Gettin' By

Give-It-Away Thursday: Jenni Bowlin Goodies!

To stay on top of the whole organizational groove I've got goin' on this month, I'm clearing out some of the goodies on my scrap desk. I had a good portion of the January Jenni Bowlin Papercrafting Kit left over (plus pieces of the Artisan Add-on) after making my pages, so today it's up for grabs. It includes several 6x6 papers, tags and embellishments, plus a bit of ribbon I forgot to throw in the photo:

Plus, I've also got a complete JBS Antiquarian Kit from this month as well:

If you'd like to help promote the cause of Keep Lisa's Desk Clean and give a new home to these goodies, then just leave me a comment below.**  I'll keep the comments open until Monday morning, January 16, and post the winner here shortly thereafter.

And have a wonderfully organized Thursday, ya'll!

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of January 16 (whenever I've consumed enough coffee to function) and the winner will be randomly drawn and announced at the bottom of this post and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage. And that concludes the fine print. 

 

UPDATED WITH WINNER!!  Congrats to Rebecca, who will be helping perpetuate the clean status of my desk! Thanks to everyone who stopped by (and your overwhelming willingness to help m cause!)  Stop by next Thursday for another giveaway, alrighty?!

A Whole New January.

Historically, the month of January and I are not good friends.  Usually by the time the Christmas decor has been packed away and the New Year's resolutions kick in, I settle into a seasonal funk in which I mope, complain and generally become an absolute jerk to live with. I'm never sure if it's the post-holiday let down, or the fact that spring seems like an eternity away, but something about January makes me want to curl up in ball and hibernate for six weeks. Or drink heavily. Neither of which make for a very productive Lisa.  So this year I'm facing the month head-on with a plan of action in hopes that January and I can forget our past and forge ahead in a productive relationship.  I'm hoping January agrees with me.  And if not? Well, I fully plan on kicking it's ass anyway.

And - side note - apparently (notice my new blog banner?) it's also one of my resolutions to make more frequent use of the word ass.  You have been warned.

So first on the plan is to keep myself creatively occupied with some non-scrappy projects (though design team work and Project Life will have ample time alloted, natch).  I've been collecting loads of ideas for various projects around the house via Pinterest and now's the time to implement some of them. And if any are moderately successful, I just might share them here on the blog.  Like the new wreath I made for the front door with cardstock, a chipboard letter, and about 5000 sticks of hot glue:

Also on my agenda is a return to a healthier diet. Like everyone else, I wined and dine (and desserted!) my way through the holidays and the scale has the the numbers to prove it. It's time to focus on fruits, veggies, and whole grains instead of truffles, wine and whole birthday cakes. Luckily, Mike is on board with this plan too because eating healthy alone is a lonely, lonely game where you do not pass go and you cannot collect Chick-Fil-A waffle fries. So this month we're relying heavily on the menu plan from Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 and our Mile High Organics produce delivery to serve up some tasty and balanced meals.

Jillian's BBQ Chicken & Black Bean Tacos

Of course, last night I dreamed about a giant plate of white cheddar mashed potatoes and a tall frosty mug of beer, so I'm not sure my subconscious is on board with the whole healthy-eating routine just yet.

I don't think I've yet mentioned that in a grandiose gesture sure to win him Husband of the Year, Mike presented me with an amazing 40th birthday gift:  a trip to the Bahamas for spring break!  It's a destination I've always wanted to visit, and in just a few months,that tropical dream will finally come true.  The thought of getting into bikini shape by then has got me pretty motivated, so I'm mixing up Jillian tapes with a half-marathon training plan while Mike (being the consummate bad-ass that he is) is doing P90X.  I considered doing it with him (for about 30 seconds) but then I heard pull-ups were involved and said hell.to.the.no. (Just like ASCPA commercials, pull-ups make me cry.)

Annnddddd...to wrap up my attack on January, I've also implemented a new chore system for both me and the kids that will hopefully (fingers crossed!) keep this place we live in some semblance of order. The kids have weekly chores to complete and have the option of doing extra chores for hard cold cash if they are so motivated. (Please do not tell them that 75¢ for cleaning a toilet is not a fair price. I'm trying to save for Bahamas' souvenirs here, people!)

I've also made myself a weekly chore list and hope that by completing 6 or 7 chores each day (about an hour, give or take), I'll stay on top of the PetHairDustBunnyFoodCrumbsDirtyLaundryBeast that likes to rear it's ugly head around here. And while I won't be earning an allowance like the kids, I will be rewarding myself with a glass of wine at the end of the week if my chores are checked off. 

Because you didn't really think I'd be facing this January without wine, did you??

 

Kickin' Off Project Life

One of my goals for 2012 was get back to the basics of scrapbooking - to rediscover the joy that I initially found in this hobby.  I've always gravitated toward documenting the smaller moments in our lives - the funny quips...the tender moments...the simple pleasures.  For me, they are more fun to scrapbook than the bigger events like birthdays or holidays, simply because there is no preconceived idea as to how these smaller (though no less significant) milestones should be scrapped. I don't feel limited to certain products or techniques and it's on these pages that I find myself being more creative, and innovative.  And - bonus! - I am ultimately more satisfied with the pages that I create.

