It's here!

Scrapbook Workshop is available on Amazon right here!

It's edited by the talented May Flaum and has lots of fun techniques from a lot of my favorite bloggers--and some new bloggers I was delighted to discover! This was fun to contribute to, and I hope you enjoy it:)

Back soon with a tall stack of layouts!

A trip down memory lane.....

I realized the other day that I have a few layouts I created a loooooong time ago that I never got around to sharing. It's always fun (sometimes in a "what was I thinking???" kind of way!) to look back on old layouts.

This first one was created for the Ella Publishing blog, using a photograph by the fabulous Alexis Hardy. If you can't tell already, it was for a purple theme blog post:)

Looking back on it now, I love the simple design and the mix of alphas in the title. I would maybe add more detail now, or switch out the purple alphas for something that stands out against the background more, but I love this the way it is and I'm glad I have it.

Next up is a layout made on my two year anniversary. I would probably frame the border of the layout by stitching or framing it, but I do love the mix of photos and color combos! (another Alexis Hardy photo in here. I got a lot of mileage out of that photo shoot:))

This next one is really old, because the baby being photographed now walks everywhere and talks up a storm!

I love the bright colors and circles, not sure I'd change anything.

One of the funny things about looking at old layouts of your own is thinking about "style." I have a hard time describing my own style. From what I've heard from others, it's simple--I know this based on the fact that sometimes I make what I think is a super-complicated page, only to get tons of comments like "what a great simple layout!" I'd like to think it's whimsical, colorful, and "happy." At least on a good day:) Thoughts?

How would you describe YOUR style?

Birthday Bonanza!

This past Wednesday was my 26th birthday--and while I meant to share about it earlier, life has been keeping me busy! So here's a better-late-than-never birthday recap!

I'm a big birthday person. Not in the "I need a huge dinner with all of my friends and family" kind of way, but more like "let's load up lots of sweet little things and end up with an extra-fabulous normal day."

I woke up after S left the house (not the typical course of events, but someone very small was keeping me up all night already!) and found little notes he had left me around the house, along with this giant bag:

I was VERY tempted to open it right then and there, but decided to wait to open it with S:)

After a day of work (along with lots of fun birthday calls and emails), I did some shopping in midtown, serendipitously found the pair of tan pointy-toe flats I've been searching for for eons, and met S for dinner.

We headed to Va Bene, a fancy dairy restaurant on the Upper East Side. They have a private curtained off area in the back where we usually sit, and everything is delicious, from the bread basket (including focaccia with bruschetta on it--yum) to the dessert menu.

This one's a bit dark (thanks to the mood lighting and all), but I'm a huge creme brulee fan!

(ignore the weird smile in this photo. Not sure what's happening there?)

When we got home, I finally opened that giant bag and found this little lovely inside:

It's a camera bag from Cheeky Lime that I fell in love with months ago and emailed to S for future reference. I had forgotten all about it and was thrilled to find it in my house!

You can't see it so clearly in this photo, but the bag comes with an adorable pink camera charm--right up my alley:)

I also came home to an envelope from my family, complete with a scrapbook layout made by my little sister in honor of my birthday! It was pretty much the sweetest thing ever and between that and the hormones, I was very weepy:)

And of course, I can't forget the other birthday gifts I got this year! Even at the beginning of the summer, I would have never dreamed that i'd be 15 weeks along for this birthday. Along with S, my family, and health and happiness I'm a lucky birthday girl indeed.

So tell me, what was the best birthday gift YOU ever got? (or any gift, for that matter!)

Elle's Studio August Layouts!

The Elle's Studio August Inspiration Gallery is live, and I'm having so much fun checking out all the layouts! (This is also helpful procrastination for avoiding a trip to the bank, since I HATE going to the bank. Unclear why, but I do!)

Most of my layouts were created over the past few months and saved up for when I could share about the babes (who we call "bunny" for now).

For my first layout, I loved using my favorite sheet of Sassafrass paper for the background, and I added a lot of bits and pieces that I love!

This one is about my feelings at reaching 12 weeks, and my overwhelming gratitude that day (and then the next day my due date was moved so I wasn't actually 12 weeks quite yet, but nevermind:))

I used Studio Calico butterfly rub-ons and punched kraft butterflies,

and added the camera sticker I've been hoarding for a few months now:)

I added some of my favorite Elle's Studio products, like the Handmade Layers pennants and the month tag from the Savoring Summer kit.

This next layout is the title of the pregnancy album. It's also the explanation for Why I Need To Have A Girl, since this was my attempt at being gender neutral. Oy.

Can you see my attempt at masculinity with the blue star and little boy rub-on? Ha!

This was my first baby layout, about how I was feeling at 5 weeks, very shortly after I found out. I might have gotten a little over-excited with the misting, but I love the soft colors and the memories it contains.

So there you have it--my August Elle's layouts! Be sure to check out the rest of the gallery right here.

Also, Elle's is having a moving sale going on right now! Information can be found right here. While you go shopping, I'm going to run around and take care of errands so that I can party it up for my birthday tomorrow! Yay!

Question for ya: Have YOU tried Elle's Studio products yet? Either way, what catches your eye the most? (this is not a survey, btw. I'm just too curious for my own good:))

Phew!

I have to tell you I'm a SO glad I finally spilled the beans:)

First off--thank you for all of your love and kindness. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I read each comment more than once and I was so touched. People may comment on "online friends," but I have no doubt that there's a lot of real love and compassion out here on the Net.

