Janna Wilson

WEEK 2: 50 pages to go!

I've been waiting all week to reveal the new page I did! (can you believe I actually did it over a week ago!!! yes, I'm working ahead for once in my life!!!)  I'm thrilled to be scrapping again and feel a trip to my lss, Mims Scrapbook Spot coming on soon, VERY soon. 

Here's today's page!

I worked in a 4 x 6 and two smaller photos on this page...some pics I snapped of Scott in November...SO HIM.  Hard to capture him with the camera...these are priceless to me.

 

This page is so simple but I took it up a notch with some stamped details and machine stitching.  Absolutely a 30 minuter. I used one of my ALL TIME favorite rubber stamps (the text) to give this page some texture and just stitched right through it with a zig zag AND a straight stitch.  Easy!

Notice how little paper I actually used.  Just scraps really.  Hey!  Ever thought about having a scrap swap with friends to pick up a fresh basket of papers to use for simple pages like these?

This week I challenge you just break out a favorite stamp you haven't used in forever and play!   

Remember sometimes just a bit of a stamp design can make a huge impact. 

Great products I used are from:

Basic Grey (THANK YOU FOR THE GOODS ;) I used two papers from the Nook and Pantry collection...Pictured below is what I used to make the layout. 

(hope they don't mind me lifting this pic to share) 

Riff Raff Designs- (courtesy of Kara- THANKS girl!) the cool organic leaf chipboard shape on the page...been saving these for something special.  And this page was just it!

The text stamp is an OLDIE from Art Warehouse, but I LOVE it.

If you want to play along link up your page on your blog...you can scraplift my layout or do your own thing!  Be sure and add your page to the Flickr photo pool and tag it with week 2 so everyone can enjoy YOUR inspiration too!

Happy Scrapbooking!

How do I say...chic, classy, elegant, stunning?

Oh yes, yes...yes...

TERESA COLLINS DESIGN....

I got the honor of being asked to create with Teresa's new scrapbooking collections and well, lets just say...I'm am enjoying every single minute of it!!!!  I'm in creative bliss!!!  They are being debuted as we speak on Teresa's blog one collection at a time and there are a ton of exquisite projects by Teresa and the other design team gals.  Whew! 

Did I mention I've decided my favorite color is black and white.  No, not black nor just white-- but BLACK AND WHITE!  It should be a color on it's own!  LOL!

So far Teresa has debuted the Welcome Home collection...and here is a page I did with the line:

 

Today...you'll find she "unveiled" the wedding collection she calls Mr. & Mrs.  Love the name!  And the papers are my vision of what a wedding collection for scrapbooking should be.  Classic motifs, black and white (to which you can add any color theme) and just absolutely elegant.

Here's a couple I did with Mr. & Mrs.

And this one...which is NOT wedding...but I love how these papers are for EVERyTHING! 

 

The chandeliers on this page are from a 12 x 12 transparency sheet which I need about TEN MORE OF!!! LOL!

Stay tuned for MORE!!!  I can't wait to share my pages!!!

Got Sketch 104 - download NOW AVAILABLE!

Morning all!  Just wanted to pop in and post that the Got Sketch 104 class is now available as a instant download on Got Crafts!  Easy!  Just download.print.scrap!  Check it out here on the CLASSES page of the Got Crafts website!  Sketches are another way to get your scrapbooking groove on to kick off the new year! 

Flickr photo pool for the challenge layouts!

Just a quick post! I'm so impressed many of you have already gotten layouts done for the challenge! YAY us!!! We've kicked off the year in high gear! Several have emailed wanting to know where to post, how to share...well, I created a Flickr photo group pool (you can see it in the side bar to the right) where we can share our work!!! How about that?

Here's the link to the pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1333967@N23/

You do have to join the group to begin sharing but it's simple and think of all the inspiration to be found!  I can't wait!!!  THANKS for making this so much fun!! 

I've been scrapbooking like a wild woman!  LOL!  I can't wait to share what I've been working on! 

Happy Sunday (back to caring for my sniffling little brood :)!!

Inspired by yesterday's layout...

Well, I had my stuff out so I figured what they hay...might as well make good use of these ideas while I'm sitting here!  So, I made a VERY QUICK card inspired by yesterday's 52 challenge layout. Same techniques on a smaller scale, same papers...I really like how it turned out.  Simple. Good.  Speedy!

It never fails I am the WORST card sender ever!  Thought it would be fun to make a card along with the page challenges so I would have some handmade greetings to send to friends, family, folks at church, etc.  Now I'm not promising it every week...LOL!  but we'll see!

Thanks for stopping in!

Week 1: 51 pages to go!

Thanks for stopping in!  Today begins our 52 week challenge!

Here's today's page!

