SFTIO Blog Hop!

Good morning!! I hope you all have been having a wonderful week! Today is the Blog Hop for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out!!! So exciting, right?! We want YOU to win this beautiful kit - ENLIGHTENMENT....

So what you have to do is go through the DT's blogs, leave a comment to better your chances at winning, and 'like' SFTIO on facebook. Easy Peasy right?


For me Enlightenment is a state of mind, a state of MY mind at least. So I created this LO with that entire concept. Something that is enlightening to me might not be so to you. So I journaled about that, about what enlightenment meant to me, in my own personal life. I have edited my picture by washing it out to create a sense of peace as well as left a lot of white space to represent the calmness I feel that comes along with being enlightened.



It's a simple LO, but represents so much to ME, and that's what SFTIO is all about! Creating meaningful LO's that speak to yourself :)

Once you have left a comment here then head on over to the beautiful Nancy's blog for another chance to win! Good luck!!!


PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Scrapbooking From the Inside Out Blog Hop Tomorrow

Tomorrow is an exciting day! Scrapbooking From the Inside Out is having a blog hop!!! That means that YOU could win the beautiful September kit - ENLIGHTENMENT!! So make sure to come back tomorrow and leave a comment on all the DT's blogs as well as SFTIO's blog for even more chances to win :)

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Life Experiences - SFTIO Reveal #2 - Enlightenment

Hello Beautiful people! Amy here....yes, I know I have been gone for a bit...sorry! Life has a way of keeping me super busy these days!! Today I have my second reveal for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out. Have I told you all how much I absolutely LOVE the colors in this months kit: Enlightenment?! I wish I could just take the kit and turn it into an outfit....I mean it would fit right in with my current wardrobe already :)

For this LO I focused on Life Experiences and how you learn from those. For me, life experiences are one of lives most in your face ways of learning....and seriously you learn!!! I have seen this tearing and layering technique around here and there and wanted to try my hand at it! I LOVE the way it turned out, especially with these muted colors. I did something a bit different and added punched layers and then stained all the paper with a new favorite - Walnut Crystals! So, if you ever get bored and have lots of scraps....just tear them up and slap em' on a piece of paper :) It is a stress reliever too!!! lol

SFTIO always has beautiful and unique product in their kits.....I mean, check out that flower!! I wish I had 10 more of them. And the cream wax seal - love!
Journaling:
Personal life experiences are always one of a kind. I have learned so much through my own life experiences. The kind of knowledge you can't learn in a text book. You have to experience them first hand. Learn from them and have a personal understanding as to how those experiences could or should...or should not apply to your life in the future. These can mold you into the you you need to be.

Do you have any experiences in your life that has helped mold you into who you are today? Something that you will never forget? I encourage you to scrap about it, get it on paper. It may not be something that you want to share, but I promise you, anything....good or bad....that has helped make you who you are today is a beautiful lesson in itself!


PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Ignorance Not so Bliss - SFTIO Reveal #1 - Enlightenment

It's the 1st of the month...that means it's reveal day for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out! I have been waiting FOREVER to share this kit. It's absolutely remarkable. The colors alone make you gravitate to it, not to mention it is freakin' loaded with delicious product! Seriously, I would eat it! The emotion we are focusing on this month is ENLIGHTENMENT. This kit is all about looking beneath the surface at what moves you, at what spiritual expressions have shaped your path. Beautiful, exotic designs, rich color and meaningful symbolism will light your way.

Here is the first of many LO's I have created with the Enlightenment kit:

Journaling:

To be so blissfully ignorant in some situations is something that I have chosen for myself. Why? Because sometimes it is easier to just not know the truth. It's a guarding mechanism I have created for myself. The truth can sometimes hurt just as bad as it can be good. So I hide in the shadows, eyes closed to certain realities because it's easier to face my self-indulgent perception. This is definitely something I am not so proud of. There is nothing enlightening about playing ignorant. I need to open my eyes and learn truths.

