Embrace Life

things we do | week in the life 2013

For the last few years I've participated in the Ali Edwards-inspired Week In The Life project, with varying degrees of success through each effort. I enjoy the project as it really gives me a here-and-now look at my life and gives me the focus I need to really realize what I want to keep, what I don't need anymore and where I want to go with things for me and my kids.

As with any creative endeavour there are tons of ideas when projects start.

• Do I incorporate my Week in the Life into my Project Life?
• Do I participate at the same time as the project is "assigned" or choose another time?
• Do I make the project 12x12 or 8.5x11? Will it be digital or traditional paper and glue?
• Will I put it in its own album or will I print it via Blurb or some other publishing place?
• Will I use Ali Edwards' templates or some other inspiration?
• What will my colour theme be?

So many choices!

This year, as in the last couple, I am hoping to keep things simple:

• I will participate in this project on the designated dates - Monday, September 9 through Sunday, September 15, 2013, using Ali's handy-dandy daily document sheets.
• This will be a project separate from Project Life with Ali Edwards' 8.5x11 templates to be completed 100% digitally.
• Once done, I'll print them off at Persnickety Prints to fill an empty album just waiting on the shelf. (I'm doing my best to use what I have left - a lot of albums and page protectors!)
• You can only plan so much in advance. I think I'll let the days dictate colour, but I'm thinking of basing everything in simple gray or brown with only pops of colour here and there - visually calm and easy with a few words that reflect feeling more than actions.

You know the Arthur Ashe quote: "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." That seems to be my motto and I shall continue to embrace it.

My past projects look like this:

2012 :: 23 April - 29 April 2012
2011 :: Monday - Friday :: Saturday :: somehow I missed Sunday - c'est la vie!
2010 :: 19 April - 25 April 2010
2008 :: 20 October - 26 October 2008

I'm looking forward to documenting my week! What about you?

A Week In The Life 2012 | The Pages

I had started A Week In the Life 2012 with every intention of having it bound into a "real" book. Then a few things happened:

1. Life got in the way
2. The gutter

So, in my effort to use what I have, I found an old Creative Memories PicFolio from a hundred years ago and sent my pages of to my go-to developer, Persnickety Prints.

This is what I ended up with at the end of my week:

Each of my kids have given me the answers to a "questionnaire" this week and that layout (of sorts) will be included with each of their personal layouts . There are 15 2-page spreads with a cover page and final page available in the 12x12 Picfolio and I've given you 13 2-page spread and just the cover page - some stuff is just ours to enjoy :)

A few details:

The fonts: Arial and Channel
The templates: modified Ali Edwards
The overlays: banners and title Ali Edwards
The digi-papers: Karen Lewis Moment In Time
The program: Adobe PSE 6 (I do have 10, but can't figure out how to install!)
Camera: All photos taken with my Canon G12

As always, A Week In The Life is a completely worthwhile project! Still trying to reconcile with my Project Life, but I'm sure I'll figure out something.

A Week In The Life 2012 | A Success

Starting a project like A Week In the Life while on the road is not ideal, though it definitely focuses the effort and simplifies the approach! I thought I'd share a peek at my week with a "photo of the day" - only a hint of what my day looked like through the week.

MONDAY, APRIL 23
Location: Tucson, AZ
Hilight: LOVE the underwater treadmill at Canyon Ranch

TUESDAY, APRIL 24
Location: Tucson, AZ
Hilight: Oatmeal Bruleé, Chicken Sausage and Kefir - perfect start

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25
Location: En Route from Tucson, AZ to Oakville, ON via Denver, CO
Hilight: Last morning, capturing my surroundings

THURSDAY, APRIL 26
Location: Oakville, ON
Hilight: Home just in time for "dress down" day at school

FRIDAY, APRIL 27
Location: Oakville, ON
Hilight: The boys enjoyed Camp Lee for their (surprise to me) PA Day

SATURDAY, APRIL 28
Location: Oakville, ON
Hilight: Claire on stage in RENT

SUNDAY, APRIL 29
Location: Oakville, ON
Hilight: Morning dragonboat meeting and practice

The plan? Simple.

Simple Fonts.

Simple Templates.

Simple Process.

I will be combining our collective stories of our week and putting it all together into a 12x12 digital book! I'm very excited about this and am anxious to show the final results ... once they're organized and ready to be shown.

What about you? Did you participate in A Week in the Life this year? Let me see what you created!

I hope to be able to show you how the whole project is coming along soon, but as you can imagine, life is full and it may take some time to get it all together. As far as projects come and go, this one is worth the effort, and I will get it done :)

A Week In The Life 2012

This is my anticipated A Week In The Life view for 2012.

When I find a great idea, it doesn't often change over the years. Proof of it's brilliance :) I'm so glad to have found Ali Edwards, years ago, who seems to be filled with brilliant, do-able and repeat-able projects. Her A Week In The Life is the pinnacle of those projects.

As with all great projects, it can be made as complicated or as simple as we choose. Me? I opt for simple, every time.

