enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

does this glass look half empty to you?

It should not.

Because it is ALL empty.

But here is what I am positive about right now:

• I just finished a glass of water.
• Paul is going to walk though the door in approximately 18 minutes.
• The heater is on in the apartment.
• I also just finished a bowl of ice cream.
• My mind is buzzing with Paper08 plans.

Thank you, thank you for your encouragement with this project.

And please remember that I think it is a good idea for anyone and everyone to participate. You do not even have to tell me you are doing it. You do not even have to follow the prompts. But documentation is GOOD. And it is also a lot like going to the gym. After you do it, you never think to yourself: "Damn. I shouldn't have wasted my time doing that."

let's roll.

New blog. Tutorial up over there. Very excited about this.

a long distance convo.

E: Oh, I forgot to tell you, the Christmas tree is on the balcony.
P: What? I thought you said you took care of it.
E: Well, I was going to, but my Dad wanted to throw it over the balcony and then go get it. And I didn't think that was a good idea.
P: No.
E: So here is what I am thinking, we leave it out there until all the needles fall off and then we brush them over the edge and carry down a stick!
P: A stick?
E: Yes!
P: Hmmm, Babe, do you think tonight while you are online you can look up places around us where you can drop off trees?
E: On it.

winner + thought.

Congrats to lily! The random number generator picked 62 and that was you. And your most fantastic prize is a collection of my favorite things from 2007. I am still in the process of remembering what they are... but I know for sure in your box of fun will be a copy of Eat, Pray, Love, labels from Paper Source, some van Gogh images, Fiber One granola bars and bookrings. Get Excited and email me ([email protected]) your address.

I am glad you enjoyed the mini tutorial. It took every bit of concentration to write. I so rarely THINK about my process. I so rarely try to EXPLAIN what I do. Good experiment.

It was also cool to see how many people love minibooks and make them / want to try them. I am thinking about starting a little paper adventure in '08. I would love it if you would join me.

Here is the thought:

Make a mini book. And I mean minibook in the most liberal sense of the word. If you have a stack of index cards you can do this. If you have one of those little steno notebooks you can do this. If you are a boy, you can do this. If you (and this one is the real clincher) have access to a computer you can do this. I have some readers (including my girls who are probably wondering what happened to the person who used to write about going to the 9oh) who are not scrapbookers and my message to you is: YOU PEOPLE CAN DO THIS.

Because here is the thing. I will help you.

And while I have no patience, I have passion. And last I checked, passion trumps patience.

Every week of 2008, I will post a prompt. Or maybe an image. Or maybe a funny joke. Or maybe a (you fill in the blank).

And then you, should you accept this mission, can use that as stimulation and inspiration to make a "page" about YOU and YOUR THOUGHTS for your mini book. And please remember, your "minibook" might be a word document. Or a cocktail napkin. Or the coolest, "scrapiest" thing anyone has ever seen.

Anyone interested? I promise good times, strong drinks and hopefully, if we are lucky, a fantastic little CAPSULE of YOU during the upcoming year.

Have a Fantastic Friday. I will see you on the flip side.

good fam + good man.

We toured DC last night. The rain kept the crowds away. We had the city to ourselves.