30 Random Photos Project

As I mentioned earlier this week (and all due the creative brain of my dear friend Cindi), I have begun working on a "30 Random Photos" Scrapbook. I first started scrapbooking almost 6 years ago - after Katie was born. It started as just a thing to do with a couple neighbors/friends and has totally become my creative outlet. I LOVE IT! But lately I've been feeling like I have so many events and memories that I want to scrap, that I am never going to get caught up. So, last week I forgot about the piles of photos I have to scrapbook, and decided on making cards instead. Well, my dear friends allowed me to take the easy way out and make my cards . . . that is, until I appeared bored and done with the card business. My friend Cindi said, "Grab 30 pictures [from your stash] right now, random, and put together an album." Huh? She said it again, "Right now, just grab 30 pictures. Grab some paper. Start cutting your paper and adhere 1 picture to each page, and go." And I did. It became a race . . . me against . . . me. And I have to tell you, I'm LOVING the whole concept. Here are just a few pages of what I've completed so far. There really is no rhyme or reason to what you include in this album. That is what makes it so great. It's completely spontaneous without any over-thinking about what you think you should put in it. Just . . . random. Awesome.

I have all of the pictures on their pages and some embellishments on each page, but am still working on telling my story of each picture. What is so easy about the project is that I can sit down and just write the journaling for 1 page, and then put it away until another day. No need to pull out all my supplies or anything. Just the album itself, and my trusted Mr. Sharpie. SO easy. Earlier this evening I thought I would do a few more pages of story telling, and Katie came to me and asked if she could make her own album. "Of course!" I told her, and immediately found a few extra photos I had laying around for her to use. Well, let me tell you . . . she is a Scrapbook Genius just WAITING to create. I had to scan a few of her pages to show you . . . they are awesome.

Now, really. . . isn't that just the most adorable cover? She did all of it - from selecting and cutting her paper, to adhering her pictures, and doing her journaling. All of it. Inside, her pages were cut a little bit shorter than the cover, which is really so smart and quite creative. (She is learning how to spell, so please don't mind the errors. She does her very best "brave spelling" and when she is finished we go over any spelling corrections.) She is so amazing to me.
She took alot of time when drawing me . . . . I sat working on my book but glanced up at her every few minutes, just to see that look of concentration on her face. She saw me looking at her one time and said, "Mom, I am taking my time on YOU because I want to draw you as pretty as you are." (Yes, she knows exactly how to get to my soft spots.)
The page right before this one says, "Wi do we haf to hav a family Wi Wi Wi" - which, translated, is: "Why do we have to have a family? Why? Why? Why?". I love her answer above on this page. It's quite simple, don't you think? "Beecus we haf to hav a family" (no need to translate, I'm guessing). Yep. Pretty cut and dry. That's my Kate.
I love that at the end, she pretty much sums up what the book is about. Yep. "I Love My Family" by Katie. That's the best ending I have ever read - to any book - ever. (And a special "thank you" to Cindi, for the great idea!)