First On The Site: 2 New Layouts!

I am super excited to list my first two layouts for 2012!  Here is a sneak peek:

"Bundle Up for a Snow Day" using papers and embellishments from Pink Paislee.

"August Adventures" featuring Imaginisce.

Both of these layouts will be available on my website until they sell out.  Quantities are limited, so please order early.  Details are on the site.

Happy 2012!

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about a new year.  So much hope and excitement is in the air.  I saw on the news that most people believe 2012 will be filled with opportunity for personal growth.  I am one of those people.

I've gotten "back on the wagon" and have already started eating better and moving more.  I decided to again be conscious of what goes into my mouth...and to be in the moment of how full I feel.  I also signed up for an online class with Cathy Zielske called "Move More Eat Well 2012."  My good pal Jenn Penn and I have agreed to do it together and will try to keep each other accountable as we take better care of ourselves.  I'm pretty excited about it!

I've also decided to do my own version of a "Project Life/365" this year.  I want to document each day thru my camera and turn those photos into a year-long album.  I am totally commited to getting myself caught up on my scrapbooking...and this will be a constant reminder to document my life...past, present and future.  I'm so excited about my goals for 2012.  Days one and two have been a success!

Yesterday's adventures brought me out to the boardwalk at White Memorial in Litchfield, CT. 

The temps were in the low 50's with no wind.  A perfect day for a walk!

And today I took the boys (my boy and my nephew) out to the mall for some "end-of-vacation" shopping:

Time is passing so quickly...I want to live every minute of it!

And so...as you can see...I've got lots to look forward to this year.  I would love to hear about the goals you have set out for 2012...big or small.  Leave me a comment.

And...some exciting news for all you scrappy people:

1. Starting tomorrow and continuing every month, I'll be posting a new GIVE AWAY filled with scrappy goodness!  I want to share my love of scrapping with all of my readers.  Full details will be in tomorrow's post, so please check back.  Wait till you see the goodies I've put together! 

2. I'm restarting my kit business in 2012.  I'll be offering page kits, mini album kits, handmade embellishments and more.  I'll share new ideas and tips as well...so get out your trimmers & tape runners...it's time to get back to scrapping!

Happy 2012 Happy Scrappers!  Wishing you the very best!

Celebrating What Matters...

...or, as many of you scrappy people call it: the "December Daily."

I started a December Daily.  Last year.  It's still not finished.  Sound familiar?

How about the 2011 challenge I took with a dear friend.  Michelle, I tried to keep up.  I really did.  But I have fallen short of my 365 scrapbook layouts.  So very short. 

And my promise of more blog posts.  But the laundry.  And the picking up and dropping off.  The music lessons and the swim lessons.  The church commitments and the school functions.  Dinners to make and clean up after.  The grocery shopping and the bill writing.

And, on top of it ALL, I have come down with bronchitis.  Again.  Times 5.  Yes.  5 times this year.  I am run down, out of breath (literally), and out of energy.

And yet, I hold onto my dreams.

This week I have put all of this aside to celebrate what matters.  And what matters to me is my family.  My son.  My husband.  My little niece and (now 2) nephews.  My dearest friends.  And of course me.  The only things in my life that truly matter. 

Today, as I celebrate the 25 Days of Christmas, I take time to reflect and refocus what matters most in my life.  I celebrate all that makes my heart sing.  Today, that something is my son.

Merry Christmas to all those near & far.  I wish you the best of holiday seasons...and hope all your dreams come true!

Returning After A Long Hiatus...

Have you ever wished for a "break?"  A chance to just walk away from your life to find yourself?  Sometimes, if we are lucky enough, we get a chance to do just that.  For me, it was a hard decision to leave behind a job that I loved, people that I cared about, and a profession in a field I had always dreamed about being in.  But I was stretched too far, broken in so many places.  I had lost who I was.  My family was hurting on the inside.  And so, I took a break.

Fast foward 4 months.  Reconnecting with my son this summer has been the greatest gift in my life.  I can honestly say this has been the best summer of my life.  We've gone on trips, we've gone to the ocean, we've gone to the movies and the drive-in, we've kayaked, gone on picnics, taken long nature walks, been to amusement parks, sailed on tall ships, planted a garden, and through it all, we've gotten closer than we've ever been.  My greatest gift has been falling in love with my boy, all over again.

He makes my heart melt!

Now that I have re-organized my life, I'm getting ready to jump back into the crafting scene.  My love of crafting extends way beyond paper, and now I have the time to dedicate to all my crafty desires.  I will be launching (or re-launching?) my two crafty companies...Canterbury Village and Just Scrappin' Happy this fall.   Just Scrappin' Happy will showcase my love for scrappy goodness and all things paper.  Canterbury Village will be my home for stitchery, wood, pillows, prim and more.  I hope you'll follow me along on my crafting adventures...I'm excited to return to the craft scene!  It's been long overdue! 

Here's a sneak peek of what I started working on today:

Tea dyed grunge tags, complete with a sprinkle of cinnamon.  These beauties will be pinned to my pumpkin pillows.  The muslin is soaking a a bath of tea as we speak!  Get ready friends...I'm back in the saddle again!