Archive for 2012

    Last year..

    Sunday 15 April 2012

    So last year I decided to make a photobook about our holidays in July. Since the girls mostly visit their dad in the fist week of the holidays it ended up being only the second week.This is the result:
    IMG_2712

    To make it a bit easier and because I have neither the time energy or creativity to do it myself I used these:
    AEdwards_WeekInTheLifeAlbum8x11vol3_PREV1
    and this:
    AEdwards_ShareYourStory8x11LayeredTemplate_PREV
    but the company I used to print only prints A4 size not 8x11 so I added a border at the top and the bottom so it would fit the template.
    Here are a few of my favourite pages:
    EOS 7D2012_04_141071
    EOS 7D2012_04_141057
    EOS 7D2012_04_141072
    ok so that was my favourite day not page.
    EOS 7D2012_04_141078
    and heres a look at all of Sunday:
    EOS 7D2012_04_141080
    EOS 7D2012_04_141081
    and
    EOS 7D2012_04_141082
    Sorry they are not brilliant photos but you get the idea. (And lightroom keeps making everything darker then it actually is)

     I absolutely love how it turned out, the quality of printing, lay flat pages and everything about it, although it took ages. (It looks better in real life
    so I guess you are wondering why post this today?
    1. Well I saw this
    AEdwards_WeekInTheLifeAlbum8x11vol4_PREV
    And couldn't help but think how much easier this one will be to convert to a4 size.
    2. I wanted to share with my friend ... as we are both doing (or supposed to be doing) project 12, although her photos are probably way more creative and better than mine. I plan to do something like this with my photos... I figure I still have 8 months to decide on exactly what. I may even use a variation on the template above.
    3. I was kinda hoping that it would give my my brother a move along with those photos, so I can take forever to start and finish the photobook I that I promised of this:
    EOS 7D2012_04_090795
    little darling. Isn't she beautiful!
    And just because here is a preview of April 12 -
    EOS 7D2012_04_120855
    Bet you can't guess where we went on April 12.
    Iroronically there were no clouds in the sky that day... but then clouds don't really like fun parks or the show - unless of course they are Disney Land.
    And I got in trouble taking that photo. You aren't allowed to use cameras. I'd like to know who made that silly rule!

    Yesterday....

    Sunday 26 February 2012

    I decided to head to the beach for the day.
    After all it was going to be 38 degrees.... so we called up grandpa... with no warning at all and asked if we could come for dinner...
    We got there about 2pm.. after all the mornings activities, and a quick stop in Hastings to pick up some rashi's - after all it was supposed to be 38....
    At the shop in Hastings E found a boogie board and convinced me to buy it... by offering to pay part!
    We headed pretty much to the beach when we arrived at Grandpa's.... it was so hot!
    There are no photos because I refuse to leave my camera on the beach while I get in the water, and high tide was at 4pm.Funnily enough we were about the only ones on that section of beach, thanks to the council/ ranger who was redirecting every one with dogs.
    The water was pretty cold but it was so hot outside we didn't care.... E had an awesome time on the new boogie board... ironic really because she had told me that morning she didn't want to go to the beach she hated the beach.. I ignored her of course.
    The funniset part: You will never guess who the last person out of the water was..... that's right... Grandpa, and he had a short sleeved shirt on!!!
    We did however stay longer than Grandpa, and I am pretty sure I was the only one who got sunburnt (yes I had sunscreen on)
    Afterwards we headed back to Grandpa's.... for something to eat... bet you can't guess who was hungry?

    2012-02-3559
    Followed by fish for dinner... Eesh wanted mash potato.. cause she hates chips!
    Grandpa and Sue were going to make it for her but I vetoed that idea.... a good thing too because it turns out that according to Eesh Grandpa (with help from Sue) makes the best chips ever. And she ate all of the fish as well(that she doesn't like)... infact she ate everything on her plate except the pods of the peas.. then the ice cream that Grandpa bought especially for her... because we always have ice cream when we go to Grandpas.
    Acacia... had expensive vanilla bean with Milo... the same type of ice cream that she asked me "Who would buy that?" in the supermarket the other day... because where we shop it was $14 a tub.
    Then after dinner and ice cream we were going to head home... Acacia wanted too but I had promised E she could go swimming after dinner, one last turn on the board before we headed home, so we ended up at the beach instead. just in time for sunset: 2012-02-3601
    the tide was at the perfet depth for Eesh.... who went swimming in her bather bottoms and t-shirt.
    2012-02-3606
    Acacia who hadn't wanted to swim stayed on the beach... and marvled at how pretty it was
    2012-02-3609
    Sue went swimming too... that's her in the background.
    2012-02-3611
    Acacia was amazed that the sun set oh so quickly...
    2012-02-3615
    She is so proud that she is getting better at butterfly...
    2012-02-3664
    dad and I watched the birds... in between taking photos of the sunset.
    2012-02-3674
    That was the only half decent one I managed to get because unusually my camera was in one shot  instead of ai servo.
    And Acacia:
     2012-02-3656












    wrote "I love Somers" in the sand.
    Of course... I took the macro lens to Grandpa's so couldn't get a shot of the whole thing.

    SUP

    Saturday 21 January 2012

    Yesterday instead of windsurfing at the holiday program the girls did Stand up paddle boarding.

    2012-01-3131
    Turns out that full sun and hats are not really condusive to great shots...even if they are funky new hats she got for Christmas 

    2012-01-3119

    she was sitting here because they had to get down low in order to make it under the pier..... silly E went under the lowest part in this shot so she had to be almost flat to make it without hitting her head.

