LIGHTBOX I HAPPY CANADA DAY

hello july 1st!

here in canada not only does it feel like the official kick off to summer...but it is also a VERY important birthday.

happy birthday canada!

today you are 151 years old.

in true canadian fashion,  today will be celebrated with tons of red and white, canada decor everywhere, bbq's, flags flying and of course fireworks.
always the perfect way to ring in a birthday!

whenever there is a celebration you can definitely bet i will be decking out my heidi swapp lightbox and marquee alpha slides from michaels stores in honour of this great occasion!

these marquee icons are absolutely perfect for all types of celebrations and i just love how they look in my lightbox.  they truly pop!

so happiest july everyone (and to all of you fellow canuks out there) i hope you are enjoying an amazing canada day celebration with your friends and families!

happiest canada day....eh?!?

0

P.S. I LOVE YOU I LETTERBOARD

hello february 14th.

the day to celebrate all things LOVE. and RED.

not only is the heidi swapp red letterboard perfect for the holiday season....it is also PERFECTION for valentines day.  don't you just love when you can continuously use an investment decor piece again and again?

i accessorized my mantle for valentines day this year in a simple fashion.  letterboard, lightbox, garland, wreath and candy jar all together resulted in this super cute (somewhat minimalistic) valentines display.

i do not go all out and decorate everywhere in my home for valentines day.  but i do love to transform my mantle with some festive finds again and again.

these white heidi swapp letterboard alphas are hands down my #1 fav.  you will find me using them over and over.  i just love how they pop against the red letterboard.

my lightboxes are another decor piece of mine that are used over and over in so many ways, for literally every event, holiday and season!  not only do they look fabulous on their own but they are also a great way to further accessorize any type of home decor and always look so great situated next to a letterboard.

so in honour of today, i hope you are able to enjoy a little something RED, a little something SWEET and a little something LOVELY.  

xoxo.

0

#2018STRONG

wow. 

the first month of 2018 is almost under our belts.  

and??? how do you feel?

i ask this question because i know how it is!  you enter the new year with all these high expectations and hopes for new beginnings, habits etc. etc. and what happens....yep! LIFE SHOWS UP ! that is right!

i am one of the biggest culprits of this.  i could give you a list a mile long of ALL the things i want 2018 to be and well sometimes things just don't align the way one hoped. and you know what? that is ok.  we cannot do it all and sometimes by just recognizing and accepting that i think we have made the first step to a new mindset anyway.

i posted this reminder in my scrapbook room using my heidi swapp lightbox 4 and letterboard.  i love it. it's simple, yet powerful. START WHERE YOU ARE. there is no "perfect time" for anything really.  life will always show up and throw us curve balls and unexpected ups and downs and everything you can imagine to deter us from our intended path.  we will never have enough time for this or that.  or in my case with two little ones i have learned to accept the constant interruptions.  it is just my reality right now and i know one day i will miss it once it's gone.

for me "making things happen" is truly about starting where i am.  and feeling OK about that and confident and productive.  

overall for me this year i just want to make the most of my time. and not take it for granted.  even in the thick of it, in the mundane...in the hum drum of #momlife (picking up toys, washing dishes, folding the clothes...etc etc) i just want to make the moments count each and every day.

working in my heidi swapp memory planner has been such a gift in transforming the way i approach and see my everyday life.  noting a memorable moment, a daily high and daily low....freely writing and having a home to place some favourite candid photos has become such a huge part of my journey in grounding myself and appreciating life as i know it.  it is the encouragement i need to just keep going. that tomorrow is another day.  you got this!

so if you are new to memory planning, or have not yet started and are intrigued...OR you feel that since january is almost a distant memory and that it is too late to start never fear....it is NEVER late to start!  remember just "start where you are" and allow the rest to unfold as it may.  i can assure you it will be one of the best moments of surrender you will ever feel. XO

SaveSaveSaveSave

0

HEIDI IN THE HOME I CHRISTMAS DECOR

i absolutely love decorating for christmas.

and especially when i have heidi swapp holiday goodness in the house...even better!

i used some of my favourites to create a festive holiday mantle display and i adore how it came together.  

i will be really sad when it is time to take it down!

whenever i display decor, i always choose one "statement" piece and then create around that.  this year, it was my red letterboard.

the red letterboard itself is PERFECT for the holiday season and what made it come together so beautifully was the christmas letterboard kit.  the "i'm dreaming of a white christmas" is all part of a letterboard kit so all i had to do was open the box and place it onto my letterboard. so simple and quick...and looks amazing.

