My Version of Project Life

I know many are doing (or have done) some form of a picture a day type of project.  Some document their lives by taking a picture everyday, some do it weekly, and some do it monthly.  There really is no right or wrong way to do this, it's basically just what you prefer!  Back in 2009 I tried to do the picture a day, then called Project 365.  At first I didn't miss a day.  Then I would miss maybe a day or two a month.  Then it turned into a day or 2 a week...well you  get the picture!  I continued to take pictures throughout the year, but it definitely wasn't everyday.  My intention was to do the album digitally in 8x8.  So I had a couple layouts done for January, but then I got behind on the layouts.  I continued to file my pictures into the appropriate monthly folders, but never did the layouts for them.  Recently I was going back through the layouts I did and I can't even convey the emotions I felt and how nice it was to look back at those pictures and remember those moments that most likely would have gone undocumented, especially those of my sons.  After falling so behind back in 2009, I always thought I could never commit to doing another one of these types of projects.  Suddenly after looking at the beginning of my 2009 Project 365, I really wanted to try it again this year.  I decided to do it digitally again, but this time I didn't want to do a separate album and have each 2 page spread be one week.  I wanted to try to incorporate these pictures into my family scrapbook, but not take up too many pages...oh the dilemma!  Sooooo, I ended up making my own digital template, based on Becky Higgins Project Life, with a tweak here and there to fit some portrait pictures.  Then all I had to do was drop in my pictures and add my journaling.  The templates I made are in 12x12 size, but I am going to resize it to 6x6, and I will be able to fit a whole month on a 2 page layout.  Here is what I mean...

These are 2 separate pages, which make up 1 week.  When resized to 6x6, they fit next to each on a 12x12 page.  The next week, I did the same thing and those 2 pages will be next to each other and will fit under the previous week pages, making up the left side 12x12 page, looking like this...

I did the same for the following 2 weeks of January, which will then be on the right side 12x12 page, and look like this...

So all together the full 2 page layout, which covers the month of January looks like this...

I hope this made sense, it's a bit confusing to explain.  The paper I used for January was Echo Park digital Wintertime Collection.  LOVE Echo Park!!!  I just love that I can fit the whole month, day by day, on just a 2 page layout and it can go right in with my regular family scrapbook, where I can still have my traditional layouts as well!  I love that I can feel like I have these memories already scrapbooked and not feel like I'm behind yet another year. 

First Day of Kindergarten Layout

I am slowly coming out of my comfort zone and I just posted my first layout to the 2Peas Gallery.  I did this because I wanted to participate in the Scrapbook Stamping Class because I knew that would help me use more of my stamps which is one of my goals this year.  My style isn't exactly like the rest you see there, but I am trying!!  Most of my layouts are multiple photos, and I have a linear/clean line type of style.  I know there must be others out there that have this type of style.  Anyone???  Bueller?  Sorry, couldn't resist.

Anyway, I thought I would share my layout here since I can add a lot more detail about the stuff I used and what I did.

The layout is based on my sons' first day of Kindergarten.  After I started doing this layout I realized that their clothes for the day even matched and I didn't plan that!  I had them pick out their own shirts.  All of the stamps I used are from Papertrey Ink - School Time.

"First day of" is from a stamp, but the actual stamps says, "First day of school."  I just masked the school part so I could use the rest of the stamp.  Kindergarten is cup with the cricut cartridge, Plantin Schoolbook.  I layered some paper to make it look like chipboard.  The border of "I love School" is also a stamp.

The stamps on this page are the embellishments on top, the ABC paper in the middle, and the year, age, and teacher on the bottom piece of paper.  The patterened paper I used on this layout is an old one I had from my stash.  It was from the Junkits Brights line.  Using my stash was another goal I had, and I can say so far so good!

After I stamped these images, I used my 1 3/8" circle punch to cut them out and then I popped them up on dimensionals to give some depth.

Here is a close up view of my faux chipboard letters.

