Five For Friday

1. It was a few weeks ago but have you seen all the awesome CHA sneaks? I am pumped to get my hands on a few of the collections debuting this weekend. Here are a few things I am so excited for!


1. Studio Calico Wanderlust collection 2. SC Wanderlust rolling stamp 3. SC star wood veneer4. Basic Grey mon Ami Collection by KP 5. SC alpha stickers 6. Tim Holtz scissors (large ones) 7. Amy Tangerine Plus One mini PL kit

2. I discovered Emily Henderson's blog. It's a plethora of DIY's & fun makeovers. It motivated me to get moving on the scrapbooking room! It's in progress finally. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

3. M made an awesome pot of chili a few weeks ago-to keep our bellies warm. He used this recipe and man was it ever delicious. Bonus: It's vegetarian.

4. I'm working on some awesome classes for The Paperie for February- a designer duo with Rae Lynn & another Mom & Me class. Stay tuned for sneaks.

5. Perhaps my favourite shares this past few weeks are the fact that two awesome books are coming out this year-one by Shimelle Lane a.k.a glitter girl, an awesome scrapbooker & Emma & Elsie are putting out a home decor book from A Beautiful Mess. So excited for both of these.


xoxo
K

5 For Friday

And it's Friday again.

1. Some very big and exciting news today. I have a layout in Creating Keepsakes latest special issue- Mixed Media Scrapbooking.



Kind of a big deal for me. And for it to be in a Mixed Media issue is kind of funny but here's the layout.



I'm pretty pumped. You can pick up the issue here & there are some awesome ideas and layouts in there.


2. I'm looking forward to going to The Sunshine Crop tomorrow with some friends to scrapbook the day away. I'm bringing a stack of summer photos & my current summer album to work on. I'm hoping to finish it!

3. I've crossed a few books off my list recently that I thought I'd share my thoughts on here.

First, I devoured 'A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book' by Elsie & Emma of the blog by the same name. . If you're like me and you enjoy a good coffee table book that's not only pretty but informative this is a great one to pick up on amazon or indigo. It's beautiful and informative- a.k.a awesome.

Second, Wonder by R.J. Palacio. There's so much I can say about it. It's a YA book so it took mere hours to read but it was so good I started it at 10 p.m- because I wasn't tired- and finished it at 2 a.m. I literally could not put it down it was that good. If you have a middle school age child they need to read this book and it's a wonderful book for adults as well. Soooo good- I laughed, I cried. It was one of my favourite reads this year.

4. For all my fellow Week In The Lifers, Ali shared a video tutorial on her blog this week for using the digital templates and you just might want to pick up a few digi pieces because Designer Digitals has a big 30% off sale on as of yesterday.

5. Kelly Purkey has her latest release on Simon Says Stamp today & it includes a sneak peek of her December Project kit a.k.a December Daily. I'm excited because everyone's doing a December Daily kit this year including my fav local store The Paperie. I can't wait to get my hands on all the holiday beautifulness. If you know me at all, you know I'm a lover of Christmas. I have a holiday stash to prove it. I can't help myself.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

1. I'm on a mission to 'finish' decorating our dining room. Last week I decided that an extra chair that had been loitering in the corner was going to become a permanent fixture. But, it needed a little sprucing up. So I re-upholstered it with some remenants of fabric from a few other projects. Here's the before & after for you.



I also made a little cushion for it as well.

Still on my list: Recover the table chairs. Hang the Rob Ryan Plates I bought last week. Figure out another larger picture installation for the large wall. Finish creating a vignette on the china sideboard.

As always, it's a work in progress. 

2. So I also decided that this week would be a good time to take on a huge painting project. The scrapbooking room was painted a beautiful color-a deep blue- when we initially painted it upon moving in. However, it was a very dark color for a room with only one window. I have always been inspired by Ali's white walls in her scrapbooking/office rooms and so I wanted something light & bright but not sterile. So I went with a lovely light grey color that looks great with the cloud white moldings. I also changed up the layout a little. Look for that post coming soon!

3. I'm ashamed to admit this but I've been re-watching 'The Hills' this week. Yep. Turns out it's on Netflix & I'm a sucker for a series. It's even more ridiculous than when I watched it the first time around.

