:: project life update ::

Anyone behind yet?  I am!!!  Before I started Project Life (remember, this is my first year), I kept seeing all these blogposts about staying organized and some of the things people do to help them keep up, etc. I read them, but didn't really do anything about it, because I was thinking, "Just print the photos as you go and slip them in the pockets, how hard can that be to keep up?" Which is just silly, right? At the same time, I wasn't completely naive, if you remember I was totally worried about not completing regular layouts because PL might take up my whole 'creative' time. Well...remember that thing we call "LIFE"?  It happened. I got on a Design Team (yay!) that involves a layout a week, which is way more than I've ever done regularly (this is mostly because I have a more than full time job AND a three year old, and, well,  I like to spend time with my family. It would be quite silly if I spent so much time trying to document our lives that I missed out on our lives, now wouldn't it?  :-) Plus, I'm supposed to "be present", to keep true to my One Little Word)! I am a slower than average scrapper, I know this, and it's OK. As a result of all of that...I got behind. Now I know what all these experienced Project Lifers were talking about! So, I'm catching up and I thought I would share how I'm doing that!

1. I already organize my Canon digital files in folders on my computer by month. This saved my bum more than a few times during my 365 photo adventures. And now for PL, too!

2. Even while I was keeping up, I would use the Stickies app on my computer to jot down stuff, mostly as it was happening, or just after, so that I would remember the stuff I wanted to stick in my book. I might not use it all, but my material was there. I suppose you could also do this in journal form, but I don't. A journal seems like I would need to write more. That would take more time. This is easy and painless.  ;-)  It looks something like what you see here on the left.
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3. As I got behind, and even while I was on track, I used and conitnue to use the Momento app on my iPhone as my biggest crutch. I could not do Project Life without this app! You can set it up to automatically sync with as many feeds as you like/use (twitter, instagram, flickr, facebook, etc.). It then sticks them all in one place, with times and dates! Holy sorcery, Batman, that is like magic, just sayin'.

The photo above left is what it looks like when I open the app.  I can scroll through to the date that I want and then click to see my activity for that day. Once I click, I see what's on the above right! Shows the photo that I uploaded to instagram, as well as what I wrote to go with it. I can scroll up and down if there are multiple entries from one source or many sources. The whole day is right there. But oh, that is not all. See that little writing icon in the upper right corner? If something happens that you want to remember, but you don't want to upload it anywhere (don't want it public, or whatever), you can click that little button and use the app like a journal. Badda bing! Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about! MAGIC with a capital M.

4. So, what I have done since I've been behind is go through my folder of Canon photos and pull out the photos that I think I will use and stick copies of them in another folder with the title of the week, say, "week 8".

5. Then I look at my Momento app and see what I'm missing.  All the time cross checking and/or creating the sticky note on my computer with jotted down highlights.

6. I create a "week 8 iPhone" folder on my computer, and then, using the transfer app, transfer any iPhone photos from that week onto my desktop.

7. Once all my photos are in one location, I can edit, resize and print those that I want to.

8. Finally I delete all the extra photos (duplicates, icky ones, etc.).

I now have a stack of photos, my "stickie" of text, and my Momento app for reminders. Most of my quotes I already have printed and I just need to pick the one that speaks to me for the moment -- if none of them speak to me, then I sometimes need to make that card as well. That's the hard stuff, then I just have to put everything in the pockets and "purdy it up".  :-)   I do sometimes use texts, emails, tweets, Facebook or Instagram comments as part of the journaling.  I often have too many photos printed, but this is OK because I can use the others for a layout or display them around the house!

I'm behind with PL, but I'm even further behind with sharing my PL! So here are a few weeks of fun (click on photo for slightly larger images):

Week5 Without Insert

Week 5 With Insert

This week we had a snow day, so I took several of the photos of our day of adventure and put them in an insert.  This is a coin protector with 20 slots, front and back (so 40 potential photo spots).  I split my photos into "snow" and "inside".  I didn't have 40 photos, so I filled in the rest with paper/journaling.

Week 5 Insert (front)

Week 5 insert (back)

Week 6 (NO insert this week!)

For Valentine week, I used a bunch of pink and red instead of the Seafoam Kit.

