It's BACK this March!!

If you have been reading my blog for awhile then you may remember my "31 Days Creative" challenge. We took the entire month of August where we infused some kind of creative energy into our days. Click here to read more about that and here for all 31 challenges!!

I am very happy to report that the CHALLENGE is back by popular demand and I couldn't be more excited!! I have learned soooo much since last summer and can't wait to share with all of you!! Here are just a few topics to look forward to...

*Art journaling
*Using paints in your projects
*Keeping track of all your To-Do's in a fun way
*Scrapbook ideas, pages and idea books

The Challenge starts Tuesday March 1st

and runs through Thursday March 31st.

Please let me know if you are 

participating this year.

You can e-mail me or leave a comment...

either way is fine. 

Be sure and grab my 31 Days Challenge button

on the right side of my Blog. 

Thanks to Leanne for making this for me!!!

As the time gets closer I will be letting you know what you need to have on hand to make the Challenge a little more fun!! Hope you'll join me!!:)


“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” — Alan Alda

Sad News

I woke up this morning eager to share some Art Journal pages and my thoughts on creativity. But then some sad news came my way...

Our beloved cat of over 10 years passed away this morning. She had been at the vet. You see, my sweet pea Little had to have surgery Monday morning. My darling, fat, gray fluff ball died of complications this morning.

I will miss my Little.

Word of the Week/Scrappy Layout

I have spent the past hour and a half reading through a few of my favorite blogs. Just wanted you all to know how much I appreciate your honesty, your ideas and your talents. Aren't we blessed to have the internet??? Be sure and check out my Facebook Fan page for a few of my favorite posts from today. Not a fan yet? Click here.

First of all you just gotta see these...

My sweet, amazing husband brought a dozen of these home to me last Friday!! He is the BEST:) I love him dearly and appreciate how thoughtful he is. Just gotta tell ya', too that Dave is literally melting right in front of me. He has just 15 pounds to go till he reaches his goal weight. So proud of him!!!

It's Tuesday and that can mean one thing here at Words of Me...our WORD for the Week. Instead of my choosing a WORD I want you to focus on your WORD of the Year. It's nearly February so why  not check in with yourself and make sure you are on track with your WORD for 2011. Be sure and ask yourself what you need to be doing to living your WORD.

Don't have a WORD? That's okay. Choose something you want to focus on this week and do that. Maybe you want to cook all your meals at home or get a few scrapbook pages done. You could use the WORD Create or Creative to think about this week to help you reach your goals.

Speaking of scrapbook pages here's one from November....

I rarely use animal prints in any of my layouts but this paper seemed to fit. The photos are of Dave and I at my 5 year class reunion back in 1990.

I use flowers and butterflies in nearly everything I create. They just add so much!!

I couldn't resist those cute pink felt lips from Fancy Pants. Too fun!!:)

Today is Week 3's assignment for my "Soul Restoration" class I am taking with Melody Ross. Looking forward to what she has in store for us this week. Remember if you weren't able to take her class this time she is offering it again in April! 

What is your WORD of the year? Do you need to work on it? How are you doing with your 2011 goals? Please share...I love to know what you're up to!!!

Another project...

Just another peek into my Soul Restoration Class with Melody Ross. Girls, I can't say enough good about this class!! If you can do it...Please take this class!! She is teaching another one in April. You won't believe how it makes you feel and how the creativity just pours out of you!!!

Go here to read more about this life changing class. She mixes healing ourselves with art. Amazing.

We have a relaxing and spiritual weekend planned. Tonight is my home made taco pizza [the best I have been told!!} then a game night with the kids. Playing shuffleboard and our Wii. Tomorrow we head to Omaha to visit the Winter Quarters Temple then having lunch. Tomorrow night either a movie out or in. Sunday is Church then some really awesome football! Go JETS!



What are your plans for the weekend?

SMILE!

