Catching Happiness... one scrap at a time!

Get your GAME ON!!!

catchinghappiness — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:17:39 +0000

Webster’s Pages newest collection reveal, GAME ON, is an incredible array of masculine products with rich colors and fabulous designs. I cannot wait to get this collection in my hands! I must have every single little bit of it. What I love most about the collection is that it can be used for boys of all ages, from itty bitty baby boys to grown men. I love that it can be used for a variety of themes, not just sports. At first glance I see July 4th pages, camping pages, travel pages, and school pages. Versatility is key with Webster’s Pages (all of their collections). I always find they work across a broad spectrum of themes. So without further ado, here are some of the collection images (which I swiped from their blog):

If you have time, stop by the Webster’s Pages blog for a look at this exciting new collection and the other new collections, too (Palm Beach is to die for!)
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a magnificent Monday! Namaste ~Amy Tara~

It’s CHA time…

catchinghappiness — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:19:57 +0000

So, I love surfing the net this time of year, looking at all the new goodies being introduced in the paper crafting industry. Of course, I have my favorite companies whose products I just can’t wait to see, purchase, and use. Without a doubt, Webster’s Pages never disappoints me. They are one of my two “go to” products (the other being BG, of course!). This time around is no exception. Brandin just posted some sneaks of two of the new collections, Palm Beach and Game On. I am in heaven! Palm Beach reminds me of Lily Pulitzer… my fave clothing manufacturer. And Game On… well, lets just say it has “masculine/boy” written all over it. It’s perfect for this mother of three college/early twenties age boys. Oh yeah, I feel like Brandin created these two lines specifically for me! How’s that for knowing your customers! Here are the peeks, which I got from the Websterspages.com website.

Webster's Pages Palm Beach Collection

Webster's Pages Game On Collection

I truly can’t wait to get these collections. I have photos in mind, already, that are perfect for these! Yes, my heart is doing the happy dance.
Thanks for stopping by today! I hope your day is lovely and amazing! Namaste ~Amy Tara~

Yeah… so… half a century…

catchinghappiness — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:08:02 +0000

Yup, it’s that special day in my life… ’nuff said.
Not freaking out as much as much as I thought I would.
But still freaking out… can’t believe it. I don’t “feel” it. Still feel 20.

Me, a few weeks before the 1/2 century mark

A huge milestone.
A huge moment to take a breath and look forward to the next half century.
I’m going to wear my special hat today and celebrate with my students.
Hope you have a great day, too! Namaste ~ Amy Tara~

New me!

catchinghappiness — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:00:46 +0000

A new me, a new perspective, everything FRESH this year. This is my motto. FRESH. A FRESH outlook in all aspects of my life. You know the old saying — you can’t keep doing the same old thing, the same old way, and expect different results. So, FRESH is where I’m at. And in keeping with that, I got my haircut. I got a good 7 or so inches cut off. I went with a shoulder length bob. I’m still getting used to it. I think it should actually be just a tad shorter. I may go back and have Thomas (my awesome hairdresser) trim it up a bit. I’ll post pix once I get a chance to.
My dad has been in the hospital. He got very ill on New Year’s day. He had emergency gall bladder surgery on Tuesday. That type of surgery normally isn’t a huge deal, for a healthy person. But, dad is paralyzed on his left side and has a whole host of health issues so it is a very difficult surgery and recovery for him. Heck, the paralysis made it difficult for him to breathe on his own for a while… it was touch and go and we thought we might even lose him because of it. And he is extremely weak. And he has infections. So with that said, we are hoping that now he is on a better path, slowly getting stronger, and will go to a rehabilitation center for a about a month in order to help his recovery, get stronger and help him to be able to transfer from bed to wheelchair etc.. It’s a long road, but he can do it. He is a fighter, that’s for sure. Poor guy has gone through so much. My heart aches for him. I love my daddy so very much!
On a good note, my desk is done and I am working on setting up the rest of the space in the loft. I am so loving how it is turning out. I’ll post pix as soon as I have it completed.
Also, we listed our house for sale. Bittersweet. We love the house but hate the neighborhood. Many reasons, too many to go into. And the house is so big – with the boys essentially gone, we really don’t need this much space. So officially the house will hit the mls on the 17th. We are purging and getting it ready for showing between now and then. Wish us luck. We really want to get out of here!
Finally, this is a big week for me. Big birthday coming up on Wednesday. I have mixed feelings about it. More to come later.
Thanks for stopping by today! xoxo ~ Amy Tara~

First of many…

catchinghappiness — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:35:40 +0000

Along with a FRESH start and a FRESH mindset… a FRESH photo. Our first of 2012. Not the best, granted, but the first one anyway. We went to the beach yesterday only to find that where we wanted to go was closed. So we went to an alternate beach only to find it was super crowded. We tried to find an out of the way place to snap a few pix and by the time we got all set up etc., the sun was fading fast. So, not ideal conditions and so forth… but it is FRESH… the first new one of the year. So I’ll take it!

Jan. 1 photo at Coral Cove beach

Yeah, I messed with it a bit in elements. Just playing.
Today, I am finishing painting my new desk (goodwill find for 20 bucks!) and setting up my shelves. The loft is my January project. I need to get control of the clutter. The desk and shelves are the start. I decided that this year I am working on one room per month. January is loft month. I plan to organize and de-clutter every room of the house by the end of this year. I am going to be ruthless in my assessment of items to keep/toss. My desk is the start… you know, FRESH! Jay snapped this pix of me painting it (it was a dark brown stain, I love white, no, I CRAVE white!)

