On this Monday morning, I:
*Have sworn off Starbucks for one week.
*Awakened at 3am to work at one job before going to the other. (This is the norm now, y'all. Crazy.)
*Started my day with a glass of water. (BIG achievement.)
*Kept the quote, "Be the person you were too lazy to be yesterday," in mind.
Be awesome today! (Or, try your very best at it, anyway.)
Click on the art to be taken to the shop where you can buy your very own print! (It's by Lucius Art.)
Image from Hello Handmade Paperie. Click on the photo to be taken to their shop!
So, the topic 80% of Americans don't want to be asked about at the beginning of February: New Year's Resolutions. I have several of them this year, actually. What about you? Care to share one of yours? Statistically, goals and resolutions are more likely to be attained if one writes them down. So here goes, my resolutions for 2009:
1. Do something active every day. (No, this does not include the act of actually walking inside Starbucks rather than using the drive-through.)
2. Read at least one book each month. (My US Weekly habit is still very much intact though, thankyouverymuch.)
3. Shed the shell. (Believe it or not, I am extremely shy in real life. For a handful of reasons. Working on this.)
4. Reconnect with old friends. (Yay for online networking sites! Do you Facebook? Look me up, yo!)
5. Do something creative every week. (Because every day is just too much to ask for when there's a five year-old running around. Sorry, Paper Source.)
So, those are my five resolutions. I'll check back in later on the topic (Maybe the first of February?) to let you know how I'm doing with those... Again, write yours down. Then check back in and share your progress too.
Now, for a smattering of indie-made calendar eye-candy, since it's the beginning of January and all... Each photo links to the designer's storefront.
Alicia Bock. 2009 Poloroid Calendar. Sale: $21
Be Happy Now. F is for February Calendar. $25
Siska Studio. Natural Theme Wall Calendar. $18
Magnolia Moonlight. Shout Wall Calendar. $30
Happify. Brown and White Postcard Calendar. $10
I hope you enjoyed those! Have a wonderful rest of the week everyone!
XO,
Delaney
After you've voted, please feel free to use these buttons any place you'd like online: your blog, an avatar, a siggie...
If you want to credit me, that would be oh-so-sweet too. :)
Being not only a voter, but an active, informed voter is an issue close to my heart. So regardless of your party, or your presidential choice, go vote! (If you haven't already, of course.)
XO,
Delaney
Indeed I am.
Officially halfway to fifty now.
For my 25th birthday, my husband had the idea (all on his very own, mind you!) to take me HERE to go shopping. (Plenty of bang for your buck!) It's about an hour and a half drive from where we live, but let me tell you, it was worth it! I was bragging on him to everyone I know. Seriously, I feel really lucky to have a husband who will offer to take me clothes shopping at outlet stores for my birthday. Yesterday I came home with a pile of loot from Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Gap, Nautica and more. :) All at really, really fabulous prices, of course. We had so much fun. He's such a great guy.
(That particular photo is from a few years ago, but it's still one of my favorites.) :)
You know, J and I are in a really good place right now. A really good place. With our relationship. With our life. Everything seems like it's falling into place, and for that my friends, I am very, very thankful.
A few days ago when I opened my birthday card from my grandma, a check fell out with quite a bit more written on it than she usually sends for birthdays. There was a note on the left hand side of the card that said, "Here's a little extra for your first day of school. I know you'll do great." I got all teary-eyed. Grandma Elaine is one of my favorite people in the world. She's so thoughtful. I mean, here I am, twenty five years old, and she's sending me money to buy a new outfit for my first day back at college. I am so appreciative not only for the means, but for the sentiment behind the means. Here's another example of her thoughtfulness. When I was growing up, my mother was a stay at home mom and she made sacrifice after sacrifice so she could continue to stay at home with my brother and I. At Christmas time, Grandma Elaine would send my mother a little extra in the mail only to be spent on ingredients to bake extra Christmas goodies with, because she knew my mom loved to bake cookies and candies during the holiday season. I still remember rolling out coconut bon-bons at the kitchen table with her! Thank you Grandma Elaine, for that memory. :)
I remember Grandma would take me to a lake near her house for picnics in the Michigan summertime... She would blow up a polka dot raft (I still remember the way the plastic smelled.) and cart it along in the car just so I could "surf" on it in the lake. She played the organ at her church, started learning the violin and dulcimer in her 60's and began traveling all over the world once she retired. The winters she spends in Vegas. How cool is that? She was the director of her handbell choir and taught me to play handbells well enough to where I could play two bells in each hand. (How's that for a fun fact about me?!) She went back to college to finish her degree when she was in her 60's. She's also a kick-booty eBay seller too. :) Hopefully soon, we'll be able to make the trip up to Michigan to visit her again. I hope so! (The photo is fuzzy, but you get the idea...)
