30 TO 30 MINI BOOK

A year ago I was running 30 TO 30 project - a fun countdown to my birthday. The idea was quite simple: I took a picture every day and noted how that particular day was special. Some days were fun and exciting and some were quite and calm.


After posting all the images I've decided to compile a simple mini book.  I've used paint chips to decorate the front and the back covers.  I dyed pages with coffee and added some blue paint.  I then followed the steps of the long-stitch binding tutorial (part 1 and part 2) to make the book.

To keep things fun and simple I've used washi tape to glue the photos and wrote a line or two for each day. Here are some of my favorite spreads from the mini book.

The front and the back covers again - I was very much into blue, brown, and yellow a year ago.

If you want to see all the post from 30 TO 30 project, click here.

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A year ago: SNEAK PEEK: LOVINGLY LINE

 

day 1

The last day before my 30th birthday I spent with my friends - walking around Montreal.  I've spotted this frog and thought that it was a great symbol of how I want to feel in my 30s - zen and quirky.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

days 3 and 2

I've spent most of Thursday teaching so I decided to take some pictures of the training room.  It looks more welcoming in real life but it definitely needs some decor:

And for Friday I finished my 30 THINGS list:

days 5 and 4

On Tuesday, JP (my father-in-law) had a doctor's appointment in Montreal so I got a rare opportunity to be driven to the city (usually I travel by bus).  The day was gorgeous: warm and sunny.  It almost felt like spring, if not for the half-naked trees:

I've been wanting to snap a couple of shots of Champlain bridge for a while.  Tuesday was the perfect opportunity.  This is my favorite part of the bridge.

And here is a beautiful view of Montreal

Just before getting out of the car I snapped an auto portrait.

For day 4 I wrote the second part of my 30 THINGS...

day 6

With my birthday less than a week away I decided to write down 30 things I'd like to do before I turn 31.  Here is the first part:

days 8 and 7

We were blessed with a sunny weekend so Eric and I headed outside to finish planting bulbs (crocuses, alliums, tulips, daffodils) and to begin the endless process of collecting fallen leaves.

I was sad to remove all the annual flowers from the flowerbed - it looks so bare now.  Another month or so and everything will be covered knee-deep with white snow... But if you look closely you can see the first signs of spring - tiny tight leaf buds waiting patiently to turn into beautiful green foliage.

Day 9

It's beginning to look a lot like ....

In Canada we celebrate our Thanksgiving in October, so as soon as Halloween spider-web decor goes down, the green and red begin popping up all over.  

Friday I took a fast shot of one of my favorite Christmas trees in Montreal Trust shopping center: it is full of moving figurines and there is even a little train that goes around it.

day 10

Thursday was all about colours: while Eric was working on our new (blue and golden) curtains I played with PATTERN COOLER - an amazing online resource for customizable seamless backgrounds.  My current obsessions are: Damask patterns and the colour-combo of blue, yellow, and brown .....

day 11

Sunrise ...

days 13 and 12

Do you keep a bucket list?  Are there things you absolutely want to do?  On Monday I tried something I wanted to do for a while - POTTERY!!!  My sister and I attended an introductory pottery course at CREATIVE BOOST.  Workshop description talked about pottery and ceramics and although I was much more interested in the first one I thought that learning about ceramics could be fun.  When we got to the place we were happy to find out that there were only 5 people in our group and we could all concentrate on trying out pottery wheels (since there are only 5 of them in the studio).
So for a little bit over two hours we were centering, opening, and throwing over and over again.  

Liza enjoying pottery

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the meditative nature of pottery.  I am even thinking of taking a 10-class session in January....

Tuesday was nice and quite: work during the day and ikebana in the evening.  I am practicing nageire style (vertical arrangements).  It's a somewhat challenging process for me - I have been working with kenzans for way too long.  Practice, practice, practice .... 

I didn't take any pictures that day, apart from usual ikebana shots:  here is my riginal arrangement (juniper branches and roses)

"Updated" version with rose fruits.

days 15 and 14

The weekend was truly magical...

First, something happened on Friday night.  When I looked outside of the window on Saturday morning,I saw that our backyard was full of gold:

... and more gold kept falling down, covering the patio table, chairs, flower beds.  Looking up all I could see were golden leaves and blue-blue skies:

I snapped a couple of pictures and admired the beauty brought by the first frost.

Later on I found a link to SILENT MOON which created a perfect ambient music for this magical morning...

And on Sunday, October 30th for the first time in my life, I ate (and baked) a PUMPKIN PIE!

I've made it, following Martha Stewart's recipe and not quite knowing what to expect.  The result was DELICIOUS!!!  Pumpkin pie is my new favorite Fall dessert!

Do you have a favorite pumpkin pie recipe?

days 17 and 16

Day 17 was down and low ... but I learned that there is nothing that can't be fixed by a good cartoon.  We watched TOY STORY 3 and the evening was saved.

As for day 16, it was great.  It began like this:

and ended like this:

Which makes it an all in all magnificent day.  I've also had an "aha" moment on Friday and came up with a fun Holiday project that will begin soon after my birthday.  Can't wait to start working on it.

 

days 19 and 18

We are 5 in our house: 3 boys and 2 girls.  Boys are calm, strong, gentle, loving.  Girls .... girls are fun and playful, sweet and beautiful.  Although very much alike among themselves, girls have one main difference: 

• First girl (me) loves to be in the photos and snaps pictures of herself all the time
• Second girl (Nyook) is terrified of cameras and runs away every time the words "photo" and "camera" are mentioned

Yesterday, late in the evening, I've managed to snap this shot of our beautiful Nyook and Eric.

And the next day I met my other favorite blond girl - my sister.  One day I will write a 3-page post about my adorable Liza, today I'll just say: "SISTER LOVE". 

 

day 20

I've mentioned already how much I like mornings. Well, today's morning was magical, filled with sunlight and happy conversations.

I want all mornings of my 31st year be as wonderful as today's!!!

 

day 21

I wanted to write a long heart-felt post about the man on the picture:

But today I found this quote by Dr. Seuss:

which says is better than any heart-felt words.

Oh, and I just had to post this*:

Unknow source

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* inside joke

Love <3