Project Life: Weeks 1 and 2

To say I am excited to finally be posting this a SERIOUS understatement!  You can not believe the utter joy I feel for having finally completed two weeks worth of my Project Life.  I was so very slow getting started because as you know, I was overwhelmed for awhile due to an overload of inspiration and instead of it kicking my motivation and creativity into gear, it instead left me not even knowing where to begin.  However, this week I set time aside over a 3 day period and made myself focus and get it done.

One area that I do not have a problem and haven't fallen behind on (so far) is printing and inserting my pictures.  It has now become a habit for me that each Sunday morning, I get up and send my photos off to Walgreens to the one hour photo.  My husband and I then pick them up later that day while we are out grocery shopping and as soon as I get the groceries put away, I start cropping, rounding corners and inserting my photos.  All I lack each week then is added any memorablia, journaling and creative little accents.

I want to point out too that I am really trying to keep my Project Life as simplistic as possible when it comes to work that I find tedious.  I do not enjoy editing photos, so.....none of my photos are edited to improve color, lighting, etc. (as of  right now anyway, I will let you know if I ever do edit them in the future).  They are snapped with my very cheap, old point & shoot Sony Cybershot camera.  I will tell you that I honestly can not stand my camera.  I want to throw it out the front door sometimes.  LOL I upload them to my camera and send them off to be printed....that's it!  When I decided to do Project Life, I knew I wanted to get back into paper scrapping so I am really enjoying spending the bulk of my time working more on my creative additions to my pages.  So, I apologize in advance if some of my pictures are not so snazzy, especially the ones where I photograph my pages!  The ones you see here in this post are my 2nd attempt!  I finally decided they would have to be good enough.  Hopefully, I will get better at photographing these shiny page protectors as the year goes on OR my amazing hubby will buy me a better camera.  I am hoping for the latter.  ;)

Now, onto my pages!  Woohoo!  OH, there are just a few little things I still need to do to these pages and that is add a few tiny little staples here and there when my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher comes in next week.  But, that little tiny adjustment was not enough to keep me from sharing these.

WEEK ONE

I use a Pfaff 2144 to sew all of my goodies on.  Sometimes I use a zig zag stitch but most of the time it is just a straight stitch.  I use a regular Sharps 80/20 needle and I have one specifically set aside just for "paper" sewing so I change it out when I want to sew on fabric.

On the red journal card, I went to my daughter's Facebook wall and grabbed something she had posted as a filler for the week.  

When I was at Tokyo restaurant, I grabbed 2 of the chopsticks packages off of the table and then I cut the paper packaging on them so that I had the logo and the address of the restaurant to sew to a journal card.

I tied the orange bow and then just did a stay stitch on top of it using my sewing machine to hold it to the paper and bingo card.

WEEK TWO

I have two grown children who do not live at home anymore and it is important to me that they are included in my Project Life album so I grabbed a few pictures off of one of my daughter's Facebook pages this week.

As a filler, I grabbed The Biggest Loser logo off of the internet and printed it out to use on a journal card.

The "Fight Everyday" was my quote for the week.  I actually wrote the card at the beginning of the week and stuck it up on my fridge for motivation all week.

I also included a quote from my daughter as a filler this week.

We ate dinner out one night at Whataburger and tried their new Spicy Ketchup for the first time.  It was actually my husband's idea to save the peel off top.  I sewed it on a french fry box and the receipt from our meal is tucked in behind the box.

Here are some specific supplies that I used for weeks 1 and 2.

Tree Hugger Flappers	Mini Bingo Card Calendar	Like This Smash Tape
Tab Punch	Customizable Cards No. 3	Mini Road Trip Stamps

I could not find an acceptable place to link you up to the following items online. Most of them are very inexpensive things that I grab while out shopping. I am a very thrifty shopper and hardly ever buy anything regular price!

Colorbok Sticky Journal Stax: Black & White: Michael's on clearance.
Studio G Alphabets (I used 2 different ones): Walmart
Studio G Chalk Pads: Walmart
Studio 112 Die-cut Stickers: Joann's
Studio G Snowflake Stampe: Walmart
Sunny Side Up Doilies: Hobby Lobby {You can find similar ones at your local grocery store or at your local craft storein the baking section)

Here is where you can find my blog post listing the basic (general) supplies that are used throughout most of my album:
An Introduction to Project Life - 2012

For those of you doing Project Life, how is it going for you?  Are you staying caught up?  Link me to your pages if you share them publicly, I LOVE show and tell!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Project Life: Journal Card Freebie Madness

Wow, I am just in awe at all the fabulous products that are popping up all over scrapping stores, blogs and Pinterest.  I have been trying to get more of a handle on my goals for Project Life and not letting the inspiration overwhelm me and instead looking at all of the ideas out there and turn them into energy to get me more creative.