Last year, my third effort, I messed up. With all the crazy that was going on in our lives at the time, I was all over the place buying paper supplies as well as digital templates. I was taking photos and recording ideas and taking in everything around me. I was completely overwhelmed. The project was no longer do-able. It was a disaster.

I loved my first project. I loved my second project. I just couldn't do the third justice and, you know, that's okay. Sometimes timing is not ideal or just plain bad. In my case, timing couldn't have been worse: July 25 - 31, 2011 was stressful, frantic, complicated and full. I was paralyzed by circumstance and unable to be fully engaged or honest in the telling of my week.

This year, I plan to make things a bit less complicated and a lot more transparent for myself and the kids and make my A Week In the Life not just a simple extension of my Project Life. The tools I've learned in the first few months of Project Life will certainly make A Week In the Life more full and enjoyable but I want it to be a complete project contained unto itself. I'm not quite sure how, but who knows? That is where, I suppose, the creativity part comes in!

The dates chosen this year are April 23rd to 29th - coming up quick, just over a month away! Almost exactly four years exactly since my first project. I've learned that the dates don't matter too much as every week comes with it's own set of challenges, so being out-of-town or at a celebration or embracing the joy of a simple week, won't effect the purpose of the exercise.

In the next month I will have to answer the big questions:

• Will the project be traditional, hybrid or digital?
• Once that's determined, will it be 8.5x11 or 12x12?
• Once that's determined, combined with the style, will it be digitally produced and bound into a book or added into a scrapbook?
• Will a kit (paper or digi) be purchased? If so, which one?
• Will AE come out with more templates? Should I buy new ones or use the ones I have already in my collection?

A lot will depend on:

• Where will I be?
• How awesome/tempting are the new templates going to be?
• What time is available to mess around with all of the fun variables?

Whatever is decided, I'm relieved that in eight short, but full, months, I feel confident I can participate fully again.

What about you? Are you participating in the A Week In The Life project? Is this in addition to or in combination with Project Life? Are you making a digital album - printed and put in a sleeved album or bound?

A Week In The Life 2011 | Saturday

Saturday marked yet another day with no structure! I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle the rest of the summer holiday with the kids going here, there and everywhere - and we have SIX WEEKS LEFT.

We're all missing Cole - though, by all accounts, his time in BC is being greatly enjoyed.

Continuing along with the abbreviated format I shared yesterday:

SATURDAY

Photos taken: 111

Though the summer version of this project is very different than any other time of the year, it is interesting to see how we choose to spend our downtime - how we spend it and with whom we choose to share our free time. I am learning a lot just watching my kids and learning from their choices. And mine!

Enjoy your Sunday!

A Week In The Life 2011 | So Far

This year, unlike the past two times I've done this project, is a bit scattered. I suppose it's because in the summer we have pretty much ZERO routine, so it is not a typical schedule-driven week in the life, it's just an all-over-the-place week in the life, especially with Cole gone to British Columbia with his rugby team. It feels very different.

I've been taking pictures and recording stories all week. My project this year will be 100% digital, so I'm not collecting a lot of ephemera, not that I ever did that very much before. I'm not much of a consumer so receipts, tags and labels are not really part of my life.

This is just a quick 5-photo-a-day review of the week, so far:

MONDAY

Photos taken: 118

TUESDAY

Photos taken: 101

WEDNESDAY

Photos taken: 106

THURSDAY

Photos taken: 101

FRIDAY

Photos taken: 116

I still have a way to go, but with this being a long weekend, and us having no plans, I'm sure photos will be scarce. Perhaps I should have made plans, but I prefer an organic album with no contrived events. We are always going at a break-neck pace, it's kind of nice to have nothing going on outside of packing and cleaning!

I'll also mull how I want the album to look. I know it will be an 8.5"x11" format. It will include the new templates because I am no longer over-thinking or re-inventing! I do need to consider the "papers" and some other finishing-touch elements :)

What about you? Are you participating? What do you think of this mid-summer week (well, mid-summer in the Northern hemisphere!)? Do you have big plans for the weekend? Do you over-schedule this week to pump up content?

Week In The Life 2011 :: One Month Away!

Front and Back pages of my Week In The Life album in April 2010

I am beyond excited, and so looking forward to participating again one of the most fulfilling projects I've completed. If I could only manage only one creative endeavour each year, a Week In The Life, hosted annually by the immensely talented and inspiring Ali Edwards, would be it.

My album from 2008: OCTOBER

My album from 2010: APRIL

The dates have been chosen and plans are underway, I'm looking forward to a summer version to add to the autumn (2008) and spring (2010) completed previously. As always, at this point I'm not sure what format I'll choose to use: there are just so many brilliant options. Now that my digital skills are more evolved, I'm very tempted to try a fully digital album. Since I'll be in the midst of selling and packing a household, that might be the wisest choice! I'm looking forward to seeing what AE creates for Designer Digitals in the next few weeks, even the older templates are something to consider.

