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picture the holidays giveaway with tracey clark | big picture classes

Today, Big Picture Classes is offering a seat in Tracey Clark's newest class to one lucky I Love It All reader. Picture the Holidays is a 31-day workshop journey from photographer and author Tracey Clark and is the perfect remedy for the holiday hustle.

Here's more about Picture the Holidays:

Spend this December taking inspired, artful photographs of the world around you, during the most wonderful time of the year. Picture the Holidays has been reframed and refreshed for 2013, with new prompts and new pictures to help you creatively and mindfully celebrate this season of joy! 

This 31-day workshop, from photographer and author Tracey Clark, is the perfect remedy for the holiday hustle. 

Every morning, you’ll receive a seasonal photo prompt that will not only inspire your inner photographer, but will also encourage you to take a few moments to yourself to get creatively centered before the day’s festivities begin. Inside the classroom, you’ll also find a class creed, holiday photography tip sheet, live blog, active student gallery, and supportive classroom message board.

Picture the Holidays 2013 is a reframed and refreshed version of Picture the Holidays from 2010. It includes:

• Daily emails: An inspiring holiday photo and a brief musing on the daily photo prompt
• Voice message available as streaming audio, downloadable MP3 files and transcripts
• Downloadable photo tips handout
• Downloadable class creed to display in your creative space
• Downloadable PDF of Tracey’s equipment list
• Welcome note from Tracey in the classroom
• Private posting gallery to share your work and view the work of your classmates
• Email access to Tracey

Added Features for 2013:

• Live classroom blog, updated in real time by Tracey Clark
• NEW daily photo prompts (at least 50% are brand new!)
• NEW photo examples to provide fresh inspiration (the majority of the daily prompts are illustrated by new photographs)

I plan to incorporate this class into my December Daily album giving it a fresh perspective this holiday season. I'm so excited to learn more in this class and if you want to learn more along with me,  register here!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you can't wait and decide to purchase the class before the giveaway is over, Big Picture Classes will reimburse you if you are selected as the winner. Winner will need to contact me with their e-mail address before class registration closes on December 10th. 

30 days of lists journal giveaway

The December edition of 30 Days of Lists begins December 1st, but registration is now open. I have a cute little Journal in the shop that incorporates some holiday-themed papers, but isn't so over-the-top holiday for those that like to take a low-key approach to the holidays.

GIVEAWAY

ENTER HERE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Can't wait to see if you're the winner? Buy it now!

Find more cute and colorful Embellishment Kits. 

fear

and just like that, he's 22

Happy 22nd Birthday Dear Zach, Happy Birthday to You!

November 2009 | Papa's Cabin

bind-it-all tutorial

The Bind-It-All is one of my most used tools. I use it so much that the first one I purchased is my Plan B option and I use a newer model for my everyday go-to. You won't be disappointed by the versatility of the BIA, especially if you enjoy making mini albums as much as I do.

Or own an Etsy shop!

TUTORIAL

step one

Place the back cover on top of the front cover…this shows the inside back cover, that's just the way you want it.

step two

Place back cover {in front} and front cover {in back} inside your BIA and punch where desired. 

step three

Remove covers from BIA and place your o-wires as shown in photo, inserting smooth rounded wires into the punched holes first.

happy mail from HandCrafted Magazine

Happy Mail alert! Last week, I opened the mail box to find the latest issue of HandCrafted magazine, a publication of Stampington & Company.

Without me knowing it, they decided to rerun the feature of my Charleston mini book. 

Very exciting news, then and now! 

Read more about our trip to Charleston in this post which has links to four posts, detailing each of the days we spent in Charleston. If you're not able to pick up your own copy of HandCrafted magazine, where I share the background details and little tie bits about our journey and the album, you can purchase a copy here.

biggest splash

#thankfulthursday

Whew.

Sunday began with a washer that leaked a little bit, then a lot. Then had to be disassembled and rigged back together by Mr. wRight so that I wouldn't be without a washer until tomorrow. That's right, the repairman couldn't make it here until tomorrow. At least it's still under warranty.

