right now | february 2014

There are still weeks to go until Spring, but here in East Tennessee we have been treated with some gorgeous days full of bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. It's such a treat for the soul.




february  |  2.26.14

feeling
really pale and blah, I need some sunshine and warmer days

on the to do list
research for sumer day camps + activities
wallpaper search for basement wall

my guilty pleasure
the salon trips and make-up purchases so I don't look my age...I hope!

favorites
sour patch kids in the treat size bags...they seem MORE sour

dreaming about
a fun trip to Charleston to see Zach with the girls and Oma

grateful for
my little space heater, it keeps my studio toasty warm


Download your page template here
Here's the post where I share how I created my mini album.


right now 2014 archives
january february march april may june july august september october november december 

we're the lucky ones | a shipping tag mini album

While I had the shipping tags and canvas bags out making the I'm the Lucky One! mini album for Gordon that I shared Monday...


I'm the Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitall.etsy.com

...I thought it would be cute to make something for the kids, too. Yes, I still include Zach in these goofy little gifts of love. Doesn't every 22-year old want their Mom sending them a canvas bag full of shipping tags?

Or you can...

LET'S BEGIN
  1. Gather your supplies:  canvas bagshipping tags, letter stickers, washi tape, book binder ring, ink , stamp and markers.
  2. Stamp onto the canvas bag, first placing a scrap piece of cardstock inside the bag so the ink doesn't bleed through to the other side, and set aside to dry. 
  3. Write your special note on mini shipping tags, spacing the message amongst several tags.
  4. Create a cover for your mini album with washi tape and letter stickers.
  5. Gather tags and bind with a book binder ring.
  6. Tuck mini album inside canvas bag...there's still plenty of room for a coupon, small treat, gift card or even cash!

Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

Once St. Patrick's Day draws nearer, I'll create a coupon for something special for us to do together to tuck inside the canvas bags for the girls and for Zach, I'll probably just tuck in a gift card to his favorite Wings restaurant...just because we think they're kinda extra special kids!


WE'RE THE LUCKY ONES

Lucky One Mini Album | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

MAKE YOUR OWN

If you have the notion to make some shipping tag + canvas bag creations for your "lucky ones" these are the supplies I used:

and I used a shamrock stamp, green glitter letter stickers, ink, markers and washi tape I had in my craft stash.

calendar cuties | march 2014

March 2014 Calendar Cuties | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com


March is going to be a good, good month...yes, it is! It's my birthday month and I'll be entering a new decade full of dreams and possibilities and adventures and, yes changes. Here's your Calendar Cutie download and I hope you have as good a month as I plan to have!

I'd love to see how you're using your Calendar Cuties...share on Instagram with #calendarcuties and tag me @monikawright_iloveitall so I can see!

Download your March Calendar Cutie here and find more Calendar Cutie downloads here.

i'm the lucky one | mini album

I love finding new ways to let my husband know how much he means to me. Maybe it's just me, but I think he gets a kick out of my quirky, goofy, but oh so loving craft projects.

i'm the lucky one mini album | iloveitall.etsy.com
I have the mini album in the shop and they're a cute way to share with your sweetie just how special they are to you. Be sure to visit the shop listing where I show you a few ways to personalize your tag pages.

Here are a few sample pages for you:

i'm the lucky one mini album | iloveitall.etsy.com

Feel crafty? Find the same manila shipping tags I used here.
Looking for more fun crafting supplies?

countdown to spring download | freebie friday

Freebie Friday Spring Countdown | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

We've had more snow this year than we've had in a very, very long time. The beauty of the pristine, freshly fallen snow is quite peaceful and serene. But, I long for the warmer, breezier days that cannot be that far behind. Since Wednesday, we've had temperatures in the 70's with a slight breeze. I even saw people in flip flops already.

So, let's celebrate the coming of Spring with a countdown!

I've already begun list of things I'd like to accomplish this Spring and there's room to add a few more. I used this template to write my numbers, although I'm not that crazy about the "8" in this set.


What's on your Countdown to Spring to do list?

Find more free downloads.
And here are some Filofax posts and downloads.

gratitude journal | weeks 6 through 8

I am grateful for my Gratitude Journal

Gratitude Journal | iloveitall.etsy.com

There, I've said it. And it's true, I am thankful to have taken that step years ago to gather up scraps and bits of paper and cardstock and journaling cards to create a journal to hold my thoughts and frustrations and happiness and sorrows. 