I have not spent much time with my camera in hand over the last couple of months as there has been so much going on - just not of a celebratory or capture-worthy nature. It will be nice to get back into a daily routine again as I have missed capturing and telling our stories.

Only one month away!

Are you participating?

A Week In The Life

Many of my friends are not scrapbookers. Even fewer of them take photos with anything other than their iPhone or BlackBerry and rarely, if ever, do much with their photos except upload them to Facebook, which is a ton of fun and I love the interaction of being able to comment back and forth and share memories and experiences. All of us have full and rich lives and most tell me that they "can't" do what I do - taking photos and mixing in words and pretty paper. It can be daunting.

That being said:

If there is only one project I encourage everyone to do,
at least once, it is A Week in the Life.

So far I've participated twice: October 2008 and April 2010.

This week last year I was in the throes of recording everything we did in writing and in photos. Flashback to this week last year, in pictures:

MONDAY:

TUESDAY:

WEDNESDAY:

THURSDAY:

FRIDAY:

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

Even looking at just the pictures I can see so many changes in our lives in a short 12-months.

The beauty of the project? It can be as big or as small as you'd like it to be. Each day could easily be represented by these five photos + a page of story and have the whole thing done and put together in minutes. It would be just as meaningful as the whole multi-page-spread-picture-heavy-scrapbooks I've done in the past. The idea is that I was able to capture a sliver of time.

The process, the stories, the memories, the photos. My favourite part of this project is it's authenticity. One week. Real photos. Real events. Real engagement in our life.

As I said in my post in early March, I'll participating again this year. Ali Edwards, who initiates this wonderful project has selected the dates: 25 - 31 JULY 2011. This is the week after our family holiday in Cape Cod so there will be a ton of laundry and recovery photos, to be sure!

If you are one of my lovely iPhone and BlackBerry photo-taking-upload-to-Facebook friends, feel free to take those photos and do this project! Capture your life. Celebrate it. And let me know if you want some help with the pretty paper :)

Week In The Life | 2011

Earlier today, on Facebook, Ali Edwards announced that she's chosen to do her Week in the Life project this year and the dates she's chosen are: July 25 through July 31. Disclaimer: This may be subject to change.

I don't know what has me more excited - having the dates determined or just looking forward to doing the project! I'm not one to wish time away, but I have to say, I'm looking forward to this project again this year. I've participated twice before October 2008 and April 2010. It will be nice to add a summer perspective into our series. I encourage ANYONE who has not yet participated in this particular project (and yes, it is daunting) DO IT. Really.

My first year I was beyond intimidated. I understood the value of the project but I really did not believe I was up to the task. I challenged myself to finish each day as it happened. I was planned and organized and I have to say (angels singing) I was able to complete the project without a hitch. WITHOUT A HITCH. Honest to goodness, one of the best projects I've ever done ... and completed. Nothing gives me much more pleasure than watching my friends and family enjoy my books. It makes the whole process worthwhile.

My first response when I saw the dates chosen was "oh no" since it is one of the weeks Cole is away, leaving me with three out of four kids. Only 3/4 of my potential stories! How could I possibly do a "family" album, a representation of my week and my family with one member missing? Then I realized, this is my life. With the kids so active at the ages of 15, 14, 12 and 11 this summer, there is little chance that they will be around much anyway.  This is just where we are at as a family. We are going through many changes, and some growing pains. It will be a good opportunity to document some of them.

My favourite part of this project is it's authenticity. One week. Real photos. Real events. Real engagement in our life.

Knowing it is now a summer album I can decide on all the fun stuff: my colours and from there my fonts, my bling, my supplies. I can fill a project box! I am such a starter :) From there I can figure out the size of album and the scope of week. Admittedly, with Cole busy elsewhere, my most active child will not be around, but that doesn't mean it will be slow around here.

Much mulling and shopping of stash will happen between now and July.

What do you think? Will you join in and make a Week in the Life album? Will it be traditional? Hybrid? Digi? What colours are "summer" in your part of the world?

2011 | Creative DO | 01 album making

[It looks like my Friday DO posts are running a bit long. Like REALLY long! As always, feel free to read through this, my planned album making projects for 2010 - or come on back tomorrow.]

I've been happy with my creative process so far in 2011. Good thing we're only a couple of weeks into things, isn't it? I figure if I celebrate my early success (#reverb10 album DONE; December Daily album DONE), I'll be more likely to continue in effort of further success. Make sense?

