Nihao, Cupcake!

Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/one-little-word/

Catherine http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com

Nikki www.inkyart.com.au

Cindy http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com/

Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Coley www.coleybelle.blogspot.com

Naomi http://poeticaperture.com

Stephanie http://playinghouseinmaryland.blogspot.com

Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Eydie www.whatwecreate.net

Janet http://lifeinsideascrapbookroom.blogspot.com

Orange Gearle http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Jen www.jenritchie.com <--- Jen got whisked away at the last minute for her birthday, so she didn't get a chance to post. Please go to Melissa right after Amanda! Sorry for the confusion.

Kaylea www.myscrappylife.com

Missus Wookie http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.co.uk/

Beth www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Kelly http://mindingmynest.com

Heidi http://mommy.heidimdavis.com

There was some confusion with the links, so please be sure to stop by the following blogs to check out their OLW posts:

Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/search/label/OLW%2012

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 04/01/2012 at 07:55 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (17)

03/28/2012

April #OLW Blog Hop Participant List is Final

Sign-ups for the April 1 OLW Blog Hop are now CLOSED. Please visit this link to see the list if you signed up. Make note of the person below you in the list and be sure to link to them in your post. Email me if you have any questions! Thanks! I can't wait to see your post on April 1st!

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 03/28/2012 at 09:01 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (2)

03/01/2012

OLW March 1 Blog Hop

Hello! And welcome to my blog. It is time for another One Little Word Blog Hop. One Little Word is a class taught by Ali Edwards at Big Picture Classes.

**NOTE: The blog hop does not go live until 8 AM PST (Thurs, Mar 1), but my internet was acting funny and I was worried I would lose my post so I had to publish early. Please come back at 8 AM to visit the other blogs. Thank you!

To find out more information about our monthly blog hop, click the OLW link under my blog banner.

This month's assignment was all about photography. We were meant to find nine photos that represent our word. My word is LOVINGKINDNESS. I went through all of the photos that I took this past month and found exactly nine photos that represented LOVINGKINDNESS to me. I loved finding the ways my family lives out and experiences this word(s) in our daily/ordinary lives.

I'll leave you with only a few words this month and let the photos speak for themselves.

To see everything ONE LITTLE WORD on my blog, click here.

You have another great list of blogs to visit this month, so without further ado, be on your way to see Melissa who is next on the blog hop.

Here is the complete list of participants. Please come back here to find your way in case you should get lost along the way.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com

Sharyn http://LaVieEnChic.com

Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Jill http://jillconyers.com/

Cindy www.cynthiacrysdale.com

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/one-little-word/

Monica http://scrapinspired.com/

Catherine http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com/

Naomi http://poeticaperture.com/

Jamie jmpgirl.blogspot.com

Coley www.coleybelle.blogspot.com

Melissa C www.smudgetime.com

Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Heidi D http://mommy.heidimdavis.com/

Nikki www.inkyart.com.au

Devon http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Brooklyn www.everysnapshot.com

Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/

Jen R http://jenritchie.com

Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com

Eydie www.whatwecreate.net

Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Missus W http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Marilee http://rose-brier.blogspot.com

Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com

Dawn G www.sunshineandcreativity.com

Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

Becky www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

Orange Gearle orangegearle.blogspot.com

Katrina www.katrinasimeck.com

Nicky Www.seejanebake.blogspot.com

Beth www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Kelly http://mindingmynest.com

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 03/01/2012 at 05:53 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (23)

02/26/2012

Mar 1 OLW Blog Hop Info

Sign ups for the Mar 1 OLW Blog Hop are now closed. If you would like to sign up for the April 1 OLW BLog Hop, please click the link above for more information. If you are a participant looking for the updated and FINAL list for the Mar 1 OLW Blog Hop, please click this link. Email me with any questions. Thanks!

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 02/26/2012 at 07:13 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/01/2012

Feb 1 OLW Blog Hop today!

Welcome to my blog and welcome to the first montly blog hop of the 2012 Big Picture Classes ONE LITTLE WORD class! This is our one year anniversary.

Last February a group of us in Ali's class shared our January assignments with each other through a blog hop and we've been doing it on the first of every month ever since! So glad you stopped by to join us.

If you wanted to join our hop but were too late to sign up, feel free to post a link to your blog POST sharing your January 2012 assignment in the comments. So glad you stopped by!

And before you go, don't forget to grab the code for our newly updated 2012 OLW Blog Button - HTML code on the top right in the sidebar.

This year I picked two words: LOVING KINDNESS. This pair of words started speaking to me late last year and they just sort of stuck. So far, so good! I feel like I am already getting more of what I wanted in my life by choosing this word. I've spelled it out pretty well in January's nine canvases.

I enjoyed repeating this activity more than I thought I would. There is something relaxing about trying something again but using different content and materials. Did anyone else have the same experience?

MARCH 1 BLOG HOP - Please read!

