A New Year. A New Chapter.

     This start of the new year has seemed much more significant than previous years.  I guess the reason is because I turned fifty and am looking at the passage of time in a much different way.  Most of my art journaling and projects so far in 2011 have centered around 'keeping track' of things.  I view them as sort of a way to document my life as I grow older so there will be some proof that I was here.  Strange, I know.  But if I had to sit down and analyze where I am in the creative process, I believe that is an accurate analysis.
     One project I started this year was a daily journal from Log Your Memory (http://logyourmemory.com/).  I found this concept while reading the blogs and immediately ordered one.  I love the idea of journaling using a weekly calendar concept.  The journal comes in two volumes and is set up to be used as either a date planner or a journal.  Along with a purchase, you also receive weekly minders and suggestions on journaling, scrapbooking, prompts and ideas to help you keep track of the small and significant things that happen in your daily life.  What I love most about this project is that you can personalize your cover, pages, create tags and basically decorate it any way you want.  The concept is designed around the idea of remembering one or two really special things that have happened throughout each day--the funny anecdotes or the cute little thing your child has done, or a feeling or moment that was important to you.  I find the journaling only takes me about ten minutes each night.  I keep it on my night table and jot down the special moments of the day.  I designed this cover and have begun to fill it full of little pictures of my family and things like ticket stubs and papers that you don't want to throw away, but really don't have anywhere to put them...sort of a mini version of scrapbooking!  I love my cover and decided to design my project around the different my life story and the different "chapters" in my life.  Each week is  When the book is completed at the end of the year, I will have a collection of all the amazing things I have experienced that would ordinarily be forgotten.  After all, our lives are not only made up of the major milestones, but mostly all the little bits in between!