Happy New Year! It's such a good feeling when a new year starts! The new year is like a blank canvas that you can fill with whatever comes your way in the next 365 days. Sometimes what you need is a fresh clean start. This is going to be the first full year for me that I am not in school! I am especially excited to start on a few
scrapbooking projects that I hope to continue to work on throughout the next year.
The first project I am starting is a great idea I read about on Ali Edward's blog.
To celebrate the new year I wanted to share the one little word concept which is also featured in this weeks newsletter:one little word
A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.
Last fall in issue two of this newsletter I wrote about the power of words and gave my top ten tips for getting those words down when you are scrapbooking. Today I want to introduce you to the idea that a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life as well as your scrapbook layouts.
Last year I began a tradition of chosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. Last year my word was something I wanted to bring into my life in a more tangible way. My word was play.
I thought a lot about play and what it means to me. I tried to incorporate it more into my everyday and on my adventures out in the crazy world. For me, it was a lot about living without fear - about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness. The word play found its way onto many scrapbook pages and into many stories I told throughout the year.
Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007?
It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.
One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.You may be wondering, what in the heck does this all have to do with scrapbooking? For me, words are at the heart of what I do. The photos are a huge part, but the words bring it all home. Often times I will begin a layout with a single word. That word becomes my guide as I create my page. It helps me focus the story I am trying to tell and gives me an instant, easy graphic title approach. How often has a word directed your creativity when working on layouts?
Take some time this week to think about your own word for 2007 and read on for a related weekly challenge.
And in case you were wondering, my word for 2007 is peace.
weekly challenge
This week your challenge is to create something, anything, that celebrates your chosen word for 2007. Maybe a layout. Maybe a blog posting or a journal entry or a simple post-it note that you put somewhere you can see it each day. Make sure to journal about why you chose your word and what it means for you - the more you let yourself explore the more benefit you will receive in the end.So after reading this the other day I have picked a word for 2008: discover
I'm so excited about using this word to inspire me for 2008. Hopefully I'll start posting some projects with 'discover' incorporated into it! Stay tuned for more!
The second project that I plan on doing is taking a picture a day for the next 365 days! I was also inspired by Ali Edwards for this project! She has such good ideas on her blog! The second one you can read about here:
http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/I think this is going to be quite a challenge to do every day, but I do have a friend that will hopefully be doing this with me also! At the end of the year I'm going to put the pictures into some sort of book. This is going to be so awesome to be able to look back over the year and see how I've change, how things around me have changed, and hopefully how I've grown as a person.
The last thing, like the previous ones aren't enough! I read about making a book of scraps and I can write on weekly or daily over the course of the next year. It's kind of hard to explain but check it out here at Cathy
Zielske's blog
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/i-love-a-great.htmland here
http://cathyzielske.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/a-bit-more.htmlaSo excited to put this little book together this weekend. Guess I better get to bed! Work time tomorrow morning!
Peace
m :)
