enJOY it

project life 2013 : week 19.

May 19, 2013

It's week nineteen and I love this project.

click the photo to enlarge for a somewhat clearer image.

Week of : May 6 – May 12.

What happened this week? I was home. Settling into being home until the baby comes. Maaaybe a little bit bored.

Anything special in the spread? Nada. Keeping it simple. Photos. Journaling. Clean, clean, clean. I know that there are two photos of my hand holding three (different) tomatoes. Sort of like bookends of the week.

Techniques this week : See above. Just photos and normal stuff. Love that the colors all cordinate a bit though.

Overall thoughts : I'm curious to see how I keep up with this project once the baby gets here. I know I'll keep weekly spreads, but I may transition to putting them all together once a month (and having photos printed out of the house). I still plan on writing journaling on cards and saving bits of paper to add to the layouts, but I just cannot imagine battling my printer for photos every week with the little one. We'll see how it goes.

Ratio of iPhone photos to "real camera" photos : 7 to 4.

Ratio of photos taken by Elise to photos taken by Paul : All Elise this week again.

Supplies used : Seafoam core kit, Kelly Purkey letter stickers & label sticker, Whitney Rae Paper Hooray stamp, Evalicious embellishments.

Tools used : Design A pocket pages, Fiskars corner rounder, Zig Millenium pen, Rotatrim paper trimmer, Office Depot date stamp, staz-on ink. All photos were printed at home on my HP Photosmart 2575 printer on Office Depot semi-gloss photo paper.

Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I use photos, text and stuff to document our life weekly. You can see all the posts from 2012 here and 2013 here. Do you have a question about how I am tackling this project (including anything about the photos)? Check here.
around here.

May 17, 2013

I’ll be sharing that Project Life spread in detail Sunday, but the cute HOORAY stamp is by Whitney Rae Paper.

This week was another round of “make a million lists and cross off a few things.” Haircut done, maternity photos taken, blog posts prepped, diapers pre-washed, orders shipped, errands ran, granola & pesto made, dining chairs assembled. For maybe the fifth time this year
I went through the entire house and found all the items I don’t
love and piled them up for the donation truck. I’d (much) rather have an
empty corner than a corner filled with crap I feel blah about.

I have my parents and brother coming into town this weekend for one last “MOVE & SET UP ALL THE THINGS” adventure before the baby comes. The plan is to get the house “done” so my nesting mind can focus on smaller tasks like washing blankets and packing and re-packing a hospital bag. This is likely the last time I’ll see my dad and brother before the tiny one arrives (my mom is going to come down in June and wait with me on pre-baby high alert until Paul gets home) and that is pretty surreal.

This last little bit feels like it’s going to go fast. That is a good thing, I suppose. After a relatively quiet week, I am looking forward to a productive weekend.

Friendly reminder that the stamp and book shops will be closing for my maternity leave on Wednesday, May 29th. Be sure to shop now if you’re interested in stocking up. AND… the online workshop I contributed to “The Phone Photography Project” is still available at the introductory price of $39. Read more and sign up here.
@ 36 weeks.

May 16, 2013

I'm at that point. That point where complete strangers are interested in the baby and want to know when I'm due. And if it's a boy or girl. And if she's my first. I don't mind the questions at all. I spent the last 10 (15? 20?) years being totally curious about pregnant women and little babies myself and so it's fun to temporarily be on the other end of the questions.

Quite often it comes up that Paul is deployed. I am never exactly sure how the conversation heads there, but inevitably it does. I always share that he's coming home for leave shortly after she's due. After that tidbit, these conversations wrap up with the kind stranger wishing us success in getting him home before she arrives. I leave the encounter smiling and offering up my own wishes, grateful for extra good thoughts and hopes that we'll become a family of three all together.

All the other stuff that supposed to come with being this far along in a pregnancy is so far (joyfully!) absent. I am not yet wishing away the time. (Probably thanks to the knowledge that getting her here early means more time before Paul meets her.) I am not yet too uncomfortable. I am thankfully still mobile enough to sit cross legged, handle random household chores and get on and off the ground. I am quite sure she hasn't "dropped" but happily breathing or lung-pressure is not an issue. I don't want to (yet) throw out all my clothes. And perhaps most importantly, I am sleeping well, waking up just once during the night. Not all of this pregnancy has been easy, but the end, so far, has been excellent.

And turns out I am fan of the GDM diet. Yep. Seriously. It's keeping me and baby girl healthy. It's easy now that it's become routine. I feel it's helping me eat well, stay full and keep us both growing appropriately. I am going to talk a bit more about what exactly I am eating in a future post, but I can say unlike a normal "diet" there is no "will-power" involved. This is about doing what's right for the baby, not about looking good or losing weight, and when you factor that in, it's a totally different ballgame. And one I am enjoying.

