Life in Focus

The Gratitude Collection

I've been busy working in the studio and I'm so excited to finally get to share  a brand new collection with you! It's inspired by the beautiful little details of life and is dedicated to all of the wonderful people that lift me up, inspire me, and make me a better person every single day.  I am so grateful.

Announcing....

The Gratitude Collection

 

 

to view the complete collection of charms, cuffs, journals, and gallery canvases....

 www.lifeinfocusstudio.etsy.com

I hope you have a warm and wonderful holiday weekend and enjoy a

Happy Thanksgiving!

Summer Goal #1 :: 100 Mile Nature Connection

Happy Thursday, everyone! I've been thinking  a lot about what I want to accomplish this summer while our pace is somewhat slower (sort of slower) and one of my big goals is to use some time to get more consistent exercise. For whatever reason, I seem to do much better with goals when I have a timeline or a challenge in place. It motivates me and kicks me in the butt when I need it most. I also love numbers, so knowing that my goal is measurable is really important to me. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE to celebrate when it's completed!

When it comes to exercise, I'm usually a runner. But, I find that as much as I still love to get a good sweaty run in, I sometimes grow bored with doing the same thing all the time. This summer, I long to put in some mileage in different ways.  I also want to take FULL advantage of our summer weather (after the very long and cold winter we had this year) with the opportunity to "get out there" and connect with nature as often as possible.

Insert Summer Goal #1: The 100 Mile Nature Connection

To me, challenges are so much more fun and motivating when they're with a group, so I thought I would open it up to anyone that wants to play along. You do not have to be a runner to participate. Anything that you think is fun, gets you moving and enjoying being outside counts! If you take your kids with you to move and connect, you will get extra cheers! The more the merrier!

Want to join in the fun? Just follow this link for more info and get started! Hope to see you there!

An opportunity to learn

Over the weekend, I cashed in a super special birthday gift from my husband and it was simply amazing. National Geographic Traveler came to our area to teach a day long seminar on travel photography and I had the incredible opportunity to learn from them!

I was so excited and eager that I was in my seat and ready to go 30 minutes before it even started!  I soaked in every word and was in awe of the gorgeous images shown on the giant screen in front of me. There were even moments during the seminar when I was so touched by the beauty of their work, that I literally got a lump in my thoat and felt chills on my arms! It was in those moments, that I knew I was in the right place.

The day completely exceeded all of my expectations and I walked away with my head just spinning with ideas and inspiration for my own photography and stories. I'm so grateful to have had this opportunity and I just can't wait to dive in to all that I learned!

As I laid in bed last night, my mind just racing with possibility, I was reminded of this quote by Steve Jobs:

Find something you love so much, you can’t wait for the sun to rise. 

I do believe I've found it.

Here's to a passion-filled Monday!

 

Finding Inspiration

It has been one busy week around here and I've been at the elementary school teaching every day.  But, along the journey of this busy life, I'm remembering to focus on my word for this year and have stolen a few moments here and there to simply be inspired. Here's what I've found and collected this week.

this happy book.

this lovely movie.

these pretty flowers.

this fun website.

this adorable collection of papers.

these beautiful photographs.

this sweet sparrow song.

 Hoping you enjoy a beautiful inspired Thursday.

Having fun with photos

I love to surround myself with some of my happiest memories so I enjoy decorating this way...and creating some unique "life art" for our home.  Although I also enjoy making pages for our scrapbooks, having these photos out where I can see them as I go about my day simply inspires me and makes me happy.  It's always so much fun to find new ways to showcase our favorite memories!

This is a project I created recently and I love, love, love it! 

This is my sweet little daughter at one year of age, who's already 13!!  Since she was just a toddler, she has always connected with nature and loves to be outside, enjoying every little wonder. So, I turned her into a nature fairy and captured her in a jar! :)

This little creation makes me smile every time I walk by.

Have a happy and inspired Tuesday!

playing with paper

On a recent excursion to my local scrapbook store, I discovered these beauties!  Have you seen all the wonderful designs from graphic 45 lately??  There were so many beautiful papers that I had such a hard time choosing which ones to get (so I think I got most of what they had!)  They inspire me and make me happy so I'll be spending some quality time playing with them and can't wait to see what they become. I'll be sure to share next week!

