Project Life: Weeks 11 and 13

Here are some more Project Life weeks completed! I spent last Saturday evening at a crop and knocked out a few weeks. I have another almost completed, but I have to scan and shrink an invitation to fit into a journaling pocket.

Week 11:

This week I did something different in the bottom of the first page. I had the perfect photo collage for some photos I took on a walk with Madeline but it was portrait. I decided to cut it in half and used them together. Love how it turned out! I was able to use my new Studio AE stamp set to embellish.

On the right hand page I tried stamping directly on the photo with white paint. It didn't work, so I brushed the paint in an area big enough to fit my sentiment, let the paint dry and stamped with the red ink. Love how it turned out!

Week 13:

Played around with some more Technique Tuesday stamps on this layout as well as getting some use of the Lilibee alpha stickers I purchased for this project. 

I think I have been struggling with this project a little because I am not in love with the core kit I chose. (Well, it kind of chose me since it was the only one in stock when the page protectors came back in stock.) I think next year, I am going to make sure I choose a kit that uses colors and things that match the other products I already have and like buying.

Hoping to spend some more time on this project soon and have more to share!

31 Things- Shoes

Finally got back on track with my 31 Things album. Lost track of which topics I wrote for, which I needed to take pictures for and what pages needed to get put together.

When creating this layout I struggled with the lower right corner. I moved the pieces around a hundred times. Then I asked my husband what he thought. That was a big mistake. He gave me the normal "Looks good to me." I would move something and ask again and get the same response. We then had a lengthy discussion about how it's all opinion when it comes to art. I argued that there tend to be some good design principles like balance and color that can determine if things look good. He agreed but argued anything beyond that was opinion. That's what I get for being married to a logically thinking physicist!

Fun thing! I just won a spot in the 28 Days of Sketches:Round 2 class at Big Picture Classes! I am so excited! Hope to see some of you in class!

Journaling:

I have small feet. I wear a 6.5 shoe size but tend to get size 7 in tennis shoes. 

I have fewer shoes than Tom does. He has all of the different shoes he needs for all of the sports he likes to play. He has golf shoes, basketball shoes, running shoes, black shoes for work, brown shoes for work, sandals, slippers, and more.

I have quite a few pairs of shoes, but I don’t wear most of them. 

I have a white pair of Nike tennis shoes, but with my feet hurting me lately it may be time to buy a new pair. I have an old grey pair of Nikes as well. I held onto them incase I needed an old pair to muck in the mud in. 

I have a pair of black flip-flops that have rainbow colored peace signs on them. I had the kids with me when I bought these this summer and Aaron told me I needed them instead of the plain black ones. 

I also have a pair of Chuck look-a-likes that are open in the back. I bought these so when I needed to run outside for something or quickly wanted to throw on a pair of shoes I could slip these on, no problem.

A pair of Doc Marin leather sandals that my dad bought for me almost 15 years ago still have a place in my closet. The soles are worn a bit uneven, but I love them and can’t bear to part with them. I also have Doc Martin boots. These are not your ordinary boots! I bought these on my trip to Europe, while in London. They are pink, blue and white with drawings of British flags, guardsmen, double-decker buses and other London images. Not the most practical and even harder to find clothes to wear with, but a great souvenir! 

I have four pairs of black dress shoes. One pair I wear the most. They are my flats. I am all about comfort and these are the least fussy pair I own. I own another pair that are platform sandals. These have been around a while and probably have sand from the beach in them from California. Two pairs of black heals, both that were purchased to wear with a school dance in high school. Both are strappy numbers that I wear to something fancy.

I have a couple pairs of white heals in my collection of shoes. One is a strappy number and another pair that has a butterfly on the top. Both were purchased for my wedding. The first for the wedding day and the second for the rehearsal and dinner.

Three more pairs of dressy shoes are in my closet. One is a brightly striped heal. It was worn with my bridesmaids dress in Dan and Carrie’s wedding. Another is a silver pair that I wore in Jennifer’s wedding. 

My last pair of dressy shoes are my clear plastic ones, my “glass slippers.” Another pair that are over 15 years old. I saw these shoes in Teen Magazine (prom addition?) and had to have them. My mom graciously drove me across town to purchase them from a bridal shop. I wanted something romantic and unique for my senior prom and they were a perfect match for my dress. ☺ Only thing is they fog up! I would put them on to have them frosted over around my toes from the perspiration of my feet. There were some ventilation holes for this but obviously not enough. So much for romantic!

