Memory Keeping:: Layout Share – using vintage photos

Posted in Digital Scrapbooking, Documenting Life, Layouts, Memory Keeping, Scrapbooking by

Since last fall, I’ve been on a mission to shape up our “family archives” (another topic for several more blog posts) I’ve been scanning and digitizing, and also doing a little scrapbooking along the way.  The interesting things about using vintage photos from the archives is, I don’t really know the story behind the photos, so it makes story telling challenging.  Or maybe we just let the photos tell the story.

Kit for both layouts:  “Stories of Dad ” from Little Feet Digital Designs.    Janet excels in creating beautiful vintage kits!

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This layout is destined to be the cover page for albums that my sister and I made up from photo albums of my dad as a little boy.  I don’t usually work in 8.5×11 format so it was fun to change it up a little.  No journaling, just the facts about the photos in the book.

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Perusing my digi-stash of photos I found this one of my Grandpa, Dad and Uncle.  This was taken before I was born so obviously I can’t write a contemporary account, so I really wrote about my impressions seeing the photo and the memories of each individual that it triggered.

The journaling reads:  “1961- Clover Hills Drive, Rochester NY Grandpa Triggs, Dad and Uncle Jimmy hamming it up for the camera. I have not really come across a photo of all three Triggs men together. Lord knows, there are enough photos floating around to pick from. I love this photo as everyone is smiling, and it typifies how I remember everyone. Grandpa in his dress shirt and slacks (I never saw him wear anything else, except maybe a short sleeve dress shirt if it got really hot, and always a solid color). Dad in a plaid shirt, and khaki pants (his uniform of choice today, except *gasp* now there just might be a pair of “dungarees” in the mix) no doubt making some pithy comment about the entire situation that has cracked the other two up (still does that to this day). Uncle Jimmy in his flight jacket, which always fascinated me (of course he flew little planes so he needed that warm jacket), I asked him once how I could get one just like it and he said he could get me one just like his, but it might have a little blood on it (typical Uncle Jimmy). Yes, Grandpa and his boys, in the driveway on a crisp autumn day”

I love this layout, I’m super happy with the way it came out.

Template:  One Little Bird Designs:  Flight Plan No 16

Thanks for stopping by… More goodies in the works, what projects are you working on?

 

a title and a tagline

Posted in Creative Practice, Writing by

Fortunately for procrastinating me, the lovely people at WordPress are running their “blogging 101” class again this month.  I’m hoping to pick up some tips and tricks about running a blog both for my blog and the website that I administer for our church  (fumcmelrose.com, come check us out!).

The second day assignment was to work on a title and a tagline.  Honestly, I like my title and tagline.  When I was trying out different titles, I emailed a Creative friend of mine with my list and asked which he liked best.  He replied that “Triggsey” fit my brand the best.  BRAND!  I have a BRAND I tell you!! Yup, Triggsey has been my brand since the halcyon days of the early ‘80s at Syracuse University.  It must be my brand because it is emblazoned on the back of my official sorority drinking mug.

as always…dog approved

as always…dog approved

“Triggsey” just kind of became my nickname at school, I have honestly no idea how it happened….it could have started with the fact there there were four women with the first name “Sue” living in the sorority house my first year there, so we all had to go by last names and “Triggsey” I guess is the cuter version of Triggs.  So It kinda stuck and I kinda liked it and there it is.  Of course then I find out several years after college that my friends weren’t so original and that my Dad’s nickname is Triggsey…fancy that, same last name, same nickname.  So Triggsey it is!

As to the tag line, I didn’t have one for a long while and I played around with a few different ones and nothing really felt right.  Then I thought about what my passion is, which of course is making things, and how much I love it and ta-da….”Joy in the Making” the tagline was born.  I like it, it’s upbeat, it’s happy, it’s slightly aspirational, I think that you have to smile when you say it (go ahead try and frown and say it…doesn’t work does it?!).  What more could you want from a tag line?!

Now, if I can just get around to the technical part of “pointing” my url the right way so it just reads “triggsey.com” we’ll be all set.

Thanks for stopping by, does your title and tag have a story?

Blogging interrupted … 

Posted in Around Here, Blogging, Creative Practice by

…by a desperate need to clean up my studio   
Dumping ground…sound familiar?? Time to clear it all off and tidy it all up. Huge list of projects yet to tackle and no space to work in eeek! Wish me luck, I’m going in! 

