Yesterday was nice and sunny, and probably close to 10 degrees Celcius, so we spent some time in the backyard playing. As soon as Kieran spied the bubble solution from this summer he wanted to blow bubbles (or balloons as he calls them).
Welcome to my little scrapbooking corner of the planet.
This is a carefully composed photo of the clean portion of the room! Having to get organised for Project Life was helpful in that at least one area of my room is now less chaotic. The bulk of my stuff for Project Life is kept in the six cube shelf. I keep my album and protectors on the top shelf of my workbench.
When I am working on the album (or scrapbooking in general) I stand right in front of that middle drawer. I have my sewing machine to my left, and my tool caddy to my right. Here's a closer look at what is in the cubes.
Top left cube holds a two-up photo album (that I am thinking I might cut pages out of to add extra photos in PL when I need to), a box with embellishments, and the most used thing so far is that little drawer of tags
These are all tags that I have been collecting over the years and I have been putting my printables in there too.
Top middle cube holds a basket of tiny letter stckers (and a few other random pieces)
Top right cube holds a double metal bucket with lots and lots of journaling spots, also collected over the years, as well as embellishment packages and paper pads.
Bottom left cube holds more buckets with clothespins and unmounted rubber stamps.
Bottom middle cube holds a box with acrylic stamps and some pre-inked stamps to the side.
Bottom right cube holds a stack of cardstock pieces (way old stash from when I belonged to Club Scrap), and my basket for ephemera.
Other places I can grab stuff from includes my box of paper scraps which lives on the lower shelf of my workbench,
and my general embellishment boxes which are in one of the cubes of the Expedit that is under the smaller six-cube shelf.
And that's about it! I also have my inks and stamping equipment handy in the middle drawer of the workbench, and my punches in the the drawer to the left.
So far it is working out well for me. My room isn't big so it's easy for me to go grab what I need as I work on the weekly spreads.
Now on to Week 3!
Before I started working this week I realised that the way I did last week's pages left me with a kind of a weird opening spread - the left page of 9 wallet sized pockets. I didn't have a bunch of photos that would work well printed that size so I decided to use it for a bunch of journaling - and pretty paper.
I actually worked on all the other pages first (while trying to figure out what I would do with those nine pockets) then at the end I chose a bunch of those journaling cards by Ali Edwards and added in things I'd missed when journaling for the other photos.
The days of the week cards are a freebie by Cathy Zielske
Second spread
That blurred section is Mr. K on the potty. I figure in a few years he'll thank me for that!
Left Side
The Way to Go card is from here by Sarah Neilsen - scroll to the end of the post for the link
The Notes card is from here by The Splendid Miss M
And the Thursday card from here by Creativity Prompt
Right Side
If you made it through all that, Thank You! I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have!
I've decided to add a new item to my Etsy shop: a three pack of my popular Toddler Spoof printable posters.
The choice is yours! Choose any three of the posters in any of the 6 colours available for $12.50 (that's a 10% savings on buying them individually.)
Right now I am selling the posters in PDF format, but I am thinking about adding a JPEG option. That would mean more flexibility in printing sizes. Is that something anyone is interested in?
Also, I am always willing to create customised poster printables, so don't hesitate to contact me if there is something specific you'd like.
I'm hoping to come out with all new posters very soon toom so keep an eye out for that.
When I posted about my project Life last week, I forgot to mention one thing: another way I found to save some money and use up my stash. After I downloaded all those journaling cards I realised that I didn't have any cardstock weight printer paper. I really didn;t want to purchase anything, and then I had an idea: why not use the backside of older patterned papers?
If you're like me, you probably still have some older single sided patterned papers in your stash. I quickly rifled through and found that the back of the papers from BasicGrey were perfectly white, plus I still liked many of the patterns. So I chose the colours and designs I liked, cut them down to letter sized and printed away.
Front
The patterned back of one sheet
The great thing about this (apart from saving money and using up older stuff) is that if I want to I can leave the backside of my journaling cards empty on the following page. Or I can use it as a mat for the other side.
Here's a look at how that worked for me last week.