Since our WORD this week is SMILE...thought I'd share some really great smile quotes. Use these in your Art Journals...your scrapbooks...on a notecard....or just keep them in a notebook to brighten your day!:)

A smile is the light in the window of your face that tells people you're at home.  ~Author 
Unknown

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.  ~Charles Gordy 


I've never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.  ~Author Unknown 

Smiling is infectious,
You can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too.
~Author Unknown



If you don't start out the day with a smile, it's not too late to start practicing for tomorrow.  ~Author Unknown



I have a tickle in my brain.  And it keeps making the corners of my mouth point toward the heavens.  ~Jeb Dickerson



No matter how grouchy you're feeling,
You'll find the smile more or less healing.
It grows in a wreath
All around the front teeth -
Thus preserving the face from congealing.
~Anthony Euwer


Every day you spend without a smile, is a lost day.  ~Author Unknown


And my favorite smile quote....

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.  ~Mother Teresa     

Organized and on a roll

Inspiration has been around every corner for me these past few weeks. From the amazing "Soul Restoration" class I am taking with Melody Ross to your blogs...I have a Creative To-Do list 10 miles long!! LOL!

One of my goals for 2011 is to simplify.

That means going through all our stuff 

and spreading the love...

ya' know what I mean?

I am a collector of much. You can never have too 

many notebooks or books or clothes

or shoes or art supplies right? 

Well, just ask my poor house. 

It is stuffed to the brim and 

more than ready to part with a few things. 

Two of my blog friends Jen and Leanne have been working on this very thing, too and have given me that kick in the pants I needed to get started. See how Leanne cleaned up a kitchen cabinet and what Jen did with her bathroom.

So, as if I didn't have enough to do already I took Monday and cleared 1 huge bag of junk out of our bathroom and bedroom. I went through every cabinet and drawer, keeping only those items which we use. Here are a few of the results...See this makeup? Before it was everywhere. I mean I had my mascara in a make-up bag, lipsticks in my purse and blush in the drawer. I could never find any of it! Now it's all nice and neat in this basket I already had. My facial cleansers and lotions are to the left.

All my makeup is now in one tidy basket.

 

 

AL hair products in one spot!

I found this wire basket at a garage sale last year for one dollar. I love it! All of my hairspray, gels, flat iron spray and hand lotions are in this basket that fits perfectly below the sink.



This is a shot of our linen closet. Before I organized this space it was just stuffed with all this plus towels. That was not working!! Now I enjoy opening the door to find this tidy space.

All extra soap, deodorants, lotions and nail products are here.

Moving on to our bedroom...I finally have a dresser I adore! Before this was just a place to toss whatever...change, hair products, books...it was a mess. Now....look!

See that lamp? My Mom used those back in the 1960's. I think it adds a vintage charm to our room.

My fave family photo, jewelry box and fave lamp.

The placemat everything is on is so special to me. My Great Aunt that I just recently met embroidered it just for me:)

Dave gave me so many necklaces for Christmas I need to make room for them!!

My next organizing goal is my kitchen. Oh, boy is that gonna be work! Not only am I going to wipe everything down...I am taking everything out of the cupboards, sorting, purging then putting back in a neat and tidy way. I think I am going to create "stations", too. A place for all my baking ware, etc.

I highly recommend the book "Organizing from the Inside Out". Julie has hundreds of ideas to get your place in shape. I am loving it!!

Are you a very organized person or is this something you struggle with? What are some spaces you are working on now or want to very soon?

And you thought you knew me!

 My sweet friend, Leanne tagged me last week to answer the following 19 questions. Whew...that's a lot but fun, too! Please don't feel like you have to read every one of these...but pick a few...you may learn something about me you didn't know:)

1. if you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?  We do have pets...Gizmo is our Mini Pom, Tiger and Little our our cats and Bo is our Black Lab. They are all members of the Ackman family...especially this little spoiled brat:)

Gizmo our baby

2. if you can have a dream to come true, what would it be? I have so many dreams. And so many dreams for my family. But when talking about just me...my DREAM is to inspire and encourage women around the world on a larger scale. I would love to be writing for a major magazine or have a blog that reaches thousands daily. I would also love to be a motivational speaker! Of course I would had creativity in there, too.

