Paper Issues: You Are Just My Type!

The new issue is on the Paper Issues blog today!
You Are Just My Type! This challenge can be interpreted using any of the following - Valentine's Day, love, relationships, typewriters, fonts, subway art, typography, etc.

I have so many layouts I could link up for this theme! And I always link a bunch of older pages along with any new I might create. I am actually working on a small little project now for Mike :)
But here are a few of the older pages I am linking up now...

Going with the obvious on this one...Valentine's Day :) Created my own heart stencil and used white mist to create a feeling of flour. 

A layout as much about the changes in our relationship after Erin was born as it is about us taking Evan to his first U2 concert. :) This is also an older layout.

I have a special love for Ireland! Always will.

And this layout about Mike and our anniversary a few years ago. I love, love this memory!
I will stop there, but will have lots more to link as the next two weeks go by.

If you would like to link up for a chance to win a $20 gift card to the store, check out this post *Here*. It has all the details!

Also, I didn't forget to pick a winner last night for my giveaway on *this post*.

Number 7 came up and that was...

 

Jules (Julie)

Sounds like you are on track and ready to blog! As is evident, I have been struggling but I finally cleaned my scrap area late last night and I feel like that has also given me a clearer path to start blogging again....weird, I know! Can't wait to see what you working on AND those goodies look AWESOME!!! Have a great day!

email me at the link under my profile and give me your address. Hoping to send your package off tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by today :)

My One Little Word List :)

I think it was in 2007 when Ali Edwards started choosing a word to focus on for the year.
You can read her 2014 OLW post *Here*
The past few years I have chosen words off and on.
Last year was Humor. The year before was Breathe. And truthfully, I don't remember the other words I may have chosen. None of them really stuck with me.
Humor was a good one though. I did try to keep it in mind often throughout the year. Especially during trying times when I really needed a sense of humor. :)

And now it is 2014. A new year.
And my word that I am going to try to remember is FOCUS.

This is what I want for myself this year. The ability to focus.
Journaling - My One Little Word for this year is Focus because it is something I seem to lack right now. My mind is completely overwhelmed at times by the myriad of tasks I need to accomplish each day, week and month. If I can try and focus a little more on getting one or two things done instead of multi-tasking so much, things might go just a little smoother around here. And I can focus on what is really important! My family.

Focusing on:
1. My family - Being present and in the moment when I am with them. Not letting my mind race ahead to what I need to get done or could be doing so I can cross something off my to do list
2. Exercise - Trying to exercise at least 5x a week.
3. Eating well - cutting sweets, no fast food, and more water. (doing ok with this one already)
4. One room at a time - going through the house room by room and trying to get it organized, get rid of things we don't need, and make a plan for cohesive decorating
5. A Personal Schedule - Keeping track of and managing my time efficiently. Focus on tasks that need to be done without procrastinating. Stop trying to do to many things at once.
6. Scrapbooking - less time on the computer and more time getting pages done.

2014 is my year to have a little more focus, and a little less "all over the place".
I think I can do it!
Have you picked a word this year?
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This post is part of a list-making project called Lists With Friends 2014, an effort to document the year in lists of all types!

Lots to Share!

First off, I have a post up today over at Paper Issues where I am featuring a layout that Izzy Anderson linked for our current issue She used a really fun journaling technique, and I definitely pinned that idea!

Next, I just wanted to share my thoughts about what I want to accomplish with my blog in 2014.
A few people have mentioned to me that they like the new design. Thanks to my friend Holly, I decided to make a few changes to freshen it up a bit, and she gave me some good tips and ideas. :)

Mainly my blog is for sharing my scrapbooking with a little bit of personal life thrown in.
But since I am on the design team for Paper Issues, I will of course be promoting them at least once a week.
As you may notice under design teams listed on the right, that it is the only team I am designing for right now. Last fall I decided not to take on another term with the Crafting Ireland design team. And last week, I decided it was also time to say goodbye to Craft Your Nest as well. They are both design teams I really enjoyed being a part of for over a year and a half, but it's just time to move on.

As far as design teams go, I think my main goal right now is to concentrate on applying to a few manufacturer design teams that I really like. We will see where that leads in the next few months.

For now, I am planning on creating new blog posts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It may be more some weeks or it may be a little less depending on my work schedule. I have decided that Fridays are going to be my "Lists with Friends" day. You can read more about that project *Here*. I am excited that quite a few blog friends have mentioned joining in with us.
Otherwise, I will be mainly sharing layouts, projects, Paper Issues news, tutorials and a little bit of family life here.

