January Progress Toward Goals

February so soon?!  Not going to lie, I was pretty excited about my first month of following my personal goals!  I can tell several differences in my daily routine:

1) Less TV and even if I'm watching one of my usual shows I make myself walk during commercials or during the show if it's recorded

2) Less TV = more scrapbook time (note - I don't watch that much TV anyway but even an hour each night after work quickly adds up!)

3) No shopping - I didn't even tempt myself to purchase anything I didn't need and I don't think I left the house most weekends!

So to update on each of my goals specifically:

 

1.  Only buy the absolute necessary toiletries/cosmetics/etc. 

 

Here's some of the "non-essential" items I used up in January (obviously not tracking things like toothpaste, etc).  Most of these items I would re-purchase and probably will once I use up some other items.

• Nuetrogena oil-free eye makeup remover - This is a good, cheaper option to eye-make up remover.  I thought I really liked it until I started using my Laura Mercier one and now I'm not sure which one I prefer.  
• Paris Amour Bath & Body Works Shower Gel - Not going to lie, I have several more of these in my stash.  I do like the scent but now find I'm growing tired of it
• Bamboo Pink Long Last Clinique Lipstick - this has been a favorite for years.  Only downside is that you have to apply it 20 times a day and you go through the tube rather quickly.  
• Blistex Complete Mositure Lip Gloss -- LOVE this.  
• Carmax Complete Moisture Lip Gloss - This is another good product for lips but I think I prefer the Blistex product.
• Benefit they're real mascara - this was in a sample kit I got before Christmas and this is something I would def. repurchase.
• Urban Decay Eyelash Primer Potion - this is something that is SO hard to find in the stores!  I'm on my last one now and last time I was in Sephora (before Christmas) I found out they are no longer going to carry it.  Bummer.
• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - this lasted FOREVER and I really like the base it gives my foundation.  I had already ordered another one and actually ended up ordering one that's slightly different that I'm using now.  I think I prefer this one over the one I have now though. 

2.  No more magazine subscriptions (unless they are free).  My goal is to finish reading the backlog  of magazines in the living room and then start on my actual book collection!  My goal is 1-2 books per month.  

 

 

 

 

I think I finally dented my magazine backlog!  12 magazines got tossed (actually People gets passed on to my grandma) and 4 books are finished!  My moms been passing her Mary Higgins Clark books on to me as she finishes them - pretty good easy reads.  I bought Melissa Rycrofts book from Amazon before Christmas - I've always liked her so I thought the book would be interesting.  She didn't talk much about her time on The Bachelor or as a DCC.  I could have done without the chapters of her dragging on about her heartbreak.  Overall pretty good easy read. 

 

 

 3.  At least one blog entry a week.  

 I ended up with 7 entries for January so I'm on track!

4.  Use the elliptical that's literally just  accumulating spider webs in the basement -- get in 20-30 minutes a day on the elliptical and walk Henderson 1-2 times  a week.

A cold basement and freak snow storm have slowed me down on this goal!  I've decided it'll be more fun for me to try and beat the previous month's miles.  So, for January, I walked 56.53 miles.  Bring it on February!

5.  Less eating out at work.  My goal is to only eat out 2-3 times a week.  

I was tracking this and then got lazy with it - I had a business trip one week so that messed up my tracking too.  

6.  Since I beat my scrapbook page goal for 2013, I think I am going to go with ... 300 pages for 2014. 

I am def. on track for this!  I shocked myself when I counted up how many pages I did in January ... 121!!!!  I started working on my wedding album last night and am excited to share some of it in a later post.

 

What about you?  How are your goals/resolutions coming along?  

Fantabulous Cricut Challange #195 Mix and Match

Last night I put together a scrapbook page that just happened to follow along with the weekly challenge over at FCCB.  As I've worked my way through our year of engagement it's been fun reliving all the "moments" and "events"!  This page highlights one of my bachelorette trips to Naples, FL!    

I used the Life's a Beach cartridge to cut out the turtle and sandcastle and then Simply Charmed for the title.

Felt Rosette Wreath

 

I've been channeling my inner wreath making mojo and tackled another wreath project over the weekend!  In reality, I bought the felt and supplies before we went to MI for Christmas and got sidetracked by making a baby scrapbook while we were there so the wreath got put on the backburner and the supplies sat in the floor... for weeks.  Does that ever happen to anyone else?!  You have the best of intentions and then life sets in.  Anyhow... I decided it was time!  LOVE the finished product and it's perfect for Valentine's Day! 

I researched online the different tips and tricks for cutting felt circles.  I def. was not interested in tracing and cutting the 200+ circles!  Then, I came across this little cutter that cuts through felt/fabric.  I ordered mine from Amazon. 

 My not-so-helpful helper which was more like a paper weight. 

All you do is cut a 3" circle, fold it half and then half again and then stick a straight pin through the bottom corner and then into the wreath.  Easy peasy!

This is where I stopped after night one and about 2 hours.  I had done the whole front but not the inner circle and outer edges. 

