birthday cards: january

If anyone knows me, they know that I love paper. If anyone really knows me, they know I would prefer that paper to be letterpress. I cannot get enough of it. I would LOVE to jump ahead to a time where I had a completely working machine (and repaid my debt from getting it in working order), knew how to work it, made a living doing it, and could spread the joy of a letterpress card or print to some sweet consumer who appreciated them as much as I do.

Well, since I don't have a time machine (do you?), I am going to remain the sweet consumer who appreciates letterpress so much that I just want to spread the love all year round.

The one resolution (if you can call it that) I did make for 2013, besides choosing and taking part in One Little Word, was that I was going to not only recognize birthdays, but also send cards to my family and close friends through the Pony Express. And these weren't going to be just any 'ole card...they were going to all be letterpress cards. Yeah buddy! It's a total win/win/win situation: I get to pick out and touch and admire the fine craftsmanship of the letterpresser, my friends and family will receive a great-looking birthday card ON their birthday (I've got them marked on my calendar a month in advance and two days ahead of their special day), and I am supporting mostly small businesses through Etsy or their personally-owned websites. I couldn't think of a better deal.

So far, I have sent all of January's cards out and I couldn't be more excited to send more. The receiver's have been very appreciative and have loved actually getting mail that isn't bills or catalogs. Birthdays are a big deal, and should be celebrated! Each month, I am going to document the cards that I sent and link them up to their respective companies in case any of them catch your eye for someone special in your life!

1. One Good Bumblebee (link inactive)
2. Eggpress
3. McBitterson's
4. Favorite Letterpress

(And of course I'll  be doing a big spread in my Project Life album at the end of the year....)

here + there

I feel like this week has flown by and with the weather being how it has been, I am glad! It has been so stinking cold here! Although, when I think about it being January for pete's sake, it's just being how it is supposed to be. Still, it is darn chilly! Lots of snugglin' going on around here...Fern even starts barking at me to go snuggle. Literally follows me around while I'm doing my nightly piddle routine (checking off lists, getting ready for tomorrow, dishes, food prep, cleaning up, etc.) and barks every so often just so pissed that I'm not on the couch and she is not under my legs and the blanket. It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me. (But I kind of don't blame her.)

I seemed to have spent quite a bit of this week with family, which is awesome. My niece and nephew were in town and walked over for a visit, followed by me going home with them for dinner. Then we all, of course, fell asleep on the couch watching a movie it took 45 minutes to decide on. I blame it on the totally delicious chocolate chip cookies that were promptly made after dinner.

I'm hoping to make this little check-in a regular Friday item, and slowly start to add more weekly features in...and some random posts thrown in every so often. I am planning on a Project Life post in a couple of days with my 2013 cover page and the first couple of weeks, followed by a weekly layout post. I really want to stay on top of it this year, and I feel like this plan will motivate me. I can do it.

here + there

This week went by considerably fast it seemed...I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. I'm getting back into the swing of teaching the after-school art class two days a week, along with the mornings that I teach my nephew, and the one day I have all three of my youngest nieces and nephew. It sure does require me to shift gears, but so worth it.

Fern and I have spent many an evening upstairs in my craft room getting some year-long projects underway: One Little Word and Project Life and I wrapped up a invitation design job I was asked to do for a friend's bridal shower. With my January theme being 'be intentional,' I figured it was a great time to print out some worksheets from Elise's "I Choose" class and hammer out some details for crossing some goal finish lines.

Hoping to spend this weekend getting caught up on the past couple of weeks in my album to take pictures and post (my kit just arrived so I was really saving my journaling for it's arrival) and working on a sewing project I've been commissioned to do for a friend. I've only sewn one piece of clothing and that was for a two-year-old, so this should be interesting.

project life: this year's plan

This year's theme is keep it simple. Let's hope it keeps.