The craziest part is how all these tiny, seemingly un-noticeable changes over 280 days add up to one monumental change. I cannot believe what my body has undergone so far. I cannot imagine how much it has yet to grow, stretch and open up. It's a miracle already and yet, I keep remembering that the final part, the biggest miracle, is in front of us. I recently watched a beautiful birth video, and when the brand new baby arrived, I took it all in. The most remarkable part to me was her little face. Those features! Those expressions! Suddenly, out of nowhere, I remembered there is a person that's going to be born. Not just the collection of arms and legs that constantly dance across my belly, but a tiny human with a tiny face.

Safe to say, as I realized that, I feel in love with her, with Paul and with this adventure all over again.
i want to remember : mornings.

May 15, 2013

The past few days, I have made a point to take photos from the time when I wake up until when I sit at my computer to start working. This is usually about a 45 minute time period.

I wake up without an alarm, usually between 6:10 and 7:15. I am loving the early rise because it means I am tired at 10pm.

Our sheets are white. Last fall, I had a big moment where I just knew once we were having a baby we'd need white sheets. I couldn't imagine anything but white sheets. At the time, I didn't know I was pregnant already. A few weeks ago, I was hit by the urge again and bought some fairly inexpensive organic cotton ones at Target. They're soft and white. Just like I wanted.

I usually check Instagram from bed and encourage myself to wake up fully. I notice the pretty light in the bedroom. Paul's gotten more than a few emails with photo attachments of these windows and curtains.

The baby stirs as I get out of bed. She feels me make that big first move and it rolls her from whatever happy place she was currently occupying. My belly changes shape drastically in those first few minutes – from rectangle to trapezoid to triangle to oval. I say a silent prayer of thanksgiving for her and her movement. This will be repeated over and over and over again throughout the day.

I enjoy my cereal – still that nut granola – by the big windows and do more Internet & blog catch up. I've recently decreased again how many blogs I follow and I've noticed that many seem to be on a posting slow-down anyway. What used to take me hours now takes minutes. Ten maybe. I don't know if I feel glad or sad about this.

I make coffee in the Chemex. When Paul was home we made a full pot and drank it all. Now I make about a half pot, drink half and save the rest in the fridge for the next morning. Probably not the most proper way to enjoy fresh coffee, but it's habit and working for me.

I wander the outside for a few minutes to see what's new and how the veggies are doing. My tomatoes are thriving here and there is always tending to be done. My basil not so much. I don't know if I bought the wrong variety this year or if it's just been too hot?

Aside from the ceilings, the best part about this house is the backyard. I never dreamed about so much space. It's quite fun to note the passing of seasons in a new place. I don't know what will bloom or how long it will stay. This first spring and summer feels like slow moving play that I won a ticket to attend, but have heard nothing about.

It's quiet. Very quiet. I don't turn on the TV or any music. I don't say anything. I just realized that now; other than the chirps of birds, it's absolutely silent of noise until I'm at my computer and remember to turn Pandora on. Or until FaceTime rings and it's Paul for our morning chat. But he usually calls closer to 9am.

I am currently wearing the robe I got as a bridesmaid's gift and very little by way of PJs. My belly has made sleeptime attire super annoying and I wake up with my nightgowns in a tangled mess so I've forgone those in favor of comfy bras and underwear. Quite the improvement. I stay in my robe until it's time to change for whatever is on the agenda that morning. This week, so far, it was a Bar Method class and a trip to the post office.

My mornings are slow and savored. They are my absolute favorite time of day.
just for fun project : a mobile of sorts.

May 14, 2013

I saw this tutorial on Oh Happy Day last week and LOVED it. So simple! So cheap!

The projects I see that inspire me drop everything and make right away are always the best ones. Same goes for home goods. The stuff I see that I just have to buy right away – no deliberation – is always the stuff I love most. This is a good lesson because now I understand that when I take the time to deliberate or rationalize, it really means it's not a good fit.

My original plan was to hang this in the entry way. But I didn't buy enough supplies for a huge one and so the scale actually worked better over our bed. And now that it's up, I can confirm that the space above the headboard was missing something, but it wasn't a painted canvas. It was a super cheap mix of styrofoam balls and wooden dowels.

You could totally paint this for a different look, but I am sticking
with neutrals in the bedroom (and practically the whole house) at the
moment.

