OLW Blog Hop - Through The Lens

Hello and welcome to this month's One Little Word blog hop! I am so glad to have you here. The hop goes live at 8:00am PST on March 1, 2012. If you're a bit early, be sure to check back!

Each month of the 1st, we gather together to  'ooh' and 'aah' over the amazing work done this month by the participant's of Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes. The blog hop participants are an amazing bunch. Their work each month brings inspiration and beauty into the world. I am so grateful to be included among them. Being a part of this monthly hop keeps me accountable with completing the class prompts, but it also keeps me in contact with a really wonderful group of women. You can catch up on all of my past OLW entries here.

This month's prompt was all about seeing your word through the lens of a camera, capturing the essence of your word and what it means to you in a series of nine photos. Last year, this was one of my favorite prompts; this year was just as delightful. I love the freedom and creativity inherent in this assignment. How you choose to 'see' your word is  just so individual. Some people are very literal in their approach, while others are figurative. Some are realistic, others are whimsical. Some document the every day moments, others the extraordinary.

This whole concept fascinates me.

My OLW for 2012 is do. My approach in documenting this word was more figurative. I tried to see things I have done or want to do in photos that are unexpected but I think they fit.

Here are my nine photos collectively.

click on image to see larger version

From left to right:
I want to do so much, but this desire to do often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of every day life.
I can do magical things.
The things I do will take me to new and wonderful places.
Fear and insecurity sometimes keep me from doing all that I want.
The things I seek to do require hard work but result in goodness and beauty in my life.
Doing it all means sometimes asking for help.
Knowing what to do is not always clear; I have to believe in myself.
Doing what is right can take me to strange and lonely places.
I can do anything I want - I am strong. I am capable. I am determined.

Jim & I are heading to St. Louis, MO this weekend to cheer on Creighton University in the Missouri Valley Conference basketball championships. Go Bluejays!!!

What do you want to do today?

Next up in the hop is Monica. Check out her fabulous blog here.

xoxo

The complete list of blog hop particiants...
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com
Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com
Sharyn http://LaVieEnChic.com
Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com
Jill http://jillconyers.com/
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Cindy www.cynthiacrysdale.com
Jenn www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/
Catherine http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com/
Naomi http://poeticaperture.com/
Jamie jmpgirl.blogspot.com
Coley www.coleybelle.blogspot.com
Melissa C www.smudgetime.com
Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Heidi D http://mommy.heidimdavis.com/
Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/one-little-word/
Nikki www.inkyart.com.au
Devon http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com
Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Brooklyn www.everysnapshot.com
Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/
Jen R http://jenritchie.com
Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com
Eydie www.whatwecreate.net
Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com
Missus W http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
Marilee http://rose-brier.blogspot.com
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com
Dawn G www.sunshineandcreativity.com
Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Becky www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com
Orange Gearle orangegearle.blogspot.com
Katrina www.katrinasimeck.com
Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
Nicky Www.seejanebake.blogspot.com
Beth www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com
Kelly http://mindingmynest.com
Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

OLW Blog Hop - 2012 Beginnings

Welcome OLW blog hoppers! It's time again to 'ooh' and 'aah' over the amazing work done this month  by the participant's of Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes.

I really like the introductory prompt. As much as I do not typically relish the idea of having my picture taken, I have been trying to experiment a bit more with self-portraits over the past year. Utilizing the timer on my Cannon DLSR and the camera on my iPhone has made the process of self-portraiture so much easier. And I like being able to look back at these photos, seeing the changes and remembering each moment. So I enjoy knowing that each year my OLW adventures will begin with photo of moi.

Welcome 2012.

I like that thought.

In addition to a self-portrait, this month's prompt also included making a series of cards to document, define, explore and create with our word. My word for this year is do. I explain my thoughts on choosing the word do here.  Here are my cards.

I am loving how this turned out. The mix of type and handwriting. The neutral embellishments. The color scheme.

love it all.

Up next in this blog hop is Carmen. Check out her post here.

