One Little Word 2014: Joy

I thought about many different words for this year. I even went as far as to create graphics for two different words, but I just couldn't commit to them. Then, this weekend, I was looking through my necklaces, trying to choose one to wear to Ikea on Saturday morning, and my Origami Owl Tagged necklace jumped out at me.

find joy in the journey.

My word came to me immediately. Joy has been on my mind ever since our church's women's event in December. The main point of the presentation was that joy is really like an unflappable peace, something that transcends our circumstances. Being a worrier, being the person that can always think of ten ways everything can go wrong, I know I need that kind of peace. It seems especially important given the changes coming our way this year - Trevor's new job, the uncertainty of my whether I'll be at the same school this fall, and turning 30. 

I need peace. I need joy. I need to not worry.

So this year, I'm all about joy. Finding joy in my journey, finding joy in the everyday, finding joy in the most mundane places. This is my mission for 2014. 

What's your mission? Did you pick a word for 2014? Tell me about it in the comments. I might even share some responses on the blog next time I discuss my one little word.

Oh Snap!

{Supplies: Basic Grey paper pad, Recollections cardstock, Silhouette Cameo machine, Bebas New font, camera cut file by Amy Tangerine, and background cut file by Lori Whitlock}

My friend Jessica, who began Bridges Photography last year, turned 30 last week, so I had to incorporate the camera theme into this card! I started by resizing the background cut in Silhouette studio. I then typed my sentiment directly onto the cut file. I backed the background piece with a black paper from the same Basic Gray collection. The camera is also backed with the same black paper. It was so much fun working with one 6x6 paper pad that I ended up making several cards from that same pad that night.

Why I Failed at Doing December Daily in 2013

The above image is the totality of what I accomplished with my 2013 December Daily album. I knew I had set myself up for failure -- I decided on November 30 that I wanted to do an album. I did what you see above that afternoon, and then I really didn't touch it again until I dismantled the album on January 3.

There are a number of reasons I failed with this project.

1. I didn't plan ahead. I didn't have any idea what I was going to use or how I was going to create this album. Truth be told, I was using the skeleton of another December Daily that I started but didn't finish. I kept trying to keep it the same but make it drastically different all at the same time. This, obviously, meant I was doomed to fail from the start.

2. I didn't have time in December. Which is why Ali Edwards and all the serious December Daily people make their foundation pages in November. Seriously. This was a huge part of my problem.

3. I didn't take or print any photos. Well, that's a bit of a lie. I took a ton of photos. Most of them were of my cats. Yes, there were some of them being adorable around Christmas trees and presents, but I'm not doing a December Daily to document my cats' holiday season. I'm doing it to document the people's holiday season. On that end, I failed miserably. I took no photos on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family, and absolutely none a few days later when we went to Minnesota to be with Trevor's family...and none when Trevor and I opened our gifts together at home.

4. I didn't write anything down. I could have overcome the lack of photos since this isn't necessarily a photo a day project (but most people do seem to document that way). I just didn't put pen to paper. I could have written about my feelings this Christmas, jotted down my wish list, shared Trevor's wish list, or written about our time with our families. I just never did.

5. I just didn't have a big drive to do this. I did a December Daily in 2009. That was the year Trevor and I got married, and I felt a HUGE drive to document our first married Christmas. Each of the following Christmases, however, has pretty much been the same: decorate the house, fly up north for a few days to see each family, fly back, open our presents when we get home, celebrate New Year's Eve at our house, and then it's the new year. Somehow, I thought this year would be different, but it isn't. I know it will feel different if we have children, if I'm pregnant one Christmas, if we move to a different place...but until then, I know I won't feel the same drive to do the album if I'm trying to do it as I go along like I did this year.

Going forward in 2014 means planning better. I am determined to do one more December Daily before we have children. Knowing how crazy life can be during the fall and winter, I'm going to start my album earlier. Like, January.

No, seriously, I ordered a bunch of stuff from TwoPeasinaBucket.com, and I'm pulling things from my Studio Calico kits. I'm planning to do most of my album over Martin Luther King weekend because I have three days off, but Trevor will be working two of those days. Plus, I have a 9 day break in February to finish it, too. I'll share more about my plans and process on the blog as I get further into the project.

Right now, I'm working on organizing my office and getting ready to do some serious crafting in 2014.

5 for Friday: 5 things you'll see from me this year

Revamping a blog takes work. So does developing the vision for a new blog. Today, I thought I'd lay out a bit of what my vision is for this new blog.

1. Five for Friday - an assortment of lists of five things. Pretty self-explanatory. It's going to run the gamut from lists of scrapbook supplies I love to my five favorite TV shows of the moment. Or it could be a completely random list, too. This is probably going to be my most constant feature for awhile because I have tons of ideas for this one.

2. An increasing amount of content - I'm pulling back from some of my other commitments in order to have more time for what I really want to do. It's going to be a slow process, so that means that I will be slowly adding more to this blog as I gain more time for it.

3. Projects! I have been doing a lot of collecting and not enough doing these past few months, so it's time for me to get back into the habit of making and sharing my projects (which might be tougher - I've relied on a number of challenge blogs to get my mojo going, and at least three of them quit at the end of December).

4. Videos - This is going to be a first for me. I'm going to be sharing a few short videos on my blog. I will warn you, they will not be great quality - I'm planning to record them with my iPhone! These really aren't going to be technique heavy. Instead, they are going to be glimpses into how I organize things in my albums and in my office, and I hope they are never longer than five minutes in length.

5. Personal content - This is NOT a craft blog. This is my personal blog. You might end up seeing my personal photos here, my favorite ice cream shop, recipes, all sorts of things. There is a lot I want to share with family and friends who don't Facebook, so those things will be going here, too. I'll do my best to use tags so that if you just want to see the projects, you can skip the personal posts. 

Happy 2014!

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!