snapshots in time :: our first two months

I originally featured this mini-album at Creativity Prompt, honored at the opportunity to guest post there. Avital is creatively talented in so many ways, I think you'll enjoy your visit with her.

Now that we are ready to begin our third month of the year, I thought I would share with you how I'm using our mini. You've seen the cover before, but I wanted to show you again how I used The Twinery's baker's twine to "spell" out the year 2011 in a fun and colorful way.

I used the month-in-review journaling cards, which are available in the download section in my sidebar, to capture little snippets about our lives. There are more snippets that could have been captured, but I chose to capture just those events that involved our 5 family members.

And on the right hand side, a photo that best captures the month in my eyes. I already scrapped this photo of Victoria here, but every time I see this photo, I am reminded of her enthusiasm for being outside in the snow, in her jammies, with a too-small beach hat and leopard rain boots on. Do you see now why her nickname Spunky fits her so well? You can't really see it so well, but I was lucky to snap this photo of her in mid-air jubilee!

And now for February's highlights:

and a sweet photo of my three treasures:

Can you believe that tomorrow will already be March 1st?

::

I created a custom mini-album for an Etsy customer using these very same downloads, but with custom colors to match her personality and lifestyle. Plus, she has 2 boys and NO girls...there goes the pink.

Read all about the mini and her process with Andrea, aka projectenvygirl! And check out how adorable her family is! I encourage you to check it out, as I'm sharing an Etsy coupon code and Andrea's giving away one of these mini's...hurry, you won't want to miss it.

Which gave me this idea!

FEATURING...

Okay scriends {Zach's made-up word for scrapbooking friends}, here's the deal.

Spring Break here in Walland is the week of March 14th. I'd like to take the week off from blogging and do some fun stuff with the kids during that time. Sooooooo...I thought that if any of you had taken an idea I had presented here on the blog and re-created it in some form or fashion, or if you have purchased an item from the Etsy shop and have it displayed in your home and would like to share how you might have framed a print or used a mini-album kit, I'd like to feature you here on I Love It All. 

ella publishing :: eBook giveaway

Here is a layout from my early days of scrapbooking {ahem, just 2 years ago} using "heritage" photos. You know, those photos that are a piece of your history. Well, I know that technically, these photos are not all that old, but I'm using them to prove a point.

Just dig out some photos, today, and create a layout with a story you don't want to forget.

If you're at a loss for where to start or how to lay out your page, I'd like to tell you about one of Ella Publishing's newest eBooks, How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage by Wendy Smedley and Aby Garvey.

AND, I've got a copy to give away to one lucky reader. 

:: To enter, let me know which of Ella's eBooks interests you the most. You can review the eBook selections here. 

:: Earn another entry by telling me which heritage photo you would like to scrap, if you could just find the time.

Leave a separate comment for each entry. This giveaway is open until Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at 8:00 pm EST. I'll announce the winner shortly thereafter. I'll also share another layout using a heritage photo inspired by one of the layouts in this eBook.

Good luck!

two peas in a pod | the mini

I shared this project at write.click.scrapbook. during the February Gallery reveal and will share it with those of you that were not able to click over and check it out.

It's the Valentine's Day "card" I made for Gordon, so if you can't stomach love and sweetness today this might not be the post for you. He was out of town, so I asked Zach to hide it in his car so that he would find it once he was on the road. For the record, he liked it!

a time for everything :: a giveaway

Adorable. That's what I say...her AND her camera straps. Melissa Kaiserman is a wonderfully talented scrapbooker {we're teammates at write.click.scrapbook} and seamstress. She has a little shop that carries her handmade goodness. Oh, and she blogs at a time for everything, when she's not homeschooling her little munchkins. I'm not sure how she makes time to do everything she does! BTW-We both share the same birthdate, how cool is that?

Let me share some good news with you:

Melissa Kaiserman from a time for everything has offered to send an I Love It All reader this reversible DSLR camera strap cover with matching rosette.  *Note: The cover is 22" long.  Please measure your strap to make sure this will cover the soft part.

Remove and use the rosette clip anywhere you’d like— in your hair, on a jacket pocket, on a hat or purse… your creativity is the limit.

Melissa blogs about crafting and life in general and sells camera strap covers, camera wrist straps, and designer burp cloth sets in her shop. Soon she’ll be adding envelope system wallets made of laminated cotton, so be sure to check back in March!

