Project Life:2014 Week 25

This week posed an interesting dilemma for me.  I usually have too many photos and it is time consuming to go through them and determine what will get used...and what will get tossed.  This week was the first time I had the opposite problem. My daughter and I use Dropbox for file sharing and lo and behold when I went in to pull out the photos that she had taken...well, there were only about 4.  Then I looked in my own files to see what I had and I only had a few, as well! I sat here at my laptop with my iPhone to the right of me...texted my daughter that I was sad we had no photos of David for this week.  Not one photo.  She texted back that she had a video of David doing the monkey bars for the first time and within 3 minutes and dropped 6 frames into Dropbox for me to use. Problem solved fairly quickly! As we all say over and over...Technology. Is. Amazing!!

So this is what I came up with for Week 25 using Just Jaimee's June Storyteller kit:

I still didn't have a ton of pictures so I had to sort of improvise a bit.  I loved the photo of Wade sleeping in his mother's arms but I thought it might look more striking as a black and white. I also modified the Becky Higgins template by "elongating" the top left slot (which is normally for a 4x6 inch photo) and made it 8x6inches roughly.  I thought that gave me a nice balanced look to the page.  I made the Week 25 card with a brush from the Story teller kit as well as a 4x6 card.

Here is a closer look at the left side:

Check out Taylor in her bed! HAHA!

Here is the right side:

I used a template from Paislee Press for the photos of David on the Monkey Bars.  The photo of Wade with the booboo nose is from Lori Whitlock.

I love my simple Less is More layouts. Maybe my goal should be to take fewer photos...not MORE!

Happy Crafting!

and for me...? On to Week 26!

Project Life, 2014: Week 24

I am back in the swing of PL-ing our lives. Of course I am half a year behind but I hear worse war stories out there!  I took about a month off creating layouts because I was doing other projects for the holidays...and life just got in the way...I have found that when I take a break it's really hard to get going again.  I don't know if others have that problem but I certainly do!

But I did Week 23 the other day and the mojo I finally got going helped me complete Week 24 which is here:

I used a mega collaborative kit called "Currently" from the Lilypad. It is a wonderful kit packed with all kinds of easy to use stuff!
Here is the left side:

I usually use Wade's month photo for the week card but since were a week late getting it taken I decided to just use it in the week the photo was taken.  That is probably as clear as mud...what happened is that my daughter didn't get around to taking his "month" photo until the week after he turned 8 months...so when I was going through her photos, I forgot about this one as I didn't see it in the photos for last week and I have completed those layouts and am not changing them!  That's PL for me...make it work!
Here is the right side:

I do have blanks in the card about Taylor and her doctor's appointment.  We need to locate her height and weight and as soon as we do that I'll amend my card to include that info.  And yes, I saved out my layers so I will easily be able to add in the text.  Yay, me!

I'm getting close to the half year mark!!!

And now to start on 2015!!!

But first time to get the Christmas decorations down!!!

Happy Crafting!

Project Life, 2014: Week 23

Wishing you a most Happy New Year!

Do I have resolutions for 2015?  Well, certainly.  I've already broken one but just couldn't do it today.  LOL!  I was going to walk on my treadmill a bit but we ended up going to the park with the grandkids and then my surgery foot yelled at me "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"  But that's ok...I think of resolutions as goals...things I want to aspire to...but if I don't do them all the time...well, that's ok, too.
My big resolution is to start Project Life for 2015 on time...which means I will need to get week 1 done by January 3 as that completes "Week 1".  I will be fine. LOL!!! I did get a few photos today of the kids at the park.  I can do this...I can do this...said the little engine!

So...back to 2014.  I have finished Week 23 which you can see below:

I used Just Jaimee's Storyteller for June and a Lilpad template or two.

Here is a closer look at the left side:

And here is the right side:

 

Not too complicated...I just chose the best photos of the week and stuck them here and there.  It works.  It is done.  On. To. Week. 24.

Happy Crafting!

