on today

the joy dare ~ week.four

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

a week in photos

was challenged this week to look for the ugly~beauty...
often that can be found in the very middle of my day
for example my work space.
planners.
calendars.
phone.
text books.
schedulers.
lessons to be checked.
piles.
the ugly is obvious. it’s a mess. work to be contended with.
the beauty...not so obvious.
but here it is.
it is a life fully lived.
it is a life lived for others.
it is a life of learning.
it is a life of honing habits.
it is a life of re-do’s.
it is a life of always having the work of my hands daily in front of me.
it is a life of lacking pretty much...nothing.
it is...

the joy of never being bored

the joy of play

the joy of wonder

the joy of the busy life

the joy that i do have a kitchen...albeit in the messy midst

the joy of comic relief

the joy of afternoon refreshment

the joy of a smirky smile

the joy of being inseperable

the joy of homemade peanut butter

the joy of a new book

the joy of running free

the joy of sweet hands

the joy of a new day

ah! so thankful for this week in review time.
for a chance to be still and reflect by way of photo.
for the time to let the mistakes of the week wash away.
for a review of the gifts that i DID capture...
knowing plenty abundant blessings escaped my lense.

the joy dare::as inspired by the holy experience

Valentine (or anytime) Treat

2012-01-26T05:00:00.002-07:00

Today I am over here at WIP Kits sharing a tutorial...

project life ~ week.three

2012-01-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is ProjectLife ~ week three.

New this week is the addition of a second page. Last year I seemed to be able to contain what I wanted to say to a one-sided layout. The occasional page insert would help complete the weeks story. But I recently realized there is more I really want to tell.
More detail I feel the need to put down in photo and words.
More freedom I wanted to feel in telling our epic.

One of the things that is working well into my routine is posting a photo re-cap on Fridays that coincides with the Joy Dare I am following. This starts the process of editing the photos that will be used for the weeks project life layout. These posts are the essence of the stories of the week. It has been a great way to reflect, and jump start my thinking.

The journaling I work on throughout the week. I know there are some fancy-schmancy apps available out there to help with that. But my trusty yellow pad is my go to place to store random thoughts, quotes, and ideas that will find their way into ProjectLife.

The week/date insert journal card is usually done digitally. For this weeks card, I used the digital kit A Year To Follow Your Heart by RhonnaDESIGNS. I simply cropped the 6x8 printable paper down to 6x4. I added the week number, as well as the dates. Last year I started doing this with a letters or chipboard. It just simplifies the process for me to do it all on the computer.

I also used a journaling card from the Follow Your Heart kit. I just had to adjust the size a little in orer for it to fit in the page protector. Then I printed it on cardstock, and wrote in my story.

This week I added a 6x12 insert with two traditional layouts. I wanted to share two more additional stories, with more than a single photo...and I just felt like 'scrapping'. It has actually been a while since I did a traditional page. Loved the therapy!

Had a story I wanted to include about my oldest son. We are on a new road to discovering some physical needs that have surfaced. But when I looked through my pics from the week, I realized he was not in a one. It happens...hey...I got five of these children running around...I try. The best option for me was to simply add his story as an insert sans a photo. I like how it worked, and still seems to flow with the rest of the weeks story.

a close up of the one of the inserts.

a close up of the other insert.

I can see myself adding more of these this year.

This week was about telling more of our story, and adding more journaling cards from various lines to do just that. A process of using up extra stash, and getting more of it down for us all to relish and read and remember.

kiss me collection~shadow box

2012-01-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

valentines is definitely for all things soft, pink, and feminine.
so when i saw the kiss me collection, i knew right away, i was going to transform this shadow box i had up with our christmas photo, and alter it for valentines.

the collage paper from the background papers is my fav pattern.
it made for a perfect mat to house the goodies i wanted to add to this frame.
once the background paper was in place, i basically treated the rest of the project like a traditional scrapbook page. added photo on a bull clip, attached the bull clip to the background.

i cut out the 'be mine' heart from one of the valentines. the edges were distressed and inked up a bit. some bling emphasized the sentiment. then it was popped up with dimensional tape.
one of my fav. fav. parts of this kit is the printables and most specifically the flags n tags page. i play with those pieces all the time. the 'yours truly' sentiment was trimmed and added to a vintage pearl topped pin. i make my own flags all the time with pearl tops. you can find fun corsage pins in the wedding floral department at your craft store. so fun.
and book paper...do you know i have a current affair with book paper...book paper rolled roses with tiny pearls in the center. just an excuse to get in touch with my feminine side.

junque bows. thank you so much, sweet margie, for encouraging my love for junque. &bows. i use them every.where. grabbed a bit of masking paper, tim holtz tissue, tulle, pearls on string, and seam binding...add any thing you want...always a perfect little touch.

rhonna has been an amazing valentines day inspiration this past week with her 14 valentine ideas...hope you have been able to catch her posts with all things for valentines decor and gifts. amazing creativity she is sharing. amazing!

also, new digital art kits are on their way this week....
are you receiving the newsletter?
do.
click on the 'newsletter' icon under the hot air balloon on the home page of the shop.

tomorrow project life 2012 will resume.

the joy dare ~ week.three

2012-01-23T07:23:00.001-07:00

a week in photos

counting to one thousand gifts

(eta: to have been posted friday, jan 20.2012.)

As with every person I have ever come in contact with, life happens.
Last weeks joy dare was suppose to lead into this weeks project life|week two.
but...
life happens.
We were to visit the ER on Monday afternoon with the 16 m/o.
Seems it was his day to face plant into the counter stool...with a little help from a sibling.
Huge gash.
Lots of blood.
Intense screaming.
Trip to the hospital.

Yet so many gifts came from this that I may not had seen before...
if I was not 'looking' for them.

"We wear the habit of seeing beauty." A.Voskamp

gifts::
#154. Avery beautifully calm in the handling of the situation

#155. my sister's help

#156. Mr. Pate quickly on the scene

#157. Sawyer's sweet disposition

#158. no broken bones. no stitches after all.


at the hospital.waiting.waiting.waiting.

so those are gifts.

something given to me.

out of what could have been an ugly situation.

joy points were found.

and here are a few more from the week.

before said accident.


cold.cold.cold tuesday.

new medical adventure.

seventeen months.

the gift of organization. initiated by the girls.

gorgeous day. gorgeous light through the window.

the gift of goodness.

the gift of play. love to watch him.

the gift of progress. she is working so hard.

"The art of deep seeing makes the gratitude possible. And it is the art of gratitude that makes joy possible. Joy is the art of God. " Ann Voskamp

inspired by The Joy Dare

journal

2012-01-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

jour-nal: /'jernl/
noun:     a personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a daily basis.
              diary.
              daybook.

I journal everyday.
Big things.
Little things.
Full text.
Bullet points.
Notes on a calendar.
Jots on my to do list.
The keeping of a prayer journal.

Habit. It has become the habit of my life.
It finds it's way in all aspects of my life.
The One Little Word Project.
Project Life.
Documented events.
Birthday letters.
Art that turns the heart.

It is also a lovely excuse to make my own journals.
Often.
Some have been very simple.
Others elaborate.
Some house important quotes.
The prayer journal is home to ninety days of musings. thoughts. prayers. cries of my heart.

And this is the most current::

I hear it said all the time::
oh...I don't journal.
oh...I don't have time.
oh...I am so behind.

Start now.
One thought.
Write it down.
Make a book.
Make it yours.
Go back and read.
Growth.
Renewal.
Awareness.
A journal is so many things.

learn to pause...or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.

I just want to inspire you today. If you have not already. Journal.

All supplies:: January Work In Progress Kits
{note: i never let a good cereal or cracker box go to waste. i save them. cut the broad size to about 5.5x8, and they become my journaling covers.}

Collage Wednesday

2012-01-18T05:00:00.001-07:00

I am guest posting over at WIP Kits today. You can find this article here, too.

Love me a new year.
New calendar.
New slate.
New ideas.
New word.
New project life.
And new creative outlets. Because in my opinion, if you are not moving forward, you are stagnant. And I love this paper art form so much, that I never want to be stagnant in my craft. Introducing myself to new mediums and formats and ideas, and then acting on them, helps me in actually, every area of my life. So with this in mind, I 'stumbled' upon Donna Downey's Collage Monday's. She posts a new collage every Monday, highlighting the elements she currently loves, and shares a bit of insight into how she was inspired to create her piece.

It's quite a departure for me to work my art in this fashion, but I am discovering many aspects to forcing myself out of my creative comfort zone:
~causes me to focus
~causes me to play
~causes me to let go
~causes me to push myself to new places
~causes me to be fueled in my 'normal' creative activities
~causes me to just be plain giddy with collage

Here's the basic idea:
~fill a sketch book page with what you love right now
~dig into your supplies and use them up
~stick them down however you feel
~trust yourself and have fun

Here's a look...now don't judge...I'm just playing here...

This collage was inspired by some recent thoughts that keep reoccurring. So I went with those words as the focal point. The rest of the collage uses items found in a recent mixed media kit that I subscribe to. One does not need a mixed media kit. I just 'forced' myself to use the kit pieces, and not stray too far. Plus, I focused on elements that I love right now:
book paper
text.fonts.handwriting.
pink.
tags.

I started with book pages torn from an old book. Used paint and hand made stamps+letter stickers+ephemera+tags+staples...it was great fun.

And here is the first one I completed...

This pieces was about map pattern paper. Tags. Pretty tape. Masking tape. Words. And stuff that was literally just sitting around begging to be added.

I hope today I conveyed to you simply the element of playing and having fun. Using elements you love and want to exercise more. And creating outside of your built in norms.

Thanks for letting me share what is currently inspiring me.
Have a great Wednesday...

kiss me collection~wall art

2012-01-16T05:00:00.003-07:00

Rhonna has done it again!
With a gorgeous kit perfect for Valentines.
New Kiss Me Collection.
the kit includes a brush kit.
border kit.
background papers.
pieces.
printables. (always my favorite)
word art.
facebook cover page.
valentine kit.
goRgeous!
i have so many things i want to do with this kit my mind just keeps racing.
love having creative thoughts that keep me motivated in every area of my life.

so i created a little wall art.
well...it's actually 8x10...and sits in a shadow box.
i love how that looks in the shadow box...but i my photography of it was hideous...so i just had to let it go.
here are the details:

1.a scrap of burlap was adhered to a mat.

2. a few of the of the flags from the printables kit were trimmed and sewn to the top of the piece.

3. from the word art kit i printed the vintage post card and then sewed a piece of lace to the top to attach to the burlap matting.

4. the heart was trimmed out of one of the pieces from the pieces kit, and popped up over a tag that has a bit of a chevron pattern printed on it that came from the background paper kit. that was then layered over the playing card from the word art kit

5. those pieces were simply layered over the postcard and lace. a little junque bow tops that. and then i made a little flag from the printables kit and attached it to a vintage pin, and slipped it into the seam binding that had been sewn to the bottom of the tag.

it might sound a little complicated...
but it really wasn't...
it was actually a matter of printing out this and that and simply playing...
being creative and playing are so important everyday.

if you have any questions on this, please leave me a comment...i would be happy to answer.

and i know you will be seeing more of the kit from me...because i adore it!!!

now i am off to margies...to spark my valentines...her new class::LOVELOVELOVE starts today.

the joy dare ~ week.two

2012-01-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

a week in photos

This post is a series of posts that started last friday and you can read it here.

