Project Life: July Layouts

So, August is halfway over. I am definitely feeling it. August is a sad month. Summer is coming to a close, and I can’t help but feel like I didn’t enjoy it the way I usually do. I don’t remember the last time I sat by a pool with a summer beer or fruity mixed drink. I’ve got that summertime sadness (oh, ohoohoh).
As much as I enjoy the crisp weather of fall, I am stressing about the passing of time.
ANYWAY, a new month means last month’s Project Life layouts.

Only two major things happened in July: My friend Tracy’s wedding and our trip to Virginia.
So this was a short month of layouts, only really focusing on those two things, with a spread for random photos I took throughout the month and didn’t want to leave out.

 

I’m pleased with this layout as a whole, because I incorporated both the Sunshine core kit and some Studio Calico cards and embellishments. A particular favorite is the diamond wood veneer…perfect for a wedding! I also trimmed some portrait style photos down to 3x4 so they would be used in the layouts without adding more pages. I rounded them, which made them smaller, but I love the way they look. Sometimes, the pictures tell more than a journaling card can.

Out of this spread, only the grid card and heart card on the left are from the Sunshine kit. The title card is from the Summer cards and the rest are from various Studio Calico kits. I love the way it looks.
I’m also super pleased with the vertical page on the right.

Left page is ENTIRELY Studio Calico and I love it. The Thickers I used on the top left photo are from an Amy Tangerine collection, but everything else is SC. I love adding Thickers to photos. I also love my sister.

More small photos in the journaling card spaces. Love it.

Finally, the random moments that didn’t fit with the other layouts.

Ending with the vertical layout means starting with a vertical layout next month. That stresses me just a little bit.
I feel like I’m getting the hang of it, though.

Also, I’m still trying to find the best way to photograph my layouts. So many bloggers do it and they turn out great, but I end up with a lot of glare. Hopefully, I’ll find the perfect balance of light and background soon.

Project Life: June Layouts

Now that it’s July…it’s time for June’s Project Life layouts!

My photos for June were very sparse. I printed way less than I usually do, and I didn’t even use all of them.
I guess the fact that the book is so huge already is getting me nervous.
Because of this, the layouts are all pretty simple.

The first layout focuses on my trip to Virginia, specifically the journey there.
I used the June wood veneer from Studio Calico’s Hello, Hello kit. I love the way it looks.
The “enjoy the adventure” card and date washi tape was also the perfect addition for this page.
I printed out a few Instagram photos with the full intention of using them in another page like last month, but they were all too random that I decided to stick them to some cardstock, which you can see on the bottom right.
That particular paper was designed by Crate Paper.

 

I was super excited to do the Virginia Beach layout because I purchased the Project Life Summer Themed Cards back in May and have been anxiously waiting to use them…they are so stinking cute! I kept two of my Sunshine Core Kit cards (“Today is Beachy”, using the cutest Thickers I got for 1.50 from Marshalls), but the rest are Summer cards.

 

I once again used Design D for my vertical pictures, and I can’t stress enough how much I don’t like using these. I don’t find them aesthetically pleasing and I also hate that I then have to use at least 3 photos on the other side. I miss my Design G, but I don’t want to let these go to waste. Maybe they will grow on me. And I don’t hate using the cards vertically, because I’ve gotten some cute ones through my SC kits and themed cards. Still, something about them…

I ended the month with a layout dedicated to spending time with my friends. The top and bottom have different focuses, and I probably could’ve done pages for both, but I condensed it so that I could start fresh on the left side next month.

I enjoy these layouts and the memories, but I felt a little uninspired. I always try to bang it all out in one sitting, and that can be good or bad. The great thing is, I can always go back and change the decorative cards, add more journaling and embellishments, or just play around a little more with the way the pictures are placed.

For now, this works just fine!

Greatest Hits: June Edition

I say it all the time, but life is flying by. The days fly, the weeks fly. It’s insane! Working in retail doesn’t help since I work days, nights, and weekends. I kept thinking today was Thursday. It’s a jumble. Not to mention the fact that it’s also the second day of July. WOW. Breathe in and out.