I just sat down and put together - what became - a very long list of my album projects, as they are known to me right now, for 2011. I'm sharing them for two reasons: accountability and you know how much I love a list! I have learned that you have to set yourself up for success and in order to do that you must prepare with the end in mind. This is my prep:

MMEL: Move More Eat Less
As often happens, I'm totally inspired by Cathy Zielske. As mentioned in my Personal DO | 01 entry of January 7th, my primary personal focus for 2011 is my weight. Cathy has found a way to combine my hobby with my impending torture and I've started the MMEL project: templates have been purchased AND I've completed my title page AND my first layout, complete with photos and measurements. Scary stuff, but it has to be done!
Album: digital; 8.5" x 11" Orange or Bright Green

Happiness Captured
My weekly photography challenge with Jill Conyers. We are two weeks in and two weeks done! Can you imagine looking back at weeks of things that only bring you happiness? This may turn out to be the real Me: A to Z :)
Album: hybrid; 5x7 red, black or brown; to accomodate vertical photos

Team Up Thursday
My original weekly photography challenge with Shirley LeMay. We are continuing through 2011 and I'm thrilled to be exercising this process.
Album: altered; 4x6; to accomodate vertical and horizontal photos

Yesterday & Today
I am in the remedial program (politely called alumnae, year 2) of this class over at Big Picture Classes. Again lead by the incomparable Ali Edwards. The other day I was on the Log Your Memory site and when we were listing out some of our projects I wrote a simple sentence crushing in its truth: "getting stuck on the yesterday" which may be why it's not getting done. I am an onward person. I recently found a fantastic quote that really resonated with me: "You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space." - Johnny Cash I know that is not a philosophy that jives well with the Yesterday & Today project, but that really is my struggle. Don't expect this to be done any time soon while I wrestle with my daemons.
Album: hybrid, no album decided; put all materials in one big box; file all assignments in folder on desktop; print the rest and put in binder to put in box.

One Little Word
Another more "do-able" project over at Big Picture Classes, again lead by Ali Edwards. This is my third year choosing a guiding word. Far more flexible than a list of resolutions which I will fail before I even begin. The beauty of the word idea is that you never fail, you just move on to something that works better within the context of the word. For those of you who don't know, my word this year is DO.
Album: hybrid, 8.5x11, bright green, mixture of page protector sizes. To this I will be adding a "Jill Section" to accomodate all of the photos taken during our One Little Word | Captured challenge of this year.

Picture Winter
Yes, I am a Big Picture Classes JUNKIE! As a follow-up to Tracey Clark's Picture the Holidays, I enrolled in Picture Winter. I rarely, if ever take photos in the winter and this was the perfect way to get in an do just the thing I don't do. I've met some success and more challenges. I really have to start uploading photo on the BPC site!
Album: hybrid, 2-up album, black; alter with wood snowflakes.

12 of 12
I started this project way back in 2008! I've stuck with it every month since and (knock wood) have not yet missed a month. It is such a joy to look back and see how things have changed, and stayed the same. Sometimes I miss the time when the kids were all little, but I am really anxious to see who they become.
Album: hybrid, 8.5x11, black. So happy I've finally settled on the perfect esthetic.

52 Photos
I have decided to forego any P365 attempts this year. I'd rather focus on quality than quantity and actually get the albums DONE. In my effort, I've embraced this project hosted by my friend Monika Wright and her friend Elisabet Ottosson over on Flickr. The photos will do me no good whatsoever kept captive on my blog or in my iPhoto so in an album they'll go.
Album: digital, 8x8, black. I will combine 2 photos per page in an old CM album. Gotta use up the old stuff!

Celebrate Monday
I am practicing my vertical shots and using Celebrate Monday to do it. When Jennifer over at Simple Scrapper started the Celebrate Monday challenge on her blog there were no themes. Since Monday is my most favourite day of the week (how else do you get 52 chances for a fresh start?) I decided to celebrate my everyday Monday experience. I'm going to continue on ignoring the theme :)
Album: hybrid, 4x6, red. I have to find what I want. I think I know, but will only really know when I get to the store. Oh, my kingdom for a Target!

Simple Things
Another photo challenge that needs an album "home" in order to have it housed somewhere off the www and my iPhoto. Rebecca Cooper has the participants choose the simple photo of their week and they're all posted on Sunday. So nice to see how everyone spends their time!
Album: hybrid, 8x8 old Creative Memories album - or maybe another old 12x12 album. We'll have to see. Still thinking about things!

Month In Review
Another Cathy Zielske-inspired project which combines my photos taken during each month with the summary of our month I share here on the blog. Using CZ's gorgeous templates, each month has multiple pages and is a perfect place for those photos that would not normally find a "home" in any other project. I know, is that possible? Yes. It is. :)
Album: digital, 8.5x11, brown. I know, a lot of 8.5x11. LOVING this size for the simple everyday projects. Very versatile especially since I can insert simple page protectors with things from school and other activities.

Upcoming Projects (yes, more!):

EMBRACE IMPERFECTION
An upcoming project - at where else? BPC - lead by the thoughtful and talented Karen Grunberg. As I'm a regular embracer of imperfection, this sounds like it will be a great way to package it all and put it together in an album project.
Album: Unknown. The 1st lesson is February 10th.

A WEEK IN THE LIFE
An upcoming project (I hope). I've completed two versions of this album: October 2008 and April 2010. They have turned out to be the most-read albums in my house. They are in the family room, with a number of other albums, and I often see the kids taking them off the shelf and flip through them, laughing and telling stories to each other. One of the many reasons I admire Ali Edwards so much is that, with her guidance, I created the most valuable albums in our collection. The first two projects were 18-months apart. I like the idea of representing different seasons. Maybe I can create the 2011 version in the summer, maybe sometime in July? Though, I really enjoyed the online community Ali built with the last project, so I may wait and see if another is scheduled for this year.
Album: hybrid, 12x12. Bright Green.

