Project Life® 3/18-3/24/2017

This week, I used Ali's Handdrawn Days digital files on each of the photos for some unity in the layout. Again, multiple products from Ali's Story Kits were used, among other random (probably Simple Stories and Project Life) cards.

I added the stamp "Scrap" from Technique Tuesday's Paper Hoarder set to a card from Ali's Read Story Kit.  It worked quite perfectly for the story I had to tell about Max pouring over scrapbooks.  I also used cards from Ali's Drive kit (Miles and Miles) and Numbers kit (Cost of Goods Right Now). The title card is from Ali's Craft kit.  Embellishments are all from one AE kit or another.  I believe the "hustlin'" card is from a Simple Stories sheet. The stamp on Tuesday's photo is from the Technique Tuesday stamp set as well.  I stamped using Staz On Opaque white ink.

Embellishments again are from Ali's kits.  I have them broken up, so it would be hard to say which ones.  The grid card is a Project Life product.  The Yikes from the Surprise kit was perfect for the journaling about my unexpectedly green calzone. The journal card about my throwback photo was from Ali's Old + New kit, which was my first Story Kit purchase (AKA the gateway drug).  The #Cool card was, I believe, from a We R Memory Keepers kit...or Simple Stories...not sure.

A close up of some flair.  

A Crafty Labor Day

My first holiday of the school year.  Yes, I have school-related things to do.  But first, I must craft!

Project Life, Week 2.  Keeping things simple is my theme.  I am very happy for products from We R Memory Keepers, Heidi Swapp, Project Life, Versa Mark, and Lawn Fawn that helped with the creation of this spread.  I can't recall the maker of the apple and "School Rocks" images, as I just recently went on an organization spree and cut off the identifying info.  I do know it was a 12 x 12 piece of paper with lots of options.  The grid paper was the back of the clocks paper that I used in last week's spread.  Great, heavy patterned paper.  Not sure about the cloud patterned paper, either.  Part of my scraps.

And now, a card!

I have Lawn Fawn, Stampin' Up, VersaMark, and Copic to thank for this little cutie.  Sadly, it's for a friend who is battling breast cancer (have I mentioned lately how much I hate cancer?).  I tried to get a bit of the inside, where the sentiment reads "wishing you a speedy recovery."  The vase was cut out, paper pieced, and colored with Copics and Blendabilites.  I then popped it up on Dimensionals.

You Make Me Happy...

...when skies are gray.

So, the whole time I am making this card, that's what I am singing.  That line.  Over and over.  My crafting cadence.

The details I adore about this card were hard to photograph as I looked at the card in its entirety, so I tried to photograph snippets.  Here is the whole card (or the best I could do at 11:30 PM).

This card is a combination of multiple materials.The embossing on the base is Cuttlebug's Dots embossing folder.  The chalkboard style paper is Chevron/Chalkboard from We R Memory Keepers.  The stamps come from Stampin' Up! Studio Calico, and Unity Stamps.  The washi is from We R Memory Keepers.  I used Stampin' Up! Craft White ink, Stampin' Up!'s chalk pen, and Stampin' Up! Summer Sun ink.  I popped up the cloud and the word "HAPPY" and the chalkboard base with Stampin' Up! Dimensionals.  I love this phrase that I got with my newly-earned "See Ya Later" set from Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration promotion.  I just got it today, and it needed to see some ink.  I was hoping to use my Bitty Banners framelets in my Big Kick, but I must warn that this particular stamp was a tough one from which to pop that word.  The "y" in the word "you" was very close to the word "HAPPY," so I needed to cut the banner by hand to get it thin enough to stand alone.  Coloring this stamp also did not work well.  The markers just would not give a good image.

I LOVE how this turned out.

Project Life Weeks 13 and 14

I am finally finished with weeks 13 and 14.  The hold up?  Me and my bright ideas.  I purchased a We R Memory Keepers divided page protector that looked fabulous in theory.  In the center, it had a 6 x 12 (or so I thought) space, surrounded by 3 x 3 slots.  Enter the fact that I did not (note "did") have a wide format printer.  I found that printing larger prints is no small expense.  I have kicked around the idea of a wide format printer for years.  This inspired me to finally make the leap.  So, I am now the owner of an Epson Work Force wide format printer.  If only that were "enough" to print things out at the proper sizes.  I bought photo paper that I now know was WAY bigger than I need, so there was a lot of exacto knife cutting (my paper trimmers like 12 inches or less.

Then, I found that the middle slot is actually 6 x 12.5...AFTER I printed a 6 x 12...yeah.  I was thrilled.  Three prints later, I got something that worked.  I do, thank God, love these pages:

Week 13

Hexagon cards are from the Honey Edition of Project Life.  I loved the way they looked.  Also added some patterned paper (October Afternoon Travel Girl- Directions) and washi tape (Jenni Bowlin) on the lower left pic to mat the Instagram shot of Ignatius.

Here's the lovely page protector.  I went with LOTS of pics on this page.  Denny's was kind of a big deal with Max. :)

A close up of the larger pic of the July 4 DPS.  I loved this quote and thought it was perfect for the picture of the boys watching the fireworks.

Week 14 DPS

I printed the middle picture too short, so I added some of the patterned paper I had been using.

I used a lot of the same piece of 12 x 12 paper (We R Memory Keepers Red White & Blue- Patriot), which was totally cool.  I used almost the entire piece.  I also used some Studio Calico star stickers on the page.

New month means the monthly divider.  I also added some flyers from our crafting trip.

Project Life: Week 10 (?!)

Yeah, I can't believe it either.  I have been doing this Photo-of-the-Day gig for 10 weeks!  I was quite skeptical when I began, pretty much believing I had lost my sanity. But, here I am.

Interestingly enough, I was reading some information about one of my crafting idols, Stacy Julian, and how, a few years back, she was in the limelight defending her idea that scrapbooking did not have to be organized chronologically.  I plan to read more about this concept, but it's one that opened me up to a lot of freedom over the past several years.  That, and Cathy Zielske saying, "Hey, know what?  Who cares if you scrapbook with the same photo you already used?  If it's a great shot...use it!", have been somewhat earth-shattering embraces that have allowed me to get some serious amount of scrapbooking done.  More to come as I learn more about Stacy's organizational ideas.

Why that ramble?  Because last week (gasp), I skipped a day!  I had a whole lot about June 7, but nothing for June 8.  Nada.  Zip.  So, you know what?  I rolled with it.  June 8, 2013, I am sure you were awesome. But I put my head on my pillow without a shot.  And I allowed it.  And that is wicked awesome.

Full layout (AKA trying to take a picture at night with really cruddy lighting)

Left Close: Hellllo, Rain!  I so love you.  I used the Title Card and a little Plato Photoshop magic, and L.O.V.E. it.  I also put my expanding collection of cute-as-hell rotary stamps to good use.

Right close:  Oooh, yes, I di-id.  We R Memory Keepers photo sleeve.  I bought these BEFORE Project Life existed with this idea that I could, indeed, be Ali Edwards.  They sat on my shelves, mocking me.  Who's laughing now, suckas?  Anyway, can you even believe I let a picture of my legs in my swimsuit be a 6 x 8 shot on this page?  Oy!  More Rain edition digital prints, a sticker (so sorry to say I have no clue of the company), a few arrow stickers from PL, Part 1, doodled on by yours truly.  What a flipping easy page!  Love this page protector!

Now, off to order some white cardstock.  And probably a Project Life binder.  I need a 12-step program.