*b* list of favorites….

i would have titled it favorites of 2009, but since i don’t always put a date on the things i make, i can’t be sure that they are all from 2009. looking at the bright side, if some of my favorites are older than just this past year, i’m happy that i still like them. i have enjoyed seeing lots of my favorite crafty bloggers who have been sharing their favorite creations, so i thought i would jump on the bandwagon…a little late. being late is appropo for me.

before i share my faves, i just have to say that this week has been much busier than i expected it to be. on sunday night, when i looked at the upcoming week, i knew that we would have our bagel Christmas party on monday and that we would be celebrating my mom’s birthday, but other than that, i thought it was a pretty lowkey week. i had a few assignments due, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. somehow, my week got outta control. i haven’t had a moment…until this morning. i’m regrouping and feeling much more like myself now. i think maybe it was a good lesson in letting go and being more flexible with my time. OR maybe it was supposed to be a lesson in taking a strong stand about my time? i’m pondering that now. i do have to say that a lot has been accomplished this week, so that is good. as long as accomplishing tasks is not the only point, i think it’s important to appreciate, if not enjoy the process. i’ve waited a long time for our kitchen to be the way i want it, so i don’t want to miss the joy of the process. i think i finally have an attitude of contentment even when things aren’t exactly the way i want them to be. i think that peace, contentment, living your faith and life authentically, enjoying the process, accepting imperfections, having passion about the people and things you love and finding joy in the every day are the keys to a happy life. in my humble opinion, a constant striving and never being content with the moment are contrary to a truly good life. i could just be writing this to make myself feel better : ) i realize that i have a lot of personal opinions about living a happy little life. that’s the perogative of being who we are, right? we get to decide what our attitude about life will be. will i choose to be happy? will i choose to be gracious, fair, content, loving, kind? or will i choose to be angry, hateful, ungrateful, judgemental, mean? i believe we make that choice moment by moment. we all fail, but if our values determine our choices, we are going to succeed more than we fail.

i need to be creative. it’s one of my passions, so in order to be truly happy i have to be creative. i am truly grateful that i have found my passions in life. i am sad for anyone who hasn’t discovered their passion/s. i was an adult with grown children before my passions were vividly clear. i always knew i was creative and needed an outlet….i just didn’t figure out exactly what i needed to be doing right away. i tried so many creative outlets….sewing (things that i wasn’t capable of-which was very frustrating), knitting, ceramics, cross-stitch, painting, drawing….and it wasn’t so much that i was bad at any of these things, i just didn’t approach them appropriately. i tried to do things without instruction or guidance. sometimes that works and other times it ends in frustration. i did take a quilting class and my project did turn out okay and i learned a lot, but i didn’t continue with it. some of the things i tried didn’t really satisfy…until i started scrapbooking- taking photos and writing on my pages. i found that scrapbooking had an effect on my photography. i wanted photos that weren’t just cheesy snapshots….i wanted photos with emotion and character. i also wanted good quality photos. scrapbooking also made me think about what i wanted to say. about my life, about my feelings about my loved ones and really it was about my legacy. tom’s parents’ deaths really had an impact on me too. they died within 8 months of each other, so it hit really hard. it made me realize that life on earth is fragile and when you are gone, your personal “things” speak. your handwriting and the thoughts that you’ve written instantly have more importance. so i decided that i wanted to do more than just make pretty pages (although i love pretty pages). i wanted to say something. something that i wanted my loved ones to know, either about my beliefs, my thoughts and feelings about them and about life. AND i wanted them to see them as i see them….via photos and my words.

of course, one thing that really motivates me to create are products. jenni bowlin’s products never fail to inspire me. i am so excited to work with her new product line, homespun (one of my favorite words, btw). you can see a sneak peek here. also, check out my challenge on the jbs inspo blog here. i dare you!

i photographed this layout last night after dark for the inspo blog and then rephotographed it this morning in natural light. comparing the two shots is a definite testament to natural light photography!

*b* list of favorites for 2009…and maybe even 2008

i made this little altered box with the kenner road kit when i guest designed. it still sits on a shelf in my living room and i still enjoy seeing it there. all of our little ones. love, love.

this piece probably is the “most me” piece that i’ve made in a long time.

i don’t do many layouts about tom and i, which is sort of sad, because that is what my daily life is now…my man and me.

love this baby boy.

a strong photo combined with a bold pretty paper and a few simple details. one of my favorite approaches to a page.

the sentiment that i wrote on this project goes for all my loved ones.

this is the pillow i made for myself. i think i enjoyed the process of making these pillows so much, because i felt so free.

one of my favorites ever of alexis.

i’m still not tired of butterflies.

this has been a big year for jared and beth. i have made a lot of pages documenting my thoughts…no matter how old your children are, you are always their mom.

a page i made for a friend.

could it be any more simple….and yet, i like it a lot….and when people stop by, they always seem to comment on this simple piece.

this one is in the current issue of bhg. i am typically a big pattern paper fan, but for this assignment, i had to make a layout using only cardstock. i ended up liking it! it was a ton of fun to make too.

so one thing that is clear after looking through my project photo file on my computer. i don’t do enough pages about our grandsons….and there is plenty of material, so i will make that adjustment. it also made me realize that if it weren’t for assignments and working in the industry, i probably wouldn’t be as creatively fulfilled. i think it pushes me in a good way. to think outside the box and to accomplish more. i do love working in this industry…and i haven’t lost my original love for scrapbooking. i still love it as much as i ever have.

i hope that you have found your passion and if you haven’t, it’s never too late!

God bless you!