Callaloo Soup

Making Daisy Chains

It's school vacation time in France again, so for the next two weeks I'll be taking it easy and spending lots of time with Kieran. Things will slow down on the blog as well and I'll be posting photo postcards daily (but also look out for Filofax Friday!)

Do What You Want, Get Over Creative Block and Stack Rocks. Among Other Things

I don't have as much time as I would like to read all the blog articles I'd like to read, but thankfully, I do sometimes come across gems in the online world that resonate with me in some way. I make a point to share those that really speak to me on Twitter, and I want to share them here too.

Most recently I've loved:-

At the cusp between wonder and fact: a mom writes about her son turning nine years old. I love how beautifully Christina Rosalie writes, and how the deep connection between her and her son comes shining through.

Michael Grab Balances Rocks: As an engineer and general science geek, this appeals to me. Plus we have a river with tons rocks nearby, and I can totally see Kieran and I having a blast with this.

Whenever I have a day that I am feeling unmotivated, and not wanting to work, I read these tips: How to Make Yourself Work When You Just Don't Want To. They work!

I love Janet Carr's take on not doing what society tells you you should do.  Plus she talks about her Filofax, and you know I am all about that!

Have you heard about Brain Pickings? I adore all their posts, and this recent one about overcoming creative block definitely met the mark.

What good stuff have you read lately? Have a great weekend, friends.

 

This Is How I Amuse Myself.....

When taking close up photos of items, sometimes I notice silly little things like this. They keep me smiling as I work.

Happy hump day folks. Hoping you will find lots of little things to smile about today.

Curating My Day

If you were to curate the things you did each day to maximise doing the things you enjoy, as well as getting your important tasks done, what things would you include in your day? Here's my list:

Journaling
Creating
Going for a walk
Thrifting
Sharing
Spending time with Lucas & Kieran
Exercise
Baking or cooking
Reading
Writing
Taking photos

Now, what things would you have to remove so that your day would include more of the things on your list, and less of the things that aren't worthy of your time?

Thanks to Leo Babauta of Zen Habits for the idea.

 

Looking Back at 2013 | My Favourite Layouts

In 2013 one of my goals was to scrapbook more, since I hadn't done many layouts in 2012. I'm happy to say I more than doubled the number in 2013 for a grand total of 44. I also made 3 mini-albums. Here are 10 of my favourites (in no particular order)

 

I’m seeing certain trends like white background, white space, misting, sprinkles of embellishments and patterned papers used as accents. The majority of these layouts were part of my Inspired Fridays series. I really feel like doing that series helped me to move to another level in my scrapping, and I can see how my style evolved. This year my goal is to do at least 52 layouts, and 12 mini-albums. Who knows where my style will be by the end of the year?

Looking Back at 2013 | My Year in Numbers

2013 was busy! My word for the year was Better, and I think I lived up to it. Here’s a look at how the year played out in numbers.

Scrapbooking

Layouts: 44 Mini-albums: 3

Instagram Photos: 1335. Wowsa!

Tutorials: 15

Crochet projects: 29

Knitting Projects: One. Yikes!

Books read: 54

Not to mention all the meals cooked, loads of laundry done, Facebook Status updates posted, stories read to Kieran, songs sung, trips taken, cakes and cookies baked, articles read, tomatoes harvested and all the other things that made up our life last year.

Bring it on 2014! I’m ready!

Creative Gift Ideas from Blurb Books

Create Something One Of A Kind with Blurb

(Affliate links are included for your shopping convenience. Save 30% on Blurb's Print Books with code: SAVE30 valid through 11/30)

People love getting really creative, one-of-a-kind books for Christmas. Books that elicit a “where did you find this?” response. As the leading indie- and self-publishing platform, Blurb has an entire online bookstore full of unique books by an incredible array of undiscovered, self-published authors, artists, and photographers. And while these books probably aren’t in your recipient’s bookshelf, many of them should be. So, if you’re thinking of giving unique gifts this year, consider these titles. Each costs around $40 USD or less:

Cookie Cravings by Maria Lichty and Heidi Larsen
We all have cookie cravings. Popular food blogger Maria Lichter decided to put them into something deliciously original: A baking book featuring 30 recipes you won’t find anywhere else.


