Weekend Fun | December Daily: Days 23-25

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

It's actually COLD here in Miami so that's a refreshing change for us thin-blooded Caribbean folk. LOL! I actually lived in the cold weather when I was little and I really enjoyed the cooler temps, but being from Puerto Rico and living in Miami all these years makes you get used to the HOT, STICKY, MUGGY, HUMID, sometimes ICKY weather here in the "Sunshine State." Well, it was a chilly 36 degrees today at 10:30am. And I hear we actually had snow flurries in Orlando and other parts of the state as far south as Naples! Pretty crazy stuff! :) I feel guilty because I'm enjoying this so, so much... only because some friends are not adapting well and some of the local plant nurseries are suffering, such as my BFF's husband, but I know they are working hard to make sure that nothing happens to their plants.

So yesterday we embarked on a sort of "scavenger hunt" through the Redland as part of Rob's Redland Riot Tour, a self-guided tour through this beautiful part of Miami. Oh what fun we had! It was 43-degrees and raining the whole time, but we still made it fun! We visited many cool places along the way, some of which I had never been to before. The day ended with some wine tasting at Schnebly Redland's Winery. The Lychee, Mango and Category 3 Hurricane were my favorites!



Then we headed to the movies. Have you seen Avatar yet? It was an awesome movie with some spectacular special effects! We saw it in 3D and it was even better than I expected. Wow. James Cameron (of Titanic fame) wrote, produced and directed this masterpiece. I see an Oscar in his future!



Now on to the last of my December Daily album pages. For Day 23, I wanted to include a photo of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I bought for my Titi Mae (Aunt Mae). It was a big hit! I added my journaling right on the photo. I also added some stitching all around the page for more detail.



On the back is my holiday tribute to an all-time favorite: Starbucks Coffee. Yum!



I had a few photos for Day 24 so I printed wallet size pics on my little Epson printer and adhered them onto my canvas page, which I had already painted with red acrylic paint. I added the fleur de lis from Prima and stamped it with an October Afternoon Christmas text stamp.




On the back, I used the Prima house and inserted cute little pics of me and Richard wearing our holiday head gear... teeheeee! I sprayed some red Glimmer Mist and I added the felt Christmas tree from a Work in Progress kit and some Making Memories ornament brads and white foam snowflakes from Michael's to complete the layout.



And finally, here's Day 25. I started with some journaling.



Then I included my favorite photo of me from this holiday season. Here I am on Christmas Day just before I started opening presents. The text on the photo of from an Ali Edwards Designer Digitals kit.



The last page has a few photos and a journaling card inside an artist trading card page protector. I also added fabric stars and a canvas tag from Serendipity Scraps on Etsy.




And there you have it -- my complete 2009 December Daily album. I gotta tell you that I feel a great sense of accomplishment for having finished this by Dec. 31st. Whoohoo! Now I just need to tackle all my other unfinished projects. LOL!

Peace and happy scrapping,
Vanessa

One Little Word | December Daily: Days 20-22

This is me wearing my new Kelly Rae Roberts CREATE necklace

Have you chosen your One Little Word for 2010? Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

After selecting my word for the year, I went back to my old blog posts and this is what I wrote about my One Little Word for 2008 and 2009.

2008 - ENERGY. Energy can be defined as 1 a: dynamic quality b: the capacity of acting or being active c: a usually positive spiritual force. I hope to have more energy and be able to energize those around me. I want to be stronger and more active, enjoy my life more, be free of so many worries, and focus on what's important and that includes starting a family one day soon. Here's to more physical and spiritual energy in 2008!
Maybe I did let go of some worries, but I definitely did not increase my physical energy that year! LOL

2009 - SIMPLIFY. As in simplify my life. Focus on the little things. Don't dwell on the possibilities. Make it happen. Get rid of excess. Feel the love. Streamline. Unclutter my home and office. Put family first. The simple things in life are the most beautiful. How did I pick this word? Well, last weekend while I was out and about I kept bumping into this word and it made sense to me. First, I saw a little throw pillow that read, "Simplify." At the next stop, I found a wooden piece with "Simplify" on it. Next, a plate stared at me, "Simplify your life." And so on... OK, I get it!!! Simplify it is.
I'm happy to report that I DID actually simplify some aspects of my life and I did get rid of a lot of clutter, but I still have more to work on in terms of simplifying my everyday life. I did put my family first and I focused on the little things in life more than ever before.

