Green Horned Unicorn

A New Year and a New Approach

It’s been more than a month since I’ve posted in this space. Where did December go? Or the first part of January for that matter?

The last month of 2012 was certainly a crazy, but good one. We moved on December 8. We traveled out of state just four days later. We returned home just in time to continue unpacking and hold a Christmas Eve celebration at our new house. And before I could blink my eyes, it was 2013!

2012 was pretty monumental. There were many major life changes in our household. Nate started a new job in January. I became a vegetarian in February. I started a new job in August. We bought a new house and moved in December. All of these changes meant 2012 was a year adjusting, adapting and growing. In between the changes were many amazing trips, lots of visitors, many creative endeavors and more. Overall, 2012 was a challenging, yet pretty amazing year!

Creatively, 2012 was a bit tougher. I hit a lot of highs during the first half of the year, including multiple publications, being asked to guest design for Echo Park in April and making it to the top 10 of the Designer Discovery Contest.

During the second half of 2012, I began to evaluate how I spent my creative time and energy. I was becoming very burnt out. For some reason, the inspiration was just not there. Although Project Life was still piquing my interest, I could barely bring myself to complete my Creative Team assignments at JessicaSprague.com. And the thought of creating something beyond that? It just wasn't happening.

So, when Jessica decided to disband the design team at the end of 2012, I made the conscious decision not to pursue any other opportunities to be part of other creative/design teams. Instead chose to take some time, take a breath and just “be” for a while. I'm hoping the break will allow me to create just for fun again and that I can get back to my roots, which includes more DIY projects.

Although I’m itching to do so, I opted not to set any new long-term goals as 2013 began. I do have goals, and will certainly create new ones, as I always do. Just not now. Instead, I’m going to enjoy this newly changed life of ours for a while a figure out where it will take us next.

What you can expect to see in this space in the next month is my November & December Project Life updates, my 2013 Holiday Memories album and the beginning of my 2013 Project Life album. I'm trying a slightly different format this year, so I'm anxious to see how it will work out. It will be a gradual move back into creating and blogging, but one I’m looking forward to! Happy 2013!

2012 Midwestern Tour

Nate and I are home safely and slowly, yet surely, recovering from our whirlwind 2012 Midwestern Tour. As many of you know, Nate and I both have family in the Midwest, his in Minnesota, mine in Nebraska. We make a point to visit both of our families over the course of the year, but have never visited both during one vacation.

After working just one week at my new job, I took two weeks off. It was an arrangement I made when I started, partially due to a ten day trip Nate and I had planned. A trip that began with Nate's family's annual Hennessy Holiday and ended with my grandma, Nanny's, 80th birthday celebration, know as the Nannybration.

Over the course of ten days, we took two flights, visited three states, drove over 700 miles, celebrated the Hennessy Holiday and Nannybration, and saw a countless amount of family and friends. I'll share more details when I share the trip album. Until then, here are a few of my favorite photographs (all unedited and the bottom three from my iPhone).

It was an amazing trip that seemed to pass by so quickly. I feel so lucky to have spent the majority of the trip surrounded by so much family!

I'll be back later this week to share a mini album I created to house the photos from my Laguna Beach trip earlier this summer. Thanks for stopping by :)

Project Life - The Month of May

As much as I tried to keep up the past few months, I haven't been very successful in consistently sharing my layouts and projects. To make up for it, I have a rather large and photo heavy Project Life post to share today. So large, that it includes the entire month of May. 

As you may recall, I opted to use a different paper line (and embellishments) each month to help me keep the process simple and to create cohesiveness for each month. For May I chose the bright, vivid and playful Amy Tangerine Sketchbook line from American Crafts. It fit perfectly with the season, mood and weather here in Arizona (May is our last opportunity to spend a lot of time outdoors before the 110-degree weather arrives).

