Day in the Life 2012

 Can I just say that I love this project?

I love this project. I really do.

I have done a day in the life several times in the past. And I just adore the process, every single time. When I look back through my albums, the layouts documenting one whole day of  my everyday life are always among my favorites. This year is no exception.

I woke up Wednesday 02/08/2012 fully planning on participating in a day in the life with hundreds of other people, inspired and organized by Ali Edwards.

But very early Wednesday morning I got a phone call from my son. One of those phone calls. The type where your heart sinks and you just know your whole day has just been flipped upside down. Where that one thing becomes your whole day. And that story was not one that I wanted to document.

So, I didn't.

(how liberating)

Instead, I re-printed Ali's daily planning pages (available as a free download on Ali's blog) for today and opted for a do-over.

Today was average. Today was going to work early, stopping by Starbucks to get espresso drinks for three. Today was eating Jimmy Johns for lunch. Today was going to the grocery store. Today was making dinner in my brand new pressure cooker. Today was putting my OLW 'do' into action. Today was getting gas and doing dishes and throwing in a load of laundry. Today was laughing with Jim and dinner for two in the dining room. Today was foot pain and lost glasses. Today was giggling over the phone with my best friend. Today was playing Words With Friends on my iPhone and winning. Today was tv in bed and snuggling. Today was perfectly ordinary - and *that* was the story I wanted to tell.

I used Ali's Day in the Life layered template - available on sale here - to arrange the photos. I used the planning pages to record thoughts and events of the day. I plan on using the sheets to tell the story of the day. I probably will use a 6x12 page to house the journaling. Voila!

Did any of you join in a Day in the Life? I'd love to see your work - just leave me a link in the comments. Here's to a wonderful weekend...

OLW Blog Hop - 2012 Beginnings

Welcome OLW blog hoppers! It's time again to 'ooh' and 'aah' over the amazing work done this month  by the participant's of Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes.

I really like the introductory prompt. As much as I do not typically relish the idea of having my picture taken, I have been trying to experiment a bit more with self-portraits over the past year. Utilizing the timer on my Cannon DLSR and the camera on my iPhone has made the process of self-portraiture so much easier. And I like being able to look back at these photos, seeing the changes and remembering each moment. So I enjoy knowing that each year my OLW adventures will begin with photo of moi.

Welcome 2012.

I like that thought.

In addition to a self-portrait, this month's prompt also included making a series of cards to document, define, explore and create with our word. My word for this year is do. I explain my thoughts on choosing the word do here.  Here are my cards.

I am loving how this turned out. The mix of type and handwriting. The neutral embellishments. The color scheme.

love it all.

Up next in this blog hop is Carmen. Check out her post here.

In case anyone needs the complete list of all 46 (yes, that is 46!) participants, I have included the complete list below. This is the largest OLW blog hop to date. I'd like to welcome any and all newcomers. I can't wait to see everyone's take on this month's project. And a huge thanks to Margie for once again supervising and organizing this blog hop.

See you next month - or sooner. Come on back anytime.  :-)

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com

Sharyn  www.lavieenchic.com       

Jill                    http://jillconyers.com

Lynn                 www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jenn                 www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Carmen http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com

Marilee  http://rose-brier.blogspot.com      

Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/

Cindy    C          http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com

Kelly                 http://mindingmynest.com

Cheri                 http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cindy                http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Brooke www.everysnapshot.com

Naomi               www.poeticaperture.com

Melissa http://www.smudgetime.com

Karen                http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com

Melissa S          http://blog.mshanhun.com

Devon              http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Donna              http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Dawn                sunshineandcreativity.com

Katrina www.katrinasimeck.com

Sam                 http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Monica             http://scrapinspired.com

Kimberlee         http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Missus W          http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kaylea              http://www.myscrappylife.com

Nikki                 Www.inkyart.com.au

Erin                  http://erinsparkes.typepad.com/optimstic-fascination/

Jo                    www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

Coley                http://coleybelle.blogspot.com

Beth                 www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Veronica           www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Jamie               http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Monica B          http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa             http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Rebekah      http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Jan              http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Veronica           http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Cate                 www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

Stephanie         www.scrapworthylives.com

Orange Gearle   http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Tere                      http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Junelle                  http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/ 

Ruth            http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Becky                   www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

New Year, New Necklace

My new One Little Word necklace arrived yesterday!

