Hello, lovelies, and Happy New Year!  How is 2016 treating you so far?  Well, if you're anything like me, this is the time of year that we think up resolutions and changes we want to make to our lives this year.  I've never been very successful with resolutions, so for the past five years I have been choosing a Word of the Year to encourage and guide me to make the changes that I desire in my life.  I have done a variety of words through the years from play to create to flow for last year.  So I spent my New Year's Eve drinking some lovely Serena wine and choosing on my Word of 2016!

When it came to deciding on my guiding word for this year, I struggled between three different words that all felt right for a variety of reasons.  The words that I wrestled with this year were Action, Focus, and Fearless.  I decided to try out Christine Kane's Word of the Year Discovery Tool in order to help me think through my reasons for each word.  You won't believe what I found when I dug deeper into how each of these three words would effect my life.  All three of my words ended up expanding into the same ideas and changes that I want to make with very slight differences in attitude and the process in which I would achieve these changes!  Truthfully, I debated for several moments if I should just rearrange my words into a phrase and call it good enough - Focused Fearless Action!

ac·tion

/ˈakSH(ə)n/

noun

• 1. the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim (synonyms: measures, steps, activity, movement, work)
• 2. a thing done; an act (synonyms: deed, act, move, undertaking, exploit)

I felt like Action was the perfect word for the year.  I've known action was going to be my word for several months.  I have lots of projects, ideas, and stuff that I have got to get a move on in order to succeed this year!  Action would help move me towards my goals.  I knew that habits that encourage action would help me in all areas of my life.  Action would also cross-over to other areas of my life, not just art and work related, because it would help me get chores done, commitments achieved, and planning integrated into my life!  By committing to daily planning, I could determine my top 3 things that I have to get done and then through action I would work on achieving these goals and action steps in order to build upon my long-term goals for the year.  I would get more things done and stop procrastination in its tracks.

fo·cus

/ˈfōkəs/

noun

• 1. the center of interest or activity (synonyms: center, focal point, central point, center of attention, hub)
• 2. the state or quality of having or producing clear visual definition

verb

• 1. (of a person or their eyes) adapt to the prevailing level of light and become able to see clearly 
• 2. pay particular attention to

I believed that Focus was a great Word for the Year to guide me.  Focus would bring enhanced concentration on the important things that need doing every single day.  I’m trying to focus this year on really accomplishing my goals.  These goals range from developing my handmade business to expanding my YouTube, Blog, and Social Media presence.  Focus would move me towards success in batching my processes, routine creation, business development, and helping me move through my action steps with concentration on the most important items first instead of the busy work.

fear·less

/ˈfirləs/

adjective

1. lacking fear "a fearless defender of freedom" synonyms: bold, brave, courageous, intrepid, valiant

I briefly debated on Fearless.  Honestly, this was the most seredipitous of all the potential words.  I found this word in a zentangle piece that I created earlier in the year as I was flipping through my art journals.  And it made me go "Hmm..."  The reason this word felt so right was because I need to believe in what I'm doing 100%.  I need to act fearlessly and try things, experiment, and make changes when things aren’t working.  But above all of those things I have to remain fearless for the year, not allowing doubt to invade and destroy my dreams.  Being Fearless encourages taking risks daily, which doesn't allow fear to let in procrastination tendencies.  By allowing this word to guide my year, I would be braver by the end of it, and more willing to try new things, plus have new knowledge and training in new techniques from all the risk-taking throughout the year.

Know The Triggers that Stop Your Dreams

Another really helpful part of the Word of the Year Discovery Tool is the determination of your triggers that are stopping you from making these valuable changes in your life.  My three triggers are:

1. Procrastination - when something seems overwhelming, I don’t do any of it
2. Fear of Failure
3. Lack of Confidence in myself and my abilities

Basically, I get overwhelmed by everything I have to do without focusing on the most important steps and then I don’t do anything except sit on the couch and watch TV.  I'm sure I'm not the only one in the world like that right?  I struggle with the idea that anyone in the world actually cares about me, my projects, so I don’t take additional risks that would push the envelope.  I’m afraid that I will fail, even when I devote 100% of myself to something so I devote less than 10% and I still fail.