Habits has been a word this week that consistently found it's way into my life.
Habits in finding gifts.
Habits in productivity.
Habits in everyday life.

the habit of reading everyday

the habit of honing a skill

daily habit of our educational lifestyle

habit of new discoveries? he found his shadow.

the habit of love

the habit of daily provision

The habit of finding everyday gifts stemmed from the joy dare.
The joy dare is a daily prompt to find three gifts in a day.
Three gifts in a day will equal one thousand gifts in eleven months.
one thousand in twenty.twelve.
doesn't that amaze you?

i am not following the prompts verbatim.
however, i read them daily.
and am inspired.
my children too are slowly becoming involved.
mr. pate is involved by videotaping a little something everyday.
like the gift of all the kids participating in dance2 (wii) last night...including the 16 month old!

and you can see next week how these daily habits.
these daily prompts.
these daily gifts...
find their way into telling our story in our project life.

2012 wall art

2012-01-12T05:00:00.001-07:00

Part of this months kit from WIP kits included several die punched tags.
I wanted to use the '2012' tag to celebrate the new year.

Actually...i just wanted to find a way to use the yellow damask...so pretty.

This piece starts with the Melissa Frances scalloped chipboard backdrop.

Black cardstock (included in the kit) is ModPodged on the top portion. Then a pattern from Carolina Breeze is added to the bottom portion. I did not get the stamps with the kit, but there was a great polka dot stamp included with January's kit...so instead a punchinella stencil from Scarlet Lime's Mixed Media kit was used to add silver paint here and there. An acrylic wash, in manila, was used over the damask to create a dreamy feel about the pattern. I like how it adds a bit of grunge, yet the yellow pattern and flowers still sets this piece apart with a feminine touch. I can personally relate to that.

A small junque bow tops the the tag. The 2012 tag is layered over a solid grey from the Carolina Breeze paper by Teresa Collins. The 'wonderful day' chipboard element (MyMind'sEye) in kraft was a bit too dark. It was sanded down a bit, stenciled and washed with an acrylic in manila.

Paper rolled flowers was inspired by this pinterest pin. I had never worked with them before. They are a little rough, so don't look too close. A pearl or two was added to the middle of them because the girl is finding her way back to pearls these days.
The chipboard ruler was also washed in manila acrylic and used as a border between the solid and the pattern part of the piece.
Ah...this was fun...mixed media is a growing interest of mine. I may have to add it to the weeks blog post repertoire...what say you?

project life ~week 1

2012-01-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

welcome to project life | week 1
so far so good.
keeping up with project life.
actually, it is not that much of a challenge...
i completed last year.
AND I LOVE THIS PROCESS.
it has changed the way i 'scrap'.
(still need to finish the title page for 2012, but it is in the works.)

As with last year, there is only a one sided spread. This might change. Especially in light of incorporating my one little word with my project life: gifts.
Photographing the gifts in my life.
It's what I have always done, but I am finding a new mental twist on the approach.

This weeks journal 'card' is a photo from the A Holy Experience blog. Since that is currently a significant part of my life, I loved the idea of that picture housing the week and date, plus some journal points.

I wrote a few more notes out on an actual journal card from crate paper's emma's shop collection, the accent cuts. I usually pre-cut those journal cards and house them in a 7gypsies tag drawer just so i have them at the ready. Made it easy to grab, add some journaling and go.
Also, you will see a RhonnaDESIGNS brush from It's Time Brush Kit. Thought it fitting with it being the first week of the year and all...plus, that WAS actually New Year's Day.

the joy dare

2012-01-06T10:32:00.001-07:00

There are a few books in my life that have had marked impact in my life.
One Thousand Gifts is one of those books.
My sister dared to give me this book this past fall.
She knew.
She knew I needed such a book.
She knew I was hurting.
She knew I needed joy.
She just knew.

And I will be forever grateful.
Because I will never be the same again.

A Holy Experience has now become a part of my daily ritual.
Topics like joy. pain. habits. gifts. fears. thanks. beauty. messes.
Addressed daily.
Written eloquently.
Explored honestly.
Renewed continually.

Ann Voskamp, the author, invites you to wake up to a thousand gifts.
Her book is a journey through her own discovery of the beauty of each day.
Her journey of writing down these gifts.
One Thousand Gifts.
One gift at a time.

Can you see where my one little word for 2012 arrived from? gifts.
I am a little slow.
My word did not show itself to me immediately.
But it did, eventually.
To incorporate olw with the impact of this book gives even more rise to this book and journey in my life.

Project Life.
Project Life too will be impacted by this book. by my word.
It is all working together as a theme in my life.
Looking for the beauty in everyday.
Looking for beauty in the mess.
Looking for beauty in the unintentional.

if you are still reading this...
i would share with you now part of my 1000 gifts...
as found this new year already.
writing down just three gifts a day
leads to 1000 gifts journaled in eleven months.

gifts #95-119
joyful girls
waffles cooking
little boy hair lines
a hot shower
Paul-lunch-Sunday
life long friends
faith
time to ponder
a fresh, new day
an embrace from my oldest son
that smiling baby
the mental ability to recover from a late waking start
reading to my daughers
photographs
intentional breakfast family time
relational insights
fun with middle schoolers
anticipation of a mailed package
inspiring thoughts
beautiful words
dinner in the crockpot
windows open in january
support of friends
anticipation of an evening with loved ones
celebrating epiphany with my kids

i invite you now to read about the Joy Dare over on Ann's blog.

coaster mini album

2012-01-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

january's kit from wip kits was...different for me.
i found it challenging.
don't get me wrong.
i love kraft. it's a go to element for me.
and the yellow, grey and damask that was included with the kit was gorgeous! i mean, gorgeous.
and of course i wanted to work it all.
but for the coaster mini, i stuck with the kraft for a thematic look.
sort of rustic, which went with these photos from the stables.

stitching enhanced the natural look i was going for too. so each of the background papers is sewed down in place, in a random fashion.

the edges are all about my 'sticking out' elements. love me a mini with paper goodness peeking out over the edge. it evokes a deeper look.

the coasters, all 4x4, are bound by masking tape. good old fashion wide masking tape absconded
from my husbands work bench. wonder if he notices it's missing yet.

the inside pages follow a theme. the left side of the layout houses a simple embellishment.

the right side of the layout focuses on the photo. the background cardstock is trimmed to about 3 3/4 inches. the corners were rounded. and the edges were distressed. before attaching it to the coaster, the coaster edges were aged. the card stock piece was sewed before adhering to the coaster page. i did not want to challenge my machine by sewing through the, although thin, chipboard. it's just better if me and the machine don't tangle too much.

we were out at the stables in december. right smack in the middle of a cold snap. and snappy it was. the girls, they proved to me, that if you love something enough, you will hang in there, despite the obstacle. and the cold, was indeed, an obstacle. one of the coldest days of the month. but their love for being outdoors, being with friends, and being with the horses, over came their own personal discomfort. i loved that about them that day.

this project is in itself, overcoming an obstacle. as i spoke of before, i can get hung up on papers and colors and perfection. but i just decided to plow into this one. timing was not perfect either. but deadlines are good in my life. i need that accountability. those too help me overcome the need for perfection.

ah! a gift...i must go write that down in my book of gifts...and that, my friends, is for another post...

project life | week 52

2012-01-03T11:59:00.001-07:00

i have not posted project life very much this past year.
that is because i was not keeping up with it as weekly as i would have liked.
i would catch up quite a bit.
but i want to commit to getting the previous week done by monday.
and then post on tuesday.
in hopes that this will keep me accountable to the project.

i love project life.
i love having a weeks worth of photos, stories, journaling in one place.
i love having a years worth of that little toddling boy showcased on a weekly basis.
i love how it has changed the way i scrap, now a days.
i don't scrap, anyway.
i tell stories.
i document memories.
i remember the joys, and the not-quite-joys of life.
i am my family's curator.

so here is to saying goodbye to 2011...
and a quick look at week 52...

Used RhonnaDESIGNS for journal cards and fill-ins.

I do not usually fixate on an event...but Christmas was so great this year that the weeks photos are almost all Christmas.

Same with New Years Eve. (I still need to add journaling). It was such a fun and celebratory night. Twenty.eleven had so many dark valleys. I found that saying good bye to it and looking forward to the gifts of twenty.twelve deserved it's own revelry. So we just had fun with food. pink champage. party horns. hats. funny glasses. and plenty of decorations. (That's for another post.).

So I hope for you that you will join me in Project Life.
Ali Edwards does a fabulous job showcasing hers.
Of course the queen of PL, Becky Higgins, has plenty of resources to get you started and keep you going.
Alexandra does a fabulous job posting weekly with her pages too. You should take a look.

january 2012 one little word blog hop

2012-01-01T09:00:00.000-07:00


she kept her eye on the prize

Having one little word to focus on throughout the year has become vital in many ways to me.
Having Ali E's class to be prompted by has been inspiring.
One of the best decisions I made in 2011 was to take the OLW class.
It's on my thankful list.
It involved me in my word on an artistic level.
It involved me in my word by prompting action.
It involved me in my word by encouraging me to think and journal on it.
It involved me every month, and into that month as well.

december2011

December's prompt to journal about the fact of my word, and the feelings of my word, was in it's own way an activity in saying good bye to my word.
But also firmly knowing that my word from 2011 will always be with me in a now powerful way.
For this I am so very thankful.

My word for 2012 is gifts.
I needed a word to keep me focused on the joy of life.
On the gratitudes found in life.
On the beauty of life.
But I knew I needed to be gentle on myself.
A word like joy would have been too unattainable for me.
I can be so hard on myself.
I can expect too much from myself
I would have failed under that word.

But I know I can be open to gifts.
I can be open to watching for the gifts in my life.
I can be open to receiving gifts from others, in my life.
I can be open to giving gifts to those I am in relationship to, as well.
And you know I do not mean physical gifts.
But rather the non-tangibles.
So, gifts, it is.

Today I leave you with a year in review...
A look at 2011's album pages::

cover page

january

february & march

april

may

june

july

august

september

october

november & december

If you started here on today's hop, Margie is at the top.
The next stop is Karen at http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com/

If you want to continue from this spot, here is the list of participants for this month's hop.
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/
Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Sharyn http://www.LaVieEnChic.com
Jill http://jillconyers.com
Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Cynthia H http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com
Lee http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/
Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
Monica B www.questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au
Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com
Nicky http://seejanebake.blogspot.com
Stephanie http://www.scrapworthylives.com/
Jenn L www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com you are here!
Karen http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you in the New Year.

january sneak peek

2011-12-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

been a busy week around here.
the after christmas-ness that is is still a busy one.
part of that busyness for me has been completing projects for wip kits.
wip kits gallery goes up this sunday, january1.2012.
yes friends.2012 is here upon us.
so what are you doing new years?

here are a few sneaks to the january kit projects i put together.

i hope you will join me this sunday for the the OLW blog hop of 2011.
we will be saying goodbye to our word of 2011.
for me that was pray.
and we will be saying hello to our word for 2012.
for me it will be gifts.

my word from 2011 will continue to be with me throughout the new year.

it was a perfect word.

i will share more on sunday's hop.

and i have found a new energy with having found gifts as my new one little word.

it is very needful in my life.

and will you, my dear reader, be choosing a word for 2012?

i would love to know what that word is.

i would love to have you join us in ali edwards OLW class this year.

her prompts went a long way in helping me stay connected, on many levels, to my word.

please join us.

merry christmas to all.

2011-12-23T06:12:00.001-07:00

merry christmas, my dear friends.

It has been a very busy week, as I am sure it has been for you.
With the school semester over, it has been a catch up week for me.
As well as a week of last minute shopping, (still missing a gift for my nephew), gift making, a busy kitchen, and holiday jaunts with the family.

The week brought with it two snow storms to which my girls could not be any more delighted. The neighborhood has been a buzz with activity as group driveway and side walk shoveling crews have gone from house to house sharing a very beautiful Christmas spirit. The nearby golf course has found it’s share of kiddos sledding and making merry on the deeply covered greens. This winter wonderland has only added to the festive spirit that already pervades our Mayberry street.