Wow.

Reading through that huge list my plans looks very busy. I think if I put the processes in place it should be manageable. I find that my most effective album making is done in more project format than some never-ending album of ephemera - items, thoughts, ideas and photos. I enjoy making my 12x12 layouts and giving the time and attention to certain events, but it is the everyday stuff that really makes me love the combination of photos + words in simple contained projects.

 

Wellness Wednesday: 9.5" of Blonde Donated

Years ago my husband, Louis, at 36, discovered he had cancer.

It was a terrifying time. Long story very short, he (we) survived a grapefruit sized malignant tumour and life carried on. A life in which we are mindful and thankful. A life which included the birth of two more kids!

I have often considered Chloé to be Louis' "confirmation of life" baby. She arrived within a year after he was treated and we got the final all-clear.

To me it is a very fitting story that over the past year Chloé has been growing out her hair. All of our kids have grown up with the knowledge of Louis' illness and the Moe, in particular, was taken with the idea of growing out her hair and donating it to those who lose theirs as a reaction to chemotherapy.

We went to Euphoria to have her hair cut last week. Nathalie, the owner, has been cutting the girls hair, and mine, for the last four years. We were trying to remember when Chloé decided to focus on her project and figure she hasn't had her hair cut in about a year.

Once Natalie trimmed the ends 9.5" came off!

The whole process started with a thorough wash and condition. Isn't that the nicest feeling in the world, having your hair washed by someone else?

Time to trim the ends and tidy things up a bit. WOW. That is a lot of hair. Not just long, but thick, thick, THICK!

Before the official cut all the hair was dried.

A rubber band was tied to the top and the bottom and the cutting ... and cutting ... and cutting began! Very thick stuff.

And there it is, one fat pony tail. Look at that smile!

And there she is, with her new hairdo! Doesn't she look adorable? Natalie warned her not to whip her head around too much - all that weight off she might get whiplash!

Many thanks to Natalie who was very careful and precise with the cut. Even more thanks for the unexpected gift of the haircut itself. Once we were done, we went to pay and Natalie turned us down announcing that it was her donation to the cause. So sweet. And generous.

If you're local, be sure to treat yourself to a cut:

Euphoria Hair Salon
2307 Lakeshore Rd W., Bronte  
(905) 827-0650

The next morning the ponytail, first in a zippy then a thick mailing envelope, was delivered to the post office and sent off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths program for processing. Unfortunately that is the last we'll see of the hair. We don't know where or with whom it ends up. Chloé is content to know she did her part in helping out someone going through a difficult process. (I really hope that someday one of those shows on the Discovery Channel, the one my kids are so addicted to, will show what happens with the donated hair.)

We are all so very proud of her.

I'm also very happy to have her hair at a far more manageable length!

I think Chloé is happy with the cut too :)

 

I am a Life Artist

A few weeks ago, I was lamenting the fact that I had lost my copy of Ali Edwards Life Artist. When I got my copy it sat around, unopened, for a long time. I had bought it because Ali Edwards was one of the top three or four scrapbook teachers at Creating Keepsakes (at the time) and I had to own everything made by Stacy Julian, Cathy Zielske, Becky Higgins and, by default, Ali Edwards.

I was not a fan. I didn’t like her style; shabby-chic-flea-market-vintage has never appealed to me and because of it, I never went further to read the content of the book. I lent out my book knowing it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t have it for a while.

I was wrong.

Over the past couple of years, certainly since completing my first Week In The Life project, I have become a fan of Ali Edwards’ work, certainly her process, if not her style.

The thing I like most is that she is true to herself and her approach is positive, encouraging and empowering. It really doesn’t matter to her if I like her style, as long as I appreciate her content.

And I do.

Right before I left for holiday with the kids, I received a big padded envelope from Georgia. My cyber-friend, Susan had very generously sent me her copy of Life Artist. I have to admit, I got more than a little teary when I opened the envelope and found the book inside. I did send Sue a proper thank you, but I want to give her a public shout-out here on the blog to let you all know that she ROCKS! (Plus, I'm thinking AOL does not like my e-mail - so Susan, check your junk folder!)

The timing of it’s arrival was perfect, it gave me something to read on holiday and since I was on holiday it gave me a chance to really read and appreciate the whole book. More than once.

It took me reading through it the first time to highlight things I found interesting: the album, the theme, the photo, the quote … something worth “lifting”. You know, take a kernel of brilliance and put my own personal stamp on it. It took me a while to “get it” and I’m so disappointed in myself for not appreciating Ali’s work when I first got the book, but now that I’ve re-read it, and have enjoyed more than a few years of embracing my personal imperfection, I can really appreciate her projects and within them, her message.

