Layout: The First Day of School

I had quite a time thinking of a title for today's post. In the past I have always named my scrapbook layout posts the same as the title of my page, but lately I have not been including a large, prominent title on my designs, which has left me at a bit of a loss when it comes to blog post titles. Not really a problem, it just brings to light the way my style has evolved...

And speaking of style, this layout is definitely a little different from my usual. Sure it is clean and simple, with the focus being on the photo, but the placement of the photo and journaling is completely different from what I normally do.

"Everything centered in the middle of the page" is my usual approach, but here things are split apart and in the corners. I created this layout based on a sketch from The Memory Nest, and to be honest, the finished design sat on my table for a week while I got okay with how it looked; being out of my comfort zone, there were moments when I really hated this layout and was so tempted to center everything as usual.

But I didn't and in the end I am glad...it is nice to have a completely different layout to add to my 2015 album.

And how is the 2015 album coming, you ask? Well....the plan now is to go through my pictures (which are well organized on the computer, thank goodness), print out the ones I want to scrap, and then slowly chip away at it. Plus I also need to do the journaling in my Project Life: Eastern Canada album so there is no shortage of things to do in the scrapbooking department...stay tuned.

A V-Sitch Infinity Scarf

Stash-busting continues, this time as a v-stitch infinity scarf for my little fashionista.

I gave her the option of a typical scarf or an infinity scarf; she chose the ever fashionable infinity scarf.

We have had some warm days this month, which made me question why I was making a scarf in April, but the weather has turned colder again so my girl will be able to wear her scarf this season.

Not two weeks ago, a leftover ball and a half of yarn lay squashed in the back of my yarn drawer, and now it has been transformed into a simple scarf that has made Bridget so happy. This is why I love making things for people...

17/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Bridget: Writing down the exact lyrics to "You're Not Sorry" by Taylor Swift so that you can memorize every word

Claire: "Sparkling Up" from Sparks to Brownies; so happy, so proud

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project

Now is Now

Happy Friday!!

I hope you all had a lovely week. Here are some of the things that have made my heart happy this week:

• Sun, sun, and more sun
• Early spring blooms in the garden
• Making vegan muffins....that are absolutely delicious
• Not having to scrape ice off the car windows in the morning
• Flinging open the windows and letting the fresh air blow through the house
• Making spring plans
• A much-needed haircut
• Wearing t-shirts
• Roasted vegetables and gnocchi for dinner
• Watching Claire "Sparkle Up" to Brownies
• Scrapbooking
• A day at home with my girls
• Crochet 
• Seeing Willow all snuggled up in her new blanket

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

A Spring Walk

On Saturday afternoon we headed out for a family walk. The weather was absolutely gorgeous; it was the weather we have all been waiting for and I think it is safe to say that spring has arrived, at long last.

There is a nature park not far from our house and we have gone there many times over the years to walk with the girls, even pushing them in the stroller back in the early days. I quite like that a place like this exists so close to our home. A natural playground was recently been added to the park and the girls had so much fun climbing and jumping in the glorious sunshine.

After we convinced the girls to leave the playground we stared walking, even venturing off the main path and following the unmarked footpaths through the woods. We heard the frogs croaking, watched the birds, saw snakes slithering around under a log and through the long grass, counted turtles sunning themselves on a fallen tree at the pond, felt the sun's heat in the meadow and the cool air under the tall trees...

It was so wonderful to be outside, savoring this gift of a day...

A Blanket for Willow

I've been working from my stash quite a bit recently, partly because I feel like I should use what I have on hand before I buy any more, and also because after finishing my Cozy Stripe Blanket (which took a whopping 14 months to complete) I need a few quick makes, a few jolts of quick creative satisfaction.

It is really a lot of fun to look in my yarn drawers, at all the bits and bobs that are in there, and dream up some hooky projects...

My first little stash-busting project was a blanket for Claire's most-loved doll, Willow.

A simple, little v-stitch blanket with a picot edge, perfect to keep Willow "warm and super cozy".

Variegated yarn is always a little tricky, isn't it, because you never quite know if the colors will spread out evenly or end up all together in a blotchy pattern. In this case, I am quite happy with how the coloring worked out.

The absolute best part of this project though was the sweet thank-you hug that I got from Claire when I gave her the blanket; there is no better feeling in the world than a hug from my girl, feeling those little arms wrapped oh so tightly around my neck....

16/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Photographers-in-training...

