One Little Word for 2012

Ali Edward's concept of One Little Word has totally changed the way I think about New Year's Resolutions. I don't make a list anymore, although I could... lose weight, save more money, blog more, plan a family vacation, go on more dates with my husband....

My word for 2011 was chosen from a short list that all had potential to guide me through the year. 2012's word practically screamed at me! 

My poor physical health this past year certainly had something to do with my choice, but as I really thought about this word, I realized it was perfect for so many more reasons, and it can have so many more meanings... physical, mental/spiritual, financial, relationships...

This past year I thought about my word a lot, blogged about it, and even took some action. But I wanted more. More ways to incorporate it into my life, more ways to document my journey with my word, and more accountability. So I am  taking a class (led by Ali) that will give me monthly prompts and assignments, plus a group of women who are also documenting their word for 2012.

I can't wait to create and share my One Little Word scrapbook! Do you have a special word for 2012?

December Daily Album Cover

Time to begin this year's December Daily album. The idea is to capture both holiday and routine-oriented stuff that happens during this busy time of year. As always, I am inspired by Ali Edward's take on the project. She shares some great tips here.  This year I am planning on using some of here ideas, such as addressing the journaling prompts "Joy is..." and "Loving..." I also want to include one of my handmade Christmas cards! Hopefully I will be able to keep up with adding photos to the album so I can share some pages once a week or so. Until then. here os the cover. This year's color scheme is red, gold and brown.

Supplies:

Chipboard album (Michael's $1 bin)

misc. cardstock

Rhinestones (Martha Stewart)

Ranger Distress Crackle Paint

Adirondack gold paint daubber

misc. ribbon

Sizzlet flourish dies

1" binder rings

Old Lace, Red Velvet, and Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist

Creative memories alpha stickers

Friday Faves 3/11/11

Friday Faves from around the web...

Love these "Around Here" posts by Ali Edwards.

Yummy one-pan cabbage casserole recipe. I used sausage instead of the ground beef.

Gorgeous creations using Glimmer Mist on fabric.

Easy-peasy sparkly shamrock tutorial from A Fanciful Twist. Printable template included!

A real-life family (yep, I know the mom) is intentionally downsizing their home in this gotta-have-it-bigger-and-better world to create the life they want. Cool stuff.

Got a fave to share? Let us know in the comment section!

And stop back by tomorrow for my compilation post from my "Tip Week" Facebook questions!

Friday Faves 2/18/11

Some of my faves from around the web this week...

I'm usually skeptical of "freebie" sites, but I have been using this one for a while and I have never run across any problems.  I have received free samples of cleaning products, snacks,makeup, and office supplies, plus printable coupons for places like Rally's and Taco Bell. Try Freebie Link!

Here's a great reminder from Ali Edwards about why it's a good idea to NOT zoom in and crop tight on all your photos.

Best beds for better sex.  Honestly, the only part I took seriously is where it explains if you actually sleep better, you might have the energy for sex once in a while.

This floating house reminds me of something Howard Roark might design. And if you don't know who he is, go straight to your local library and pick up a copy of The Fountainhead.

Resolutions in One Little Word

For those of you who know me and my blog, you also know that I find Ali Edwards to be a huge source of inspiration. She has a concept called "One Little Word" that invites you to choose a word for the year and reflect, plan, and create around it. I started musing about a word for 2011 by reflecting on 2010.

This past year has been: chaotic, inspirational, terrifying, pride-swelling, busy, depressing, fun, challenging.... I could go on and on! But in a word, exhausting to both body and spirit. I need a change. I need calm. 

To me, calm would mean:

• a doable and less stressful morning routine
• pleasant family evenings together
• no life-threatening diseases, operations, or accidents
• less financial stress
• energy and time to create
• a less cluttered house
• less stuff, period.

I am seeking calm in my everydays and in the big moments, too. So much of this calm is within my power to claim, if I only work at it. So in lieu of a list of New Year's Resolutions, I am making just one-- Create calm whenever possible, and seek inner calmness when circumstances are out of my control. 

Project 365: Week 41 and a Plan

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday- Well, I just haven't decided yet!

