Can You Hear Me Now?

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone has had a fantastic week and is looking forward to their weekend....tomorrow is Friday.  Woohoo!  I guess I am looking forward to our weekend although, we have a motorcycle club meeting on Saturday and then a Super Bowl party to go to on Sunday so....if I am being honest, not so much. I am such a home body that I actually prefer a nice, relaxing weekend with no plans. Especially when I am still recovering from being sick for thirteen days!  It is a super long story so I will try to keep it short and just hit the major details. I woke up on the 20th of January with major pain in my right ear and a feeling like I was underwater where I could hear my breathing and my voice in my own ear.  I was first told a Eusthacian Tube Dysfunction when I went to the minor emergency clinic and put on Mucinex D, Flonase and Zyrtec.  Four days later I still wasn't feeling well so I went to my primary care doctor and was told I had a slight redness in my ear and they had me take Prednisone and an antibiotic for five days while continuing the other medications.  Well, as of Monday I still wasn't feeling well.  I went to see an ENT and he believes it is most likely a jaw issue since there was no fluid in my ear, no drainage, etc.  He put me on an anti-inflammatory and a pain medication.  Finally, some relief has started to set in.  I feel a little bit better each day in regards to the pain and the feeling in my ear as though I am underwater or in a barrel is slightly less.  I am still very nauseated and dizzy however.  I guess my next step is a visit to a dentist to try and figure out if this is in fact something associated with my jaw.  I am worried that the medications are simply masking the issue and I am not really getting well.  However, I am too happy with feeling better to stop taking the medications to find out!  I just keep going to bed each night and waking up the next morning hoping that it will be the day I get to say I am back to being me!

I wanted to just share a few layouts with you today that I have done since I last blogged about my layouts.  I want to make sure and draw your attention though to the kit that I used for this first layout, Rejoice.  The kit is a three designer collaboration that can be purchased this month only at My Scrapbook Art's magazine, Home Is Where The Art Is for only $1.99.  The collaboration kit is called A New Day and was created by Secret Stash, Ziggle Designs and MLE Card.

Here is what this amazing kit looks like:

After February, the kit will go into the designer's stores and will be sold at regular price which will probably be triple that price!  Here is the layout I did using A New Day:

Rejoice

A New Day - 

by Secret Stash, MLE Card and Ziggle Designs (February Art Social at MSA)

My Kindle Fire

Techno Love Bundle by Chelle's Creations

Winter Flavors: Vanilla Spice by Busy Bee Designs

Priceless

Extraordinary Value Bundle by Secret Stash Designs

Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Busy Bee Designs

part of the MScraps Collaboration

I did finally finish my Weeks 1 and 2 of my Project Life album and I am nearly finished with the title page.  Boy does it feel good to part of it completed.  I will blog those soon, I promise because I am sooo excited to share with everyone finally what they look like!

I am off to eat dinner and spend some time with the family.  I hope you all have a great day!  Until next time - hugs!

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!

New Release Faves

Hi everyone!  It has been awhile since I did a post like this so, I thought I would do a post on some of the amazing, fascinating and gorgeous products I have come across this week at the digi sites I peruse frequently.

At Sweet Shoppe Designs, Boy Crazy by Dani Mogstad

 
At Sweet Shoppe Designs, Eat Cake by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and Krystal Hartley

Also at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Honeybee Mine by Traci Reed

And if any of those kits at Sweet Shoppe are speaking to you - this should push you into a decision.  Julie Billingsley is the featured designer there for January and you get this kit FREE with any $10 purchase through Jan 31!
Forevermore by Julie Billingsley


WOW WOW WOW!  Today- the collection, by Mari Koegelenberg at The Digichick (all this for only $12.46 - I'm not kidding!)

At Scrap Orchard, Pizza Plus Games Bundle by Dream Big Designs

At Scrap Orchard, Art is Freedom by Litabells Designs

Also at Scrap Orchard, Lookin Good by Laura Banasiak

At Pickleberrypop, I Heart U by Fayette Designs and Charlize Creations

Bee Mine by Shabby Miss Jenn

Year of the Dragon by jennck Designs

Someone to Love by River Rose Designs

Well, that is all I have for today.  As if that wasn't plenty to tempt your creativity, right?  I am off to scrap, scrap, scrap this weekend!  I am hoping to get about 5 or 6 pages done and finish up my Project Life title and One Little Word pages.  

