Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wednesday journal page

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection.

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Today I'm thinking about the people who amaze me on a regular basis -- the ones who fall down and get right back up again, who aim for the stars even though they're so very far away, who challenge themselves over and over again and then a little more, who dare you to suggest that they can't do it, who smile because it makes them feel better than frowning and sing along even when they don't know all the words.

Who's on your list?


I'm also thinking about the fact that my house is slowly being consumed by clutter and how I'll be hard pressed to choose just three spots for this list . . .


The entirety of today's journal page looks a little like this:


You can download it here (borderless) and here (borderful) and here (borderful and colourful too!)

Happy Wednesday friends!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Monday recap . . .

. . . of the Friday prompt . . . on Tuesday.  (From here on in I will endeavour to post the Monday recap on Monday, but my three year old daughter was under the weather yesterday.  There was much making of play dough and assembling of princess puzzles and general snuggling, but not a whole lot of blog post drafting.)

And why the recap anyway?  Because I think it's going to be a good way to bring the Friday discussion to a close and because after I read your comments, I feel like I want to talk about them a little.

Which brings me to the recap.  Thank you so much to everyone who participated in last Friday's prompt.  I loved reading about the foods you can't live without.  There were the staples (bread, milk and pasta, to name a few) and there were a few I hadn't expected (anchovies comes immediately to mind!)  The prompt lent itself to one word answers and as I was reading them and spotting the repeats -- cheese was the big winner -- I decided that I really needed to see the answers in graph form.  Yeah, a bar graph.  Or something.

And then I hesitated because maybe it wasn't such a good idea to reduce thoughtful comments down to numbers.  Ultimately, though, I figured you'd understand that what I was after was another way to make sense of the answers and that's really what this blog is all about -- figuring things out.

So I spent way too much time putting together my version of a bar graph and I'm not entirely sure what it accomplishes, but it was fun to lay it out and it's kinda pretty . . .


I'm still trying to decide whether I'm surprised that cheese tops the list by such a huge margin.  I think I am, but I can't decide why.  I also expected to see more of the classic junk foods on the list and they're just not there.  So I'm totally proud of us!

I hope you'll join me this Friday for a new prompt, which will definitely not lend itself to graphable answers.

Oh, and one more thing.  I've been asked whether the giveaway page is still available and yes it is.  So if you'd like to add it to your collection, stop on by!

Happy Tuesday friends!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Friday prompt

Welcome to week two!  The response to last Friday's prompt was nothing short of spectacular.  I loved reading about all of the places that feel like home to you -- libraries, craft stores, beaches, and bowling alleys . . . faraway cities and the homes of close friends . . . forests and jungles and out in the country . . . tubs and cars and playing the tuba!  So many spaces and places to call home.  Best of all, you guys made me think about family and friends and good memories and I hope you experienced a little of that too. 

Today's prompt is slightly (hugely?) different than last week's in that it will not involve a giveaway.  Rest assured, though, that new pages will still be posted every Wednesday and that there are more giveaways to come.  In the meantime, since you're here already, I'd love to read about your go-to foods, the ones that you just can't manage without . . .


When I first wrote this, I was sure my answer would involve three varieties of sweets.  Sweets are definitely my go-to comfort foods.  But after some thought, I realized that they hadn't made the list in the way that I originally expected.  My answer is in the comments.  Join me there and add your top 3!

Happy Friday friends!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wednesday journal page

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection.

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Starting off with two elements from today's journal page . . .



I've been thinking a lot about learning and the many ways that we acquire new skills and knowledge.  This little project, this collection of journal pages, is most definitely an example of learning by doing.  It yields astonishment and delight when things go well and considerable anxiety when I stop to wonder, where do I go from here?  The answer, I think, will involve all three of the modes of learning described above (and probably a few more that aren't listed.)

In the meantime, today's journal page in full looks like this:


You'll find the usual variations here (no border) and here (with border) and here (with coloured border.)

How about you?  What are the things that you've learned about simply by doing them?

Happy Wednesday friends!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

One last thing . . .

. . . about last Friday's online prompt and giveaway and then I'll stop talking about it already.  At last count, there are at least 13 commenters whose email addresses I cannot find.  I've run into blogger profiles that are not publicly shared and I've scoured blogs looking for contact info without success.

Here's the thing . . . I worry about stuff like this.  I don't want anyone to feel as if they've been overlooked or left out.  So, if you left a comment and you would like the links to the giveaway journal page and you haven't received an email from me within about 24 hours of leaving your comment, please send me a quick message at christie (at) graceisoverrated (dot) com.  I'll happily send you the links and I'll also be able to stop worrying.