Supplies used:
Patterned Paper: Junkitz Brights
Cardstock: SU! Whisper White textured and smooth, real red, brilliant blue, daffodil delight
Ink: SU! real red, brilliant blue, yoyo yellow, daffodil delight, garden green
Stamps: PTI School Time
Other: 1 3/8" circle punch, dimensionals, computer journaling

Disney Hollywood Studios

I am still working on our Disney trip from 2008, and have not even begun the album for the trip we took to Disney in 2009 for my sons birthday!  I shared the first double layout I did for Hollywood Studios, so this is the next one.  I had a lot of pictures so I had to make 3 double layouts worth!

I continued the star border theme throughout all the pages to connect them somehow.  The stars are from a Stampin' Up wheel that I used black in and just rolled it across white paper.  The rest was just simply placing the photos on the paper.  For this album all my layouts are pretty simple because, well, that's what I wanted!  I think for the 2009 Disney I will try a little more embellishing.

A new year, a new start

Happy New Year everyone!  The beginning of a brand new year seems to be a time of new beginnings and starting over - almost like getting a fresh start on something.  For me, I am determined to prove something to myself this year.  I am so tired of starting something and then somwhere along the way, I stop.  I also want to make sure I take more time for myself this year, especially to scrapbook or do some sort of creating.  This past year I scrapbooked less than I ever have since I started this hobby.  So with that...

• I am going to do my best to blog at least 3 times a week.  At times it may be more or less, but I really don't want a week to go by without me posting something!
• Because of the blogging, that means I need to make sure I create something!  So I am going to try my best to make time for that every week.
• I would like to try all the different techniques I have seen but have never tried, but have really wanted to!  As I try each one I will share it here.
• I want to use my stash!!!  I know this is a big one for a lot of scrapbookers and cardmakers.  We are always talking about using the stuff we have more and buying new stuff less.  For me, I have a bunch of stuff that I bought but I haven't used yet, and I would like to take this year to challenge myself to use the stuff I have bought at least once!  For example, I bought alcohol inks because I really wanted to try them out, but I have yet to use them.  So they have been sitting in my drawer for a year :( 
• I am also determined to make at least 1 project with each of my cricut cartridges.  I have cartridges I haven't used yet, and I don't want to feel like I wasted my money buying them just add to my collection.
• I feel the same way about my stamps.  I have stamp sets I had to have, but haven't used.

Whew!!  I hope I can do it!!  I want to look back when it turns to 2012 and say I did what I set out to do, or at least I gave it my best shot!

With that, I will share a layout I wanted topost last year but never got around to it.  Since I don't have anything new yet, I will be sharing a lot of older projects I've done for the next couple of posts.

This was from our Disney 2008 trip:

I am going to try my best to remember what I used:

cardstock: SU basic gray textured cardstock

star border: SU star wheel with black ink and some are outlined with black stickles

Title is cut with Make the Cut and a font I had on my computer

Stars are cut from cricut cartridge Hannah Montana

Disney Layout

I know I have been missing, and I really regret that.  I haven't had much of a chance to actually get any crafting/scrapbooking done so therefore I've had nothing much to post!  I am going to make sure I make some time for myself by giving myself some personal challenges.

In the meantime, here is a layout I did a while ago from our 2008 Disney trip:

Hopefully I will be back with more soon!!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

I joke with my husband that today is my holiday!  It's National Scrapbook Day and I didn't even get a layout done.  Boo!!  It figures that we would actually have nice weather (although a bit hot for May!) and it was hard to justify keeping myself holed up in my craft corner all day.  Oh well!  Maybe tomorrow I will try to get some pages done.

I am a bit disappointed, though.  For being National Scrapbook Day, I sure didn't see a lot of scrapbooking going on.  I did see a lot of cards, though.  Now, I do my fair share of cards also and am starting to get into that more, but it seems lately that is all I am seeing and I am missing some inspiration in the form of a scrapbook page.  I guess I'm just a bit disappointed.  It's also not just today but it seems like it's the latest trend.  I love seeing card ideas, but I do miss my layout inspirations. :(  Anyway, speaking of cards, I have a bunch of cards to share with you coming up soon.  But today, in honor of the holiday (tee hee) I have a 2 page layout I did for our Disney 2008 trip.

I just used some paper scraps to fill in the spaces that there were no pictures and I also used some stickers I had in my stash.  I love using things from my stash that I haven't used in a long time!  I really should challenge myself more to do that.

I am really trying to catch up on this particular album (Disney 2008), because now I have Disney 2009 to start doing! 