And now for the good news, even if you aren't the lucky giveaway winner, Melissa is extending this special offer to all iloveitall readers!

Make a purchase from Melissa’s shop by March 4, 2011and receive 15% off your order

 (in the form of a PayPal refund) 

when you mention I Love it All in “Note to Seller” during the checkout process. 

Discount does not apply to shipping charges. 

To earn entries for this giveaway from Melissa's shop:

- visit Melissa's shop and tell us which pattern makes your heart swoon

- subscribe to Melissa's blog feed

- mention this giveaway on Facebook

- become a follower of iloveitall

- subscribe to the iloveitall newsletter {top right in the sidebar}

In your comment, tell us which entry you are commenting for. Oh, and be sure to check back for the announcement of the winner. It is winner's responsibility to claim  their gift. Each comment earns you an entry. Good luck to all...this giveaway is open until Friday, March 4, 2011.

52Photos :: city

my 52Photos capture

Think you live in a small city? How about living in a small town? How about living in a town that's just barely a map dot on the black top, as Tim McGraw might say? In my almost 47 years, I've lived in lots of cities, a few towns, and two countries. But, where I am now is home. I love that my children have roots. And I sometimes hate that they won't have the same experiences I had as the child of a military man, always moving on to new adventures. But, it's all good and I wouldn't change a thing.

So, here you have the big town of Walland. To the left of the photo is the road leading up to Isabella's school. Everyone in the Wright family has attended that school, other than Nana and I. It used to be the High School, then the Middle School and now it's an Elementary School. 

If you squint, you'll see the Post Office there on the right hand corner. Down there by the American flag. Postmaster Mike and I are becoming good friends, thanks to all of you! And heading straight out Highway 321 {or Lamar Alexander Parkway as they renamed it} is our home.

Don't blink, you might miss "our town."

Note: Lamar Alexander is from the next town over, well, really city, and is a former Governor of Tennessee. At one time, he was President of the University of Tennessee and also served as Secretary of Education under President George Bush. He now serves as U.S. Senator for our State, along with John J. Duncan, Jr. 

next week's theme

street

the wrap-up

We're at 112 members in our little group of adventurers and it's so good to see your photos, visit your blogs and read the comments. Thanks for making us part of your day.

If you're new to 52Photos, go here for an explanation, a blog button and an invitation to join our 52 week journey of discovery!

gratitudes :: the 2011 mini

I posted this photo as my 2011 capture for Week 1 of 52Photos and so far, it's my most favorite page in my Gratitude Journal this year. If you like the journaling card I used, I found it on Karen's blog where she has a huge selection of downloads that would be perfect so many different projects.

It happens to be the first page of my Gratitude Journal for 2011. My approach this year is a little different than last year. Yes, I pre-assembled my pages and embellished them somewhat, leaving room to journal my thoughts on the day. The difference is that I journal when the feelings overcome me. Although I am still as  grateful every day as I was last year about a multitude of things, I made the decision that I am going to make this year's journal a little more artsy, kind of another way for me to art journal. I had a hard time getting used to NOT journaling every day, but I seem to have worked myself into a routine with it now.

I'll share these completed pages with you so that you can get a feel for how 2011 is shaping up for me, both in Gratitudes and in my journaling. You'll notice that I don't journal every day, and some pages have more than one day's gratitudes.

It's never too late, you know. If this project looks like it's something you'd like to try or wish you had already started, don't let that stop you. Pull out some pretty paper scraps and get to crafting. Looking for more of a straightforward approach? How about doing something like covering a store-bought index card book like this one, or printing out a bunch of the thankful notecards like this which happen to be free downloads {scroll down until you see the thankful mini-album} or even try your hand at covering a notepad like this one or this one?

And this is a photo Zach took of me with no makeup and day old hair as I was writing up this post. Just keepin' it real for you!

see more GRATITUDE JOURNALS in my shop

art journal update :: jetpens review

So, I mentioned yesterday a little something about my art journaling attempts this year. I had thought that I might get artsy once a week. Yeah, right. That did not happen, but I think as I gain more confidence and explore new mediums, I might do more than the once a month I've done so far. Just like everything, it just takes getting started and it gets easier and easier.

