prayer journal

pray.
study.
read.
journal.
that's what happens daily around here.

and just this past spring i started a new thing. that is a 90-day journal of these deeper thoughts and findings of mine.

i have completed one 90-day book so far.
and i am reeling about how great a way it was to maintain this book daily...
to have a concise record of my heart as well as prayers answered and given.
it made it easier to keep track of family events or announcements. some fairly heedy situations occurred over this course of time. this was a wonderful way for me to record those events, and now i know what time frame they occurred...or else they just get mixed in with the everyday and i fail to remember.
does this resonate?

AND...it is very necessary for me to have a creative edge about my book.
and this is what the next book looks like::


this is the cover using papers from an earlier wip kit.
as well as some package kit elements from belladrummer.
oh...and did you see that doily?


it's been spray painted...yep...can you hear me being giddy? i think i could be addicted to spray paint and art...time will tell with this weeks {inspire lovely} art class.


look familiar. done using wip's project kit. layered the bingo paper with vellum. allows for a great soft feel about this page. also distressed the letter stickers. oh! and the manila tag was done using a sizzix embossing folder...thanks to my sister's use of her tools i am really loving that look on that tag. needs spray paint, don't ya think?


and just the inside of another page. because you know it would not be mine if there was not a butterfly to be found somewhere.

i am really loving these books.
the concise-ness of them.
the fun i can put into them creating something pretty.
a place to go every morning and be still.

i really love that.

~j

sew...

you know why trish's march kit has been so fabulous for me if you follow this blog at all...yeah! it's the sewing theme. a current creative passion of mine right now. itching to get to the fabric store and pick out the girls patterns and such for easter frocks. having had such fun with the bags...and more of those to come...i need to really sink my teeth into another project or two. good thing those olympics are over...they were taking up precious sewing time.

sewing does indeed mend the soul. when i discovered that quote, i was struck by it's truth for me. concentrated time focusing on others, usually. i find myself praying for others as they come to mind in the quiet of the work. not to mention how tickled the girlies get that my activity usually involves something for them. and yes...i have not forgotten my projects for baby #5...that too will evolve with time.

as shared before, i was recently challenged with what fills me up. what rejuvenates my heart, soul, my mind. i have really been thinking of that lately. sewing, strangely enough, is one of 'those' things for me. plenty of you are thinking i'm whacked, as the task of thread and needle only causes you frustration. but still. even for you...you need to find that thing that fills you up too. really. you do. would love to hear what those things are.

along with gathering inspiration and supplies for sewing, i have been purging like nobody's business. not without good results, however.
but more about that later.

good day, friends!

summer lovin' challenge

noel mignon is having a guest summer layout challenge over on her blog. this is one of my entries. i wish i could photo it better. but it's a shadow box, sand and all from my trip to hilton head island, with one of my bestest of friends on this cool swing right there on the beach. can you see the shells?
supplies:

background patterned paper: 7gypsies (westway)
photo layered on page from making memories noteworthy journal notebook.
tab: sei (dill blossom)
sticker: cloud9 clear note stickers (this is layered on a scrap of sei and then punched with a scallop punch)
butterfly: martha stewart paper punch
ribbon: my stash

and another summery entry from vacation last year.

supplies:patterned paper: love elsie: toby carry on. scenic route: white blue grid background. cherry arte: girl power (“happy”).
journal block: rhonna farrer ‘celebration’ digi kit. chipboard: scenic route.flowers: american crafts.quote sticker: 7gypsies. brads: making memories. ink: stampin up.


this photo has been floating around my work space for some time now...and this challenge was the perfect inspiration to get it in a layout. i love a frap on a summery afternoon.

Cardstock: stampin up (kraft)
Patterned paper:mod autumn leaves (orange).Making memories: noteworthy (green notebook strip).Sei: dill blossom.Yellow bicycle.
Scallop circle: truly yours (archivers)
chipboard: scenic route (arrow); label holder (stampin up)
letter stickers: scenic route (orange); making memories (mini alpha) (noteworthy).
border sticker: paper studios
coffee sticker: gifted line
stamp: making memories
ink: stampin up

thanks for a hosting a great challenge, noel.

have a great evening.

nine years old.