Project Life, 2014: Week 22

I am finishing the year of 2014 with a posting of another Project Life Layout.  This is pitiful...here I am posting Week 22 and there are 52 weeks in the year which makes it look like I am less than half the way through! LOL!!!  But actually, I have completed some other layouts in the last half of the year so even though I am still woefully behind...it's not quite as bad as it looks!

But my resolution for 2015 is to start on time and keep up with it. I mean, how hard can it be to complete a 2 page layout weekly?!  (Probably, for me....very difficult!) But, I'm really going to give it my very best shot!!! LOL!

Here is 2 page spread of Week 22 which covers the last week of May (and over Memorial Day).

 I used Just Jaimee's May Storyteller kit with an Ali Edwards brush for the Week Card.

Here is the left side:

Kind of a minimum of journaling this week but I think I included enough information.

Here is the right side:

Whoops...well, lol...I just realized that in the bottom left photo I have journaled that David likes playing with his Tinker Toys...but, of course, these are LINCOLN LOGS!  Well, that's ok...easy to change when it's done digitally!  I will go do it in a moment.

And that's it for me for 2014. Wishing everyone the most fabulous 2015! 

Happy Crafting!!!

Project Life, 2014: Week 22 Birthday Party!

Week 22 which covered the last week of May for me posed another one of those scrapbooking dilemmas! I had too many photos for just a simple two page spread. We had a big event that week...Taylor's 3rd birthday party! I just had to do a 2 page layout totally devoted to that...so that's exactly what I did.

I used Party Pop by Melissa Bennett which has been retired. I've had it in my digital stash...don't even remember if I've used it before.

But I thought this kit with the bright neon type colors were perfect for the photos I had.

Taylor's party was at Chuck E. Cheese. My kids loved Chuck E. Cheese when they were small and now my grandchildren are continuing the tradition.  I hadn't been in many years and was quite impressed with it. Very clean, very efficient, and the staff members were all wonderful with the kids. Plus...they have COOL stuff to do! LOL! I never did get a chance to play Whack a Mole! HA!

Here is my two page spread:

 Get a load of her silly face!

Here is the left side up a bit closer for you to see:

We had lots of cutie pie kids at the party!
Here is the right side:

And that, my friends, is it for today!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Project Life, 2014: Week 21

I was so excited to be notified by Jaimee Kaiser of Just Jaimee that I won a one year subscription to her shop at Sweet Shoppe Designs!  Those digital kits can add up to a lot of $$$, too, so this was a wonderful win for me!

I quickly went to the store and downloaded the May, 2013 Storyteller kit.  I love the colors of this kit...so wonderfully "spring-like"!

So I did another 2 page layout for a week in May and here it is:

This was a typical week for us...nothing huge going on but is a great little snippet into my grandchildren's lives.

Here is the left:

See that cutie pie on the bottom left ... he is my friend's grandson, Logan.  Such a sweet little boy!

Here is the right side:

I love the silly selfie on the top left.  :) 

They have lots of fun just being kids but they learn a lot during their fun times, as well.  Look at the snakeskin we found at the park one day!

It is so cold here in Georgia...well, it is pretty cold nationwide, isn't it?  Just doesn't seem right to have below freezing temperatures and we are still officially in AUTUMN! I wonder what winter will actually be like!!!

So for today...keep warm and Happy Crafting!

Project Life, 2014: Week 20 Baseball

I decided to do an extra two page spread of my grandson's last spring T-Ball game.  I actually came across these photos after pretty much finishing the regular 2 weeks spread and I just didn't have the energy to redo what I'd already done.  Solution? Make 2 more pages!

I used a kit from Traci Reed called True Story. I searched online for some baseball kits but none that I saw were what I thought I needed so I went with Traci's kit.  I loved that the main colors were red, white and blue.  That worked perfectly I thought!

Here is the 2 page spread:

This was a very simple and quick set of pages to do.  No complicated templates to work with!

Here is a closeup of the left side:

It was just so darned cute seeing these little guys in their baseball uniforms.  American as apple pie!

Here is the right side:

So sweet...I love it!