As you can see on my sidebar, I have a favorite links section. I am including Two Peas in a Bucket, because of the free classes and videos they offer. Plus, it was the site that changed scrapbooking for me forever. I have a history there. :)
I am also including Paper Issues because I currently design for and love them! Crafting Ireland, Craft Your Nest, and Scrapbooking From the Inside Out are there because as a former design team member for these sites, I feel I can personally recommend them without hesitation. They are all great resources for scrapbookers!
I have also decided to have a link list for my current favorite manufacturers that I am loving and using the most right now.

And as for my blog rolls...well, I love my blog friends whom I have met through either the Two Peas in a Bucket blog thread or What's On Your Workspace Wednesday. You are all such a great support, and I love "chatting" with you. It's like I told Julie in a message on Facebook - I wish I could get all of my blog friends together for one big scrapbook weekend crop. I think it would be so much fun!

"The people I know" blog roll are some of my favorite people I have gotten to know over the years through scrapbooking that I have met in real life or we were formerly on a design team together and stayed in touch. With the exception of "Photo Mojo" That photography blog belongs to my fabulous brother who does not scrapbook, but I love to check his blog out frequently. :)

I guess what is important is that I am feeling excited about blogging again! And putting this down in writing helps me get a good perspective on why I am blogging. And what I hope to accomplish this year! I am really looking forward to sharing my first page of 2014 with you on Friday.
And I would also like to do a small giveaway to kick off the new year...

I have a few stamp and flair sets from The Paper Bakery kit club, and one great alphabet stamp set from Elle's Studio.  There will also be a wood veneer project life card and a scrapbook mystery paperback book that didn't make it into the photo. If you would like a chance to win just leave a comment on this post. The giveaway is open until Sunday night at 6pm CST.
Thanks for stopping by today!

CHA 2014 Favorites

The Craft and Hobby show is going on right now and I still haven't done a post about top picks from this seasons new scrap product releases.
I have to admit part of the reason is because there hasn't been as much that has grabbed my attention so far. :-O
In fact, I have been a little disappointed overall.
But then I saw *this post by Tammy*.
It helped me realize that even though I might now necessarily like an entire collection or even part of it, there are quite a few bits and pieces that have caught my eye.
And there are actually several companies that do have my attention because they are standing out among the other manufacturers!
Here are some of my favorites in no particular order.

1. Crate Paper
for me they are the one of the companies that I like parts of all their lines. So bonus points for Crate Paper this CHA!

Styleboard by Maggie Holmes has a lot of great pieces to it.  Several people have mentioned that it all looks too much like her previous lines, but I am ok with that. I like continuity between lines. And while I may not like all of the papers, I love that one in the center!

The Oh, Darling line is pretty cute to me and I like a lot of pieces from this one.

 

And the Boys Rule line is pretty cool. A very retro, vintage 80's vibe. Love the colors, and they had me at mix tapes!

2. Glitz (77)

I am typically not a Glitz fan. But as a young child of the 70's, something about these two pieces call to me. Not sure I will get them, and the papers are just way too bold for me. But I like the stickers.

3. Lilybee (Everyday)

 

I love this ampersand paper. I love the colors! So I may just have to look into buying a few pieces from the Everyday line this time around.

4. Pink Paislee (Switchboard) 

I love so much about this whole line. Quite a few of the papers, the journal cards, label stickers, the chipboard stickers and maybe stamp set.

There are two other lines being released as well. Not too crazy about Pen Pals. Too red, white and blue for me. And while I love the colors in Hello, Sunshine, I am a little tired of the whole "you are my sunshine theme." I have way to much product with that sentiment.

But I seriously like these stickers...

 

and may have to get them. 

5. Simple Stories (Homespun)

I am a sucker for navy right now. I love navy! And I love the homey feel to this line. It reminds me of my great aunt whom I loved dearly. And I can see my self using this line for lots of older photos :)

6. Fancy Pants Design

They have three new lines out. And all three of them have pretty blues including the navy I am liking right now!

One of the things I love about Fancy Pants is their alphabet sticker sheets! This one from the As You Wish  line has great colors (navy) and word stickers! Plus I know I am going to have to get these great cards...

My favorite...the "You Are my True North". Love it!

Next up is Nautical

We took a trip to Mexico last year which involved lots of beach and boat time. This line is perfect for scrapping those photos! 

And the third line is Be Different.

These label stickers are some of my favorite around! I love the colors, the sentiments and the fonts.

