She knows me too well...

Heather sent me a link to this picture and I ADORE it. It's my perfect dining room; mismatched, thrift/flea-ish, earthy, warm, old, lovely.

Find it here

That is all on a Tuesday afternoon.

Weekend Fun

Heather and I did one last photoshoot (well, possibly) before she moves away out West in a month and leaves me model-less, so we *tried* to go to Dollar Lake, which is about 30 mins outside of the city, but we ended up missing the entrance and driving back to Clam Harbour Beach, which is where we shot our "Spooky" photoshoot back in October. No matter though, I really like how these shots came out, being on the beach in the winter is something only a Canadian could appreicate, but really it was quite pretty (if a little cold!) And deserted, which really helped us feel comfortable. I managed to get some really good shots, and I learned some things about my new lens, which was the main point, I think I'll be ready for next weekend's wedding, I just hope the weather (and bride) coorperates!

Here are some of my fav shots of the day:

Soo pretty. You can see the rest of the shots in my Flickr . (Also, I updated the listing for the Naiomi cowl in our shop, in case anyone is interested, it makes an awesome photo prop) :)

I think that we may attempt one last shoot before she goes if we have time, one of both me and her, a "friends" shoot before she goes. We want to do something silly and fun and bright, does anyone have any cool ideas/links/pictures of something we can do?

Now, far less cheery and bright is my latest Art Journal page, which is really just an old school "high school" type collage with cut-out magazine letters, but it was something I needed to express and this was the easiest way to do it.

Doesn't need alot of explaning.

[Other]

-We got our loveseat today, finally, after stalling and procrastinating on it for 3 weeks, we now have it on order and will have it delivered sometime in February. Can't wait! Next up: Dining room table (and possibly a new TV...)

-Dan estimated how much he is getting back in taxes this year and we are dreaming of what we can do with it (it's not alot, but enough.) We are thinking maybe new TV (mentione above), perhaps a trip somewhere, or the responsible thing, which is to put it on debt and our house account. We shall see, it's fun to talk about now though.

-I'm only working 3 days this week, I'm so excited! I really need a break from that place. On Thursday Sara and Judah are coming for the day, which will be really fun, she hasn't seen my new place yet so it will be nice to have her here, and I get to play with a baby all day (and practise taking more pics, of course.) Then we are heading off to Sussex for a long weekend, which is always fun.

-Got our paperwork all cleaned out and updated today, which isn't interesting in the least to anyone but myself, but I love having things organized :)

Ciao a todos! Happy Sunday!

G.

Flickr Favs-Jan

Flickr Favs-Jan, originally uploaded by Genevieve_vev.

My Flickr Favs as of late...soooo many pictures of girls, I think it must be my favourite thing to photograph, that along with nature. Tomorrow Heather and I are going out to a lake near the city to take pictures, it's supposed to snow so it should make for some interesting pics. I'm hoping it's deserted, probably will be in this kind of weather! It'll be a good chance to test out my lens outdoors on a real person (and not Shimi), which is what I need to do to get ready for the wedding next Friday. Eek!

Off to watch Gonzo with Dan and Heather. Happy Friday night!

Flickr Favs-Jan #2

Flickr Favs-Jan #2, originally uploaded by Genevieve_vev.

Because I had 2 pages worth of Favs to update...sigh, so much goodness.

Wish me luck tomorrow!!

Point Form Life...

...because it's easier that way.

-Latest layout. For the Effer Dares #124, "inside jokes". This is a new inside joke for Dan and I (we actually don't have many), so the timing on this couldn't have been better! Not super thrilled with the layout, but it's there and documented, that's the important part.

-Latest pic of Shimi. With my new camera lens I've been shooting her non-stop, so I have an over-abundance of cute kitty shots. I need to stop though. Really. I will. Tomorrow. This weekend I'm making Heather go out with me for a photo shoot if the weather is nice, only 2 weeks left until I take pics at a wedding and I want to make sure to have the basic ins and outs of my camera down before then! Also, I need to soak up as much of my friend as I can before she moves across the country on Feb 26th! (Sniff sniff)

-We got some fun stuff in the mail this week! My friend Jelena from Italy sent me a lovely, super cute authentic Italian coffee maker, called a "Mokka". You put the coffee and the water in the little pot, put it on the stove and it heats up and makes a really good coffee apparently (I'm not a coffee lover by any means, but Dan enjoys it so he will get some use out of it at least.) If not it'll look super cute in the kitchen!

