sneak peek

in just 2 days the reveal of november's ACCEPTANCE kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out will be here.  im sooo looking forward to sharing these pages.  we would love to have you join the fun over at our forums and participate in all our challenges.

what does ACCEPTANCE mean to you??  can you ACCEPT life how it is or are you eager for change??  how important is other people ACCEPTING you to your life??  there are so many ways this theme could go.

November is going to be a great month!!

this week

this week chris and i have fallen in love all over again. 
sometimes in the chaos that is life the important things fall through the cracks.  and this week we were able to slow down, spend some serious time together and grasp hold of those important things before they were lost forever. 
my heart feels full.
and my smile is real again.

*source

quote of the day

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. 
-Saint Francis de Sales

purpose: meant to be

here is my last page from this month's PURPOSE kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.  when i thought about my purpose in life i immediately thought of my relationship with chris.  i truly feel that i am meant to be his wife.  and i am so grateful to be his wife.  that is what this page is about.

my journaling says:  chris, you are the man i am meant to spend the rest of my life with.  i feel safe in this world with you by my side.  together we can support each other and fulfill our dreams.  i do believe that we were made for each other.  i love you completely. 

i really love how this page turned out.  i was initially having a harder time with the combination of papers and colors in this kit, but after stepping away from it and then approaching it with a fresh perspective i was able to create some very special layouts to me.  it was such a thought-provoking theme this month.

you can still get in on the action with a PURPOSE kit of your own and participate in our challenges.  make sure to swing by our site. 

cartwheels in my mind

while doing some perusing on my favorite blogs i discovered that i had been featured this week over at the Cartwheels in my Mind blog. 

i love this blog so much for its focus and love of hand-made art and the artists behind it.  they have so many fun weekly features and useful links to find inspiration in this online world.  i am honored to have some of my work shared along with the very talented jessi.  take a peek at the post HERE and bookmark this site for future reference.  you'll find yourself going back again and again! i know i do. 

fallen leaves

i finally had a chance to do some pictures in the fallen leaves today.  this is my finished image for my week | forty-two picture.  thought i'd share it here too.  on monday chris and i will take some together.  he took monday off and we're going to spend the whole day just the two of us.  im so looking forward to it. 

things i love thursday

i absolutely cannot believe how fast this month is zooming by.... or this year for that matter.  is it feeling that way to you too??

anyway, today im sharing some of my recent internet {loves}.
to begin with my Flickr faves.  fall is creeping in..and i am in love with leaves and the crisp autumn air.  that was my inspiration for this collage.

1. Bittersweet October., 2. Untitled, 3. found, 4. 332/365, 5. shades of fall, 6. i love fall

i am anxious to get out and take some true fall pictures now that the leaves are starting to fall here.  and i want to take more pictures with chris.  we haven't done that very much this year and i miss it.  here are a couple of my favorites of us together autumn of 2008. 

and now on to some other thing i {love} today...

• this fun etsy shop that i think is a must for all polaroid lovers.  polaroid coasters!!  dude. 

• this too cute radio by Orla Kiely found via Decor8.  how great would this be in any kitchen?  i love to listen to music while im doing dishes (cuz dishes is the only thing im good at in our kitchen! lol)

•  i absolutely loved this interview with the amazingly creative mind behind sassafras' new line: mix and mend, the lovely Michelle Clement.  i've loved her scrappy style for a long time and thought it was so cool to see her creative process for designing the line. 
• i found the cutest engagement story on Flickr the other day and you simply must pop over and read it and see the picture.  too cute. 
• and i really want one of these necklaces.  the vintage pearl shop has such adorable ideas.  this one really "spoke" to me.  ;) 

•  i am {loving} all things newborn photography lately.  especially photographer Kelley Ryden who works together with her twin sister.  their images are so stunning.  i want to create art like them... 

•  today is the October Sponsor feature over at KylaRoma.com.  and guess who is one of the sponsors this month??  ME!!  hop on over and see the post and check out her blog and the other sponsors for october too.  i really adore kyla and her voice.  her blog is a favorite of mine.  and im honored to be featured there.  

and something else i {love} today?? 
free flu shots given by chris' employer for all employees and their families!  score!!  thanks CDSI!

so, how is your thursday??  :)

sweet baby ruthy

im really excited to get to share some more shots from my first newborn shoot with little ruthy.  she was quite a wiggle worm for being so little, but i really love the ones we got.  here are a few of my favorites.

i truly enjoyed taking pictures of this new life.  i hope that i get more opportunities to take newborn pictures.  i want to learn more and develop the art of baby shots. 
thank you so much kim and ryan for letting me into your home to take pictures of your sweet baby you've waited so long for. 

my intentions

in·ten·tion
–noun
1.an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.
2.the end or object intended; purpose.
3.intentions,
   a.purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct

what i intend to do... what i purpose to do. 
that is what my next page from this month's PURPOSE kit found at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. 

thanks for taking a peek at another one of my pages.  i have one more left to share for this month and then we're off on another journey of self-discovery with a new theme next month.  hope you'll join us.

over the weekend...

this weekend chris and i spent some time together and visiting friends.  we went to spokane for an anniversary party and enjoyed spending time with our friends there.  we've only been back a couple times since we moved away, so it was nice to see everyone all at the same time in the same place.

and then after the party we went and stayed with ryan and kim and brand new baby ruthy.  i took
ryan and kim's maternity pictures a couple months ago and on sunday i had the pleasure of doing ruthy's very first photo shoot.  she is one of the most beautiful newborns i've ever seen.  this was my first time taking pictures of a baby and it was a learning experience but something i truly enjoyed.  i hope to incorporate more newborn shoots into my portfolio. 