In case anyone needs the complete list of all 46 (yes, that is 46!) participants, I have included the complete list below. This is the largest OLW blog hop to date. I'd like to welcome any and all newcomers. I can't wait to see everyone's take on this month's project. And a huge thanks to Margie for once again supervising and organizing this blog hop.

See you next month - or sooner. Come on back anytime.  :-)

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com

Sharyn  www.lavieenchic.com       

Jill                    http://jillconyers.com

Lynn                 www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jenn                 www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Carmen http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com

Marilee  http://rose-brier.blogspot.com      

Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/

Cindy    C          http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com

Kelly                 http://mindingmynest.com

Cheri                 http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cindy                http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Brooke www.everysnapshot.com

Naomi               www.poeticaperture.com

Melissa http://www.smudgetime.com

Karen                http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com

Melissa S          http://blog.mshanhun.com

Devon              http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Donna              http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Dawn                sunshineandcreativity.com

Katrina www.katrinasimeck.com

Sam                 http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Monica             http://scrapinspired.com

Kimberlee         http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Missus W          http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kaylea              http://www.myscrappylife.com

Nikki                 Www.inkyart.com.au

Erin                  http://erinsparkes.typepad.com/optimstic-fascination/

Jo                    www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

Coley                http://coleybelle.blogspot.com

Beth                 www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Veronica           www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Jamie               http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Monica B          http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa             http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Rebekah      http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Jan              http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Veronica           http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Cate                 www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

Stephanie         www.scrapworthylives.com

Orange Gearle   http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Tere                      http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Junelle                  http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/ 

Ruth            http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Becky                   www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

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.

OLW Blog Hop - Reflections On Dreaming

Here we are again, fellow OLW-ers. Welcome back for this month's One LittleWord Blog Hop. I am so excited to share my thoughts and my project this month. I can hardly believe that a only single month remains in 2011.

For any new readers, One Little Word centers around the concept that a single word can be powerful and enriching, impacting on our lives in ways both large and small. Each year, I for the past several years I have chosen a single word to inspire and guide my journey. For 2011 my word has been Dream. You can see al previous posts pertaining to OLW here.

I was first introduced to the OLW concept by Ali Edwards, who I consider my personal hero. I loved following Ali's journey with her OLW on her blog  so you can imagine how stoked I was when Ali announced that she had teamed up with Big Picture Classes to teach a year long class specifically focused her OLW philosophy. Each month Ali sends out an email of encouragement and reveals a prompt relating to our word. Several of the other ladies in class and I have been posting a report about each month's prompt on our blogs. The clever and amazing Margie organizes our merry band into a cohesive unit for a blog hop where we share our work and support one another through comments.

I cannot thank these women enough.
They always inspire me.
They always support and encourage me.
They keep me accountable in documenting my OLW journey.
They sometimes make me laugh.
They sometimes make me cry.
They never cease to amaze me with their warmth, creativity and insight.
No, I cannot thank these women nearly enough.

This month's prompt brought us back to writing. Oh, the writing. How I love the writing. Ali developed a series of  "I statements" that were starting points for reflecting on varying aspects of our word. I loved this approach as it right away lent focus and direction to my journaling. The different completed journaling will back the nine photos taken for last month's prompt in a divided page protector. Six of the cards were pre-printed with "I statements" but the other three were left blank to allow for individual creative expression. I adore anything that offers a bit of structure but still allows for a massive influx of creativity and arsty exploration.

Here's my completed project for November:

click on image to appear larger

I was pretty simple in my documentation this month. I used my own handwriting for most of the journaling cards, but I had to break out my trusty vintage typewriter for one card (snatches of a favorite poem). I laid out Studio Calico's butterfly masks and then misted the entire page with Mr. Huey's Custard and a couple of pops of Heirloom Blue. Then I sprayed over the entire page with Mr. Huey's Calico Shine (such awesome stuff!!). I layered varying washi tapes over the center card and added the small canvas letters for my title.
I left two cards wordless, relying the butterfly to convey my sentiment. I have used butterflies throughout my album as symbols of my dreaming.