First of all, you probably could've guessed by my recurrent color schemes which kit I'm using for 2013. Seafoam...duh... :) It is amaze-balls. It is also SO much prettier and perfect in person, and it really makes me want to work on my album even more than I did before...even though I got behind every other week. But still, if this excitement keeps up, I'm golden. I have been a longtime blog reader of Elise Blaha Cripe, so I was overjoyed when she announced her kit design...I wanted to call and congratulate her like an old pal but in all reality I'm not, so a tweet was going to have to be enough.

I am also going to use the correlating binder (which will go great with my black one from last year), and the same Design A pages as last year. These are just my preference for weekly spreads, but then I have a few other random page designs/inserts to add in if needed.

I am going to be working very hard to not overspend on scrapbooking supplies this year - I think I went a little overboard last year. I ended up not even using half of the Clementine core kit I bought because I had so many other choices that I had gotten off the internet, bought online, etc. I actually started to get a little overwhelmed with what to use here, what to add to that card/picture there, and what I "need" _________ everywhere. So, my plan this year is to REALLY use the hell out of my Seafoam kit and any other supplies that I ALREADY HAVE. With the pages that I have been working on so far, it's been really satisfying to keep it simple with what I have...and it doesn't hurt that the core kit I'm working from is totally awesome.

I have purchased a couple of digital kits from the talented Liz Tamanaha (Paislee Press) that I am going to throw in here and there. Because I am using the title cards from the core kit, I am going to include one of these calendar journal cards at the beginning of each month with my own washi tape strip using that week's color scheme just to get a picture of the month ahead. And a hybrid version of you are my fave that I've purchased and downloaded will be used as well. I wouldn't be surprised if these also popped up in my One Little Word binder either...love the minimalism of her designs. So clean.

And last, but certainly not least, I cannot forget to mention that I'm also a proud subscriber of the amazing Studio Calico Project Life monthly kit.

This month's kit is amazing, not too overwhelming think about when putting together pages, and did I say amazing? Love that I have these to look forward to every single month.

Other supplies regularly used: HP Photosmart 7510, Epson Semi-Glossy 4x6 photo paper, Fiskars Corner Rounder, Uni-Ball vision black pen

So, there you have it. The backbone to my existence. No, in all seriousness, stumbling upon the idea of Project Life has really given my a whole new outlook of documenting this life that I am grateful to be living. I am really loving it.

If you're curious about Project Life and what it entails, check out this page and this fun video.

one little word.

A new year always brings feelings of want for me. And I'm not talking about material wants, but action wants. For some reason this one day, this one transition in time, allows us the motivation to make resolutions, goals, plans for a NEW year, NEW patterns, NEW rhythms. In this new year, I want to.... I'm sure for most of us this list is endless, at least for me it is. I tend to start new years off with feelings that this year will be different and I make crazy goals or resolutions and 85% of the time never complete them! It just sets me up for failure, and there is no room for that, ESPECIALLY at the start of a new year.

One thing I did know about beginning 2013, was that I wanted it to be doable. I didn't want those hard-to-each goals or completely unlikely resolutions to follow. One way that I felt that I could achieve what I wanted was to take part in Ali Edwards' online class One Little Word this year, and pick one word that set the pace for the year. I couldn't be more excited to have a personal (and completely doable) focus for the new year. I had heard about the class throughout the last couple of years, but was just never in a place where I felt I could or wanted to commit, but I took the plunge for 2013.

And my word this year is BE.

In the new year, I want to...

be intentional.

be kind.

be brave.

be content.

be active.

be beautiful.

be free.

be prepared.

be creative.

be inspirational.

be productive.

be present.

I'm still waiting for all of my supplies, so in the meantime I'm taking notes and getting stuff ready to begin working on my notebook as soon as it gets here. I tend to get a little anxious when I know something awesome is due to arrive in the mail...especially a package that will open the door to so much personal growth and (healthy) challenges. Bring it on!!

Anyone else out there taking the class? What would be your 'one little word?'

//card received in package from love, maude. I love that it looks like a note passed along with love//