One Little Word Update

Now that it's 2012, I thought it would be fun to share the second half of my 2011 One Little Word album.  Back in April, I wrote this post about the first half of my album.  As you may remember, my One Little Word for 2011 was FAITH.

In MAY, I documented five actions or goals I was currently working toward or hoped to tackle in the near future.

  

In JUNE, I decided to forgo Ali Edward's assignment and photocopied an article from the book, You Can Adopt.  The piece, written by an adoptive father, really resonated with me and I knew this album would be the perfect place to keep it.   

In JULY, per the prompt, I searched for song lyrics that discussed faith, hope, love or strength.  Ultimately, I chose songs that spoke to me, that encouraged me, that inspired me. 

In AUGUST, I snapped a picture of myself, and then added two paper strips and some writing around the edge using a Sharpie marker.

In SEPTEMBER, I placed this Real Simple magazine article, The Miracle of Faith, in my album.

In OCTOBER, I searched through my recent photographs and selected 10 pictures that I felt represented faith.  Faith in the adoption process, faith in the institution of marriage, faith in the power of scrapbooking, faith in friendship, faith in my students.  

In NOVEMBER, I completed the following prompts: I know, I am, I believe, I love, I am thankful for, This word, and I learned.

I also included a quote I found on Pinterest: "Let your FAITH be bigger than your fear."

In DECEMBER, I spent time reflecting on my faith and writing down some facts and feelings about my One Little Word.     

As I say goodbye to my word this year I want to remember:  

How much I enjoyed this class.  It was such a great experience: The writing, the photography, the reading, the reflecting, the art.  It all helped me to become more faithful. And even though I have chosen a new word for 2012--JOY--my faith necklace will continue to serve as a reminder to have faith in myself, faith in others, and faith in God. 

  

Want to join Ali Edwards for the 2012 One Little Word class?  Click here.   

J

One Little Word: Faith

In January of this year, I opted not to create resolutions as I sometimes do, and instead, signed up for Ali Edwards' year-long One Little Word class.


My word for 2011 is faith.

I chose this word hoping to bring more faith into my life this year--faith in myself, faith in others, and faith in God.

Here's a look at the title page of my One Little Word album.

In January, after selecting my chosen word, I followed the assignment provided by Ali, which encouraged me to look up the definition of faith, write down a few synonyms, and also locate two faith quotes that resonated with me. In addition, I snapped a photo of me beginning my journey.


For several months, I've tried to locate the Pink Paislee page protectors suggested for this class, but I've been unable to find them. Not wanting to continue to put off the creation of this album, I decided recently to improvise by creating two layouts: one is a full page 8.5 x 11 layout (on the left side); the other layout is a baseball card page protector (on the right). The cards are slightly smaller than the size of a baseball card, so I mounted each on a piece of black card stock.


In the first month of the year, I also purchased this faith necklace from an Etsy seller, Polka Dot Boutique. Since receiving the necklace in late January, I've worn it every day. It has served as a great reminder to keep the faith.

Below is a look at my February layouts. During the month of February (and March and April), I looked carefully for examples of faith as I went about my daily life. Using my point-and-shoot camera (which I keep in my purse) and my SLR, I shot a number of photos and then selected just ten for these pages.



In March, the focus was on taking one little action. Well, I decided to take one big action and create an adoption website (with help, of course, from two kind gentlemen at Intuit and my husband).


For April's assignment, I crafted a note to myself. In the first part of the letter, I wrote about where I am right now. In the second half, I wrote about where I want to be one year from now.

After handwriting my letter, I also typed it up on FutureMe.org, a website where you can send a letter to the future. I requested that the letter be e-mailed to me one year from now.

From there, I slipped the letter inside a page protector. For now, this will be its home, but when I'm able to find 5 x 7 page protectors, I will crop it down and slide it into a smaller sheet.

The prompt for May is due out in just two days, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next assignment.

Want to join in on the fun? Sign-up for the One Little Word class.