week six ~ what inspires you?

hello friends...
thank you so much for your lovely comments.
i appreciate each and everyone of them.
and i get the sense you all are loving this pre-made Memory File Album as much as I am.
and speaking of such...
did you see today's Heidi Swapp Create to Remember episode?
it's the one where Heidi shares several of her currently available pre made albums...
and she explores one i made for the Michaels 101 Ideas.

i adore the possiblities of these albums as one can jump in and explore the possiblities.
i especially adore the part where she reminds you that you can go at your own pace to work on these larger album projects.
so today i share week 6 of the Memory File Album Adventure.
and this part belongs to Maridette.

my favorite of all her prompts was the very first page where she manipulates a mini file folder to open up three different ways. i loved it. and am going to employ that technique again.
her pages were to answer 'what inspires you?'.
and so i began mine with life.
life inspires.
i am inspired right now to make that life of mine a life of memories for myself and my family.
and so this page is one to remind me to do just that.
make inspiration happen all around me all the time.



that said...i did share some happy places in my life that inspire my heart and mind for all things pretty.
inside the mini file folder i shared several photos i have of dear lizzie's in utah that I must go to visit anytime i am in the area.
sigh...it is so full of wonderful sights and sounds and causes my head to spin with ideas and inspiration.
one truly needs one of those kind of places in their life to uplift them and make them happy and ignite creativity.

i also added a screen shot of my pinterest boards...
i mean because let's face it...
that is pure inspiration everytime you click on that site.
it's brillant.
i love my personal collection of ideas and inspiration found on that cyber bulletin board.

i placed the photo inside a vellum pocket that i made for the page.
and then i decorated the outside of the pocket with colors and embellishments that were thematic for the rest of these particular pages.

i do have a local place to go that makes me very happy.
it is a little trip about 45 minutes north of me called The Barn.
and then a new cluster of shops are in the same place called The Emporium.
these shops provide me with a little get away every so often to clear my mind and look at what other people are creating and making happen in their life and, again, inspire me with some beauty.

i took a photo of a few of my all time favorite magazines that ALWAYS. inspire me.
they include The Artful Blogger.
and Somerset Life.
not only do these beautifully rendered magazines provide me with gorgeous photography and creativity...
but the articles always cause me to think and ponder.
these magazines are special treats in my life and truly do inspire me.

oh...and i forgot Where Women Create.
the stories and articles in that periodical always speak into right where i am.
i think that may be a post in and of itself.
and i am going to unabashedly drop a name here...Jo Packham.
met her at SNAP this spring.
what a wonderful, warm, and amazing woman.
so blessed to meet her and fall under her spell for a bit.

one of Maridette's prompts included a pocket made from the last two pages of her assignment.
i. love. this.
i am always needing places to stick magazine articles or photos or even lists of ideas.
this was a great idea and i just adore the continued interactiveness of this album the team is creating.

so...

hopefully you can tell...

i have been super motivated by this adventure Heidi started 8 weeks ago.

but i want to share this with you...

no pressure if you are not to the week you think you should be.

enjoy this journey.

the prompts are not going away.

there will always be access to them and available to you as you have time to yourself to enjoy.

so please do not put any unneeded pressure on yourself in this creative journey.

enjoy it.

enjoy the inspiration.

and make it pretty.

 

week 5 ~ here and now

Did you get a chance to see yesterday's post on Heidi Swapp?
It was a bit of a recap and the Media Team shared some of their favorite pages from the
Memory File Album Adventure.
I loved reading what spoke to everyone on this journey.
I would love to hear from you too.

Today I want to share my version of week 5.
These pages were inspired by Lindsay.
Again...great, great prompts.

The prompts led me to focus on...well...the here and now.
As she shared, the idea was to focus on what one is embracing in their life right now.

As women, as well you may be wives and mom's, that can be a hard prompt.
Our focus is so over spent on everyone else around us.
Making sure their needs are met and cared for.
But as the saying goes, if you are not taking care of yourself, who is?
And this is what these pages caused me to ponder.

My favorite part of this was the list that she created.
her list of reflective thoughts on herself.

For me I took my most recent journal entries.
Very often when I want to focus on a habit or trait or virtue,
I will turn it into a 'she-ism'.
So I made a bullet point list of my current 'she-isms'.
I know this will be so poignant when I go back in a few months or even in a year and review where I was headed.


My next favorite thing to follow in her prompts was the envelope of hopes.
Not only did she share a fun technique for adding an envelope to these pages,
a secret hiding place if you will,
but she also encouraged to write down your current hopes on strips of paper
and 'hide' them in the little space.
This was such a freeing exercise to free write my current hopes.
Some practical.
Some not so much.
Again...to come upon these in the next year and review them will be very powerful.

Behind that page I wrote the lyrics of one of my favorite songs that help me focus on my here and now.
It's an oldy from DC Talk called Day By Day.
A prayer of a song.
I have adhered to it for years.

This page was simply creative fun for me.
I really love the pocket protector pages that are part of the Memory File Album.
The team has used them in so many differing ways.
I made my top pocket simply a pretty space with a Definition Sticker.

And then I followed Lindsay's prompt for the bottom pocket to add fun embellishments and images and words of reminders.

Right here and now this is one of my favorite sayings.
I wish I would of cut it out on paper that had less of a pattern.
But you know...I was embracing the here and now...
and so I left it as I created it.
Not perfect.
But a great reminder nonetheless.
Go slow.
Be God struck.
Grant grace.
Live truth.
Give thanks.
Become the gift.