3. what is the one thing most hated by you?  Rude people. I can't stand them. I have no patients for them. I cannot stand people who make fun of others, either. Makes me sick to my stomach.

4. what would you do with a billion dollars? Well, a BILLION dollars...that's a TON of money! Just a few things...give to St. Judes Hospital in Memphis, pay off my home, buy a summer home in Utah, send my kids to any school they wanted, take an incredible trip with my Mom...anywhere she wanted to go and buy every CD I've ever wanted. I love music!! Oh and hire a professional organizer and decorator to come and help fix up our home!

5. what helps to pull you out of a bad mood?  Music, my family, creating, writing, long walks and friends.

6. which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone? I gotta tell  ya'...I still thank my Heavenly Father for the life I have. Having my amazing family that loves me...there is peace and comfort in that.
7. what is your bedtime routine? I wash my face and moisturize, take my 2 Excedrin Migraine tabs, put a swipe of "Head-On" on my forward and...don't laugh...I Vicks Vapo-Rub on. The smell helps my head if it's hurting and helps me fall asleep!!

8. if you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner? We met where I worked...KNIM radio station. That is great story...I need to share!!

9. if you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be? Melody Ross. She is one of my mentors. Love her!!

10. what kinds of books do you read? I rarely read fiction...but when I do it is always Stephen King. I am currently on page 352 of "Under the Dome". Love this book! Reminds me of my all-time fave book "The Stand". Otherwise I read inspirational type books, books on writing, etc.

11. how would you see yourself in ten years time? Well, my kids will be 26 and 23. I may be a Grandma...that sounds crazy! I am still writing. I am in better shape then than now. Dave and I are taking trips. Still blogging, creating and trying to inspire:)

12. what’s your fear? That I will get cancer or someone else I love. My Dad, Aunt and Grandma all died of it.

13. would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space? I am so stinkin' scared of heights...I don't know if I could go in space!

14. would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor? Hey, being rich would be fantastic!! But I love and adore Dave and we have been both very well off and in the pits. So I would say poor and married.

15. what’s the first thing you do when you wake up? I lay in bed and talk with Heavenly Father. I thank him for all that I have and ask His blessing on the day.

16. if you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be? I really lucked out in the husband department. Dave is one amazing man! Seriously!! Maybe that he would not be quite so quick to give our money away. Now I know that sounds bad...like I am selfish...but this wonderful man has given to the point it has hurt us. He is learning!!

on our way to 8.28

17. if you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be? My name of the moment is Tenille. My girlfriend from HS names her daughter that and I LOVE it! All through school I wanted to be Stacey.

18. would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done? I have and I would again.

19. if you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be? I LOVE watermelon!!

Okay...so, I hope you learned a bit more about me! Now the fun...I get to pass this on to a few of YOU! So here goes...

My friend Jen You must stop by and see all her beautiful WORD creations!! 

Then there's Joyce. We just found each other a few months ago

and already we are blog friends. Her blog is so uplifting! 

Don't miss out on my friend in blog land and here as well {we go to church together and our daughter's share a birthday}

Amber. Yep, her blog is a worth read. 

She is raising 7 kids!! Let me tell you she has writing skills!!

For real!! You will love her and the photos of her ADORABLE children!!

And last but not least...Becca.

Becca was on my Design Team back in the day 

when I owned an on-line scrappy store and community. 

She is a very talented scrapper. 

Why not see for yourself?

And before I forget...Our Word of the Week is...

SMILE

–verb (used without object)

1.

to assume a facial expression indicating pleasure, favor, or amusement, but sometimes derision or scorn, characterized by an upturning of the corners of the mouth.

2.

to regard with favor: Luck smiled on us that night.