Week 7 Spread Without Insert

Week 7 Spread With Insert

Week 7 Insert (front)

There are actually kinda two inserts here. The envelop is in a 4x6 is attached to the larger insert, but you can flip that up to see the back of it, and better see the bigger insert (which is a note from daycare reminding us of B.'s valentine party and the list of students we made valentines for (and a couple of valentines).

Week 7 insert (back)

The back of the insert was what B. made at daycare for us.  I LOVE that I now have a place to put all of the lovely things that B. makes and other little memorabilia.

You may have noticed a new tab across the top of the blog called "project life".  You can find all my photos of PL layouts there. If you want to see the full blogposts about PL, you can do that here!

Here's a sneaky sneak for tomorrow's Scrap Your Story Challenge:

The layout that I will be sharing tomorrow is definitely one of my all time favorites, and it started with just some white cardstock. I absolutely love the final result.

Coming soon : a new Scrap Your Story challenge and more PL updates...I might even throw in a tutorial. ;-)

Scrap Your Story :: love spring

It's FRIDAY and you know what that means -- a new challenge goes live at Scrap Your Story Challenges!  This week we are working with one of Christy's sketches!  Here's my layout:

The journaling is about how my wonderful family stopped and let me take this photo, even though the weather was bad, we were hungry, and on our way out to eat.  But I just had to get a photo of the grass...it is turning green.  I am thankful for that -- because I am ready for spring.  Aren't you?  Here are a few close ups:

If you follow me on instagram or Facebook, you may have seen that I was letting scrapbooking stress me out this week!  Ever had one of those days/weeks where you waste a LOT of paper because none of your ideas work?  I had that this week!  Ugh.  Good news...I pushed through and I really like how my layout turned out! I got several happy packages in the mail this week, and that helped.  :-) 

The patterned papers and tags are from April's Scrapbook Circle kit, "Happy Place" and I added a couple of things from my stash. Also, I used some awesome washi that I got from a Paper Issues embellishment kit (some of the happy mail that arrived on my doorstep this week)! There is a complete list of supplies used at the bottom of this post.

Here's the sketch (I basically flipped it horizontally):

Come play with us!!!  It's so much fun to see what others create based on the same sketch!

I will also be posting this a Paper Issues.  Their "Current Issue" is all about using instagram photos (which I love)!

Supplies:

Echo Park :: Flower Garden 12x12 Sweet Girl

American Crafts :: Dear Lizzy 12x12 Lucky Charm Paper :: Lucky Coin

American Crafts :: Dear Lizzy 12x12 Lucky Charm Paper :: This and That

American Crafts :: Amy Tangerine Yes, Please :: Capture Embroidery Kit
American Crafts :; Amy Tangerine Yes, Please :: Create Cardstock Shapes

Studio Calico :: Chevron Snippets Wood Veneer
A Flair For Buttons :: Lovely Words Flair

Heidi Swapp :: Clear Pop :: Clear Mint Alpha (love these)!
Tape Works Green Chevron Washi Tape (got this in the Paper Issues "Thrift Shop" embellishment kit)
Elle’s Studio Serindipity Lil Snippets Labels 
Scrapbook Circle exclusive tags

:: about a girl ::

You may have heard about the awesome challenge blog About a Boy, well guess what?? There is a sister site out there called....you guess it...About a Girl!  You can bet that I will be participating in their challenges! They are currently taking applications for the first Design Team. Be sure to stop by and check them out, become a follower, even if you aren't interested in the DT call!

Coming soon : Project Life Update and a new challenge....and there just MIGHT be a give away!

Scrap Your Story :: top of the world tonight

It's Friday!  That means, pizza and wine for supper (at least for us)...but before that, a new challenge at Scrap Your Story Challenge blog!

This week is our "theme" week -- and April's theme is SPRING! The title of this layout is "Top of the World Tonight", which is my daughter's favorite Cheap Trick song! She's been requesting it and singing it since she could talk! On the lovely spring day that I snapped these photos, she was climbing on top of the rocks in our garden and saying, "See, Mommy, I'm on top of the world tonight!"

These photos were taken during our spring break last year - 2012 (This year during spring break, we were sledding and shoveling snow -- that's Iowa for you)! But last year, it really felt like spring. 

I will admit that I had already started with these background papers for a different layout -- then decided I didn't like it -- but I liked the papers. So, now a month later, I grabbed them again and got busy. First I took the PinkPaislee patterned paper and cut a hole out of the middle.  Then I decided that it was a bit too bright, so I spread Gesso over all of it. Then I added the blue paper in the middle -- it has a little bit of pink in it and I loved the two papers together! I roughed up the inside of the square -- quite a bit -- and sewed it in place.

