Saturday, November 26, 2011

Welcome, Christmas*

Good Morning Lovelies,

I woke up this morning so excited for today. As many of you know, I am so very in love with Christmas, it is absolutely my favorite holiday. Not for the presents, or the food, but for the kindness that seems to radiate from everyone around this time of year. We all seem to be more tolerant, more willing to help others, and just softer versions of our normal everyday selves. There just seems to be a little more love out there...

We are taking our first step towards prepping our home for Christmas. Today is the day we put up our Christmas Tree :) There will definitely be a post full of pictures coming soon! You'll also notice that I've changed the look of my blog for Christmas as well.

Something else I wanted to share was a video of the base pages of my December Daily 2011! I am so excited to finally be doing this project instead of thinking about doing it and just never getting around to it! Of course now that I've created the base pages, I keep seeing different people's versions of the December Daily Album, and want to change mine... but I will stick with what I have this year, and change it up for next year ( no post album next year, MUST be in a binder! Way easier to add and remove things!) I would love to see your December Daily projects! If you are sharing them on your blog, or anywhere else on the web, please leave a link in the comments! Now on to the video...




As you can see, I couldn't decide on one "style" of paper. I started out with all "vintage Christmas" and the added some pages that are a little more contemporary. What can I say, I'm an eclectic type of girl and all my projects seem to reflect that. I plan to fill this little book with Christmas memories and stories. If you follow this link, you will find a list of 25 ideas for your December Daily Album, created by Ali Edwards herself.

I will definitely be using it as a reference when filling in my album!

I will be back in the next few days to share images of our Christmas tree.

Wishing you all a day filled with love,

-S xoxo

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Our First Winter's Night

"the lamp is burning low upon my table top,
the snow is softly falling.
the air is still in the silence of my room,
I hear your voice softly calling..."
-Song for a Winter's Night

I woke up at 1 am this morning and I could just feel it. I was so sure of what I would see when i peeked out my bedroom window. there it was... snow

instead of grumbling to myself, flipping over and falling back to sleep, I got up. I made myself a cup of earl grey tea (decaf of course) and bundled up in my blanket. I pulled the curtains in my bedroom wide open and just watched...

the first snowfall always seems so magical to me. to watch the beautiful fluffy white snow cover every surface it can find in sparkling white diamonds...

I know in the months ahead, I will grumble about how tired I am of snow and how much I long for green. but for now I am marveling in the beauty of our first winter's night


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Slowing Down




I can feel it, the energy of fall...
it is a much slower energy and i am glad it is finally sinking in. Our fall has been so strange this year, with temperatures hitting almost 30 degrees (c) in late September. Yet all the leaves have been showing off their beautiful colors since late August.

I feel most myself in Autumn, when i can curl up in cozy sweaters and lovely scarves. I can feel my hibernation tendencies start to take over. I become quite a bit of a homebody in the late fall/winter, and I welcome that time. Creativity takes over, and I spend my nights working in my journals, scrap booking images, and filling my creative spirit.

I also know that with the end of Autumn, we get closer and closer to my favorite time of year, Christmas. I start preparing to enjoy that time as well.

So welcome fall, I'm so happy you've finally arrived...

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Celebrating Love and Friendship*




today was a first for me.

the first time I shot portraits for a couple. Not just any old portraits though, engagement photos...

I was so nervous, and have been nervous for about a week.

I was talking to one of my close girlfriends about my nerves. I'm one of those people that needs to talk through everything. Once I get my fears out in the open, I can usually talk myself down. But for some reason I couldn't shake these nerves.

What if I screw these up? They're someone's Engagement Photos for crying out loud, maybe I'm not ready for this...

This has been my inner dialogue for the past week, and it was loud and clear this morning as I drove to meet the couple.

I've been friends with L for over 15 years, and I think she knew exactly what I was thinking as soon as she opened her front door. But instead of asking me what was wrong or trying to make me relax, she just said that she was excited to get some fun pictures. As soon as she said the word fun, my heart slowed down. She had no high expectations set, or at least none that she told me about. We were just going to hang out, and I was just taking some pictures of two close friends who happened to be in love and getting married next fall...