On this side you can see the Details journaling card and on the back
On Wednesday I'll give an update about my Project Life organisation and share my Week 3 layouts.
One of Kieran's favourite things to do of late is to draw. He asks me to draw almost every day. I bought a roll of paper from Ikea last year and it will soon need to be replaced!
We use both crayons and markers, but he prefers the markers by far. They are the Crayola Washable 
He really likes it when I draw pictures, so lately I have been coming up with all sort of funny things to draw. I don't consider myself talented in this department at all, but he certainly doesn't seem to mind.
It does make me want to try drawing more so I dug out my Sketching and Drawing book and might take that up again.
Another thing he likes to do? Cutting paper!
He loves practising with his safety scissors
I've been thinking about doing Project Life for about a year now. The main reasons I didn't start before were 1) I don't like cookie cutter projects, and 2) I have never scrapped chronologically, which is essentially what this is. But last year when Kieran started showing an interest in my scrapbook pages, I kept having this feeling that I needed to provide him with another way to look at our photos and stories (partly because he likes to pull embellishments off pages!). I also felt like even though I was getting many scrapbook pages done, I was still missing out on telling lots of stories.
So I started looking at the products online, but I really couldn't justify the cost, especially given just how many scrapbooking supplies I already had. It occured to me that I could just come up with my own version, but then the latter part of the year went by in a blur and that idea was tabled.
This year I was determined to do something about this gap that I was still feeling in documenting daily life. Then I started seeing pins on Pinterest about other people's DIY versions. The one that really inspired me to action was done by Marcy Penner. She totally came up with her own way of doing the project using mainly her current stash, and also maintaining her personal style! That was it I decided, I needed to do this!
I love the page protectors by Becky Higgins, but none of the products are in stock in Europe for the moment (and won't be until February!), so I purchased a D-Ring album from American Crafts and some pocket page protectors by We R Memory Keepers. My friend Sarah also sent me some of the Becky Higgins Type A protectors to tide me over until they are in stock over here. (Thanks Sarah, they came today!). While I was waiting for everything to arrive I started going through my stash and pulling together items to use. I compiled journaling cards, stickers, stamps, rub-ons and some embellishments in one area. I downloaded and printed out other digital and hybrid bits and pieces - some I bought, but most were freely available online.
Ok, enough chatter. I have completed the first two weeks so far and here they are!
Week 1 Jan 1-7
There's a 12x12 double spread and an insert of baseball card protectors. here are some close up shots and links to resources
The 4x6 journaling card is by Marcy Penner (with a Jan card by Sasafrass Lass added).
The Sunday and Morning tags are by Paislee Press.
More tags by Paislee Press and Marcy Penner. The Today sunburst tag is cut down from a 4x6.
Week 2 Jan 8-15
Another 12x12 double page spread, plus one 12x12 page, plus one baseball protector page. Here come the close ups and links.
The One Little Week is a freebie from Ali Edwards. I layered it over one of the tags from this free set and then printed it out.
That bracket tab is from Scrapbook Printables. She has a ton of stuff in her Freebies section.
And again a tag from Paislee Press (Saturday)
The journaling tag on the left was cut from one of the 4x6 cards by Marcy Penner, I just added a stamp at the top. The card on the right is from Ali E's Week in the Life set on Designer Digitals.
That tweet card which I LOVE is a digi freebie from Wild Blueberry Ink. It comes in different formats for you to use as you like!
Another 4x6 card from Marcy Penner. This is the same one I used in the baseball card page in week one, but cut down to fit.
I am totally drawing a blank where this Good Day came from, sorry. I can't seem to find it anywhere. Will update once I do! Update: Thanks to Louise from Scrapbook Printables for dropping by and confirming that this is one of hers!
This one I made by stamping that journaling spot on cardstock.
This one is a poster printable from Rebecca Cooper that I resized to fit the baseball card pocket.
So there are my first two weeks! I still need to make a title page, that is on hold until we take a new family photo (this weekend hopefully). So far here are some thoughts about Project Life
I was hoping to be able to also share photos of my organisation for all this but 1) it is still a work in progress and 2) my scrap room is a total wreck right now because of working on it this week, and nothing is put away yet. Does anyone want to see a photo of that? I don't think so.
