Creative Project: One Little Word 2013 - Jan Prompt

I am participating in Ali Edward's One Little Word class again this year. You can read about the word I chose for 2013 here.

For January's assignment we were asked to set 12 intentions & 12 corresponding actions to establish what we'd like to invite into our lives this year. Ali divided her 12 intentions and actions out by month, but I couldn't wrap my head around that idea, so I just numbered mine. I mean how could I possibly know what any given month would hold for me or what I would want to focus on? And even though she said not to get caught up on which month is which or be strategic about it, I couldn't get past the monthly labels, hence the numbers.  We also included a title card along with a photo of ourselves and 4 "art" cards.

Here are my spreads:

Kept it simple with a mix of stickers, journaling and stamps.

I used gold embossing powder on
that Make stamp. Also ran out of the # 1
stickers so had to improvise using other stickers.

Anyone else pick a word for the year? What are you currently working on?

Welcome April & my 2013 One Little Word

Hello April. 2013 is flying by and I can't help but want time to slow down a little. I mean wasn't it just New Year's day like a week ago? I think that I also feel this way because it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I felt myself come out of hibernation. I typically look towards a new year with anticipation & excitement at starting over and this year was no different but that initial enthusiasm died rather quickly. And then I pulled my back in late January and I've been out of commission now for a little over 2 months. So April is really my New Year and my clean slate.

But as I said, I snapped out of my funk/rut a bit ago & exciting things are happening. Which leads me to my one little word for this year: SHINE. I chose this word because I'm tired of hiding behind fear, procrastination & excuses. Because I may be an introvert but that doesn't mean I can't stand out. Because I want to make things happen and share my victories. So SHINE seemed appropriate.

And per my usual tradition, I got my egg. And instead of writing a manifesto and then having my friend Caiti design it, I chose to just purchase her personalized graphic print of my word.

Check out Caiti's Etsy shop here

Finally, the new thing I added are these awesome customized flair buttons from Ormolu.

I plan on using these in my creative projects

Lastly, I want to share one of the exciting things that I alluded to above. A couple weeks ago after a particularly difficult day at work, I decided enough is enough and declared to M that I was starting a virtual assistant business. As of today, I have 2 clients, one of which offered me a job this morning! The first client is WhimseyBox and I'll be helping them build into a kick-ass resource for DIY and craft lovers. I'll share the second client after I get permission. So my plan is to transition from my traditional 9-5 and into this full-time. I am beyond thrilled about this new venture. And yes, I am still planning on starting a business for paper lovers.

Please share your 2013 one little word 

and/or your manifesto. Or any big goals.

Creative Project: One Little Word (Dec)

Today I wanted to share this past December's One Little Word creative prompt/assignment (for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class). I have signed up for this class again this year & will be doing a post soon to share my new word & January's prompt. 

For December, we were invited to reflect back over our experience with our word (mine was possibility)  & then to wrap up the year by writing down our feelings & facts - to basically debrief & to create closure. 

Here is my completed worksheet:

By the time December rolled around, I was more than ready to say goodbye to my word & to 2012. 

What are you saying goodbye to?

Creative Project: One Little Word (Sept-Oct)

Today I wanted to share September, October & November's One Little Word creative prompts/assignments (for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class). 

For September, we were asked to focus on a battle we were fighting and/or one we were surrendering. I chose the latter because at that point in time, I had just given in to accepting that a goal I had been trying to accomplish was just not going to happen. I will share more about that in my 2012 recap post. 

I made a simple 4x6 collage with the word surrender
& below I wrote about why I chose
to surrender a fight

For October's prompt we revisited February's photo assignment to capture nine images that represent our word & choose nine new images, as seen below.

Lastly, this month's assignment was to do some self-reflection using "I" statements about where we are in life right now. Ali provided us with a template to download using statements like: "I believe," "I know," "I love," etc as jumping off points. 

I made mini collages

Tell me what battle are you fighting or surrendering to?

Creative Project: One Little Word

Today I wanted to share August's One Little Word creative prompt/assignment (for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class), which was to take a pic of ourselves & add a few words. Easy enough. And it was a nice break from creating, or making lists or deep introspection. 

Here's my pic. 

Lately, I've been lacking in self-compassion & self-love. I'm trying to remind myself that I deserve both & that "in everything, love." Thanks for stopping by! 

Creative Project: One Little Word

Today I wanted to share July's  One Little Word creative prompt/assignment (for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class), which was a soundtrack for our word. We were asked to create a personal play list consisting of nine songs that are meaningful to us right now. 

Here are my songs:

What songs are meaningful to you right now? 

Creative Project: One Little Word

Happy Friday! Today, I wanted to share June's One Little Word creative prompt/assignment (for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class), which was a creative meditation. We were asked to create 9 mini canvasses focusing on our word. I chose to work using gesso, spray inks & acrylic paints to prep the paper. After they dried, I added all the embellishments you see below. 

Here are my canvasses:

Have a wonderful weekend my friends - full of possibility! 

Creative Project: One Little Word

Happy Friday! On these days I usually wake up humming Everybody's Working for the Weekend.  Good ole Loverboy. Definitely can't help but be nostalgic for the hair bands of yesteryear.

So on to the One Little Word May creative prompt/assignment for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class. We were invited to write down the goals we hoped to achieve relating to our word (mine is possibility), along with documenting things we've already accomplished. The 2nd part was to create a 4x6 opening page for the month. 

The written words were from my very first
assignment back in Jan

I printed out a 2nd blank sheet &
added it to the other side of the
page protector for other goals
I think of.

Have a great weekend!

