SweetHearts

Nothing signals the arrival of Valentine’s Day like – “Kiss Me”, “Be Mine” and “Sweet Talk” printed on little hearts. Conversation Hearts, aka SweetHearts – Although it’s hard to give credit to just one person for these sugary little treats the NECCO Company is responsible for their popularity. This year, thanks to an online survey one in eighty hearts will say “Tweet Me”. A really modern twist for a 144 year old candy! So what can you do with those sugary little treats that end up at your house besides eat them? Use them for inspiration! Yep! I’m inviting you to join me in a fun filled week at CroppinParadise for the Conversation Heart Crop. There will be an online crop and blog hop from February 7th through the 14th. I hope you can stop by the site and participate in the challenges and the games! Be sure to check back here to see what I have planned for that week.

Being off of work the last few weeks has had it's advantages!  I've gotten a few things done around the house and a lot of scrapbooking projects completed.  I've had some time to try some new things and one of my faves is using Crepe Paper - so many possibilities!  I'll post that layout after the reveal on the blog at CroppinParadise.
Jessica and her boy's have been supplying me with enough photos (I'll never be caught up lol!) to keep me busy.  I knew when I saw the car and bike photos the perfect paper for them would be MME Abby Road the Round & Round Collection.

Over the past 12 years I have collected a ton of (well maybe not a ton but more than a few) articles from scrapbooking magazines that I received describing unique techniques that I would like to someday try. These articles are all neatly organized and in a binder which I pull out from time to time and look at. Granted, I have tried a few of these innovated ideas but not nearly as many as I would like to. Life happens and things come up to keep me from exploring this treasure of a resource binder. Now I knew that after my knee surgery last Friday I would have some time off of work and I really didn’t know how that would go (going great!). So this week I pulled out that binder and all I can say is - there are not enough hours in the day.

I consider myself a passionate (my word for the year) scrapbooker and I’m interested in more than just making layouts. Scrapbooking to me is telling a story and letting my creativity out on paper. So I got a little creative this week and started to make flowers – the possibilities are limitless . . .

paper doily flower

I have been scrapbooking for more than 10 years. My main goal has always been to preserve the present for the future and the past for the present in a creative way.
Now that I’m a Design Team Member at Croppin Paradise (and I can’t even tell you how excited I am about that!!!) I started to really think about being passionate about my scrapbooking and my creativity. I think I am energetically motivated to control the things around me and to discover new connections between things. This provoking drive leads me to be inspired by all kinds of things: fashion (that new sweater), magazine advertisements (great design), new techniques (who would have thought to make a flower out of a pop can?), sketches (be inspired), and I picked up a paint swatch at Lowe’s the other day and I can’t wait to find papers in those colors! I hope you'll check back often and be inspired and for updates on all the fun things that are happening in Paradise http://www.croppinparadise.com/forums/

The metal flowers were cut our of a pop can using my Sizzix.  I then embossed them using my Cuttlebug.  I punched a hole in the middle of the flowers and attached them using brads and glue dots.

It's that time again . . . the beginning of a new year. A time to reflect on the changes we want or need to make. A time to look at who we really are. Who am I? I'm an avid scrapbooker. I like reading mystery novels and watching the food network. I like baseball, Moose Tracks ice cream and altered art. I value honesty, commitment, kindness and bravery. These are hard true facts, but there is a lot I do not know about myself. I do not know how I really feel about the death penalty, I have mixed feelings about the war in Iraq and I do not know what I think about a cashless society. I have no stock answers to offer about life changing experiences or a moment of enlightenment, and it is hard for me to give a comprehensive proclamation of my identity, for I am forever unfolding.
I know I'm looking forward to the New Year. I'm looking forward to enjoying time with my family and friends and reconnecting with what's really important. I'm going to be passionate about what I believe in.

At Croppin Paradise there is a challenge based on Ali Edwards "One Little Word" tradition. After some thought (and some help from Randy) I came up with my word for 2010 - "Passion".
Starting today I'm choosing to feel inspired by my passion. I'm going to let the enthusiasm propel me forward to achieve my goals, regardless of any challenges that arise. Setting and achieving goals is a never ending quest that fuels my passion even more.