If you would like to join us on our next blog hop, please email me (link in my sidebar) and put MAR 1 OLW BLOG HOP in the subject line. In the message include your BLOG ADDRESS (not just a link) and your EMAIL ADDRESS in the BODY of the email. These two simple steps save me an amazing amount of time! Our blog hop has grown a lot recently so I saving those little bits of time is imperative.

I also wanted to let you know that I have had an inordinate amount of OLW emails bounce back or not reach their recipients. I think the high volume of OLW emails I send out with long lists of blog links in them, alert security filters and they think I am spamming people. Therefore I encourage you to do the following:

1) make sure I am NOT on your email block list

2) CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER!

3) Check the OLW message boards as I might have to start posting the blog list there.

4) CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER!

5) If you don't hear from me 8 or 9 days before the blog hop is going to begin, PLEASE CONTACT me and for good measure forward me your original sign-up email for that month's blog hop.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way, it is time to head to the next blog for some more amazing OLW inspiration. Next on the hop is SHARYN.

If you should get lost along the way, come back here for a complete list of blog hop participants. HAVE FUN! Thanks again for stopping by.

ONE LITTLE WORD Feb 1, 2012 Blog Hop

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com

Sharyn            www.lavieenchic.com

Jill                          http://jillconyers.com

Lynn http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jenn http://www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Carmen            http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com

Marilee            http://rose-brier.blogspot.com

Kristina            http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/

Cindy C            http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com

Kelly                        http://mindingmynest.com

Cheri                        http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cindy                        http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Brooke http://www.everysnapshot.com

Naomi http://www.poeticaperture.com

Melissa            http://www.smudgetime.com

Karen                        http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com

Melissa S            http://blog.mshanhun.com

Devon                        http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Donna                         http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Dawn                        sunshineandcreativity.com

Katrina             www.katrinasimeck.com

Sam                        http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Monica             http://scrapinspired.com

Kimberlee              http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Missus W            http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kaylea                         http://www.myscrappylife.com

Nikki                        Www.inkyart.com.au

Erin                        http://erinsparkes.typepad.com/optimstic-fascination/

Jo                        www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

Coley                        http://coleybelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/focus-word-for-2012.html

Beth                        www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Veronica            www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Jamie                        http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Monica B            http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa                   http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Rebekah         http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Jan                  http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Cate                        www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

Stephanie              www.scrapworthylives.com

Orange Gearle            http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Tere                           http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Junelle                  http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/

Ruth                  http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Becky                  www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 02/01/2012 at 06:55 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (36)

01/06/2012

Have You Heard of the TAKE TWELVE Challenge at EllaPublishing? And OLW Giveaway Winner

I've been invited to be a part of the Take Twelve Team for Ella Publishing Co.'s new Take Twelve photography and scrapbooking challenge.

I couldn't be more excited! It's my very first design team! Yay! And I'm even more excited about the challenge itself.

The idea is to take TWELVE photos on the TWELFTH of every month in 2012. (So cool!) I think it is a really great way to get a snapshot of your everyday life throughout the year.

As many of you know, I already do Project Life. I do the PHOTO A DAY approach for the most part, but what my album lacks is a deeper view of my everyday. I did a Week in the Life this year too, but we only got an indepth view of our lives for one week and only in the summer. So the reason I am excited about this project is because I will get an indepth view of our everyday lives TWELVE times a year, one time a month, through every season, through various changing routines and there couldn't be an easier way to do it with the...

Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit.

This kit includes five complete products in one!

You'll get:
12 monthly photo checklists
12 bonus project ideas
12-month mini-album idea
12 layout sketches by Donna Jannuzzi
54 printable journaling lists + .png files
24 printable titles + .png files
24 printable calendar accents + .png files

So much flexibility with this kit. So much inspiration. There are even easy to use digital templates! It doesn't get easier than that. I'm itching to make something already!

In fact, we have a trans-Pacific flight on January 12th so I am excited to see if I can come up with 12 photos during a strangely short day as we lose most of our day when we cross the international dateline. But then I'm always up for a challenge!

And another huge bonus is that our year-long tour guide is Elizabeth Dillow. I love her approach to scrapbooking. She inspired me with her project, Your Life Hour by Hour with this article at Ella Publishing.

Here is the layout (template by Kim Byrns) I came up with for that challenge:

And the post that includes the rest of the photos I took on that day.

These are my kind of challenges!

Are you interested?

There are lots of ways to participate!

Get a free email reminder sent to you on the 11th of each month, so you'll never forget to take your photos. Click here to sign up for our email list.
Take 12 photos of your everyday life on or around the 12th of each month. Need ideas for what things to photograph? Get our Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit!
Turn those 12 photos into a scrapbook page, using your own supplies and ideas—or get help from the sketches, journaling lists, printable titles, and mini calendar accents in our Take Twelve kit.
Visit our blog on the 12th and the 19th of each month to see Take Twelve layouts from our team and from other readers too.
Enter your layout into our linky party on the 19th of each month for a chance to win great prizes from our sponsors.
Feel proud of yourself for making a commitment to preserving precious memories this year.

