PL2016 - Week 7 and March Template Freebie

When I first started this particular format of memory keeping, I remember being drawn towards the Becky Higgins kits. The idea being, you purchase a kit, to use throughout the year, and all the product ties in  and coordinates together. Colour combinations, elements, papers etc.

So it was a surprise to me to find, that one of my favourite things about being a part of the Sahlin Studio creative team, is constantly getting new product to use. At first I was nervous, thinking my book wouldn't be cohesive. Nothing would flow. That the pages wouldn't go together.

Well, I was right. They don't go together. Themes don't follow each other throughout the pages.

But I couldn't love it more.

I love when new product comes out and I end up loving it more than the previous product that I loved. [Does that make sense?] I also enjoy creating with product that has a  certain 'theme' but purposely not using it for the theme it's intended for. Such was the case with this page below. I'm using Project Mouse Classic Collection, and obviously have absolutely nothing Disney within my pages. It's still totally usable, and I love the primary colours.

Here is week 7:
 

This was the week of Teacher's Convention, and poor miss mad came down with a cold. I got a call from the school and you had to be picked up both Tuesday and Wednesday. She ended up being sick on the couch for 4 days with a fever. She was determined not to miss school. She'd worked hard on her science fair project and wanted to be there. We broke a temperature record this week! Awesome-possum! Mace stacked firewood. Sunning ourselves outside. Loving this weather.

Also, for the month of March only, get this template freebie from Sahlin Studio by following the link.

 

Following Sahlin Studio product was used:

Week 7:

 

Project Mouse Classic – Elements: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Classic-Elements.html

Project Mouse Classic – Papers: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Classics-Papers.html

Project Mouse Classic – Journal Cards: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Classic-Cards.html

Project Mouse Classic – Word Bits: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Project-Mouse-Classic-Word-Bits.html

March Template Freebie:

Country Road - Bundle - http://the-lilypad.com/store/country-road-BUNDLE.html

PL2016 - Week 6

Wow! Today is the first March! March is shaping up to be a pretty busy month. Hockey and ringette are both into city play offs. Mad's ringette team just made it to provincials, so we get to travel out of town, yet again for that. Spring break happens this month, and we also have a student from France coming to stay with us! It's going to fly by, for sure.

Here is Week 6 of my project life album.  

This week we finally got to Star Wars... Mason saw it on opening day, but for the four of us to get to it together, was not an easy task. We saw it, and we liked it! Can't believe it will be another trilogy. Start Wars just lives on and on...  Made individual cookies in ramekin dishes for dessert. They were awesome, especially warm with a scoop of ice cream. Mmmmm... This particular week is very Mason heavy. He's a tough kid to get photos of anymore. The fact that I happen to have him in so many is an anomaly for sure. I did have to chuckle that on our lunch date, he slid in beside me and actually said: "Let's get this picture taken." A couple of photos of a boy and his dog. Everyone is crazy about her.

The following Sahlin Studio Product was used: 

Worth a Thousand Words - Elements
Worth a Thousand Words - Journal cards
Monthly Calendar Cards
Photo Tabs Weeks

PL2016 - Week 5

Some weeks I definitely seem to have more stories than others. This week, I found myself kind of struggling to 'fill space'. I don't know why that happens every so often. In this case, I was able to include one of Madelyn's artwork pieces. Right now, she's totally into hedgehogs. Everything has hedgehogs drawn onto it for some reason. This fad could be over by tomorrow. Usually it ends as quickly as it begun. I love to include the kids art work when I get the chance.

Week 5:

This week included a hedgehog wedding. Getting pulled over by the cops... [I didn't document that with photos too much, tried not to draw attention to the fact that I was taking a photo of flashing lights in my rear view mirror] Miss Madelyn doing some badge testing at Guides. Weather is crazy awesome at the end of January, the girl came out without a jacket on. Mace with a 2 minute body contact penalty. Renewing our passports. A scout day in Kananaskis.

