365!

greetings!

well, i did it!  365 blog posts in 2015!  it is my major accomplishment for the year.  it feels so good to have done it.  it feels so good to be done with it.  i am glad i did it and glad i don't ever have to do it again.  i have lots of goals and plans for 2016, but 366 blog posts is not one of them (hey!  it's a leap year!).  not to say i won't be blogging.  i most certainly will!  it will just be more in the 233 posts on the year range like 2013 and 2014.  that is a much more manageable amount.

happy new year to you all!  thanks so much for spending time with me in 2015.  it has been a great year.  here's wishing a very wonderful year ahead to everyone.

much love,

doris

p.s. thanks to my friend christy for the festive kitties.  i stole the image off her facebook feed.  not sure where it came from originally, but it looks to be vintage.  ;)

cocoa daisy: january daisydori insert

got my january planner all set up just in time for the new year.  lots of talk about goals and plans in this one.  bring it on, 2016!

cocoa daisy: january mini mini

a super quick flip through of a very mini mini album created with the january day in the life cards from cocoa daisy.

top five favorite youtubers of 2015

not only do i make a lot of youtube videos these days, but i watch exponentially more of them, often with my traveler's notebook in front of me and my kitty in my lap.

these are my top five favorites so far.  i am always looking for new favorites if you have any to suggest.

palest blue - midori, filofax, hobonichi
my life mits - midori, hobonichi, living in japan
anna brim - planner/journal variety, british lifestyle
ali brown - midori, hilarious southern girl
fleurdevlog - charming couple, british lifestyle, makeup stylist on her main channel

there are lots more that i love.  this was a difficult decision.  you can see the rest of my subscriptions HERE.

top five youtube videos of 2015

perhaps you've noticed, but i've gotten into making youtube videos here recently too.  this one has 3,600 views and counting.  i really can't believe it and don't know why this one has so, so many.  its my very first video with my midori traveler's notebook and the first month cocoa daisy began offering the daisydori inserts.

i have never really enjoyed scrapbooking on video nor have i been very good at it.  i was tickled to find out that it's actually fun in the traveler's notebook.  this is my first attempt at a "journal with me" type video.

and this is my second.  i need to make more of these in 2016!

here is a junque journal diy with a delightful cameo from my 12 year old son at the end.

and my most recent planner set up and walk through!

top five nature photography outings of 2015

i really got into nature photography this year and it quickly became one of my favorite things to do.  i thought it would be hard to pick five favorites, but actually it was not.  there were five epic moments that really stood out to me immediately.  the first one i thought of was this early morning in the mist.  just wow.

and then there was that time that i encountered a hummingbird in the wild.

i was so psyched to finally encounter the elusive tennessee monarch.

there was that one time that g and i went to washington d.c. by ourselves.

and that little piece of paradise that i found in florida this past october.

top five books of 2015

i only got halfway through my goal of 52 books this year.  hoping to make a better attempt next year.  i feel like i didn't love a lot of the books i grabbed this year either.  not sure why.  just bad luck probably.  this one i absolutely loved though and also out of the easy by the same author.  really lovely books recommended to me by my high school librarian.

this one was given to my by my elementary librarian.  it was a very well written southern mystery.

i mean, that title.  stand up and be counted!

this will always be my favorite, no matter how many times i read it.  i was glad i decided to read go set a watchman though.  i thought it was a very excellent commentary on the times we are now in.

so glad to have men skippyjon jones this year.  he is delightful.

top five papercrafting projects of 2015

all time favorite card.  there is much more to this one than what you see in this photo.  see the rest of the story HERE.

i worked with a5 filofax style planner inserts from cocoa daisy from january through august of this year.  looking at this makes me realize why people switch around and use multiply styles of planners.  this was so fun!  i want to do it again!  ack!

 favorite mini this year.  you can see the interior pages in this video.

i absolutely adore my daisydoris.  of course, this month with the kitties had to be my favorite.  meow!

my very first ever hobonichi doodle.  really looking forward to working on this project in 2016.

top five project life pages of 2015

 i mean, the foot silhouette on the PL card!  ha!

old school "love, elsie aka a beautiful mess"

cute coin pockets.

pockets and a layout.

wait!  that's not a PL page, is it?  ;)

top five layouts of 2015

it was really hard to pick five favorites from my layouts this year.  in the end i almost randomly chose them from the ones that really made me feel sentimental.  looking back at my year in paper has made me realize how much i really love this craft.  there is such an emotional connection with scrapbooking.

cocoa daisy: flirt

there is a lovely love theme in the january cocoa daisy kits, perfect for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary photos.  my dad has become quite the flirt.  ;)

christmas in florida

it wouldn't be christmas morning without me taking some horrible photos.  it's become a tradition.  i kind of like them now.  they're part of our holiday history.

i was especially tickled with how my sister perched her gifts on the couch right behind g's head.  that made for a great composition.

uncle jim got g a a camping survival shovel.  papa said he carried one just like it in korea only it was a little bigger.

 this is my favorite christmas morning photo.  classic papa.

this is the only photo i dare show of my niece and sister.  my niece specifically told me not to take her picture and my sister was still in her jammies (as was i, but i had the camera - ha!).

i think gma was a little jealous of all g's mega candy.

 my baby still gets legos from santa.  aaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwww . . . :)

we had lunch at my sister's house, so i got to see my beautiful brown eyed nieces again.

i took 20 photos of my brother in law and his puppies.  he is well trained and knows to keep his eyes on the camera while waiting for his kids to do the same.

showing off their new shoesies.

my sister is collecting quite an impressive collection of christmas yard art.  fun times.  ;)

cocoa daisy: lots of project life pages

i cranked through my april project life pages with the january cocoa daisy ditl kit.  april is done!  hoping to finish march soon and then do another flip through video.  i'm into videos lately.  :)

north florida: backyard in winter (p.m.)

my feet really were not presentable, but i could not resist airing them out in the 70 degree weather.  but my goodness, that leaf!  the fire ants made me pay for my barefoot indiscretion.  my toes itched all the way back to tennessee.