A Beautiful Mess of Art

"Are you saving this?"

A common question came from my husband, Paul, as he perused through the week's pile of mail and schoolwork from the kids.

"Oh, Liam drew a picture on that and I don't have the heart to throw it out," I said, clutching an otherwise un-noteworthy paper menu from a restaurant bedazzled with our oldest son's artwork.

A sigh and a smile came from Paul. He knew better than to ask me if I had wanted to save something...

As long as I can remember, I've been a collector. I had collected dolls as a child, rocks, shells, pressed flowers from walks in the woods, postcards, letters, and... I think you get the picture. Long have these collections moved with me, changed with me, grown with me. Cluttering closets and drawers. Filling shoe boxes and book shelves. Feeding my spirit as well as my creativity. As I grew up, I found ways to display these treasures and part with ones I no longer connected with. One collection, however, was beginning to haunt me... a growing pile of unfinished, "One day I'll get to it," art projects.

Pictures that I would, "One day," put in a scrapbook. Recipes I would, "One day," re-write on notecards and put in that recipe box. Cards from loved ones I would, "One day," display in a frame or a collage. Paintings and drawings I would, "One day," finish completely. As I walked downstairs to my craft table to add the treasured art menu to that growing pile, I stopped and threw my hands up.

"Why can't I organize these projects and see them through? When will I start to enjoy creating art again, instead of becoming overwhelmed by it?" I thought to myself.

Time had become scarce, since becoming a mom, but was that any reason to put aside all these projects and ideas that meant something to me? This growing pile in front of me was more than just a mess, it was untapped potential. It was years of memories and gifts and thoughts and words I wanted to keep, and enjoy. I resolved to find a solution, and little did I know, I was about to get it...

Enter the scrapbook planner. My friend gave it to me as a just because gift that summer. She had seen it and immediately thought I would enjoy it. Upon first glance, I thought nothing of it. As I browsed the pages, however, my excitement grew. I've always been a long time planner user. I love to keep track of my life on paper and to write lists and ideas as they come to me. There was space for that of course, and calendars and schedule reminders to fill in, but even better were the beautifully decorated pages in between... Spaces to create, to beautify, to adorn. My mind opened to up to the possibilities of this new medium right away.

I started slow. I decorated the first few calendar pages with stickers and drawings. I added quotes, shopping lists, and paper clipped in pictures here and there. Soon, I was taking things to a whole new level. I took the kids' art projects, hole punched them, and added them to my planner. I took those collected photos and cards and started collaging them on the blank pages. My hopes and dreams were written down in detail. I started journaling again. I added more and more blank pages to meet the demand for space. I was drawing and coloring again, directly in my planner. If I found a recipe in a magazine or an old book, I cut it out and glued it, then decorated the page. Old ticket stubs, photo booth photos, menu art, maps from a trip... they all had a space now and that space was just beautiful! It brought together all of those unfinished projects in a way I never expected. I was even hesitant to call it art, at first. But, looking back on several years worth of my life in book form, I realized that art, like life, is truly what you create from it. My beautiful mess of art is a reflection of my beautiful mess of a life. And every page represents a moment, a person, a word, a day, that I want to cherish forever and now thankfully, I can....