Washi Tape Jar

Realized when trying to comment on another blog that I never posted this on here (though I did post it on Instagram).

Got this super cool glass jar for $3 at the flea market last month for my Washi Tape!

I've added a few rolls since then too, tee hee. But I love how much it'll hold!

Sending You Love Card

Made a card last night with a new set of stamps and dies from Lawn Fawn.

I die cut the mason jar from a piece of Stampin' Up!'s Pool Party card stock. Then on a sheet of white card stock I stamped in some of the hearts from the Lawn Fawn set and the lid lines (which I extended with a Basic Black marker from SU) and scallops. I couldn't find a small stamp with the right look, so I hand wrote in the L O V E letters onto the hearts.

"Sending you" was part of a stamp from The Stamps of Life ladybugs2love set. I just colored part of the stamp with a Basic Gray marker.

The card took awhile to make, mostly because lining up the image underneath with the jar cutout needed to be precise and I wasn't really sure what I wanted the final card to look like. But I love how it turned out!

Supplies Used:
Martha Stewart Scoreboard
X-Acto Paper Trimmer
Lawn Fawn Summertime Charm stamps
Lawn Fawn Summertime Charm dies
The Stamps of Life ladybugs2love stamps
Stampin' Up! Basic Gray card stock
Stampin' Up! Pool Party card stock
Stampin' Up! Pool Party ink
Stampin' Up! Pretty in Pink ink
Stampin' Up! Basic Black marker
Stampin' Up! Basic Gray marker
Stampin' Up! Pool Party marker
American Crafts Precision Pen (.01)
Copic (Ciao) C-1

Two things

1 - if you guys have the Basic Grey transparencies from the Studio Calico kit (or just from ordering them in general), there's a protective film on them!

2 - the Epiphany Crafts epoxy shape system is super fun. I made these little washi tape pennants last night and am so in love. You can grab the pennant punch here on Amazon. You'll need the epoxy shapes too if you want to make them like flair.

How to keep Project Life cheap.

I'll preface this entry by saying flat out, I don't do most of this. I like the extra stuff. I like lots of product. However, it is easy to be overwhelmed with all that's out there. For someone who wants to keep this simple and cost-effective, but still get their stuff documented using the Project Life system, here are some tips, now that Project Life will be in stores.

By the way, this is for the US, specifically areas that have Hobby Lobby or Michaels or other retailers that accept coupons. I'm sorry, I can't say whether international local retailers accept them or what their prices are. 

Keeping it simple, here's what you need to do it:

Simplest form = binder, core kit, pocket pages, photos, pen. That's IT. If you prefer rounded corners, you'll want to add a corner rounder. 

Here's how to keep this cheap:

For the products - use a 40% discount coupon at Hobby Lobby (or I believe Michaels when they roll theirs out, though I don't want to stay for certain they'll take a coupon. But HL does).  Go back multiple days if you have the ability (if they're close to you). This means:

Binder - regularly $19.99 is now $11.99

Core kit - regularly $29.99 is now $17.99

Pages - regularly $29.99 is now $17.99

Total cost of specific Project Life brand products = $47.97. This can be per year, this can be for MANY years of photos. It totally depends on your manner of scrapping. 

For the pens, I love my American Crafts Precision Pens, which are the same as the Project Life brand ones. AC pens on Amazon are currently $12.43 with free Prime shipping for a 5 pack. The 3 pack at Hobby Lobby is $6.99, and if you use a coupon they're $4.19 for the pack. So you can get really great journaling pens for less than $5. (Or you can also just use a ballpoint if you prefer that, there's no rules here). 

For prints - there are so many places you can print. I like Walgreens if I print out of the house because they don't have a service charge for small orders (weekly orders of 7ish prints was costing me $1.50 surcharge at CVS). at 19 cents a print, with about 364 photos in a year long album, prints come to $69.16. 

If you can live with them not being perfect 4x6 size, Shutterfly quite often has free print specials, and they also have prepaid plans where you can purchase $400 photos for around $44, which could cover you for the year as well. I've found their shipping charges to be a bit high though, just being honest. And the non 4x6 size really bothers me.