Which is why I think Project Life will be a great fit for me.  It's all about documenting the simple, everyday things that make up our lives.  It's the photos, the memorabilia, the to-do lists, the homework...the receipts, the tickets, the love notes, the random doodles. Even before I started scrapbooking, I was collecting these items - sometimes gluing them into photo albums and sometimes just storing them in shoeboxes to reminisce over one day.  But now, I'll be able to collect them in one album that highlights each week of the year.

To keep my project as flexible as possible, I'm planning on using a variety of We R Memory Keepers divided page protectors (in both 12 x 12 and 8.5 x 11 sizes) and will house them in an American Crafts Modern Album to match the rest of the albums already in my arsenal. I'm not limiting myself to any particular line of products, but rather hope to put a slight dent in my stash by using anything and everything that I already have.

I've put together a title page for the album, using an enlarged 6 x 12 photo for the center and filling the other squares with patterned paper and die cuts I created on my Silhouette.  The Jack Kerouac quote "Be in love with your life" that I've included is sort of my mantra for 2012 and I love that I'll see it every time I work on this album.

S U P P L I E S :

I'll likely be posting my progress on this project on the weekends, and hope to keep myself accountable for its completion that way.  If you are particpating in Project Life too, please share your album link  - I'd love to see your take and hear your thoughts!

And with that, I'm off to create my first weekly spread for the project. There's a fire in the fireplace, it's beginning to snow, and I can't think of better way to spend rest of this Saturday!

Because Comedic Genius is Plainly Hereditary.

It's become apparent that Santa has a similar sense of humor as our family, because obviously knew how much fun we'd have with Flarp Noise Putty.  And when your stockings contain this versatile (and surprisingly realistic!) flatulence-in-a-can, you can bet hilarity will ensue!

Case in point:

So while the bean tacos may not have agreed with Riely, the hours of fart jokes related since Christmas morning certainly have. I have no idea where she gets her demented sense of humor.

No idea.

{P.S. The giveaway below is still open!}

Give-It-Away Thursday: Ella Publishing

Well, helllllllllllllloooooooo Thursday! 

I'm kicking off a new year of giveaways with a fabulous new e-book from Ella Publishing. Based on the 12 on the 12th Project, the goal of the 2012 Take Twelve Project is to take 12 photos on the 12th day of each month for a full 12 months—and scrapbook them!

Ella authors Angie Lucus and Elizabeth Dillow bring you this Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit, packed with photo-taking ideas, beautiful photo examples, useful checklists, bonus project ideas, alternate approaches, and more to inspire the photos you take—making it easier than ever to preserve important slices of your life in pictures.

The e-book includes a full toolkit to help you complete 12 unique and inspiring scrapbook pages, featuring 12 photos each. There are expertly designed sketches, layout ideas, journaling lists you can instantly print and use, and page titles and mini-calendar accents to boot.

You can read more about this cool project and get the latest scoop at ellapublishing.com/taketwelve.

So yeah...if you'd like a chance to win the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit (plus a free download of the Take 12 digital templates), then leave me a comment here telling me one of your New Year's goals.  I'll close the comments on the evening of Sunday, January 8 and post a winner shortly thereafter.

Happy Thursday, peeps!

UPDATED WITH WINNER:  Congrats to KathyChen, winner of the Ella Publishing giveaway:

Kathy - shoot me an email and I'll get you all the details on the prize!

Well Hello 2012.

We've had a rather lazy, laid-back start to the New Year consisting of sleeping in (a New Year's eve filled with dinner out at Rock Bottom, many rousing rounds of CatchPhrase, and actually staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop can wear a family out!), slowly packing away the Christmas adornments, watching football, and generally avoiding the reality that our holiday was winding down. 

And while Mike headed back to work today, the kids don't go back to school until tomorrow, so we are continuing to enjoy one last day in a holiday mindset. Gotta rest up before the big Gigantic Goal List of 2012 kicks off tomorrow, which includes the requisite health-oriented and organizational goals, all of which I'm rather excited to begin. (Not so excited that I wanted to tackle any of them on the actual first of the year, mind you. Being the rebellious nonconformist that I am, my 2012 will have a start date of January 4. So there.)

Anyway, today I'm hopping online to share some of my pages from the January Jenni Bowlin Mercantile kit. Should you be enjoying an easy-going afternoon like me, take a few minutes to check out the design team gallery while enjoying a mug of coffee. (And if you're at work, you officially have my permission to be a slacker for a bit and peruse it as well - just tell your boss the work year doesn't really start until tomorrow!)

S U P P L I E S :

S U P P L I E S :

 

S U P P L I E S :

 

And with that, I'm off to enjoy the rest of one last lazy day.  Hope you enjoy your Tuesday, too!