Ask Someone Close to Help with Your Word of the Year

Even after having completed the Toolkit, I couldn't decide between my three words.  Especially since, it was clear that except for some minor differences, I wanted the same end result between all three.  So I read it to my husband.  Everything that I had written!  Without telling him what the three potential words were.  Then I asked him what my word was.  The funniest part of this whole experience was that the first words out of his mouth were,

"Well, I know one of your words is Focus.  And I think that's the one you need to use this year."

And then we had an hour long discussion on exactly why that was my word.  So don't forget to let your friends or family help you if you're still stuck on a decision!  Sometimes, they know you better than you know yourself.  Other people can often see the things that we have put blinders on about or even things we are just avoiding.  And your best friends and close family are the people who will usually call you out about it!

Add New Habits to Help Embrace Your Word

So this year I'm going to try to incorporate these 5 new proactive habits and practices as a means of supporting embracing the word Focus more fully, because just choosing a word isn't enough.  Your word is not a magic pill to fix everything that is wrong in life.  Your word is simply a guiding force that you can use to bring about change, big or small, that you feel you need this year.

1. Daily Planning Sessions
2. One act of Fearless Creation Daily (more on this next week!)
3. Focusing on the top three action steps to complete my projects
4. Daily writing - tuning into myself, my feelings, and how I’m moving towards my goals
5. Prepping materials for projects in order to complete projects, but break down everything into actionable steps that can be scheduled into the day

I would love to hear what your word for the year is and what changes you are going to make to incorporate and live with your word this year!

How is your December Daily process going so far?   Are you behind?  Are you still excited about this project?  What are some of the things you’re loving about it?  I’m loving how my December Daily album is beginning to come together.  It is so interesting to see your foundation pages fill up with photos and memories.  It’s like your photos and memories are breathing life into your album. 

Highlights from Week 1 of December Daily

Friday the 4th

Atty started the day off with some hot cocoa and wanting to wear her big girl undies.  She wore two pairs throughout the morning, until she peed in them - which made her mighty upset.  After round two, she decided she wanted the diaper back on, which was perfect timing for nap. 

Saturday the 5th

We headed out for shopping around 10 am.  Atty ended up falling asleep in the car for a nap so we drove around for while, and I hit the scrapbooking store to pick up some new goodies for my December Daily, and then we headed to Walmart for groceries and Christmas shopping.  Along the way in Walmart, we found quite a few good ideas for Atty, including a trike that she loved.  We let her have the trike early, and she was able to get a good ride round the neighborhood.  I also got some super cute pictures of me and Atty in the grass. 

Sunday the 6th 

Jamie and I were up all night on Saturday, so when Atty woke up I stayed up with her and Jamie went to bed for a while.  I made her a yummy breakfast of peanut butter toast and banana.  We enjoyed a morning of cuddles and Little Einsteins and Bubble Guppies.  I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon and into the evening, once he woke up.  Then we cuddled up and watched the new Lion Guard movie (again).  And Atty cuddled on me until she fell asleep.

My Thoughts After One Week of December Daily

I think it’s going pretty well since I’m working on it in increments and playing with a variety of techniques and tools for my December Daily Quickies.  The quickies are helping me progress through my album and helping with limiting choices that would otherwise get me stuck.  This is a great way to keep yourself interested in the project, just switch things up and work on different parts of your album.  Another tip is to keep it simple on days that you have a lot of pictures or the world is keeping you hustling and bustling.  For example, I created just a simple 4x6 journaling card about the day that I had a migraine that knocked me on my butt for the entire day.