I love it.

This is the second year that I have ordered a necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs. Both have been gorgeous. I wore last year's dream necklace every day and it still looks great. This year's do necklace is just what I wanted!

Here's to the small things that bring big smiles...

Post-Holiday Musings

I've been doing a bit of reflecting on this past holiday season - this past year really. There were so many lovely moments and a few things that stressed me out, but overall I am left with so much gratitude.

I am grateful for my husband. As I've mentioned before, my husband is, ahem, enthusiastic about Christmas. This is such a blessing to me. Every year, we not only host a holiday party/birthday party for moi, but also host my extended family for celebration on Christmas Eve. This season, both events were totally successful. We added an extra element to the holiday party this year but having a "Mad Men"-themed party. It was quite glamorous, with family and friends alike dressing in retro '60s fashion. Here we are, looking both lovely and in love:

I am grateful for my son. As some of you may be aware, my son is battling with substance abuse issues. I am so proud of him. He is still struggling, but he is taking responsibility for his choices. He is working to stay sober, though not always succeeding. He is living life honestly, sometimes asking for help, more often than not avoiding those who could most help him but always being truthful about his choices. Believe me when I say, this is a major change and has gone a long way toward mending our little family. The truth is a soothing peace in this case, even when I know he has relapsed I am so grateful for the truth. He is addressing his legal problems with courage and grace. It is so, so hard...standing by and watching him battle his demons is the most difficult thing I have ever done. But all of that seemed somehow removed this Christmas. This Christmas he was affectionate, funny, sweet, helpful and comfortable in his own skin. He joked and laughed with family. He shared loving sentiments. He was generous and wonderful. We love him so much.

I am grateful for my job. I work outside of our home - and I love it. I am a physician assistant, working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each time I go to work, I encounter people who have served bravely, served loyally, served compassionately, served without reservation, served humbly, just served. I am blessed in that every day I am able to give back. I am pictured below with a World War II veteran, Bill, who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. I'd like to thank him again for sharing his amazing story, as well as permission to use his photograph on my blog.

 I am grateful for family and friends. I am amazed by the support that has been offered to us over this past year - which has, frankly, been a bit more arduous journey than in years past. I have not come close yet to understanding all the ways that we are changed as a family, I am changed as an individual...but I am quite certain that we could not have done it without the support of our family and friends. I am particularly thankful for our mothers.

I am grateful for each and every breath. I have severe asthma. This past year has also been a challenge on the health front. I have been hospitalized several times, struggling to get and stay well. I have been alternatively hopeful and frustrated. At this moment, the entire year seems like a repetitive cycle of illness and (relative) health. I am really struggling with these limitations right now...but I have hope for the future.

 I am grateful for my dreams. For 2011, my one little word has been dream. I've blogged monthly about my dreams using prompts from Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes. You can read all my previous posts related to OLW here. I have really grown comfortable with the word dream. In fact, I am even more certain now than one year ago that this word chose me. Between the stress of our family situation and the limitations of my health, much of this last year has been spent in meditation and contemplation, allowing me to fully flesh out my dreams. I have great plans for the coming year to take action on these dreams. I am quite excited about it.

I am grateful for you, dear readers. I look forward to sharing the coming year with you.



OLW Blog Hop - My Dreams in Pictures Redux

Welcome back for this month's installment of the One Little Word Blog Hop. As the year winds down, I am so very grateful to be able to look back at all my previous posts about my word of the year, Dream. I love having the concrete evidence of how much my word has come to be an active part of my life. I love seeing where my word has taken me. And I love seeing how much I have changed and grown with the influence of my one little word.

This month, we have 14 amazing women participating in the blog hop. I've said it before but it's worth repeating. Be sure to check out all of these fabulous ladies' blogs. You will be amazed at the creativity, humor, sentimentality, depth and joy that shines through on every single page. I know I can't wait to see each and every post.

October's prompt was a return to a class favorite - using 9 photographs to illustrate your word right now. What I really enjoyed about this prompt was going back to look at February's collage after I had put together the collage for this month. It was interesting to see what inspired my dreams now compared to those images that sparked my imagination near the beginning of this journey.

