Storytelling

Honor :: Documenting Veteran’s Day

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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Veteran’s Day is a day that holds a special place in my heart.  Not only because I am wife to a man who has chosen to dedicate his life to the service of his country in a way that few ever do.  Not only because I am the grand-daughter of a man who, together with his entire generation, sacrificed and served for something greater than himself.  But also because I know that I am blessed to live freely and live safely and live with choice and opportunity because of the men and women in uniform who have lived and died so that I could.

That is a kind of service that could never be adequately honored.  It is the kind of service for which I give gratitude with my whole heart.  It is the kind of service I hope to never take for granted.

And so with a humble heart full of thanks to all those who have served and who serve today, I say “thank you”.

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And in honor of this day, I’d like to offer a fresh free download.  🙂  It was inspired by the service of those in uniform.  And created with a heart full of gratitude and hope to honor our veterans here in the U.S. but can certainly be used for any page or project.   And I got a little help from my kindred spirit and the fabulously talented Amy too!  She contributed some of her amazing mishmashed sentiments!

I so hope you enjoy!  Feel free to click the images or {this link} to download (everything shown is shown in separate previews, but available in a single download).

Feel free to click the images or {this link} to download (everything shown is shown in separate previews, but available in a single download).

Happy Scrapping! ♥

eleven.eleven.eleven

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Tomorrow is 11.11.11 — isn’t that neat?  It is somehow a little bit romantic, a little bit exciting, a little bit inspiring and a little bit fun all at once.   It’s the rarity of it I think.  And the neat symmetry of it all, makes this day seem like it could be something a little extra special.  It’s full of potential…the potential to be a little bit more deliberate and intentional with how you spend and document your day.

And it seems to be the perfect kind of day for documenting in lists!  You can scrap or photograph:

  • 11 things that make you laugh
  • 11 things that you are grateful for
  • 11 favorite foods
  • 11 favorite quotes (from famous persons, from music, from within your family)
  • 11 favorite movies, songs, books
  • 11 pet peeves
  • 11 special people in your life
  • 11 dreams you’ve had in your life (dreams of what you want to be when you grow up, dreams of where to travel)
  • 11 reasons to smile

The possibilities for documenting Eleven Things this day are endless.  Settle upon a set of 11 and have fun getting listy!

Or you could focus on action and :

  • Be sure to capture the moment your clock reads 11:11 am or 11:11 pm
  • Engage in 11 Random Acts of Kindness (much like Robyn did 38 on her 38th birthday)
  • Send 11 thank yous to friends and loved ones or 11 little notes of encouragement, affirmation, hello or fun
  • Dance to 11 of your favorite songs in your living room with your daughter.  Or husband.  Or yourself.
  • Challenge yourself to spend exactly $11 somewhere (the craft store? The grocery?)
  • Leave 11 little notes for your spouse to find in the future
  • Take photos of 11 details of your day, your surroundings, your actions of the day (maybe use Instagram to help you document)
  • Join in on the One Day on Earth project where people set out to document this day and capture the world’s story

And then of course there is lots of fun to be had creating art or decor or menus that reflect the number eleven.

Channel your best Count from Sesame Street and really embrace the day.  Set out to make it something special, something different.  Set out to *make* memories and document them.  Set out to have fun!

Grow With Love: One Year Later

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July of 2010 marked the beginning of something special.

One year ago, Crystal and I introduced our storytelling concept Grow With Love.  It was fresh, it was a little challenging, and we were a little terrified but hugely excited about it.  Grow With Love was and remains our vision for our personal storytelling and it also reflected our philosophy and heart for encouraging others in their own storytelling.  We hoped to create story-and-prompt driven projects that would challenge and encourage scrapbookers and storytellers to document their personal stories in a more meaningful way.  And more importantly, in a way that would have a tangible impact on their lives beyond the page.  In the year since we first put ourselves and this heartsong “out there” we have been so amazed and inspired by the beautiful pages and stories we have seen shared.  And it was Grow With Love that gave me the personal nudge of confidence to really surrender to my love of Story and develop Plant Your Story.

So reflecting on this adventure, one year later, has me feeling a little nostalgic and ooey and gooey.

And Crystal and I both agree that our first project, Grow With Love: Marriage, holds a special place in our hearts (and in our albums)…and not just because it was our “first” but because of the impact it had on both of us personally.  To this day, the pages that I created during the GWL: Marriage process remain some of my most favorite because they are full of my heart and they document the most important relationship in my life.  It was transformative.  It was empowering.  It was challenging.  But it was worth it.  So so worth it.

