Sometimes things just lock together.  The event of today echoes the days of yesterday.  This season, ripe with so many time etched memories, is an easy trigger for this sort of page making.  I though it would be fun to look through the PageKraft Gallery after one year of this focus and see which pages do this echo thing…. one experience or memory sets off a string of feelings or thoughts.  If you have participated in the PageKraft play you might be surprised to look back over your pages for this year.  I sure was. I am thinking a book may be in the making but that may take another year of pages to really give the sense of me on the page. 

Some of us have been celebrating our truth, in pain, in loss and also in simple self recognition and delight.  Take a look at these and then head over to the gallery to see more. 

First here, from way back in Febrauary,  is a lovely page by Chris where she explores her way with beauty and links it to her life across the years and especially in her own home.  I think she makes here point about her joy in beauty right here on this page.

WriteTrue {Soulful Nester}

And pushing into the Summer, here is a page by Marnie from June where she explores a quote and lets it ripple through her own experiences and self affirmation.  This movement back and forth within ideas adds to the richness of the journaling.

PageKraft Quote Challenge

Kerry does not flinch when it comes to loss.  Her journey page, explores the role the road has served in her own travels with sorrow.

The Road

Just click on the linked titles to get the the page in the gallery to read the journaling and see the products used.

Here is a page I just finished which sets an arc in time within this year from September’s harvest to Winter’s now.  It also echoes the melancholy of our first Christmas without my Father.  The new life is carrying us forward.

Time Travels

I used a lot of new treats which will be arriving in the store this coming weekend: 
Michelle Martin’s new paper set SOLINA
Several new things from Katie Pertiet:
Wintery Friends
Watery Snowflakes No.2
Vintage Frames No. 22
Collageable Frames No.4
and the great envelope from her Fall Orchard Kit
my personal favorite Anna Aspnes stitching is Stitched by Anna Threads White No. 01 which I recolored to red here.  and her new Xmas FotoBlendz Clipping Masks No. 05 was perfect for the red paper from Jesse Edwards Frilly Christmas Paper Pack. 

And let me just say again that if you have any questions about recoloring….which I did quite a bit of for this page…. check out Cassie’s excellent tutorial: How’d They Do That? No. 19: Recoloring Essentials.

Maybe these explorations will trigger a connected set of memories for you over the holidays.  Not everything is always rosy around the holidays but the sweet joys can balance the not so sweet.  Page making is great solace and a wonderful way to savor and record your own true experience.  Share your work with us in the PageKraft Gallery.  It’s a great place to linger.

The opportunity to post our pages in the Designer Digitals Gallery gives us a sense of immediacy when we see the page on site and when we receive feedback from our friends here.  Putting words on the page can be immediate or slow….depending on the story and your own way with words.  But the sense of immediacy in a story is a bit different.  I listen to stories all day and there are differences in the way some stories work to engage me.  Immediacy depends on the details… who is talking, what is happening and where.  It depends on the setting. It depends on the action.  But there is another more elusive quality of the writing which makes you feel like you are there yourself…in the story. When story IS happening… not being told about or detailed with data or weighted with opinion….just happening … and our senses are engaged and action is occurring….then we are immediately present in the story. Sometimes the action is all in the thoughts of the writer, sometimes in occurrences.

But one more thing makes us be there…..that is the intimacy of the voice telling the story.  If it is open and receptive, inviting us into the story then it is easy to slip into the details and be present.  This kind of writing will convey to others, even generations down the line, what it is like now in our world.

At this season of thanksgiving I thought it might be fun to consider some of the wonderful pages which have been contributed over this year in the PageKraft gallery. Let me point out a few which I respond to with that feeling of being there,  the sense of being present.

Heidi’s exploration of her current view of herself includes a visit to her past as well. 
All along the way she keeps us with her by being so open, so detailed, so present herself with her own feelings.
When her children read this in 30 years, or her grandchildren…. they will know who she is. 
What a gift.

The Geek

And if you ever wonder about the value of a page like this consider the significane of this page to our dear Bonnie’s family. 
Bonnie was a treasured member of our Creative Team whom we lost during this year. B
ut we have her here, right here on this heartbreakingly immediate page. 
She takes us with her in her considerations of a well lived life and her true place in it.

Life Questions

Here is another great example of “grab you and take you in” writing. 
Lynn manages to meander through time and mystery while keeping us all right with her. 
This writing not only enchants us like a fairy tale….it tells us about Lynn in deeper ways than just the found thimble.

I found my thimble out in the garden today

The PageKRaft Gallery is full of other examples of great writing.
If you are interested in some immediate review click this link to the PageKraft Gallery. 
I’ve got it arranged by each member with the most recent pages first.

If you have time during this busy season of gratitude to add your own story on what ever topic…..

oh….. gratitude might be appropriate!! …

then drop it into the PageKraft Gallery and we will join you in the moment.

We are taking a turn down memory lane and also making a statement.  A few weeks ago when we did the 10.10.10. chats some interesting ideas for pages were generated.  One was the idea of ten things you might want your children or grandchildren to know.  That got me remembering the radio show, This I Believe.  Begun in 1951 it was an unusual opportunity for people to share their personal beliefs.  Five minutes to tell your truth.  I thought it might be fun to try a digital take on this….one page to tell your true beliefs. If you are interested you might like to listen to the orignal broadcast. This I Believe That link will take you to the broadcast.  Have a listen.  Sit with the idea for awhile.  Then find a way to record your own beliefs.

