Weekly Gratitude Week 4

Weekly Gratitude Week 3

Photographer's Workshop

I finally had some time today to put together my week 1 assignment for "The Photographer's Worksop". I had this brilliant idea to print out a page with the photos I used to keep in my binder. Here is the result:



The left column are the ones I like. The right column are the ones I feel need improvement. The grid is a "rule of thirds" grid that Karen made available for our class. I used Photoshop Elements 6.0 for Mac to layer the grid on top of each photo. The photos were submitted without the grids.

Scrap your Stash

If you're a scrapper, you're bound to have oodles of scrapbook supplies. At The Scrapping Spot we're doing "Scrap Your Stash" (SYS) to do some serious depletion of the stash.

Here's my take on Shawn's font challenge: use five different fonts on the layout. I used 5 different fonts for the title... Each letter in JUNE comes from different cricut cartridges and 09 is another for a total of five. I welded "09" together using the Gypsy before I cut it all out. I love my Gypsy! I can use different cartridges without having to load them!



I did the following layouts before the new year and never posted here!

My challenge: scrap an anniversary. Mine was the 15th anniversary of my 21st birthday.



Jill's Challenge: use even numbers of stuff. I used 2 pictures, 4 patterned papers, 6 rub-ons, 8 letters in my title and 10 brads.



Laurie's challenge: use something from our December stocking swap. I used my Martha Stewart loop punch from Ange! I used the punch on the top and bottom edges of the photo mat (hard to see in the picture). I posted it here.

weekly gratitude week 2

2009 Project 12-May

I detest unfinished projects. So naturally, having my project 12 album from 2009 incomplete has bothered me so much that on the night before I went back to work last week, I printed up picture collages using picasa for the months of May through December. Some of the pictures have been scrapped on individual LOs, but I loved Davinie's idea of scrapping a layout to encompass the month (since I sorely failed on project 365). It was fun looking through my thousands of pictures to pick several to capture the month in review. Only 7 more months of 2009 to catch up on!

weekly gratitude week 1

Decided to go digital with the weekly gratitude layouts! Karen Grunberg made it quite easy by making her templates available.

O.M.G.

This borders on creepy! I always feel less willpower to stick to the good eating over the weekend. Then I get this in my inbox:

Dear Fabulous Girl,

Don't give up! Making changes is a one day at a time process.

You have been doing a great job, and your dreams are clear and straight from your heart. When it's tough to keep going, remember why you made your goal in the first place, remember how you were looking forward to the way it would feel, look and create more authenticity in your life.

If you fell a few times this week, that's ok! Just get back up and keep going, and then get back up again tomorrow and keep going....before you know it, you will be where you want to be.

You can do this. You are a brave girl! xoxo

Now, if the goosebumps will just go away!

The photographer is IN!

I'm taking an online photography class with Karen Russell through her website "Snapshots of a Good Life." I signed up for it back in June while I was on vacation. In fact, I was visiting Shannon and Mark and their little family when I finally was able to secure a spot in one of the classes. It cost A LOT of money, but it's money worth spending if I come away learning even one-fourth of what my camer can do. My binder came a few months ago and I've been waiting to fill it up, yet I haven't printed out a single page. BUT, like the good student that I am, I've read all the lessons!

I've had my Canon XSi for a year now, bought after months of careful research. Since then, over 5,000 shots have been captured on that camera. Some were pure duds....okay, a lot were pure duds. Some were multiple shots of the same thing or person (hard to put a handle on that when the camera gets handed over to the reluctant-to-be-photographed teenagers).

So far, I don't feel inundated with information. Can't wait to start see what else is in store.

Optimism

I finally found a reason to use the Studio Calico butterfly paper and Jenni Bowlin butterfly rub on!



Supplies: Studio Calico Cotillion Kit.

Goals 2010 and Brave Girls Club Affirmations

Yesterday I took some time to catch up with my blog reading while everyone else took a little snooze. My cousin Diana, inspired me with her blog post, "Ch-ch-ch- changes (2010 Goals)". I spent a couple of hours last night making my own. Thanks for the inspiration, D! Maybe it will be easier for me to keep up with my goals since they're written down!










Supplies: Studio Calico Documentary Kit (July 2009), "happy" stamp and American Crafts Blue Skies ribbon (orange) from Studio Calico Yearbook Kit (October 2009), Shimmerz Paint (December Sky), Maya Road chipboard and tabbed album, Ormolu label, Making Memories butterfly Charm and embossed butterflies, Spare Parts by The Paper Studio embellished fabric brads, Jenni Bowlin and Adorn It by Carolee's mini alpha stickers, Scrapper's Floss by Karen Foster (white), Martha Stewart Doily lace double punch, Martha Stewart Loop punch, Spellbinder's Labels 1 nestabilities, American Crafts pen (brown) and EK Success Millennium pen (black).

I decided to make use of the 7 Gypsies ATC spinner that's been collecting dust for the last year (or 2) and use it to display the ATCs I've made of the Brave Girls Club affirmations.

Section opener:










Supplies:
Section Opener: The Scrapping Spot December 2009 kit.
ATCs: Studio Calico Kits: Jack & Jill (April 2009), Cotillion (September 2009) and Yearbook (October 2009); WRMK white out collection paper; EK Success and Adorn It by Carolee's mini alpha stickers; Cricut Expression and Home Accents Cartridge (butterfly); faux leather vinyl by Contact Paper; Spare Parts by The Paper Studio embellished fabric brads; EK Success Millennium pen (black).

One Little Word 2010

Ali Edwards has the best ideas! From "A week in my life" to "one little word" to "december daily", each project has meaning. They keep me in the moment. They keep me real.

It's the start of a new year. Time to pick my word for the year. In 2007, my word was "RESOLVE". In 2008, I picked "HOPE". Last year, I chose "EMBRACE". For the last few days, I've been contemplating my word for 2010.

2010 will be all about optimism.

op⋅ti⋅mism

–noun

1.	a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

2.	the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.

3.	the belief that goodness pervades reality.

4.	the doctrine that the existing world is the best of all possible worlds.

Too often I fall prey to the glass half empty team. It becomes some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy for me. This year, I am wholeheartedly going to try and see the glass as half full. I have lots to be optimistic about.

It's officially 2010!

Guam is where America's day begins so it's officially 2010! I am hoping and praying that 2010 brings great things. Happy New Year everyone!