Fun! A scrapbook page

So far I am having a pretty busy week!  My sons had Kindergarten orientation on Monday.  Yesterday I worked on painting their room, and I hope to finish this weekend.  Today they had preschool, my one son had speech, and then we had to get them registered for this safety program our town offers for incoming Kindergarteners.  So now I am just being a complete couch potato and wanted to share another layout.

It's a 2 page layout and I wish I took a picture of them next to each other also.  I used my Cricut a lot for these pages, along with some stamping.

Title: genuine and arrow - Graphically Speaking;  fun - Sweet Treats

Butterfly: Graphically Speaking

Wheelbarrow:

Dragonfly and Bee: Pooh and Friends

The 2 flower stamps: Hero Arts

Snail: Stampin' Up - Picnic Parade

I also used a white gel pen to draw the dashes around the wheelbarow, and I used Stickles on the arrow, the butterfly trail, the butterfly wings and the bee wings, even though you can't see it very well.

Bringing scrapping back!

I know, I know, I disappeared again.  I have had such a busy couple of months that I haven't even had a chance to get into my craft room and create!!  So technically I haven't had much to share.  Recently I was able to get in there and get a couple of layouts done, and I also went back and dug out some other layouts as well.

It seems like there isn't much about scrapbooking out there anymore and would love to see more about it, so what better place to start than with my own blog! 

These 2 layouts were when my sons were about 15 months old and I did a page on their milestones at the time.  Yes my boys are 5 now, but I am waaaaay behind!

Sorry about the glare at the bottom!  I didn't even realize it until I uploaded the pics to my computer.  The title "adorable" is from Lyrical Letters and I welded the letters together on my gypsy.  The "great boy" is from Graphically Speaking.  The patterned paper is some I had in my stash from a while ago, but I think it's from Scenic Route.

For this layout I believe the patterned paper is from Junkitz...remember them???  I have a huge stash of their paper I just haven't used it yet.  The title is a font on my computer, but I can't remember the name of it right now.

It feels really nice to be posting again and I really hope I can keep it up.  Even with the stuff going on that's keeping me busy I really just want to make the time to get in my craft room and create!  Today I had Kindergarten orientation today for my sons.  I can't believe how time can go by so fast and they are going to be starting Kindergarten in September.  We are also still in the process of trying to get my one son the extra help he needs.  So lots of things going on!  But I do have a bunch of ideas in my head that I would love to share and I hope to be able to do it soon.

Friday Favorites: Becky Higgins sketches

In honor of Becky Higgins resignation from Creating Keepsakes, I figured my love for her sketches would be perfect for my Friday Favorites.

Before I begin, though, I want to apologize for any blurry pictures!  We just got back from apple picking and I wanted to quickly get the pictures and in my laziness I didn't go back to redo blurry pictures!


I loves sketches, all kinds, but these are the ones that introduced me into the sketch world.  It seems that finding the perfect picture placement for my pictures has always been the hardest part for me, so having a blueprint made things go so much faster for me!

After a while it seemed that I had collected so many of Becky's sketches, plus her 2 sketch books (at the time) and I was getting tired of always pulling everything out each time.  So I came up with a way to put it all together and it made it so much easier for me to browse the sketches without having a whole bunch of different books.

I decided I would take all her sketches and put them in one big binder.  I started with the monthly ones from the magazine.  I took the sketch and the layout examples and put them in page protectors and then into the binder.  I did these for all the ones I had when I had my subscription to CK magazine.

When I no longer subscribed, I would get the sketches from online on the website.

 I put the sketch and the examples layouts on a sheet and then print out each month, hole punches the sheets and put them in the binder with the others.

The next part was a little traumatizing, but after I did it, I felt it was worth it.

 I ended up taking apart the idea books so I would be able to put that into my binder

I did it for both the books...

Now I had all her sketches and all examples in one place.  All I have to do is pull out one binder instead of a bunch of magazines, 2 books, and some print outs from the computer.

The only one I don't have in the binder is the Best of Becky Higgins Sketches - her latest sketch book.  I like the way the book is set up and I didn't want to take it apart.  But there is something I did do in this book...

