We're getting the job done.

Quincy said that a lot this weekend. The garage is clean. Well, mostly. And so is the craft room. Again, mostly. All the random tools scattered around the house are now tucked away in the closet. There is no longer a kite, a cane, and a xylophone on top of the fridge. And to top it off, the Christmas lights are down.

Even though this was a "sorting, putting stuff in its rightful place, and trying to find places for things without a home" kind of weekend, we still managed to squeeze in some fun. Baking pancakes together. Making farm animals and then cooking up a huge feast with playdough. Bubbles in the rain. Enjoying some arty time in the craft room (once the floor became visible, that is). And some digital scrapping time too.

You sure can get a lot done if you stay in your pajamas all weekend.

back on the horse

Sadly very little scrapbooking has been done around here this year. But I am happy to say I got the urge last night.

After looking at this layout from a year ago,

I thought it would be a good idea to document his favorite books right now.

Do you notice a common theme? Animals, perhaps?

Clearly I didn't reinvent the wheel, but I did get back on the horse.

I haven't stopped taking photos or recording stories, so I hope I don't fall off the horse anytime soon.

one adventure, two ways

Last weekend, Quincy got some new animal stickers. He was anxious to use them. I suggested he use them on a scrapbook layout about our trip to the zoo earlier this month. I told him that when I got the chance I would print out some zoo pictures for him to use.

Fast forward to last night and he reminded me about those photos. Only it was bedtime, so I kinda lied and told him that my printer was broken. He walked over and looked at it for a while before pressing the ON button. He looked at me so proudly, grinning from ear to ear. "It's not broken anymore! See, Mama, you just press this button. This one right here."

Anyway, I promised I would print them out in the morning and luckily he was satisfied.

So now it's today and me and my boy just had our first crop. Meaning, I actually scrapbooked my own layout while he worked on his. He chose the photos, helped me with the picture captions, attached his first brads, and helped with all the trimming, inking, gluing, + corner rounding. He was thrilled to use my Fiskars scissors and paper piercer for the first time.

me: Why do you think I am letting you use my super sharp tools?
him: Because Quincy is so nice to Mama.

(I was kind of going for "careful" rather than "nice"!)

And, of course, he used his stickers.

So here you go, one adventure, scrapbooked two ways...

mine

his

I'm pretty partial to his.

my new partner in crime

I just set Quincy up with his own space in my craft room. He was thrilled, saying "Now it's Mama and Quincy's office."

My go to guy when I need a corner rounded is just inches away. And he is in sticker and punch heaven.

Hopefully this will translate to more creative time for me...

I should definitely be in bed, but...

I'm working on my first non-digital scrapbook layout since July 2008. Yes, that's right. First one in a year and a half.

That's a long time.

What have I missed? The tactile nature of traditional scrapbooking. The sorting through supplies. The ease of inking. But more than anything it's the handwritten journaling that I've missed.

Project 365

I am a huge fan of Project 365 and feel the need to share it with those of you who aren't familiar with it. I first caught wind of it on Flickr a few years ago. The idea was to take a self-portrait a day for a year. You had to take it yourself and include some part of you. Heaps of Flickr groups popped up and the photo-a-day concept spread.

Last year it infiltrated the scrapbooking world. Kits and digital templates became available to document the ordinary and extraordinary of our everyday lives. In 2009 I made my own kit based on a Becky Higgins concept. It took me all my free time in January to design, print, punch, trim, and glue, but fortunately I had help. Well, at least company.

Here is a sample layout from a random week in May...

(These are 12x12 page protectors that hold six 4x6 photos on each side. I bought them from Hobby Lobby in the US. Each journaling card is 3x4, so there are two cards per pocket. I used a 12x12 American Crafts binder.)

Based on demand last year, Becky Higgins started a company called Project Life and now sells kits (a paper version and a digital one that results in a printed photo book). In NZ they are available for a limited time at KiwiScraps and elsewhere they can be purchased through Amazon early next week. Thankfully this is what I am using this year. A few of the colors and designs aren't my style, but it's a lot cheaper and a heck of a lot faster using the kit. The whole point is for it to be a low stress way to tell your story, so fast is good.

