Project Life October 2014

Believe it or not I'm actually caught up with Project Life. (Okay, well...I may be lying a tad. I haven't scrapped September yet. I was sick of being behind so I just started back up with October. I was more motivated to do a current month.)

I tried for a more "put together" look this month. I used my typewriter a lot. (I'm not the best at it and I pretty much left all mistakes "as-is.")

I also printed all my pictures with a white border. I always think it's pretty when people do that with their pages and I like the cleaner look it gives my own. 

I did a lot of Halloween colors. Even with non-Halloween related things. It was also Mr. 246's birthday this month so that means...birthday week!

I had a fair amount of pull out things for when I wanted to include just one more thing or a little tid-bit.

A half page insert for our Pumpkin Patch trip...

I've been debating about what to do with cards. I just can't keep keeping them. They take up a lot of space and I'm still relatively young. I've decided I'm going to keep the super special ones and photograph the rest. That's what these two pages are: pictures of birthday/Halloween cards. Some of them aren't the right orientation and the pictures aren't the best but it's all very readable and takes up considerably less space than the actual cards.

See...I did keep some stuff! These are some random inserts I'm including as well. The two little books of memories reside in the birthday envelope.

More birthday celebrations...

A little pull out with pictures of Luna poking the cake, a little memory about Luna wanting nothing but cake and for good measure...I included the recipe as well!

Another little pull-out of a picture I just couldn't NOT include. There was a rabbit at the Autism walk and Luna insisted that it was the Peter Rabbit. So cute!

 A 12x12 page highlighting Luna's costume! (The picture didn't turn out so well of this one. Oops!)

More everyday life....

And a half page insert just for Halloween!

That's about it...I've been super quiet lately on the blogging front. (It's actually been quite nice! I think it might be too much for working full time and having a life and blogging but I'm going to make it a point to check in every now and then.)

Hope you're all well! Please feel free to leave a link to any Halloween or October project life pages you've done. I'd love to see them! Thanks for stopping by!

-Mrs. 246

Project Life Catch Up: April 14 - 28!

I'm still chugging along trying to catch up to present day (again). I finished this layout last weekend and it shows April 14 -26. (Roughly week 16-17.) It's very Luna-centric because when we don't have much going on Luna's really the only thing we photograph.  Haha.

This page is actually the back half of my Yosemite layout from April 13th so I had a 12x6 area to fill. I decided it would be cute to highlight our sidewalk chalk art from 4/14. Let's be honest...it's pretty sweet. Haha. I hadn't done sidewalk chalk in forever and it was way too much fun. Luna was kind of into it. She kept asking me to draw turtles then decided it would be more fun to play cars outside. I, on the other hand, totally went for it.

 

Nothing too special about the sidewalk chalk bits. I found these cute little stickers at Target that had rainbows and clouds which I decided would be perfect for my rainbow/clouds masterpiece. 

I feel like these kind of stickers aren't really "in" for scrapbooking right now but I say "Pssh!" Use what you like! It's your scrapbook. I think I'd drive myself insane if I tried to make some of those pages I see. They are gorgeous but they're just not me. It's not going to be fun until you stay true to your own style.

As for this section...I LOVE it. Even more so because this picture was taken after Luna used the potty for the first time!!! I never really do split pocket type layouts but I loved how this turned out.

• The "One Sweet Moment" is from one of the me & my big ideas pocket card sets, I just don't recall which one.
• The chevron card is from Becky Higgins 5th and Frolic Core Set.
• The "medal" was actually a pretty ugly flower embellishment that I added the "i did it!" circle on and glued some scrap ribbons on the back. It might just be my favorite part! And yes, it's on top of the pocket and not in it.
• And the typing?! Well folks, that's on my new typewriter! More about that on a later day but if you look through my Instagram Feed you can catch a sneak peek! (And feel free to add me, I've been really enjoying IG lately.)

Just a close up of the awesome flower/medal thing. I'm really quite pleased at how it came together. Now for the second page...

Isn't this page more matchy-matchy than you're used to from me? I kind of like it! Lots of purple/blue inspired by blue eyes and a purple dress.

I used the same purple (and yellow) washi tape on all the pictures from this "session" to kind of tie it all together. The card above is actually kind of plain but all the elements come together pretty well I think! The card is from the 5th and Frolic set and I made the QR code for the video at this website.

If you choose to scan it and watch it...be warned...it's a minute or so long video of Luna eating an apple. It was such a peaceful moment and I'm so scared that I'll forget tiny little details like how cute she is eating an enormous apple I just want to include everything!



More pictures from the park and another (pretty cute!) video of Luna on the swing. So cute.



Here's the last couple pictures from this portion. Washi tape is my friend. I have alot-ish. (I've seen much bigger stashes.) I just like how easy and cheap it is to add a bit of color/pattern and to "tie" groups of pictures together. My collection doubled in size when I bought the Memory Keepers Washi Tape Set. I like how it has pretty much ALL the basic colors in two different sizes/patterns so it's perfect if you like washi tape but don't have many projects where you can break out your kitty cat washi tape.

