New phone in hand, Dan took this photo of Izabelle passed out in the drivers seat asleep.  We could actually hear her snoring…Sweet little sleepy head!

Play along with Candid Carrie: CLICK HERE

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

–Aristotle

Pondering…

We are what we repeatedly do…

What I do repeatedly:

Get the kids ready for school.

Cook meals for my family.

Walk the dog.

Do lots of laundry.

Create.

Make mistakes.

Sing loudly in my car.

Pray.

Love my children.

Work hard.

Kiss my husband passionately.

Read.

Does this mean I am excellent at all of the above?

I’ve been working on my very fist “online” swap.   It’s a Halloween Charm and Tag Swap that my bloggy friend Cyndy is putting on.  To be completely  honest, I have never made a charm in my life.  These here Scaredy Cat Charms are my first.  I absolutely love buying  charms but I have no idea how to actually make them.  I’m totally wingin’ it….living in the moment, I guess.

“Savor the moment.  Search for a little joy, and you will find a great deal of it in unexpected places.” -Anonymous

This is a little book I made last Saturday.  I’m having fun with the new “Webster’s Pages” paper. 

I’ve been busy with some fun projects. I’ll be sharing them soon…Stop back by when you can, I love visitors!

Have a wonderful Labor Day!

-Christie

When did my 11-year old get so tall?  Is that a gun he’s waving around?  Izabelle, when did your hair turn red?  What a big chest you have!  Is that a garter belt?  I know that your Mother is large-chested and has red hair but she does not run around in a green dress with a garter showing.  What kind of children am I raising?  Please, don’t grow up sot fast.  Stop. Right. Now.

Play along with Candid Carrie!  Click HERE.

I designed this layout for the Graphic 45 booth at CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) Trade Show in Chicago last July. I received my example back about a week ago so I will finally be teaching this two-page layout at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique in September.

The other day I was talking to my Mom on the phone…I went on and on about all the projects I want to pursue now that my kids are back in school.

The conversation went a little something like this:

Me:  Jeeze, There are so many projects that I want to do now that I have a little extra time.  For instance, I want to re-finish my desk, paint a wall in the living room…I want to scrapbook on canvas, work on a shadow box. I’ve written all of this down but I get overwhelmed just thinking about where to start.  I usually end up just taking a nap.

Mom: I feel the same way.  There are so many projects that I want to start.  So many wonderful ideas…so many, that I don’t know where to start either.

Me:  *Sigh* Maybe I should just make a list of projects, put them in a jar and pull an idea out…then I’ll know where to start.

Mom:  That’s a great idea!  I’m going to do that!

Me:  Really?  You think so?

Mom:  Yes!  You can decorated the jar…ooo…put it on your blog.  Yes, it’s a great idea.

Me:  Whatever.

Mom:  Seriously.  The jar is a great idea.

Me:  I guess.  I could pick one thing at a time, take however long I need to finish, even if it’s a couple days…a week.  Then pick another one.

Mom: Yes, yes!  I think other people will benefit from this idea.

My mom has a way of making me feel special - don’t you think?

Mom:  What should you call it….?

The conversation with my Mom went on…we ended up liking: “Creative Juice.”

Yeah?  What do you think?  Here’s mine:

I made my LONG list of projects:

Then I cut out idea strips and put them in my jar.  Simple enough.

Here’s a close-up of the jar:

And the lid:

Now…what will the first project be?  Guess I’ll go digging for a little strip of paper in my Creative Juice Jar.

Have a wonderful day!

-Christie

These photos are her with my brother (her daddy) Adam.  You have to admit, she’s so darn cute!

Here is a photo of my brother’s sweet little family.  My sister-in-law, Vanessa is expecting again!  So exciting!

My cousin, Alyssa (she’s my kids second cousin) came to play too!  She fit’s right in with her blonde hair…she could be one of mine.

And this little cutie was just one of many adorable children at the party…

This was the big party attraction…fun how the little things entertain children.  When did I stop playing on a see-saw?  I think someone needs to invent a giant see-saw for adults.

Kayla didn’t quite know what to think about her chocolate cake in flames.

She got over it, real fast.

See, I told you.  World’s cutest 2-year-old!

Above is a photo of me with my best friend Laura.  We’re in Paris, France and it was my 18th birthday.  Yes, after all these years I still have crazy curly red hair.  No, I do not still wear weird vests (it was an early 90’s thing.  Hey, don’t laugh, I was very stylish in the 90’s).  Just in case you don’t know me and you’ve never checked out my photo on the upper right hand side of my blog, I’m the oh so hot (at least I was then) 18-year old on the right.

This is us at the top of the Eiffel Tower. I wish I could go back. Right. This. Second.  Oh wait, this picture takes me back…kinda.  Ah, but the memories.  Young and on the loose in another country with a bunch of teenagers (er, I mean young adults)!  Seriously, this was the time of my life.  I still have the “itch” to travel, I can never quite get that itch scratched the way I want it to be.  Someday…Someday SOON, I hope.  I will be traveling to distant countries again.  Then and only then will my traveling itch will be scratched properly.

Her’s my gang of friends back on solid grond in front of the Eiffel Tower.

Ah -Good times, good times.

I left California a 17-year old.  When I returned I was 18 and had a little “world” experience under my belt.  My eyes had been opened.  I had seen more culture in 6 short weeks than I had in my “almost 18″ years.  OK, maybe not the ENTIRE 18 years, but you catch my drift, right?  It was a lot for a young woman to take in.  Lucky for me I actually appreciated all the art and history I was witnessing…the Louvre, don’t even get me started there.  I’ve always loved history, although I am no “history buff” I love to learn about those who have come before us. 

The very first country I visited on this trip was Italy.  My first day on foreign soil was spent in Rome.  Talk about history.  But that’s a post for another time. 

Happy Friday!

Love, Christie

While shipping off one of my books sold on Etsy, I realized that it was hard to let it go.  The postal worker took my package and I suddenly wanted it back.  I didn’t ask for it back.  I let him mail it off like I was supposed to.  But got me thinking…why?  Why was my little scrapbook so hard to let go of?  It wasn’t the hours I put into creating it.  It wasn’t that I had taken the time to come up with something new, different or creative and wanted to hold on to that idea.  It wasn’t because I had used some of my pretty paper, ink, ribbon, lace and embellishments.  So why?  Why had it been so hard to let that little book go?
While sitting in my car in the parking lot of the Post Office…
I understood. 
When I scrapbook, I put my heart and soul into it.  When I create layouts or projects for my family it’s a way of telling them that I love them.  A way of preserving the good times, the love our family shares. 
That’s why when I create a book or project and end up selling it, it’s hard to let it go…I’m mailing out a little offering from my soul. 
As I sat there and thought about my little soul offering, I started to feel good.  This particular book was going to Australia. I have also shipped books to New York, Hawaii, Texas, Wisconsin…Suddenly it dawned on me.  I have been shipping my little soul offerings around the world.  How amazing is that?  How fun to think of the lives my little pieces of scrapbook art are touching.  That someone, somewhere will receive a handmade gift, made with love, heart and soul…made by little ‘ol me.