I'll do an update with that soon. I don't plan to post my pages every week, I'll probably just post my favourite weeks from time to time.
If you have any questions about anything I used that I didn't point out, please do ask in the comments.
Phew! That was one heck of a post!
Sometime last year on the recommendation of my friend Amy, I bought and read The War of Art
Raise your hand if you're guilty. I sure am. And even after reading the book I did nothing. But this is the year of action. And this past week I kept coming across references to Stephen Pressfield everywhere. Nat talked about the book in her video for the Creative Jumpstart Summit. Ali Edwards tweeted a link to an article which mentioned Pressfiled again. Then I followed another link to a visual representation of the book by Sunni Brown
Alright! Enough! I get it! It's time for me to pick the book back up again, and not just read it but apply the principles. Because yes, Pressfield does give us ideas on how we can fight against the resistance, and what happens when we do.
I highly recommend this book if you find yourself struggling with doing the work. Doing your work.
Have you ever received a message from the universe?
As I was thinking about my plans for 2012 I decided I wanted a visual way to map out the year, one that would be right in front of me. One of the things I noticed about the last couple years is that I would suddenly decide to start a project because it looked interesting or fun. I wouldn't stop to consider what else I had going on at the moment, I just jumped right in. This pretty much led to many projects being abandoned when I couldn't fit them in. This year I want to have a better idea of what is going on in any month before I take on new stuff.
So here is my 2012 wall calendar
I cut up a roll of whiteboard contact paper that I've been hoarding (I knew it would come in handy eventually!) and stuck the pieces to some sheets of yellow letter sized cardstock. I've also held on to those for ages. The right side is a glittery textured cardstock that I never found a way to use. The back sides were the perfect shade of yellow for this project! Then into my Thicker letter stash I went to label the months. I used a strong double-sided tape to then stick each sheet to the wall close to my desk.
It's already getting pretty filled up!
Even though I am now the owner of a new-to-me Kindle (thanks Vernie!), I will never give up real books. Let's not even talk about the feel of the paper! When reading my Kindle I still try to turn the page, forgetting that I need to click the "Next Page" button. It's just not the same.
Plus, nothing can replace the sight of a wall lined with bookcases and books.This is my current dream for our living room.
What about bookstores? I love bookstores, especially the independent ones, where you can get lost in the nooks and crannies and wile the day away flipping through all the books. This past week I came across this awesome video that sums it all up
There is nothing quite like a real book.
So this week I got my scrapbooking groove going again with the January Kit from Little Black Dress. I've done three layouts so far, and have photos printed for more.
This is one of my favourite photos of Kieran from last year. He was having a blast in the garden! Here's a close up of the spiral detail
I cut that spiral out of an ephemera sheet by Glitz Design.
One of the rare times Kieran agreed to talk on the phone. At the time he was mainly saying "Blah? Blah gaa ooh?" But he chatted with his Granny for a good five minutes!
That globe image from the Studio Calico paper was perfect for this page!
I think this one is my favourite of the three. When I saw this photo of Kieran I just had to laugh! And pairing it with that quotation that I found on Pinterest was a no-brainer
I'll follow up soon with the rest of my projects!
1. Dress nicely
2. Bake : cakes, breads, cookies
3. Teach: myself, Kieran and others
4. Give: of myself, my time, my talent
5. Play
6. Explore
7. Create
8. Write
9. Cook non Crockpot Meals (like some of these)
10. Connect & Reach out: with friends, family and YOU!
Sometime back (22 weeks ago according to Pinterest) I pinned this poster of a quote from Kurt Vonnegut
Poster on sale at Etsy for $15
At the end of the year when I created a board just for words and sayings to guide me this year I added the note "and if possible take a photo". I am trying really hard to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, and also to document the little things.
Like this:
My new fluffy slippers. Yes they are orange. And oh so comfortable. And after a couple weeks of no comfy slippers they felt oh so good on my feet! I even tweeted about them
What simple pleasures have made you happy lately?