So you're not into one photo layouts...don't be blue...try this:

 

You'll lose a bit of your cool circle but overall still an exciting yet simple page in about 30 minutes!

I didn't do a full out title here...for me...it just didn't need it.  You could add that, of course!

It's simple!  Just use a nice big circle accent on your layout!!! 

(Yes, I think we've established that I love circles, circle punches, circle cutters and well, all things round! LOL! :)

I created the circle on my page with one of my favorite go to tools...the Kreaxions circle cutter.  The super kind Deb Michelle (of Just Imagine Crafts) passed this sweet tool to me prior to IU09 last year and I've been in love.  Easy,  portable, a great tool.  I just cut a 7" circle from green cardstock and then cut a 6" circle inside that to create a perfect 1/2" circular frame.  Easy!  I gave it a little more personality and interest (punching holes around the shape) with the help of my Fiskars 1/8" circle hand punch.

Great products I used are from:

Little yellow Bicycle (they sent me a great box with lots of sweet stuff! THANK YOU!)  Pictured below is what I used to make the layout. 

 

I love using these LYB 6" x 12" paper tablets because I rarely use more than a half a sheet of patterned paper anyway!  Barely any waste!

If you want to play along link up your page on your blog...you can scraplift my layout or do your own thing!  Leave a link in a comment so we can check YOURS out too!

Oh...and leave a comment and I'll pick a winner for a few super cool Little Yellow Bicycle goodies!!!

Happy Scrapbooking!

Small Snack-rifices

Hey "LOSER" Mental note to self:

I can make small sacrifices to make a big, HUGE difference in calorie intake. 

Like:  we had chili and rice last night for dinner-- total comfort food with a big bang of protein.  Normally, I lace chili with a sensible amount of Fritos or tortilla chips, yummy gooey cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  Last night, I was good:  I had my 1 cup (measured portion) of chili over 1/2 c rice with a tablespoon of sour cream.  I saved several hundred calories and still enjoyed a great, satisfying comfort meal.  I spent the calories I saved on dessert which was my favorite guilty but perfectly sensible pleasure of late,

my QUICK DELISH YOGURT PARFAIT (Cash LOVES this too):

• 1/2  cup Dannon Light and Fit vanilla yogurt (55 cal) (I get the big tub at the grocer because we go through a lot of the stuff)

• 1/2 cup blueberries (frozen/thawed) (35 cal) (I get the ones at Aldi's they are awesome and only about $3.50 per bag and did I mention they are AWESOME!  Cash LOVES blueberries too)

• a sprinkle of chopped walnuts (leave these off to keep this yummy snack super LOW CAL)

Here was my SNACK-rifice for this morning:

For breakfast, this am I had two eggs and my yogurt parfait.  A cup of yogurt + cup of blueberries is A LOT so if you like to feel like you are eating a larger quantity use this amount (mix it up with strawberries) and this is a huge breakfast on its own.  And though it's not quite the same without the nuts, I sacrificed because I knew I would save quite a few calories.  Walnuts are high in calories (200 per 1/4 cup) but something that is a great source of protein and well, I LOVE THEM!!!

Almonds are one of my special, power snacks too!  Adds protein, something crunch, salty and yummy.  

One last tip:  if you have a 3 year old handy, it's great to eat something he likes for your meals...cause he will want bites and that means LESS CALORIES FOR YOU!!!  YAY!!

okay...that's my thought.  Bye now.

I wanna be a BIGGER LOSER!

I kept another private blog for my first bit of weight loss journey.  But frankly, I'm trying to simplify.  And for the 7 people that read here...well, if you read cause you like me or you just need ammo to make fun of me...no matter.  LOL!  So I'm just going to "weigh in" so to speak on my weight loss challenge with my bil here.  It's an accountability thing.

I started March 16th of last year and to date am down 28 lb. from where I started (though I've been maintaining the same for about the last 4 months with no loss).  My original goal was to lose 50 lb. by December, when Scott and I had our 15th anniversary.  Well, obviously I didn't make that.  But being healthier has been a way of life since I started.  It's really not a diet.  THIS IS HUGE!  I still eat all the things I've always eaten...just in moderation, with portion control being key and eating regularly instead of not eating till 2 o'clock and inhaling anything that isn't nailed down because I'm starving. 

I started in March by tracking my calories at sparkpeople.com and that was a great tool for me.  I measured out portions, tracked the calories as well as protein, fat and carbs.  I did high protein low card in the beginning.  I realized pretty quickly that my VERY irregular eating habits and low protein diet were probably a pretty negative factor --causing my metabolism to be all kinds of out of whack.