I've been into vellum lately! I used an Elise Blaha Cripe stamp "get excited" and stamped with yellow ink, in a diagonal, all across the vellum. That was the mat for my highlighted photo. But you really couldn't see what it said, so I also added it to the tab of the hidden journaling -- and I embossed it.

I found this American Crafts flair in my stash, and it was perfect for that rock'n roll sorta aspect of the layout - as an added bonus, it's the right colors.  ;-) The yellow letters are Amy Tangerine letters that I inked with a yellow stamp pad. 

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the "Hello" tab (from 8 tabs by Lori Whitlock). I put some clear embossing powder inside the word hello to highlight it a bit more.

I was going for some layers...

Hope you play along with us this week! This is a fun challenge that goes through Thursday, April 11th 11:59 PM (central).

I also linked this one up to Paper Issues!  Their "Current Issue" is Up in the Clouds!   You have until Saturday, April 6th to link up with them!

AND, if that wasn't enough, I am also taking a "Lots of Layers" class over at My Scraps and More (with the great Audrey Yeager). We were working on peek a book layers.  My peek a boo involves the cut out background, vellum, "hello" cut out....you get the idea!

:: Pinterest Challenge ::

In this post I talked about how this year I am challenging myself to actually do something with all those lovely things I am pinning on Pinterest!  I find myself pinning, and pinning, and pinning, but not returning to the pins and doing, doing, doing them! My not-so-lofty goal is one per month. You can see how I completed my first month here. 

In this post I mentioned that we made some pretty awful cookies and some pretty decent cookies, both were from Pinterest and completed my challenge for February. In March...I made this...

Right now, B's stuffed animals are living in the tent because I really need to get a bigger hula hoop and another curtain. For right now it's fine, but I have plans to redo her room eventually, and when that happens I will also redo the tent. She loves it. The night we made it, she requested that we move her mattress so that she could "sleep in it". So we did. Now she lines up all of her stuffed animals inside the tent and covers them with blankets. :-)

I cannot leave you without a sneak...tomorrow is FRIDAY, which means a new challenge at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog! Come back for the full reveal tomorrow...but until then, here's a little sneaky sneak...

:: a layout about me ::

I am loving playing along at CSI : Color, Stories, Inspiration! One of the things I love about the place is that a new case is introduced on Friday, and then you have over a week to complete it -- which means, two weekends, which I often need! This week was no exception. As soon as I saw this case last Friday (March 22), I knew I wanted to participate. The colors are fantastic! I even knew which photo I was going to use. If you are interested in playing along with this case, you have until midnight, and the new case (no due until next Sunday) has already been introduced, here. I think you will find the colors and inspiration equally yummy. Check it out! 

I also used the March sketch it out challenge (club CK) sketch from the great Ashley Horton!  So, here's my layout, and boy did I have fun!

After printing my photo, I realized it was too...ummm...white, had too much contrast, something, it just didn't look right! So, I reprinted, this time on vellum -- umm, yeah, way better and a fun change. I had gathered a bunch of papers together before beginning, and I did start with them, but I quickly decided I wanted to get my hands dirty. So, I grabbed a few 4x6 photo papers, and another neutral patterned paper with some words on it, then I grabbed some spray inks and made my own paper. Also VERY fun (they are the ones peeking out from behind the photo)! 

I used some more vellum and stamped a bunch of words on it...also used a wood veneer camera as a stamp, and stamped on the vellum! (see why I had so much fun with this one?) I used a stencil to cut out the word, "ME" and then put the vellum behind it. This was after trying several other things first, but I'm glad it lead me to this final product.

You'll notice that I used some orange, which isn't included in the lovely color scheme provided by CSI. But, how could I do a layout about ORANGE GEARLE, without using orange?!?!

Hope you had a great {holiday, if you celebrate it} weekend!

Scrap Your Story :: let's go fly a kite

It's Friday, which means another reveal day at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog!  It has been so exciting to see what everyone has be linking up!  Hope you link up this week!

This week the challenge is to use some cork on your layout!  I used cork letters for "fly a KITE", and I also punch a circle out of cork (it's behind the "B" ormolu flair).