Creative Project: One Little Word

Today I wanted to share my One Little Word  April creative prompt/assignment for Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class. We were asked to write a letter to ourselves; taking stock of where we are presently, then where we want to be, setting intentions & then writing it down in a letter format. Lastly, we were to include a self-pic. I had M take one of me right when I stepped in the door after my work day & long commute. I didn't brush my hair or take a quick look in the mirror. I did this intentionally. This is me. Real & a little frazzled/stressed from the drive home. 

Ali provided a link to FutureMe.org, a site that let's you write your letter & then set a date in the future to email it to yourself. I ended up typing my letter on this site first & then copying it in my handwriting for this prompt. I set the date for the letter to be emailed to me in April of next year. Pretty cool, huh?

The journaling card templates
are 4x6 

Thanks for stopping & hope that your week is off to a good start. 

Hello May

This morning following a night of severe
thunderstorms. 

Welcome May. You represent rebirth, renewal, growth & new challenges. I'm so happy you're here.


For the past 6 months, I've been focused on getting back to creating. Ever since closing my Etsy shop & accepting that 1) it was not what I wanted. At. All. And 2) that I wasn't even sure what I wanted & had no new goal to pursue - I've been letting myself just be. No next big thing or goal to achieve. Just a couple of powwows with this wonderful lady that led to an amazing discovery. Yet even then, I knew it wasn't quite the right time to act on anything & that I needed to continue on the same path of turning inward & working on several creative projects.

Fast forward to the present day & I now know that the time has arrived to start moving forward. I alluded to this in my last post & I'm not ready to share in this space yet, but I'm starting the process & once I get some things straightened out, I'll be ready to shout it from the rooftops. 

In the meantime, with the whole spring rebirth theme, I want to get back to focusing on my One Little Word - Possibility. I wrote a New Year's Manifesto instead of setting specific goals, but now I think that the broadness of my intentions contributed to my lack of focus & direction. So I'm going to start setting specific monthly goals & sharing them & my progress here. 

For May:

• Continue my 15 min yoga practice on the weekday mornings (weekends off)
• Continue my Couch to 5k program 3x/week
• Complete 2 more weeks of vegan/gluten-free "diet" for a total of 3 weeks
• Start research for my new goal (purposefully left vague b/c  not ready to share - Sorry!)
• Create & continue with all my creative projects & classes

Tell me what goals/dreams are you currently working on or plan on starting on?

Creative Project: One Little Word

Even though, it's almost May, I have to admit that my One Little Word for 2012 hasn't been much of a priority this year. You may remember that I'm taking Ali Edwards One Little Word 2012 class. This consists of a monthly prompt/creative assignment & at the end we will have created an entire album devoted to our word. Over this past weekend, I completed the March & April assignments & that helped reinvigorate my focus & attention. I wanted to share what I created for February & March. I will share April's at a later date.   

February's prompt was to capture your word through your camera, both literally & figuratively.

Included in my collage: my manifesto,
a pic of me after my biopsy, my sneakers
& my One Little Word egg

For March, we were asked to take action with one small step & commit to it for the month. Since I did this after the month was over, I used my elimination/diet detox as my step, since I both committed to it & accomplished it. We were asked to write about the experience. 

Lastly, I wanted to show you what my father surprised me with tonight when I got home from work. I had found a vintage card catalogue about 6 or more months ago, but it needed some sort of foundation, as it was too short to use. So I asked my wonderful Dad to help a girl out.  And this is the base he built! 

Looks fantastic, don't you think?! Thanks again Dad - you're the best. 
Thanks for stopping by. Here's to a great week. 

Creative Project: One Little Word

Normally, I would have a Project Life post for today, but since I've been sick with some type of stomach bug/virus, I am using a post that I had scheduled for Wed instead. Enjoy & I'll have my PL update later this week once I'm feeling better & can get to it.

You may remember that my One Little Word for 2012 is possibility. I'm also taking Ali Edwards  One Little Word 2012 class. This consists of a monthly prompt/creative assignment & at the end we will have created an entire album devoted to our word. I wanted to share January's assignment. I still have to include a self-portrait...

We received a bunch of printable
elements to create a 4x6 page with
our word on it. I added stickers to spell
out my word. The other side of this is where I
need to include my self-portrait.

The 2nd part of the prompt was to create
a series of small collages that welcomes
your word into your life. Ali gave us several
writing assignments - include a definition, synonyms,
a quote, what we hope to invite into our life
& the reason why we chose our word. The rest of
the 4 cards were open for whatever we wanted to do.
I chose to make mini collages. 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you all had a good weekend!

One Little Word & A New Year's Manifesto

One of my favorite end-of-the-year rituals is choosing my new one little word (from Ali Edwards). In 2010, I chose beginnings because I found myself unemployed & in a new chapter of my life, where I started blogging & working on opening an Etsy shop. In 2011, it was momentum because I wanted to continue moving forward & expanding on all that I had started during the previous year.  

And now for this year, I've chosen possibility. Because after realizing & admitting that my previous goal of having an Etsy shop wasn't right, I've found myself back at square one. I still haven't figured out what my next big goal/purpose is but that's ok. I've released any shame, frustration & sense of failure I may have felt.  I'm turning inward. Focusing on listening to what my heart says, how my body responds & reacts to things. I’m ready for the next new stage & I know its coming, but I’m not forcing it. I've accepted that this is exactly where I am supposed to be & am excited for what's next. For possibility.

To go along with my OLW, I have started
a tradition of getting an egg from here. 

Also, I wanted to share my New Year's manifesto with you. Instead of setting resolutions, I decided to switch it up with a manifesto of sorts. 

Please share what one little word you would use to summarize this past year and/or your new word or manifesto for 2012. On Wednesday, I'll be sharing the last pages of my Dec Daily & then it's on to the next big creative project for the year. Can't wait to post about that. Thanks for stopping by!