Planning

I sat down with my new filofax pages, calendar and diary this evening to prepare for the new year. I love the hope that a blank calendar and diary inspires in me. That belief that things can be different.

My calendar this year is a Gorguss one. It matches my planner cover. I have an Earth Pathways diary again this year. I absolutely love it and have bought one each year since it was first on sale. This year I used it for a gratitude book - writing at the end of each day something I was grateful for. I think I will do this again in 2014.

Here's a quick look at my planning. The photo was taken on my iPhone and then made beautiful using the Rhonda Designs app for iPhone and iPad. It's such a great app, if you haven't seen it before check it out!

Anyway, I better get to sleep. I was meant to be having an early night before work tomorrow and it's already later than I'd planned.

To blog or not to blog...

I haven't blogged for so long that I have lost the habit. I went for a long time feeling guilty about not blogging (which is silly) and then once I released the guilt I just let the blog go too. Once in a while I'd have a little thought in the back of my head "You should blog again" but I never did.
So, I'm wondering whether I should. I don't think anyone out there will necessarily see the things I write now as I have lost my 'followers', but I didn't start blogging originally for the readers, I blogged for me.
I'm going to give it a go again,  no guilt, no stress, no plans, no format and just see what happens.
I've (tried) to format the blog to have a really clean and simple look. I'm not great with Blogger or html codes, so I'm not sure whether it has worked well or will now look a mess.
I'm at work today so I can't really spend a long time working on it, and when I get home tonight I don't really want to stare at the screen for longer, so I'll keep my finger's crossed that it worked and check tomorrow.
Such a shame to be at work today when I have so many fun things I could be doing at home *sigh*! Ah well, that's life!!

Not-so-national Scrapbooking Day!

I was sadly at work for National Scrapbooking Day this year and was gutted to miss all of the challenges out there. So I decided to join in the fun this weekend and have my very own Scrapbook Day (well, weekend actually!!!)
I wanted to do all of the challenges over at Shimelle's by her deadline (which is the end of today), but I didn't get to finish in time.  So, I'm posting everything I DID create this weekend for her challenges and then I will carry on creating at my normal pace!

Challenge 1 - Scrapbook in Pink





Challenge 2 - Use 4x6 Photos

Challenge 3 - Use mists

Challenge 4 - Write with repetition

Challenge 5 - Use brads or eyelets

Challenge 6 - Scraplift Yourself

Challenge 7 - Use unexpected supplies
I somehow missed this one out :0(

Challenge 8 - Scrapbook Yourself

Challenge 9 - Use Fancy Cutting

Challenge 10 - Use a mood board
I didnt do this challenge

Challenge 11 - Make the page sparkle

Challenge 12 - Write a letter

Challenge 13 - Use your favourite paper products

I had alot of photos from this beach day, so decided to skip to:
Challenge 20 - Use Divided page Protectors

I loved creating all of these pages. I felt so inspired and the push to create loads of layouts was actually very free-ing and I felt able to just enjoy the creative process. Hope you like.
Bye for now!

Scrappy Sunday

I've had an unusual Sunday as I had to go into work for a few hours today. Luckily I was done by 2 so home by 3...and hungry!!
My man is just WONDERFUL and cooked us yummy food while I caught up on my scrapping!
I've finished my Project Life spread for the week. This project is making me very holly and I am really pleased that I have kept up so far.
Here are this weeks pages:

A lovely comment on my blog made me realise I had missed putting the full page I created up in Monday so here it is...documenting how I LOVE Twitter at the moment, but have hardly any followers so no interactions at all! Not really 'social' media!!!!

Another evenings scrapping...

I'm definitely on a roll as far as scrapbooking is concerned! Another evening spent creating another page I'm really happy with!

Once I'd finished it I opened my new A4 printer, and that's when the evening turned sour! We were still trying to get the thing to print at 1am this morning, but to no avail. Luckily I have today off work so off to PC World I go to get an exchange. Fingers crossed that the second one works ok!

Monday musings

It's been a tough day at work today. I have a BIG project on at the moment with a very tight deadline. I am starting to feel that I am moving from feeling CHALLENGED to feeling STRESSED. This is not a good development!!! I am finding it increasingly difficult to transition from work to home at the end of the working day. Today I was determined to do this. Its essential if I am to keep my stress levels at a sensible level.
So after eating I went straight into my craft room, determined to do something creative.
In the end I created a whole page (I was expecting to just trim some papers) using my Studio Calico kit and a starting point from Shimelle

Can't tell you how much I am LOVING this kit!! Can you tell?!
xoxo

Sunday Scrappin'

I love weekends when I don't work on a Saturday! I spent yesterday doing the housework and playing with Photoshop Elements and my Selphy printer. Then today I had NOTHING to do but scrap! Bliss!
I did my Project Life for the week. I'm still not quite in love with my style where this project is concerned. I put off starting PL in this format last year as I didn't have a 'proper' core kit. Then once it arrived in time for this year I thought it would be easy to do, and I can see how it can be. BUT I have already fallen out of love with my core kit! And it's only week 3!!!! I find it really restrictive to try and use just the kit, or even just the colours contained within the kit. That's just not how my scrappy brain works! So I've decided to use the kit ( what a waste if I didn't!), but to mix things up a bit. I will use a different colour scheme each week but make sure I have one of the 4 colours from the core kit as part of that colour scheme.
So here are this weeks pages. Due to the excitement that a bit of snow always causes in the UK I and a lot of extra photos this week so I included an insert page protector as well as the double that I am using per week. These pics are copied from my Instagram feed (I just LOVE the Lo-Fi filter!)

After I had completed my PL spread I used the sketch from Shimelle's Sketch to Scrapbook challenge to create my first page using my Studio Calico kit. I will definitely be subscribing to this kit as it is WONDERFUL!
Again, my pic here is from Instagram! Sorry!!! Here is Shimelle's sketch:

And here is my page:

I hope everyone stays warm and safe in the snow.

xoxo

A new year means a new word!

My One Little Word for 2013 is LISTEN.

A simple word, a simple action, but something I find myself doing in a very half hearted way!  I've decided to join Ali again this year in her workshop. I can really recommend it as it really helps you to stay focussed and to actively invite your word into your life.  You can find it over at Big Picture classes by clicking here!
As part of my January project for One Little Word I've created this little selfie:



I have dreadful flu at the moment so am quite pleased with the black and white-ness of this photo!! It makes me look more alive than I feel!!!
Are you inviting a word into your life this year? Please leave a link in the comments as I'd love to read about it.