one little word: happy new year!

happy new year!

i had intended to greet 2015 with my eyes wide open, but g and i had a blast at our friends' house last night and didn't let go of 2014 till 3:00 in the morning.  i'm a little sleepy around the edges today, and g is still sleeping.  life is good, right?

i couldn't find any great unshared photos, so this is what you get.  a little peek at what will be my first layout of 2015.  it was a good 90% done yesterday, is still a good 90% done today, and will likely still be a good 90% done tomorrow.  it's all good.

i've chosen my word for 2015.  "changes."  the thing is, 2014 was good.  really good.  g and i enjoyed it thoroughly.  i'm tempted to just say "more of the same."  but, changes are inevitable for us this year.  jenni has embraced a new future for her business, so now i have the freedom to rethink how papercrafting fits into my life.  g crosses over from cub scouts to boys scouts in march and then graduates the 5th grade and starts middle school in the fall.  woah.  and, darn it!, i really do want to paint my house this year!

so, changes are on the horizon.  i feel we should greet them with arms wide open.  embrace them.  make them our own.

i signed up for ali's "one little word" class for the first time ever.  that's a change, right?

i hope this first day of a brand new year is finding you open to the opportunities for happiness that life presents.

(go seminoles! ;),

doris

one little word: holiday mini-album

i am still loving this little project.  it's my one little word mini-album based on the word "holiday."  so fun.  i've settled into a routine of having the intro to each month appear on a transparent page.  i've also been sticking to my jbs mercantile kits for that month (with heavy emphasis on the antiquarian).  it's been a good combination thus far.  i was worried this month that i didn't have a transparent paper to use, but then i came up with the idea of using washi tape to piece together two of the four x six acetate sheets from the mini-album kit.  perfect!

here's how the page looks behind the peekaboo portion.  i listed my favorite things about march.  march is a very good (happy birthday) month for me. 

 

these are the rest of my february pages.  the calendar page (and i've still forgotten to ask my mother for a complete list of family birthdays) and a few favorite quotes from pinterest.  (and argh i need to find a glue strong enough to hold those "holiday" letters in place).

superbowl appetizers (my friend and i have an inside joke with supercup) and (shamefully) another i don't eat peas page (really, i am an adult).

presidents' day (hee.  i dressed my son and his little friend as abe and george) and the olympics.

and then our monthly together pic with some notes about current favorites.  this is such a fun project!

one little word: jbs mercantile february gallery updates

here's the next installment of my holiday album.  i think january is mostly completed and now i'm starting in on february.  i am absolutely having so much fun with this project.  i think it might be my most favorite scrapbook project ever.  this is the intro to february, created with a couple amazing pieces from the february jbs mercantile antiquarian kit (the dt gallery has been updated, btw.  be sure to check it out for some more amazing inspiration!).

 the rest of these pages are mostly from the january kits.  i finally got my intro page done!  hooray!

this page makes me SO hungry.  i challenged myself to make a soup a week in january and now i'm thinking i should still be making a soup a week, like, forever.  love, love, love soup!

crack me up.  i do not like peas.  some of you may not be aware, but black eyed peas is a southern tradition to bring luck if eaten on new year's day.  i don't need that kinda luck.  ha!

my seminoles winning the rose bowl and national championship.  oh that was a happy day!

and this page on the left is an idea that i've picked up from corrie jones.  i love the way she makes a page about herself each month.  i've decided to borrow that concept for each month in my holiday album.  last year i challenged myself to take a pic of my son and i each month.  this year i want to continue with that, but i'm going to add journaling about what we're each doing/loving that month.

when i started this project, i had no idea what direction it would take.  now with a month under my belt, i've got some definite ideas about what i'd like to include each month.  these are:

a pretty, festive intro page for each month (and probably an overlay with it too)
a photo of my son and i and the accompanying journaling
a page of quotes for the month
a page of recipes
a calendar with birthdays
holidays highlighted

so, so fun.  this has helped me stay on track with my one little word and is actually making me feel happier each month.  no kidding.  :)

one little word: dream

i've been adding pages to my 2014 one little word album all month.  one idea i've had is to highlight the holidays.  martin luther king's birthday is one deserving of respect.  a few weeks ago, i actually overheard an english teacher at my school comment that this speech was overused and students' eyes would glaze over in class when it was played.  she even alluded to her own eyes glazing over as well.  really?  really?  i was appalled.  and so very sad.  as an educator, i feel it's my job to expose my students to greatness (whether they like it or not).  our world is so much better because this man lived and died.  listen.  again and again and again.

one little word 2014!

happiest of new years to you!  i picked me one little word for 2014 . . . holiday!  i'm excited about the idea of celebrating all the fabulous people and moments in my life this year. 

have you chosen a word to guide your year?  this is my fourth year with this tradition.  in 2010 i chose "focus."  that was pretty much a dud.  i'm a deep thinker to begin with, so a word that made me even more somber was just too much.  the next year i went polar opposite and chose "joy."  that was a little better, but ironically it lacked focus.  ha!  i did try to start an art journal with that one, but it didn't really take.  last year i tried once more and picked "details."  that one was a winner!  i started project life, did two months of haiku challenges, and two months of photo-a-day challenges.  i also rocked valentine's day and my christmas mantel among other things.  these last two gave me the idea of this year's word, "holiday."  i want to remember birthdays and send christmas cards this year.  i want to do some decor projects for the holidays and host a few parties.  things like that.  i think it's a fun way to be present and make the days, weeks, and months more special.  i decided to try giving my word it's own home again this year.  instead of the art journal, i'm going with a handbook/mini-album style.  i'm not sure yet what all i'll put in it, but i'll keep you posted!

the foundation of the book is a basic grey handbook that i got in a recent jbs mercantile mini-album kit.  i also took the guts (dividers, page protectors) out of a pink paislee handbook i had (from another previous mini-album kit).  most of the bits are from the january jbs mercantile artisan and antiquarian kits.  i simply adore those large die-cut numbers - sheer perfection for the start of a new year.  and vintage bits always add so much charm to a page.  the little flatback is exclusive to the main kit.  i can't wait to really break into that one.  the exclusives this month are fabulous.

this spread has a little note about my word on the left and my first "6 word sentence" on the right (more on that next challenge week!).

and here i've printed a calendar to put birthdays and obscure holidays on (i got my holiday list from tami's "got glue" journal class) and a pocket full of quotes from my pinterest quote board.  i chose quotes that set the tone for my new year.

those are the ideas i have so far.  i'm sure more ideas will come to me as the month progresses.  :)