If you are interested in purchasing this FABULOUS kit and exploring your inner emotions you can go here and Rachel will get one right out to you!!!

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Want to win the Discovery kit from SFTIO?

Then head on over to Donna Downey's blog and simply tell her what you would like to DISCOVER about yourself! It's as simple as that! She will be choosing a winner tomorrow morning, so hop on over and join in on the fun! And thank you for your continuous support of Scrapbooking From the Inside Out!

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Destination - SFTIO Reveal #5 - Discovery

Hello, it's Amy coming at you (of course it's me, this is my blog!!!) Today I have my very last reveal from the August kit - Discovery from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out! This LO just happens to be my absolute favorite one from the August kit. Although it is the simplest one I created, it represents something that I am forever working on and struggle with in daily life - discovering myself through God. This piece of paper just spoke to me as soon as I pulled it out of the kit. It's just so beautiful! I used it to represent letting God be my compass through life. My picture is in the center to always remind me that no matter which way I go, that if I just let myself be true in my relationship with God then I will forever be going in the right direction.

Journaling:

Over the years I have lost sight of who you are and what you mean to me. I have set you aside and lived for me. I am slowly finding myself and building our relationship again. This time I am discovering myself through you. You make me better.

The embellishments on this LO are very scarce, but I wanted to show the pen work I did to make the compass pop a little more. I used a black & white pen and outlined the compass...never a straight line though..this is to represent that I am still shaky in my relationship with God. I can't be certain that those lines will ever be straight though. Just one more thing to work on!

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

You Learn - SFTIO Reveal #4 - Discovery

Hello beautiful Bloggers! I am coming at you today in a very happy state of mind! One of my most amazing friends is currently (as I type this) in in labor! Hopefully soon we will have a beautiful little girl joining us in this world of ours!! Her son is currently staying with us Ox's, and it's so precious to see the excitement in his face knowing that soon he will have a baby sister! I love babies & Kiddos, they truly do light up our lives in ways that we never thought imaginable. Please keep the Lloyd family in your thoughts and prayers today as they welcome an addition to their already cute little family :)

Also today I have my 4th reveal from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out - August kit - Discovery. For this LO I focused on learning about life and love. When I was 15 years old I read a poem by Veronica A. Schoffstall called You Learn. This poem resonated with me in such a deep way and has stuck with me over the years. Every time I need a few words of encouragement I reach in my wallet and grab my old, worn, much read copy of it and read it yet again. Every single time I read this poem it seems like the first time. It has taught me a lot over the years. Helped me through rough times with friends, family, and even my own husband. Life is a learning experience, one that should be cherished.

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes ahead with the grace of woman,
not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Me Myself & I - SFTIO Reveal #3 - Discovery

DISCOVERY. When I first heard Scrapbooking From the Inside Out's emotion for August I immediately thought of one thing that we all yearn for - Self Discovery. What is self discovery in general? One thing I have come to realize is that finding yourself is a long and never ending journey, and that's a good thing. We are always changing and we need to learn to love who we are no matter what life's circumstances are.

Journaling:

Finding yourself is an enlightening experience. You become self-sufficient and do things for others without expectations of something in return. You are no longer needy and become utterly grateful for all the things people have done for you in the past. Finding yourself is a time of harmony because you develop that philosophy or belief system that will carry you throughout the rest of your life. When you love yourself and who you are, you will savor and enjoy both life's pain and pleasures. How do you know you have found yourself? When you are able to help others find themselves. Finding yourself is not easy. If you have never felt connected to who you are, and you want to find whatever makes you you, being yourself will be hard. The first step is always the hardest, but after that hill, you will be smooth sailing to discovering who you are. Be you!

See...isn't that one BEAUTIFUL kit? There are still some in the store if you want to head on over and grab one up!!