As there is with anything that involves people there have been moments of stress creep up and ruin the yuletide. Strained family relationships. Cold weather attitudes. Plans gone awry. But what is true joy and delight if life is always easily handled, and the character is not challenged to be all that it could be?
o.k...who am I kidding...I hate the stress...but seriously, I don't let anything go to waste, so I make that work for me in the end too.

isn’t there always joy found...somewhere?
The joy found in children rushing in from intense play among the snow moguls. Breathless and ruddy.
Joy found in babies delighted by the lights and sounds of the most wonderful time of the year. Delightful.
Joy found in safely returning home after a somewhat treacherous commute from the big city event. Thankful.
Joy found in outside trees laden with snow and lit with lights. Beautiful.
Joy found in a gorgeous rendition of Carole of the Bells by the city’s chorale. Moving.
Joy found in children falling heavy into bed after a full day of being merry and bright. Contentment.
Joy found in bright sunshine reflecting off glittery snow against a drape of blue sky. Aw-inspiring.
Joy found at the heart of it all, a small babe, a frightened mother, and wondering father, a majestic event.

Joy very often finds its way with me and the work of my hands. Indebted.
(inspired so much this year by Spark Your Christmas.)...

thank you for visiting this Christmas eve Eve day...

the spark continues

2011-12-12T12:45:00.001-07:00

as inspired by margie's spark your christmas...which is still available...

this little tree scape is sitting on my dining room table.
literally...it is this and that found around my house/studio/christmas boxes.
for me, that has been the most fun of all.
and seriously inspired by margie. oh how she rocks the beauty and spark of christmas!!!

the trees are sitting on a cardboard circle that i cut from a cereal box.
seriously...i never throw cereal or graham cracker boxes away (think costco size, folks...we got 5 kids here afterall.)
the styrofoam christmas cones are upcycled...will tell that little story in a second.
i took a scrap of a strip of burlap and a strip of silver tissue paper and then sewed them together. that was then hot glued to the circle base in a ruffle. love how that turned out.
then the christmas trees found a home inside:
these trees are covered with rhonna's christmas junque background paper, and the other with more scrap burlap.
the burlap tree has a bit of a junque bow, felt snowflake, a little bling, and then a banner from rhonna's christmas junque tags n flags .
the papered tree has a doily, scrap of a die cut label, paper shreds, dyed seam binding, and a die cut glitter star.
the rest of the table scape includes spray painted pine cones, small silver and glittered ornaments, and a bit of floral beads. i love when the simple things found here and there come together and make something beautiful.
well...i think it's beautiful anyway.

so here is my funny little story.
do you see those two trees in this magazine?
the mag is Holiday Cards from 2008.
yep. 2008.
4 years ago.
well...as i was debating whether i should upcycle the styrofoam christmas trees for the above table scape, it was those two trees i was holding in my hand.
then it dawned on me...the green patterned paper (tree on the left) was from autumn leaves...and it was a Rhonna Farrer design!
have i not been ~~stalking~~, ~~worshipping~~, inspired by that woman for but a very long time?
it made me smile.
and i am thrilled to be a part of her creative team, and continue to paper my styro trees with her designs.

spark your christmas

2011-12-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

I have so much I wish to share with you.
But today it will be some simple inspiration.
by way of Spark Your Christmas.

I was gifted this fabulous class by a friend who could tell I needed...well...a little spark.
And she was so right.
The week really caught up with me in a bad way.
Spark Your Christmas re-directed some creative passion...and here is a small result::

As inspired by Margie's chipboard letters...

these letters 'were' covered in green and red patterned paper.
not workin' for me and my decor this year.
Margie covered hers in fabric and yarn...beautiful.
and i covered mine in simply what I could find around here.
patterned tissue paper.
burlap scraps.
book paper.

and then junqued them up just a bit...

scraps of silver netting from a previous gift received.
tulle. i just always have tulle.
coffee died seam binding.
chipboard stars: the stars were die cut from scrap chipboard (read salvaged cereal box).
                          then they were covered in silver wrapping paper.
                          and then they were hot glued to the junque bow.
                          i have pearls and assorted beads from here and there...more hot glue (i see now why margie uses low temp glue...note to self!) and they added to the glam of the project.

so use what you have.
re-junque it up.
have fun...

off to upcycle some styrofoam christmas trees.

catching up...december daily

2011-12-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

hello friends...someone recently commented they had not seen me around much...
i am simply behind in my life.
that's all.
but here is a little peek into what is going on with the december daily.
the tradition for Day1 is to have a family photo.
love this idea.
this is what our's will look like this year::

still need to play with the formatting a little as we look a bit too small.

to answer a few question about my book that i introduced here::
the cover is 6 1/2 x 9.
it is covered in canvas.
the inside pages will vary from anywhere between 6x8 1/4 to 5 1/2 x 8.
i like the variation of different sizes going on inside.
and there is nothing original here, like...at all! so please take from this book any inspiration that will let your book be the book it should be.

yesterday RhonnaDESIGNS had some fabulous creative team tuesday inspo. go check it out.

hoping your Christmas celebration is less hectic than mine.

and more tags...

2011-12-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

guest blogging today at work in progress.

here is that post.

Tags are in my heart right now.
I have always loved tags.
If you have ever received a gift from me, there is probably some type of tag attached to it.
They are simple canvases awaiting the pleasure of paper, trim and embellishment to make them into works of art.

So I blame Trish, that's right, Trish for this most recent obsession I find myself entangled with.
For she was the one who revealed the beauty of Two Gypsy Girls and their Advent Tag calendar of a few years back. They actually call theirs a Junk Drawer Advent Calendar. And that is just fine by me. For what I have to show you sort of came about from junk. My junk.

For you see I became so obsessed with making these tags, that I ended up buying the Gypsy Girls digital download of instructions. Then the fun really began. But not because of what you think. Not because I had gorgeous detail photos of all 24 days of tags. Not because I had step by step instructions on how to replicate each tag. Not because I now had new techniques to explore and create with. Nope. It was because I practically had NONE of the supplies they used. Well...I had tags! but the fun for me really became reality when I used what I had. I did not go out to buy a single thing for the tags that I made. The challenge to my creative resources was peeked and I went after the task with great love and joy for this creative process.

Let me share a little here::

They all start with a few basics. (I am not going to reveal what the 2Gypsies shared with me, but I can share a few little things). They all start with a tag. Save for the bingo card (do you recognize the bingo card from the WIP December kit?) Also basic to each tag is inking of the edges. After that they are all their own unique pieces of sweetness.

I forgot one other common theme:: glitter. My Christmas colors this year are silver, burlap, and champagne. The glitter just fits perfectly with that scheme. As do all these tags.

Let me share a few of my favorite...oh...so hard to choose...but I will try.

Remember, I did not have hardly any of the suggested supplies that the 2Gypsies wished I had. So based on the photo and instruction, I went my own way. My version of this tag was to make a frame from wood grain pattern paper, and die cut with a label shape. The 'bling' piece is actually a button from...are you ready for this? Walmart! yep folks, there are treasures to be had at Walmart. I actually picked up the bejeweled piece to make a ring. That did not work. But it sure did work to run some hand dyed seam binding through to top the frame. This is one of the more simple tags, but it is one of my favorites.

The center tag, the one with the flocked brocade, is my all time favorite. I really wish you all could see it in real life...it is actually stunning if I do say so myself. The pattern piece started off with a white background. Too stark for the look I was going for. So, I misted the brocade with a bit of water. Then I used a bit of color mist, pooled a little on my work surface, and 'painted' it onto the white portions of the brocade piece. It worked perfect. The heart chipboard piece I made by die cutting a piece of chipboard to a heart shape. Then I covered the heart with a bit of cheese cloth...yes...lots of cheese cloth on these here tags, who knew? I trimmed along the edges leaving some frayed pieces loose. Another piece of dyed seam binding was tied in a bow and attached, with pearls hot glued onto the seam binding. I randomly picked up those pearls in Ohio last month! I now believe one needs always have pearls of various sizes in one's stash.

The last tag I shall share with you is this one. So much I had to make work on this one. First, the vintage alphabet piece...I found it on GraphicsFairy. And I was so excited to have made it's acquaintance. Then, the glittered fleur de lis...I did not have any of those on hand. But I did have a stamp. So I stamped a piece of thin chipboard. Then trimmed around the stamp impression. Next, Modge Podge was used to cover the piece, and then it was glittered...again another item I purchased in Ohio! (I love that place!). The next thing I did not have were pearl dangles. So I looked up how to make those on YouTube, and actually got pretty good at it by the end of these tag creations.

The need to be resourceful in my creativity really added to the value of this Advent Calendar. It deepened my ability to make something out of, well, practically nothing. Our creative studios are beautiful places to hoard stuff, or make stuff. Pull out those precious hoarded items and make something beautiful today.

tags.tags.tags.

2011-11-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

i always need tags for something.
to top gifts.
for card covers.
last month i had some hanging on pumpkins, even.

i made these sweet and simple tags
using RhonnaDESIGNS most recent kits.fonts.&dingbats.
love them all.

how do you do that?
1. open up a new document and size to 2.33x4.33 - tag size.
2. next, drop the graph pattern from the christmas junque printable backgrounds. size down to fit the tag nicely.
3.then stamp with a brush from the chevron funk brush kit.
4. the next brush is from the junque labels kit. that was stamped in black to help it pop.
5. then i added the word 'celebrate' using traveling typewriter font.
6. i always run a practice sheet through the printer first.
7. when i am happy with how it looks, i lightly tape the manila tag on top of the previously printed digital element. the sheet is run through the printer again...and tada! a printed tag. i use the technique quite a bit, and have lots more to do.
8. a rosette was made with some sheer grey fabric i had in my stash.
9. some bling was added to the tag to finish the look.
10. now i shall give it away.

1. the techniques are the same as above, only different digital elements. this tag started with the pattern from one of the christmas junque background papers .
2. that was layered with an image from the punk junque kit.
3. a label from junque labels kit was stamped in a light brown and the word lovely was added to the middle of that using RF SwirlyGig font.
4. same printing technique as in the above tag was used.
5. using my handy dandy glue gun, i layered sheer ribbon, paper ribbon, book flags, paper shreds and a large piece of bling to complete the tag.

1. this 'time is precious' tag is the easiest so far. a digital element used was from the punk junque kit. instead of using the abr brush to stamp on the tag, i used the colored png file and dropped the image on the tag canvas in my photo editor. I played around with the placement for a little before i was happy with it.
2. i stamped one of the labels from junque labels kit so that the words 'time is precious' would fit right inside of the label.
3. print as above.
4. ink the edges.
5. add glitter glue to edges and paint inside butterflies.
6. add tulle and silver yarn and tie to top.
7. done.

1. use junque labels kit to stamp frame label in brown.
2. print as above.
3. die cut butterfly from the collage pattern paper found in christmas junque background paper kit.
4. attach to tag with hot glue.
5. add icicle glimmer glaze to butterfly.
6. add bling to center.
7. adhere paper doily to back of tag.
8. tie white seam binding to the top.
9. done.

Kits used for these projects::

photo block class

2011-11-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

I was gazing at my photo blocks from...yikes...2005...and thought:
I need to replace these.
Then I had another thought.
I bet a few of you would like to do a class making these, huh?
So...announcing the Photo Block class.
When: December 6. 2011
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Where: My Place
Cost: tbd (will get back with you soon after I confirm some supplies)
Why: because several of you expressed an interest and I love these so much.

Great and fabulous gifts for Christmas.
Great and fabulous sitting on a shelf sharing themselves with you everyday.

We will be papering and embellishing these fun little cubes to your hearts content.
Here are some more details:
For each block, you send me a photo or two.(digital files, of course)
I will edit and crop them so they are all consistent.
Then we will construct them all here the night of the class.