The scouts had a Klondike Challenge day in Kananaskis. They went out and met several other troops and had to go through and complete a bunch of winter challenges. They had a great day. What I love most about this, is I used a 4x6 journal card, and created pictures in the boxes. I love how it turned out. Such a fun photo to add of random pictures Barry took that day. This card with the pictures on it, to me conveys the fun they had.

The following Sahlin Studio product was used:

Like a Boss - Kit
Like a Boss - Journal Cards

PL2016 - Week 4

We're halfway through February! Wowza...

We've been enjoying an unseasonably warm winter, which is good and bad.

I've taken down on my 'snow is welcome here' paraphernalia... Because now it's not. Welcome any more, that is. Hopefully the snow will stay away. [I'm not naive enough to think we've seen the last of the snow. It's the middle of February for heaven's sake] But I am optimistic.

We just had a mini holiday. Teachers convention and family day. Sadly my girl was under the weather for most of those days. I guess you could say it was 'lucky' because she didn't miss any school.

Any way, here is my layout for week 4:

 

A selfie of me and my little side kick. A quick mug shot of my coffee cup. Mason at an ortho check up. Madelyn having a little lie down in the cart at Costco, so unlike her. A shot of the highway between Drumheller and Hussar, Alberta, where we were having a hockey tourney. Random photos at the tourney. 

I used product from Sahlin Studio, that is totally geared to loving your body and having positive self image. I had absolutely no pictures to represent those things, so I used the product in my project life spread. I love that it's so versatile and can be used for lots of different occasions.

Sahlin Studio Product Used:

Love Your Body – Elements: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Love-Your-Body-Elements.html

Love your Body – Journal Cards: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Love-Your-Body-Journal-Cards.html

Love Your Body – papers: http://the-lilypad.com/store/Love-Your-Body-Papers.html

PL2016 - Week 3

This was a busy week. Esso Minor Hockey Week [EMHW] started last weekend and continued on this week. Then, the Esso Golden Ring started on the Friday.

Ringette differs from hockey, in that tournaments start Friday morning. You read right, Friday morning. Madelyn played her first game Friday morning at 7:00 am. Her 2nd game of the day was 4:30 pm. On the bright side, she didn't miss any school.

Last year the boys ended up winning Esso Minor Hockey, which was super exciting and really, kind of unexpected. This year the boys were out after 3 games. This meant that everyone was available to come to all of Madelyn's games. All 6 of them...

This week I went and had a visit with Gigi. Mason hanging out with his dog. Madelyn got her first penalty ever! 2 minutes for slashing. Woot-Woot! Mum and I went to see Shaping Sound at the Jubilee. Even got to see cutie pie Ricky Ubeda up close. He was the winner from season 11's So You Think You Can Dance. The show was excellent. And finally, after 6 ringette games, and two 7:00 am games, our girls came away with a silver medal. They went to the gold medal game! The final score was 5-4 and those girls put their whole hearts into that game. They could have very easily come out with gold medals for sure. Such an awesome experience.

The following Sahlin Studio Product was used:

Pause Kit - https://the-lilypad.com/store/pause-kit.html

Pause Journal Cards:  https://the-lilypad.com/store/pause-journal-cards.html

December Daily - 2015

**Warning - This is a very photo heavy post.

Consider yourself warned.

I finally finished my December Daily album.

This year it felt painful.

I wasn't prepared ahead of time like I have been in the past. Next year, I need to re-read this post.

BE PREPARED... Get things ready. Have foundation pages created. Buy a proper book.

I'm finally comfortable in my own scrapbooking skin. Which means, I'm okay with MY stuff. There will always be people out there, in blogland and pintetest. [ESPECIALLY on pinterest] People who's work I admire, and gravitate towards. I've finally stopped caring that my albums don't look like somebody else's.

Having said that, I completely 'winged it' this year. Which, from experience, I do NOT recommend.