Also Dan got an issue of McLean's magazine last week and another this week. His brother and wife bought him a one year subscription for Christmas, which is really nice, he loves reading those types of things and was asking to subscribe to something a few months ago. Thanks guys!

-LOST IS TOMORROW NIGHT. I couldn't be any more excited. Oh my word, yes. They're baaaaack!!

-I got a call today to say that our building has been sold, but that the new owners are keeping it strictly as a rental and that "nothing will change". Somehow I doubt that (umm, hello, higher rent), but as long as we can stay and keep living the way we are living now, I'm happy.

-I found my Pilates ab video online, yea! I've been doing them for about 2.5 weeks now, 4-5 times a week, sometimes twice on the weekend, and even though I have a loooong way to go before I'm happy with my body again, I'm starting to feel it, and that's good :)

-The new prompt at The Art is Found looks fun this time, the challenge is to make a mobile of some sort. Not sure how I could work that, but we shall see. (Side note: I've noticed that almost all the scrap challenge blogs and old scrap blogs are moving away from scrapbooking, and into "crafts and art" in general. While I think this is cool, it's fresh and new, I'm kind of sad to see "traditional" scrapbooking go out the window, I feel like I'm not done with it yet, I'm still loving the paper and glue, so I'll probably be sticking with it for awhile longer anyway. Not to say I won't dabble in other things, but scrapping will remain my main hobby for now...until I learn to sew, hmmm....)

-I have this song stuck in my head like you wouldn't believe. Last Saturday night Dan, Heather and I spent 4 hours watching old music videos from the 90s/early 00s on Youtube (no kidding.) It was awesome though, we just took turns naming old songs we wanted to hear (I may have participated more than they did, but I remembered so many!) And now I can't stop humming "Do you eat, sleep, breathe anymore, do you sleep, do you count sheep anymore, do you sleep anymore?"

-Latest 365, little shots of colour with the winter gray, which I desperately need. The new lens isn't the best for my 365s, it's not meant as an "arm's length shot" or even a "timer shot" lens, so I'll probably be switching it back and forth with my old lens starting next week to get some better 365s, I only have about 70 days to go, oh my!

Well I guess that's all for now, just snippets of life, nothing exciting, but that's life sometimes! I'll probably be back on Thursday with some thoughts on LOST (if I can formulate any thoughts after being blown away, that is.)

Night!

Because everyone is doing it...

From Polaroid. So cool.

Dan got a raise today. We were going to go out to eat but it was too cold so we ordered Thai. 'Twas delicious. Now we are watching 30 Rock. Good Friday night :)

Scrappies this weekend! And a mini update, perhaps ;)

Night!

LOST. ONE WEEK. OMGOODNESS.

Can. not. wait.

(And, umm, let me add: yuuuummmm)

Bonne fête Mama! (a day too late)

This is coming a day late, I didn't have time to blog last night, but I wanted to wish my Mama a very happy birthday! Bonne fête Maman! Je t'apporte ton cadeau le 29 :)

I've also been meaning to post about my mom and her wonderful talent. If Ican say that I have any artistic/crafty talent at all, I'd have to say it's because of her. You see, it was my mom who got me into scrapbooking. She started scrapping probably around 2001-2002 or so, and I started shortly after. It was her who inspired me to start this wonderful hobby/art, and I'm now really happy that it's something that we can share and talk about. But it hasn't always been scrapbooking....she has been creative her whole life.

My mom's always been into crafts and hobbies; when she was a teenager she sewed all of her own clothes and when we were babies she made our clothes as well. She used to paint ceramics in the 80s, she cross-stiched, knitted and made blankets when we were kids (and still does); when I was a teenager she used to toll-paint, and then when I left home she switched over to photography and scrapbooking. I've been lucky enough to follow her on her creative path, and it's always been something that we've had in common.

