{scrapbooking post} love & happiness

Being a stay at home mom, I've had to learn a whole new way of managing my time.  Yes, I'm home all day so I'm sure it seems like I should be able to get a lot done, but that just isn't the case.  Jonathan is now napping about 3 to 3 1/2 hours a day.  During that time, I need to get myself ready, fed, clean the house, do laundry, pay bills, do anything else on my to-do list, and be creative.  

The whole "be creative" part is super important to me.  I feel like myself when I'm able to work on something creative - preferably using paper.  But, I also have to balance this because there is much else to do.  I'm often working on a project for a client so I don't have a lot of time to do project life or other scrapbooking layouts.  

In a recent episode of Paperclipping Roundtable (I'm sorry, I can't remember which one) the panelists were discussing how to complete a layout in small stages.  This was such a revolutionary thought for me! Up to this point, I would wait until I had a large chunk of time to work.  I realized that I could do bits and pieces and over the course of a couple of days, I could have a layout complete.  

That's what I did for this layout. 

I started with the picture.  It was taken by the super talented The Why We Love photography team during our maternity shoot.  I love this picture of Matt.

Once I knew I wanted this picture, I just gathered a few supplies and as I had time, I added something.  The layout was always on my table so each time I walked by it, I added an element or changed something.  I didn't glue anything down until I was sure I liked it as is. 

I love the heart stitching and the sprayed ampersand.  The color combo of aqua, yellow, and grey is definitely my favorite right now.

Another close up of the handsome man :)

If you are having a hard time fitting creativity into your life, try this idea.  Just do a little bit here and there.  You'll be surprised by all you can get done!