Wilson Wilson Collection - Childhood

I am about to embark on a journey.  It will be a long one, one that will be filled with joy, laughter, smiles, tears, heartache and maybe even sadness.  But the biggest gift will be the memories and stories that I will get to uncover.  I have no finish line in sight because I want to tread slowly, sit with each memory, and take it all in, how each of these moments has moulded me into the person that I am today.  I want enjoy this amazing gift that I have been given.  

I have my photos and they are in no order, they are all jumbled up, some have stories written on the back but most have nothing.  This is the part that I am excited about.  Looking at a photo and writing down the memories that come to mind.  The photos that have no story and ones that I have no memory of will be the ones that I pick up, delight in the possibilities of memories and stories, then sit down with an older relative and get lost in their stories.

Why am I doing this?  That's a very good question.

As you know I am lucky enough to be on the Creative Team for Wilson Wilson and this Friday the 3 March 2023 a beautiful collection will be released - "Childhood" and this collection is full of inspiration to document your own story or maybe the story of your own children.

This beautiful collection is filled with journal cards, templates and much more to document your story.  The few photos that I have shared here are only just a few, there are so many more but each one is of a time that was long ago, some I remember and some I do not.  They include precious images of people that I know and love well and those who I met as a young child.  Each has a story, an amazing story and details that I am itching to find out.

I will be sharing many of my pages and stories here, on my blog and on Instagram.  I hope that I can inspire you to embark on a similar journey.  Lets celebrate these memories the only way we know how, by documenting them, to keep for generations to come.

xo me
 

OLW 2023 - January

... and that's January, well near enough.  I don't know about anyone else but that went quick.  I thought I would share my pages and thoughts about my choice of OLW and going digital to document my word this year.

When I started the process of picking a OLW I was struggling.  I didn't have a word, which is unusual for me and I had now ideas at all at what I was looking for.  I had several words picked but none really sat right.  I listened to the zoom call between Ali and the other contributors, taking notes and still nothing was coming in the way of a word.  Ali starting talking about her word, Joy, which was on my list but not a front runner.  But, then Ali said "I want to reclaim JOY" and "boom" that hit me in the face like, WOW, that's it.  Until that moment I didn't really think I needed to reclaim anything, but my thoughts were going crazy, my heart was beating fast and then I had this realisation that although I am on the other side of cancer, I still wasn't allowing myself to fully embrace being free of cancer.  This was a shock to me, really it was, but I started to realise that I was still so scared and not game enough to say I was free of cancer, because what if I did, what if I jinxed myself.  It was at that moment that my word was born and I begun my OLW journey for 2023.

So far I love it.  I really do love it.  I gave myself permission to just go slow with January's prompt, not rush to get my pages finished (like I usually do) and really be mindful about my OLW and how I wanted to document it.

One of the BIG advantages of going digital is that my pages are not set in stone, until the book is printed really.  So I made my pages slowly, playing with the digital kit and other digital supplies that I have.  I changed some things, changed them back to the way they were and also played a little in procreate to make my own digital elements.  If January is anything to go by, my choice to go digital was a good one.  I love that I can change my mind, re-order my pages, add a page in etc etc.  While I am calling January done I am not ruling out adding more in or taking more out.

The only down side that I have found so far is not having the physical pages to flick through.  Looking back at my notebooks/albums (from past years), during the year was something I loved to do.  However, so far I have more positives than negatives so I will continue on my digital journey and see how we finish up.

How have you been going with your OLW?  I hope you are enjoying the process, no matter how you have decided to document this journey.

I am excited about February...

Love me :-)

 

CREATIVE PLANS FOR 2023

Hello 2023 and hello to writing in this space.  Don't worry I'm just as shocked as you are that I am back here posting.  I'm not really sure why I'm here other than I had this feeling to go back to blogging.  I am not sure how long this is going to last but I'm just going with it.  One of my goals with my OLW is to do things that make me happy, bring Joy to my life.  I used to really enjoy blogging and not really sure why I stopped so I'm giving it another go.  I won't lie, I'm not sure how long this will last but I'm jumping in.

At the moment everyone is sharing what their creative goals are for 2023 so I might as well join in, although I have been known to go completely away from my initial idea, and, if you have been following me for awhile you know that I'm super amazing at starting shit, not so great at finishing them. 

So here is my list, in no order and with little hope that I will actually do them LOL!

1.  Gratitude Notes

2.  Documenting in my Memory Planner

3.  Photobooks as in finish them - this covers all that I have started (and there are many), all those I wish to start (there are also many of them) and probably some that I haven't even thought of yet.

4.  Digital memory keeping - I have dappled in it for several years now but have never fully committed to it but I have two projects that I really want to try and stick to.  These are a 6x9 photobook that I am calling "digest" a digital journal (totally inspired by Shannan) and I'm doing my OLW in a digital photo book.

