YW Goodies and Boyce Avenue

Day 7 of gimpy Heidi is coming to a close and I am really trying to learn the lesson I need to learn here.  More than anything, it's making me grateful for my body and how capable it really is.  This experience has definitely made me more motivated to be more physically active and productive... I am literally craving it.  So much that it's really tempting to overdo it and do too much, since I'm starting to be able to walk a little bit.  Self control!  I'm trying really hard.  Promise.

... but enough about that.

Tomorrow for our Wednesday night Mutual activity, we're doing a big planning session where the girls get to plan their Wednesday night activities for the next several months.  It's hard for me to just let them do it, but I know it's important for them to do it themselves.  To aid in the process, I wrote up this basic guideline/help sheet for brainstorming (based on these great tools provided at LDS.org) and a basic monthly calendar, including assignments, etc.  The one provided by LDS.org is great and it offers instructions/samples, but we just wanted something with more room to write.  SO, I wanted to share.  If this is something that might benefit you and your YW program, PLEASE take it :)  It includes a generic file where you can write in the month, but I also made up files for each month starting with February through January of 2012.

Download

And yet, on another note, I want to share one more thing!  My husband and I really like this band Boyce Avenue.  They do write original music, but we especially enjoy their acoustic covers of current songs.  I heard this one today and wanted to share it.  He also changed some of the lyrics, which make the song much more meaningful (and appropriate) than it was before.

Enjoy!

365 Cards and choosing to be happy!

It's day 4 of the awesome ankle injury and everything is still taking much longer than it normally does.  I'm also learning that I really do not enjoy baths and miss being able to stand in the shower.  The hardest part though, is not being able to do much cleaning and watching my husband feel a little overwhelmed with his endless responsibilities until I can be more useful again.  His new semester of school just started this week and he has a full load on his plate along with a full time job and helping at home while I'm injured.  Not ideal.

Anyway, with all that in mind, I have a card for you today.  I am sorry about the extremely poor photography.  My camera only works sometimes now, so I took this photo with my phone...

A very simple card, meant to convey Happiness, per the 365 Cards challenge today.  I used these great stickers from a Crate Paper pack I have been hoarding a little bit and just thought they were perfect for this.

One of my goals in 2011 is to be more active and to just BE.  To live life intentionally and just enjoy the blessings I have.  So that's what this card means to me.  May we all take some time in 2011 to just enjoy the blessings we have!

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out the 365 Cards blog to see participants' cards that represent Happiness!

slight delay...

Well, today I sprained my ankle pretty severely when I was carrying my daughter to the car in the snow.  There was a patch of ice under the snow and I fell.  I made sure Adelle was okay and she landed on her feet, but my ankle popped and now I have a high ankle sprain.  Oh, and I was wearing heels because I had just come from a job interview (which was a HUGE waste of my time).  I know, not very smart to carry a child in fresh snow... I'm learning my lesson.  It's a lot of fun.  I am grateful for my parents' next door neighbor who happened to be outside and heard me yell out when I fell.  He literally carried me on his back into my parents' house and I'm not a tiny girl.  So, for his kindness I truly am grateful.  I'll have to make his family some cookies or something with a card.

While I get better I have some design work ahead of me and I'm still making origami boxes for the project I mentioned yesterday.  Updates coming soon!

p.s. Does anyone else still watch American Idol?  I am definitely a fan of Steven Tyler on the show.  He cracks me up.

handmade origami paper lantern string lights

I am currently working on my own version of THIS:

I used to make these origami boxes (I called them balloons for quite a while) all the time when I was younger.  Now I'm using my almost-forgotten skills and making my own decorative lights.  Pictures coming soon (tomorrow probably).  I didn't EXACTLY follow her instructions, so check back soon.

Etsy Goodness - Print Edition

There aren't enough hours in the day to really get a good look at all the amazing stuff on Etsy, but I wanted to share a few favorite prints I've seen recently.
 

Happy Together by rosiemusic

Eames Print Brown Vinyl by uniqueseeker

Red Hot Butterfly by BalletArt

Keep it Simple Circle by inaluxe

Burst Of by annilygreen

Any good finds lately?  Thanks for stopping by!

LDS Young Women Handout (Manual 3 Lesson 3: Living the Gospel Daily)

Hello! Just have a quick lesson help to share. I'm teaching in YW tomorrow and thought I'd share these handouts. The second file is meant to be printed on the backside of the other image. It's set to match perfectly, so long as you use the same settings for both.

These design elements are my personal property and are for personal/church use only.  You can just click on the image to view the full size, then right-click and save or print, whatever you choose to do.  Let me know if you have any issues by leaving a comment or emailing at heidi (dot) stock (at) gmail (dot) com.  Thanks!

More Eric Carle Love

I say "more" because of THIS post.

This photo is Eric Carle's property.

I love this quote from Eric Carle from one of his blog entries in 2010 (and the photo above gives it the perfect emphasis):

"I feel strongly that each child is an individual; each child is different. I don’t even like to use the word children. I prefer to say, a child and a child and a child. I think I make my books for a child, and that child is me, the child in me."

