Wednesday, February 29, 2012
February 366
My month in pictures. This app is great for jotting down what my pics are about. Helps me remember it all. I've been using it to help me catch up with my PL album--thank goodness I kept up with it!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Project Life 2012
I wasn't going to do it.
I fought it. I really did. Sorta anyway.
I'm talking Project Life.
I did it the first year when it was out & managed to complete the album....in my own time, and swore I wasn't doing it again. No offense, but I lost the passion about the album towards the end. When the second edition kits came out there was a lot of hype & you know what I did?
I bought TWO kits.
Yeah, go ahead laugh.
When the kits came in I took one out of the box & put it together.....then decided I wasn't doing it. Still laughing?
This year the hype seemed even more intense. I resisted. I mean, why would I spend more money on something I already had?
Besides, I've been using the Photo 365 app on my phone & took a pic a day that way. I figured I'd make them into a mini-album of sorts at the end of the year.
While on Pinterest, I started seeing TONS of Project Life LO's. So many in fact, that I blocked a few boards dedicated to just PL. That's right, I wasn't giving in........but I was. I saw so many beautiful pages that just inspired me. I didn't have to use it the way it was intended. I didn't have to use 4x6 pics alone. I could do whatever worked for me.
So I went to bed thinking of the possibilities of what I could do. I mean, I already had the pics (mostly from my phone), so why not?
Then I broke down & printed the pics for January. Most of the pics were edited in both Camera+ & Instagram so they printed on the small side but it was good because as great as the pics look on your phone, once printed they're just ok.
I made up a simple cover page (both sides), using my Silhouette Cameo (that I LOVE!)
This is the back that I stressed over but love the results.
As of tonight, I am done putting together my pages for January. I found that since most of my pics are from my iphone I could squeeze one week's worth of pics in 1 page protector instead of a double sided LO. I'll have pics to share soon, I just need to finish my title page.
Anyone else playing along with PL??
I fought it. I really did. Sorta anyway.
I'm talking Project Life.
I did it the first year when it was out & managed to complete the album....in my own time, and swore I wasn't doing it again. No offense, but I lost the passion about the album towards the end. When the second edition kits came out there was a lot of hype & you know what I did?
I bought TWO kits.
Yeah, go ahead laugh.
When the kits came in I took one out of the box & put it together.....then decided I wasn't doing it. Still laughing?
This year the hype seemed even more intense. I resisted. I mean, why would I spend more money on something I already had?
Besides, I've been using the Photo 365 app on my phone & took a pic a day that way. I figured I'd make them into a mini-album of sorts at the end of the year.
While on Pinterest, I started seeing TONS of Project Life LO's. So many in fact, that I blocked a few boards dedicated to just PL. That's right, I wasn't giving in........but I was. I saw so many beautiful pages that just inspired me. I didn't have to use it the way it was intended. I didn't have to use 4x6 pics alone. I could do whatever worked for me.
So I went to bed thinking of the possibilities of what I could do. I mean, I already had the pics (mostly from my phone), so why not?
Then I broke down & printed the pics for January. Most of the pics were edited in both Camera+ & Instagram so they printed on the small side but it was good because as great as the pics look on your phone, once printed they're just ok.
I made up a simple cover page (both sides), using my Silhouette Cameo (that I LOVE!)
This is the back that I stressed over but love the results.
As of tonight, I am done putting together my pages for January. I found that since most of my pics are from my iphone I could squeeze one week's worth of pics in 1 page protector instead of a double sided LO. I'll have pics to share soon, I just need to finish my title page.
Anyone else playing along with PL??
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Two Years in the Making....
Back in January 2010, Joe & I made a decision to convert our guest room into my scrap room. However, we had a bedroom set that needed a home. We put the word out that we were getting rid of it, but no takers.
Our guest room used to be the master bedroom until we remodeled the house & changed things around. We don't have a lot of sleep over guests except for my sister when she babysits & doesn't feel like driving home if we stay out late. ;) For the most part our guest room was used as storage. Things that needed a home would sit in the room until we got around to it. I used the room to pack suitcases.
Basically it wasn't being put to good use.
Here's a view of the room entering from the girls' hallway. (excuse the mess) The room has those 3 windows facing our street, with beautiful light during the day.
The doorway on the other side leads thru to our master bathroom & closet that leads to our master bedroom now.
This is the view coming from the other direction.
It's a great room, with big furniture. Not easy to find a new home for. So, I pretty much gave up & moved on. I bought a bunch of the scrap cubes from Michael's & Joe got me a small IKEA Expedit & we made things work. I've been pretty happy with it since my stuff was now more accessible & organized.