I began by turning my book upside down and placing my hands on the page so that the middle part of me joining my hands together formed a heart. I traced each hand in pencil, painted it in a watered-down craft paint and then outlined it with a marker. You can see that I enhanced the heart shape my hands formed by painting it in the closest color I had on hand to the 2011 Pantone color of the year: Honeysuckle.

In the right hand corner, I used one of the awesome pens I received from JetPens to do some journaling. It's the Pentel EnerGel Needle Tip .5mm Liquid Gel ink pen. Loved that it provided me a very fine line...just perfect. I give it 5 Stars!

My journaling reads:

with these hands...
i create
i scrap
i sew
i paint
i garden
i cook
i mother

Using this pen, also available at JetPens, I outlined my letters {above} and then used the grey part of this double-tipped pen to do some shading. I liked that it was able to draw a thicker line for me without having to go over the letters several times to give it a prominent line.

Here are a few more shots of me creating my first art journal page {the one I shared yesterday} with all the beautiful sunshine streaming in through the window. 

It's the best seat in the room, really. There's another desk just like this one to the left of me and its only view is of the Mac screen and it's just a tad chilly in that corner. Yep, I'm lovin' sitting here on the crafty side of the desk doing a little creating.

I started with this blank journal, my selection of JetPens, my reading glasses and my mantra: Just Do It. Zach said that I would probably get sued for using a trademarked phrase, but I'm taking my chances. He was the photographer for all of the Mommy shots, by the way.

After painting my page, I tore my phrase into word-sized scraps, which had been printed on an old book page. I used ModPodge and my fingers to adhere it to the page as I didn't have any sponge brushes handy.  They were somewhere, just not handy. FYI, the ModPodge I have did not dry glossy, although they make several different formulas.

I made this stamp quite a while ago out of those foam sheets sold everywhere. I drew a bird shape and adhered several layers together to give it some thickness when I stamped. You can see that I am using removeable glue dots to hold my homemade stamp on the acrylic block. I used paint on this page, but have also used ink with this stamp and it also works well.

Ta Da! The finished product. I like it. I would do one thing differently, but all in all, not bad for my first try.

I encourage you to read this post over at write.click.scrapbook. where a more thorough review of the selection of pens available {think white ink pens, eraseable ink pens and even a pen that does a super job on textured cardstock} at JetPens is provided by Marnie Flores and myself. Marnie shares some wonderful insight that any scrapbooker or crafty person will find useful and interesting and I give a more detailed review of each of the pens I used for this page.

A big thank you to JetPens for providing me a large selection of pens to test and review. I guarantee that if you click over, you might be a few dollars poorer but you'll be a whole lot happier to have found an online retailer with a wide array of pens, pencils, and scrappy supplies, wonderful customer service and fast shipping.

I have more pens to review and my thoughts on them in the coming weeks.

joy | my one little word

one
I had fully intended to make art journaling a focus of mine at least several-times-a-month this year. I failed to make it a focus at all in January. First, I couldn't find an art journal that made me happy. I finally did find one here, and the seller is fantastic to work with. I also ordered this stamp from her Etsy shop and will be using it an an upcoming project. {If you order, tell her I said hello!} Secondly, I was afraid to get started. I have never done something that requires messy, free, open thinking and it intimidated me. Here's a sneak of my first finished page:

You probably noticed my OLW {joy} didn't you? I'm almost ready to reveal this page and others, too. Promise. If you can't wait, you can visit here for an intro to the page.

two

Last week at Old Navy, as I was looking for some new things for my growing-ever-taller-girl, Isabella, and happened to find a t-shirt that caught my eye. Now, normally, I am not one to buy a shirt with writing on it.

Do you see it, over there all the way to the right of the screen shot? Yep, it says joy. It's in an  applique apple shape and the green looks much happier in person. I washed it and it didn't shrink, which is good for a tall girl like me who doesn't feel the need to share her belly button with everyone. I would have much preferred that happy pink or even the white, but it was green. I bought it anyway and can't wait  until it's warm enough to wear.

For those of you that happen to have PEACE, LOVE or HOPE as your OLW, you might consider making a trip to Old Navy or do a little online shopping. {Here's a link.}

three

Remember when I listed these prints in the shop? Here's what I did with mine. 

