So, here it is: LifeInk List Maker (http://lifeinklistmaker.wordpress.com).

Follow the above link to learn more about why I decided to become the LifeInk List Maker.

Please go here: http://lifeinkscraps.blogspot.com/ to view the first post on my new blog! Every time I post there (at least for a while), I will come back to LifeInk and post a link, so our faithful followers here can keep up to date with what’s happening in my life, my writing, and my scrapping. Thank you so much for following along with us the last year and a half, and I hope you continue to visit! Erin will still be popping in here now and again, and Ashley will continue posting until she launches her new, more foodie-focused blog soon. Exciting things in LifeInk’s future!

Love,

Michelle

Have you heard of this trend? I think I first ran across it on Ali Edwards’ blog, but it’s a popular concept among digital scrapbookers and bloggers in general I think. I decided that this year I would join in and choose one word to focus on in 2011. A word to guide my thoughts, my scrapbooking, my personal life, and my spiritual life.

My word is “believe.”

A few inspiring definitions from dictionary.com:

• to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so
• to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence, etc., of
• to have confidence or faith in the truth of (a positive assertion, story, etc.)

A few statements to get me started “believing” this year:

• I believe in the truth of God’s Word
• I believe in the reliability of God
• I believe that I have something of value to share with others through my writing and other creative pursuits
• I believe that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28, NIV)

I believe many more things, and hope to share a few of those with you throughout the coming year. I chose this word because lately my life has not been showing evidence of my beliefs. I need to remind myself of what I believe in, and why. It’s a word I can apply to every area of life – creative, spiritual, personal, family, public, and emotional life.

Do you have a word for 2011? I’d love to hear what it is! If you haven’t chosen one yet and need some ideas, Ali Edwards compiled this great list last January.

A shot of the whole thing – the first page starts with Christmas 2006, the earliest I could find a digital photo for .

Anyway, regardless of who deserves the credit, I think it turned out lovely! Sadly, my photography skills aren’t showing it off very well. It’s a little ornament-shaped mini-book that one of my favorite designers, Angel Hartline, created using papers and elements from her “Home for the Holidays” kit. Really all I had to do was drop my photos behind the PNG files and print. I printed on 5×7 glossy photo paper, because that’s what I had on hand. It would be pretty on matte presentation paper or something similar, too. After cutting the ornament shapes out, I traced them onto heavy cardstock/light chipboard then cut those out. I mounted the pages using double-sided Scotch scrapbooking tape, and inked the edges. Finally, I tied them all together with a pretty velvety ribbon. The ribbon had a little wire in it, so it holds its shape nicely.

Here’s pictures of each page:

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 (just Cai – because he totally deserves his own page )

This set can also be used to create a banner (just string each page along some ribbon) or tree ornaments (reduce to 50% before printing). You can find this Home for the Holidays set here:

and the mini-kit:

Angel also has another ornament mini-album available using her “Holiday Madness” collection:

Holiday Madness 3-in-1 ornament hybrid project

Have you made any “hybrid” or other crafty projects for the holidays? I’d love to hear about them – or even better, link me up to some pictures in the comments!

As many of you know, Michelle recently moved to Texas with her husband, sons and parents. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, she and her husband (and the two kids) were forced to move in with her parents. Meanwhile, they were storing all of their kitchen supplies and household goods that they didn’t immediately need (including Michelle’s non-maternity clothes) in a locked trailer storage facility provided by the community they lived in. Much to their dismay, the gated storage area was left unlocked, their trailer was stolen, and their insurance company is only covering about a tenth of the damages.

When Michelle told us, we wanted to help, but living so far away from her (in Michigan and Indiana) seemed to provide a major challenge. That’s where Pampered Chef comes in.

We decided to help her replace the Pampered Chef products that she had stored up from her wedding shower by throwing her a catalog party where she benefits from the sales.

That’s where you come in. You can help in a few different ways:

1. You can purchase items from the party for Michelle, having them mailed directly to her.
2. You can purchase items for yourself, and Michelle will receive the rewards for her party. Don’t forget about gifts for friends and family, too, since Christmas is almost here!

We’ll be keeping the show open through the end of the day on Friday, November 26, Monday, November 29, so there’s plenty of time to check it out, and products should arrive the first full week of December.

Here’s how to check it out:

1. Check out Michelle’s wish list.
2. Order online. When asked for the host’s name, search for “LifeInk”, and make sure that all your contact information is valid so that our consultant can contact you should she have any questions and so that you get your order. Also, please include which items will go to Michelle in the notes section of the order form.

Please note that our consultant won’t email you about anything other than this particular show, and she won’t add you to a newsletter list of any kind either.

We’re both very excited about this, and we hope that you get as excited as we are. It’ll just be one more step on the way to Michelle and her family having a place of their own again.

As many of you know, I’m far from that now. I enjoy my job a lot. I have not only learned a lot from it (like having to give a presentation that scared the pants off me yesterday), but I’ve been challenged to better myself as well (for example, my professional appearance).

And that brings me to a few Sundays ago. That Sunday, someone from our church preached from the book of James. I must be honest that I was a bit distracted while sitting there looking at my Bible, mostly because of the notes I’d penned in the margins.

Almost exactly three years before, on September 30, 2007, I’d written next to James 4:15-17, “God has perfect timing.” That was shortly after my move back in with my parents’. I realized about that time that we don’t always get to plan what’s going to happen next. Now, I’m not saying we ought to sit by and let life happen to us, just that we don’t always get what we plan down the line. At that point, I’d expected to be moved out on my own (or with a roommate) to a job somewhere in the writing/editing field. I had none of that aside from some freelance work I’d been doing.

Completely distracted from the sermon at this point, I flipped through the pages of my Bible to glance through any other notes I’d scribbled on the pages. Sure enough, I found one from August of 2008, right about the time I’d returned from working at the Willow Creek Association for the summer. I was, once again, discouraged that I had to move back in with my parents, but the verses that caught my eye were 1 Corinthians 16:8-9. Next to it, I’d written, “Lord, show me the ‘in the meantime.’”

It’s amazing how God answered that tiny written prayer, by providing random odd jobs, friends who move in and out of town and a wonderful Sunday school class to help teach. That “in the meantime” really did become filled with some amazing blessings.

Last fall, I began temping in the area, and that led me to the job I currently have (and love). Can I continue to say how much I enjoy working at my job? I have caught myself saying on more than one occasion, “It’s more than I could’ve ever asked for or imagined.” Sound familiar? I know! I didn’t even realize what I’d been saying. It’s true though.

I never would have imagined that I get to write blogs, “play” on Facebook and tweet away on Twitter all day! I also recently organized an event for some bloggers and their children. How is that not fun? How can you not enjoy a job like that? Sure, there are days that I’m stressed out or have to work ridiculously long hours for the sake of the team, but to be able to work in an environment that is as quirky and fun-loving as I am or spend time with people who are crazier than I am (in a good way) is such a wonderful thing that I never could have asked for.

It’s funny how a couple scribbles in the margins had such an effect on me over the past three years. I’m amazed at looking back to see where I was when I wrote each of them, and how each one has impacted where I am now.

How cute is that?! It leaves the station this weekend, September 18 – start at Sugar Hill Co’s blog then follow the train to collect each designer’s portion.

Here’s a sweet layout to give you another peek at Sugar Shock: