Keep Your Eyes Open

Last year in a moment of "I don't want to miss out on that..." I signed up for an online scrapbooking class with one of my favorite scrapbookers Heidi Swapp at Big Picture Classes.  I knew signing up I wouldn't be able to actually keep up with the class, but I was excited to have some new inspiration and something that I would work on as I had time.

This is the third project in the class (and yes...I actually completed the first two and am working away on starting another).  I brought everything I needed to the cabin this past summer and worked away on it one night, but it literally took me 4 months to decide on a song to finish this cute album of my boys. 

I knew the message I wanted this album to have, I just really hadn't found the exact words to express what I was feeling until one night when I was watching t.v. and this song came on.  It fit perfectly and expressed what I was hoping to say.  Here is a link to the song if you have never heard it before. 

I always think about my children and the type of mother I want to be to them.  One of the things that I feel so strongly about is encouraging them to do and be whatever they dream.  I want them to know that they can and will do incredible things in their life.  I don't want fear to hold them back, but I want them to have faith in the unknown and strive to achieve great things.  I am not someone that takes a lot of chances.  Change scares me and I will often stay in a comfortable situation out of fear.  I don't want that for these amazing boys.  I want more for them.  It was a feeling I had the moment I held each of them for the first time.  As I looked at their sweet little faces and studied each perfect detail...I knew that I wanted to be their biggest cheerleader...to always tell them that they can do it.

I love this quote by Steve Jobs

"People who are crazy

enough to think they can

change the world, are the

ones who do"

I want these cute boys to believe in themselves and know that I'm believing in them too...because one day they will change the world.  It may be small changes, but it may just be something miraculous!

 As I sat at the table back in my creative element that night...cutting paper and looking at these priceless pictures I was filled with gratitude.  Honestly it was for so many different things, but mostly for having moments like this to create and capture these deep feelings I have for this family I was blessed with and love so very much.  It may just be cutting paper and gluing pictures on...maybe adding an embellishment or two, but it's also a time where I can reflect on my most personal feelings about these messages I want my loved ones to know and remember.

And yes, I haven't been doing as much as I used to and would like...but I knew that this class was something I didn't want to miss out on....

K :)

The World According To Me

Even before Ryker started school the amount of artwork...coloring...crafty things was adding up!...And I just didn't know what to do with it all.  I bought these storage boxes from Ikea so that at least I had somewhere to keep it all, but once school started Ryker was bringing home paintings by the armful and the box quickly started overflowing.  

All year I collected and collected...not being able to through any of it away...hehe!  I was using paintings as wrapping paper, Ryker created his own little art gallery behind the door in his room (which has spread down the wall), we have taped pictures to the fridge and even other areas...but there was just too much of it and I knew that before anything went in the garbage I wanted to do something special with it.  

Finally I found my answer!!!

I have always LOVED paislee press...and Liz's style (her work is gorgeous!), so when she shared this book that she made I knew that's what I was going to do.

I chose to take pictures of all his artwork (I included church and school), combined it with pictures of his creations I had taken throughout the year and added pictures from the disk of pictures his class gave us at the end of the year of different activities from school to compile his art book.

I then threw away the pile of artwork I had saved all year...YES...that's right I threw it away (okay...I kept a couple of favourite pieces that I really love, but it's probably under 10 items!) and it felt so good to get that all cleaned up and organized.  There is NO WAY that we needed 14 of those big boxes (one for each year of his school from preschool all the way up to grade 12) and then times that by 2 since I have 2 children....  Where would I even put something like that???  This way I can still remember all these perfect little creations without the mess!

It took many hours (2 hours just to take all the pictures!!!), but 100 pages later and we now have this collection of Ryker's artwork!  

It is a true keepsake.  I can't even begin to describe how much I love it!  I have always had a special love for children's art...I love they way they see the world around them and how they express that through art.  There are no rules to children's art and their imagination is unique.  They aren't afraid to make mistakes or add colors that aren't technically correct.  I just love it!

The book is created through Shutterfly so it's easy to just upload your pictures (I did not edit my pictures to make them all pretty...I just cropped them after uploading to make them fit the space I put them in (adjusted the size that way...make sense??).  I needed to keep it as quick and simple as I could and then I added any information to different pages.  I tried to keep that simple as well.  A lot of the artwork from school was written on with information that Ryker had given them while he was creating the piece, so there wasn't always a need for a big write up or explanation.  I also tried to choose layouts that would hold a lot of pictures...I tried to cut down the number of pages in the book to keep the cost down.  You can always find sales, but even with a sale the book still cost me quite a bit. 

On the last page I included a picture of Ryker on his last day of school with a write up about him.