Here are a few pages to get you thinking about how you might like to do your own version.

Terri always creates elegant and pure pages and this one is in keeping with her style. 
These precious photos of her sons speak a strong chorus to her well chosen words.

For her page Terri used these products from our Designer Digital Supplies:
Gator Crossing Solids
Cathy Zielske’s Layered Template No. 74
2010 Month Set Brushes and Stamps

Sarah has created a retrospective of her own photographs over time and linked her deep true beliefs with each stage in her life. 
Such a sensitive way to reinforce the development of her beliefs over time.

Sarah used such fun materials for you to look at here:

Beaded Directives
ArtsyBlendz Squash Paperie
Time Clusters 2
Garden District Corners 1
Lace Essentials
ArtPlay Find My Way Brush Set
Slide Frames 2
yellow word bits 2
Black Alpha
Lifted Wings 2
Lock and Key
Chipboard Buttons vintage children

For my page I tried to use images in layers to repeat some of the ideas I stated as my beliefs. 
This might not be a page of ideas my grandchildren can understand right now…
but some day they will be able to know their Uma.

Here are the products I used:

The Pippin Kit
In Distress: Dark and Light Paper Pack
Shanghai Kit
Old Farm Kitchen Mini-Kit
You and Me Kit
Bead Scatterings No. 03
Artist Edges Overlays No. 06
Stitched by Anna Tan No. 01
Stitched by Anna Threads White No. 01
Beaded Directives
Pin Its!: Pearls
Linnea Kit
Jelly Alphabet No. 17
Autumn Garden Kit

It was a bit of a challenge to sit down and record our core beliefs but each of us found it a worthy effort.
Why not join us in the PageKraft Gallery and share your own beliefs.
This seems like a thing to do on a regular basis and share with our families….
it’s a central part of our story, too.

It’s my turn to focus on the Click. With thousands of photos on my external hard drive and a love for clicking, it makes sense that our pages are anchored by photos. What if your story has no photos? What if in the moment you didn’t have your camera or you had it and the photo just doesn’t tell the story you intended?

In writing our true story, what if we set our photos aside for a moment? What happens when we focus solely on the words of our story? What occurs when the words take center stage? The page draws us in differently than when shining eyes or smiles or details grab our attention. So maybe, just for today try a page without a photo. Rely on your words. Write true.

In this page I captured just my son’s questions. Although I’ve taken thousands of photos of him, there simply wasn’t room for a photo. I wanted his words to be center stage.

Perhaps you just need to tell a story of a feeling and let those feelings take focus. This page captured something I couldn’t find. The missing Picture of the Day. No photo told the story better than words.

For this page, my day was filled with photos I could easily include. I opted instead for words, words capturing the moments we spent together and my feelings about them.

I love photos. I love photography. Sometimes words are all we need.

I hope you share your words with us in the PageKraft:WriteTrue+Click gallery!

Last Wednesday, September 23rd, was the first day of autumn, the Equinox - when night and day are equal.
Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the Autumn season. Harvest comes from the old English word hærfest, and the first part of the word has Indo-European roots in kerp meaning to gather, pluck, harvest. In agriculture, the harvest is the process of gathering or reaping mature crops from the fields.

This time of year is a great time to celebrate gathering, keeping, and holding a story.  Think about all you’ve done this year - planting new ideas, experiencing and growing new projects- what is the harvest you will be reaping now, as you consider your stories.
What is the story you will be keeping, storing for the future as nourishment for yourself and your loved ones? This might be a good time to think deeply about what you are learning, collecting, reaping form your life experiences.
What do you want to harvest from this year to save as a story?

Here are some beautiful ideas from our Creative Team.  First, look at this elegant design and involving writing from Elena.  She has captured the actual harvest in her area but also drifted deep into the reverie of harvest. She’s got the details that bring you into the story and the overview, too.

Fall Harvest

Page FotoBlendz No. 03 12 X 12
Gemstone Swirls
Bella Solids Paper Pack
Halloween Memories Kit
Inked Alphabet Brushes and Stamps No. 01

Myra took the longer view of harvest….and looked at the lifetime investment of her marriage.  This rich and rewarding page celebrates deep love and the harvest it can bring.  Her writing shows how much can be conveyed in just one page.

A Lifetime Investment

Grid No. 01 Layered Templates
Patterned Palette No 2
Pearl Swirls
Chandelierious No 01
Stitched by Anna Borders No 02
Page Hipster Plume FotoBlendz Clipping Masks No 02
Classic Cardstock: Oyster
Classic Cardstock: Dragon Trainer

Here is a page I did to remember the summer.  This man and his ability to reflect and also act adventurously…. this is something I want to remember about this one summer. I didn’t try to incorporate all my stories.  I just focussed on one that touched me, something I value.

Diamond Watch

Laurent Rub Ons No. 01
Gemstone Swirls
Simply Patterned Value Paper Pack No. 01
Messy Stamped Alphabet No. 08 Brushes and Stamps
Spot Dots Brushes and Stamps No. 06
Halloween Memories Kit
Drawn Leaves No. 01 Brushes and Stamps
Stitched by Anna Threads White No. 01
ScriptTease Winter No. 01 BrushSet
LabelTransfers No. 03 ElementSet

Thanks for checking out PageKraft this time. 
We hope you will share your creations with us in the PageKraft Gallery and that you will continue to WriteTrue.