Now once again I seem to be maxed on space. **sigh** Can't win.
Back in January, my mom was over & I mentioned wanting to get rid of the furniture. She jumped on it & said she wanted it. My sister measured my mom's room & said it would be a little tight but it would fit in her room.
So we made plans.
It took awhile to get everything moving but this weekend the furniture was moved.
The room is empty.
I can hardly believe it, but we can now get the ball rolling on my scrap room!!
Right now we are making plans on what I want where. How I work. Basically what I want from the room before we start, so Joe can make plans. He's been picking my brains & adding some great ideas.
First up we need to get some lights installed. Then paint & new carpet (the room has the original carpet from when we moved in 12 years ago!) So basically, nothing's happening overnight BUT the dream is finally becoming a reality!
Our guest room used to be the master bedroom until we remodeled the house & changed things around. We don't have a lot of sleep over guests except for my sister when she babysits & doesn't feel like driving home if we stay out late. ;) For the most part our guest room was used as storage. Things that needed a home would sit in the room until we got around to it. I used the room to pack suitcases.
Basically it wasn't being put to good use.
Here's a view of the room entering from the girls' hallway. (excuse the mess) The room has those 3 windows facing our street, with beautiful light during the day.
The doorway on the other side leads thru to our master bathroom & closet that leads to our master bedroom now.This is the view coming from the other direction.It's a great room, with big furniture. Not easy to find a new home for. So, I pretty much gave up & moved on. I bought a bunch of the scrap cubes from Michael's & Joe got me a small IKEA Expedit & we made things work. I've been pretty happy with it since my stuff was now more accessible & organized.
Now once again I seem to be maxed on space. **sigh** Can't win.
Back in January, my mom was over & I mentioned wanting to get rid of the furniture. She jumped on it & said she wanted it. My sister measured my mom's room & said it would be a little tight but it would fit in her room.
So we made plans.
It took awhile to get everything moving but this weekend the furniture was moved.
The room is empty.
I can hardly believe it, but we can now get the ball rolling on my scrap room!!
Right now we are making plans on what I want where. How I work. Basically what I want from the room before we start, so Joe can make plans. He's been picking my brains & adding some great ideas.
First up we need to get some lights installed. Then paint & new carpet (the room has the original carpet from when we moved in 12 years ago!) So basically, nothing's happening overnight BUT the dream is finally becoming a reality!
I will happily accept this as my early birthday present! Yeah, ok so my birthday isn't until the 5th (hint hint hint) & I know it won't be done in time for my birthday BUT regardless, I am one happy girl!!
Friday, February 24, 2012
Scrap Cards 2.0
After making THESE LO's I had a lot of pieces left over that I hated to toss out. Since I can never have enough birthday cards I decided to give these a try. I actually like how they came out too!
The longest part to making these was the heat embossing but even that didn't take long at all.
I had scraps of these colors the most so kept this to just those colors. Thought it was more "manly"....
This is probably my least favorite card from the bunch, but I still like it. And it reminds me of corn. Totally random thought there....
The longest part to making these was the heat embossing but even that didn't take long at all.
I had scraps of these colors the most so kept this to just those colors. Thought it was more "manly"....
This is probably my least favorite card from the bunch, but I still like it. And it reminds me of corn. Totally random thought there....
I've got some exciting news that I can't wait to share! I don't want to jinx it so I'm waiting....but if it happens I'll be able to share tomorrow! It's something sorta scrappy related that I've been wanting for a long, long time! ;) Wish me luck!!!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Pumpkins -Bella Blvd Finally Fall Project Sheets
These LO's were probably the EASIEST LO's ever to come from my desk! Reason being is the Step-by-step Project sheets from Bella Blvd. THIS LO was created by Laura Vegas & she gives the exact dimensions of papers to use for these LO's. Easier than a sketch! This was the perfect way to get my dormant mojo moving!
I printed out 3 years worth of pumpkin picking pictures for both girls & created a LO for each of them for that year. That's right 6 LO's are all done & ready for the albums! They literally took no time to create. I basically kept everything the same as Laura's original but switched out some papers here & there. I also added my journaling in a circle along the side, taking the journaling from my blog. I don't usually handwrite my journaling on my LO's but I think it worked.
Sorry about the crappy pics. I was going to re-take these pictures but if I waited that long I might never post these!
2009
Used paper strips for the borders on these 2 LO's.