And that's it for today.  Short, sweet, and to the point!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Project Life, 2014: Week 20

As I work on these pages I am reminded how full my life is...as well as my grandkids.  We are all so very blessed!

Here is the 2 page layout...I always like showing the pages side by side so my readers can get the effect of how they will look when they are printed. And it helps me, too...to make sure that things look relatively balanced!

I used Traci Reed's May kit. I really love these colors...so spring-like.

Here is the left side:

I used some Ali Edwards brushes or stamps for the "week twenty" and "so love these moments".  I applied a Just Jamie style over it from her March kit to gave it sort of an acrylic or plastic look. I don't use styles often enough. It always seems like so much trouble! LOL!
Here is the right side:

I love the photos of Wade with his daddy (my son in law).  He's such a good and involved daddy and loves his children so much! He is total hands on and works hard at his job so that my daughter can stay home and raise their children.

Get a load of the icing-less cupcake in the center.  That's Taylor's handiwork! LOL! 

You gotta give that kid a lot of credit! 

And that's it for today!!!

Project Life, 2014: Week 19

Moving right along...getting close to the halfway mark in the Project Life year!

Here is the two page spread of Week 19:

 I used my usual assortment of Tracy Larsen, Lori Whitlock, and Lily Pad templates as well as the big overall page templates by Becky Higgins. I used papers, cards, and elements from Just Jaimee's Storyteller for May.
Here is a closer look at the left side:

Wade turned 7 months and just keeps getting cuter and cuter.  On the 4th of May...his official 7 month birthday he had no teeth...but by the end of the week one had finally broken through the gum! Poor little guy...he's had a tough time getting that tooth through!

I love the pictures of the kids sleeping. So stinkin' cute!

And here is the right side:

I love that my daughter remembered to take pictures of them at their dental visit!

And that is it for today...!

Hope you find some heat in this cold weather!

Happy crafting!

Project Life, 2014: Week 18

Well, after the hoopla of the wedding the week before things got down to nice quiet week of a school program, a visit to the Atlanta Zoo, a baseball game, my birthday (!)  and other fun things!

I used Traci Reed's May kit because...it was May! Silly....

Here is the 2 page layout:

This week went a little easier because I didn't have hundreds of pictures to sort through and edit.  LOL!

Here is a closer look at the left side:

That's my Granddog in the upper left photo. She's a very smart Border Collie and belongs to my son and his wife.  She came and stayed with us for a week or so while they were on their honeymoon. Such a good girl...and she gets along great with our little princess, Isabella.
Here is the right side:

Even though they aren't the greatest pictures I love see the photos of David singing with his classmates. So cute!

Today was such a beautiful day here...we had such gorgeous weather. It was a fun day of tennis.  We had our season beginning matches today and I think my opponents had a particularly good time if you know what I mean! LOL!!!  Oh well...yep we lost but it was fun.

That's it for today...hoping to start on week 19 tonight!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Project Life, 2014: Week 17

Week 17 was a big week in our family as my son married his bride. The entire week was spent preparing for and then hosting the rehearsal dinner so I decided to use some of the dozens and dozens of photos taken during the event and use those for my week.  I mean...we seriously did little else this week!

It was most difficult to go through the photos to narrow down those to be used.  I probably could have done a couple of layouts on the rehearsal and then the dinner but forced myself to limit my photos and choose some that represented the occasion. And I tried to include photos of all the "key players". For the most part, anyway.  I can still do a photo book of the entire evening and use more photos of the day but for my Project Life album I decided to limit it to two pages.  And. It. Was. Difficult!

I also used the Donna Gibson method and this week it worked much better for me.  After I had spent some time editing my photos and deciding which to use I went ahead and placed them on my templates.  I moved a few things around...did a few collages and then went back in and added my papers and elements. I think it really did streamline the process for me....that is to add in my photos and then slide my papers behind.   I would say it only took me about 2 hours to plop the photos in...and then another 2 hours to add the other stuff so that is a step in the right direction!  LOL!!!

But, I will say that mostly I love, love, love doing it and I love the way my book is looking!

