Weekly Hindsight and Photo 365 - Day 36 (Explore)

Day 36 (August 8th, 2010)
Title: Scrapbooker's Dazzle

This weekend we went to the Scrapbook Expo, and saw the dark and scary side of crafting!  We saw people with bandoliers of grommits and semi-automatic Crop-A-Diles.  Mace cans that said: "Now in Glitter Cherub Pink so you can not only stop an attacker, you can make them look good!"  Groups of women who said: "Hey, watch where you are walking, else we'll cut ya!... Die Cut ya that is!  I've sharpened these scalloped circles and they'll cut your head right off!  And then we'll use it as an embellishment!"  Compton gangs have nothing on scrappers.  

The picture is of a "tag" (looks like a giant price tag, ala Price Is Right), that is distressed and colored.  Afterward, an acrylic picture is glued on and it's spritzed with a gold-sparkle spray.  I honestly don't even know what most of what I just typed means, but it is what they do!  I think the photo looks a bit like a tattoo myself.  It is a close-up of a hot-air balloon that says: Explore.  Course, if it was a tat, it would more likely say Explode, but nifty either way.  

Weekly Hindsight

This week was a bit crazy for me.  A lot of "life" things were going on that really threw a wrench into many of art projects.  But, I guess that's how it is sometimes, so its best just to "roll with the punches".    I didn't really get to complete any projects that I was planning to do.  I will say, having to deal with huge corporate bureaucracies is a long and arduous task. 

I did get a chance to play a few games this week (mostly as a decompress from talking to "special" people all day) and that was fun.  For this weeks art related projects/tasks, basically its the same as last weeks.  While at the Scrapbook Expo, I did come up with a few scrap related projects that I am going to work on this week (I doubt I'll finish them but I think just starting them can be the hardest part!) 

I did want to make one small "editorial" as well, regarding scrapbooking.  I was wondering what is the overall goal in creating a scrapbook?  Normally, I would have said "scrapbooking is the act of creating customized photo albums to help a) enhance the photo, b) describe the theme of the photo(s), or c) tell a story related to photo(s).  To me, it always seemed as if the photo played a key part in the overall scrapbook experience.  Some people use more or less embellishments, some use basic techniques, while others use more advanced methods, but when you boiled it all down it was still about the photo.  This weekend, I saw a LOT of scrapbooks that were JUST embellishments.  Beads, gemstones, ink patterns, sea shells, fabric, etc.  But not one photo in the book.  I thought, perhaps they were "blank" books for photos to be inserted later, but I was told "No! The scrapbook IS the subject matter!"  I guess this is just another form of scrapbooking that I didn't know existed, but to me, is seems to be missing the point of sharing memories and stories.  Course, that might just BE the point. 

Art movements scare me. 

Till next week,

Anthony

Ps:

Here are a few additional photos from the Expo that didn't quite make it to "Daily" status.  Enjoy!

There seems to be a letter missing...

Sparkly and socially aware!

Colored pens while on pain killers.  Wee!

Photo 365 - Day 35 (Scrapbooker's Dazzle)

Day 35 (August 7th, 2010)
Title: Scrapbooker's Dazzle

Went to the Scrapbook Expo this weekend, and as with many of the other Expos/Conventions/Shows that I have attended, everyone there was completely crazy.  Scrap crazy, but crazy none-the-less.  I'd say the only other type of conventions that I've gone do that has an equal level of "hobby insanity" are coin shows.  If you've never been to one, well... Count yourself lucky!  (And don't get me wrong, I'm a crazy nut about coins, so I am going to be one of those people you see at said coin shows arguing the impact that changing the copper-zinc ratio in cents back in 1982 was one of the starting points of the recession and the downfall of capitalism as we know it.  I told you I was crazy).  The Scrapbook Expo was exactly the same, but with different subject matter.  I heard brief snippets of conversations that included the following (sadly, these are all true):

"Which glue is the best for sticking old animal hair onto a new ceramic pet?"
"I only have my ex-husbands credit card, is it ok if I use it?"
"I can't believe they only had the 'Basic' and 'Intermediate' blue inks!" (I checked the wall that they were talking about, that ONLY had inks on it.  I counted over 30 blue inks before I decided I didn't want my brain to get trapped in a scrap-hole (like a black-hole) and I walked away). 
"Do you think these scissors can cut through bone?"

After that last one, I decided that my first experience of Scrapbook Expo was done. 

Oh, I did win a $10.00 gift certificate for a booth.  A booth who's cheapest item was $37.00.  Doh.