I will be posting the rest of the details early next week.
Please let me know of ANY questions you may have.
I am so excited!!!

pumpkin scones

2011-11-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

it's that time of year.
when i bake one of our families most loved recipes::
pumpkin scones.

this only happens once a year, mind you.
once a year we wake to cinnamon wafting throughout the house.
to be greeted with warm scones fresh from the oven.
waiting to be split and topped with our version of cream fraiche.

and today i share with you::

About 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1. In a bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Add 1/2 cup butter and, with a pastry blender or your fingers (I use a food processor), cut or rub in until pea-size crumbs form.

2. In a small bowl, whisk pumpkin and 1/2 cup milk until well blended. Add to flour mixture and stir just until dough is evenly moistened.

3. Scrape onto a lightly floured board, turn over to coat, and gently knead just until dough comes together, 5 or 6 turns. Pat dough into a 6-inch round, 1 1/2 inches thick; cut into 6 equal wedges.

4. Separate wedges and place on a lightly buttered 12- by 15- baking sheet. In a small bowl, beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon milk to blend; brush lightly over tops of scones (discard any remaining egg wash). In another small bowl, mix granulated sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinckle evenly over scones.

5. Bake in a 375 regular or convection oven until scones are golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a rack; serve warm or cool.

This comes with it the desire that all you wonderful people have a fabulous Thanksgiving. We are indeed a blessed people, and have so much to acknowledge in our everyday lives.

I will be taking a break the rest of the week to enjoy and maybe even catch up on life a little. Well...we shall see how that goes. Be back next week with December Daily and a few other goodies.

blessings...jamie

true beauty

2011-11-18T06:35:00.001-07:00

a couple of weeks ago i gave you a sneak peek to this album.

and today i am posting the details over at the work in progress blog.

this is one of my more favorite mini books of a long time.
there is so much of my poured into all of it.

i hope it inspires you to pour yourself into a project that you love.

my prayer is that you find your true beauty in every part of your life today.

december daily 2011

2011-11-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

welcome to the 2011 edition of the pate december daily.
this project is now in it's fourth year.
and it brings with it such a wonderful tradition of story telling and moments to remember.

this year i am so very eager to use RhonnaDESIGNS as the base of this year's book.
so far the use of the christmas junque kit+the number junque kit is setting the stage for the design.
the cover makes use of 7gypsies book board covered in canvas.
an old label chipboard shape from jennie bowlin dabbed in silver frames a swatch of christmas junque background paper.
the 'noel' is an ornament found at hobby lobby.
the number stickers are making memories.
the front cover is kept simple on purpose. i love how it invites you in.

corrugated chipboard is found on the inside covers.
hoping that works...it is already making the book a little thick.
the first page is printed out Christmas junque background paper+christmas junque pieces.
using a sewn doily, jenni bowlin crepe paper, a felt snowflake, and a ruffled book paper trim, the opening page sets the stage for what i hope is a bit of a whimsical book celebrating our christmas traditions.
heck...i'm just thrilled i get to finally use a bit of blue in my christmas this year...

details of that sweet little bird and his hat!

the pattern:
the foundation pages go as follows.
1. embellished page.
2. page divider. sometimes this will be on a transparency. sometimes not. you see the number junque #1 is layered on music paper that is attached to a 2 1/2 by 8 piece of transparency.

the other side of the page divider.
3. digital paper page will house photo(s) or journaling.

4.a ledger or notebook page for additional photos or journaling or what not from that day.

then the process starts all over again.

this is just the first two days.
eager to share more.
hoping you will stop by again as i continue putting this together.
and i hope you are inspired by RhonnaDESIGNS as it is her work is what is making this a fabulous book.

also...if you did not stop by yesterday to check out creative team tuesday on rhonna's blog, hope you do today. the creative team is at it again with all kinds of creations.

project life

2011-11-14T05:00:00.002-07:00

although not shared here much, i have been participating in project life.
weekly layouts. journaled and photographed.
this has been a wonderful process this year.
not only for me.
my family loves the format of our life spread on page as well.
some weeks are event driven.
some weeks are everyday life.
some weeks are bullet point lists of schedule.
some weeks are journaled.
some happy.
some struggle.
overall, i love how this process has taken the shape that it has this year,
and i am sure to continue the same next year.
last month i implemented RhonnaDESIGNS into the weeks pages.

one of the 4x6 pockets of the page protector is usually saved for the journaling. it includes which week of the year we are in, and the date of that week.
i started with background paper from the honeycomb background kit as well as the grateful glam background kit.
i add the text of the week, number, and the date.
i add brushes. above are mostly from the grateful glam brush kit, and a few from the spooky junque brush kit.
the last journal tag includes a few notes on the week.

a little fuzzy...because he is always on the move.

these photos fit in the 3x4 pockets. digital components used include honeycomb background kit, grateful glam brush kit, washi tape kit, and my own text added.

the 4x6 orientation on this mini layout uses the frameworks kit.

here is what it all looks like in the album::

a close up of another journal card made from the frameworks kit...these digital elements are so versatile...and i love i can print again and again::

if you did not participate in this year's project life...it's never too late to start.
or start fresh this january.
it is such a wonderful way to capture this life.
this life that flies by so quickly.
leaving many stories behind.
to be told.
to be remembered.
to be enjoyed.

the bertram 2011

2011-11-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

the weather was perfect.
the skies clear.
the air brisk.
it was just gorgeous.

the desserts delectable.
and generous.
we also were spoiled with a sundae bar friday evening.
because we needed more.

the food was outstanding.
continuing to dream of beef tips in mushroom sauce.
it was all so good.

finally to meet my willow and blogging friend lisa.
delighted, i am sure.
she is a charm.
she calls everyone 'mama'.
love.
so blessed to know a lady like her.

taught Everyday Gratitude friday evening.
the group was a blast.
we just simply had fun.
and they loved what i had to share.
affirming.

mary and debbie.
cousins.
table mates.
lots and lots of laughter.
i miss them already too.
they were so welcoming and inviting to let me share in their weekend.
forever grateful.

tina.
what a doll.
hopefully you recognize her from the WIP design team.
talk about sweet.
and creative.
she needs to share her 2011 travel mini book with you all.
i die, to coin a phrase.

the willows.
trish was so blessed to have these ladies in attendance.
makes me wish visiting the boards.
hmmm...must find time for that again.

lisa and trish.
i dropped in a day before the event.
we did a wee bit o' shopping.
hallows. are you kidding me.
the quirkiest store ever.
fun finds.
stopping in the aisles to share a story with one another.
thanks for splitting those envelopes with me, lisa.

trish...i can't thank you enough for the opportunity to teach at your retreat.
blessing it was.
had so much fun.
glad i stepped out that way to meet you all.

a beautiful mess.

trips to starbucks.
with lisa.
salted caramel mocha.
venti.
much needed sustenance.
joy.

the candy bar of saturday night.
because we needed more.

memories of late nights.
time to be creative.
catching up on junque journals.
simply enjoying.
meeting new friends. and old.
relishing my time.

enjoying the process.

till next year, ladies.
thanks for the memories.

retreat and published

2011-11-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

back from a fab week teaching and creating over at the Bertram with Trish from WiP. She was the amazing host of her annual retreat weekend. The time was spent by many scrapping, singing, talking, eating, and very little sleeping. My kind of weekend. Well...can't say as I was scrapping, but I did work on several projects to be revealed in the near future. But mostly met up with some friends I knew via blogging and facebook, and met them face to face. Loved that!

365 Cards hits the stands today. Been a very long time since I have had any published work, so this was a nice surprise I found in the mail after I returned over the weekend.

butterfly day june 19


national letter writing day december 7

One more little thing...Rhonna is hosting a give away of Mindy Gledhill's christmas album over on her blog...
go and leave a comment telling why you NEED this album...
because you really do NEED this album!

was hoping...

2011-11-02T22:24:00.002-06:00

for a profound post to end the blogging week with...
however...life has caught up with me...
and i am actually packed and flying out to teach for my first official creative time ever!
wish me luck.
i can't wait.
i am so excited.
part of a new focus in my life.
i'll let you know how it goes.

will return with photos. memories. and hopefully plenty of stories to tell.

delight

2011-11-01T23:32:00.002-06:00

it's taking me a while.
too long in fact.
i was asked recently what delights me.
what delights you?

i fear the answer too long has been..."i don't know".
denial.
far too long in fact i have denied myself what delights me.

this is deeper than asking me 'what do you want?
delight reaches to the soul.

de·light [di lite]

n (plural de·lights)

joy: great enjoyment and pleasure

To my delight, he accepted.

to my delight i need to accept more of that which brings delight.

i delight in beauty.
i delight in photos that render emotion.
i delight in texture.
i delight in color that calms and soothes.
i delight, indeed, with a project that causes me great delight in the process..
and then i delight in the completion.

this 'true beauty' mini album was created using the november work in progress project kit.

the pages cascade on top of the other. it allows for texture and color to peek through from underneath adding interest to the mini book.
the foundation started with the 6x6 My Mind's Eye patterned papers.
a wallet size photo was added.
layers of tags, mini flags, seam binding, and little bags was added at random.
and the theme "the beauty of"...was added to most pages.
finding the simplicity of beauty in the face of a baby.
of brother and brother.
time in the back country...
and more...

watch for my post this month over at work in progress for the rest of the mini book.

hoping you delight in your day.

a few of my favorite things...

2011-10-31T14:58:00.000-06:00

pretty small packages sitting in a row...
getting my kits ready for the Everyday Gratitude class I am teaching this week at the Bertram Inn.
very excited.

sneak peek of November Work In Progress...
i have dived into yet another mini album...if you follow here long you know how i can be about those. (insert obsessive). November's gallery will be live tomorrow.

mouse. paper. scissors. give.
i have to promote this class.
especially since today is the last day to register.
i have learned so much from both jessica and heidi in these class formats.
timeless application of digital+hybrid.
it's like a marriage made in heaven.
let me know if you will be attending as well.

RhonnaDesigns.
now you know that is one of my favorite things...
so here is the latest.
newsletter about ready to go out...are you signed up?
go here and do that.
right under the balloon.
do you see it?
there will be a free printable download.
there will be a discount off of products from her shop.
and there will be some new digital goodness to check out.
but you won't know if you don't go...(i just made that up).

i think that is it for now.
check back for more of that WIP mini album.
it is one of my new favorites.

have a lovely day!

spark no.3...continued

2011-10-28T11:08:00.002-06:00

photos merely attempt to translate the joy of spark.
the people.
the artisans.
the friends.
the spirit.
did i say joy?

friends reuniting.
affirming one another in their art.
this is nancy with canela. my swap gift was from her. she makes jewelry.
see her page on facebook...and you will see the design she gave to me.
love.

margie.
what else can i say about the heart and soul behind spark?
ama.zing.
that's what she is.
her love. joy. enthusiasm for the creative life is more than contagious.
it is life changing.

mindy gledhill.

not as though i knew what to expect from these days in utah.

but mendy was a complete serendipity!

her art talk sparked me immediately.

completely took over my heart from the moment she started speaking into us.

she spoke into our existance as artist from her perspective as artist.

again. amazed. it's just my word.

the view from class.

emily falconbridge.
mother earth, as margie calls her.
beauty personified.
sweet spirit.
eager to teach and share her love.
see here for nancy's interpretation of me felting.
this will not be my new art by any stretch of the imagination.
but the practice of stretching myself over the weekend started here.

donna downey.
amazing (sung in an angelic way)
mixed media queen.
with a teaching style that evoked such a love for her art.
she worked the room showing us technique and affirming and inspiring.
her class lit all of us.

pan pastels.

i am hooked for life.

jen jensen.
sadly she does not have a blog.
a facebook page.
or a twitter account.
imagine that?
she simply creates.
imagine that?
beauty personified, she is.
junk journal extraordinaire.
i loved this class.
and could have sat in her presence all day working the vintage book.
she alone was worth the registration fee.

this technique will now find it's way into alot of my work.
i just know it.

april meeker.
she is heart and soul.
her story alone would inspire.
she took a moment after class and shared her heart.
i think i'm in love.
she is living inspiration.
eager to continue to follow her and her journey.

she taught this girl how to carve a stamp.
it's a bit addicting, i might add.
and a craft i am eager to share with my girls.

amy tan.
goes to show you one can never judge from a tweet what a person is made of.
she is sweetness personified.
with the best american-dream come true success story.
you just had to be at spark to here the details.
reverse applique is her art.
we all swooned over the pursuit.

rhonna farrer.
creative soul.
never ending inspiration.
joy and affirmation felt simply by being in her presence.

if you know me even a little...
you know i am always taking photos of food.
the creativity that went into our lunches and dinner was over the top.
this is what i love about the creative spirit.
it infiltrates every are of one's life...
if you are willing to allow.
work?
yes.
it takes work.
but we have been working since the garden.
work is divine.
adding beauty and creativity to that work allows for joy and peace to be apart of every piece of our life.
a life well lived.

this is not the end of the story.
it is only the beginning.
the rival of what happened here to what was already occurring in my life.
an unpacking.
an assessing of life.
it is all coming together.
and now i can move forward, with eyes wide open, ready to see and embrace what is next on this journey.
i hope you will join me.

spark no.3 - pt. 2

2011-10-26T07:47:00.000-06:00

good morning sweet friends...

