I have a new blog!!! Please change your bookmarks to: http://lovejoleenphoto.blogspot.com. I'll see you there!! ♥
February 09, 2012
February 08, 2012
Week One | Check In
I was so thrilled with the response to my challenge last week to make your goals and follow them with me for 6 weeks! How did everyone do week one?! I had a great jumpstart! Today was my official weigh in and I've lost 2.6 lbs!
No alcohol. << Easy.
No coffee drinks. << Easy. BUT I will say I am kind of bummed I'm going to miss out on Starbuck's super cute Valentine's LOVE cup! ;) Plus, my gold card just came!! Haha 0_0
No fast food. << This has been surprisingly easy so far. I really just had my first craving today but it's my own fault for not eating on time. I've been packing my lunches for work (My lunch bag typically consists of soup, 2 baby apples, a cheese stick, 2 water bottles, and one other snack like snap pea crisps or crackers. I also keep hummus and baby carrots in the fridge. For nights I close I will eat a balance bar to tide me over until a late/light dinner).
Dessert 2x per week. << I ate dessert like 4 times but I'm not even sweating it. Once I ate a full cupcake my grandma made and the second time I ate HALF a cupcake from work. I bought these little raspberry creme bars from Trader Joes that are delicious! They're only two WW points so I'm thinking if I stick to those I can eat them a few times a week. Or maybe I should stick to the 2x per week goal and stop trying to justify it?
Cardio 3 hours per week. << Did it! Between walking outside and walk/jogging on the treadmill this was easy enough to accomplish. And I feel great!
Strength training 1 hour per week. << Epic FAIL. I only got in about 15 minutes. It was really hard for me to come up with things to do. When I was doing Jazzercise I loved the coregraphed stuff we did but on my own I find it difficult. This week I'm going to break it up to 10 minutes over 6 days. I think it'll be more achievable. Baby steps!
February 06, 2012
What Being Creative Every Day Means to Me
Believe it or not, I am an introvert. It's easy to put yourself out there on the internet - Google my name and I will likely fill up the first couple of pages because I have a strong web presence. In person, being around a lot of people or chaos exhausts me. This is something I've known about myself for years. I admire people who can speak publicly and still engage with an audience the way I can only do in small groups or one on one. I'll never forget the time I had a panic attack in IKEA because there were simply TOO MANY PEOPLE surrounding me. This isn't something I share lightly. I've always thought it to be kind of embarrassing but it isn't really. It's just one small part of what makes me, ME.
Sharing my creative endeavors online has been an incredible labor of love over the last 7.5 years (can you believe it?!). It's more than the accolades I've received over the years, although I can't begin to tell you what that's done for my self confidence and self worth. It's about the people I've met and the relationships that have developed. It's the camaraderie and pride among crafters that inspires me every day.
I am blessed to come from an incredibly supportive and encouraging family. I have countless memories of creating things with the "village" who raised me. I remember making puffy paint sweaters with my grandma as a gift to my mom, helping my aunt cut out sewing patterns (or at least "supervising" ha!), and watching my mom labor over the sewing machine for hours. The funny thing is my mom takes little to no credit for my creative ability. (Sorry for calling you out, Mom!) It baffles me really. This woman has encouraged me more than any other person on this planet through her example. I look at photos from my early childhood and know that SHE made me and my sister all those incredible matching dresses. I loved them, even then! (Most of them twirled beautifully.) Much like me, she always seemed to be into something crafty. For a while she was making custom painted lunch boxes and the cutest little t-shirt dresses that I seem to remember her selling in front of our house! I've seen her put together beautiful quilts, both sewn and crocheted. And years ago she introduced me to rubber stamping which has changed my world completely. She encouraged me by paying for sewing classes and putting me in girl scouts. She even signed me up for Calligraphy classes when I was 10 years old (and 30 years younger than the rest of the class) because that is what I wanted to do. Our styles are completely different and I know she thinks I'm like this creating prodigy as mothers do but I really just think of myself as an extension of her and how she made me to be.