Capture Everyday Stories

Don’t forget to capture your everyday stories.  I know we are all in full holiday swing,  but your everyday life is important too.  I’ve had several everyday stories that I’ve already included in my December Daily, along with holiday stories.  I’ve included stuff about our first December snow, my daughter’s fascination with hot cocoa, her desire to wear big girl undies, and her love of the Christmas tree (which includes hugs).  I’ve also included our holiday stories about putting up the Christmas tree and going shopping for gifts and making paper chains as a family. 

Feeling Uninspired with Your Photos?

Sometimes the thing that holds me back during December Daily is a lack of ideas for what kind of photos I should take.  Here's some quick ideas to help give you a jumpstart if you're feeling uninspired.

• Get some selfies of you in this season.  Especially, if you’re the main photographer of your family.  RuKristin does a wonderful series called Thursday Three, where you take a self portrait and list 3 things about you right now.  This is a great way to get some photos of you into your album.
• Get some photos of your shopping.  This could be your shopping list, your items as you’re checking out, unloading the goodies from your vehicle, stashing them wherever you hide presents until you get to the wrapping step - or even wrapping if you’re ahead of the game! 
• I love tree photos.  Not only of the whole decorated tree, but close up of favorite ornaments, the process of decorating, and children around the tree. 
• I don’t know about you, but I live on coffee.  Especially at this time of year.  Have you gotten any shots of your coffee mugs yet?  It doesn’t have to be your Starbucks or a special treat.  This could be a great time to document a favorite mug, or even a favorite kind of coffee or creamer.  I’ve taken photos of my favorite seasonal creamer in the past (Peppermint Mocha), as well as a variety of mugs. 
• What about your home?  Have you taken any pictures of the interior of your home yet?  Our homes seem to change during this time of year.  From fireplace mantles to coats hung up, even our kitchens!  Show us what life actually looks like for you in December.

December Daily Week 1 Video Flipthrough

I filmed a video flip through of my album so far, including dates and photos for the first week.  Hopefully, it will give you some inspiration on ways to incorporate a little extra something into your December Daily.



Check out more December Daily videos on the December Daily 2015 playlist I’ve created on YouTube.  It includes all video flip-throughs of my mini album so far, as well as all of the December Quickies!  Please comment below on how your December Daily project is going so far, I'd love to hear all about it!

I'm so excited that December is here! I'm a little bit behind on my December Daily posts this week, because of a bout of migraines. I hope you'll forgive me! First off, my new project, December Daily Quickies, began yesterday. I have already shared a selection of the supplies I will be using this month, along with my foundation pages so far. I filmed a quick introduction video, just in case you've missed the premise of the project.

December Daily Quickies Project

Basically, throughout the month of December, I will be posting quick 10 to 15 minute videos to help encourage and inspire you to creatively document your December memories and get your stories down onto paper. No matter if you are a scrapbooker or an art journaler or just a planner enthusiast, these quick ideas should help you to use some of the supplies you have on hand to embellish and actually finish your December memory keeping projects this year! These videos are designed to give you inspiration that can actually fit into your busy December days. I hope you'll join along with me this month as we document these precious and magical moments this month.

The Rental Car - Our December 1st Story

Today, I'm also sharing some highlights from our family's December 1st.  Our December 1st story began with the car not starting again when I went to take Atty to daycare around 5:30 am.  This has been an ongoing problem for us - this is like the fifth time in the last month.  So after we found someone who could a) break into the car - because the power locks weren’t working and b) jump the car.  I managed to get my daughter to daycare and headed to get the car fixed - cuz I’m over this thing!


The repair shop told me they would try to get the car fixed by the end of the day, but no guarantees.  I was expecting to hang out at the repair for a couple hours and then be able to use my car for the rest of the day!  Unfortunately, I could either have a shuttle take me somewhere and find a ride back when it was done, or I could rent a car.  So I rented a car, because I had things to do and a daughter to pick up before “sometime” when the car might be fixed.  The rental car was a beautiful 2014 Ford Focus.  It was a dream to drive.  When I finally got the call around 3:30pm that my car was done, I was a bit sad to have to return the car.  I only drove about 30 miles in it and it cost about a 1.50 for the gas, but it was awesome to drive in something that smooth and gorgeous!