I thought I would take the time today to share with all of you a dozen or so of these great finds which just happen to be lots and lots of FREE journaling cards!

Just look at these that Gina Miller Designs has as our Facebook Fan freebie for January.  All you have to do is like her fan page!  You can visit her Facebook page HERE.

Emily Merritt is offering up these simple journal cards on her blog, HERE.

These Present Day Journal Cards (8) are also a free download from Ormolu.  You can grab them HERE on their site.

A Week At A Glance Journaling Cards are available from Creativity Promt HERE.

The Splendidly Imperfect Miss M has these adorable journal cards that she created that you can grab for FREE when you like her Facebook page.  You can read up about her Project Life on her blog and find out more about getting the cards HERE.

Valorie Brown has these two AWESOME freebies on her blog HERE.

Wow, just look at these AMAZING freebies from Miss Tiina!  I printed these out yesterday and they are so brilliant and beautiful!  You can grab them on her blog HERE.

Plucky Momo is giving away a free Project Life printable EVERY Friday in 2012!  

Here are previews of her weeks 1 - 3 freebies!  You can click on each image to visit her blog and read more about each freebie!

Just look at these adorable cards that Becky Higgins creative team member Cathy Zielske has created.  You can even see how she has used them in her own album on her blog HERE.

I just love the look of these from Yellow Umbrella Designs!  HERE is a link to her inspirational blog and then each of these freebie images are linked to her blog post which contains information on how to get them.

If you happen to visit these sites and partake in their freebies, leave a little note of thanks.  After all, we want them to know how much we appreciate their work and generosity and maybe they might make more for their fans in the future!  ;)

I am off to go work on finishing up my weeks 1 - 3.  I hope you all have a fabulous day and I will catch ya next time!

Project Life Update and A Few Layouts

Just a quick post to catch up on sharing some of my layout inspiration with you.  These are my first two layouts for 2012.  I went 3 weeks with no scrapping and I was in need of a fix!

Fight Everyday

New Attitude - a collaboration by Secret Stash Designs and Litabells

Solos Part 5 by Busy Bee Designs

First Snow Day

Winter Thrills Bundle by Chelle's Creations

Shenanigans (coming soon) by Jeanye Labaya Designs

I have been drooling over Chelle's Creations products for months now.  She is just an amazingly creative and talented designer and let's face it - I am a big sucker for felt ellies.  So, to say I was super stoked to get a guest spot on her team for January and February is a HUGE understatement!  Here are some of my favorite kits/products of hers that you will be seeing me use soon for layouts.  All of the images are linked in case you want to check them out AND If you haven't checked out her stuff, here is link to her store:
http://scraporchard.com/market/Chelle-s-Creations/

I despise cleaning and laundry, really.  However, I am in love with this bundle.  Although, it just deters me further from chores cuz all I want to do is scrap a page about how much I don't want to clean!  LOL

So many layouts I want to do with this.  I LOVE food.  I am trying to eat healthier the last few months so I may do a layout about the foods I am not eating (ok, well maybe just a little here and there) or I will do it about these foods that I can't live without - like nachos!

This is just tooo stinking cute and I can't wait to do a page using this to showcase Laddy's new tractor and tools that his Pops bought him for Christmas!

Okay, I will be honest here.  I have NO idea what pictures I am going to use for this kit BUT....I have loved it since the day Chelle released it and I have to use it.  Hmmm....maybe a page about the funny farm I call "home"?  LOL

This one requires digging in the old photos and doing some scanning.  Jonathan and all 3 girls took Tae Kwon Do for 2 years back in 2003 and 2004.  I have the most adorable portrait that we had done of all 4 of them that HAS to be scrapped.  Megan was only 6 years old!  

Before I say bye for now, I wanted to give a quick update about my Project Life.  I have worked on it a bit here and there trying to find my motivation.  Honestly, I wound up getting pretty discouraged before even starting due to all of the creative inspiration, products and such that I saw popping up all over the internet.  I started putting so much pressure on myself to try and come up with something so original and creative that I wound up not doing anything because I couldn't just be simple.  I had actually scribbled my hand written saying for the week on a journal card and stuck it on my fridge but found myself looking at it saying "My handwriting is so ugly, I hate this, I need to redo it or do it digitally so it is pretty."  