I look forward to seeing what you will create. It should be a really fun year.

GIVEAWAY WINNER

The winner of the spot in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes is:

Congratulations, Vicki J!

Please email me (link in the side bar to the right of my blog) and I will send you everything you need as soon as possible so you can get started on the class right away! I hope you will join us for our ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop on February 1, Vicki J! We'd love to have you.

PROJECT LIFE

I promised an update of my Project Life photos and my album today but I am exhausted, so I'll have to put it off until tomorrow. So sorry!

And sorry for the late publishing of the giveaway winner. A big thanks to everyone who stopped by and left a comment! And thanks to Big Picture Classes for the giveaway!

EDITED on Jan 9, 2012: I have a giveaway coming up that you might be inerested in! It should be posted in the next 24 hours or so.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 01/06/2012 at 06:57 PM in Documenting Memories: Strategy, Future Scrapbook Page, One Little Word, Take Twelve 2012 Team | Permalink | Comments (7)

01/04/2012

Giveaway for Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD Class at Big Picture Classes

I am very excited to announce that I have one space in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes to give away!

This is a very exciting opportunity for you if you didn't take this class last year (and even if you did - you'll get to take it again)!

About the ONE LITTLE WORD class:

One Little Word 2012

“In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, meditate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. My words have included play, peace, vitality, nurture, light, and story. These words have each become a part of my life in one way or another. They've been imbedded into who I am, and into who I'm becoming. They've been what I've needed (and didn't know I needed). They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow.”

Each month you'll receive an email and an invitation to visit the One Little Word classroom. Inside the classroom, you'll find a gentle reminder message, encouragement to refocus, and a simple creative or writing project to complete, related to your word. At the end of the year you'll have an album that celebrates and honors your word - making it that much more concrete and visible in your life.

Take a minute to read the rest of the description and listen to Ali’s audio file explaining the process of the class.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE OLW CLASS

I will admit that when I decided to take the class last year, I was hesitant. I was worried I would flake on the class half-way through the year and I wasn't convinced a word would really do all that much for me.

As with life, you get out what you put into it, right? So, to address my first concern, I invited other students in the class to join me for a monthly blog hop to keep me accountable. This worked like a charm and I was incredibly inspired by all the participants had to offer each month, to boot! (If you'd like to join us, read here for more information.)

By completing all (except one) of Ali's exercises, throughout the year, I really felt like I learned alot from the process and am ready to start 2012 with my new (pair of) word(s): LOVING KINDNESS.

I did a much better job of selecting my word this time around as I realized I needed a word that would serve as a touchpoint. It was my experience from the past year in One Little Word 2011 that gave me the insight to choose a much more effective and meaningful word(s) this time around. And already I am off to a fantastic start. It's already making a difference in my day to day attitude as I hear my word(s) whispering to me as I go throughout my day!

TO BE ENTERED IN THE GIVEAWAY:

1) Leave me a comment and tell me one thing you are hoping to get out of (or accomplish in) your life in 2012.

2) For an extra chance to win, follow me on Twitter (link on my blog's sidebar) and tell me you did in a separate comment. Twitter is the best way to find out when I publish a new post.

Comments will close Thursday at 9 PM PST and I will post the winner on Friday, January 6.

OTHER BLOG HAPPENINGS

Come back tomorrow for the FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop. A small group of us, who found we weren't taking enough photos of our family altogether, post a family photo once a month.

February ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop goes live on February 1st at 8 AM PST. To sign up, please send me an email (link in blog's sidebar) with "Feb 1 OLW Blog Hop" in the subject line. Be sure to include your email address and blog address. We'll look forward to your participation.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 01/04/2012 at 02:41 PM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (47) | TrackBack (0)

I am always careful to see my glass half full...

because if I see my glass as half empty with no hope at all, then it may as well be empty all the way.

-Mattie J.T. Stepanek

As I begin 2012 having chosen LOVING KINDNESS as my guiding words for the year, I am letting myself be touched and inspired by wonderful role models. I heard this quote last night while catching up on Ophrah's last season. Seeing how Mattie lived his short and challenging life, I have no excuse but to live my life with enthusiastic gratitude every single day.

Thanks, Oprah & Mattie! You both inspire me sincerely to be a better person tomorrow than I am today.

EXCITING GIVEAWAY...

Before the end of the week I will be giving away one spot in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes! Check back soon (later today or tomorrow) for details.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 01/04/2012 at 06:00 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (3)

01/03/2012

Project Life Giveaway...

via creativeorganizing.typepad.com

Aby Garvey has a generous Project Life giveaway on her blog that ends Wednesday at 9PM CST - so hurry! Fingers crossed that I win. :) Good luck to you too!

I would love to add the Clementine or Cobalt kits to the Amber kit I am using to finish up the past two years and start 2012. If you win, which kit will you choose?

