I pride myself in being creative, but what exactly does that mean? Sure, I scrapbook and engage in other crafty pursuits. I sometimes cut my kids’ sandwiches into cute cookie cutter shapes, and I have been known to plan exceptionally fun birthday parties.

To me, creativity is more than turning out some sort of nifty project, though. A project is just the end result. Creativity is a way of life. It is being aware of the colors, conversations, and connections in my everyday world that inspire me. It is seeking out experiences or points of view that invoke my curiosity. It is intentionally surrounding myself with things that feed my creative spirit.
 
Sometimes that involves something as simple as buying some pretty new patterned paper or putting a bouquet of my favorite flowers on the kitchen counter. And sometimes it means doing something a little crazier, like cutting out some vinyl decals with my Cricut Expression and decking out my car so it doesn’t look like all the other white SUVs in the school pick-up line.


Oh yes, I did.



I have always loved my car, but have often wondered why the Mom-mobiles don’t come in the same array of fun colors as the sports cars. Just because I have a carload of kids doesn’t mean beige or white or navy blue defines my personality, or my driving experience. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee I’m having a more eventful ride than the RayBan-clad single dude in the sunshine yellow Jag, or the twenty-something emo girl in the lime green VW Beetle!

Creativity is finding a way to turn the simple everyday stuff into a little bit of an adventure. It is making a point of keeping things fresh and fun amidst the standard-issue weekly to do lists and carpool pick-ups. And sometimes, it is standing out in the crowd just enough to let your true colors show – especially when those colors are lime green and sunshine yellow.

Looking for more ways to add a little adventure to your everyday life? Check out my latest workshop, Everyday Adventures, at Big Picture Scrapbooking. You can also visit my blog.

 

 Welcome to the EllaFriends Happiness Tour 2009!

Okay, so there's really only one stop on our tour—right here at the Daily Trumpet—but we're planning to spread as many smiles as we possibly can before we pack up our trunks and go back to our scrap tables.

And speaking of smiles, did you know that SMILES is the longest word in the English language? True story. There's a MILE between the first and last letter. (Ba-dum-bum!)

I was going to have Ella entertain you with a fully choreographed rendition of You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile, but did you know elephants are really bad dancers? Yeah... they have two left feet (and two right ones, too!).

(I'm here all day, folks. Don't forget to tip your waitress.)

Now that I've got your cheek muscles warmed up, the EllaFriends would like to step up the smiles, boost the bliss, and drum up some delight with these fab layouts based on Ella's "I Love Your Smile" contest. Prepare to be inspired, charmed, and maybe even tickled!

 

patterned paper (Altered Ego by Paislee Press) + staples (Chasing the Sun by Paislee Press) + American Typewriter and Donny's Hand fonts • 12 x 12 digital layout by Noel Culbertson

Patterned paper, word art, heart border (Weeds & Wildflowers Design) + patterned paper (Lynn Grieveson, Percentage Wise) + CKAli's Hand font + digital page by Lain Ehmann

Patterned paper (BasicGrey) + letter stickers (Making Memories, Doodlebug Designs) + chipboard shape (Making Memories) + gems (Robin's Nest) + embroidery floss (unknown source) + 8½x11 layout by Barb Wong

papers from Embrace (Paislee Press + fei-fei's stuff at oscraps.com) + Courier (font) + photo and layout by jodie mcnally

Studio Calico Kit (Yearbook) + Pen (American Crafts Precision Pen) + Punch (Martha Stewart Double Scallop) + 6x12 layout by Monica McNeill

Background paper (Canson) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Studio Calico) + alphabet stickers (Jenni Bowlin) + brackets (American Crafts) + label sticker (Jenni Bowlin) + happy face token (Studio Calico) + pen (American Crafts) + 12x12 layout by Tami Morrison

And don’t forget to spread some smiles of your own today – if you see someone who doesn’t have one, give them one of yours. :)