Every time I want to write, I just can’t get myself to sit down and do it.
So here’s a post of things that happened in June that slipped through the cracks!

So I posted about my trip to Virginia twice, but there’s no doubt that was a highlight of the month. Not just getting away, but traveling that far on my own for the first time. A total of 13 hours in the car, something I’m proud I accomplished successfully (although I’m very glad I’ll be with Brad when we go again at the end of this month!).

I got my first official Studio Calico Project Life kit in the mail. It’s the second one, but I bought May’s box after it was released. In fact, my third box is being packed right now. I’m so excited about this new subscription.
Check out some more information here!

Brad and his friend/biz partner Tim made a short horror film starring their friend Drake that you can check out here.
It was fun watching them in action. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for these guys!

Celebrating some of my favorite peoples’ birthdays (and the new job/move, which I’m kind of sad about).

Brad’s cousin got married in a nice little ceremony with an unconventional (in a good way) reception!

I got lucky and had a whole month of free coffee at Panera (one a day, iced or hot). It was such a lifesaver.
I can’t express how much I adore Panera. It’s my fave place to sit for lunch, read, and get away from work for an hour.

Seeing one of my favorite people, Ed Rafter, even if only for a couple of hours. Lucky girl!

My dearest friend Catie was in from Arizona, so I got to see her for longer than a couple of hours in the past year.
I visited her in Sparta, NJ and spent the night being “Lakeside Girls” with her. So nice to see people I love!

June felt a bit uninspired, but looking back, I got to do some really great things and see some really great people.
A lot of the time, it’s hard for me to step outside of the box and visit with friends (especially when it includes traveling alone or spending money), but I realize the importance of it. It’s good (obviously) to see new places and familiar faces.

Project Life: May Layouts

Another month of 2014 is, literally, in the books.
This month felt a little harder to work on and I know why.

 

Aside from my birthday, May was a fairly quiet month so I didn’t have a ton of photos (like I usually do) to go through.
On top of that, I worked a lot more with the vertical Project Life pocket pages (Design D) which means that both sides need to have the right kind of photos and cards. It did eventually work out, but the Sunshine Core Kit, as much as I love it, doesn’t really have horizontal cards to work with. I am able to turn some of them on their sides, and some of the journaling cards are grids, but it just doesn’t feel the same. I previously worked with Design G, which has space for both vertical and horizontal photos. I ran out, but I have to say that it was probably a more favorable way for me to incorporate portrait style photos. Still, it is fun to think outside of the box and this allowed me to work with some cards from my Studio Calico Project Life kit (Camelot, from last month). I know I’ve said this before, but it’s hard for me to stray from the core kit I’ve dedicated myself to this year. I want everything to be cohesive, but the cards I get are so great, I would be crazy NOT to use them!

 

Another new addition to the book is the use of the Design J pages, made for 4x4 Instagram photos. I love using these, small as they are (they look more like inserts than parts of the story I’m telling), because I think that 4x4s are the cutest prints and I have a lot of memories in my IG feed. I look forward to using these more next month.

 

Since I didn’t have a lot of photos, I used some snapshots of texts from Brad and Maria, really nice ones about life and encouragement that I’ll be glad to have saved in the future. The last couple pages of my month always seem to be a mish-mash of photos taken throughout the month. My first ice cream cone of the year, my usual bedside set up, some work stuff I’m proud of. On the bottom photo, you’ll see that I used two journaling cards that are designed to be horizontal, and they were from my Studio Calico kit. Luckily, they flow with the design cards from Sunshine (even though they are turned on their side, it still looks good). Mix and matching isn’t so bad after all!

When I went to put my book back in the bag I carry everything around in, it was SUPER HEAVY. And I’m only 5 months in. I think I will be able to finish the year with this album, but there’s a good chance a bookshelf won’t be able to hold it…unless it’s on the bottom shelf. I didn’t think pictures could be so darn heavy. You live and learn. I’m happy to do these random event layouts, but next year I might do a photo-a-day or a a layout for a week instead. It might keep everything in order a lot better than printing 50+ photos every month and feeling the need to use most of them.

