Project Life 2013, Week 7

Love the way Week 7 turned out! (Do I say that every week?). There was a definite "red" theme going on, with Valentine's Day happenings and general feeling of family love. Here's a look at the whole week:

The week started off with a hike in the Makawao Forest Reserve Upcountry and I used one of Ali Edwards' 365 Days Photo and Journal Overlays on my favorite photo of Dean on a log. (you can also purchase those overlays in individual monthly packs, but I use them so much that I bought the whole year). I couldn't wait to watch the last few episodes of Downton Abbey, so I cheated and bought the Season 3 DVD at Barnes and Noble and watched them a few weeks before it aired on TV here in the US. Love that show!

Still on the left side of the page, in that far right 3x4 pocket, I used a few different fun new items to embellish an instagram photo of the sign at the trailhead of our hike. That fun geotag wood veneer is from the Punctuation Snippets Wood Veneer set by Studio Calico. I recently bought several new stamp sets from Evalicious and that Remember This Label stamp is getting lots of use in my project life! I'm also finding myself reaching for the Oh Happy Day stamp. And I used my Pink Micro Monogram alpha stickers from Basic Grey again this week- on both sides of the layout. And the Twenty13 Calendar card is printed from a digi file by Robyn Meierotto.

 On the right side of the age, I used a few different Cathy Zielske items - the 3x4 Tiny Template, the Week in Review card that I use quite often, and then the "Always love You" filler card from J-Cards No. 7. I also used some Black / White Label Maker Phrases sticker from Pebbles on both sides of this layout (I've had those in my stash forever and am finally putting them to good use!).

Overall super super happy with this one! Still loving this project!

YNS - Tasty Tuesday

Well, as the month of February is quickly winding down, my Guest DT gig with Your Next Stamp will soon be coming to an end. Once again, today I'm joining the Your Next Stamp Design Team for a fun new Challenge they're doing this year - Tasty Tuesday Challenge! If you're new to YNS, you can find all the Tasty Tuesday Challenge details HERE.  Basically, it's an inspiration challenge using a photo from Pinterest. There's a new inspiration photo each month, and every Tuesday different YNS DT members share their own creations over on the YNS blog to get your creative juices flowing.

Here's a look at the February inspiration photo:

Drawing inspiration from the colors in the photos, I grabbed some older October Afternoon papers from my stash and a new YNS stamp set and whipped up this fun birthday card:

I used the Fancy Frame Set, which has a fabulous Matching Die (unfortunately, my ancient Big Shot decided to bite the dust just a few days ago and my new one hasn't come in yet, so I had to go through the tedious task of fussy cutting my fancy frame. But I can't wait to use that matching die!). This set would make it so easy to create a gift set of all-occasion cards!

Be sure to stop by the YNS Blog today to see what the regular DT members have created using the inspiration photo!

I hope you'll play along with us this month! Simply create your own card (or cards - you can enter as many times as you'd like) based on the inspiration photo and link them up using the linky thing on THIS POST for a chance to win some YNS goodies!

YNS Fun Friday - VACATION!

I'm back again this final Aloha Friday of February, playing along with the Your Next Stamp team in their Fun Friday Vacation themed post today. Once again, I stuck close to home with my creation - using the super cute Kai from Hawaii stamp:

Isn't he adorable? I've played with him before and colored him almost exactly the same. But he reminds me so much of my own little surfer dude, Dean, that I just can't help it! I paired him with patterned papers from the new Here & There collection by Studio Calico and added a wood veneer speech bubble as embellishment and that's it. Super simple.

You can check out all of today's Fun Friday posts over on the Your Next Stamp blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Project Life 2013, Week 6

I was really happy with the way this week turned out. I had very few photos from Week 6 and really struggled at first with filling all those pockets. But once I was done, it ended up being one of my favorite weeks so far. Funny how that works, huh? This was the week we {mostly} finished up the floors, so Dean and I were still at my Mom's the first part of the week, then the house was such a mess the rest of the week and our normal routine was just so out of whack. I included a couple of Dean's drawings this week - one of them you can see I added to an 8.5x11 page protector as an extra insert. I absolutely LOVE this drawing because it is just SO DEAN right now. It's very analytical, it's some kind of "Tree Chart" where he drew pictures of different types of trees (I'm pretty sure most of them are just made up as I've never heard of them), and then labeled them with colored dots as to their different characteristics. He put them into different categories such as "fruiting", "pine", "rare", and (my favorite) "wormy". So cute!

On the left side of the page I once again changed up my "Anchor Card" a bit. I used a chipboard number that came in (I think) my January Studio Calico scrapbook kit. I also printed a filler card that's basically just a quote card I found on pinterest.  The February calendar is from the Photo Freedom Vol. 1 Calendars 12x12 by Echo Park. The background paper for my Anchor Card is from the Seafoam Project Life Kit. And that cute "Daily Details" stamp in the bottom right pocket? That's from the Daily Details 4x6 Stamp set by Elle's Studio. I also used a few other random things from my Studio Calico Project Life and Scrapbook kits from January.