Done!

I thought I had taken a picture of the back cover...it's sooooo cute!!  There's a picture of Ryker wearing one of his many headbands he created.  I guess I forgot that one.  Oops!

K :)

that's what he said

When I saw this idea on pinterest I just knew it was something I had to do.  I'm always writing down the funny things my kids say...because I never want to forget anything ;)  BUT I needed somewhere better than my calendar or scrap paper to keep these cute little comments.  

This was seriously a quick 15 minute project....  All the templates are here to download so it was literally print, cut, punch...done.

And now these little notebooks sit in my kitchen where I can easily grab them and write down little things about my boys.  It's amazing how you think you'll never forget something and then days later you already can't remember it.  Not anymore.

k :)

When the kids went to bed....

Packing for holidays is never fun.  I don't know about you, but it always seems I spend the week before running around like crazy making sure I don't forget anything...which always happens.  After seeing some super cute travel mini albums (here, here, and here) I got it in my head that I was going to make one.  With only about 20 minutes to round things up I put together a little kit (which means grabbing whatever I can think of I might want to use).  

I made sure to pick up this camera before we left to make it super simple to complete this mini album.  It was so much fun taking pictures and the boys loved watching the picture appear!  I would keep my little stack of pictures in the pocket of my camera bag and once the kids went to sleep I was free to scrap...of course while we watched the first season of modern family!!  Love that show!

Now to see some of the layouts...

I actually didn't even bother to make a cover for the album.  I just kept stacking my layouts on top of each other...it seems to work.

I tried to keep the album about favorite memories and moments...and little details and thoughts about the trip.

This really is one of my very favorite holidays...and so I love that I created this while I was there in the moment.  I hardly pulled out my dslr camera the whole trip, but I'm okay with that.  I am happy to have caught a few fun clips using my new instax camera...and that they're all kept right in this album.

One of our family traditions is to go to the go-karts when we're there.  I don't think there has ever been a year that we haven't stopped (even in the rain!).

*sigh*...how quickly it feels like I was never there at all...

K :)

love is carrying me through....

I know I know...Valentine's day is over, but the way life has been going the past couple of weeks I just needed to do a quick post about a lot of love.   

Shortly before Valentine's day I decided that I needed to make a cute little album for Cody.  Who am I kidding though...it's really just something for me :).  I was inspired by Maggie Holmes and her Valentine's Mini Album Inspire Guide.  She always has great ideas and following the guide gave me the boost of inspiration I needed.  

All the photos are from our photo shoot with Maggie back in November!  

And with the inspire guide you get a template to print on a transparency.  Well since I didn't have any transparencies I printed it right on some patterned paper and love how it turned out!

I almost made two more...one for each of my boys, but I ran out of time before Valentine's.  I will though use this guide again for another occasion...or just because.  I like putting together mini albums from supplies I already have!

And....

Between sick kids and being sick myself...unbelievable actions from little children and this weather I am going crazy.  Yesterday was not a good day.  I seriously broke down too many times.  Once in awhile life just gets out of control and I just couldn't deal.  While talking to my sister in law this morning I started to smell something weird.  As I came downstairs I knew that I wasn't going to find something that would make me very happy and sure enough I found this....

well...really I found two little boys kneeling on the desk coloring away on my computer!  Yup!!  And this was taken after I had wiped away some of the marks on the screen.  I held it together and told them both to get up to their rooms...I just couldn't deal with them in the moment and knew I had to keep control.  I made a quick call to my parents and my dad was here within minutes!  He is amazing.  He managed to get all the felt off the actual screen, but all the marks on the computer won't come off. We have tried everything.  Trust me.  I used a magic eraser...nail polish remover...wd40...all kinds of other sprays and the only thing that worked on the screen was zep...that stuff you can buy at Home Depot.  My dad left me with a bottle because you know I'll be needing it again...haha!!  I love my dad!!

The day just seemed to continue on with problem after problem.  And I was done.  Cody came home and took over for me.  I needed the break!!!  I didn't even feel like going anywhere, so instead I cleaned in my scrapbook room.  Just being in there helped take my mind off everything.  Sooo therapeutic!  I love my hubby!!  He took the kids out and brought home dinner so I wouldn't have to worry about it...he's great that way :)

And my cute little kiddies...even when they do things that make me crazy I just can't help but love them so much!!  Ryker kept kissing me last night and asking for hugs.  How can you be mad at your kids when they are so sweet.  If I listed all the crazy things these boys have done this week you would wonder how I am still alive, but I saw a quote this week that my friend had posted that said something like "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."  It really stuck with me.  I always want my kids to know how much I completely love them.

I love all these guys in my life!!

K :)