Altered Trays

I have been meaning to photograph my craft room trays for some time.  I purchased these wood trays from Hobby Lobby. I traced the sides onto scrapbook papers that I liked.

I sanded the trays and painted them with some acrylic paints, then let them dry.  I cut out the scrapbook pieces, and used Mod Podge to adhere them (note: I chose to use it only on the bottom of the paper with a brush, as I did not want a shiny sheen to the sides).  I then sanded the edges of the papers so that the finish was relatively smooth, and a little "weathered."

I decided which things in my craft room really needed their own space.  I seemed to be acquiring a bunch of photo paper, so I chose that as one of the trays.  I also use one for cardstock and one for random scraps for after I am done with projects. (eventually, the scraps go into my scrap drawers, but this gives them a place in the interim)

I had fun with my VAST and ridiculously large collection of letter stickers when labeling.  These trays fit well with my modular shelving in the room.

A Closer Peek at OLW January

I just put the finishing touches on January's layout for the One Little Word album.  I love it.  It's amazing to look at the gallery for this.  There are so many different takes on the same instructions.  Pretty cool.  The digi scrapbookers are making me wish I had more time to invest in that.  Still, I liked cutting, gluing, inking, and writing all the same.  It's all good.

A Tale of Two Scrapbooks

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...oops, wrong tale...

I finally have most of the supplies needed, along with a cooperating printer, for my year-long scrapbooking adventures from Big Picture Scrapbooking:

The We R Memory Keepers albums arrived.  I tried to get them locally, but the 8.5 x 11" variety are not that plentiful, and it would have taken the local scrapbook store a few weeks to get them, so Barnes and Noble.com won out.  However, do not be lured by their promise of free shipping for orders over $25...these orders did not qualify.  I love the variety of color choices of these "faux leather" albums.  When creating albums, I appreciate the three-ring binder option, as these are, however, I am learning that gravity is unkind to these types of albums as they sit on shelves.  Just giving perspective to people considering these projects.  No one says these are the albums you MUST use.  It's just nice that all of the printouts fit the specs for the page protectors.

Each album required different divided page protectors.  I am a huge fan of divided page protectors, as they eliminate the "layout" part of the equation, which is usually the part that extends my time on task.  The Move More Eat Well album requires these page protectors:

The One Little Word album required these page sleeves:

It also requires these adhesive sleeves, which I am awaiting the arrival of any day:

I was introduced to mixing page protector sizes during Cathy Zielske's Design Your Life class, and I must say, I like the idea that the book can be filled with many sizes and still look unified.  The C-Line protectors are self-adhesive, which adds another interesting dimension.

Here are some shots of some of the things I have done thus far:

Move More Eat Well:

One Little Word:

I am very much enjoying both classes so far, and do not feel that either is asking us to do too much too fast.  Very doable.

MMEW has included a written statement of intention, some photos, some quote cards, some measurements, and a reflection on our personal stories with healthy (or unhealthy) living.  We also were asked to come up with 5 things that we rocked at, and ONE thing for the month that we would focus on.  Cathy has also included some great links to some good resources and articles.

OLW has included the opening page (which is awaiting the CLine protectors) backed by a 4 x 6" photo of us with an overlay.  Here's mine:

We then needed to focus on our word on small cards.  We were asked to define it, to look in a thesaurus for synonyms, to find a quote, to discuss why the word was chosen, and what we "invited" from this word for the next year.  I REALLY liked doing this part.  The blanks you see will be filled with various "crafty" items related to the word.

So, there you have it.  The reality of returning to work is coming in the next 48 hours, but the enjoyment from working on these has been great.  Glad I chose to jump in!