Happy Crafting! 

ten things :: living inspired

 

I've spent lots of quality time thinking about my new word for 2010, inspired.  More than simply declare this my word, I want to fully embrace it with action steps. So, to celebrate this 100th post on my blog (hooray!), I'm giving myself 10 things to concentrate on this year that will help me absorb inspiration into my everyday life. Here they are...

1. Keep life in focus :: continue to open my eyes to gratitude which can only be accomplished through a concentrated awareness of all that is good in life.  With camera in hand, I'll be documenting what I see each week.

2. Get out and about :: two times per month, I'm scheduling inspiration dates with myself or a friend where the sole purpose is to seek out and find inspiration and renewed excitement.

3. Read good stuff :: I love to read and if I read the right stuff, it can invigorate me for days.  So, first thing in the morning and just before bed, I will take 15 minutes to read something that inspires me in some way.

4. Experience nature :: It never fails, when I'm surrounded by nature, taking in deep breaths of fresh air, I am completely inspired. I know that I need to do this more often in 2010.  My plan is to get out at least once a week and experience what's outside my windows (no matter the weather). Every single day, I'll make it a point to look out my windows, where I can see and appreciate some form of nature's beauty in front of me.

5. Listen to music :: I've been listening to the same play list on my ipod for too long now.  In this new year, I'm going to put together a new inspired collection of songs that speaks to me and makes me want to dance, sing, and create!

6. Create something by hand :: To put it simply...when I'm creating something, I'm happy. The act of creating something by hand invigorates and energizes my mind and spirit and it inspires my entire life. I'm giving myself persmission to take the time needed to nurture this activity with many wonderfully fun projects!

7. Celebrate something :: Celebrating the little and big stuff in life is exciting and just plain fun.  I want to do more of this in 2010 and will look for things to celebrate with family, friends, and even by myself.

8. Keep on learning :: I am an enthusiastic student of life and will never, ever stop looking for opportunities to learn something new.  This year, I'm going to study. learn, and practice the things that fill me up with inspiration and teach me to see new perspectives.

9. Have an adventure ::  By stepping out of routine on occasion and "going for it", I'll add more adventure, fun, and ultimately inspiration to my year!

10. Sit still and breathe :: This is probably the hardest of my action steps...for me. Sitting still has never been something that I've done well but I know it's essential to my body and soul and will clear my mind to allow inspiration in. I'm determined to learn how.

That's it!

Throughout the year,I'll be posting my inspired discoveries, plans, progress, and results on my blog. It's going to be a fun journey and I hope you'll join me along the way!

Here's to living inspired! Ready?  Let's go!

Inspired to....bake

If you are reading this blog post, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's your lucky day!  Seriously.

I'm about to share something that I've never, ever shared before...

These would be the Kert Family's top secret super duper delicious (and I'm really NOT kidding) chocolate chip cookies! I wish you could be here in my kitchen so that I could give you a taste but since you can't, well, I've decided to share the "top secret" recipe so that you can make them yourself. 

I have to be honest and say that I haven't felt real great the last couple of days.  I'm still recuperating from knee surgery (which has brought about some challenging days) and the weather here has been rather gray...and cold! There is something about weather like this though that inspires me to play in my kitchen and bake something yummy....and I was really feeling the need for a "pick me up". Following through on that inspiration was just what I needed and I really did feel better!

OK...here it is!  Write it down quick because this post could self destruct at any minute!

Super Delicious Top Secret Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a small bowl, combine the following:

3 1/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

In a large bowl or mixer, combine the following:

1 1/2 cups shortening

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of sugar

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

3/4 teaspoon of water

3 eggs

Gradually add the flour mixture to the large bowl until all ingredients are combined. Stir in 3 handfuls of chocolate chips (or whatever looks good to you!)  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.  Watch them and don't over bake!! Definitely eat one right out of the oven....my oldest son tells me that right out of the oven it's a "molten lava of happiness."  This recipe makes a lot of cookies so you can freeze half for later and put the rest in your cookie jar or even bag some up for a special friend. They do tend to dry out quickly if left out, so freezing is a good option.   If you want that just out of the oven taste later, just heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave.  YUM!

I hope you are inspired to create something sweet for yourself or a friend soon....good feelings guaranteed!