Obsession. Such a strong word. Maybe I shouldn’t use that. But ever since I picked up my first couple cans of spray paint about 4 months ago, I tend to look at things (everything) with a new perspective: To spray-paint or not to spray-paint? That is the question.

So yeah, it does feel like it’s been a bit of an obsession. But now that I’ve painted a dozen things, my creative spirit has been fed. So I can move on in a non-obsessed way. We’ve been slowly adding more (happy, fun, lively) color into our home since the first part of 2009. And with that color, WHITE has been the new favorite neutral around here. Not off-white or cream or “Arizona White”. Crisp, clean, bright white.

And so today, I want to share this “painting kick” with you in case it might inspire you to paint something too. Not everything, but something. Think of something you have in your house that needs a fresh update. Something that could use a splash of color.

This is what you can pick up at your local hardware store. Rust-Oleum. We even got a few cans on amazon.com because there were a few more color options there.

Gather what you want to paint. You can work with just about any surface. And of course figure out what the perfect color(s) will be for your object(s).

Find a place outside to work on your project. I’ll emphasize that you need to do this OUTSIDE. Spray-paint goes everywhere, in it’s microscopic ways, no matter how small the item that you’re painting. Use a tarp, painting canvas sheet, newspaper, whatever.

Just as you need to prep before painting on other things (like the walls in your home), you need to prep certain pieces. For this piece, the lid didn’t need to be prepped (other than using a damp cloth to clean off any dust), but the main jar piece did. I used packaging tape and paper towels to ensure that the glass wouldn’t get paint on it.

And then … you shake that can of spray-paint and go to town. Allow for drying time before you bring it back inside the house. And when you bring it in, oooh-la-la. You have yourself a new, fun piece for your home! (Or in this case, something I painted for my friend’s home.)

I had a couple of these fun, thick, textured frames that were brown. Love the frames, but the brown had to go. We just had too much brown and it was time for a crisp white.

As for those 2 frames, I put some scrapbook paper in them instead of photos (we have plenty of photos around here) … and they hang in our guest room.

Some other things that I attacked in the past few months … this shelf & the star were both darker, grungy colors.

This wire basket used to be brown.

This mirror used to be burgundy (reddish) and gold.

You saw this mirror at the top of this post. Used to be brown.

If the spray-paint leaves your piece looking a little “flat” you can always distress it or something. This is something you can pick up at the craft store, too. It’s with the gold-leafing stuff.

You can dip your finger in the little container or use a stencil brush.

For this frame I did just the right half with the gold distressing. You can see how it just emphasizes the texture and adds a little interest. I’ve only done this on a few pieces, not everything. Just something to think about.

Here’s another frame that I hit with a little bit of the same stuff, but the Pewter color.

Okay, now that you’ve made it through the longest blog post I’ve probably ever done (well, the most pictures, anyway) … I hope you’re inspired to paint something. Just one thing. Here is my TOP 5 REASONS TO SPRAY-PAINT SOMETHING:

5. It’s quick. Shake a can, point it at your object, and spray. Pretty simple stuff.

4. It’s fun. Seriously. Just try it and you’ll see what I mean.

3. It’s cheap. At about $4 a can, you can splash color into your home on a serious budget.

2. It’s resourceful. You can totally take something you already have and bring it to life again (instead of buying something new).

1. It’s creative. The simple task of spray-painting is going to make you feel like an artist. It’s a total “I-can-do-this” feeling, which means your kids may want to join in the fun, too.

Now go on. Look around your house. What could use a shiny new layer of color and shine? Hmm? And who do you want to share this with? Think of that friend, that neighbor, that sister-in-law, that teenager … somebody who could use a little pick-me-up with a simple, fun activity like this. Go on and tell them about it.

I’m thankful for a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast yesterday with my husband’s family. I tried a new recipe for sweet potatoes and I am quite certain I’ll be making this again and again. Recipe posted here.

I’m thankful that David makes the best buttermilk pancakes ever. And I love knowing that he thinks I “mess them up” and so he has to make them. Sa-weet.

I’m thankful for little pieces of evidence that my kids leave all over the place.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I’m thankful for being in the middle of preparing the deviled eggs for our family dinner party today. Every time I make these I think of my mom. So thankful for every little thing I’ve learned from her in the kitchen. Click here for the recipe (12.17.07 post).

