. If you don't have it, don't stress about it.
5. One small picture that goes with your "Five Little Words" self-definition. For instance, one of my words was "mother" so I put a picture of my kids there.
6. A picture of yourself in High School. Hopefully you have one somewhere. If not, don't stress too much.
7. A picture that represents something you have on your "Things to do before you Die" list.

That's all for now! I'm working out how to put a pdf of the chapter headings here for you to download. I'm also working on a pdf handout of how to put the book together. I'm excited to see so many playing along! Please, if you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll answer them here.

I also realized that TOMORROW is the start of my 30/30 photo challenge! What fun we're going to have here! I love the month of April!

Coming Up on The Other Side

So: future plans.

This week, I'll be finishing up teaching the "A Little Bit Me" MiniBook. We'll be making interactive pages featuring circle turners, flips and waterfall folds. Mine are nothing like Karen Burniston's interactive pages (she is my hero in that department!) but it'll push some of you out of your comfort zone a bit, (I'm guessing).

Then, starting April 1st, I'll be doing a 30/30 challenge to celebrate my birthday month. I plan to post a photo a day--just snapshots from my life. Then I'll make a book about them. Then I'll share the book with you.

I'll also be revisiting some early essays that I wrote BEFORE this blog was born. You might even say that they are the reason I started this blog in the first place. It's the kind of writing I still want to do. I've gotten a bit away from writing those, and I have new readers now that might have never read them, so it's good to bring them back. Or so I tell myself.

Please, if I owe you some goodies, remind me. I know I owe valentine's and the handmade blog PIF's to people. Leave a comment and tell me that you want them still. Bring it to the forefront of my mind. TOMA and all that...I need those kinds of kicks in the rear from time to time.

That's all for now!

A Project!

How would you all like some step-by-step instruction for making a wonderfully personal MiniBook?

I'm going to be posting some things for the ScrappersChallenge yahoo group here for all to share! We are going to play with thoughts about our lives. I might even make a video! (I haven't decided yet...) But if you liked THIS PROJECT, gather some materials and prepare to play along. Don't let the plain brown cover fool you; this is an extremely satisfying book to make!

We are going to start gathering thoughts for these "chapters" in the book

1. Just the Facts: write a short biography for yourself. Include where/when you were born, things you did with your life, where you went to school, what you love to do, and what you do now. (and so on...).
2. Places: Where have you lived? Write it all down. Include the dates (if you can remember them) and the exact street addresses as well (if you can remember those too!) Don't worry if the list is too long for the book (as mine was), you'll still benefit from having this list written down.
3. Five Little Words: This is different than your biography. Your biography should be facts about your life; in this chapter, you are going to describe yourself with just FIVE words.
4. Very Very Very Important People: Make a list of the people you love the most. Who has influenced you in a positive way? Who would you take with you to be stranded with on a desert island? For some this will include your family members, but it doesn't have to be exclusive to family members.
5. Getting There Is Half The Fun: Make a list of your means of transportation over the years. Gather any pictures you might have of said transportation.
6. Choices: Think about the choices you've made in your life. Which ones are you glad you DIDN'T make? Which would you make again?
7. Passions: What are you passionate about? Do believe in a specific cause? Write it down. Share with all in this MiniBook.
8. "Dear Me": Write a letter to your High School self with some advice for growing up. If you are in High School, write a letter to your 40 year old self reminding that person of what's important to you.
9. Next!: Make a list of things to do before you're dead. There are no limits here, just let your imagination run wild! Don't leave anything out!

Materials: You'll need several sheets of 12x12 paper. I used SEI's Madera collection pack for my album. I have a couple left over you can buy directly from me if you want to. (email me at dianneknelson at yahoo dot com and we'll talk). I wanted something that was organic, so I used a lot of the velvet and flocked papers. You'll also need some chipboard. You can use cereal boxes, the backs of legal pads, etc. for the chip boards. You might want to use these clips (as I did) to hold it all together. You could also use a ribbon. You'll need some small letter stickers or stamps, some kind of circle template (I'm partial to this one from Crafter's Workshop) and a couple of pens (I used black and white). Circles play a big part in this book; one of my ideas was that the things this book talks about don't really end. I love the idea that the end of something is also the beginning of another thing; stuff in our lives just keeps going. If you don't have a circle template, just get some bowls and plates out of your cupboard that are different diameters. You'll also need the usual: paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive. We'll be punching a lot of holes for this, so get a hole punch as well. (I favor the Crop-a-Dile). If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

Questions? Leave me a comment and let me know. Otherwise, stay tuned for more details!

