One little word.

Vitality


Now that many of you have chosen a word for the year, what will you do to keep it in mind throughout the year? It can be very simple or complex, a craft/scrapbooking project or a simple reminder in your planner or on your bulletin board. Some sort of visual reminder is a great way to add a bit of focus to your word.


Here's a couple ideas for honoring your word this year:


• Go through some magazines looking for your word or themes/phrases/etc that relate to your word. Cut them out and collage them together as a visual reminder. This could grow and expand throughout the year.
• Commission or locate a piece of jewelry that features your word. I am ordering a necklace with "vitality" from Lisa Leonard. Love this as a daily visual reminder.
• Print out a word card (see photo above) and place it where you will see it everyday (a bathroom mirror or refrigerator or bulletin board are all front and center).
• Create a canvas that introduces your word. Dump some paint right on there and go for it.
• Start a journal to document thoughts, feelings, experiences you have with your word over the course of the year. This could be a visual journal or just focus on the words. Your journal could be as simple as a Word document on your computer.
• Expand your interest in words by playing along with the challenges on the one little word blog.


What are the ways you are planning to honor your word in 2008?

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104 thoughts

  1. StarrAltered says…
    01/04/2008

    Ali, i have enjoyed your blog for over a year now and want to thank you for sharing your life and art with us. i enjoy your message of capturing the life we live today and both perserving and learning through our scrappn' art. i also wanted to point out someone to you that i find tremdously talented at life art. i've met her through a scrappn' website and have been folowing her story and her art. here is her blog..
    http://retrospection.typepad.com/my_weblog/
    at this moment she is losing her husband, and has shared the journey she's been on with us via her blog... her story as well as her art is just amazing and i'd like to share it with you... since i think it just falls perfectly in line with your idea of life art...
    regards,
    Veronica

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  2. Heather says…
    01/04/2008

    I wanted to thank you Ali for your christmas album idea. I am currently attending grad school to become a physician assistant and have been trying to find a quick and efficient way to document this crazy adventure. I don't have a lot of time to scrapbook, learning medicine gets in the way of that, but this album is the perfect solution. Just spent a little time yesterday putting a little bit of it together. Excited about printing off photos and placing them. Thanks for such a new and fresh approach. Your work is appreciated! :)

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  3. slierk says…
    01/04/2008

    i'm thinking about writing my one little word "play" on my forehead in marker for a day -- just to see what people say/do. hilarious or crazy? maybe a little bit of both.
    seems like a play-full thing to do though., :]

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  4. Lisa O says…
    01/04/2008

    I am still considering my word for the year and am always amused by the list you make with everyones word. I agree with Veronica when she pointed our Christine. She is such a strong life artist!

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  5. Stacey says…
    01/04/2008

    Hmmmm, I think after last year, my word this year needs to be HOPE. It is where I am at....for the first time in a long time. So, hope.
    I don't know what I will do with it quite yet. But I am pondering.

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  6. Bev says…
    01/04/2008

    I've already scrapped my word. I put chipboard letters together and altered them. Now my word is stuck on a cupboard door right above where I sit everyday when I am on my computer.

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  7. Tna says…
    01/04/2008

    thank you for your challenge, ali. i have been wanting to start a scrapping journal...and have put it off...this time, i will start it and have my word BEHOLD as its theme...i am sure that there are a lot of things and people who can be a subject for my little word...
    again, thanks so much for being such an inspiration... :) mwah to simon...

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  8. Julie Behm says…
    01/04/2008

    I ordered a bracelet from wordworksjewelry.com with my word printed on it. I did the same thing last year. I wear them every single day and have found it to be a great visual reminder for me. I've also started blogging about it on my livejournal and even found a book called "Living Artfully" that discusses it. I'm currently trying to come up with other creative ways to honor it and look forward to hearing what others are doing!

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  9. Lisa B. says…
    01/04/2008

    I've altered the Shabby Princess desktop fo my laptop for January to include my word..CREATE. Plan to do the same each month when I update my desktop.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. jamie says…
    01/04/2008

    i have not documented this thought yet, but looking at your thoughts on your word has caused me to pause and get this down: love.
    a very, very simple word, but one that can be hard for me to live out. the challenge of purposefully showing love to my family to my friends daily continues to surface in my mind. but mostly this is goaled towards my husband. i get tired with four little ones running around and schooling them daily. i get grumpy cause he is gone so long in the day working. i can get bitter cause he is so tired and has little left to give at the end of a day. but he has given it all during the day so we can have a great life in an unstable world. and i want to show him that daily, on purpose, somehow. this means even when i am grumpy...so...i think that is it: love.
    thanks ali! i needed to focus on this, and again, you have inspired.
    God bless...hope you are feeling well today.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Brynn says…
    01/04/2008

