[FAMILY] Five!!

Okay...so I'm doing this a little backwards, but these are the pictures that have made it off the memory card, so first up, the boy's fifth birthday.

My little man, turned five on April 10th this year...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! I am a mother to a handsome, smart, funny, lovely five year old. I don't know why this seems so shocking to me, but it is. It seems like just yesterday, I was holding my little nugget in my arms...oh wait it was (that's how we start each and every day...love). I can't be a prouder mama. He is one awsome kid!

The theme this year, was vintage carnival. Okay, so maybe I had a little to do with the theme, but the stuff I was finding for his treat bags etc. was just way too cool to pass up. If it wasn't for his birthday, then I would have used another excuse to pull out the puppies on unicycle bags and cards I found (seriously, they were on unicycles...how could one resist?!?)

We had our little kitchen nook set up with balloons, polka dot napkins and plates, my vintage step ladder had mason jars climbing the rungs holding candies, toys and noise makers. Rather than a cake this year, Logan requested ice cream sundaes, so I found some lovely vintage sundae glasses to house our candied toppings, and colourful plastic bowls for our dessert. Fun party hats, vintage carnival themed masks, balloon animals and bingo to boot. It was a GREAT day!!

Next year, he wants a science party. I am already sourcing ideas. I'm a geek.

[DOCUMENT] Layout + Design

So I am really obsessing over enjoying Project Life. I love that it encompasses my love of photography, documenting and design. I thought I would share with you some of the design elements and styles that I like to use for my weekly spreads.

Colour. I try grouping or manipulating my images so the colours of the photos meld well together. If I have a page that uses monochramatic imagery, then I would be sure to not mix with overly saturated images. I can accomplish this by either manipulating the images so they are all similar value, apply a filter throughout, or mix colour and black and white. It's not as tedious as it sounds!

The same rule of thumb applies to more muddy, warm images. I love using Instagram on my iPhone photos to achieve many different moods and help my images work together rather than compete. I can't help it...it's the graphic designer in me.

Documenting: I am using three simple fonts throughout to help achieve a clean and co-hesive design. I hate clutter...especially when it comes to my layouts. With this being said, however, I don't want my pages to become boring. I have put together some pretty designs to use with both a photo and some text. I use these journaling cards as a way to transition from one day to the next. I try to choose a design that works with the colours of the photos. In addition, I have created a simple border shape that I use throughout on both the photos and my journaling cards.

Another fun element, is to use a series of images to tell a story. I LOVE capturing these animated events. Here's one of Chloe trying to put on her own shoe:

Last but not least, documenting directly on the image. I like the journalistic feel this gives an image. It brings a mundane photo to life. Here's two of my favourites from last week:

Next up, some more ideas on how to scrapbook using materials you already have. Fun!

[DOCUMENT] Project Life

I came across this amazing scrapbooking project last summer and have been waiting and waiting for the new year to begin, so I could participate in Project Life. The idea behind Becky Higgins Project Life, is to document an entire year through photos and journaling. She has created a system using journaling cards and an assortment of pocket templates to house your photos. You can choose all one style or mix and match depending on your needs. I chose a simple template that houses two 4"x6" landscape pockets on the top, four 3"x4" portrait pockets through the middle and two more 4"x6" on the bottom. Two of these pages side by side (back side of the previous page and front of the next) is your weekly spread. How you decide to organize is up to you. I wanted to keep mine simple:

Rather than purchasing the pre-designed journaling cards, I created my own. I wanted them to be subtle and simple, in order for the photos to play centre stage. I am loving the way it's coming together so far.

Letter sized sleeves hold Logan's school and art work from the week - it's a great way to take note of his progress.

The last pocket of the week is a brief re-cap of our days. I try to scribble little notes in my daytimer at the end of each day or in the mornings before my babies wake up. Some people may think this is tedious, but I find great pleasure in capturing these moments and making the time to take note. I only wish I had discovered this process when Logan was born.

**UPDATE**

I completely forgot to include my Canadian supplier. I ordered everything through this company. My entire order arrived within the week and was in perfect condition. I purchased a binder, a years worth of photo pages, a deck of graph paper journaling cards and a pack of large 12"x12" folders with a pocket in the front to display the contents.

I used the graph paper for journaling, as well as, 4" x 6" index cards from the dollar store (lined and plain). You could also cut down to size (letter size or index card) ledger paper, construction paper, brown kraft paper from the role, air mail envelopes, etc. All these items are available at most dollar stores, along with page protectors and baseball card holders which are fun to use in conjunction with the 12" x 12" pages if you want to add additional photos from the week. Here's a link to my pinterest board for further inspiration. Enjoy!

[FAMILY] Bliss

I would trade a weeks worth of sunny, summer days, for just one day of honey coloured, warm, crisp, winter magic. Today was one of those days. February is one of my favourite months here on the west coast. It is probably the most diverse month of the year weather wise. It's when Vancouver becomes truly amazing...you can beachcomb in a t-shirt while the mountains are filled with fresh powdery snow. And the air...oh it smells amazing over on our little island. The salty ocean breeze mixed with the smoke from the wood fireplaces still being used for warmth is, in my mind, the scent of Bowen. It envelops you the moment you step foot on our rock. It's magic.

We spent the afternoon at a lovely beach. I have very fond memories of spending summer days with my parents and brother on these shores, jumping the huge waves from the ferries wake that travel by, searching the deep tide pools that hide in the many caverns, building forts from the endless supply of driftwood left from the log booms that tuck in here during bad weather. This beach has a difficult access, which is probably why we haven't explored it much since having children. But today, with all the fresh sunshine and energy coursing through our bodies, Logan, Chloe and I decided to venture down the steep (very steep) path and our efforts were hugely rewarded.

