Revisiting the Recap

I just finished my 2009 Summary/2010 Plans page.  I've scrapbooked my summary and objectives for the last three years.  I'll post this latest page on Tuesday because I have a tip to share that goes with doing pockets.

When you see it, you'll notice that it is a bit busy. I seem to put a lot on these year-end summary pages.  For some reason I usually do Our scrapbook pages as 2 page spreads and the ones for My album as singles. 

Here is my page from 2007/2008.  I said "good riddance" to 2007 for my own personal reasons.  Little did I know then what would be happening with the economy and that I should have been more grateful for the full employment I, my friends and family enjoyed.  Nevertheless, there were challenges I was glad to overcome.

Each section is under a "tab" made from a scalloped circle.  Lots of Creative Memories photo tape keeps the pages bound on the right.

The thing I enjoy most about this process is writing the "In Addition To" section where I list all kinds of things that weren't really planned but were accomplished anyway.  It makes me feel good to see that I really did get a lot of valuable things done.  If you ever feel low, pull out a sheet of paper or start a new document in your word processor and start brainstorming all the things you've done outside of your everyday work responsibilities in the last month or year.  You'll be amazed.

I put a lot of time and resources into these pages.  I imagine these to be ones I'll spend a lot of time looking at someday wondering why I obsessed about certain things and what I really did that was important to me and to others.

Ingredients:  I don't remember where all these supplies came from but I do know that:
the stamps are Big Flowers from Stampin' Up!  The ink is SU! also.
Background paper is DCWV.

After tree "un"trimming and lots of painting, I was ready yesterday for something creative but nothing too time consuming.  Rub-on's are the perfect ingredient for a quick card.  Everything here except the button is Stampin' Up!  For the button, I used an SU! rub-on on this plain light teal button.

The Basic Grey rub-on roller is a neat accessory for applying rub-ons.  I've also used that little scrapper that comes with Pampered Chef stones.  It does a nice job, too.

Ingredients:  DSP:  Western Sky by Stampin' Up!
Ribbon:  Baja Breeze, Whisper White grosgrain

Happy New Decade!

Butterflies signify life so this card seemed like a good one for the new year and new decade.

Where were you when the last decade rolled in? We actually went to bed early on December 31, 1999 with an alarm set so we would wake up and be awake for those few minutes before midnight. We got up about 11:45 p.m. and saw in the new millennium. The world didn’t come to an end, so we went back to bed.

Can you believe it has been 10 years since we celebrated – or slept our way into - the new millennium. Amazing things – both marvelous and horrifying - have happened. Many wonderful things have happened in my life. I got married, had my most (and least) lucrative years career wise, tried different careers, acquired a design certificate, learned new hobbies, traveled to Australia and several other fun places, helped my oldest stepdaughter with her wedding, became a step-step-grandmother, and threw my parents a fabulous golden anniversary party. I also lost some really dear people in my life this decade that I miss every day. I’m thankful for all those who are still here to usher in 2010. May the 20-teens be the best ever!

And now, back to those resolutions I was yammering on about yesterday. I like to keep my objectives private but here is one of my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m trying three again this year. If I made it through 2 last year, maybe I can make all of them this year.

"I will complete Project 365."

Are you familiar with Project 365? You commit to taking at least one photo every day and scrapbooking photos weekly. I’ll talk more about what I want to do with the scrapbooking part of this in a later post.

So that is one of my resolutions and probably the most time consuming. I've really been looking forward to this projecct and have lots of ideas.  What are you committing to this year?

New Year's Cheers

I've always thought Christmas was my favorite holiday, but you know what?  New Year's may really be the best.  I love starting out with a fresh year and I like wrapping up the current one.  One thing I've been doing for as long as I can remember is reviewing my journal for the outgoing year to see how I did on resolutions and objectives.

From the beginning of my career, I was required to set quarterly objectives and sometimes annual ones also.  I carried this habit over to my own business when becoming self-employed.  I've also added my own personal goals.  I've made those "what I want to do before I die lists" - now called Bucket Lists.  I was even interviewed as part of an article for USAToday when the movie the Bucket List was coming out.  They asked for people to write in what was on their list and I did.  They picked me to call and ask a couple of questions.  It was neat!   So I've always thought ahead on what I should do and I've always looked back on my objectives to see how I measured up.  My favorite part is the "In Addition To" list.  It makes me feel so good to see that I've really accomplished so many things each year.  Even little stuff gets big when you write it down.

Like most people, I've also created New Year's Resolutions. Those things like - "I am going to exercise 4 times a week."  Yeah, hmm, well that usually lasts a week or two.  I even made it about 5 weeks one year on the exercise goal before my knees protested, I got bored, or something.

This year has been a little different.  I made 3 resolutions.  And - drum roll, please - I kept 2 of them!!!  I think that is pretty darn good.  My 3 were:

• stay off of a certain discussion board (entertainment related that wasn't entertaining me.  It was actually adding stress plus it was eatting a lot of time.)
• do something creatively new every day.
• Lose to (insert specific - not going to be mentioned - weight here) by March 31.

