Project Life, Week 36

I finally got the last few photos printed from Riah's birthday for my week 36 layout. My baby is 2!!! Wow. I kept it simple with one of my favorite inserts, Design I, to include some Instagram and other photos I snapped during the day. I've been enjoying using the Rhonna Farrer app to add cute overlays, text, and designs to my photos right in the phone, which minimizes the time I spend editing on my computer each week. Some weeks I actually do all the editing and ordering prints from my phone - isn't technology amazing?! I do want to work on taking more DSLR pictures, though.

On the left side, I worked in a few little hybrid touches. The "letter b" collage is from the 365: Unscripted 3x4 collage cards, by Traci Reed, with a paper and letter from her recent collab Virtuoso. I printed that "Together is the best place to be" overlay (I think it's from my Studio Calico class) onto transparency paper. Paper products used include Studio Calico cards and that awesome Scraptastic "Feeling Like This" stamp. Plus my usual washi, veneer, and sequins :)

More hybrid here including the chalkboard card from Traci Reed's Mr. Mister cards, a Studio Calico freebie (polaroid picture), and the Rhonna Farrer app. And it's a little hard to see in the photo, but there's a days of the week overlay on the middle right journaling card. That's from Traci's 365Unscripted: 3x4 Transparencies 2 set. Next time I print transparencies I'll be sure to make the colors darker!

I wrote a short letter to Riah and tucked it in a little pocket behind his photo. I did the same thing for Avyn this year, and hope I remember to make that a tradition for each birthday now!

And here's the insert. I took several videos throughout the day to share with family who couldn't celebrate with us, and after some trial and error, managed to (hopefully!) create QR codes that link to those videos. I should probably test that...

Week 37 happens to be Ali Edwards' Week in the Life project, and I chose to participate again this year. I won't have it all finished until next week, but it will be several spreads and inserts. Basically I did it as a more in-depth Project Life style. I'm also still keeping up with 30 Lists, following along with Fat Mum Slim's photo a day on Instagram, and just started a class I won, Picture Everyday, at Big Picture Classes. Whew. Busy month for memory-keeping, but I'm loving it. Keeps my mind off the more depressing stuff of life, and I really need that right now.

Project Life, Week 34 and Transparency

No, not the bare-my-soul, no-holds-barred kind of transparency. I'm not brave enough for that. I did muster up the courage this week to try printable transparencies, though! After waiting impatiently for the box to arrive from Amazon, adding color to the 365Unscripted: 3x4 Transparencies 2 set from Traci Reed, and then a few false starts while my printer refused to cooperate, I finally had my very own sheets of customized transparent overlays.

If you find yourself with an obstinate printer, try taping the transparency to a sheet of plain white paper. Tape it very well all along the top and bottom edges (using colorful washi tape is optional, but obviously preferable). This tricked my printer into thinking nothing unusual was going on.

I love the impact these transparencies add to my photos and cards, without adding extra bulk to the album. I attached them three different ways: Paper clip, cleverly hidden tiny glue dots, and mini staples. Sorry about the glare, I still haven't perfected my in-pocket photography. If you have any tips, I'd love to hear them!

And now, on to the whole week. In addition to the transparencies by Traci (I used four of them over the week's spread), I also printed some word art and star elements from her new One of the Guys kit. The "made with love" 4x6 and woodgrain 3x4 cards, the "family time" wordart, and the plate/knife/fork cutout are from Studio Basic's Cook.Eat.Love collection. Most everything else this week is from Scraptastic's August This Life Noted kit.

Ahh that title card. I'm in love. I used gesso and watercolor techniques, along with printables, from the Studio Calico Toolbox class. An Ormolu flair and some enamel dots coordinate perfectly. The Love This Life die-cut was left over from July's kit.

I created my own coffee cup embellishment by stamping onto green paper and fussy cutting (the coffee stamp is from Studio Calico's July Project Life kit). That little Saturday journaling card is also from Studio Calico. And that wraps up this fun week! I can't wait to print more transparencies!

Project Life, Weeks 31-32

Lots of hybrid fun these weeks, courtesy of the first few lessons in the Studio Calico Toolbox class I'm taking this month. It's my first SC class, and I'm really enjoying it. Week two is mixed media, so I'm guessing my next couple weeks of PL will get a bit messy! It's fun to mix things up, I have to try new stuff or I get bored. I'm sure it would be quicker to stick with the same style/theme/products/etc each week, but I just can't craft like that. I sure admire those who can, though, and end up with a beautifully coordinated book! Mine is a mismatched mess LOL!!

Week 31

This week I used primarily Scraptastic, and several of the cards were inspired by challenges for their 3rd birthday celebration. I finally used confetti in a pocket! That cute Enjoy Life card is from a recent card swap I participated in. The last 4x6 card I'm particularly proud of, I actually stitched strips of paper together - quite an achievement on my miniature craft sewing machine!

Week 32

This week I used more Studio Calico stuff, from my July Project Life kit and printables from the Toolbox class. Several of the cards I designed in Photoshop and then printed and embellished, and I am in love with how they turned out. How fun is that pie chart?! I confess, I hadn't seen the pie chart appeal yet, but I think I'm hooked now. 

I also used a fun technique from the Toolbox class on the "Sweet Sunshine" photo, by "removing" Avyn from the picture and typing the text, then popping him back on top. I really enjoy taking the time to incorporate my digital skills and supplies into my PL album. It's like including mini scrapbook pages every week!