I know the pictures is blurry, but down at the bottom of the page I wrote where the sketch came from.  So if it was from the magazine I wrote the month and year.  If it was from one of the books, I wrote which book and the page number.  This way I can reference the sketch in my binder.

I thought I would also show some scrapbook pages I did using the sketches as inspiration.  Most of the times I start with a sketch and I modify it some way to fit the pictures I have, but sometimes I do my own page almost the same placement as the sketch...it really depends.  Oh, and let me apologize again for the pictures taken right from my album.  Again, laziness!  I just wanted to get the pictures and didn't want to pull each one out of my album and then have to put them back in.  Also, I was trying to get some of the 2 page layouts side by side and I can't seem to get it to work, so I'm sorry that they're not next to each other!

   

Title: cricut cartridge - Storybook, Patterned Paper: Basic Grey (I think...I can't remember!)

Those are just a few pages I have made using sketches.  I just love how it makes things so much faster for me when trying to design a page, especially for the part I seem to struggle with the most - picture placement.

Lazy Days of Summer?

Who came up with that phrase? Because my summer has definitely not been lazy! Especially since being back from vacation. Unpacking, laundry, errands, grocery shopping, bill paying, visits from friends and family - hasn't left me much time for crafting or blogging! So for now here is an old layout I did from when my boys were 8 months old. Every month for their first year I would take a picture of them with this huge monkey to show the progression of their growth. So for their first year scrapbook, I would start the new month off with a layout of the boys with the monkey. All the journaling goes on the other pages so that's why there isn't any on this page. Just a quick, simple layout. If I remember correctly the patterned paper on the top is Basic Grey and the bottom is Junkitz. Oh, and yes I do have 2 boys but this was right before their first haircut, so I know my one son's hair is a bit long. He was born with a head full of hair!

Hopefully once I get a bunch of things done and taken care of I can get back to creating and can devote more time here.

ABC Baby Album

A while ago a friend of mine had her first baby, and as a gift to her I made her an ABC baby scrapbook album. She is a Kindergarten teacher so I knew the ABC approach would fit her perfectly. This is just a couple of the pages from the album.
I did it in 8x8 and used Basic Grey Oh Baby Boy line of patterned paper. The cardstock was the matching Bazzill. I don't remember the measurements for all the pieces, but to make it easy on myself I used the same basic setup and just rotated all the elements. This made cutting the pieces easier and putting it together on the page go faster.
The white paper is 4x6 and that was where she would put the picture; and the strip of paper next to the letter is where she could write the word that went with the letter and picture. Along with the album, I gave her photo corners and photo squares so she had her choice on what she wanted to use. I also included a black acid free marker and a list of suggestions for each letter.

Sorry the pictures are bit blurry. I took these pictures a while ago and now I don't have the album anymore (obviously) so I couldn't get clearer pictures.

Then and Now

In an effort to get this blog going I am not above embarrassing myself. Since I started scrapbooking trends and styles have changed and so has my own personal style. I would say that I mainly fall into the clean line, semi-simple style, but I love to add a bit more to certain layouts that call for it. So I thought it would be fun to show some of my very first layouts and then others in between leading up to today. Are you ready to laugh? That's ok, you are laughing with me, not at me...right?

My first "official" scrapbook was a heritage album I did for my dad of his family. He is the 7th sibling of 4 sisters and 2 brothers. These are just 2 of the pages from the album. Achoo! Can you say sticker sneeze? And what's with the pictures cut into all different shapes and just plopped on the page?

My next project was from Las Vegas vacation. I thought I would give 8 1/2 x 11 a try and see how I liked working with the smaller style. I also incorporated more patterened papers. Remember those really bold and bright ones? I found the smaller size was too limiting for me because I wanted to add so many more pictures.


So from there I found colorblocking:


Becky Higgins sketches:


patterned paper layering and trying not to be so linear:



I started doing some digital pages and albums:


and here is one of my latest that I just did recently, although the pictures are from 2006:


I have gone from doing 1 album at a time from start to finish to working on whatever layout strikes my fancy at that moment. I find that I use sketches a lot since I seem to have a lot of problems with photo placement and I just LOVE sketches. Now I am trying to incorporate more techniques into my pages.

Well, thanks for taking a stroll down memory lane with me and hopefully I'm not the only one with those just starting out layouts!