double excited

about this.....

so, that means i am attending two, yes two, tim holtz classes!! i booked to go to art from the heart after this one became available and sold out within minutes of going on sale, so i really didn't think there would be any chance of getting a ticket to artsycrafts. imagine my surprise when i got an email saying there was a space available. i didn't hesitate, i booked!! 

one little word - january homework

our one little word homework for january was to create a 'me' page, together with a page embracing and celebrating your word. i'm not a great fan of my handwriting and so i chose to hide my journalling on manilla tags.

i chose 'believe' as my olw this year for one main reason - so i remember that whatever happens, i should believe in myself and my abilities. i need a constant reminder that i am good enough. i also ordered a olw necklace from lisa leonard so that i have a reminder with me throughout the year. when ali first introduced lisa, i fell in love with her jewellery and have had necklaces or bracelets made each year. 

get well soon

i made this card for my friend sarah, who is going through a tough time at the moment. i hope she likes it!

new blog to follow

my very good friend jen has started a blog! now jen is a very, very busy lady, but i've been nagging her for months and that nagging has now paid off. her work is so inspirational, it needs to be showcased and now it will be, check it out!!

now, if I could just to get her to join facebook.........

so

yesterday was the cover of my diary, and today is the cover of my one little word album. i intend to use this album, not just to document my word, but my whole year. the plan is that it will end up punctuated by the monthly one little word prompts.

happy new year

a new year, a new start. i love the possibilities of a fresh new look on life and a new year is perfect for this. i decorated my diary to remind me of my one little word for the year, and despite my insecurities about my work, i am quite pleased with the result.

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one little word

believe

i know it sounds strange, but i feel that my word has chosen me this year. as i stated in my earlier post, i often think that i could do better, i think i just need to believe in myself and my abilities more. i started this journey in 2007 when i chose the word "sparkle", followed by "freedom" and then last year "thankful". "sparkle" was chosen as i was just starting a new phase in my life where i really wanted to shine, i felt that sparkle was more descriptive than shine and suited what i wanted to demonstrate better. having established my sparkle, i needed to re-evaluate and live my life as i intended and therefore "freedom" was born. last year i wanted to remind myself that i have a lot to be thankful for, and i have to say this was hard. it was hard to really "live" this all year round, but especially one of the things that has reminded me of this recently has been the support offered by my friends over the last few weeks.

i am so thankful for your words of kindness and encouragement, i am so thankful that you are all in my life.

i signed up for ali's class. i am creating my journal and i am in the process of decorating my diary as a way of reminding myself of my word each day.

i am excited for the new year to begin, bring it on.....

i'm liberating myself.....

from my december daily. it's just not going to plan. to be honest, i am questioning why i am continuing with crafting. i do enjoy it and i have made some wonderful friends through this hobby, but, there is a downside, i spend countless hours searching for the "perfect" paper, embellishments and photo's and nothing lives up to the standards i set for myself. all this means is that i get nothing done, or end up trying to do the same page over and over again and eventually give up.

therefore, on this project, for this year, i am setting myself free.

i need to seriously downsize my mountain of supplies and lose about 3/4 of what i have. so, give me a call, come over and see what i've got, bargain prices to a good home!

i am, however, going to sign up for ali's "one little word" class for 2011. more on that and why i have chosen this in my next post. i think this will be my only project for 2011.

i am confident that i can keep up with this, it's one page per month, how hard can it be.....

some christmas cards to share

and as i know my friend jen will be looking at this, i hope you have a lovely christmas and that santa brings you everything you wish for x x

this card i made for my mum, aunty and 2 cousins:-

i took inspiration for this card from tim's 12 tags from last year. the background paper is from graphic 45 and the music notes from one of tim's stamp sets "holiday wishes". i inked vellum with old paper distress ink, tore the edges and heated this with my heat gun. this smokes like crazy, but it's ok, it gives the vellum a really aged feel. i then edged this with vintage photo distress ink. the lamp post is chipboard, painted this with a black paint dabber and adhered to the vellum. 

i used my trusty vintage photo distress ink again to edge an adage ticket and used a wreath for the final touch (these are actually from a dolls house furniture store!

my second card is for my husband:-

a different feel to this card entirely. i used my cottagecutz dies to punch the reindeer stable, santa's workshop and trees and icicle stickles to give the snow some definition.

the paper is very old - paper adventures "starry skies".

merry christmas everyone, i'll post next week with some more december daily pictures.

excited....

about this:-

i missed out on the lb crafts event as i was on holiday without internet connection when the tickets went on sale (and they sold out within minutes of going on sale!), so i am super excited about this. the down side - a 4 hour car journey to harrogate and a 4am start, but hey it will be worth it!