Thank you Lindsay for an amazing ride on this adventure.
Now go...
embrace the here and now.

the adventure continues.

yesterday i showed you the week 3 version of the Heidi Swapp Media Teams Memory File Adventure.

today i want to share with you my version of Jen's week 4 edition.
these pages are titled YOU.
jen shares an amazing story of her need to create and how that has progressed throughout the years.
if you have not read it yet, you should take some time now.
i know it will touch you like it did me.

her inspiration included having a photo shoot done for these pages.
well...i cheated...and just dug up some recent photos of me and let them tell the story.

part of my story includes lots of she'isms.
she decided to be the best she ever.
she felt the need to create.
she knew creativity would be part of her life.

my photos included moments of being in the midst of other creatives.
this photo above was taken  by maggie at crystal cove in orange county.
experiencing an amazing breakfast together with heidi and the team.
capturing a moment in time.
a time that means so much to me being with these other amazing creatives.

true. story.

i loved her prompt about finding photos that describe you and your creative life.
there were so many ways to interpret this.
i included a photo of my blog.
a chalk art piece at my church expressing the need to tell my story.
my first thing in the morning cup of coffee, and pen and journal. always. so me.
the number 7. because that is a huge part of me right now with my growing family.
my list of 1,000 gifts.
the  declaration to make pretty stuff.

AND...
one of my most favorite moments at CHA in Anaheim with Maggie having fun with the camera.

what strikes me so much about this particular exercise in creativity...
while jen wrote so much about where her creative story came from...
my photos and words were more about where i am right now.
the reality that i am right now where i need to be creatively.
and the hope that there is more to come. but the need to live in the now is so important.
and i am so excited about that.

memory file album adventure...

welcome to a mini series this week celebrating the Memory File Album Adventure...

if you have been following along the past seven weeks with Heidi Swapp and the Media Team then you have been part of a wonderful adventure.
if you have been following along then your Memory File Album is getting very, very wide.
if you have been following along then you have been experiencing a refreshing experience as you answer prompts about yourself and your creativeness.

this week Maggie takes us on her journey through week seven.
and then next week Heidi will wrap it up with one more 'class'.
so this week i want to share with you my adventure as this journey has come to mean so much to me.

i have already shared week one...
and week two...
so today i would love to share with you week three...
this was Kim's week to challenge us with "who inspires you?"
and mine started with my husband.
he has this saying..."i've got your back".
and it has come to mean the world to me to know that whatever the situation that he is on my side and will help and encourage me in whatever the circumstance demands.
this makes me a lucky girl.
it makes him my hero.
it makes us quite a team in my estimation.
it was so good to answer this prompt and to think through the question and put it down in photo and words the answer.

the second page was dedicated to a series of women who inspire me. everyday.
some of these women i am in daily contact with.
some i only met in the past few weeks face to face.
but they all have had a profound influence on my life through the creative process.
and i am in their debt for that.
in their debt and very thankful.
awesome? yes. awesome. to be inspired by such strong and amazing women and always have a standard of authenticity ahead of me to be challenged by everyday.
yes. awesome.



what women inspire you?
and have you taken the time to work through that creatively.
i tell you...it is a powerful exercise.



this women here...
a life changer.
you have read posts in the past where i refer to the book 1000 Gifts.
Ann Voskamp is the author.
and i read her blogs very regularly.
and i am inspired by her. every. single. time.
not only inspired...
but challenged.
i had to dedicate a page to her because she saved me.
by way of her written word.

and then there is Brennan Manning.
i should of added a photo here of the stack of books of his i own.
i met him by way of his writings about 10 years ago.
he writes about grace and God in heaven in a way i had never before experienced.
he caused me to think deeper than i ever had before.

he passed away this past month.
i cried.
not because his pain is gone and he is in eternity with God the Father.
but because of the legacy of amazing he left behind and the impact he had on mine and many, many other peoples lives.
talk about living authentically...
this man showed me what that actually looks like.
again...
forever grateful.

so as you can see, this Memory File Album Adventure has been quite a journey for me.
a beautiful journey.
and there is more besides these pages.
hope to see you again tomorrow.

stencils + canvas + love

Today I am posting over at Heidi Swapp .

All week we are talking about Stencils.

Heidi's Stencils are now available at Michaels and they are truly fabulous tools to have in one's creative stash.

This piece is a fabulous reminder of what is needed daily...
to create joy.

Many more details are found on Heidi's blog.
Hope you will stop by.

 

Now go...

create a piece to remind you of something good.

a non~mom gift

as you may or may not have read in my last post of yesterday...
my heart was struck recently upon reading this post by a 'non~mom' to her pastor.
and so i was compelled to create a gift for a friend of mine.

as i am always reaching for Heidi Swapp's Signature Series book from last year,
this project was inspired by one she showcased in that publication.

i adore the ever flexible value of the Memory Files.
as she shared in her book, i took on of these gems and cut it down to size a bit.
then i went to work to make it very interactive.

the Jumbo Tag here is actually a removeable card with a message inside...
as well as a message hidden underneath.
and do you see the 'fabulous' tag peaking out?
it too is a hidden message for the recipient.

a few of the details close up...

the right side of the open file also has some interactive and hidden virtues.
a glassine bag from my stash was used as a pocket to hold a tag that has a hand written message on the underside.

a slit pocket was created to be a larger space for a larger hidden message.
i printed the letter to the pastor and folded it in half...added a Memory File Label to the edge...
and stashed it inside the pocket as a secret space to share this very secret message.

i adore how the Memory Files are amazing canvases for so much creativity to come to life for your photos...
or a needed message to a special friend.

now go...
share your love with someone today.