4. If you haven't heard, The Paperie is doing a big workshop on our own version of 'Week in the Life' next month along with Ali Edwards. Ali talked about WITL a little on her blog yesterday. You can read that post here! 

5. I'm been very inspired recently by Cathy Z's digital project life. I'm hoping to incorporate some digital features into my WITL album next month. Check out her latest blog post about PL here. 

Have a great weekend! It's a long weekend here in Canada for labor day. I'll be back on Tuesday!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday: Obsessions

Yep. Today's 5 For Friday post is all about my current summer obsessions.


 *a little sneak of my summer PL album.

1. A Beautiful Mess. The blog, the app, Elsie & Emma. I've found a new blogger crush folks. I spent some time this past weekend descending the rabbit hole that is their blog and it was worth it. So many DIY ideas and frankly, those girls are just stinkin' cool. I want to replicate this idea for sure. I'm also pretty curious about their Blogging course.

2. I'm currently obsessed with the idea of a Day In The Life. I've been reviewing Ali's ideas and love love love the simple time stamps she's been putting on her instagram photos.  I want to do a summer version and I hope you'll join me this Monday, July 22nd. I'll be using #dayinthelife for my photos and you can find me on instagram @krlewe.

3. Kelly Purkey's latest Project Life kit went live last week and as usual I'm obsessed. I've been using her previous two kits for my 'Hello Summer' project life mini-album. The tiny letter stickers, summer stamps (exclusive to the June/July kit) & the 3 by 4 journaling cards have offically stolen my heart.

Also, I'm dying for these as you can imagine. They were meant to grace my pages naturally. 



4. DIY. Let's face facts here folks-I'm always obsessed with DIY but right now it's like all the little tasks that I've had on my growing list are being crossed off at a rapid pace. I'll be sharing some of the latest DIY's this weekend so stay tuned! I'm currently on the hunt for some small pieces to add/create some vingettes around our home. I'm on the hunt for accessories basically-cheap or free ones which usually involves spray paint, etc. I'd also love to find a great deal on some funky printed fabric to cover our dining room chairs.

5. Bloglovin'. Google reader died and until it died I loved it. A creature of habit, I knew the in's and out's of it and thus just kept using it until I was faced with the challenge of finding another blog reader. I tried Feedly a while back but couldn't get into it and as the deadline for Google Reader's demise approached I noticed there was a lot of talk about Bloglovin'. So I tried it. And I haven't looked back. I love it on my computer & on my ipad. I even like the feature where you can search for new blogs that cater to the same interests in your current blogs. Best. Idea. Ever. Because we all need more bogs to follow.

What are you obsessing over this summer?! Anything I'm missing out on that I need to have on my radar?!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

1. I hit up Old Navy this past weekend to pick up a few travel-worthy things for our upcoming trip to the Bahamas. Our purchases included these shorts-embroidered anchors, need I say more.

2.This past weekend our friend Sam came over to do a little photo shoot. Check out his site! He rocks! The shoot was nothing short of AWESOME. He got some great pics of me for the blog and a few headshots and I couldn't be happier. Sam was looking for someone to practice on and I was his very willing subject. Check out a few of these shots-



And there was a shot or two of Eugene taken as well.




I can't wait to share more of them with you! 

 3. Yesterday I heard about this class on Big Picture that I am totally taking. I'm not normally an 'online class-taker' but this one seems like a great fit and everyone could use a little help getting better pics with their iphones!

4. One of my fav scrappy friends, Kelly Purkey, put out her latest Project Life kit this week along with a whole bunch of new stamp sets! Check it all out on her blog!

5.****Big News****: Dina Wakley is coming to The Paperie! Seriously awesome right?! Check out the preview right here on the blog!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

1. Currently want to download any and all of these for use in a frame for my scrapbooking room decor.

2. Currently obsessed with the 'Rainbow Connection' by Kermit the frog. There's been a lot of muppet movie watching here at the Wells' house lately.



3. I have a new favorite category on Pinterest-'Hair and Beauty'. I need a haircut badly and I'm desperately looking for inspiration.

