staples...basics...go-tos.

hey everyone!!

it's Nicole H. (brains32192)...and i am officially hijacking the blog this week!! i'm hoping to cover a few topics that are mucho importante to me...so make sure to check back.



first up: your style.

i have been asked several times...what's your style? and my answer is always the same.



i have no idea.



it's kind of like me...a mix of all kinds of good stuff, lol. a bit shabby, definitely clean, fairly linear and sometimes crazy. so i'm not really sure where all of that fits into the big picture, but i will say that once i recognized what my 'staples' were, i learned really quick to accept them...they make things simple for me. everyone has something they reach for time and again...



do what works for you.



if that means flowers and ribbons, go for it.
if it means cardstock and chipboard, so be it.


that isn't to say that you should only stick with those things, but when you're feeling overwhelmed, or your mojo seems to have taken a hike, take a step back.



reevaluate.
hit your stash for something familiar...something that feels right.



here are a few of mine...

• paint
• staples
• alphabet stickers
• punches
• tearing/distressing
• ledger paper
• kraft cardstock

so let's take a look at this layout i did this afternoon and see if any of that makes sense, lol. i've had these pictures of my sweet girlie Allison for several months. wasn't sure what to do with them, but knew that it would come to me sooner or later. and it did...today. i realized that she's growing so fast that i can't keep up...and that i didn't really understand just how fast it would go when i was a new mama. i didn't appreciate it. i just wished for sleep, milestones and contentment. and here i am today, and her 9th birthday is just around the corner...and where the heck did the time go?

but i digress, lol.

so as i was thinking about all of that, i literally just started pulling things out of my stash. no rhyme or reason, no plan. i am definitely not a sketcher...i have the hardest time with those. it started with the remnant of the Paper Source calendar page. and it ended with a page that, to me, said exactly what i was feeling today. and it's me...it has my 'go-to' items on it.

distressed paper/chipboard
staples
paint
punched photo corner
alphabet stickers

so in the end, i just want to remind you that we all get in a rut. we all struggle. so the next time that happens, reach for something familiar. something that just feels right.

one of your staples...your basics...your go-tos.