100 HAPPY DAYS: HALFWAY THROUGH

Remember when i told you about the #100HappyDays challenge? Well it's already been more than 50 days and i'm still loving it. For those of you who never heard of it, it's super simple. It's basically about one thing and one thing only: do you think you can be happy for 100 happy days in a row? Most people would think, boy i don't have time for that. And i would reply: take it. It's not always easy. Some days are so busy by the time you finish that last batch of clothes it's 11pm and all you want is go to sleep. Some other days are a bit sad, or maybe you're sick with the flu. Well that's when it gets fun. During the second week, i got sick with some kind of food poisoning. I wasn't happy. Except, do you know the best medicine for that is also one of my favorite drinks (yes, i'm talking Coca Cola). So here you go, one reason to be happy after all. Easy right? So what are you waiting for? 

Be happy, and tell the world!

A few things that made be happy those last 50 days: a good magazine, going out with dear friends, making art with my two hands, my nephew, gratitude and pretty photos, knitting, an inspiring book, movie tickets, my favorite dish, pink flowers, candles, white wine, spring cleaning, shopping, going for a walk, my cat, iced coffee at Starbucks, running again, yoga nights, a yellow top.

I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose happiness

DOCUMENTING A TRIP WITH PROJECT LIFE

Last Summer, i left for London for a quick holiday. When i came back,with my camera full of photos and my head full of stories, i wasn't to sure how to document it all. Had it been a 2/3 weeks trip, i might have made a mini album. For a very big trip (like the 4 months i spent in Canada), it would have been a full 12x12 album. In this case, i decided to include those 4 awesome days spent in London directly to my Project Life album, treating it almost like a regular spread. A spread with just a bit more photos let's say. 

Curious about my process? It's super simple. Here's how to document a trip, PL style, in just 5 steps and a few hours:

1// Print all your favorite photos in a bunch of different sizes: 4x6, 4x3, 6x12... Put them in your page protectors. I myself arranged them by day, then hour, then just because one looks pretty next to that other one ;)

2// Grab your box probably full of hundreds of different Project Life cards, and start putting one in every empty pocket. Most of mine were from past Studio Calico PL kits, plus some from the Midnight edition and finally some from die cuts sheets. I like to mix and match, but of course you could stick to a collection or a color combo if that's more your style. Just remember to alternate between pretty cards just here to decorate and journaling cards so you can move on to...

3// Grab your favorite pen and write everything about your trip. Why did you take it? How did you get there? What did you do? Visited? Loved? Loved not so much? Everything you want to remember, you write! I use various techniques to help me tell the stories, like fill in the blank cards, top 5, quotes... 

4// Embellish! Letter stickers, enamel dots, stamps... Whatever you like best. Also, it's very much ok to put stuff ON your photos. White space was meant for that if you ask me. As you can see, i didn't embellish much. Mostly because i thought the photos were enough, but that's up to you.

5// Memories recorded! Well done. Go and make new ones now. 

I'm thinking Copenhagen right now. What about you?

THE DAY I MADE A LOOM

The thing about getting into knitting is that you quickly become surrounded by yarn. Like, more yarn than you can probably knit. Mostly because of that thing that happen in all craft stores, when you look around and think "oh this is pretty! i'm sure i could do something with it". Well i chose to weave all that yarn.

It actually started ten years ago when my sister moved out and decided to throw that big cork board. I looked at it and knew there was something to do with it. So i saved it. And over the years i've used it to pin pretty stuff (remember before Pinterest?) and create photo collage of life, friends... And now, it's a weaving loom! 

Best part about the loom? It cost me nothing! I already had the board, already had the bobby pins, and for the thread used to start the weave? It's a pretty white kitchen string we have plenty of at home. And obviously, the yarn. The blue I just used as a color accent for a beanie so i had most of the skein left. The pink i just bought (who doesn't need pink yarn in her life?), and the white I have lots of because when i started knitting i thought "oh i'm sure i'm going to need plenty of white yarn" (i haven't made a single white knit yet...) So here they are, all the ingredients for a perfect weaving day. 

If you are anything like me, before the actual weaving, you will make sure to have a pretty Pinterest board full of inspiration, techniques, and beginners instructions to help you get started. Or you know, you can use mine ;). Time to have fun! Cool thing, you can't really mess up and drop a stitch like you would in knitting. As long as you think, hey i like this, then it's a success! I love fringes (or rya as they are apparently called) so i did a lot of those, and then lots of plain weaving, a bit too tight some times, but i'm ok with it. Last thing i did was secure the top of the weaving with a branch i found in the woods recently (cute, right?)

Now if you'll excuse me, i have some more weaving to do!

ON MY WALK - parc de la poudrerie

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” 

                        Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods

LIFE IS BETTER AT THE BEACH

Yes it is. Back in August, right before i had to go to the hospital for my first surgery, my parents and I went to spent the day at the beach. Even though i live in Paris, since France isn't that big, the nearest beaches (in Normandy) are only 3/4 hours away by car. Yet it had been a full year since the last time i had seen the sea. And boy did i miss it. The wind, the tide, the birds, the air, even the rocks that hurt your feet if your forget your beach shoes. Listening to the waves, it feels so much easier to just breath. and think. and live. 

Also, pretty photos! I took way too many, as per usual. I wasn't sure what to do with them though. Traditional layout? Mini album? PL style? I ended up printing a few small ones and ordering that big beautiful 12x12 shot. Then i made a layout. Lots of white space, delicate little details that made me think of how i felt that day. Except for the sewing (made by hand) the layout came together pretty quickly.

Then i put it away in my PL album (yes i mixed and matched pocket style and traditional style in the album :)). But that big beautiful photo felt quite lonely. So i put it back on my desk and finally, 6 months later, added words to it. Life is better at the beach. Made with a bunch of my favorite letter stickers. My actual inspiration for that is a class i am currently taking by Elise Blaha Cripe called Use your stash. I really, really love the final result. So much that i am thinking about framing the photo. But what would go on the left side of the layout then you say? Still working on that! Thanks for looking!

Heads up for my lovely readers: after many years using the internet under a pseudonym (alinor) i've sort of decided that the chat/msn days are over and will now be using my actual name (lea) for my blog, pinterest... My face is still the same though, so i hope you'll still recognize me ;)