Viparita Karani

It's Friday and time for Friends with Flair! I missed last week, but had started this page in my Smash book. I was able to finish it in time for today's linky party!

For the last couple of summers, I have compiled a Smash book for our summer activities/adventures- focused mainly on our time spent together with extended family at camp on Mink Lake (near Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada). I usually start before we leave, using the book as my organizing spot - jotting down our "agenda" or timeline, important info and all our lists (packing list, grocery list, do not forget list, the menu - organized ahead of time by my sister and myself). Once together, we are a large group and so the groceries, packing and cooking takes lots of organizing (camp is not close to town for groceries or things we forget!)

Once at camp, I keep the book accessible and invite everyone to jot things down if they wish - funny things people said, comments on the cooking or weather, fave activities, top 3 fave things, etc. We always have a page where I ask everyone to write down what they are currently reading. I bring a small kit that includes a variety of pens/markers, adhesive to glue in things like postcards and ticket stubs or random stuff we want to include (learned this from Lauren and the way she does her travel journals) and maybe a few stickers and rollsof washi. 

EDITED to add - Thanks for all your comments! If you are interested in what other pages in this style of journal look like - go to the search bar at the top of my blog and type "summer smash" - it will bring up many of the pages from my Summer 2013 smash book. Many were posted in July/Aug 2014. I don't tend to post every single one, but there are quite a few. I am working on photographing more from the 2014 smash journal too.

Of course, we take lots of pictures, so once home, I print and "smash" and putter and add details as time allows. I still have photos to add to our journal from two summers ago, but the cool part is that the journaling is pretty much done, because many different people added their own comments to the blank pages before we even added photos. This project works great for "in the moment" journaling when approached in this way. Because of this, I think these Smash books may well become our most treasured albums - it's the real deal folks and includes everyone's handwriting and comments, not just mine!

A couple of years ago, I took up yoga and have been practicing regularly ever since. I was able to practice a bit last summer while at camp and invited others to join me if they wished. I used this page to recount the experience of doing yoga at camp and included a funny thing that happened while doing yoga with Grandma Joan and my Mom.

We were in fits of giggles trying to move into this relaxing pose against the front wall of the cottage...

 ...when Grandma Joan said, "When my family hears that I've had my legs up the wall on the front deck of the cottage they're gonna say, "No more going to Mink Lake with those Camerons!"" lol

When I saw "Serenity Fashionista" I knew it would be perfect as I didn't have any photos of us doing yoga but had a story to tell.

Here is a closer shot of my title - Viparita Karani means "legs up the wall" pose. I also used Unity's "Take Care of You" to add some detail in the background.

I did not set out to colour this fashionista when I started, but once I had stamped her, I thought I would give it a try. I don't think I have ever tried to colour in a stamp on such a bold colour, but it worked out and I quite like the result.

My title was stamped with "Framework Alphabet" from CTMH - love this unique and versatile alpa!

Thanks for visiting and Happy Friday!

Shanna :)

What I used:

Unity: Serenity Fashionista, Take Care of You

CTMH - Framework Alphabet

CTMH watercolour pencils