Of course, you may find better pricing at your local place - Walmart or Costco, etc. I don't know their specials or pricing. Also, there are always specials at Walgreens and CVS too, so pay attention, and stock up when those run and you'll save even more.

All in all, you can do Project Life simply for one year by spending approximately $121. Or you can put in a dozen years worth of pictures of specific events (all depending on how many photos you take) for the same price. I know I could catch up on my entire prior-to-wedding scrapbooking for the $121. 

Anyway, I'm sure many of you know this or have found ways to keep it simple. I wanted to post this for the newbies, the ones who are looking at all the embellishments and fluff and going "oh my goodness I can't afford to buy all that stuff" and show you that you don't need to. You can keep it simple. :)

New Shop Items: 3x4 Life Overlays & Cards

I have two new shop items to share with you today. I created a set of 8 photo overlays in 3x4 size, perfect for Project Life.

These overlays come in PNG format in both black and white (though you of course can recolor them to anything you like). I like to reduce the opacity a little so that some of my photo peeks through as you can see in the example:

These overlays also come with a printable version if you'd like to use them as journaling cards. Now here is where I want to tell you about a product I found.

On Amazon, I found this American Crafts white textured solid core card stock and decided to give it a try on journaling cards I print. It is GORGEOUS.

Just look at this texture:

If you print the PDF included in the download, here's what you'll see:

Lovely! I've added faint cut lines so that you can easily trim the cards once they're printed.

The second shop item that I wanted to tell you about is a printed set of these cards. For those of you who'd just like a set of the cards without purchasing a pack of the paper yourself or perhaps you don't own a printer, I'm releasing (in limited quantities) a set of these cards, printed by me, shipped to you. I print them on my Epson, and I trim them myself with my paper trimmer, so the work is done for you. You'll get the set of 8 cards on this gorgeous American Crafts textured card stock.

Oh, and for anyone who wonders, I wrote on this card stock with one of my American Crafts Precision Pens (which are supposed to be the same as the Becky Higgins branded ones coming out soon and oh by the way are my absolute favorite journaling pens ever) and they work beautifully.

I may start printing all of my journaling cards on this card stock, it's just so pretty!

Click here to get the overlays, and click here to order a set of printed cards.

Craft Room Update

I am forever rearranging my craft space. I'd like to say that this is finally the space that works for me but you all know that's probably not true :)

I will say, however, that this is an organized and efficient space now, and I have every intention of it staying this way for awhile. Eventually, our plan is to finish our attic and that will become my craft room. But that is dependent on so many things. For now I'm in our extra bedroom so this means nothing installed on the walls that we'd later need to take down.

Anyway, here's what my space looks like after this past weekend. I apologize that these photos are so bad. I am in need of a decent wide angled lens. I used the kit lens and it's pretty distorted at the wide end.

This is the view from the door. I think the room is about 12 feet by 14 feet, if I recall correctly the last time I measured.  

 Views from other corners of the room:

I'd written previously about using some bed risers under one of my Ikea tables because I wanted a counter height workspace. I've moved the table, as you can see, but I still LOVE the bed risers. It's easier on my back and allows for storage underneath.

Under the table I have a clear stacking bin system that I got for just $10 (actually, less, this is only 2/3 of it) at the flea market. They were brand new, marked as "drawer liners." I found them after quite a bit of Googling, and found out they all stack together so you can slide one out without the others falling down. They're spacious and perfect for storing my craft supplies.

Here's a close up of a few of the bins. I love that I can see exactly what is inside. I cleared out something like 20 or so smaller bins and several cubes and drawers of all of this stuff into this one system that fits nicely under the table.

Here's a couple really distorted photos of my Ikea cubes (see how the lines curve? Terrible!). On the top right I have my Big Shot and a $3 metal basket from the flea market to hold my thin metal dies. (I have my large Sizzix dies in those plastic sliding bins under the table).

Down on the bottom rows I have all of my Stampin' Up! stamps and my clear stamps organized in bins.

When I'd moved the Ikea cubes on top of each other, I needed something attractive but useful above them. I found these huge baskets at Christmas Tree Shops. They hold a ton of stuff. I actually have only filled two of them so far. Eventually once they are full I'll be making some hang tags to label them. Right now one holds all of my shipping supplies and another holds all of my chipboard.