Part of the Spark experience was beholding all things beautiful. We must see beauty before we can speak beauty. The stage was set for our hearts to receive all that was to be received by way of the embellishment of the lovingly and handmade decorations that filled us with delight.

doilies.
paper flowers.
swaths of fabric.
hand wrapped wreaths.
rosettes.
delighting the senses with ooohhhs and aaahhhs.

the entrance alone would have set my heart to flame. hanging lampshades encased with vintage book text.

simple.

elegant.

sweet.

and oh so doable.

that too is part of the Spark experience...

revealing to one through site and sound what is doable in the heart. What can be re-kindled (in my case) and set to life. Whether it was through song, decoration, instruction, or the simplicity of spoken word, this whole experience set to light what was doable in one's life in the pursuit of beauty.

I can remembering stepping inside of the venue and the hum of excitement. Friends re-uniting. Firsthand greeting and making acquaintance. Welcome greetings from Margie and April. The beauty of the name tags! The gathering into groups that would walk us through together during the course of the weekend.

reminders set throughout the space.

table decorations.
paper.
tissue.
books.
stamps.
love.

paper chandeliers.
fabric.
tissue.
trim.
the simplicity of lovliness.

a spark indeed was already lit.

I am profoundly grateful for the spark that was rekindled in my soul throughout this encounter.
Could Margie and April and all the ladies involved had known the transforming power they were to wield over me?
or is that indeed the why of their own inspiration?
the heart. soul. sweat. tears. and perhaps even blood that made this event the powerhouse that it was.
can they know the depth of what they poured into heart. soul. mind.?
and this just from the beautification of an empty room.
that beautification must go forth into all our lives and permeate the way we live. think. give.

tomorrow...the people. the classes.
thank you for joining me here today.

spark no.3

2011-10-25T09:53:00.000-06:00

There is so much to tell about my four days in Utah attending Spark No.3. One could be...well actually IS, overwhelmed on many levels as to the creativity incited to near hysteria while attending Spark. The enthusiasm was contagious, the art projects stimulating, the sista's inspiring, the decor simply gorgeous, the new friends wonderful. And the instructors and hostess...outta this world!

Putting it all into words and photos is a bit foreboding...so let's start from the beginning...shall we?

my dear lizzie.

my dear lizzy boutique and bistro is one of those experiences that as you walk in you stop. the jaw drops. and one stands gaping at all the eye has to behold. one has entered all that is beautiful. we daughter's of eve always endeavoring for beauty...well here is one place that will never disappoint. the textures. the merchandise. the music. the shopkeepers. all beautiful. it is no wonder Spark the Event was born here. opportune enough to visit and not come away inspired...ah...then you really do need a spark. as this was our first stop, a sort of mecca for all spark attendees, the tone was officially set for all that was to be experienced when spark was attended.

spark sista's. once a partaker of spark, all belong to the sisterhood. the connection with these women was immediate. no one was a stranger. everyone belonged. creative types get it. and that indeed was what was encountered.

n ancy wyatt. she was already a sista. we are members of rhonnaDESIGNS creative team. she is to blame for lighting a fire within and helping me to see my way to Spark. and i will forever be thankful. she will never fully know the way that she helped create for me. she has believed in me for several years. sometimes we need others to see for us...she. she did just that. appreciating forever when women genuinely and authentically encourage one another to uncover their gifts and give them wings to fly to places they were not themselves sure of. nancy...blessed me beyond measure. i am forever grateful.

and that was just the very first day...spark was not to begin until the next.

nancy was also responsible for hosting a dinner to bring all the new attendees together the evening before Spark opened. again...women creatives accepting and befriending one another immediately in a way that is not found in many places. we all swapped handmade gifts with one another. (you may peek at that tomorrow). we laughed. chatted. ate. drank. and began a new journey into creative newness that would stay in our hearts for long after the event.

i hope you will join me this week as i relive the Spark...i hope, mostly, and above all, that you might be inspired to be sparked. and how i would dearly love that little fire burning within might find you making a commitment next year to SparkNo.4...

spark the event.

2011-10-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

heading out tomorrow morning...an event that has alluded me in the past.
but i am taking it on now.
looking forward to meeting blogging/online friends.
meeting new creatives.
learning new crafts and skills.
and simply enjoying the process.

every day gratitude class

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

I have the distinct honor of teaching this year at The Fall Retreat at the Bertram Inn 2011.

Trish from Work In Progress hosts this event every year. From all that I hear it is a wonderful retreat with opportunity to scrap, take classes, and simply be spoiled for a weekend.

The class, Everyday Gratitude, includes a full kit to make a journal to house, well, everyday gratitude's. The subject continues to compel me to learn more about the gifts in our lives that bring forth a spirit of thankfulness and joy. I have been making gratitude journals for several years now, and have put together this class and kit exclusive to The Fall Retreat. We will be making an interactive book that include pockets, quotes, hidden pages and plenty of journaling space to write down elements of our lives that we love and bring us joy.

If you are in the Aurora area of Ohio the weekend of the November 4-6, I hope you will stop by, and attend this event. Or at least stop by and say hello.

Please leave a comment with any questions you may have. I enjoy hearing from you all.

workin' the kit. part 2

2011-10-13T03:00:00.001-06:00

warning:: photo heavy post...

including this post there are a total of 15 layouts using October's Work In Progress kit.
I am guesting over at the WIP with all the details.

outside my window...

2011-10-12T15:22:00.000-06:00

feel the need/compulsion to do this today...feeling very contemplative i guess.

Outside my window...beautiful warm fall day. a favorite.

I am thinking...about my life. my schedule. SPARK. my relationships.

I am thankful for...the warmth of the sun.

From the kitchen...it's clean and quiet. the calm before our busy evening begins.

I am wearing...my favorite american eagle tee with lacy tank poking out.

I am creating...kits for my Everyday Gratitude class in November.

I am going...to SPARK in 8 days! so needed.

I am reading...One Thousand Gifts. beautiful.

I am hoping...for some clarity.

I am hearing...the younger girls playing and giggling outside.

Around the house...baby is napping. oldest is studying. calm for right now.

One of my favorite things...the on going creative thoughts in my head.

A few plans for the rest of the week: teaching. seeing friends. buying luggage. planning birthday. finishing gratitude kits.

My favorite photo today:

baby in blue. from tuesday's creative color challenge::blue

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

grateful glam giftables.

2011-10-11T06:08:00.000-06:00

A bit of gifting going on around here.
and rhonnaDESIGNS grateful glam made them exceptional.

the stationary set here is based on Heidi Swapp and Jessica Sprague's version from one of their Mouse Paper Scissors classes.

the idea is to take a basic manila folder.
cover with gorgeous patterned paper and what not.
add pockets inside.
include stationary and postcards.

add seam binding.
digital brushes.
stamps.
and whatever makes the item beautiful.
and give it away.
from rhonna's shop i used these papers::

and these brushes::

with these tags and cards i made postcards (which i failed to photograph)::

the grey and yellow is stunning together.
all the elements work together.
no matter how you place them together, it will look fabulous.
if you create with any of these kits, please link me up. would LOVE to see.

next...a gift set for a girl, using the same grateful glam kits as above.::

this gift set includes a gratitude book. a mini jotter. and of course a card.

the gratitude book is a given with all the grateful sentiments from the grateful glam kit. cover chipboard on the inside and outside with the printable background paper
.

add journal pages. i made up some simple lined pages using this brush tutorial from rhonna.
then i printed dates. and punched them with a fancy label punch to make indexed months.

i added an embellishment using a mini shipping tag, a cut out of that fabulous queen bee (notice her glitter on her wings), and a sentiment from the grateful glam tags and flags kit. ONE OF MY FAV ITEMS!

a super simple mini jotter rounds out the set. i will have to show you the how to on that on another day, if your interested. i love these jotter's personally. always have them around cause i am always jotting things down.

and you remember the card from yesterday.
more printable backgrounds.
tags and card print out.
more tag and flags sentiments.
a lacy doily.
a vellum butterfly.
a little glam.
and already for a little girl.
or a big girl, for that matter.

thank you so much for visiting!

creative team peek

2011-10-10T07:18:00.000-06:00

good morning friends...
the weekend brought with it some chilly winter like temps.
burr...
happy to see mild fall weather in our future again...
especially with an 8 year old birthday to celebrate on the horizon.

so are you signed up for rhonna DESIGNS newsletter?..each week there is a discount available and even a freebie gets thrown in there from time to time. {you can join the newsletter on the home page of the shop!}

This quote is very poignant to my story right now.
working to keep my eyes open.
working to understand the depth of being happy now.
of acting on what i know.
and quotes like these are beautiful reminders of what i can so easily forget.
what about you?

i will be back tomorrow with more projects from the grateful glam collection over at rhonna's.

october @ wip

2011-10-04T08:14:00.001-06:00

october...here we are. It hardly seems so, as our weather here in the high country has been resplendent of summer. i love the colors of fall, but i love the warmth of summer as well. so very thankful to be enjoying both.

here today to share few layouts from my interpretation of october's work in progress kits. the main kit has sold out...but i highly encourage the purchase of the add-on kit. it has alot of fun patterns and textures and is a great addition to any of your fall projects...or gifts...it's almost time to think of gifts.

the main kit included die cut tags in chocolate and the add-on had a sheet of my favorite stock:: kraft. for the fall banner, i simply distressed the edges, added a welcome sticker to the first tag, strung them together with vintage thread, and had a simple, yet festive little banner to hang on my printer tray.

this layout made use of the ki calendar page. because this girl here is blossoming right before my very eyes in such a speedy fashion. time will not stand still for this one. i layered a piece of that fabulous pink paislee nantucket print, a part of the crate paper border sticker finishes off the edge. the title "you" is layered on one of the white tags and completed with the bazzil brown and white striped ribbon. a few word strips finish off the project. i use the house of 3 printable ribbon tags alot, but they are no longer available. these word strips can easily be made on your computer.

how fun is that typewriter paper from jillibean soup papers? i layered the card with two pieces from that collection, and left the top part open like a pocket. a tag from the crate paper label sticker sheet tucked perfectly behind. it can hold it's own sentiment i think. the green gingham ribbon from the main kit was a little too bright for this project, so i soaked it in black coffee for a bit to give it a ting of a vintage look. i likey. add a word sentiment to the card and it is complete and ready to give to someone you indeed think is wonderful.

the rest of my projects with this kit can be found here....and there will be a part two to that post later in the month.

thank you for stopping by today!

noel - carte de Jamie Pate

2011-10-03T07:05:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends...I have a little post over at scrap rende-vouz.
My sweet friend, Alexandra, with two of her friends, hosts this site and I encourage you to becoming a daily visitor.
They are currently in a series of Christmas cards. They will be posting a card a day from now until October 31st. and since this series began on Saturday, the 2nd...that will give you 30 cards of inspiration to enable your card giving this coming Christmas season.

here is my sketch...