    At the end of the day E told me it was sooooo much fun, even better than windsurfing!

    Unfortunately because it was calm and way easier  than windsurfing they were also further out in the bay, most of the time behind the boats in the harbour. That made it really hard to get photos, let alone decent ones.

    So I stood on the pier and waited until they came in sight.... it turns out that there was only once when they were coming directly at me.... but just as I was about to get a really good shot of Ac....

    2012-01-3075

    Of course at this point I started laughing.... so hard that I just couldn't get a decent shot after that..

    2012-01-3076

    turns out that even  awesome ai servo and 1/ 6400 can't deal with camera shake from laughing!

    2012-01-3077

    She said later.... that she stood too far back for her weight....

    I might point out that I am not a completely bad mother and it is quite shallow in most of this area.

    And I wasn't the only person laughing as she slowly slid into the water!

    Later as we were driving home she says to me..."I finally worked out what SUP stands for" "Stand Up Paddle boards".....I might point out that is after 3 weeks!!! 

    And just because:

    IMG_2598

    The seriously Mum must you take ANOTHER photo of me look; I am 13 you know.

    the hair colour courtesy of Ireland's left over sun in.

    You won't see that delightful fringe she cut herself anymore, the hairdresser fixed it today, it is now layered at the front, and just because A had layers E had to have them too. She was exstatic when the hairdresser told her how to make her hair look more curly.....and it worked!

    IMG_1235

    That one is from Ikea a few weeks back.

    Project Life

    Thursday 19 January 2012

    Once upon a time I was into scrapbooking big time.... I knew the name of almost all paper comanies, had the latest scrapbooking magazines(I even had a few layouts published) and even did some layouts for the local scrapbook store. Then I became a single mother and so began the downward spiral - at first there was more time because my kids went to their fathers and I could still go to crops then he moved away and so did the babysitter they liked and the scrapbook store closed down.... and so I did a little scrapbooking on the side, dabled in a bit of digital and finally took this class. It is an awesome class and I loved it but it only added to the downward side of scrapbooking because I started taking photos more and more, and the scrapbooking magazines and books turned into photography books and it was about this time that I ventured into the world of photobooks(which I guess is digital scrapbooking to an extent).It was also about this time that we moved across the country and so instead of scrapbooking I unpacked took my kids to school and begun a short lived obsession to write a resume.... it comsumed my almost ever hour, mostly because I hadn't written one in over 10 years. Resume writing paid off though because I landed a job and I am pretty sure that job symbolised the last time I scrapbooked in the traditional sense. In the last 18 months I have barely picked up a piece of paper, cardstock or phototab.... it was as if learning a new way of doing things, constant traffic and sport at all hours left little time (or energy) for other things. I did manange a week in the life project .... but that was digital and a few photo books  but no actual scrapbook pages. Which brings me to project life.... in a round about way ...... I tried to start project life in 2010 but they were too hard to get hold of.... and again in 2011 but I didn't put my order in early enough (in August) and by the time they were back in stock it was Feb and chaos had begun again...I even looked at the digital version but it wasn't customisable enough for me.... and emailed Becky asking if they were going to release a digital version.....at that time, this is the response I got:
    Hi Lisa,

    Thanks for your interest in Project Life. We don't have any plans at this time to re-format the digital version of PL.

    We do have 2 new designs being launched in time for 2011.

    I will pass your inquiry/comments on to Becky as we are always looking for ways to improve the kit for next years version.

    Have a great day!
    And so when 2012 rolled around... I was going with project life and as it turned out the digital version I had asked about in december 2010 became a reality less than 2 weeks after I order my traditional project life kit... but even with the knowledge that there was a digital version I think I still would have chosen the traditional version, just so my kids could have their input. And funnily enough when I told them I was doing project life they were so excited because they love those scrap book pages they are so cool.
    And so I began.... I decided to start with week 0.... because I wanted to run my weeks Monday to Sunday so my weekends were together... and include new years eve and as luck would have it I had hundreds (literally) of photos from that week.
    I chose Clemantine because it was new... and I like new things.... as an added bonus, they are some of my favourite colours.
    Week 0 (Monday 26th December - Sunday 1st Jan)
    The first pages:
    IMG_3014
    I keep meaning to look for that movie ticket to add to  the bottom of sun... it is the new fancy sort.
    The insert in the middle is mostly our new years eve celebrations.
    and the back pages for this week:
    IMG_3020
    Yes there is nothing on the backside of the sparkler photo yet, because I have yet to print it off but I have an idea.
    the middle pages:
    IMG_3016

    and:
    IMG_3017

    For the record those are the mocktails... hence non alcoholic.

    There turned out to be so much going on this week that I actually did an overview of the highlights on a 6 x 12 sheet as well as the story of new years eve.
    Week 1 (Monday Jan 2nd- Sunday Jan 8th)
    Once again it is the holidays so I had a gazzillion photos - lightroom tells me 205 to be exact but I may have more hiding elsewhere.
    So from 205 you were never going to get a single double page spread...
    The front pages:
    IMG_3006
    and the back pages:
    IMG_3009

    For some reason I couldn't get a great shot of that back page so here is another:
    IMG_3011
    This week I moved away from style A page .... typically I don't take a lot of landscape photos so I used that space for this weeks highlights.... I kinda like doing the highlights.
    The biggest hughlight in week 1 was learning to windsurf hence it consumes most of the photos and all of the middle section.
    This journalling cards didn't really work for me here so I used the digital kits, and either made my own (windsurfing) or altered pre existing card so it worked for what I wanted.