And So I Don't Forget...

Around & About

Catching my attention recently:

This tour of Kara Rosenlund's home. I had the opportunity to meet her a couple months ago, teacher of the Vignette class I attended. She was lovely and after seeing photos of her house, I'm ready to move in any time.

Gossamer Blue are moving into manufacturing scrapbooking products and the newly announced collections by One Little Bird and Paislee Press look great.

I stumbled across this quote by poet Mary Oliver, previously saved into my phone, 'Instructions for living life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.'

Elsie from Beautiful Mess posted some hints and tips to take bright and sharp photos with your phone.

The Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine is free to read online and each issue includes an article by Ali Edwards.

This short video about a French supermarket's Inglorious Food campaign demonstrates that marketing can be used for good, as well as evil.

 

5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in August

1. Celebrating my little cutie niece's second birthday with a trip to the zoo.

2. Having my first wedding dress fitting. I ordered the dress so many months ago, I'm looking forward to falling back in love with it.

3. Spending the weekend with friends at their home in the country. I know we'll be well fed.

4. Receiving our wedding invitations. We've sent the file off for printing and I can't wait to see what they look like in paper.

5. Exploring Newcastle and the Hunter Valley for a weekend. BoyF is being sent on another training course by work - two weeks long this time - and I'll join him up there for a couple of days.

 

 

Simple Scrapper: Harvest

This layout is based on a sketch template from Simple Scrapper's August Membership collection and uses a mix of new products, from a Studio Calico's Project Life kit or two, and an old patterned paper and chipboard alphabet.    

Journaling reads: There's something magic about it; addictive. Battling weather, snails & pests, nuturing little seeds & seedlings, coazing them to produce. Food - healthy, edible, by my own hands. (Although, if I relied on my garden alone I'd starve.) I'm not a great gardener - forgetting to fertilise more often than not - my carrots are tiny, the beetrootrs failed to thrive. But every pea pod picked (my best crop) feels like a victory. I love it. I think Grandpa would be proud. 

I created the photo collage at a 6x4 size, then cut the photos apart to allow for a looser arrangement. The 'bloom & grow' Project Life card was the first product I selected, choosing colours from there. Originally I was planning on printing my journaling straight onto the background, but forgot that along the way and started sticking paper down. I could have still printed journaling using paper strips, but handwriting helps me just get it done rather than endlessly umming and ahhing over word choice. I think the bee rubons, from an older Dear Lizzy collection, are my favourite element on this page. They're just so cute!   

 

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Documentation Ahead

With a holiday planned (yay! - so very needed) I've been thinking how I want to document the trip. Time is somewhat scarce at the moment (ok, when isn't it? but 3 months til wedding as of tomorrow means I'm approaching a peak of scarcity) so I'm planning to make a photobook.

I've seen positive reviews about Artifact Uprising online, their interface seems fairly straightforward and the provided layouts are simple and beautifully designed, so I'll give them a try. In the one day with nothing planned between getting home from holiday and heading back to work, I'll dedicate a chunk of time to getting started. I need to set up a good process, make quick decision and not second guess myself for this plan to work.     

The other project I've been contemplating is December Daily. I'll still be on honeymoon through the first week in December (it's a hard life!) and completing a December Daily album isn't practical for me this year. But, after 4 years of documenting being a big part of my Christmas season, I'm not ready to abandon the idea all together. I plan to use an assortment of pocket-style page protectors that I'll add to my regular album, aiming to complete a pocket (at least) for each day. A day's entry might be as simple as 3x4 inch photo, dated, and perhaps a label sticker with a word or two. I might print big photos, make small layouts, decorate pockets with confetti, transparencys and favourite products. If I have the time and inclination to play and experiment that's wonderful, but the aim is for a project that is achieveable.

And completed within 6 months. ;)

Simple Scrapper: the magnolia tree

This layout was inspired by a Simple Scrapper story starter, with the design based on a Premium Membership sketch template from the archives.

I looked through my childhood photo albums at Mum and Dad's house to find the photos to use for this layout. This photo of me, with bright tie dye tshirt and hideous haircut, I decided to enlarge, lighten and print on vellum. It seems counterintuitive to enlarge a not great photo, but the vellum helps to minimise the flaws and add texture to the layout. I think the photo almost becomes a background element.   

Journaling reads: In Nanna and Poppa's Backyard. I can picture that tree with its long sloped branches and the clothing rack stored underneath, up against the fence. Even today, I can picture that magnolia tree. We climbed it, Jenna and I, so many times; payling in the branches as well as under them. I wonder if Mum and Kerrie did the same. When I see a magnolia in flower, it reminds me of Nanna and Poppa and playing in that tree in their backyard. Every time, it makes me smile.

 

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Style

I haven't been feeling very inspired recently. Too much to do, winter doldrums, needing change, too much stuff, arriving home in the dark, not enough time...I think I just haven't taken the time to challenge myself and play.

This photo though - a quick snap on my phone as I walked from the football on a Saturday afternoon. There is something about this photo that I love.