Here is my title page for this year. I chose to add a bit of chipboard, a few brads, a metal clock, and my trusty Dymo to the kit contents, but it's not necessary. For the weekly layouts, however, the only additional thing required is a pen, an ink pad, and an optional corner rounder. You don't even need glue or a pair of scissors! Now that's easy!

I must say I am sold on this way of memory keeping. It takes so much pressure off while allowing you to document those stories that would otherwise get lost. It encourages you to get pictures off your computer and into an album. Your photos can actually be enjoyed.

It makes you focus more on your photography and really think about what photos you want to take in order to tell the stories you want to remember. I think it also helps you to live more in the moment and to find beauty in the everyday.

This format can be adapted in many ways. A photo each day might seem daunting at first. One photo a week might seem more manageable for some people or doing one two-page spread per month. Another idea would be to just do one week each month. You can always add 12x12 page protectors here and there if you want to include layouts. If you go on vacation or have heaps of photos from one event like Christmas, you can just add an extra page of favorite photos and extra journaling, if necessary.

Some people might think they don't have something photo-worthy each day. How wrong they are. We all have so many stories to tell, most of them might seem mundane. Some involve important events. Some call to mind the character traits of loved ones. Some of them are funny, while some are downright depressing. They are all worth telling, and even brief little snippets speak volumes about our lives right now. What a treasure that will be in the future. Family members, friends, and pets are obvious subjects, but there are so many other details of our day-to-day lives that, if included, would be valued years down the track. A photo of the gas pump showing current prices, a new pair of shoes, the view out of your office, current events, food photos, photos of the places you regularly visit, a photo and receipt from the supermarket, a picture of the book you are reading, your computer screen, your ipod playlist, other current technology, your alarm clock, daily routines, home decor, an heirloom, a care package, movie ticket stubs, to do lists, weekly meal plans, bills... The list goes on. If on a particular day you are thinking about something that happened in the past, you could even use an older photo from that time. I had two aunts pass away in 2009, so on those days I used old photos I had of them. Those of you who have older children can get them involved with the photography and the stories too. Send a disposable camera to school or on a playdate. The accompanying journaling could be a short blurb, a list, a funny related story, a quotation, whatever. There are no rules.

I continue to scrapbook traditionally, well for me, that's digitally at the moment. I definitely still enjoy getting the creative juices flowing while working on a layout, but now I have the freedom to be more selective in what I choose to scrapbook in this way.

I am in no way affiliated with Becky Higgins or Project Life, I just want to share a concept that I really believe in with others.

happy birthday dad!

One of the reasons Quincy and I travelled to Cincinnati at this time was to celebrate my dad's birthday. My mom is throwing a big party and after missing so many big family functions lately, this is a real treat. The Norway clan will sure be missed though.

His twenty-five grandchildren are giving him an album.

They each have a page with their photo and answers. Here is Quincy's...

It was so cool putting this together and reading all the thoughtful answers each of them (ranging in age from 2 to twenty-five) came up with. I loved seeing the many different ways he has impacted each one. I think he will too!

This time the paper comes from Jessica Sprague and everything else is from Designer Digitals.

superpowers

I think every parent wishes on a regular basis that she could stop time. I guess that would be my superpower of choice.

(all supplies from Designer Digitals)

This is a photo from January and a layout from May. Sadly, I haven't done much in the scrapbooking department for about a month.

visit from Poppa

Jeremy's dad was down for a few days and not surprisingly Quincy wanted his attention the entire time. He brought him a tow truck and Q couldn't stop saying "wowww" while Peter was wrestling it from the box. The big hit, though, was this tickling game he played with Jeremy when he was little. Fits of laughter, cries for more, and the declaration, "Poppa so funny" always followed.

fyi: I am currently sitting in my bathrobe on the bathroom floor under the heater. I have been (gently) kicked out of bed by a certain someone who has to work tomorrow. I couldn't go to sleep with this layout unfinished though. Ahh, the beauty of digital scrapbooking. It truly can be done anywhere!

ode to my little bookworm

Funny thing, while I was preoccupied putting laundry away, he worked very hard picking out and stacking all those books and really thought I would read them all!

(As usual all digital supplies apart from the tiny alpha stickers are from Designer Digitals.)

And now, my father-in-law is in town and as soon as Q wakes up, we're headed out for an early dinner. Better get ready...

riding the toddler roller coaster

Yesterday I felt like this...

