Just another day

Another month gone, I am just having a hard time believing it.  Usually by this time of the year I am ready for a new one, not this time.  The New Year is going to be a good one, I am sure however it will mark a time that I haven't been wanting to look at.  My son come next fall will be a Senior in High School so exactly when did that happen?  Sigh.......so this Christmas I am trying to slow way down and just be.  In an effort to focus on what is truly important about this holiday I am going join up with Shimelle for Journal your Christmas .  I think it will be a good thing even if I don't do everyday.  I already have ideas on how I want to put my own spin on it with remembering Christmas's past.  It all starts tomorrow!

Speaking of tomorrow!!  Do you know that not only is it December 1st BUT it is the start of the 12 Tags of Christmas with Tim Holtz!!  It was 4 years ago that I started learning what his stuff was all about and I am a better artisit because of it!  Thanks Tim!  You are incrediblly awesome!!!  For anyone that is wondering what is on my wish list, it doesn't have much on it these days but I would LOVE this Book.  It is a book full of techniques for stamping if you order it from his sight he will sign it and that rocks!

Well, the Colour or is it Color class is in it's final days.  I have so enjoyed it, every minute.  The last couple of weeks for me were difficult to do while being surrounded by sorting all my paper but they are finally done.  At least my small layouts anyway with the 12x12's coming later on.

Green, a restful and calm color.  Knew there was a reason why it is one of my favorite colors.  I LOVE this little frog!

Blue, light and friendly.  Again another favorite.  My beauties, in homemade Easter dresses.

Purple, a mixture of hot red and cool blue.  This color is at least in my top five.  My beautiful Clematis that was transplanted this summer.  It makes me so happy.

Cold but joyful

This morning it was 10* when we got up and our high isn't suppose to be very much from where we are right now.  We are suppose to get into the negative temperatures for the next few days......I LOVE winter but not when it is this cold.  It took me an hour yesterday to shovel the driveway and sidewalk.  We made a trip to the store last night for a few things and my face got so cold!  Can we say wind blown and chapped?  It is better this morning but there is no way I'm going out to shovel this morning.  If we all do it as a family it takes less time so we will do that.  I will however have to venture out and at least start my car.

The holidays around here are looking to be pretty quiet.  I think it is needed for our family right now.  From marching band, sickness and some church things, that have not all been good, it is time to rest.  I want things to be different this year.  I don't want to get caught up in the 'got to have' something under the tree.  I want gifts to mean something when they are given, not just more stuff.  I want people to realize that it isn't about how much money is being spent on a gift but the attitude of the heart it comes from.  For me it has never been about money ever.  I am one that is happy with family close, cooking meals together, hanging out laughing until our sides hurt.......that is what it is about, always.

I have been following a beautiful lady on a journey that has led to some seriously beautiful things, Melody Ross.  She and her sister stepped out into a dream of wanting to see women rise up and be brave.  You can read their story here, it is pretty awesome.  The online class Soul Restoration, they will be offering in January is at the top of my youngest daughter and I's wish list this year.  We try each year  to do something together that brings us closer and I really believe this online class will do just that.  My dream is to take her to a Brave girls Mother/Daughter camp before she graduates high school.  The camps sell out a year in advance so for now this class will have to do.  Go visit the Brave girls sight, it might just change your life.  I KNOW it has changed mine!! 

Once again

If you are interested in special give aways you might want to go here and take a look at these way CUTE camera straps!!  Such beautiful homemade goodness!

I am LOVING the color class and have even begun to sort my cardstock into color order.  I have always sorted it by season but I am ready to do what makes sense for my creativity.

This week had been all about Orange and Yellow, making fun homemade ruffles and just building elements to create a wide border.  The butterfly is one that I stamped onto watercolor paper, sponged with color and then sprayed with a mist of white perfect pearls.  You can't tell from here but it is pretty sparkly. 

I took the left over pieces from the above layout to make this one.  

Orange and Yellow

These two colors are beautiful however I will have to say that bright Yellow has to be my least favorite color.  I enjoy the softer, milder Yellows ones with a little more golden color to them.  Orange, well orange I am just not sure of.  I have never been one to wear it or really have much of it in my house.  It shows up around fall time for me in my fall decor, leaves, flowers, pumpkins but again not to much of the bright shade.  I love the shades of orange that  have more red and brownish tones in them. 

Orange:  Something that stands out, adds excitement and wants to get noticed.  I guess God wanted me to notice Him this week.  Ten minutes before this picture was taken the sky was pink.  I love God's handy work.

Yellow:  Brightest of the true colors, vibrant, used to attract attention, indicates frienship, hope and helps you step forward.  This little girl of mine has always been a bright spot. 

Red

I am so enjoying the Colour, or is it Color class over at BPC.  The class is now closed but if it is ever offered again, take it!  It is so worth it.


I started to learn about color when I was taking an Interior Design class in high school, oh my it was like doors were opened inside my head.  There were so many things I finally understood.  Over the years I have been able to build on what I started to learn and I can say successfully weaved color into my everyday.  With some thinking I could probably even figure out the different colors for different times in my life.  HHhhhmmm, might just have to do that sometime.

In our first week of class we talked about the color Red.  I'm not a fan of bright red but I do like a red with a bit of brown in it.  Red reminds me of my oldest daughters with their red hair and fiery tempers, roses, tomatoes which I still have to eat finely chopped up in things, ladybugs, my two youngest children's marching band uniforms(which have red in them), the fireplace that my handsome husband filled with red led lights so I would always feel comfy and firetrucks, not sure why I that one but I do love them. 

So here is to the color red, the memories you gave me this past week.  The smaller pages will be going into a small book of color.  I am thinking though that I may just have to do a small book for each of my children.   

One of my sweet red heads, only 10 days old.

My son one day when his sisters went back to school.  He was feeling so sad that his sisters were gone and he didn't have anyone to play with.  So we stopped by the firehouse, they showed us around and he got to sit up inside the firetruck.  The stop was two fold really, with him missing his sisters and his baby sister on the way we knew it wasn't going to be long before the focus wasn't always on him.  We wanted him to feel special and that he did.  He had something to talk about when his sisters got home and the fact that they were jealous was just an added thing.  I remember one of the fireman that showed us around, he told us we were doing a good thing making him feel special on that day.  Keep doing it he said.  I would like to think we did.      

Materials:  White Texture Bazzil Cardstock, CTMH Indian Corn Blue Cardstock, patterned papers from CTMH and GCD studios, stamps: Western Flourishes, Firetruck and Fireman(retired), letters from Making Memories, ribbon and other accessories from my stash  

Really?

I can't seem to grasp that the year is almost over.  Seriously.......does time really have to go this fast?  My first day of November was a really weird day.  It was raining heavily and cold, unlike today which is cool but with sunshine.  I have been so exhausted and I am doing everything I can to not let this cold take control of me.  My children decided to share with me.   

LOAD is over.....final count, 31 layouts and 107 photos used this month.  I spent part of yesterday sorting through the layouts I have done this year because I haven't put them into their albums yet.  So that is on it's way to being done.  I don't scrapbook in order so it feels weird to put them into albums when I know there are gaps.  I know that is the safest place for them so in they will go.  I have recently decided to not have a family scrapbook of my children because I have albums for each of them.  So my favorite photos of an event, or of them will be put into themed mini albums.  I am hoping that one day when we are gone from this world that they will divide the mini's up into groups of 4 and then maybe on a yearly basis pass their boxes around to each other.  I will be on the look out for those special boxes that would last a lifetime.  Who knows maybe this would become a tradition and it would be passed onto the Grandbabies.