Ta da!  I hung it from a hook on our mantle and have already enjoyed seeing it while we watch TV!  LOVE the bright pop of color it adds to our fireplace.  My Mom actually gave me the "G" the last time I saw her and it was the perfect addition. 

Project Life Baby Book

While I was in Michigan over the holidays, I helped my sister-in-law put together a baby book for my nephew.  She had already done her homework and had 10 months of pictures and basic scrapbook supplies ready to go!  I'm not going to lie, when I saw how many BOXES and BOXES of pictures she had I was a little worried about what we had to tackle... then, we rolled up our sleeves and dug in, literally.  

Day 1 was spent sorting and sorting and sorting!  This picture doesn't even capture half of the number of boxes of pictures!  We used the "month" 4x6 cards as guides for our sorting. 

This is the first time I've used nothing but Project Life supplies to put together a book.  I have to say, for quick/catching up/beautiful scrapbooking, Project Life is the way to go.  Here's our supply list (you can order straight from my Amazon Associates Store that's linked at the top of my blog):

• Becky Higgins Photo Pocket Pages - Big Variety Pack 1 & 3
• Holiday Mini Kit
• Core Kit - Baby Edition for Him
• We - R - Memory Keepers Faux Leather 3- Ring Binders 
• Recollections paper trimmer

After we got the months sorted out, we sorted those stacks and put them in order.  As we went though, Ashleigh pulled out any she didn't want to use which helped reduce our piles!  Then, we made more stacks of which pictures should remain 4X6 and which direction they needed to go and which pictures could be cropped into 4x4 cubes; or 3x4 sizes.  This made putting the pages together a breeze!  If we knew we needed 6 3x4 pictures we just grabbed that stack.   

How cute is our little helper?! Can't believe he will be ONE in a few weeks!!!

After about 4 days of working on our project on and off, we had finished all the way up to 10 months!  I left Ashleigh with the chore of completing the journaling cards and month highlights/stats.  We had such a good time working on our little project and we LOVE the outcome!   

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge #192 - Use a Sentiment

WOW -- is it cold out there!!  It was a frigid 5 degrees on my way into work this morning.  I'd love to have a few "snow" days to stay home and keep up the scrapbooking roll I've been on the last few days!  Unfortunately, I don't see that in my future so I have to stick with grabbing a few minutes here and there throughout the week to throw a page or two together.  Last night before the BCS Championship game, (and while dinner was in the oven) I raced up to my scrapbook room to put together a page for the Fantabulous Cricut Challenge for the week.   This weeks challenge is to use a sentiment and I knew I could incorporate it into the next page I had up to make for my current album - the year of wedding planning/being engaged!  Here's what I came up with:

I used the Sweethearts Cricut cartridge to cut "Save the Date", the engagement ring and the envelopes on the second page.  

I used a 6"x12" Becky Higgings page protector and also one of the Project Life journaling cards from the Blush Core Kit.  

So far in my "engagement" album I'm up to December 2012!  Getting all the engagement pics scrapbooked was quite the endeavor from the weekend but I LOVE the way the pages turned out.  I'll share some pictures soon. 

On another fun note, it's been exactly 5 years since Adam and I met for the first time in "real".  We first met up to watch the BCS Championship game in 2009 in Mobile!  Time really flies.  

Stay warm out there!

 

Chevron Burlap Wreath

  Anyone else loving the burlap decor frenzy?  I may be a little late to the party but I've been a little busy in 2013!  Now that my time has been freed up from wedding planning, I'm trying my hand at a few different crafts!  At various craft shows over the last few months I've seen tons of burlap wreaths for various price points for sale-- anywhere from $40-$80.  I decided.. I can make those.  So, off to Hobby Lobby I went.  I picked up a 24" frame and chevron printed rolled burlap.  I got lucky because the rolls of burlap were 50% off when I happened to go shopping.  I think I started the hardest way with this -- with a large wreath form and burlap that was patterned on only one side!  I looked at a few tutorials on YouTube and a few other blogs and then went for it.  I got the wreath finished, stood back and looked and didn't LOVE it.   

I sole some of the picks from my garland and liked it better but it still wasn't just RIGHT.  

SO, I took it apart at 10pm on a work night!  I redid it making the loops much bigger and fuller and LOVE it now.  You can see the chevron print a lot better in this wreath too.  It's so fluffy and fun to look at.  So different too.  Plus, I like that I can change the accessories to match the seasons.  I do love the pop of red with the chevron.  

Here it is in it's final spot.  I hung it over a skinny wood Santa that was already hanging on this door and added a red burlap bow I found half off at Hobby Lobby.  LOVE it!

Canvas Mistletoes

Since I'm known as the "crafty' Auntie I had to be prepared for a Christmas craft this year with the munchkins.  I went to Pinterest for inspiration and fell in love with this cute idea using little feet!  

So, with the assistance of Adam and a few other adults, I painted and stamped 3 sets of munchkin feet over the last 2 weeks!