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So today, in honor of our One Year Grow With Love “anniversary”, Crystal and I would like to offer three Plant Your Story readers with the chance to take part in this storytelling journey as well.

Grow With Love: Marriage was inspired by deep reflection of our own loves and relationships.  It is a series of templates and journaling prompts that we hope will inspire you to share your own stories and create beautiful pages from the heart that you will love.   Includes twenty layered templates and twenty printable thoughtful journaling prompts that we hope will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone a little bit, reflect on your relationships and loves, and love a little more deeply and truly.  And as you scrap, at your own pace, you can review the process and get inspiration and encouragement that was posted here on the blog.

To enter this giveaway, simply comment here by next Friday 5 August at midnight (PST) for your chance to win Grow With Love: Marriage Edition.  To increase your chances of winning, you can tweet (or retweet with a visible link) or blog or share news of this contest — be sure to share a separate comment with the link to your tweet or post.

If you have already scrapped Grow With Love: Marriage Edition, you can still win something special!  Simply share one of your pages on the Plant Your Story FB page  (For a “how to” see this link) and comment here for your chance to win $20 to shop my store!

Lots of luck!  And thank you for one year of growing with love!  ♥

The “We’re Really Excited” Post

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So….this is a post where we tell you how excited we are about our latest Grow With Love class, Staycation.  I’ve called it The “We’re Really Excited” post because, embarrassingly, I used that phrase more times in our roughly 8 minute chatter than should be allowed.  And I know that calling attention to it will only ensure that you will notice it all the more, but I’m all about owning the goofy and not being afraid to giggle at yourself a bit.   But, also…it’s totally true.  We ARE really excited about this project.  We hope you’ll have a listen to our little introductory chatter to learn more about this adventure:

Chatting About Staycation: Really Excited

Grow With Love: Staycation is a summer adventure in everyday storytelling.  Designed with the hope of helping you focus on the {extra}ordinary details and moments in your everyday, squeezing every last drop of  fun, and finding the joy that lives in the overlooked “regular” elements of your story.  All the while, actively and intentionally creating memories you will treasure.  This class is meant to celebrate the everyday, embrace the fun of summer with fresh perspective, and encourage and inspire you to create and write the story you will document.  Our prompts, products, articles, and tutorials will be the tools you need to write your special summer story and create meaningful pages that reflect the beauty of your everyday moments.

And more than that, we hope this fun filled adventure will encourage you to be intentional in your memory making: setting out to inject the fun into your moments and creating moments worthy of legacy and your story.  And we are totally, sincerely and enthusiastically really excited about Staycation.

And we invite you to learn a little more {HERE} and in the Q & A thread in the forum.  And we also invite you to ask questions here in this post!  What would you like to know about the process and the class?  Feel free to ask any questions in the comments and we will respond to them as best we can.

Crystal and I addressed a couple Q & As in the audio, but I’ll share a few more FAQs here as well…

Q: What if it’s not summertime where I live?

A: That’s ok!  Apart from the fact that it will be summertime one day in your part of the world, we hope that these prompts can be kept close and used anytime throughout the year, any time you feel pulled to make an ordinary day a little something MORE.  There is room for these prompts to be used and enjoyed over any holidays or breaks or any every day.

Q: What if I’m not planning a “staycation”?

A: That’s ok too!  Even though these prompts can be used as a “staycation” in and of themselves, you can approach them anytime, over a period of time, once in a while, whenever it works for you.  It’s all about making memories with those you love and making the most of your every day!  It’s about having fun and documenting the process.

Q:  Do I have to register in the forum?

A:  No, you do not.  You’ll receive all the basic course materials which are enough to follow along with the series at your own pace.  That said, we really encourage you to register in the forum because, while we will send out some emails with additional content, the bulk of our bonus content and all of our exclusive offers from class sponsors and contributors during the “enhanced class period” will be posted in the forum.  If you’ve signed up for the class, or even if you haven’t feel free to register and join in conversation in the forum.

Q: What if I’m not comfortable sharing or participating very much?

A: That’s ok!  Crystal and I really understand that not everyone will want to participate at the same level.  And so we aimed to design the class in such a way that you can still participate with as much or as little involvement in the forum as you would like.  You can sign up for the forum and peek in throughout the class simply to snag the latest content or exclusives or you can get comfy cozy and join in and share.  It’s completely up to you!

Q: Is the forum private?