Project Life: April Layouts

It took me one afternoon of coffee and New Moon to finish my layouts for last month.
I am very pleased with the work I did for these layouts…it’s fun how many options you have, even if you’re using the same photo pocket pages over and over. You get to personalize it and make it your own and it’s just great.
Part of me is bummed that I didn’t wait until this past Saturday, which was National Scrapbooking Day.
All sorts of fun events, sales, and hashtags were going on. I still contributed a few of my layouts to the cause, but it would’ve been fun to spend the day (which was otherwise completely lazy and not busy) scrapping with everyone!
If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out the hashtag #NSD10K on Instagram. There are so many inspiring layouts, from Project Life style to good old-fashioned paper and picture.

Anyway, on to my layouts!

I’m really glad that I purchased these page dividers that correspond with my Sunshine Edition core kit.
While the dividers themselves aren’t strong enough to flip a page in the book, they add some organization between the months and they are just so darn cute. I added one to the past three months and this particular one went well with the flow of the pages. April was a good month for memories, so I’m excited with this simple beginning!

 

I ADORE the color scheme of this layout. I wish I had gotten the whole page together.
On the top, you’ll see photos from when my sister and I got lunch at a local place during the week before her big move.
We drove past this old market that is still open (Maria loves the way it looks, can you blame her?) and it helped me narrow down the colors I chose to journal and decorate with!
I also unintentionally did a lot of Diptic and DblCam work on the first page, and I’m glad I did…I love two photos in one!
I’m also trying to get comfortable putting stickers on the pictures…you can’t go back once you do, but I don’t regret placing that “Don’t Forget” sticker on the top right photo, it holds a small memory that I’ll be glad to have. The Road Trip layout was a first for me. Yes, there are a couple of journaling cards on the left, but the entire right side is photos. I took so many, and I didn’t want to leave all of them out! I had fun using the Fiskers Paper Trimmer my friend handed down to me to make all of the pictures fit into each slot on the page. I use this device at least once a month, for cutting paper that I want to use instead of journaling cards or trimming annoying pieces off of pictures, but it was soooo useful this month. Usually, I use a corner rounder punch to mimic the look of the cards, but I liked keeping the whole thing rectangular this time around. You don’t lose much rounding corners off, but I like the way these look.

Again, I really wanted to utilize as much pictures as possible. Journaling is super important to me for PL, but I wrote a lot about the trip in my actual journal, so I didn’t feel the need to rehash or even decorate each page with cards.
The two 4x6 cards on the right are perfect as is. Besides, the pictures themselves tell a story.
Again, I used the Fiskers to even everything out. I love the look of the photos in the journaling card pockets.

I print A LOT of photos each month. Usually at least 75. I definitely don’t need that money, but I usually get a discount the more I print, so whatever. The final layout for the month has a bunch of random (but pretty/memorable) pictures to close the month out. Four journaling cards tell the stories behind each photo, since they aren’t cohesive.
And, as I mentioned in the previous layout post, I broke out a super tiny bit and added two 3x4 cards from a small pack of We R Memory Keepers cards that I have. The core kit I use doesn’t have any horizontal designs (I suppose some can be turned that way and no one would know, but then the other side would be wrong), so I took a deep breath and stuck these suckers in there. They helped tie that page together and it still looks nice and matchy.

So those are most of my layouts for the month!
Hopefully, when I post May’s layouts, I’ll find a better place to take the photos and more natural light to play with.
The pages tend to get a bit glare-y, so they are hard to capture if too much light hits.
It’s a process, and you learn all the time!

Maria’s 25th Birthday

Last Thursday, my sister Maria turned 25! For starters, wow. We are two years apart, me being the older sister, and I can’t help but feel that age. She will always be a little sister to me. Secondly, it’s another reminder of how things are changing and how quickly we are entering the “adult” world. The good thing is, being an age doesn’t always mean you have to act that age. Very important.