The one thing about my mom when it comes to all her crafts is that she puts so much time and effort into everything she does, way more than I ever could have the patience for. It will take her a few weeks to make a page, but when it's done, you can see all the work that went into it. It's all about the details with her layouts; each button is sewed with thread, the letters are cut out perfectly, everything is just so. She likes to use stamps (something I again have no patience for), and she creates really beautiful things out of them. Her journaling is meaningful and well written. I feel like her layouts are timeless, something that my kids will look back on and love just as much as I do now (I can't say I feel that way about my own layouts, they are more just for me.) Hers and made to preserve and keep forever, she's leaving behind an art for me and generations after. Over the past couple of years she's been scrapping older pictures of herself and her familly, and I'm so happy that she is because through that I'm learning things that I did not know before about my mom, and I'm very happy about that.

You can see all of her scrapbook pages here on Two Peas, but I thought I'd post some of my favs as well.

Some tidbits about my mom's scrapping:

-She tries to use at least one stamp on every layout

-Her favourite line of papers/products is K&Co

-She hates being in front of the camera and much prefers to be behind it

-She probably does about 75% of her layouts in French

-She participates in many Two Peas Challenges

-She uses the same sewing machine she used to sew clothes with back in the 70s to sew layouts

-Her favourite (or easiest) subject to scrap about is our dog, Félix

-She has a room dedicated to scrapbooking

-She really wants a DSLR (she still shoots in film right now)

-She's way too humble about her layouts

So gorgeous. There are many more, you should really check out her gallery!

Merci Maman.

Happy Tuesday!

G.

Shop Update!

Heather and I have been working hard the last couple of weeks getting some new items ready for our shop, and we're super excited with what we created! (Well, she created, but I actually put something together this time as well, so I helped!)

Here are some of the pretties her little fingers have made:

We also took some new pictures of the Kate and Naiomi (which are on sale!) to give them a refreshed look (I also got to play with my new lens, and boy they were right when they said it's good for portraits!)

I also put together a little Valentine's/Love mini book kit, using some of my own Stash and mixing it with new items. It's called "You Are My Constant" (If you watch LOST you'll understand.) It's filled with all sorts of lovelies to create something for the love in your life. (More pictures and close ups in the shop.)

We actually have some other things we are currently working on as well, so expect another update soon! We also got a new banner, which gives the shop a more polished look. Yep, 2009 is starting out pretty well for la table carré:)

Happy and relaxing Saturday to you all!

G.

Last scrapbook related post, I promise...

I need to slooow it down! Or at least not post every single layout that I do, because it's getting ridiculous. Anyway, I wanted to post this one though because it's about something that I've been thinking about for awhile now, and that is taking chances.

Taking chances is not something that I do. Not at all, in fact. I don't like to gamble, bet, try new things or move out of my comfort zone, it makes me very uneasy. I like watching the same movies over and over, listening to the same songs over and over, doing the same things everyday and keeping things within my control, knowing what to expect. Taking chances on anything is very hard for me, but it's something that I want to change in my life.

The main reason for not wanting to take chances is the fear of failure. I can't say that I've failed at too much in my life; whatever I've done, I've been good at (or at least good enough in my own mind.) I did well in school and university...but that may be because I took classes I knew I would be good at and avoided what I thought I might fail at. I do well at my Job, I do well with my friendships, with my hobbies, with my marriage, with my surroundings...but they are all familiar to me, and they all don't involve much risk. I've never faced a major failure in my life (unless you count my infertility, but that's a whole other issue.) Anyway, point is, I haven't failed at anything that I consider major, so I don't know what it's like and I don't know how to get up from it. And that scares me, the older I get. I don't want to fail. I don't want to say "I wasn't able to do that" or "I wasn't good enough at that." I hate being bad at something, anything. So it keeps me from trying new things.

The other main reason for not taking risks is fear of judgment from others. This is something I've dealt with since I was a teenager, caring way too damn much what others thought. The older I've gotten the less bad it's been, I'm starting to realize that if others don't like me, there's not much I can do about it and I shouldn't worry too much about it. But I still worry what they would think if I did something new; in my mind if I step out of my norm and take a chance, I'm a free-target. And especially if I did something new and then failed at it. The disappointment from my family, from Dan, and, most of all, from myself, they all hold me back from doing things that my heart's desire is calling me to do. (Now, strangely, there are some aspects of my life where I fear the judgment of strangers-like the Internet community-more than my close friends and family, such as when I put my work, photos, etc out there for others to see, but in other aspects of my life, I fear the judgment and disappointment of those closest to me. This would include my job, my finances, my marriage, etc)