5.  Talking about OLW - as I mentioned I am going to do a photobook this year.  I nearly did it last year but chickened out at the last minute but this year I am going to give it ago.

6.  Play with my stamps more. simple.

Well there you have it.  I'm sure I will add to it because I can't help myself.  But one thing is for sure, I am going to give it my best shot.

Happy New Year and here's to lot of creative fun, whatever that is for you.

love me :)

Paislee Press - DAILY JOYS

 

Hello and welcome to February.  Now as we all know February is the month of love and in particular Valentines Day.  Now, I don't really get into the whole Valentines thing and my husband definitely doesn't.  So I was so thrilled when Liz from Paislee Press released a new digital kit called "Daily Joys" that celebrates all the other things we love  -  Like coffee, ok, not everyone loves coffee but I do.  Anyway back to the point of this post.  

I live in Perth, Western Australia and recently we had a snap lockdown due to Covid-19 and my birthday happened to fall in that week of lockdown.  I was actually ok about it, seeing as I have celebrated many so missing one wouldn't be so bad.

But my daughter thought differently.  She came around and left some little treats including Hot Cross Buns (which is another love of my mine) on the door mat. This seriously made my day and I just loved it and I just had to document it.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Valentines

xo Tracey

Memory Planner / Week Two

Hello!  OMG its the end of January already, how does this keep happening.  I look up and next thing I know a whole month has gone past.

I think that's why I am enjoying the Heidi Swapp  Memory Planner style of memory keeping.  I am finding that not only am I telling the big stories, I am telling the very tiny ones.  I think, in years to come it's going to be the tiny ones that I love the most.  I'm totally loving just doing dot points, one line of text but brings back so many memories.

I thought I would share in a little more detail some of the ways I have told stories for Week 2.  I am still finding my way with this style of memory keeping but the creative side in me is loving it.

Here is a look at my week.

I have covered over some of the writing because it's personal information that I would rather keep private.  

We use our phones for so many things these days, but have you ever stopped to think how many stories they hold.  And, I don't just mean in the photos.  Have you ever thought of taking a screen shot of a DM that you got through social media.  I included one this week because when I received this message it really made my day.  And, it's also a little detail  that I would completely forget in years to come.  It's also a reminder to me that Instagram is more than just a place to share photo's etc, it's also a place where I have met some very lovely people who have made a difference in my life.

I also included a "on this day" note/fact that I heard on the radio.  It was rather an important fact that I think in years to come with be such a huge reminder of just how crazy life was last year.

The RHS of my week has lots of interactive elements which I just love.  I love seeing them, making them and they just make me happy.

As I said earlier, our phones are a great place to get some story telling information from.  My kids are getting older and it's increasingly hard to get any photos of them but they are always texting me.  So I screen shot the ones I want to remember and then add it to the digital iPhone template from Ali Edwards "TECH" story kit .  I created a pocket to hold the message because I also wanted to include some photos and I wouldn't have had any room left.  This way I could hold the message, and include two photos.

I created another pocket using a photo that I took from our day out in Fremantle.  Using the photo was a great way to make a pocket plus include a photo.  I added digital stamps from Paislee Press as a title for the pocket.  I had a lot of photos that I wanted to include plus the story.  In this one little area I was able to include 10 photos and the story.  When I put it all together I realised that I had left out our selfie photo so I just added it as a swing tag on some twine.  

 

As I said I am loving all the interactive elements.  If you have any questions please feel free to add them in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by

Tracey xo

Farewell,Hello

Here is my first project for 2021 for Paislee Press.  The new digital kit "farewell,hello" is so much fun and the colours are just popping out and screaming lets get into the year.  I can't tell you how much fun I had doing this layout, I just couldn't stop adding bits and pieces here and there.

This set is available now and you can find it here at The Lily Pad.  I have also used a Storyline Chapters Notebook from Heidi Swapp.  I purchased mine from Sassy Scrappers in Australia.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

xo

Tracey

Hello 2021

I woke up this morning and took a big sigh of relief.  Yes!  I thought to myself.  2020 is finished and done.  As I start this new year I am well aware than some monsters are still lurking ie. Covid-19, but the difference is I know they are there.  It's no longer new or surprising so the shock is no longer there.

I am optimistic about 2021.  I feel calm, which is weird, but a nice feeling.  In the build up to New Years Eve we were camping, in nature and away from news and (mostly) social media (low or no signal).  We read, rested, swam, drank, ate, laughed, chatted and rested some more.  I think it gave us all time to centre ourselves, catch our breath and be.

I am grateful that everyone we know made it through 2020, some with scars and some with battles still to fight, but, we made it through a year that threw everything at us and more.

So with that in mind I say goodbye 2020 and all that came with you.  You are no longer needed so I release you with love, ready to invite 2021 into being.

xo

Tracey

Room to Breathe - Paislee Press

Hello, hope you are all coping ok with life right now.  It's certainly giving us some challenges.

