at least I have my January page finished before February.

The first few weeks of January are so busy for me at work….I finally now have time to post again. I feel like it’s been forever! For some reason when I don’t post for a while, I always find it difficult to get motivated again…

But here I am!

I mentioned in a previous post an article in Somerset Studio by Kate Crane, featuring her beautiful calendar journals, and how inspired I felt to make my own.

That was in December, when I was too busy with holiday preparation to start anything. I started working on it on New Year’s Eve; it was very slow going and I was afraid it would be February before my January page was done!

But I finally finished it…and here it is.

I’m very happy with how it turned out. I wanted the colors and feel to be wintry, but not just white. I wanted a little color. The photos don’t quite do it justice.

The background is several layers of paint and rubber stamping. The squares are 1.5 by 1.5 inches, and are scrapbook paper, dry-brushed with gesso and edged with gold or silver ink. I used German scrap along the edges and corners; it was originally gold but I painted, stamped, and inked over it.

As I was working on my journal, I made notes as to what I wanted to write in it for each day. After a couple days I started to worry a bit about how much I really had to write about. Let’s see, I woke up, exercised, went to work, came home, made dinner, did some laundry…exciting stuff!

Then one night as I left work I caught a glimpse of the full moon – it was huge and orange and looked so cool. And it occurred to me that I could write that in my calendar journal. The journaling doesn’t necessarily have to record what I did that day; it could be a thought, an observation or impression, song lyrics, or whatever I feel like writing.

I was relieved, because otherwise I might have a lot of blank squares in my journal!

And I’ve started the February page. Hopefully it will be done before February starts!

Thanks for stopping by!

xoDawne

could this be the one? this could be the one. our new year.

So how does 2011 stack up? Not as wonderful as I was expecting, but I keep high hopes, and I am willing to give 2012 everything I’ve got.

Here were my favorite occasions:

1. Celebrating my 40th birthday with my family at one of my favorite restaurants, Fountainside.
2. My niece Gwen’s 5th birthday party.
3. Our anniversary dinner at Augusto’s – delicious!
4. My son Julian’s 20th birthday dinner at another favorite restaurant, Maggio’s.
5. Camping at Black Moshannon with my dad’s and stepmother’s families.
6. My daughter Lily’s 5th birthday party at Bounce U.
7. Lily’s graduation from pre-school.
8. My cousin Carla’s wedding (to husband Curt).
9. Going to Dutch Wonderland with our brother-in-law Ed and niece Gwen.
10. Staying at my dad and stepmom’s cabin in Dushore, and checking out the Dushore Days festivities.
11. Attending the Bezel Boot Camp class, taught by Kim St Jean, at Bead Fest.
12. Our mini vacation in Ocean City MD.
13. Lily starting kindergarten.
14. Thanksgiving – one of my favorite holidays.
15. Seeing Tori at the Academy of Music.
16. Winning the Cornerstone award at work.
17. My brother-in-law Darren’s cd release party, and the dinner that I treated Marc to at Chifa beforehand, to celebrate his birthday.
18. Christmas – my favorite holiday.
19. Celebrating my nephew Owen’s first birthday.

And so here we are. It would seem that 2011 was pretty good then. And 2012? I am still working on putting together my goals, but I expect great things to happen, for all of my family and myself. I can’t wait to see what the days hold!

Wishing you a very happy New Year!

xoDawne

a blank slate.

I’m so excited…I got my new calendar book for 2012!

Is it old-fashioned that I still write everything down? From birthdays and anniversarys to my weekly goals to the chores I need to get done on the weekend…it all goes into my calendar book, handwritten in purple ink.

I don’t care if it’s old-fashioned. I simply love the act of putting pen to paper and forming letters. Plus I have a thing for notebooks. And pens.

I suppose it would be easier to use technology to keep my life organized. For one thing I wouldn’t have to write down all the birthdays and anniversarys every year. Then again, I might not remember them otherwise.

I also love writing lists, and scratching items off of my to-do list. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.

I love my new calendar book. It’s so pretty. I can’t wait to see what the pages become filled with. Probably nothing very exciting. But there’s always the possibility….

xoDawne

merry christmas!