I can't say I was brought up in a "you can do anything you want and be anything you want to be" kind of world, my parents were very realistic about things and set a really good example of working hard, but at the same time, I was never limited in what my parents allowed me to do. So I really don't know where I got this attitude that if I wasn't working a 9-5 job, if I didn't have kids, or have a house, or do this or do that, that it wasn't considered "ok", I really don't know. For example, as a child, I wanted to be a writer and an artist, but all of sudden, probably at around 13 or so, those dreams stopped and I started expecting myself to do more "normal things". Why, I don't know. I've always said (with conviction) "Not everyone can be a rock star or ballerina or artist". Basically it means not everyone can pursue their "frivolous" dreams of non-cubicle life and jobs, there' just not enough room in the world for them all. It's been an argument of mine for alot of different things against people I considered "dreamers". Or people who have encouraged me when I expressed my dreams to them. And I've accepted-so far-that there wasn't room for me. But lately, I'm starting to think that this mind set is really holding me back and I'm not sure where it came from or why I think it's the God's-honest truth of my life. But it's what I face.

I have a friend who is the complete opposite of me (and this is what triggered my inner monologue). She is quitting her good, 9-5 job in 2 weeks, moving across the country alone in a couple of months and is starting fresh, and is going to try and make it on her own as a business owner. She's got a plan, but there's a lot of risk. Alot of unknowns. And as much as I fear for her (I want her to be ok and succeed), I also envy her boldness at risking it all and going for it. Now she says that she's not risking alot, but that's not how I see it. Our perspectives on this type of thing are completely different, but I wish I could start seeing it her way.

I wish I could believe in myself enough to take a risk. With my career, with my artistic aspirations (this one especially gets to me, more and more), with my dreams...but logic, fear and a lifetime of thinking "I can't" are stopping me.

Now, the unsympathetic and rash part of me is saying to myself "Quit your complaining, if you want to do something just make it happen, stop and talking and start acting." And I hate to hear myself talk like this, it's so whiny in a way, but I wanted to express my frustrations with myself for not taking more risks. But it does bother me, and I apologize if I sound whiny or ungrateful for what I have, because it's not meant to be that way at all.

Perhaps I should add that to my Resolutions for '09: Take more risks. Put yourself out there and don't worry about the judgment, the risk of failure and the unconventional-ness of it all. Perhaps that's what I shall do. In small steps.

"If you risk big, you stand to win big." -Halle Berry (not the best source of inspo, but it's true.)

Well that's enough revealing for now, it's time to get some sleep and go nurse a sick hubby. Thanks for peeking at my layout, and happy midweek to everyone!

A roll I tell ya, a roll...

Like I said, I've been scrapping like mad lately, and I made another one last night, using a pic of my friend Heather that I thought was quite cute (sorry for the wonky colours, I took the picture tonight with no natural light whatsoever...is it spring yet?!?)

Based on Sketch 113 from Pencillines again, I love their stuff right now! Also used up some scraps, SEI birthday paper (reverse side), K&Co Wild Saffron, BG Offbeat...the usual.

Up next: the One Little Word Challenge. Word is START. I can definitely work with that.

I went to get my camera lens tonight but the only store that has it in town was closed! Grr, so frustrating. They are open tomorrow night though so I am going to get it for sure, I can't wait! I'm thinking Heather and I will definitely be photo-shooting on Saturday if it's nice enough out...

It's so weird that the holidays are over. I guess I'm in what my friend called the "post Christmas slump." Nothing to look forward to for a long time it seems, I think I need to book myself a vacation in the spring so that I can look forward to that! Or learn to enjoy the winter, since we have about 4 months of it left :S

Night!

Oh PS- Jen posted these amazing posters the other day on her blog, I absolutely love them, so tempted to buy 2 and frame them in my living room...hmm, can I resist?

On a roll in '09 (so far...)

For some reason, I was on a scrappin' streak last week, I created three 12X12 layouts in 3 days! Now for me that's really unusual, but all the new goodies my mom gave me for Christmas inspired me I guess. The other nice part? I scrapped pics I've had lying around for awhile, which is always nice to get them scrapped so that I can go get some more printed!