I have been crafting my brain out, well there is nothing else to do.  Ok, there is some spring cleaning I could be doing but lets be honest crafting is definitely way more appealing.

Paislee Press has a new digital kit, journal cards and templates available and I thought I would share how I used them.  I'm really enjoying going back to this style of memory keeping, it's like project life but planner style which I didn't think I would like but turns out I do.  I am not going to do a photo book now for documenting our year and it's for the same reasons that I am no longer doing my Thursday3 as a photobook.  I just simply miss the touch and feel of our memories.  Waiting till the end of the year is just too long for me.  I am trying out 6 x 8 size which I have to say I am really enjoying.  I am still getting the craft experience but it's not as big and not as involved.  I can still make scrapbook pages too, just on a smaller scale.

I also did a few extra pages that will be an insert in my album.  These won't be in a page protector.  I love having some things out of a page protector as well, it gives me the feel of a journal and plus it adds texture which I love.

 Digital products - Room to Breathe scrapbook kit
                              Room to Breathe journal cards
                              Room to Breathe templates

Keep safe everyone and thanks for stopping by.

Tracey xo

#Thursday3 - changing it up...

Hello, how are you?  Keeping safe and well I hope.

Over the past month because of everything going on I have found my self with so much more time on my hands.  One thing I have missed this year is the physical side of memory keeping.  I decided that most of my projects this year would be photobooks and while I love photobooks I desperately miss the touch and feel of an album.  I miss not being about to look back over the year so far, reading about our lives and seeing our faces.  Of course I could always turn on the computer and look at my digital pages but it's just not the same.  With that in mind I am changing some of the ways I am doing projects and I am starting with my #thursday3 project.

To keep things simple (because once I make  them bigger than they need to be I won't finish it) I am using a travelers notebook, two colour ink pads (black and crumb cake), a single photo each day, date stamp and one washi tape.  The only thing that I am going to add to my pages is simple stamped images using only the two colour inks that I mentioned earlier.  Then I just add the words that I shared on IG. 

I have been working on this project for the last couple of days and I am nearly caught up.  I am sharing just a few pages here to give you an idea how it's all coming together.  Although it's repetitive adding the stamped images is giving me just enough creative play to keep the project fun.  I have already enjoyed going back over my previous words as I do each page and I am so glad I have decided to switch how I am going to put it together.  I am also having fun going back to basics and playing with my stamps.

Giving myself permission to change how I want this project to look has bought back the fun and passion that I think I have been missing this year.  So glad I have made the change.

Tracey xo

Paislee Press - April project...

Hello! Hello!

Well hasn't the last few weeks been a bit full on.  I feel completely exhausted but I haven't really done anything.  I think it's just stress, because lets admit it, all this virus stuff in stressful.  Our lives as we know it have been completely turned upside down.  I'm a bit of a home body so as much as life is stressful and completely unknown I am enjoying the "stay home" bit.  I have been putting a lot of time into my mental health and making sure that I do things that not only keep my brain and body working and thinking but that make me happy too.  In these times I am always so grateful that I am a creative and that I love playing and crafting.  Sitting in my craft room/space is so calming for me and I love that.  

I am so happy to be apart of the Paislee Press CT for 2020.  If you have been following me you know that I was using Paislee Press digital products long before I was part of their creative team.  While most of my creating for PP is memory keeping related I do also like to make the odd card or two so for my April project is chose these two cards using papers and elements from the "Happy Little Moments" kit.  Card making for me is how I started out in paper crafting so every once and awhile I go back to making them.  I always like to have a stash of cards on hand ready to use so that I am not running around at the last minute trying to create one.

I hope you are all staying safe and taking of yourselves.  We will get through this weird and crazy time, we just have to hang in there.

Tracey xo

Pieces of Us - Reflection...

This project has been amazing.  Firstly I am super proud of myself for completing the whole challenge, getting it documented and uploaded, waiting to be printed into a photobook at the end of the year.

This was a particularly hard week for me and one where I needed to find a lot of strength to get through it.  At one point it all got too hard for me and I just hit rock bottom.  Doing this project made me look at everything a little differently.  Yes my week was hard (bloody hard actually) but taking photos of my day made me stop, look and think about, not just the big awful thing but the little good things as well.  I needed to give myself a little love these last few days and also practice a little self love.  I often wonder if projects like these come up just when you need them.

I also loved the format that I chose to document this project.  I know what I'm like, if I make things too difficult I just don't finish them.  Breaking each day down into little snippets was a way for me to include many things without too much hassle.  Using the same template for each day also meant not having to think to much about how I was going to set it all out.  I also liked the template because I could change it up depending on how many photos I took.  Some days were a double page spread and others were just a single page.  