I hung it with fishing line and clear push-pins. These sculptures are incredibly light, and thanks to the hot glue, surprisingly sturdy. I know it will be awhile before baby girl can focus on it (not enough contrast) but in the meantime, Paul and I will have something to stare up at in the mornings…or in the middle of the night when we're up because baby girl has decided it's party time.
there it is again.

May 13, 2013

I've talked before about how my "one little words" for the past two years have stuck with me past the calendar end. "Brave," my 2013 word, will no doubt be the same. "Magic" & "Choose" have become almost mantras and feel like old friends. While they usually exist in the background, sometimes I'll read something or see something and they return, waving a banner, to the front.

This weekend was a quiet one. I spent a lot of time reading Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke. It was recommended to me by my midwife and I am really enjoying it. I wish I had heard about it sooner, but at the same time, am thrilled to have found something new to read this late in the game. My focus, for this book at least, is clear and I think the immediacy of what's ahead is helping me take it in more fully.

This passage, among many others, jumped out at me :

"Through a phenomenon known as nueroplasticity, when you use awareness to interrupt unhelpful mental patterns you are actually creating new neural pathways in your brain. As the saying goes, "Neurons that fire together wire together." If your neurons are frequently firing together in unhelpful repetitive patterns, such as being angry or frustrated, you get really good at anger and frustration. However, you can actually create new and more positive neural pathways by choosing to pay attention to something else. As you practice you come to feel different – steadier, more resilient, and less reactive to life's inevitable ups and downs – because you are different. You have used your mind to change your brain." – Mindful Birthing

Super LOVE. Love that the italics on "choosing" was done by the author. Love that there is actual scientific evidence (cited in the book) to backup what I slowly came to realize in 2012. We make a million choices every day. We choose how we react to every event be it big or small, painful or exciting. Repeatedly choosing light can make a real difference.

I'm a month away from meeting my baby, no matter how she enters this world. Mother's Day marked the one month countdown.

I'm feeling relaxed and inspired.

p.s. unrelated, but awesome, Paul turned me on to the Explosions in the Sky Pandora station and it's a crazy winner.
project life 2013 : week 18.

May 12, 2013

It's week eighteen and I love this project.

click the photos above to enlarge for a somewhat clearer image.

Week of : April 29 – May 5.

What happened this week? I was home and then flew to Scottsdale for the weekend to celebrate my girlfriend's wedding.

Anything special in the spread? Yes! I included an insert with the 21 photos I took for day in the life. I kept things really simple and just printed my photos out in 2×2 squares and tucked them into a coin protector pocket page.

For the journaling, I included cardstock squares that I printed with the times the photos were taken. I spent WAY too much time figuring out how I wanted to do the journaling. At first it was all typed but I couldn't get the layout to feel right and it was becoming much more complicated than I wanted it to.

So I went digital with just the times and added the rest of my journaling by hand and am happy with the super simple look. I plan on repeating exactly this documentation method when I do day in the life again in 2013.

Techniques this week : I printed an iPhoto contact sheet for the 2×2 Instagram photos. It's the easiest way to get them the perfect size and not have to do any editing (since they are already in the square shape). This video from a few years ago talks about how I do this. To make them fit in the coin pockets, I print 3 photos across.

Overall thoughts : Last week I said I was loving the project so much more this year than last and I got a few questions about why I think that is. I am 99% sure it's because I am working from a kit this year and I feel like my spreads feel more cohesive. The project is feeling more finished to me. This doesn't mean I think you need a core kit to have "good" Project Life layouts. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT. It just means that I am loving the result in my own albums and feel like I am putting more effort in but not taking more time to do so, if that makes sense. I also know that giving myself an extra week to complete my layouts is helping as well. More time = less pressure = quality work (again, for me).

Ratio of iPhone photos to "real camera" photos : 27 to 3.

Ratio of photos taken by Elise to photos taken by Paul : All Elise.

Supplies used : Seafoam core kit, Kelly Purkey letter stickers, Evalicious flair badge, Studio Calico Project Life kit (wood circle card), Paislee Press Happy card (recolored by me to yellow) & calendar card.

Tools used : Design A pocket pages, coin protector pocket page, Fiskars corner rounder, Zig Millenium pen, Rotatrim paper trimmer, Office Depot date stamp, staz-on ink. All photos were printed at home on my HP Photosmart 2575 printer on Office Depot semi-gloss photo paper.

Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I use photos, text and stuff to document our life weekly. You can see all the posts from 2012 here and 2013 here. Do you have a question about how I am tackling this project (including anything about the photos)? Check here.
around here.

May 10, 2013

robe was a bridesmaid's gift & that calendar is rifle paper co.