Each year, we have a dinner with the family. The birthday girl or boy picks a meal they want and what kind of birthday dessert they’d like (it’s very rarely the typical cake) and it gets done. This year, Maria requested Brinner (breakfast at dinner, a.k.a. the best meal ever) and we celebrated with mimosas, of course.

  
 
 
 

Love you so much, sis! I’m glad you had a great birthday!

FIVE YEARS

Out of curiosity, I double checked my archive to check when my first ever post was.
January 23, 2009.
That means that this blog, this little space of the internet that I rant and ramble on, is five years old today!

I’ve changed several times over since that very first post. It’s a little embarrassing, but I was also 21 years old, still in college, and I had no idea what blogging could mean. In high school, I had a Xanga (we all did) and a LiveJournal. I have always loved journaling…it was something I used to do every night before bed with my headphones in, writing until my hand cramped. When I saw that I could do it online, I couldn’t say no. After falling in love with Rockstar Diaries (now known as Love, Taza…again, how things change and so often for the better!), I settled on starting a Blogger.
I don’t think I knew what I would do, and certainly it’s just been my little online diary. But it’s one of the few things I’ve stuck with over the years with absolutely no intention of stopping soon.

While I attempt to embark on scrapbooking for the first time this year (which will basically be a fancy-fied photo album and journal), I’m so glad I still have some way to look back on times past and remember things that have totally slipped my mind. I haven’t gone too far back in the archives, but I think I might take a gander today, on it’s anniversary, to cringe and laugh and remember the good times.

To those who read my blog, which has gotten a bit more of a bump from some great friends these days, thank you so much! Even though I do it for fun, I love knowing that you guys read and share your stories and inspiration with me.

Some favorite posts:

2009:
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

2010:
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20

2011:
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24

2012:
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23

2013:
1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23

Here’s to many more years of documenting the little, great things in life and growing all of the time!

Scrapbooking: In-Between and Outside

Last week, I mentioned my enthusiasm about starting a Project Life scrapbook.
It’s all I can think about, and I’ve been lucky to score a bigger binder and a 60 page photo pack (along with the Kraft Edition core kit, for the future I hope) while A.C. Moore stays open for it’s last month. The awesome thing is, a lot of the stuff ended up being “free” compared to online prices, and I think that’s ultimately what pushed me to just do it.
I’ve decided to take it one month at a time. Some people do a photo a day or scrapbook a week at a time.
I’ve been stashing my favorite photos from the month so far in a folder on my computer titled, simply, January that I will batch print at Walgreens and construct at the beginning of February. I’m worried about remembering certain details, things I want to write on the journaling cards, etc….but that’s what the photos are for. Sometimes, all it takes is a quick look to remember the feel of the moment. So I’m not too discouraged. Nervous as heck, but not discouraged.

In the meantime, a huge part of me is dying to get the ball rolling. And sure, I’m doing something by taking pictures. But I’m not constructing anything. Nothing is coming together. That’s when I found Smash book. After work on Saturday, I walked through TJ Maxx. I was looking for some cheap and cute stationary, since I’ve also decided to start corresponding with friends via snail mail. (Like…I’m doing a lot of stuff right now to stay distracted while my life sometimes feels like it’s falling apart…save that for another time.) I happened upon a ton of these cute, pre-designed scrapbooks and fell in love. I bought the Mod Design and grabbed a roll of their washi tape and some page tabs (all of it was under $10, even with the $1 I donated to charity at the end of the transaction, proving why I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls forever). The next day, I was wandering around Michael’s craft store and saw that their Smash products were on clearance! An 80 piece set (tape, a list notebook, different fun phrases and stickers to put in the book, etc.) including another book was $6. So…yeah…I needed it. I was SO EXCITED to actually be able to start doing something crafty and scrapbook-y before I started Project Life.  And yeah…I was scared, too.