Dog by My Side by Adam Schnitzer
This charming collection of original, vintage photos shows us that as long as there have been cameras, we’ve wanted to photograph our canine best friends. As a special bonus, there’s a glossary of the early photographic methods used in the original images.


Around the World with a Toy Camera by Giorgio Giussani
Perfect for the photography or graffiti-art fan on your list. This book is an explosion of gritty color that explores the wonders of street art and analog photography.


Food Stories by Elena Scott
A short, wonderfully illustrated collection of recipes (and food stories) that will inspire you to pick up the knife and spatula—or just pen and paper.

Things I Love by Carol Nehls and Jessica Rose
Illustrated and written many years apart by a mother and daughter, this sweet rhyming story told by a fox is pure joy for all ages.


Patent Pending by Jordan Natyshen
Chicken goggles, air-conditioned rocking chairs, monkey jockeys for greyhounds… humankind has invented and sought to patent some amazing and crazy things. Illustrator Jordan Natyshen illustrates some of the strangest in this history of odd inventions.


Tiny Horses are Everywhere by Thea Lux
The perfect stocking-stuffer for fans of off-beat humor, this undeniably nutty book is based on a Tumblr blog and combines simple photo collages of small horses in human environments with incredibly funny captions.

Rouleaux by Anastassia Elias
What can you do with an empty roll of toilet paper? If you’re French artist Anastassia Elias, you create tiny dioramas inside of the discarded tubes. Inspired by art and movies, these pieces are beautifully crafted, fun, and unbelievably detailed.


Low Fidelity by Bobby Grossman
If you, or someone you love, listened to New York punk and new wave in the 70s, chances are your favorite artist can be found in this book. Bobby Grossman photographed Iggy Pop, David Byrne, The Ramones, Debbie Harry, Andy Warhol and many more. This book is a time capsule of—and a love letter to—a legendary time, place, and sound.


Take a second and head over to Blurb to see if you can end your search for that perfect gift this season!

Around the Web in 5 Links

Happy Monday everyone! Fall break is over, and we're back to work over here. Today I started by changing up what I see above my desk. I love clouds! More on that later. I am a busy bee this week as I prepare to re-open Callaloo Soup Designs on Friday. Stay tuned for that big announcement!

In the meantime here are five things on the web that I enjoyed recently.

The Myth of "I'm Bad at Math" at The Atlantic

The Bilingual Mind at Pyschology Today

Woven Paper Stars project at My Poppet

Short Ribs With Wine and Cream at The Pioneer Woman

and finally prepare to laugh at

16 Reasons You Should Never Re-enact Pinterest Photos.

 

Have a good one!

 

Callaloo Soup is on Fall Break!

 

With Kieran on Fall Break for the next two weeks, I've decided to put the blog on break too. I'll still be blogging, but not every week day, and I'll put a pause on the regular features like Wednesday Window and Inspired Fridays. Look out for random posts on what we're up to while he is home with me.

Plus this month's Sister Sketch layout will appear as scheduled on Thursday.

And speaking of scrapbooking, here's a peek at my layout for November for write.click.scrapbook

Quite possibly my favourite layout I've done for WCS this year. Maybe.

Regular posts will resume the week of November 4th.

Be an Earlybird with Blurb Books | Yes, I am Talking Christmas!

This week I am hosting over at write.clickscrapbook, talking all about scrapping your Instagram photos. Today I addressed making mini-books (and more), and one example was the Instagram photo book I made using Blurb, several months ago. Remember it?

As it turns out Blurb is currently running a promotion for us earlybirds (yes I said that). Through October 7th you can get 20% off printed books with the code EARLYBIRD20.

As it also happens I have this item on my October to-do list "Make Christmas gift list". Because I am determined to not only do a majority of handmade gifts this year, but to also not be up after midnight on Christmas Eve working feverishly on last minute items.

I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!