I am excited to see what Ali has in store for us with the final lesson for 2011. Also, if you've been following my blog and wishing that you would have joined us for this year's OLW journey, I have good news for you. Ali is doing it again! She will be offering another year long OLW class for 2012 through Big Picture Classes. I strongly encourage you to register. It has been an amazing experience.

Next up in the blog hop is Cindy. Check her out her fabulous blog here.

OLW Blog Hop - My Dreams in Pictures Redux

Welcome back for this month's installment of the One Little Word Blog Hop. As the year winds down, I am so very grateful to be able to look back at all my previous posts about my word of the year, Dream. I love having the concrete evidence of how much my word has come to be an active part of my life. I love seeing where my word has taken me. And I love seeing how much I have changed and grown with the influence of my one little word.

This month, we have 14 amazing women participating in the blog hop. I've said it before but it's worth repeating. Be sure to check out all of these fabulous ladies' blogs. You will be amazed at the creativity, humor, sentimentality, depth and joy that shines through on every single page. I know I can't wait to see each and every post.

October's prompt was a return to a class favorite - using 9 photographs to illustrate your word right now. What I really enjoyed about this prompt was going back to look at February's collage after I had put together the collage for this month. It was interesting to see what inspired my dreams now compared to those images that sparked my imagination near the beginning of this journey.

Below is this month's collage. I've listed the words behind the photos underneath. Once again, I plan to make a layout incorporating these words + photos. But in my album, the photos will not have any words on them (or numbers for that matter). The numbers correspond to the written statements for each photo.

1.I dream of new directions.
2. My dreams are bright and sometimes burn with intensity.
3. I dream of the exotic, the foreign, the unfamiliar.
4. Some dreams strip you bare, exposing all of my vulnerabilities and fears.
5. My dreams, collected and savored.
6. Dreams can be mysterious, leaving only hints and remnants for me to piece together.
7. I am ready to go where my dreams lead me.
8. Some dreams are comforting, like the sun shining warmly onto my face.
9. Some dreams are a baptism, like a clean rain sluicing through my soul.

I've been thinking a lot of the dreams I had in childhood, how as a child I wasn't afraid to dream, how I didn't put limitations on my dreams. Through my recent experiences in Mondo Beyondo, I've re-connected with these childhood fantasies. Some bring me laughter and amusement, some are unrecognizable, some generate a bittersweet sense of loss, and some still ring so true. More importantly, Mondo Beyondo taught me how dream again. I mean really dream, with abandon and imagination and longing...and without practicality or limits or fear.


I am learning to let go of fear, of all anxiety as I face the future.

I wanted to use a photo enlargement to convey this re-connection to my childhood dreaming.

What are your dreams right now? Are you pursuing these dreams? I really hope so...

Next up in the blog hop is the fabulous Cheri. Check our her blog and enjoy the rest of the hop!

OLW Blog Hop - Catching Up

Welcome back to the One Little Word Blog Hop! For those unfamiliar, OLW is a year-long class offered by Big Picture Classes and Ali Edwards. Each month, Ali puts together a prompt that explores a different aspect of our word, as well as a creative project that reflects the month's theme. This year, my OLW is dream. You can see all of my OLW related posts here.

Due to recent events, I missed out on last month's blog hop. But I have completed the prompt. In August, we were tasked with a self-portrait and a loving message to ourselves. I used a photo taken with my iPhone.

For this month, we went back to deeper thinking. Ali challenged us to choose a battle worth fighting for in relation to our OLW. She also asked us to identify a battle that we are willing to surrender.

Powerful stuff.

I chose to fight for my dreams by enrolling in Mondo Beyondo, an online course devoted to dreaming big. I had seen the class many times before and was always interested...but I had not been ready to take the plunge. Shortly after watching Ali's presentation about choosing our battle, I received the Mondo Beyondo newsletter. It seemed serendipitous that the Fall Session started September 12th. I registered immediately. I am LOVING this class.

