Give Thanks

Thankful EVERYDAY for these two little rays of sunshine! (This page is up at the Crate Paper blog...I didn't win November's challenge, but having one of my pages on CP's blog is pretty much just as exciting!)

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Living Life...

How true is this? I couldn't  help but feel inspired watching the kids explore the river near our house.

They collected pine cones for the longest time. And then collected some more. After that we made friends with two mallards that seemed as interested in the kids as they were in the ducks.

 Ella's questions and observations were pretty much continuous. Which one is the mom? Which one is the dad? Where are the babies? What do they eat? I think they are playing follow the leader. I think they like us. I wish I could think of more of them. Kids have a way of making you think "how the heck did they think of that?!"

Cohen, trying to look through the cracks of the bridge to find the ducks.

The temperature is in the 50's...very unusual for November in Minnesota. Often times, we've had a few snowfalls by now. I even saw a few dandelions still in bloom.

I'm thankful for any day that includes a blue sky!

 

And, thankful for these two. It was great to get out of the house and enjoy the day with them.

Christmas Organzation Binder

 As promised, here is a look at my Christmas Binder. (See my last post for list of supplies). The pictures aren't the best because of the page protectors...which I sewed closed in order to have a tab/ divider for each section. First, I went through all of my October Afternoon flashcards and picked the ones I thought best represented what I wanted each section to be. Then, I added a sub-title to be more specific about what's in that section. I have a picture of each section.

Start with an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white cardstock. I used the 8x8 collection pads form OA- and that made it really simple. I adhered the PP and added one or two embellishments to each page, such as a sticker, shipping tag or Sizzix die-cut. I adhered the flashcard so that it had about a 1/2" overhang. In order to use page protectors, I used a craft knife and slit along the fold of the plastic, just long enough for the flash card to fit through. Then, I sewed it closed, securing everything and hopefully protecting it for years to come.

 Section 1: Gatherings~ December Calendar. I do a December Daily Album each year, and this made it really easy to jot down what we did each day so I could transfer it into my DD Album when I was ready.

 All I needed to do this year was print out a blank 2012 December calendar.

 Section 2: Fun Finds~ Gift Ideas and Receipts
This is the section I needed the most. I put a few empty page protectors for magazine cut-outs (from the toy catalogs, etc) and one for coupons as I find them.

 The first zipper pouch: for receipts so I have them all in one spot.

 Then, I searched on-line for just the right Christmas list. I will use this one for the kids and I also keep track of who I suggested the item to (Aunt Ashley, Grandma, etc). This way I won't suggest it twice. (This one is from: www.thetruckerwife.com). You can also find these in my Pinterest Board labeled Christmas Crafts.

 This list was better for all the people I need to purchase something small for, such as teachers, the mail man, etc. (This one is from: www.lifeinyellow.com)

 Section 3: Story~ Christmas Card Mailing List. I printed a list of addresses of the people we send cards to.

Second Zipper Pouch: a place to keep postage stamps.

 

 Section 4: Good~ Recipes. I typed up all of my favorite/ traditional holiday recipes. Everything is in one place such as Quiche, Green Bean Casserole and Sugar Cookies.

 Section 5: Together~ Traditions for our Family. I typed up a list for each family member to record what Christmas traditions are important to them this year. This way, I won't forget what really important to them. This is especially helpful with my husband, because his family traditions would have been different from my family's.

 Section 6: Home~ Decorations: plans and ideas. This is the place where I can keep any magazine items that I tear out for decorating ideas or shopping ideas.

 Section 7: Treasure~ Holiday Crafts.  A place to keep craft ideas and directions. Good for annual crafts like Gingerbread Men and Houses to new ones that I come across.

 Section 8: Simple~ Menus and Shopping Lists. This section is for when we have company. Often times, we have three sets of visitors over the holidays.

Section 9: Place~ travel plans and check lists (for packing). This where I would keep info about traveling- whether they are coming here or we are going there. I would have flight itineraries in one place.

Ta-Da! There it is. A handy (and simple) Christmas planner that can be used each year. Being organized sure does feel good!!

Christmas Organization...on it's way!

I was really hoping to have a full tutorial today about my Christmas Binder that I made last year...but Cohen didn't nap today...and nap time is usually when amazing things get accomplished. Some days it's laundry and others it's a blog post. Instead, today I am playing referee to two tired kiddos...but I have managed to sneak a way for a few minutes in order to post my intentions. 

Here's what I used:
Binder
2 Zipper Pouches (School supply section)
Page Protectors
White Cardstock
October Afternoon past two Christmas lines: "Good Cheer" (2010) and "Holiday Style" (2011)
OA flashcards from various lines- they served as my tab dividers.
Sewing Machine

Come back tomorrow for the full tutorial!

