Escapism and Layouts

I found myself, again, ensconced on my couch after dinner last night with the book.  I can't put the sucker down.  I left the house this morning without it and I feel bereft.  I missed the enormous weight of it in my purse - the sucker is almost 900 pages; I don't think any of the books in the series are less than 800.  My kids are a little amazed that I'm three-fourths of the way through it.  I want to tell them if it wasn't for them, I'd be well into book three by now.  But that just seems mean.

I haven't decided if it's the book, or life at the moment and the need to escape it, that has caused a shutdown of sorts in my accomplishing anything these days.  We've got a lot going on right now, i.e. we've gone from gluten-free for hubby to a menu that consists of five ingredients.  FIVE!  I feel like I'm on an episode of the Food Network's Chopped, and the only pantry item I get is sea salt.

I think it's time to try to re-incorporate the creative back into my days; at the very least, the week.  Something more creative than, "How can I make this unseasoned chicken and rice seem different than yesterday's unseasoned chicken and rice, given that I only have salt."  I haven't touched paper, thread or yarn in weeks.  And since I have nothing of my own to share today, I thought I'd toss out projects from people who are creating . . . namely the Sous Chefs.

Jennifer Halleck created this layout using the Bella Blvd line from the Smaller than a Breadbox kit.  I love the little flags on the side of the single photo.

The Carta Bella line from the Bigger than a Breadbox kit is what Maria Swiatkowski used for her fall layout.  It must be something with the tags, because I love the ones she used to mix in with her journaling card.

Kristin Perez also used the Carta Bella line here.  I love, love all the circles.

Nancy Longo chose to work with the Fancy Pants line found in the (now Sold Out) Smaller kit.  I love how she lined photos, minimally cropped photos at that, up along the seam; a great way start a layout.

Finally, we have just one of the seven cards and a tag that Wendi Robinson created with the All Year Cheer kit.

Looking at these, breaking them down to their parts, I could totally crank out any one of them.  Now to just do it.  It's got to be infinitely more fun than practicing post-apocalyptic cooking methods.

Happy Thursday,