Your appointment with Friday

Happy weekend before Valentine's Day!  The prompt for this week is to find something in the shape of a heart to photograph : )

I (Carrie) was outside taking a walk when the shadow of some pretty ivy caught my eye (pictured above).  There it was, the shape of a heart.  How cool.....I love how the texture of the wall beneath the shadow shows through.  Can you see it?  I snapped my photo with a smile.  For some reason taking photographs of shadows feels special to me.  Well, anyways, I continued to walk along the tall wall of green until I saw this.....

 A lovely bright greenish yellow leaf.  The sun was shining so bright it gave the heart a bit of a glow.  I love how I can just take a walk by my house and find little things like a heart shaped leaf, and feel like it's just for me because right now only I can see it.....a heart aglow.  I get to capture the moment with a photograph, and then later use it to make something artistic to symbolize it's beauty.  Another reason I love the idea of capturing this year with photos, ticket stubs, notes, letters, cards and finding how it all fits together inside a scrapbook album.  I love art <3

Have fun this weekend, and keep a look out for your heart.....sometimes you find them in the oddest of places ; )

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And here's Gloria's photo.....

This week Carrie and I chose a heart picture because its Valentines Day on Monday.....Yeah the month of love.  So on that note I can honestly tell you I have been on the look out for hearts.  Last week I posted a heart on my blog that I saw while running.  It is a treetrunk that was cut in half and is now often used as a sitting place by surfers.  I loved the whole idea of what it stood for to me and what it represented.  That's how I chose this picture.  What it means me to.  This is a broken heart that has mended itself.  It represents stenth and tenacity.  I look at this tree trunk and see hope.  It's beautiful to me.  Its never going to die because it these strong roots and they hold it in place.  A perfect broken but stronger than ever heart.....That's what I see.  I hope you have fun dong this prompt as there should be many many hearts roaming around you this month.  Happy heart hunting.....

Love, Gloria and Carrie

Sunlit Winter Office Photos

Love, Gloria and Carrie

Project Monday

Hi beauties, and welcome to another Project Monday!!!  Today we're going to start off with our lovely February guest, Kristine.  Here is her awesome project and some sweet thoughts.....

Hello there Bubblegum Life readers and happy Monday!  I am so excited to see everyone's projects.  For my "Time to Love Yourself" project I created a scrapbook layout.  I love scrapbooking, I think it is a wonderfully personal way to preserve cherished memories.  I'm a big fan of scrapping the little things too.  The things you won't typically remember about yourself and your loved ones in five years when your crack open the photo album.....

 I decided I wanted my layout to have an instructional approach.  So I created numbered steps to go along with each of my photos.  I printed my photos really tiny so I could fit them all on the page with out being too cluttered.  I am a mis-matched eclectic kind of girl, and I think my pages reflect that.  Can't wait to see your projects!

-XO. K.

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And here's Gloria's project.....

This layout ended up feeling a little bit like a love letter.....I know there is not a lot of words but if you ever felt completely passionate about something, and if you felt your love for it in your inner being and then it turned out to be good for you too.....that's what my loving myself passion ended up being.  My way of loving myself has to do with my love for running.  You don't need much, just a pair of tennis shoes and socks and go.

I did a Valentine to running layout.  A picture of a heart drawn in the sand and my running shoes next to it.  Then I added clouds because I can honestly say my head is in the clouds when I run.  Polka-dot ribbon because its happy, and then glimmer mist because it has sparkles.  Sounds perfect.  Do you have something you tried this week to love and honor yourself?  Please share....and if you didn't, try a quick walk or run.  I am telling you its a mood lifter.....

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And here's what I ended up making for my project.....

This week I printed out my photos, sat back and thought about what scrapbook products I love right now.  Here is what I came up with.....