4. It's been a few weeks since my last DIY project and I've set my sights on a new one-the half bathroom. You can check out some of my inspiration on my Pinterest 'For the Home' page. I'm thinking there will be a blue theme.

5. My Kelly Purkey PL kit finally arrived. It did not disappoint. It is beautiful. I can't wait to see what she has cooked up for June/July. Pumped.

xoxo
K

5 For Friday-Valentine's Edition

1. So yesterday I spent the morning with one of my favourite valentine's. We went for a walk and delivered some treats to our special Valentine's friends & family.



2. Sometimes Valentine's selfie's don't go as planned.



 3. We bought Eugene a new couch for the scrapbooking room-to look out the window. Happy Valentine's to Eugene & I- a new reupholstery project! M has requested that I find a fabric with pictures of dogs on it. That's not happening. I see polka dots or chevron.



 4. Sometimes we like to bury our dog in his own toys when he's sleeping.



5. I probably should have named this post '5 For Friday-the Eugene Edition'. Seriously.

Happy weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday-KTOL

1. So last night I taught my first 'Keeping Track of Life' (Ktol) class of the year. I had a lot of fun and apparently other people did too-thank goodness. We made three 'pages' in three hours. Seriously I made them work pretty hard. We even got a little bit messy. Yes, you read that right.

2. We made an opening page for our album-essentially a 'where are you at in January 2012' page.



 Lots of layers here & bits and pieces.



3. Then we made a layout for January. The idea was that you create a layout for the month based on one special event. I chose Eugene's birthday.



This one is an interactive page where the photo section flips up to reveal journaling and more photos. It's a great way to include a ton of photos.



4. Then we filled in a page protector with all the random happenings during the month.



Included my goals for January and a 'right now' post from the last day of the month as well as a flip card, my one little word for the year & a bunch of fun photos.




5. I'm pumped for the next class which happens to be March 14th- the Thursday before the KP event. So excited. I'll be posting sneak peeks here when I have some things started but keep an eye out for a pink/navy/yellow theme this coming month! Also follow me on instagram for more sneak peeks. My username is: krlewe.

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

1. So I joined a knitting class at the last minute last Thursday night. It is awesome. I've learned to cast on, knit and purl. Let me just say that 'you tube' is a wonderful thing. The ultimate goal is to make a cowl neck infinity scarf thing. For the past week I've been in the practice stages with some yellow wool but I managed to get out on an excursion last week with Cathie to buy some thicker, prettier wool and some new needles to call my very own. I noticed an awesome tutorial on Design Sponge this week as well for knitting a cowl. Check it out here. 

2. I've been slowly working on my class layouts for February's 'Keeping Track of Life'. Check out this little sneak.



I'm so excited about this class. 

3. I'm also pretty excited to co-host a birthday party at The Paperie tomorrow with W. We're going to have a photo booth and make layouts with fourteen 9-year-olds and it's going to be awesome. I'm pumped.

4.Liz Kartchner had some pretty cool news this week. She started a new site called 'Paper Party'. It looks intriguing! I'm sure I'll be lurking around there from time to time. It looks like it will also be an awesome site for my 'Inspired by' theme here on the blog. I can't wait to see some of the challenges and projects.

5. I'm on the hunt for a coffee table-one that can easily have the legs taken off-for a DIY project. If you are local and have one that you are looking to get rid of I would be happy to take it off your hands. There might even be some treats from Taffety in it for you.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo
K

5 for Friday

1. I've recently become obsessed with Downton Abbey. Seriously. I'm almost though all the seasons in just over a week.

2. I'm working on some layouts for The Paperie's January kit.



3. Eugene has found a new spot. Looks like I'll be doing a little DIY and making a bench in the new year.



4. Over Christmas I invested in some new boots and got an awesome new coat for Christmas. If you are in the market for boots I highly recommend Bluntstones. They are warm, dry and sturdy without being heavy. Doesn't hurt that they are also somewhat fashionable. Here's a shot of the ones I have. Of course, we know who's unintentionally photobombing.



5. Lastly, we had an awesome New Year's eve with some new friends. There was lots of instagramming including this shot-my fav.