I’m thankful for how the very sight and sounds of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on the TV makes me feel a little weepy. Those feelings are associated with so many fond Thanksgiving memories. I’m thankful for a happy childhood and a happy life full of warm holiday traditions and memories.

I’m thankful for you, my faithful blog readers.

And … I’m thankful that I’ve been off the computer all morning and I’ll be off the computer for the rest of the day.

Gift-giving is on most of our minds right now. I’d like to offer a suggestion, or rather, a shameless plug. : )

Project Life is an awesome gift. Why such awesome-ness? Because it’s a solution. It saves time. It’s the non-scrapbookers’ way to create a scrapbook without scrapbooking. It’s the scrapbookers’ way of getting back on track to do something with their photos instead of letting months and years go by, feeling “behind” and guilty. And … it’s the right price.

The actual Project Life kit will not be under anyone’s Christmas tree this coming month. It’s simply not possible. BUT. It’ll arrive just a little after. I’m pretty sure that the recipient(s) of your choice will still be stoked to know that Project Life will be arriving at their front door a week or two later.

So this is what you can do: Print this picture and put it in an envelope or wrap it up in a small package. Print this JPG just like you would print any digital picture, whether on your regular printer, a photo printer, or at a photo-printing shop. Here’s a 4″ x 6″ and a 5″ x 7″ so you can choose your print size.

4″ x 6″:

5″ x 7″:

Hope this helps with your holiday shopping. Go HERE for all Project Life details & ordering.

I am thankful for these. For feeling completely creative as I transform a picture frame or shelf or some other object in our home by changing its color. Definitely more on this very soon. You have to try it!

I am thankful for shoes that are both cute and comfortable … and the fact that I paid $12 for them. Score.

I am thankful for medicine and well-being. For the ability to fight illness through modern science and technology.

I am thankful for the fact that changing diapers in this same spot every day is, well — just that. A part of my life. My every day world. This scene is a reminder to me of the miracle that it is to have sweet, healthy children. No one should take that for granted.

Oh, and for SURE I’m thankful for disposable gloves. Handling raw meat, changing a nasty diaper, random painting projects … you name it. I use them daily.

I am thankful for the chore of doing the dishes. Because seeing this mess reminds me that we have food to eat — plenty of food — every day. And running water and electricity to get those dishes clean. And loved ones to join us for a meal once in a while.

I am thankful for these anti-bacterial hand soaps from Bath & Body. You’ll find them at every single sink in our home. And I’m thankful they go on sale once in a while because that’s the only time I buy them.

Q: Is there any way to get close-ups/better views of kit contents?

A: Done. Check it out now, and you’ll see how you can click & enlarge each individual image for a closer view.

–

Q: I thought I would get an email confirmation when I placed my order, but haven’t received anything? Maybe my order didn’t go through?

A: Check your SPAM or junk box and make sure it didn’t go there. If you don’t see a confirmation email there, email customerservice@beckyhiggins.com with the name on your order and an order # if you have it.

–

Q: How come there are only 360 daily cards to write on? I know there are the bi-fold cards too, but I really like writing on the smaller cards for P365. I’m afraid I’m going to run out.

A: In an entire year, I am positive that you will have at least a small handful of days that you’ll need more room than a small journaling block. Take it as a challenge, on occasion, to write down more than a couple of sentences. You’ll appreciate having the bi-fold cards (which allow for 4 times as much space for journaling). Trust me.

–

Q: Did I miss when the kit is shipping?

A: The products are being shipped from overseas and we never can tell if there will be delays in customs. That said, we are on track to get these shipped out around the end of December, but are not able to pinpoint an exact date at this time. As always, I will share any and all updates here on my blog.

Hoping to give this as a gift for Christmas? No problem. I’ll be sharing a JPG that you can print and put under the tree. Stay tuned. That’s coming up.

Happy Week of Thanksgiving! Even if you’re one of our international friends and not really celebrating this U.S. holiday, let’s each make this week focused on personal thanksgiving and gratitude for our blessings. If you’ve been taking a picture-a-day with me this year and you’d like to join me in a little assignment, I challenge you to make every single one of your daily pictures this week something specific that you are thankful for.

Each day that I post this week, I will share something(s) that I’m thankful for. Something little & specific.

I am thankful for my children’s art and how they so enthusiastically express themselves every single day in this format.