For 2010, my new word will be CREATE. I love this quote:

"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

I really think that I need to look deep down inside of me and think about who I wish to create this year. What kind of person do I wish to be? What creative pursuits to I want to take on? What goals do I want to meet? Anything is possible if you believe. I can create my own destiny!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Now on to my December Daily album. Here are photos of Days 20-22.

On Day 20, I spent the afternoon at Damaris' house. I used one of the canvas pages and created a clear pocket on the bottom of the page with a leftover piece of the Clearly Heavy Hambly overlay. I applied Glossy Accents (or maybe it was Zip Dry?) glue all around the outer edges and it worked perfectly. Inside are two cards that I received that day, including one from Maritza that she sewed for me using leftover fabric from my gorgeous throw pillow. Love this.



On the back, I used some snowflakes as stencils and sprayed some Glimmer Mist on the canvas page. Then, I simple adhered my photos and embellies. That's Damaris' house, which was decorated beautifully for Christmas, and that's my awesome pillow that Maritza made me.



The opposite page is a 5x7 image of my BFF sticking her head into the photo I was taking of Damaris' tree. Great unplanned shot! I used Ali Edwards' overlays from Designer Digitals on the photo.



For Day 21, I simply adhered a photo of my Gingerbread Hug Cookies to some patterned paper and added my circle number tag.



Day 22 has two of the Christmas cards that I received adhered to each other. I punched out and stapled a tab at the top for the number 22.

Front


Back


I sewed these pockets onto the pages with my new sewing machine! I used some Hambly transparencies from my stash and I channeled Ali Edwards! LOL! I love that these pockets can hold some of my most special holiday cards. I know that I will love going back years from now and looking at these.

Front


Back


Wow -- that was a long post! If you stuck with me through it all, you're a trooper! :) Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Your comments make me smile every day!

I'll be back soon with the last of my December Daily pages and some layouts...

Peace and happy scrapping!
Vanessa

Weekend with friends | December Daily: Days 15-19

Happy Monday!

I spent Saturday with my scrappy friends celebrating Barb's birthday. We had a great time as always even though I barely scrapped! LOL! And the best part is that I get to see most of these wonderful ladies again on Wednesday night!



Here are a few more pages from my December Daily album.

For Day 15, I mounted our annual photo card on patterned paper and used my NEW apron lace punch that I love so much along the edge of the paper!



On the back I started Day 16. I used the Designer Digitals Ali Edwards Days of December overlay on the photo and added a green bow for a pop of color.



The opposite page has a postcard from the boutique hotel I stayed at in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Once you lift the card, there are two more photos inside.




For Day 17, I used two photos printed on my little Epson printer and mounted them on a sheet of Making Memories spiral notebook paper.



Day 18: Here I incorporated another trading card holder trimmed to fit inside my page protector just like Ali has done. I used photos of my egg nog shakes and Richard whistling to Christmas music while filling out holidays cards. I journaled all about our very own private Christmas party inside the red pocket. I also inserted my handwritten Christmas gift lift in one of the clear pockets.



And finally, Day 19: Here I used Making Memories Tinsel paper and adhered it back to back with another sheet of the same paper. I added photos on the front and my journaling on the back.




That's all for now. More photos to come later this week. Also, I'll share my thoughts on my one little word for 2010: CREATE.

Peace and happy scrapping!
Vanessa

RAK winner | December Daily: Days 11-14

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope your year is off to a good start. I was sick this week with a cold, but I'm better now... Not the best way to spend your week off from work, but at least I was able to rest.

Now I am looking forward to a happy and healthy 2010! I've even thought about what my one little word will be this year so I'll share my thoughts on that in an upcoming post. Have you thought about what your word will be? If you have no idea what I am talking about, stay tuned! I will explain.

First things first... the winner of my mini album giveaway is... IVY!

Ivy said...
I love the mini album. Creating my first mini album this end of the year as a gift for my titi. My most cherished gift...my brother, who I had not spoken to in six months. Family is always the greatest gift.

Congrats Ivy! Please email me at mvmolina[at]aol[dot]com with your complete mailing address and I'll send you your album next week.