But in the flood, I lost some precious artwork from Victoria and some school papers from Isabella. I had been meaning to put them into a binder and had them propped on a box. Well, I bumped the box and the papers fell to the floor. I was lazy and did not pick them up.

Bad move, Mommy. I salvaged what I could but had to throw away years and years worth of drawings by Victoria. I cried, I sobbed and then I felt thankful. Thankful that that was all we had lost and not a whole house full of valuables as happens to so many families in the most unfortunate of circumstances. 

Tuesday, 11. 12. 13,  started with a bang as well. While feeding the animals before school, Victoria fell 10 feet to the ground from the top of the barn steps. Isabella ran to get us from the house and when I reached the barn, Victoria was laying flat on her back not moving. 

I asked her if she could move and she wiggled her legs, so I scooped her up and ran back to the house. Thankfully, Gordon was still at home and he wrangled her out of her coat. Without even taking off her sweater, we could see that her elbow was just not right.

I headed to the Emergency Room while Gordon took Isabella to school and we met up again while Victoria was being examined. An Orthopedic Surgeon was called in, a family friend, and thankfully we were added rather quickly to the surgery schedule. She did not need to be opened up! Everything popped back into place and she is doing rather well for the trauma that her arm took.

She's missing school and her friends, she is a social little thing. Today we'll be doing some school work at home so she doesn't get behind. Still deciding if we might go to school on Friday so that she can share cupcakes with her classmates for her birthday. And show off the boo boo, too, of course.

Just as thankful, I am, for my precious Isabella, quick and witty just like her DaDa. {Spoken in Yoda fashion.} Part of her weekly Packet in Language Arts was an assignment to write a 4 line poem with at least two spelling words.

"Sometimes I panic,

and bump into things ceramic. 

My home is the Smoky Mountains,

I really do love fountains."

Where does she come up with it. I love her sense of humor! I read it to Gordon and he smiled and laughed and had that proud DaDa look of "Yeah, she's mine." They're so much alike in so many ways. But, then, she has a lot from me, too. Kind of scary how much she is like the both of us. 

To leave you with a photo that will make you smile, here are the Three Musketeers from their Saturday outing together. Too big to still sit on the seat, they improvise and ride the Prowler around until the battery has nothing left to give. I can't even remember how many years they've had it and it replaced a smaller vehicle that they outgrew. I know, they've outgrown this one as well, but they won't give it up and pass it along to someone who would actually fit INSIDE the vehicle!

What are you thankful for this Thursday? Download a thankful mini album page template to document your #thankfulthursday's.

30 days of lists | december 2013

I'm signed up for the next #30lists challenge, knowing that December will be crazy for me, but doing it anyway. Last year I would work until midnight creating products and packaging them for shipping the next day and totally worn out. If it were not for my awesome husband, our kids would have had to have eaten peanut butter sandwiches every night for dinner.

I kind of wonder why I'm adding another To Do item to my list during the holiday season, but I feel compelled to be able to capture some holiday memories in just a few moments each day. It may be all I have. 

Plus, I think there will be some wonderful list prompts, too. I'm not kidding myself into thinking I'll complete a list each and every day, but I do know that it will get me to thinking {and listing} ideas either for a dedicated journal, like this one, or just adding to my December Daily mini book.

Here are some options for your holiday listing, whether it be this class or just lists to keep your busy life on track from now until the New Year. Why not capture your holiday memories in style:

Holiday Memories Mini Book Planner | find it HERE

Dancing Santa's Holiday Planner | find it HERE

Ornaments Composition Book | find it HERE

and there are limited quantities remaining of the December Daily album:

December Daily Christmas Album | find it HERE

Registration is now open!
Browse my past 30 Days lists here.
If you haven't heard of 30 Lists, go here to read more.
Here's my list love Pinterest board, for more listing inspiration and ideas.

the trembling of a leaf

5 on the 5th | november 2013

Still loving this project that rolls around the 5th day of each month. 