And seriously did I mention the colors? Evan's favorite color is orange, so I have a love of orange and navy together. Perfect!

Fancy Pants is another hit to me!

7. Studio Calico (Essentials)

Oh how I do love their embellishments. Especially the wood veneer. And for CHA, I think their Essentials line is brilliant.

Chipboard shapes in colors including gold and woodgrain...

Tons of enamel dots also including wood grain and gold...

tiny type alphabets...

and of course wood veneer.

8. Chic Tags (Let's Go)

And let's just say that Chic Tags is a new favorite of mine ever since I used their School House line for Paper Issues. I really like this travel line. So happy they have added papers to their product lines

And I love these stickers...

 

from the Cloud 9 line. Chic Tags definitely has my attention!

9.  My Mind's Eye (Record It) 

MME has quite a bit I am liking this time around!

Charmed by Jen Allyson enamel dots in gold!

Follow Your Heart by Rhonna Farrer Journaling cards are so pretty!

Just Splendid by Gennifer Bursett. I pretty much love most of it. And wood enamel dots, oh my!

Plus, these journaling cards from the All Things Chalk line are fabulous!
So MME gets high points from me in an otherwise not so fabulous season of CHA releases.

So there you have it!
My top picks for CHA this season.
I have seen a few lists from other bloggers already.
But would love to know what are your favorites?

The Book List

This is my second list with the "Lists With Friends 2014" project.
And you will probably see quite a few like it this year.
I usually like to share the books I am reading or getting ready to read.

This is my current "to be read" pile from the library.
All except the top book.
I won that from my friend Tammy's blog. :)

1. Gilt Trip - (Laura Childs) This one is from a scrapbook mystery series that I have been following. Although I may have missed one or two. We'll have to see. I really hate reading series out of order.

2. Ruby Red - (Kerstin Gier) The first book from a young adult trilogy that involves time travel. Looked pretty interesting.

3. Boy Nobody - (Allen Zadoff) Another young adult fiction book that caught my eye while there. I am always on the lookout for books I think might appeal to Evan. This could be one.

4. Sisterland - (Curtis Sittenfeld) This one came highly recommended by my friend Kelly. And I am looking forward to it because it is set in my hometown. I love reading books where St. Louis is the back drop.

5. The Whole Enchilada - (Diane Mott Davidson) Another mystery series I have been following since book one. I love this series and was excited to see her newest on the shelf!

6. 11/22/63 - (Stephen King) This one is getting rave reviews by friends, and I am actually reading his book Joyland right now which is pretty good. I have to say that I am a huge Stephen King fan. I have been reading his books since I was 12. Probably way earlier than I should have been. And some I really loved, others not so much. One of my favorite books by him was a collaboration with Peter Straub - The Talisman. Looking forward to reading this one and his new one Dr. Sleep.

So there you have it!

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This post is part of a list-making project called Lists With Friends 2014, an effort to document the year in lists of all types!

Paper Issues: We're LISTening

I thought it was fun that the new issue at Paper Issues is about "Lists" at the same time I am starting the "Lists With Friends" projects. You can read more about that on This Post.

A few of the design team members have projects featured on the Paper Issues blog, but I am not on this issue. I do plan on linking up some older pages though and creating a new one.
Layouts like this one...

where I used a pre made journal card to list some of my favorite things I loved at 40.
And this one...

which was actually a scraplift of another scrapbooker at the time. Not the idea, but the overall design.
And the last page I will probably link is this one...

a page I did back when I was on the ScrapGal design team. I had to share a technique and I came up with using mists and border stickers to create a large pocket. The actual page is only 8x8 and is in an ongoing album I have for layouts with lists about Mike :)

I think my new layout is going to be about the fact that I have an actual notebook for my lists! And that in addition to my notebook, I also use a dry erase board, calendar and post it notes for more lists.
I am the list Queen in these parts!

So if you would like to join in and have a chance to win a $20 GC to the Paper Issues Store, make sure to link up your "list" projects old or new by January 19th. I will have a blog post on the PI blog next week and hope to feature someone I know :)

Also, if anything in the Paper Issues store catches your eye, don't forget to use my friends and family discount code MARYJO for 20% off your entire purchase.

Looking forward to seeing your projects with lists!

