PL2020 - Week 23 | Sahlin Studio

I'm posting this on the last day of June. Tomorrow is July 1st, Canada Day. 

This year, there will be no firework celebrations. 

We all feel like we've been home for months. And we have.

We're in Stage 2 of the re-launch, but I have not ventured out very far. 

2020 will be known by our family as the year of the great 'stay at home'. 

Now that school is officially finished, I have full use of the computer again. I'm not fighting to get my computer time in. For me, it seems a little bit more normal. 

Here is week 23 of my project life album. 

The Waxwings have been gathering, in large groups as they do. Though they're not a nice bird to listen to, they are lovely to look at. 

Home ownership needs to come with more warnings about house maintenance things. [We have a number of neighbours who do NOTHING] Their lack of care/pride in ownership astounds me. 

Recent pictures of the kids.

Meeting the walking girls for a socially distant coffee in the park.

The plague mask comes out on occasion...

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

summer memories kit - https://the-lilypad.com/store/SS-Summer-Stories-Kit.html

summer memories j. cards - https://the-lilypad.com/store/SS-Summer-Stories-Journal-Cards.html

June Template | Sahin Designs

June templates are now available to download from Sahin Designs. 

I love these monthly templates. I just have to pick out a couple of pictures, and then I can get right to  storytelling. There's nothing I have to figure out. Well, aside from what digital collection to use. 

For this layout, I chose these photos of my Mum's recent Birthday. It was the first time in months, that  we've all been together and shared a meal together. It's been a long time coming. It was just a day that felt so normal. I'm pretty sure that's what we could all use right now, a dose of normal. 

We're taking it day by day right now. But this was certainly a moral boosting step in the right direction. 

The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

https://sahindesigns.com/products/indexed-papers/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/indexed-elements/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/indexed-cards/

PL2020 - Month of May | Sahlin Studio

In May, I followed along with Ali Edwards A Week in the Life, and though my album is not totally complete [waiting for a rainy day so I can put the time aside to finish it off] I felt like I had a ton of pictures for the month, and sometimes when there are so many to choose from, I find it hard to incorporate them into my project life album. It ends up feeling a bit redundant to me. 

So, I decided to switch things up a bit, and created a two page spread to encompass the entire month. 

Here they are:

• At the beginning of May, we started to see a hint of green on Nose Hill.
• Game night, we've had so many since the middle of March.
• Madelyn's latest acquisition.
• Miss Libby turned 6.
• Captured a glimpse of a great horned owl.
• Coffee with friends Coronavirus style.
• Love to see the crocuses in bloom. 

• A before and after, we spent a lot of time working in our back yard.
• Barry and Libby caught mid-nap. 
• Reality check: trip to the dentist during a pandemic.
• New signage, just about everywhere you go. 
• Watching the George Floyd movement, world-wide. 
• Madelyn catching her first garter snake. The smile says it all. 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Elements:  https://the-lilypad.com/store/Worth-A-Thousand-Words-Elements.html

J. Cards:  https://the-lilypad.com/store/Worth-A-Thousand-Words-Journal-Cards.html

All About Me Collection | Sahin Designs

All About Me is the latest collection just released from Sahin Designs. 

The thing I like the most about this collection, is that it reminds me to capture stories about myself along side of the stories I try to capture of everyone else. 

As usual, this collection will be on sale through the weekend. This is your chance to pick any part of this collection up for 20% off through Sunday night [June 21st]. If you happen to be a newsletter subscriber, watch your inbox for the chance to download the bundle for 50% off. 

As a story teller, I mostly focus on those around me. I need to remember, that one day, I might like to go back and remember the occasional story about myself. Like how I now need reading glasses for just about everything. 

It's sad but true. On the bright side, there are some super cute styles out there. So it hasn't been all bad.

A collection like this is perfect to reflect on one's own self for a change. Something I don't do an awful lot of. 

The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

All About Me -Elements: https://sahindesigns.com/products/all-about-me-elements/

All About Me - Journal Cards: https://sahindesigns.com/products/all-about-me-cards/

All About Me - Papers: https://sahindesigns.com/products/all-about-me-papers/

PL2020 - Week 18 | Sahlin Studio

There is so much going on in our world. 

So, so much. 

It's hard to wrap my mind around it. 

2020 has sucked balls. 

The Coronavirus started things off. It's been a test in patience, that's for sure. I realize my little family has been in a fortunate situation. We live in a safe place with a roof over our heads. We've not gone hungry, in fact, just the opposite, we've been eating great. [I'm actually feeling a bit burnt out with the meal planning and making] The people at the liquor store likely know our first names... But I'd be lying if I said being quarantined at home has been easy. 

We've watched week after week, as numbers rose, and situations seemed to become more dire. We've watched helplessly as the death toll climbs higher and higher. 

We've seen injustice at the hands of the police, in the United States. George Floyd. The man and the name that has started the great movement which is now world-wide. I can't even begin to imagine what his family is going through. It's not okay. Things need to change. Worldwide. 

We've watched peaceful protests. We've watched riots. We've definitely seen both the best and the worst in people. 

We need to be kind to one another. If we all lived by the rule, 'treat others as you want to be treated' imagine the place our world could be. 

This past Saturday night, Calgary was hammered by a thunder storm. We are counting our blessings today, that we got by without any damage. The news last night said that Saturdays storm caused more damage than the great flood of 2013. We got a ton of heavy, heavy rain, but luckily, the tennis ball sized hail dodged us. Other parts of the city weren't so lucky. 

I certainly hope, that on top of everything else, this won't be a summer of crazy wild weather. I don't know if we can take it. 

