Hello! My name is Jamie Pate of Jamie Pate Designs. I am a paper crafter, story teller, maker of pretty papery things. I love to create and share my love for making. My craft comes out of a love to tell my story and to draw the reader in by way of making the story pretty with beautiful photos and embellishments. I am currently a member of the Heidi Swapp Media Team. I create content for Scrapbook.com. I teach classes on Big Pictures Classes. And weekly you can find me posting to my blog JamiePate.com as well as my YouTube channel.
Today I want to share a recent project I made using the The Hook Nook's Yarn Passport as inspiration.
As a paper artist I look at the world through patterns, page sketches, and stories to be told. It is literally how I see everything. I’m a busy mama. I am busy not only helping to navigate my kid’s lives in this turbulent culture, but I am also a busy mom navigating the telling of their stories. With one child already moved out and across the country, I know how quickly this time actually passes. And I want to tell so much of their story.
But..I also need to slow it down, and consider my own story. There is a constant voice inside telling me to pay attention to what is going on in my heart. The main voice is the LORD. As a woman of faith I filter everything through the Scriptures and prayer. And within that voice I am shown how to sharpen my own life, how to rest, and how to remind myself of who it is I really want to be.
When I came across the Yarn Passport, my hands flipped through the book thinking how I would use this. This book holds so many possibilities.
Basically, I took the book apart. This is what I often do. Take it all apart. Start all over again. I loved the book and page sizes. I LOVED that pocket. And so I went to do what I knew to do. Using paper I crafted something very unique to me.
What I usually do first is start with a photo. Which I did here. Of me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not about plastering all the selfie images. I am actually very self conscious of photos of me. But then, aren’t we all? However, since this layout and additions to the pocket page was going to be about my current journey, I started with the photo.
Next I started to cover pages with pattern papers from my paper craft stash. This was done by covering the back of one of the yarn notes pages in that beautiful pink. This was to be a bit of a landing page for the rest of this page spread. The 'you are enough' quote was definitely needed as I continue to doubt my enoughness that I bring to this world. The stamped 'THIS' title for me was this landing place. A stopping place if you will. That title grabs my attention, sort of nudges to me to sit down and to be still. To unwrap what is happening right now. This then leads to the next page, where I document and share the THIS of right now.
The pocket was also covered with this paper that was filled with affirmation that I would much rather have running through my head than the doubts. To this I added that selfie. Now the pocket is home to Scripture and meditations. I took a piece of the grid paper from the Yarn Passport and made it a journaling spot along with this pocket page. On it I wrote a quote I recently came across. That quote is actually what prompted this whole page in the first place. "The way to make it through is to keep going through. Keep showing up. Keep asking questions. It's OK to be tired. It's OK to keep going. And then give yourself rest and do it all over again." (ali edwards)
This quote is exactly what I want to share with you. For this is what I have learned: if I am going through it, others are going through it. And we don't have to stay there. We can be given permission to go through the thing. Rise to the occasion. And become better humans and creatives because of the journey.
Don't forget to share your progress online and use hashtags #handmadewithjoann and #thehooknookers to share with our communities! Be sure to follow along with me on Instagram to see more fun inspiration and stay in the loop with what’s to come! Thank you to my friends at JOANN Stores for helping me create such a fun project!
Want to check out more beautiful, modern crochet and knit patterns? Check out ALL of our blog posts featuring patterns, projects and more designed and shared by some of the community's best designers and dreamers here on THNLife Blog!