Top 10 of 2013

So before I get started I just want to share that this post accomplishes two things.
I am finally getting around to choosing my top ten favorite scrapbook layouts of last year.
And two, I get to tell you about a fun project I am about to embark on with some great crafty friends.
Several years ago, my friend Suzanne, created a blog that she shared with several of us.
It was a great place to visit, share ideas, support each other and just have fun!
As the years have passed though, we kind of went our separate ways as our kids grew, interests changed and life became extra busy. Although many of us stayed in touch through our blogs, email, and then Facebook.

Recently Elizabeth contacted everyone to see if we would be interested in starting a new project with her. Basically we are using lists to help document our year. Me being a queen list maker decided to join in. And it's also just a really great excuse to reconnect with friends!
It's going to be a pretty casual effort. No real guidelines, although most of us are going to try to post one list (in any format we choose on any topic) per week.
And you are welcome to join in if you would like. Feel free to use this badge

if you want to be a list maker as well. And link me in my comments when you do make a post so I can see your list.

For my first list, I am going to share my list of layouts I am most proud of in 2013. Just a PSA, not all of my lists will be scrapbook related though :)

1.

I think this is my favorite layout of 2013. I used a sketch that I found on the Pretty Little Studio blog for this page. But the photo is one that will always be a favorite as well. :)

2.

This was not the first year that I chose a word to focus on. But it is the first year I chose to do a layout about it. And it was such a fun layout to put together! Plus, I really did try to inject a little more humor into my lifestyle this past year because I kept this word in the back of my mind. I will have a post soon about the word I am choosing for 2014.

3.

So one of my favorite memories of the past year was doing a Favorite Things exchange with some of the very women who are in the Lists with Friends group. I used bits and pieces of what they sent me. (yes, that heart is cut from beautiful fabric sent by one of my friends) It was so much fun!

4.

This is the title page for a Florida Trip album we took so long ago already. But I was finally able to work on it at a Scrapbook Getaway this past winter. I finished 17 pages in one weekend for this album. You can see more of the pages on posts *here*, *here*, and *here*.

5.

This is a page I created using one of the photos from that Florida album for Crafting Ireland magazine. I had lots of fun putting it together like a puzzle almost! :)

6.

This was such a simple page, but with a photo I love. I just really wanted the focus to be the photo. :)

7.

Another page for Crafting Ireland magazine that made the cover! Such a peaceful and relaxing page to me and reminds me of that moment on the beach.

8.

This is a page I created using a sketch from Creative Scrappers. One that I definitely made my own and a little out of the box for me. I definitely experimented a bit on this page :)

9.

And I think this another of my absolute favorite pages this year. I created it using product from Chic Tags given to me for a design team project by Paper Issues. Even though the line was school themed, I realized it could be used for more than that. And all of the great book elements made me thing of the library. And I am happy with how my journaling and storytelling has developed the past two years. I think I owe a lot of that to my time as a Design Team member for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out.
And I was so excited to see my friend Shalini inspired to do her own take on her happy place as a result.

10.

 

And I don't usually do Christmas pages, but I do love this one. It was a great page to share with the family!

Oh and just wanted to share this photo as well!

This is what happens in my town when 6-10 inches of snow is expected. I stopped into the grocery store to get something for dinner on Saturday night. Let's just say it was a little crazy and we tend to overreact here when snow of any kind is in the forecast.

And here are a few photos from Sunday...

This is one of the pavilions in the park across the street from our house. We walked through the park to Panera with our friends who live a few doors down. While we were there they actually closed up shop! But it was a fun adventure walking there and back in the falling snow.

And a picture of Mike and I bundled up and ready for the trek.

Thankfully he didn't end up having to drive out of town last night. Today would have been his first day back to work since the day after Christmas. It's been so great having him home so many days in a row! And today was the kids first day back at school, but of course it was cancelled. Too much snow and temps too cold.

Sorry this post ended up being so much longer than I planned with the snow storm. But it is big news around these parts! :)

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out my first "List" and the big Snow Storm of 2014 photos.

I am looking forward to sharing so much over the next year, as well as being inspired by all of you!

Swag Bags with Paper Issues!

Fun news!
Starting today (1/3) the very first scrappy sampler bag is for sale at noon central standard time.

This is an example of what the bags will look like.
The price will be $10 per bag.
Right now subscriptions are limited, but will be increased as the demand goes up.
To get more information on how you can subscribe or just buy an individual kit, check out this link *here*! (fixed the link) All the details are posted there. But remember that the sale doesn't start until noon (CST).

I am signed up and looking forward to my first bag!
I will be back on Monday with a post sharing my top 10 layouts of 2013 and sharing details of a little project I was asked to be a part of for 2014.
Have a great weekend!