There is a plan for these photos. All week I have been taking shots of just about everything in my life- my home, food, people, the weather, books, you name it. I have been jotting down funny things the kids say, what we wore, normal or unusual things about the day. I have been keeping receipts, emails, and envelopes. All these bits and pieces of everyday life are going into an album project called "A Week in the Life", inspired by Ali Edwards. It's nothing more than capturing the daily ins and outs of my life. Right here. Right now. And it is so much more.

The photos I shared with you today will be enlarged to 5x7 and serve as the main photo for that day in the album. I have gathered a selection of paper, stamps and stickers to round out the album, and plan on assembling it next weekend at a crop. I am super excited to finally have tackled this project, and can't wait to share it with you!

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Becoming a Life Artist: Week 6- Embrace Imperfection

Imperfection is everywhere. It is life. Why waste time worrying about it? Ali Edwards reminds us that fear of imperfection can keep us from enjoying and creating and celebrating the everyday.

For me, fear of rejection keeps me from seeking out freelance/editorial/product review opportunities. What if they say no? What if they don't like my work? What if they think I'm no good? What if they think I'm imperfect?

One of my readers, Elyse, author of By Little Hands, said this in a comment to an earlier post:  I have spent the last year trying to accept every moment as perfect, no matter how off my plan or vision it goes. Sometimes I forget but when I remember it makes everyone happier!

Can you imagine how joyful our lives would be if we stopped worrying about imperfection and began thinking of every moment as perfect in its own right? And what message do we send to others when we  broadcast our own fears and self-doubts? Can something you do or make be "good enough"?

Here's a few more nuggets of inspiration:

~ To sit in judgment of those things which you perceive to be wrong or imperfect is to be one more person who is part of judgment, evil or imperfection. ~ Wayne Dyer


~ Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to absolutely ridiculus than absolutely boring. ~ Marilyn Monroe


~ A diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections ~ Chinese Proverb

(retrieved from Finest Quotes)
Is fear of imperfection keeping you from reaching towards a dream or trying something new?

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Becoming a Life Artist: Week 5- Play!

According to Ali Edwards, play and risk encourage growth. Risk doesn't always mean something radical or dangerous. I'm talking about little things that take you outside your daily routine and comfort zone, both in daily life and your creative pursuits. This can open you up to new ways of viewing yourself and your world.

Why don't you...

• take a different turn on your way to work?
• shoot a black and white photo instead of color (or vice versa)?
• mix up the page sizes in your scrapbook albums?
• try a new recipe?
• paint a piece of old furniture?
• go to the movies by yourself?
• use paint with your rubber stamps instead of ink?
• write with a colored pen?
• order an unfamiliar coffee flavor?
• sit in a different place at your dinner table?

Today I pledge to try something new and out of the ordinary (for me, anyway). Instead of listening to the news on my way to work, I will put in a CD. What can you do today to take a risk and play?

Becoming a Life Artist: Week 4- Celebrating the Everyday

Today Ali Edwards is inspiring me to talk about celebrating the everyday. I think this is my favorite of her life principles. To me, celebrating the everyday means being present in the moment, looking for beauty in my surroundings, and recording our daily routines and conversations through photos, my blog, and my scrapbook layouts.

Here are some ways I document and celebrate the everyday:

• Project 365: A photo a day for a year. I have captured food, faces, and places, relationships, my job, and possessions that bring me joy. I can't wait to look back at the end of the year and see what themes emerge. You can find my weekly shots here on Sundays.
• Facebook status updates: funny things my kids say, what we're having for dinner, results of medical tests. A fellow blogger I know at Away We Go used Facebook updates as the basis for her Christmas letter- what a great and simple way to look back on the everyday moments in a year!
• Dinnertime routines: At our house we start dinner with gratitudes, in the form of "What was your favorite part of the day?" It reminds us all that every day has beautiful moments and reasons to give thanks. Simple, little moments usually make the list, such as "seeing my friends at daycare" or "getting to take a nap". Here is a week's worth of simple gratitudes that I posted a while back.
• Scrapbooks: Sure, holidays and big events have a place in my albums. But I think the layouts I enjoy the most focus on daily moments and show a more complete picture of our lives. Here's one about playing in the snow in our yard.

