Growing Up Jenny: Let's get this party started!

I wish you could all hear Pink singing away in my head right now! I'm not actually listening to her, of course. It's 3 AM and I'm sitting on the living room couch at my best friend's house. She's fast asleep, and so is her husband and their 4-year-old son.

I went to bed early, and now that I'm a wide-awake insomniac, I'm ready to introduce you to my brand new blog!

My blog was simple before: boring simple; not eye-catching streamlined and cool. And when I tried installing free templates to revive it, they cut into the words. I'd been blogging for nearly 2 years, and spurred on by challenges like reverb10, the Ultimate Blog Boost and the TLC club, I'd started posting much more often.

It was time to start again--hence my brand new custom header made by Kayla from Krafts Galore!

Happy birthday, beautiful blog!

My design had to include butterflies of course--I've loved them for years, perhaps clinging to the hope of my own transformation. And I've fallen in love with birds, too, swallows in particular. I learned the symbolism behind them during the dark days of Spring 2010, and have been planning a small tattoo ever since. For now, their silhouette will grace my blog and its Facebook page.

The swallow is a symbol of hope, renewal, transformation, and a time of transition--perhaps even a change for good in the future. These are all things I'm holding on to in this strange, painful journey. And the colors--the blues and greens--are the colors of hope, inspiration, creativity and nature; of sky, grass, lakes and oceans; of the life I hope to someday live.

As I struggle at Growing Up Jenny, with little to guide me in my journey, I now have an image; an symbol to hold on to.

I met Kayla somewhat accidently when I commented that I liked the logo on her Facebook page and she wrote back that she could make one for me. Thus began a collaboration that gave me much more than I'd been looking for. I knew Kayla had created magic when I showed the header to a friend and she said, "It's YOU!" What more could someone writing a very personal blog have asked for?

Because I love Kayla's work so much, I wanted to give each one of you the chance to experience it. And Kayla obliged--again with more than I'd expected. Starting now, you have the chance to win 5 different prizes donated by Krafts Galore!

Let's take a little tour through the shop, shall we? http://www.facebook.com/kraftsgalore1

Beginning as a toddler, Kayla chose her birthday presents from the Office Depot catalog. Could her parents' picture Krafts Galore in her future? At age 7, she began a card company with her sister, attempting to sell cards to their neighbors. I bet someone wishes they'd held on to those cards now!

Kayla began her business in February 2010 so that she could stay at home with her sweet little daughter, Kayden, now just 8 months old. Who else is in love with this sweet little face?! Definitely a reason to work at home for! :)

Here's a quick look through some of Kayla's creations...

I'm in love with this journal--paper to pour out my thoughts; a sentiment I should be reading daily ("Never regret anything that made you laugh"), and the butterfly-embossed bookmark.Just fill out my very first attempt at a Google document, and you'll be on your way to a blog you can love just as much as I love mine!

Ooo--and how about these notebooks? Available in small, large or as a set - "Dream" and "Dance to your own music."