Because, for me, I also record those days that aren't all sunshine and glitter. I have days when I feel overwhelmed and unappreciated and I'm not afraid to document that that's how I'm feeling. That's life. That's my life, as ordinary as it may seem, and I can make my own rules.

Some weeks I've been embellishing pages, but this week I just went with the page that was at hand and took it at face value. I used a purple gel pen, and I'm not really a purple person so that was my "embellishment" for the week.

#gratitude #journal #gratitudejournal #scrapbooking #minialbum #minibook

Look at that, did you notice that I didn't even finish the week?  I don't recall why this happened other than I let time get away from me as I worked hard in the shop getting out Valentine's Day orders. Not a very good excuse, I should have found the time to be aware of how thankful I was for my husband's support as he cooked and cleared the dishes each night and made trips to the Post Office so I could keep working. 

I didn't let that stop me and moved forward to Week Seven.

I found this stamp several years ago and just love including it in the month of February! Whether or not one happens to have a person or pet to love, there's got to be something we love about life, so why not record it.

#gratitude #journal #gratitudejournal #scrapbooking #minialbum #minibook

And here we are already into week 8 of the year.

The kraft paper is a scrap that I trimmed into a pennant sharp and I added some washi tape and used my tiny attacher to add it to the page. Have I told you that I love notebook paper? Specifically, the kind that is on the thin side and is wide ruled. 

#gratitude #journal #gratitudejournal #scrapbooking #minialbum #minibook

Just had to share all the chunky layers and bits peeking out from my Journal...gosh I love that, too. For me, that's a motivating source; that I get to see what next week's paper will be. And then the week after that and the week after that week.

#gratitude #journal #gratitudejournal #scrapbooking #minialbum #minibook

I offer the Gratitude Journal from January - December, each month adding the next month's selection while still keeping the previous months available as well. It's really neat to see that customers are still purchasing the January - December journal, making me think that they have already been documenting their thankful thoughts and happened upon my Journal and decided to splurge a little bit on themselves. And I thank them for that.

Read more Gratitude Journal posts here.

5 on the 5th | february 2014

I recorded little snippets of our extraordinarily ordinary everyday beautiful life...this month at 20 past the hour.

Did you?
Share a link if you posted so I can drop by and take a peek!


Read more about 5 on the 5th project here.


1  |  7:20 am : A 7:00 dental appointment so we don't miss much school. A kind and caring hygienist encouraging Victoria and working with her on her flossing technique. A good report and no cavities.

2  | 1:20 pm : Me loving my job + working hardtop ship Valentine's goodies earlier than promised.

3  |  3:20 pm : After school snack guarded by Pet Rocks decorated at yesterday's after school Library program.

4   |  6:20 pm : The fishies are hungry, too.

5  |  7:20 pm : Science Fair project experiment time...working on her hypothesis.


If you're new to the blog and want to know more about 5 on the 5th, read this blog post. If you post about your own #5onthe5th photos, leave a comment so I can drop by for a visit!

follow along on Instagram {monikawright_iloveitall} where I tag my photos with #5onthe5th
all photos made using my iPhone 5s

classroom valentine's day cards with upcycled crayons


With the idea of making Valentine's Day cards for the girls' classroom friends, back in January I had the them scouring every drawer and art box they had.  Our My goal was to rid ourselves of outcast crayons and make them useful again. 

Surely we're not the only ones to have crayons that are beyond hope and less than loved.

THE PROCESS

Begin by peeling the wrappers off the crayons. This takes some time.

Crayon Hearts | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

+  Once peeled, break the crayons into 1/2" to 1" pieces. 
+  You can choose to make a single color crayon, but my girls love to combine colors. 
+  Place your baking tray onto a cookie sheet and heat in a 200 degree F oven for 20 minutes, or until melted. 
+  Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from your baking tray.

+  After printing and trimming your download to size, adhere the crayon hearts with two foam dots and place inside a glassine bag, this is the one I used, and close with your favorite washi tape.

MOMMY TIP of the DAY

Because we did this project for Isabella's Kindergarten class, I knew that peeling crayon wrappers was a real %$@*!, I would advise that you use your craft knife and slice a line down the middle of the crayon. Obviously, only an adult needs to do this and if your kids are very young, I would suggest that you even do this part when they're not around. Craft knives are dangerous. 