We drove out to our location, chatting happily about nothing in particular. D kept reaching over and holding L's hand as he drove. I started to notice how they looked at each other and started to get excited about photographing one of my best friends and the man she loves. Once the camera was in my hands and I snapped the first picture, my love of capturing moments took over and the nerves went away completely.

We had a wonderful day together celebrating love and long lasting friendship. I couldn't have asked for a better couple to take engagement photos of...

Wishing you all a Sunday filled with love

xoxo

-S

Saturday, October 1, 2011

How I've Been Spending My Days*

I have a confession to make...

the reason i haven't been writing this blog lately is that i have been surrounded by paper, glue, photos, buttons, glitter, twine and all sorts of other embellishments...

my name is S, and I am a papercrafter...

I've been so busy making glorious crafty messes, that I've neglected this little space. so I thought I would come back and share some of the treasures I found today on my adventure to a scrapbook store in my city.

I'm sure most papercrafters and art-makers have heard of Ali Edwards and her fabulous December Daily Project. If not, check out the links and i can almost guarantee that you will want to make one! I've wanted to make one for the past couple of years, but just haven't gotten everything together, and of course by the time I wanted to begin, there was no Christmas paper that I loved left! So this year, I am proud to say that it is October 1st and I have purchased the paper for my December Daily Project!


I love the colours and the classic Christmas feel to this paper. There were several different papers, with completely different looks that I liked and I had a really hard time choosing between them, but traditional/vintage won in the end :)

I will be honest though, paper for my December Daily Project was not what I went looking for today. I was browsing the web, and came across a new journal that I fell head over heals with. Imagine my delight when I find out, it's not just one journal, but an entire line of products! If you love to journals, take a look at K&Company's SMASH journal . I'm excited to start pasting bits of my life into this neat little book.


Hoping your weekend is filled with all the fun things you like to do, cause with my new paper and journal, i know mine will be ...

xoxo

-S

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Goodbye 26*


my 26th year has felt a lot like these flowers.
pretty, unique, waiting to bloom...

this year has been all about learning:

learning what works for me and what doesn't, learning what i need to let go of and what i need to hold on to with all of my might.

I spent the last few hours of 26 with a few girls from work, who over the past year have become a group of my closest girlfriends. As we were sitting at a table at one of my favorite restaurants, laughing and talking, I heard my heart whisper "more of this please"

So here is hoping the next year is filled with laughter, kind gestures and love.

lots and lots of love...

xoxo

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Link Love*




I spend a lot of time surfing the internet.

there is something about being a few short clicks away from amazing photos, insightful blog posts and hilarious videos that makes me incredibly happy.

so I've decided to start a collection of my weekly favorites right here...

You Are Not Alone. Not By A Long Shot

It's The Reason You Are Here On Earth

The Word of The Day

On Manifesting and Introvert~ness


Wishing you all a lovely Sunday full of inspiration and discovery xoxo

Saturday, August 6, 2011

a new mantra*

have you ever heard a message over and over again, never really paid much attention to it, and then one day you read it or hear it again somewhere: suddenly the message sinks right in to the very core of you and you realize the words you are seeing and/or hearing is the most brilliant message?

that definitely happened for me today. i was reading a daily email i receive from The Daily Love and there it was, my new mantra;

take what resonates with you, and leave the rest

i know i have heard these words time and time again. they were repeated over and over again to my classmates and i in theatre school. "every process will not make sense to you or work for you as an actor. take what resonates with you and leave the rest".

"oh sure..." we thought. "you're spending valuable classroom time to teach us this method/exercise/lesson, but if it doesn't work we can just drop it.... sure..."

we never realized they genuinely meant it...

i never realized that this message would come back to me early one saturday morning, and that i would finally get it. the words and the message would finally be clear. so this new mantra is now posted in places that i will see it every day and focus on what works for me. i don't have to put value in every lesson, every passage i read in books, every quote i read. I will continue to listen to them all, but only take what resonates with me and leave the rest...

Sunday, July 31, 2011

a journey


it's constant isn't it? this search for who we are, what we love, what is most essential to our very being...