And speaking of giveaways...

Before the end of the week I will be giving away one spot in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes! Check back soon (Wednesday or Thursday) for details.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 01/03/2012 at 11:41 PM in One Little Word, Project Life | Permalink | Comments (2)

01/01/2012

January 2012 One Little Word Blog Hop

Welcome to the final ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop of 2011 and the 1st Blog Hop of 2012!!!

If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome! Starting last February 1st a group of us students in Ali Edwards' ONE LITTLE WORD class at Big Picture Classes started a blog hop to share our assignments from the previous month. We found it so motivating that we continued our blog hop every month for the rest of the year.

SERENDIPITY 2011

I chose SERENDIPITY as my word for 2011. I loved the word and what it represented, accidental fortune. For me it represented a feeling of abundance and of the universe supporting my hard work. I wanted some good luck and magical results.

I think I expected too much out of my word and so I experienced a bit of a slump in the middle part of the year. But by the end, my word did give me some serendipitous moments and results. It just took me some time to realize it and notice these events were SERENDIPITOUS.

I am ready to say good-bye to SERENDIPITY. And welcome a brand new word for 2012. SERENDIPITY served me well, but I am wanting more from a word. I think a guiding word would better serve me.

This is a photo of the orphanage where I take photos. The volunteers are hard at work getting the new classroom all set up for the children. Before this, there was no school for the children who were not old enough or "appropriate" for public school as determined by the director of the orphanage.

REVEALING MY WORD FOR 2012

I started thinking about a new word in September or October because it was then I was feeling I wanted more from my word. I wanted a guiding word, a touchpoint.

Loving Kindness is a pair of words that spoke to me as well as productivity. Both are things I want more of in my life. I thought a lot about them both a lot at the latter part of the year. When it finally came time to make a decision, I asked myself which was a more important theme for me in the big picture of my life. And I decided if I were to die tomorrow, I would rather be known for loving kindness than I would for being productive. So, LOVING KINDESS are my words for this year. I plan on being very productive this year so that will be around too, but my pair of words is LOVING KINDNESS.

And the day I made that decision, I picked up a book (The Happiness Project) and read a paragraph that SERENDIPITOUSLY happened to be all about loving kindness. This sealed the decision for me! I would quote that for you but my book is in China and I am in California! So maybe, I will do that during the February 1st blog hop!

LOVING KINDNESS

The reason LOVING KINDNESS is so important to me this year is because I find myself changing. As many of you know, I live in Beijing CHina and have for the past three and a half years. The culture here is incredibly different than where I come from. People out in public, are not considerate in the way we define considerate. People don't open the door for you, they don't insist you go first, they don't stop and wait for you as you cross the street at a crosswalk. There is very much a survival mentality or a eat or be eaten mentality. Over time I have lost my positive attitude. Add to the fact that I now have a teenager with some attitude, and three children who are all adjusting to their third school in in three years as well as the fact that one must constantly fight or assert oneself to get quality or be ripped off, I have gradutally lost my positive attitude.

I want to reclaim that! I want to emit LOVING KINDNESS. I want to treat myself with LOVING KINDNESS. I want to treat my children (especially my teen) with LOVING KINDNESS at all times and treat my husband and marriage with LOVING KINDNESS. I think it will be an excellent pair of guiding words for me.

PRODUCTIVITY

This will be my underlying word in 2012. I plan to be very productive in 2012. Enough said!

I just saw the Optimist's Creed posted on my friend's Facebook status yesterday and I thought it would be an excellent tool for me to live my words, LOVING KINDNESS, in 2012.

The Optimist Creed

Promise Yourself ...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

REASON FOR THE OLW MONTHLY BLOG HOP & AN INVITATION TO JOIN US

The reason I started the blog hop was because I was afraid I would flake on the year-long class if I didn't have some accountability. The blog hop was the perfect solution and it really worked! I completed all but one assignment all thanks to the blog hop and its particpants. And the only assignment I didn't complete was for July 1st and that was because I had just received word my husband was critically ill in China! I did manage to go ahead with the blog hop, but I didn't share an assignment.

If you are a student in Ali's 2012 class at Big Picture Classes and want to join us for our blog hop on February 1st at 8 AM PST. Please send me an email (link in the right column of my blog) with FEB 1 OLW BLOG HOP in the subject line (I might miss it if you don't follow this step.) and include your email address and blog address in the body of your email message.

OTHER BLOG HAPPENINGS

I also host another monthly blog hop on the 5th of every month. It is called FAMILY x 12. A small group of us support each other in taking more family photos throughout the year. We post at least one family photo every month so we don't go through the entire year with only one taken around the holidays if we are lucky. If you would like to join us, please send me an email (link in the right column of my blog) with FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOP in the subject line and your email and blog address in the body of your message. To see all our past FAMILY x 12 BLOG HOPS, click here.