I am thankful for opportunities to teach my children … and learn from them. With each frustrating moment of feeling tested, I am reminded that life, after all, is a test. How will I react to their mistakes? As I react or respond, will they know that I absolutely love them unconditionally in my tone and body language? I am thankful that our kids are so patient with me, and that they forgive so quickly and easily.

Yes, that is broken glass all over the kitchen floor because Claire wasn’t listening, and yes, I’m posting some Project Life FAQs today.

Thank you so very much for your sweet words of encouragement. I’m pleased to tell you that Claire is on her way home from the hospital (with David). Taking a ride around the floor was one of her highlights. I think that Sprinkles cupcake was one of my highlights. : )

Meanwhile, Crew and I were able to pop over to the school this afternoon to see Porter put his heart & soul into the Turkey Trot.

Feeling incredibly grateful for my sweet family. We’re going to get back into the swing of things and I’ll be posting lots of Q&A next week. Have a terrific weekend.

It may seem a little odd to launch a product over the weekend, post a few FAQs, and then appear to abandon my blog for a few days. Just wanted to let you know that I’m not ignoring you. : )

Claire (our 4-year-old) has been sick all week with a kidney infection. We ended up taking her to the hospital and we’re still here now. She is improving and is in good spirits. All tests indicate that everything is fine. We’re just getting her all better.

Oh, GET THIS. A perk for being a patient here? Claire got a Sprinkles cupcake! What!? Glad I could nibble on the scraps of that.

Photo from www.sprinkles.com

Until I’m able to get back to your questions, I will emphasize one thing: If you happen to fall in the category of someone who is stressing a little bit because you need a few answers before you place your order … please rest assured that we have enough inventory. We planned ahead so that we wouldn’t sell out in a day. As my loyal blog followers (and those who follow me on Twitter and Facebook and my eBlast list) … I promise to let you know when inventory gets down to the end.

So check back here again soon and I’ll address the questions that I am seeing in the comments.

As the saying goes … I’ll be back.

What happens when you’re on the phone and put on hold? The music plays. And you wait.

So as you patiently wait for me to get to more FAQs about Project Life (not that you don’t have plenty of other things to do right now) … how about I finally get a new recipe up? It’s been a while.

Go to my Recipe page to get my Mom’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I grew up eating on a regular basis. The very sight of this picture brings back a lot of fond & happy memories.

And speaking of food, feast your eyes on THIS. If this doesn’t make you start salivating at the very thought of Thanksgiving coming up next week, I don’t know what will. Jaime is super talented in the kitchen and behind the camera. Beautiful combination.

Q: Can you tell us more about the timing of when Project Life will actually ship?

A: It will realistically be around the first of the New Year, which means our chances of seeing those kits show up on our doorsteps before Christmas are slim to none. If you are giving Project Life as a gift this holiday season, I would suggest you print a picture of the product and make a card. Or … even cuter … roll the picture into a scroll, tie a pretty ribbon around it and put that in someone’s stocking.

–

Q: Any way to save on the shipping costs?

A: I’m not a fan of the shipping costs either. Pretty reasonable for some areas and pretty crazy for other (international) areas. Unfortunately it is what it is. We will continue to look into our options. In the meantime, I highly recommending you finding out which of your local friends might want to combine their order with yours so that you can save on shipping that way.

–

Q: Are all of the page protectors in the Project Life kit divided?

A: Yes.

–

Q: Do you sell just the page protectors?

A: No. I designed these specifically for this product because the page protectors, the photos, the journaling blocks are work together very specifically and with purpose in Project Life. But never say never. If there’s a lot of demand for just the page protectors, I’ll definitely consider that for down the road.

–

Q: Where can I find envelopes for those free holiday cards that I downloaded on the Project Life page?

A: Remember, you can find anything on the Internet. Do a google search for envelopes. In years past, I have had a hard time finding envelopes that fit a 4″ x 6″ print really well but this year it’s easy to find them at our local WalMart, for example. Finding 5″ x 7″ envelopes has always been easier because that’s closer to a classic invitation size so even your local office supply store should carry those. If you have a great online source for 4″ x 6″ or 5″ x 7″ envelopes and would like to leave a recommendation in the comments, go right ahead. I’d love to know where everyone gets their envelopes.

–

Q: I love the beautiful home in the background of your introduction video with your friends.

