Paper Safari Day Three

Imagine these photos are together, then you get the idea how they would look if my page stitching program was working for me.
(the end of mojo)
As the end of my weekend paper safari approaches, I tie up some loose ends and bid farewell to mojo.
Day three was not as successful as I had hoped. I did finish another layout, but there were many challenges in the way of equipment failure.
It started with the discovery that I was dangerously low on supplies. My matt photo paper was gone, and all that remained was glossy and semi-gloss. When I print on my budget-conscious gloss and semi-gloss paper, the photos tend to crack, which is not at all attractive when unintended.
So after many hours of fiddling with settings I broke a hard and fast rule and went and bought paper on Sunday. It didn’t seem like Sunday, because we were listening to LDS Conference instead of attending meetings. But it was still Sunday, and I violated the rules.
Next, after successfully stitching together one page, my sewing machine decided it didn’t want to work anymore, so I spent time tinkering with the tension. I didn’t want to test the stitching on my new paper, so I send through tiny little scraps to test the tension.
By the way, I had someone recommend loading the bottom bobbin of the sewing machine with clear thread so I don’t have to change the bobbin with each new project. It works great, but there is one problem with the invisible thread, it’s invisible. I thought I would go blind trying to pull and secure all the threads to the back of the page.
Taking a break, I tried to scan and stitch my first page of the two page layout. It scanned like a dream, but my stitching program is acting funky, too. I guess I am going to have to take photographs in the morning so I can post the DT assignment.
Returning to the sewing machine, I finally realized I could use some of the cardstock stacked in piles around my house to test the stitching.
After all the work, the page I thought was so wonderful in my head is no longer giving me that after creation glow.
This weekend has reaffirmed for me the realization that I can create and forget. I do that with stories I write, and I have now reached that point with scrap book pages. It’s true; I do like to admire my work. But finishing a project is not nearly as satisfying as the process of working on it.
It really is a lot like a drug. At first I feel the thrill of anticipation, then the high of creation, followed by the crash of finishing the project.
Being the obsessive / compulsive soul that I am, I want to do it again and again. I want the high; I love the sense of accomplishment.


This is a photo I took of the page so I could remember the placement of everything before I stuck it all together. Do you notice any changes between the beginning and end project. (Besides the fact that the beginning project is all in one piece, that is.)