Because I sliced the crayon wrappers, the time spent peeling was considerably less. And, there was considerably less whining as well. From Mommy and kiddos.

THE DOWNLOADS

Classroom Card


Valentine's Day Card




I designed the heart card thinking that the Teachers might allow the kids to color in the hearts with their new crayons and take home a card to their sweet Mom, Dad, Grandma or some other special person they love with all their heart!


quick + simple valentine's day cards

I was doing some browsing around the world wide web the other day and noticed that the ombre trend is still in full force and more popular than ever. Although I don't have any ombre fashions in my personal wardrobe, I can now say that I've joined the rest of the world in creating an ombre craft!

Quick + Simple Valentine's Cards | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

I've been nuts about baker's twine from The Twinery since day one, I love all the shades and the Solids really pack a powerful and colorful punch.  Today, I'm going to share with you how I created these three simple Valentine's Day cards in just minutes. 

Truly, just minutes. As much as I like layers upon layers in my mini books, when it comes to cards, I prefer simple. Maybe because I make them in batches, usually, and am almost always in a pickle to get them done quickly so that I can mail them.

Happy Heart Day
To achieve the neat edge on this card, I first lined my card with glue strips. After laying a strand of baker's twine on top of the strips, making sure each one was straight, I gently smooshed the strand onto the card before going to the next strand of baker's twine. I cut each row of baker's twine longer than I needed so that I could trim all the strands at one time, helping me to achieve that crisp edge.

Quick + Simple Valentine's Cards | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
The Recipe
4 strands of Solid Maraschino
3 strands of Solid Pink Sorbet 
5 strands of Solid Blossom

Gift Tag
Using a kraft inspired piece of cardstock, I created this gift bag tag with a guy in mind...although my youngest daughter is a huge fan of blue. I had only a few shades of Copic markers, and I'm not very good at using them, so those shades inspired my choice of baker's twine.

Prefer to buy ready made tags to embellish? You can find manila shipping tags in my shop.

Quick + Simple Valentine's Cards | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com
The Recipe
2 strands of Solid Caribbean

Happy Valentine's Day Card
While I had out my supplies, I thought I would create a card, since I had some of the kraft-like cardstock remaining. Searching through my scraps, I found a strip of patterned cardstock, from My Mind's Eye and border punched it, which serves as the perfect complement for the Solid Strawberry baker's twine I strung through my button.

Quick + Simple Valentine's Cards | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

Keep it Quick + Simple this Valentine's Day creating ombre cards with The Twinery twine.

Quick + Simple Valentine's Cards | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

Don't have time to make your own cards? Check these out

filofax friday | february 2014

Filofax Friday | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

We're six weeks into 2014 and I don't know about you, but I'm still tweaking my planner system, still  seeing what works best for me. To be truthful, I really like the whole process of writing dates down, making lists, planning, organizing and marking things as accomplished. I like rearranging sections and adding new categories...all in an effort to make it me. It makes me feel good.


*  at this time, downloads in this post are only available in Personal size

And now for the February 2014 edition of...

My Blog

By now, you all know I blog {duh} and I've been working on a system for me to monitor when I want to post my ongoing monthly series like Filofax Friday, 5 on the 5th, Right Now, Month-in-Review, my Gratitude Journal, One Little Word and Calendar Cuties.

Daily
To help me organize my daily blog posts, and to know what I have planned for each day, I simply turn to my Week on Two Pages lined Filofax calendar. I used to have unlined weekly pages and having the lines makes all the difference for me.

My method for this is: 


2nd line of the wo2p is for scheduled blog posts

below that I allow room for timed appointments and reminders which are introduced with a small circle. When the task is complete I color in the circle, if it's not colored in, then I evaluate whether it needs to be moved forward or let it go.

Monthly 
For tracking when I want to post recurring monthly blog post series, I go to my Month on Two Pages Filofax calendar and use the left hand page section to write in proposed dates, just to be sure that I remember to schedule them, but still allowing me to change dates if needed.


You can see that I've already erased several times, all doable because I'm using the .38 Frixion pen. Love it, but that's probably because I like to use pencils in my planner, which I would still be using but pencils tend to smudge and have a very broad nib.

My Business


Oh yeah, and I have a shop, too. I am a small business owner at I Love It All, but I'm thinking you already knew that. I play with pretty paper, design art prints {custom orders always welcome}, create mini books and journals and stock a few crafty supplies as well. 



