It's the Holiday Season...

homemade gluten free stuffing: yummy!

City Cakes gluten free/vegan sugar cookies: thanks Steph!

our partially decorated tree

vintage goodness

a peek through our window

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! I was blessed to be able to spend lots of time with the people I love. I must admit, Thanksgiving is a little rough when faced with food allergies. No matter how hard I try to avoid it, I still seem to get sick. It has been quite a learning process to figure out what my body needs to be healthy. Nevertheless, I'm so grateful for the health I have and the many blessings in my life. I couldn't ask for more.

Thanksgiving night Danny and I set up our own little Christmas tree! Thanks to his mom who was throwing out the tree and a box of vintage ornaments that we happily snatched up. I'll be adding a few little handmade touches here and there to complete the look...can't wait to share!

Tis the season to be jolly!

L

PS: I can't wait to start filling my Daily December album with our first Christmas season memories!

Published

I'm so excited to have my "Baby Face" layout in the current Creating Keepsakes Special Issue on stamping. I've had countless pieces of artwork published for Close to My Heart catalogs and books, but it's pretty fun to see my work in a new venue. It's right there next to some of my favorites in the industry--Elizabeth Kartchner, Maggie Holmes, and Kelly Purkey!

Thanks to baby AJ for being such a good little model for these pics! I just love his colorful little hat. Too cute!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

L

We're Happy!

I got to play with Mauri this afternoon. We had so much fun singing songs and dancing around the living room. I played Winnie the Pooh over and over again on the piano while she laid under the bench singing along. Every now and than she'd look up and me and say "Lynley, We're Happy!" It touched my heart! Children are so easily pleased with the little things. They don't need much to make them happy. It's easy to get caught up accumulating things that we think will bring us happiness...especially at this time of year. It was a good reminder about what really makes me happy!

With Happiness,

L

It's So Me

Photo by my Danny

I recently realized that I don't really show photos with myself in them too often here. Funny how when you're the one behind the camera it's easy to forget to put yourself in the spotlight now and than too! I love this photo. It's SO me. COLORFUL and CHEERFUL. My Danny bought this fabulous purple coat for me last year in Park City at a little consignment shop. Of course I'm sporting my favorite yellow shoes here too. I think this will be one of my next photos to do something scrappy with! Can't wait to share!

L

Divine

Who am I? This is one of the foremost philosophical and spiritual questions of life. Every week in Young Women (My church's program for 12-18 year old girls) we stand together and say, "We are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love him..." We teach our youth that they are divine in nature and heritage. The world challenges this truth; it always has. It seems an individual is not important unless he or she has attained some manner of wealth, prestige, or social status.

The other day my sister Jeni called to share a "Mauri moment" with me. It's amazing how much I learn from my little niece. She saw a duck wearing a crown on television and exclaimed, "Oh look, a princess quack!" Jeni said, "That's right! You're a princess too!" Mauri looked at her sadly and said, "No. I no crown. I'm not a princess."

At two years old, she already believed the world's myth. I want her to know who she is. She is a daughter of God who loves her. She is a princess. I love the following story Sister Elaine S. Dalton, General Young Women's President recently told,

"I have always loved the story of the son of King Louis XVI of France because he had an unshakable knowledge of his identity. As a young man, he was kidnapped by evil men who had dethroned his father, the king. These men knew that if they could destroy him morally, he would not be heir to the throne. For six months they subjected him to every vile thing life had to offer, and yet he never yielded under pressure. This puzzled his captors, and after doing everything they could think of, they asked him why he had such great moral strength. His reply was simple. He said, “I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king.”12

Like the king’s son, each of you has inherited a royal birthright. Each of you has a divine heritage. “You are literally the royal daughters of our Father in Heaven.”13 Each of you was born to be a queen." Elaine S Dalton LDS.ORG

Mauri's concern that she couldn't be a princess without a crown gave me an opportunity to reflect on who she is, and who I am. We are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us and we love him.

With Love,

L

Daily December

I decided to join the December Daily album craze this year. I love the idea of creating a basic album ahead of time, especially during the holidays! It's our first Christmas together as newlyweds, and I don't want to miss any of the little moments. When the busyness of parties, shopping, and decorating hits, my album will be all ready to go! The lovely Ali Edwards says it best..."Capture life. Create art." Can't wait to share!

With Christmas Cheer,

L

A Note For You

Just a little card I put together today. It's got that vintage school-time look that I love so much. Simple and sweet. Perfect to share with that favorite teacher you've been meaning to thank! Enjoy!

