Simple as That

Making Everyday Beautiful

Blog

friday craft day: pretty patterned hearts

It was feeling like forever since the kids and I had done something crafty and as luck would have it, on my last trip to our storage unit, I stumbled upon some of our old art supplies! I brought them home with the intent to create something pink and valentines-y with the kids ASAP and when the weather got just a little to cold for us to handle this last week, we seized the opportunity to work on a simple little valentines project inside where its warm. 🙂
Nothing fancy happening here. Just some paper, a few water-colour paints and a pair of scissors are needed.  The kids set to work filling sheets of paper with patterns in reds and pinks for valentines day. I loved seeing all the fun patterns they came up with. After their papers had dried we cut hearts out of the patterned paper and this is what we were left with…
I love the way they look hanging in the window with the light shining through them, but there are so many ways you could display these cute hearts around the house. Just a super simple project {that’s how we like to do things around here} but the kids had fun with this for over an hour and I can totally see us doing it again sometime with different holiday shapes and colors! 

Have a great weekend ya’ll! 

I’ll be back on Sunday for the simple things! 
We’ll see you then!

simple things roundup + weekly photo tip

So many beautiful photos this week everyone!
 100 of them to be exact!! It’s so exciting to see so many of you joining us each Sunday! Thank you so much for sharing the simple things that bring you joy, your talents and your thoughts with all of us. 🙂

If you’ve had a photo featured on the blog or on my facebook page this week 
be sure to grab a featured button below! 🙂
 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


THIS WEEKS QUICK PHOTO TIP

When it comes to photo editing I like to keep things pretty simple. One thing that helps me in this area is using photoshop actions. They’re quick, they’re easy and they can be a lot of fun!

a quick before + after using addy lane’s vintage tea tones



Here are a few of my current favourites:

addy lane vintage tea tones
addy lane storyteller actions 
pamela topping ienhance actions
nicole v photo fix actions

For more information about using photoshop actions and a quick tutorial on how to create your own, stop by Ella Publishing where you can find an eZine article I did a while ago called:

3-minute Makeovers
easy ways to enhance your photos


 🙂


{free} printable valentines quote

I mentioned I was excited about Valentines Day right!?
 Well, the weather here has been SOOO cold {-25 degrees Celsius today = craziness!!} that we’ve been staying inside, keeping ourselves busy with a few little Valentines projects. The kids worked on a simple craft and I had some fun playing around in photoshop…while wearing my long underwear + jogging pants + hoodie + slippers. I’ve still got a loooong way to go before I’ll be used to this cold again. 😉
I stumbled across this quote on pinterest a while ago and just had to create a fun printable using it. I love it so much and I hope you do to. 🙂 
Please remember that all free downloads are for Simple as That followers only. 
Follow via Google Friend Connect on the left sidebar or sign up to receive updates via email or through your favourite RSS reader. Thank you. 🙂
click here to download your favourite colour

Enjoy! 


Stay tuned later tonight for my{Simple things Sunday} roundup and a quick photo tip for the week! If you haven’t linked up your photo yet there’s still time! The linky stays open until tomorrow night.

🙂


I’m linking up with these fabulous blogs:

the simple things

A certain little four year old has been dying to play in the snow since we arrived home but there hasn’t been any of the white stuff around here until this week! It started snowing a little bit the other morning and as soon as Addie could get her coat and boots on she was out the front door squealing and giggling as she experienced snow again for the first time in almost 2 years. She was so excited and it was the funnest thing to watch and photograph…even though I was FREEZING! Canada is a c-c-c-old place. I don’t know how I forgot this! Brrrr! Alivia’s reaction to the snow wasn’t nearly as joyful as Addie’s. Ha!
When we moved to the island Alivia was only 8 months old so this was her very first experience with snow and as it turns out, she’s not such a big fan. 😉 It took some convincing to get her to come outside to begin with and then when she actually touched the snow she quickly realized it wasn’t her thing.  She could not get back inside the warm house fast enough. There are so many things that this little beach babe has had to get used to since our return back to the cold north {ie. having to wear socks, keeping a blanket on at night, bundling up in all the winter gear} but she’s slowly adjusting and I’m sure by the end of winter she’ll be outside running and playing in the snow with her brother and sisters. 🙂
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Welcome to{simple things sunday}this week folks!
This party is all about celebrating the simple moments and simple joys that make you smile each week. So grab that camera, snap a photo or two and come share with us each Sunday!
Just a few quick rules to play:
please, please, please read the rules carefully

1. Grab one of the buttons below and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.

Leave as many as you can. 🙂

 


I can’t wait to see your photos this week everyone! I’ll be featuring some of my favs on the blog + Facebook throughout the week so stay tuned! If you were featured last week be sure to grab yourself a featured button!