she's nine. and perfectly the girl she is suppose to be. sweet. soft and tough. she has to be tough with an older brother and two older boy cousins in the neighborhood. she has to be sweet and soft for her two little sisters and younger girl cousin. she is a good mix of it all.
we spent the weekend on my cousins farm. avery discovered a new love: atv-ing. she road all the live long day. she loved it!
at one point she ran out of gas. she was about a 1/2 mile from the house. her oldest cousin was with her. well, he did not realize she had run out, but he was not really paying too close attention to whether he was still with her or not as he was riding the bigger atv. so he left her stranded. she got back to the house hot and mad. whew! that girl can ignite. she was a woman scorned. so mad at her cousin she could only cry. she cooled off and all was well again, but i think she could have bit his head off if she had had the chance. can't say as i blame her.

happy birthday, my beautiful avery!

supplies: cardstock: stampin up: groovy guava
patterned paper: chatterbox: happy circles. happy flourish. happy stroll. happy circles.
scalloped circle: making memories
chipboard 9: not sure
chipboard coasters: sei
chipboard letters: making memories
label: etsy

yes...it's june!

it is finally warm today. the month is full of activity and summer time stuff.

road trip.

weekend family reunion in kansas.

art camp for the girls.

vbs for all.

pool.

parks.

concerts.

waterguns.

sunshine!

sigh...can it be true, can it really be warm again? i hope it is here to stay. the winter has been long indeed.

so today we are heading out for a little road trip to kansas to see family and celebrate what was suppose to be grandma's 90th birthday celebration. with her passing just over a month ago, the family decided to get together even in her absence and eat, and laugh, and play games and simply put: be together. i love that.

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a few posts here in the creative category. the june blocks are a bit on the bright side for my normal mode of color. but they look like summer. it was in answer to a challenge over at scrapnfonts. the girls loved them.

directions:

using 3x3 blocks, paint as desired. i used two of the colors from the patterned paper.

cut patterned paper 2.75 inches square. adhere to front. print out JUNE using the ck little al font. fancy cut the negative part out. using foam tape, adhere to top of patterned paper. print flowers from ck ali doodle font. one was printed onto white cardstock in blue, then colored in. the other was printed on patterned paper. adhere with foam tape.

there were other variations i had in my mind, but stayed content with how it turned out this time. my mind is now moving toward something for july.

supplies: wood blocks. patterned paper: girl power (cherryarte-work in progress june kit). the above said fonts

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treasure this is for my daughter analise. she is just in this place right now of adorable-ness (is that a word?) she can just light everything up with her smile and her eyes. this photo was also another chance to play around with the diffuse glow filter in pse. really love that edit. have been playing with it a lot.

patterned paper: base: chatterbox: eclectique blue sky. scenic route: parkside (lynden line). sei: dill blossom. scalloped circle: yours truly(archivers). chipboard coasters: sei. rub ons. making memories.

i am in a quandry about where to put the journaling. just can't seem to make it fit anywhere, so the layout it still not complete. it's driving me nuts. any suggestions? i am almost to the point of hidden journal spot, but it's just not always the best when the layout it behind a page protector.

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"she" was fun to put together. the cardstock is from in color by stampin up. it is my least favorite color of that line this year...so i made myself use it. love the way it worked with the making memories scalloped die cut patterned paper. the she journal tag is from etsy. used the cosmo cricket rubons from the may work in progress kit. the ribbons are part of my stash. have to do a post on my new ribbon storage. lovin it! it is so easy and accessible now. the ribbon covers up some flowers from another esty journal scalloped tag...the flowers seemed to clash with the fancy cut flowers from the webster's pages patterned paper. and yes there is stitching all the way around. another thing i don't do alot of, but i felt compelled with the look and feel of the photo, which is also using the pse diffuse glow filter.

okay...gotta go for now. still need to pack and get out of here...but feel better to have a few things posted.

thanks for visiting.

have a wonderful summery weekend.

beautiful.

using up some of the wip may kit papers. love the webster's pages. never used any before. they have such an elegant feel about them. this was a little photo i took of gracie while she was reading. that is her content look. life is good when the girl has a book and quiet.
i also played with distort in pse. it gives this fabulous softness to a less than perfect photo. will be using that edit often i think in the future.
the layout is based loosely on janelle richmond's sketch 52.