this year for me is all about bottle brush trees. they are THE cutest and look so festive amongst my other decor pieces!

i used the beautiful new heidi swapp paper cottages to create a gorgeous christmas village.  i love that these pieces are paper because they are so extremely light so they do not weigh a ton atop my shelves.  i also love that because they are white they are completely customizable!  i used white chunky glitter atop the roof tops which makes them look like they are snow covered.  

the sparkle is stunning.  the little vellum doors and windows are SO cute and at night they make the most beautiful glow when placing an electronic tea light inside.

to complete my display i added in some other decor elements i collected.  a cute sign, red berries, greenery and burlap made it come together perfectly.  

my lightboxes are always another huge decor favourite of mine.  i truly adore how they can be used ALL year literally for ANYTHING.  

i decided to just accessorize my wall shelves with some of my favourite lightbox sizes and inserts...along with some printable wall art and marquee love from years past.

i truly am savouring these days and this time of year, aren't you?  the month is flying past and i am just trying to cherish each and every day of it....amidst the busy and chaos because there always has to be a bit of that!

wishing you all the most beautiful holiday. 

0

LETTERBOARD & LIGHTBOX I CAMERA DAY

it is certainly no big secret that i love cameras. and photos. and really anything to do with both cameras and photos.

seriously. my love. obsessed actually.

so with it officially being national camera day today, one must celebrate with a camera and photos.  don't you agree!?!

these days my world is wrapped up in the arms of a brand new baby, and i could not be more in a whirlwind of taking photos and capturing memories and moments.  with having a second baby, i completely understand the fleetingness of time.  how fast these little ones grow.  how much you want to remember.  how much you can forget.  it's crazy.  but thank god for photos and cameras.  they truly are the only way to hang on to the past.

i spent some time printing out some of my latest favourite memories with my instax share sp-1 printer.

this super adorable flamingo album from the heidi swapp instax tropical collection could not be more perfect for these memories.

the cutest little book that i am filling with all of my favourites so far.

"a photograph is the pause button of life".  SO TRUE.

in honour of national camera day i challenge you to get your camera out.  snap a few photos and PRINT them.  place them in an album.  they are truly the treasures of our life.

1

EARTH DAY I LIGHTBOX DECOR

hello earth day.

and some lightbox inspiration. some mini lightbox inspiration, if you will.

the heidi swapp lightbox collection is now available at joann stores and is part of their amazing new aisle called "HS BOUTIQUE".  in this collection you will find 3 different size lightboxes, TONS of light box slides (like the cute cloud background slides pictured below) and alphas, plus the cutest storage albums for all of your lightbox accessories.  

i love changing up my decor for special occasions and notable dates in my home with my lightbox.

for today, earth day, my mini is set up with a clean and simple message: LOVE EARTH.

i read a quote the other day that stated: "the earth is what we all have in common".  it really resonated with me.  no matter who we are, where we live, what we do, what we believe...we all share the same home. the one and only, our earth.  it is SO extremely important that we honour, take care and respect this beautiful planet on which we all live.  

i love that not only can my lightbox stand as a beautiful decor piece, but it can also share and portray meaningful messages and images that are close to my heart.

so today in honour of earth day let us all make a gesture toward honouring our home and working towards a better future for the next generations.  turn off the lights, begin composting, recycle more items, join a car pool.  there are so many little things that we can do that will leave a huge impact.

"we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children"

here's to earth day. april 22nd.

1

NATIONAL DESSERT DAY I LIGHTBOX DECOR

it's funny the things you remember in your life.  the places you've been.  the things you saw, heard or was inspired by.  the lessons learned.

of these lessons...the "eat dessert first" lesson has always been a personal fav ;) .

many years ago i attended an event called 'creative escape' put on by heidi swapp.  this event was absolutely AMAZING.  in every detail.  in every way.  one of the trademark memories of this event was to "eat dessert first".  and that we did.  talk about perfection, right?!?

so in honor of dessert, and "national dessert day"....i say...BRING ON THE DESSERT!  and of course at this time of year...that would mean (for me) all things PUMPKIN. yum!  and cheesecake....double yum!

life is really all about the little things.  and eating dessert first is really a little thing in life....but is something that has stuck with me for many years. indulging at the most inopportune unusual times makes it all the better.  and so much fun.

happy national dessert day everyone. XO

0