My favourite though is probably the last two pages.  The prompt was to take a "reflection" photo.  I took just one photo and decided to do a reflection in words about the week.  As I said before this project helped me in so many ways this week.  I am just so glad I took part, made it easy, took photos of myself and told my story.

I have shared my pages on Instagram but I have included them below so you can see them all together.

This really has been a wonderful project.Tracey xo

Pieces of Us - self portrait adventure...

I am so excited about Ali Edwards "Pieces of Us - Self portrait challenge" and I cannot wait to get started tomorrow.  

One of the reasons I am so excited about this project is because back in 2015 I took part in the #myselfiescrapbook challenge where I created a photobook based on a list of prompts and selfies based on those prompts.  It is still one of my most favourite projects ever.  I often think about doing the challenge again and creating another photobook just to see how life has changed so when Ali announced the Pieces of Us challenge I knew I had to take part.  

I thought I would share my thoughts about this challenge and how I intend to document it.  As you know I am doing a photobook so my pages are digital.  I have already made my base pages using a page from the "Yearbook Album Kit" from Paislee Press.  I resized the template as the original template is 12x12 and by photobook is 5x8.  I deleted some of the elements as they didn't all fit plus I didn't need that many spaces for photos.

At this stage I am thinking of approaching this project similar to that of  a "Day In the Life".  For example a double page spread would be photos and words all about Feet then the next double page would be hands etc.  I am not setting this idea in stone as it just depends on how many photos I can take each day.  I don't want this to be bigger than it needs to be, I need to keep it simple.  I know what I am like and if I make it too hard I won't finish it.

Happy Selfie taking and I can't wait to see all the fabulous stories and photos that we uncover.

Tracey

xo

OLW - Vision Board January...

During the year long OLW class with Ali Edwards we always do a vision board.  Some years I have done this and others not so much.  I love vision boards and I love how they are a constant reminder of what your vision is.

I have a cork board in my craft room that usually gets stuff stuck to it and it just stays there until I stick something else over or near it.  I don't really pay much attention to it.  It's just there with "stuff" on it.

When I walk into my craft room the first thing I see is my cork board.  Early on in January I walked into my craft room, looked at the cork board and thought, I need to clean that "stuff" off.  So I removed everything and then found myself standing in front of the board, staring at it blankly.  I had many thoughts going through my mind but mostly I kept thinking, I need to use this for something important.  Something that will make me stop every time I walk into my craft room.  And then it hit me.  A vision board.  Why not do a vision board every month focusing on my OLW.  It could be added to, changed, things removed based on what I want to focus on for that month.

For the past three weeks I have been finding bits and pieces that speak to me.  Pieces that will help me stay focused on my OLW.  I haven't really worried too much about where things should go or if they match.  I just filled up spaces, overlapped pieces and added words.  I used procreate to hand write my OLW and then cut it out in my Silhouette Cameo.

The end result...  perfect and I love it.

I photographed my board and added it to my photobook file.  I also added some typed words to highlight the main points of my vision board.  I can't wait to see how these boards change over the year.

Tracey xo

Creative goals so far...

It's midway through January, which I can't believe.  Where have those days gone?  With the first month rushing by already I am focusing on going slow.  Just taking my time and not getting too caught up in my "to do" list.  And that's how I have been with my Creative goals list as well, but I thought I would share my progress so far.

My Coffee Book is starting out nicely.  I love it and I can already tell that this is probably going to be my favourite project of the year.  I love that its just one photo and words with just a few other bits added in but the focus is definitely on the story.  I seriously can't wait to see what stories I get to tell here.

I have spent all month trying to figure out how I want to document our stories for 2020.  It has literally taken me the whole month so far to work it out but I think I have a formula now that will work for me.  I won't be doing project life in the traditional sense, I won't even be doing it as weekly spreads either, instead I will be focusing on a story and telling that.  I will probably break up the book by months but I'm not sold on that yet, so we'll see.  

I have been reading a ton and loving it.  I have already read Souldful Simplicity and Steal like an Artist and loved both.  I am currently reading Get the Girls Out and Life-Changing Foods.  I usually find in January that I like to read books about change, perspective and growing.  It helps set my mind for the year.

Managed to get a Creative Get Together organised as well which was so good.  It's just what we needed and have already agreed to do it way more often.  I made a start on my embroidery and totally amazed myself at doing the leaf stitch.  You have no idea how stoked I was.

I have been working very hard on my OLW - Nourish.  I am currently going to the physio, getting massages done and yes I am even going to try Pilates.  The first two I am loving although I am not sure how the Pilates thing will end up, but I am just trying to do what ever will benefit my mind, body and soul.

Well that's a brief catch up on what I have been doing creatively.  I am loving my progress so far but still maintaining the "go slow" approach and trying to enjoy the journey instead of just the end result.

staying slow...

Tracey xox