Memory Keeping:: Layout Share – Zip!

Posted in Digital Scrapbooking, Documenting Life, Layouts, Memory Keeping, Scrapbooking by

 

Stop the presses…two posts in two days!  I know, craziness!  I wanted to share the latest digital layout I’ve done….the SAME DAY of the EVENT!  Complete insanity…

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Yup, my family went ziplining/adventure course-ing…see me in that group photo? nope!  See my hubby and kids?  yup!  I was tempted truly but it was a little too high off the ground on some pretty skinny things that would require looking down…while you are suspended in the air.  Yeah, nope….I took in the exhibition on The Wyeths:  America Reflected  (which was fabulous, if you are anywhere near Sandwich, MA-try and get to it, well worth your time) and walked up to the Adventure park just in time to watch everyone swing like monkeys.  Fun to watch and I’m sure even more fun to do.

Kit:  “The Great Outdoors” from  Little Feet Digital Designs.    My dear friend and partner in crime, Janet is so talented, I hope I’m doing her kits justice.  She just opened up a new shop at Pickleberrypop (I know, it’s so much fun to say!)  so if you’re a digi-scrapper, scoot on over there and check out her shop, I know she will be adding new kits asap.

Template:  The Daily Digi’s bonus kit My Life of Happiness / Scrapbook Lady.  If you’re not familiar with TDD, they offer a great subscription plan as well as tons of information on digi-scrapping on their blog.

Thanks for taking a look, more goodies to upload later this week.

 

 

 

Blogging 101: Day 1-A word (or several) about blogging…

Posted in Blogging, Writing by

Well, I’m slightly late to the party (as per usual). When the WordPress email came regarding the Blogging 101 course, I thought it would be a good way to re-invigorate my blog. Then (as per usual) life and other things got in the way so I am finally starting today, Saturday. Monday So let’s begin shall we?

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(yes, this is partly why this post is a week late,  The Beach one of our favorite places)

The first assignment is to introduce yourself to your fellow bloggers (Hi Fellow Bloggers!) since I’ve had this blog since July 27, 2011 (yes, I looked it up, almost four years) and honestly, I’m kinda stuck, because I’m not new to blogging, I just do it extremely infrequently. To help out, the angels at WordPress posted some questions to get us thinking about so I thought….well, what could be easier, let’s just answer those ! (because I’ve been writing this post for days and am fast losing momentum)

Why I started a blog?? *Because it seemed like everyone else had one (I know, I know, bandwagon and all) *Because I wanted a space to share projects I work on primarily, and share little bits of what’s going on in our little corner of this big blue marble hurtling through space *Because a good number of my friends live in far-flung reaches of the world, and it’s nice to have a way to share things with them. *Because I like to write

Why a blog instead of a personal journal? Because, honestly, I’ve tried the journal thing several times and really, I’m just not that good at it. I have never felt the need to write down my deepest darkest thoughts on a regular basis in a book. And really, no one would want to read that on the internet anyway.

What kind of topics do I write about? The same things I’m passionate about in the real-concrete-non-virtual world…. *Creating mostly, all sorts of different things… sewing, memorykeeping, knitting, photography, and any variations and permutations of those topics (that ebbs and flows and lately the energy and time I have for that is taken up with the actual making rather than writing about it). *Farm fresh food and cooking and gardens, I love talking about the farm co-op to which we belong… We are starting to get into the real meat of the season and my thoughts in the late afternoons are pre-occupied with how can I best use up my farm share, and increasingly produce from my garden in the most yummy way possible.    *Our home… because who doesn’t like to check out house before and afters! I’m such a house-gawker.   *Our family adventures near and far (what ? you don’t want to see yet another weekends worth of soccer photos????….need more far and less near I think)  *Our Stories because that is really what it’s all about isn’t it? That is pretty much what we are all sharing her together, no matter what you write about on your blog or post to FB or Instagram or Twitter…it’s all a little bit of your story.

Who do I want to connect with? All sorts of like minded individuals all over the world…that is what makes the internet so darn groovy.

What do I want to accomplish? Well I would like to get into a more regular blogging habit, several times a week vs. several times a year 😉 I have done numerous challenges where I did something every day for a month, mostly successfully. I know I can do it, I just need to make a plan and start. I’m hoping that this class will get me to jump start my blog writing this summer.

And that, in a medium to large sized nutshell is the state of the blog right now. I’m looking forward to the ongoing journey!