I used an old 6x6 album I had lying around. I thought getting page protectors for it would be easy. WRONG. Turns out, no one seems to be selling 6x6 sized page protectors any more. Major bummer. I have always enjoyed using lots of different sized page protectors. Next year I will most likely buy a December Daily Album. Who am I kidding, next year I will most likely buy Ali Edwards December Daily Album. Love that girl.

I bought myself a FUSE tool, from We Are Memory Keepers. Since I couldn't find 6x6 page protectors to buy, I had to get a little bit creative. I waited until I was able to purchase it with a 50% off coupon at Michael's. [Merry Christmas to me] I used it quite a bit, but I'm not totally sold. I like it, but I don't know if I love it...

That being said, it allowed me to buy standard page protectors [I got mine from Staples] and cut them down and create my own page protectors.

So, with a huge sigh of relief, here's my 2015 December Daily book.

 

 

 

There are some pages I love. There are some pages I don't love. But I'm finished. It's put away for another year. Next year, when re-reading this post [because my intention is to PREPARE IN ADVANCE for my December Daily album] I will also be reminded, to TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES. Even if I don't feel like it. Because I'm totally bummed out with the lack of photos I have. [Even though I said it was okay... And it is...] I'm still wishing I'd had a few more pictures to choose from.

I used the following Sahlin Studio product for this album:


Project Mouse Christmas [dec '13 release]
Making Spirits Bright [nov '14 release]
Joy - MPM Add on's [dec 14 release]
Mad for Plaid [nov '15 release]
Number stamps [nov '15 release]

Other product used:

Sara Gleason - MPM Add on - Arboretum Joy [dec '14 release]
Sara Gleason - MPM Add on - Joy Word Art [dec '14 release]
Stolen Moment Designs - MPM Add on - Joyful Papers [dec '14 release]
Stolen Moment Designs - MPM Add on - Joyful Elements [dec '14 release]

I also used papers and elements that I had in my stash. 

Project Life 2016 - Weeks 1 & 2!

Back at it again! Another year of project life has begun.

I finalized my 2015 album, and it just feels so darn good to be done.

I have yet to create my title page for this year. I'm wanting to get some current family shots, which is proving to be difficult. On the bright side, literally, the days are becoming noticeably longer, so that should make taking photos in natural light a little bit better.

Here is a look at Weeks 1 & 2:

Week One: 

After Christmas, on December 27th to be exact, Madelyn's ringette team was in a 3 day tournament in DeWinton, AB. We played 5 games in 3 days. It was pretty awesome, because we won every single game. On the 30th we headed out to the mountains for a ski get away. We skied for 3 days and also celebrated New Years. We had a really good time. The kids are at a great age. I was most appreciative of this watching families with little kids. Little kids that have no manners.  Little kids who have parents that have never uttered the word no... Eeks.



Week Two:



Mason started back to school on Monday, but Madelyn had an extra day off. [To which she was elated] Her and I went to see The Good Dinosaur. A good family movie. A token photo of the 'boy' doing what he does. This is a sight that takes some getting used to I have to admit. Miss Mad, earned the player of the game hat again. So proud. Love it. We also got together for our annual Christmas Table dinner with a group of people I used to work with. So many laughs with this crazy crew.

Following Sahlin Studio Product Used:

Week One:




Monthly Calendar Cards
Photo Tabs weeks
Shine Bright Elements 
 

Week Two:

TotesAdorbs – journal cards

TotesAdorbs Kit sample

PL2015 - Weeks 47 through 52

Something happened in these last few weeks of last year.

I kind of got disinterested in picture taking.

It was that way over the Christmas holidays too. And while I knew it was happening, and I knew I would be disappointed with myself, for having hardly any pictures, I didn't care.

I decided that this Christmas, I was going to be present.