On the right side of the page, because I needed filler, I talked a bit about the latest book I read for Book Club (interesting read if you're looking for something. Very different). Used lots of alpha stickers from Studio Calico. A filler card (It's been a Long Week) from Phrase Cards 2 by Cathy Zielske. I also used these Black 6x12 Micro Monogram sticker alphas from Basic Grey. I've been using these stickers more and more lately and have them in several colors - Pink, White, Grey, etc. They're a great deal at just $1.50 a sheet because they come with SO many of each letter, and that smaller size is perfect for Project Life (I like using them on my 3x4 cards). You can also see that I added a clothing tag from one of Dean's new shirts to one of my 3x4 pockets this week for additional filler as well as a selfie I normally would never include of my teeth. But I've been dealing with taking care of some long overdue dental work the past month (to upgrade a cosmetic procedure to deal with a badly chipped front tooth that I got by falling off my bike and landing on my face on concrete when I was 9 years old - very traumatic! It was way past time to have this tooth re-done as the last bond or whatever it was they did back then hadn't been redone since I was a teenager - like 20 years ago - and it was badly stained. So yeah, as much as I have dreaded it and put it off for years, it's good to get it done and taken care of. Even though my bank account isn't too happy about it!! Cosmetic dental work is EXPENSIVE!).

 And that's it for Week 6. Initially a struggle because of a shortage of photos, but ended up being a favorite!

Baby Project Life, the First Month - Part 1

I mentioned a few posts ago that I got a crazy idea to go back and put together a Baby Project Life Album documenting Dean's First Year. I started working on this a few weeks ago, admittedly with a mixture of anxiety and dread - but I'm so glad I'm doing this! It's going together rather quickly and I love it. I'm keeping things super simple, mostly using the Baby Edition For Him Core Kit, hand writing my journaling, and adding a minimum of embellishments. The hardest part of the project has been sorting through the TONS of photos on my computer and deciding which to use. I probably shouldn't even include as many as I have been so far, but it's my album and I just couldn't narrow it down any more than I did. Anyway, I thought I would share some of my progress. I actually have all of his first month done, but I'll divide it up into 2 posts so you're not overwhelmed with too many photos.

Cover Page (sorry for the squishy newborn pics, but well, it is a baby album!):

 

Between the first set of pages, I included "The Birth Story" typed out (I had journaled this a few weeks after Dean was born...luckily I kept a really good journal that first year, so I do at least have the details, I've just never taken the time to get a complete album done). I used one of Ali Edward's 6x12 Words and Photos Layered Templates, but resized it to print on 8.5x11 because I don't have a large format printer and I'm printing most of this at home. I slid it into a 8.5x11 page protector, cut off the excess plastic and then used my sewing machine to sew up the side. You can see poking out under that insert (which has some really special photos of Dean and I snuggling on the back side), the keepsake hospital birth certificate also slid into a trimmed down page protector.

 

Below are closer looks at both the left and right sides of these pages - all photos still in the hospital, some immediately after his birth, and some from the next day when we had a few special visitors.

 

 The next set of pages document our discharge from the hospital and taking Dean home for the first time. I used some of the prompted journal cards from the Baby Kit to help with my journaling. I was surprised that I actually remembered our old address at the condo we lived in when Dean was born (we sold that condo and bought our current house when Dean was 11 months old). I even remembered our old land line phone number (we haven't had a land line since then either!). Funny the things that stick.

 

 These pages document our first few days home - that really stressful time as new parents with a newborn when you're excited and scared and exhausted all at the same time.  I also included an enlarged 5x7 of one of my favorite early photos of Dean and I together in his room inside a horizontal 5x7 page protector as an extra insert here with some special journaling on the back. And dude. Check out how HUMONGOUS my boobs were! I mean really. Brings back memories of how majorly uncomfortable I was right after my milk came in (and how much more challenging breastfeeding was than I expected! Took what seemed like forever for us to get the hang of it and settle into a groove).

 

And still more of those first few weeks.

And that's it for now. So glad I'm tackling this project. It's good to get these photos off the computer and into an album where we can actually look at them! I didn't have a great camera back in 2006, so not many of my photos are good quality, but you know what? It doesn't even matter. Hasn't bothered me one bit. So if there's interest, I'll continue to share more of this album every now and then.

Project Life 2013, Week 5

Finally starting to feel a bit caught up on things around here. The renovations are done (for now). And my house is almost clean. Week 5 is in the book, and Week 6 is almost finished. I feel like things are starting to settle down a bit. Here's a look at my finished Week 5:

 

Once again, I used my Seafoam PL kit as well as my Studio Calico January Project Life Kit.