The book is now flagged with oodles of blue post it notes. A few examples of ideas, either brand new or re-kindled:

• Make a sketchbook - not a Word document or a blackberry memo - VISUAL INSPIRATION. Embrace analogue ;)
• Manifesto? Hmm. I've thought of it before ...
  
• Buy plastic project boxes. One project per box. (Must limit self to six boxes - six projects. Any more would be insanity!)
• Take a nice slow look through old office supplies on hand (of which I have PLENTY) and open mind to new uses for old supplies. For more inspiration, take a "field trip" to Staples.
• Enlargements on page 92 is PERFECT! I have hundreds of enlargements, my favourite design element, and I need a way to put them in some form of visual package. This works as a viable option.

It wasn’t until my third time through the book that I realized throughout there are challenges. I love challenges! And, at the very back of the book are six projects. I’ve participated in A Week In The Life, but I have not done any of the five others. The challenges I find myself most drawn to include:

• Pick a random photo and write the underlying story; a story that goes deeper than what you see in the picture.
• Add "create something" to the to-do list. It is self-indulgent, but you (and your family) will benefit from the results.
• Use imperfect photos.
• Scrapbook your personal evolution in three parts: childhood, early adulthood, now
• Check out the oodles of resources at the very back of the book! They may be "out of date" but that has no effect on the validity or value of the ideas presented. Spend a morning and check them out.

I’m fortunate in that though this book was initially published in 2007, I am not so caught up in the idea “newest is best”. The concepts are still applicable even if the materials are no longer available. I’m pretty set in my style and material preferences so old or new it doesn’t really matter to me. (I still don’t buy into the whole manufacturer-driven idea that new is best. Who says so? I like some of my old stuff. After all, isn’t that why I hoarded all those acrylic Heidi Swapp clocks?)

What about you? Do you re-visit old inspiration? Do you find new ways to use old things? 

Stories of Summer: My Submissions

When Ali Edwards asked for projects and layouts to be submitted for her Stories of Summer series, I realized a few things:

• My kids need to be equally represented, so I submitted 4 + 1
• I don't have many layouts with all four in them together
• I have not made any mini-albums about our summers
• I make way too many assignment-based projects and not enough for the simple joy of scrapbooking

I was sceptical about having any submission accepted as I was already honoured with my Week in the Life project hilighted on Ali's blog earlier this year. But another thing I've realized? You have zero chance of having your work seen if you don't submit!

These are the layouts I sent in:

What did you submit?

I don't know about you but I thoroughly enjoyed the Stories of Summer series. There is so much talent out there! I'm so inspired to capture more moments in photos and words. My enthusiasm is always there but sometimes my creativity is lagging behind. I'm more creative if I'm consistent.

You know how energy breeds energy? Well, I believe creativity breeds creativity. If you stop, you have to wind yourself up all over again. Certainly I have bursts of more creative periods than not, and that's what I was facing earlier this spring. Then I got it in gear. I started with A Week in the Life, then joined in LOAD in May, participated in Sketchapalooza over at Feeling Scrappy and it kind of snowballed from there. I've been creating in a steady hum for a while and it feels great. 

How do you create? What works best for you, do you have a process or is is stop and go?

Ahem, back to unplugging :)

Studio slowdown ... maybe?

Maybe not.

Probably not.

I don't know about you, but I tend to go on creative binges. The month of May was one solid binge. I felt energized and creative with ideas spinning through my head regularly. I hit a few frustrating walls and managed to hurdle over them and land safely on the other side.

I have to say, once it was over, I thought I would have to slow down, or pack away the adhesive for a while. I expected to be spent. Then I discovered the Creativity Boot Camp which offered another method of creativity. A way to focus again on my photography which, while creating pages, tends to be less of a priority as I'm playing with paper and writing up stories. Though the last couple of weeks of photography, and writing, I was able to maintain my creative pace and re-charge simultaneously.

I realized at the end of CBC that I had not shared all of my May goodness with you! I managed to get more out of my studio in the last eight weeks than I have in the last eight months!

Sketchapalooza was wonderful. The ladies of Feeling Scrappy are fabulous and so willing to try new things and change things up. This past month I spent much time on the forums and commenting in the gallery since most of my contribution was done in preparation for the month. For the class I created six sketches and twenty layouts. So much fun contributing to Jayne's design team! I can't wait for the next project :)

A Week in the Life was such an all-encompassing challenge. Photos and stories captured one week and magically turned into a fully-formed album sitting in our family room and enjoyed by family and friends the next week. Such a rewarding exercise. And exhausting!