And for the end little bit...a flip page! I only had a couple pictures left I wanted to include in before I did our Easter (we did it later in the month since I was working on actual Easter) and the last of the month so a flip pocket was perfect.

I already have those pictures printed out so I'm ahead of the game...just have to finish it!

Has anyone did their Easter pages yet? Leave a link because I'd love to see them and steal all your ideas before I put my layout together. ;)


Thanks for looking!

- Mrs. 246

Small Print: Amazon Affiliate links used where applicable. I have not been asked to endorse these particular products. They're just products I love and use. Opinions are always entirely my own. Two-Forty-Six will make a very small percentage on anything purchased through these links. This helps support my craft supply addiction. If you wanna check out more of my favorite items, check out my aStore. I'm still setting up but everything listed are actual items I use and enjoy.

Project Life Calendar Printables

Hello! I know a lot of people really liked the calendar I did for the first week of April page and so did I! I'm planning on doing a calendar each month but I wanted something a bit more do-it-yourself for future months so I made my own calendar! Then I made a couple slightly different calendars to share with everyone. (Free for personal use only.) These 4x6in calendars are perfect for pocket scrapbooking but you could also use them in other ways:

• Print them on colored/patterned paper.
• Cover special days in washi tape to add a bit of color!
• Write a mini snippet for each day (my favorite thing to do!).
• Use one to make a countdown calendar in your scrapbook.
• Use one to display a "streak" of something. Working on running? Put a sticker for each day you ran to display your accomplishments.
• Add one to your art journal or smashbook.
• Use one for a mini book.
• Make one a weather calendar! 

 

Technical details:

• All these calendars are designed to be printed 4x6 in.
• These are all .png files.
• 4 Black Calendars: Blank, plain text, cursive text, small caps text.
• 3 Gray Calendars: Plain, cursive, small caps.
• 1 Vertical black calendar with small caps text.
• You can click on the picture to enlarge/view and right click to save to your computer.
• You can also click on the "download here" links for each calendar to download them that way.
•  Feel free to contact me with any questions. I'm not super tech-y but I'll do my best to help.

Black with NO text. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Black with Simple Text. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Black with cursive text. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Black with small caps. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Gray with simple text. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Gray with cursive text. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Gray with small caps. Right click to view/save. Download here.

Black vertical with small caps. Right click to view/save. Download here.

That's it, folks...use and enjoy! If you've used one in a layout leave a link! I'd love to see how everyone uses them! -Mrs. 246

Project Life: Yosemite Trip Documented!

This past weekend I finally got around to putting our Yosemite Trip into my Project Life book. I didn't have an exact idea of how I wanted it all to look (I'm more of a figure-out-as-I-go scrapper) and it took the greater part of an evening because it just wasn't looking "right." Ever get like that? There was lots of trial and error involved but I'm pretty pleased with the end result.

So above is the layout with the inserts. Below is the layout without the inserts.

Originally I wanted that first picture to span both pages put it wasn't the right dimensions to make it that long. :( Maybe next time I take panoramas I'll make a super long one so I have that option. The page protector comes in a 10 pack from We R Memory Keepers.
.

This quote sums up our nature trips perfectly. Sometimes you just have to head to the mountains.

The clear Yosemite quote sticker above was actually taken from this Yosemite scrapbooking sticker pictured below. When we were at one of the gift shops I found it on a little sidecap and of course had to buy it. (I thought it was multiple stickers when I bought it but it was actually one giant one so I cut it up and used it as I pleased.)

Below are some shots from the car ride there. I wanted to journal something about the road trip on the way there and as I was working on the layout I yelled to Ryan:

"Hey, was there any interesting I can journal about the car ride there?" 

"Wasn't that the ride where Luna puked every where?!"

This trip was only a month and a half ago. Isn't it funny how quickly we forgot little details and stories? That's one reason I'm definitely glad I am doing Project Life. I don't want to forget anything. Even Luna's first real puking experience.

Ahhh...journaling cards. I originally was going to go with plain white Becky Higgins Grid Cards and dress them up. I started to do that but it just looked so out of place. All these nature-y pictures and -- BAM! Bright white in-your-face! It didn't look right. None of the cards I had looked right. I looked through my 6x6 and 12x12 scrapbook paper - none of the greens/browns worked quite right. I finally settled on this yellow patterned paper and accented it with green. Honestly, it's still not my favorite, but it does the job I think.

 

A little bit about supplies:

• The "YOSEMITE" is spelled out using these Amy Tangerine Woodgrain Thickers (which you may recognize from my current blog header! Also, I got them from Joann's with a coupon which is MUCH cheaper than the listed price on Amazon). 
• The little green tab and "Details" sticker is from Sn@p labels, purchased from Michaels.
• The "Yosemite National Park" is from that random sticker I found in the gift shop. 
• The trees sticker is cut from these Sandy Lion tree border stickers. 
• And finally....do you see that little "hello" cursive stamp beside the Yosemite title....