And now I'm very excited to be able to share what I've been thinking about for the past 3 months! Not to mention the approximately 8 billion baby layouts I've created around my assignments:) (Not to worry though, this won't be one of those baby only blogs! I always like to keep a mix:)) But for today, there's just a little more baby stuff ahead.

Back on June 2, I went to the city early to take a blood test and find out if our treatment had been successful. Later on that day, I was on the train home when my doctor called and asked if I was sitting down. If you were one of the people looking at me, annoyed, while I shouted "Are you sure? Are you sure?" repeatedly into my cell phone, then now you know why! I waited to tell S in person when he got home that night.

I set the table up all nice: (Although, in my first official act as a pregnant woman, I neglected to make dinner!)

And made a little card with the relevant information inside.

I got some donuts to celebrate (because what's a celebration without donuts, right?):

And after he stopped saying "No, you're not!" and "Are you sure?" repeatedly, we took some happy self-portraits:

It was one of the most special days of my life. After two years, 8 Clomid cycles, countless injections and mountains of pills, my dream was now my reality. It took a while to sink in, and there are days now where it still doesn't feel real.

After one of my first ultrasounds, I created the layout below. One of the things that surprised (and scared) me about pregnancy was how much I loved this particular baby, and not just the fact that I was having a baby.

This scares me because when you love someone, especially when that someone is a 5-weeks-along fetus, the potential for loss is absolutely terrifying. I'm so grateful to be at 14 weeks right now and still pray constantly for a healthy baby in February.

I love this layout, because it's basically my heart bled out on paper. And thank you all again for being part of this continuing journey with me!

And a scrappy question for you: What's your favorite aspect of YOUR OWN work?

It's the LITTLE things in life....

If you know me well, you know that I adore the little things in life. (In fact, I have to occasionally remind myself that life does not revolve around delicious snacks and sunny days. But they're a definite plus:))

I love iced lattes (especially kosher versions of frappucinos!) on crazy hot days . . . .

and fun experiments with leftover pie dough.

I love my (waaaaay too big) collection of body butters . . . .

and boxes of yummy new scrap supplies.

And lately, there's one particular little thing that's making me extra happy:)

Need a hint?

It should be here in about 6 months:)

Hodu LaHashem ki tov, ki liolam chasdo--Thank G-d for He is good, His kindness lasts forever

Last Creative Journey installment for a while.....

I have been so enjoying reading everyone's thoughts about the creative journey posts. My purpose in organizing this series was to remind everyone (myself included) that most experiences in the industry aren't a straight, quick shoot to the top. Instead, the roads are long and windy and fraught with self-doubt and rejection. But don't let that stop you, because it doesn't mean that you aren't good enough. It just doesn't.

Today, I'm going to share a few of my thoughts about this topic. I hope to get another set of guests on in a month or two to continue--if you know someone who would fit or are interested in being profiled yourself, email me and let me know! So excuse me while I interview myself!

So Keshet, tell us about your scrapbooking journey.....

When I first started scrapbooking, it was when I discovered a bag of Creative Memories product in my basement. Even though I've moved away from Creative Memories since then, I'm so glad I started that way, because it was a narrow universe of scrapbooking and not too overwhelming. The first time I saw a "mainstream" scrapbook layout in a magazine, I was actually horrified--there were dozens of flowers, one photo, and nary a mention of which baby the layout was about! Despite my initial reaction, I slowly began using traditional products in my Creative Memories albums and mixing up my techniques.

I scrapbooked on vacations only in high school and college, even though I read magazines here and there and wished I could spend more time with my stash! For about 8 years, I didn't even know the online scrapbooking world existed, let alone have any aspirations to submit to magazines, etc. When I moved to New Jersey and didn't have scrapbook stores close by, I discovered online stores like Two Peas, and through that discovered message board forums and blogs. I also joined Studio Calico as a subscriber, which introduced me to a whole community of savvy online scrappers.

As soon as I found out there was free scrapbook stuff to be had out there, I was hooked--ha! I began submitting to magazines and was really upset when my first submissions were not picked up. I also still remember my first two design team rejections and how much they hurt. Over time, I started investing less emotions in the trying, waiting to get excited if I actually got accepted to the team. After at least 6 months, I had a layout accepted in Scrapbook Trends, and after about a year of trying I made my first design team. A few months after that, I had a crazy two week period when I got four teams. The fact that I get to work with such fantastic companies and people is still surreal to me, and I feel very grateful for it.

Well, that's very nice Keshet. But do you have any actual ADVICE for people??

Advice--that's the key part, huh? I don't feel very qualified to give advice (that's why I got GUESTS for this, people!), but here goes.

1. Don't give up
As you know from my last post, I'm on the Elle's Studio team. I usually make my gallery layouts without realizing it, that's how much I love her products. What you may not know is that this was my fourth time applying for the team. Yep, you heard right--fourth. I almost didn't apply this last time thinking that it was a lost cause, but I figured if I still loved her products (which I do), I wasn't going to let fear of rejection stop me. I read the email about 200 times to make sure it wasn't a mistake:) It just goes to show--you really never know when your chance will come.

2. Be a good marketer

To matter how lovely a layout is, an editor won't search for its inner beauty behind a dark and grainy photograph. Try to take the best photos you can of your projects to show them off! (And Gabrielle, I'm planning a tutorial on photographing layouts to answer your question!)

3. Do what you love and love what you do

Try not to worry about if your layouts are "good" and REALLY really don't compare your work to others! Just create things you love, pour your heart into them, and the rest will fall into place over time.

And there you have it--my take on the creative journey. You can also find more information on publications and design team advice on this post and this post.

If there's ONE QUESTION you could ask about publications/design teams/"the industry," what would it be??