Chloé’s Ramblings

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Scrap Sunday

Lots of new fun scrap stuff this week, but not many LOs. And lots of IRL stuff, not fun at all (a dear friend of ours, DBF's godfather and husband of one of my collegues, passed away), which also explains why I haven't scrapped as much. Sometimes you just have to sort your priorities, right?

I've still scrapped a couple pages, though! Here they are.

First a LO created with Etc. by Danyale's new release "Renewal". Very springy, very fun, gorgeous colors and textures... plus a cute pic of yours truely when I was 2 or 3 years old.

Credits
And a second page about DBF and I using the collab "A Charmed Life" by Cluster Queen Creations and Amy Stoffel. Very fun kit, full of great papers and fabulous elements, I loved it!
Credits
That's it for this week. As I said, too much is going on and I can't focus on everything at the same time. I will be busy this week at work too, so I'm not sure I'll be able to scrap much. When I spend my day at the computer, I don't really feel like being in front of a monitor again at night. Plus I hope my mom will come for Easter so I have to organize my house too so that we can comfortably have a guest. I will try to catch up on my P365 LOs, though, so that I can at least share those next week. Until then, take care and have fun!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

I'm a marathoner

source
Yep, even though I was 12 the last time I ran for more than 5 minutes in a row, I'm a marathoner. I even run three marathons at a time: weight loss, organisation and infertility. When I started those journeys, I expected them to be sprints. I expected to get pregnant like most of my friends, within months of trying. I expected I would get my house, my schedule and above all my bad habits under control in a snap. I expected I'd get rid of the extra weight after a couple weeks of exercising and eating right.

But all the journeys take more than just some weeks of effort, at least the journeys that are worth the trip. I'm hanging there, and even though some days are better than the other, I try to remind myself that what matters is the long run. I know that, despite the bumps along the road, the trip will be worth it. The rewards will be fabulous. And starting those journeys is half the victory, especially for weight loss and organisation. I'm doing much better on those two than if I'd never done anything, right? They are probably lifelong journeys, I will probably never be able to say "I'm done, I'm at my goal, I don't need to pay attention to this.", but it's okay.

Just like marathoners, I should be careful to keep a good rythm all along the run. If you sprint at times and walk at other, it's much harder and you feel much more tired. You lose your breath, you feel bad, you get in pain. Consistency is the key here. What makes the "infertility marathon" different is that you don't control your rythm, the fertility center and your body do. This is what makes it much harder: you can't control some things, while you can control other (like weight loss) I have to focus on those and let go of the rest which is not in my own hands.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Lent My Way weeks #1, #2 and #3


(check this post to find out more about this project)

On the first week we focused on our office, more specifically on DBF's desk. He had a terrible mess and most of it is gone. It feels great.
Look! Empty shelves!!
I'm always amazed how a little neatness and decluttering can have such a great impact on how you feel when you look at that space: it's so fresh, so light now! Bliss!
To make things even better I would have liked to take care of my desk and bookcase too, but unfortunately I didn't find / make time for that, so I will try to tackle this during this month.

I then started a new room: the bathroom. It's very very tiny and I was able to declutter it all during the weekend.
The after pic. It looks like there are still many things, I know, but it was
worse before and  much more disorganized, trust me!
I got rid of old products that I kept for some reason (don't ask me what this reason was!), checked the expiration dates of all our meds and prepared a bag to bring back to the drugstore, I prepared my vanity for the few trips that I make, etc.

Finally, last week I worked in the bedroom, especially our closet. Look at all the clothes I got rid of:
There were at least 15 or 20 pieces that didn't fit me and that I
packed to bring to a charity. Look at all those hangers!
Ain't it great? Those were too small for me since I gained so much weight over the last years. Even if I lose 30 lbs one day and CAN get back in those, will I really WANT to?? I don't think so! It was time for me to pass on those clothes to a charity so that someone that fits in them can enjoy them.

So far, it's been great. I have to fight my natural tendency to perfectionism and remind myself constantly that doing something is great already, and that all this mess didn't appear overnight and can't hence disappear all of a sudden. It's hard sometimes but it's getting easier and I've taken the habit to celebrate those victories, no matter how small they are.