I wasn't going to go running for my camera all the time. I wasn't going to say, 'wait, hold that up again.' 'That picture didn't work, let me get another.' etc. All those kinds of things you say, when you're the picture taker. When you're trying to get just the right photo.

Taking pictures is awesome. But you tend to miss a lot too. You might not think you do, but when you're busy with a camera up to your eyes, trying to 'catch the moment' you sometimes miss the other moments.

I wonder if the kids even noticed... I don't think they did. Nothing was said about it any way.

And I am terribly disappointed with the lack of photos taken from the middle of November through December. By the end of November, I had no memory left on my iphone 4S, so I hardly took a picture with my phone. My big camera has started giving me an error message, which I thought would be rectified by purchasing a new SD card. Sadly, I still got the error message. I've done done some investigating on line, and the prognosis doesn't sound promising.

Thankfully, I've got the itch again. I don't care for 'gaps'. So that spurs me on to be more diligent with taking photos.  Mason has grown tiresome of the never ending picture taking, but thankfully Madelyn is still game. So, I will keep  taking photos...

I've attempted to clean my camera, according to what it said on the internet, and hope for the best. Wish me luck! 

Here are the last few weeks of my 2015 Project Life book:

Weeks 47 & 48:

 Because of my lack of photos, I chose to combine a couple of weeks.  This week there was a dance assembly at Madelyn's school. We went to Lacombe, AB for a ringette tourney. I went on a Instameet to Bridgeland, celebrated my brothers birthday, and included a text from Mason.

Weeks 49 & 50:

These couple of weeks included several different snippets. Decorating the tree, a visit to Santa. Sisters at a hockey game with matching headbands. The water leak in our family room. What living with a teenager looks like. A collage of Madelyn's Girl Guide camp we went on in December.

Week 51:

The girl in bed, with all her favourite stuffies. Libby watching wood delivery take place. 1st game of a hockey tourney. Coffee with friends. It snowed! Which means we'll likely have a white Christmas. And of course the opening of Star Wars [that Mason got to go to on opening day] and our ringette Christmas party.

Week 52:

This is the week I'm most disappointed about, as far as lack of photos. I just wasn't in to it. Of course, now I'm kicking myself... I will keep that information tucked away for next year. So if I'm ever feeling that way again, I'll remind myself how disappointed I was to not put the effort in.

Having said that, we had a nice Christmas. Madelyn woke up sick on Xmas Eve day, with a cough that reminded me of croup. Her and I didn't participate in the family skate that usually happens. Mason got sick a couple of days later, and had a hard time shaking the cough. He was at his worst on the 27th, which also happened to be the day we began a ringette tournament.

It's awesome to be done another year of project life. Now, to catch up on my December Daily stuff...

Following Sahlin Studio Product Used: 

Weeks 47 & 48:

Reflection Elements
Reflection Journal Cards
Reflection Paper

Weeks 49 & 50:

Mad for Plaid - Elements
Mad for Plaid - Journal cards


Week 51:

Mad for Plaid - Elements
Mad for Plaid - Journal cards
4x6 Photo Templates Vol. 1

Week 52:

Making Spirits Bright - Bundle

PL2015 - Weeks 42, 43, 44, 45 & 46

I'm almost caught up and finished my project life album for 2015.

It feels so good to be done.

I wonder on occasion, if I should continue doing this, then I look back at past albums and realize, yes of course I should. I will.

What seems trivial and mundane, every day, is a memory I can go back to each time I pick up a past book. Photos accompanied with a little bit of documenting, I've discovered that I can go RIGHT BACK, to a particular moment.  One thing creating these albums has done, it's made me realize just how quickly time goes by. The days, the years... It's a whirlwind, for sure.

When Mason was a baby, before digital cameras, I estimate I took a roll of film every month, maybe a roll ever two months. I have 2 or 3 photo albums of baby Mason. When Madelyn came along, I got my first digital camera... Rather than 24 photos a month, or 2 months, I took hundreds of pictures... Well, the poor girl has never made it to photo albums. Don't get me wrong. I have scrapbooks, and baby pages, milestones recorded. What I don't have is the candid photos of her those first few years. Well, I have them... Just not in albums.