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!  Hugs!

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!

A Few Layouts

I just have a couple of layouts I want to share real quick today then it's back to visiting with my baby girl, Alyssa who is home from Tech School for the holidays!  I also still have to wrap Laddy's presents, make his stocking and clean my house before my Mom and Dad come!  LOL

I was one elated girl a few weeks ago when I got an email from Erin of Secret Stash Designs to be a guest creative team member for her for the months of December and January.  I had applied to her guest call but NEVER thought I had a shot at making the cut.  So, getting that email totally made my day!  Since then I have completed 3 layouts for her and I am telling you.....her kits literally scrap themselves.  All of her elements are so fantastic and I literally tried to use every one on this most recent layout:

Silly Nilly Value Bundle by Secret Stash

I also had the pleasure of working with a new collaboration by Studio Flergs and Litabells Designs.  I just love everything that both of these awesome girls do and when they got together it was fireworks!  Kay Miller also had a new set of her amazing Pieces of My Heart Templates coming out this week and I knew that they would be the perfect fit for this new collab.  Check out the result:

L'amour by Studio Flergs and Litabells Designs

Pieces of My Heart Templates 12 by Kay Miller

Hope you all have a fantastic day!  I will be back soon with my first Project Life post!!!  Hugs!

Journaling Your Life

How do you journal your life?  I have to admit that I have never been very good at keeping track of the little moments in my life.  Well, I don't know that I am even good at preserving the big moments either.  As I have gotten older and I see my children and grandchildren growing right before my eyes, the idea of preserving every minute has become more and more important to me.   

In June I became a part of the Log Your Memory challenge team and it kicked me into high gear to start journaling my everyday.  If you aren't familiar with Log Your Memory, it is a business that is dedicated to real life memory keeping.  You can find more information about Log Your Memory and their great memory preserving products here:

http://logyourmemory.com/start-here/

With the 2011 Memory Logbook, I started using the daily calendar to journal everyday.  I knew that I was going to be starting a 2012 Project Life so I wanted to start journaling to get myself in the habit of doing it everyday.  

As much as I like the fact that I have been pretty diligent about keeping up with my journaling, I have actually found that I hate the time consuming part of hand writing all about my day.  There are so many details that I want to remember but writing all of it out is just not something that I enjoy.  I thought that being able to type my memories into the computer would actually be more suitable to my needs.  

Introducing OhLife!  

I could not have been introduced to this at a better time.  It was just the answer I needed when I needed it.  OhLife is an private online journal.  It is super easy and FREE to sign up.  Each day an email is sent to you (you can alter the settings so that you can receive the email reminder daily, weekly or not at all) to prompt you to journal.  All you need to do is hit REPLY and start typing about your day.  Hit SEND and it is saved to your OhLife journal online.  

You can go into your OhLife account and edit any day you need to and you can even go back and journal past days.  I am currently working on going back and adding my hand written journal entries to my OhLife online journal.  Then I can recycle all the paper I have used over the last few months.  

Typing about my day online takes me nearly half the time that it did to hand write it all and I have now found that I am writing about so many little details that I was not before.  I can then look at my daily entries and pick and choose which details about my day I want to use in my Project Life and whatever I choose not to focus on is still preserved in my online journal for the future.

You can also export your journal entries so that they are backed up and saved or printed for more creative uses.  You could print out your days and cut and paste certain parts into your Project Life.  I know there are so many ways I am going to find over the course of the next year to utilize this resource.

If you are interested in joining me and trying out OhLife, just use this link (this is a special link that just gives me kudos for referring you - once you start using OhLife, if you refer just one person you then get free photo uploads to attach a photo each day to your journal entry.  I already have that but still like to refer through my special link.):

http://ohlife.com/r/yyea5tf

If you decide to use OhLife, I would love to hear what you think about it and for you to share your creative uses for it.  

I will be back in a few days with my first "official" Project Life post!  Woohoo!!!