Project Life, 2015: February

Wow...life has really been happening! But Project Life has not! Card making and paper crafting have not! But busy I've been.  I promise.

I have tried to sit and work on some digital Project Life but just haven't seemed to get very far...but I'm glad to say that I finally finished the first layouts of February for my 2015 challenge and venture.

Here is the two page layout side by side:

I used Just Jaimee's Bryce Collection for the papers and elements...and templates from Ali Edwards, Katie Pertiet, Tracy Larsen, and Lily Pad.  Basically if there is a 4x6 inch template or a 3x4 out there in digi land it is probably slapped right here on my layouts! :)  I love using the templates...but I do find it can be a bit time consuming!
Here you have a closer look at the left side:

Get a load of Wade sneaking a sip of his big brother's drink! That kid is so funny!
Here is the right side:

Life at it's best with lots of photos of happy grandchildren! It makes an Omie happy, I tell you.

And that's it for today...a quick blog entry but many hours went into completing these layouts.  They are never quick for me! But I love the process...no complaints here!

Happy Crafting!

Long Time, No See!

I may have used this title before...it is reserved for when I am AWOL for extended periods.  Well, life just got in the way... you know?

I got back from my 6 weeks at the beach.  The last few days were not very pretty sun-wise but I love the beach in any type of weather...I even love when it rains there!  But, before I left I had the chance to see a sunset that was like none other.  The mother of all sunsets....it was so incredibly gorgeous...

The sky was ablaze, as they say. By the way...the photo above was taken with my trusty iPhone.  They do say the best camera is the one you have with you...and I am not complaining about the iPhone camera one bit!
Pretty picture.

On to crafty stuff.  I finally got all of my stuff unpacked and put away so was in the mood to make a card (or two) this evening. 
But wait...in the past few weeks I have learned about the MISTI which stands for (Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented).  I was hesitant.  I. Was. Skeptical.   But. I. Bought.
I ordered straight from the manufacture which is www.MySweetPetunia.com. Within 4 days that baby was in in my hands.  Great and very fast shipping. Simon Says Stamp also carries it but their price is much higher and then you have to pay shipping on top of that so why not go with the manufacture to begin with.  Makes sense to me.

This is what the MISTI looks like:

It is mostly acrylic which is hinged...their are rulers and guides to help you with your positioning.
It is so easy to use...and makes the accurate positioning of stamps so easy and so fast! I love it!

Here are a few cards I very quickly duplicated tonight:

It was so easy to place things and make sure the sentiment was perfectly straight.

I loved my new friend, MISTI.  I think she will become a really close friend, indeed.

The cards were made with Stampin' Up inks and papers.  The white cardstock is the thick cardstock from Hobby Lobby which works pretty well for most stamping, I think.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.  The flower stamp set are by SSS.

If you do a lot of stamping and like positioners then you would most likely find this an invaluable tool. 

Happy Crafting!

Project Life, 2015: January Layout 4

Layout #4 for January pretty much brings me to the end of January.  So on to February and then March...and by then it will be June...
I will forever be in a state of "catching up-edness".  It's a fact.
No worries...I guess what would be worse than always being behind is not taking pictures and capturing memories...especially those of my grandchildren growing up. They are very well documented kids! My husband always tells me that he has very few photos of his childhood.  I've only seen 2, I think.  He was a middle child...lots of photos, apparently, of his older brother...and than quite a few of his younger sister...but his parents didn't do quite as many of him.  That's his story, anyway. My grandchildren will know just about everything they ever did....whether they want to or not! LOL!

So here is my fourth set of layouts which, as I said, closes out January, 2015. Yay. Me.
Here is the left side...we continued another fun filled and busy week at the beach! I used Just Jaimee's Storyteller for January, 2014 for the papers and elements and assorted templates from the Lily Pad and Lori Whitlock for my cards.

Here is the right side:

We went back to Wonderworks (we had visited it last year and both David and Taylor remembered it and wanted to go back). It is a great indoor amusement park...but it is all educational! You learn about weather, physics, science and more. It is very interactive and hands on and the children really enjoy it. I highly recommend it if you have children over the ages of 3...and it's fun and interesting for adults, too. We visited the one in Panama City Beach, FL but there are locations elsewhere (Orlando, FL and Myrtle Beach, SC to name a few).
Below you can see the layouts side by side as they will appear when printed out:

Well, I only have 2 more days at the beach before heading home! I can't believe my 6 weeks are up!

Project Life, 2015, January Layout 3

I was able to get more layouts done for January and was happy with that.  And then today it became March.  Couldn't it have just waited another few days?  What is it with February being such a short month?!

So here is my two page layout using the Traci Reed January kit again (as I did for my first weeks' layouts).

I added a gray solid paper from the kit to put behind the photos and cards. 
It looks so different from the other layouts I did with the same kit as I put the bluish printed paper behind the cards and photos as you can see below.
Same kit...different looks.  That helps me justify the cost of the kit. And as much as I love Traci Reed's kits...they ain't cheap!

Anyway, back to my third set of layouts which covers mid January and up to the time I left for my annual "sabbatical" to the beach in Florida.
Here is a look at the left side:

Since I'm not doing my layouts week by week, so to speak, I don't feel the need to have title cards for each week.  I will do a title card at the beginning of each month and let it go at that.  I love Project Life and how one can make it the way one wants....it's however you want it, Girly!
I used some Lilypad, Katie Pertiet and Lori Whitlock templates. 
Here is the right side:

Mostly just fun photos of the kids....I didn't feel like I need a ton of journaling but hope I covered the bases. :) 
I did use an Ali Edwards brush on the photo of the sunset. with David and Taylor. "So Love these MOMENTS" certainly captures how special this sort of picture is to me.  Cute kids fascinated by the vastness of the Gulf and also watching Mr. Sun go Night-Night!
That's it for this period of time....onto the next one!

I am finding my 13x13 inch layout that I talked about in other posts is working fantastically well.  I am not having to spend nearly as much time resizing things....and I love that!  After I've finished the layout I resize the entire canvas to 12x12. I don't think it really matters either way but now it is resized to the more traditional 12x12. I just think it's easier to work with when it is digitally set at 13x13.

Happy Crafting!