Are you focused on the here and now and enjoying the little joys life has to offer? How do you celebrate the everyday?

Becoming a Life Artist: Part 3

Thanks for following along as I explore Ali Edwards' book, Life Artist. Today's topic is simplify.

Is your life too complicated? Mine is, at least it seems that way sometimes! Too many time committments, too much stuff, not enough hours in the day...sound familiar?

One of my favorite exercises for simplifying (and Ali's too) is making lists. Seeing my to-do list laid out in linear form makes my tasks less daunting. Journaling in my scrapbooks using a list format is visually uncluttered and gets my point across. Having a list of movies I want to see and books I want to read takes away the endless questioning at the video store or library.

Sometimes, it helps to limit your list to just the essentials. What will make me happy and feel accomplished today? Often, when faced with a choice between a walk with my kids and the piles of laundry that really need done, I choose the walk as more essential. By doing this I will feel more connected to my children, get some fresh air, and appreciate the beauty and inspiration found in my own neighborhood. Essentials. Simple.

So let's talk about where you may need to simplify, or your ideas for making your life more simple! We all want to know!

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Becoming a Life Artist: Part 2- Go With the Flow

"Go with the flow" is our topic for this week's look at living a creative life, inspired by Ali Edwards. Last week we discussed "It is OK".

For me, going with the flow is the key to decreasing stress in my life. Having the ability to adapt to life's curveballs adds to the "It is OK" life attitude. Going with the flow allows me to work around problems (heck, even expect problems as a fact of life!) and let go of strict rules about how things must be done.

In my crafting projects, going with the flow often means accepting mistakes or accidents. Sometimes this just means leaving something as-is and being happy with the fact that another scrapbook page is completed, another memory documented. Sometimes a mistake can be an opportunity for further creativity. Serendipity can lead me to substitute a product in my stash instead of the "one I really need", or using my tools in new ways.

Going with the flow also reminds me that there is a natural ebb and flow to feeling creative. Sometimes I am almost overrun with inspiration and can't wait to get to my craft room. I also go through phases where I simply don't feel like creating. I used to panic at these times. What if I never get inspired again? What if all my ideas have been used up? I am getting better at accepting these lulls in creativity. Let go of the pressure to create. Put my energy into other areas of my life. That being said, I do have some favorite ways of getting over a creative hump:

• read a book or magazine
• take a walk by myself
• visit a thrift store, flea market, or yard sale
• leaf through my older scrapbooks
• watch a movie
• have a chat with a friend
• browse challenge websites
• do a craft project with my kids

Do you suffer from fear of losing your creative edge? What are some ways you break through a "block"? Really, we all want to know!

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Becoming a Life Artist: Part 1

I am so inspired by Ali Edwards, the well-known author and scrapbook artist. Her layouts are to die for, but her philosophy on living a creative life is really what draws me to her.  I checked our her book, Life Artist, from the library (again), and began thinking of ways to truly incorporate her ideas into my crafting and everyday life.  Thus, my own Life Artist series was born. Every week I will feature one of her guiding principles and how it relates to my own life journey.

This week's topic is "It is OK". For me and my type-A personality, this is a freeing principle. It means...

• I don't have to stress when things aren't perfect
• It is OK to leave some things undone
• I can define creativity any way I wish
• I can express my creativty any way I wish
• I don't have to remain in some pre-determined mold of someone else's choosing
• I can put myself first sometimes
• I can follow my list of to-do's, or not
• I can be spontaneous with my children and my art

I think the hardest thing for me to bring into my life is the notion that imperfection is OK. (There will be a whole post about this later.)


As I mentioned, I am fairly type-A. I like having a plan and having things go my way. But I have a very strong reminder in my life that these things aren't always possible- my health. Even the best-laid plans can go awry or need to be altered when fatigue or pain takes over. So that "perfect" day at the park with my kids may be cut short, or my "perfect" scrapbook design may need tweaked, depending on how my fingeres are working. It is all OK. My girls and I will still have enjoyed the little time we did have at the park, and my family will still appreciate any layout I create, whether it's simple or elaborate.
 
What does "It is OK" mean to you? Are there some areas of your life where this philosophy would be especially freeing?

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