A:  Yes!  The Staycation Forum is exclusive to Staycation participants.   This will go live just before the official class start date of Monday 11 July. Only class members will be able to see and share in this forum.  There is also a general forum area that is visible to all Plant Your Story forum goers.  This area is for general chatter about storytelling and for storytellers and scrapbookers to mingle and be.  You are welcome to post anywhere and everywhere you feel comfortable.

Q: Is the gallery private?

A:  Yes!  The Staycation Gallery is exclusive to Staycation participants.  There is also a general Storytellers gallery that is open to anyone.  You are welcome to post and share in either the private gallery or in the public gallery, or simply in the forum, or not at all…whatever you are most comfortable with.

Q: Is this class only for digital scrapbookers?

A:  Not at all!  While Crystal and I both have roots in the digital scrapbooking community we feel sincerely that this is a class that any scrapper (traditional, paper, or digital or digital art) can find inspiration.   We have had paper scrappers follow along with Grow With Love, scrapping the prompts and we have LOVED to see the results.  In fact, you could adapt this project in to any craft or type of storytelling.  And while the exclusive kit is in digital format, it is produced in printable quality and can easily be used in hybrid or paper scrapping.  And the digital templates can also be used as basic sketches.  We will be offering some more traditional sketches as well, but we truly believe that anyone hoping to tell their story can find inspiration in this journey.  🙂

Please feel free to ask anything that comes to mind.  We will update this post as we receive and answer questions.  We’re getting excited!  Can’t wait to embark on this journey!  Staycation registration is open through Sunday 10 July, 2011.

{grow with love: letters} Day Eighteen

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Hope everyone has had a beautiful week!  I’m filling in for Crystal who is up-to-her-eyeballs in vacation preparations…can’t think of a better thing to be busy with really and I know she’s super excited to be getting away for a spell…to the beach!

So here we are with the second prompt for May, which is Day 18 of our letter writing adventure.  This month we are honoring family and celebrating legacy and history with our prompts and pages.

Here’s a peek at today’s prompt:

You may take a peek at this prompt and feel, like me, that you need to take a pause and a deep breath.  One way or another, this is a kind of nudge to write and reflect about something emotional.  And that can be challenging or convicting or a little scary or overwhelming or even empowering.  It’s prompts like these that encourage us to tell the WHOLE story.  Even the emotional or difficult chapters…because these do shape us so.  And many times, reflecting on the goodbyes and the legacies (good or bad) can help close a door or facilitate the letting go or even reaffirm a person’s importance in our lives.

We hope that you feel inspired in this way today.  And we hope you will find some inspiration in these pages by the Storytellers.  They are so heartfelt and emotive and so beautiful.

Coila:

Nicole:

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Grow With Love is a story-centric scrapbooking and journaling project.  We hope it will inspire you to document your stories in a meaningful way that helps you live life more meaningfully too.  Please remember anyone is welcome to join in and follow along at any time.  You can access the complete Grow With Love archive and hop in to any past Grow With Love project or follow along with the Letters project which will be highlighted here every Wednesday.

Grow With Love Archive

self portrait {detailed}

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Happy Friday and Happy {i}NSD weekend!!

Today marks the final day of registration for Grow With Love: Self Portrait.  The response so far has been really exciting and Crystal and I cannot wait to get started with the class next Monday 9 May.

If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time to join us and we would love to have you!

We are getting really excited for the start of class!  We’ve started to see some beautiful pages in the gallery using the prompts and templates and the exclusive kit too!  And I’m feeling SO inspired!

Here’s a closer look at some of the basic course materials in action:

And today I’m happy to publicly share some details about exclusive content that will be available only to class participants!!

As you probably know, Krista Sahlin of Sahlin Studio has contributed an exclusive kit for the class and I must say it’s completely fabulous in every way.  Here is, My Happiness:

This kit is only available to registrants of the class and after the registration period it will no longer be available as part of the course materials.

I’m so excited to announce publicly some other exciting exclusives for class participants including exclusive coupons or contributions from a wide range of amazing talents in the scrapbooking community including:  Shabby Miss Jenn, Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Kay Miller, Designs by Lili, Valorie Wibbens, Jacque Larsen, Persnickety Prints, Emily Merritt, Heather Hess, Tickled Pink Studio, Fizzy Pop Designs, and My Four Hens Photography.

In addition, class participants will receive enhanced class content including video tutorials, sketches, articles and expanded inspiration all the while having fun growing and learning together in the private Grow With Love forum and gallery!  We so hope you’ll join us in this adventure of planting ourselves into our stories!

Feel free to learn more about Self Portrait {HERE} and in the Q & A.  Registration closes at midnight (PST) tonight.  You can register in the shoppe HERE.

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