Below is this month's collage. I've listed the words behind the photos underneath. Once again, I plan to make a layout incorporating these words + photos. But in my album, the photos will not have any words on them (or numbers for that matter). The numbers correspond to the written statements for each photo.

1.I dream of new directions.
2. My dreams are bright and sometimes burn with intensity.
3. I dream of the exotic, the foreign, the unfamiliar.
4. Some dreams strip you bare, exposing all of my vulnerabilities and fears.
5. My dreams, collected and savored.
6. Dreams can be mysterious, leaving only hints and remnants for me to piece together.
7. I am ready to go where my dreams lead me.
8. Some dreams are comforting, like the sun shining warmly onto my face.
9. Some dreams are a baptism, like a clean rain sluicing through my soul.

I've been thinking a lot of the dreams I had in childhood, how as a child I wasn't afraid to dream, how I didn't put limitations on my dreams. Through my recent experiences in Mondo Beyondo, I've re-connected with these childhood fantasies. Some bring me laughter and amusement, some are unrecognizable, some generate a bittersweet sense of loss, and some still ring so true. More importantly, Mondo Beyondo taught me how dream again. I mean really dream, with abandon and imagination and longing...and without practicality or limits or fear.


I am learning to let go of fear, of all anxiety as I face the future.

I wanted to use a photo enlargement to convey this re-connection to my childhood dreaming.

What are your dreams right now? Are you pursuing these dreams? I really hope so...

Next up in the blog hop is the fabulous Cheri. Check our her blog and enjoy the rest of the hop!

OLW Blog Hop - Catching Up

Welcome back to the One Little Word Blog Hop! For those unfamiliar, OLW is a year-long class offered by Big Picture Classes and Ali Edwards. Each month, Ali puts together a prompt that explores a different aspect of our word, as well as a creative project that reflects the month's theme. This year, my OLW is dream. You can see all of my OLW related posts here.

Due to recent events, I missed out on last month's blog hop. But I have completed the prompt. In August, we were tasked with a self-portrait and a loving message to ourselves. I used a photo taken with my iPhone.

For this month, we went back to deeper thinking. Ali challenged us to choose a battle worth fighting for in relation to our OLW. She also asked us to identify a battle that we are willing to surrender.

Powerful stuff.

I chose to fight for my dreams by enrolling in Mondo Beyondo, an online course devoted to dreaming big. I had seen the class many times before and was always interested...but I had not been ready to take the plunge. Shortly after watching Ali's presentation about choosing our battle, I received the Mondo Beyondo newsletter. It seemed serendipitous that the Fall Session started September 12th. I registered immediately. I am LOVING this class.

One of my favorite exercises so far was identifying my core values. I'll leave you today with my list:

Acceptance – Giving myself permission to dream big & small and then being open to what I discover. Having the courage to believe in the goodness of myself and others. Seeking more gratitude, less judgment in my beautiful everyday life. Weathering the storms of life with grace, wisdom and humor.

Authenticity – Keeping it real & owning my own particular brand of crazy. Being true to myself in all my varying roles. No comparisons, no competition. Seek to add value in all the I do. Admit my frailties. Allow venerability.

Balance – Set priorities for family, work, household and creativity. Adopt and keep a schedule to avoid becoming overwhelmed! No more paralyzing fear of imperfection. Know it’s ok to be ok. Learn to say no, kindly but firmly. Celebrate the wins.


Commitment – Keep pushing to improve dedication and reliability. Follow through. Self-motivation. Work harder at marriage & motherhood. Heathy habits are now imperative! Manage chronic disease, eat better, move more.

Love – Hold fast to “the greatest of these is love.” Let this be your anchor. Kindness first. Generosity of spirit and materials. Honor my husband. Support my son’s move to independence, guide him without guilt or smothering. Learn to love from afar. Grow my spirituality. Take care of our earth.

Next up on the blog hop is  the wonderful Nicky. Check out her post here.

OLW Blog Hop - The Musical

Welcome once again to the One Little Word blog hop. I have really come to love these monthly gatherings, my friends. Participating every month in an organized group activity (thank you so much, Margie!) has been supremely helpful in keeping me on-track and accountable with my OLW dream adventures. Even when I haven't actually completed the prompt, preparing for this blog hop keeps thoughts and ideas about my word at the forefront of my mind.

Bet you thought all that was a lead up to my explaining how I don't have this month's prompt completed.