Madeline at 8 months

I participated in a scraplift challenge at Scrap Whispers. It is kind of the telephone game only with layouts. One layout starts it and you see how different the last layout is in the end. I really enjoyed it. Especially since my layout was inspired from a friend of mine, Colleen.

Used some really old SEI papers in my stash along with some of the swirl lace paper I used in my Christmas layout this spring. I used some Elle's Studio tags and banners that were part of last year's  Christmas line. The title (8 month) ribbon and clip came from the Becky Higgin's baby kit. Used the Stampin' Up! heart punch I just got for the hearts. Three sizes in one punch. Love it! Get it while you can because it is now retired! Used some Technique Tuesday stamps on the the banners.

2 months down for Madeine's album. Only 10 more to go :) The kids have been watching old home videos and wanting to look at their baby pictures. Glad to have some stuff completed to show them!

Project Life: Weeks 9 &10

Finally got back into my scrap room this week and finished up a couple more weeks of my Project Life album. 

Week 9:

This week I have my Day In the Life page insert in the middle. When Ali Edwards had hers this spring, I was sick as a dog and not wanting to capture a day that wasn't "typical." I chose to do this activity on Feb. 29 since it was Leap Day.

I have been using my Ali Edwards (AE) stamps like crazy on this album. It is a great way to add embellishment without all of the bulk. 

This is only half of my Day in the Life, but my printer died half way and haven't gotten around to printing the rest with my new printer to finish it. 

On the second half of the week includes the agenda from a weekend crop I attended. Used Photoshop to create the photo collage with the journaling.

Week 10:

This week was another insert with a drawing my son did in preschool.

I tried heat embossing on the first photo which didn't turn out the best. The photo started to bubble. I couldn't heat it enough for the embossing powder to melt, without damaging the photo.

Used the packaging from the Girl Scout box to embellish the journaling card and photos. 

Used the baggage tag from my husband's work trip. Embellished with Amy Tangerine stamp and Fiskars cloud punch.

Printed another email from Aaron's preschool with the pictures they attached. Aaron actually helped me embellish this one with the stars. So fun!

This page I used some bits from tags, tickets and stickers. Used a free printable journaling card from Simple Stories. More of the Smash washi tape.

Still plugging along. Have more to share soon!

Web Master

  This was a really fun kit to make by Just Kitting! I have to make every kit my own so I printed my photos from Persnickety Prints with the white borders. Didn't have to mat them this way. Added the stamped journaling boxes myself. Love how they turned out!

Love these photos and was so happy to have this one scrapped!

31 Things- Nourish

Finally getting back on track with my 31 Things class. I did well keeping up the prompts for a couple of weeks and then ran into life. Didn't have time to sit and write.  The class is technically over, but I have access to the class room forever. I am now going back and writing the stories for those prompts I skipped over and putting the layouts together.  

 

Journaling:

Eating, to me, is something you do with people. I don’t care much for eating, unless I have someone to eat with.

Growing up my mom made a big deal about eating as a family. The five, then six of us would crowd around a small round table for dinner.

When visiting my paternal grandmother, the visits usually centered around mealtime. She makes the most amazing meals of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, Jell-O fruit salad, and her signature cinnamon rolls. Sometimes she would make an amazing roast beef or pork chops. The cousins and aunts and uncles would all come together with 2 or 3 tables stretched out across the room.

In school, lunch was a social hour, you sat among friends sharing stories and swapping food.

When I headed off to college, I found a group of friends to eat with at the dining hall. The remaining two years I spent in my sorority house with a constant stream of girls to eat and socialize with.

Once I was on my own, I found that I wasn’t eating very well. I hated cooking, and cooking for one seemed a waste. Tom started to stop over after school to dine with me.

When I was pregnant, food was not my friend. I had to watch what I ate, when I ate and how much I ate. The smell of coffee or chocolate made me nauseous. Early in the pregnancy I ate a lot of crackers and the smell of lemons eased my symptoms so I drank a lot of lemon water.

This past school year, Madeline and I would wait for Aaron to be out of school to eat lunch. We usually eat about noon.

