gratitude journal | how i'm using it

Were you a bit perplexed with the Gratitude Journal concept and what you were going to do with 52 blank pages? Maybe even intimidated? Did you think you wouldn't keep up with it?

I've already shared some pages from my Gratitude Journal and now I'll show you how I'm using the same Journal I offered in the shop and making it unique to me, even though MANY, MANY other people have this very same Journal. I'll admit, I've skipped some days, but I am moving forward. Just because I didn't record a thankful thought on that particular day does not mean I wasn't, or am not, grateful. I'm not going to let a day or two or three deter me. I am grateful for each new day, for the comforts and sillies and smiles of every single day.

Using the negatives of cardstock journaling stickers and some leftover number stickers...

You caught me, I didn't record a whole week's thoughts here, I missed two days...

I only recorded one thought for the whole week, but I filled up the page with a stamp and let it be...

More colored pencils {I snag them from the girls, tee hee}...

If you're journaling your Gratitudes, whether it's with a Journal you purchased from me or one you made yourself, leave a comment with a link to any online photos...I'd love to stop by for a visit. If you think you might like to have Gratitude Journal for yourself, they're sold out, but contact me and we'll set up a custom listing for you for March - December. It's never too late.

on watch

color challenge | the play date cafe

Playing along today with The Play Date Cafe challenge and the colors just are so fun!

Baby Blue...Orangesicle...Basil

So I always tell you that I'm not a cardmaker and this just proves it...spare, simple and few embellishments.

But what I did add to pump up the volume was this cute twine pop dotted element that adds another texture in addition to the sparkly glitter in the green stripes of the patterned paper. After applying Glossy Accents to a punched circle, I wound Shore baker's twine around and around.

Won't you come play, too?

using a sketch | featuring becky fleck and PageMaps 2

If you think you're in the wrong place, you're not. Don't be shocked that you see a scrapbooking layout. I've been distracted by other projects and haven't been posting {or creating} many scrapbook layouts for a while. I have so many stories and ideas for awesome layouts filed away in my noggin, but just have not made it a priority to get it out of my head and onto paper.

|  supplies used  |

cardstock, stickers, brads, buttons {Pebbles} baker's twine {The Twinery} shipping tag {I Love It All}

Not that this layout is a story that needed to be told before the hundreds of others that should be documented. But, years from now we'll get to look back on this room at this moment and time and say, "I remember." I have fun here. It makes me smile. It's where I work.

Join me and my other write.click.scrapbook. teammates, Marnie Flores and Celeste Smith, today as we use a sketch {or PageMap} by Becky Fleck today on the blog where it's give.away.day. And there are two ways you can win today, so be sure to click over.

sketch challenge | the twinery

Using a sketch by CPS Sketches, I created this card {for their challenge} using some papers from Echo Park and the soft touch of a bit of Buttercream baker's twine from The Twinery.

Feel free to stop by to see the sketch and enter your own card creation for the chance to win a sampler pack of the world's best baker's twine from the challenge sponsor, The Twinery.

purple pretties

I've been crushing on the Instagram app and my iPhone camera lately, just for the pure ease and agility of it all. Yesterday, as the girls were outside and begging me to come outside as well, I grabbed the big, honkin' Canon 40D and went outside in the gloriously warm weather we've been having. I took nearly 100 photos in just a short bit. 100. As I was downloading the photos, I realized how much I do love my big camera. No matter how handy the iPhone is, it will never replace my beloved 40D.

There, I said it. I love my camera.

we are 5 | creating keepsakes blog guest post

I have a confession...I’m a bit of a mini book fanatic. Okay, so you already knew that it’s actually my go-to medium for documenting our family’s stories and that I’ll choose a mini book before making a layout most any day. Let me share this project that I was honored, and thrilled, and giddy to share on the Creating Keepsakes magazine blog recently.

I’ve left my embellishments in this mini album to the bare minimum, just letting the papers, photos and words shine, but you could certainly add layers and trinkets and chipboard until your binder rings won’t hold another thing! Somehow, this just seemed right.

After printing off your free mini book page download, decide whether you wish to use 6x4 photos or to trim them to 4x4 as I did. Using the 4x4 photos allowed me to make my album pages have staggered sizes. Each page of the album gets progressively longer and more of the patterned paper shows.