A: Okay, so that wasn’t really a question … but I did get several similar comments and just wanted to say that was my friend Karolyn’s house where we did that impromptu video (and very impromptu testimonials). We all stayed at her house for last weekend’s girlfriends retreat that I mentioned. Since I was showing the kit to my friends for the first time anyway, that’s how the idea came up to just film it with the purpose of sharing that on the website.

–

Q: Can you tell us more about the digital Project Life?

A: Making this into a digital product is something I have wanted to do for a long time (and you’ve been asking for it), so I’m really excited that the Project Life digital product is in the works. I can give you nitty-gritty details a little later, but right now we are still ironing out some details. You have to remember that having a product manufactured has a relatively long production time (which is why you can buy it now even though you wait several weeks to actually receive it), whereas a digital product can be turned around and created in a much shorter time frame. We plan on launching the digital Project Life some time in December. Of course you know this is the place to stay tuned for all the updates & information.

–

Q: The overall look of Project Life isn’t really masculine but that’s what I was hoping for. Do I have a choice?

A: Not this time. In a perfect world, I would have several designs to choose from for Project Life. I had a very small window of opportunity from the time that I resigned from CK to getting everything rolling with the manufacturing of this kit, so there was no time for designing multiple options. (Great idea for next time.) The graphic designer and I tried to come up with something that was versatile and pretty broad for how the kit can potentially be used (families, individuals, adults, children, etc.).

Q: Can we see example layouts of Project Life put to use?

A: Absolutely. I’m working on putting some together. We’ve just been completely focused on getting everything set up and launched properly so that you would have an easy time getting around on the site, learning about the product, and placing an order without problems. So yes, I’ll get to the more fun stuff soon I hope.

–

Q: When you say “we this” and “we that”, who are you referring to? I know you’re not with CK anymore, so are you affiliated with another company now?

A: I will soon introduce you to the awesome folks who have made Project Life possible, but since it’s getting super late and I super-dooper need some sleep … I’ll just quickly tell you that the Becky Higgins LLC “we” includes this amazing, hard-working husband of mine and me. That’s it.

Fun anecdote: This picture was from last night. Project Life was launched and hit the ground running yesterday before I even announced anything. We were working like mad (with my brother, who is our web guy) to get the details refined and the shopping cart functioning smoothly. David and I already had tickets to the traveling tour So You Think You Can Dance so we peeled away from our computer monitors long enough to go enjoy the show & grab a bite to eat. It was a great date. Product launch and all.

Lots of great questions. I only have a minute, but don’t want to leave you hanging on the most pressing questions. So I’ll answer a few questions now and then come back to more questions later tonight (including further explanation on the digital product).

Q: Are you going to sell out?

A: You never can tell. But this I can tell you: We’ve done our very best to project realistic sales. Just so you know, I ordered almost twice as many kits as any kit I’ve done in the past. Having said that, we should be fine. BUT … if this goes bonkers, I can also tell you that we can re-order IF there is enough interest/demand. If you fall in that category of the 2nd print-run, you’ll just get your kit approximately 4 weeks later than those getting kits from the 1st print-run. As of right now, we are not sold out. You should be fine to place an order.

–

Q: Is this a one-time thing or will you do this on an annual basis?

A: I am brand-new to this whole on-my-own thing, so who knows how this is all going to go. But as it seems right now, I would absolutely love to bring this concept year after year after year. I believe in Project Life so much. I know that this product is a solution that will help a lot of people so of course I’d love to make it available all the time. Updating the design and colors each time, of course. It all depends on how this all goes. So far – (holy cow!) – so good. Thank you for your orders!

–

Q: I signed up for your eBlast (email newsletter), but I haven’t seen the first one that you sent this morning.

A: Check your junk mail. You will need to add the address (customerservice@beckyhiggins.com) to your address book so that your email program recognizes me and won’t throw me away. Go ahead and do that so that you can be sure to not miss out on my eBlasts.

Go order PROJECT LIFE! The site is up and ready. In case you missed the shiny new red button to the right, click here.

There is a ton of information about the product on that page, but I know there will be a few more questions some of you will have. I invite your questions (comment on this post) and so I will be posting again later today, addressing those questions.

In the meantime, go have a look. Tell your friends. And don’t forget to download your free holiday card downloads while you’re here.