Please visit my blog every Tuesday in 2012 as I will be posting my daily photos for the week as well as my completed album pages for my Project Life album from the week before. Again, this is the way I plan to hold myself accountable for my memory keeping goals. To see all my Project Life posts from 2011, click here.

TIME FOR MORE ONE LITTLE WORD INSPIRATION...

Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad you came. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Now, it is time to continue on with the OLW blog hop. Cheri is next on the hop. The rest of the participants are listed below. If you should get lost along the way, please come back here to find your way. I encourage you to visit every blog as they will not disappoint. I find every blog post worth the read and always come away inspired.

EDITED on Jan 3, 2012: Just found out I have a really awesome BPC give-away coming up on MY BLOG! More details coming very soon...

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com <--- You are HERE.

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com <--- Go HERE next.

Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/

Sharyn http://www.LaVieEnChic.com

Jill http://jillconyers.com

Lynn http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Monica http://scrapinspired.com/

Lee http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/

Cynthia H http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com

Abbey http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/

Monica B www.questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Nicky http://seejanebake.blogspot.com

Stephanie http://www.scrapworthylives.com/

Jenn L www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com

Karen http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com/

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 01/01/2012 at 07:50 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (33)

12/29/2011

Repurposing Project Life packaging into My Inspiration Box for TWELVE. (StacyJulian 's class at Big Picture Classes)

I had a brilliant idea a few weeks ago. I wanted to make my inspiration box for Stacy's class, TWELVE. which will begin this week (YAY!) but I had limited supplies available since I live in China. Yes, I can get creative, but even that can become complicated and time consuming due to transportation issues, etc. I won't bore you with the details!

Anyway, I had a stroke of genius when I realized I had enough cardboard inserts in my Project Life 12x12 page protectors to cut up and use for my inspiration file. HURRAY!

I measured out the sizes I needed, got out my craft knife & Basic Grey cutting mat and had my dividers cut in no time.

I really wanted to use this Sephora box I had lying around (no Target or other adorable organizing stores in my neighborhood) since it isn't too big and even though Stacy said not to have a lid for your box, I love it's magnetic lid!

I figure if it is cumbersome, the design of the box allows me to cut it off easily if need be.

What do you think? I love it and can't wait to cover it with cute patterned paper when I get home. I wasn't able to decorate the box before leaving China for the holidays, but it is ready for me when I return mid-January. I'll be sure to post my finished project when I am finally able to finish.

In the meantime, I will use a three ring binder with page protectors to use as my sections.

I can't wait for January 1st when TWELVE. begins.

Speaking of January 1st, I will be hosting a One Little Word blog hop that goes live at 8 AM PST. It is the first day of Ali Edward's 2012 class and over two dozen new & returning students are getting together to wrap up last year's class and reveal our words for 2012. Click here to see our One Little Word blog hops from 2012.

EDITED on Jan 3, 2012: Just found out I have a really awesome BPC give-away coming up on MY BLOG! More details coming very soon...

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 12/29/2011 at 12:06 AM in Getting Crafty!, One Little Word, Project Life, Scrapbooking | Permalink | Comments (5)

12/11/2011

Good-bye 2011, Hello 2012! {OLW Blog Hop on January 1}

If you are a student in Big Picture Scrapbooking's ONE LITTLE WORD class for 2011 or 2012, both taught by Ali Edwards, join us for our monthly blog hop on January 1st, 2012.

We will share our final project from 2011 and/or reveal our WORD for 2012. ALL past students and all NEW students are welcome.

Sign-ups for the January 1st blog hop are now closed. If you would still like to join us, come back on January 1 and leave a comment on my OLW blog post with a link to your blog post that includes your final One Little Word project for 2011 and/or reveals your word for 2012. (This is only for students in Ali's 2011 or 2012 OLW class at Big Picture Classes.)

Sign-ups for our February 1st Blog Hop begin on January 1st. Email me with your email address & blog address in your message. Include "Feb 1 OLW Blog Hop in the subject line.

To see all past OLW Blog Hops in 2011, click here.

Family X 12 Blog Hop

Do you take enough photos of your family altogether throughout the year? If the answer is no and you would like to make an effort to take more, you are invited to join us for our monthly FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop on the 5th of every month. We support each other in getting at least one family photo each month. It is fun & easy. For more information and to see past blog hops, go here. Please send me an email if you want to join us on January 5th for our first blog hop of 2012. The more, the merrier!

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 12/11/2011 at 03:17 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good-bye 2011, Hello 2012! {#OLW Blog Hop on January 1} @aliedwards

If you are a student in Big Picture Scrapbooking's ONE LITTLE WORD class for 2011 or 2012, both taught by Ali Edwards, join us for our monthly blog hop on January 1st, 2012.

We will share our final project from 2011 and/or reveal our WORD for 2012. ALL past students and all NEW students are welcome. Send me an email (see link on right-hand sidebar) with Jan 1 OLW Blog Hop in the subject line and include your email address and blog address in the body of your message. I will send you more information later in the month.

