Scrapabilly January 2016 kit shares (part 3) and my One Little Word

Last week, here and here, I shared the first four layouts using the BasicGrey stuffed January kit from Scrapabilly. And I'm back today to share with you my fifth and final layout which also happens to feature my One Little Word.

First of all, let me remind you of that lovely kit - you know how much I love BG!

And here's my layout - my OLW is "Composed".

If you're unfamiliar with the One Little Word concept, it is an Ali Edwards concept to select a word to guide you through the year which sums up the direction you wish to take - in whatever way that means for you. You can read all about it on her blog - just use One Little Word as a search criteria. She originally started it in 2007 (I think) and I played right along with her from the very beginning. Some years - such as 2007 / positive and 2009 / calm - have been more successful than others but there has been a word and a layout (um, no actually no layout last year. I should make one retrospectively) to remind me what it is I wish to achieve in those 12 months.

I'm not even sure I have "published" them every year here on the blog but it's something I follow, even if it's just in my head.

I started thinking about my word about three months ago and knew exactly the type of things I wanted to work on - being less clumsy, more deliberate, moving and being more purposefully, acting more calmly, being more tolerant. It took a long time coming and R helped me a lot along the way, brainstorming different words until we came on one we both agreed was "the one" - and remember, he's doing that in a foreign language! I almost think the German word - "Gelassenheit" - is even more perfect sounding that the English but it makes more sense to record it in my own language!

The idea behind using this paper was actually both Sylvia's (Scrapabilly herself!) and my crop evening bestie, Charly. With all the months listed for this year, they thought it was an ideal way of showing it was a year long work in progress. When I decided how I wanted to decorate those months - using stitching - I was sold.

The rest of the layout is quite simple.

I didn't have many good photos of me to use when I look calm and in control but this one came pretty close even if the quality isn't so good. The pose looks relaxed and I know that I really was feeling good that evening so it works for me.

I have to remember to focus on getting some better photos this year for my pages - I'm certainly running a bit short at the moment.

And just for interest, my words have been:

• 2015 - align
• 2014 - smile
• 2013 - renew
• 2012 - choose
• 2011 - release
• 2010 - ahead
• 2009 - calm
• 2008 - consolidate
• 2007 - positive

Do you have a One Little Word? And how successful are you? Any tips?

I've got posts coming up with my Simple Scrapper makes later this week and there are some changes going on being the scenes at Scrapabilly which I'm excited to share. Which all means, there's going to be more to see over here on my blog so keep coming back, won't you? :-)

The Counterfeit Kit Challenge October Member's Blog Hop

It's a small blog hop this month. But that's no reason not to join in and keep hopping through for fun and inspiration. I'm heading up the hop so make sure you go on over to Tina after you're done here and keep on going from there. Full list at the end.

We were given these challenging challenges:

• Challenge #1: YOUR NEXT MOVE: Do a project sharing what your next move in life is.  What is a goal?  What is a dream?  What would you like to do if you could?
• Challenge #2: 3-D Project.  Let's all get out of our comfort zones.  No cards, layouts or mini albums.  
• Challenge #3: One Thing: You may use paper, photos and only ONE other thing on your project (like mist or stamping or one type of embellishment).

I went with a take on Challenge #1 and made a page about, surprise surprise, me!

As it's coming to the end of the year, I've already starting considering what changes need to be made, what can continue, what I need to stop and what path I'd like 2016 to take me. This includes thinking about what my word for the year will be. I'm still pondering that one but I do know what direction I want that word to be and where I'd like it to impact my life. I just need to pin it down a little more before I share.

This is layout #5 using my October Counterfeit kit, Woodland which has proved a lovely, soft, easy-to-use kit. I think it must have been smaller than usual, because I'm really down to scraps! I haven't had that for months and months. But that made me get creative with small pieces of paper and lots of layering.

A few little items that are a little symbolic for me. And of course, a smattering of gold.

I added sequins into my supplies because my layout needed a little something.

Several of these mini strips are the manufacturing strips off my patterned papers.

Thanks for dropping by and here's the full list. Do let me know you were here!

CKCB    http://www.counterfeitkitchallenge.blogspot.com

Lisa    http://lisahausmann.blogspot.de

Tina    http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com

Julene    http://julenebydesign.blogspot.com.au

Jemma    http://just-jimjams.blogspot.co.uk

Things I Loved... January

I'm not keen on January. It's long, cold, dark, unexciting and all the fun of Christmas is long behind us - or at least this is how it feels.

We had mild, windy but horribly wet weather this year which certainly didn't help but looking back at my photos, I can see that it isn't all bad and that is one of the reasons I love doing this month in review as inspired by Deb. It shows us the good side of life even if you memory plays tricks with you!

The New Year started off quiet with just the two of us having a cosy evening together until the clock struck 12 when all around our neighbourhood, the fireworks started and went on for almost an hour. I'm terrible at taking these photos and should really prepare a bit more to get better shots.

Pigs are the symbol of good luck at New Year in Germany so there were marzipan ones and the cutest little New Year card from a neighbour to go with the lucky 4 leaf clover that I received as a surprise present. I have high hopes for the good luck that these two items will give me this year!

We kicked off the year in style, if not in a healthy way, with my all time favourite breakfast - french toast with maple syrup and bacon. Mmmmm. Starting off the year how I intend to go on. At least once a week, I try to do a proper cooked breakfast to kick-start the day (and pile on the calories!)

One of the last photos of our pink tree. I left the exposure long (I think) to get this starburst effect on the lights. I was sad but ready when we took it down and packed away all those pretties until next year.