Well, you would be wrong. ; )

Because there is no way that I would miss out on a prompt that involved music. I cannot tell you how excited I was to see song lyrics as the main component this month. Music has always been a huge part of my life, my family's life. Just about this time last year, I wrote a post describing the soundtrack of my life. It is one of my favorite blog posts ever (if you're interested, you can check it out here).  And I got just as much satisfaction exploring songs from the perspective of my word, from seeing where my dreams lead me as I did when I wrote about this last year.

Music is just magic to me.

I actually did my cards digitally this month. I do all kinds of scrapping - traditional, digital and hybrid - but this is the first time I've done an all digital layout for this class. Truth be told, it was fun playing with type and color on my laptop. I'm a little bit geek at heart so sometimes I find great joy creating through technology.

Here's the listing of my lyric choices -

1. The Cave | Mumford & Sons
So make your siren's call and sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
'Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

2. All You Need Is Love | The Beatles
All you need is love

3. Love at the Five and Dime | Nanci Griffith
Dance a little closer to me
It's closing time 
And love's on sale tonight 
At this five and dime

4. Thunder Road | Bruce Springsteen
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night

5. F*cking Perfect | P!nk
Pretty, pretty please
if you ever, ever feel
like you are nothing
you're f*cking perfect to me

6. She Got Her Ticket | Tracy Chapman
She got her ticket
I think she gonna use it
I think she going to fly away

7. Dream a Little Dream of Me | Ella Fitzgerald
Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

8. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise | The Avett Brothers
There was a dream
And one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage
I broke in and demanded somebody free it

9. Defying Gravity | Wicked
It's time to try defying gravity

And I utilized the feature on my printer that prints directly onto a CD in creating my playlist! Total score. Here's a peek at this month all together in my album.

Next up in the blog hop is Maureen - check out her blog here.

OLW Blog Hop - I Remembered Pictures... And I've Planned An Awesome Giveaway

 Welcome back friends! I am super excited about this month's One Little Words blog hop. Ali hit the ball out of the park with this month's prompt. I'm talking grand slam, out of the stadium home run.

This month we took a step back from prompts that centered around deep thoughts, letters to future selves and documenting our planning process and ventured back into the artsy, crafty side of things. Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the previous prompts. The contemplation, planning, and exploring the depth of my Dreams has helped me to keep my OLW in an active place in my life. It gave me a timeline of sorts for action steps. It offered some accountability in committing to this process. And it opened my eyes to new perspective. To read more about these prompts, you can check out my previous posts on my Dream journey here.

But I was so ready for some hands-on creativity this month. In fact, I was desperately ready to express my Dreams in a more artistic way. Our prompt this month was this:

This month you’re invited to create a series of nine mini-canvases that will fit inside a divided page protector. The main encouragement I want to give to you is to simply keep your word in mind as you play.

Perfect. Just perfect.

The color scheme for my album has been turquoise, grey, red and yellow. And this month I was feeling yellow. Such a bright, sunny, cheerful, happy color...the exact right sentiment for my outlook as I move forward on this Dream quest.

Here's my collage:

 

I was super inspired by this stamp that Ali used to create her crossword pattern. I am a major crossword geek! And while I didn't have that stamp, I did have the amazing red + yellow crossword patterned paper that I've been  hoarding for a couple years. I used the paper, a brad and stamped my OLW to create the central canvas around which I built the others. I love how it turned out! Here's a close-up the central portion:

I also have photos to share of my completed project pages for March, April and May. Can you believe how long I've been slacking on sharing my completed pages? Yeah, I know, I can't really believe it either. But here they are anyway... If you want to see any image in a larger size, then just click on the image.

March - Folded

March - Unfolded

April - Left Side

April - Facing Pages

May - Facing Pages

May - Closeup on Quote 

May - Spreadsheets

May - Spreadsheet Detail

June - Facing Pages

Now, some of you might remember from last month that I started on embellishing my OLW album cover. It is complete! I love, love, love the butterfly accent with the flower cluster - doesn't that just evoke Dream-iness?

And here's a couple of detail shots of the cover elements...

Last but not least, I am super stoked to announce my very first giveaway! 

(cue applause)

I am doing a major de-stash of my craft room. I'm talking tons of patterned paper, sticker sheets, embellishments and even some American Crafts Thickers. I mean, who can resist Thickers?!?

