Gratitude

Ever buy a cute scrapbooking product that you feel you MUST make something with...right away? Well, I recently ordered these flashcards from October Afternoon that feature vintage children's images with the numbers 1-9. These really aren't a new product, just new for me!

I decided to do some sort of mini book about 9 things...hmmm....but nine what? Since it is nearing Liam's first birthday, I thought I'd write a series of nine mini thank you letters to him detailing all of the things that I am thankful I have learned from him in this last year.

I then used the Martha Stewart starburst punch to punch out a piece from all the patterned papers I used in the book. I glued them on the cover in two vertical rows and then added some stitching over top of them. I got this particular idea from this great book, Sharing Your Stories: Recording Life's Memories with Mini Books by Ali Edwards.

On the back side of each "thank you" letter, I stamped out a quote that fits the topic of the letter to Liam.
I glued the patterned paper front to back and stitched a border around each page of patterned paper.

I hope that he understands someday, when he is older, how much meaning and fun and love he has brought to my life! I can't believe it has already been nearly a year.....

BE. Inspired...

We were off from work this week since it was our district's spring break. *sigh* I had a couple of friends over to craft on Thursday. The theme of the day was Be Inspired and we decorated a wooden block with lots of bright papers and inspirational sayings. I added a few details to my dining room to set the mood....

(Created from the new Pink Paislee line called "Soiree"...LOVE these papers!)

Some bright colors to tie in with the black and white...

(Poster from etsy seller Katie Daisy.)

A few postcard images from the etsy shop Inspire Lovely along with other odds and ends collected from around my studio....
Really a great afternoon! These gals are a group of friends who I have known ever since I got my first teaching job here in California, and they have continued to be my very best support system through many ups and downs. They are the kind of friends that you may not see for a few months, but you can pick up with them right from where you left off and feel like you just talked yesterday! I was really in need of some serious girl chat time and a few reassuring words. Many of them already emailed me to thank me for a fun day, but I hope they know how much they did for me in return just by being a good friend!