To see all past OLW Blog Hops in 2011, click here.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 12/11/2011 at 03:13 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (0)

12/01/2011

December 1st ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop

Welcome to our eleventh ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop! Every month on the 1st, students from Ali Edwards' year-long class at Big Picture Classes have a little blog hop to share our assignments from the previous month. I'm so glad you are here. You will be inspired by all of the amazing projects.

I enjoyed this month's prompt. I did a spontaneous, free-flow writing. I read each prompt and then started writing directly on each card. My word is SERENDIPITY and I think that is a way to let SERENDIPITY go to work. Not much thinking, not much control, just accidental fortune.

I'm not in love with my art work on the pages. Individually they are fine but the styles don't match. I'm doing my best to be OK with it. I'm OK with it enough that I am not willing to do it over again to make them match! How is that? Ha!

JANUARY 1 BLOG HOP

Our next blog hop is our last blog hop for the 2011 class. We will share our final assignment as well as reveal our NEW WORD for 2012. If you plan to choose a word for 2012 and blog about it, you are welcome to join the blog hop.

If you were not in Ali's 2011 class, you may still participate, you are invited to reveal your word and tell us why you chose it. Or how it chose you. Please email me your blog address and your email address and I will send out further instructions late in December.

Anyway, off you go to the other amazing participants for THIS month's hop. The list of all participants are below in case you get lost along the way, please come back here to get back on track.

Julie Ann is next on the hop. And don't forget to visit Lisa & Cheri(last two on the list) as they were added at the last minute (an error by me) and they may not be on all the participant lists at each blog.

To see everything ONE LITTLE WORD on my blog, click here.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy blog hopping...

December 1 Blog Hop Participants

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com <----- You are HERE

Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com <------ Go here NEXT

Jill http://jillconyers.typepad.com

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au

Debra http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com

Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Lynn http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Cynthia http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Jenn http://studiojenn.blogspot.com

This month I am letting the photos speak for themselves. I quickly set up a selection system for myself to narrow down my nine photos for the prompt. I decided to select from all the photos I took between February (our last photo prompt) and today. The photos were already rated 3 stars and I quickly went through and tagged the ones that said SERENDIPITY to me.

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 12/01/2011 at 06:50 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (11)

11/01/2011

One on One: November 1 One Little Word Blog Hop

Welcome to the One Little Word monthly blog hop! For those of you that are new, One Little Word is a class at Big Picture Classes, taught by Ali Edwards. A group of us students join together on the first of every month to share our projects. My blog is the first stop. Don't forget to keep going - there's lots more inspiration to follow.

Xnomads' Blog

I hope you enjoy!

Now on to the rest of the amazing participants for more fabulous inspiration. You won't be disappointed! Next on the hop is Julie Ann. If you should get lost along the way, please come back here and you will find a list of all the participants just below.

Thanks for stopping by! See you next month, if not before.

But before you go, I hope you don't mind if I ask for your opinion, please? There is a photo contest coming up at the end of this week and I am trying to decide which photo to enter.

This is the contest description:

Community members are invited to make photographic journeys into their understanding of 'truth' in the contemporary urban context.

This may manifest itself in many ways: the truth about congestion, architecture, 
population, pollution, wealth, poverty etc. There are no boundaries regarding 
subject matter as the idea of 'truth' is essentially subjective and personal.

Here are the two I am considering:

I see this photo as the truth of modern Chinese culture. We are in the back streets of a Chinese city and although the conditions are poor and the mother in the background is dressed in modest clothing working outside her home. The little girls are posing for the camera nicely dressed in their namebrand, albeit fake, clothing. Notice the Chanel zipper pull?

This second photo tells the truth about someone. We are first drawn in by the bright colors and pretty items on the surface but at second glance we notice the stains, the haphazard sticthing to repair the fabric, as we look longer, we notice more details and get a glimpse into who this person might be - the scissors, the old fashioned needle, the keys, the coin, what looks like a thumb drive on the key chain.

If you have any other thoughts that pop into your head about either photo and how they relate to the theme of truth, I'd love to hear those too.

Now back to the blog hop! Thanks for letting me steal you for a few minutes. I had to take the opportunity since I knew I would have a higher volume of visitors today. Thanks!

EDITED Nov 6, 2011: Unfortunately, the photo contest has been postponed until early February (after Chinese New Year). They didn't email until the day of the original due date. Oh well! It is just as well, though, since I was only the second entry. I really appreciate everyone's input. It was really very helpful.

And don't forget, Julie Ann is next on the blog hop!

November 1 OLW Blog Hop Participant List

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/

Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Jenn http://studiojenn.blogspot.com

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Debra http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au

Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com

Lynn http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

THIS MONTH'S BLOG PARTICIPANTS

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 11/01/2011 at 08:08 AM in One Little Word, Photography, Travel | Permalink | Comments (22)

10/01/2011

October ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop

Welcome to October's ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop.