Also, please remember to stop by as many of the other links as you can this week and leave lots of comments! Comments are the funnest. Everybody likes ’em, so be as generous as you can with the comment love. Thanks a bunch!


🙂


Valentines Day Flashback

I’m getting super excited about Valentines Day coming up, are you!? It’s one of my most favourite holidays and I have a few Valentines ideas in the works for this year that but wanted to share some of the fun we’ve had around here in years past just in case you missed out! Enjoy! 🙂

🙂

simple things roundup + NEW weekly photo tip

I’m loving all the photos linked up this week for {Simple things Sunday} you guys!!
I’m leaving the linky open until tomorrow night so feel free to add your photos if you have one to share. 
In the meantime, check out these gorgeous photos that caught my eye this week…
Thanks for linking up everyone! I really enjoyed stopping by each one of your blogs and celebrating the simple things with you this week!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I’m hoping to share a few gorgeous photos from the weekly linkup on Facebook + the blog this year so watch for your photos to be featured! So if you’ve been featured this week on the blog or on my facebook page grab a featured button below! 🙂
 

Along with my weekly Simple Things roundup I’ll also be sharing a quick and simple photo tip or idea. It might just be a link to a great how-to I came across online, an easy photoshop trick or some other little tidbit. I really want to share a few more photo tips on the blog throughout 2012 and I thought this would be a fun way to do it!

THIS WEEKS QUICK PHOTO TIP:

When it comes to capturing everyday photos it can be tricky to capture moments as they happen if you aren’t ready for them. At our house the kids aren’t always getting along perfectly and my toddler is rarely in one place for longer than 30 seconds, so when there is a moment of sibling bliss or baby girl is engrossed in an activity, I want to be able to access my camera as quickly as I can to capture these moments before they’re gone.

Consider where in your home the most activity takes place – for me its the kitchen – and find a spot close by where you can store your camera safely and you can grab it fast. I used to keep mine in a cupboard in the kitchen where little hands couldn’t reach it. When your camera is easily accessible you’ll find you bring it out more often to take photos and are able to capture more of those everyday moments simply because you’re ready for them. 🙂

If you’ve started on Project 365 this year or are joining in the Month-in-Photos project with me be sure and check out my downloadable Everyday Photos Checklist. It’s jam packed with 50 photo ideas and photography prompts to help you capture those simple, everyday moments!

2012 Month-in-Photos questions answered

I’ve had a few questions about the Month-in-Photos project and thought I’d address them quickly. January already seems to be flying by and at this rate it’ll be time to create the very first photo collage of 2012 at the end of this month!! Yikes! 🙂
If you haven’t read about the Month-in-Photos project yet, visit this post for details. If you have any other questions besides the ones answered here, feel free to leave a comment on this post and I’ll answer them as soon as I can. 🙂
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The first thing I’ve had a few people wondering is, if you have to use the collage template I created to participate in the monthly link up for the Month-in-Photos project. 
The answer is “Heck no!” I know a lot of you may not have access to Photoshop or Photoshop Elements which you do need to use my templates. Please feel free to use any collage format you’d like! I know some people enjoy using Piknik and I’ve used the Bighugelabs mosaic maker and really love it too! There are definitely other options available to you and I’d encourage you to use whatever format works best for you to document your photos! 🙂
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I’ve had a few people wondering how I’d be incorporating journaling when its time to put my yearly album together. I won’t be including the journaling within the collage itself. When I create my printed albums {whether they’re photo books or handmade albums} I’m planning to make each month a two page spread and include brief journaling highlighting the months events on the page opposite the photo collage from that month. Here’s just a quick image to give you an idea of what I mean:
Each month as I blog my photo collage I include the journaling to go along with the photos within the blog post. When it’s time to put my album together at the end of the year it will be pretty easy since all the photos already be organized and I can easily access all the journaling that I’ve recorded on my blog.
I actually just ordered prints of my 2011 photo collages {from Costco} and am excited to put together my little album from the year. I’m hoping to post images and how-to’s on that in the coming week so you can see how I do it. The collage template from 2011 isn’t a standard size so I’ll share with you my solution for printing the photos, along with the finished album. 
If you have yet to put your 2011 photos together in their monthly collages and dont want to use the 11″ X 6″ non-standard size, I did create a 12″ X 12″ version of the template which can easily be incorporated into a photo book or printed on its own through a photo lab like Persnickety Prints that offers 12″ X 12″ prints. You can download the 12X12 version of the 2011 template here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For those of you wondering when the Month-in-Photos fun will start, I’ll be posting the linky the first of each month unless the first happens to fall on a holiday or on a Sunday. The linky for January will go live Wednesday, February 1st  and I’ll leave it up for a week to give ya’ll a chance to put your photo collages together and get them posted online. To participate in the linky all you have to do is post your collage somewhere online {can be your blog, flickr, etc.} then pop over to Simple as That and leave your link in the Month-in-Photos post so everyone else can see your fun photos! 
Copy and paste the html code for the Month-in-Photos button below and include it in your post online so people can pop by Simple as That where the’ll find everyone else’s links and maybe even decide to join in the fun themselves! 

