it's going to be a good year

I don't know if I have ever been so eager to welcome a new year. All in all 2009 was a pretty good year, but this last month has been especially difficult and I am ready to be renewed with a fresh start. I can't really explain it, but I feel like 2010 is going to be a wonderful year.

This is going to be a year of balance for me, and here are my main intentions:

BODY

Regular yoga practice

MIND

Take J. Kaye's Challenge of reading 100 books in 2010

Start or join a book club

Stay on top of grad school work

SOUL

Take more time to relax with mmb (& our kitty boys!)

Strengthen spirituality

Recognize when I need to step away from it all and take a break

BLOGGING

Learn how to truly customize my blog

Continue to be inspired by all of the very creative people in the blogosphere

PHOTOGRAPHY

Improve my photography skills

Learn how to use my DSLR more effectively

Learn photo editing techniques

SCRAPBOOKING

Take Up and Running with Photoshop to learn Photoshop techniques

Take part in challenges and design calls from some of my favorite sites

 Try my hand at digital and hybrid scrapbooking

Try out at least 1 new technique per month

Take online classes to sharpen my skills (currently Inspiration Defined and The Challenge of Me)

I hope the New Year brings you all a time of blessings and the all the good stuff memories are made of. I'm looking forward to reading and sharing in 2010!

ribbon organizer

No, I am not going for the "most posts in one day" of the year award, but I am really excited about this project and wanted to share :-)

One of my hopes for this year is to get in more scrapbooking time, but in order to do that I need to get everything more organized in an accessible way.

Enter: My ribbon supply.

I have a pretty good sized collection of ribbons, but as of yesterday they were piled into a couple of bins (I suppose serving their purpose as glorified dust collectors...) where I couldn't really access them without getting frustrated by the mess.
Not so good.
I want to be able to use what I have, and I don't want to go trudging through mounds of ribbon to find that one little piece that I need (if I can even remember I have it....) for whichever project I might be working on. That is why I came up with this little idea to store my stash.

I can't take full credit for this idea because I remember seeing the kraft covered cardboard somewhere in my interweb travels over the years, but the rest of it is all me :-)

Repurposed Materials Ribbon Organizer

Materials Needed:
Clementine Box
Kraft Paper
Leftover Boxes or Shoe Boxes
Pins
Tape
Ribbon supply

Instructions:
1. Cut down boxes to 11X6 inch size

2. Cover cut pieces with kraft paper as if you were wrapping a gift

3. Hold covered piece length-wise and tape one end of one ribbon to back of covered piece to hold in place

4.Wrap ribbon around box, securing loose end with a pin.

5. Repeat with other ribbons

6. Put ribbon covered piece into clementine box

**TIPS**
*I sorted by color, but you might want to try by width or material also.
*Make extra kraft colored boards to accommodate new ribbon supplies 
*You could cover the boxes with patterned paper or fabric, but right now I am enjoying teh charm of the clementine box itself. 

And here is my ribbon organizer in its new home. I took two rods from mmb's suit clothes hangers (thanks, love!) and rested them on the sides of the clementines boxes after I strung spools of ribbon on them. Wooden dowels would work also.

Ahhh, I love organization!

If you missed my post earlier today about OLW, you can check it out here.

one little word.

BALANCE

 

 image credit

Have you joined in on the"one little word" idea with Ali Edwards? It is a very manageable (and creative, of course...) way to throw out that resolution list which never gets adhered to anyhow and focus on one idea for the New Year. 

This is my first year joining in, and after a good deal of thought, I have decided that my word is going to be BALANCE.

I usually have about 10 things going on at once, and am finding that I am missing out on experiences when I am speeding through to get everything done rather than enjoying it wholly.

Not exactly ideal.

So this year, I am going to strive for balance in all areas of my life...home, school, work, crafting, friendships, spirituality, family... so that I may enjoy each experience, no matter how big or small, to the fullest.