Over to my work table. I have this Ikea gateleg table that I LOVE. I bought it years ago, back at my old condo, and I won't give it up. It's perfect because when I need space it folds away. It seats four people comfortably (not that I ever have that many in my craft room at once), and has drawers on both sides. It is SOLID. Heavy wood. Right now I only have half open (I'll open the other half when Lindsay or Shannon come over to craft) so I can walk around easier in the room. Plus, I only need half the space to work and when I open the entire table I find I can easily clutter it with stuff.

I set up a "card making" station on another Ikea table right next to the desk. I actually have two of these table next to each other. On this table, I wanted easy access to my inks, my markers, and most especially, punches. I had my punches in a drawer previously and found I wasn't using them enough. This past weekend I found a metal basket at the flea market for $1, and it is perfect! I can see the punches I should be using or want to be using easy and they're all contained in the basket. I can move it aside if I need extra space.

I actually do have more punches than this, but the rest are either really big, or seasonal, so I've tucked those away in my drawer.

I put my Stampin' Up! ink spots and my Memento teardrop ink spots into these Iris photo containers. They fit several of them perfectly and I can see which colors are in there through the tops. 

The Ikea tables I mentioned above line up with another Ikea corner table where I have my Mac and my Silhouette and Epson Workforce printer.

Finally, I kept the Project Life station I'd discussed here, but I moved it when I moved the table. I've got the sticker stadium on top of a 9 cube organizer, along with a Recollections drawer/filing thing from Michaels. I also added two small cube systems from Target to the table, where I'll be housing all of my journaling cards. (That, by the way, is a project I'm in the middle of that I'll post about later on when it is finished).

That's it for now. That's my room. I love it when it's so neat. It makes me feel inspired to create. Now, if I can just figure out where I've stored extra time. Once I find that, the projects will come! :)

Project Life 2013: Week 18

Welcome to Project Life 2013, Week 18. If you're new to my blog, make sure you check out my post about my 2013 album.

This week was a mix of lots of extras. I used thickers and letter stickers and cards from a variety of companies. Here's my full layout.

I like the overall green and aqua tones that the spread has. Only one journaling card used, and the rest of the spread I just let speak for itself.

Here's a closer look at the left side.

The "Every Day" and triangle pattern cards are from Studio Calico. The patterned card on the left is from Echo Park, and the Noted card is from Me & My Big Ideas. I loved using the two pattern cards behind other items I wanted to include, like a text from daycare with a video of Austin and a gift card wrapper from Five Guys. The "so polite" stickers are from Basic Grey, and the "together" sticker is from My Mind's Eye.

Here's the right side:

I used a brush from Lori Whitlock for a photo of Austin. The Cindo de Mayo and Recording Life cards are from Studio Calico. And the 4 foam thicker is American Crafts. That Cookie Monster card was handmade by my friend Lindsay for her son's birthday party and I loved it too much to toss it. I just stuck a Cobalt Edition title card behind it to fill the slot.

I am having some trouble with some of my page protectors. My bottom right 4x6 slot on this spread and others has been seriously tight - it doesn't actually fit the 4x6 photos without making the photo curl. And the 3x4 slots have always been off - I nearly always have to trim my cards to fit, which is frustrating. I am hoping now that American Crafts took over the line, that the quality is better. I have yet to try out their page protectors though.

Oh, I love, love, LOVE these glitter thickers from Dear Lizzy.

Seriously, look at the detail on these!

Such a great week, I love how this spread came together!

Project Life Destash Kits

Destashing Project Life supplies again, and I've got four new kits I've put up in the shop. Each kit has some similarities but each is different, so please check the photos and make sure you know which one you're looking at. They've each got Cobalt journaling cards and cards from Recollections, they've each got a roll of washi tape and some common items like wood tags and Smash brand labels. Two have stamps, one has a brand new sheet of Amy Tangerine stickers, one has some really cute metal tags.

Click on the photos to go directly to the shop listing.

Kit #1

Kit #2

Kit #3

Kit #4

Kits are $10 each plus $3 shipping within the US. International shipping is also available but be aware it ranges from $9-$13 depending on location.

Project Life 40% off!