3.

to have a pleasant or agreeable appearance or aspect, as natural scenes, objects, etc.: The landscape smiled in the sunlight.

Promise yourself that this week you will SMILE at everyone you meet and you will SMILE in all situations! A SMILE really can make a difference!

Who Do You Follow?

It's Thursday!! Hooray! It's time for our NEW little Linky Party called "Who Do You Follow?". Share a favorite blog you follow with us {or maybe it's one you haven't been to in awhile and want to get reacquainted with}. You can either write about it in your blog then link us up to that OR you can put the blog you follow directly in the link. Be sure and leave a comment, too.:)

The blog I'd like to share with you today is called Whimspirations. 

 It's one of those blogs I found one night while surfing the net, loved it and became a follower.

But then I forgot I was following, forgot about the blog and never went back...until now. 

And boy have I been missing out! What an inspirational blog!!

Joanne is a professional at what she does...I mean really.

She is not only an art teacher

but she has had her art licensed for use

on stationary, stamps, giftware and more. 

Pretty cool:)

She just happens to be participating in the Art Journal Challenge I am in right now, too. You will want to see her Journaling Art Calender....soooo awesome!! Click here to see her work.

Remember to link up at the bottom of the page...last week I found 4 new blogs to enjoy. I love sharing each other's blogs, girls!! There is soooo much talent out there!

On the upper right side of my blog you will notice a cute little button that says "31 Days". My fabulous and amazingly talented Leanne from "Chaos Comes Happiness" created this just me! And it's for you, too!! The "31 Days Creative Challenge" is BACK this March!! Every single day we will be doing something CREATIVE!!! Looking forward to this. Grab a button and post on your blog to let the world know you are participating. Spread the word!!!

Don't know what "31 Days Creative" is? Click here for last fall's 31 ideas or click the tab up top that says "31 Days". 

Before I go here is a peek at what I'm doing in my "Soul Restoration" class with Melody Ross.

Join our Linky Party!! 

It's time for you to be BRAVE

Our Word for the Week is....

BRAVE

adjective, brav·er, brav·est, noun, verb, braved, brav·ing.

–adjective

1.

possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance.

2.

making a fine appearance.

3.

Archaic . excellent; fine; admirable.

–noun

4.

a brave person.

5.

a warrior, esp. among North American Indian tribes.

 

 

It seems only fitting our WORD this week is BRAVE. I mean I am starting my Soul Restoration Class today on Brave Girls Club. 

 

 

Be brave enough to live life creatively. The creative place where no one else has ever been. Alan Alda  

 

This week I am going to be flexing my "brave" muscles quite a bit as I begin a journey I've never taken before. This class was a gift from my Mom...I appreciate it so very much:) 

 

Here are some silly photos of me I took yesterday. I look at these and see so many new wrinkles...I don't feel this old but then I see these and think "I need more Oil of Olay!!" LOL

 

 I guess I don't look half bad for a 44 year old...but then again...maybe I do-LOL!!!

 

So I am off to be BRAVE today. To learn and grow and stretch myself. I will share insights along the way and let you know about the class. Melody will be offering it again in April.

 

What does BRAVE mean to you? Please leave me a comment and have a WONDERFUL day!!! 

I am a Brave Girl!

Oh how I love this day! It's snowing like CRAZY!!! AND I am home most of the day, cleaning, writing and getting ready for this....

click HERE to sign up!

I have been anticipating this class for months!! Thanks to a loving Mom,  for the next 6 weeks I will finding out what it is my soul is yearning for and creating art that goes along with it. The very talented Melody Ross is putting this on. You have until midnight TONIGHT to sign up!! Be sure and click on the link above for more information and to sign up. If that doesn't work out for you they are offering a second class this April!! I will be sure and let you know how I'm doing!!

The other artsy, creative thing I'm doing is this...

My goal is to get in the habit of art journaling at least 3 to 4 days a week. This has really been a wonderful way to relieve some sadness and stress the past few days as well as share my joys. Here is some of my work...

