New Year, Fresh Look, Top 12 LOs

Happy New Year Friends! Its so hard to believe a week has already gone by in 2012. I'm blowing the dust off this bliggity blog ( <---- my husband's phrase, LOL) of mine and decided it was time for a fresh look. What'cha think? I was ELATED to find a cloud background and I actually was able to edit my own header!! That's huge for anyone who knows me and my tech challenges. So grab a cuppa' your favorite beverage and sit back. This is a doozie of a post.

A new year brings out so much hope for what's to come. Many look to creating resolutions - I've never been a person to do this, not sure why but glad because I've never been let down by not fulfilling them. LMBO. Some are choosing a word to live by for the year - this is more appealing to me and I pondered choosing one last year although I never did commit to one. This year I've indeed chosen a word and will share that with you all soon. I thought about joining up with the Ali Edwards class and maybe that will be in the budget for next year. Other projects get kick started as well - Project Life seems to be a biggie this year. Are you jumping on this train? I'll admit I'm intrigued and have loved seeing many different examples of how people are going about it, but I don't think it's in the cards. My anal self needed to start this the first week of the New Year and since that's already passed......LOL....I'll be getting down with some of the numerous photo prompts that can be found out there. I figure the prompts will help me document things I may otherwise not think about. I'll be sure to share prompts here as I find them. If you know of any good ones do share. =)

Speaking of sharing, I adored looking at people's top 10 (or whatever #) lists of fav projects last year and this year as well. I never did get around to posting one last year and since I can't share the crazy amount of projects I've created over the last few months I figured this would be a fun way to get some projects posted and look back on my scrappy style and how it's changed over the year. Today I'll share my top 12 LOs from 2011 - one for each month (well kinda).

January


Waiting for Me - This LO definitely shows off my love of fussy cutting and layering, as well as mixing manufacturers up. I used Echo Park, Crate Paper, and Sassafras (miss them lots). This was published in a past issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. This page is also dear to my heart because of the picture - its of me and my biological grandpa after meeting for the 1st time.

February



Ultimate Feast Throwdown - The kraft background (from My Mind's Eye) was perfect for this page. I loved working within all the gridded areas and had a blast creating my own embellishments and using stamps. I also used a ton of rub-ons on this page which is very rare. So this is a fav because not only does it show off my handsome fellas, but I also used up a ton-o-stash. That's always a good thing! This LO was also pubbed in SNR.

March



A Tinkerer's Dream - This is probably about the time I really made the connection of how to mesh my love for what I had been learning and doing with mixed media with my scrapbooking. I used lots of gel medium, Pearl Ex, mists, found items, and more to create this page, publised in SNR. It felt so good to create something I knew was uniquely mine and really tells a story about my son without even having to have words. He loves this page and has it hanging in his room.

April



Art Is... - This LO decks the wall of my scrappy space. I love it for many reasons - the grid design hooked together with jump rings, the fabric paper background I created myself, all the embellishments I either made or jazzed up, the different quotes and words - all little bits of what makes up me and brings me joy. Another page created for a past issue of SNR.

May



Imagine - May was a REALLY tough month for our family. My husband was severely injured and we were left wondering if he'd ever be able to function the same again. Praise God he is just fine and made a miraculous recovery. His therapists and doctors were amazed, as I was.
Scrapping time was at a minimum for me but deadlines for the magazine still called and this page was created for one of them. I think it really speaks of what I was longing for at the time - better, brighter, more colorful days. Lots of different mediums were used on this page along with stamps and stencils. I remember thinking the tide had turned after I did this page. My style had definitely shifted and using various mediums, along with my scrappy supplies, in a collage type manner was making me happy, happy!

June



Stuck Like Glue - Okay so here's where it gets hard for me to choose. At this point I'd abandoned what I felt my pages should look like per what I saw on online galleries, manufacturer blogs, etc. I made a very clear choice that I'm going to do what pleases me - most of the time that means loading up a page like this. I created this page for a DT assignment at MSW using a fabulous My Sketch World sketch by my chica Lucy and I must say by the time I was done with it the basics of the sketch were there but I made it mine for shiggity. I love doing that.

July



In Full Bloom - I love paint!!! - and at this point in th eyear no longer had any type of fears what so ever in using it! I had a TON of fun creating this page. Lots of collaged bits and pieces covered with layers of paint and stamps, glitter and goop LOL! I also went nuts with photos this month because I got an iPhone (love - like prolly too much, LOL)!

August



Campin' Cuties - I adore October Afternoon and could use their stuff all day long without needing anything .....okay let me not get carried away now haha..... seriously though I really do love working with OA stuff. This is a fav because of the photos, the stitching (yes I taught MYSELF how to sew this year - go me, go me!), the goops, and various items used. This month also kicked off the start of manufacturer events at Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. Boy oh boy did I create an insane amount of items!, sadly I can't share them here so the rest of my year's projects are slim pickings to share. LOL.

September


Treasure - Wasn't created in September but its favorite for sure. I love the pictures from my iPhone (I print at home, but am dying to try out one Postal Pix). I also love all the texture, stamping, and colors.

October



Too Pooped - What can I say, this is my lil' pumpkin (now just about 12!) and I adore this little 6x6 page. This also shows off my love for hacking the daylights out of some photos. I've been very inspired by Brit from Brits Scrappe Vegg. You should really go check her work out - totally cool for reals. Without cutting this photo apart, I never would have scrapped it. Now look at my cutie all nestled on some leaves, LMBO.

November



New Tryke - Another flashback LO cuz' I've got nothing shareable from Nov. yet. Super fun, colorful, and whimsical - just the way I like it and another photo I wouldn't have scrapped if i didn't cut my boy out.

December
was a time for family. I created to finish up deadlines needing to be met and to make some family gifts and had a bit of fun creating all sorts of packaging before things got too hectic. ;0) Anyhoo, rather than share a fav (cuz' frankly I've got nuttin') I thought I'd share some sneaks of what's to come:


I love Picnik!This collage was created there. So easy to use.

Quite the year for me scrappy wise. All of the above creations were published, at some point in time, in past issues of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. I worked with numerous manufacturers and created many LOs, cards, altered items, MM projects, and more for events and articles pubbed and yet to come. I continue on as the Mixed Media Director for the magazine and look forward to a New Year filled with exciting adventures. You want to miss it. As far as my style goes some things I notice: I love clouds, color, and mixing it up. I have a freedom to my pages yet its organized. Organized chaos I guess. I am very much a freestyle scrapper, and really delight in bringing collage to my pages. I LOVE me some goops and all that training I had in high school, along with the knowledge I've gained from friends at SNR, has FINALLY made it to my pages. I struggled for a good long while at how to do so in a way that was mine. Not that I haven't been inspired by others but I like to take bits and pieces and do my own thing. I think for too long I didn't do that. I look back to those pages and can't wait to redo them. ;0) someday, right? LOL I've got many hopes for the New Year and I so look forward to sharing them with you. You lovely readers are such a large part of my journey and I feel blessed for having each of you be a part of it.

If you're still with me at this point, a HUGE thank you. I really do appreciate your visiting and love when you share what you think. It makes me feel all warm when I know I'm not talking to myself, LOL!

I hope 2012 is good to you and yours and filled with God's blessings.