With all of that going on I messed up on LOAD (Layout A Day with Lain Ehmann) and only managed a few layouts, though, I have to say, those I managed, I really liked. I mean, really liked. I shared a couple of the layouts previously, here are the (too few) rest:

CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
SANDPAPER: Close to My Heart
INK: ColorBox Cats Eye
FONT: Helvetica, SketchyTimes
CHALLENGE: Lain asked us to get a little grungy. This is my interpretation.
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: Basic Grey
BRADS: Bo Bunny
FONT: Helvetica
PHOTO: Found here
SCRAPLIFT: Kelli Crowe's "Iconic Style" was the basis for the layout.
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: American Crafts, KI Memories
BRADS: American Crafts
THICKERS: American Crafts
STICKERS: American Crafts
FONT: BeauRivageOne
SCRAPLIFT: Jody Wenke's "Iconic Style" inspired this layout 
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: Basic Grey
FELT FLOWERS: Stash (I really can't remember!)
PEARLS: Prima
FONT: Helvetica, Cocktail Script
SCRAPLIFT: Jody Wenke's "Iconic Style" inspired this layout
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: Sassafras Lass
THICKERS: American Crafts
FONT: Helvetica
EXTRAS: Dimentional Glue Dots 
CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: Creative Imaginations
STICKERS: Rose Moka, Creative Imaginations, Scenic Route
FONT: Helvetica, Honey Script
SCRAPLIFT: Jody Wenke which was a lift of my friend Barb Wong
CHALLENGE: Write.Click.Scrapbook
PRINTED PAPER: American Crafts
BRADS: Bazzill
THICKERS: American Crafts
FONT: American Typewriter
NOTE: Yes, I am crazy enough to remove the word " ... FREEDOM" and fix it so that the red bulls-eye is in the centre of the O. I didn't notice until after I took the photo that it was wonky. It's not now!

I have to say that I really enjoyed getting back to making some more photo-centric layouts with the big 8x12 enlargements. I've missed them, and I like a chance to showcase some fun photos that don't make it into frames! I've also gotten away from making 2-page layouts which were, a long time ago, my specialty. I'm thinking of maybe making a few - the Sketchapalooza sketches were so brilliant and versatile, I have no doubt I already have 20 places to start.

There are a few other projects still in the midst of being completed which I'll share some other time. I'm still not 100% sure I like them. They definitely need a little tweaking, and for a minimalist scrapper as myself, that's saying a lot! I'm also signed up for a few more structured projects:

• I held out and didn't sign up for any pressure-filled or paid-for courses in the last 6 months. For an on-line course junkie like myself that level of self-restraint was hard! Then I found out that Angie Warren of The Creative Mama is teaching a photography course Project Photography starting TODAY, June 20th for five weeks and I couldn't pass it up. The price was good and I really enjoy her work. If you're going to learn a craft, learn from someone you admire, right?
• THEN I got a note from Mondo Beyondo which captured my attention sometime last year. They are offering a Dream Lab for the summer. Kind of a mini, no-pressure Mondo Beyondo. Again, I pushed that PayPal button and it starts tomorrow, on June 21st and goes for eight weeks. My quiet, non-creative summer has just filled up. SNAP. Just like that. Four clicks of my mouse. But doesn't this Dream Lab description sound perfect? "This is the thought that inspires me to no end: What would happen if we set aside our lists (our goals, our drive, struggle) for eight weeks? What would shift in our lives as a result of radical acts of play? of kindness? of rest? What would this clearing create space for in our hearts and in our lives?"
• Ali Edwards Stories of Summer series is scheduled to begin on June 21st as well, continuing through July 6th. Such inspiration. Really wonderful stuff. I always find brilliant and practical stuff when Ali gets to creating and sharing.
• Because I couldn't leave well enough alone, on the advice of my brilliant cyber-friend, Jill, I joined Everyday Elements for the 2-hour class on June 24th. I know bits and pieces about PSE, I've tried a few things to some degree of success but it was a matter of just enough information to be frustrating. Plus, I really wanted to figure out "actions".

These projects should keep me busy through summer. In case there was a fear I might get bored, I've been selected as a guest designer at Scrapbook Sussies and hope to have all of my projects done and ready to reveal soon. Not only that, I have been chosen to participate in something wonderful AND super secret ;) Both events should keep me way busy.

Though, I have to admit, the best part of the last month+ was the time I took to really take a look at the projects I am doing, want to do and need to let go. I spent the first week of June writing down everything I learned from that process. I'm no longer spinning-my-wheels when I sit down to create. There is always something on the list that appeals to me at the time. I do not like waste, and I really dislike wasted time! Everything is now catalogued with references, photographs and instructions. That is probably the best creation to come from the studio in months!

Giddy

So, yesterday, I woke up to this bit of sweetness:

Today, I discovered my project featured on Ali Edwards blog.

So hello to anyone visiting from there! I've done plenty of travelling around blog-land checking out everyone's project and it is such a thrill - not only to have such a worthy project completed, but to see the imagination, creativity and diversity of so many other weeks celebrated. So similar and yet so different, love it!

:)

Wellness Wednesday: A Completed Project

Is there anything better than finishing a project?

Well, maybe the real joy is in the process. The process of this project was wonderful: I was mindful, fully aware and absorbed in all that was going on around me. The pulling it together the past couple of days was so empowering using the bits and pieces of photography, design and story-telling technique I've learned since the last time I did this project.