This cards is very, very simple indeed. It's dimensions are 4 inches by 7 1/2.

The base of the card is a cream textured cover stock. This is an 80 lb. card stock cover that I like better for cards than the 60 lb. The doily is sprayed lightly with a spray adhesive, and then glittered. The kraft stock was die cut to a tag, and then embossed with a textured folder. Adding a little bling on the swirls adds to it's elegant and celebratory feel.
The word banner is was printed and inked and notched. It is popped up on the top of the tag to add a bit of dimension, but not too much as to not be able to be mailed.
This is a terribly simple card, and one that can translate into any holiday or celebration.
If you have any questions please leave me a comment.
thank you so much for visiting and commenting today.

supplies::

card stock: cream 80 lb. stock; crumb cake (kraft)-stampin up.

doily: wilton

tag die: tags, scallop combo #2

emboss folder: elegant lines textured impression folder die

jewels, glitter, seam binding: my stash

strengthen your strengths

2011-09-30T07:52:00.000-06:00

my brother in law recently shared that saying with me. it has stuck.
it is a necessary focus when we creatives want to compare ourselves to others...
or think we never add up.
perfection can be our enemy.
adjusting one's thoughts on what is strong within us, and working them to their end is a virtue that will only give way to more creativity and inspiration.
wanted to share that with you by way of some digital art courtesy of RhonnaDESIGNS.
i am working on a series of wall art with quotes for the girls bathroom. i want them to read everyday words affirming the direction they should go in their day. focusing on their strengths vs. weakness is a battle every girls has...so i hope to inspire them.

supplies:

honeycomb backgrounds

simple and fun tags

six weeks shape up brush

font: traveling typewriter

Rhonna just put up super hero fun::

there are twelve new kits in the shop
+ the newsletter is just out...are you getting yours...it may be worth your while!!!
and i have a feeling some ones' sixteenth birthday might be fun and festive with a little kapow going on.

tomorrow...Work In Progress gallery goes live...

till then...

variation on a theme

2011-09-29T12:18:00.000-06:00

Today I am over at Work In Progress.
I have a post there is highlighting these layouts...
and showing how far a scrapbook kit can go...
and how to make an album come together easily...

I hope you will stop by and say hi!

this and that

2011-09-28T07:14:00.000-06:00

Did you get a chance to hop over to Rhonna DESIGNS yesterday and see this weeks Creative Team Tuesday post?
the creative team is so diverse and contributed some lovely projects in hybrid and digital.. Very inspiring pieces for fall. halloween.and everyday.
go. look. see.
and i encourage you to check out the creative team's blogs too...they are an amazing group of talented ladies...i still feel so honored to be on this team.

Today Rhonna is featuring a closer look at the Grateful Glam kit on her blog. I LOVE THIS KIT. I am eager to play with the new Grateful Glam and have a few projects in the works.Come back next week for those. If you ever decide to create a little here and there with any of her kits, please link me up. Would love to see what you do. Would love to show them off here.

And have you signed up for the newsletter yet? On the home page of the shop there is a place to do just that. I am thinking there is still a 25% discount to be had for her shop. Hope you go and take advantage of this offer. And show me what you come up with.

in other news...
This week Work In Progress will be posting October's gallery...beautiful papers by Pink Paislee were to be found in this months kit.
Here is a sneak or two...or three...

A little announcment here::

i am attending Spark the Event this year. And would love to know if any of you will be in attendance. It makes me so happy to meet my internet friends. You all are a wonderful source of inspiration to me. So if you are going...please let me know.

And lastly...finally getting some much needed editing done... Sawyer Anthony's twelve month photo is mostly done...and I leave you with that today.

spooky junque

2011-09-26T07:15:00.002-06:00

Good Monday morning friends...
I am back in full swing here with lots to share with you this week.
Rhonna has been at it again with her Spooky Junque line of digital goodness.
How is it that Rhonna makes even Halloween beautiful?

The Spooky Junque Banner Kit is a perfect printable for those of you not quite ready for the digital world. The kit allows you to simply print and cut and alter. Here is my take on this banner kit::

I used eight flags to make my banner. Punching tiny holes in the top they were connected with vintage thread I procured on one of my antique travels. My suggestion, whenever you come across anything slighly useful like a whole spool of vintage thread that is unique and one of a kind...grab it up. You will not be sorry. I use this thread all the time. So happy to have found it.

This burlap striped print is one of my favorites. After I printed and trimmed each flag, I distressed the edges with the edge scraper from this kit, and used my blending tool to add some ink and additional distressing. This particular flag is layered with a Martha Stewart doily that is altered with a paint dabber in sandal. A butterfly was die cut from another pattern of the flags, and then attached with a stick pin.

The quatrefoil flag is adorable. There are bonus images that come with the flag printable. For this part of the banner, I simply trimmed and adhered those extra elements. The mini flags on the top are already in that shape and one only needs to cut them out, as I did here, and sew them to the top of the flag. The floral image was fancy cut and popped up to give this flag a bit of dimension. (fancy cut is when at image is trimmed right around it's border).

Do I not love this pattern? Yes I do. O.K...so there are alot of favorite patterns to this kit. They would make lovely papers all of them. This is what I mean about making Halloween even beautiful. The original intent of this kit was more along the lines of the scary holiday, but I turned it to be more of an autumnal feel. These papers were more than willing to comply. This banner above is also layered with a Martha Stewart die cut doily but painted with a black dabber. Then kraft paper was die cut as a label and then stamped in black using this stamp collection. The spade, a bonus image on the printable, was 'fancy cut' and popped up on the label die cut for another take on this banner.

Some of these banners were so beautiful left just as they were, with no need for too much additional embellishment. This one for example, only needed a scalloped punched pattern and a trimmed out mini flag sewed to the top to set it off. Love.

Another real simple version. The flag was trimmed and distressed, then I cut out the orange chevron and card image from another flag image, and attached with a black and cream trim from my stash. Easy.

Love me this chevron pattern with the floral touches on the top! You will notice a bit of a pattern I am following here. As with a few other of the flags, this too is a layered die cut doily, painted, and fancy cut pieces of the bonus elements. I treated one of the pattern paper pieces like a piece of tape and trimmed the edges with pinking sheers. The bird is an image on the printable. He is trimmed out and popped up on top of the layers to add dimension. Very doable, and one only needs to repeat the embellishment to create a divine banner.

The map pattern flag is found on both ends of the banner. The embellishments are the same on both of them to give it a look of completion. Just print. Trim. Distress. And add mini flags.

I trimmed more mini flags + used the Grateful Glam Tags N Flags kit to make some extra embellishments.
These kits are endless. And I look forward to sharing even more of them with you.
If you have any questions about what you see here, please leave me a comment, and I will be so happy to get back to you.

back with both feet

2011-09-23T07:20:00.000-06:00

Here I am...
have been back all week...
but jumped into life here with both feet on Monday...
and have barely stopped since then.
New projects in the works...so excited!!!
A class I am preparing for...details to come...
October's Work in Progress spralled out in my studio waiting to be played with...
sigh...so much to do...so little time...very giddy inside.
So grateful for a fabulous time away and will share THAT story next week.

Here is a little sneak of what else is in the works...will reveal next week. Having a time decorating the house for fall. While the cooler whether months are not my favorite time of year, I compensate by warming up the inside and making it festive.

Stopping in to say hi today and encourage you to go and sign up for Rhonna's newsletter where there just might be a discount for your own personal use you do.

Go visit here, on the home page of her shop, and sign up for the newsletter...it won't dissappoint.

And have you been keeping up with her 'How Do You Do That?' tutorials. Fabulous. I myself am learning so much. Rhonna is so generous with her talents. GO check it out.

this weekend...

2011-09-15T04:36:00.000-06:00

off to a much needed girlfriend getaway in sunny san diego!

back next week refreshed. renewed. and rejuvenated.

friendship

2011-09-14T15:34:00.000-06:00

Few people are blessed as much I am with the gifts of not only one life long friend...
but two life long friends...
we have laughed together,
& cried together.
taken chances together...
played it safe together.
we have endured death together...
and celebrated lives born.
we hold one another accountable...
as well as allow lots of grace to flow.
we've been angry...
and made up.
but most of all we have been the wings beneath each other's wings through the days of our lives.

today we celebrate my friend bren with a significant birthday...
bren...i am so proud of you for taking chances and going after what you want...
thank you for truly being the wind and breath of air i have needed through the many chapters of my life...
i love you and don't know what i would do without you!

a story of a lovely lady

2011-09-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Today I share a special story with you.
A special story of a lovely lady...
my middle daughter, Amelia.
We call her Gracie.

With the help of the September Work in Progress main kit, I am telling the story of this lovely lady.

This lovely lady is indeed sweet.
She is ten.
She loves to be outdoors and explore and discover.
She loves to tell stories, and study about horses.
It's a mystery to me how she knows so much about horses...

because this lovely lady is at a first grade reading level.
Yes, we have done the vision therapy.
Yes, she has seen a therapist or two.
Yes she works at reading every day of her life.
But some say she is deeply dyslexic.

Can you imagine how hard it is for a bright little girl, with a desire to know so much, to struggle with her reading challenge. I mean...she really struggles.

So this is her little story. I used the 6x6 Kraft mini album from the kit to document this journey.
The left side of the layout is a pocket made with one of the pattern papers from the kit. The pocket is home to some sort of progress, or maybe even a set back, that I have documented.
The right side is a series of recent photos of Amelia. The composition is similar from layout to layout. Her photo is the focus. It is framed with stickers from the Basic Grey out of print stickers. More of the same stickers are used to add interest and color. Sequins are added, as well as butterflies. I want her to shine like the stars in the heavens, as well as find the freedom to fly even though she struggles. I used particular words from the DCWV Retro Sayings paper. Words like sweet, smart, good as gold, living art...because she is all those things. And more. That was how she was created. God knew she would have to be stronger than her struggle. And I guess, He knew the perfect girl to chose.

If you have a child who struggles academically, or in any other arena of their life, know you are not alone. There are a lot of us out there. Lot of tears shed. A lot of research done. And a lot of hope always renewed.

Thank you for letting me share this story today.
you can find me today over at work in progress with the same post.

the album in it's entirety can be found here.

a little monday bling

2011-09-12T07:30:00.000-06:00

the events of the weekend have left me emotionally drained.
i did not even know how to post anything of significance over the weekend.
instead i felt some quiet reflection was in order.
it amazed me how close to my heart i continue to carry what happened on 9/11...
and i continue to be hopeful and prayerful for our country in the days ahead of us.

i have had the need to make a few pieces of wearable art again...
been a long time.
Rhonna's word art inspired this piece here.
and this is what i used::

she lived word art is only $2.00!!!
i'm thinking christmas already.
desk top art, jotter notebooks, wall art...
lots of fun to be had with these words.

also used these classsic pieces::

the spring mix elements kit is finding it's way in more than the pendant...have some ideas for it for some bathroom word art projects as well. you'll just have to wait and see!
to make the pendant word art, i opened a document in pse the size of the bezel. I played around with the digital element placement. printed and trimmed to size.
after placing the printed piece in the bezel, i then filled it with diamond glaze and let it set over night.
when it was dry, i attached the bezel to the chain, added the flower and butterfly, because i love me some dangling charms...and walah! done.

and Rhonna is at it again, creating halloween in her fabulous junque style...

there is even more in the shop.

she is promising some grateful glam soon...personally i can't wait for that!

create well...create often.