I knew I wanted to use an ATC page protector as the basis for my project.  I think it's because right now I like the idea of having an entire album from 2011 that documents my year.  With layouts, ATCs, movie tickets, plane tickets, etc.....I ended up leaving the last row empty and either plan on cutting it off or adding my actual plane ticket or whatever from my flight.  Next, I looked trough my stash of Color Me Miki product and picked out the green and white bakers twine, this super cute fabric, the Hambly white graph overlay and bright red alphas.  Last I just picked out more papers to layer, and then used my favorite butterflies and hearts to make my "Time to Love Yourself" project one that I currently adore : )



Love, Kristine, Gloria and Carrie

Your appointment with Friday

Thanks for joining us this lovely first weekend of February!  Today we have a fun new photo prompt courtesy of our sweet guest, Kristine.....

Time to Love Yourself.

Hello Bubblegum Life readers, my name is Kristine Toward and I am the author of my personal blog called Mooninmygarden well as my Etsy shop of the same name.  I absolutely love Carrie and Gloria's Project Monday so I am especially thrilled to be here today as a guest blogger.  I love blogging, I think it is fantastic for the creative soul.

The prompt I chose this week is "Time to Love Yourself".  Stepping out of the holiday season straight into  New Year's goals often leaves us lacking a little pamper time for ourselves.  I know I spent most of the holiday season planning, making things, and shopping for my loved ones, but spent little time on myself.  And my New Year's goals are barely getting off the ground, yet I find myself about to head into another holiday for loved ones.

I don't know about you, but it makes me feel like taking a little break for me.  So this weeks prompt brings our focus to ourselves.  What do you do to make yourself feel good?  What are the little things that help relax your body and mind?  Do you treat yourself to a little shopping trip?  Or perhaps enjoy a nice glass of wine?  Maybe just curling up with a good book for a bit…

For me, it was a much needed pedicure.  I am running around on my feet most of the day, so nothing shows myself a little love like pampering my own feet.  Even though its winter and my toes are all covered up, It still makes me feel pretty to have them polished.  Here is a step by step to an easy at home pedicure:

1. Gather supplies.  Polish, Polish Remover, Pumice Stone, Foot Scrub, Moisturizer, File, Sea Salt, Essential Oil, Milk, Hot Water, Bowl.

2. Fill bowl with hot water.  Add a couple drops of essential oil.  Add sea salt and a bit of milk (to help loosen dead skin cells) soak for 10-20 minutes and your feet will come out so soft.

 3. Scrub with foot scrub, use pumice stone on any particularly rough spots.  Rinse.

4. Buff, trim, file.  Moisturize.

5. Polish.

6. Show them off!

So take a little time for yourself this weekend, you deserve it.  Then come back on Monday and share your project with us on Flickr. I look forward to everyone's amazing ideas, I'm sure we will all discover new ways to pamper ourselves. -XO K.

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And here's Gloria's take.....

Ever since I decided (16 years ago) to have children, making time for myself is a gift I take.  I really liked this prompt because it reminds me of how important it is for me to take time to love myself.  Every girl I think, has her little pampering tradition.  I have a couple but the one that i would not trade for anything in the world is running.  I have to a make time for this because I can't do it at home.  I need to vacate the premises to run.  It has become the way I love myself.  I dont do it to lose weight, I dont do it to be the best or the fastest.  I do it simply because It makes me feel so good to run.  That time that I spend running is only mine.  It's time feeling the cold air, singing my favorite song, dancing and feeling free.  It's how I love myself.  I make time to do something I know is good for my body and in return it makes me happy happy!

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And my photos.....



I love this photo prompt because it really got me thinking.  There are little things I do for myself everyday.  Like start off my morning with a yummy cup of tea, or occasionally take time to create a piece of art just for me......but what is that something special?  That something special that I have done just because I wanted to be good to myself?  Well, I bought a plane ticket to visit Sequim in the springtime, and I am ecstatic!  Three whole weeks of family, fun, rain, cool weather, and nature!!!  And I am counting the days!  I've already planned a Seattle day trip with my Mom, and some fun dates with my Dad.  I wish Ryan could go too, but he was insistent on me taking this time because he believes I need it just as much as I do.  I love him so much for that.  So the photos above are me being happy, taking time to love myself.  Time for me to be with my family that loves me so much, and time to be a part of a small town with the biggest charm : )

Love, Kristine, Gloria and Carrie

Playdate with Kristine Toward

Today Gloria and I are excited to introduce you to our February guest! 

