Amanda Rose Zampelli | the blog

MADE IT PAST.

Who am I kidding?  You can't make it past a break-up in 28 days.  29, maybe.  If it were a leap year, perhaps I could of achieved this monthly intention, but not this time around.  I feel that I will be trying to sort it out and get past it for a good bulk of this year.

However, I mourned and attempted to heal in different ways:

Lots of Sex and the City was watched.  The whole first four seasons.
Man, so sad Aiden and Carrie couldn't work.  

I also made a giant flower brooch a la Carrie Bradshaw.  It made for a very therapeutic Sunday.

...and speaking of making...

...making and wearing this heart sweater was a way for me to heal.

HEARTS in general helped me through this month:

See more about hearts here. 

Another way I attempted to mourn, heal, and make it past it all is by writing a letter.  Two, actually: one to Tomas, and one to his parents.  

It was all about how much I loved and missed him, but that I need this time to be by myself.  It was all about how grateful I was to them for their role in my life.  Those letters were my heart.  It helped me to know they knew how I felt Valentine's week. ♥ ♥

My #1 new favorite cat sweater coming in the mail was a big jolt of happiness.  Wearing it was most def a healing practice for me.

And so was a four-day weekend including a Friday afternoon bar party with work friends and a Saturday night into-the-city excursion with two girlfriends and my sister:

But, when all else failed, there was always my trusty weekday morning...

...bathroom prayers.

...and Saturday morning craft time. ...and watching movies with scenes like this one that so poignantly captures everything I'm feeling in the moment. ...and this song and this song. ...and baking cookies helped a bunch.

...and painting. Painting saved me a bit last weekend:

So there.  There you have it.  

I mourned (still am). I'm healing (slowly). ...and I'm not yet past this, but I'm here. Now.  

...and today's project: 'Day in the Life'.  Happy, happy distraction. Stay tuned for the recap of that.  

Happy March tomorrow!
I can't wait.

P.S. -- Shopping cute dresses: another great way to heal.

FF >> a PL post about what to do if you're behind

My target audience for this post are those of you out there who are still stuck working on your 2012 Project Life ablum.  I see you ambitious crafty paper-craftsters on Instagram and around the web planning and plotting how you're going to 'catch up'.  THiS POST IS FOR YOU, LOVIES!

Drop it, and start again from where you are!  I say, cut two FABULOUS triangles out of the prettiest glitter paper you can find, adhere them shits to an empty (yes, you read that right) EMP-TY Becky Higgins Project Life 12x12 photo-pocket page (ON THE OUTSIDE of the pockets...oh no she dih-int) and MOVE ON to documenting where you are.  

Of course, this is just my suggestion.  If you truly want to finish, then finish all your unfinished life-documenting from 2012, however...

...It is almost MARCH, loves, and there is probably a very good reason why all of your life from last year wasn't documented: BECAUSE YOU WERE BUSY LIVIN' IT! :)  

Project Life will understand.  

...and if it needs help understanding?  
Then TWO GIANT FAST-FORWARD TRIANGLES should do the trick. 

Jus' saying.

I hope this helped.  :)

Happy Scrapping!

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For my past Project Life spreads, go HERE.

For more on Project Life itself, go HERE.

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PLEASE NOTE: The last two weeks of December were never completed for my 2012 album. ;) True Story.

Fall For

Sometimes the one you fall for
Doesn't know you've fallen
You fall harder every time you
See them next
And then the school year ends
And they move to Florida.
You think about them ocassionally, and
They never find out you fell,
And you slowly crawl yourself out of that hole.

Sometimes the one you would never fall for
Falls for you.
You be kind, oh so kind, because
You know how much that means, and
You slowly, very very slowly
Help them back up,
But not into your arms.

Sometimes the one you fall for
Falls for you too,
But not as hard or as deep.
In fact, theirs in only a trip
A scuffle in their step,
And you pray for an earthquake
To make them bash to the ground.
But, nope, you've fallen an almost deadly fall,
And they keep on walking past you, skipping even.

Sometimes the one you fall for
Falls for you too, and you have a bit of a life together.
However, then you realize you
Never fell. In fact
He never fell either.
You just both came across each other and
Embraced.
Embraced and gripped tight, not
Wanting the other to move.
Just come along, come along now,
But you both aren't moving.
Just still. Holding on, way too tightly. 

a poem by me circa Spring 2010

FREE DOWNLOAD // 3x4 Week In Review card

Howdy, all!  Yesterday I posted an instagram and my |week 8| PL spread featuring the 'Week in Review' card you see above.  Well, I'll tell ya! It was greeted with such a positive response that I decided to make it available for free download.  The file is in .psd format which means you need to have Photoshop in order to download and tinker around with it.  Here 'tis:

Download AmandaRose3x4WeekinReview

As always, thanks for showing interest and visiting this silly little blog space of mine.  If you download the card and post or talk about it, please be sure to refer back to this post. 

