i'm NOT gonna do it...

i'm just not.
i can't.
i made a promise.
even Nicole said she would help me resist temptation ;)
because after all, less is better than more.
i made a vow to myself and my family that i would not spend
ANY money on myself until my birthday.
i think i have made it a solid week so far.
i have until August 31st to maintain this.
easy. sometimes.
hard. usually.
until then...i have vowed to use my stash of stuff not wanting  buying
more.
and no matter how many times i may find myself on the inside of Target,
i will NOT buy cute clothes. not even a pair of skinny cords i have found
that seem to actually fit my body style. or any cute dresses. or nail polish.
i will NOT.
WHY?
because i have ENOUGH.
and i realize that i can cut back.
because sometimes all of my scrapbooking supplies actually overwhelm me at times, especially
in my small space & i can't find my stuff all of the time. truth.
AND...because i realize we could you some breathing space financially.
ok, we could use it a lot.

i grew up being told, "You have a birthday and Christmas coming up!" if i wanted something.
even school shoes, clothes, or a stuffed animal.
i always remember thinking, "Seriously, Mom?", but now i understand...she was a single Mom raising her kids and her own siblings, working 2 jobs at times.
i hate that i've strayed away from really cherishing every bit of life.
i am guilty for sure.

i'm hoping this short-term commitment will yield a long-term habit.
they say it takes at least 21 days to form a habit, and i have given myself more
than enough time for this take hold.
i want to be GRATEFUL for EVERYTHING i have and have been given.
not want for more.
be content.

so, how do you do it?
do you give yourself a budget?
do you wait for special occasions to receive or buy yourself something?

and will you help keep me accountable? ask me how it's going?
remind me to resist all of the temptation?
i would be grateful if you did offer up advice, tips or even encouragement.  :)


happy Wednesday, friends!! :)
xo

she is...

...14 today!!!
   (i think every passing year brings it's own hard to believe!)
... a child of God
...beautiful
...smart
...strong-willed & opinionated
...my only blonde-haired, light-eyed child
...in the middle
...outstanding
...personable
...outgoing
...ALL girl...FULL of drama for her Momma
...cries easily
...loves deeply and hurts just as deep
...a night owl
...the spittin' image of her Daddy

...a worrier
...the one that attracts attention from the boys...this started VERY early
...the one that keeps me praying...a lot! just kidding...kinda... ;)
...a people pleaser
 ...wears her emotions on her sleeve
 ...sensitive at heart, and i see a little piece of me there ;)

...a little too serious sometimes and HATES it when i try to make her laugh and smile when she so
     desperately wants to be serious/angry ;) hee hee!
...an AMAZING young woman
...mine :)

Happy Birthday, Olivia!!!
i thank God for the wonderful 14+ years He has given us with you!

beach layouts

LOTS of beach layouts!!

 

natural light is a struggle at this house, so i have resorted to shooting my projects in the bathtub where we have a nice window. don't judge ;) haha!
photographing my layouts is very important to me. i want to be able to feel like i am almost there and can touch the layout, feel the emotion, and see the color. 
i want to bring you in to that experience as well :)

this next layout is of my oldest daughter...you'll rarely see anyone in my family(except my hubby) without their jams on the beach.
for me, i can't nap on the beach like the rest of the family can, so i HAVE to have music to listen to or i will go nuts!! lol!

 LOVE my new "this is how i roll" stamp by Kelly Purkey

 LOTs of just chillin' being done at the beach ;)

**also used a lot of papers from Studio Calico (Elmwood Park) in the middle layout
**the more vibrant yellow and teal colors are American Crafts Shoreline collection (Neptune)
*Amy Tan Sketchbook Thickers
*Marcy Penner badges

I have LOTS more to share eventually...right now I can't ;)

happy Wednesday!!
xo

squares & circles

i decided to veer a tad from my normal design style/process.
just to play a little and see what happened...

i knew i wanted to experiment with a geometric shape of some sort so i started with the idea of 1" squares of randomly placed patterned papers.

then i knew i wanted to add this badge by Marcy Penner and began incorporating circles as well.
gasp!! i thought, am i breaking some geometric design rule?!! ha! not really ;)

this was my first take on the layout. i struggled a bit with placement.

i just wasn't 100% happy with the left cluster of circles on the photo, which is weird for me to be indecisive. BUT i was straying from my norm.
and this was the final layout. i removed the other 2 circles and it felt "good"

and just to keep it real...

i've learned to photograph around the "mess" on my desk and even incorporate it into my photos for added interest!! lol! ;)

straying a bit helped me to stretch my creativity.
have a great weekend, all!!! :)
xo

to the >>>beach<<< and back

we just got back from our annual family beach vacation with my in-laws.
whew! it was HOT!!!

we had lots of family fun time :)

and MUCH needed time with him.

all the cousins playing putt-putt golf!

plenty of walks on the beach with my guy! :)

fireworks from the balcony.

and plenty of time just to chill...

mr. sneaky nabbed my phone for this one ;)

i'm glad to be home, even if it has been a hundred billionty degrees with oppressive humidity!
my scrap area is a total sauna right now. i'm kinda worried about my supplies being in a space with no ventilation in this high heat!! :O)
here's hoping for lower temperatures (never thought i would admit that), some rain to feed my dying flowers and grass, and a fun filled rest of the summer!!!
hope to have some scrappy updates soon!!! ;)
happy monday!
xo