Today I'm back with another Blog-tember prompt, hosted by Bailey Jean of Brave Love. Today is all about our favorite bloggers (and I added YouTubers).  I love blogs and watching videos on YouTube.  I always love to see what the people who inspire me are currently working on themselves.  I spend the majority of my lunch breaks playing around on blogs and watching videos.  So I hope you enjoy them as well!  These current favorites are in no particular order, just however I thought of them.

Bloggers

1. Shannon Green - The creator of Journaling by 5s, which is how I found her blog.  Shannon is one of the funniest and snarkiest people I've read in a long time.  Whenever I read her posts, I start cracking up.  Jamie thinks I'm crazy, especially when I start reading her posts aloud so he can enjoy the humor as well (somehow he apparently doesn't appreciate it as much as I do). 
2. Elise Blaha Cripe - Elise's blog is full of great blogging and business information, which I love.  She also has a podcast called Elise Gets Crafty that is all about small business.  While I love all of that and it's completely awesome, I found Elise when I was about 6 months pregnant with my daughter.  Her daughter, Ellerie is about two months older than Atty, and I love to follow Ellerie's story, the things Elise is doing with her, and the memory keeping that Elise is currently doing.  I even refer to Ellerie to Jamie and talk about the things she's doing compared to Atty (that's not intended to sound creepy in anyway...) For example, Elise has a recent post up about toddler art that I completely related to!
3. Alisa Burke - Alisa is another lovely lady that I follow not only because she makes amazing art, but also because I enjoy her daughter's story.  It's like watching these kids grow up.  It's awesome!  I originally started following Alisa when I began art journaling and playing around with zentangling and doodling.  She is such an inspiration!  One day I would love to take some of her online classes.  I also love that her daughter creates right alongside her, as you can see in her recent Fall Coloring page.
4. The Kavanaugh Report - I originally found this blog when I first started researching child-led learning and the Montessori method.  Then back in May, I rediscovered it and dug a little bit deeper when I was following a link up of the 12 Months of Montessori Learning, where 11 Montessori bloggers focus on a theme for each month.  This month was on Montessori math, and The Kavanaugh Report has a great post on what to do when your child has no interest in a subject that you are trying to guide them towards (in this case math).
5. Living Montessori Now - Living Montessori Now is another great Montessori resource that I found in my initial research phase.  Deb is also involved in the 12 Months of Montessori Learning linkup, and always has some great ideas for toddlers and preschoolers.  Recently, she posted a Montessori Nature Tray for Sorting and Counting that would be an awesome way to make use of some of Atty's treasures that we always pick up on our nature walks!

YouTubers

1. Rhomany's Realm - Rhomany is always posting awesome planning, art journaling, and art related videos.  She also has some really great and funny vlogs and I just find her very, very inspiring!  She's doing a new series currently called Journal Quickies, which are a great way to add tidbits to your journals.
2. Nicolejones911 - I love the way Nicole scrapbooks using her monthly kit club.  She often inspires me to dig into my stash and create a new kit and play with it until there is nothing left!  She can get an amazing amount of layouts done with one kit, for example she's on layout number 16 with her July Hip Kit!  Nicole is who inspired me to do my current series on YouTube about my stash kit that was inspired by the Hip Kit Club's May 2015 kit.
3. Irit Landgraf - Another scrapbook and art journaling YouTuber who is constantly inspiring me.  She was the first person I saw that used plastic packaging to apply inks and sprays onto a layout.  She always gets me pumped up to play with my scrapbooking supplies.  I love how she mixes art supplies and scrapbooking to create mixed media layouts.  In one of her recent layouts, she uses image transfers on her layout - how cool is that!
4. Kathy Orta - Kathy makes the most amazing mini books and other amazing memory keeping projects.  I found her originally due to December Daily two or three years ago, and I still refer to her videos when I'm looking for ideas for mini books and December Daily prep.  She's come out with a new mix & match mini album tutorial that is so packed full of places to fill with photos and journaling.  I also love how she uses different materials and sizes to keep your albums very interesting!
5. The Frugal Crafter - Lindsay is another great one to watch for creative videos, as well as small business tips and tricks.  Plus, she has such a great personality!  Lately she has been doing a watercolor real time video series that I have been watching nonstop.  But her channel is full of all kinds of creative ideas from watercolor to drawing to stamping to kids crafts and beyond.  