Here is my opening page for the month:

Highlights include:

• Completing the Art of Digital Design at JessicaSprague.com
• Bugsy modeling Molly's wedding garter as a collar
• A mopey puppy, missing her human (Nate)
• Baking Rhubarb-Strawberry MiniPies
• Lunch and drinks at Zipps

Here is the next spread and detailed shots of each side:

Highlights include:

• Nate's intinerary from his work trip to HOU
• Project Life on the living room floor while I watched baseball
• A yummy bowl of Garlic-Sesame Soba Noodles
• A critter pile to keep me warm while I was under the weather
• Baxter napping on my desk while I worked from home
• Art work from my niece, Kylee
• Bugsy helping me scrapbook in bed when I was sick
• The release of Diablo 3, an exciting day for Nate!
• A "just because we want to" date night at Melting Pot
• Tracking Nate's flight home on Flight Aware
• The cat's favorite treats, which Nate orders in bulk off of Amazon (no joke, we have 50 packages in our pantry!)
• A Saguaro cactus in bloom in our back yard. The fun thing is that once these white blooms disappear, the pods open into a lovely red flower-looking shape.

And, finally, the last spread and the corresponding close-up shots:

HIghlights include:

• Amazing Memorial Day Weekend weather. The best I can remember in the eight years I've lived here.
• Funfetti cupcakes for our Memorial Day gathering. I'm not a fan of boxed cake mixes, but I make exceptions for Funfetti :)
• Beginning a house hunt in a frusterating seller's market. Enough said.
• Hanging with the furkids
• Yummy lunch at Pita Jungle
• Taking three animals to the vet. At once. By myself.
• Bugsy getting her summer "lion" cut
• Flying to OMA. First Class. Free mojitos. Need I say more? :)

And that my friends, is the month of May in a nutshell! 

Before I go, I want to take a moment and express my profound thanks and gratitude to everyone who supported me in the Designer Discovery Contest. I did succeed in making the Top 10, but I wasn't selected as the finalist. While it's never fun to miss out on an exciting opportunity, I do know that I tried my best. And, I am still amazed at the fact that the first real scrapbook kit I ever designed made it to the Top 10 along side some pretty well known designers. To me, that's pretty darn cool. Without your support I wouldn't have made it as far as I did in the contest. THANK YOU!

See more of my Project Life album here or read more about my approach to the project here.

Project Life

Another couple weeks of life are in the books. I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it another 100 times, I love Project Life. It’s only been a month, but I’m so happy with the process. I'm even happier that both Nate and I have spent time flipping though the album.

I’ve had a few questions from friends and a few emails inquiring about my process. I’m working on a post, where I’ll share my approach and the processes I use. Look for that very soon! Until then, here is my latest spread, dating back to Easter:

And here are the close-ups of each side:

Some of the highlights and happenings from the weeks included:

• An Easter celebration at our home with Nate’s family. We enjoyed a delicious afternoon dinner, followed by cake balls for dessert (which happens to be the only photo I have from the day).
• The beginning of the Art of Digital Design at JessicaSprague.com. I’m already behind, but loving what I’m learning.
• Our furry house guest Herby, who coincidentally is here again this week.
• Starbucks Venti Iced Soy Chai Latte. It’s a bit of heaven in a cup!
• Pizza and baseball! Enough said.
• Receiving a check for publication for my first ever all-digital page (which will come out in June).
• A craft night with some of my favorite girls, which included a field trip to Etc. 
• Two different happy hours at two different Zipps. You can’t go wrong with good company, beer and burgers (veggie burger, in my case).
• Boys Night for Nate and his nephew, which included lots of video games, pizza, snacks and fun!
• And, as always, random photos of the pets doing what they do best – being adorable :)

I'll be making an appearance as a Guest Designer on April 26 somewhere pretty darn cool. Check back Thursday to find out where :) 

And Now Back to Our Regular Scheduled Program...Almost

If you know me personally, or have been following my blog for a while, you know that March is truly a season of madness in our household (not the kind related to basketball). The perfect 80-degree temperatures, paired with a slew of family and friends tired of the Midwest winters and the start of Cactus League Spring Training, mean that our home turns into a revolving door of guests. It's my favorite month of the year! Here's what I've been up to so far:

• Spent part of a week in OH for work.
• Hosted Nate's family from MN visited for a week. 
• Celebrated Nate's birthday!!! I bought him a griddle, long kitchen tongs, a 3-lb package of bacon & a six pack of Purple Haze to drink while he fried his bacon. I know the way to his heart!
• Hosted my mom for a 5-day visit from NE (overlapping Nate's family's stay).
• Spent time with long-time AZ friends who now reside in HI.
• Attended my first Cactus League Spring Training game of the season, watching the Cubs defeat the Rockies 11-4! Go Cubbies, Go!
• Had the opportunity to visit some of my favorite eating & drinking establishments - Four Peaks, Papago Brewery, Redendos, Sweet Republic, Zulu Caffe, The Office and more.
• Made a lot of delicous food like my homemade maccaroni & cheese, vanillia ice cream and salted caramel sauce.
• Did I mention I ate a LOT?
• Did a lot of shopping and bought a lot of clothing with stripes. I think I might have a problem.
• Attended a quilt show with my mom, which was an interesting experience in and of itself.
• Purchased some new October Afternoon & Cosmo Cricket paper scrapbooking supplies..woohoo!
• Chose some outdoor fabric and helped my mom prepare the fabric (which she sewed) to create curtains for our new outdoor dining area.Thanks, Mom!

The list goes on and on, but I'll cut it off there before I lose you. Needless to say, March has been chaos in the best of ways!

My mom flew out yesterday, leaving Nate and I with a relatively quiet week, which hopefully will allow us to spend some time at home (and not running around). As much as I love my family and friends, it's always nice to have a night or two to decompress. Hopefully, if all goes as planned, I can get into the studio and get to work on some projects and truly get back to my "regular scheduled program" here.

Until then, have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

I Resolve

Typically, I don’t create New Year’s Resolutions. I’m a goal setter and list maker all year round, so the start of a new year doesn’t necessarily effect my plan overall plan. Throughout the year, as I reach a milestone or accomplish a goal, I move onto the next. It’s a continually evolving process which never ends.

THE DILEMMA | This year however, I happen to have had 10 days off at the end of the year, so I had a lot of time to think. And create goals. And write lists. Here are a two observations I made during my time off:

• I have WAY TOO MUCH paper. Yes, I said it. There is far too much scrap “crap” cluttering up my studio. Something must be done with it.
• When reviewing my blog, it seems I really strayed from sharing my normal crafts and storytelling and focused primarily on digital scrapbooking. I want to get back to sharing more stories, photographs and crafts. I have stories to tell and crafts to share, so I’m not sure why I haven’t been doing it.

PROBLEM ONE | To solve my first dilemma, I’m resolving to use it or lose it. I’ve began the process of purging and creating a donation box for the local Children’s Hospital. A few friends and I did this last year and it’s time to do it again. What stays in my room must be used. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing!

I’ve completed SEVEN paper pages in the last week using “old” supplies (I may have only made seven paper layouts in all of 2011). You’ll be seeing them appear on the blog in a new feature series called, “From Pixel to Paper”.

For now, I’ll share one layout (just to prove I can still paper scrap), which I created using a sketch found on Celine Navarro’s Green Frog Studio blog for her new series “Sketch Wednesday”.

The page features a few of my favorite shots from our gift exchange on Christmas Day. I used a lot of older Cosmo Cricket to create the page.

PROBLEM TWO | To solve my second dilemma, I’ve posed a personal challenge to myself - a challenge to create 52 personal craft projects in 2012. I’ve dubbed my project the GHU52 and will have more on it later this week. I started planning for the project before Christmas and am FINALLY ready to reveal it to you!

I’m also resolving to incorporate more stories and more photographs. I’m still pondering on just how I want to do this, but hopefully in the next month, you’ll start to see more.

