Resolutions...

With the year coming to a close, I've been in a reflective mood.  Looking ahead to 2011, I contemplated what changes I'd like to make in my life.

The list got pretty long.
Either I'm pretty hard on myself, or I have A LOT to work on, lol! :)

Though all of this has been going on in my head, today's "Free For All Friday" challenge at SCS was to make a card based on one of your resolutions - it gave me the push I needed to post something. :)

Here are some bits and pieces...in no particular order.

Be a better mom. That's a loaded generic statement. ;-)  There are many ways I'd like to improve, but a big one is this: I get so focused on what it is that I'm trying to accomplish at the moment, that sometimes I tend to do the "uh huh" nod my head thing and not truly pay attention. I know I'm not the only one out there, right?

Be a better wife.  I resolve to be more selfless. My hubby is SO good at this.

Be a better homemaker. Yup, that means doing better at planning meals (that is the root of making good meals. I can cook, no problem. I need to PLAN.)  Better housecleaning - once upon a time, I followed a system that worked really well, but I got lax. Time to pick that up again.

Be a better friend.  Take more time and foster relationships. I get so busy (and stressed) over all that's going on, that I don't shove that aside and just invite anyways - the house doesn't need to be perfect to have someone over for coffee, right? ;-)

Be a better blogger/stamper. This means being more consistent! (thought you might like that one - wink)  It also means that I'd like to use up my stashes, and stamp more often - including taking part in challenges frequently again! This also means following God's prompting when I feel the push to send someone a card. :)

Be a better PERSON. This means better time management & less being late, better diet/exercise, and most importantly, this means making more time for devotions and plugging into God's Word.

Sometimes I look at this list and think "How on earth will I have time for ALL of this??"  Well, it all needs to start with the last one.  Taking more time studying God's Word - it is the best instruction book there is, right?  :)

That's it in a {small} nutshell. ;-)

So, you're wondering how in the WORLD will she make all this into a card?  I thought the same thing, lol!  But then I realized something...
Most all of my resolutions are based on bettering relationships with all whom I love.

LOVE....HEARTS...hmmm...oh!  I just thought of another challenge I could use!  Thursday's "Ways To Use It" challenge was to use silver!

After gazing at a few of my 'heart' stamp sets and drinking some creamerized coffee, the idea came to me.  A clean and simple (my fave kind!) card using hearts and silver.

Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to capture embossed silver on cards??  Ugh.  I won't tell you how many different angles I took the pic from. ;-)

Here's a closeup of the embossing:

I may just keep this card setting up to remind me of my resolutions:

Keep your life clean & simple, and remember to foster the relationships, Crystal. :)

Wellllll.....what do you think?  Do you have any resolutions you'd like to share?

The Small Print (All Stampin Up)

Stamps: Love You Much

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Encore Silver

Accessories: Silver EP, Heat tool, Paper snips, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

Crystal