Kristine Toward of Moon In My Garden caught my eye the minute I visited her blog for the first time.  Her sweet blog is full of wonderful stories, fun fashion, yummy cooking and recipes, beautiful photography, lovely scrapbooking, and some amazing original designs.  Just about everything you need to make a blog super fun to read!  She has also been faithfully following along with our photo prompts ever since this little blog started last November : )  And you can check our her blog and/or our Flickr Group every week to see her contribution.  This week, Kristine will be sharing a perfect for February photo prompt with us Friday (Feb. 4th), and an inspiring project on Monday (Feb. 7th).  In the meantime here are a few things about her just for fun:

• What would your dream art studio look like?

 Ooh this one's fun. One of my favorite things to do is decorate my home. About the only thing holding me back from amazing transformations are a serious lack of funds! But if I could design a dream studio, it would be one large open space, like a loft apartment in the city. There would be a space to relax, with a cozy couch, a book shelf with some amazing art books for inspiration and a fluffy white sheep skin rug to curl my toes into. One wall would be brick or stone and would make a fabulous back drop for photo shoots, another wall would just be windows with amazing light and an amazing view. I would have more than one easel so I wasn't constantly juggling around paintings or drawings. I would like a large industrial drafting table to be able to spread my work out on, and a light table for easy transfer of art. I would have shelves where all my supplies would be color coded and stored readily available. There would be a beautiful collection of photography and paintings from other artists. And of course a very pretty sparkling chandelier.

• Outside of your home, where do you like to visit to be inspired?

This is a bit broad, but everywhere. New experiences breathe life into the creative soul, and for me there is beauty in almost everything. The haphazard placement of old, worn books on a thrift store shelf. The cracked and peeling walls inside the homes of a ghost town. The vast still waters of a hidden mountain lake you've hiked to. The way the mannequins are dressed in store windows. The carved moulding in an early 1900's home.  A walk in the park. People watching from the terrace of a coffee shop downtown. There is literally inspiration all around me, so I love to just get out and see everything.

• What is the next artistic step for Kristine?

I am currently pursuing a degree in graphic design. I love learning, especially when it concerns art and design. I am really interested in the aspects involved in print media, I love to pick apart designs everywhere I go, analyzing there make up, thinking about what I could have done to make that design my own. I really just love to be inspired and learn from that inspiration everyday. I have also recently started an Etsy shop, called Mooninmygarden just like my blog! It has always been a dream of mine to be able to share my art with the world, and now I am working towards those goals. It is a slow process, especially since I am a mom, and I work and go to school. But every chance I get I am trying to get new artwork up in my shop. I also really adore scrapbooking and photography and am constantly developing my skills. I hope to be on a design team someday.

• What is your favorite thing to do with photos?

Scrapbook them of course! There is a bit more to it, I like to play with various editing programs and sometimes give my photos vintage looks, or add pretty overlays. But mostly I just cherish them in my scrapbook or around my home. I have a bad habit of printing photos before I have frames, so I have a lot of un-hung pictures waiting for me. But I just can't stop! I also love to share my photos on my blog and Flickr. Flickr is fabulous, I love the feedback and I love seeing what direction other people are taking their photography in.

• What is a recipe you have been dreaming about cooking up in the kitchen lately?

I have a great love of baking. My grandma worked at a bakery when I was a little girl, and I think that is where my fascination of pretty food began. I love making sweet treats, but I also really love taking pictures of them! I could totally see myself a food photographer, I enjoy it that much. I dream of making a strawberry rhubarb pie. I had one once, in a little cafe in Montana when I was young, and I swear it was the best pie I'd ever tasted. I really want to recreate that blissful taste experience when rhubarb comes back into season, I believe it is only available in spring or summer. My belly rumbles now, with images of a warm sweet pie, sugar dusted crust and melting homemade vanilla ice-cream on top.

Well, now I'm hungry.....how about you?!?  LOL!!!  For more fun with Kristine visit us again on Friday.....and see ya tomorrow for some new inspirational photos!

Love, Gloria and Carrie