Take Twelve Part 2

Whenever I create anything, a layout, card, or even a lesson plan for work, I have the basic idea in my head, but it isn't till I actually start working that all the details come together clearly. And there's always lots of tweaking along the way.  The same was true for this month's Take Twelve challenge. I knew I wanted to focus on "color" for my photos, and to really pay attention to the photography. But, I also wanted the theme of "Love" to play a part as well. (It's February after all. And  while I don't celebrate Valentine's day, I am not above being taken in by all the marketing and celebrating around me.) Furthermore, I couldn't quite let go of that part of Take Twelve that is about capturing an ordinary day. I wasn't sure how it would all come together in the end, but I just started the day snapping away, and figured I would see where it took me. 

When I realized that my two themes were not quite crossing, I thought, "can I take two sets of 12?" It turns out the answer was yes. That's what I did. This second set of photos is all about capturing our day, and some things that I just "love."

So here's how the day went.

1. Just the beginning of the day, which gets to start much later on Sunday. And though Dave just woke up, we already started making each other laugh.

2. A snapshot of morning prayers.

3. Morning coffee. One for me, one for Dave, and one for my mother in law. Every Sunday morning we all have coffee together. 

4. That mush is some leftover rice pudding that we ate with our coffee. Dave left me the last bite. As always.

5. Another coffee shot. I really love coffee.

6. Fan Feet-a duct tape creation by Sam made from the blades of our old ceiling fan. They actually have straps, and he can wear them.

7. A closeup of some beloved scrapbook supplies.

8. Saturday night Max saw Star Wars Episode 1 with some friends. Sunday morning Dave and Sam went to see it. Sunday afternoon, Dave and Max discussed the merits and demerits of the movie. Max liked, Dave not so much.

9 and 10: Sam plays with some toys given out at the movie.

11. Just a lazy, cozy Sunday.

12. As I was straightening up, I found this action figure of the Emperor standing in a cabinet. The remains of the day's play. Which obviously was Star Wars related.

Just a little side note about Star Wars. All the Star Wars  movies played a big part of Max's early childhood years. He saw all the movies early on, watched  them countless time with his friends, and they re-enacted the scenes over and over, taking turns playing the different characters. He and his friends dueled with their light sabers for hours on end. And little baby Sam  used to follow them around with a light saber too, looking a lot like Yoda. One of those friends, Davidi, lived in our apartment building on the 7th floor. And sometimes on a Friday night, he'd show up at our door, showered and in PJ's, and ask to borrow an action figure or two. And Max would do the same. 

And  that is why Star Wars had to make it into Take Twelve, part 2. I'm not sure if I'll make two layouts or not. I'm sure as I get started it will all come together.

Take Twelve Photos

I loved my first Take Twelve project in January. It was a great snapshot of an ordinary day in our life, and I love that. When I was done, though, I decided that for February I would also like to focus on the quality of my photos. I wanted to stretch my photography skills some more. After all, "camera" is my One Little Word. So I looked to the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit for February, and the theme suggested was color. One example given is of colorful clothing hanging in a closet. I laughed when I saw that, because most things in my closet are black and gray, with a touch of olive green, beige, and purple thrown in. I just like the lines of clothes more than I do colors and patterns. And that can be said for how I view the rest of the world too. I love color; I am actually very particular about my color choices. I just happen to love black, gray, brown, and olive green. I find them delicious.  I love lines, shapes, and textures. Throw in a bright splash of color on a rich grey or black, and I am in heaven. So I decided to reflect that in my  photos. It helped that it was Sunday and I could take some extra time to walk around.  I have to say, I am quite pleased with the results.

I've actually never gone on a walk, specifically to take photos before. I knew that I wanted to find some colorful flowers (for my dash of color), and I had noticed that peeling, grey door on the way to work the other day. The two buildings were a nice surprise. That green fire escape, on an all brick building, filled with nothing but rectangular windows...love it. And that black and white building is to die for. Some of it is cut off in the collage. The rest of it looks like this:

Look at that door! And if you look very closely, you can actually see that the name on the sign is "Ella." Coincidence?

Share your photos here, at the Ella Publishing blog, for a chance to win a prize from Stampin' Up! And join in Ella Publishing Co'a Take Twelve Project Flickr group.

I can't wait to see everyone pictures! What was your approach this month?

It's February 12th and a Cocoa Daisy Sketch

So, first and foremost on my mind today is that it's time for Take Twelve.

And here's a little secret. In January, I didn't take all my photos on the 12th. A few are actually from the 11th. I wanted a day to practice, and a few moments that I wanted to capture happened on the 11th, not the twelfth. The moral of the story is that, 12 on the 12th provides structure and motivation, but it's not set in stone. And if you miss a month, or two or three, that's fine too. No pressure.

This month, I think I might end up with two sets of 12. In the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit, there are two themes suggested. One is focusing on color, and the other is focusing on signs of love. I wanted to focus on color as a way to stretch my photography skills, but I couldn't let go of the chance  to document a Sunday in our lives. So, I'm working on both. It's still the middle of the day. Let's see if I manage both.

Remember to link your photos or layout here, for a chance to win a prize from Stampin' Up!

And now as promised a layout, too.

This was based on this sketch over at Cocoa Daisy:

It's about the fact that Max does not really ask for much, when it comes to "stuff," so when he asked for Beats for Chanukah, we indulged him. 