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Self Love - SFTIO - Discovery reveal #2

Hello everyone! Today I have my second reveal for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out August kit - DISCOVERY. For this LO I focused on discovering self love. I think that self love is a very important aspect of life. Without loving yourself then you aren't opened up entirely to allowing others to love you. I have struggled with self love for a really long time, but by opening up my mind and looking at myself through others and seeing what they see, I have learned to love myself in a completely different way.

Journaling:

It took me a long time to love ME. Discovering myself through others helped. Sometimes you have to travel outside your own head to truly discover life and who you are. Take a look at yourself from the outside. Do you like who you see?

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

DISCOVERY - SFTIO Reveal #1

Today I have my first August Reveal for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out. This month we are exploring Discovery and how that applies to our past, present, and future. What are things that you have discovered or want to discover? Maybe you have discovered a way to overcome those fears to move on to a better place in life. Maybe you have discovered something about yourself that you never thought possible. Maybe you even discovered the perfect recipe for that German Chocolate cake! Every discovery that we make in life, whether it be good or bad, has a place, has a meaning....and that's what we are exploring this month!

For my first adventure in Discovery I wanted to create a LO about how 'all the little things' add up to create something much bigger, referring to my relationship with the DH.

Journaling:

Growing up I always thought that when I fell in love it would be like all the fairy tales. My love would be picture perfect, without problems, without inhibitions. It would be one huge gesture of perfection wrapped up in two people that couldn’t live without each other, white picket fence and all. To be in love with my very own Prince Charming is every little girls dream come true. As I grew up I have discovered that love is not a fairy tale, it’s not just one huge gesture of overall life completion. Love is a combination of all the little things added together that creates a life with that one person that you can’t imagine living without. Love is having the ability to fall in love with you over and over again, deeper in love each and every time. Love is two people growing together, learning life together, compromising, and always having the ability to say you’re sorry and actually mean it. Love for me is having you know me so well that you mail me Carmex from Afghanistan because you know I always forget to buy it for myself. Love is waking up in the morning to a pizza bagel on the night stand and a text that says “Enjoy babe”. Love is not being able to sleep without you beside me because I miss your cold feet resting on my legs. Love is our children who bring us so much joy, and our undying love we share for them. Love is just being happy sitting on the couch watching a random late night TV show. Love is that one look you give me that just makes me melt. Love is so many things. I could go on forever about the little things that make our love ours. You are love. We are love. I knew at 15 that you were the man for me and 13 years later I still know this. We may not be Prince Charming and his Princess, but we are so much more.

August SFTIO kit - DISCOVERY
This kit is FILLED with amazing product. Featuring Little Yellow Bicycle 'Pack your Bags' and Bo Bunny 'Mama-razzi'.
Yummy embellishments too! Thickers, Flowers, printed ribbon, chipboard, and MUCH more!!
Speaking of Discovering... I have realized quite a few things the past few weeks......

1.)Having your Internet go down really doesn't do wonders for ones nail biting habit. I need a manicure bad.

2.)Blackberry's aren't as cool as one might think, unless I am just that special that I couldn't figure out how to access web sites and get them to load....

3.)My DH leaving his freshly shaved facial hair in the sink is causing me to go crazy. Daily.

4.)Not having Internet made me actually scrap MORE :) I guess there was a silver lining after all.

5.) When did my dog get allergies???

6.)Wanting to cook again is requiring more patience than I expected. Why can't my DH just eat mac-n-cheese? The kids love it :)

7.)Reese's Whipps are REALLY delicious and I should stop buying them.

8.)Twilight movies are getting to be disappointing. I think I should have read the books AFTER seeing all the movies, not before. I am not on team Edward, or Jacob. I am on team 'get me out of this theatre with all these yappy little teeny boppers before I blow a gasket...where are my migraine meds?' Yep, that's my new team. You can join me if you want!