So that's our story for the 1st of December.  I'd love to hear about what you are documenting for your December so far!  Check back tomorrow for more stories from our December, plus the first December Daily Quickie!

It's officially fall, and you're planning that quintessential pumpkin patch trip with your family.  Your toddler had so much fun last year, and yet you didn't quite get the photos you wanted.  Nor did you enjoy it because you chased them around the whole day snapping 1000s of pictures.  Once you got home you were exhausted and had no desire to weed through all those photos.  When you finally got around to it, you just couldn't find the one that expressed the joy of your child's experience.  Your photos didn't capture those key moments - their wonder of the giant pumpkins, their excitement to walk the fields to find and pick their very own pumpkin.  Or their amazement at each turn of the corn maze.

Today, I've got 8 tips for you to help capture these key moments you want to remember, so you can get back to living those special, beautiful moments.  These tips really helped me get the most out of our trip to the pumpkin patch this year.  Last year's trip was frustrating and difficult due to having a one year old who didn't want to cooperate at all (after about an hour at the site)! 

This year, I knew I needed to be better prepared, because life has changed drastically for us.  Jamie's recent disability meant that I was going to be the one doing most of the activities with our daughter, instead of just snapping pictures of them.  Since Jamie is now wheelchair bound, he wouldn't be able to navigate the dirt and gravel pathways easily and definitely wouldn't be doing things with Atty like feeding the animals at the petting zoo and running through the corn maze with her.  So I came up with a quick and simple way to make the most of your pumpkin patch trip so that you get photos you love that truly capture your precious memories - plus allow you to get back to living and enjoying your experience with your family!  Double win!

1.  Get on your subject's level.  

When you get on your subject's level, it lets you see the world a bit more like they do.  Think about different angles that enhance the story of this experience.


Our local pumpkin patch ends up being a huge festival with tons of activities for the kiddos.  They have a petting zoo, mining camp, mini maze, hayrack rides, tractor rides, u-pick fields, corn maze, pony rides, and honestly, just a ton of stuff to do!  Here, I have an example of the difference between shooting at your eye level at your subject and getting on your subject's level.  This first photo is of my darling daughter looking at the young pigs.


However, for the this second photo, I got closer to her level to really capture her interest in the pigs.  I just love the intimate feeling you get from this photo.  The photo draws you into the scene, and you can almost feel the awe and joy she had when she experienced these piggies.  She was so excited to see all of the animals that she squealed at each and every one.  Additionally, she had to feed every single animal, even the crazy goats that I really thought were going to nibble on her fingers once she ran out of food!

2.  Capture the environment.

In your first couple of shots, capture the environment or event so that you can have those over and done with.  This gives your photos the feel of the place and the background for your stories.


This photo instantly captures the scene and environment of our trip to the pumpkin patch.  Not only does the patch have u-pick fields, but they have hundreds of pumpkins all over the site.  Before we even got activity tickets for the day, Atty had picked out three pumpkins to take home with us!  She loved running around this particular group of pumpkins while we waited for Daddy to get our tickets.  And she wasn't even phased when she sat down on the stem of a pumpkin and got an owie!

3.  Zoom in on the details.  

Use close up photos to expand on what made this experience special.  Was it the awe when your child saw their first pumpkin?  Or was it climbing on the biggest pumpkin on the site?  Focus on these unique aspects of the trip.