How's your 12th coming along.

Crafting Jewish Style

There's a new sketch over at Crafting Jewish Style, and it looks something like this:

I haven't made a card in a long time, but this sketch inspired me to do so, (and we went to a Bat Mitzvah this weekend, and I needed a card). It felt good to make a card again. The pink and brown from Crafting Jewish Style's Passover line color combo was just right for the occasion.

Maybe I'll whip out a couple more cards with this sketch here!

A Day Late

If I were a slightly more clever bird, I would have thought of postinf this yesterday, on Groundhog Day. But, I'm not, and I am okay with my mediocrity.

You see, I have some photos of shadows that I am rather fond of.  Or, more correctly, of which I am rather fond. So, in honor of the groundhog seeing his shadow yesterday, I present the following photos:

I noticed the beautiful shadow of this tree, and in an effort to follow through with using my camera more, I stopped and took the time to photograph it. And then I photographed some more.

And this morning as we waited for the bus, Sam noticed how long his shadow was. And you can see the bright, orange circle of the sun, which contributed to this amazing spectacle. And of course, I just need to note that it was Sam's childhood joy and exuberance, that brought our attention to this shadow. Because, well, as grown-ups, we tend to rush past those sorts of things.

I also noticed that in both sets of photos, there is trash on the ground. 'Cuz it's New York City.

I Was Away...

Well, it's been a little while since my last post. In between then and now, I hopped on over to Israel for a few days to celebrate my nephew's bar mitzvah. I was feeling self-conscious and decadent for taking off work, and traveling overseas again after having spent the summer there. But, now that I've been there and back, and have recovered from jet lag, I don't regret one minute or penny.

It was just me and Max, and it's not often that it's just the two of us. And it turns out, he is an extremely nice, easy going person when he doesn't have a little brother around.

I spent some time with my siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, parents, and cousins who I don't get to see very often. Certainly not all in one place.

And, I always enjoy the change from my city scenery.

When I returned I was anxious to get my hands busy again, and I managed to make these two layouts since my return:

This one was inspired by these photos of Dave and Sam, on the bus, and I just love the way Sam is leaning into Dave. I really loved the photos, but I wasn't sure what story to tell with them. I did consider the possibility that they are just sweet photos without a story, but that left me wanting. So, I wrote about how these two used to have a much more complicated relationship. 

When Sam was younger he always preferred me, and while Dave didn't take it personally, and it never affected how he cared for Sam, it certainly feels better now that they talk and play more, and now that Sam is just as likely to hug and kiss and say I love you to Dave, as he is to me. And, Dave used to get into big power struggles with Sam (so did I, but less so), which was another glitch in their earlier relationship. Dave managed (with the help/nagging of his lovely wife) to learn to avoid the power struggles, and with Sam just being older and more affectionate, we can barely remember the days when they weren't as close.

I was a little hesitant to scrap this story-it seems a little negative- but it's still our story, and it's real and true, and perhaps the take away is that families and relationships are dynamic. There are times in our lives when we connect better or worse to the people around us. And some relationships take more work than others, but relationships can change for the better.

On a completely different note, this layout is chock full of pictures that my niece in Israel took, mostly of herself. Every time I took out my camera, she asked for it, and she just kept snapping away. She happened to catch some pictures with us together, and I indulged my narcissism, and made those the biggest pictures in the layout.

Another Year Long Project

Another year long memory keeping project. I kind of stumbled across this one. I would love to link you to the article that inspired me but I can't find it yet. It was, I believe, written by Wendy Smedly, of Ella Publishing fame, but I think I saw it on the Big Picture Classes website, and it was all about using your calendar for memory keeping. And it was one of those moments, where it all comes together really fast.

I had been admiring a wall calendar I recently bought, and thinking, "I wish I could keep the pages forever. It has lots of notes and scribbles, and even doodles from Sam. But, it's really big, so it would not be that practical." Then along came this article, talking about just that thing: Using your calendar as a way to remember random bits of mundane life, and even some fast journaling. And, then I realized I could use my planner for just that!

Each day has just a small and un-intimidating space to fill, making this feel very doable. Some days I just write what we had for dinner, or that I cleaned the house, but I also have found that I can jot down a funny comment or conversation that happened that day. And even while writing about the mundane, little patterns show up that I can see appreciating in the future. Like, for example,  "I fell asleep again while watching TV today."

I don't think I would be able to do this staring into the pages of  a big, glaring, blank journal.

And while I'm at it, since I custom made my planner last year, and I am ridiculously proud of it, I will now shamelessly show it off. I made it using an A5 binder and papers from Muji, a store where everything is white, beige, black, or olive green. It's like my Garden of Eden. They also have these adorable binder dividers, too.

I have a weekly planner section, that I just made using text boxes in MS Word, a monthly calendar section, using a calendar templates in MS Word, and then a Lesson Plan section for work: (Guess how I made that? Word.)

I love it because I was able to make it exactly as I needed it, with a spot for my morning and afternoon classes. I loved it so much, I did it again this year.

And the reason I have these photos of my planner? Take Twelve. I cheated and took more than 12.

I am a little neurotic about the look and feel of my planners, and when I find one I like, I LOVE it. What kind of planner or calendar do you use?  Am I the only one still writing on paper?