2014: A year in scrapbooking

This post was supposed to be published in January, but as you can see that totally did not happen. And since I know it will bug me if I don't publish this particular year in review post, I am doing it now.

Although I didn't do any traditional scrapbooking this year (again), I did take part in the Index-Card-a-Day challenge. It's like a mini art journal page on an index card. I love doing this challenge and now-a-days it seems to be the only time I get to use my supplies. Here's hoping to a scrappier 2015!

Currently...

Saying... goodbye to my Big Orange Purse (BOP). I am so disappointed. This is the most expensive purse I have ever owned and it didn't even last 10 months. The stitching on the handles started pulling apart after just a few months of use and then last month, one of the handles ripped apart from the body.


Loving... my new LOVE necklace.




Organizing... my new Raskog cart. My first ever IKEA purchase. I have never been to an actual store. I finally bit the bullet and placed an order online. This cart is just so cute. I am in love with the color.




Looking... at all the Spring!




Tossing... around (in my head) a few A to Z post ideas. I plan to participate in this year's Blogging from A to Z challenge. The challenge doesn't start until April, but placed my name on the list and signed up back in January. This is the earliest I have ever signed up. I usually don't throw my hat into the ring until the night before or maybe even the day of. I have done this challenge twice so far. Once back in 2011 and then again in 2013.

Monthly scrapbooking kits...

I think I might be doing it wrong.


In the spirit of full disclosure...there are 2 boxes missing from this photo.


I honestly didn't think it was all that bad. So, I had a few unused monthly Project Life scrapbooking kits. It didn't hit me just how bad it really was until last month when I realized that I had a year's worth of boxes just sitting there. It's embarrassing.

Soon after this photo was taken, I got busy and started unpacking those boxes and putting all the scrapping goodies some place where I would see them.

They look much better outside of the boxes then they did just sitting in the boxes that's for sure. I still have a long way to go to get everything organized, but for now, at least, they are all out of the boxes. Now, all that's left for me to do is to take care of that giant pile of now empty boxes.

2013: A year in scrapbooking

I started 2013 excited about Project Life and ready to scrapbook my year. But now 2013 is over and I didn't manage to scrap more than one weekly spread. What I did manage to do was collect monthly Project Life kits. 

I scrapped the first week of 2013, but then put everything on hold in order to study for my certification exam. But once the exam was over (in March), I just couldn't get back into the groove.

I never even shared my first layout because I couldn't decide if I wanted to upload the photos to blogger or just use Flickr, like I do with all my other photos. I still haven't decided which option would be better.

Then, I got to thinking that maybe no one would want to see them. I mean, there are only so many ways a person can dress up a page protector pocket.


Even though I didn't really scrap this past year, my scrapping supplies did get some use.

For the second year in a row, I participated in the Index Card a Day challenge. I managed to create a few index cards this year but only shared 8 of them on the blog. 

I just didn't seem to have it in me to be as creative as I was when I first did this challenge back in 2012. I do enjoy the project and I plan to do it again. Not only to try to get myself to be more creative, but also because it is the only time of the year that I let myself buy some of the supplies that I have always wanted to try. Like Distress inks and spray mists and stencils, oh my!




I do see a lot more scrapping in my future though and not just because I need to do something about this giant pile of cardboard kit boxes that keeps growing taller and taller.

Here's looking forward to a scrappy 2014!

Currently...

Melting... it is now day 400 of over 100 degree temperatures with no end in sight. Actually, I think it is more like 10 days in a row, but it feels like it has been 400 days. It looks like this summer is going to be super hot and it is just getting started. Driving around town in my car with the broken A/C is definitely not going to be fun.

Watching... Games of Thrones. Tonight is the season finale and I cannot wait! Then next week it will be all about True Blood.

Listening... to 30 Seconds to Mars new album, LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS. On repeat and often. It helps that work has been strictly medical record review so there has been lots of music listening of late.

Creating... on index cards. It is now 9 days into this project and I still love it. So far I have managed to be creative on an index card every single day. I decided that this year I wasn't going to worry about taking pictures immediately and I think that has helped me not to be stressed about the whole thing. Plus, it takes over an hour for my computer to recognize my camera and download photos. So there's that. Thanks Canon. 

Currently...