Inspired Women

 "Women have always lived by inspiration. It helps her avoid the things in everyday living that she's supposed to face. Many things inspire Women- art, books, poems, other women, and when properly inspired, there are no limits to the things she can achieve." ~anonymous

This is me. I am easily inspired by my surroundings. And often, it is another woman, in the throws of inspiration that I find most inspiring. When I see another woman, another mother, living the creative life and earning an income while doing it- I am re-assured that I am following the right path. I tune out the rest of the world and dream up new designs. New ideas. I dream up wild and crazy things like having a studio outside my home. Like having my own home decor line. Like being featured in a magazine. Those big dreams actually help me focus on the little ones first- like increasing my blog following and taking more interesting/ creative photos of my art.

So, that's the path I'm on today...the smaller dreams. I am re-taking photos of my art for Etsy and I feel really encouraged by how they look.

 Before, the pictures were to the point- just photographs of the actual artwork. They just weren't sitting well with me. As I've been researching and looking at other people's shops and the photos of products that Etsy highlights- the photography is creative and interesting.

 Then, I got to thinking about catalogs. Pottery Barn would never just have individual photographs of their merchandise. They set it up, so we, the consumer, can visualize the product in the way it's intended to used.

This new look alone inspires and motivates me! Again, I feel encouraged that I am on the right path. The artwork and the photographs represent me now. That's something to feel good about!

And, that other part of the quote above: "It helps her avoid the things in everyday living that she's supposed to face." Well, that couldn't be more true, either. For me, creativity = sanity. But then there's a downfall, too...like the fact that I over-looked (okay, I just plain didn't have a clue) that there wasn't school today. I had planned a work day at home and scheduled Cohen for daycare, thinking I'd have a kid-free house for a few hours this morning. Even so, one less kid makes a huge difference and Ella is being amazing!

Ella's Birthday Party Layouts

Here are some pages I completed at my retreat two weekends ago. This line, Dear Lizzy: 5th & Frolic by American Crafts is like a dream. The accents of gold were a fun and trendy addition to the the color palette.

And, the color palette worked perfectly with the golds I used to decorate for Ella's party (it didn't hurt that my curtains matched, too!)

I added gold American Crafts ribbon, pink paper doily hearts, gold rhinestones and gold scalloped circles. The 5th and Frolic line is the perfect birthday party/ tea party mix.

The adorable little princesses.

Here they are lined up, taking turns painting a flower each to a vase I painted ahead of time. (In the movie "Tangled," Rapunzel is a painter).

This is Ella's school picture from this year. Doesn't she look so innocent?! That little girl has fooled the camera once again! :) As I'm writing this, she's chasing her brother around the house with her belt...so far they are laughing...which I'm will to bet will soon turn to tears.

Hopeful Hearts

 Many of my family members have been affected breast cancer: my mom, my paternal aunt, my husband's maternal aunt and cousin, all whom have fought boldly and walked away survivors. Sadly, my maternal Grandmother lost her battle to breast cancer over 10 years ago.

 Their courage, strength and will to fight has inspired me to show my support through my art.

Your strength has not gone unnoticed. Just like you, I have a hopeful heart that the suffering will end and no one else will lose a woman they love to this far-reaching disease.

Tricks and Treats

 Ella was a princess this year. {Again.} She was Rapunzel...and decided to skip the wig. Whenever someone asked Cohen what he wanted to be for Halloween, he'd yell "Rooaaaarrr!." That left me with several options, a tiger, lion, dinosaur, etc. (You cab see him "roar-ing" in these two pictures).

 Despite waiting until the week before Halloween to get Cohen's costume....and going to three stores, I luckily found the perfect dinosaur costume. I even happened to find matching gloves and hat with a dinosaur face, even in the same colors as the costume.

 My pretty princess.

 My silly dino.

 They were too excited to help carve the pumpkins- but stopped to check out what Daddy was doing every once and a while.

 He's becoming quite the goof-ball!

 

 We walked around with the neighbor kids and their cousins. Cohen was usually the last to get his candy. He waited so patiently; I was so proud of him. Then he would run, run, run to catch-up with the kids already at the next house.

 There were a few tricks along the way. One house that had some teenagers in it, and apparently no candy, handed Ella a used crayon. She made the whole thing a lot funnier with her reaction "What?" She yelled. "I got a crayon?!" We told the kids to come on to the next house, and Cohen, being the last was still at the door when the teens peeked out and handed him something. He was trying to shove it in his bag when I realized it was a bag of spaghetti noodles. Poor little guy. He didn't mind at all when I returned it to their porch, though.

 One neighbor dressed as a witch, really got into Halloween and had a whole which story for the kids, in a very witchy voice. She told them to fatten up and come back next year so she could boil them in her pot. Ella found this hilarious and talked about it for the rest of the night. "I am not going back to that house next year!" She told me this over and over. I know differently, though. Every time we pass that house over the next year, she will no doubt say how she can't wait to go back to that house next Halloween.

 Cohen was all done by 7 o'clock and didn't mind at all that the other kids kept going.

My favorite part. Watching Cohen's little dino tail swish back and forth as he ran to the next house. What a fun night!