Hi all! Just a quick update on project life, which I am keeping up with! I've been having a terrible time trying to get the right daylight to photograph my spreads, between my work hours and the placement of my windows I feel like I can never get a good shot. Not that I'm terrible picky when it comes to photography, but I do try.
I just wanted to talk about how much I am seriously loving this project. I haven't fallen behind (yet!) and every time I put a spread in my binder I always look back at the previous weeks' spreads. It's only been eight weeks and it's already fun to look back and remember things that I did and how things have changed. I tend to fall victim to the effect of not noticing the incremental changes in the day-to-day stuff, and so being able to actually see this documentation reminds me that life isn't as dull as it may seem on a daily basis. I can only imagine how much I'm going to love this album a year or two from now!
P.S. 8 weeks in and my binder is nearly half full... I'm thinking this will be a 3-volume year!
Friday, March 1, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
February Simple Card Tip
I've had a few occasions to make cards recently, and I'm always looking for ways to put a quick card together when I need one. I always say I'm going to make a stash of completed cards, but I almost always just make one-off cards a couple days (or hours, sometimes) before I need them.
My simple card tip this month is to use pre-printed journaling cards. With the phenomenon that is Project Life, almost every company is making 3x4 and 4x6 cards with sentiments on them. I have a package of cards like that from Michael's (Recollections brand), so I picked out a couple of the designs and made some cards.
This teal one is a 4x6 card that I trimmed down to 3.5x5.5. I layered some washi tape on it and sewed down a couple of buttons, pop-dotted it to a 4x6 white card base, and had a ready-made card in 15 minutes (which is fast for me!).
The sentiment on this one is a 3x4 journaling card from that same set that I sewed a button on to and inked the edges in black. The background patterned paper is from a Recollections paper pad, and I just colored in those two little hearts with a Copic marker, inked the edges, and adhered it straight onto a standard sized 4x5.5 inch card base. The journaling card went up on pop dots, and I had a second card done in another 15 minutes.
Even if you're not doing Project Life or scrapbooking in divided page protectors, try picking up a package of journaling cards and see what you can do with them. The pre-printed sentiments make for quick and easy cards when you have a special occasion coming up and a few minutes to spare.
Happy crafting!
My simple card tip this month is to use pre-printed journaling cards. With the phenomenon that is Project Life, almost every company is making 3x4 and 4x6 cards with sentiments on them. I have a package of cards like that from Michael's (Recollections brand), so I picked out a couple of the designs and made some cards.
This teal one is a 4x6 card that I trimmed down to 3.5x5.5. I layered some washi tape on it and sewed down a couple of buttons, pop-dotted it to a 4x6 white card base, and had a ready-made card in 15 minutes (which is fast for me!).
The sentiment on this one is a 3x4 journaling card from that same set that I sewed a button on to and inked the edges in black. The background patterned paper is from a Recollections paper pad, and I just colored in those two little hearts with a Copic marker, inked the edges, and adhered it straight onto a standard sized 4x5.5 inch card base. The journaling card went up on pop dots, and I had a second card done in another 15 minutes.
Even if you're not doing Project Life or scrapbooking in divided page protectors, try picking up a package of journaling cards and see what you can do with them. The pre-printed sentiments make for quick and easy cards when you have a special occasion coming up and a few minutes to spare.
Happy crafting!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
PL // week 2
Blogging seems to be falling by the wayside here as classes pick up and homework piles on, but here we go with project life week 2! (For those who are curious, I am keeping up to date with the scrapping part, just not the blogging part.)
I didn't have a whole lot of photos this week, because I was sick for half the week. Because of that, this spread features a lot of pictures of my cats, who were my main company while the boyfriend was at work during the day. Not that I was awake too much to notice who was around!
The main thing that I wanted to work on this week was layering. I've always admired it in other peoples' layouts, but have never pulled it off in a way that I liked. Another goal, semi-related, was to try to make a dent in my stash of stickers.
Something new that I decided I'd try is to include a self-portrait of me in a spread at least once a month. I tend to disappear from my own scrapbooking because I'm always behind the camera, so I thought this would be a good way to make sure I'm actually in my own Project Life.