It's getting that now the girls will even tell me, "Mommy, it's 5 on the 5th!" Yep, melts my heart. I love that they're getting in the age that they are "little" people. It takes my breath away sometimes, how they react to circumstances and how they interpret the day's events.

I want to thank everyone who participated with me on Instagram. I love having little peeks into your everyday, extraordinarily ordinary lives. Here's an Australian blogger, Kelly from Little Red Moose, that's an IG friend...she saw the project on Instagram and wanted to join in documenting her family's life. Won't you drop in for a visit and say hi?

If you've blogged about your 5 on the 5th photos, I'd love to feature you here next month, contact me with your post info! Just click on the yellow envelope in the sidebar to the right.

1  |  What a great way to jump start 5 on the 5th...an e-mail from Zach! And the best part is that he may be home for Victoria's birthday. It's only been months and months since we've heard from him, but I hear that young men are prone to minimal contact, but that doesn't make it any easier.

2  |  The art print at the bottom the the wall hung in the dining room of my Oma's and Opa's home. My Opa grew up in the home, moving back to Althegnenberg after they had lived in Munich, Germany for most of their lives. We didn't get to see them often, but they were the best grandparents ever.

The print hung above the bench where all the grandkids, there were five of us, smooshed together to have meals when we were lucky enough that all of us were together at one time. The adults got the chairs, we got the bench. And, it was okay with us, no complaints at all. I feel very lucky to have it now and it makes me smile thinking of all the giggling and bonding we did sitting beneath that picture.

P.S. The middle print hung in my parents home before I snagged it.

3  |  Big sis was at Basketball practice and it's just the two of us chatting about her day. She's eating m&m's, separated by color and drinking milk while I have a cup of coffee. After she tells me all about commas and quotation marks, she cleans up her mess then comes over to climb in my lap. "I love you, Mommy," she says. My lap is always open for a snuggle! And after we hugged for a while I totally snuck a pic because I'm never in the shot.

4  |  It's Girl's Night tonight with cheese pizza and Scooby Doo in the living room on a school night. You never know what craziness will happen when DaDa is on a business trip. 

5  |  Face Time on the iPhone makes business trips much more bearable. I love this photo for the fact that I was able to do a screen capture where we're both smiling. It's cute, I think, that we both look just a little excited to be talking to each other. Pretty good after 16 years married and a few years dating!

If you're new to the blog and want to know more about 5 on the 5th, read this blog post. 

all photos made using my iPhone 4s

5 on the 5th 2013 Archives

January | February | March | April |  May  | June | July | August | September | October | November | December 

#thankfulthursday

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

#thankfulthursday

I'll be sharing mine on Instagram and Facebook.

Download a thankful mini album page template to document your #thankfulthursday's.

right now | october 2013

Right now, I am happy that I am getting things accomplished and marked off my To Do list each day. Thank goodness I'm back to a paper planner! 

Right now, I am thrilled to already have purchased a few Christmas gifts in our {my} quest to simplify and enjoy the season. 

Right now, I am making a promise to myself to breathe deeply and not let the hectic nature of the next few months overtake me.

october  |  10.23.13

feeling

good about life. said that i don't hear from zach. happy that the girls had good grade cards!

on the to do list

make lists so everything is in place and ready for the holidays with low stress.

my guilty pleasure
messy buns when i don't want to wash my hair + when i do...expensive kerastase.

favorites

mini packs of halloween sour patch kids

dreaming about

victoria's newly redesigned bedroom, she loves her new bed!

grateful for

kids who are older and can do so many things for themselves.

Download your page template here. 
Here's the post where I share how I created my mini book.

right now archives

january  february  march  april  may  june  july  august  september  october  november  december

filofax photo challenge | #planneraddictspotd

I kinda sorta have a crush on the bright yellow, sunshiney color of my Filofax Finsury and I love that I can use my cardstock and washi tape and vellum to create pages that make organization even more fun. Having a daily plan, in written form, has been such a help to our family. I reference my planner several times a day and even carry with me in my purse as I run errands, go to the Post Office and pick up the girls from school.