Supply Needs
As with any business, there are supplies to stock and I needed a way to keep track of my inventory needs.  So, I designed a shopping list of sorts, which can be found in my shop here.

Just print, trim, score at 3.75" inches from the left edge and fold over the flap, toward your planner rings. There, isn't that awesome? Now your messy shopping list is hidden but still accessible.

To download your file, just click here.

My copy has my most used sources for shop supplies, but your copy has a lovely yellow rectangle where you can place your favorite shop names...or leave it blank. 


Mileage Tracker
Trips to the Post Office and other business adventures have to be tracked and this is what I'm using. Everyone uses a different method, but this one works for me. 

To download, click on the white arrow below. 



Follow Along
Follow me on Instagram, where I share loads more Filofax tips, tricks, hacks, ideas and DIY's that never make it here to the blog. Oh, and there's an occasional giveaway there as well. 

Find me on Pinterest where I have a board called to filofax where I pin fun planner goodies.

month in review | january 2014

The Month-In-Review mini albums look familiar to you, I'm sure. I've shared them here before and I did a post with links to the 2014 download for you last month.

In the past, there have been times that I actually referenced our Month-In-Review mini books to refresh my memory about when a particular thing actually happened. My memory is not what it used to be and plus, I get to browse back through photos and remember the moments that would have been lost had I not jotted them down.

Month In Review Download | iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

January 2014
  • Our newest little rag doll kitty, Bandit, joins the family.  He's cute, cuddly, friendlier than Smoky, but such an energetic little fella.
  • Gordon buys {another} Scout! It's on it's way from Arizona and he can't wait until it gets here so he can tinker and bang and hammer another piece of rusty metal into a gorgeous, vintage set of wheels.
  • Furnace out since December 30th, freezing temps and lots and lots of snow days. Yes, it's still out as of today, the parts that have been ordered just don't seem to do the trick. You've heard me say it on Facebook and Instagram, but thank goodness for our gas fireplaces!
  • Victoria has a loose tooth. And it's still loose.
  • Isabella's Parks + Rec basketball team is 6-0 {now 7-0} for the season. One game to go.
  • Straight A's for both girls! 
  • Victoria is finally loving to read. She sat down one afternoon with a Judy Moody book, because I wouldn't let her have screen time and said it was time to read, and she fell in love with the story and the fact that she progressed through chapters. Perhaps her problem was that she wasn't seeing progress, but the chapters gave her a sense of accomplishment. She reads, sure, but now she is enjoying the story AND the time spent reading.

Join Me
Let's keep each other accountable and chronicle our 2014 month-by-month. Together.

Share
If you download the mini album and are:

  • Blogging about your Month-In-Review mini album, I'd love if you'd share a link to this blog!
  • Sharing on Instagram, tag me {@iloveitallshop with the hashtags #iloveitallsho} so I can come visit and peek at how you're using the download. 
  • Posting to Facebook, tag me, I'd love to drop by and "like" your share!

Feel free to design your own cover, or download the cover I'm using. I included 2013 for you as well.

right now | january 2014

There's something about projects, and the repetition of them, that is comforting. It's something I look forward to...pulling out this cute mini album and creating a list of what I am thinking and who I am Right Now. 

This month, it was time to add more gorgeous My Mind's Eye cardstock to the 2014 pages.


january  |  1.31.14

feeling
even more in love with Gordon than ever. sometimes things happen that are ugly but turn out for the good.

on the to do list
as always...finish up projects, both personal and for the blog.

my guilty pleasure
my quiet time during the day, i treasure it.

favorites
new pottery barn pillows, baskets for the mud porch and scones

dreaming about
how to do our mud porch landscaping project on a budget!

grateful for
love it when Gordon cooks. he's so good at it and it's a big treat for us all!

Download your page template here
Here's the post where I share how I created my mini album.

right now 2014 archives
january february march april may june july august september october november december 

hello february!


February Calendar Cutie | iloveitallwithmonikawright.comHere's how I'm using the February Calendar Cutie in my Studio. This month, I rounded the corners, hung some punched cardstock hearts on baker's twine and clipped my calendar onto the baker's twine with some mini clothespins a dear lady gifted me. 

What are you doing with yours?

Download your February 2014 Calendar Cutie and find more Calendar Cutie downloads here.