I didn't have a whole lot of photos this week, because I was sick for half the week. Because of that, this spread features a lot of pictures of my cats, who were my main company while the boyfriend was at work during the day. Not that I was awake too much to notice who was around!
A couple little groupings of layering here... lots of the stickers are from the Sketchbook collection by Amy Tangerine, some are from the first Amy Tangerine collection sticker book, and a couple here and there from Studio Calico and Jillybean Soup. All of them are pretty old, since I tend to collect stickers by accident and never seem to use them.
One thing I really like about Project Life is that for some reason it feels more free to me. It's a lot less pressure than a full on 12x12 layout. Each little card is a like separate layout almost, and I can try out new things because if it doesn't come out in a way that I like I can just start over on a new card. I also include photos that are not technically "good" photography--something about this project makes me forget the "rules" of scrapbooking and just do whatever I feel like. It's super rejuvenating, and I hope this feeling carries over when I do start doing 12x12 layouts again.
I hope to have more Project Life and other posts up here soon, but homework before blogging! Until next time, happy crafting!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Currents
Drinking: berry flavored water
Eating: turkey burger... mmmm
Listening: to reruns of Parks and Rec... love it!
Wearing: black pants, purple tank, grey AE sweatshirt
Reading: mostly school assignments, but also The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
Feeling: sort of chilly... Think it's mostly because small snowflakes just started flying around
Weather: grey and cold
Wanting: to play with some new art supplies I got today
Needing: to finish up some homework... come on, focus!
Thinking: I forgot to mail out my Amazon return... oops! Add 'packing tape' to my list of things to buy...
Enjoying: the time of afternoon when the cats are calm and sleepy (and not jumping all around my desk)
Loving: Project Life... it gives me a reason to set aside time every week for crafty things!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Project life: week 1
I'm jumping into the world of Project Life this year for the first time! Posting my pages on the blog will help keep me accountable for finishing the project, and as an added bonus will keep the blog updated on a semi-regular basis. Win-win!
My first-ever project life spread:
I wanted to use up some of the embellishments I've been holding onto forever, so I put a bunch of buttons on the title card and stuck some brads on the photos.
Another thing that I'm trying to add in is QR codes for videos. I don't take video very often, but when I do I'd like to do something with it--QR codes are an easy way to add those videos into your project life. You can use any free QR code generator, then print it out on some cardstock and stick it with the coordinating photo!
Another thing that I'm using a lot so far is photo collages (I have the free version of an iPhone app called InstaCollage that works well for me). It's a fun way to add even more photos into your spreads each week. Added benefit: when you print your photos, each collage is one print--you get 4 photos for the cost of one!
I'm loving project life so far... love that I can embellish each little pocket if I want to, and then towards the end when I'm running out of steam I can just put some pretty cards in there and it still looks nice. So simple!
It's taking me on average between two and three hours to get a spread done, including the photo editing time, and I'm capturing so much that I normally wouldn't scrap about. My plan is to include any 12x12 layouts about the year right in the same binder, in the week that I make them, but honestly I haven't felt the need to do any 12x12s since I started this. Maybe when big events come around or something, I'll do a 12x12 or 6x12 more "traditional" layout.
Enjoy!
My first-ever project life spread:
Another thing that I'm trying to add in is QR codes for videos. I don't take video very often, but when I do I'd like to do something with it--QR codes are an easy way to add those videos into your project life. You can use any free QR code generator, then print it out on some cardstock and stick it with the coordinating photo!
I'm loving project life so far... love that I can embellish each little pocket if I want to, and then towards the end when I'm running out of steam I can just put some pretty cards in there and it still looks nice. So simple!
It's taking me on average between two and three hours to get a spread done, including the photo editing time, and I'm capturing so much that I normally wouldn't scrap about. My plan is to include any 12x12 layouts about the year right in the same binder, in the week that I make them, but honestly I haven't felt the need to do any 12x12s since I started this. Maybe when big events come around or something, I'll do a 12x12 or 6x12 more "traditional" layout.
Enjoy!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Daybook: Hello Seattle
I finished up the project I was working on about my recent vacation to Seattle. It's the first whole scrapbooking project I've completed in recent memory, so it's a huge deal for me! Here it is in all its crafty glory:
(There's some secret journaling stuck inside the folded-in-half boarding pass!)