Project Life, Week 20

Well, well, well. Look at me with only one week to share! Yep, pattin' myself on the back right now. This week was rough in many regards, particularly after my boys' big doctor's appointment on Thursday. Life-changing news. Within the next week or two Avyn will begin a formula-only diet, no other food or drink allowed, to see if his symptoms improve. Then we will reintroduce foods one at a time. It's a long road, and I'm still mentally and emotionally processing the ramifications for our family. I used the "Change" card to simply express this upheaval, as I'm not quite ready to journal a ton about it yet.
I enjoyed using Traci Reed's new Lifestyle Stamps to dress up my photos, and her 3x4 and 4x6 collage templates to lay out some of my pictures. The paper stuff is from my usual, Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn, American Crafts, Basic Grey, Paper Issues, etc.

Week 20

Thank you for sharing in my life! If you ever have a question or comment, please feel free to ask. And I'd love to see your projects, too! Link me up in the comments!

Project Life, Weeks 17-19

I can't believe how fast we're approaching the halfway point! I'm also a teensy bit surprised that I've stuck with the project. My life, with three little boys at home, gets pretty crazy and it can be hard to find time to scrap. So I got thinking about some of the reasons I've made it to this point:

1. Fresh, fun supplies every month. Subscribing to Studio Calico's Project Life kit club was the best decision ever. I love getting a coordinated set of trendy products every month without the hassle and time of shopping around. Who doesn't love playing with new goodies?! 
2. Digital supplies to add variety and fill in the gaps. Another great investment was a pack of Epson Premium Matte Presentation paper - it prints digital journal cards and elements beautifully. 
3. Printing at home or Walgreens 1-hour. Sure, I would have better quality photos if I ordered through Persnickety Prints, but I know myself. Instant gratification = actually doing the project. 
4. Having a dedicated craft room. I can leave a spread in progress, leave supplies out, and not worry (well, not too much anyway!) about the boys destroying it. It's a place I can escape to, and recharge my mental/emotional batteries while watching TV on my laptop and scrapping. SO therapeutic!
5. Keeping the end goal and overall "reason" in mind - so my family has photos and stories to look at and remember. I chose to do Project Life in a paper format primarily so my family would have something tangible to look at. Toddlers and preschoolers are quite narcissistic, after all, and they love looking at pictures of themselves!

If you're a Project Lifer too, what are some of the reasons you've made it this far? 

Week 17

 I especially enjoyed creating this week's spread. I printed off some fun bits from Michelle Godin's Snarky Snippets: Books, and I masked, spritzed, and stamped a few cards. And, of course, there's that gloriously hilarious big photo! It totally deserved three full spots, right? The rest of the cards are either Studio Calico or Project Life: Jade kit, except for the blue striped one and the speech bubble one - those I received in a PL card swap. I have some pretty artistic fellow crafters.

Week 18

More fun with digital products this week. I printed out cards from Splendid Fiins' Love It and Washi Brights sets, and Traci Reed/Jenn Barrette's Get Artsy cards. Cathy Zielske generously gave away the iNSD card on her blog. (Speaking of Cathy Zielske, she has an amazing and poignant blog post about her personal view of the value of Project Life. Go read it.) Since it's one of my favorite holidays, I felt interNational Scrapbooking Day deserved not only its own card, but a whole insert! I took a bunch of Instagram photos for various photo challenges on iNSD.

Week 19

I'll be including lots of Traci Reed goodies on my spreads from now on, because (drum roll please) I'm on her newly created Project Life team as a hybrid artist!!! I am super excited and honored to join the illustrious Hawt Mamas, and incorporate her artsy, trendy, fun designs into my Project Life album. I may be doing a few digital inserts, too.
So this week I have cards from Traci's Get Artsy set and a previous Facebook freebie, Hashtag cards. The Epic Awesomeness word art is by Karla Dudley, from her Life cards, and the Silly Goofy Mine word art is from her Walter photo frames.
Paper cards from Studio Calico and Jade Project Life kit. Embellishments, as usual, from everywhere - Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn, Paper Issues, Two Peas in a Bucket.

Thanks for sharing in my life!

Project Life, Weeks 11-16

So I got tired of playing catchup and only posting 2 weeks at a time. I'm just going to dump the last 6 weeks here, and then I'll be all caught up! Sorry about the long, image-heavy post. I'll try to keep the commentary to a minimum :).

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 13 - Easter

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Supplies used - various cards and embellishments from Studio Calico Project Life kits, a few cards from Becky Higgins Seafoam and Jade core kits, many items from Paper Issues etsy shop. 

Project Life, Weeks 9 and 10

Another episode of Project Life 2013, still catching up! I got my April Studio Calico goodies last week and I'm excited to play with all the fun new journal cards, embellishments, stamps and papers. I love getting new supplies!
I also tentatively stepped into the physical-art-journaling world today, and started my first few pages. Not ready to share pictures yet, but I will soon. I have no idea what I'm doing, but it's fun to paint and get gesso on my fresh manicure!

Week Nine

Moving week! My picture quality went down the tube this week, we were so busy moving across the neighborhood (literally, a mile away). Oh, yeah, hubby and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on February 29, too. (What, you say? There's no 29th in February this year? Yeah, we only get a "real" anniversary every 4 years...) Sadly, we weren't able to do anything to celebrate with it falling in the middle of the move. Maybe once things settle down in a few months, and we find a sitter willing to take on three rowdy boys!

Week Ten

Slowly getting moved in and settling in to the new house this week. Super excited to set up my new craft room/office!
Supplies Used: Snarky Snippets Awesome by Michelle Godin, DIY: Collection by KCB and Shawna Clingerman, Neverland and Front Row Studio Calico Project Life kits, embellishments from Studio Calico kits and Paper Issues, various letter stickers.