Serious Play

Music: Jill Barber

So, every night this week the sounds of Jill Barber can be heard coming from my craft room.

 

Like many, I first heard her on the radio singing Tell Me (from Mischievous Moon pictured above) and fell in love with her smooth, sultry voice. For a long time I had great intentions of looking her up, but never did. Then one day last week I saw the album at Chapters. Not wanting to let more time pass, I went directly home to access the iTunes store and buy her album.

 

Having fallen in love with her jazzy voice and unique music, I also downloaded her Chances album. Every night this week I have been listening to her catchy, mellow tunes as I play in my craft room. I am even able to sing along with some of her songs now...though not at all comparable.

Then, because I love the French language and speak it a bit myself, I downloaded her Chansons album as well. iTunes does such a good job of 'recommending' comparable music and really hooks you in when you can listen to a clip of the songs before purchasing...

So now, as I 'work' away at my scrapbooking in the evenings, I am enjoying the relaxing tunes of Jill Barber...

 

Who do you have playing in the evenings?

 

 

 

 

Her voice is so smooth and sultry.

Happy Everything

So, here we are in April already!

 

I have Spring Fever for sure and another week off from work,
so I am going to take a break this week from blogging to work on the many projects
that are tugging on my heart.

Blessings to you all!

 

Be back soon...

The Look of Spring

So, I want spring to arrive so badly.

 

I am enjoying these lovely daffodils that were a gift from the nice lady that I work with. She has left for a nice beach vacation and presented them to be for Easter before she left.

As I gaze at these yellow beauties, I am trying very hard not to notice that just beyond them it is snowing at my house once again. In my town, it is not uncommon for spring to be very late. Even though the official first day of spring is only a few days away, there is no guarantee that the snow will stop falling.

I am busy working on several projects while trying not to notice the snow, hoping that being productive will chase away the flakes. My Project Life for March is in a state of flux. I am playing catch up with my 30 Days of Lists project. Having recently purchased gold Color Shine by Heidi Swapp at Michaels, there is an assortment of paper items that have been re-faced and spread all over my work table. I am constantly thinking about and working through my One Little Word and have not even started the March assignment yet. And I am working on a little mini album that I will be filling over Spring Break (next week for me).

What projects are you engaged in as you watch the transition to spring...?


 

Silhouette Cameo Gift

So, I bought myself a birthday present.

 

I never do this.

But, I have been drooling over a new little machine that is going to bring a whole new level to my scrapbooking. It is something that I have had my eye on for more than a year. I am surprised with myself that I have held out this long.

So when my birthday was nearing I just decided to do it. And it helped that Studio Calico had a "bundle" that they made too good to resist.

 

Yep.

The coolest cutting machine out there. I did my research. This one does so many amazing things...watch out crafting world! I already feel craftier just having it sit in my craft room.

Sadly, after arriving last week, it still sits in the box. Haven't had time to figure it all out yet. We have a little vacation planned for next week but when I get back it is the first thing on my priority list. That's kinda sad, isn't it? 

And of course I signed up for the online class to go with it...

Afterall, it was my birthday!

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Moments

So, I really have enjoyed eating outdoors this summer.

 

It has been a different kind of summer for our family this year due to the fact that our girls got summer jobs for the first time. This meant no 'family vacation' where the four of us all went away together for two weeks. Instead it meant making more smaller moments count.

Like sitting on our patio in the backyard nibbling on bagette and brie topped with Grandma's homemade rhubarb relish. Just home from a day at work, the girls join us outside while Sean barbecues. We chat about their day. We chat about their plans for the long weekend coming up. We chat about starting back to school.

 

And we laugh...about anything and everything.

And we enjoy being together.

And we hold on to summer in those moments wishing it would never end.

 

And I tuck away this memory of eating outdoors in the summertime with our girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Window Seat

So, we now have a comfy cushion for the window seat in our bay window.

 

Way back when we did our renovations, Sean had this grand idea to put a window seat in our new bay window. I, however, had visions of extended floor space and two cozy chairs nestled in the bay window.

He won out.

We had a custom-built window seat installed and nicely stained dark brown, exactly like our kitchen cabinets. But it stayed like that forever. Not so inviting...

Two years later we finally had a cushion made to fit on the window seat. It is a grey/mauve coloured velour and it is perfect. You know how you make a decision from a little swatch of fabric and then cross your fingers and hold your breath until you see it finished? That was me for a couple of weeks. 

So the whole bay window / window seat turned out to be a great idea. Glad I listened to my hubby and glad he got his way.

Now I have a place to sit, or lay, and watch the continuous rain that we are currently having.

 

 

 

Summer Manifesto

So, I am thinking of the approaching summer.

 

Inspired by Ali Edwards and others, I have written down a few ideas about how I would like to spend my summer. I know that I will want to add more to this list as the days go by, but here is my starting point.

I am excited for the purposefullness that writing these thoughts will bring to my days. Being a teacher, I feel fortunate that I am blessed with the summer off from work. However, at the beginning of each summer I feel like I have so much time to accomplish so much and by the end of the summer I look back and think, what did I do? where did it all go? what do I have to show for it?

This summer, I want to focus more on being than doing. Even though my manifesto contains 'to do' items, my goal is to really be present in those moments and to think about who I am and how I am developing myself rather than the end result of painting my kitchen wall.

My One Little Word this year is OPEN. As much as possible, I want to also incorporate my OLW with this Summer Manifesto in as many ways as possible.

 

This summer already feels different now that I have a Summer Manifesto...

Sneak Peek :: Half Marathon Mini

So, I am working on a new mini album.

 

Not quite ready to share it as I have a few more things to add, but it will be ready soon.

Also, being on Spring Break right now, I can't predict how much blogging I will get in this week.

 

Please be patient.

I'll be back...

 

 

 

Spring Break

So, we are on Spring Break this week.

 

I have had my two nephews for the week while my sister is on a Mediterranean cruise! I want to be with her in Europe, but I am also glad to be able to help her out by looking after her boys.

Our week was full. We built a city with cardboard, played hoops in the basement as well as mini hockey, drew treasure maps, did various crafts, read books... I forget what it is like to have to be 'on' all day since my girls are now teenagers.

The picture above is when we went on a scavenger hunt along the Glenmore reservoir. I had a list of things to see, hear, smell, touch and we checked off each item as we discovered it. The boys each had their own little scavenger hunt journals and they kept track by drawing the items that they found.

Along the route, we came upon a playground and the boys played hard for nearly and hour. Funny how they gravitate to the puddles and sticks. I forgot that too. Although girls are very different from boys, as I was clearly reminded this week.

The boys went to Gramma's house today. As I wash the fingerprints off my walls and pick up scraps of cardboard from under the kitchen table, I smile. Even if for a short time, I was able to share life with them and pour my love on them.

...and of course was filled up in return.  8-)

 

 

 

 

Consumed

So, I have been consumed lately with my girls' upcoming high school play.

 

I volunteered to take over the construction and decoration of Cinderella's carriage.

So, I've been painting...

And doing papier mache...

 

And hot glueing tulle and bows...

And repeatedly going out to purchase numerous crafting supplies...

 

I am so proud of my girls who are right there leading and directing!

And it is all worth it when I catch a rehearsal scene which gives me goosebumps...

The play is next week. Everyone is so excited.

 

Having said all that, I have not been in my own craft room working on my own projects. This means that the Starbucks mini album that I shared a Sneak Peak of, is not blog-ready. And I probably will not get to it this week. My apologies.