Here is the 2 page spread:

I used Traci Reed's April kit once again....the colors worked well for this springtime layout, I thought.
Here is the left side:

And here is the right:

It was such a fun evening...I think everyone had a wonderful time and the next day was even better!

And now my progress report.  I have done about 25 weeks worth of layouts.  I didn't start working on my weekly layouts until late August so I am proud how much I've gotten done.  I may finish this by the end of the year.  Or. Not.

Next year I will NOT dilly dally!  I will keep up with it better.  Yeah. Right.  LOL!

Happy Crafting and keep creating!

Project Life, 2014: Week 43

I have been looking at ways to become more time efficient (READ: DO IT FASTER) approach to Project Life. I doubt many people other than Donna Gibson and myself spend 12 hours doing a layout! Donna says it takes almost that much time to just pick her photos out! Ok, I made that up but I bet I'm not far off!

Donna is an über talented digital scrapbooker...and so GOOD at her Project Life layouts.  She was on the 2013 Becky Higgins Project Life creative team and rocked her pages week after week.  You can check all of her stuff out HERE. She has a great writing style, too...so much fun to read her blog so if you haven't headed over there before I say you need to give it a whirl!

So...she has been tutoring me in ways to do PL to speed things up.  I misunderstood, of course...and went from spending about 6 hours doing a two page layout to basically doubling that.  But that was my fault... 1. I didn't fully get what she was saying...and then the lightbulb came on.  and 2. I insisted on cramming 26 photos into this week's layout which is nearly impossible.  But I did it! LOL!

Here is the two pager:

 I used Traci Reed's October kit and I love the colors of it...perfect for Fall!

Here is a closer look at the left side:

 

I got some cute photos of little Wade this week...was so happy about that.  Such a sweet little boy.  I love that kid!

And I used the same old template selections for my photos I have in previous weeks.  And some I tweaked the way I wanted.

Here is the right side:

 

There are 17 photos there...count 'em! 

I'm worn out doing this faster approach!  LOL! I know it will be easier the next time, though, as Donna gave me some great tips.

Happy Crafting! I'm taking a break!

Project Life, 2014 Week 44

What a fun week last week was with all the Halloween festivities for the little ones! We love Halloween in our family...the children have such a good time playing dress up.

I went ahead and did my Project Life layouts for last week.  LOL...I've done weeks 1-16...a few in the 20-30 area and now week 44.  It's getting done...just not in consecutive order which drives the OCD in me just a bit crazy.  But I'm still living and haven't chewed my fingernails off so I guess I'll manage!

Here is the spread.  besides the usual assortment of templates from Becky Higgins, Tracy Larsen, Lori Whitlock and the Lily Pad I used the That Old Black Magic digital kit by Design by Dani.  It was perfect!

Here is a closer look at the left side and my little Halloween munchkins!

And here is the right side:

I used Becky Higgins Template F for the layout above but tweaked it to fit my needs a bit and made two 4x6 cards. 

And that is another benefit of doing it digitally...you can adjust just about anything...resize...move...and this digital kit cost me a whopping $1.00!  And I can use it again and again! :)

And that is it for week 44!

Happy Crafting!

Project Life, 2014: Week 17 Wedding

Week 17 was a huge week for us as it included April 26 which was the day my son got married to his wonderful and beautiful fiance', D'Ann.
I decided to do an extra two page layout with some of the fabulous photos of the wedding.  This is just a snippet of the day...I plan to do a regular wedding album at some point, too.

But this two page layout will go in my Project Life book for 2014.

Here is the layout:

For the Project Life Pros out there this probably looks like a different template.  Well, it is.  It came with the Just Jaimee Storyteller kit for April.  And yes, the cards and elements are from that kit, as well.  The templates actually came with a white background but I wanted them to be consistent with the gray that is on the Becky Higgins templates so I just changed it out.  Yay for digital.

Here is a closer look at the left side:

And here is a look at the right:

Besides putting the date in and what the event was I left off other journaling.  I journaled so much last week it wore me out.  Just kidding...but I just didn't want a lot of writing to distract or detract from the photos.  

