Hello Fabulous Idea!

Reflections on Project Life 2010

One year ago, with lots of excitement and a little mix of nerves, I ordered Project Life from Becky Higgins.  Project Life came after her Project 365, which centered on the photo-a-day concept of capturing life.  While I knew keeping up with a photo-a-day scrapbook would be an exercise in futility, I liked that Project Life had more versatility.  I could really set it up however I felt like it, but I could get some quick, clean pages done in a very short amount of time, without having to worry too much about design.  It was initially set up as a chronological book, with month dividers and the idea that you would make a DPS a week.  However, you did not have to follow that if it did not work for you.

As I look at my book, which is a little over half full at this point, I realize that a little over half full is pretty stinking good.  I created 53 pages in a year's time, and that is what I call close to a small miracle.  After printing many of the pics on my printer at first, I switched over to getting them printed, as it was far cheaper once I got the hang of cropping them for lab printing.  Once you have the pics, the layouts come quite easily.  In a way, I felt constrained design wise, as the collection of journal cards was varied, but, alas, somewhat feminine, when I was doing many of my pages about my sons.  However, it helped me get over myself and just archive... no worries about embellishments (unless I wanted to) and the like.

So, here's to you, Project Life!  I am excited about the newest installment, which has photo pockets for vertical photos (that has been a struggle for me.... I'm not solely a horizontal gal).  Here are the latest bunch of layouts I created as we wrap up 2010:

Sadly, the Thickers I was using for the next DPS (see letters CHA) had completely lost their adhesive backing.  No stick, but thick.)

Rather than reinventing the wheel for journaling on these next two double pages, I copied the journaling from my blog and pasted it into self-made cards using MS Publisher.

Recalling my stamping roots for this page.  All Confirmation photos taken with my iPhone4 and tweaked with Photoshop just a bit.  I forgot the Nikon!

Merry Christmas!

Uh oh!

INSERT WHAT JOLYNN IS THINKING HERE.

Yes, it is I!

I know, I am like a monk lately as far as crafting goes.  I have been doing dribs and drabs here and there.  But I enjoyed this craft very much, and I thought I would share.  It all started with my Secret Santa.  I loved getting someone I knew well, however, the challenge became that I had to hold back on the "crafty," as she would immediately know it was I.  I held back until today, when I gave her a gift card in a snow cap cardholder.  When she saw me at lunch, she made a comment that perhaps her Secret Santa was someone she knew who was crafty.  I had been found out!  Well, at least it was almost the last day. :)

She mentioned she liked "fun" pens, and you would think that, being the holidays, I could find "fun" pens.  Not so.  I had made beaded pens before with microbeads.  Having left my stash of beads in my classroom, I moved to plan B...Bella's Baubles.  The pen I used is more purple than it looks in the photos.  You take a fun pen (I used a gel pen) and wrap it in super sticky double-sided tape,  Then start adding the baubles.  It's best to let it "cure" at least a night.

I hope she'll like it.  It's accompanied by a Jimmy John's gift card, some pretzel M & Ms and some Butterfinger bells.  Ah, the holidays!

Creative Antics hits 800

Good pal and craft fanatic, Ann Cox, is having a fabulous giveaway in honor of her 800th blog post.  Interested in possibly winning a $25 gift certificate to Two Peas?  Head on over and wish her well.  She does a great job with consistently posting on her blog (as opposed to others you might know... ahem).

Evolution of a Box

Yep, I have been away for a while.  When school is in full swing, it is hard to etch out crafty time.

Halloween can sometimes require some craftiness, as it did this year.  Max wanted to be a car wash.  Not just a car.  A car wash.  His recent perseveration.  So here are photos of its evolution.

We started with a plain box and made a few alterations.

We then spraypainted with primer and metallic gray, as Max wanted it to look like my beloved Swagger Wagon (Toyota Sienna).

The next parts were fairly tricky.  I'm not sure I am 100% in love with the results, but I tried.  I printed off headlights and taillights for a Sienna onto cardstock.  I used Tacky glue to affix them.  I used page protectors for scrapbooks and leftover laminating film from school for the windows.  Scott used black electrical tape to give the "windows" definition.  I used Liquid Applique to give the appearance of "suds."  I used small white balloons to give the suds a bit more size and depth.

And here is "Car Wash Boy" himself.

We'll see if he keeps it on at all during tomorrow's festivities at school.

Styroartist

I had these pictures developed when I got a big batch developed for Project Life.  Well, I have this "issue" with putting vertically-aligned pictures in the Project Life album horizontally.  Just.  Can't.  Do.  It.  So I figured these, and a few others, would be good 12 x 12 DPS layouts.