I feel like i've been searching forever, in lifetimes before this one. I am a person that believes strongly in self discovery. Some may call it selfish, I call it essential. I don't believe we can fulfill our true purpose with out first discovering who we are at the core of our being.

I found a beautiful book a while ago, and then life got crazy. the self discovery got pushed aside and the survival-mode kicked into full gear. Life has calmed down again, and i am back searching and this book is my newest guide

Style Statement: live life by your own design


It's a perfect jem of a book and I am spending my sunday reading it's pages and answering it's questions with a lot of thought and detail. I may share my answers often, or this may be the only post I write on it... but please, go pick it up from your local bookstore or check out the website;

www.carrieanddanielle.com

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Sacred Woman*

Sacred Woman

whisper to the sun
taste the wind
voice the waves
worship your wild, true heart

remember we are open, vast creatures
exploring and questioning everything

embrace this life
greet the sun and moon with passion and purpose

*for J

Sunday, July 24, 2011

the lazy days of summer*

it's been a very warm couple of days for us. I've spent so much time out in the sun and running around with friends and family, that I haven't been keeping up with much of anything that has to do with being on a computer inside the house. I though I would take a few minutes to post a couple of pictures from the road trip I took with my dear friend Andrea to the Calgary Zoo. More to come soon... xoxo

Monday, July 18, 2011

Currently*

I am currently:

listening to: the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. It has some beautifully haunting melodies

eating: cinnamon waffles, warm from the oven

drinking: decaf coffee with cream and natural sweetener

wearing: my blue comfy pyjama pants and a soft black top. it's all about comfort when i'm at home

feeling: exhausted

weather: crazy. we started out with a major lighting and thunder storm this morning, then warmed up to 27 degrees (c) and now our skies are grey and thundering again.

wanting: a few days off to spend creating and some money to buy more art supplies :)

needing: to connect with my tribe. i miss them so much and it has been far too long since we've all been together

thinking: about which creative project i want to focus on in the next month

enjoying: my aunt's company and the conversation we share

Thursday, June 30, 2011

just like New York*






"you'd love (insert name of a city here)... it's just like New York" ...

you have no idea how many times I have heard these words...

from the mouths of friends, family members, co-workers, even from a lady who was sitting next to my best friend and I in a cafe in Vancouver while I was rambling on about my beloved city.

When I am told this comment, I often wonder if the person saying it has actually been to nyc, or if they are basing it on what they know from t.v, movies, and hearsay.

I have been lucky in my life to have had the opportunity to travel to many, many cities and I can honestly say ( in my opinion, anyways) that none of those cities have been "just like New York"

they have all been beautiful, but

no other city has ever left me breathless for days on end...

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Home*



of all the places i've lived, this place feels the most like home...

Saturday, May 14, 2011

My Gratitude List


following my conversation with my dear friend last week, i did as she asked. i kept a journal with me to write down everything i have to be grateful for and everything that made me joyful. now, while i don't think i got everything down, i definitely got her point... i have so much in my life that brings me joy, happiness and fulfillment. just because i am not at the same places all my other friends are does not mean my life is not going in the right direction. there is no plan, no formula to follow. just embrace the journey and enjoy...

here is a sample of my list (i won't post the entire thing, it's 8 pages long ... i am incredibly blessed)

things that i am grateful for:

a roof over my head / a bed to curl up in every night / a kind-hearted, soulful man who tells me every day how lucky he is to be my father / a bright and shiny mother who never stops making me laugh / a sassy glamazon of a sister / a best friend with a heart of pure gold/ an aunt who accepts me for exactly who i am / two beautiful boys who make me feel so incredibly special and blessed to be their big cousin / my creative spirit / three very special women i work with that make every day a joy/the opportunity to take photographs of my beautiful friends and family members/the two years spent with a group of the most passionate and creative theatre artists, who also became a second family to me/my mentor and the blessings and lessons he continues to bring into my life

" For today and it's blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude"
- Anonymous

Sunday, May 1, 2011

stuck*




I've been stuck lately. stuck in a bit of mess that I just can't seem to work myself out of. I was out for coffee with a dear friend (df) this afternoon, and our conversation went like this;