this is an unintentional before and after that i put together.  its my favorite from my edits so far.

i'll be sharing more pictures from this sweet little family once i get them edited.  i am so happy for them all.  ruthy is just darling. 

so that was our weekend.  we ate at our favorite Chinese place while we were there and enjoyed the driving time together.  it was nice to get away for a bit, even just for one night. 

one more time!

im excited to take another quick moment to share that Scrapbooking from the Inside Out is being featured over at Cathy Zielske's blog today with yet another giveaway!! 
2 of our DT's pages are featured using our PURPOSE kit.

its such a pretty kit.  and its been quite a journey with the theme this month.

here is a sample of one of the challenges we have going over on the forum this month:

Meaning: Do you know what your purpose is? Does your work, your family life, your avocation give you a sense of meaning and value? What parts of your life aren’t working, and what could you do to change that? Do you believe that there’s a purpose for your life that was decided for you by a greater force, or do you determine your own meaning? Is there such a thing as ‘mattering’? How would you know if you did matter?  Please create a LO about your purpose and how it is divided between the different parts of your life.  For the design twist, show us the slices of the pie of your time...maybe it's a brownie pan...in any case, break something up that you normally wouldn't!

we would love to have you join us and create with us.  :D

the things i can control

right now there seem to be only a few things.  so im grasping hold of them and clinging for dear life.  im hoping i'll make it through this "storm."

onto the things i can control:


1) MY HAIR

 

it was time for a change again.  i almost can't believe how haggard and tired i look in the before picture... i haven't been sleeping well and i have this horrible twitch in my left eye.  driving me crazy!!  anyway...so i got a bunch of layers cut into my hair and short baby bangs again.  im glad to have the bounce and curl back into my hair.  its gonna take a couple days for it to grow on me, but the change feels good. 

2) MY SCRAPBOOKING

i did this page on scrapblog for the current effer dare.  once again they're doing a swap with the first 15 people to participate.  the theme is "where i stand" and i found this terrific emily dickinson quote and thought it worked perfectly. 
it is therapeutic for me to create.  even just a little something digital.  i have to push...and don't feel very creative...but it gets me through.  its a part of who i am. 

3) MY POETRY
i have been keeping up with my portraits for my 52weeks project, but the words haven't been coming to me.  so i took some time and decided to write.  it was interesting to look back on the last couple months and remember the feelings.  i am proud of these poems.  and i am going to be so proud of this completed project. 
here is a recent portrait and poem together.

at that moment
the floor dropped
falling...falling...falling...
is my permanent state of existence.

there goes the other me...
somehow she's falling up.
perhaps she will find the meaning in all of this
perhaps there is no meaning.

just action and reaction
and me
a girl in panic. 

i know i'll get through this hard time.
but right now it feels so far away.
so im controlling the things i can control. 

you can win a PURPOSE kit

i am so honored to be a part of the amazing design team over at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out and today we're being featured on, not one, but two manufactures blogs with giveaways on each!!  The kit this month features the Crate Paper Restoration line and Lush from Kaisercraft.

i have already shared my page that has the most Crate Paper on it (those amazing flowers!! yum!) and so today i'd like to share one of my layouts that features one of the beautiful papers from Kaisercraft. this line is flowery and soft and feminine.  it was a pleasure to work with.

my journaling reads:  it is a goal of mine to lead a purposeful life...to dream big and live out loud.  sometimes it gets hard...life can bring me down fast.  but i keep trying.  living life on purpose.

click HERE to leave a comment on Crate Paper's blog.
click HERE to leave a comment on Kaisercraft's blog.
you can win a kit on both!! 

today i am...

welcoming fall.

with a big bowl of tomato soup.

and a scarf around my neck.

hopefully the leaves start turning soon and the weather stays nice.  autumn is my favorite season and im planning on really enjoying it this year.

how do you welcome fall?

things i love thursday

it is thursday once again... and i haven't done a {things i love} thursday post in awhile.  i've hardly done much posting of any kind, which is sad.  but it also means that i have some fun links and things to share that i've been saving up.

as usual i {love} to start with my current Flickr faves.

1. Still Remains, 2. Untitled, 3. Art School, 4. loner, 5. Untitled, 6. 255/365

i discovered this store which sells the coolest photography/photographer related things.  i think i need this coffee mug and the camera phone lenses for sure!  cool eh??  (also pictured: the photoshop magnets and the magnetic string picture frame.) 

 there are so many fun things to explore on this site.

i am in {love} with these rings. 

and i totally want to give this tutorial a try once we find a home.  you could use any fabric and any shape as a starched fabric wall decal.  i found this through Danielle Thompson's home tour.  love the clouds she did in her boy's room.  *swoon*

i have also found myself reading and exploring a lot of food blogs lately.  here are a couple recipes i'm eager to try soon.  its still totally summer here....way too hot for my liking.  these recipes will work perfectly. 

Summertime Lasagna

Citrus Salad

and if you're in the mood for some good reads, here is a little list of my favorite blog posts lately:

• Little Cats that Copy by Promise
• a sweet idea for your friends Cellphone Serenade
• Yes Moment and Daily Wonder by Kyla Roma
• Thinking of Strangers 

well, that's it from me today.... its a good mix of finds and things i enjoy while browsing online.  thanks for taking a peek. 
have a wonderful rest of your week.