But today my patience for the aforementioned "incredible human being" was exhausted before breakfast.

happy birthday to my better half!

When I asked him what he wanted, he said, "not to spend any money." He wants no fuss whatsoever. Not if Q and I have anything to do about it!

lingering wild weather

Nothing new for windy Wellington as winter approaches, but we've had a week of dreadful weather (taking a much-appreciated break on Q's birthday though.) Some crazy storms. Non-stop rain. Wicked southerlies. And seriously cold. According to the Dominion Post, "It was a particularly foul, miserable, and revolting weekend." Couldn't have said it better myself. "Revolting" is particularly appropriate.

And because I like numbers, here is how this past weekend measured up...

13.9 metres: maximum swell in Cook Strait
148 kilometres/hour: strongest wind gust
8 degrees Celsius: lowest temperature (Not a big deal, unless you don't have central heating or an insulated home!)
50 millimetres: rainfall in a 24-hour period

I'm so glad we were able to hibernate all weekend. In fact, we've only left the house twice in the last week. Heavenly for the homebody in me, but we've all been recovering from one thing or another, and I'm more than ready to chuck these in the bin...

As you can imagine, the clothesline hasn't seen much activity all week. (The clothes don't dry too fast on the indoor rack in this cold, damp weather, let me tell you!)

I managed to catch a 2-minute glimpse of the sun. Not quite enough to satisfy the RDI of vitamin D, I suspect.

Definitely a perfect day for soup. We made a big pot of Tomato Barley Soup this morning. I love when dinner is ready long before we even eat lunch. Such a carefree feeling the rest of the day.

And now Q is sleeping and I'm going to carry on scrapbooking. I need to finish a layout I foolishly started at 11 last night. Thanks to the lingering wild weather and the hibernation, I'm on a bit of a roll after a two-month break.

Maybe someday I might tackle those first birthday pics!

22-months-old

A couple layouts about Q right now. Already 22-months-old.

He makes my world such a fabulous place.

love is in the air

Two days of creating and going to bed late and not doing any chores...

Notice all the hearts? And can you tell I did the two virtually identical grey layouts with stars one after the other?

(The Staglands one is a template and almost all supplies from Designer Digitals.)

a few more layouts from cincinnati

Still about ten to go. Even though I am enjoying working on these, it'll be good to move on!

Oh and mom, now that I know you are all computer savvy and reading, maybe this will jog your memory...

i may not get the look

but whenever I make reference to a mother while reading a book, Quincy turns to me, pats me, says "mama", and gives me a hug.

Plus I get Eskimo kisses from pirates.

I sure am lucky too.

And as proven by the crow's feet, birthdays come even when we don't want them to.

Last year on my birthday, my mom made me waffles for breakfast and we had La Rosa's pizza for dinner. Yum.

This year it's been a mellow day so far. Listening to the election results on NPR, scrapbooking, taking a long, windy walk by the beach, and stopping for ice cream on the way home. A couple phone calls from near (Upper Hutt) + far (Norway). A few emails from Cincinnati + one from Abu Dhabi. My parents insist it isn't really my birthday yet, so they always call when it is the fifth there, so I get to celebrate for two days.

I feel loved + lucky, despite approaching forty at a far-too-rapid pace.

And now Jeremy is home and it's time to open a package from my mom and a few other gifts and cards that I have been staring at all day with great discipline. We also have to stop by across the road at an election party. And then some takeaways. But first, today's layouts...

seven more

Seven more digi layouts to share from our recent trip to Cincinnati. Once again most everything comes from Designer Digitals.

Still quite a few left...

cincinnati layouts part 1

In order to actually get a vacation album finished, I am scrapping my recent trip to Cincinnati/Gulf Shores digitally. Over the course of 11 days in September, I created 22 layouts! And that was without neglecting Q or letting the housework slide (too much anyway.) Two still need journaling, but the rest are finished. I have a bunch more in my head that I want to do and I'm going to get back into it tonight.

I will share half of the layouts here. If you want to see the others, go to my Flickr photostream. Clicking on one of the images will take you there.

(Most everything comes from Designer Digitals, with a few of my own designs thrown in.)

(this next one is a scraplift)

Once I get the rest finished, I'll do another share.