If, by any chance, your goal was simply to share your response to Friday's prompt, that's fantastic too!  It bodes well for this Friday's post, which will not include a giveaway, but will involve a fun new question for us to discuss.  (If you were hoping for a new journal page, never fear because I'll be posting a new one tomorrow!)

Happy Tuesday friends!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Another sneak peak . . .


. . . at one more element from the exclusive journal page I created for Friday's online prompt and giveaway post.  Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment.  It was such fun reading all of your awesome, thoughtful, personal, heartfelt comments about places other than home that feel just like home.  You guys made me think of places I would never have considered and reminded me that the people we love can make just about any place feel like home.  I hope you'll all come back this Friday for the next online prompt.

In giveaway news, I have now completed the promised journal page.  It has all of the usual features: a to-do list, a lightning round, lots of prompts and the quote at the top of this post.  (That quote.  I love that quote.  Doesn't it make you want to get out there and do something big, something marvelous, something that will carry you away from your experience of the ordinary?)  I will begin emailing the links to the page to everyone who commented on Friday's post shortly.  If you haven't left a comment, but would still like to, please do and I'll send you the links too!

Happy Monday friends!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Friday prompt, a sneak peak and a giveaway

I've been thinking about creating a regular Friday post in the form of a fun, weekly online prompt.  I'm envisioning something colourful and lighthearted and enticingly interactive.  I'll post my response to the prompt in the comments and I invite you to do the same. 

Every once in a while, when the mood is right and the stars align -- today, for example -- the Friday prompt will involve a giveaway.  It won't happen every Friday, but for today's post I'm creating an exclusive journal page that won't be posted online.  In order to find it, all you have to do is leave a comment in response to today's prompt.  I'll email the links to my new journal page to every person who comments.  I'm a sucker for a contest that everybody wins!

This whole email thing is a bit of an experiment, a test run.  If you decide to comment, make sure that I can find your email address -- either in your profile or site link or feel free to include it in your comment.  In terms of timing, I'll begin sending emails on Monday.  If you don't receive a message from me, it might be that I haven't been able to find your email address.  In that case, drop me a line at christie (at) graceisoverrated (dot) com and we'll sort it out.  Next week, I'll let you know how it went and how we might tweak the process for next time, if necessary.

Okay, today's prompt involves a sneak peak at this element from my giveaway page:


Tell me in the comments about one place (or two or three) other than home where you feel right at home.  I'll be posting mine in the comments right now!

Happy Friday friends!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wednesday journal page

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection.

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Today's journal page has me thinking about running away from home.  Not far and not for long, but sometimes it's good to get away . . .


There's also the usual lightning round, which asks you to choose between dragons and dinosaurs among other oddities . . .


The full page looks like this . . .

You find a border-free version here and a border-full version here and if you'd like your border in technicolour, it's here.

Happy Wednesday friends!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Work in progress


I think it's going to be a toy.  It's one of my no-recipe knits, so I'm not entirely sure where I'm headed.  (Which is my favourite way of doing things.)

The husband gets a silly smile on his face whenever he sees me working on it.  I suppose, at this stage, there is a passing resemblance to the female anatomy.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Idea fabric and a new journal page

Update: The journal page in this post is no longer available for download. For a selection of free, printable journal pages, please visit my Printable Journal Pages collection.

~~~

This bit from today's journal page is making me happy:


The doodly lines remind of a string of wonky holiday lights and the notion of a fabric of ideas has me all dreamy and thinking about how our ideas shape us (and others) and how we can affect the trajectory of our lives with good ideas . . . or bad ideas or revolutionary ideas.  Or something along those lines.

There's also some space to think about stuff -- the stuff you take with you, the stuff that has personal meaning, the stuff that you'd hate to lose . . .


The full, bubbly page looks like this:


You can find it in all its usual forms here (border-free) and here (bordered, but not coloured) and here (bordered and coloured.)

This is where I should end this post, but I feel like it's not finished yet, so I'm just going to blather on for another paragraph or so. 

I've been thinking about adding a bit of structure to this blog.  Maybe a regular posting schedule (if my real life schedule will allow . . . )  Just thinking via keyboard here, but if all goes well, I'll post a new page every Wednesday and start a new Friday feature in a couple of weeks.  It will involve periodic giveaways.  In the giveaways I'm envisioning, everybody wins.  Just like they do it on talk shows.  The whole audience gets a car.  Except I can't give away cars.  But what I can give away is a pdf of a new journal page made especially for the giveaway that I won't post on the site and that won't be available anywhere else -- just something I'll email to everyone who enters.  It'll be fun!  Or something along those lines.

Happy Friday friends!