little gi

it's getting addicting....

the flickr thing...

i've finally caught the flickr bug....yikes it is cool over there, huh?

& as i was strolling through adding some of my favorite artists & friends as contacts
i came across nicole's & beth's galleries....
these 2 women have got some amazing photography going on....
really inspiring me today

& they also have a super cool challenge blog called we spy:you spy
that encourages us all to take a closer look at the everyday world we live in through the lens of our camera..
really cool...
here is my entry for this week's challenge....spy something new

kelly has just started reading "chapter books"...she loves them...sits on up at the dining table with her new books & delves in....i love it...i love her :)

& i also want to give big congratulations to beth & nicole b/c they were both just added to the unpubbed team!!!

so today i declare....hooray for beth & nicole day!!!

& happy wednesday too :)

xoxoxo

gi

p.s....thank you all SOOOO much for all of your sweet comments & hugs & advice & encouragement on my post the other day...it seriously makes my heart swell that you all took the time to reach out to me...i'm a lucky gal & i love it when i'm smacked in the face with that simple fact...as i sat & read your e-mails i couldn't help but smile & i felt your hugs...
thank you...
really....
thank you

wanderings....

my mind has been wandering lots lately...
especially right now...
as i sit here...
AWAKE...
at 2:17 am (darn that coffee at 9:30 pm while watching curb w/ mike...lesson learned :)

but it's true...
even without the coffee, my mind has been wandering...
and wondering, i guess...

what do i want to do?
who do i want to spend my time with?
what do i want my life to be?
what do i want to spend my time on?
am i being & becoming the me i want to be?

bottom line...who am i?  & do i like her?

tomorrow is a new day....
time to think more...do more...be more...

or maybe...
i'll just be me

& maybe...i'll sing :)

have a happy tuesday!

xoxoxo

gi

happy birthday to....

patty!!!!

she celebrated a wonderful birthday this week!!!!

the kids & i planted these pansies this week in our deck flower boxes...

& i thought of patty & her love of purple & flowers & her dreams for a huge gorgeous garden...

i'm thinkin' this is her year :)

sunshine & flowers all the way patty!!!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

***she & her husband also celebrated a wedding anniversary this week too...boy april is busy for this girl,huh?***

hope you have a happy weekend too!!!

xoxoxo

gi

grow yo.....

oooh yeah....GREAT word up over at OLW....
jessi chose such a great word for this week...

here is my take:

i got to use a great kit from lotus paperie that had some of my favorite scenic route patterned papers & some really gorgeous fabrics & little chipboard-y things like the birdie & branch

& i've got so much to journal about this word...so much
i am trying so hard to use each day...
to make it count so to speak...
i strive for that so bad...
i strive to grow...
i don't want to just stay stagnant...
i want to grow

yesterday i came across these words from paulette insall

You must sing your song for all to hear...sing it loudly...sing it proudly...let it give you wings to soar.

Many of us spend our lives searching for our voice...whether it be our voice as an artist or just our own individual inner voice...and once we find it, it can bring us much joy and peace. Do not let anyone keep you from expressing it...for in letting them silence it, you let them keep you from being your true self.
I fly like a bird,
My song is there in the open air,
a new song, a free song,
and I must sing

amazing, right?

so use today....

grow...

sing...

happy wednesday :)

xoxoxo

gi

do you hear that????

yep...

we've got some music :)

& obviously i was in a bit of a van morrison mood when i created this playlist...

ahhhhh......i feel the need to pop open some pino grigio & sit on my deck in the twightlight...
too bad tater is standing on a kitchen chair throwing paper airplanes...

we'll rock it out anyways :)

next i'm tackling that boring green header up there....

i'm thinkin' polka dots :)

happy sunday!!!

xoxoxo

gi

a cover girl!!!!

go check out my pal, petrina's blog...

her layout is on THE COVER of scrapbook creations...

that's right!

THE
COVER!!!!!!!!

yay P!!!!!!!!!!!!

hope you are having a great weekend!

xoxoxo

gi

yeah...she is somethin' special :)

you see her?  she is the "shhhh-ing" one on the left...
her name is kerry lynn yeary...
i call her ker :)

what you can't tell from this picture (which is taken by the super fab becky behind that lens there) is that she has the biggest heart of anyone i've ever met...
you can't tell that she makes me laugh SO hard at smiley faces that go "moo"...
you can't tell that she gives so generously of herself & her heart...
you can't tell that she wears that beautiful heart on her sleeve & by doing so inspires the life outta me...
you can't tell that she makes me want to be a better woman...
you can't tell that she makes me think about stuff that i need to think about, even tho i may not want to...
you can't tell that she has helped me figure out what the hell i want out of life...
you can't tell that she means SO much to me it is hard to put into words...

but you can tell she makes me smile...
& that is only the tip of the iceberg...

last night while we were instant messaging i was watching a re-run of sex and the city...
it was the one when carrie is trying to explain to the russian (Mikhail Baryshnikov) what samantha means to her...
what her friendship means in her life....
& she says to him "she is like my insides"...& it hit me...
ker is like my insides...

& my life is enriched b/c she is a part of it...

if only one day we could live in the same freakin' state...lol

so today i am overjoyed...
b/c her collection launched in the SIStv boutique
& i'm like proud as a freakin' peach...

b/c now you'll get to see how amazing she is too :)
take a peek:

now if that doesn't make for a happy monday...
i don't know what does :)

CONGRATULATIONS MY GIRL KER!!!!
LOVE YOU!!!!

& happy monday to you too :)

xoxoxo

gi

yep....i'm psyched.....

to be the guest over at the art is found

kara asked me a couple weeks ago & it totally made my day...

the challenge is board books...
go & take a gander & JOIN IN!!!!

serious fun stuff for sure :)

i created a little story of our saturday mornings...

you can see the whole book here :)

& in other news....i've got the whole nervous, freaking out, excited & panic-y thing going on too b/c yesterday morning my class went on sale over at SIStv....

yikes!!!!  please send me some good vibes...i'm so super excited about the project & have been thinking about it all the time...adding more & more ideas...adding to my collection of vintage hardcover books that my students will be working with....can't wait to add the hambly & fontwerks & the other surprises i've got up my sleeve ;)

happy tuesday!!!

xoxoxo

gi

this one's for heather :)

& this too :)

you see...heather is my lil' sis over at SIS...& i couldn't be prouder
she is amazing
she is freaking hilariously funny
she has a heart the size of the empire state building
& i'm beyond excited for her that she is now one of my fellow f-girls...

good stuff indeed :)

happy tuesday everyone!!

xoxoxo

gi