All the photos were printed at Persnickety Prints. (Square photos are 2x2 and bigger ones are 2.25x3)
I used washi tape to add pages and brochures here and there, and to keep it closed I just punched a hole in the plastic part of the cover in the front and back and tied it with baker's twine. Tombow Monomulti glue is great for adhering the squished pennies (and other metal embellishments, I hear). There are lots of tags in pockets to add room for journaling and stuff, which is a technique I've been digging lately in all kinds of projects. (You can see more about that technique at the tutorial I posted about making pockets.) I didn't bother with titles on the pages because of the lack of space, but I love the size of those little stickers that come with the book and I"ll definitely use them on other projects.
I finally finished a project! Hooray!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Hand-stitched pocket tutorial
Lately I've been working on a travel album in one of the Amy Tangerine daybooks, which is a much smaller format than I'm used to. I've found that I want to do more journaling than the page space will allow in many cases, so I've started hand stitching these little pockets. They're great because you can adhere photos and memorabilia on the outside and slip a tag in the pocket with your journaling on it.
Things you'll need:
- Patterned paper (Mine is from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook 6x6 paper pad)
- Scrap paper
- Needle and thread
- Adhesive (can be temporary or permanent)
Step 1:
Adhere the scrap paper to the back of your patterned paper with a minimal amount of adhesive. (If you use too much adhesive, it will be really hard to get your needle and thread through the layers later.)
Step 2:
Using a paper piercer or your needle poke holes along three sides of the rectangle, leaving the edge you want as your opening un-pierced.
Step 3:
Using your needle and thread sew through the holes. In this example I've used a backstitch, but you can use any type of stitch you want. (It's hard to see the stitches in this photo because of the lighting; sorry for the less-than-stellar cell phone photography!)
Once you finish your stitches, you have your pocket!
There are lots of ideas I have for this technique that I haven't tried out yet. I'd love to make a pocket like this using transparency or vellum for the front and fill it with confetti or glitter. If you're not a fan of the hand-stitched look, you can adhere the outside edges with washi tape or some other kind of decorative tape. Or, once you have your pocket finished, instead of filling it with journaling you could put smaller photos or memorabilia inside.
This is an example of a pocket like this used in my Smashbook project. The 6x6 panel on the right-hand page is a pocket that I stitched together using a different stitch than the one in the tutorial. I used it to hold a brochure and a journaling tag that's difficult to see in this photo. On the front of the pocket, I was able to add another photo and a business card.
Things you'll need:
- Patterned paper (Mine is from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook 6x6 paper pad)
- Scrap paper
- Needle and thread
- Adhesive (can be temporary or permanent)
Step 1:
Adhere the scrap paper to the back of your patterned paper with a minimal amount of adhesive. (If you use too much adhesive, it will be really hard to get your needle and thread through the layers later.)
Step 2:
Using a paper piercer or your needle poke holes along three sides of the rectangle, leaving the edge you want as your opening un-pierced.
Step 3:
Using your needle and thread sew through the holes. In this example I've used a backstitch, but you can use any type of stitch you want. (It's hard to see the stitches in this photo because of the lighting; sorry for the less-than-stellar cell phone photography!)
Once you finish your stitches, you have your pocket!
There are lots of ideas I have for this technique that I haven't tried out yet. I'd love to make a pocket like this using transparency or vellum for the front and fill it with confetti or glitter. If you're not a fan of the hand-stitched look, you can adhere the outside edges with washi tape or some other kind of decorative tape. Or, once you have your pocket finished, instead of filling it with journaling you could put smaller photos or memorabilia inside.
This is an example of a pocket like this used in my Smashbook project. The 6x6 panel on the right-hand page is a pocket that I stitched together using a different stitch than the one in the tutorial. I used it to hold a brochure and a journaling tag that's difficult to see in this photo. On the front of the pocket, I was able to add another photo and a business card.
If you're working on a project and find yourself low on space, definitely try this out! It's super easy to do and will save you money on those pre-packaged pocket and envelope embellishments.
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