Throwing away ...

And after the gentle rocking by the strong old woman through the long, dark night? (See Friday 7th January, story collected by Gloria Pinkola Estés). The old and weary man grew younger and younger, and became a small and very beautiful child with golden hair, plaited like wheat. Just as dawn broke, the old woman quickly plucked three hairs from the young child's head and threw them on the floor - and the child crawled down from the old woman's lap, paused at the door to give her a dazzling smile, then flew up into the sky to become the brilliant morning sun ...

The three hairs? They represent the need to throw away, to let go of some things or ideas before new energy can flow. In the quiet rocking, it's time 'to get right down to the bones of everything and anything in your life'. Those of you who visit regularly will probably smile, knowing that simplifying and letting go is music to my ears.

So although I am not yet done with musing and stillness, one hair that I am going to let go of, is the struggle to work out where everything in scrapbooking and journalling belongs in the welter of December, Christmas, Daily Life, My Holiday projects and albums. Should a journal be kept separate from the photo album? If a page has drawing, or paint or collage too, does that go in a writing journal or an art journal? Supposing it's got a few photos as well - is that the photo album, then? Water needs clear edges to flow, or it will sink away into shallow, swampy, silted fringes ...

It's all going in one place this year. One chunky, richly-textured volume, with pockets, flaps and hiding places for more private work, and spreads, inserts, and booklets for photos and journalling which record the year. There'll be room for fabric work, digital work, anything where creative energy flows. On the front, it will simply say 'This is 2011'.

Ikea's catalogue (we've perused it often enough during the renovations!) is, aptly, providing a template: photos one side, journalling the other. I feel the creative juices gathering already ... Here's the template I've been making and playing around with:

By Monday, the first fortnightly spread will be done. There have been some queries about how I'm going to print and store the New 52 layouts - I'll include this too. Oh, and I love the serendipity of that catalogue page title 'What do you love?' That I can be clear about. Simplicity. :)

Comments

[scrapchick]

IKEA never fails for inspiration! Love the template!

[Amy]

I'm the sort to plonk it all in together - easy!

Thank you for your supportive words this week - I know you can truly empathise with my situation :-)

[Paul B]

Looking forward to seeing how you'll log your New52 stuff, I've created my template and put on the first two items. Sounds like you've got a handle on "flow" so far. BTW Brilliant template. Can't wait to see it in use :) Px

[Jimjams]

Love your templates - such clean clear lines - looking forward to seeing inky coloured papers in there too!

[Amanda]

Alexa I like to hear that there will be some fabric work, looking forward to seeing that :) I like your idea of everything in one place simplifies things no end.

[Julie Kirk]

Going round in my head right now? The Beatles ...

"... Here comes the sun... here comes the sun ...and I say it's alright."

Seems appropriate, so good to hear you sounding brighter! :-)

[lindadragonfly]

Love the sound of the flow here Alexa it looks like you are really geting it all together. Love the look of the template and the fact that there is so much going on yet it is still YOUR very simplistic style.

[Sian]

The Ikea catalogue is required reading in this house, but I'll be looking at it with new eyes having seen this.

Onwards and upwards, eh?

[Jacky S]

Love the template you've made.....this would work brilliantly for a monthly album as well....lokking forward to seeing what you do with it.

[Cheri]

Truly inspired Alexa! I love the idea that it can all go "in one place" instead of separate discreet albums - can't wait to see what you do with it.

[Lizzie]

That is lovely. Thank you Alexa, for a bit of sunny inspiration on a grey January day!
I think its a great idea to put all the stuff together - it will be varied and exciting to look at. I like your idea to look for inspiration from catalogues (or books?). That layout is very good - so why not borrow it?!

[Mel]

Another beautiful post - love the story, and love your response to it. And what a fabby template! Yay Ikea :-)

[Beverly]

What a very cool idea, look forward to watching it progress :)

[giselle]

I LOVE that template idea & how you have decided to work it into your own scrapbooking for the coming year. Clever!!
And here's a toast to a huge helping of simplicity to guide us all along the way on our scrappy journey this year :)

[Melissa]

I really like the idea of putting everything in one place for the year. Looking forward to seeing your first spread!

[Karen]

I can't wait to see what evolves. Almost all my layouts from 2010 are in one album, digital, hybrid, paper, 12X12 and 8.5X11. I'm pretty happy with it and plan to do the same for 2011. My Christmas journal is a separate album and a different size however. And I think it's likely that a class project like Me: the Abridge Version will go into its own album. Now you have me thinking. . . Keep us informed.

[Ginger]

Here you are! Thank you for all your comments on my blog, every time you comment I click your name, but can never get to your blog... so I searched for you on Sian's blog and well now I know where to find you :) I love your ikea inspiration and I think putting it all in one spot is a great idea and less work. Great template!

[Alexa]

Hi, and thank-you for finding me! I'm sorry it was so difficult - I will have to see if I can work out what the problem is. I know I've had problems sometimes if it's not possible to comment on a blog using name/URL, and someone suggested because I don't have a Blogger account, any link won't work - but I'm not sure about this - off to try and solve it! Thank-you so much for your persistence and look forward to welcoming you back whenever you can make it. :)

[Linda]

Alexa, thank you for all your kind comments on my blog, I really do appreciate them. Thank you also for the inspiration to keep letting go of the things that aren't working and that are getting in the way of other things working. I am aiming for simplicity too, even if not as artfully and elegantly as you seem to manage it.