Possible New Year's Resolutions

Okay. I say possible because I haven't decided yet which ones I will choose to do. The first, always being about weight, SHOULD be the first on my list, but it's not. I say should be, because after all of the butter that I used for my holiday baking, any normal person would be concerned. I am not.

(This is only from one day of baking. I baked for 4 days. You do the math.)

My second choice is to give a try at art journaling. It is something I have been interested in for a while now, but I can't draw, so we will see.

Next, is to choose a word for 2010 (as seen here), and actually apply it to my life.

Another option will be to blog more and put my art out where more people can see it. This is hard for me as I am a really private person. The most I ever share is what you read here. And that is not much.

One that I know I will stick with is to cook one new meal out of a cookbook per month. My husband and I cook together, so this is one that we are both looking forward to.

I want to read more, take more time for myself without feeling guilty, and just learn to relax. I have a hard time with that last one.

There are more that I am thinking of, but this will do for now. For the most part, I just want me and my family to be happy, healthy, and enjoy life. If that is all that I accomplish in 2010, then that is okay by me.

Happy New Year!

Holiday Greeting

I wanted to take the time to thank you for reading and following my little blog. I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season. And I hope the New Year brings you all of the peace, love, and joy that your heart can hold.

Happy Holidays

A Quick Peek

Here is a sneak peek of my advent calendar made with scraps and leftover embellishments.

You can view the whole calendar at Scrap Our Stash. There is still time for you to participate in our December scraps challenge. Head over and check it out!

Frugal Friday Tip

I submitted this layout for the Frugal Friday tip over at Scrap Our Stash.

There is still time to join us for the December challenge. You must create a layout or project using at least 50% scraps. No new papers are to be harmed in this experiment. I hope to see you there.

Sketchy Thursday

I am so enjoying the site Sketchy Thursdays. I get to play along with the weekly designs and I end up with some really cool pages at the same time. This is my take on the sketch for the week of 12/10.

 I took this photo over the summer and I had even sketched something very similiar myself, but I just hadn't gotten around to it. I knew that I wanted to do the apple die cut and this sketch just fit.

Family (Sketchy Thursday Design Team Sketch)

My layout is based on this Sketchy Thursday's January's guest design team sketch. I used three different pattern papers, from three different paper lines. I combined Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey, and Studio Calico.

I also had to use three groups of three embellishments. I wasn't sure I would be able to get this one done on time, but now that it is finished, I am glad that I did.

Sketchy Thursdays

"Edible Art" is my submission for the Sketchy Thursdays design for the week of 12/3/09.

I printed my journaling directly on my background sheet. I used pattern paper from the LYB "25 Days" line to create my border strip; which I then punched with a Fiskars punch. I used ribbon for the strips behind my photos. My title was created using Basic Grey chipboard letters.

To finish it off, I added two glitter brads for a little touch of bling.

Camera Shy

I have been having the idea for doing this layout mulling around in my head for a while. When this pattern paper came in a kit, I knew that it would be perfect for this page.

I cut the pattern paper using my Heidi Swapp Brackets mask. I then punched my strips using the Fiskars "leave it to weaver" border punch. I used Thickers for my title and printed my journaling and then cut it into strips.

I glued my pictures behind the filmstrip and stapled it into place. The final touch is a camera stamp (from Studio Calico) that I cut and inked to antique it. I then pop dotted it under my title.

And yes, while I do dislike being in front of the camera, I still make an effort to get some of me into our family albums. I hope that you do too.

Advent Calendar

I created this using the tree from an old Starbucks advent calendar and scraps of a Making Memories Christmas paper pack.

I punched my squares using a 1 3/4 inch EK Success punch. Then, I used a small circle punch and centered it on each square and punched a half circle out to make the finger hole for pulling out each drawer.

After gluing my squares down to each drawer, I decorated with rub-on numbers and tiny embellishments left over from the kit. I know that it will become a treasure for my daughter to use each year.

Family Photos

On Thanksgiving, my sisters wanted to take a family photo of us, since we were all together. First off, it was kinda cold. Second, it had rained earlier that week, so the ground was still wet. And third, well, it is family.

It was windy, so everyone's hair was blowing. One sister got her shoe stuck in the mud. And getting the children in place takes an act of congress. All of this is what it takes for my family to get...

THIS!!! Not the greatest, but definately a keeper. Ahh, family. Got to love them.

Recycled Treat Box

I created this treat box for this month's challenge over at Scrap Our Stash. I recycled an embellishment container, used left over scraps from a kit, and added my own candy. What a cute little gift for a teacher or anyone extra on your list.

You can use all kinds of containers for this. The Grungeboard containers are big enough to hold a DVD. The size I used can also hold square coasters. You are only limited by your imagination.

Try to look around your house and see what containers you have lying around that can be transformed into something else. This is a great way to "Go Green."

It's Finally Here!!!

Today is the day to head on over to the Scrap Our Stash blog. The first challenge using our scraps was posted today. Take this challenge and send in your creation to Kathy. I hope that you play along. I can't wait to see what you do with your scraps.