I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit this week and did some hand stitching on my layout. I've done (and am addicted to) machine sewing -- but I've never used a pattern, poked holes, used a needle, the whole shebang! In a Scrapbook Circle Add on kit I got this awesome stitching kit from Amy Tangerine's Yes, Please line.  So, I used 'em! Then I dry brush painted a little bit of spray ink to add a little more color and show off that stitching a bit (it was a little lost with all that lovely chevron).

Lovin' me some flair from A Flair for Buttons!  I also added a spot for hidden journaling.  I used some washi tape to add some color -- the actual journaling spot is kraft. Then I used an Ali Edwards stamp "Tell the Story", which comes from the March Studio AE stamp set "This Story" available at Technique Tuesday.

Some layers, more AE stamping, and Amy Tangerine stitching.  :-) 

Did you know that Scrap Your Story has a facebook page??  Check it out here.

I'm also linking this layout up at Paper Issues :: Up In The Clouds! 

Scrap Your Story Challenge #4 :: iCousins

It's Friday which means a new challenge is up at Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog! It has been so fun to participate in these challenges over the last month. If you haven't checked out the challenges yet, you should give it a looksy. As a reminder the challenges go like this...

Week 1: Use it
Week 2: Theme
Week 3: Sketch
Week 4: Technique

This week's challenge is to do some embossing somewhere on your layout...dry...heat...doesn't matter, whatever works for you, just give this technique a try!

Here's my reveal:

And here's the sketch I used:

I flipped it a bit.  This sketch is the March Sketch over at Scrap Happy, a community of scrappers that are....well, happy :-).  And welcoming.  And fun. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I recently joined the Scrap Happy community. I will likely mention them again, since so far so good with the happiness! LOL

The close-ups :

I incorporated the challenge (embossing) in two ways. First of all I heat embossed the three vellum circles. I used a mask and VersaMark embossing ink, and then white Zing! embossing powder (and my heat gun).  (By the way...I totally stole this idea from an Ashley Horton sneak that I saw on Instagram! I'll link to her layout when it goes live later this month)!

The second way was on the journaling spot. I used both white Zing! and some clear embossing powder around the edges, and then the clear only for my journaling lines. I like this look and I'll probably do it again!

Almost everything else I used came from the Scrapbook Circle February Kit! I really enjoyed working with the Glitz Color Me Happy line included in this kit. It's so bright, colorful and...well....happy. I also ordered the two add-on kits, one of which included the awesome blue card stock used in this layout! The awesome circle cut behind the main photo is from the Silhouette store (background lace circle by Karla Dudley). The letters are fabric Thickers, that I misted with peach Heidi Swapp Color Shine. And the flair, oh the flair....you guessed it A Flair for Buttons!

:: news, other funness and a layout ::

As promised I'm back with some news...and other funness.  I know, funness isn't a word.  It autocorrects every time I type it. Annoying.  :-) On with it...

First, the news:  I am going to be a grandmother again! My oldest daughter, H., is going to have a baby in early October! I have known pretty much since she has (Feb. 1st -- which is  really long time (for me) to keep a secret)! She has now had an ultrasound, and all is well, so I've been informed that it is now "Facebook Official", which means, I can also announce it here!  I am so excited for our whole family. Baby's are good, and we needs some good!

Other funness #1: I finally took the plunge and joined the Scrap Happy community! It has 'the happiest scrapbookers on the web' (so I've heard)! I've participated in a few events that Lain Ehmann has hosted/organized/etc. and that is what lead me to Scrap Happy.  If you haven't heard about it, you should check it out here. I've only just begun to participate, but so far it's rather enjoyable.  :-)

Goal update: (I would also say this is more funness, but then autocorrect steps in...) I talked about my goals a bunch here and here.  March is nearly finished and I haven't updated my February goals! The Pinterest challenge for February was met by making some really awful cookies!  LOL  I made some good ones, too, but the worst where these three ingredient peanut butter cookies (they were still eaten, so...). Major FAIL. Oh well, I won't make them again, instead I will make these (more than three ingredients, but all the fat, sugar, and yumminess required for good cookies). I also met my photoshop/photography goal...more on that in another post!

