So, I'm a bit of a pessimist. I admit it. More days than not I have a not such a great attitude about things. I never really thought of that as a problem, that's just who I am. I thought I was okay with that. Enter Meghan. I love my kid, she is so fantastic, straight A student, a pleaser...really great kid. She is also quite the story teller, not sure where she gets that from *wink* wink*, but for a while now I have been noticing a disturbing trend....unhappiness. I would ask...how was your field trip to the zoo?....did you have a great time? The answer would be a blow by blow of the day, minute by minute....the bus ride was too long, I didn't like the movie they played, but even if I did I couldn't hear it because all the kids were being too loud. The zoo was hot, really hot. We didn't get to see the elephants. I got leg aches from all the walking. We walked thru everything so fast, we didn't have time to really see the animals. So my answer, I'm sorry you had a bad time, next time there is a field trip like that, you can stay home if you want. Her, I didn't have a bad time, why do you think I had a bad time? She didn't even realize that everything she told me was a negative. Wow, WAKE UP MOM, her attitude is what she learned from me. Some time passed and I discovered along with the rest of America the time sucking website that is Pinterest. Did you notice the negative, time-sucking description? When I should say...I discovered along with the rest of America the joy of that great website Pinterest. One day while surfing I came accross a little scrapbook called "365 things I am grateful for in 2010" from a blog called I Love it All (if I knew how to insert links, I would here, but you can find the link on my crafty intentions board on Pinterest). It got me to thinking, that little book. I should totally do that. What better way to help Meghan change her outlook and pessimistic ways, than to work on my outlook and pessimistic ways. So, the goal is to write down 1 thing everyday that I am thankful for, it doesn't have to be deep and thoughftul long journal entry, just a simple word or sentence of what I was thankful for that day. Some examples from this year so far...Battleship with AJ, playing with crayons, great church service, old friends, afternoon delights, Chai, snowflakes, my mom coming to help me....
So...you want to see it? I'm really happy with how it turned out. I played alot with this little scrapbook/journal. I used techniques I hadn't tried before and discovered the versitility of punches. I used ink and masks and rub-ons and ribbons. Here is a list of manufacturers that I used: My Minds Eye, Jillibean Soup, lilybee design, Jenni Bowlin, We R Memory Keepers, Studio Calico, Stampin up, EK Success, Tattered Angels, Crafters Home masks, Time Holtz, Lifestyle Crafts, Cricut, 7 gypsies, and Cosmo Cricket. I may have forgotten some, sorry if I did.
I went with a kraft look overall and I love it. The front and back covers are chipboard covered in paper and the book is bound using the Cinch by We R Memory Keepers. The paper is kraft funday line by My Minds Eye the stamp says, I'm Thankful For and is by We R Memory Keepers and the 2012 numbers are from Jenni Bowlin. None of the pages in this book are manufactuer specific, which is very outside the box for me. I'm a simple girl. I don't always have the confidence to mix and match.
Each month has its own divider made with the inserts that came in photo boxes. They were white, so I sprayed each one with Studio Calico Mr Huey Classic Calico. It's a great kraft color, I also labeled each month with the same Tiny Type Cosmo Cricket Navy letters. I turned Januarys into a pocket by adding other paper and only using adhesive on the bottom and whipstitching the side.
I loved the way this February page turned out, I used a heart punch from Stampin Up here, isn't it the cutest?
I really liked this page too, I used an edge punch, and a border lace punch from Stampin Up for the top and the background was stamped with the Studio Calico Grid using VersaMark Ink.
The page on the left has an envelope made from a lifestyle crafts die. The calendar and ribbon are by Mya Road. The right hand I used a stitching rub on I found buried deep in my stash, and the day stamps are from 7 gypsies. Ignore the hole that I punched wrong by the binding. Normally that would have killed me and I would have thrown it out, but I'm growing here...I'm trying to let it go.
This is one of my favorite pages. I have never been a big fan of punches, they were never really my thing. However, I was working on this project at 2 different crops and my friends have the greatest stuff. They were willing to share, so I first sprayed some plain kraft cardstock with a mixture of Tattered Angels Sun Sisters and Mr Huey Cotton Candy, then I punched out these cute butterflies. Of course I couldn't resist adding some bling. Love this look!
I was having a hard time getting a good shot of this page...the color is way off...sorry. Its really a light cream background with pinky peach spraying. I used a punch to make those great lace strips. I borrowed the punch from the above mentioned great friends and don't remember who makes it, sorry. I layed the stips over my cardstock then sprayed it. Making my own mask so to speak. Then I punched the edge, title is from My minds eye.
This was another new technique to me, not so obvious, but I like the effect and will do it again. I first punched out the July 4 title with a stampin up punch, then I used the negative to create a mask and sprayed the paper with Mr Huey Atmosphere. I used pop dots to adhere the title over the area I sprayed giving it a sublte shadow look.
This is a very special page to me. Its my favorite mouse! I found this cool website full of old letterheads when I was browsing Pinterest one day. It had this one for Mickey Mouse Magazine, being the Disney lover that I am, I had to include my mouse! I dowloaded it and printed it out on light grey cardstock, the poka dots you see are from a crafters home mask and some Calico Shine Spray.
I had to show you this page, is that not the cutest turkey you have ever seen? I cut him from some more of that great My Minds Eye Funday line using a Lifestyle Crafts die. Gobble, Gobble!
Again I had issues taking this photo, sorry. Its the same paper line from the cover. I just sprayed it using Calico Shine and it gives it this festive snowy feel. I was trying to get a picture of the shine, but it just didn't work out.
So, will this year long journey of thankfulness change my attitude and my daughters? I don't know, but I have this cute book to help me try.
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