"df: baby, what's wrong with you lately?

me: nothing, why?


df: that light is gone... that sparkly light you always have in your eyes, it's gone. what's wrong?

me: i just feel stuck is all. i keep digging and digging, searching for something or a way to be unstuck... ( the tears start flowing)

df: what is it that you're searching for?

me: I don't know... my life maybe. something to call my own. someone to love, and someone who loves me back... all around me, people are getting married, they're having babies, they're living these great lives... and me... stuck
. (talking through rivers of tears now)

df: baby, you listen to me ... you have a great life and so much to be thankful for. you are so very blessed, and don't you ever forget it. you have friends and family that love you. do me a favor. go home and write a list of everything that you are grateful for, and don't leave a single thing out. keep that list with you for a week and every time you feel joy and something makes your day even a tiny pinch better, you write it down. by the end of the week, you'll see..."

so here i am with a blank page in my journal and a pen, and I will keep it with me for a week to write everything down. my dear friend, you and your friendship are the first thing on my list...

Sunday, February 27, 2011

what i love about sundays*


"Cat-napping on the porch swing; You curled up next to me,
The smell of jasmine wakes us up.
Take a walk down a back road, Tackle box and a cane pole;
Carve our names in that white oak,
An' steal a kiss as the sun fades,
That's what I love about Sunday"
-Craig Morgan

i love sundays... there's no expectations for anyone to be productive. sunday is a day where you feel comfortable enough to stay in pyjamas and curl up with a good book, and no one will say anything. in fact, they will probably wish they would have done the same...

i spend most of my sundays with my family. family breakfast, lunch or dinner. if i'm really lucky i will spend the morning having breakfast with one group of family, and have dinner with a second group. we are big on nourishing each other and there is nothing we enjoy more than sitting down together for a great meal and even better conversation...

i am happy to say it is my turn to cook dinner this week! so the white chicken chili is simmering on the stove and the homemade dinner rolls are ready to go in the oven when company arrives. if you lovelies have any favorite recipes that you would like to share, please do! i am always looking for new things to try and we are not a picky bunch...

wishing you a lovely sunday - xo

Saturday, February 19, 2011

the city that stole my heart*



dearest nyc,

you had my heart the first time i laid eyes on you. you had always been a dream in my heart. a place that combines amazing theatre, great shopping and indescribable beauty... how could i not adore you?

what i didn't know is how quickly you would sink into my bones, into the very heart of me. you made my heart sing from the moment i stepped off the plane.

you changed me... for the first time in my life, i felt like a woman. not a young girl trying to find her way in this big world. I had found this amazing corner of the world and felt so happy to be a part of it.

i'm coming back to visit you this year, and i feel like i'm coming home. i want to spend time wandering your busy streets and photographing your unmeasurable beauty. i can't wait to see you again.

with love,

-S

Sunday, February 13, 2011

piece of the world



every morning
i would wake with the fear
of this day being our last...
i could feel the beating of your heart
and see the rise and fall of every breath...
i would lay as still
as i could
for fear i would wake you
and end our perfect piece of the world...
i spent those
early morning hours
memorizing every piece
of you.
one morning,
at some point
during my intense study,
you woke,
pulled me close,
and asked me
"can we stay like this forever?"
"can you love me that long?"
and with a deep sigh
came an unexpected answer...
"longer..."

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Hoop Love



I don't know what it is about this magical circle of tubing and tape,
but i'm in love...

I went to my first hoop class and was hooked!

Now, i will admit, I am not a very good hooper (for some reason i just can't get waist hooping down, but am quite good at hand tricks)and haven't been hooping for very long, but there is something that makes me keep trying and trying. One day I will figure it out and never look back.

Usually, when something doesn't come naturally to me, after a while I will give up and admire from afar. Hooping isn't like that at all. I want to do it so badly, so I will keep trying. I don't get frustrated when the hoop keeps falling, in fact that usually makes me laugh. I honestly think I get more exercise from laughing at myself then I do from the actual hooping.

