Project Life Update : Week 8

Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for another Project Life update? This spread documents my version of Week 8 in 2014 - February 19th through February 25th. 

This spread includes: 4 cell phone photos, 0 camera photos, 1 bus pass, 2 cardboard box clippings, 1 car decal, and 4 internet photo finds. All of the pictures were printed at a local photo studio on glossy paper. 

What happened this week: Made berry & yogurt smoothies, had a cold, yucky, lazy week, cried while watching the Katy Perry movie, documented my love for late night TV shows, and indulged in far too many girl scout cookies. 

This week I used Photoshop to create a 6x8 photo, splitting it into 2-4x6 photos. I used an American Craft Slick Writer to add journaling directly to the photo. 

I found affordable tags and labels on a recent trip to Office Max. These labels were perfect for journaling this week. I added them in a few places alone as well as paired with printable labels from Studio Calico. 

My metro pass usually makes it into my Project Life album once every few months. It's a great filler and date keeper. 

Thanks for checking out this week's spread!

SUPPLIES :: Studio Calico Project Life Kits, Wood Veneers / Becky Higgins Sunshine Core Kit, 4x6 White Grid Cards / Simple Stories Journaling Cards / Avery File Folder Labels

TOOLS :: Becky Higgins Design A Page Protectors, 0.3 Marker, F Slick Writer, Date Stamp / Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher / StazOn Jet Black Ink

December Daily Part 2

Hello there. I'm a little late to the game, sharing Part 2 of my December Daily 2013 album. You can see Part 1 here. Part 1 covered December 1-8, which means we're picking up at Day 9. I used a Simple Stories 6x8 SN@P album with a variety of page protectors. I wanted to mix traditional layouts with pocket pages, and this worked perfect. 

Day 9: I used cut outs from We R Memory Keepers' North Pole Collection to create this fun title. We got to baby sit the cutest little dog, and she was quickly added to my Christmas list. 

This same day I participated in a cookie exchange. I'm so glad that I documented the cookie-making process, because I didn't take any photos at the actual event. After seeing the recipe and photos in this album, I'm dying to create my own recipe book in this format.  

The recipe was written on a folded 4x6 journaling card from the Sunshine Core Kit by Becky Higgins. I had fun mixing the different Core Kits with Christmas collections from Simple Stories, BasicGrey, BoBunny, We R Memory Keepers, and Carta Bella. Why stick to one collection when you can have pieces of them all?!

Day 10: No pictures today. As I mentioned in my first post, it was a difficult month. Working on this album truly was therapy, and it was on this day that I started to realize that. 

Day 11: Craft room cleanup. I love that wooden clip from Studio Calico and now want 500 more please. 

Day 12: Can we all agree this winter was cold?! I cut my own journaling cards from 12x12 papers and added washi tape, scalloped borders, labels, and chipboard pieces. 

Day 13: I made an insert with my Silhouette Cameo, cutting out a fun phrase from White Christmas. It was added to the album with BasicGrey Attach Me Stickers. 

Day 14: I helped my mom get ready for a Christmas dinner she was throwing and happily captured this picture of my parents. It's so... them. It made the album along with my grilled cheese dinner. I decided to add more journaling and less embellishments on this spread. 

Day 15: I was scheduled to appear on my local news channel to show off homemade Christmas card and album ideas. Since breaking my tooth days earlier, I forced my mom to do the segment instead. She was so GREAT, and I was excited to be behind the scenes and capture a few priceless photos of her. I cut one of the page protectors in half, adding a square photo on the right and patterned paper with sequins and wood veneers on the left. The left pocket was sewn shut. 

Day 16: It was easy to get into the Christmas spirit with a concert at the girls' school. I originally planned to include the program, but my album was too thick! The pictures with their grades works wonderfully. There's nothing more adorable than children's choir concerts. 

Day 17: The talented DoBea of Plum Poppy Studio released amazing stamp sets this past December, and I was honored (and downright excited) to play around with them. It gave me the kick to get started on my Christmas cards. 

I cut up another page protector to create a 3x4 insert. No sewing was needed! I dropped in a screenshot and journaling card. To add some glitz, I adhered a piece of ribbon with Scor-Tape. 

Day 18: A look into an average day at work with the dog. Eat lunch, sit in the sun, sleep, repeat. 

So many random and fun moments from this past December. It wasn't too long ago, but I've loved looking back and reminiscing about all that happened! Thanks for taking a look with me. 

Project Life Update : Week 4

Happy Wednesday, bloggers! I'm here with another Project Life update. This spread documents week 4 of 2014, and I'm in love with the weekly structure of the project. 

The journaling cards are a collection of Simple Stories, Becky Higgins, and Studio Calico cards I had in my stash. I tried to stick with a grey, yellow, and teal color combo. 

The spread includes: 9 cell phone pictures, 3 camera pictures, 1 screenshot, and a business card. All the photos were printed at home using my HP printer on glossy paper.

What happened this week: New restaurant, late night pool fun, Valentine's Day party prep, a work event, teaching Kaitlynn Copic blending techniques, more cold temps. 