Wedding Planning: 100 Days to 'I Do'

At the Top of our To Do List:

• Decide on wording for our invitation RSVP cards
• Ensure our wedding rings are completed
• Write a comprehensive to do list, as I'm sure we're forgetting something that'll through wedding week into chaos 

Recently Accomplished:

• Finished the 9 boxes that will hold flowers on our reception tables. The photo above was taken pre-sanding (by me) and staining (by BoyF). Making these, with a new dovetail joint machine-thingy, was something that Mike was committed too, even though the quarter of a millimetre preciseness required drove him slightly loopy. Lots of scrap wood created in the process!
• Made reservations for our honeymoon hotels. As Mike points out, if our wedding is 100 days away, the honeymoon is only 102. Now that the reservations are (so very close to) complete and applying for a Brazilian visa is our last real honeymoon planning task still to be done, I'm starting to consider that number with anticipation.
• Sent our wedding invitations off to the printer.
• Purchased glassine bags to hold confetti. (When you procrastinate so much on a simple item, it deserves to be on the list. Amazon will not ship these to Australia, shipping costs that are three times the cost of the purchase...oih.)
• Booked an appointment for Mike to get a suit custom made. He wanted something that seemed special, and it's likely to get more wear than my wedding dress. When we first visited the store, the stylist asked Mike if he was planning on changing body shape between now and then. We had a chuckle at the one.  
• Received our cake topper. There is so many cute options available, but we're really pleased with the custom text we eventually decided on. 

Last night we met with the chef to discuss the menu. He was lovely, relaxed and passionate about food. and the dishes he described sound amazing. We tasted a few of the options - he uses seasonal produce so we couldn't try everything - and to my amazement miso tofu will actually be served at our wedding. Tofu isn't something I've ever really eaten before (although heading to Japan, that might change) but it was delicious. The menu isn't finalised yet - the chef is going to come up with another couple of entree possibilities for us to considered, as I just couldn't settle on beef and chicken mains. Although the dishes sounded delicious, it just felt too cliqued. With canapes, a three course meal and wedding cake on offer, no one should be going home hungry. 

We headed upstairs to see the balcony ceremony space too. It feels bigger than I remember, so I'm not so worried we'll be crazy squished. Actually, I think it will be amazing to walk in there and be surrounded by my favourite people in the world. That's something that I'm really looking forward to, and pretty guaranteed there will be some tears. (Anything less than sobbing mess and I'll be happy.) The dining hall doesn't have much extra space, we're fine for sitting but milling around and dancing will be tight, but I'm just crossing my fingers it'll just create a cozy, intimate atmosphere. Hopefully.  

I find myself quote and referencing my favourite wedding blog, A Practical Wedding, more and more. Wedding zen has to be my favourite term. I haven't really loved looking at wedding magazines and pretty wedding blogs, feeling like it's almost an obligation, that I'm worried I'll miss something amazing if I don't look. Although, I did just find an inspiration image for the reception tables on one of those pretty blogs, so am now no longer concerned the tables will look bare and yesterday bought 14 candlesticks for said tables. 

With 100 days until the wedding, I do feel reasonably calm. Maybe a touch too relaxed. I know the major items are under control, but there are still so many details to be organised and decided. I don't want to drive myself crazy in the last week trying to get everything done, or to abandon too many details because I've run out of time. 

The other week Mum and I found the decorative horseshoes that my Nanna, Mum's Mum, had carried at her wedding. I will carry one of them, along with a horseshoe Nanna made before she died, set aside especially for my wedding one day. There can be magic in the details.

Did you have a special detail at your wedding?

Peas in a Pod

From my garden. Love that. 

Week in the Life: Friday and Saturday

To document my Week in the Life project, which I recorded back in September, I decided to use pocket page protectors with a spread to each day. 

I've selected my photos and had most of them printed, adding the time to the photo in a little circle.  

Although I documented Monday to Sunday, I decided to start embellishing the Friday spread first. Despite knocking a cup of tea all over my scrapbooking table - there was cursing and paper flying as I worked to save photos from the spill, everything spread out over the rug for a day or two to dry off - the Friday and Saturday spreads are finished. 

Just a little embellishing - enamel dots, stars and wood veneer mostly - some Studio Calico Project Life cards and a title or two. 

 

Right Now

Travelling home from work on the train.

Playing Pet Rescue Saga. It's my addiction of the moment.

Anticipating my swish, whizz bang, fancy new computer that should be waiting for me at home. No more slow, overburdened laptop to deal with!

Dreading the hassle of transferring programs and files onto that swish, whizz bang, fancy new computer.

Needing to organise my tax records. The computer is intended to be a tax return present - a tradition of BoyF's, that I thoroughly appreciate, to reward yourself for good fiscal responsibility throughout the year - so I should actually DO my tax given I've already rewarded myself.

Inviting my friend and her cute little baby over for lunch next weekend.

Wondering what to have for dinner tonight.

Counting the days until BoyF and I disappear to Japan for a short, indulgent trip.

Realising that we are getting married in only a little more than 100 days.

Thinking about candlesticks on wedding tables and writing to do lists.

Sending off our wedding invitation to be printed.

Procrasting doing pretty much everything else wedding related. Lots of thinking, not so much doing.

Intending to finish blogging about BoyF's trip to Everest Base Camp.

Missing (and envying) my sister who tomorrow will celebrate her birthday in Poland. (At leadt that's where she was yesterday.) Happy Birthday lil' sis!

Working on my Week in the Life pages, slowly.

Longing for the arrival of spring. Today was the coldest day of the year so far.

Finding the receipt for my grandmother's wedding dress amid the boxes I sorted through at Mum and Dad's house. Mum bribed me with dinner and profiteroles, but their guest room (my old bedroom) is tidy while I've yet to find space for the boxes I was sent home with.