 

 

 

[FAMILY] Maxie the Beardie

I am excited to announce that there has been quite a bit of interest in the Nature Exchange idea. I will be putting some more thought to it and posting the details soon for the swap. In the meantime, spread the word to your friends and family near and far. Let's see if we can swap mother nature's loveliness to all four corners of this great planet!

On another 'nature note', I thought I should officially introduce our newest family member, Maxie the Bearded Dragon. Logan is the proud papa of this little lizard, and he takes this new responsibility very seriously. Every morning, he makes Maxie a fresh salad, spritzes him with water, helps me catch Maxie's crickets (could do without that part) and spends the morning snuggling him to help him warm up from a chilly night.

Bearded Dragons are found in desert and woodland areas of central Australia. They like to bask on rocks and low branches and have a calm and gentle nature which makes them a popular pet for children. They have broad, triangular shaped heads and flattened bodies, with adults reaching approximately 16" - 24" from head to tail. We feed our little guy crickets and fresh vegetables daily and when he/she is a bit bigger, we'll try some fruit as well. So far it's been fairly low maintenance other than the regular trips to the pet shop for crickets.

It's fun learning about these critters. And even more fun watching Logan fall in love with his new little friend.

[FAMILY] Goals

Goodbye 2011...Hello 2012. Started off the new year as a spectator at our annual island Polar Bear Swim (one day I'll particpate)...then celebrated with friends and this AMAZING view!

Simplify . Organize . Focus: that is my motto for 2012. I decided to throw the New Years Resolution mumbo jumbo out the window and instead think of three words that describe the lifestyle I want for me and my family.

Focus . Focus on the here and now. Enjoy the quiet moments, busy moments and just plain being. And what better way to document said moments than to participate in Becky Higgins Project Life. I am so excited and inspired to begin this project.

Simplify + Organize . I believe these two go hand in hand and span the physical and mental. I know that once I have physically simplified and organized a space in my house for example, a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and restfulness sweeps over me. I am planning on tackling this goal by systematically choosing a room in my home and purging from top to bottom, re-organizing and simplifying by ridding the clutter. First on my list is Logan's little space. Stay tuned...

I wish everyone happiness, good health and joy for 2012.

[MAMA MADE] Craft Fair Success!

I did it...I finished everything...I'm pooped! The market was a big success - thank goodness! I have to admit, the morning started off slow and I was starting to worry a little that I was coming home with eighty pairs of earrings and a pile of sock monkeys (I guess I could always pierce their ears). In the middle of making a mental note of who I could gift all this stuff too and trying not to feel discouraged, I noticed the same people had passed my table several times then BANG...it was a buying frenzy!! The calm before the storm (which was when I started wishing I had made my prices a little easier to add in my head) and it pretty much remained at that momentum for the remainder of the afternoon. Logan spent the majority of the day happily sitting beside me being my helper. His 'job' was to put the earrings or rings into a teensy paper bag and clip a mini clothes pin to the top when someone made a purchase. He took this responsiblity very, very seriously and as a reward, I let him have some money to buy a little treat. He spent his hard earned cash on treats for his dog. Love my boy.

Here's this years display:

[MAMA MADE] 2010 Fair

One more week remaining until this years Christmas Craft Fair at our local school. Am I ready?? Of course not...that would mean that I was somewhat organized and not a procrastinator. So needless to say, panic, stress and my old pal, anxiety have dropped in to say hello. But in the end, I always seem to somehow pull it all together, and be pretty pleased with myself.

One good thing, is that I don't have to spend too much time racking my brain for display pieces. Last years display worked perfectly, and seeing as I'm repeating everything I made last year with a few new projects thrown in, I don't see why it wouldn't work it's magic for me again.

Here's a look back at 2010's table:

Sorry for the poor picture quality - the one thing I forgot to do that day, was charge my battery (mental note...charge camera battery). The tables were about a foot bigger than I had anticipated when doing my home layout prior to the show (always do a test layout prior to set-up...saves a lot of time, energy and aggrevation on the big day). So there was a little more empty space than I would have liked...but all in all, I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

I had lots of pretty vintage cabochon earrings (have tons this year too!). they were displayed on an antique cake stand with my handmade labels. The labels were cut from assorted scrapbooking paper with a brown kraft flap sewn to the front/back with contact information. May do that again this year if time permits.

Monkeys and bears. They too will make an appearance on the table. How could I not make my  monkeys?...they are so stinkin' cute!!

Not sure if you can see very well in the picture on the left, but I used this awesome vintage mini file cabinet I have in my office for display. It has four drawers which I used for DIY owl kits, and owls that were already made. I sold every single one...so this year I've doubled the amount of kits and will try to make some owls as well if I have time. They are so lovely. The wooden shelving unit on the right was used to house my monkeys last year, but this year, it will have some lovely 100% lambs wool baby blankets with ribbon binding...which reminds me...I should really make those soon!!! And hopefully this little wooden number will get a paint job before the fair. Oh wow...panic...setting...in!!!

This cute antique step ladder lives in my bathroom for Logan to use when brushing his teeth or washing his hands (or making potions in the sink). It worked great last year to house my business cards and some promotional postcards I made. It was also used as the anchoring point for my clothing rod - will come in handy again this year.

Okay, so enough typing...must get back to sewing before the wind kicks up again, and we lose our power for the third day in a row (of course...no power!

[FAMILY] Little Words

I love my boy. I love his sweetness. I love his honesty. I love his kind spirit. I love that such a little thing meant the absolute world to him. On the same note, the smallest negative gesture, would absolutely crush him. Such a delicate balance.

So for all you 'big men' out there (which in my boys eyes is anyone 6 and older) please note that even the smallest gestures mean the world to these influential little ones.