supplies:
patterned paper: jack ricrac square(making memories); robin's nest and morning glory(webster's pages); notebook(scenic route)
journal tag: 7gypsies
rubons: cosm0 cricket
clear stamp: flourish(scenic route)
ribbon: making memories (found in savannah)
directions:used the jack ricrac square as base paper for layout. layered the 4x5 photo on the robin's nest patterned paper with a scrap of notebook paper on the left side. the ribbon is layered over that with glue dots. the rubons spell out 'beautiful' on the journal tag with the flourish stamped below that in brown. the yellow flower is fancy cut from the morning glory paper. that's all. simple yet elegant. there is so much i love about the paper and embellies on this layout.

thanks for visiting.

girlfriend book

the anatomy of my scenic route girlfriend book. the kit is from the april work in progress kit. i have purposely been hoarding the kit, knowing my girlfriends and in were headed to the south for some time off in may. the scenic route chipboard album is adorable. i realize now as i post this that i did not put anything on the tabs yet. have to make mental note to go back and do that.
all supplies are from the providence line. this was a first for me to use only from a specific line, but i sort of forced myself to do so and make it all work. i am pleased with the results.
i used my own chipboard stash for the layouts, so the entire book is chipboard. the following is just some of the book. did not want to bore you with it all.

the tabbed chipboard inserts were used for friendship inspired quotes.

have a good evening.

sketch #50 card.

{cardstock: stampin up. patterned paper: 7gypsies, love else. chipboard negative letter: heidi swapp. chipboard circle: stampin up. letter stickers: jenni bowlin. gold stars: work in progress may kit. font: P22 typewriter.}

a graduation card for my nephew. i made a flap on the inside for the check. i enjoyed following the sketch on janelle richmond's sketch this blog.

janelle richmond sketch #50

am posting this project again in an answer to the challenge over at janelle richmond's sketch this.
i flipped the sketch, and did it on a circle. different for me, yet fun.

whole lotta scrapin' goin' on.

i posted a question on willow traders about what people did to use up their kits and such. it inspired me to just scrap! and to not be afraid to throw out the odds and ins out and make room for the new. i have subbed with work in progress for three months now, and last month went a little over board and got the main kit, the project kit, and the add-on. i am glad i did. even though all that product can be a bit overwhelming to begin with, my need to create finally took over and i burned the midnight oil one night and just scrapped the night away. here are a few of the results.
titled: seriously. this is a layout describing my woes about the world's longest winter here in colorado. patterned paper is websters page. great date tag is from livingroomfloor over on etsy. used making memories mini alphas-love those. a very simple layout. i don't usually use a whole sheet of patterned paper for a background, but this one lended itself to such. now if only winter would really go away.

titled: get real. this was in response to an ali e challenge about getting real. this layout still did not fully capture it for me, but it was about being real about what you are doing right now. and this was just how it all looked at that moment in time. a busy morning, and busy desk, a busy life.

p/p: sei dill blossom from wip main kit...sweet, sweet paper. loved the noteworthy tag from etsy (not sure where specifically). the embellies include clear buttons (stampin up), ribbon, felt flower (stampin up), silver brad, and mini coaster (sei).

this layout is more than precious to me. my sister and i decided to go see my grandma on a whim and it was exactly a week before she passed away. i am so happy to have these photos of my sister, cousins, and my grandma avery.
the layout was inspired by the cover of the june ck.
p/p: i think all from websters page. chipboard label holder: heidi swapp. rub-ons: cosmo cricket (wip kit). chipboard circle: kotm ali edwards.

this layout was just fun. very much out of my normal zone. this is an answer to a challenge of janelle richmonds. my girlfriends and i were just in hilton head. this is actually tybee island. a fun day. p/p: 7gypsies+scenic route. chipboard letters: cosmo cricket. die-cut bracket: sei. chipboard heart: jenni bowlin. butterfly punch: martha stewart. hung on the hanger from wip may add-onkit bymelissa frances.

sweet josh. my cousins youngest. he kept hiding from me and would not let me take a good pic. cute! p/p: sei dill blossoms+scenic route. c/s: bazzill+stampin up. stickers: 7gypsies
this is a funny story of my mom and my cousin's oldest son. .
p/p: websters page+scenic route+imaginisce. c/s: stampin up. mini coasters: sei. scalloped label: etsy. rub-on: art warehouse.

sweet girl.