Oddly enough, I had more difficulty picking 5 bloggers than I did picking YouTubers.  Maybe it's due to being burnt out on YouTube currently.  I did this really silly thing and made a playlist with like 800 videos on it.  After finally getting all the way through that list, I have very little desire to watch YouTube videos for a bit.  I did discover that I watch between 100 and 150 videos a week though....

I'm back again today with a #Blogtember challenge for you.  Today's prompt was all about your latest obsessions.  When I first thought about this topic, I didn't have a whole lot that I found myself obsessing over, above and beyond the norm.  However, the longer I thought about it the more appeared!

Let's Learn with Fall

First, it's getting close to fall where we live.  Some days it feels like a wonderful, cool fall day and others it's so hot and humid that you just want to stay inside with the air conditioning on!  I'm not a huge fan of fall, although I do love the cooler weather because, quite frankly I hate to be hot.  However, my daughter was born at the end of August and I really think she believes she's an Autumn baby.  She really seems to thrive and expand her talents in the fall.  Last year, we took her to a Giant Pumpkin Festival and it was one of the first times that she really seemed simply amazed at this world we live in.  She had to stop and touch every single pumpkin.... Hello, it was a pumpkin festival!  It literally took us about 15 minutes just to get inside the main gate, because it was lined with pumpkins.

Now that she's two, I want to add more fall experiences this year that I kind of missed out on last year.  This is the time of year that my work life seems to ramp up and take over my entire life.  In retail, I have found, that the entire fall season doesn't really exist except to promote and push you into Christmas.  I struggle every year to find any joy in the season.  But I don't want it to be that way for my daughter!

So I've been finding all kinds of awesome Autumn activities on Pinterest for us to do!

• Fall Sensory Bin by The Jenny Evolution - Sensory bins are always a bit hit with Atty and she's been noticing the leaves on the ground for the last month or so.  I think she'll love something like this and Michael's currently has them 50% off so I may have to pick up a branch or two!
• Watercolor Leaf Alphabet by Nurture Store - This is such a simple and cute idea.  Atty is really interested in learning her letters right now.  So I think this would be a fun way to expand on that interest.
• Kid Art Leaf Collage by A Little Pinch of Perfect - This is a great project, especially for a toddler! It uses a recycle egg carton (or cardboard) and some glue!  All we will have to do is add the little bits and pieces that she already picks up from our evening nature walks and she has instant art.  How cool is that?
• Easy Handprint Wreath by This Girl's Life Blog - I just think this would be cute to hang on the door.  I might modify the project though and use paint to make handprints, instead of tracing and cutting out her hands... I'm really not sure yet :)
• How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds for Sensory Play by Sugar Aunts - We didn't cut open pumpkins last year.  We simply admired them from the outside.  This year, Daddy really wants to carve some for Halloween.  So this would be a cute idea for her to experience what's inside the pumpkins, after carving.  Plus, sensory bin options!  Yay!

I have some more ideas on a Pinterest board I have only recently started if you're also looking for some fun fall ideas for younger children.  And, of course, if you have any other cool ideas that I should check out, please leave them in the comments!  Her interests so far this year are specifically on apples, pumpkins, and leaves, but who knows what they will be in a month!
Follow Andrea's board Themed Unit Study - Fall on Pinterest.

Bullet Journaling

Another one of my latest obsessions is anything related to bullet journaling!  I really want to get a nice quality journal for 2016 and I'm trying to figure out what I'd like best.  Things I know right now, I don't like blank notebooks, because I can't right straight.  And I don't want just plain lined either, because if I do want to doodle or sketch in it, it just looks blah.  Also, I want to figure out a way to get my journal to feel a bit more cohesive, rather than a jumbled mess.  I know it's possible, because I've seen lots of people do it.  However, these people seem to be a whole lot more organized than I am.  Organized just seems to be something I will never attain.

• Rhomany of Rhomany's Realm just posted an awesome video of her new Evernote Moleskine that has made me fall in love with it.  And it comes in dotted (which I'm leaning towards being what I get for 2016).
• I follow Tiny Ray of Sunshine on Instagram and I always come away drooling at the amazing awesomeness of her bullet journal.  She makes some of the coolest layouts and has some fantastic handwriting!
• The Official Bullet Journal website has been recently updated.  I haven't taken a peak yet (as I just learned about it in Rhomany's video today), but if you haven't heard about bullet journaling (or that it was updated) you definitely want to check it out!

