Color = Happiness

I have yellow walls all through my house, because white is just to boring. I have red serving platters because I love how it looks with the Spanish Gold on the walls and feels kind of 'Tuscany' - don't ask me why, I have never been there, but they are the colors I envision. And yes Italy is on my 'bucket list' to visit.

Becky Higgins has been sharing her trip to Finland and it got me thinking... Out of all the places in the world, when I think of bright, vibrant colors, Scandinavian countries come to mind. Maybe I have Ikea to thank for that impression, but I have always envied the use of bright mixes of color and have tried to incorporate that into our home.

So I was thrilled when

There was a time in my life when I thought I wasn't CREATING unless it was super inspired and all my own.

How silly is that. . .

Now I see creativity as a constant part of the journey. Our lives are full of creativity, whether by us, those around us or the maker of the universe.

I am creating when I write a blog post, when I a look through my camera lens, when I teach my child a new skill, when I read and expand my mind, when I . . . 

you get the idea

I have spent some time the last 24 hours catching up on the happenings in the Project Life forum. Have you had a chance to look through all the great topics, join in and start some of your own? 

I recommend that you take a few minutes and browse around. The ideas are flowing. And if you have question it is a great place to ask. Thanks to all our wonderful members for making this a warm and friendly place to share and explore. 

I also got some traditional scrapbooking projects that have been waiting patiently for me to visit them once the excitement of Project Life settled down. Well, I am still excited and thrilled about Project Life, but I thought that many of you continue to do traditional scrapooking and I still love it, so I better not neglect it...

Do you ever have one of those days where you wonder if the world around you has gone crazy? Well that was my day or last few days.

When you have teenagers in the house you somethings have to wonder if you should be admitted to the loonie bin.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I am throughly enjoying them being teenagers. It's just that sometimes... well you know what I mean.

But let me back up and talk about this past week's POTD's in order. As you know I am doing my Project Life album from Friday to Thursday. So last

Wow, can you believe it has been 6 days since New Year's Eve?

Okay maybe six days isn't much, but I am already feeling the rush. I've been a little light headed as I have been watching, listening too, and participating in exciting things in the scrapbooking world. Let me just highlight a few of the experts I follow:

Remember!

November is a special time around our home. We focus on remembering those that protect us and keep our country free.

Our family participates in numerous events during the week leading up to Remembrance Day.

I just finished a course to become a gel nail technician and I'm really excited about it.  The major thing about becoming a skilled nail technician is practise, practise, practise.  Right now I'm really slow and my technique needs major honing but that is why I'm going to practise.  

I was just talking with a friend on the phone and the subject of needing a vacation from our problems came up - which immediately reminded me of one of my all-time favorite movies - What About Bob?  This a movie that I can watch over and over again, even by myself, and laugh out loud every time.  It helps to have a counselor for a father too, I suppose.  It happens to be one of his favorite movies as well.

I have a friend visiting me from out of town right now who I used to scrapbook with regularly when we lived near each other.  She and I have a similar style of scrapbooking - we tend to like the same sorts of layouts - except she is much more willing to try very detailed embellishments and features while I don't always have the patience for that.  But the thing about it is . . .  she inspires me.

This last week has been quiet on the blog front, but definitely not quiet in my head.

I love having AHA moments that make me ponder, review, grow and anticipate. Working through something, although a struggle sometimes, has huge rewards in the end. Mostly for me it is a renewed sense of self esteem, courage and sheer excitement. It is the realization that a hiccup on the road of life, whether the loss of a job, things not going as planned or taking longer then we anticipated, does not mean life is over. There may be need for course correction and adjustments, but THAT IS life!

I was reminded this past week to 'step into MY spotlight'. What did that mean for me? Well through the week as I pondered that idea I began to realize that I was hiding. Hiding from my own success and my own greatness. But why? Well to answer that, took me a bit longer. I needed to understand why before I could fully accept how I was going to step into MY spotlight.

You see, I didn't think my strengths in this industry were enough. I don't have a job with one of the top industry magazines, I have never had a layout published. I don't see myself as uber creative like so many we read about. I never, don't, not, etc! ARrrgH I was letting it consume me!

So how do I change my perspective?

For me the focus must be on living my life intentionally. There is a great saying that goes as follows:

The Essence of Initiative

The future doesn't just happen, it is created... Our destiny is not in the stars, but in ourselves. We may need to follow in the wake of those who have gone before, but what we do and where we go is ultimately up to us. The attitude of initiative is an on-going state of exploration that is never finished... a journey that never ends.

 

It is interesting that when it comes to parenting I have always been very intentional. I always look to the bigger picture while still handling the day to day acts. It is not about being frozen by fear or worrying if all my ducks are in a row before I act. It is progessively moving towards my goal and being real in the journey there.

Business is no different. I must be intentional. It is up to me.

I am creative - you will see more of me and my style

I am organized - you will see more of my scrapbook area and learn what I do to management my creative time

I am successful - being published in a magazine is only one marker. There are so many other markers that I need to recognize them for exactly that... examples of my success. You see, each of you who read and/or comment are examples that I am succeeding. My goal is to provide helpful information about how to keep scrapbooking fun and guilt free. With so much available on the internet, you still choose to visit. And for that I am grateful.

I am excited to move into my spotlight!

What is your spotlight that you have been hiding from?