{crafty} Time SMBiGBlogHop

Welcome back! We are so happy to have you back for the January edition of our Social [Media] Butterflies blog hop!

You should have come here from Susan's blog, if not head back to the Social Media Butterflies home base to start from the beginning.

This month our focus is on TIME. In thinking about what I wanted to make for the hop this month and how time can apply in so many different ways I kept coming back to MAKE TIME. I don't always have the time to pursue what I love to do for myself but I am learning that it is important to MAKE the time for it and that I can without needing to feel guilty or selfish. Whether it's deepening my faith, creating art (at least, I consider it art) or reading. I am learning that if my priorities are in check everything else tends to fall in to place. At least every once in a while ;-)

In all the years that I have been scrapbooking, this is my very first project that is just about me. I had some "oops' moments but I am trying not to let them bother me too much. I've noticed there is a fine line between a fun messy look and just looking messy. Hopefully I didn't cross that line too much.

I used a Heidi Swapp color magic memory file and mini memory file. Studio Calico's Monkey Bar's kit, Noah outline stamp and Block Party Stamp. For the inside of the large folder I used several Studio paints, Liquitex acrylic inks, modeling paste and a black paint pen.

Thanks for looking! 

Jenny
Ellie
Kristin
Corinne
Malika
Shay
Trisha
Kristin
Susan
Amanda<-----YOU ARE HERE

{crafty} Printables & Etsy

When I started my Etsy shop it was with one main purpose in mind, to share my love of everything paper in the form of inspirational words and quotes. Sometimes I do veer off to do something fun or whimsical, because let's face it, it's fun! 

I have some new altered frames and other projects in the works but lately my shop has taken quite a turn from paper based items to vinyl decals and signs. I have learned a lot along the way, like the fact that my love for fonts may soon overtake my paper hoarding problem, but I am learning more every day. I have been thinking about going back to school for the last few years and I suddenly (like just now as I started typing) decided I want to go back for Graphic Design. I have always been crazy undecided when it comes to schooling. I went to school for Psychology then jumped to Graphic Design (weird huh!?) and eventually Interior Design and all of that was many years ago. In the meantime I am going to play and teach myself what I can. After creating vinyl designs I recently started leaning towards print designs as well because I love the versatility of making quick color and size changes. Here are a few designs I have made recently. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you may have seen this first one, for a limited time I am making this available as a free download! I just ask that you please give credit where it's due if used in a project. 

I admit, while I do like this one I do plan on revisiting it. I like the way this font played well with these words, I'm not sure it was the right choice.

 I also recently used this design in another color scheme as a bold title for a layout using Crate Paper's Acorn Avenue (photo removed for publication)

{tasty} Spicy Buffalo Lentils

There are some things I am just simply not good at.

Time management may top that list. I confess, I am a procrastinator. You give me a hard deadline and you bet I will get it done, albeit I will surely wait until the eve of said deadline to start it. No deadline? Let's just say I have projects I started over 3 years ago that still sit unfinished. I have a never ending to-do list of ideas for home projects, craft projects, recipes...and simply not enough hours, or sometimes desire, to get them done.

Also on that list? Creating recipes. I am, however, one heck of a recipe follower. There are times that either I or my husband have a recipe idea and I make it happen. There is that little detail however of remembering how I made it. Of course, I can't make it that easy on myself and just write it down as I go. Or when I do write it down I throw it away or bury it in the mail pile and it's never seen again. Or I write down my ingredients and the meal turns out exactly as I hoped for but I didn't take pictures. Who wants to take pictures every 30 seconds while they are trying to get their family fed? Yep, that sounds like me but eventually I get my act together, even if it means making the same thing 4 times in a month.

I am still struggling to find a decent place to take natural light pictures in my house. It's proving to be quite difficult. We should move.

 Spicy Buffalo Lentils:

• 2 cups cooked Lentils
• 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 Celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 small Onion, diced
• 3 strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/3 cup Franks hot sauce
• 2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil, divided
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP Honey
• 1/3 cup Blue Cheese, plus more for topping

Cook bacon and set aside. 

Cook lentils according to package directions. Drain off any excess liquid. We always have either brown or french green lentils on hand and both work well for this dish. 

In a small dish combine hot sauce, vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic and honey and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add crumbled bacon and 2 cups of lentils and stir to combine. Add sauce and blue cheese and stir to fully coat lentils. Served topped with additional blue cheese.

You can certainly enjoy this dish on it's own, but serving it up with slow cooked pulled pork is a fabulous idea too!

{crafty} Focus on Memory Keeping

Me + memory keeping = EPIC FAIL. 

Isn't that the whole point of scrapbooking? And I do call myself a scrapbooker, even if I only get 1 or 2 pages done every month.

I rarely journal on my pages. Partly because I hate my writing and don't want to feel like I have ruined my page and also because, as of late especially, I tend to create my pages with more portrait type pictures that don't have a story behind it. See? Fail!

Keeping in line with my OLW this year I am striving to change this. I am going to be more intentional about scrapping pictures that really mean something to me rather than just the ones that show I can take a nice picture, as nice as they may look on a page. I would however like to spend more time using my DSLR this year and not rely so much on my phone for my photos. 

And just in case I don't quite get those memories on a layout, I will be focusing on other ways of memory keeping as well!

I absolutely adore this perpetual memory calendar from Mou Saha

My project list seems to be ever growing so the thought of even doing this right now completely overwhelms me. So instead, for this year, I opted to keep it simple and do the memory jar that is currently all over Pinterest. 

via Pinterest

I am using a standard size mason jar but I would like to get something larger. Once I do I plan on prettying it up since I have to look at it all year long ;-) At the end of the year I plan on putting each sheet on a D-Ring, add a cover and simple embellies and making a quick mini out of it.

I haven't been very good at journaling
ever since I gave up on keeping a diary in high school! The husband got me this journal for Christmas and I hope to use it as a sort of catch all. As a prayer/devotional journal as well as anything else I feel the need to write down. I would really like to end up with an eclectic mix of writing, art journaling, smash booking, whatever I feel like throwing down on paper in a given day.

And lastly! I am committing to Photo a Day. We'll see if I can do it for the entire year but I'm willing to take it a month at a time and go from there! I also plan to create a layout to recap each month.

I am very excited about the changes I want to make within myself this year, and memory keeping is just a portion of it. I'm just praying that I can stay focused and not lose sight of how important memory keeping is.  

So, how do you remember those little moments that can be so easily forgotten? Project life? Journaling? Something completely different?