The Banner Picture

I've had some comments about the picture in my banner. That was taken monday at the Gilbert House (really, A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village) in their Bubble Room. I did some post-processing with Picnik (truly a fun, fun, place) as my Photoshop CS2 is being a little fritzy (well, my entire laptop is being a little fritzy, but that's another post). The main focus of the photo is my oldest child and only daughter J; in the bottom left corner (somewhat obscured by the darkened edges) is my oldest son (and middle child) H.

The 2peas blogger challenge for Friday was "do you take special spring pictures every year?" My answer: yes. Sometime during the month of April, I do a self-portrait photoshoot. That pic in my profile? My favorite shot from last years. I also make my kids get a portrait. We even call it Portrait Day. This April, I'm going to do a "Photo-A-Day-Challenge" for myself, and post a photo from my life on the blog each day. This is a huge committment for me. I hope you enjoy it.

Go have fun. Blow some bubbles for me. Make the most of your Spring!

I WAS tagged!

I was tagged waaaaayyyy back in March by KarenSue

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


So here goes.....

#1: I can't stand ketchup or pickles. I don't even like the smell of it. Luckily, most of my family is with me on the pickle thing, but EVERYONE ELSE in my house likes ketchup. It's a big thing if I even TOUCH ketchup as I clean up the dishes. It's just one big YUCK to me.

#2: I've lived in my house here in Albany for 5 years now. I'll be 38 in April, and that's the longest I've had one street address for my entire life.

#3: I'll be 38 in April. Pretty soon I may have to start lying about my age!

#4: A long time ago, I was the female fencing champ at my junior college. Then I moved to where there wasn't much fencing and I quit. It's not something I haven't done for over a decade. I'd totally fence again if it was easy to get to. I really loved everything about it. There's just something so empowering about holding a sword in your hand and knowing a bit about how to use it!

#5: I work very hard to stay "overt" sugar and caffeine free with my eating. Some days are harder then others and I totally cave. Other days I just choose to go "on the sauce" as I call it. But I can't deny that I feel better, sleep better, think better, move better when I avoid those two "drugs".

#6: I've been singing since I was 3 years old. I can sing in several languages. Just don't ask me what it means. I'll make something up that's close and sounds good, but I'll have no idea if it's right.

#7: I was a contestant on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" in it's heyday back in the year 2000. DH and I flew to New York, we met Regis, and had a lovely couple of days. I didn't win anything but the trip. It was still pretty cool! No, I haven't scrapped the pictures yet. But I do have them!

There you go! I'm not going to tag 7 people, just a few. If you read this and would LIKE to be tagged, leave me a comment and I'll tag you! (I just don't know 7 bloggers well enough to tag them outright! But I do consider myself an equal opportunity tagger....tee-hee!)

So Satina and Allanna, I'm coming for you!

Smiles!

Hello Hello Hello!

Welcome to the new home of The Other Side! I hope you've all made the transition as seamlessly as possible. I know that I need to update my links, especially the one on the Stampin'Cat home page. I think in the long run though, I'll be happier with the easier blog url addy. I've kept my old blog in it's own little link on the side.

If you are just joining me for the first time, let me tell you a bit about myself. I like to papercraft, sing, bake, play with my kids, take pictures, and ruminate about things in my life. I like to write; I've been told that I'm entertaining, and people like to read my stuff. Please comment on my posts if you feel so inclined. I'll share projects from time to time, recipes, pictures, and whatever else is tumbling around in my head. If there is something in particular you want to discuss, just let me know!

I have three kids, aged 13, 9 and almost 5. I usually refer to them as J, H, and C, to protect what I can of their privacy. We live in the beautiful Willamette Valley, in Oregon. We are lucky to have a lot of extended family around us with many in-laws, cousins, and grandparents on my husband's side, as well as my parents living nearby. I'm passionate about paper, singing, women loving themselves warts and all, children being safe and happy, and my religion. I work hard to keep this blog a neutral place to hang out; I don't often talk religion or politics, but those things might sneak in a little bit from time to time. I am a busy mom like a lot of busy moms out there in the world, so that gets talked about a lot. Right now, I work part time at a childcare center.

That's all I have for now! I'll do a tag from Karen tomorrow, and soon will post a project as well as a freezer meal recipe for you. Enjoy!

Hello and Welcome!

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