December Daily

Okay, so just one more and then I really need to get my butt to bed!  My last obsession is December Daily.  Yes, I know.  It's September.  But like I said earlier, if I don't start thinking about the end of the year now it will be gone before I have a chance to breath!  So my plans for this year is to finish my last TWO years of December Daily which are in various stages of completion.  And then I want to prep my book for this year, before December!  In case you don't have the slightest idea of what I'm talking about, December Daily is a project by Ali Edwards to embrace the magic of December by telling one story per day about your month, traditions, and whatever else you feel like.

If your interested, you can check out some of my 2013 December Daily project.  I actually have 2013 almost completely finished.  I think I'm only missing the last two days or so.  2014 is a completely different story due to everything that happened last December.  I think I may only have one or two days completed for that one.

Today's post for Blog-tember is a mood board for your blog.  I kind of struggled with where to go with this prompt!  I decided to scroll through the last couple of years of blog posts and pull images from them.  I think this mood board pretty much sums up what I talk about at the Hippie Art Studio.  On this blog you can find information on how I do planners, my doodles and zentangles, watercolor, art journaling, scrapbooking, project life, and of course my darling daughter!  The blog posts below give a glimpse at my blogging journey since I began in 2010!

Top Ten Blog Posts:

Destash Project - Scrap like Paige Evans - In this post, I scraplifted from one of my favorite scrapbooking designers, Paige Evans, and made several scrapbooking layouts inspired by her style.

Layout a Day (LOAD1014) - Day Two - In this post, I completed a scrapbooking layout for a scrapbook challenge called Layout a Day (where you scrapbook 30 pages in 30 days).  I also included some insight into how I build my counterfeit kits from my stash of supplies and handmade supplies.

When Frogs Sing - An Art Journal Flip - In this post, I flip through one of my art journals that I worked on for a class (called When Frogs Sing by Rhomany).  I had such a blast with this class but life happened and I never completed it.  I really need to get back to that!

April Counterfeit Kit - Another post about my counterfeit kit process, this time with a huge kit that lasted me FOREVER!

Layout a Day (LOAD1014) - Day Three - Another post from Layout a Day.  This layout is all about my girl and her grandpa at Easter last year.

Destash July - Scrap Your Scraps - This post includes three scrapbooking layouts inspired by another blog called Scrap your Scraps.

December Daily - Day One - This post includes my attempt at completing a documenting project in the month of December (which is even harder for me than most people, since I work in retail and oh my goodness, December....let's just not talk about it).

New Book of Days Journal - This post is about one of my art journals that I made while I was following Effy Wild's "Book of Days" classes.  It also includes a video flip of the journal.  The video may be poor quality, it was one of my first and I'm still working on getting better!

#onebookjuly2015 - This post is about this year's planner challenge hosted by Rhomany to use one book and one pen for the month of July.  I didn't do nearly as well this year as I did last year, but I still enjoyed the challenge and the fact that I'm back to using a journal/planner again for the first time in six months or so!

Sensory Play - 5 Sensory Bottles - I love making Atty toys, sensory bins, and learning "toys", especially from recycled and repurposed materials.  This post is about my attempt at making her sensory bottles (which she still uses at age 2!).

Well I have almost caught back up in my Book of Days - now I'm only one week behind..... :)  I have all my notes taken so it is really just about time - which is severely lacking currently.  Despite this I do have some lovely photos to share with you (mostly of fall and sunrises - which I adore).  Fall sunrises have some absolutely gorgeous colors that you don't see other times of the year.  Anyhoo - I'm crazy about them.  I am also arting in the car most days at work during breaks and lunches now that Jamie and I are working separate shifts...which really sucks (I miss him bunches).  And you get yet another glimpse at the yummy goodness that keeps me moving on those really rough nights at work ;)   And I actually caught a bit of Effy Wild's Ustream this week!  Woot!  It's always hard for me to plan and I tend to sleep through them but I caught a little bit - yay!

Blog Love:

• Effy Wild is doing an amazing give-away in honor of the launch of Wild Soul Arts. Check it out!!
• Daisy Yellow has started a list journal project, and I'm loving these super easy challenges. They fit into my Book of Days in smash-style very nicely.
• Balzer Designs recently posted a really neat tutorial on creating feathers from deli paper. This is definately something I'm going to try in my journal very soon (once I find deli paper..or a decent subsitute).
• Alisa Burke has a tutorial on creating gorgeous wooden bangles from embroidery hoops - such a fantastic idea!
• Alisa Burke also did a fun pumpkin decorating technique where she finger painted her pumpkins! - Omg I am sooooo doing this!