The frame is from The Dollar Tree and I spray painted it with Valspar Satin in the  Hubbell House Golden Maize color. I got it from The Home Depot or Lowe's, can't remember. The yellow gives it such a happy feeling, especially displayed with my Life Is Great banner hoop art, which was a thoughtful gift from Gina. Gina is due a long overdue e-mail from me and I fear she has given up hope on ever hearing from me again. And that cute handcrafted heart is from Alexandra...it smells divine, by the way. This little vignette above my computer monitor makes me very, very happy!


four
I also incorporated my OLW into some sidebar art for the blogeroo. In case you missed it, I'll share  here:

five

I just surpassed 400 followers on iloveitallwithmonikawright. I had been planning a free download and was trying to think what to share. How about a quote? Even if joy is not your one little word,  this sentiment is still one that will make you stop and think for just a moment. Andrea sent me this quote she had in her collection, it's by Brene Brown. {Downloads are in my sidebar {always} or you can click on the image below.}

You might remember me mentioning Andrea before, she was my very first Etsy customer, finding me when I was lucky enough to be a guest poster on Ali Edwards' blog. If you're interested, you can read my post...it outlines my Summer in the Life mini-album.

Wondering how to make this quote download cute and even more inspiring, click here to see what one of my readers, Vicki, did with hers! So dang cute and she includes an awesome idea along with it.

conclusion

Even though I fell behind in some of my blog goals for January, I have a good feeling about February. There are still projects in mind that I'd like to attempt this month and when they're completed, I'll share. If I don't, then there's always March, right?

aunt rachel

This is my Aunt Rachel, my Mom {commonly referred to as Oma} and Zach. They are visiting us in Germany. And they did many times, each trip more fun than the next. We went to Paris together, visited my Aunt and cousins in Munich. Just lots of good times. 

She recently passed away. As did her husband, my Uncle John. When we were younger my brother and I would call him Candy John. They always had a crystal candy dish on their side table waiting for us to choose a piece. Their daughter, Kathy, would babysit us sometimes.

My parents were friends, first, with John and Rachel before my brother was even born. My Mom went into labor while playing cards with them one evening. And then it became so much more. Friends for so long that I can only ever remember calling them Aunt Rachel and Uncle John. Friends for so long that Oma was as close to Reechel as she was to her own sister.

You see, my Mom {she's German} always called her Reechel, not Rachel. And Aunt Rachel {from Tellico Plains, TN originally - only 35 minutes away from where I live now} who lived in San Diego for the majority of her life, always called Mom JoAnn, not Johanna. Cute, right?

My Dad was in the Air Force and was in Vietnam and Uncle John was a Navy man, not deployed at the time. They watched over my Mom and us while Dad was away.

I miss them and have lots of stories in my head. I don't usually post anything more than a photo for Sunday Photo, but I hope  you see why I did.

And here's what I'll be using to help me get my stories onto paper so that everyone will know how I felt about those two very special people in my life. It's the newest eBook from Ella Publishing, How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage. It's on sale now and I highly recommend the up-to-date take on scrapping your own heritage photos.

So, that's why I shared some words. Although a picture paints a thousand words, unless you get them down on paper, no one will know what your words are.

hybrid scrapbooking :: tips and tricks

In a blog post at Ella Publishing, Francine Clouden hosted an informative article on hybrid scrapbooking. What's that, you might ask? It's a form of scrapbooking that combines both the traditional patterned paper, cardstock and embellishments with elements created using your computer. 

If you're still a little confused, or skeptical, I encourage you to visit with Francine as she presents an awesome trick to printing 9 wallet-sized pieces of digital paper on one 8.5x11 piece of cardstock! Lee Currie shares her thoughts on her 12 on the 12th project with detailed and inspiring suggestions on her process. I was so inspired, I believe I'm going to do a 6 on the 6th starting June 6th of this year. More sharing about that later.

Here is the layout I created:

It's a photo of Zach on this 18th birthday, but I just scrapped the story this month. And adding his age and the date of the photo directly on the image is a timesaver and a spacesaver...I don't have to use my limited journaling space to explain the span of time {date photo taken vs. date of journaling}.

On the family front:

My sweet husband is taking his precious Isabella to their first Father Daughter Dance tonight. It's hosted by the Girl Scouts and I know at least one person who's really excited...can you guess which one?