Lovely Things

I am so *loving* the fabulous digital Valentine's kit, Kiss Me, by Rhonna Farrer. The above word art is only a small bit of the available fabulous-ness. There are also brushes, borders, backgrounds, printable tags and flags and mini Valentines to send out. Rhonna's blog is always chock full of inspiration so be sure to check it out.

For the past three years, I have made my husband a mini-book for Valentine's Day. I am super stoked to utilize this kit for this year's project! I am excited to create and share this year's mini with you, dear blog readers. Here's to a wonderful and lovely February.

xoxo,
Jenn

Friday Photo Love: Acrylics

I am totally loving this collection of acrylic paint colors. I originally saw the image on one of my favorite blogs, Creature Comforts. The artist is named Koey - check out her blog In The Wonderland.

Here's wishing all of you a happy weekend! xoxo

P.S. This is my 100th blog post on Studio Jenn. Woo hoo! Thanks for reading and accompanying me on this journey called life.

For The Love of Jim

This man is my everything.

He turned 45 this past weekend and we had such a lovely celebration. He actually shares his birthday with his best friend so it's always a party. We went to the Creighton University basketball game in the afternoon, enjoyed happy hour cocktails at M's Pub and had the most amazing dinner at Sullivan's, a swanky steakhouse in downtown Omaha. We enjoyed the food and wine, of course, but this year I was struck by the comfort of long time friends.

The birthday boys - Dave and Jim had a wonderful evening. We all did, really. It is just so nice to see Jim smiling and happy. Relaxed. He works so hard and is so supportive at home that I *love* seeing him at play.

Of course, the ladies had a pretty good time too!

Here's wishing Jim health and happiness in 2012. And here's to us, as well.

Words on Wednesday

I'm definitely feeling overwhelmed. So many pending catastrophes in our personal life right now - My son. My poor health. Bills, bills and more bills. Family pressure. Anxiety and insomnia.

Yep, overwhelmed.

But I saw these words on a blog a few days ago. They really resonated and triggered a deep, cleansing breath. I save the image so that I could keep repeating the words. Unfortunately, I forgot to write down the source so I am unable to credit my source. Please contact me ASAP if you know the source so I can link up. Thanks!

Always remember: nothing is too hard. It just takes doing a little bit every day. Persistence. Dedication. Deep breaths. And then doing it all again the next day.

What's your best trick for dealing with life when you're overwhelmed?

Progress

Victory is mine.

I'm not sure exactly why, but I have been quite unmotivated for the past couple of weeks. I've been having a difficult time getting started on projects. Oh, I have tons of ideas...but I've been stalled out in taking action. I love possibilities. I love ideas. I love dreaming and thinking. And once I get going, I love creating.

It's the getting going that is the issue.

And I know that is why I needed 'DO' as my one little word this year. I know I need to push myself out of my head and into my craft room (and other places - gym, anyone?). I know that I just need to let go of fear, of insecurity and start doing something. I know that stagnation does nothing positive. I know the longer I delay the harder it actually is to move forward. I know all of these things.

But it is still hard. And I'm still afraid. I'm still insecure and stagnant.

So I am particularly proud that yesterday I did something. I entered my craft room, moved around some piles and made a layout. Of course, I haven't cleaned and organized since early December which made it somewhat tricky to create this layout...but I persevered. I also made some progress on Project Life.

It was a good start. A good day.

All of this is a rather long-winded way of saying thank you. The blog helps me in many ways, both small and large. Most importantly, it helps keep me accountable. It helps to know that just maybe there is someone out there interested in seeing what I've created.

So, thank you.

P.S. Here's the layout I made with my January Take 12 photos. I used the sketch from Ella Publishing's Take 12 kit as a guide. I love the way in turned out.

Have a wonderful next week!

Take 12 - The Photos

I had such a fun time taking photos for January's Take 12 project. And I couldn't wait to share the photos. I also plan on making a layout but for now the photos will have to suffice.