The other thing that really helped me get these layouts started was the awesome Pencillines site and their sketches. Now, I used to use sketches and "scraplift" people all the time, to the point where I couldn't create a layout without them (addicted to them, if you will), so I decided to stop using them last year, and it worked out fine, but now I think I can use them occasionally for a little boost, and these were so fun to do!

Based on Sketch # 85

Based on Sketch # 74

Based on Sketch # 38

Used lots of BG Offbeat, the new Inkadinkadoo bird stamps, and K&Coi Wild Saffron, all presents from my mom (merci!) Sorry for the terrible pics, I'm really hoping to get my stitch program back so that I can scan my 12X12 pages because so far I haven't been able to figure out how to photograph them well (any tips would be great!)

On New Years's Day there was a crazy wicked blizzard, so Dan and I decided to hole up and have a pyjama day...well, pyjama for me, thermal underwear for him. We took a little family portrait:

Shimi isn't too interested, but oh well, that's our fam as it stands in '09.

I have the day off today, thank goodness, so I'm going to see if I can work on some stuff for our shop (we're working on a blog and getting a new look, and having a shop update, all within the next few weeks, so check back soon!) Heather's been knitting her little fingers off, and I'm hoping to make (or, well, put together) a few things for the shop as well, so it's all very exciting! We took a break over Christmas, but now we're back and ready to go!

Oooh, other excitement, I think that we are getting a new loveseat for our living room and I'm getting a new camera lens!! (my Christmas present to myself) I can't wait, it's the Canon 50mm f/1.4 USM. I'm so excited! I really need a nice portrait lens (going to be doing more shoots with Heather and doing a low-key wedding at the end of the month, I love portraits and landscapes, those are my favs...) and from what I hear, this one is amazing (for a prime lens anyway, that's my only trepidation, I'm used to having a zoom, but oh well, my other lens has zoom...) I was debating whether to just get the f/1.8 (which is about 1/3 of the price and a model down), but from what I've researched the extra money is worth it, I would either grow out of or break the f/1.8 while as with the f/1.4, I'll be happy with it for a long time. Sooooo, yes, happy happy me!

That's all for today. It's been a pretty good start to 09 so far, let's hope it keeps up!

Happy Monday everyone!
G.

Scrappin' in '08

Since it seems like evryone is reflecting on the past year now that '09 has started, I thought it would be fun to look back on what I created in '08. A trip down paper memory lane...

I would have to say that the biggest thing that happened to me creatively in 08 was: I stopped caring. Not in the bad way, just that in I finally stopped stressing about how my layouts came out, I stopped thinking they had be a certain way or look a certain way, I stopped trying to be so neat and perfect, I let go. And I'm really glad I did. I still have the bad habit of looking back and thinking 'oh that's crooked' or 'I didn't journal that properly', but overall I would have to say that I'm just going with the flow when it comes to scrapping. I still plan and obsess over the layouts a little bit, but I'm trying to take more risks with the materials I use (paint, ripping, whatever), the formats I try (mini, hand made books, etc) and what I choose to scrap (swearing, depression, infertility, all of it.) At the same time I'm just realizing that I should take a little more care in my layouts, put a little more detail work into them, but to me that's just a new direction I want to take things, it's not going back to how it used to be. I'm still totally in love with his hobby/art.

So, in '08 I...

Made "Goals for XX" pages:

Discovered my love of minis (I had never made any until '08, but I made about 6 or 7 this year):

Made 2 hand-bound books (both dedicated to Seasons, so fun!!):



Scrapped on catalogue pages (inspired by this lovely chick):

Got personal:

And got silly:

Reflected on the little things:

Scrapped old pictures that were waiting to be scrapped:

Discoverd so many awesome and talented scrappers/artists:

Mandi
Kara
Amber
KC
Jen
Christina
Dani
Debee
Lindsay
and so many more...

Played in lots of fun Challenges:

One Little Word
Mojo
Scrapjack
The Art is Found

Learned to use (and love):

Masking Tape
Dymo Labeller
Staples
Bright colours
Love, Elsie
Woodgrain Contact Paper
Thickers
Mini prints
Paint and Ink

Still used (and loved):

K&Co
Primas
Patterned Paper
4X6 photos

Am most thankful for:

The Internet (my main source of inspiration)
My Rebel
My Scrapspace and Inspo wire

Made this and won't forget it:

Happy, Creative Weekend to you all :)
G.