Check out the original post I took this from: My Books and All Kinds of Learners

Bee Mine!

PINK!  RED!  Awesome!

This card is for 365 Cards' challenge today.  Use an image of a bug and use the name of the bug (or something close to it) in the sentiment.  I think mine beee is pretty much awesome.  Well, I had fun with it anyway.  I love how the gray woodgrain stamp turned out on the pink cardstock.  And that fun ribbon is just a scrap I've had in my stash for years.  I don't even remember where it came from.

The digital bee image is from Stitchy Bear Stamps.  Perfect for a cute Valentine card :)

Do you have any big plans for your weekend?  I get to chaperone a youth dance!  Wooohooo!!  :)

Enjoy!

Okay I know it's not the holidays anymore, but how stinking cute are these Holiday Tags??

So so cute!  I found these via A Beautiful Mess, but they were created by Heidi Kenney.  Go here to get them directly from her.

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DAILY DROP CAP

Check this out:  DAILY DROP CAP

Free alphabets for personal use.  Very cool.  That's some good design there.

I can just imagine that Y being the very beginning of a fun kid story or something.

Love is All You Need - DIY Banner - Wall Decor - My Turn!

I wish I had a better camera and enough room in my bedroom to take a good picture, but here's my version of the Love Is All You Need banner that I posted yesterday! I used my Silhouette to cut out the letters, so it's a little more 'perfect' than the other, which I have mixed feelings about. I love how the mixture of papers turned out though and wish you could see it in real life!

What projects are you working on?

Simple Word Banner - it's True!

Hello!  I wanted to share this sweet banner I came across from Amy at Sweet Sweet Life:

 

So simple and it gives such a great impact.  The next project on my list is to finish my own version of this (pictures to follow soon).  Our bedroom has gotten very little decorating attention, so this will be a nice addition :)  All you need is some paper, scissors, string and glue/tape/hole punch (or a hole punch).  You can do it too, right?

I also love those stripey lamps.  So cute.

Awesome LDS Kid's Quiet Book Find!

UPDATE: I'm sorry to say that Simply Fresh Designs has been asked to take their quiet books off of their website until someone from the LDS church can review/approve them.  Who knows when that'll be.

So, I'm really good at keeping track of all the great downloads and craft ideas all over the web, but let's just say I'm not one to always follow through on all these great ideas.  THIS TIME, I found a great Free Download for a LDS Quiet Book, "We Believe," at Simply Fresh Designs.  Well, last night I printed it out on my regular printer, cut it out and put the pages into a 4x6 photo album that I already had.  Adelle LOVED it at church today!  She was looking at it for the majority of Sacrament Meeting.  Keep in mind that she's only 2 and doesn't understand every part of it quite yet, but she really enjoyed the pictures, bright colors, and the few sentences I was able to read to her quietly.

Anyway, just wanted to share!

The true meaning of romance?

Good morning, Good MOOOOOOORNING!  I'd say it's great to stay up late, but I always regret it the next day, so I'll skip that part :)

Today I have a card for 365 Cards that allowed me to use my imagination a little.  It's an "IMAGINE" challenge and today's subject is Romance.  Open for interpretation as to what that means to you, I took this route.  And I'm using a cute 'lovebird' image from Robyn's Fetish.  To me, romance is enduring.  It's a little weathered, you know like how your favorite pair of jeans is perfectly worn in.  And for me, the favorite part of 'romance' is knowing that I will be together with my awesome hubby for eternity.  It doesn't get better than that!  :)  I'll list the details at the bottom.  The 'together' part of the sentiment was handwritten by me, a great option when you don't have the exact sentiment you're looking for!

Digital image: Robyn's Fetish
Frame, alpha stickers: Studio Calico
Red woodgrain paper: Basic Grey

Primary (LDS 2011 Theme Bookmarks)

So, my sister recently asked me to design a simple bookmark for the Primary kids at church based on this year's Sharing Time theme.  I enjoyed making this and wanted to share in case you might want to use it for your own Primary.

This is just a 2x6 (with slight bleed allowance) bookmark front and back.  The back has the themes for each individual month.  I kind of want one for myself now... Anyway, these are just small files, but if you would like to use it (free for personal/church use), here's the link for a FREE DOWNLOAD.

BEST ONE YET!

Happy 2011! I hope everyone had a fun and safe celebration last night! I was home with my hubby (we're both under the weather), but we watched the ball drop on TV and ate delicious pumpkin banana muffins (with white chocolate chips) that I made. It was low-key, which I like.

I'm excited for 2011 and the new beginning and new opportunities it brings!  I have a couple of small goals that I'm going to be working on, but in 2011 my main focus is to just be happy.  I'm going to let myself be content and find the good in things.  Those who know me well may know that this can be a challenge for me, but I know it'll make a difference in my life.  Here's hoping that this is the best year yet :)

Today's card from 365 Cards is for the last day of flashback week!  I got to recreate Day 333, which is Green, Glitter, & Grosgrain!  I decided to keep it simple and loved using some of my Crate Paper goodies that I've had stashed away for a while.

Enjoy and come back soon!