When I was going through my separation and divorce I completely stopped creating. It wasn't a conscious decision but just part of my process. I had built up all of this momentum - I'd co-published a successful art zine and was designing for several kit club teams and then I just stopped. Talk about an unhappy couple of years! I had no clue what a great anti depressant paper and embellishments were to me. ;)
I deemed 2011 the year of healing and boy was it ever! It's been very hard work getting to where I am now and I still have a lot to do but I'm happy to say that I'm enjoying the process. Some days are painful and some are confusing. Am I where I want to be in life right now? No. I have a car that doesn't work because the transmission is done-zo and I am a divorcee living with her grandparents. But you know what? For the first time in a LONG time I am really happy! I know that I can't control every little thing (and I don't want to!) and I know that everything will work out the way that it's intended to. I am SO grateful for the loving support of my family and friends. I have a job that I love. Best of all, I'm creating again! I have photography clients (thank you!!), I have just joined a new design team (details to come!), not to mention everything I get to do for my job. Every day I not only get to be creative, I get to show other people how easy it is to be creative too! ♥
February 02, 2012
6 Week Jumpstart
If you've been reading for a while you know that several years ago I lost about 45 lbs on Weight Watchers (and Jazzercise). Slowly but surely about 30 lbs of it has crept back on. I absolutely refuse to buy new clothes because one, I'm broke, and two, I happen to like my clothes just fine. So, at the beginning of 2012 I decided to join WW again and gain back my healthier lifestyle. I forked over the $56.85 for 3 months and downloaded the App to my iPhone. But then, I let a few weeks go by like nothing changed. Ugh!
My best friend, Candice, finally convinced me to make a plan and DO IT! She's going to come for my birthday in March so we decided that for the 6 weeks leading up to my birthday we would be uber good! Our official plan is from Feb. 1 - Mar. 15 but even though she said I could finish that bag of chips if I really wanted to (ha!) I ended up starting a couple of days early. I'm still doing WW and counting my points but for six weeks I am adding my own little hardcore plan. It's as follows:
No alcohol.
No coffee drinks.
No fast food.
Dessert 2x per week.
Cardio 3 hours per week.
Strength training 1 hour per week.
I know with WW you can eat whatever you'd like if you count the points but I think having these kind of rules for myself in the short term will be good for me. At the end of the 6 weeks I can always reevaluate and see where I'm at. My grandma and I went for a walk this morning together. I can't believe how gorgeous the weather is here and I hope to be able to spend much more time outside as these nicer days continue! I'll check in with you with an update shortly. ;) If anyone wants to do this with me, let me know!! It's always great to have buddies to help hold each other accountable. ♥
January 29, 2012
<3 <3
1. I loved this idea on the Paper Source blog. These turned out so cute!
2. Raspberry Lemon Drop from California Pizza Kitchen. Delish!
3. This lovely spread is from Trader Joes and was part of our most recent Crafter's Night Out.
4. Looooooove how my nails turned out! ♥ Sally Hansen Hard As Nails (Twisted Pink); Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen (Neon Pink); Hot Kiss Glitter (don't use a top coat!)
5. Sweetest little Knit Heart Coin Purse. Had to have this! The most unique Valentine's Day gifts found here. I especially love Shakespeare's Love Sonnets (gorgeous illustrations and lettering) and this Honeysuckle Mercury Glass Candle (it smells divine!)
6. Sample Valentine favor/treat. To make this you need: Jars (can be found at thrift and antique shop used or at the grocery/big box store new); Valentine Hang Tag Kit, Hearts Shapes Pack (simple but I've used this for tons of projects!); Burlap or other fabric; Cord or ribbon; Fired Brick Distress Ink (optional); Stickles Glitter Glue for embellishing; Foam Squares (optional; I'm obsessed with adding dimension); Valentines Rubber Stamps (embossing supplies optional but recommended).
*The views expressed in this blog are my own. They have not been reviewed or approved by Paper Source.
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