No one, that's who.

I plan on filling a US Priority Mail flat rate shipping box to the brim for one lucky reader. To be eligible for this box of awesome-ness, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me one random fact about yourself. I will collect comments until 11:59pm CST on Thursday July 7th. The person with the most interesting factoid will be crowned winner by moi and announced Friday July 8, 2011. So be sure to stop back.

Thanks for hanging in there on this much-longer-than anticipated post. Next up on the OLW blog hop is Kathryn at Katlo Designs. Check out her blog here.

Happy Hopping!

OLW Blog Hop - My Dreams in Pictures

Welcome back for this month's One Little Word blog hop! I am so glad that I am working a little bit every month on my word for 2011 - DREAM. Participating in these monthly blog hops help keep me motivated and excited to share my experiences. You can check out my previous posts about documenting my OLW here.

I am really loving how Ali has structured this class. There is great balance so far. Balance between words and photos. Balance between thought and action. Balance between creativity and organization. Balance between dreams for myself and dreams for my family.

I am always struggling to find this kind of balance.

So it was really refreshing to see this month's prompt dealt with list making, tasks and to-dos that related to our word. And Ali even created a really special spreadsheet to organize our goals. I didn't get a chance to photograph my own completed spreadsheet, but here is a photo of Ali's example.

One of my self-appointed task items was to create a layout that documented the words that went along with this photo collage. I knew that I wanted to record those words but I didn't want to add the words directly onto the photos in my album. I just loved how the images stood alone, how they progressed and complemented one another. I was afraid adding the words into the collage would distract from the impact of the images themselves. I can happily report that not only did I complete this layout but also I took a photo. Aren't you so proud?

I used my old manual typewriter to journal the dream statements. I love adding typed journaling to my projects. It just adds a bit of grunge and a dash of sentimentality that can be a great contrast to the more artsy, creative photos. Because this layout faces the divided page protector holding the full-sized, unadorned photos I knew I wanted to keep the photos on the layout small. I chose to center words + photos and surround them with plenty of white space. I added some stitching, some splatters and my title. I totally love it.

I also did some work on my album cover this month. I am using the Pink Paislee canvas album from the Parisian Anthology collection. I added some dangling crystals, a metal heart and key, ribbons and string. I love the girly effect. I have this great Jenni Bowlin yellow butterfly rub-on that I've been hoarding in my stash for months. I am going to add that to the front of the album along with the One Little Word title...but I haven't worked out exactly how yet. But come on back next month and see what I come up with!

Next up on the blog hop is Junelle at Yes and Amen blog. Have fun and see you soon!

OLW Blog Hop - Still Dreaming

Welcome to all visitors participating in the blog hop celebrating this month's One Little Word workshop by Ali Edwards!

This year my OLW is dream. You can read here for about my experience this year with my OLW and a bit about the OLW concept.

I have been doing the monthly prompt's along with others in the class. It is definitely a great way to keep my dreams at the forefront of my mind. In March, the assignment was to stake an action step related to our word. My action step was reading  The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed To Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown. I learned some excellent strategies to let go of perfectionism. I have a nasty habit of thinking life has to be perfect, that I have to be perfect. It adds stress to my life and keeps me from achieving my dreams...so it is time for me to kick perfectionism to the curb.

Goodbye perfection.

This month our prompt was to write a letter to ourselves - taking stock of the OLW process, envisioning where we want to be and then setting intentions for the rest of the year. For me, the most important part was writing it down and placing it in my album. Things always seem more real, more significant when I can see it written down. Seeing my dreams for the future, for my family and for my own personal growth outlined in black on crisp white paper helps to crystallize these dreams in my mind. Just one more step to turning dreams into realities...

I haven't been great about photographing my work but I promise I will have photos to share next month. Thanks so much for visiting! Come back soon and leave a comment.

Next up in out OLW Blog Hop is Donna. Have a wonderful weekend.

OLW Blog Hop

Welcome friends! I am so excited to be participating in this month's One Little World Blog Hop. There are 44, yep that's right, I said 44 participants. So be sure to check out all of these fabulous ladies' blogs. You will be amazed at the creativity, humor, sentimentality, depth and joy that shines through on every single page.

click on image to see larger

To anyone unfamiliar with the concept,  One Little Word was first introduced to me by Ali Edwards. As she explains, "I am a fan of welcoming the new year with open arms. I love fresh starts, new opportunities, clean slates, possibilities. Back in January 2007, as a way to celebrate these beginnings, I started a public tradition of choosing a single word to focus on over the course of the year." 