2010
Added some ribbon from my stash for the border on this one.
2011
Seriously enjoyed how effortlessly these came together! I have 2 more project sheets that I've been playing with & will share those soon.
I printed out 3 years worth of pumpkin picking pictures for both girls & created a LO for each of them for that year. That's right 6 LO's are all done & ready for the albums! They literally took no time to create. I basically kept everything the same as Laura's original but switched out some papers here & there. I also added my journaling in a circle along the side, taking the journaling from my blog. I don't usually handwrite my journaling on my LO's but I think it worked.
Sorry about the crappy pics. I was going to re-take these pictures but if I waited that long I might never post these!
2009
Used paper strips for the borders on these 2 LO's.2010
Added some ribbon from my stash for the border on this one.2011
Seriously enjoyed how effortlessly these came together! I have 2 more project sheets that I've been playing with & will share those soon.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Scrap Cards
Scraps.
Not patterned paper scraps.
I'm talking cardstock.
No matter how often I use them I seem to aquire more & more & MoRe!! This time the pile was crazy! I try to keep nothing smaller than 3x3 (usually). I figure if I can get a punch out of it it's a keeper, which is probably part of my problem....
I keep all my scraps in an accordian file & sort them by color. Easy peasy. Nothing fancy.
I've noticed pennants or flags a lot lately. Whether it's on Pinterest or a scrappy magazine, pennants are everywhere! So I'm not entirely sure where I got this idea but the best part of it was using so much of my cardstock scraps.
I took out my white embossing powder, & a stamp & got to work. I used "Happy Birthday" since that's usually the sort of card I need. Depending on the size of the paper I'd stamp it as many times as I could fit Happy Birthday & still leave room to trim them at the ends. Then arrange them on a card & it's DONE! Super simple.
Since Joe's birthday was last weekend, I told the girls to pick a card to give to him & out of a stack of cards they both chose these cards. Since then, I've been mass producing these cards to have on hand....AND use up my scraps!! ;)
Not patterned paper scraps.
I'm talking cardstock.
No matter how often I use them I seem to aquire more & more & MoRe!! This time the pile was crazy! I try to keep nothing smaller than 3x3 (usually). I figure if I can get a punch out of it it's a keeper, which is probably part of my problem....
I keep all my scraps in an accordian file & sort them by color. Easy peasy. Nothing fancy.
I've noticed pennants or flags a lot lately. Whether it's on Pinterest or a scrappy magazine, pennants are everywhere! So I'm not entirely sure where I got this idea but the best part of it was using so much of my cardstock scraps.
I took out my white embossing powder, & a stamp & got to work. I used "Happy Birthday" since that's usually the sort of card I need. Depending on the size of the paper I'd stamp it as many times as I could fit Happy Birthday & still leave room to trim them at the ends. Then arrange them on a card & it's DONE! Super simple.
Since Joe's birthday was last weekend, I told the girls to pick a card to give to him & out of a stack of cards they both chose these cards. Since then, I've been mass producing these cards to have on hand....AND use up my scraps!! ;)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
School Kits 4th Grade Miss M
I am now officially done with both girls' school LO's!! WOOOO-HOOOOO!!
Well that is until June, but it'll just be for THIS school year! So YES, I can say that I am officially caught up on these Becky Higgins' CK School Kit of the Month LO's. I have been struggling towards the end of these since they do follow the same collage style, & I try to limit myself to using just the elements from the kits. Which I think is my problem. If I branch out using other embellies/stuff from my stash the ideas seem to flow better.
The lesson here?
Think outside the box.
These are the LO's for Marissa's 4th grade year.
I love using tools/things that have been hanging around my desk for awhile & revisiting them. See the black "Fourth Grade" border strip? That's the label maker thingy (sorry can't remember the name of it) that you punch each letter individually, the font is on a circle wheel that you turn to position to the right letter....you know what I'm talking about. ;)
This second LO took me a LONG time to get to because of the whole loss of mojo/holidays. The above LO was done in the Fall but I like to post the school years together so this is the LO that kept me from sharing.
The kicker is that it's nothing fancy, so honestly I don't know what took me so long to get done, but I'm glad it is.
I've been scrapping a lot but nothing that's orginal....lots of scrap lifting which helps the mojo flow. Lord knows my mojo has all but dried up. Have some ideas for various projects & hopefully once I get past this block I've been having I can get my groove on. Wish me luck! ;)
Well that is until June, but it'll just be for THIS school year! So YES, I can say that I am officially caught up on these Becky Higgins' CK School Kit of the Month LO's. I have been struggling towards the end of these since they do follow the same collage style, & I try to limit myself to using just the elements from the kits. Which I think is my problem. If I branch out using other embellies/stuff from my stash the ideas seem to flow better.