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Making Covered Hangers

When I was a young girl I made a lot of covered hangers. My sister and I would sit on the deck at my grandparents' cottage, sheltered from the hot sun by the tall trees, and make hangers. There was one summer when we spent weeks on the couch at home making hangers and listening to Shania Twain. And there was even a time when we got a 'contract' to make blue and white hangers for a couple who was in the business of making and selling t-shirts decorated with bubbly fabric paint.

I remember my Oma telling me that making hangers was a good thing because you were making something 'practical and useful'.

I remember taking the bus with my sister to Woolco, a department store long closed up, to buy 'hanger material' and being so excited when new colors were found.

I remember watching movies with my Mom and us each making a few hangers at the same time.

I remember racing my sister to see who could finish a hanger faster.

So many memories around this simple craft.

Every so often I make another hanger. I search through my stash of material, some leftover from years ago and some given to me by my Oma as she cleans out her closets, select my colors and go. No matter how much time has passed, my fingers know exactly how to move. It is like riding a bicycle: once you learn, you never forget.

And I don't forget. Instead I feel the summer breeze off the lake, see threads and fuzz covering my lap, hear "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain, remember the heavy bags full of fabric that we hauled home from the bus stop.

And it is wonderful and amazing to me that all these memories are wrapped up in the simple craft of braiding nylon fabric around wire hangers.

15/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Drawing and coloring, very serious business around these parts.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Now is Now

I've been feeling quite overwhelmed this week. Sometimes life is a lot, isn't it? It is times like this when I find it even more important to think about the blessings and the happy moments in my days, to make a list of them - because writing them all down in one place is a poignant reminder, a helpful way to see the light among all the crazy and sad.

Here are the things that have brought a smile to my face, a flutter to my heart, and joy to my days this week:

• Free coffee day at the coffee shop on Monday - what a super way to start the week
• Some much needed scrapbooking time
• Claire's new smile - she lost another tooth, and there is nothing cuter than her toothless grin
• The girls' bookshelves. They each have a bookshelf in their room filled with favorite stories and treasured stuffed toys. I love to see how they arrange things and what they treasure, it is a sweet peek into their little souls for sure
• Freshly washed sheets
• Finding the perfect curtains for the dining room (finally, after five years of looking)
• Crochet, always crochet
• A well thought out meal plan. I am not always excited to cook dinner at the end of the day, but knowing what I am making really makes things much easier
• Sunshine - it has been rare this week, but oh so welcome when it has appeared
• Flannel pajamas
• Finding a pair of jeans that fit (in a smaller size than usual, hooray!)
• Cucumber-mint tea, a new favorite
• A growing pile of things to take to the thrift store
• Finishing my latest book: "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert. So good.
• Binge listening to "Magic Lessons", a podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert 
• Watching the girls at their swimming lessons
• A cafe mocha treat
• Hugs from my girls

Hope there have been lots of happy moments in your week, friends. Have a wonderful weekend.

(My focus for this year is: Now is Now. Read more about it here)

14/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Bridget was away at Girl Guide camp this weekend and Claire was "so lonely without her sister to play with". Bridget missed Claire just as much, though she had a fantastic time at camp...even experiencing a fire alarm going off in the night which forced an abrupt change in the sleeping arrangements. After a weekend apart, many sister hugs were needed, and there was some serious playing going on Sunday afternoon.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Back to Scrapbooking

After quite a long break (so long that my tool pouch was a little dusty) I've created a scrapbook layout.

I am tragically behind on my 2015 album. It is so hard to keep up with it, do you find? I have been thinking quite a bit about how I am going to document our stories moving forward. When the girls were babies and I was at home with them, I made so many layouts - the albums from those years are quite literally bursting at the seams - but now I am back at work full time and it is truly impossible for me to keep up that level of creating. I still want to scrapbook, but how much, and when? It is a bit of a struggle for sure....

One thing that does help is having my pictures and papers on hand. The paper I used on this layout is from the Anything Goes line by Echo Park. I also used the coordinating embellishment pack which makes putting a layout together so easy.

Because this was my first layout in quite some time, I turned to The Memory Nest for some inspiration. Nothing like a clean and simple sketch to get the creative juices flowing.

 

I look forward to showing you some more layouts soon as I chip away at my 2015 album; maybe it will have fewer layouts in it than there would have been in the past, but fewer layouts is better than none at all, am I right? Accepting that I can only do so much is key, I think, in keeping the joy in my scrapbooking.

I'm linking up with Make it Monday at The Memory Nest.