So that is that.  

I'm happy with the way it turned out...

And a happy crafting day to you all!

Project Life, 2014: Week 16

Another beautiful fall day today.  I will be heading out shortly for a little hiking.  I seriously could live with this type of weather all year long!  I don't need it much warmer and I certainly don't want it much colder!!! 

I finished up Week 16 using Traci Reed's April kit.  I do like the colors of this kit a lot...such pretty spring colors.  I know...I really need to be doing FALL stuff! 

Completing Project Life this year has been a challenge since I didn't start working on layouts until half of the dadgummed year had past by!  And of course I didn't take good notes or get my photos well organized.  But it is getting done!  I am looking at ways to be better organized for 2015.  Traci Reed has a PL organizer that I'm looking at...might be worth it,  you know?  You can see her system HERE.

But for now I plod along in a totally disorganized manner! LOL!

Here is the 2 week layout for Week 16

I used Ali Edwards' Hand Drawn Numbers Brush for the "week" and "sixteen" on my week card in the upper left. 
Here is a better view of the left side:

The white frame over David's picture in the middle is from Katie Pertiet and is called Thicker Inked Photo Borders No 1.  I reduced the opacity a bit so that you get that slightly transparent look.
I used Tracy Larsen and Lily Pad templates for the photos.  The large template is a Becky Higgins original, of course.
Here is the right side:

And lookie...I did some journaling.  I am a true believer in the adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" and believe in letting photos speak for themselves but sometimes you just gotta be a bit wordy!
The bottom left "LOVE this" was a Katie Pertiet .png file from the same set mentioned above and I just recolored it to match my layout a bit better.

And that's it for today....on to week 17.  Or maybe I'll jump ahead and work on Week 40! LOL!

Happy Crafting and enjoy the day!

Project Life, 2014: Week 14

I really haven't done much paper crafting lately and I really need to get into my room and make some cards.  I did make a sympathy card yesterday but didn't even bother to take a picture of it as it is my "go to" card and you've probably already seen it before!

So I spent my evening with laptop in lap watching a bit of tv and working on my Project Life layout for week 14.  And I got it done! 

I used Traci Reed's April kit and I love the colors.  So up my alley!

Here is the 2 page spread:

I love all the snippets of color.

Here is a closer up of the left side:

I love the little photo of Wade in the top left.  Happy little boy!  The children had a busy week...baseball, horsebackriding, playing on the playground, and washing my dog! LOL!

Here is the right side:

The bottom middle photo is so funny.  Not a good picture but that's Taylor crammed into my dog's crate.  She likes to "play puppy" and what you can't see is that she has her puppy costume on! Funny girl!

And that's it for today.  After a full day of rain yesterday the sun is shining today and I am off to enjoy this wonderful Autumn weather!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Project Life, 2014: Week 13

I posted my "extra" pages for Week 13 the other day which was my trip to the Washington, D.C. area.  So now I am back to the "regular" photos for Week 13. 

During that week my friends hosted a wedding shower for my son and his bride to be.  And my daughter took her kids to a children's museum.  That gave me plenty of pictures for my 2 page layout.  I like that!  Lots of photos to choose from!

Here is the 2 page spread:

I used the True Story kit by Traci Reed.   
I love red, blue and kraft colors together.  And I love the way this turned out.

Here is the left side:

I used some various templates from Lily Pad, Tracy Larsen and Katie Pertiet.  I love the templates and I think they really add an element to a layout but they can be time consuming to use! Layer, layer, layer! LOL!  I didn't get the greatest shots at the shower but by doing the little 6 photo collage in the top right you get to see some of the guest and I could include a lot of photos in a small space.
The three grandkids came so I wanted to make sure I included them, as well. 

Here is the right side:

I absolutely love the sweet photo of a daddy's love in the top left.  Kind of bittersweet to look back and see how much Wade has grown since then. 
The kids had a great week...and my dog did, too!  She got to spend a little time away from home while I was in Washington and got treated like a princess!  She loves the kids and they love her!

And that's it for today.

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!