This photo of my daughter captures our hayrack ride out to the u-pick fields.  Honestly, I didn't realize it was going to be a 30 minute experience, which Jamie couldn't go on with us.  I thought we were just going out for a ride around the fields...It was our first time!  That's my excuse anyway!  So the story of this photo was that she was getting sleepy, and it was really close to time to go get in the car so she could take a nap on the way home.  Yet, she really enjoyed watching the fields go by, and she even insisted on getting out to pick another gourd herself! That was totally awesome!  And we would have missed out on this experience if I would have had my way, because the fussy baby was getting on Mommy's nerves.  But this hayrack ride gave both of us a slight break so we could have another great experience before we headed out.

4.  Capture relationships with family and found objects.

Capture your child's relationship with others in your family, as well as with things they find in the environment.  These things really help capture what made this experience special.


This is one of the few photos I got of Atty with her daddy.  We were debating on whether we would eat while we were at the festival or if we were just ready to go.  I love this photo because both Atty and Jamie are so sweetly touching each other.  They both needed a breather and a bit of a break, and I like the feeling of comforting each other that comes across through this photo.  Neither one likes big crowds and having a bunch of strange people around them, so experiences like this can be hard on both of them.  Despite this, they had each other to help get them through and they both had a blast together.


One of the great things about our local pumpkin patch are these wagons that they have for hauling the pumpkins.  Oh my goodness!  What a time and muscle saver these guys are.  And yes, despite the fact that I know children are not suppose to ride in them (there was also a big sign saying this, just in case people didn't think about it), Atty insisted and I let her.  It made getting around the huge site so much easier.  She didn't ride in the wagon the whole time, but there were moments that I was so glad we snagged one when we walked in (unlike last year - ugh).  In my defense, we bought pumpkins so I felt justified in using a wagon - it wasn't just for her!


Atty had so much fun with the wagon.  She quickly figured out how to get out of the wagon, as you can see above.  She also spent quite a bit of time pulling the wagon around and trying to push it into trees.  I love this photo (above) because it not only captures a bit of the overall scene in the background, but it also shows her in the process of climbing out of the wagon and pausing to see where she wants to go next.  What else does she want to go discover or play with?  It's kinda like she's pausing to take everything in.  So awesome!

5. Get in the photo with your child! 

Capture your child's relationship with you, even if you have to hand off your camera to someone.  This is really important if you're the primary photographer in your family, like me.  You can never have enough of these photos!


This photo was just a quick little selfie of our shoes that I took on our hayrack ride.  It's a little different, but it does document our relationship.  She's very close to me, standing on her own, but holding onto Mommy while we go through this new experience together.  She's not quite sure what's going to happen, but that's okay, because we'll be together.


This photo is another excellent one for documenting our relationship.  Jamie took this one, as Atty and I took part in her first pony ride.  She loved the ponies and wanted to go pet them from the moment we walked through the gates.  However, she was very nervous at the prospect of riding one.  There was a brief moment that I thought for sure there was going to be a toddler meltdown and we weren't going to do the pony ride after all.  Yet, she did so great!  She held on perfectly to the saddle horn (I think that's what it's called) and let Mommy stay close in case she started to slip.  I was a nervous wreck the whole time.  I had troubles keeping up with the pony and keeping her balanced as she tossed around a bit.  By the end of the ride, Atty didn't want to get off!  It was adorable.  For me, this photo is all about trust.  She trusts that Mommy is not going to let her fall off, and in turn, she had a blast.  I just want her to know that every step of the way, Momma's going to be right here.

6. Catch the curiosity and discoveries.

Capture your child's discoveries.  This is especially important for toddlers and young children.  They are constantly finding something new and exciting.


This photo is from the u-pick fields.  Atty decided we had to get off at the gourd fields (it was the second stop on the hayrack ride).  She wandered around the field for a couple of minutes tripping over the vines before she found this lovely yellow gourd (which looks a bit like a mini pumpkin).  She managed to pull it off the vine all by herself.  Not only did we get pumpkins again (like last year), but this year she was able to experience where they actually grow and pick one herself.  Totally love that!

