A word for 2010

I've taken inspiration from Ali Edwards again and tried hard these last few days to think of a word for 2010. Her word for this year is STORY and last year it was NURTURE. I needed a word that would cover all my main concerns for the new year, not just my addictive need for scrapbooking . I cheated a bit and looked at the long list of words that Ali's readers had come up with for 2009. I talked with DH and he decided it would be a good idea for him to find a word for himself. So the word he decided on is RENEWAL. My word is TREASURE.

I like this word - look at these definitions -
1. Accumulated or stored wealth in the form of money, jewels, or other valuables
2. Valuable or precious possessions of any kind
2. One considered especially precious or valuable
v. treasured, treasuring, treasure
1. to keep or regard as precious; value highly.
2. To accumulate and store away, as for future use

Treasure applies to the completed albums, books, pages or cards I make...
Treasure is how I want to view (time with) my children...
Treasure is the goal I have set for next year, to reach my goal weight...

There are lots of other things I want to achieve but these will be my top 3 priotities this year.
If I could choose one other word it would definitely be SLOW. As in slow down. I put a post-it note in my study this year which says Go Slow! Don't rush around like a maniac. That little note made a bit difference.

Christmas 2009

Adventure list

It's been a bit of a downer this week, with both the kids sick, and DH having chronic back pain and endless trips to the GP over the past few weeks. My scrap desk is piled high with 'stuff' that needs organising, my christmas cards are sitting in a corner waiting for me to finish making them and I can't find my mojo.

However I took a positive step last night and make myself not so much a 'to do' list but an 'adventure' list for 2010. I picked up my sewing machine yesterday - Mum's old Elna from the 1960's - and it's in good working order, ready to work. I actually am not a sewer...yet. But I plan to change that! My list contains all the scrap and sewing projects that I want to try and at least start, if not finish, next year and I've created a word file that sits on my computer desktop. So no more scraps of paper floating around and getting lost.

I am planning to make a little mini-book, with sections, each one will be labelled "scrap book projects", "mini books" etc and each time i complete a project, I will add it to the little book and write a little about the process. I got this idea from Elise Blaha's blog - i love the idea of changing a daunting to-do list into something inspiring and tempting, with something to show for it at the end. (also thinking of making a toolbox mini-book which I can add techniques and ideas to). More and more, I'm loving the idea of creating mini books with my Zutter Bind-it-all. I love the idea from Creativity Prompt for completing mini projects, rather than just page layouts, which seem to take me hours to do. I love a quicker way of doing things.

The fence - Dad's childhood home at Bairnsdale, then and now

It was naughty, but when we were visiting Bairnsdale, to see my Dad's childhood home, my sister and Auntie Shirley, and the others along with us, snuck into the backyard - it was wide open - and took some pics. I hope there was noone at home! I just had to see the fence. All the family photos were taken here. It's a sacred place.

200+ holiday photos to scrap

So, back from the road trip and it's a bit daunting having so many photos. I've been through them tonight and managed to cut about 70 so that brings it down to about 130. Most of those will be printed as 2"x3" otherwise the album will be way too huge. I've been reading Ali Edwards' Life Artist book - it's very inspiring for those of us who try and scrap way too many photos and are always behind because of it. I want to keep up with things as they happen...I can't believe I still haven't started the babies' albums yet. Embarrassed to admit how many unfinished projects there are (Though I'd rather that, don't mind the idea of a work-in-progress).

I really love the 8" by 8" size album for special projects - there was Dad's album (first ever completed project), then the zoo book (not yet finished). I think, after much agonising about what to do, I will go and get some page projectors which I will mix with envelopes and cardstock, and bind the result. I plan to make a fabric cover. I'm not a sewer at all so watch this space. My sewing machine has been in for servicing and ready to be picked up. It's my Mum's old Elna Lotus from the 1960's and I love that it was hers (vintage) and that it's portable. Electric, happily.