One of my favorite exercises so far was identifying my core values. I'll leave you today with my list:

Acceptance – Giving myself permission to dream big & small and then being open to what I discover. Having the courage to believe in the goodness of myself and others. Seeking more gratitude, less judgment in my beautiful everyday life. Weathering the storms of life with grace, wisdom and humor.

Authenticity – Keeping it real & owning my own particular brand of crazy. Being true to myself in all my varying roles. No comparisons, no competition. Seek to add value in all the I do. Admit my frailties. Allow venerability.

Balance – Set priorities for family, work, household and creativity. Adopt and keep a schedule to avoid becoming overwhelmed! No more paralyzing fear of imperfection. Know it’s ok to be ok. Learn to say no, kindly but firmly. Celebrate the wins.


Commitment – Keep pushing to improve dedication and reliability. Follow through. Self-motivation. Work harder at marriage & motherhood. Heathy habits are now imperative! Manage chronic disease, eat better, move more.

Love – Hold fast to “the greatest of these is love.” Let this be your anchor. Kindness first. Generosity of spirit and materials. Honor my husband. Support my son’s move to independence, guide him without guilt or smothering. Learn to love from afar. Grow my spirituality. Take care of our earth.

Next up on the blog hop is  the wonderful Nicky. Check out her post here.

OLW Blog Hop - The Musical

Welcome once again to the One Little Word blog hop. I have really come to love these monthly gatherings, my friends. Participating every month in an organized group activity (thank you so much, Margie!) has been supremely helpful in keeping me on-track and accountable with my OLW dream adventures. Even when I haven't actually completed the prompt, preparing for this blog hop keeps thoughts and ideas about my word at the forefront of my mind.

Bet you thought all that was a lead up to my explaining how I don't have this month's prompt completed.

Well, you would be wrong. ; )

Because there is no way that I would miss out on a prompt that involved music. I cannot tell you how excited I was to see song lyrics as the main component this month. Music has always been a huge part of my life, my family's life. Just about this time last year, I wrote a post describing the soundtrack of my life. It is one of my favorite blog posts ever (if you're interested, you can check it out here).  And I got just as much satisfaction exploring songs from the perspective of my word, from seeing where my dreams lead me as I did when I wrote about this last year.

Music is just magic to me.

I actually did my cards digitally this month. I do all kinds of scrapping - traditional, digital and hybrid - but this is the first time I've done an all digital layout for this class. Truth be told, it was fun playing with type and color on my laptop. I'm a little bit geek at heart so sometimes I find great joy creating through technology.

Here's the listing of my lyric choices -

1. The Cave | Mumford & Sons
So make your siren's call and sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
'Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

2. All You Need Is Love | The Beatles
All you need is love

3. Love at the Five and Dime | Nanci Griffith
Dance a little closer to me
It's closing time 
And love's on sale tonight 
At this five and dime

4. Thunder Road | Bruce Springsteen
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night

5. F*cking Perfect | P!nk
Pretty, pretty please
if you ever, ever feel
like you are nothing
you're f*cking perfect to me

6. She Got Her Ticket | Tracy Chapman
She got her ticket
I think she gonna use it
I think she going to fly away

7. Dream a Little Dream of Me | Ella Fitzgerald
Sweet dreams til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me

8. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise | The Avett Brothers
There was a dream
And one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage
I broke in and demanded somebody free it

9. Defying Gravity | Wicked
It's time to try defying gravity

And I utilized the feature on my printer that prints directly onto a CD in creating my playlist! Total score. Here's a peek at this month all together in my album.

Next up in the blog hop is Maureen - check out her blog here.

OLW Blog Hop - I Remembered Pictures... And I've Planned An Awesome Giveaway

 Welcome back friends! I am super excited about this month's One Little Words blog hop. Ali hit the ball out of the park with this month's prompt. I'm talking grand slam, out of the stadium home run.

