The Make-Do-Girl's Guide to Photographing Layouts (With Cats)

Step 1 - Find a day when there is some amount of daylight coming down from the sky. If this is the dead of Winter, a snow day home early from work will do.

Step 2 - Open window blinds as far as they will go. Turn on all lights in room, as 1 room with 1 large porch door, will not emit enough light in the Dead of WINTER.

Step 3 - Set up photo "studio" with large plastic box (used to keep kittens from eating baked goods) as object to hold layouts up vertically.

Step 4 - Attach camera to bendable Joby tripod. Adjust legs so camera will actually stand upright.

Step 5 - Position layout against plastic box in front of camera.

Step 6 - Turn on camera. Turn off flash, set to close-up mode, set 2 second timer to outlast button-pressing-jiggles. Adjust camera repeatedly in an attempt to get uncooperating Joby into the correct somewhat straight position.

Step 7 - Remove curious cat from between camera and Layout.

Step 8 - Take photos. Take 2 photos to heighten chances of a useable photo.

Step 9 - Take a third photo after forgetting to set 2 second timer resulting in blurry second photo.

Step 10 - Switch to next layout.

Step 11 - Chase away kittens from coffee table setup.

Step 12 - Repeat steps 8 - 10.

Step 13 - Retrieve camera from floor where it landed when knocked over by kittens who HAD to orally investigate camera strap.

Step 14 - Stomp into kitchen and feed cats and dog 40 minutes early, to keep them busy for awhile.

Step 15 - Hurriedly repeat steps 8 - 10 before animals finish eating.

And THAT is how a Make-Do-Girl takes layout photographs in the Dead of Winter, during a snowstorm, with 3 curious cats and a dog who just wants to be loved.

Joseph Benjamin "Joey" Cat.

Public Enemy Number 1

Feline Interference

Ever tried to scrapbook with kittens around? We have 2 kittens who moved in with us in November. Elly, the black kitty, loves paper. And I mean LOVES paper. I caught her walking off with sales receipts a week or 2 after moving in, and I thought...uh oh. This is NOT good.

Sure enough, I was in trouble. Last night was the first time I had settled in to really scrapbook in almost 3 months. Elly not only tried to steal every bit of paper from my trimmer, but she also climbed all over my entire workspace. I had to remove her to trim paper. Then I had to remove her to glue. Remove her to tape. Remove her to piece paper. Remove her to journal. Remove her because I turned away to dig in my sticker stash and she climbed over everything to get into my rolling scrapbook case!!

Oi! But the best...I had put tape on the back of a ribbon to place on my page. Cats + ribbons = Disaster. And I knew this. Still...I'm carefully trying to line up the ribbon into juuuuust the right spot...when WHAM! Elly's paw smacked it down right in the middle of my page! So now...I should put on the page layout "Design by Elune P. Cat."

Geek'd Out Moment

I need a moment.

Blaaaah!

Ok. Just all geeked out. 2 weeks ago I actually checked out podcasts. I started listening to ScrapHappy by Lain Ehmann. I'm adicted. I've downloaded all her podcast episodes that are on iTunes. I just love it!

So the magazine she works for, Simple Scrapbooks, is closing up shop. I have been reading that magazine for a year but hadn't picked up on any of the editors' names. She's a contributing editor there. When I heard the magazine was closing, I opted to email her and tell her how much I love her podcast and hope she'll keep it going.

She emailed me back! I didn't expect a response. But she emailed me back!

Now I just have to go off and be all geeked out for a little bit longer.