I'm far more aware and accepting of my personal style as well as the things I consider important to me. The last time I did A Week in the Life, in October 2008, the kids were 12, 11, 9, 8 - not a teenager in sight, though there was plenty of angst and tween drama. We were just starting the hockey season and the weather had turned damp and cold. I was in a different place. That was 18 months ago. 

So much has changed. So much has remained the same.

The best part? I love my life. Then and now.

The week of April 18 - 25, 2010, A Week in the Life looked like this:

FRONT & BACK PAGES:

 

MONDAY:

MONDAY INSERTS:

TUESDAY:

 

TUESDAY INSERTS:

 

WEDNESDAY:

WEDNESDAY INSERTS:

 

THURSDAY:

 

THURSDAY INSERTS:

 

FRIDAY:

FRIDAY INSERTS:

 

SATURDAY:

SATURDAY INSERTS:

 

SUNDAY:

 

SUNDAY INSERTS:

ETA (I can't believe I forgot credits!):

CARDSTOCK: Bazzill
PRINTED PAPER: Basic Grey
BUTTERFLIES: Jenni Bowlin
FLOWERS: Kaiser Craft
BUTTONS: Moxie & Stash
BRADS: Doodlebug Design
INK: Color Box Liquid Chalk
FONTS: Eras Medium ITC, American Typewriter, Aquarelle
INSPIRATION: Ali Edwards
ONLINE GUIDE: A Week in the Life

So worthwhile. I'm so pleased I chose to do this again. The last project from 2008 is the most viewed album, of all my albums, by all of my kids and it has a permanent spot in our family room. Later tonight I will slip all of these layouts in their page protectors, put them in an album and set it next to the 2008 version on the shelf. I wonder how long it will take my kids to notice? My bet? Not long!

Did you document a week in your life? Leave me a link in the comments!

A Week in the Life: Reflections

It was a very strange sensation waking up this morning and not turning over and grabbing my camera!

I learned a few things over the course of my week. The primary one being: I have learned to be open to change. The way my schedule mapped out on Monday is not the week reflected in my A Week in the Life. It is not a better or worse week, just different.

I am working on editing my photos. I take 99.9% of my pics horizontally and the project is set up to better accommodate vertical photos. I knew this going in, but couldn't bring myself to turn the camera around! 

Once I get the kids off to school it should be a quiet day with Louis at the warehouse with "the client". The project became so much more than how it started. I'm thrilled with the small elements, I know I will love the results. I'll share once I have it done!

In the meantime, I took photos of the big maple each day. I think it represents my week perfectly: not too many big changes, but huge growth enjoyed.

MONDAY:

SUNDAY:

I will never get tired of my view.

Did you participate in A Week in the Life? How did you grow?

A Week in the Life: Update

What a spectacular week to record! The weather has been glorious, the long dormant leaves and flowers are emerging and motivation has returned with enthusiasm. This should turn out to be a lovely 168 hours in our life and I'm so happy to record it.

My original plan was to update daily my Week in the Life project progress and use the blog posts for my journaling, and photo selections as my picks, but I have been doing pretty well just updating directly in Word and the photos, the photos! How many pictures have I taken? Over 500! So far! Certainly not all will be included, but with so many moving targets in my house I'm hoping to get at least one decent shot of each child by the end of the week!

I've decided my time is better spent living the week, rather than recording it more than once. Though, I have to say, there are some women, true inspirations, who have been keeping up with all of it: Ali Edwards and Cathy Zielske amaze me as they post their daily adventures.

I'm off, to finish the latest load of laundry and (hopefully) find my new gardening gloves and head out to the yard. 

And because no post is complete without a photo:

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Project Prep

I have three big projects coming up:

A Week in the Life: April 19 through April 25
LOAD with Lain Ehmann: May 1 through May 31
Sketchapalooza 6: May 3 through May 31

I have been diligently working on my contributions for Sketchapalooza 6 and this is what happened to my work space:

I love the idea of being on a design team, it's so much fun, but boy what a mess! I have to say, I cannot wait for everyone to see the gorgeous sketches the team has created - and the resulting layouts.

At this point I had three layouts, out of twenty, left to complete, and no space!

So, tada:

Once I got that all cleared up, I moved onto reorganizing my printed paper:

Originally I had all of my printed paper organized by colour, by use, but now have realized that I can get away with just having it organized by colour. It's fast and easy - just what organization is supposed to be!

Last week I realized all of my pens were in various stages of dried up, so when I sent in an order to scrapbook.com for the paper I needed for my A Week in the Life Project, I also ordered all four packages of the American Crafts pens, and a few black ones, too:

And then there was all that cardstock:

This pile will have to be incorporated into the Cropper Hopper holders, again organized by colour, but in the meantime, it is just a pile of colour!

I am a huge fan of order and I feel relieved now that my workspace has been cleared up, my paper organized and I have some working pens! There is still plenty to do to get the studio in 100% working order, but this exercise has certainly made a big dent.

I'm excited to be productive! And ready to get started :) Join me?