A layout: I find that since I have been purchasing kits, I usually work out of a kit for the most part...leaving all the lovelies that I have in my stash behind. This is especially true when it comes to patterned papers! I've been stalking CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration for probably over a year, but until this year I've never actually submitted anything! I know, right? I really have no idea why. In fact, when I submitted a layout for the first time, I was shocked that I didn't have anything in my gallery there (because I hadn't submitted anything, and I didn't even realize it)! I think I've always had so many other things going on, that even when I see an awesome case, by the time I get to it, I know I won't get done in time to submit, so I don't do it. Silly. I love recipe-type challenges! Why haven't I done them more? Ok, ok...getting to my point. The point is, I've submitted a few now, (this week's is on my desk waiting to be finished), and I find that I have to venture out of the kits, and into my stash more often, which is nice. I will be doing this much more often.  Here is challenge for last week (it came with a sketch):

As soon as I saw the sketch I knew that I wanted to use these photos that my One True Love took at B.'s first park visit of 2013.

I apologize, the red looks orange in this photo, but really, I did match the colors!  ;-) I painted, I embossed on vellum, I gesso-ed,  I used a mask with alcohol inks, I used washi over patterned paper before cutting circles, whew...there is a lot going on here.  Truth be told, this isn't one of my favorites. I almost didn't share it. But it isn't horrible, just missing something, or something. It's done, it's recorded and I've moved on.  ;-) AND I used up some stuff from my stash!

Tomorrow is Friday...you know what that means...another reveal at Scrap Your Story!  Here's my sneaky sneak...

See you back here tomorrow for the reveal!

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Scrap Your Story Challenge :: my lucky charms

YAY!  It's Friday!  That means a new challenge goes live on the Scrap Your Challenge Blog.  Each month we follow this challenge schedule:

Week 1: Use it (you will be given an item you must incorporate).

Week 2: Theme (your layout and/or photos needs to show this theme).

Week 3: Sketch (flip it, rotate it, tweak it...as long as we can see the basics there).

Week 4: Technique (we will describe/show a technique you must include somewhere). 

This is challenge number three of the month so it involves a sketch! 

Here's Christy's sketch:

And here is my take on the sketch :

I don't do very many themed LOs, I'm more of a every day sorta memory keeper, but this photo from a couple of years ago needed to be showcased!

I found this four leaf clover overlay by Skyber Lowen while browsing the Silhouette online store and was inspired to use it as a mask. Then I decided that I wanted to create something that incorporated the Irish flag. 

First, I copied (and pasted) the 6x6 overlay and stuck them together to make a 6x12 cut. It took some time to get all the settings right but finally I got this:

Beautiful, right?  See why I had to use it??!!!!! Then I got out my mists and a piece of white card stock.  I used a couple different greens and tried to ombre it a bit, then I did the same on the other side with orange. OK, it's true, you caught me. Really, I just wanted to make a flag so I could get some orange in there...but it works for me. ;-) I ended up covering it up with the photograph, but there is a little overspray (very little) in the middle, so you can actually see the mask on the white part, but it still looks white! This is good to know in case I decide to do something like this in the future!  Next, I took out some Heidi Swap color shine (in two colors) for the splotches of paint in the lower left and upper right  corners. I like the shine, but I didn't want it on the whole page, plus this helped the dots of color stand out a bit more, I was thinking.  Then I let it dry for a couple of days. (mostly I needed thinking time)!

I decided that I wanted to try to bring out the gold in B's hat,  and I've been hoarding this Crate Paper Vellum with gold dots since December, so I decided it was time to use it! Next I found some awesome glittery gold card stock and I used that behind the photo. LOVE.  I was really digging all the gold so I found gold glitter and gold washi from my stash.  (The washi was in my stash, but can you believe I didn't have any gold glitter??? What is wrong with me!??!! Thank goodness I am only a few blocks from Target)!

I found some DIYthickers and added the gold glitter for a perfect touch!

I used some foam dots to pop the word "lucky" and added some lilybee design abcs for "my" and "charms". I love how the title turned out!

Speaking of love...I got this awesome flair in a happy mail package from Aimee Maddern! Wanna know a secret? I also got the green arrow washi. It wasn't part of the giveaway, but she used it in the packaging and I reused it! I know, right? ;-) I added some other washi, some enamel dots, and a fabric tag that I misted to complete the cluster.

for some reason some of these photos look like the orange could be red...there is no red...it's all orange

I hope you consider playing along with us at Scrap Your Story! This sketch was fun to use.

Coming soon : some news :-), a PL update, and some other funness. 

Later taters!