Bring your torches
Bring your torches
With every candle raised
With every lantern flame
Light after light
In every village
Welcoming home
Every friend
Christ is born
O come behold Him
Mary calls us to adore Him
hush, hush
Such a lovely mother
hush, hush
Such a lovely Son
Bring your torches
Bring your torches,
Jeanette, Isabella.

-Jeanette, Isabella

Merry Christmas!

xoDawne

a Christmas viewing extravaganza!

I’ve been busy making sure all of my required Christmas movies and shows are recorded on our DVR. I probably should just buy them. Somehow I never get around to it though.

Here is my list of necessary holiday viewing:

1. Elf – this movie has, quite deservedly, become a classic. It’s wonderful, and Will Farrell is perfect as Buddy the Elf.

2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – I love Clark’s never-ending quest to give his family the perfect traditional, old-fashioned, Christmas. The mix of silliness and sweetness is perfect.

3. It’s a Wonderful Life – this is what I watch on Christmas Eve, after everyone has gone home from our annual Christmas Eve get-together. I do find it to be a bit long and tedious. But the ending is totally worth it, and Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed are so great together.

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – only the original will do, from when I was little. The story of a reindeer and an elf who simply want to be accepted for themselves. Pure classic.

5. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – ditto.

6. Peanuts Christmas – what’s a holiday without Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and the rest of the gang?

7. A Christmas Story – simply the best. It just is not Christmas without this movie. It’s such a lovely, heartwarming story, and it’s set in the 40s so I love all the vintage stuff. And the ending…it doesn’t get any better.

Christmastime is here.

No matter what holiday you celebrate at this time of year, I hope it’s a joyous one.

xoDawne

technically i’m a human. but i was raised by elves.

As I mentioned previously I’ve been so busy with Christmas preparations that I haven’t had much time for creating. But…somehow I always manage to fit in at least a little tiny bit. I just can’t go for very long without indulging my creative urges.

So I’ve been making bows from old magazines. I have probably well over 100 magazines – almost every issue of Bead & Button, plus all of my Stampington magazines. I’ve realized that I simply can’t keep them all. One idea I found to use up old magazines is creating bows. It’s so easy! The most tedious part is cutting all the strips of paper. But once that’s done, you can make a bow in just a few minutes.

I use four different lengths of paper, and a brad to hold it together.

Isn’t it cute? So far I’ve made three. Not very many, but it’s a start.

If you want to make your own, here’s how:

I use strips in four different sizes – 3&7/8″, 3&1/2″, 2&7/8″, and 2&1/4″, approximately 3/4″ wide. Once I have those cut out, I gently bend each strip in half and use a 1/8″ hole punch to make a hole close to the ends. When that is done, take a brad (you’ll need a larger size to fit all the paper strips on) and bend each strip in half and insert the brad through the hole. Start with the smallest size. I string 6 to 10 strips of paper, depending on the length of the paper (I string 6 of the smallest size and 8 to 10 of the largest). When you are satisfied with your bow, fold over the prongs of the brad and voila! A unique and pretty bow.

Have a lovely day!

xoDawne

so leave a peppermint stick for old st. nick.

I just love Christmas. The older I get, the more I enjoy it. Sure, it’s great when you’re a kid – waking up to a pile of presents, tearing them open, and swimming in a sea of gift wrap.

But as I get older, I appreciate the ideals that Christmas celebrates more and more. Choosing and giving gifts, spending time with loved ones, spreading a little cheer and kindness. And of course I love the decorations, the tree, wrapping gifts, and baking.

To me it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

I also love love love Christmas songs. No matter what kind of mood I’m in, Christmas music makes me feel so happy. It’s all I listen to from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

These are 10 of my favorite songs, in no particular order:
1. Christmastime is Here – Vince Guaraldi
2. Happy Christmas (War is Over) – John Lennon (I like Sarah McLachlan’s version also)
3. The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
4. Happy Holidays – Andy Williams (it’s not Christmas until I hear some Andy Williams)
5. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
6. A Wonderful Christmas Time – Paul McCartney
7. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee (best version!)
8. Silver and Gold – Burl Ives
9. that song without words from the Peanuts
10. O Holy Night – Josh Groban (so beautiful – gives me chills)

I’m also listening to Midwinter Graces by Tori Amos. It’s a great seasonal album, with a wide range of songs and musical styles.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

xoDawne