It's Official!

It's official----and the package in the mail proves it. I just received the notebook that accompanies the Karen Russell photography class I won---The Photographer's Workshop.

Just like everything else Karen does, the notebook is really attractive and well-designed.

And did I mention that it's really thick! Like 4 inches thick!

I've begun the class now, and am already enjoying it so much! I can tell that there will be so much information that it will take months to all soak in (and LOTS of practice), but it's really great. There is a really great network among other class participants, and while it is a bit intimidating to realize how very little I actually know, I figure this is the perfect platform to get out of my comfort zone and OPEN to learning, critiques and all that comes with this.

Please excuse me while I go buy some more ink for my printer---looks like it's going to be getting a good workout, too! (hopefully these photos are "before" quality and with practice, I'll be getting the hang of snapping nice, clear pictures each time I shoot!)

OPEN

When I picked my word for this year, OPEN, I envisioned keeping an open mind, being open to people and possibilities. I never in my wildest dreams pictured being cut open with nerves, tendons and muscles exposed. But it seems that is the way it is going to be this year, or at least the way the year will start. At the end of last week, I felt a pop along the back of my hand as I drove away from Occupational Therapy. After about 24 hours of fairly intense pain, it gradually subsided. By Friday morning, that area of my hand/wrist was feeling better than it had in months, BUT, my thumb was bent and try as I might, I wasn't able to straighten it.

My therapist slightly panicked and immediately called the doctor, who confirmed what Kim suspected. She worked me in for an appointment this afternoon and quickly made a definitive diagnosis of a ruptured EPL tendon. Upon examination and several x-rays, she found that 2 screws are poking through my bone, one of which is positioned right where the tendon passes. Slowly, over the past 6 months, it has been rubbing and tearing that tendon until it finally broke last week. Unfortunately, that requires surgery. While a repair is not possible, a tendon transfer is in order. The index finger has two tendons (who knew?), so one of those tendons will be transferred to my thumb and then immobilized for several weeks. Yuck!! Not something I'm looking forward to at all, but at least it can be fixed. I have a couple of weeks to get things in order around here, which is a very good thing. And who knows, maybe Dr. Ritter can take a little look around while everything is OPEN and fix anything else that might be getting in the way for full funcionality!

Open and Jumping In

After lots of thought and consideration, I've decided to jump right in. I bought an album and ordered a few photo protectors and have decided to give Project Life a try. I love Becky Higgins' philosophy behind the project:

"Project Life is a back-to-basics approach to memory-keeping. This simple format requires no skill - only your pictures and a pen. No one's life is perfect but everyone has a story and every family has a collection of memories. Putting pictures + stories together in Project Life makes us more aware of our blessings and encourages us to cultivate a good life."

While I have a creative streak in my blood and most likely will embellish my layouts a bit, I love the organization of the slip-in pockets and the fact that I don't HAVE to be creative if I don't feel it that day.

While Jana was here, I picked up a package of chipboard words at Michael's and using those colors as inspiration, Jana designed a set of journaling cards for me that I just love!!! I knew the color palette was the right one for me when Valine surprised me with another set from the same Michael's line without knowing I had picked those colors.

I printed out the journaling cards on card stock and cut them out, using a corner rounder on each corner. She made 40 different designs in a .pdf file which I can reprint at any time.

She even made some great little calendar punches that I can use as embellishments.

Many of the page protectors have been back-ordered, and I worried that I would lose my momentum if I didn't get started, so I designed a template that I could begin to jot down my memories of each day. I already record these on the online journal Oh Life, but I wanted something that showed a week at a glance and even provided a spot for the memorabilia that I collect since I'm notorious for forgetting what I have with things like that. (inspiration from Marcy Penner) I decided to add a column for some words that I wanted to remember to focus on throughout the year---I might focus on one or two of these each week. I have mine saved as a Word Template so that I type directly on it, but you could also print it out to keep it with your supplies and write on it, as Marcy does.(click on the form below to download the template for your own use or click here)

Since the design A photo protectors that I wanted the most won't be available for another couple of weeks, I decided to take matters into my own hand. I purchased a pack of 12 x 12 divided protectors at Michael's yesterday (American Crafts $4.99 - 25% with coupon) and made my own "design A".

I cut a piece of cardboard 3"x4" (size of journaling cards) and slipped it into the left middle left pocket, sliding it all the way to the left,

then stitched right next to the card.

Sliding the cardboard as far to the right as it would go to serve as a cutting mat, I cut a slit with an exacto knife.

Repeat the process for the right side and you've got a "design A" protector that the journaling cards fit right into.

You can even embellish the stitching a bit with some decorative trims on a few pages, like I did.

Using this method really opens you up to some completely different layouts, as you can divide any of the pockets that you wish rather than just the middle ones.

My goal today is to get my space organized. I've decided to use my dining table, since I rarely use it for its intended purpose. Having it OPEN and in a spot I walk past multiple times will hopefully help keep me from getting too far behind.

This afternoon, I'm jumping in! It's time to begin! Anyone joining me?