Have fun!

NEWSFLASH!!!
THERE ARE MORE 'WEEK IN REVIEW' EDITABLE DOWNLOADS
OF DIFFERENT SIZES FOR PROJECT LIFE.

>> CLICK HERE <<

PL 2013 |week 8|

The page and a half spread for |week 8| came together the quickest of any Project Life spread I've ever did ever.  The Studio Calico project life kit is one reason why.  I pick a few of the darling designs I think might fit in the week (most don't, some do) and then fill the rest with iPhone and Nikon photos.  

I didn't take many photos last week, so four inserts were of my cat sweater. Ha! Why not?

Some of the Studio Calico Project Life cards are so dreamy: this mint&grey one is fo' sure.

I made my first 'week in review' insert in PSE:

...and I like it.  I like that it names the week (so no need for a title card), quickly lists the days and dates in that week (so no need for date-stamping), and gives a blurb of each day (so no need for on-each-photo journalling).  SUH-WEETNESS. You can download it for free HERE.

The right side only became half a spread with four inserts:

(1) a quote found and loved this February:

(2) an insert of the quick painting masterpiece I completed after a moody and inconsolable Friday at work,
(3) another Studio Calico PL insert (I ♥ wood grain!)

...and (4) the creation of my 30 Days of Lists album.

I was quiet and crafty this week.

I was a bit under the weather and moody.

I needed this spread to be fast and simple,
and so it was. :) 

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For more of my past Project Life spreads, go HERE.

For more on Project Life itself, go HERE.

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Happy Scrapping!

decided to join 30 Days of Lists

Hi, all.

This past week, I decided that I'm going to join the group of people participating in next month's 30 Days of Lists.  It kicks off March 1st, and should be a lot of fun.

It's only $8 to register, and that gets you access to the flickr pool and the daily prompts for lists.

The hash for it is #30Lists, and you'll be finding my album there once March arrives.

I've been working on it all morning:

...and YES, I've decided to go digital.  

More on it next weekend.

----------------------

So...

...do you think you'll be participating?

PL 2013 |week 7| - Valentine's week

Valentine's week and so many chances to use my heart and arrow embellishments.

left side:

I "journalled" with my typewriter and then accented each 'tag' I made with a heart-shaped paperclip. CAH-YOOT!

right side:

That '14' insert was cut from a Valentine's card set I found in Michael's clearance aisle.

That's it.

That last one was particularly yummy, and how I ended my |week 7| on Saturday night.

I was waiting for that martini all week long. ;)

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For more of my past Project Life spreads, go HERE.

For more on Project Life itself, go HERE.

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Thanks for stopping by, as always.

I'd love to see your PL pages from last week.
Link to 'em in the comments.

Happy almost weekend!

bathroom prayers

I'm a tad sentimental about leaving this four-day weekend behind.  I know I'm going to need a quick session of bathroom prayers once I get into work.

Bathroom prayers are when -- in the frenzy of my hour-before-the-kids-arrive teacher routine -- I retreat to the bathroom (I don't even have 'to go') stare up at the weird flourescent lighting and pray to get me through this day.  I'm in there for only a minute or two, but the intention is to ask for help...

            ...from God.

It's silly, really.  This job is silly really.  It's so not right for me, it's laughable.  Then I think about four more months of it and I stop laughing.

I stop laughing, and start praying:

"God, please make these four months feel fast." 

Yeah.

Like that.

Do you pray? Where do you do most of your praying?

my new favorite (cat) sweater

I found in EXISTENCE this sweater that IS my little boy cat, Alejandro, on a sweater.  
How could I NOT buy it.  Seriously.  HOW?!?!

...and the back?!  ...with the cute kitty pads?!  ...probably my favorite part. 

I wore it yesterday to ambitiously take a shopping trip with my sis until I
put my coat on and said, "This ain't happenin'."

I caught a bug, and have been sneezing/blowing snots and napping all of yesterday.

Besides these quick photos taken in my backyard, a McDonald's run, and The Walking Dead,
yesterday was a total wash.

Felt needed.

Have a happy Monday!

(It will be for me.  No work today.)

"...because I'm still in love with you.."

So this posted yesterday without any explaination.  Haa haa! Whoops!

This was my Valentine's Day image, stuck inside my brain...and then it manifested itself at night. Tomas visited, and didn't want to talk, didn't want to laugh or smile or tease like we used to -- just wanted to hold me, like a lost teddy bear he found.

...and the truth?  I'm not his lost teddy bear.

I've been missing him and his family, yes, but more than that...

...I feel excited for what's coming, and maybe who's coming.

It pains me that he still loves me and misses me like that, but that's where the video comes in.  It helps me heal from the hurt of us not working, from the guilt of ending it.  I wasn't in love with eat.pray.love the movie, but this scene...I just love this scene.

Happy almost 4-day-weekend, boogie bots.

I hope everyone 'got some' last night.

...got some chocolates.  What?