This week, I am working on the kitchen. I especially decluttered my recipe books that I never ever use. I will also work on practicing my routines, I'm tired to have a big huge mess to take care of before the cleaning lady comes on Thursday, when it's so easy to do a little every day. Maintenance is the key to housework happiness, I tell you!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

New scrap pages

Once again, the new releases at TDC blew my mind. So much gorgeousness, the hardest part is to pick which products to play with! ;)

First, I created this page about my little brother coming after my mom with water... You'd better hide the camera, mom! I used a new kit and its add-ons by the guest designer ForeverJoy called "Oh Boy!", perfect for this playful LO.
Credits
Then I used the bright and fun birthday kit "And Many More" by Cluster Queen Creations to scrap DBF's 42nd b'day. As I said, he is 42 going on 13! LOL
Credits
Last LO with this thursday's releases, a page about my love for Harry Potter. Thanks to my collegue Pascale I read the books last fall and I fell in love immediately. I used Elise Hansen's "Well Read" for this page, the glasses were too perfect for a Harry Potter LO to pass, right?
Credits
Finally, I created a hybrid project with the guest designer's Jenn Labre new kit "A Perfect Day", a little I love you card.
Credits
And now, 3 more LOs / projects that I created recently, but that didn't use new releases. First a P366 LO (I'm 2 weeks late on this, but trying to catch up!), that uses the february TDC collab "A Love Story":
Credits
Then an invite for the baptism of my friends' son, using a wedding kit by Mari Koegelenberg "Always and Forever":
Credits
And finally a LO about my BFF's saying she makes up constantly. Love this trait of her! I used Sugarplum Paperie's kit "He Said, She Said", perfect for this topic!
Credits
That's it, these are this week's LOs.

I will post an update on the first 3 weeks of the "Lent My Way" project tomorrow or Tuesday with progress pix. I love this project so far, I feel like I really accomplished much!

Monday, March 12, 2012

Scrappy Sunday... on a Monday again!

Yeah, I'm not completely back in the habit of posting on this blog regularly, am I? ;)

Here are my most recent pages. First a LO of my BFF's son and his masterpieces. The fun frames are by Sherwood Studios (as well as the kit I used)
Credits
Then, again with last week's new releases, here's a poster I created for a collegue, using Amanda Heimann's fabulous new release "Little Girl Blue". Love this kit!
Credits
Then there are two layouts I created for TDC's challenges. First one for a recipe challenge, using the gorgeous kit Affirmation by Elise Hansen:
Credits
And this one was made for a journaling challenge by Holly (she's the sweetest chick ever!), using a new release by Elise Hansen too, "Lucky Me":
Credits
That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my recent scrapping projects!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Scrappy Sunday

First, a great news: my guest gig for TDC's CT became permanent! I'm so honored and happy to become a member of this fantastic group of ladies. They are so talented and inspiring and sweet! I had a big smile on my face and (literally) did the happy dance when I got the e-mail asking if I wanted to stay. Had to stop my hands shaking just long enough to answer YES!!! LOL

Anyway, I've had the pleasure to keep scrapping with the fabulous goodies from our designers and that's why you will still see many pages every week! Since I'm back to work I didn't scrap as much as I did the weeks before, but I was still pretty busy. Here are my most recent pages. First one using the March collab, "Someone Like You", that I created for the challenge I'm hosting this month.
Credits and link to the challenge
 Then here is this colorful LO with Dawn by Designs' new kit, very springy, featuring 2 or 3 years old me and my family and friends:
Credits
Then there are three LOs for an online friend. I blurred their face for privacy reasons, but still wanted to show you the fun LOs I created!
Credits

Credits

Credits
This is a LO of my then 2 years old brother reading a plane magazin while on his potty. I love those pix, they are so fun and cute... boy-typical, too! LOL I used a kit by TDC's march guest designer, Jenn Labre.
Credits
And last but not least, two of my favorite designers, Amanda Heimann (for whom I CT) and Nicole from Sugarplum Paperie, united their talents to create a fabulous collab called "My Strength". It's gorgeous, as we could expect from those ladies, and I had a blast creating this LO:
Credits
Voilà, that's it for the week. Words can't really express how happy I am to create for TDC. I get the chance to scrap those memories with gorgeous products and hang out with the coolest digi-family of all digi-land... I'm in heaven!! See you next time with more scrappiness!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Changing things up

Since I created my own version of Lent (see post below), I will change things around on my resolutions plan.

Credits
As you can see, I was supposed to work on respecting myself this month, but I will exchange this with July. That way my Lent resolution will be coherent with the rest of  the month's resolutions. I will also focus on my routines (I really need to get back at this!) and on tackling a little something extra for 15 minutes each day. As FlyLady always say: "You can do anything for 15 minutes." Here's my plan for this month:
Credits: Home Sweet Home by Kimeric Creations @ TDC, alpha and  alpha brushes by Krystal Hartley and Karla Dudley, font is Traveling Typewriter
On that note, I'm off to start working in the bathroom and on creating my list! Take care!!