And that's it for the frist edition of 5 for Friday for 2013.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

1. I wanted to share the layouts that I made in the class I took from Kelly Goree at the Crop & Create in Ottawa. She was too cute and her layouts were easy to replicate and are exactly what I love-lots of layers. She has a knack for combining pattern papers.

I've finally added photos and finished two of them. There's one more but it still needs some journaling so I'll share that one when it's done.






2. Have you seen Kelly Purkey's December Daily album kit? If not, check out her instagram feed. If I could marry a kit this would be it. It's such a beautiful combination of exclusives from small shop owners. I love that she's showcasing some special talent that's out there! I WILL be ordering one. 

3. More Kelly Purkey love-new stamps at Simon Says Stamp. Probably going to grab this one and this one. She really should just take my money when she makes the decision to create something.

4. Selling a bunch of stamps at The Paperie's stamp sale tomorrow. There will be lots of exclusive SC stamps from older kits. It's worth coming to check it out. Doors open at 10:00!

5. Tonight we're going to a Halloween party. I'm pretty excited to debut our costumes. I've been working on them tirelessly all week long. They're pretty cute!

Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy any Halloween festivities you might have going on this weekend!

xoxo
K

5 For Friday

It's Friday again. Love Fridays. It's been a busy week around here. September is in full swing and here's the latest.

1. I've been thinking about how to use all those Becki Higgins page protectors that I bought back when I was going to do "Project Life". I'm thinking of doing a month of 'Project Life'. Kind of like a 'week in the life' but not nearly as intense. I'm thinking October might be a good month and our schedule looks like it's shaping up to be a fun one too!

2. There are a ton of movies either in theaters or coming soon that I really want to see. Now, if only my schedule would open up I would see them. Here's what's on the list:

*"I Don't Know How She Does It"
*"The Change Up"
*"The Debt"
*"Ides of March"
*"Moneyball"

3. It's Fall! I was published in Canadian Scrapbooker's Fall issue this month. Here's the layout I had published. It's my first Canadian pub so I was pretty excited!



4. I am so excited for all the new Fall shows this week- 'Gossip Girl', The Good Wife, Hart of Dixie. I'm pumped. I've been watching old 'The OC' episodes to get in touch with my inner Rachel Bilson for the premiere of 'Hart of Dixie'. We already watched "Broke Girls", "The New Girl", "The Mentalist", and "Modern Family". Seriously?! Can you tell I love a good tv show!

5. I've got a cool school/scrapbooking related announcement coming early next week so stay tuned!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K

Five for Friday

1. Finished reading this book the other night-hilarious.



Don't try reading it in bed though while your husband is sleeping because your uncontrollable shaking in an attempt to stifle your laughter may disrupt his beauty sleep. Looks like this might be the last book I read for a while-my M. Ed course started Monday and I've been knee deep in journal articles ever since.

2. Saw this window display in the mall this week. A little scrapbooking light bulb went off in my head! I'm envisioning polaroids, lots of polaroids, aren't you?


Credit: BCBG Max Azria
3. This magazine has been spotted all over the blogisphere this week. I'm pumped to pick up a copy.


Credit: Creating Keepsakes

4. This morning I discovered that Kelly Purkey has a class up for purchase at Big Picture Scrapbooking. It's called "A Week of Life Lists". I swear we are meant to be friends-I love lists more than anything. There's also just something gratifying about crossing things off your 'to do' list. I'll be taking that one for sure! The best part- it's a self-paced workshop so you can do it WHENEVER you want.

5. I am heading to Iroquois Springs this weekend, my summer home, to talk 'camp' and I can't wait to see this little lady tonight. We have so much fun together! I'm pumped! The best part is I get to head to Manhattan on Sunday evening. I predict delicious food and great company! Next week's 'weekend in photos' might be AWESOME.



Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K

5 for Friday

1. Finished my first layout for Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 3 class. Finished #2 but need better lighting to post it. #3 will have to wait for later in the weekend.



And a close up!