1. The view from my front porch in the morning. Gorgeous.
2. I just finished reading Out of Oz, the final volume in Gregory Maguire's Wicked Years saga. I really enjoyed seeing how these books came together. Ever since first reading Wicked several years ago, I have been fascinated by Maguire's concept, writing a completely new story based upon a well established tale - in this case The Wizard of Oz but told from another character's perspective. I am obsessed with the amount imagination and creativity that it would take to accomplish such a feat...and more than a bit envious.
3. The view from above. Dark indigo Levi's. Fleece vest. Uggs. I am both warm and fashionable.
4. Today's lunch consisted of a single cheeseburger from Don and Millie's. Mmmm. Not the healthiest of lunches, but I skipped the fries and avoided the temptation of a double burger. In the end, I feel like I was able to enjoy something I was craving in a responsible way. This is progress.
5. The West Wing. The freaking complete series. Thank you, Santa!
6. Today's weather. Cold. Cold and windy. Hello, winter.
7. My very messy craft table, filled with lovely scrappy goodness. I am especially happy for new Amy Tangerine goodness.
8. My husband's recent baseball card acquisitions. I love that he is a collector.
9. Have you ever owned something that just made you smile when you caught sight of it? That is what happens every. single. time. I see my manual type writer. That it was a gift from my best friend makes it even more special.
10. Poor Jim. He had to undergo an emergency root canal...and was still in good humor and allowed a photo of his slightly swollen, very numb jaw.
11. Emergency root canal = need for antibiotics.
12. Need for antibiotics = trip to the local pharmacy. I love this pharmacy, not just the service but the complete look of the building.

I hope you all had a wonderful January 12th! I'll post a layout featuring these photos soon.

Just Do It

Image courtesy of Elizabeth Dillow's blog

I am super excited for my venture into Take 12 - a monthly project of taking 12 photos on the 12th day of each month. Started by the good folks at Ella Publishing, Take 12 is a good way for me to commit to a year-long project. It is discrete. It is do-able. It is not overwhelming or exhausting.

It is something I can do.

I will be posting a layout featuring each month's photos here on my blog. Look for this month's layout this weekend.

Now, get out there and start something!

New Year, New Necklace

My new One Little Word necklace arrived yesterday!

I love it.

This is the second year that I have ordered a necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs. Both have been gorgeous. I wore last year's dream necklace every day and it still looks great. This year's do necklace is just what I wanted!

Here's to the small things that bring big smiles...

OLW Blog Hop - Endings and Beginnings...

Hello, dear readers and Happy New Year! I am so excited to welcome you to this month's One Little Word Blog Hop. Regular readers are familiar with the OLW concept. For anyone new to my blog, it is an idea originated by Ali Edwards that has taken off like wildfire. In 2011 Ali teamed up with Big Picture Classes to offer a guided yearlong workshop devoted to discovering and documenting your one little word. I am happy to report that the class will be offered again in 2012. Ali describes the experience like this:

 "Last year I decided I wanted to do something even more tangible with my One Little Word. I've found that, just like a resolution, it's easy to lose sight of the things you set forward to embark on as regular life gets busy throughout the course of the year. To combat this I plan to bring my word into my life more consciously and concretely and make it more visible by creating an album to hold my thoughts, challenges and inspirations."

The final prompt for 2011's class centered around reflection. Ali designed a wonderful tool to record facts and feelings about our OLW. I LOVED using this tool to record my final thoughts related to my OLW dream. As I pondered the journey that I had taken with my dreams this past year, I was at peace. My journey had been fruitful. I learned what I want and I know how to make it happen. I know that a need to be creative drives me. I know that I have talent. I know that I have a unique voice and perspective - one that can educate, encourage and inspire my fellow creatives. I know that I want to pursue my own business. Someday I will work for myself. I'm not quite sure what this business will be exactly and I'm okay with that. Because I know that I don't have to have all the answers right now. I just have to believe in my dreams.

 In 2010 I focused on hope. In 2011 I defined my dreams. As the year comes to a close, I am ready, eager actually, to move onto a new word. Excited to see where this new journey will take me. And confident that I am able to handle what's in store for the future. But I carry these words of years past in my soul. These words continue to speak to me, guiding and leading me even as I venture into uncharted waters. These words are comfortable, like my favorite pair of jeans. These words are familiar, like old friends holding my hand as I embark upon a new path. These words are loved.

And yet, I find myself longing for a change, something new and strange and wonderful. I feel ready to take on the world. I welcome 2012 with open arms. I've ordered a new planner. I've cracked the spine on my new journal. I am restless, filled with anticipation. I need to do something.

Do.

Hello world, a new little word is born.

 In 2012 I will do more. Do more creating. Do more documenting. Do more learning. Do more reading. Do more exercising. Do more healthy cooking (to be perfectly honest, do any cooking). Do more good.

Just do.

I completed the pre-class assignment for this year's class, consisting of a title page for my OLW album. I used foam Thickers on template created by Ali. Then I stamped a grid onto the title page and created mini collages in each space. I love the completed look. It echoes the look of last year's title page but is still different enought to be interesting. Here's a photo:

 Up next in the blog hop is Cindy. Check out her amazing work here.

Thank you for following along with the OLW hop! If you are interested in joining Ali's One Little Word class for 2012, you can register here. I loved this journey last year. I look forward to the upcoming journey this year. I hope you'll be joining us.

Remember, just do.