I have many more creative and personal goals I'm working on, but for now, I'm keeping those to myself. I do hope that sharing some of these smaller, craft realted goals I will be motivated to keep on track. I won't lie, I'm a little concerned about the GHU52, but I have already completed five projects - so I guess it's time to start sharing them! Thanks for stopping by :)

Twelve Months of Us

One of my Christmas gifts from Nate in 2010 was a Fuji Mini Instax 7s. The camera is perfectly imperfect, with it's faded images and blown out colors. It's unpredictable nature makes the wait for the image to develop even more exciting.

As soon as I received the camera, I knew I wanted to make a mini-album full of Instax photos. I quickly decided that I wanted to document Nate and me throughout the 2011. I've seen similar projects of families snapping a photo each month or mothers with their children, like my friend Julie does (you can read about her project in the right sidebar of her blog).

So, each month throughout 2011, Nate and I took an Instax photograph of ourselves. While I haven't even begun to assemble the mini-album to hold the photos, I thought it would be fun to share a side-by-side comparison of the photos we took in 2011. They are displayed left to right, top to bottom, starting with January in the upper left. 

Side Note: It's very difficult to take a photograph of these little glossy, faded beauties!

I really enjoy seeing the images displayed like this. It's interesting to see our outfit choices, hair styles, background scenery and even who is stretching their arm to capture the shot. Usually, I held the camera while Nate pushed the shutter, hence the number of images where my face looks stretchy or strange.

Completely random things I noticed:

• I wore the same dress in both February and March. And, the dress in the June and August photos is a duplicate too. I guess you can tell what my favorite winter and summer dresses were! 
• Nate wore the same tan t-shirt three times, which beats me. Clearly, we need to work on changing out our wardrobes a bit!
• You can tell when the summer heat began to get to me, while I was trying to grow my hair out for Molly's wedding (see July, August, September and October).
• In only two photos is my naturally curly hair actually curly. Once it looks good, the other is horrible!
• It's entertaining to examine Nate's ever changing facial hair from month to month. The months he has no goatee, he looks so young!
• Even though I don't necessarily love how I look in each photo, I love having an entire years worth of photos, capturing Nate and I together.

This was a really enjoyable project and, each month, I looked forward to snapping the next photo with Nate. Hopefully, if he's willing, it's a project we can continue through 2012. I think it will be fun to have these photos years from now and look back at how young we were and laugh at hairstyles and trends.

Do you have a tradition capturing certain photos/events on a monthly basis?

Rollercoaster

November was certainly a month of highs and lows. With those highs and lows came a lot of mixed emotions, thinking and not much else. November looked something like this: 

• Attended my sister's wedding 
• Attended my grandmother's funeral (just a few days after the wedding)
• Made back-to-back trips to Nebraska (two days apart), spending 9 days there in all
• Chopped my grown out hair (for the wedding) into a short and sassy 'do
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with Nate's family
• Put up our Christmas trees (yes, we have two), but not the rest of the decorations
• Wrote and designed a book for my nephew's Christmas gift
• Started (but cannot bring myself to finish) many other Christmas projects

It's a short list, but the top two events account for a lot. It's strange the way emotions sneak in and effect you in ways you never imagined. It seems I needed just a bit more time than I had anticipated to get life back to normal after this strange, rollercoaster of a month.

I'm hoping I can still pull off a few fun holiday DIY posts in December and get back in to the game with my creative & design teams (which I took a short break from). I miss being creative, although it seems I have no creativity in my veins at the moment. 
 
Thank you to everyone for your kind words about my grandma and for understanding why I haven't been around a lot lately. 

And now on to happier, more normal things...

I do have one page left to share from my November Creative Team assignments at JessicaSprague.com. Fortunately, it's a funny one that makes me smile.

