What's my mindset?

My nephew is currently reading a book called the Mindset:  The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.  as his summer reading project so I thought I would read the book along with him.  The book describes the two different mindsets - the growth mindset and the fixed mindset.  Individuals with a growth mindset seek to learn from challenges and obstacles they encounter which leads to greater success, whereas the individuals with the fixed mindset believe intelligence is fixed and do not seek to learn from mistakes causing them to remain stagnant.  It's an interesting read filled with many anecdotals.  I find myself somewhere in between - I often seek to learn from my own mistakes, but I can be very hard on myself and will, at times, believe the mistakes are due to my own inabilities which are fixed.  I guess the book would probably fall under the theme of self-help, which usually isn't within my set of literary interests, but I am willing to try anything new.

On another note, Ali Edwards has posted travel related digital stamps on Pinterest.  I created the following picture using Day 1 of the digital stamps.

I don't wander often, but I do wonder always.  My challenge will be to seek to combine the two and I look forward to the outcome of such a challenge.   My goal will be to take more risks and overcome more challenges

Crafty Ivy

Is it possible to Project Life if you are single and have no children? (January Project Life)

I emphatically exclaim "yes!"  Although it appears as if moms and their progeny have cornered the market on everything Project Life, the single chics whose Instagram feeds are filled with pictures of food and pets have also been able to partake.

I am the single girl with the Instagram feed filled with photos of food and my puggy.  It's been hard to find inspiration from blogs because most of them focus on children and all of the activities that reinforce the bonds between parent and child.  That is not my story, but I do have a story to tell about the events and people that are a part of my life.

I love Project Life because it allows me to document life through pictures and tell the stories that accompany each picture.  Its is virtually impossible to recall the complete story including all of the smallest details.  My Project Life albums allow me to recall all of the tiniest details, even the ones that may seem insignificant but are a critical component of the story.  The greatest part is being able to look through the albums and read what I was thinking or feeling when the picture was taken.  This is significant because you can't do that when your pictures remain one of thousands in you cell phone.  The physical product heightens the senses and brings you back to that place and time.

I am a staunch advocate of the Project Life experience and wish more people around me took part in the process.

Thanks,

Eve

What did I see when I looked down at my feet?

Ordinarily I would think taking a picture of my feet was a bit odd, but today I saw something very different.   I love to be barefoot, indoors, outdoors, on grass, on concrete, and even driving.  Today I looked at my feet and wondered where my feet would take me next.  In other words, paying close attention to my feet forced me to take a hard look at my own journey and the direction I was headed (or more importantly - hoping to head).  It's been on my mind all dang day and if I could choose the ideal location for my feet to head into, it would be a new career path where I would be able to use my crafty talents.  My feet have literally and figuratively pushed me to change course in a life that was otherwise static.

On the down side...being barefoot is probably what caused me to contract Lyme's Disease.  Despite the horrors of the disease, I will continue to live most of my life without shoes and will look down more often hoping my feet will guide me into a life with love, good health and fulfilling my dreams.

Ivy

Christmas in July! My favorite time of the year.

I think I love Christmas in July more than Christmas in December.  Perhaps the reason is for the longer vacation time in July.  I don't really get to fully appreciate Christmas during December because I am working right up until about two days before Christmas Day.  I get butterflies when I see the Hobby Lobby aisles sparkle in red and green...and can we talk about the assortment of ornaments.  If I could put up a Christmas tree today I totally would.

So, to get into the Christmas spirit (without having to put up a tree) I decided to film my first scrapbook layout process video and while I was add it, use up the Graphic 45 paper I have been hoarding.  The camera setup process was tedious, compounded by the fact the sales person at Best Buy sold me an incompatible SD disc for my camera.  I sill feel there is too much empty paper on the left of the layout.  I think if I can somehow come across red sequins I can spread it about to eliminate the empty space.

I will spend the next couple of days enjoying Hallmark's Christmas in July movies (although I have seen most of the movies already).  The holiday feeling never gets old and I need more of these happy feelings to fill my days.   

Thanks for taking the time to read my post,

Ivy

My New Normal

It's such a lovely experience to watch a flower go through the process of blooming and its such a shame the bloom does not last for a longer period of time.  I guess the fact the bloom is finite makes us really appreciate the beauty for the small time we have it.  I have the great fortune of watching my peony bloom and the perfume it omits is so soft and soothing.  As much as I admire its beauty I am also reminded of its fragility and how it is a symbolic representation of our own lives.

The past two weeks have been incredibly difficult, which is a bit of an understatement.  Not feeling well, I took my mother to the Emergency Room and our worst fears came to fruition - she was diagnosed with an MI - fancy terms for a heart attack.  Following the heart attack my mother required a quadruple bypass and the surgery was scheduled at a hospital 45 minutes north of my home.  Fast forward to today and all is relatively well.  Mom is home, but is in need of constant care which has been difficult considering I commute three hours to and from work each day.  Despite the exhaustion, I am so lucky my mother has the opportunity to recover and resume normal activities.  My saving grace is that that summer vacation is quickly approaching and I can defer all rest until then.

Crafting has taken a back seat to my life at the moment and I am looking forward to returning to the hobby I love so dearly.

Happy crafting,  

I purchased the Instax SP-2!

I am super excited because I finally gave in and treated myself to the purchase of the gold Instax SP-2.  I have been eying it for quite a while, but was discouraged when the price jumped up $50 to $199.  Since then, the price has come down to $169 on Amazon...so I thought, what the heck!  I am so thrilled with it.  I though I would demonstrate a comparison with the Epson PictureMate I usually use.

The picture on the left was printed using the Epson PictureMate PM225 and the photo on the right was printed using the Instax SP-2.  As you can see, there definitely is a difference in the quality.  The PictureMate photo printed with vibrant colors and there was also greater detail.  The Instax photo is a bit lighter and somewhat washed out which is typical of Polaroid-type photos.  Despite the difference, I am still quite impressed with its quality and it is perfect for its intended use - scrapbooking.  I am really satisfied with my purchase and love that it also has the capability to print with Real Time information. 

Blizzard and new Heidi Swapp products

Who doesn't love a snow day?  I certainly do, however, snow days aren't so lovely when the snow blower decides that it doesn't want to turn on.  Thank goodness for neighbors who are willing to help out. 

On a trip to Michaels I noticed some new products in the Project Life section.  Heidi Swapp had a section called Storyline.  I immediately gravitated towards the Navy and White binder with gold lettering.  The binder was wrapped and I was unable to examine the contents contained within it...now my curiosity was peaked.  The packaging on the exterior did not give much of a description and without even seeing what the binder came with I knew I had to have it.  I was confused when I searched the internet and could not find any videos about the Storyline products...nothing on Youtube and nothing on Instagram.   I was excited to see Heidi Swapp's description of the Storyline products out today and I am looking forward to telling my story.  Stay tuned this week for a description and review of the product.