This month we took a step back from prompts that centered around deep thoughts, letters to future selves and documenting our planning process and ventured back into the artsy, crafty side of things. Now don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of the previous prompts. The contemplation, planning, and exploring the depth of my Dreams has helped me to keep my OLW in an active place in my life. It gave me a timeline of sorts for action steps. It offered some accountability in committing to this process. And it opened my eyes to new perspective. To read more about these prompts, you can check out my previous posts on my Dream journey here.

But I was so ready for some hands-on creativity this month. In fact, I was desperately ready to express my Dreams in a more artistic way. Our prompt this month was this:

This month you’re invited to create a series of nine mini-canvases that will fit inside a divided page protector. The main encouragement I want to give to you is to simply keep your word in mind as you play.

Perfect. Just perfect.

The color scheme for my album has been turquoise, grey, red and yellow. And this month I was feeling yellow. Such a bright, sunny, cheerful, happy color...the exact right sentiment for my outlook as I move forward on this Dream quest.

Here's my collage:

 

I was super inspired by this stamp that Ali used to create her crossword pattern. I am a major crossword geek! And while I didn't have that stamp, I did have the amazing red + yellow crossword patterned paper that I've been  hoarding for a couple years. I used the paper, a brad and stamped my OLW to create the central canvas around which I built the others. I love how it turned out! Here's a close-up the central portion:

I also have photos to share of my completed project pages for March, April and May. Can you believe how long I've been slacking on sharing my completed pages? Yeah, I know, I can't really believe it either. But here they are anyway... If you want to see any image in a larger size, then just click on the image.

March - Folded

March - Unfolded

April - Left Side

April - Facing Pages

May - Facing Pages

May - Closeup on Quote 

May - Spreadsheets

May - Spreadsheet Detail

June - Facing Pages

Now, some of you might remember from last month that I started on embellishing my OLW album cover. It is complete! I love, love, love the butterfly accent with the flower cluster - doesn't that just evoke Dream-iness?

And here's a couple of detail shots of the cover elements...

Last but not least, I am super stoked to announce my very first giveaway! 

(cue applause)

I am doing a major de-stash of my craft room. I'm talking tons of patterned paper, sticker sheets, embellishments and even some American Crafts Thickers. I mean, who can resist Thickers?!?

No one, that's who.

I plan on filling a US Priority Mail flat rate shipping box to the brim for one lucky reader. To be eligible for this box of awesome-ness, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me one random fact about yourself. I will collect comments until 11:59pm CST on Thursday July 7th. The person with the most interesting factoid will be crowned winner by moi and announced Friday July 8, 2011. So be sure to stop back.

Thanks for hanging in there on this much-longer-than anticipated post. Next up on the OLW blog hop is Kathryn at Katlo Designs. Check out her blog here.

Happy Hopping!

OLW Blog Hop - Still Dreaming

Welcome to all visitors participating in the blog hop celebrating this month's One Little Word workshop by Ali Edwards!

This year my OLW is dream. You can read here for about my experience this year with my OLW and a bit about the OLW concept.

I have been doing the monthly prompt's along with others in the class. It is definitely a great way to keep my dreams at the forefront of my mind. In March, the assignment was to stake an action step related to our word. My action step was reading  The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed To Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown. I learned some excellent strategies to let go of perfectionism. I have a nasty habit of thinking life has to be perfect, that I have to be perfect. It adds stress to my life and keeps me from achieving my dreams...so it is time for me to kick perfectionism to the curb.

Goodbye perfection.

This month our prompt was to write a letter to ourselves - taking stock of the OLW process, envisioning where we want to be and then setting intentions for the rest of the year. For me, the most important part was writing it down and placing it in my album. Things always seem more real, more significant when I can see it written down. Seeing my dreams for the future, for my family and for my own personal growth outlined in black on crisp white paper helps to crystallize these dreams in my mind. Just one more step to turning dreams into realities...

I haven't been great about photographing my work but I promise I will have photos to share next month. Thanks so much for visiting! Come back soon and leave a comment.

Next up in out OLW Blog Hop is Donna. Have a wonderful weekend.

Soul Restoration Blog Hop or Better Late Than Never

Hi friends! As you might have noticed I was a little late posting for the SR Blog Hop. So, so sorry...I had it set up to post automatically yesterday morning but clearly my poor blog was struggling with technical difficulties. Anyway I am posting now in the hopes that all might be forgiven.

I was completely blown away by my experiences during the Soul Restoration workshop. It was intense, amazing, heart wrenching, cathartic, uplifting and majorly empowering. I would highly recommend this workshop for anyone longing to regain "the real me." Another session of Soul Restoration 1 is beginning April 5th and Soul Restoration 2 will then start June 7th. I will definitely be moving on with SR 2. More sharing about the curriculum and registration information can be found here.

Please check out the Brave Girls - you won't be sorry!

In this post, I shared some of my initial thoughts about the Soul Restoration workshop and a tutorial on the construction of my 'soul house' journal cover. Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite journaling pages.

Next up in the Blog Hop is Dawn Hueser - check out her blog for more Soul Restoration goodness.

OLW Blog Hop

Welcome friends! I am so excited to be participating in this month's One Little World Blog Hop. There are 44, yep that's right, I said 44 participants. So be sure to check out all of these fabulous ladies' blogs. You will be amazed at the creativity, humor, sentimentality, depth and joy that shines through on every single page.

click on image to see larger

To anyone unfamiliar with the concept,  One Little Word was first introduced to me by Ali Edwards. As she explains, "I am a fan of welcoming the new year with open arms. I love fresh starts, new opportunities, clean slates, possibilities. Back in January 2007, as a way to celebrate these beginnings, I started a public tradition of choosing a single word to focus on over the course of the year." 

I have been choosing my own word of the year since 2008, but have only been blogging about my word since last year. In 2010, I kept my focus on hope. And in 2011 my head and heart are filled with dreams. The greatest hurdle in this process for me was to make sure that I took the time to acknowledge my dreams every day. Not just opening up and admitting that I have dreams but really believing that I deserve for all of my dreams to become truth. I am taking a class taught by Ali through Big Picture Classes exploring and focusing on my One Little World dream.

Last month, we completed the title page of our album. You can see mine here. We also used divided page protectors to house a series of nine cards created with words, clip art, quotes, patterned paper and embellishments. These cards exemplified and symbolized our One Little Word in graphic detail. Again, you can see my collage here.

For February, we also created two projects. First,we collected nine photographs that spoke to us of our word, in my case my visual interpretations of my dreams. These will go into the reverse of the divided page protector used n January. I thought long and hard about which concepts, ideas, wishes, fears and emotions that I wanted my photos to convey. Here's what I cam up with:

 click on image to see larger

For my second project, I knew I wanted to incorporate a photo enlargement as contrast to the various smaller images. To help simplify the concept of dreams; to see a beautiful reminder of my capacity for dreaming; and to aid in instilling the belief in me that I have the power to turn my dreams into reality; I created this print:

click on image to see larger

Thanks for stopping by Studio Jenn! Please drop me a comment or any questions that you might have. Next up in the OLW February Blog Hop is Kathryn Lowe. Here's the link to her blog Stamping With Kathryn Lowe. Have a wonderful Tuesday - now go & do something that you love!

        PS In case you've gotten lost, all of the OLW February Blog Hop participants are listed here on Margie's blog.  

Thought For Today

via Poppytalk

And I just thought you should know.

Be sure to stop tomorrow morning for this month's One Little Word Blog Hop. Yes, that's right - I am participating in my first ever Blog Hop.

Intrigued? I know I can't wait to see all the blog-spiration. See you tomorrow. It all goes live at 10am CST.