I love photos. I love photography. I love memories. This documenting a year at a time thing is totally my jam. I'm still loving the format of one page per week, rather than a two page spread. I plan to continue on with this style of memory keeping.

I plan to look back and be grateful for all the every day stuff that I've captured. Stuff that you forget about. That seems mundane at the time.

Here are weeks 42 through 46 for your viewing pleasure:

Week 42:



This week we were still enjoying our awesome fall. I Sahlin Studio Mad for Plaid line. It's designed to be a Christmas kit. I'm looking forward to using it for Christmas too! Libby tolerates being picked up, but doesn't love it. Peace Bridge lit up at night. Early morning practice and breakfast. 

Week 43:


I love the long shadows of me and Libby going for a walk after the kids are off to school. The results of our Federal Election. My girl doing her safety buddy thing at school. Lunch with some mom friends. A fantastic glimpse of our chinook arch. Sisters at their brothers hockey games.

Week 44:

 
The week leading up to and including Halloween.

Week 45:


A Girl Guide outing to see R. L. Stine's Goosebumps movie. Back-to-back ringette games. Coffee and hockey [the two go hand-in-hand] Barry and Libby. He has yet to admit it, but he LOVES this little dog..

Week 46:


Remembrance Day assembly at Mad's school.  Christmas decorations up, already... Siblings on the couch. A veteran food drive with Guides. Ringette practice. Terror attack in Paris.

Following Sahlin Studio Product Used:

Week 42
Mad for Plaid - Elements
Mad for Plaid - Journal Cards
Mad for Plaid - Paper


Week 43
P.S. I Love You - Elements
P.S. I Love You - Paper
Acrylic Arrows

Week 44
Project Mouse - Halloween Elements
Project Mouse - Halloween Journal Cards
Templates - 4x6 Vol. 1


Week 45
 Celebrate - Papers
Celebrate - Elements
Celebrate - Journal Cards

Week 46
Worth a Thousand Words - Elements
Worth a Thousand Words - Journal Cards

PL2015 - Weeks 38, 39, 40 & 41

Here are a few more weeks of my project life album.

Week 38

By week 38 we were back into the swing of things, with school, ringette, hockey. I started up on my Thursday morning walks again. This was the week Beakerhead was in town, and we walked through St. Patrick's Island and got to see some of the cool things set up around east village. Johnny Jump Up, blooming in the garden. Well actually, outside of the garden box... All on it's own. Madelyn is still in ringette evaluations.


Week 39 

Enjoying the colours of fall this week. We've been SO lucky. I honestly cant remember a fall that's been this nice. We also made it to Lake Louise and Emerald Lake this week. Both amazing, with the larch trees changing.

Week 40 

Week 40 I got to go on a Grade 5 field trip to Weaslehead. The day could not have been more perfect. It was one of the best field trips I've been on in awhile. Madelyn helped me make dinner, home made chicken pieces. Little Miss went on her first ever horse camping weekend with Uncle Don. She had a fantastic time, though couldn't sit cross legged for a few days at the beginning of the week. 

Week 41

Week 41 was full of excitement. Mum, Libby and I checked out Pearce Estate Park in preparation for taking photos. The back window of my car got smashed while I volunteered in the school. We saw the most amazing sky as we came out of a ringette game in Cochrane. And we celebrated Thanksgiving at Pat's house.

Sahlin Studio Product Used:

Week 38 

Gather - Digital Stamps
Gather - Journal Cards

Week 39

Chesterfield - Kit
Currently Journal Cards
Paper Piercing Stitch Holes

Week 40

Project Mouse No.2 - Bundle 

Week 41

Pause - Kit
Pause Journal Cards
Paper Piercing Stitch Holes