making stuff = happy me :)

I am such a procrastinator. I'm sure that statement instantly has my mother on the floor laughing as I admit out loud what I've been told pretty regularly since I was a child! And the most frustrating part of it is that I know I procrastinate, but I persist with whatever mundane or fruitless activity I'm engaged in (most likely browsing online or watching tv) instead of making myself get up and go and do whatever it is that I should be doing. Or in most cases, really want to be doing but lack the motivation to just get started.But yesterday, spurred on by a delivery of new scrap loveliness, I decided enough was enough and cleared some space on the work desk in my study and got down to some serious creating. It seems like an absolute age since I've shared any layouts on the blog. I have been creating a couple a month, mostly as commissions for the Scrapbook Magazine, but I have to wait until they are published before I can put them online. Yesterday, though, I created purely for me and the sheer enjoyment I get out of cutting paper up and sticking it on a sheet of card with photographs was immense! And I made two, yes, two layouts! Let me talk you through them.I love this picture of Patrick, taken last year during mini rugby. I love that he's playing with his bite guard which is pretty much how he spends most of the time on the pitch! I love how happy he looks and the way the sun makes his hair look all surfy and fabulous. The layout itself I'm not sure about! A tad busier than I like things, but I'm trying to break out of safe mode and do things I wouldn't normally do so I'm going to run with it. Things I do love about it are.....super cute button and stars on the photo, and ......little strips of journalling that I made more effort with than I usually would, adding a bit of ink around the edges to make it stand out.After I did that layout I did something else I never do (I know, shocking!) and scrapped 2 inanimate objects! Obviously it needs to be a pretty special object to have a layout created, but I think you'll agree these are worthy subjects.Now this layout I completely love! It's everything I love on one piece of cardstock! Pictures of pretty things made by apple, a lovely rub on, some buttons, a few strips of paper and a bit of stitching.... {sigh}....! You want to see some of that loveliness close up? Oh, ok then!It never ceases to amaze me once I get going just how good creating something from nothing makes me feel. I'd have to confess to having dragged the sewing machine out for a couple of (very small) projects lately as well. And in doing so I have laid my borrowed pair of knitting needles to rest and accepted that I'm a sewer, not a knitter. There's just something I love about the feel of fabric in a pile all ready and waiting to be made into something useful or pretty. And it's so much faster which means the gratification comes that much quicker! And there are so many amazing fabric shops on Etsy it would be rude not to buy some, right?So I plan on making and creating a whole lot more this Easter holiday. And I'm going to drag the kids down with me! I have all sorts of plans going on in my head - if any of them come to fruition I'll be sure to share them with you here! On the subject of creating, if you're in the slightest bit creative and fancy getting stuck into some new and inspiring ideas, you absolutely have to check out Maegan's Creativity Bootcamp: Spring Training. Check out the website for details and I'll keep you updated here as well. Registration opens this Monday along with some further details of the course - I'm definitely up for it and it would be great if some of you joined me for the ride! Until then I'm going to leave you with a couple of layouts that I did for the magazine this month based on the ideas of the great escape and favourite places. No big surprises with what I chose to scrap!Don't forget to check out Bootcamp, since I've left you all these lovely links to it! Have a great weekend x