Whoa! I don't know where all of that rambling came from. Maybe I do. Remember that self improvement post from many weeks ago? I'm taking Phentermine as part of my process. It's legal speed, basically. It curbs the appetite and gives energy. Lots of energy. I ramble and talk quickly when I take it. 'Nuff said. :)
Moving right along...
Here's some of what I bought myself for my birthday:
Yes, I'm girly. I like bows and ruffles. I always will...
Now for some paperish schtuff:
I LOVE the Bazzill Basics stitching templates. It makes it so much easier when I don't have to come up with a design and sketch it out in pencil!
Here's the layout. A two-pager that I just received back from my LSS. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. I still haven't figured out how to scan and stitch a 12x12 effectively.
You get the idea though... :)
I just received the following American Crafts goodies from my LSS to design with this month. I'll post what I create in a few days. Do you know if this is just-released stuff? Not that it matters, I'm just curious. I don't keep up with new releases as much as I used to. That's all... :)
C and I are spending lots of quality time together, as this is his last free week before kindergarten begins. Some days I don't even turn on the computer, if you can believe that! Seriously. I'm trying to wean myself away. :) It works wonders for improving my time-management skills! Lol. I'm also in the process of creating 600 wedding invitations for a super-elegant affair taking place in October. What a job! I love it though. If you know anyone who needs wedding invitations, save the date post cards, birth announcements, or party invitations, let me know! I don't create them to get rich, trust me. I love what I do and I know what it's like to be on a budget. I only charge the cost of supplies plus $1.00 per invitation. (Minimum of twenty.) Pretty good deal, huh. :)
This evening we have a play date at the park and Thursday we have an open house at C's school. I can't wait to meet his teacher!
I truly hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!
XO,
Delaney
Now don't let the title fool you. My life is as far from chic as I am from fitting into my high school cheerleading skirt again. In fact, right now as I glance over to my right, I see a scooter (Don't ask.), a cardboard paper towel roll, and one flip flop. Totally not a magazine spread-worthy life right now. How is this possible, you ask? I'm a mom. We play. It happens. Is the elusive chic life attainable once again? I hope so. I'm going to try.
Two days ago, I went on a Barnes and Noble spree in search of some books that would magically make me feel less frazzled, not as tired, and perhaps a little more chic. I found a few titles and after my UPS guy hooks me up with them, I'll let you how it pans out. I'm starting a process of rediscovery. I'm on a search to find out who I really am. So much of the time we lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle of daily life. I'm going to change that. Or, at least, try to. Well, for maybe ten minutes out of each day... You know, if I have time...
Just thinking aloud... If you're interested in rediscovering who you are, in becoming the person you are meant to be, all the while improving your creative abilities, leave me a comment. Maybe we ladies in blogland could go on this journey together... :)
Enough talk. More eye candy... The photos below are from this month's Home Companion. I'll only share a few because you totally need to go out and buy this magazine. There are some amazing articles in it!
So my style. It's amazing the little things that one can be inspired by...
Once again, I was wide awake at 2AM unable to sleep, so I made this:
Created from some old Scenic Route I had in my stash. It's simple. But simple can be good sometimes. Can you tell I'm going through a making-bows-out-of-paper phase? I'm beyond help. :)
Have a wonderful day! (And remember to leave me a comment if you're interested in going on the self-improvement journey with me.)
XO,
Delaney
P.S. Later in the week, I'm going to be hosting a giveaway for a really cool company, so check back!