The lesson here?
Think outside the box.
These are the LO's for Marissa's 4th grade year.
I love using tools/things that have been hanging around my desk for awhile & revisiting them. See the black "Fourth Grade" border strip? That's the label maker thingy (sorry can't remember the name of it) that you punch each letter individually, the font is on a circle wheel that you turn to position to the right letter....you know what I'm talking about. ;)
This second LO took me a LONG time to get to because of the whole loss of mojo/holidays. The above LO was done in the Fall but I like to post the school years together so this is the LO that kept me from sharing.
The kicker is that it's nothing fancy, so honestly I don't know what took me so long to get done, but I'm glad it is.
I've been scrapping a lot but nothing that's orginal....lots of scrap lifting which helps the mojo flow. Lord knows my mojo has all but dried up. Have some ideas for various projects & hopefully once I get past this block I've been having I can get my groove on. Wish me luck! ;)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
12 on 12 February
Still working on my 12 on 12 pictures from last night....which means I haven't even printed them yet. ;)
Here are my 12 pictures from yesterday. It was Joe's birthday, so I thought I'd have plenty of pictures to take but I seem to struggle with 12 pictures each time. Hmmmm.....
The girls respected the fact that it was Joe's birthday so they waited for me to get up to make pancakes. They're lucky I love them. ;)
Joe really scored for his birthday. He's a movie lover & has TONS of DVDs.
The Birthday Boy & me. Love him!
After a nice dinner out (yep didn't take any pictures-I'm a SLACKER!), I got into some comfy clothes & took out my old Mickey slippers to warm up in. (It was a COLD night out!)
Watched the Grammy's eagerly waiting to see Adele perform. She was AMAZING!!! So happy she won!
And there are my 12 on 12 for February! I hope to scrap these before I fall too far behind. Wish me luck!
Here are my 12 pictures from yesterday. It was Joe's birthday, so I thought I'd have plenty of pictures to take but I seem to struggle with 12 pictures each time. Hmmmm.....
The girls respected the fact that it was Joe's birthday so they waited for me to get up to make pancakes. They're lucky I love them. ;)
Gianna loves her pancakes & makes it worthwhile when I see her eat AND ask for more.
Birthday boy spent the morning playing with some of his new toys. He's happy. 
Gianna started working on getting her Valentine's ready for school. Love that she thinks ahead without much help from me.
Joe really scored for his birthday. He's a movie lover & has TONS of DVDs.
Got my haircut on Friday & I'm still happy with it. 
My little helper, emptying the dishwasher.
Marissa needed a little more prodding to work on her Valentine's.
She wasn't feeling good so she wasn't happy with me taking pictures of her. HA!
The Birthday Boy & me. Love him!
After a nice dinner out (yep didn't take any pictures-I'm a SLACKER!), I got into some comfy clothes & took out my old Mickey slippers to warm up in. (It was a COLD night out!)
Watched the Grammy's eagerly waiting to see Adele perform. She was AMAZING!!! So happy she won!
And there are my 12 on 12 for February! I hope to scrap these before I fall too far behind. Wish me luck!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Happy Birthday to My Man!
Today is Joe's Birthday (in case the title didn't give it away). ;)
Can I express how much I love this guy? I don't think I could explain all the reasons, if I tried this might be the longest post in history. :)So I'll just share a few reasons...
The sparkle in his eyes.
His ready smile.
His ability to make everything better once he walks through the door at the end of the day.
How he makes me laugh daily.
His tender side.
How romantic he his.
His tough side.
How much he adores our daughters.
His protectiveness of us.
When he lets the 5 yr old in him come out.
He's encouraging.
His honesty.
His intelligence.
His easygoingness.
His tolerance.
His ability to do 5th grade math, when it makes my head spin. ;)
His quiet strength.
He knows when I need my space.
He knows when I need comforting.
How he seems to read my mind.
His generosity.
His warmth.
How he'll warm up my side of the bed without asking.
His willingness to stop on his way home for things I forget to do. ;)
How much he loves me.
This LO is a favorite of mine. It shows him at his most relaxed. He's surrounded by his 3 girls & he's having fun .
Happy Birthday Joe!
You are the love of my life!!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
February Randomness
Time to play a little catch up.