Product Credits - Queen of Quirk & In the Making

These funny photos are of my mom and I clowning around in the pool during her visit this past September. Although I'm loving the 70-degree fall weather here in AZ, I kind of miss swimming in our pool... :)

New Beginnings & Sad Goodbyes

Part of the reason I've been absent from my blog was to travel home and be with my family to celebrate the marriage of my little sister, Molly, and now brother-in-law Greg. I spent much of the past week in Nebraska getting ready for the big event, which went magically (more details soon)! I'm so excited for the happy couple to begin the next step in their journey.

Sadly, part of my time was spent saying goodbye to my sweet Grandma Schlattmann who was placed into hospice the prior weekend. I was lucky enough to make it back to Nebraska in time to see her one last time. Although she wasn't awake or alert through much of time we were there, there was a brief moment, when my sister Missy and I told her we loved her, that we saw a flicker of life in her eyes and she tried to say those same words back to us. Just knowing we had that brief moment of connection with her made me and my sister more at peace. 

Grandma passed away on Sunday while Nate and I were travelling home. I have so many thoughts, memories and words running through my head that I can't quite capture to share. Instead, I will share them in a form I was able to capture - a layout I was inspired to create about my dear Grandma. This is scrap-therapy in it's purest form.

 Product Credits: BusyBee + Paislee Press

ALWAYS & FOREVER | The journaling I wrote reads: 

Sweet Grandma Schlattmann, yesterday you left this world for a better place. A place where you can walk, talk, sing & dance. A place where you can sew, crochet, drink hot tea, tend to your garden & most importantly, be with Papa once again. Although we miss you greatly here on earth, there is comfort in knowing we will see you again some day. Thank you for all you did for us, all you taught us & all the fond memories you have left us with. I love you Grandma! 11.14.2011

For family and friends who might want to peek at another page I made about Grandma Schlattmann over the summer, you can click here to see that layout and the sentiments I wrote then.

I know I had promised new projects this week, but I think you can all understand why I can't deliver. I hope to finally be back to a normal blogging schedule after Thanksgiving and get all caught up in the happenings in your worlds as well.

Changing it up

Changing it up. It's something I did a lot of this weekend. For the good. For the bad. For the indifferent.

• I watched three movies. Two in one night, in fact. Probably more than I've watched this entire year. Guess what? It was kind of fun.
• I spent nearly the entire weekend with either family or friends - both of which we don't see often enough due to distance and busy schedules.
• I took a break from projects. Don't get me wrong, I still have a million of them (literally) in my mind, on paper, and ongoing, but I decided to not hold myself to some crazy standard - wherein I must check of a whole line of things on my list or I end up feeling like a failure. I let the list go for a few days. Guess what? It didn't kill me. At least yet. But seriously, if I don't start busting through it soon, it just might!
• I made an actual meal plan for the week and went shopping to purchase everything I need. Hoping this helps get Nate and I both back on a normal eating schedule. We were sort of all over the place with eating times and habits. Trying to change them both up at once.
• I let my blog reading and internet browsing and social media interaction slide. Guess what? I didn't miss out on anything earth-shattering (although I missed my blog friends!).
• I let my blog posting slide too. Part of the whole "holding myself to a crazy standard" deal. Although I thought a lot about my blog and some changes I'm going to implement. I realize that recently, I haven't shared enough about me and my life. For my family and friends, especially those far away, that's something really important. Look for a little more in the near future.
• I re-evlauated my "plan" and made a few changes. Changes which just might involve going back to school for another degree (I guess two degrees isn't enough for me). We'll see.

And, just to prove I haven't changed everything up completly, here's a cute little page I made a while back, but haven't got around to sharing:

Product Credits: Paislee Press - Then & Now + Queen of Quirk + Pugly Pixel

LOVE YOU | I honesty REALLY LOVE this page! It's my favorite of recent time. Probably in my Top 5 from the year. The photo is one of my favorite from our trip to Duluth. The coloring of the photo was perfect for the lovely color pallet of the Paislee Press Then & Now kit. 

That's all the changes for the moment. What's new and/or changing in your world?