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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

An afternoon at Cavendish Beach, you girls built sandcastles and searched for shells. We also walked to the end of the beach, which was covered in rocks and warm tidal pools, to collect some iconic Prince Edward Island red dirt. Chatting all the way, jumping fearlessly between the rocks, standing and smiling in the warm water, you two were so incredibly happy. It was a glorious day, beautiful weather, and beautiful memories made.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Morning smiles and cuddles are the best.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Three Things

Three things that have made me smile this week.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine...finally something from our garden that we can enjoy (thanks to the birds and squirrels leaving them alone).

My Rose of Sharon is blooming...so pretty.

New yarn and all the excitement that comes along with starting a new project. I have a few crochet projects on the go now, which feels great; I am glad to be out of my slump and back in a creative place.

Hope you have found lots of reasons to smile this week.

33/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Claire: After a day of camp you are dirty, tired, and so happy.

Bridget: A week at fashion camp and you were in your element, so proud to walk in the fashion show wearing the shorts and t-shirt that you made.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

A New Crochet Project...

I've started a new crochet project...a shawl.

A shawl is one of the wearable crochet items that I have been opposed to making for some time because I thought they were only for old ladies.

But with such a pretty pattern, and such gorgeous yarn (Caron Simply Soft in Soft Mint) I am excited to be working on this project and am looking forward to wearing my shawl come autumn.

The first few rows were a little tricky to figure out (as the pattern is not written very concisely) but now that I've got the hang of things I think this will be a very quick to finish project.

Oh the excitement of a new project....

Happiness Looks Like This

There is an absolutely amazing sketch challenge over at The Memory Nest today; I love it.

What appeals to me most about this sketch is that it just screams for a lot of different patterned papers and being the paper lover that I am, I was so excited to work with it.

I used paper and embellishments from the Capture Life line by Echo Park for my page. I bought this paper at my favorite local scrapbook store, which unfortunately just closed up. So sad. On the plus side, I got this paper on sale...

I love the punched circles - a great way to add lots of pattern to the page.

While there was no spot for it on the sketch, I added some journaling to my page. I find that as I look back through my albums, which I have been doing a lot more of lately, that I love to read the stories I wrote, the details, the words....to me that is where the memories are truly captured.

As always, you can get inspired and link up your own creations over at The Memory Nest.

(P.S. I have never been so grateful for a creative outlet as I was last week. We had some major construction work done in our basement which meant that I had to pack up all my scrapbooking supplies to keep them protected, and once the workers left, I spent countless hours cleaning. It was quite the job...but my house has never been so dust-free. Sitting down to work on this layout was just the relaxation that I needed....thank goodness for scrapbooking, or any craft for that matter, the best form of mediation/therapy/relaxation that there is.)

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"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

You spent last week with Oma and Opa and I missed you terribly. The house was too quiet. I am so glad that you are home; that I can hug you and kiss you, hear your voices, tuck you into bed, answer your questions, look at your latest drawings....and I am even happy to step on the odd piece of Lego.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project. 

Today this Happened.....

Good Morning!

I can not believe that it is August already? Why does the summer have to go by so fast?

Today is a holiday in my neck of the woods (love long weekends) and it is also time for another sketch challenge over at The Memory Nest - in other words, a pretty awesome day.

Here is the latest sketch:

And here is the layout that I created:

You may recognize this photo of my girls heading off to the park by themselves for the first time from my 52 Week Project. This was such a monumental moment for them, and for me, that I needed to document it in my scrapbook.

My favorite thing about this layout is all the little bits and bobs that are layered under the photo and across the page....so fun.

I used paper from the Summer Lovin' line by Carta Bella for this layout.

The other ladies on the Design Team have created some awesome projects based on this sketch if you are looking for some more inspiration.

Have a wonderful day.....I'm off to do some crafting......

31/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2015."

Bridget: Thinking very seriously about your next fashion design.

Claire: The sweetest little smile....and just a hint of the chubby cheeks that you had when you were a baby, which I can not resist kissing even though you protest: "too many kisses Mommy".

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.