I have spent countless hours watching videos (there are some incredibly amazing ones out there!), reading all I can find about hooping and the culture/lifestyle and reading through the blogs of other hoop lovers. I love reading about their journeys, and their successes. It's incredibly inspiring.

This has changed so many lives in so many ways and I want to be a part of this crazy, fantastic movement of hoopers. I want to connect with the hooper inside of me (and I know she's in there) and feel the energy, the connection and most of all the love...

If you are a hooper, I would love to hear anything you want to share! Your story, how you got started...anything at all!

wishing you a lovely Sunday xo

Friday, January 28, 2011

What Do You Collect?



I have noticed that I am a collector...
There are certain things I tend to gather and keep...
I wonder if it's an artist thing. or if it's just a Sheena thing...

Here's my list:

1) images. I have hundreds of files of images saved on my computer. I make a folder for each month and fill it with photos and images I love. Each month generally has over 500 photos in it. At the end of the month, I burn a CD of the images and it goes into a case with all of the other CD's. These images find their way into my scrapbooks and journals (on a side note: I always note where I get the image from, even though no one else reads my journals or personal scrapbook. I just always want to give credit to these amazing artists that inspire me and would hope that if I had the honour of being in someone's journal, they would do the same)

2) journals/scrapbooks. At this point in my life I have 93 journals. The smallest one has 23 pages (two fell out and have been taped into another journal :) ) and the largest is 750 pages. They are filled with everything, with my life...

3)quotes. I love wise words, words that inspire, words that force you to think and reflect. (these also go in journals ... it's a bit of an addiction :) )

4) love notes. any kind letter that has been sent or given to me is kept... you guessed it...in a journal. I have the most wonderful people in my life and they are so kind and loving to me. If i have a terrible day, all I have to do is pull out this magical love note journal and sit with their kind words.

These are just a few of the things I collect.

What do you collect dear ones?

xo

Sunday, January 16, 2011

My Faith*





"if you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy and good within you, it will come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have"



-John O'Donohue





I have had a lot of questions thrown at me regarding faith lately, in particular what my faith is. Here is the truth; my faith is love. I believe in it, and make it my guiding principal in my life. Below is a list of some of my thoughts on faith and my beliefs. They may change (in fact, I am positive they will), as I am constantly changing. I am still learning and growing, and hope to always be. But here are my truths for this point in my life;



- I believe in duality; the power of male and female.

- I feel a stonger pull towards the female, as she resonates more within me.

- I don't feel the need to go to church to pray; the divine is everywhere and i would rather be in nature, in the world that the divine made, than in a man made building.

- I believe in the power of mother earth and the energy of plants and trees and everything alive in this magical world

- I believe in reincarnation. How could we only get one shot at this when there is so much to learn, experience and marvel at.

- I believe prayer and meditation can be in many forms. For me, it takes the form of dancing and hooping (wild and free) and capturing photos on photowalks

these are just a few of my thoughts on faith and the way I express it in my life.


Happy Saturday everyone <3

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Good Morning 2011


I woke up this morning happy, and with a feeling that anything could happen ... anything is possible.

Now don't get me wrong, I normally wake up happy and grateful that I get to spend another day on this planet full of possibility, but there was just something special about this morning.

It's 2011, and I have a feeling it is going to be a really great year ... in fact that is my goal for this year!

I believe in making your own luck, and creating what you most need to find. This year, for me, will be focused on doing just that.

In 2011 I will:
1. focus on photography and learning more about something that gives me great joy
2. find more time to work on my personal scrapbook/journal
3. take the ecourse by the lovely Boho Girl, Denise Andrade
4. focus more on my blog and learning more and more about blogging itself
5. gather inspiration from other bloggers and spend some time absorbing their knowledge
6. visit my beloved New York City again (not so much theatre this time ... more wandering)
7. focus on becoming healthy and learning what works for me and my body
8. Start an Etsy shop to sell some of my prints (stay tuned for more info!)
9. go on photography adventures at least once a month with a dear friend
10. make time for more hooping, atleast 3 times a week for half an hour!

Hoping your 2011 is happy and healthly!

Much Love!