So, are we ready to do this! You’re totally gonna love it! Especially at the end of the year when you’re looking at your cute collection of photos and admiring all the memories you created in 2012! I just love seeing our year at a glance like this and I’m pretty sure you will too!

If you have any other questions for me feel free to ask away!

the simple things

Seeing the sweet smile on this little two year olds face as we sang her happy birthday was just what I needed today. After dropping the hubby off at the airport this morning at 6:30am and bawling on and off the whole way back to my parents house, {where they were watching the kids for us} seeing Alivia’s excitement for her little “birfday” party put a smile back on my face. We sure love this sweet girl of ours and canNOT believe she is two already! 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Welcome to{simple things sunday}this week folks! Finally! 😉
Simple things Sunday is all about celebrating the simple moments and simple joys that make you smile each week. So grab that camera, snap a photo or two and come share with us each Sunday!
Just a few quick rules to play:
please, please, please read the rules carefully

1. Grab one of the buttons below and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.

Leave as many as you can. 🙂

 


I can’t wait to see your photos this week!

🙂


Simple things Sunday post coming soon!

Oh my goodness you guys, I’m so sorry about being MIA today for Simple things Sunday. It’s been crazyNESS around here this week and I was headed out of town for the weekend before I realized I hadn’t put my post together!
We just got over the sickies in time to say goodbye to Daddy today as he heads to the US to finish off the last of his premed classes and study for the USMLE. I bawled nearly the whole way home from the airport after dropping him off. 🙁 
It was just a crazy/emotional week full of laundry, packing, back to school shopping {the kids start school here on Monday and we’re all a little nervous} AND celebrating Alivia’s birthday. Phew. You better believe I’ll be catching a nap sometime tomorrow to recover! 😉
So, I just need to get these kiddos to bed and then I’ll get my photo and the linky up and running ASAP. See you soon. Thanks for being so patient with me as we settle back into life here!
🙂

Month-in-Photos 2012

A couple of years ago I started this little month-in-photos project. I’d just had my fourth baby and wasn’t feeling like I could tackle project 365 that year, but I still wanted to do something to record our monthly happenings. This simplified approach has been so perfect for me! I love sitting down at the end of each month to go through our photos and create a photo collage highlighting the significant events of that month. I’ve let go of the idea that I need to record EVERY detail with these collages. I include some point form journaling telling what the photos are about and leave it at that.

Each year I create a new collage template to freshen things up a bit and here’s this years version. It’s size 12X12 but can easily be resized to 8X8 or 6X6. I’m excited about using this collage format this year and can’t wait to get started the end of January. 🙂

Here’s a little peek at the collage template at work. If you need any tips on using any of the templates let me know, or visit this site where you can find some great instructions on using clipping masks. You will need Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to be able to use the templates. 
Please remember that all free downloads are available for Simple as That followers. You can follow via GFC on the left sidebar or via facebook/twitter! Thank you. 🙂
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There’s nothing quite like looking back at all the months collages that I’ve created throughout the year. 2011 was such an eventful year filled with so many amazing memories. I’m looking forward to putting these images together in some sort of book which will be a simple little project considering the collages are already created and the journaling has been recorded. Yay for quick and easy! 🙂
So, who else wants to join me in this month-in-photos
project for 2012!? 
At the end of each month I’ll host a linky where you can share your collage with the rest of us and we can help keep each other motivated throughout the year!
🙂

Follow on Instagram

Instagram has returned invalid data.