Here's pre-storm week 18:

• Though there has been a lot of time spent in front of computers, doing homework and school, there has also been a fair amount of lounging. 
• First time I  was out, in literally weeks. Face masks were mandatory. 
• Cutest little dog face ever. 
• Making paper flowers, we made over 70 of these, I honestly thought the paper cuts on my fingers would never heal... 😂
• Little Miss turned 15. We surprised her with a birthday parade. 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Drift Away - Kit: https://the-lilypad.com/store/drift-away-kit.html

Drift away - J. Cards: https://the-lilypad.com/store/drift-away-journal-cards.html

 

PL2020 - Week 16 | Sahlin Studio

I'm sharing week 16 of my Project Life album.

We have spent a lot of time together. We have utilized all our space in the house. 

We're using our front living room, more than ever. To just hang out, listen to music, chat with one another. Lately, to enjoy the evening sun that streams in. 

Here is week 16:

• Like I mentioned, we are collectively chatting with one another, more than we ever have before. I hope this will always be the case. 
• Patient Miss Libby. She doesn't mind when her stuffies are piled all around her. 
• Madelyn & Barry came home with slurpees... It was glorious.
• Barry and the kids set up a race track in the basement.
• We had pub night one night, playing darts and foosball. Lots of laughs. 
• Our first 'social distance' outing at M&D's. We enjoyed a drink outside on the back deck, all spaced appropriately apart. 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Like a Boss Kit - https://the-lilypad.com/store/like-a-boss-kit.html

Like a Boss J. Cards - https://the-lilypad.com/store/like-a-boss-kit.html

Family Day Collection | Sahin Designs

For Sahin Designs June Creative Gallery I chose the Family Day collection, to capture another story that I want to remember, during this crazy time.

Things are cautiously, opening up here in southern Alberta. We are slowly and carefully venturing back into the world again. Our Coronavirus numbers are pretty low. It looks like things are heading in the right direction. [Fingers crossed] 

This comes on the heels of being home for the past three months. 

Twelve weeks. 

Eighty-six days.

After the initial fear of Covid-19, and all that it encompassed finally subsided. I have leaned heavily  into our time spent at home.  Just a few days ago, I came across the following quote on Instagram,  

Is that not the truth? 

This didn't just speak to me, it yelled at me. 

If there's one thing that 12 weeks at home has taught me, it's what is and what isn't important. 

The most important. The people you live with. 

Then food. Then toilet paper, yeast, flour...  I joke of course. Those things are now all readily available. We can finally laugh at the hoarding and nonsense that kicked this whole thing off.[However, now you can't find plants or lattice anywhere, in case you're wondering] A whole lot of back yards are on their way to being beautified. 

Once again, I'm grateful that I genuinely like the people I was stuck at home with.

One day, when things finally gather speed, and we're rushing head-first back to normal, I know I'll look back at this time of slow and intentional, with a smile on my face. 

During the pandemic we made the decision to 'take our evening meal' in our dining room. A space that for some reason, we only ever used for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 

My vote is to keep on eating dinner in there. Enjoying our time spent together at every meal. While we can, because I know these kids won't be living with us forever. 

 The following Sahin Designs products were used: 

https://sahindesigns.com/products/family-day-elements/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/family-day-cards/

https://sahindesigns.com/products/family-day-papers/

June Template Freebie | Sahlin Studio

Sahlin Studio has released this months template freebie.

Follow this link to download the template. Get it soon as it's only free through the month of June.

I was recently going through some of my scrapbook albums, and saw that I'm missing a few pages. To remedy the situation I'm filling in some random missing pages, so my album is complete.  

I never got around to documenting Halloween 2015. I'm not sure why it got forgotten, Halloween is one of my favourite things to document. This particular year, Madelyn was infatuated with bats and wanted a bat costume. It was very simple costume to create. A black long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of black pants. I sewed 'wings' under the arms. Added a little face paint and viola! She was thrilled.

Mason went as a stick man. We made the face from foam board, picked up white pants and top [easily found at Value Village] and used black duct tape to create the body. Another costume that was very effective and couldn't have been easier to make.  

Glad to fill in this missing page in my album! 

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

PM HalloweenKit: https://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Halloween-Kit.html

PM Halloween Enamel Pins:  https://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Halloween-Enamel-Pins.html

PL2020 - Week 17 | Sahlin Studio

I'm skipping ahead to week 17, because this project life spread uses the Sahlin Studio collection Highs and Lows. The collection also happens to be June's Featured Product from Sahlin Studio.

Through June, you can download any product from the Highs and Lows Collection Kit, Elements, Papers or Journal Cards for 40% the regular price. [If you purchase the kit, journal cards are free!]

With what's going on in the world right now, I think most everyone can relate. We've all had highs and lows in our life. I know I've felt this way more than ever recently, since the Pandemic began. Some days are good. Some not so much. Everyone deals with uncertainty a bit different.

Week 17:

• With the snow finally gone, backyard clean up begins. Madelyn is always a good helper. We're very appreciative of it. 
• Libby before and after. This is what 4 months in between a grooming appointment looks like.
• Speaking of Libby, she's always close to someone.
• Driving in the car, sunroof open. I felt 'normal' for a few minutes today.
• Having a fun time playing Pictionary on the whiteboard.

The following Sahlin Studio products were used: 

Highs and Lows - Kit: https://the-lilypad.com/store/highs-and-lows-kit.html

Highs and Lows - J. Cards: https://the-lilypad.com/store/Highs-and-Lows-Journal-Cards.html