I mean, the whole reason I was intrigued by and decided to do Project Life is because it seemed simple enough that even I would have time to do it.  I belong to a group of ladies that shares inspiration and encourages each other and I was even feeling like I couldn't be honest in there and just say "I'm overwhelmed" because I already felt like I was failing.  This is a great group of ladies, some of them dear friends that I have had for years in the digital community and the goal of this group really is to inspire.  It was all pressure I was putting on myself  (I have this habit a lot in life and I consider it a curse from my father, he is a major workaholic and over achiever).  ;) I was feeling like I had to impress them or that I had to have all original ideas and that I shouldn't "copy" theirs.  Then, one of the girls posted a link to a blog that discussed the very issue I was having.  It really flipped the switch back for me and put things in perspective again.  I remembered that I am doing this for me and my family - for my kids, for my grandson.  Not for anyone else and definitely not to impress people.  I am doing it to record our story and my family does not care how our album looks as compared to others.  They want to see our lives recorded and reflect on our memories.  

So, that very evening while watching a movie with Megan, I started my week 1.  It is still in the works and has lots of slots to be filled but, it is a work in progress and I am glad to report that I did not take that scribbled saying down off of my fridge and it will go in my album when this week ends.  While pondering whether to redo it or not, I remembered a note that my mother gave to me after my grandmother passed away in 2003.  It is a handwritten note from about 18 years ago, a corner torn off of a paper that simply says "Jeanye and kids were here today" (she used to scribble little notes like this on random bits of paper and they would just pile up on her desk.  In years prior, she kept spirals and would record the day's activities and happenings in it in chronological order).  I remembered what a treasure that seemingly insignificant piece of paper is to me.  Why?  Because she held it and those simple words flowed from her head to her hands and it was a memory she felt was worth recording.  Now it has become a part of who I am, where I come from and my history.  This is what I want my family to feel when they look through our albums.  This is why I scrapbook.

An Introduction To Project Life - 2012

Over the last few posts I have mentioned Project Life here and there and some of you may be wondering what in the world I am talking about OR some of you may know exactly what it is and even be seasoned "Project Lifer's".  Whatever your familiarity is with Project Life, this post is all about the "nuts and bolts" of Project Life - what is is, how it works, how it will become a part of my life, etc.

Project Life is a scrap booking concept that was created by Becky Higgins.  It simplifies how you document and preserve memories.  Direct from Becky's blog:  "With this easier-than-ever scrapbooking system, simply pair your photos and journaling with pre-designed title cards and journaling cards.  Your photos, these cards, and even your memorabilia slip into the Photo Pocket Pages and that's it.  The result is a stylish masterpiece that represents your life or whatever occasion you choose to record.  With Project Life's beautifully simple format, deciding what supplies to use or how to design layouts becomes obsolete, leaving you more time to experience life."

Here is a video by Becky Higgins (direct from Becky's blog) that offers a great introduction to Project Life:



There is a wealth of information on Becky Higgins site about this project.  I can literally spend hours looking at her site.  Here is a link to her site:
http://beckyhiggins.com/

When I first read about this concept it immediately appealed to me.  I used to be much more involved in my paper scrapping (before discovering digital) and I really miss my paper scrapping sometimes.  I just like the idea of putting my hands on things and creating with them.  I had also been working for a few months on being a better journaler and making sure I was recording our memories.  All of the little details along with the big ones.  I knew right away that this was exactly what I didn't know I was looking for!

One of the awesome things too about Becky Higgins Project Life is that for 2012 she has introduced a digital version of the products!  You can create your albums through Shutterfly where all you need to do is drag and drop your photos into their pre-designed pages.  But, you still have the ability to make the album ALL YOU as the elements on the pages are able to be moved and rearranged.  You also have the option to buy the digital kits and templates from Jessica Sprague for creating your album completely from scratch!  You can find the digital information about Project Life here on Becky's blog:
http://beckyhiggins.com/products/digital-project-life.php

I have decided to go with the paper version for the bulk of Project Live and here are the products that I have purchased from Becky Higgins to start documenting our lives:

Project Life Binder - Clementine Edition

Project Life Core Kit - Clementine Edition

Project Life Cardstock - Clementine Edition

Photo Pocket Pages - Big Variety Pack 1

12 x 12 Page Protectors

Photo Pocket Pages - Design D

Of course, there will be LOTS of other great products that I add in along the way and I will be sure to keep you updated on what has been added to my stash.  You can make Project Life as creative and original as you wish.  It can be very simple or more involved and a bit more scrap heavy.  That is one of the great things that I love about it.  I will definitely be adding in lots of things along the way to make this project more "me".    

Next week I will have a post for you taking you through the set up of my "base" for my Project Life binder! 

Until then - I am off to spend some time with the family.  Alyssa is home for the holidays and this is her last visit before she leaves for her 4 year assignment in Hawaii in February so I am trying to suck up all the time I can with her.  Who can blame me for that, right?

From our family to yours:

Hugs!