entry for an RAK on work in progress based on a janelle richmond sketch. the may work in progress kit was used for most of the layout. loving those patterned papers.
cardstock: stampin up
patterned paper: imaginisce. sei.
sticker letters+mini coasters: sei.
journal spot: k&co. {used scallop punch of a journal tag}
gem: making memories.

creative weekend.

this past weekend was spent with 60 crazy ladies scrapping/creating/eating/laughing at a mountain retreat. first time i had ever cropped anywhere. and i will do it again. did not do much scrapbooking, but had several projects/mini albums to work on. this included playing with the may kit from work in progress and use that awesome mother chipboard book and make mom her mother's day gift. i loved doing it. added some k&co papers, but mostly stuck with the fab paper's trish put together from the may kit. so loved this photo of mom...her hair is so 60's...i had to include it...


mom and her daughters a couple of years back. as i worked on this project i realized we do not have many pictures together. will have to work on that in the future.

have a great evening.

off the page.

this layout was a very fun little project of a self portrait! am i vain or what? when you are the one who is behind the camera, very little gets photo'd of you. mainly i did this layout as an answer to an rak challenge over at 2 kids and some paper. she does alot of layouts that go beyondthe borders of her pages. go see! the look is a lot of fun. this was probably one of the funnest challenges i have ever done. of course i hope to win the rak...but exercising a different twist on a simple layout was well worth it.
the chocolate and sky blue cardstock is stampin up. the bracket paper is making memories. the scallop journal spot, chipboard arrow, and brad is from the new ck kit details enclosed. (great kit by the way). large paper flower is also making memories, and the calendar tag is from elles studio at etsy.

giftables.

finished up some gifts for a birthday this week. the colors are a little brighter than what is normal for me, but i received this in a great rak and the theme of it seemed to lend itself to some fun altered items.
the frame was from michaels, i think. i painted the edges in magenta, and covered the front (and back) in the patterned paper from paper loft. i cut the heart out of extra chipboard i had laying around here. the flower is punched from the paper loft paper. i took glitter glue and added to center of flower, and then adhered clear button to the top of that. i hand lettered the name, and then added a bit of the meaning to the bottom. i think i like how it turned out.

love these large clips. again modge podged the pp paper to the front of clip (as well as back). wrapped in ribbon and added a second sheer ribbon on top of that. the heart is heidi swapp that is covered in the backside of the pp. added an american craft thicker letter as well as a making memories gem. simple.
found the cutest mini composition book at walmart. it was just adorable even with out embellishment. added the paper to cover and back and binding. punched a scallop shape from cardstock. covered a heidi swapp chipboard letter in the double sided pp, cut out the middle and sanded the edges. a little piece of sheer ribbon added to that. then a felt flower from stampin up topped with a flowered button that was laying around in my stash.

thanks for looking. have a great day.

this week.

some creative time:


the patterned paper used here is mostly from jenni bowlin and the february kit. i knew then i wanted to use butterflies sometime in the spring to celebrate the new season. so i grabbed this kit, which is hard to do because her's always sell out. but it was a great buy and this wall art came together fairly well. obviously, joy is the word for the month. with a pre-teen in the house, this is a virtue to be practiced all the time.


this canvas is totally lifted from ali edwards life artist book. her canvases in there are to envy. i made the butterfly masks myself, as well as mixed the paint to get that orangy-rusty color found in the jenni bowlin kit. this is my favorite home decor piece for the month.

framed joy...i used heidi swapp chipboard and covered in jenni bowlin paper, except for the 'o', it is scenic route and stamped in really rust (stampin up) with a butterfly image (hero arts). the textured orangy paper is also from the jenni bowlin kit. it has a beautiful shimmer that is not picked up in the photo. the 'j' is dotted with an american craft plastic flower and making memories brad. the 'o' has a butterfly punched from jb paper with a martha stewart paper punch. the 'y' has a bit of dotted ribbon wrapped around it with a felt flower (stampin up) and another silver brad. i forgot how much i love shadow boxes. think before the week is through i am going to case the butterfly art ali e did a while back for weekend creative...so pretty.

holiday decor.

a new addition to easter decorations this year. very simple decoupage project, but it was a lot of fun to put together. the paper is from the making memories noteworthy line. i have loved working with that paper. also found ribbon from that line sold by the yard. did not even know it was even ever available like that. very pretty.


now i am not usually a flowery girl, especially in my home projects, but i came across these little adhesive pears, and loved pairing them with making memories paper flowers. just sweet!