Painting my desk

So there you have it… a FRESH and productive beginning of 2012.
One more item of mention… Davinie posted a challenge over at Studio Calico. She suggests writing a letter to yourself that you would open and read on the last day of 2012. I plan to do this sometime today. I’m going to focus on my word for 2012 and how I plan or envision that word facilitating my goals and hopes for this year. I will put it in a layout and read it at the end of this year. I feel this will inspire me in several ways, not the least of which will be to help me sift through and actually have a heart-to-heart with myself about what this year will encompass. I challenge you to do the same… write a letter to yourself, today, and read it on 12-31-12.
I hope you have a spectacular January 2nd! Namaste ~ Amy Tara

Happy 2012!!!!

catchinghappiness — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:46:40 +0000

I embrace you 2012! A world filled with possibilities… all FRESH and new! My word for 2012… you guessed it! It is FRESH! FRESH, as in – new, starting over, clean slate, not previously known, novel, bright, clean… brand new! I have a new lease on life, so to speak. I will make 2012 the year of FRESH… it’s in my DNA this year. I crave it. I am on my way! Want to join me? Let the adventure begin…

Happy New Year 2012 (image from Pinterest)

And I can’t go without a quick photo, too. We celebrated our anniversary yesterday… by going to a favorite park and taking some photos together. Here you go… the mister and me.

Anniversary pix... My mister and me.

Have an epic 2012. I wish you all good health, happiness, prosperity, and all things FRESH and new! Thanks for stopping by today! xoxo ~Amy Tara~

Good riddance 2011!

catchinghappiness — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:26:24 +0000

I am happy to see this year go. Honestly, it started out with lots of good things to look forward to that I wanted to SAVOR (my word for 2011) and I did savor those moments. But overall, 2011 sucked… big time! I am so ready for 2012… a new year filled with new hopes, dreams, possibilities, and adventures. I’m sorry to be a debbie-downer today, but I can’t even tell you how 2011 kicked my butt! Plain and simple, it sucked.
With that said, I do wish my DH a happy anniversary today, I know you and I both feel the same way about 2011 and will be celebrating our day today in a quiet, relaxed, manner. We have had a tough year, we’ve weathered it with a lot of rough edges, tattered and torn. But we’re here today, together, and we will embrace and celebrate what we have overcome this year. I love you. Really, does anything else matter?! Happy anniversary! xoxo
Thanks for stopping by today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a bright, happy, cheerful, fresh and new post! Good things are on their way! <3
Have a wonderful New Year's Eve!!!

Happy holidays!

catchinghappiness — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:02:14 +0000

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season filled with warmth, love, and happiness! Happy holidays! ~Amy Tara~

My Studio Calico layouts

catchinghappiness — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:22:24 +0000

I finally used up an entire SC kit… Handmade. YAY me!!! It was the November kit. I posted one of the layouts from the kit in my last post… the one about Nate. Here are the rest.

A layout about Phillip, my middle son <3

Logan picking our pumpkin for this year.

Some photos from parent weekend at Stetson

Nate and Deena, photos taken on Thanksgiving day.

I have some more layouts from this kit but they still need to be photographed. I’ll post them when that is done. I used Becky Fleck Pagemaps sketches for some of my pages this month. It was helpful because, honestly, I was not loving this kit. It seems that I love SC kits about every 3-4 months. The rest, meh, they are okay. My favorites this year were Lawn Party, Boardwalk, and the one from June which had the OA outer space related line in it ( sorry, I can’t remember the names). I’m so looking forward to having time off for the holidays. I decided that I’m going to use my December kit to do the project 12 (that Davinie runs) with that kit. I printed all my photos for all 12 months so I will be ready to start on Friday. Since I am off for 12 days, I plan to complete one layout per day. Wish me luck… you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. Ha!
Happy Hanukkah!
Thanks for stopping by today. Have a wonderful Wednesday! ~Amy Tara~

A few layouts to share…

catchinghappiness — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:06:29 +0000

I’ve had a little bit of time to work on some layouts. I love scrappy afternoons when I have an opportunity to create with paper. It makes me happy!

This is a page I created about a visit with my cousin Barry and his daughter Staci (and her little girl.) We hadn’t seen each other in years. It was so special to reconnect with them. I used Crate Paper Random collection products with some Webster’s Pages tulle, K&Co. butterflies, and Prima bling. The letter stickers and chipboard are from Basic Grey.

Here’s a little close-up of some of the details.

I created this next page using my November Studio Calico kit. I’ve been a subber for almost two years and this is the first time I have actually used every bit from a kit. I used some Pagemaps sketches for some of my pages. However, this one is not from a sketch. I just love the blue/green paper. I think it is one of the papers in a Crate holiday collection.

This is Nate hanging out in the coffee house at Stetson University. We were there for family weekend. We had a little down time so we sat in the comfy chairs to relax for a bit. My son is so interesting. I always have wonderful conversations with him. I added a few little bits I had lying around that were not from the kit. The white spatters were made with Mr. Huey white… I.LOVE.THIS.STUFF!!!

The chipboard letters are from AC… I LOVE these letters. I probably would not have purchased them on my own so I am thrilled they were in the kit. That is one of the great aspects of being a part of a kit club… you get products you wouldn’t normally purchase on your own so it expands the variety and challenges you creatively.

I’ll have more to share during the week. Four more days until we get to break for the holiday vacation. Logan is already home. Phillip moved back home after Thanksgiving. We will spend Christmas day with Deena (Nate’s gal) and her family at their home. I’m sooo looking forward to being with my family and relaxing for the week that we are off.

Happy rest of the weekend! Thanks for stopping by! ~Amy Tara~