7.  Grab some action.  

Kids are always on the go - especially toddlers!  Make sure you capture that part of their ever-changing personality.


This photo was just a quick snap of Atty running through the mini corn maze.  First, she explored it slowly going through all the turns.  Then she decided to have Mommy chase her through it, which of course turned into chasing Mommy through it.  Again, I tried to get closer to her eye level so that this child sized maze still had the same impact in the photo as it did on her in that moment.


Honestly, when I captured this photo I was just playing around with the phone while pushing her.  We were still waiting on Daddy to get the activity tickets and she noticed the swing.  I am so glad I got some of these photos though, because she ended up swinging on three separate occasions.  That girl loves to swing!  These types of pictures often capture that pure childhood joy that brings back the viewer's own childhood memories.

8.  Get them involved.  

Whether you decide to do selfies, hand over the camera to them, or have them help pick the spot for your family photos, let your kids help capture this experience.  This is especially good if your kids are camera shy, and it can often help you land more smiles and personality than forcing them to participate.


The selfie above was on our hayrack ride back from the u-pick fields.  I'm holding on to her as she sits on my lap, while she is clinging to her brand new, handpicked gourd.  I love that contrasting bright blue sky in the background!  And let's be completely honest here, she's two.  I don't really care that she isn't looking at the camera, because the photo captures that moment versus being a perfectly posed photo.


In this photo, you can see my daughter's favorite way to use the phone.  She loves to take selfies!  This is such a quirky part of her personality.  Whenever, I am flipping through my photos on my phone I find these little surprises.  I love that she is taking after her Momma and having fun taking photos!

With these 8 tips, you'll come away with at least 10 photos that you really love and that truly document your experience.  Plus by focusing on getting these kind of shots, you free yourself up to get back into the action yourself.  Take some photos and get back to living and loving these precious moments!  Plus going in with a plan with greatly lower your personal stress about documenting the trip "perfectly."

Reading... lots and lots on creative business, blogging, and marketing.

Playing... with filters and effects on some recent photos on PicMonkey.

Watching... Double Your Followers with Creative Marketing by April Bowles-Olin on Creative Live.

Trying... out my new Silhouette Cameo!!

Cooking... Pumpkin pie bars after our recent visit to the pumpkin patch.

Eating... Fried Egg Sandwiches.

Drinking... in the gorgeous fall colors that have recently exploded around us!
 
Calling... it a day!  I'm so exhausted.

Pinning... all kinds of blogging info.

Going... organizing crazy with a studio redo!

Loving... my new Saucony shoes.  They are the only brand that don't hurt my feet!

Hating... Christmas giftsets have just arrived at work.

Discovering... Pebeo paint...more coming about that this month!

Thinking... about my long list of to-dos.

Feeling... crabby with a bad case of the Monday's.

Hoping (for)... warm weather to hold out a little bit longer.

Listening (to)... the Paperclipping Roundtable podcast.

Celebrating... our completed living room overhaul

Smelling... homemade chicken and dumplings

Thanking... Crayola for washable markers...Atty insists on trying to "stamp" with them after completely coloring in her hand.

Considering... if I should try a scrapbooking kit club for 2016

Starting... Fall crafts this week with Atty

Finishing... December Daily 2013 and 2014

Everywhere around us the signs of fall are starting to appear!  From the brisk, chilly mornings when we set off to daycare and work to the colors that are starting to pop up.  The leaves are slowly shifting to oranges and reds.  Pumpkins and apples are appearing in great variety. 

Fall is probably my second favorite season (my first being spring!).  I love the cooler weather, the gorgeous colors, the comfort foods that become prevalent, the emphasis on family that appears at this time of year, and the change in the fruits and veggies that we eat.  In the summer, we tend to eat foods that are quick, often cold (so we don't have to make the house hotter), and full of raw veggies and fruits (generally).  Once fall comes, we shift to stews and soups and other comfort foods that are slow to cook and fill you up with good flavors! 

