things i love thursday

july 8th edition

today is about photography inspiration.  it is something that i desperately crave, especially now smack dab in the middle of my 52weeks project.  in truth, there are very few original ideas out there.  because that is the beauty of creativity... we are inspired by each other as artists.  so here is my flickr collage for this week.  i made it based on the concept of shooting a portrait without a face.  a basic idea, but oh so many unique takes...

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. Leap, 4. It's all a blur..., 5. 115/365 You're free, 6. yellow mood.

so perhaps you'll see my own interpretation of "portraits without faces" coming soon to my 52weeks.  i think it adds interest and a hint of mystery... and every woman can always use a bit of mystery.  ;)

we're at it again!!

that's right everyone!! another chance to win one of the colorful and fabulous COURAGE kits from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.  hop on over to Glitz Design Blog and enter for your chance to win.  and come back and let me know if you do!!  how cool would that be??  :)
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!

win a kit

one of my favorite papers from the COURAGE kit from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out was this glorious soft yellow one.  i used it on the last page that i shared HERE.  the company that makes this paper is called GCD Studios and all their lines are pretty, soft and usable.  but the best part about them you can't see... you have to feel.  the texture of their paper is unique and i just want to touch it and use it all the time.  :)

and today i have good news for you!  GCD Studios is doing a giveaway on their blog of one of these fabulous COURAGE kits so you can get your hands on this paper!  hop on over to their blog to read all about it!  :D 

the two of us

we talk.  good talk.  that's my favorite part of driving places with my boy.  oh yea, we do the usual things people do while on long trips like read and listen to music... but my favorite thing is talking.  we got to do that yesterday.  we drove to tri-cities for sunday of the convention and drove back afterwards.  that is almost 4 hours in the car.  and we mostly talked.

i shared with him the thoughts of my heart and how intensely personal the convention has been for me this year.  we talked about our spiritual goals, individually and as a couple.  he told me he is thankful im his wife. 

talking.  its a beautiful thing.... 

courage

the fun part of creating 5 layouts for my design team is that i can share them with you throughout the month.  so my plan is to make monday's my Scrapbooking from the Inside Out layout reveal day!! 

here is the next page i have based on the theme:  COURAGE

i started this page with the quote found on the bottom.  it was just so perfect and inspired me immediately.  it says:  "being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." -Lao Tzu.  loving chris has definitely given me courage... and that's a bonus i never knew that came with true love.

my journaling says:  loving you gave me the courage to move to spokane and follow my dreams of ASL, to pursue my creative aspirations, to stand on my own two feet, to distance myself from harmful people, and to love you back, completely. 

included in the kit is this really neat embossed cardstock with the stars on it.  but the brown color wasn't quite soft enough for the feel i was going with on the layout.  so i just flipped it over and added the blue jewels!  i also used my corner rounder on 3 sides of the yellow patterned paper to further soften it.  this is one of my favorites that i created using this kit. 

don't forget that you can get your own kit HERE, and join us in the FORUM for lots of 'courage' focused discussion and everyday life talk too. :)  on our website we also have an INSPIRATION PAGE full of songs, quotes and images to get you thinking.  and each month we have challenges that anyone can participate in, kit or not.  please come join us!!