There were no pills, no shots (don't think I didn't consider it), no trainers (I wish) I really just thought...I'll see what I can do on my own then I'll go from there.  And to my surprise I started dropping weight all by myself.  WOW!  I proved to myself that I could do it.

A couple of months in I realized I was going to have to get active and start exercising.  I thought I hated exercise.  As I get older I'm realizing more and more I have NO attention span!  LOL!  Adult ADD they call it.  I generalized exercise...but I think now there's probably some kind of activity that fits everyone...you just have to discover what it is.  I started walking but soon tired of that monotony and it was boring.  I wanted to make more impact in less time.  So I added some jogging intervals...and wow, was there a dramatic difference.   I kept it up and I ran a 5k the week before Thanksgiving.  WOW.  Me and probably anyone I know would have thought pigs would fly before Janna ran a 5k.  But I did. 

Weight loss is all about proving to yourself what you are capable of...proving that you can do it.  The side effects...you get healthier, you take more pride in yourself, you lead a more active life which means you are a better mama and literally your whole outlook can change.  Isn't being fat so PSYCHOLOGICAL!!!  I know it is.  

I love inspiration...I love reading about other's successes.  There's the fabulous Donna Downey who inspired me, I just read Jenn Bertsch's story this morning.  WOW!  These are both gals I met years ago and loved seeing their transformation that leads me to believe I can do it too!!!  Now, I don't expect to wear a 2, like Jenn...but being fit, trim and lean...I think I could handle that at ANY size.  I guess at my trimmest...I might wear a 10.  But I really can't even fathom that?  Hmm?

Tim and I said...our challenge could be to get back to our high school weight...yes, this is quite a lofty goal, his was 225 (of lean mean muscle of course :) LOL and mine was about 170...what I weighed here my junior year of hs:

I was dating S at the time...but of course he was too cool to go to the prom with me (I don't blame him ;) LOL!  I'm pictured with my beautiful friend, Kelli.  Alas we compromised with a 25lb loss goal.  I think for me...this is totally attainable.  (and yes, we know it is for him to since he is 5-6 years younger than me and well, A MAN!!!)

So yesterday I did some food shopping...tracked my cals and protein and got my strategies all lined out.  I'll share some of strategies in another post.  Gotta get moving for now!

I'm excited.  :)

Watch out, Tim! IT's ON!!!

It's ON!!!  So my brother in law likes to "mess" (aggravate, torture, tease, taunt...) with me and takes great pleasure in it.  I'm pretty sure he would like to choke me sometimes too.  Stinker!  :)  All done in fun :) of course.  Had fun visiting with my lil sis and him when they were here over the weekend and we got to talking about how fat we are feeling.  I lost nearly 30 lb this last year but I really have another 25 I need to shed.  And even though I have maintained my weight through even the MOST wonderful time of the year...I can feel a difference because I haven't exercised since the day I ran the 5k -- how awful is that?  Bad.  I know.  :(

So anyway...we both have about 25 lb to lose to get to our goal weight...mine is 180 lb. (mind you, I'm not  a small girl...I know that sounds like a cow to most people but I'm gonna be thrilled to death at 180 and I would feel like a supermodel, I'm sure LOL!!!).  I weighed 175 when I got married (at 18) and wore a size 10-12.

So 25 lb doesn't sound bad except we know that the last of the weight is hard to come off.  So Tim and I have "challenged" each other to lose the weight by the end of May.  I think that is doable.  It's not who loses it first...because ALL of us women know how that would turn out, right!?   He'll probably lose it in a month or two and that's when I'll start baking :) and mailing tasty care packages to the Lesley residence... mmwhahhahah!!!!!

We need to think of a reward for the winner...something good, humiliating and that doesn't really cost a lot of money.  Got any ideas? 

Coffee drinkers...lets percolate on this?

So I think my friends and family know that I am snooty when it comes to just a few things...

cookware (this Rachel Ray cookware rocks!!!

wrapping paper (love the thick stuff)

felt (must be wool not acrylic)

and coffee...love my fresh ground beans.  Starbucks when I feel like I can spring for it, but I'm happy with Eight O'clock beans just fine for half the price...

Speaking of coffee...

I've been searching for an electric perk coffee pot because Scott and I are convinced that perked coffee is so much better than drip.  Aren't we all better when we percolate a bit?  LOL!  Currently I use a Kitchen Aid drip pot which is a, uh, how do I put this nicely...PIECE-O-JUNK :)  I also have an awesome coffee press, but it only makes two cups at a time, and well, that just won't do for everyday.

Anyone out there use an electric perk?  Thoughts?

I got a great opportunity to review THIS  Farberware brand pot from cookware.com!!!  How awesome is that!?  I'm so excited!  When I get the pot, I'll let you know what I think about this model!  And I'll have a little treat to give away as well...so stay tuned!