L

Lucky in Love

Thought I'd share a happy little page I worked on over the weekend. Loving the American Crafts Dear Lizzy line, Elle's Studio journaling tags, and Jenni Bowlin Studio tickets! It's SO easy and fun to play with such cute and versatile embellishments! Have a happy Monday!

With love, L

PS: Danny's eyes are SO blue in this photo! It's my favorite:)

Dream and Wish

I wish I may, I wish I might...I wish I felt better. I wish I had the energy to do all the things I'd like to. There are lots of things I wish were different, but I know these challenges require patience and faith. I'm an optimist at heart. I believe in good things to come. I believe dreams come true. I've experienced miracles. I've learned that God really cares and wants us to be happy. This quote by my grandfather has always been a source of strength. "I have come to know and understand that not every unhappy experience in life need remain unhappy; but in all likelihood is a training-ground for better and brighter days." D Arthur Haycock

With hope,

L

Dream and Love

I wanted to share a glimpse at a little collage I've been working on. I started this little project at the Spark creative event, and have been slowly adding to it for the past couple of months. It makes me happy! It has so many of my favorite things...Paris, tolie, vintage sheet music, lace and other frilly bits and pieces. I even included a little piece of our engagement announcement in the mix. Oh I do love a good collage! Dream and Love.

L

On My Way!

Photo by Whitney Blake

Last year my dear friend Whitney and I had a great idea! An ORIGINAL idea. Wouldn't it be so cute to do a photo shoot with one of those great big balloons?! We took a trip to the local market and special ordered a giant red balloon. The girl at the customer service desk thought we were quite strange. Whitney and I took all kinds of fun photos which I will be sharing in some upcoming artwork!

Sadly, we waited to show the world our beautiful photos. With the busyness of a full time job, engagement, and newlywedhood (if that's a word) there hasn't much time to be creative--let alone blog about it. Several months after our ballooning adventures I started seeing similar images popping up all over the photography world. I was so sad. I'm not going to let that happen anymore though!

I've spent the last several years working as a full time artist on the design team at Close to my Heart. It has been a great opportunity and I have learned so much. It's time to make a change though, and I'm excited to see where I can go with a little more time and energy to focus on my own work. Look out world, I'm ON MY WAY!

With Hope,

L

Priceless Moments

I got a chance to spend a little time this afternoon with Mom, Dad and Mauri. The bond between them is absolutely beautiful. In the first photo Mauri was pointing out a little bird in the treetops. She delights in the little things around her! She appreciates the beauty of God's creations and loves to share her enthusiasm with all of us.

I really couldn't ask for better parents. They are remarkable. They've taught us all to love God and to follow him. They are amazing grandparents to little Mauri. It has been so fun to see them in their role as grandparents. They look for moments everyday to teach her what is right.

"I am a child of God and He has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home with parents kind and dear. Lead me, guide me, walk beside me. Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday.

It's little moments like this that remind you what really matters in life.

Thank you Mom and Dad for showing me the way. I love you both dearly.

With Love and gratitude,

Lynley Jill

Hello Dolly

It's hard to catch her looking at the camera, but she sure has a cute little profile! Dolly is five months old already. I love her soooo much! She's got such a sweet little personality. Sometimes she forgets and can be a bit naughty, but than she just looks at me with those big brown eyes and all is forgiven. I wasn't sure I wanted a pet just yet, but she pretty much won me over from the beginning. (Not actually a big surprise.)

L

It was a Happy Halloween

It was a Happy Halloween at the Johnson home! We carved pumpkins, had a little party with friends, and I even managed to squeeze in a little time for crafting! The candy corn banner still needs a little embellishing, but one can only do so much, right?! The not so spooky, yet totally adorable silhouettes were made for us as a wedding gift by the fabulously talented Whitney Blake.

Turns out we are kind of nerds, because we not only bought a bee costume for Dolly, but we also coordinated outfits with her. Danny was the bee-keeper and I was the honey. Well I tried hard. As you can see from the rather embarrassing photo, Danny and Dolly looked the part... mine was a bit of a stretch. Mauri, who dressed as a little flower, giggled and giggled when she saw Dolly. She kept chasing her around the room saying, "Doll Doll's a buzz!"

Ready or not it's November now and I'm super excited to welcome in the holiday season. Lots of good things ahead! Can't wait to share!

With Love, L