February seems to be moving along whether I like it or not.
A friend of mine turned me on to working out with the Wii Just Dance 3 . It keeps track of your workouts & really makes you sweat! I like that I can mix it up with the treadmill so it's not a boring routine.
I've been doing a lot more decluttering. I try to take a few bags of "shtuff" to Goodwill each week. I like to think I can hear the house sighing in relief each time I make a trip. ;)
The mileage on my car seemed evil but I believe the dust is the truly evil one.
Got bored with the case for my phone & got something pretty from Old Navy for $10. Very random there.
Joe & I managed to go out for dinner alone. We would've liked to catch a movie too but Joe was beat & a nice dinner without the girls arguing was enough & much needed. Not the greatest pic but I'll take what I can get. ;)
We took the girls to see Big Miracle. I didn't realize I'd need tissues! Yes I'm a sucker...
I'm not much into sports, but if I had to choose I'd pick football. Every year I'll watch the Superbowl (mostly for the commercials) but this year I actually watched the game-due to the Giants playing. I'm not someone who jumps on the bandwagon either, I've always liked them--they're OUR HOME TEAM! And those last two minutes of the game were nerve racking!
I've also managed to squeeze in some scrappy time but I need to take pictures & never seem to remember until nighttime. :/ scrapper fail. Yes I realize I should do this now, but I'm blogging from my phone while stuck at work (Joe took my car to get new brakes--waiting for it to be done).
At Marissa's last dentist appt., the dentist noticed her bottom canine tooth wasn't growing in straight, but HORIZONTAL in her lower jaw. (see the tooth?).
He told us to take her to an orthodontist who confirmed that she will be needing oral surgery. Marissa is not a happy camper at all & I must admit to be freaked out by it all. I just try to hide it in front of her. ;(
We're not sure when she's having the surgery as we need to meet with the ortho some more, but apparently it's pretty common though most cases are in the upper jaw. The orthodontist did give her a fancy goodie bag that made her happy though. Can you say $CHA-CHING$$$$???
Oh and I finally got around to labeling the girls' baby photo albums I worked on back in August/September. Yes I am nothing but a procrastinator.
So that's been my month more or less. Joe's birthday is Sunday so I'm getting the house ready for family coming over to celebrate. Who wants cake??
February seems to be moving along whether I like it or not.
A friend of mine turned me on to working out with the Wii Just Dance 3 . It keeps track of your workouts & really makes you sweat! I like that I can mix it up with the treadmill so it's not a boring routine.
I've been doing a lot more decluttering. I try to take a few bags of "shtuff" to Goodwill each week. I like to think I can hear the house sighing in relief each time I make a trip. ;)
The mileage on my car seemed evil but I believe the dust is the truly evil one.
Got bored with the case for my phone & got something pretty from Old Navy for $10. Very random there.
Joe & I managed to go out for dinner alone. We would've liked to catch a movie too but Joe was beat & a nice dinner without the girls arguing was enough & much needed. Not the greatest pic but I'll take what I can get. ;)
We took the girls to see Big Miracle. I didn't realize I'd need tissues! Yes I'm a sucker...
I'm not much into sports, but if I had to choose I'd pick football. Every year I'll watch the Superbowl (mostly for the commercials) but this year I actually watched the game-due to the Giants playing. I'm not someone who jumps on the bandwagon either, I've always liked them--they're OUR HOME TEAM! And those last two minutes of the game were nerve racking!
I've also managed to squeeze in some scrappy time but I need to take pictures & never seem to remember until nighttime. :/ scrapper fail. Yes I realize I should do this now, but I'm blogging from my phone while stuck at work (Joe took my car to get new brakes--waiting for it to be done).
At Marissa's last dentist appt., the dentist noticed her bottom canine tooth wasn't growing in straight, but HORIZONTAL in her lower jaw. (see the tooth?).
He told us to take her to an orthodontist who confirmed that she will be needing oral surgery. Marissa is not a happy camper at all & I must admit to be freaked out by it all. I just try to hide it in front of her. ;(
We're not sure when she's having the surgery as we need to meet with the ortho some more, but apparently it's pretty common though most cases are in the upper jaw. The orthodontist did give her a fancy goodie bag that made her happy though. Can you say $CHA-CHING$$$$???
Oh and I finally got around to labeling the girls' baby photo albums I worked on back in August/September. Yes I am nothing but a procrastinator.
So that's been my month more or less. Joe's birthday is Sunday so I'm getting the house ready for family coming over to celebrate. Who wants cake??
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