2011-09-08T07:07:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love that for the name of a creative blog?
Jen over at said Create Often has me up as her guest designer today.
Yes...me! Can you stand it?
She has an amazing line of up guest designers that you should really go read up on.
So, go and say hi!
I would be so honored.

a few more cards

2011-09-07T06:17:00.000-06:00

all made with september's work in progress...

kind thanks...

2011-09-06T05:00:00.002-06:00

This card, made using the September Work in Progress kit, is my sentiment to you.
To those of you who took the time this past week to flood my heart with congratulations,
by way of your many comments.
Your love and sentiments were overwhelming to me...
So please accept my little gesture of gratitude...
And join me this week for more from my studio...
you are all so appreciated.

blessings
~jamie

gifting with rhonna designs + scrap rendez-vous

2011-09-03T06:33:00.000-06:00

it has been a fun and crazy week around here.
but i absolutely could not let it go without some Rhonna DESIGNS making an appearance.
can i tell you how easy it is to design with her creations?
EVERYTHING works together in such a beautiful way. you just can't miss.

i HAD to put a gift and card together this week for a beautiful lady in my life...and so these beautiful elements played fabulously into my hybrid idea.
for the package i used the quatrefoil tag kit + the simple fun tags. in addition, the number tags made for a fun little banner telling my recipient that she was number 1.
all these were printed out on cardstock, and fancy cut. the simple tag i printed twice, and popped the second piece on top of the first. a doily and a little bit of seam binding gave it such a pretty little look. wouldn't you want to open this gift?

the card is a combination of digital + hybrid. the background paper is from a kit of rhonna's called celebration. you can still get it at two peas. i use it quite often as the papers are timeless. maybe she'll update it a little and add it to the shop {wink}. this card also includes honeycomb pieces, spring mix, and a little stitching and swirl from the six week brush kit.

to add a little dimension, i used my go to prize ribbon printables for the happy birthday banner (ho3), and more seam binding. how i love hybrid.

in other news...i was honored to make an appearance over at scrap rendez vous. alexandra is one of the host over there and you really should go check out what they are up to. their theme this month is 'old photos', and she asked me to chat a little about how i have used them recently for mini albums and gifts. i hope you will stop by and visit.

september work in progress + grand opening + winner

2011-09-02T07:02:00.000-06:00

It's a busy day here on the o' blog...first things first...

September Work In Progress is up over on Facebook. So if you have never hopped on to 'like' Trish's page, you should really go and do that and be able to see everyone's project for the September kit. This kit is still available and is a great kit for many occasions.

I maintained another theme this month :: bazzill swiss dot was used in each of these four layouts to maintain cohesivness to this birthday story. these pages will reside in the little mister's own album, and although our immediate family celebration is not alot of photos, it tells a full story just the same.
there are a few more additions to this month's gallery that i will share next week. so i hope you will come back and take a look. (there might even be a mini involved...who knows!)

as you may know already, there was a little giveaway here on wednesday celebrating the new creative team and grand opening of rhonna's new shop, rhonna designs. and today we shall reveal the winner...

dah dah dah dahhhhhhh!

the winner is::

pink cake plate

congratulations, pink cake plate!

please leave me a comment and i will get that information to you so you can go and shop rhonna's shop with your $25.00 g.c.

tomorrow i will be back with a few little projects using rhonna's goods.

and thank you so much everyone for stopping by with your well wishes for the creative team. i am making my way around to meet you on your blogs to say 'hey'!

olw blog hop+giveaway

2011-09-01T09:00:00.033-06:00

i loved the simplicity of this month's prompt.
take a self photo.
add words.
and close up the album.

the irony...that this month was the most intense month of my olw: pray.
my word exploded in front of me out of personal necessity.
therefore, the opportunity to 'breathe' through the artistic aspect was a welcome activity for me.
here's to four more months of our olw for 2011...

there is a giveaway this month...celebrating my acceptance on Rhonna Farrer's creative team, I am giving away $25.00 to her fabulous new shop. so go here...leave a comment, and you will be included in the drawing. i will pick a lovely winner tonight at midnight, and announce on friday.

the gRand opening is today...so stop in and say hello.

there is yet one more stop on this month's hop...please visit Cindy and give her your best.

a little announcement...and a giveaway.

2011-08-31T06:46:00.001-06:00

i'm not very good for self promotion...
but that does NOT mean i'm not excited...
i am really excited about this...
so go HERE and find out what this is. {wink}

wanna win some rhonna goodies???
leave a comment here on this post and i will pick and choose Thursday night at midnight for $25 in Rhonna's new shop.
also...go to Rhonna's facebook page and 'like' for another chance to win.

and i hope you will stop by tomorrow for the olw blog hop...

a few sneaks

2011-08-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

September Work In Progress gallery reveal is this week.
To tide one over, here are a few sneaks.

This months kit found me adhering to another theme again.

Very much in love with that blue hue currently.

Hmm...could there be a mini in the midst?

\Hoping you will stop in later for the full reveal.

mini kits

2011-08-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

i love me a travel mini.
i love me a mini kit.
i love these inspiring mini kits sellers::
monika is always inspiring.
debee is extremely tempting.
and evalicious has long inspired me too.
but why should i buy...when i can make my own?

in preparation for an upcoming weekend get away, i started pulling items from my stash. oh...my ever loving stash. there is plenty to pull from. thus the reason not to go and buy more...although i am tempted...ever so tempted...but compelled to use what i have and make it beautiful.
so here is what i pulled together for my scrapbook on the road mini kit (as inspired by professional mini kit sellers)::
8~5.5 x 4 pattern and textured papers
2~hand dyed seam binding ribbons
1~mini clip
1~binder clip
1~mini coin envelope
1~pattern journaling tag
1~kraft scallop tag
1~mini tag
1~ledger scallop date tag
2~sticker labels
1~blank ticket
1~mini map scallop tag
1~vintage flower
1~large clear gem
1~chipboard circle
1~flower button
1~chipboard arrow
1~starburst sequin
1~mini safety pin
1~cardstock flower
1~"together"clip
1~"summer of" sticker
1~message label
1~lined journal tag

one can easily spend $25 for one of these kits. but i challenge you to come up with your own. and how i would love to see what you pull together. let me know if you take me up on this challenge.

will show off this book in it's completed form after my getaway!

summer. time.

2011-08-26T15:27:00.000-06:00

i will miss summer when it leaves us.
i will miss the warmth of the sun.
i will miss what was lazy days of june and july.
i will miss that certain sense that the evening brings with it when the air is perfect, the crickets are chirping, and the sounds from neighbors open windows tell you it's been a full day.
i will miss the late evening sunsets.
i will miss the kids in the neighborhood until it's too dark to see them.

so today we played at the pool.

this post was just an excuse to play with my new big girl phone.
with the little photo app.
and the instant camera filter.

and hoping you will check back in....well...soon...as there is still news to be shared...soon.

somethin's in the air tonight

2011-08-25T14:11:00.000-06:00

As in the words of Matt Kearny...there is somethin in the air.
a time of inspiration.
a time of uplift.
fun things are happening.
and I am so eager to announce it....
soon...
not today...
but soon....
trust me....
and you won't wanna miss it!

inspiration mini

2011-08-23T07:11:00.000-06:00

This was to be posted at WIP today...so I share it with you here. Part of my projects for the August kit was another mini. This time I just wanted to share the inside of the mini I did for the August gallery.

This book started as a place to put ideas, inspiration, and thoughts in one place, instead of all over my work table as they are usually found. The August kit had such great pieces in which to create little homes for elements of interest to me. Especially needed when I am in a bit of a rut creatively.

The first page was made using the vellum envelope from the kit. It will be a wonderful home for scraps of paper I want to match up, or fabric waiting for a compliment. Just a little place for odds and ends.

So far my little book of inspiration holds a few choice layouts of interest. I have a love affair with Pinterest, but one is not always near a computer when in need of a creative idea.

These pages here hold a few of my go to eye candy to prompt my mind into action. I have plenty of room to add notes and the origination of the project too.

I hope you have plenty of places to jot down your ideas. Place your favorite layouts. Save pieces of scraps. Think of it as your own personal creative smash book...and enjoy!

and then he was one

2011-08-22T05:00:00.002-06:00

We celebrated Sawyer Anthony turning one over the weekend.

I hope he knows how much he is loved.

Gracie-Mae can make him laugh best of all. I love his little boy giggles so much.

I can hardly believe he has been with us for a year.

Sweet baby boy.

I love how much Seth loves him. He is so sweet to his little brother.

the cake.

i could not even get a photo of his piece of cake before he absolutely demolished it. we were in hysterics.

we are now officially headed to the twos.

friday, friday....so good to me.

2011-08-12T07:46:00.000-06:00

Friday today...
but Monday is coming and the academic year will begin...

but for today, let's remember the summer. and all that it held.
July4 is a big deal around here and this neighborhood. Lots of friends. Lots of neighbors. Lots of food. Lots of celebration. And, of course, lots of photos.

Sticking with some thematic work with the August Work in Progress and that is getting lots of photos on a page. Telling a big story. Making it an even layout indeed. But I am just loving the idea of having lots of photos to tell that story all in one place.

And yet again...(here is the snag)...another summer happening and not a Mom photo to be found. What are ya going to do?

Enjoy your weekend...the summer weekends are waning...our weekend we will be enjoying the pool and a possible hike.

quick hello

2011-08-08T10:08:00.000-06:00

i feel like i am on the outs right now creatively speaking.
although my studio has been void of me for over a week...
i have nonetheless been creative.
mostly in our academic world.
our schooling will begin again the fifteenth of the month.
so i have been sorting through materials past and present.
completely re-labeled our entire curriculum library. that was no easy task with nine years+ of references and what not.
wrote almost a month of lessons for the girls.
inventoried supplies.
even sold a few items so that i could buy more!
AND...
have almost re-finished the 'bed' project.
mr. pate and i finally updated to a king...after all these years...
which then of course required new bedding...
and so i finally found happiness with this.
check! that's done. {will have to post a pic later if anyone is interested.}

but what a really came here to share is the august wip that came out last monday...and here are my contributions::

i am absolutely in love with this color pallete. soft blue and grey. as i was playing with color ideas and these two patterns fell together it was love at first sight. i still find energy when i see this layout. i am so happy with the results. + it is such a great way to get a summer's worth of my daughters story layed out for her book. always happy with that accomplishment.

the stickers were green...i had to change that. so silver metallic it was.

i went a bit thematic with the august work in progress kit. each of my projects has my new fav: seam binding. love it! i love most to alter and make it the color i need. for this card i washed it quickly in a cup of black coffee. perfect soft hue for this summer card.

o.k...that has got to be it for now. more tomorrow.
thanks so much for visiting even in my inconsistency of posting!

July - OLW blog hop

2011-08-01T09:00:00.018-06:00

{Welcome, again...time for another blog hop and keeping one another accountable to our word for the year.
If you are following today's hop, you may have found me by way of Cheri's blog. If you would like to start from the beginning, start here at Margie's. }

Prompt:: 9 songs that may or may not connect to your OLW. Emphasis on what is congruent with you right now.

