SMOOTHIES FOR BREAKFAST

One of my goal for January was to start drinking smothies for breakfast instead of the cakes, cookies, muffins... that i usually quickly grab before leaving in the morning. It's not the greatest season for smoothies if like me you are not a winter-fruits' fan, but thanks to my freezer, i made it work.

I tried a few different, recipes, some i didn't like at all. I tried one with clementines (is that how you say it in english too?), but the "skin" of the quarters never mixed properly. Not good. I did one with mango, pretty tasty but a bit too pulpy for my taste. I did one with peaches and honey, delicious! And my favorite recipe so far: raspberry, blueberry and some banana. Berry fruits are my favorite and make delicious smoothies!

Besides fruits, i added green leaves (mostly spinach) and yogurt to all of them, which made a perfect breakfast or energy snack (after sport for instance). The great thing about spinach is that it's really good for your body but you can't taste it at all!

I don't drink one everyday (i think diversity is important for you and your body), still go to Starbucks some mornings, but every time i have one, i feel so great! And full of energy. Which you know, was kinda the point ;)

Can't wait for Spring and fresh fruits!

THE FIRST DAY OF SNOW

Or the layout that i had to do twice.

Nov 26th 2012. Snow in Canada. THE moment i had been waiting for (let's be honest, i didn't go there for the beaches!). Obviously, i had to take a picture of my feet in the snow. And obviously it had to be one of the first photos i would scrapbook.  

First thing i did was create the layering of paper that would create the frame for the photos and the title. I had also picked a pink background (from Amy Tan Ready Set Go collection) and was planning on adding mist and gems. Which ended up being a total failure. I did not like that final layout. Part of me didn't care. It had taken me so long, i din't want to start all over again. And part of me knew i HAD to do something. 

So i took my frame and went looking for a new background. Found one. Decided some stitched arrows on the top would be lovely. Stitched a few. Then a few more. Obviously, it took forever. But i loved it. Added a few flowers and stars. And that was it. A layout i loved.

Who said scrapbooking was simple, eh?

LIFE CHANGES

Hi there!

Quick life update here. I'm back in France, and technically no longer a student, so things are... changing. I've started a new work (for Sony Pictures, in marketing) (yeah, that's kind of my thing) and slowly adjusting to this new rhythm. Hence the silence over here. I'm really glad that i chose to focus on ENERGY this month, because i can certainly feel the lack of it some days. I am seriously missing my canadian daily workouts and jogging and need to figure out a way to get back at it (gyms in Paris cost a small fortune :/). I'm gonna try a few yoga exercises every other day to start, and maybe run during the weekend. Hoping to soon be back on a more balanced lifestyle.

Scrapbooking now! Making a layout usually takes me HOURS (or lets say it, days) so except for the weekend, i won't do much during the week i guess... But i've been working on a few starting points that will save me lots of time this weekend (hopefully). And that means i get to have fun cutting papers during the week days too, which i love. I'm also taking Shimelle's Pretty Paper Party class right now, hoping the inspiration and class will boost me. Speaking of boost, i just received my very first PL kit from Studio Calico (plus lots of patterned papers, wood veneers and the most beautiful woodgrain thickers ever), and i can't wait to start playing with it!!! Yay to boxes full of scrappy supplies waiting for you after a day of work!

HELLO WASHINGTON

None of my photos from my semester in Canada have been developed yet, but when i saw Shimelle's first sketch of the year, i knew i had to  scrap! Lucky me, i have a printer at home. The sketch involved one very large photo (A4 size) so i thought i would use it for one of my "introductory" layout. Not sure if there's a better word for it, but i hope you know what i mean. I considered a picture from New York, another one from Toronto, then i saw this one. Washington DC. One of my fondest memory of this entire semester. So why not start with it?

I'm obviously still not over my glitter phase, so i covered some of Amy Tan's leaves in silver glitter. Definitely something to consider if: 

a) some of the leaves colors are not your style 

b) you love glitter

Then i used bits and pieces to embellish a little more: a lovely flair from A flair for buttons, washi tapes,  stickers from here and there and some twine which i'm starting to like a lot.

Photography wise, the big picture was first taken with my DSLR then edited on my iphone with Camera + (because i'm in love with that Clarity option!), while the smaller one were taken directly with Camera +.  I also used Snapster on those two to get the color effect. And finally i edited all of them with Radlab on my computer. Yes, i'm a tad perfectionist sometimes...

Have a lovely day,

HELLO 2013

First layout of the year, and most importantly, first layout in 4 months. I was pretty excited to get back at it. While still in Canada, i couldn't help but order some scrappy goodness like the beautiful 5th & frolic collection or Ready Set Go by Amy Tan (and a few more). Unpacking all of these when i got back to France felt a lot like christmas. And yesterday i got to play with all of it!

This layout is gonna be the opening page of my 2013 album, in which i will also be keeping my Project Life spreads. I mostly scrap my travels and so last year i didn't do a 2012 album, which i regret a lot. When i decided to tackle Project Life this year, along with the huge Canada album i'm starting to plan, i thought a 2013 layout album in addition would be too much. Then i figured i could just mix it with my PL album. I know that's not what most people do but the whole point of scrapbooking is to document your life, no matter the format. So for now i'm thinking weekly PL spreads + a layout highlighting my favorite moment of the week. We'll see how it goes!

What are your scrappy plans for 2013?

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

2013 CALENDAR FREEBIES

hello 2013 4x6 card. download it here

It's this time of the year again. The one where we plan, organize and schedule everything. I wanted a cute one page calendar for this year to keep next to me on my desk, and i thought it would be fun to do it myself. Once the basic calendar was done, 3x4 monthly cards also sounded like a cool idea, so i did that too. The next cool thing? Sharing them here :)

2013 Calendar. download it here

Monthly calendar. Download them here & here

You can all grab them for free here. Just select the files you want and click on the download button (no need to register or anything). It's my first shot at doing this so it probably isn't perfect, but i know i'll have fun using them, so you might too.

JANUARY 2013// GOALS

Hello 2013! So glad you're here. 2012 was fun, but i'm ready for you to be awesome!

Kicking of this first months with my Energy resolutions as part as my Happiness Project. After all this food and drinks and staying in bed all day (classic holidays schedules for me), it's time to move! I've picked some easy and not so easy goals for this month, we'll see how it goes. And so i don't feel like it's all about sport and exercise i've tried to make some of them a bit creative: i love music, and could not survive at the gym without my ipod, so make a playlist should be both fun and how so helpful. Smoothies! Love them, but always buy them. But i do have a mixer at home, so i'd like to give it a try. And i always like the food i make myself better (mmm homemade pizza!) so sounds like a good idea.

Good luck with your goals, and remember to keep it simple!