My one little word was hanging around with a few others on stickies on my computer for a few days until "the one" jumped out at me and made its presence known. It's a good word and I have high intentions. :-) A bit of positive proactive decision making is on the cards. And a wonderful pinterest find sent to me by Pam to help that word settle into my life. I've now printed this out in small and have it in my wallet as a constant reminder.

Counterfeiting with glitter for challenges gets me out of my rut and trying new things which is all good fun.

After not managing to make Christmas Plätzchen, I finally got around to an afternoon's baking and thrilled a certain chocolate-loving someone round here with his favourite chocolate hazelnut cookies.

At the end of the month, our granny celebrated her 90th (!!) birthday in style with a party with ALL her children (3), grandchildren (11) and great-grandchildren (7)! What an achievement. This adorable cake was made for her by my very good school friend, Geraldine, who just happens to be an über-talented cake designer. We were all knocked out by how she got my gran and her sofa down to a t, right down to cute Fergus and it was wonderful to see my gran surrounded by family, celebrating this amazing milestone.

These days, no trip back to the UK is complete without a mini photo session with the Chance monsters who are getting more adorable and gorgeous every time I go back. This time was no exception. They like to tease me with the fact that I'm the ONLY one in the family (well, except for my dad) who can't roll their tongue! I have dozens of such taunting photos which seriously need to be turned into a page about this subject sooner rather than later!

Maybe not the most exciting month of the year, but a good one and a nice way to start the year.

In the best company

My very good blog friend S has brought her challenge series, In Good Company, back for the new year and I'm thrilled to have found the time to join in this time around.

Each two weeks S prompts us to reach into the depths of our forgotten stash and scrap "in good company" by challenging us to use a favourite manufacturer.

This time around, we could choose any product designed by or attributed to a girl.

Well, it just so happens that I have a HUGE amount of K&Co designed by Amy Butler - in fact, I bought every piece of the ranges I could when it came out and then hardly ever used it! So Amy it was!

And it also just happened that I wanted to do my OLW layout for the new year too and so it all came together nicely.

I went for something really simple and cut out doilies from one sheet and two very small photo mats from two other pieces - so three sheets of Amy in total! Success! Well ok, to use up all the paper I have in the three ranges I bought, I'd need to make a hundred pages but it's a start, isn't it?!?

I'm struggling with photos of myself at the moment and had to make do with yet another dodgy one - mmm, totally crappy, will have to try to do something about that but I guess it's real at least. ;-)


I included a few little items to support the theme I wanted to convey with my word and am happy to have found a couple of spots for the pretty felt flowers that Helen made for me as well as two of the metal charms she sent.


So happy to have managed to join in this fun challenge and I'm looking forward to which paper line S chooses next. Thanks S for the push to get out my pretty Amy papers!

One Little Word 2011

"Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?" 

Mary Manin Morrissey

New year, new word. 

For the 5th time, at the end of 2010 and for the first week or so of 2011, I concentrated on finding a word that meant something special to me. 

Something that I want to work on this year. 

Some part of me that needs improvement. 

Something that represents what I want this year to be for me and for us.

The word that suddenly appeared to me after a few false starts is: RELEASE.

There are so many ins and outs and different meanings to this word and that is what makes it perfect. I want it all. It won't be an easy word to keep in mind as I often function in exactly the opposite way to this - I'm a Scorpio after all ;-) who never forgets a slight or a grudge and is über-secretive. But it's an opportunity for me to try a new way. 

And that is exactly what OLW is all about.

To mark my new word, there is of course, a new layout which I completed this week as part of LOAD (more on that in a day or two). Please excuse the poor photo but all my scrapping is happening in the evenings right now and that means evening, electric light photos producing rather grotty results! I am hoping to use the daylight tomorrow to retake the LOAD layout photos so far to post here on my blog but this will have to do for now.

For us scrapbookers, Ali Edwards kicked off this One Little Word movement and for those of you who are interested in finding out more a, you can link to Ali Edwards blog (here) where she explains how it all started. She also has a year long class over at BPC this year (here) relating to OLW which I hear is very good and so inspirational.

My previous posts for my words can be found here (2007, 2009, 2010) and some years have definitely been more successful than others. 2010 was a bit of a disaster as far as "Ahead" goes, but another year, another chance!

Do you have a word? What are you doing to keep it fresh and alive?

One Little Word

Next up on my list of updates: my one little word for the year.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find my posts from the last years here and here. And the original idea came from Ali Edwards on her blog. You can find this year's update here where she also links to previous years.

In a nutshell, one little word is an idea to have a single word representing what you want to work on, improve, start, continue or even just remember throughout the year to come. It should be something that sums up what you want to achieve. It struck such a chord with me that I jumped right on the bandwagon back in 2007 and have worked on it ever since. My words so far have fitted right into the larger picture that I wanted for myself over the year - sort of a giant resolution.

I cannot say that I have fully achieved any of them, but improvement is definitely there. Ali E suggests some sort of daily/weekly reminder for yourself but I just repeated the word to myself on a regular basis. I asked R if he thought that I had achieved what I had set out to do and he told me that there was real progress in each of the last years which is lovely to hear. Last year's "calm" certainly helped in the organisation of R's big party and all the run up to Christmas even though there were times when I was anything but calm!

So after these words...

2007 - Positive

2008 - Consolidate

2009 - Calm

... comes this year's word

AHEAD

I am in a constant state of feeling behind and disorganised and disappointed to have forgotten things or left stuff to the last minute so this is summing all that up.

I made my one little word layout on Saturday and I feel ready to go for it. Of course, starting the new year with a stinky cold that has me working half speed is not exactly the best way to kick off, but it's a start.

And *waves* to Sarah who has also chosen her word here. Focus - what a brilliant word. I might have pinched that for myself if I hadn't already committed to mine.

What will your word be?