Blogtoberfest

Blogtoberfest Day 11

October 11, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

BOOkmark tutorial + freebie

This wee worried monster is quite happy to gobble up your book while he holds your place!

Have you seen any of the fun tutorials for making monster bookmarks—the kind that fit over the corner of the page and look like they’re eating your book? Well, I decided to try my hand at making a few, and in the process I created a Silhouette cut file to use for them. If you like this project and have a Silhouette, I would be happy to email you the file if you send a request to janice at theconstantscrapper dot com.

Here’s how mine turned out. I made one into a little worried monster and the other into a little cross-eyed jack-o’-lantern. I think they’re darling:

Slide these little monsters over the corner of your book and let them nibble while they hold your place.

STEP ONE
Email me a request for the Silhouette cut file. 🙂 Once you cut the pieces, this is what you’ll have:

These are the pieces you'll have when you use the Silhouette file.

STEP TWO
Glue the smaller accent square to the center of the background piece. Then glue the teeth to one of the side triangles.

Glue the accent square to the square portion of the bookmark background.

STEP THREE
Take a close look at the side triangles and determine which is a sliver smaller than the other. I made the cut file this way so that the sides would lay flatter when you fold them in. Fold the smaller triangle down first. Then apply adhesive to the back of the larger side and fold it down; press.

Fold down the smaller triangle side first.

STEP FOUR
Glue the accent triangle piece to the front and decorate!

I made this one into a jack-o'-lantern!

You’ll notice that I didn’t use the accent square on the green monster bookmark. That’s because I wanted to have his mouth look wide open and feature a slithery tongue. These little guys are so easy to make, and there are a ton of ways to make them different and fun. Wouldn’t they be great to make with your children so they can take them to school and give to friends?

If you make any of these I would love to see them. Will you please leave me a comment and let me know where to look? Now book to your supplies and make some monsters!

Blogtoberfest Day 10

October 10, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

Fighting resistance

I’ve just begun to read a book that I had recommended by a group of bloggers. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield aims to help readers overcome resistance so they can become who they are meant to be and achieve “the unlived life within.”

Resistance follows us everywhere we go, doesn’t it? If we want to learn something new, resistance tells us we don’t have the time to learn it or the intelligence to master it. If we want to lose weight or start an exercise program, resistance tells us it will be too hard or we can start tomorrow. And on. And on.

Overcoming resistance for scrapbook bloggers is a two-step dance. We have to overcome our own resistance at pulling out our photos and supplies and creating a project. Then we have to scan or photograph the final project and write about it for our readers. We can successfully win over our resistance on step one and still be bitten by the second step!

So, what do we do about it? To kick resistance, Pressfield stresses loving what one does, having patience and acting in the face of fear.

I will be back to write more about the advice in this book once I’ve finished it. I just thought I would share a little info about it now for my scrappy/blogging friends who are struggling with overcoming their own resistance and might find it helpful.

Blogtoberfest Day 6

October 6, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

Happy birthday, Daddy

Today is the 78th anniversary of my dear father’s birth. We all miss him so. But today I want to celebrate his birth with a layout that uses a photo from his 65th birthday dinner in 1998.

At that time we were all living in Chapel Hill, NC, so we were able to celebrate together with dinner and cake at a nice local restaurant. We had a lovely time together, and then the waiter took this photo for us. Isn’t it amazing how sometimes that one shot you have taken by a stranger can become so important to you later? This is definitely one of those times.

Happy birthday dear Daddy. Happy birthday to you!

Happy National German-American Day

Today is also National German-American Day. My sweet mother is German-American, and it just so happens that she traveled to Germany for the first time last month! So I am posting a few photos from her wonderful trip as a way of celebrating this day. I will certainly do a layout to commemorate her trip soon and post it here, but I wanted to share a few photos of the old country to mark the day. “Ich liebe dich, Mama!”

Beautiful German countryside

This photo makes me want to climb inside!

Blogtoberfest Day 5

October 5, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

Mrs. Daquila

Today is World Teachers’ Day, and I want to celebrate the best teacher I’ve ever had—my mom. 🙂

Mom has been a teacher since 1963—before she and Daddy were married in 1965—so countless students have called her “Mrs. Daquila” over the years. In those years she has taught students from four to 80 years of age (because she ran the GED program in our hometown of Willoughby for a time).

Mom just loves teaching. And her students and their parents really love her back. She has always received high praise and thanks from parents, and when she sees past students years later, they always tell her how much her classes meant to them.

Mrs. Daquila is a layout devoted to my mom's long and successful teaching career.

I feel so fortunate to have such a loving first teacher in my life. Thank you, Mom. I love you.

So, have you thought about doing a layout about a favorite teacher of yours?

Blogtoberfest Day 4

October 4, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

Companions on a journey

Today is the fourteenth anniversary of the day I married my beloved. I was talking to my bro last night, who said, “No way would I say it’s been 14 years! It seems more like four!” To that I say, “Amen!”

You know, I had a little suspicion—even while we were dating—that life with Matt might fly by. In particular I remember one beautiful Saturday afternoon back in 1996, after we had spent most of the day together exploring town, eating out and hiking through a park. Matt turned to me and said, “Woah, we’ve been together for eight hours and it hardly feels like two. Imagine how fast 20 years could go by together!” He was right, and now I know how fortunate I am to have time feel so swift with him. Because it tells me that I’m happy and where I should be. I’m so grateful for that and for his love.

The layout I’m sharing today is one I did based on a quote from Pythagoras (Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism): “Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.” I think this quote aptly describes our friendship and marriage. I also chose to use several patterned papers from October Afternoon’s Boarding Pass line to accentuate the “journey” theme.

Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life. ~Pythagoras

So, my challenge to you today is to take inspiration from this layout in one of three ways: 1) Do a layout or card that celebrates a friendship; 2) do a layout or card that features a favorite quote; 3) do a layout or card that highlights a journey of some type (physical, spiritual, emotional, etc.). If you do, please link it up here in the comments so we can come and peek!

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