SassyIndy Designs: January 2009

After all the hullabaloo of the Holiday Season, I can finally sit down and get back to business, scrapping business that is, LOL! Hmmm, aside from that there is the business of losing weight and getting fit. You see, I need to lose so much weight, its scary - I look at my pictures and I really don't like what I see. I won't be making any resolutions this year except to just strive to constantly be better, challenge myself, and move to make inroads in dreams I have for my family.

I just know that this year will be one wherein choices have to be made which will engender big changes that I may not be ready to make but will have to do if I want to make those inroads I was talking about. This is very difficult for me because no one is at fault and you just realize that this is not what you want. Two separate and very distinct directions that only one will be happy with, or maybe none. The hardest part is having to remove oneself and relinquish all the associated relations that I have come to be fond of and love. It is never easy and I just pray for the strength and wisdom to know what to do.

Enough of that, how was your holidays? In spite of everything, mine was a good one - I finally am satisfied with the Christmas tree decorations (given there are a few things still missing). I like my tree to be a child's tree, full of ornaments and lights and filled with the colors of Christmas. This is wholly because of the kids, no elegant looking tree for them (oh no, no, no). Ever since I had my own tree I have made it part of my personal tradition to buy at least one new set of ornaments each year. I have this love affair with Christmas ornaments, I think I got that from my Aunt Agnes whose tree is so beautiful and filled with lovely glass balls and ornaments.

Have a a lookie!

This is the yearly family picture of my kids and I, we are in my Uncle and Aunts home in Blue Ridge where everyone gets together. Do you see the mound of gifts behind us? That's nine families worth of gifts!

Of course I have to add a photo of our family baby, our shih-tzu Sasha in her Christmas outfit, isn't she adorable? We love her so much!

We were playing around and put her inside a shopping bag, this made for a really good photo-op, LOL!

Okay, enough photos for now, I'll show you some more next time from our after-Christmas trip to La Union, the place is beautiful!

I was finally able to purchase some kits from Christina Renee Designs (CRD) before they were retired, yay! I wanted to purchase a lot more but had to stick to a budget :(... I want to buy the entire store, hahaha! So sad to see those other designs go but I am excited to see what she comes up with this year - I'm a big fan!

I was also able to purchase the kit "Secret Garden" by SusieM Designs at scrapbookgraphics.com, gosh, it's such a beautiful, ethereal kit and I'm sure to have so much fun making fantasy looking pages. I will have to get the collaborative kit with Lily Designs over at After 5 Designs. I just love transplanting a photo into a make-believe world, it's so much fun to do. Don't you just love scrapbookgraphics.com? I have put so many of their kits on my wish list, my head is spinning and my heart is racing just thinking of all the wonderful stuff out there... have you seen the work of Lori Davidson, when I grow up I want to be just like her :) She has such A-mazing kits, I want them all, now to make some money so I can purchase them...haha!

Here are two layouts I made over the Holidays, both using the Secret Garden kit. The first one blends two photographs (from a recent trip I took with my family to Poro Point in La Union) together with a sheet from CRD's Dream Solids Brights as the background layer and her Abused Film Borders, embellished with elements from Secret Garden.

This second one makes use of only the Secret Garden kit. The photograph itself is already set in a beautiful mossy garden which I blended with one of the scenery background sheets in this kit. I'm printing and framing this photo to gift to someone.

Now, how would you like to have a little something before you go? I know a lot of you are doing some sort of 365 day project, a bit daunting for me to take photos everyday but I kind of like the idea of documenting monthly. That is something I would like to try to do. I'd like to leave you with some talk bubbles I created for a project I did. I think you may find them very handy when adding captions or actual words or thoughts to your 365 day project. They come in cream and white outlined in black. You may recolor them, just don't forget to give credit on your layouts :)

You may get it HERE. I love to read your thanks, please leave it here or on 4shared, I appreciate it a lot!

Till next time.