9.) I should really consider cleaning out my car more often. I did so this morning and found something very important hiding under my son's car seat. BUTTONS! Buttons that I had thought were mailed, but apparently not. Also hiding in the dark abyss were 3 half eaten chicken nuggets, my spare house key, 7 hot wheels, a barbie comb, a pair of gloves, and one scooby doo house slipper. Wow, what a kid. The Buttons ARE mailed now, expect them soon. Sorry, as I hold my head in shame :(

10.) Last but definitely not least....I have discovered that my DH thinks I am not nice, and he loves it. He was helping out a buddy today with some car issues, he came home and said "Wow, his wife was nice. I mean overly nice...Too nice. Amy, you would drive me insane if you were that nice." Thanks dear......I think.....

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

DAD - SFTIO - COURAGE Reveal #5

Hello beautiful bloggers and friends. Today I have my last July reveal for Scrapbooking From the Inside Out kit - COURAGE. When I was perusing around online one day I came across this sentiment: Hate is easy, to love takes courage. It stuck with me, as it resonated feelings of my relationship with my father. Many of you already know that I have daddy issues and struggle with our relationship on a daily basis. I find that scrapping about those feelings gives me a sense of relief. And that's what SFTIO is a all about. Scrapping all those inner feelings - let them out! Scrap them out! It's truly amazing.

Here is my LO - DAD:

Journaling:

Sometimes I wish I could just hate you and be done with it all, but you are my father. I can't help but love you and want what's best for you. To want you to actually stop drinking again and just be a normal dad. The dad you were for the past 10 years of my life until you picked up that beer again. But I doubt that will ever happen. I hope one day it will. I will continue to love you even though you continually disappoint me. I will always be here for you, for my father.

I know I have scrapped this picture before, but it's one of the very few I have of my father. It's a wonderful picture taken candidly by my Brother in law Jason Dodge Photo. I LOVE this picture because it captures my father perfectly. Jason works out of Arkansas, so if you're in the area and need some awesome pics check him out! He's AMAZING!

SFTIO still has a few July kits available if you are interested. It's packed full of some of the most current and bold products to help you scrap some of those courageous feelings :)


PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

BRAVE - SFTIO - Reveal #4 & Chance #3 at winning the courage kit!

Hello beautiful bloggers! I hope you are all having a wonderful, fun filled summer! This week has been real HOT for WA! I have been living in front of my fan, sleeping in front of my fan, and I swear if I didn't think it was too weird I would even bathe in front of my fan. I DO NOT like to be HOT! I'm one of those 'keep it cold, I can add layers to stay warm' type people. I hope you are all dealing with this summer heat better than I!!

Today I have reveal #4 from Scrapbooking From the Inside Out. The July kit COURAGE is based around some of the most beautiful summer fresh Lily Bee papers called 'Hello Sunshine' I LOVED these papers and quite honestly could use them on every LO! Who doesn't love a red polka dot piece of paper though?! I have featured this entire LO around one quote by Mary Anne Radmacher “Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.” Something about this quote makes me have a sense of bravery. One has to be brave to face the day never knowing what could/would happen. And if your day doesn't go as planned then don't let it get you down. It's just one day!!! Try again tomorrow!

SFTIO is being featured on the Lily Bee Blog TODAY. If you head over there and leave a comment then you could be the owner of this amazing COURAGE kit! I'm so excited because one of my LO's is being featured! Whoo-Hoo!!! So that is now 3 chances you have at winning the COURAGE kit. Scroll down to previous posts to see the other 2!

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Want another chance to win?!

Win the July - Scrapbooking From the Inside Out - COURAGE kit that is! Then head on over to the Glitz Designs blog and leave a comment for yet another kit giveaway! This month's kit is featuring Glitz Kismet line, and it's delicious!

SFTIO Courage Reveal #3 & a chance to win the Courage Kit!

At Scrapbooking From the Inside Out we are focused on courage and what courage means to you. I have based this LO around just being myself and finding the courage to do so. It's not journal heavy, but I did put little tags of things I would like to remind myself. It's OK to be jaded. It's OK to be weird. It's OK to be passionate. It's OK to just be me and to have the courage to do so. I have created the background in a patchwork style that represents the different layers of myself that are all patched together to make me who I am. No one is perfect, we all have patches....don't be afraid to show them. It's OK to be YOU!