Anyway, today's just a quick post about all the early signs of fall I keep seeing in my journeys.  I hope you enjoy!

Pumpkins and Gourds

Oh my!  The pumpkins are already out in full force.  I'm super excited to go to the Alpha Giant Pumpkin Festival with my daughter again this year!  She had such a blast last year.  It was her first year to actually see a pumpkin.  And she had to turn every single one.  She will also be old enough to do a variety of other activities at the Festival so I think it will be a fantastic day for the whole family.  But enough about that - PUMPKINS! 




Whether you enjoy the orange pumpkins, white pumpkins, foam pumpkins, painted pumpkins, ugly pumpkins, whatever kind of pumpkins you love - they are officially here!  Yes!  We will be doing some foam pumpkin activities this year, and I'm super excited and impatient to do them with Atty.  However, I'm trying to hold off until the Festival so that her interest in them is renewed and she actually wants to play around with them!
 

Mums

I love mums.  This is really strange concept for me, because I have always hated mums.  But when we got our first place (like 6 years ago?) together, Jamie and I got a couple of mums from my sister.  I loved the last bit of color in our yard before winter set in.  There is just something about the bright colors of mums that brings a smile back to my face, despite the chilly weather and the expectation of winter that fall seems to bring too.

Welcome back for the Blogtember wrap-up!  This has been an absolutely amazing experience for me to participate in.  I am so very glad that I decided to take up this challenge!  I'm really excited to be blogging again.  I'm also happy, because I feel like I've found a way to make blogging actually work for me through this process.  Plus, I've found loads of new (to me) bloggers that I have been able to connect with, which has been awesome!

My biggest problem with blogging has always been finding a way to get all the random bits and pieces that I do into blog posts, instead of just focusing on individual projects.  I've now realize that doing a batch process really, really works for me.  Batch processing not only allows me to make projects and tutorials, but it also gives me a place to incorporate all the other art and tidbits that happen in our lives without those pieces getting lost in the shuffle as I try to complete x,y, and z.  I have been able to do a batch day on the weekend where I make the vast majority of my project oriented posts, photograph them, and take video if I need to, and then do another couple of batch days where I write up one to three blog posts.  It hasn't been perfect, but it's been much better than I was blogging before!

Unfortunately, life still happened including migraines and my daughter getting sick.  But I managed to get 13 posts from the prompts that Bailey Jean provided for Blogtember.  Plus three additional posts about my scrapbooking stash kit.  And that's fantastic.  Another added benefit is that I now have a list of about 25 potential ideas that I can continue to expand on, as I carry on with this blogging journey.

Some of my favorites from this month include:

• Hello, My Name is - An introduction to my family and I
• Embrace Your Obsessions - Following your passions
• Currently in September - A Currently list of our lives
• The Hippie Art Studio - All about how The Hippie Art Studio came about
• First Vlog - Yep, I even made my first vlog because of Blogtember!
• 5 Favorite Bloggers and Youtubers - Some of my current favs and recent posts/videos from them
• 10 Blog Post Ideas - To keep some of this energy going and help inspire other!

I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me and The Hippie Art Studio better this month!  I hope you'll stick around and hang out some more with me, as I've got lots of cool ideas for the upcoming months.

Back in August, I participated in Ali Edwards' Week in the Life challenge.  I have yet to blog about the experience or work on my album for documenting our week.  So it's rather convinent that today's Blogtember prompt would be a walk through a day in my life.  I've used the photos from August to give a rough outline of our everyday.

My day starts around 4 am.  Ever since my daughter was born, she has woke up early between 4 am and 5 am.  It's very rare for her to sleep pass six in the morning.  So I've moved from a late riser with a preference for waking up after noon to an unhappy early bird.  Thus, my mornings require several cups of coffee before she wakes up so at least I have a little bit of adult time.


Once Atty wakes up, we make her breakfast and she gets a little bit of TV time.  Then it's onto getting dressed and ready for the day.  I do her hair every morning, which she loves even though she acts like I'm ripping her hair out of her head!  Silly girl!


We head to daycare and hang out together in the car until they open.  Then it's onto work for me.  I pick her up from daycare in the afternoon once I'm done with work.  Depending on how late I am getting out of work, we typically get home around 5 pm and eat dinner immediately.  Then its time for our nighttime routines with play, bath, and bed.


After Atty is asleep, Momma gets some time to play with art materials and scrapbook or whatever creative project I'm currently working on.  Assuming, of course, that I don't fall asleep with her - since we're still working on getting her to sleep in her own bed and not doing the co-sleeping thing!

Today I am bringing you my first ever vlog.  While I love creating videos for YouTube about scrapbooking and art journaling, I had never done a vlog.  One of the prompts for Bailey Jean's #blogtemberchallenge was to make a vlog about whatever you want.

So here you go!  Some Saturday ramblings about my plans for the day, as well as some sneaks of upcoming projects that I'm working on.


I hope you enjoyed it and it wasn't absolutely horrible!  It was rather nerve wracking to do, since it's so outside of my comfort zone.  But once I got started, it really wasn't that bad.  I still don't know how some people do this on a regular basis and have interesting things to talk about! For example, I love watching Rhomany's Realm when she does vlogs on her YouTube channel.

This experience did so me how such a practice could be worked into my routine though.  So it's completely doable, if I ever get less nervous about my face being on camera anyway!

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 I have another #blogtember post for you!  The prompt was all about what is in your bag or purse.  Despite my personal love affair with purses, I really don't care them.  And when I do they are huge monsters that get full of nonsense and end up weighing 20 some pounds!  For real!  The last one I had was a gorgeous Antonio Milani bag that I bought at Dillards when I worked there.  I loved that bag so much that when the handles broke I ended up tying them into knots so I could still use it.

Anyway, my current bag is just one of those reusable grocery bags.  Since my daughter was born, I have slowly realized the sheer amount of stuff that I have to have on hand at any given moment in case a catastrophe occurs.  Plus, there is also the sheer amount of stuff that I have to carry for work and work related stuff that gets tossed into my bag so that I can get everything out to the car every morning in one trip.


So here's the run down:

• Paperwork for work that somehow ended up in my bag instead of my vest (which oddly isn't in my bag today...it must have been left in the car)
• Walkie for work
• Keys
• 2 Sharpie markers which were in the bottom of the bag...
• Journals - the pink one is my blog/social media planner, the black one is my moleskine bullet journal/brain dump book, the opened journal is a moleskine that I'm currently using as a doodle book
• Sharpie pen
• Snacks for my daughter - 2 breakfast options in case she's still hungry when we leave the house at 5:30 and we are in the car until 6:00 when I drop her off at daycare.  Then there is a bag of cookies for after daycare snack if she needs one (though I'm trying to ween her off that because usually dinner is ready when we walk in the house at 4)
• Daily sheet from Daycare of what she did and such
• Orajel
• And yes, somehow a megablock ended up in my bag...she must have insisted on taking it to school with her at some point

Not pictured but usually in my bag:

• Extra diapers for when we try to use the potty at daycare during drop off
• My vest for work
• Her sippy cup (because it's currently next to her bed with water in it)
• Dr Pepper (for my break at work)
• To-go coffee cup (when I come into the house after work, because it's empty and I don't want to/have the hands to carry it)
• Toys of some kind that my daughter decided she needs to take with her as we leave the house

So there you have it!  Nothing very exciting, I'm afraid.  Just a grab and go Mommy bag.  Typically, I have lots of art supplies tossed in my bag for my breaks and lunch, but lately I've just stuck with a pen and my doodle book.  Like in this post from 2014, Layout a Day (LOAD1014) - Day Two, where my bag was literally overflowing with art supplies.