For any new visitors, on the first of every month I host a blog hop for students in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class over at Big Picture Classes. Please click the links to find out more about the One Little Word concept as well as the class. If you are inspired by what you see on our blogs, it is not too late to sign up.

For Day 1 of the 31 Days of Creative Inspiration series, see the blog post below this one.

Below you will find my homework for this month. I think it is pretty easy to read, so I won't reprint the journaling.

We have a great group this month, though smaller than the past. Please visit everyone to be inspired by their awesome posts. Unfortunately Jill had some technical problems so please go directly from Nicky to Monica. Come back here to find your way since we discovered this information at the last minute.

For any students in Ali's class, feel free to send me an email if you would like to join our next blog hop on November 1.

Julie Ann is next on the hop.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com <--- YOU ARe HERE

Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com <---- Go HERE next.

Nikki www.inkyart.com.au

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Nicky www.seejanebake.blogspot.com

Jill http://jillconyers.typepad.com/ <---- TECHNICAL PROBLEMS - can't participate this month

Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 10/01/2011 at 07:55 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (9)

09/01/2011

One Little Word September Blog Hop Starts Here!

Welcome to my blog! For any new visitors, on the first of every month I host a blog hop for students in Ali Edwards' One Little Word class over at Big Picture Classes. Please click the links to find out more about the One Little Word concept as well as the class. If you are inspired by what you see on our blogs, it is not too late to sign up.

My word for 2011 is SERENDIPITY.

Quite honestly, I'm not sure it was the best word I could have chosen. It is definitely something I wanted more of in my life this year, but as of now, I don't necessarily feel like my world has been filled with much serendipity. Of course, that could be all in how I have been looking at things, but regardless, I have already been thinking about my word for next year. And I plan to work the accomplishments I hope to acheive with my new word into my life now and see how that may work with serendipity. Because I do believe, on some level, that I chose the perfect word for me right now and hopefully before the year's end, I may decide it fits me just fine.

For my self-portrait this month I chose a yoga pose. Over the past several months I have started doing yoga weekly again. It is something that I love to do and feel so much better physically and mentally when it is part of my weekly routine. I have been fortunate enough to be able to get to the yoga studio two times a week, however over the past two months, I was hardly able to go with my six week trip back to the States as well as my husband's critical illness in early July. But now, life is getting back to normal and yoga is back there too.

This photo represents to me, not just doing yoga every week, but also what yoga brings into my life and that I want to bring more of that to me as the year progresses.

BALANCE

GRATITUDE

AWARENESS

PEACE

STRENGTH

FLEXIBILITY

PRESENCE

WELLNESS

Thanks for stopping by! The next stop on the OLW Blog Hop for September is Monica.

We have 16 participants this month. So you better get started! If you should get lost along the way or run into a bad link, please return to my blog and find your way back with the list of blog participants below.

If the links below do not work, please forgive me. Typepad has been behaving very strangely tonight and I want to get this posted before our 8 AM deadline!

SEPTEMBER 1 OLW BLOG HOP PARTICIPANTS

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com

Melissa http://blog.mshanhun.com

Kathryn http://www.katlodesigns.com

Chrissy http://getcraftywithchrissy.blogspot.com/

Lynn http://www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jen http://byjen.com

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Cassie http://craftycassiescorner.blogspot.com/

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 09/01/2011 at 07:25 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (13)

08/01/2011

August OLW Blog Hop

OLW BLOG HOP

I love our monthly OLW Blog Hop! For those of you that are new to my blog, every month on the 1st of the month, a group of students from Ali Edwards' One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes, share our monthly assignments on our blog. It is a fantastic way to get inspired and root on other classmates. It has been a fantastic way to keep me accountable. It is often the only thing that keeps me from flaking on my assignments.

That being said, I had to be really honest with myself this month as I sat down at my computer to reread the July assignment at midnight in preparation to get it done. It just is not going to get done this month! And that just has to be OK with me. As many of you know, this has been an incredibly difficult and stressful month so I feel no guilt in claiming my Enough Quotient (EQ)! This short post without a photo has to be ENOUGH and be OK.

So, even though I do not have an assignment to share, I am excited to kick off this month's blog hop and I encourage you to visit all of the participants' blogs and be inspired by their amazing projects and the insights they share every month.

Your next stop is NIKKI. Please head on over to her wonderful blog!

AUGUST 1 OLW BLOG HOP PARTICIPANT LIST

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog <--- You are HERE

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/ <----NEXT

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com

Jill http://jillconyers.typepad.com/

Monica B1 http://Scraplifters.blogspot.com

Melissa http://blog.mshanhun.com

Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/

Jenn www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Maureen http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com

Chrissy http://getcraftywithchrissy.blogspot.com/

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Kimberly http://foreverdaisies.blogspot.com/

Kathryn http://www.katlodesigns.com

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cassie http://craftycassiescorner.blogspot.com/

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 08/01/2011 at 07:55 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (14)

07/01/2011

OLW July Blog Hop

Hello! It is time for yet another ONE LITTLE WORD Blog Hop.