Guys, just in case you haven't already heard about it, you can shop online for Project Life goodies at Hobby Lobby's website. Shipping (at least in the US) is $1.95 per order and you CAN use 40% off one item coupons. I did three separate transactions and for about $40 total, got the Blush core kit, the Seasons mini and the Holiday mini. That includes the three $1.95 shipping charges.

So, go here, and shop, if you can't stop by a Hobby Lobby and don't want to wait for another retailer to carry them. They don't have all the new products but quite a bit of them. And 40% off, even if you place separate orders, is super cheap with that shipping price!

You can find the 40% off codes here. (And elsewhere, I'm sure). I used 2949 and 8488 myself.

Two Years In: A Reflection On Project Life

I was thinking this morning about how my life has changed since I started doing Project Life style scrapbooking way back in May of 2011.

Up until that point, I'd been a more traditional scrapbooker. I had done a Creative Memories album during my early 20's, which was fun, but I always found I ran out of layout ideas and got bored with them. I did a simple scrapbook for my wedding (it was a fancy album with blank pages that you just stick pictures onto, so I matted them and put them on the pages, no real embellishments). I also did a honeymoon scrapbook and a pregnancy scrapbook, and I'd started Austin's baby book this way. After two months of Austin's book, I stopped working on it. I got tired of trying to make the pages look acceptable to me. They were boring. The format was dull. I am no Ali Edwards, who designs the most amazing and unique traditional pages I've ever seen. I struggled for ways to make my pages look creative, and I never got there.

My friend Lindsay introduced me to Project Life and I never looked back. I picked up a few page protectors to start my own album. My first complete layout was lovely and finished in no time and I was so happy with it.

Certainly my layout photos have improved since then. 

Project Life changed the way I scrapbook, sure. But it also changed the way I think about our days, and the way I take photos. I used to snap photos here or there, mostly at events and few with my camera phone. Once I started Project Life (and admittedly, having a kid did this to me too) I started whipping out that camera at dinners or to capture a beautiful flower I noticed.

In the grand scheme, are these little details, such as where we went on date night, important? To many, no. But what really makes recording these seemingly minor details such a big thing for me is times like this morning. This morning I had a thought that I've had a few times in the past. What did we do (meaning, Brad & I) before I had Austin? What were our days like? Where did we go on date nights and what did we do together? I can barely remember. Sure, I remember vacations we took, or occasional specific memories, but not the everyday.

I have a box, somewhere, filled with movie stubs and concert tickets. I don't know where that is right now. But I know that everything from the point where I started Project Life is tucked away in my binders. My Project Life albums are a diary, in a sense. When I am sitting here in 10 years and want to remember the things we did with Austin when he was this age, I'll have it all in my book, in my photos and in my journaling.

 I can guarantee without Project Life I would never have this blizzard documented.

I so wish my mom had a project like this when she was raising us. I would love to look back on pictures of our time at our campground and know what things we were doing that particular weekend. (We camped at a seasonal campground in NH called Pine Acres for many summers; our trailer stayed at our site and we trekked up there every weekend). I have memories of the camp, but I wish I could have captured the beach, our screened porch, the miniature golf range and kid's bingo. I know there are photos of camp, but they're few and far between, and they're packed away in my mom's attic.

I feel like Project Life is life-changing. Whether you do it weekly, monthly, or event by event. If you haven't started yet and you really wish you had your memories documented, this is the perfect way to do it. You can be as simple or as creative as you want. If you want to just slide your photos in and journal on core kit cards, you can. If you want to spend time with each slot and let your creativity flow, you can. (One of my favorite Project Lifers, Michelle Wooderson, does this in her layouts).

I (mostly) keep on track with Project Life. I've had times where I've fallen behind and done a couple of weeks or a month at a time, and I've had times where I've done this every Sunday consistently. The big thing is...I have not given up on it. If I've fallen behind, I've caught up. I've wanted to catch up. Unlike Austin's traditional baby album where I just stopped and couldn't get motivated to start again, Project Life gets me excited. It allows me the ability to get these memories documented so I don't forget about them.

Project Life is an amazing and simple scrapbooking system designed by Becky Higgins. For more information, please check out Becky's website. If you're new to the blog and you'd like to scroll back through my past few years doing Project Life, you can find all of my Project Life related posts here.