Guess which one I didn't accomplish?  (Hint:  I actually gained a little this year, but my clothes still fit so I'm calling it even.)

The other two I'm proud to say were successes.  I've not once gone to that annoying website I wasted too much time on in 2008.  I even discovered so many amazing craft blogs in 2009 that I have plenty to enjoy on-line.

More imporantly, I've done something creative every day - and something at least a little bit NEW, too!   Sometimes it was trying a new recipe, a new card technique, learning just one little thing about Photoshop Elements that I didn't know before.  I counted creative entertainment ideas like finding a fun place to take my aunt on our regular trip to Charlotte for a doctor's appointment. Yesterday, I even counted creative storage solutions as I was repurposing items to store Christmas tree ornaments in.  (I didn't buy anymore so why didn't they all fit in the box they came out of?)  This resolution has made me really hunt ways to do things differently, learn new stuff, create more cards and other goodies, and think a little differently.

So what's on my list for next year.  I've got some ideas...  For now, here's wishing you a wonderful New Year.  Ring out the 00's and get ready for the teens!

Gifting Challenges

The biggest Christmas challenge for our family is figuring out what to get my parents.  My mother is pretty good at telling me what she wants though she often waits to the last minute or asks for something seasonal - and not the winter season.  She did both this year.  Daddy refuses to make a list and continually says "I don't need anything."  He has figured out though that if he doesn't come up with something Lenny will buy what HE really wants to borrow.  Although the photos don't show it, Daddy did get a nice leather jacket from me and some shirts he wanted.  He just needed to have at least one more thing on his list to avoid that chain saw that I know he will never use ...which probably a good thing.

The most important gift this year was that we were all together.  You can't put love in a box anyway.

To capture this little bit of Christmas cheer and angst, I scrapbooked.  To create the letters, I used the SCAL software for my Cricut.  In this case, it would have been better to use a cartridge with a shadow feature.  After cutting and stamping the letters in Real Red ink on white cardstock, I realized they needed a white shadow to help them show up on the background paper.  Unfortunately, I'd accidentally resized them in my SCAL file and saved the wrong size. It took a few tries to get shadows that are somewhat OK looking. 

Finally, I'm beginning to stop 'saving up' my good stuff for some unknown future occasion and used quite a bit of this Stampin' Up! ribbon and a special piece of designer paper that is part of a kit.   

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Impression Obsession
Ink:  Real Red, Whisper White
DSP:  Basic Grey Periphery collection; kraft by Creative Memories
Ribbon:  Stampin' Up; baker's twine by Martha Stewart
Chipboard:  Stampin' Up!

TIPsy Tuesday - Stamping Ahead

Staz-on permanent ink is the best choice for stamping designs that will be watercolored.  However, it is a bit more on the cleanup as it needs the special Staz-on cleaner to get all the ink off your stamps.  So when you are stamping a few images in black or brown Staz-on to color, why not stamp a few extra?  Store the extras with your stamp set and you'll be pleasantly surprised to have them ready the next time you are ready to use this set.

Note:  This set, Playful Petals, is one of several being retired in the next few days.  If you want to get it before it is gone, contact your Stampin' Up! demo.  Don't have a demo?  Check my friend, Jean's, site by clicking the link on the right under Places to Shop.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Playful Petals and On Your Birthday
Ink:  Staz-on black, Watercolor crayons by SU!
Cardstock:  Kiwi Kiss
DSP:  Raspberry Lemonade and Urban Garden by SU!
Ribbon from Stamper's Alley

Treat Boxes

Happy Birthday this week to our friend, Steve!  Here's the treat box I cut with my Cricut and a template from The Project Girl, Jen Allyson.  See her blog entry to download a free copy of this template for the Cricut or Sihlouette cutting systems --> Project Girl Cookie Box Blog Entry  I think she mentions this on her blog but just in case....  Hint:  Resize the template a quarter inch smaller for the bottom of the box so they fit together easier.

I also made up a box of these brownies for my parents.  My mom just loves them.  I'm not sure she shares very well :-)  Hopefully, Daddy will get a few of these also.  They are Martha Stewart's from her Baking Handbook.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Circles and Dots by Inkadinkado; On Your Birthday by SU! (greetings)
Ink:  Close to Cocoa and Old Olive
DSP:  American Crafts and Three Bugs in a Rug
Ribbon:  Stampin' Up!; baker's twine by Martha Stewart

"Heart" Break

During most of this holiday weekend, I've been stripping wallpaper.  Yuck!  For a break, I'm doing a few Valentine cards.  This one uses a shape from the Cricut's Accent Essentials cartridge.  I'm slowly finding more and more uses for this cartridge I'm dismissed earlier.  Jumbled letter greetings are a great place to use markers.



Ingredients:  Stamps:  Alphabet Soup from Stampin' Up!; Polka Dot Basics from Papertrey Ink
Ink:  Melon Mambo and Bold Bright Markers from SU!
Ribbon: Wrights