Papa - The Gentle Soul

Hello everyone! 

I am here to share a very special page with you from Scrapbooking From The Inside Out.

I'm also throwing in another tip to use as you create using January's emotion - "Empathy"!

What is empathy anyway?

It is defined as:
- The feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions.

There are so many people around us that have the keen ability to show empathy towards others. I am around people all the time. Sometimes you don't notice certain character traits right away. When I study and observe people that are close to me, I often see moments of caring shining through. These people are what I call "gentle souls".

This page is a prime example of this.

And here's a tip for you - Be mindful of choosing just the right photo for your page. The photo can help you express the emotions and feelings of your page.

For example, I purposely used a black and white photo. I believe that it helps express the softness of this gentle moment.

My cutie pie nephew is a miracle baby. My sister and her husband have been married for 15 years. They have gone through the terrible loss of three miscarriages.

What is really touching is how my dad has impacted my sister and brother-in-law with care and concern all through the pregnancy and beyond. He is a "Mr. Mom" with heart!

And don't forget about your journaling. Use embellishments around it to make it one of the focal points of your page.

I encourage you to make more layouts about people that have impacted your life in some way. The SFTIO kit has wonderful paper and embellishments that will make your page special for years to come.

Insightful Me!

I'm finally sharing my first layout for 2014! 

This time I used the fabulous kit from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out.

SFTIO is an inspirational source, kit club, and online community for scrappers. It's great to scrap about others, but sometimes we need to turn the focus on ourselves. These kits will help you on your journey as you create pages about your thoughts, hopes, and dreams.

Each SFTIO kit has an emotion behind it. January's emotion is - Empathy. 

I created four layouts this month based around this theme. I chose to show this one first to give you a grasp at how you can begin making pages that follow your journey through 2014.

I have one bit of advice if you are new to this type of scrapping - "Breathe and enjoy the journey!"

To make a page of your own is a sweet process. First, take a hold of the emotion "empathy" and let it sink in for a moment. After that, grab a thesaurus and look up the word.

I found several synonyms that really hit home for me:
- compassion
- insight
- comprehension
- rapport

One of these words really stood out for me. It was the word "insight". To really feel empathy for another person I need to gain insight into what they are really feeling.

Once you get your page together be sure to add a bit of journaling. Keep the emotion in mind as you write. And be sure to write from the heart.

Need more inspiration?

Be sure to check out the SFTIO blog!

A New Journey with Scrapbooking From the Inside Out

I'm venturing into something new.

This one will allow me to focus on me.

I'm not just a mom.

I'm not just a teacher.

I'm more than a daughter.

I do more than exist.

I have hopes and dreams too.

It's about time that I share "me" with the world.

I hope that you will join me on a new journey with Scrapbooking From the Inside Out. 

I am joining their awesome design team!

As scrappers we never turn the camera on ourselves, we never make layouts just for us, and our focus is always on others. Well it's about time that we throw in a couple of "me" pages into the family album. I know for a fact that my family would love it.

The art of self reflection and journaling is new for me, but I am excited to take my scrapbooking to a whole new level.

Once the new term starts I will start making layouts for my brand new "Me Album". My first page mostly features goodies from Pink Paislee's - Hey Kid collection.

I will also feature how-to's to get you started on making pages and and album of your own. Journaling tips, self reflection, and "me" focus pages will also be shared.

We will have so much fun taking this journey together. I can't wait to get started.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the SFTIO website and blog. It's a wonderful place for inspirational scrapping. They also have a blog, kit club, and online community as well.

The "Wisdom" kit is on sale right now. Here's a peek at all of the wonderful products that are included. Be sure to check out the photo slide show of the entire kit here!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Layout supplies:

Paper: Pink Paislee - Hey Kid

Chipboard: Recollections

Buttons: Close to My Heart

Heart Clip: Allison Kreft Designs

Stickers: Echo Park - Today's Story

Thickers: American Crafts