Cut to today. After cleaning a great portion of my room last week, I have photos and ticket stubs and all those good things from the past several years all organized. So I grabbed everything I wanted to use, pulled out all the craft supplies I’ve gotten so far, and sat down to start a Smash book. I don’t think I could’ve done it without the help of Lorde…I listened to her album and EP 3 times through while doing it.
It’s nowhere near done, of course. I completed seven pages, but I’m proud of what I’ve done so far.
Doing it gave me a sense of accomplishment that I can’t wait to experience when doing Project Life.
At first, I had a great fear of screwing up pictures and pieces of my life that I’ve held onto for a while. Then I realized that this was way better than hiding them in bins and boxes and allowing them to collect dust.
As I got further in, I started to actually cut some photos (reassuring myself that there are copies on my computer and/or phone as well) and get a bit more creative. It was a really fun experience, and it kept my mind off of all the junk that’s been wanting to get in there because I was surrounded by all of the wonderful things I love.
Here are some photos I took while I worked:

 

When I cleaned my room, I finally put a gift Brad got me for Christmas in 2012 to use: a craft organizer.
It’s fun to open it up and see all the goodies, and I set up at the kitchen table to spread out and work.
Coffee in the cutest fox mug provided the fuel.

 
 

Finally putting ticket stubs to good use. I wrote about the little experiences that went along with the concerts or movies, if I could. Don Jon wasn’t a favorite movie, but it was the first (and only) time I ever went to the movies by myself, so it’s something I will never forget.

 
 
 

Some of the layouts. I made sure to write special memories, my thoughts and feelings, and lists of my favorite things that I’ve shared with these people. The pet page is a particular favorite. None of these dogs are mine, but I get to play with and love them…they deserve such a big space.

I’m excited about the page holders, because it will be fun to open to exactly where I’d like to be when looking back.

Basically, I’m excited I did this. It gave me the boost I needed to realize that, as long as I dedicate myself and follow-through, I can achieve this little goal of mine. It’s overwhelming and satisfying.

2013 Recap: September - December

Here it is! The final installment of my 2013.

September
Here’s a fun fact about September: I didn’t blog once. I thought there would at least be a post or two, there’s usually a few per month if it hasn’t been crazy. But no. September is missing from the 2013 Archive. And I’m not surprised.
September was the month I finally decided to quit my dead-end job, and I made that choice the first or second week in.
It was something I wasn’t really ready to share with friends, let alone anyone on the internet.
Things I remember from September, aside from that large detail, would be a trip to Knoebels with Brad’s family for his father’s company picnic (in which I was hysterical and anxious about quitting the whole time), Oktoberfest at the casino, and the wedding of Nick and Paulina, in which Brad was the Best Man.

  My last walk around the neighborhood on my last day of work.

October
Since my last day of work was September 26th, the beginning of October also coincided with the beginning of one of the best months of the year. It was a strange time. I kicked off my month of unemployment by getting a pretty bad cold.
The month itself was such a great refresher after years of the same crap. I got to fully enjoy the changing leaves, early morning walks with Artie, a random trip to take photos at a cemetery, and trips to a corn maze and pumpkin patch!
After a slight disappointment in my attempts for employment, I applied for Old Navy.
By the end of the month, I had earned my gig as a seasonal “sellebrity”.

     Our last minute, makeshift Wizard of Oz costumes!

November
Starting a new job with a lot of shifts that start at 5 or 6 in the morning, experiencing the first little snowfall, sleepovers with Jenna, finally seeing Catching Fire, and Thanksgiving! A very fast month, with barely any time to process it all.

 
 

December
And here we are, the end of the year! The final month of 2013. There’s only hours left, and then we will be embarking on a new year to fill with moments, low and high, and hope for all the best. December also flew by.
I spent the month trying to get in the holiday spirit while working retail at the busiest time of the year.
I was offered to stay on as a part-time worker at Old Navy, instead of ending when the seasonal time frame closes.
I took it, though I will always be looking and trying for more, because work is work!
I’m excited for the new year to come. This one ended the way I had always hoped but never let myself have…with a clean slate. No ties to what made me sad. Just the open road of possibilities.

Here’s to a Happy New Year!
Let’s do this, 2014!