The cover

My cover page

I punched the butterflies out of an old book. Love that look.

See that "be Happy" stamp to the left? It is my FAVORITE at the moment!

I wrote this one last Saturday. We have so many changes going on in our house with Jackson turning 16 and dating. I was feeling a bit down. This really helped just writing it down.

If you haven't started an art journal I encourage you to do so. Not only are they fun but there is just something so peaceful about working in mine...it's different from traditional writing. You get to play with paint and markers and colored pencils and stickers and patterned paper and glue. It's heavenly:)

A few weeks ago I was inspired to create another canvas. Here is a just a peek...

I promise to share more later....

A few more things...

1. Yes, "Who Do You Follow" will be a weekly blog hop. Not only was this past one fun but I was pleased with the participation and hope it grows over the next months! Be sure and share with us Thursday who you follow!!

2. Our WORD of the week is coming later......I will post on my FB Fan page later today and here Tuesday.

Do you art journal? What kinds of pages do you do? Let me know!!

Who Do You Follow?

Happy Thursday!! I have always loved Thursdays!! How are your goals coming along? I am doing great. Still no diet soda, drinking lots of water, working out, cleansing my face nightly and slathering with anti-aging cream....{lots of it!!!} and feeling GREAT!:) I have begun creating daily again, too and enjoy it so much. The Art Journaling Challenge has been just what I needed to get back into art. So happy!:)

image from Bing.com

 One of my 2011 blog goals is to promote other women bloggers. In the past I have shared interviews of some very talented ladies as well as featured a blog of the week...both of which I'll continue throughout 2011. You see I am passionate about connecting with others. And I think it's sooo important to support one another as we write, post and share our dreams and passions and our frustrations. There is oodles and oodles of talent out there and I want to spread it around!!


Today I am starting a new series called "Who Do You Follow?" Every week or two I'll share one of the blogs I Follow with you!! Many of these little gems I had forgotten about. I am a creature of habit...I mean I have my favorites I read {and always will!!}  but really, there are hundreds of blogs out there that are amazing and full of soooo many ideas!! Here's the fun part!! I just know you have lots of blogs you Follow, too but have forgotten about. Why not join in the fun!! At the bottom of this post you can LINK UP your post about a blog you follow...just think of all the fun we'll have reading and sharing with other women!!

My featured blog this week is "Free Pretty Things for You" 

 What a darling blog this is!! 

If you adore Vintage like I do

then you will fall in love with this blog!!

She offers the cutest vintage images to print off 

and use for FREE!! 

Plus she has some pretty amazing give aways, too.

Be sure and stop by her blog very soon!!

Okay...it's YOUR turn!! Share a blog with us that YOU Follow and just know we'll love!! Link up below!!:)

This will close on January 13th. (Be sure you click on the RED CLICK HERE...the other links are not working!!}

First WORD of the new year

"You only live once....but if you work it right, once is enough." -Joe E. Lewis

With the New Year underway it's time to take our goals and run with them!!

Come on...we CAN do this!!:)

Our WORD this week is....


RESOLVE
 /rɪˈzɒlv/ Show Spelled [ri-zolv] Show IPA verb, -solved, -solv·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)

1.

to come to a definite or earnest decision about; determine (to do something): I have resolved that I shall live to the full.

 

I resolve to reach my goals this week which include...

 

Stretch yourself!

 **Art Journaling everyday in January. I found this site one night while surfing the net and fell in love!! Love all her bright ideas.

 

**Working out at the gym 5 days a week 

 

**Continue on my path of NO Diet Soda {going on day 9!}

 

**Finishing my canvas and sharing with you

 

**Ordering my camera charger so I can begin taking photos and sharing here again 

 

 

 

A few blogs I am loving at the moment...

 

Inspiration Everywhere  

 

Wish Studio

My Pure Joy

 

 

What do you RESOLVE to do this week?