Wow.  It has been quite a rough couple of weeks for our household.  We have had some complications with our daughter that we have been dealing with emotionally, mentally, and financially.  We have also had some job changes - resulting in shift changes by Jamie so now I'm on third shift by myself, which is going to be rough for both of us (working opposite shifts).  Anyway, blogging content should return to the original plan in the next couple weeks.

Photo Friday

I've had some lovely issues at work which you can see in the bottom left photo.  We've had an overwhelming amount of stuff coming in and no where to put it (due to the holidays coming up quickly).  In other news, I've got some really pretty orange dahlias shooting up.  I also had to highlight the lovely Starbucks cup that has become such a predominant focus in my life - yummy Caramel Macchiato.  The rest of the pictures are just showcasing how fall has arrived in our little corner of the Midwest.  What photos have you taken this week?

Blog Love
I haven't been playing on the Internet too much the last couple of weeks because of the happenings going on, but there is some awesome and fantastical things going on.

Events/Workshops/Challenges

• Rhomany is hosting her awesome Whimsical Workspaces V2.0 beginning Oct. 1st.  With me moving the studio out to the garage so that Day Day can have her own room when she comes home, Rhomany's workshop has some amazing timing.  I'm super excited about this one!
• Tamara Laporte's LifeBook 2013 opens for registration on Oct 8th.  If you haven't heard about Lifebook you definitely need to check it out!  I started the 2012 program in April and it has been an amazing experience.  I'm going to do my bestest to take the 2013 program as well.
• Wishkeeper's Creativity Collective is having a wonderful workshop on Romancing the Muses that I think sounds fantastic.  And at $8 what more is there to love?

Fantastic Reads

• Daisy Yellow posted her Daily Paper Prompt #48 - which I used to create my Mandala Monday...that I had intended to post on Monday but I forgot to photograph before I gave it to our daughter.  :(  
• Alisa Burke has a beautiful post on altered driftwood - but I thought it would be a great seasonal project with twigs and sticks out of my yard for fall.
• Knitting the Wind has a beautiful post that really hit home for me with everything that is going on.
• Wishkeeper's Creativity Collective did a lovely post on homemade stamps with some very interesting materials.
• Vivienne McMaster's explains why she takes self-portraits - I love this!  
• Effy Wild posted about keeping going.  Thank you darling.  :)

What have you been up to this week?

Love & Light

I'm a day later than planned due to a lovely chest cold that has hit my house.  However, I wanted to show you all the photo highlights from this week.  I am trying to take one photo a day that I can include in my book of days.  As a photographer I have noticed that I very, very rarely use any of my own work in my art journal - I have decided that this needs to change!  So I am challenging myself to take a photo a day, showcase them on Fridays, and then show you all how I have used them in my journal spreads for the week.  Yay fun!  So on with the show!

Highlights of the week included going to the new bowling alley for the Bears vs. Packers game, my dahlias are finally blooming, and lots of kitties from my Spartan to my momma's baby kitties which Jamie can be seen holding :)

In other news there have been a ton of fabulous blogs going on this week that I simply adored!

• Vivienne McMaster has a beautiful post about self portrait photography, which I have found I need some new inspiration with.
• Stacy de la Rosa over at Clover and Sage has an amazing write up of the Manifesta of the Conscious Queen.  GO NOW.  I'll wait...... :)
• Karen has a poem posted by Jean Little that just encompassed my week.
• She also has an awesome post about the voices that we hear in our heads and how they influence us as we grow up into our adult lives.
• Julie Balzer explains how she incorporates Project Life into her arting practices.
• Alisa Burke has created a frequently asked questions post about being an artist - which included some things I really needed to hear, and some things that I was able to say yep I'm currently moving in that direction.  Yay!
• Wishkeeper's Creative Collective is doing a challenge series about Autumn, but I simply loved the 5 dollar challenge.  She rocks, go and check her out!  Right now!

What is inspiring you right now?  Is it a blog, a poem, or a photograph you took?  Share it with me!

That's all for now.  Check back tomorrow because I'm hoping to get a process video edited and posted for all of you lovely people :)

Love & Light