Another month, another daily photo challenge featuring my Filofax Finsbury planner. Take a peek and see what you think about my little ray of sunshine!

1 | Cover

Typically, I would go with an understated, classic brown for a planner. But, when I saw the yellow Filofax Finsbury, I just had to have it. Originally, I purchased the Pocket size for 60% off and needed more room...hence the Personal size and it is perfect. 

2 | Where I Plan

On this day in October, it was still nice enough to sit on the much porch after picking up the girls from school. Oreo's and milk and a little planning, too!

3 | Orange

Using a free download I designed, I added my Halloween countdown calendar to the front and fancied it up with a bit of washi tape.

4 | Dividers

Made my own top tab dividers with clearance priced plastic side dividers and trimmed to size. The yellow washi tape hides that the dividers are pink.

5 | Planner Case

I don't use a planner case. At home she's on my desk. On the go she's in my purse.

6 | Around Town

We were hoping to finish up the house painting and had plans to be "around home" all day.

7 | DIY

How I keep track of my deal site coupon codes. For Filofax Personal size, trim your paper to 6.75" tall and 7" wide. From the left edge, where you would punch your holes, score and fold at 3.75". You should now have a flap to fold over and hide all the messy notes. A permanent Sharpie marker will write,  without smudging, on washi tape.

8 | Festive

Made a divider out of Christmas cardstock to hide our plans for our Advent Calendar. I used graph paper and outlined a square before the activity so I could fill in the date in pencil as I decide which day has which activity or holiday event.

9 | Dashboard

I don't like to see sticky notes when I open my planner, so this is the third page back. Made from the leftover plastic that I made my Dividers with on Day 4.

10 | Menu Planning

A free download I designed so that I could finally get on board with a meal plan. Prints on one page, fold in the middle and punch holes.

11 | Bookmark

Just a simple paper clip to hold together my past weeks and point me in the right direction.

12 | Cleaning Schedule

No schedule here, just do it as it needs it.

13 | Holiday Planning

Making a list of things to document for our December Daily album.

14 | In My Bag

In town running errands with my two favorites...Coach and Filofax. It was key for me that the Personal size fit into even my smallest purse.

15 | Planner Collection

Small, but mighty. The Pocket size I initially purchased sits patiently next to her big sister.

16 | Checklist

Getting it done and checking it off my to do list today. I draw circles next to the task and when it's complete color it in. If it's in progress, I draw only half the circle in and move it forward to another day.

17 | Spooky

Googly eyes that were left over from our Halloween goody bag project.

18 | Creative

Lucky me, it's my job to be creative every day!

19 | With My Drink

20 | Pretty in Pink

My dividers are pink, a DIY project, but I covered them with yellow washi tape to coordinate with my Finsbury better.

21 | Pen Loop

Although I use a pen to write my lists, I keep a pencil in the pen loop and use it most often.

22 | Washi in Use

Made a bottom tab divider today for my 2014 calendars and it was lonely without a little washi, this time blue.

23 | In Your Car

Car pick-up lines and planners just seem to go hand-in-hand. A few minutes here and a few minutes there do make a difference.

24 | Where It Lives

On my nightstand. In my purse. In the car. Next to me while I create and work.

25 | Quote

...and a reminder for me to see. It's a free printable and it's sized for Personal, Pocket and also as a 4x6 to display in a frame if you wish.

26 | Stickers

I don't use stickers in my Filofax, but a chevron heart on my third baby's upcoming birthday is perfect.

27 | Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday.

28 | Supplies

Using the business card sleeve for on-the--road Post-It note supplies.

29 | Polka Dots

I ripped out my registration page by mistake, so I reinforced it with some polka dot washi tape, of course.

30 | Favorite Pen

Love it because it writes super fine. Love it because it has a thin barrel. Love it because it doesn't bleed through the page. And it's erasable. Good thing I accidentally ordered a box instead of just one, Gordon and the girls love it, too. Now if it just had a clip.

31 | Halloween Page

Happy Boo to You!