I'm a cute clip hoarder, so I've tried to force myself to start using them. This plastic paper clip was part of Studio Calico's January Project Life Kit and was perfect for adding a bit of memorabilia to the album. 

This year I have been printing the majority of my photos at 3x4 and 4x6 inches. This has created a more clean and less embellished look, which I wasn't sure if I liked. But now I'm loving it. It's so much easier to slip a photo into the pocket without searching for additional cards or papers. I'm finding that I'm not falling behind as quickly as previous years. 

There isn't anything too special when it comes to techniques for this week's spread, but I documented the week. And that's what matters. That's what this project is all about. We're only a few weeks in. If you're hearing about this project for the first time, it's not too late to join in all the fun! Check out Becky Higgins' site to learn more. 

SUPPLIES :: Studio Calico Project Life Kits, Printable Labels / Becky Higgins Sunshine Core Kits / Simple Stories Journaling Cards / 

TOOLS :: Becky Higgins Design A Page Protectors, 0.3 Marker, Date Stamp / Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher / StazOn Jet Black Ink

It's About Time: December Daily Part One

This past December was one of the most emotionally draining months of my life... I don't know how to begin putting it into words. The events that took place made it difficult to be festive. I had already invested in an album and supplies for December Daily, and I was determined to still create one. Right up to the new year, I still was unsure how the whole album would come together. I worked on it throughout the month, and it became a way to process and heal. In the midst of chaos and confusion, God used this "hobby" to remind me of the numerous blessings still present. I spent plenty of hours crying and laying and crying some more while working to complete it. On December 31st, I closed it, walked away, and left everything behind. I couldn't have been more excited to welcome a new year. 

Today, in the midst of all the beautiful snow falling outside my window, I picked up the album and studied the contents once more. This time with a sense of excitement and joy. Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, but I just don't care. It's time to share the pages. So join me in viewing the first of three blog posts documenting December 2013. 

I'm not exaggerating when I say I carried this album with me everywhere, working on it whenever I had some free time. Therefore, the edges of the cover need to be sanded again and I a few star rhinestones have fallen off. Next time, I'll wait to complete the cover or take better care of it. If anything, it perfectly describes the month - pretty with a few rough edges.

I used a SN@P album from Simple Stories with a variety of page protectors. The journaling cards were from Studio Calico, Becky Higgins, and Simple Stories. I embellished with BasicGrey's 25th & Pine, Bo Bunny's Woodland Winter, and past Studio Calico Kits. Just a little bit of everything... 

The album came with three cardstock dividers that I covered with patterned paper. I planned to document all 31 days of December; therefore, I used the dividers to create three sections of 10 days. I wasn't sure how full the album would be given the circumstances, so I created a few filler pages like the one above which became the first page of the album. 

Day 1: I told these cuties about my album, and they were more than happy to pose for my very first picture. 

Day 2: Just another day at work. December 2nd was a Monday, but I described Small Business Saturday which took place days earlier and the impact it had. Two more filler pages and some shopping with my momma. Christmas came early since my roommate needed to move out leaving me without a set of pans. 

Day 3: Our first snowfall. I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut an insert with fitting song lyrics. 

Day 4: A work accomplishment and my thoughts.

Day 5: Even more work stuff. It was fun to document all the different parts of the job, including a Copic class taught that evening.

I cut one of the page protectors in half to create an insert for two 4x4 photos. I added journaling and wood veneers to the one side of protector and machine sewed it shut. Also note: It took me this long to realize I spelt magic with A "J" WHAT?! WHY?! 

Day 6: Shopping, Starbucks, and a funny moment documented. I didn't want some of the journaling showing as it contained personal events that seemed a little heavy for the photos it accompanied. Therefore, I used a piece of washi tape to adhere the photo to a journaling card. It made for a fun element to flip.

My best friend sadly lost her mother the day before Thanksgiving. I included an envelope which holds a letter, extra pictures, and personal thoughts on our friendship, the funeral, and planning (I took them out of the envelope for the picture). When she needed to clear her head and get out of the house, Starbucks and I were there. So I included one of the gift cards shaped as a drink on the outside of the envelope with the date. 

Day 7: The first party of the holiday season. I included a picture of my wrapped White Elephant gift and some thoughts on the party.

This was also the day that I chipped my front tooth. I first lost my two front teeth in an accident more than 10 years ago. So let's face it - It was time something awkward happened to them again. This journaling card seemed to fit with the situation. 

Day 8: Ironically, my nephew cut his first tooth as I chipped one of mine. I snapped a few pictures of the smiling babe while at lunch. 

I also added a large photo of my outfit and the fresh snow from this day. Vellum pieces and sequins were added directly to the photo with Glossy Accents and my favorite Tiny Attacher.  

I covered the back of the photo with patterned paper and used Attach Me Stickers from BasicGrey to include it in the album. These stickers are my new favorite thing. I love that they're made from a hard plastic and are not easily damaged. 

Whew. All that in just 8 days. Thanks for walking through that journey with me once again. We are not made up of just the positive pieces of our life. It's a combination of the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult, and I'm thankful I was able to journal and document it all in this little album. This album was all for me. To process, to heal, to reflect. Have you ever used scrapbooking as a way to do the same?