2. Today a Studio Calico box arrived in my hands via UPS with my new kits "Singin' In the Rain" & "Moses Supposes". I also bought a Fiskars cloud punch and a Jenni Bowlin 'chewing gum' ink pad. LOVE it! Excited to pull it out for some more sketches.



3. I got a great deal on photos at the photolab last night. 100 photos for $10.00. That's pretty sweet. So many road trip photos to scrapbook and so much project life to catch up on!

4. Got new headphones last night for running. I think I blew the left speaker out in my last pair out beating the streets with the music on blast. Oops!

5. Heading to Montreal tomorrow morning with a large group of friends for an Obits show tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to something delicious for dinner and a peruse in the shops on St. Catherine Street. This girl loves to shop-even if it doesn't involve purchasing anything! I'm really looking forward to the sunshine and warm-ish weather.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Look for some Montreal pics on Monday!

xoxo
K

5 for ...Oops! It's Saturday!

In all the March break excitement I forgot to post my '5 For Friday' post! Forgive me for being late but I'm on vacation! ;)

1. Yesterday March Break began! Two whole weeks off. I have a list of house-related things to do before heading out of town on a road trip next Friday for the rest of the break. I am so pumped for my first real road trip.

2. Which brings me to #2! Ali Edwards posted a Workshop entitled "Scrapbook on the Road" on Thursday. I signed up for it. This is on my to-do list this week, completing a little mini-album for our road trip. I'm excited to scrapbook the trip a little as it happens! If you're interested in checking it out click on the icon to the left for "Scrapbook on the Road".

3. This week I've been organizing my photos and challenged myself to find stories to tell that have nothing to do with the initial photo. Take this layout for example- at first glance you might think it's about food, namely s'mores, but it's not at all. (Even though I do LOVE s'mores!)It's about my decision to go back to sleep away camp for one last summer.



I've been going to Iroquois Springs each summer now for the last 9 years. This summer will be one decade of sleep away camp. It's an amazing place and has given me so much to be thankful for. This summer might be the last one and I used this photo as a jumping off point to describe my feelings going into the planning and preparation for this, the last, one.



4. I got my UPS email Thursday telling me that my Studio Calico kit for March is on it's way. That's my kind of happy mail! It should be here by Wednesday. The kit's sold out super fast this month. I didn't order much this month-just a second helping of the main kit paper. I really like the colors of the pattern papers this time around.

5. I'm trying to expand and try some new things in my scrapbooking. I tried doing an 81/2 by 11 page on Craft night this week. I think it turned out okay.



I used a sketch from a layout I really liked online. I used the photo to anchor the journaling and the title.



This was also the first time I used the book stamp and I LIKE it. I found it harder to confine all my business to a smaller design space but I think that's part of the challenge!



Here's my weekend to-do list: (edited)

*buy a new pair of fancy running pants (Done!)
*return a ton of old (and I mean these have accumulated over 2 years) wine bottles that have taken up way too much space above our kitchen cabinets! (Done!)
*work on a little secret project for a few new 'Baby Mama' friends of mine (look for a post on that later this weekend)
*attend a pre-baby party with friends for one of those said 'Baby Mamas'
* SCRAPBOOK (goes without saying right!)

xoxo
K

5 for Friday

1. I've been trying out some new hairdos lately. This is the fishtail I did last weekend. I love the way it looks in my hair.



Do you know what a 'sock bun' is? I'm currently obsessed with this technique. It actually works to create curls which last all day! I forgot to take a picture in my excitement this morning but try it! Check out the youtube video here!

2. I started a new layout last night. Here's a sneak peek.



3. We had our first outdoor run tonight. 7km later I am sore but feeling good. We start training for the half marathon in two weeks.

4. This weekend I will NOT be making cupcakes! Instead lovely, succulent lobster will be baking in my house this Saturday. I am pumped. I love lobster. I love clams and mussels. I love corn on the cob. I. am. excited!

5. I want a camera remote. I want glittered heals a la Liz Kartchner. I also want to be as cute as Liz Kartchner when I'm a mom. Alas, we may not get everything we want in life. Two out of three wouldn't be too bad!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the blog today! I've been noticing a bit more traffic here lately and I appreciate the time you're taking to flick through my posts! Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo
K