It's from this Heidi Swapp stamp pack which I have officially fallen in love with. It's perfect for Project Life. And ended up only being around $6 at Michaels with a coupon. (Sadly couldn't find a link for you. Leave a comment if you know where to find them online!) Be prepared to see more use of these stamps in the near future. :)

Next up is this gorgeous Yosemite map card I picked up at one of the gift shops. I didn't have exact plans for it when I bought it but I loved it. I didn't want to "mess it up" but punching holes directly in it so I made some little makeshift tabs to put it in the binder. (The pokadot green - it's just patterned cardstock folded in half, attached with scotch tape, and punched with a hole.)

If I had more to say about the trip I would have journaled inside the card but I didn't so I left it blank for now.

The next insert below is a Becky Higgins Design J insert. I like how it includes 4x4's to break up the whole 4x6 and 3x4 business that's always going on. (If you click on the link you can check out over ten different page protector layouts as well!)

The yellow paper is back! Even when I'm not using a kit to coordinate (which I never do anyway) I like my pages from one event to have some sort of cohesiveness. My "theme" for the Yosemite trip was black stamps, that yellow paper, and some of that green stripy washi tape I love so much.

The card below was cut from 12x12 scrapbook paper. The Yosemite sticker came from the gift shop and I had a little square frame type stamp that I only inked the corners of so I could embellish the corners of the card.

I'm a bit proud of the picture below. See the washi tape on the side? Yea...that was my solution for accidentally cropping the picture way too much. Add some coordinating washi tape - problem solved! And to continue the yellow to the bottom of the insert, I stamped one of the Heidi Swapp stamps onto the yellow paper and cut it out, glued it on.

The "be brave and do it" is from one of my current favorite embellishment items, Cosmo Cricket "Just Because" Tiny Text Stickers. I just freaking love them. The "To be creative, one must play" is from "Life Story" sticker pack.

Here's the back of the insert in it's entirety:

Yep. Was taking pictures of deer in a field and embarrassingly decided it would be sooo cool to take a selfie with the deer. Journal about it. Document your silliness. Own it.  ("Say Cheese" embellishment is from one of those 4 page MAMBI chip sets you can get from Michaels.)

OH-EM-GEE! My new favorite thing! Flip Flaps! This one was a 2x2 included in this small mix set by CTMH but you can find similar photo flip pages like this from sn@p! as well.

The yellow 4x4 card is one I made listing the animals Luna picked out on our adventure. I always love doing little lists like this. I especially love the little mix of stamps and handwriting on the tiny animal pictures. Gah! How cute! (Are you allowed to ooh and ahh over your own layouts? I think yes! It's part of the fun! Be proud of what you come up with!)

Bottom row of the insert. So beautiful. I love Yosemite!

Next insert: Blog Post! In my PL binder?! Yes...that's right. I already outlined most of the trip in a blog post. What's the point of writing it out again in a journal card? So I copy/pasted, fiddled with the margins/pictures and printed out the blog post on 8.5x11 white cardstock. I think it's kind of neat to include a blog post every now and then.

You can read my post about our Yosemite trip here. On the second page I had blown up and glued in the 8x8 picture of "Then & Now." In one picture I am 8 months pregnant, the next we have Luna at 21.5 months old at almost the same exact spot in front of Lower Yosemite Falls.

Last page! I love this picture that Mr. 246 captured of Luna and I sitting by one of the streams.

To embellish I added more Tiny Text Stickers to the bottom corner. Sometimes they're just so perfect...I think I'm addicted.

Surprisingly, below is my only photo collage I included. I was a bit lazy while editing photos to do more. Plus I didn't have a ton of photos like you would expect me to. We live pretty close to Yosemite and have a year long pass so I'm sure we'll be back.

I embellished with more Tiny Text stickers and some enamel dots like this (can't remember which brand).

And one final one...I really wanted to use the camera stamp from the Heidi Swapp pack on this picture but I only have black ink and the picture's a bit dark anywhere I would want to stamp it so I lined up a couple pieces of my favorite washi tape and stamped it right on there. A little weird but I like it!

So, that's it...our Yosemite Trip in PL form. I think it turned out pretty alright. Since it was our first trip of the season I went for a large layout with inserts. I think next time I'll only do a page or so. Thanks for letting me share! I'll end this post with a question....

What's your go to embellishments and/or kits when scrapping a nature-y type outing like this? I'm always in the market for some new fun stuff. Thanks!

-Mrs. 246

Small Print: Amazon Affiliate links used where applicable. I have not been asked to endorse these particular products. They're just products I love and use. Opinions are always entirely my own. Two-Forty-Six will make a very small reimbursement on anything purchased through these links to you know maybe even buy me a cup of coffee! (Or pay off my library fines. Heh.) If you wanna check out more of my favorite items, check out my aStore. I'm still setting up but everything listed are actual items I use and enjoy. Again, a small percentage will go back to Two-Forty-Six...I might be able to upgrade that coffee to a grande. ;)