It feels like the final countdown around here.

All of my traveling and adventures are over which means there is little to do other than wait for the little one, nest, write blog posts, host family and friends for long weekends, make progress on another online workshop, ship out orders, make to-do lists, go for walks, eat the same seven or eight meals over and over, go to Bar Method, share photos on instagram, watch the garden, visit my midwife, wash tiny clothes and handmade blankets, wander Target & Home Goods, calm my brain enough to read this book and water the lawn.

I'll be honest, it's sort of my dream life.

But it's not all good times. This week my pipes backed up and caused quite a mess (thankfully outside where the pipe overflow valve is) and a bird crashed into my big windows and died in the backyard. Nothing like paying a plumber $208 and getting completely creeped out while tossing a bird into the trashcan to remind you that homeownership is not the same as playing house. It's tough being alone right now, but at least everything is manageable and I am so grateful that soon Paul will be home to at least go halvsies on the more disgusting tasks. (Hurry up, P. Also, you owe me.)

In happier news, this week was also the week the Phone Photography Project launched! Hooray! So excited about this class. I had a conference call Tuesday about another exciting online workshop and I am going to race the calendar to get all my content turned in for that one before the baby comes. I'm excited for something new to focus on and thrilled about another teaching opportunity.

Counting down. Will not be long now.

Have a great weekend (and happy early Mother's Day!)

Friendly reminder : the stamp and book shop will be closing on Wednesday, May 29th for my maternity leave. That is 19 days away. If you're interested, shop now!
a tale of two canvases.

May 9, 2013

I was seven when my family moved from Minnesota to California. Our new house was a single story and the ceilings were high which meant there were very big walls. To fill them, my dad decided we'd need some "Big Art." His solution was to create thin wooden rectangle frames and staple gun fabric around them. They were huge (maybe 7×11 feet?) and patterned and colorful. I remember them vividly and I remember him talking about "Big Art" just as often.

In this house, I am working with the same thing – a single story home with some very blank, very good sized walls. In the future, maybe we'll be able to afford Real Big Art by a Real Artist, but in the meantime, on our budget, I'm taking a page from my parents and adding lots of DIY art to help make the house a home.

Which brings me to my two canvases. I picked up two 3×3 feet squares at a craft store during a half off sale (with an extra 20% off coupon). Canvases are expensive – especially the thick ones – and so I always wait for a good coupon or sale.

I let them sit for a day or two. Then tackled them, one at a time.

I knew I wanted abstracts and was encouraged by my success with this painting from early April. I also knew I wanted them to be totally different. One was going to be color. One was going to be black and white. One was going to be "blended." One was going to be shapes. They were for sure going to hang side by side on the wall behind the couch.

Just like my first abstract, I used acrylic paints and just sort of dove in. The pink and teal is SO different from what I expected it to be and the black and white is almost exactly what I had in my mind at the beginning. Super odd how that works out.

I let them sit against the wall for the weekend and after I got back from traveling on Monday I gave them a good look to be sure I was still a fan. Monday it was hard to tell. But Tuesday, after I recovered from my traveling haze, I decided I loved them and hammered two nails into the wall to get them displayed.

I've walked by them and tilted my head a good 20 times since and I really love the "BOOM" they are bringing into our house. The color one is connecting with the color over the fireplace and in my pinwheel painting that hangs on the TV wall. The black and white connects with all the black and white I have filling this house. They are not fancy. They're not famous. And they're certainly not going to win any art shows. But they are totally me, totally inexpensive and totally "Big Art."

We're one step closer to filling this home. My nesting obsessed brain is so thrilled.

p.s. the workshop I contributed to with Big Picture went live at midnight! Read more in the post below and sign up here.
the phone photography project.

May 9, 2013
I was honored to contribute to a new Big Picture workshop about taking photos with (and getting them off!) your camera phone. This workshop is filled with fun instructors and big ideas and it's currently available at the introductory price of $39. You can read more about it and sign up here.

Above is a peek at the Instagram photo wall I created for the class. It's the current backdrop in my office and pretty rad to work next to everyday. In addition to inspiration for projects like this you'll also enjoy:
- daily smartphone photography challenges
- dozens
  of tips and tricks from the pros for taking better photos
  with your mobile-phone camera
- a
  handbook of 60+ photography app reviews for iPhone and
  Android, so you know which are worth your time and money
- interaction with 32 experienced iPhoneographers and Androidographers,
  and hundreds of fellow students in a private classroom
  and on Instagram
- giveaways,
  contests, discounts, bonus downloads, and fun fun fun!
Pretty sweet! Again, more details and sign up available here.