    I already have mine all made and hanging in my office!!
    Here is a link to my reminder:
    http://www.myscrapbookart.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=22809&ppuser=176

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  12. noell says…
    01/04/2008

    I guess I was a little over-anxious when I posted a link to my project on the last posting. I'll re-post here so they're all together.
    http://www.paperclipping.com/2008/01/03/minibook-my-2008-focus-journal/
    I love all your other ideas, Ali! So cool that you found a necklace with your word on it. I doubt I'd find one with my word, lol.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Danielle says…
    01/04/2008

    Thanks for all the inspiration! Question: What are your plans for your daily pics? I've started taking mine (it's harder than I thought) but don't know yet what I'm going to do with them. Would love to hear what you have planned. Thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. LisaMK says…
    01/04/2008

    I started a blog devoted to my one little word. Thanks for the continued inspiration Ali.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. louella333 says…
    01/04/2008

    Happy New Year All! I feel kind of silly as I was thinking about a necklace as I have chosen the word PURGE for 2008!!! LOL LOL!!! I can't really picture a way to do that one. Any help out there guys???? I don't want to change the plan but can anyone toss a little gentler "prettier" word to what I want to accomplish in my home this year Help! Help and thanks in advance

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Melanie says…
    01/04/2008

    Okay, the only word I can come up with is
    LIVE.
    I am telling myself to live every moment -
    - it means enjoying my children (stop being so tired all the time!)
    - create what I want and stop being scared about whether it is any good or not
    - stop feeling bad/guilty for taking some me time and having Artist's Dates (in the end, that will help me enjoy my kids more because I will have some down time!)
    - start being more energetic (being 3 months pregnant with third child + working full time outside the home does sap my energy levels - gotta do something about that!)
    - JUST LIVE. Stop feeling as though I am only going through the motions to make it through another day.
    Have some ideas about how to visualize that .... will work on it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Sara says…
    01/04/2008

    I made a little NOW sign for my craft room... and I have NOW on my computer background. I want to start a special journal to honor my word as well... but I have started two other journals already this year. But I think I will still do it. :)

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  18. Michelle Gauthier says…
    01/04/2008

    Love these ideas and I'll be adopting one or two of them. Now I just have to pick my word! That's for this weekend when I have time to really think about it...
    And I've loved reading about everyone else's words...very cool!

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  19. Angela says…
    01/04/2008

    Ali ~ I just wanted to say "THANK YOU" for consistently being a place of inspiration I can come to - ANY day. :-) I don't think I've ever commented before, so I just want to take a moment to thank you!! Your positivity and generosity of spirit has been such a blessing!! :-) VITALITY. May you be blessed with the meaning of that wonderful word each and every day.

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  20. homedotmade says…
    01/04/2008

    JOURNEY: one little word is going to be made into a book with quotes and pictures that inspire me, plus a desktop for my computer/screen for my pda and phone. And I'm also thinking of making a canvas for my craft room. It is making me happy to think about my word; it energizes me.

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  21. Betsy says…
    01/04/2008

    Hi. I am a new fan but completely in love with your whole site!! I think want to choose "direction" as my word. I am so excited about this!! Thanks for the wonderful idea!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. laura says…
    01/04/2008

    Ohhhh!!!! I LOVE Lisa Leonard's jewelry!!!! I ordered the "Wish" necklace w/ my fave phrase....Live, Love, Laugh. It is Beautiful!!! I also got a small tag with my beloved cat's name on it. He died Apr 02, 2007....one week before my birthday. I miss him so much.
    Check out Lisa Leonar's blog...It's The Little Things. Order some jewelry...give her some love! She is AMAZING!!!! =D

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  23. noell says…
    01/04/2008

    LOUELLA333--You need a prettier word for "purge" so you can put it on a necklace? That is so funny. My word was BUILD, and I didn't think that would go so well on a necklace, either. Another word for purge might be "cleanse" ROFL--probably not the best word on a necklace either.

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  24. Molly says…
    01/04/2008

    it's decided: make. Can't get it out of my head today. those Lisa Leonard pendents are yummy.

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  25. Michelle Gauthier says…
    01/04/2008

    LOUELLA333 - what about SIMPLIFY? That's on my short list of words for 2008. :)

    Reply 0 Replies

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