On the left side of the page you can see that I did, after all, change up my "anchor card". I used the Word Art Titles by September Blue, which coordinate with the Seafoam kit. A few journaling cards from the SC Project Life kit as well as some embellishments from the Block Party Scrapbook Kit. I added a January calendar from the 2013 Chic Calendar Brights by Elle's Studio to a striped Seafoam filler card. And I can't seem to stop using that Salmon Orange Zigzag Washi Tape! Love it.

On the right side of the layout, I have a couple of filler cards, lots of SC printable labels, and I finally got some new (to me) stamps inky. I think my favorite has to be that The Good Life Banner Stamp by Evalicious in the bottom right pocket. In the same pocket I also used a Weekday Badge (Sat) and some yellow Farm Girl Honey Sticky Keys alpha stickers. That grey chevron washi is from the Yellow & Grey Decorative Tape Set by MME (these sets of 8 rolls of washi come in a few different color sets. But be warned - you'll want them all!). The orange date stamp banner in the top right pocket is from Blinks of Life, which has a lot of super cute individual rubber stamps. A lot of them are currently sold out, but she seems to restock often so keep checking back if there's something you love.

And that's it for Week 5. I'm currently trying to find a cute printable Album Spine card (you know the little slip of paper you slide into the metal bookplate on the spine of your album?). Something that I can customize maybe just by adding "Volume 1", etc to. Cathy Zielske has some cute ones last year but I didn't see that she did any this year. Anyone have any suggestions? I know I could make my own, but it's easier to just download something pre-designed. Let me know if you've come across anything. Preferably something that coordinates with the Seafoam kit maybe?? Thanks in advance!

I hope all of my U.S. friends have a great long President's Day weekend! Joel and I are looking forward to 3 and a half days of kid-free bliss! Dean is staying with my Mom all weekend and Joel and I will have some quiet time. I'm sure I'll spend some of that time getting crafty and I'm sure Joel will spend some of that time catching up on paperwork. But we're planning on fitting in dinner and maybe a movie (any suggestions? preferably nothing too "heavy"), catching up on a few DVR'd shows that Dean's not allowed to watch, and maybe even sneaking in a little hike or possibly even go to the beach by ourselves - we're not sure we remember what it's like to go to the beach without dragging a ton of toys, an umbrella for extra shade, extra snacks, a change of clothes, and then spending the whole time keeping a watchful eye on a 6-yr-old who thinks the ocean and waves are his personal playground (in other words, vastly different beach experience from our pre-parenthood days of relaxation and naps on the beach!). It's going to be a great weekend! :-)

YNS Tasty Tuesday

I'm joining the Your Next Stamp Design Team today for a fun new Challenge they're doing this year - Tasty Tuesday Challenge! If you're new to YNS, you can find all the Tasty Tuesday Challenge details HERE.  Basically, it's an inspiration challenge using a photo from Pinterest. There's a new inspiration photo each month, and every Tuesday different YNS DT members share their own creations over on the YNS blog to get your creative juices flowing.

Here's a look at the February inspiration photo:

I used the Celebrate stamp from Heather Rolin's Seasonal Icon Collection. I kept things pretty clean and simple, finding inspiration in the colors of the inspiration photo. I decided to try using watercolor pencils to color my image this time and I love the soft look I ended up with! I added two strips of washi tape to the top of my image panel and called it done. 

Be sure to stop by the YNS Blog today to see what the regular DT members have created using the inspiration photo!

I hope you'll play along with us this month! Simply create your own card (or cards - you can enter as many times as you'd like) based on the inspiration photo and link them up using the linky thing on THIS POST for a chance to win some YNS goodies!

Project Life 2013, Week 4

I'm officially about a week behind on Project Life. I managed to stay caught up most of last year, only getting at most 2 weeks behind right after our Disneyland vacation in May and then again around the holidays in December. Otherwise, for the most part I'd finish the previous week's pages on Sunday afternoon - usually working on them here and there throughout the week, printing photos I knew I'd want to use as I had them, journaling about the big stuff when I had time, and then just filling in holes on Sunday. It worked out REALLY well for me. And I know that had I fallen much more than a few weeks behind, I probably never would have stuck it out. It's just the way I work. So my intention is to continue staying mostly caught up this year as well. Our big renovation project is making it difficult (Pretty much all of Week 5 and a lot of Week 6 will cover house renovations since that's just about all that was going on around here!). But for now, here's a look at Week 4:

I kept things pretty simple this week. Once again, mixing my Seafoam Kit with my Studio Calico Project Life kit. I also used 3 printables from Geralyn Sy's store, In a Creative Bubble (and I picked up all of her new releases this week! Can't. Stop.). On the left side of the page I included a couple of small (2.25x2.25 inches each) instagrams about how we honored Martin Luther King, Jr on his holiday and journaled a bit about that. I have a feeling at the end of the school year when I receive Dean's Art Portfolio, there will be at least one MLK, Jr related piece of work that will be slipped into a page protector and added as an extra insert to this week. I included journaling about and a photo of myself painting Dean's room from early in the week as well as a collage of photos of the finished room. Great way to remember what your child's room looked like years from now! I barely remember my room at 6 yrs old and would love to have a photo like this! I'm already getting bored with my Weekly Anchor card (the "Week 4" card in the upper left) and will probably start to change things up with that soon. I had originally thought I'd stick with this format all year, but now I've decided I think I'll change things up week to week. That's the great thing about Project Life - no rules, so I can do whatever I want! :-) Although it will bug me to have 4 weeks consistent and then random after that. Maybe I'll make changes monthly and keep things the same each month? What do you think?

I documented President Obama's Inauguration on the right side of the spread with a photo of Dean in front of the TV, which shows Barack and Michelle on the steps of the Capitol. A few more renovation photos (trip to Home Depot, Joel working on the Board and Batten in the entry, more journaling about the ongoing projects), etc. And a bit of everyday life - an after school treat at Yogurtland, and Dean being silly when I tried to get a selfie of the two of us. I got a little creative with my Week in Review card by using some Studio Calico days of the week stamps to differentiate the days I was journaling about. Initially wasn't sure if I liked it, but it grew on me.

And that's it. My plans for this weekend while Joel (hopefully) finishes up the flooring installation include finishing up Week 5 and at least starting on Week 6! Dean and I might sneak a hike in there somewhere too...Have a great weekend everyone!

YNS Fun Friday - VACATION

Happy Aloha Friday! As a Guest DT member for February, today I'm participating in a Fun Friday post with Your Next Stamp. Every Friday this month some of the YNS DT will be sharing projects representing / inspired by the theme VACATION. As most of you know, I live on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii, where we share aloha with approximately 2 million tourists per year (the resident population of Maui is about 140,000). My home is often at the top of many Vacation Wish Lists! Don't worry - I am thankful every single day for the opportunity to live and work and raise my son in Paradise! So when I'm given the theme "Vacation" for a DT project...I can't resist playing it safe and sticking close to home:

I mean really - isn't she the cutest!? I used the Aloha Fhiona stamp set as well as some leftover papers from the Sunnyside Collection (Pebbles) to create my card.

Be sure to stop by the YNS Blog today to check out what the rest of the team has created to get you in the mood for a little VACATION!

Project Life 2013, Week 3

Well, hello! I'm a little behind sharing my Project Life pages so here's a look at Week 3. I'll keep the blah blah blah to a minimum. I used my Seafoam kit, the Studio Calico Project Life kit as well as the Studio Calico Block Party kit and a few Geralyn Soy printables (found HERE). I've been displaced from my house for several days due to an ongoing renovation project that just got a little more complicated - we started in Dean's room and that is finally finished (Painting - I included the paint chip in this week's spread since the picking out of the paint for his room happened during Week 3, new furniture, and new bedding). But then we (and by "we" I actually mean my husband Joel since I don't tend to help with home improvement projects for a variety of reasons, most importantly the health of our marriage - ha! - not really kidding) started on the big project of 2013, which is to install solid bamboo flooring in our Great Room and hallway, removing the nasty 5-yr-old builder's grade carpet that Dean has done his best to destroy since the house was built 5 years ago! Anyway, moving on...here's a look at both sides of Week 3:

As I said before, I included the paint chip for the color we used on Dean's wall (the actual painting was done in Week 4). Week 3 also marked the beginning of a cold spell here in Hawaii with night-time lows right around 60 degrees (one night it even got down to 55 in Kahului!! CRAZINESS right there). We didn't know what to do with ourselves.

I kept things pretty simple this week. Photos and label stickers. The Week in Review is from Cathy Zielske's digi kit available at Designer Digitals. I get really excited when I use up every single sticker on a sticker sheet and I used all of those greenish-yellow label stickers that came in the Studio Calico Project Life kit. Very functional.

And that's it for Week 3. Week 4 is also done and in the album and I have most of Week 5 done. The current state of my house is slowing things down a bit.

I've also gone a little crazy this year and decided to tackle a Baby Project Life Album and have been {finally} printing and getting Dean's first year photos put into a PL binder, mostly using the Baby For Him kit. I'm keeping the embellishments to a minimum just to make it go together quicker, but I'm so excited to finally get those photos off of my computer and into an album! Does anyone have any interest in seeing those pages as well? I'm wondering if I should do a couple of Baby Project Life shares and just post a bunch of photos of the pages without much verbage? They are pretty self explanatory...

How is everyone else doing with Project Life? Still caught up? Behind already?

I'll be back Friday with a card to share and then plan to post my Week 4 this weekend! Mahalo for stopping by!