Being home this week meant that I got to finish up my 2009 December Daily album. Whoohoo!



For Day 11, I created a two-page spread with a few photos of our weekend in Philly. The first page is simple with three photos and some red trim stapled from top to bottom.



The opposite page is a canvas page that I painted with acrylic paint (I first coated each page with white paint so that the color pops more against the canvas). Then I adhered my photo and embellies. I used my new Martha Stewart snowflake punch, which I love, and some Stickles to accent the stars and buttons on the little trees.



Day 12 is another two-page spread (what can I say? I took a lot of photos in Philly!). I used green and blue Glimmer Mist on the first page and a Heidi Swapp mask to create the branches. Then, I adhered my photo and added a felt flower from my stash and a cool snowflake pin that Damaris gave me. (I also stuck that pin into my thumb in the process - ouch!)



The opposite page is a green envelope from Archiver's that has this glittery finish. I adhered my photos to it and placed my journaling inside.




For Day 13, I used a Christmas card that I received at work. It has a simple wreath on it with red foil berries. I adhered an epoxy sticker to the middle of the wreath and added a photo of Valley Forge to the back.




Finally, Day 14. Here I used some adhesive fabric paper from Love, Elsie that I've had for a long time. I added a photo of our decorated Christmas tree and a little journaling pocket I picked up in Ohio last year.




On the back I used a sheet of canvas paper from Prima (adhered directly to the Love, Elsie fabric paper) and added little photos of ornaments and other decorations throughout my home. I love that my Epson printer can print these small photos. I printed 6 photos on one 4x6 sheet! Also, please note my very first foray into sewing! Yes, I sewed that red thread onto the page. I have NEVER sewed anything in my life and lately I had been wanting to try it!



And what did I sew with, you ask? This little craft sewing machine that my BFF gave me for Christmas. It's awesome. I don't know if I'll ever do much more than basic stitching, but I love the look that it gives my scrapbook layouts. :)



That's all I have for today. I'll be back soon to share more of my Dec Daily album with you.

I hope the New Year brings you much peace, health, love and happiness. May you live each day to the fullest and appreciate all the things life has to offer all of us!

Merry wishes and joyful dreams,
Vanessa

Weekend in Philly | December Daily: Days 8, 9 and 10

What a crazzyyyyyy (and fun) few days I've had! Richard was working in Philadelphia for the past two weeks (he came home the weekend before last and then he left again). On Thursday evening, I flew out to Philly and joined him for a cold, beautiful adventure-filled three days. I just wish I could have stayed longer!

Christ Church

At the very top of the City Hall Tower; you can see Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey from this point

Festive decor inside a building

Love sculpture at JFK Park

Street scene near Christ Church

Princess Diana exhibit at the National Constitution Center

Valley Forge; there were so many deer in the park!



I was hoping for snow, but we didn't get any. Unfortunately, Miami has been HOT and HUMID and HOT and DISGUSTING. I'm talking record high 80-something temps! So I welcomed the 20 and 30-degree weather with open arms (and some long johns! LOL!) I love it when it's cold because I get to wear my scarves and my hat and coat... :) I lived in Colorado when I was in 3rd and 4th grade and I remember building tunnels through the snow and climbing out the windows in the winter... how fun!

Now comes the hard part: choosing which photos will go into my December Daily album! Speaking of which, I've completed up to Day 10 so here are some pics of my latest pages.

For Day 8, I used a holiday file folder (I think it's from K & Company) and I adhered a photo of the Christmas ornament I made for the Cocoa Daisy ornament swap (see previous blog post). Inside the file folder are photos of the ornament that I received.




For Day 9, I simply matted a photo on an Archiver's card and then on a Hambly overlay. I then placed a tag from Elle's Studio on the back side.

Front

Back


Day 10 is just journaling. I lifted this idea from Ali Edwards. On this day, I went to work and then headed to Philly so I wanted to capture my thoughts and feelings about the trip.




I will continue with Day 11 on the back side of this page... I hope to work on more pages later this week, but right now I am packing for a work trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I leave bright and early tomorrow. I'll be back Thursday night.

I hope you're enjoying your holidays! Check back soon for another RAK (Hint: if you want to do a "2009 Year in Review" mini album, you'll want to check this out!).

Merry wishes and joyful dreams,
Vanessa