We’re a family of five, hence the “we are 5” title, and each of us has our own page in this mini book describing what our loves were at the time these photos were taken last Easter.

And  now for the cuties in our life:

Yes, that's one of the 4 new baker's twine colors from The Twinery! This shade is Orchid and you're gonna LOVE it for all your Springtime projects. It coordinates perfectly with the papers from Echo Park I've used. See that cute little knot? Let me show you a threading tip on how to get that somewhat thicker baker's twine {yes, The Twinery baker's twine is thick and luscious, not thin and bleh} through a smallish hole.

I've shared this threading trick before and here it is again. Using floral wire, cut a length, fold the wire over and slip your twine through. 

Now you can easily pull your twine through your punched hole with no problem at all.

I felt that the twine on the inside front cover looked out of place, so I cut a scrap into a pennant banner, added a sticker and the letter "W" {for Wright} and now I think it looks like it was meant to be!

I hope you enjoy your mini book page template, which will also be available in the downloads section.

are you up for a challenge?

The Twinery is sponsoring a rather inspiring and fun challenge blog, The Play Date Cafe, this week.  I had never participated in a challenge blog project and felt that I wanted to give it a try. In actuality, rather than the card I created, I really should have completed a layout as I am woefully behind in documenting our family stories.

I'm excited to share my contribution, but please do check these creative contributions out as well! The colors I used are part of the challenge this week and not something I would tend to group together. But, guess what...I really like it and it makes me happy.

I used my Crop-o-Dile to punch holes in the right side of the card so that I could cross stitch the "x" with the Pink Sorbet baker's twine more easily, using this threading technique, of course!

If you've never tried a challenge yourself, now would be the perfect time for your first time, as the winner receives two baker's twine sampler packs from The Twinery. I'll be linking up my project over at The Play Date Cafe as well, but I'm not eligible to win as I'm part of The Twinery Design Team, and they're sponsoring the challenge this week. But there's always next week!

52Photos | soft

my 52Photos capture

Not to get too personal, but this older photo of our bedroom, and specifically our bed and its TempurPedic mattress, shows you just about the most comfortable thing in our home. Well, our down-filled soft is pretty comfy, too. We have those mornings, more often in the Winter months, when we don't want to get out of bed and leave the super-soft mattress. We often tell each other, "I can't get up, the bed is hugging me." And it does. Yes, it does.

next week's theme

good

the wrap up

Wonder what weekly themes Lisa has in store for us next? You can always check the Flickr group for updated info.

day full of heart

Gordon and I joked when we were out with the girls for dinner on Saturday that it was probably going to be our romantic Valentine's Day dinner. We were across the table from each other, his eyes were twinkling {like they do sometimes} and he blew a kiss my way. 

hugs & kisses art print

Don't admonish me and say that we should make time to have a Valentine's Day date together.  We do adore time spent alone, together, trust me. But, we also know that the eight years since Isabella was just a baby have flown by. And the six years since Victoria was a newborn. And the 17 years since Zach first met "Mr. Gordon" whom he now calls Dad. We'll have time to be alone, together, more and more as the years go by. We already have those "remember when they were just babies" talks and they're just in Elementary school.

While the girls had a day home from school for a Teacher's Prep Day yesterday, we worked on their Valentine's Day goody bags for their friends, teachers and support staff. It was sort of last minute because Mommy couldn't find the cards she had ordered online. Therefore, I designed and printed out banner tabs to add to some glassine bags.

Inside the bags were Smarties, a balloon, a marker and that's all...plenty, though, I think.

My Sweetie, Gordon, will find this mini book on his side of the bed when he gets home from work tonight, 10 Things I Love About Him. And, of course, the Alphabet of Our Love continues to be read from time to time, which makes me smile.

Here's a banner that's been hanging on the picture ledge in our bedroom, not too sweet, just wRight.

Each of the girls is getting a bag full of love along with some other goodies in their heart-shaped basket. I'll be sending one to Zach as well...he'll pretend he doesn't want one, but he does.

Oma is getting this felt heart pin, of course.

Nana will be getting this notepad I created, since I forgot to give it to her on her birthday last week.

Wishing you a day full of heart.