30 Days of Lists | March 2012

I enjoyed the 30 Days of Lists class so much last year that I'm doing it again this March. I also created a Journal to use, similar to the 30 Days Journal I used in September, and added a few to the shop. There are only two left, but remember that I have a coupon code on the I Love It All Facebook page for a 10% discount.

I contemplated going a different route, but liked having a mini book already created with a pack of goodies on hand which helped me, in September, in creating my page every morning, photographing and uploading to Flickr that very same day that swayed me to do the same thing for every 30 Days class I'll take. Something about repetition is comforting to me.


The yellow washi tape was removed from the kraft bag full of goodies that comes with the 30 Days mini album kit from the shop. I then added more washi tape strips and used another little strip to adhere the tag that holds my mini book title.


30 Days of Lists from iloveitall.etsy.com

If you move the title aside, I added the date for the class. I figured that if I continue to take more classes, I might want to know when I journaled all my lists. I've embellished my front cover in a rather simple way, but with layers which is kind of  theme with me, in preparation for the first list on March 1st.

30 Days of Lists from iloveitall.etsy.com

I'll be keeping all my goodies inside the bag they come in so that it's all handy when I journal my lists each day.

30 Days of Lists from iloveitall.etsy.com

Here's what you'll get if you decide to purchase a mini book {and there's another super secret goody pack that you'll receive with your purchase that I didn't photograph...who doesn't love surprises, right?}.

30 Days of Lists from iloveitall.etsy.com30 Days of Lists from iloveitall.etsy.com

HELPFUL LINKS
Read more about the #30lists challenge {affiliate link}
Find more charming mini books and journals in my shop!
More 30 Days of Lists inspiration here.

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.

You can find this Gratitude Journal in the shop and you can also...


Using the negatives of cardstock journaling stickers and some leftover number stickers, I embellished this week in February...


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, visit with me at I Love It All .

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.

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.

Valentine Day Treat Bag Topper | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

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. Make one using a tin just like this one!


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.

the twinery & momenta | blog hop

Welcome followers and fans of The Twinery and Momenta! We have an amazing line-up of designers presenting crafty and creative projects using the most colorful, fully saturated, luscious baker's twine on the market.

That's right, it's a Blog Hop!


You should have arrived here from the blog of the creative Cristal Hobbs.

I made my first project using all the sherbet colored shades of baker's twine from The Twinery: cantaloupe, shore, flax, orchid, blossom, buttercream, honeydew,  and caribbean. It's a mobile I made to decorate a corner of my craft room, not in front of the door as you see here...this was just my staging area. In addition to my The Twinery twine and an embroidery hoop, I used embellishments from the Kaleidoscope collection from Momenta. The Clear Layered Stickers, Flair Buttons, Sticker Kit and 5x7 Cardstock Pad all were used to embellish the mobile.

Please note, I don't recommend placing a mobile of this sort above a crib as some of the items may fall and could cause a choking hazard to the most precious gift you'll ever receive: your child.

Using a small serving tray from the craft store, I painted it black, placed some glitter embellished double-sided cardstock in the bottom, used Blossom, Cantaloupe and Orchid baker's twine to hide the edges and covered a raw chipboard frame I had on hand with more paper from the Kaleidoscope 5x7 cardstock pad from Momenta before choosing a sticker and tag from the Sticker Kit and a Clear Layered Sticker which I added to the top of the tag. 


What a sweet little gift I now have to send to my friend of 32 years for her birthday!


Your next stop on the hop is with the talented Mara Campbell.

Here's the Blog Hop lineup in case you'd like to start at the beginning for your chance to win...have fun!

The Twinery 
Jamie Cripps
Cristal Hobbs
Mara Campbell 
Christine Meyer
Sarabeth Burke

Should you be the lucky winner on Friday, you will receive the Ultimate Color Sampler pack {value $25}. Each of the colors is 100% cotton, eco-friendly and manufactured in the US. 


Comments must be left on each participating blog to be eligible for prizes and will remain open until 11:59 pm EST, Friday, February 17th. Drawing will be done by respective companies and announced on Monday, February 20th.  Additional rules to win are up to each company.

february photo a day | a challenge | days 1 - 9

The February Photo A Day Challenge is created by @fatmumslim and I'm taking my photos with my iPhone using the Intagram app, using the challenge prompts as my contribution to my Photo365 project: taking an Instagram photo a day, every day,  in 2012.

day 1 | your view

day 2 | words
thankful thoughts every day

day 3 | hands
if it's morning, my hands are going to be wrapped around a coffee mug

day 4 | a stranger
that's me in the side view mirror taking the photo

 day5 | 10am

day 6 | dinner
nana's bday dinner | filet mignon, sauteed mushrooms, twice bake potatoes, salad with homemade blue cheese dressing

day 7 | button

day 8 | sun 
taken through the sun roof, the left streak is actually from an airplane

day 9 | front door
girls entering school

Today's prompt? Self-Portrait. Wonder if I can come up with something original for that one?