Madeline opts for a hot dog or ham, cheese, carrot strings, and chips. Aaron’s main staple is peanut butter and grape jelly, occasionally a hot dog, carrot sticks, and chips. My lunch is usually the same as Aaron’s (no hot dogs!) with a bit more carrots. Occasionally we will opt for leftovers.

For dinner we tend to cycle through the same meals every week or so. The kids have their favorites. Aaron’s are tortellini, pizza, pork steaks and spaghetti. Madeline likes to eat spaghetti and chicken and rice. Tom’s favorite is chicken with angel hair pasta and applesauce pork. My favorite meal is one that I don’t have to cook.

I love eating out. I love not having to cook, clean, or plan the meal. I like being able to eat whatever I want to eat. Not worried about other people’s likes/dislikes. We don’t really eat fast food when we go out, though. We will hit Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Penn Station, and Lion’s Choice when we need to get a quick meal.

I am typically a picky eater. I don’t like most vegetables, sauces, chocolate, plus a wide variety of other foods. I will say that I eat a greater variety of foods now than I did growing up.

I got more conscious of what I was eating because of my kids. I want my kids to eat healthy. I make an effort to have a veggie and fruit for each meal. It is important that my kids eat balanced meals and are capable of making healthy choices.

We all get our treats, though. Tom and I tend to have cookies and milk once the kids are off to bed. The kids have snack time and get treats after eating a good dinner. They got quite a stash of Easter candy (Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, chocolate eggs, etc.) that is nearly gone. We let them pick a couple pieces out, or they will have a couple cookies.

I have a real sweet tooth. With the exception of chocolate, I love all sweets. I love candy, cookies, ice cream, and cake. I love them but I have come to realize I can’t eat them like I used to. I physically start to feel bad if I eat them at the wrong time of day or without balancing it with other foods. Hope it isn’t a sign of worse things to come

NOTE: I haven't sent this layout to be printed yet. If you find any typos, please let me know. I have read some of these so many times I don't see them any more!

Project Life: Playing catch up

Finally got another order of photos in. Was able to fill in a lot of gaps in my Project Life album. Only about 3 months behind now! 

I never realized how difficult these pages are to photograph! Being plastic they are very reflective! Sorry that the photos may not be the best. It is a learning experience.

I am really liking how some of this is coming together. I definitely have begun to find my process so that this works for me. Still some kinks, but working those out.

Week 5:

I have my first insert, the drawing of a groundhog in honor of Ground hog's Day. I placed him in a American Crafts 6x12 page protector. He saw his shadow, but with the weather we had this spring, he shouldn't have!

This week includes a flyer for the Aaron's school open house and the library receipt of the books we checked out for the week. Aaron's preschool occasionally will send photos along with an email talking about what the kids did at school. I included a couple of those photos as well as the email. Used a stamp from the Studio AE, It's OK stamp set on the journaling card.

 Bought my first washi tape, this multi colored roll from a Smash line. Love using bits of it for this project! Another email from Preschool with photos. Used a bunch of Ali Edward stamps on this one. Printed out super bowl photo from the Internet. 

Week 6:

The new show, Smash, started that I have gotten sucked into. Love the singing! Like a grown up version of Glee (which I also watch). Added a photo I found on the Internet. Added some tags from the kids clothes I bought this week. Used a Studio AE stamp on the photo.

Created the birthday party journaling card using a Studio AE stamp set and Stampin' Up! Alphabits stamp set. For the label, I used a Studio Calico stamp set and matching EK Success punch.

Week 7:

This week includes an insert that contains some art work from my son in honor of Valentine's Day.

The journaling cards from this week come from Fancy Pants paper. Aaron learned about the heart at school and brought home a picture of a real heart. Journaled on the photograph using Photoshop Elements. Have to make sure I give myself a little more margin for this next time, so I can round the corners and make sure it doesn't get cropped out at printing! 

Used some stamps from Studio AE stamp sets to create the last two journaling cards. Use a small Stampin' Up alpha as well. More of that same roll of washi tape. Gotta love it!

Week 8:

I added an insert of a trip I took to the doctor (not shown) and on the back was the breakdown of all the the nominations for the Academy Awards. Found this at my local library and checked off the winners as I watched the show.

More Technique Tuesday stamps from Ali Edwards. Another email from preschool.

Used a Studio Calico stamp set for the Hooray card. Added another library receipt showing the books we checked out for the week. Printed the Academy Awards image from the Internet.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my Project Life pages. Hope to share more soon!