I have been choosing my own word of the year since 2008, but have only been blogging about my word since last year. In 2010, I kept my focus on hope. And in 2011 my head and heart are filled with dreams. The greatest hurdle in this process for me was to make sure that I took the time to acknowledge my dreams every day. Not just opening up and admitting that I have dreams but really believing that I deserve for all of my dreams to become truth. I am taking a class taught by Ali through Big Picture Classes exploring and focusing on my One Little World dream.

Last month, we completed the title page of our album. You can see mine here. We also used divided page protectors to house a series of nine cards created with words, clip art, quotes, patterned paper and embellishments. These cards exemplified and symbolized our One Little Word in graphic detail. Again, you can see my collage here.

For February, we also created two projects. First,we collected nine photographs that spoke to us of our word, in my case my visual interpretations of my dreams. These will go into the reverse of the divided page protector used n January. I thought long and hard about which concepts, ideas, wishes, fears and emotions that I wanted my photos to convey. Here's what I cam up with:

 click on image to see larger

For my second project, I knew I wanted to incorporate a photo enlargement as contrast to the various smaller images. To help simplify the concept of dreams; to see a beautiful reminder of my capacity for dreaming; and to aid in instilling the belief in me that I have the power to turn my dreams into reality; I created this print:

click on image to see larger

Thanks for stopping by Studio Jenn! Please drop me a comment or any questions that you might have. Next up in the OLW February Blog Hop is Kathryn Lowe. Here's the link to her blog Stamping With Kathryn Lowe. Have a wonderful Tuesday - now go & do something that you love!

        PS In case you've gotten lost, all of the OLW February Blog Hop participants are listed here on Margie's blog.  

Thought For Today

via Poppytalk

And I just thought you should know.

Be sure to stop tomorrow morning for this month's One Little Word Blog Hop. Yes, that's right - I am participating in my first ever Blog Hop.

Intrigued? I know I can't wait to see all the blog-spiration. See you tomorrow. It all goes live at 10am CST.

One Little Word: Dream

My one word for 2011 is Dream.  

God, I love this word...so full of possibility. 

You might remember, in 2010 my word was Hope. My outlook at that time was much more thoughtful. And it was exactly where my focus needed to be as our family faced some challenges last year. I needed some serious reflection but it was essential to ground these deep thoughts in a positive, loving, hopeful way. Looking back, it is very clear that I *needed* hope, as much as hope as I could get.

And now, I am ready to move on...

I'm really looking forward to seeing where my dreams will take me this year. I am anticipating an adventure. I purposely chose a word that was not just a concept but also an action. This year I want to move forward. I am open to change. I will listen to my heart and soul. I will turn my dreams into realities.

I'm undertaking two specific activities to help me on my journey.

The first is an online workshop with the fabulous Melody Ross of the Brave Girls Club, aptly titled Soul Restoration. Soul Restoration started this week on the 12th - I'm totally loving it! Look for some more sharing on this tomorrow - and my first ever tutorial.

The second is a formal class (cleverly entitled) One Little Word taught by my favorite scrapper Ali Edwards. Ali describes the class like this:

For 2011, I want to do something even more tangible with my One Little Word. I've found that, just like a resolution, it's easy to lose sight of the things you set forward to embark on as regular life gets busy throughout the course of the year. To combat this I plan to bring my word into my life more consciously and concretely and make it more visible by creating an album to hold my thoughts, challenges and inspirations. 

 

You're invited to join me on this journey. 

Each month you'll receive an email and an invitation to visit the One Little Word classroom. Inside the classroom, you'll find a gentle reminder message, encouragement to refocus, and a simple creative project to complete related to your word. At the end of the year you'll have an album that celebrates and honors your word - making it that much more concrete and visible in your life. 

I think this is such a powerful idea. This month we worked on a title page for album, as well as a text-driven collage all about our One Little Words. I'll leave tonight by sharing my completed projects. 

PS Registration for Ali's One Little Word workshop is open all year long. Why not join us?