For more information about ONE LITTLE WORD (A class at Big Picture Classes taught by Ali Edwards), click on the ONE LITTLE WORD button to the right on my side bar OR click on the ONE LITTLE WORD category link, also on my side bar. The category link will bring you to all posts on my blog related to ONE LITTLE WORD, including links to the class page.

For anyone not familiar with the ONE LITTLE WORD concept, I'll give a brief explanation. I chose one word to focus on for the calendar year. The ONE LITTLE WORD class is designed to give us projects and ideas to help us concentrate on our word and 'particpate' with our word as the year goes on.

This month's project was to decorate nine mini-canvases using any kind of fun art or craft medium you could think of and while creating keep your ONE LITTLE WORD in the back of your mind. It was definitely a fun exercise.

I don't know about you but I was ready for something just like this. I was glad to take a break from thinking, writing, deep thinking and making lists. I didn't start the project until a few days before I was returning to California for the summer so I used it as a break from packing and other things I needed to take care of before my trip. It was a great way to rest and have fun.

The best part was that my youngest son, who was already out of school for summer break, asked if he could do some painting too. I was more than happy to create some canvases for him to do alongside me. And in the end, I just decided to include his on my final canvas. I love creating with my kids.

We pulled out a ton of acrylic paints, Trang water colors, letter masks and a few embellishements like ribbons and shaped brads.

Here is our masterpiece:

Can you tell which ones were done by my six year old?

He did the red one with the ribbon and the small ball of dried up paint (I loved how he did that!) and the black one with the sparkly star.

I do have one last canvas to finish (top left). I have a roll of purple ric rac sitting atop the canvas waiting for me to come up with something but then I ran out of time and it was time to go to the airport so I decided 8 finished canvases would haev to do. I'll finish that last one in August when I go home.

The materials I used for this were: acrylic paints, Trang water colors, acrylic star shape, chipboard star shapes, rick rack, ribbon, alphabet mask, star brads, Airdonicks (sp?) acrylic paint dabbers, pigment ink dabbers (I picked these up a few years ago at Big Lots and this was the first time I used them - they are very cool!), we also used a mini water spritzer to spray on some of the water colors and some Gesso.

My color choices were inspired by two blouses that I bought on my trip to India. They both happen to have a lot of purple on them and strange thing is, I do not like purple. I needed to buy some clothes while I was there and at the first place, the only blouse that looked good on my was purple and white. Then the second blouse I bought alos was the only one that looked good on me and it was a beautiful print of green with lots of purple! Funny! SERENDIPITY maybe? SERENDIPITY is my ONE LITTLE WORD, by the way.

I saw my two blouses laying on my bed ( ready to pack) and I decided at that moment to make my canvases predominantly purple & green unlike my orignal colors (orange, pink & red). I'm pleased with the results and I also love the pop of red on the canvas made by my son.

Up next on the blog hop is Rebekah. Please head on over to her blog to see what she did with this fun assignemnt! After that we have 15 more blogs to visit and be inspired by the amazing things they came up with for June. If you should get lost along the way, come on back to my blog where I have a list of all the participants below to help you find your way.

Thanks for stopping by.

Come back on July 5 for our 3rd monthly FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop. We are keeping each other accountable for taking one family photo every month. If you are interested in joining us, please send me an email.

JULY BLOG PARTICIPANTS

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog

Kelly http://kellyxenos.typepad.com/

Julie Ann julieannshahin2.blogspot.com

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Cherie http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa A http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog/

Karen womenontractors.blogspot.com

Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Kathryn http://www.katlodesigns.com

Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Posted by Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie on 07/01/2011 at 08:25 AM in One Little Word | Permalink | Comments (16)

06/01/2011

OLW June Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming back to my blog for our monthly OLW Blog Hop! We are a group of students from Ali Edwards' One Little Word Class at Big Picture Classes. We have a hop on the first of every month to show off our class assignments for the month.

I have a list of all the participants at the bottom of this post in case you get lost along the way. Feel free to return to my blog and find your way.

MAY OLW ASSIGNMENT

This month I will be short and sweet. I am taking some time off so I am trying to post this just hours before I hop on a plane!

I plan to add a few more action items to this one. I like what I have so far, but I wanted to leave some room for more action items as they make sense to me. One thing that I still want more of in my life is the feeling of gratitude. I am coming to the realization that I need to be much more proactive about that than I have so far. Therefore, I think item #5 will be starting a summer gratitude journal. I'll see if I can't get my kids involved - if they are game. I think that would be really fun and simple.

Thanks for joining us this month. I encourage you to keep going through to the end of the hop as I am always amazed and inspired by each and every post. I love to read updates about how things are going with each student's word.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Cherie http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Lynn W www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Lisa A http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog/

Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/

Jen S www.byjen.com

Monica B2 http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/