While I doubt that it will be a year completely free of late night work sessions to meet deadlines, I hope to reduce those times to a single digit number. (confession: I do secretly love the challenge of deadlines and work quite well when I need to meet them ;-)) 

A life lived well and whole heatedly is something I  strive for, and this year I plan to concentrate on that even more.

Yes, some balance is exactly what I need.

Are you doing one little word? If you are, what is yours?

caramelized onion tart

Ever since I discovered this recipe for Caramelized Onion Tarts in October, I have served it on any occasion that I can. What can I say, I am a sucker for caramelized onions. It is super easy to make, so tasty and pleases both vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

The flakiness of the puff pastry and the creaminess of the creme fraiche is delicately balanced by the tartness of crisp granny smith apple slices and the richness of caramelized onions.

So, so, yummy.

Besides the absolute deliciousness of this dish, I also love this one because you can throw it together in a pinch for unexpected guests. Just freeze a batch of caramelized onions and have the other common ingredients on hand and you'll be ready to go.  

*ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 green apples, thinly sliced
  
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1/4 c Jameson or Jack Daniels whiskey (optional) 
  

*directions:

1. Heat oven to 400º F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Pour in whiskey if using, continue to cook 5 minutes. Then stir in ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until just tender, 2 minutes.
2. Place each sheet of pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Spread with the crème fraîche, leaving a ½-inch border. Place layer of thinly sliced apples on top of creme fraiche layer. Top with the onion mixture and bake until the pastry is crisp and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cut into pieces before serving.   *recipe adapted from real simple magazine
   

HELP!

 

Dear Brilliant Readers,

Can you help? I need some organizational tips, and I need them fast. Last night I began cleaning out my scrapping stash and boy, oh, boy...have I made a mess!

My previous solution had been to utilize lots of covered boxes on bookshelves (think, Ikea), a clip-it-up, some plastic storage bins and some shelving units from Target. This has worked fine for holding everything, but I find that I forget what I have and then it never gets used and just accumulates clutter.

I despise clutter.

Yet, time after time I find myself buried in a mass of it.

Grrr....

Won't you please help a fellow crafter out? Any ideas of how to store things so I can better utilize my abundant stash of papers, ribbons, punches, stamps, embellishments, etc... would be so helpful and very much appreciated!

Pretty Please??

p.s. feel free to link pics of your storage solutions, I'd love to see them :)

image credit

Big Picture Scrapbooking Classes

With the hustle and bustle of Christmas being over and finally getting a few minutes to sit down and reflect, I have begun thinking about my hopes and goals for the New Year. On that list is to find a couple of scrapbooking and photography classes that I love and commit to them.

                                                                                                  image {weheartit}

With so many great ones out there, how do you choose?

One of my personal favorite spots for online learning is Big Picture Scrapbooking. The teachers are amazing, the workload is manageable, the forums are a wealth of support and talent, and best of all, you come away with a new set of skills and fresh perspective on your art.

I have already signed up for the "Get out of Auto Mode" class with Elisha Snow to learn how to use my DSLR more efficiently, but there are a few more I have my eye on...

Inspiration Defined with Elizabeth Dillow

Point of View with Nic Howard

Design Your Life with Cathy Zielske

The Challenge of Me with Lisa Day

I can't possibly take them all with work and school, so I am going to have to make some decisions...any input? Have you taken, or will you be taking any of these?

               If you have never taken a class with BPS, but are hesitant to jump right in, you can give it a try with a free workshop.

Please share if you know of any other great online classes, I'd love to check them out!

the day after...

Is anyone else still reveling in the Christmas magic by spending the day in their pajamas with someone or something they adore?

Me? Well, I am parked on the couch with mmb and an occasional cat here and there, re-watching the John Adams miniseries on our new bluray player ;-) . I have to get back to it, but wanted to pop in and let you all know that I hope you had a blessed holiday.

A small glimpse of our Christmas day...

 

 Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself. ~Norman Wesley Brooks