There was a degree of scraplifting for this page, so, without further ado, let me give credit to Rebecca Cooper, whose book Real. Life. Scrapbooking. helped give birth to this page.  Here's the layout that inspired it all:

 ...and here is my "styroartist" page that came from it...

I used 12 x 12" textured cardstock from Stampin' Up!  Not sure about what color that might be... Maybe Groovy Guava...  Alpha-stickers are Basic Grey's Mini Monogram Stickers.  The patterned paper was something I won from The Scrap Review: Cosmo Cricket Snorkel Collection - Current.  I could not believe how much it matched Max's pattern when I was going through my paper stash.  The brown hues of textured papers are also SU! Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa.  The blue base is Enchanted Evening from Papertrey.  The stamp used for the journaling came from Autumn Leaves Stampology clear stamps designed by Katie Pertiet.  I used SU! Buckaroo Blue ink.  I used it to do some inking on the edges, as well.

There are some subtle differences between Rebecca's layout and mine, but her page anchored my design elements.  Had to make it a bit more "dude-like."  In all, I like it very much.  It's tough to come up with your own design for 4, 6 x 4" photos.  I like how one of the photos gets to "stand out" from the others.

DigiMessing

I love "real" scrapbooks.  I love my kids being able to look through a book.  Something tangible.  I loved looking through photo albums as I grew up.  It's like comfort food for my mind.

I must say, though, I really love the ease of digital scrapbooking.  It feeds my need for design... everything looks cute in digital.  With Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements), I can make a page in minutes, with the right elements saved on my computer.  The image above I made in maybe 5 minutes, not counting the time for downloading.  It's three layers: background paper and two .png files, all layered in Photoshop.  And it's cute.  And the elements for it were free downloads from Scrapbooks, Etc.  Crazy, right? 

The thing about digi is I need a kick-butt larger printer, like a beautiful Epson (to the tune of $300-$400) to print them out in a fashion is worth the ink.  I can use my 8 1/2 x 11 HP Scanjet, but now that I saw what the Epson can do, I am, yes, coveting it.

For now, I think I am what one would call a hybrid scrapper.  I still like the layered elements in real life.  But digi is quite fun indeed.

New School Year

It's been one hectic August, to say the very least.  Ignatius started eighth grade on Friday, with a little dash of high school Algebra on Thursday, and Max starts Kindergarten tomorrow.

I made this card 2x, once for Max's general education teacher, and one for his special education teacher.  The Knight is an image from his elementary's website... he's their mascot.  I loved the "Teachers Rule!" play on words with the School for Changito set.  The inside of the cards used SU! Smile Some More set.  The card also included a Borders gift card with a "learning" theme.  The card uses the school colors (for those of you thinking, "Wow, look how JoLynn has come a little out of her color neighborhood.").  Only when forced do I use an orange base. :)  The blue is, I believe, Blue Bayou, or at least that's the ink I used.

Deep breathing.  I am so much more nervous than Max even knows he should be.  Hope it's for the best.  Starting Kindergarten is stressful enough without a disability.  Just gotta go with God...

My Go-To Set for 2010

Signature Greetings by Papertrey is quickly becoming part of my stamping Hall o' Fame.  There are so many uses for this set, and it fits cards from the casual to the more formal.  Definitely getting my money's worth.

Today's card is clean and oh-so-simple.  My good friends let my 13 year old tag along to Six Flags last week, sparing me the agony of a day at an "amusement" park.  Don't get me wrong, I like Six Flags, but I would have had to take my 5 year old, too, and that was not at all appealing.  OVERSTIMULATION to the maximum!

I knew I had this roller coaster sticker, and I figured I could make a fairly easy, yet still fun-loving, card based on it.  One story from the day was that Ignatius and Erik waited 2-1/2 hours to get on the Raging Bull roller coaster, so I figured a coaster theme would be appropriate.

I am also loving Chalk Box's Creamy Brown Cat Eye.  Talk about versatile!  It is a simple way to make a card pop.  I inked the coaster hill, as well as the outside of the card, with it.  I used SU! Chocolate Chip for the sentiment.  The cardstock is SU! Bordering Blue, and I think the brown is textured SU! Creamy Caramel, or its Bazzill equivalency.

I remember a few years back I was a member of a card club, and the leader of the club said using stickers was becoming passe.  Every time I use a sticker, her voice pops in my head.  It was such a ridiculous statement, especially considering the explosion of Thickers and rub-ons.  If I can incorporate a cute sticker in a fun way, then call me passe, baby!