Would you like a chance at winning the July kit - COURAGE - from SFTIO? All you have to do is head on over to the GCD Studios blog and tell them what courage means to you.
Scrapbooking From the Inside out is being featured on the GCD blog today which is so exciting! Head on over for your chance at winning this amazing kit. Winner will be chosen on Monday, July 12th.


PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Please Return to School - SFTIO Reveal #2

Hello beautiful Bloggers! Today I have another reveal using Scrapbooking From the Inside Out - July kit - COURAGE. I can't even express enough how much I loved this kit. It's full of vibrant colors with just enough softness to balance it all out. Which is the perfect combination! Did I mention that this kit is FULL of stars?! I love stars! With the focus of this month being courage I immediately thought about myself returning to school. This is by far one of the things in life that I needed courage to do.

Journaling:

At 18 I made the decision to give up a college scholarship to pursue being a stay at home mother and wife. It was an easy decision at the time, but now 10 years later I face the difficulty of starting all over. I am terrified of submerging myself into the unknown. At home I have everything perfected. There is nothing that I can't handle. I guess this is what scares me. The Unknown! What will happen? How will I do? WHAT will I do? I have no idea. I am still undecided. I do know though that I have finally built up the courage to embark on this journey. Now I just need to have the faith in myself to succeed. I have the ability. I have the heart. I have the strength. I CAN do it!
A little close up of the embellie cluster. I have a hard time NOT putting a little cluster on every LO! Look at the beautiful flowers that are included in the COURAGE kit. Yellow! I have had such a weakness lately for yellow flowers!

Here is the kit in it's entirety. Totally Drool worthy! You can order yours here! :)

PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways

Scrapbooking From the Inside Out - July Reveal - Courage!

It's July 1st! That means that Scrapbooking From the Inside Out has revealed their brand new FABULOUS kit! I am extremely excited for this kit as it is my very first DT reveal with SFTIO and the emotion of the kit is Courage. What a perfect emotion for the month of July and for what I have faced in the last year of my life. I have had to have courage in times where all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide in the darkest corner I could find. I am sure we all have those moments, but the important thing is that we find the strength within ourselves to pull ourselves up and live each day to the fullest....no matter life's circumstances. How we face our daily trials and tribulations is what makes us the person we are, and I am proud to say that I can go to bed at the end of the day knowing that I am happy with the person I am. The person I have become because I have had the courage to do so.

I encourage you to look inside yourself and find the courage to scrap about YOU. Scrapbooking From the Inside Out has put together this amazing kit to help you do just that. This kit is loaded with bold star images – your badge of courage - in chipboard, felt and even a distressed acrylic stamp. There are gorgeous Prima flowers of course, some rustic burlap and some gentle yellow roses. And more: printed corduroy fabric from Buzz and Bloom, gingham and lace ribbon, embossed cardstock, journaling cards, die cuts, vintage-look buttons from Jenni Bowlin and beautiful Melissa Frances resin wings.

Check it out in all it's glory:

Here is the first of many reveals I have using this kit.

This LO is about the courage I have had to find within myself to live our daily lives without Big Daddy alongside me every step of the way. I have ripped the paper to represent the broken aspect of our lives while he is away, and the netting represents all the little threads that still hold us together. There is nothing that we can not make it through together!

*Netting is not in the kit. It's an apple bag that I recycled into my LO!

Scrapbooking From the Inside Out is a wonderful kit club that inspires you to scrap your emotions and put them to pen and scrappy paper. Dig Deep within yourself and learn more about you in the process. I would like to invite you all to join us in the FORUM and get to know other wonderful supportive ladies. If you are interested in this AMAZING kit you can find them here. Be quick though, because SFTIO sells out of their kits FAST!

Thank you all for stopping by today and joining me in the journey of finding the courage within.


PeaceOut-ScrapOn-LoveAlways