I do have music going most of the day. It is said that music is God's drug. I need it intravenously.
However, I listen to music completely different than I did from even two years ago. The radio for the sake of music is never utilized by me. Rarely do I listen by way of cd, and that usually only in the car. My preferred method would be pandora, itunes, my ipod, or a favorite blog with a fabulous playlist.

This year's olw: pray: began with a song. It's called Day by Day and was recorded back in the 90's by a band called DC Talk. This particular song has held strong sway in my life for a long time.
Part of the lyrics say "I live a simple life". And with that, I kept this prompt simple by sticking to just one song, as opposed to the suggested nine. It's just how it worked for me.
As you can see, I made 3 mini canvases, inserted with some type font and words from my song. I also typed the song out and cut that sheet up into six additional canvases and simply inked the edges.

The 5x5 inserts follow Ali's prompt above with a transparency. Then I printed the album cover out very subtly on transparency film, and behind it placed more of the lyrics that were printed on cardstock.

This prompt could have gone so many ways. For more insight into how others followed the July OLW, follow this link to Jill's site to continue this month's blog hop. and thank you so much for visiting today!

2011-07-28T07:05:00.000-06:00


mini gladiolas from the garden

participating in week in the life as done by ali edwards. while often observing from afar, i have never participated in this project before. and even though i am in the midst of project life, this is an added look into our current everyday. heavy on the documenting. it's been a joy.

have not completely settled on an album format yet. would love suggestions. i do know i want to keep it small. i think ali is using a 12x12 album. i am thinking mini album, but suitable for the heavy journaling.

my photos are almost all portrait orientation, on purpose. not sure exactly how that will format either, yet. but i'm up for the challenge. as it comes together next week, i will let you in on my progress.

also, been playing alot with pse and loving rita over at the coffeeshop blog. she has some wonderful freebies, tutorials, and actions that i very often put to use. hoping you all have come upon her before, but if not, go check her out. she will not disappoint.

currently i am playing around with her different frames that she makes available free+ideas how to use them and make them unique. frame 14 is what is home to the above gladiola.

here's to your thursday. make it good.

hello, today.

2011-07-27T08:06:00.000-06:00

I am amazed at how days and days can go by this summer.
Days and days go by and so much is getting done..sort of ...
but I have been getting so little time here...with my friends.
So thankful to those of you who do come and visit...
and I am sorry I have not been around very much to visit you.
Perhaps I may be able to a little today.

As a peace offering to my absence I give you a little bit of creativity.
This layout is a lift of this one. (you'll need to scroll down a bit)
I wanted both my girls to have something I created to document their night with their father for their yearly Father Daughter Dance.
So here is the second version, (and don't tell anyone, but I like this one better...it's that Stella and Rose that gets me every time.)

While I had all manner of Stella and Rose on my desk I made a quick little card. I am sure this one is inspired by Danielle Flanders. She is an amazing card and gift maker.

So, are you finding your self so very busy this summer? Every year. Busier and busier.

Sometimes...

2011-07-21T14:43:00.000-06:00

I just need to play with paper.
Not for the need to tell a story.
or to document a moment in time.
But just because I have a need...
and this need was answered by way of a pocket page made for my journal.

As many here know I do keep a daily journal.
More of a spiritual notebook of thoughts, and prayers, and renderings.

So I took to using July's WIP kit with the fabulous damask and polka dot print...
and put it to pretty work for myself.
With the help of a recycled windowed envelope, I sewed a pocket making the polka dot the liner, and the damask the page.
It houses a note from a friend that I want to have for a very long time.
To remind me of this moment in time.
To remind me of my friends encouraging words.
And I want it to be pretty...like most things in my life.
because: Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

Hoping your day is beautiful.
And you find the need to create.

alexandra

2011-07-18T08:38:00.000-06:00

I wish I could convey to you how tickled I was when Alexandra informed me that she was going to be driving through Denver during her road trip with her family. Not only was she going to be driving through the Rocky Mountain region, but she wanted to meet me as well! I was delighted and thrilled. This little creative community is filled with so many wonderful and talented people. One usually only has the opportunity to observe from afar and comment on occasion. But the chance to meet someone who loves paper arts and storytelling as much as you do is such a serendipity. And I was blessed to do just that.

Alexandra and her sweet family stopped in Denver for dinner to which I drove up and met them. We had an evening filled with great food, interesting conversation, many laughs, and an appreciation for the things we mutually love. We both have in common the fact that there are not many around us in our physical location who we can talk to about our creative sides. No one who we can really delve into the subject of paper, and photos, and the beauty that those things hold. No one who really understands our love for this part of our life. And this is why we are beholden to blogging and sharing our craft here with you and with each other.

What struck me about that connection between us, is that we were together for nearly an hour and a half before we even started to speak on the subject of creativity. We were too wrapped up in simply talking and sharing and realizing, that though she and I and many of you here that visit, even though we are states, or countries apart, we are the same through and through. We are women. We, many, are mothers. We have many mutual connections. And we love story telling and life arts.

Thank you, Alexandra, for a wonderful evening. I will cherish meeting you for a very long time. And look forward to the next encounter.

outside my window...

2011-07-13T16:10:00.001-06:00

Been a long time since I did this...

Outside my window...it's a balmy, fluffy cloud, warm summer kind of day.

I am thinking...about the academic year already.

I am thankful for...a little day trip with my family today.

From the kitchen...we had lunch as a family at The Pantry today.

I am wearing...a lacy tank, jeans and heels...going out in a bit for the evening.

I am creating...not enough these days.

I am going...to meet my friend, Alexandra tonight for dinner...so excited.

I am reading...Seasons of a Mother's Life.

I am hoping...for a schedule reprieve before school starts again.

I am hearing...not much. Alot of napping in the household at present.

Around the house...starting a paint and cabinet re-do project in the girls bathroom.

One of my favorite things...getting up early in the mornings before anyone else. A lovely time.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Some alone time with my middle daughter. And a pool outing with friends. Plus life long friend coming in for a quick visit this weekend.

My favorite photo today:

Gracie turns 10.

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Hoping to be back later this week with a few projects and an update on meeting my blogging friend.

be happy

2011-07-06T07:05:00.000-06:00

beautiful summer morning to you my friends.
thank you all for stopping by and sharing in the One Little Word blog hop at the beginning of the weekend.
there is some amazing talent participating. the process has been so good to my soul.

Work In Progress' July gallery also went live over the weekend. The kit included a 6x6 mini from Pink Paislee. The canvas covered book was a welcome home to a few quotes I have had hiding in a file in my studio. They needed to be out and accessible to me. Especially since the topic was on happiness. I treated each page as it's own little canvas, and went to work...is that the right word? It was play. Good soul searching play.

I found myself a little challenged by the cover. Especially since I knew it did not really 'flow' with what was going to be happening inside. So, I kept it very simple by wrapping the Darice hemp in a contrasting color of orange, and using the LilyBee letters to title the mini album on a mini shipping tag.

If you follow here at all you know how much I like things 'sticking out'. This books was calling for me to let the tags and borders peek out from behind each new page. Love the outcome.

A friend is letting me borrow her Cricut. The leaf die is where that comes from. The LilyBee paper had such great contrast. The album is made up mostly of the LilyBee Design Happily Lost 6x6 pad. Perfect size pattern for a smallish book like this.

This last quote is my favorite of this little collection. I have found it very true and necessary to indeed have a philosophy about where I am going on this journey called life. It indeed does help my happiness level, and allows for a guide when things get off kilter...which can be often.

I challenge you to put together a series of quotes and sayings and gather them in a pretty little book to help remind you of your journey, where you are going, and how you should act in the midst.

EnJoy!

scenes from the fourth

2011-07-05T07:41:00.000-06:00

We had a fabulous Fourth here in the Pate household yesterday. The day was busy, fun, and fulfilling. We grilled, ate corn on the cob, saw a few errant fireworks, and ended the evening with a yard full of neighbors and friends. My kind of celebration.
As well as a few photos from the day's events, I wanted to follow up on this post from a few back.

tissue fans as inspired by martha

burlap wreath

book page star garland

more star garland and penant banner

vintage spools on the mantle

paper wreath

some of the gang getting ready

front porch flag planters

cupcake flags via rhonna farrer

his first fourth

paul leading the fourth of July declaration. this was great.

avery. the parade coordinator.

let the parade begin.

fun time.

July olw

2011-07-01T09:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to July's One Little Word. If you are following the hop you have just come from Jill's blog. She is amazing. If you started here, and want to travel from the beginning, Margie's blog is where you want to be.

OLW has been one of the best committments I have made with my time this year.
Ali's prompts for olw have been of great benefit to me as I have remained focused, balanced, and all the while looking forward to what my word will do to move me to the person I am to continue to become.

PRAY.
That is my word. Not a noun. Rather a verb. Something to do.

Artistic process and time to play was the theme for July. Individual canvases to pursue our word in a visual manner. Opportunity to utilize paint, gesso, stamps, ink, and all manner of medium and to watch where it takes us.

break down the process::
some of the canvases were inspired from ali's work.
others happened as i played.
all foundation is bazzill textured cardstock
the concept for me was to layer medium on top of medium.

canvas1: old book page.gesso.watercolor wash on the edges. glittered leaf die cut attached with mini attacher.

canvas2: die cut chipboard butterfly and basic grey letters painted in acrylic then attached to canvas. sharpie outline and handwriting.

canvas3: silver paint dabber. compass element: stella and rose.

canvas4: acrylic paint in soft blue. sewing pattern and modge podge. old hero arts butterfly stamp in chocolate.

canvas5: mini bingo card: kenner road. gesso wash+watercolor wash. butterfly punched from book paper and stapled. words: melody ross/soul food collection. stitching. scattered sequins: inspire lovely.

canvas6: dry brush technique. silver spray paint. ho3 ticket attached with mini attacher. 7gypsies tape.

canvas7: watercolor wash. daily junque border stamp. printed and hand trimmed stitched banners.

canvas8: silver spray paint. stitched felt flowers.

canvas9: masked butterfly stencil. watercolor wash. butterfly die cut from book page.

I invite you to continue the journey by clicking here to Cherie's blog.
Thank you for stopping in today and sharing in the word.

in other news...

2011-06-30T11:56:00.000-06:00

I feel as though I have a few things to cover today.

First up the spirit of the July4 celebration continues to grab me in a big way.
Our family is gearing up for the annual block party, only this year we are expanding and hoping for a bigger and better event.
Thanks to this fab digi set by Rhonna...I went with this flyer for the neighborhood::

yes...i blocked out personal and pertinent information.

Her graphic goodness amazes me. When I grow up I want to be just like her! She is beyond measure one of the most creative digital-goddesses in the business.

Using the same kit, as found here, I made up a July birthday card. Would you allow me to share more July birthday cards? The month is replete with birthday celebrations galore. Hard to keep up, I tell ya.

The background is from Katie Pertiet. I added a brush, also from Rhonna, and used a linear blending mode to make it subtle. The main graphic was all put together from Rhonna. I printed the printable part of the kit and added the banners on the top left. Oh, those Tim Holtz mini attachers are adorable. A new fav tool.

Secondly, is another toot about my friend Alexandra.
Please go visit her and give her compliments for being published in CARDS.
A beautiful publication, to say the very least. She was awarded a two page spread. Her project is gorgeous. I am so proud of her. It is a major boost to one's creativity to be published.
Great job, again, Alexandra. You are so very deserving.

Thirdly::

It is indeed July first tomorrow...sigh...summer is flying by. I really hate that.

But I digress...what that means is another blog hop hosted by Margie for OLW: one little word.

There area a faithful few, this sixth hop of the year, who are working their word and being spiritually and emotionally and creatively rewarded for doing so. I invite you to stop by tomorrow and then hop around a bit. This month's prompt was the most artistic yet, I loved it. I could do it again.

Thanks for stopping in again.