Waiting… to post photos of my first week of Project Life until AFTER I take my exam. The less distractions the better.

Ordering… the official study guide for my certification exam. I have an outline of what is on the test but I'm worried that I am not studying the right way. Hopefully, I will get it in time to review at least a little bit prior to my exam next month.

Dealing… with chapped lips. I have never had chapped lips before and I don't know how to get rid of them. It's been over 2 weeks now and nothing I try seems to work. I have always thought it would be nice to have fuller lips but not this way. I look like a 2-year old that has enjoyed the cherry Kool-aid just a bit too much. I am currently using Aquaphor but so far nothing has worked. I have tried Chapstick, Blistex, Carmex, Mary Kay Satin lips, lotion, petroleum jelly (Vasoline) and drinking lots of water. I have not tried any of the medicated lip balms. Do those work?

2012: A year in scrapbooking

Well I guess I didn't "hope" hard enough because I did absolutely no scrapbooking in 2012.

But I did manage to share a two-page layout (that I actually made back in 2009). Which totally counts since it had been packed away in a box, forgotten and unseen for all these years. 

Even though I didn't scrapbook any layouts last year, I did participate in the Index Card a Day challenge. Technically it's not scrapbooking, but I did use my scrapbook supplies to make them so that is sort of the same thing, right?

This year should be totally different. Seriously. I really mean it this time. This year I will be doing Project Life and have even signed up for my first ever kit club {Citrus Twist Kits}. I don't really need any new scrapbook supplies but I think it will be fun to get a package of new goodies in the mail every month. In fact, I got confirmation that my package should arrive on Friday. Wait....That's tomorrow! Whoo hoo!

Back in 2009

Way back in 2009...I scrapbooked.

I know, I know that was years ago but soon after that we bought a house and everything went into boxes. Recently, I opened one of these boxes and was surprised at what I found. I thought the box would be filled with scrapbook paper and finished scrapbook layouts. I was wrong. I found tons of pages in various stages of completion and lots of supplies too. I also found the following pages. These were the last pages I scrapped right before the move.

I have 3-years worth of photo-a-day projects. The first year was 365 Days (a self-portrait a day for a year), then I did two years of Project 365 (taking a photo a day for a year). Since Project 365 is a photography project I never really planned on scrapbooking them, but I knew I wanted to do something with all the photos I took. I just didn't know what that something would be. I love the look of photo books but didn't really think I could afford one and to be honest I am a bit intimidated when it comes to making one.

For these pages I wanted to concentrate on showcasing the photos so there is very little journaling (I pretty much just copied what I wrote on Flickr) and the pages are very simple.

Thanks for looking.

Thinking about it

I am thinking about jumping on the bandwagon.

The Project Life bandwagon.

Oh....and I am thinking of starting not next year but next month, like November.

I have no idea what I want to do. Do I start now or do I wait until the new year?

Do you do Project Life? When did you start? The beginning of the year? The middle? The end?

2011: A year in scrapbooking

I only managed to scrap one page and make one card in 2011. That's really not even enough to bother writing a post about, but since it has been YEARS since I have scrapped a page (and this blog did start out as a scrapping blog after all) I figured I needed to write a post about it. If not only to remind myself that I did indeed scrap one page (and one card, I can't forget about the card) but also to complete my trio of year in review posts.

Here's to hoping that 2012 has a lot more scrappiness in it.

Three Generations layout

Feel Better card

feel better [a card]

Last month, a friend of mine managed to injure herself quite a bit. I wanted to send her something, so I made a simple little card to send her way. She should have it by now, so that means I get to share.

In the midst of my card making process, I have discovered (and become addicted to) Liquid Pearls. Have you used these? Am I the last person to jump on the Liquid Pearls bandwagon? On a whim, I grabbed the last 3 colors that I saw on the shelf at the local scrapbook store and now I am hooked. I had never used them before but now I feel the need to own every color.

Supplies used:
Liquid pearls (platinum pearl)
Colorbox chalk (burnt sienna)
My minds eye (fresh linens: kitchen curtains)
Chatterbox (greenhouse scarlet paisley)
Making Memories rub-ons (destination)
Prima flower

Scrappity-Doo-Dah

Well I did it. I scrapped a page. Can you believe it? The last time I attempted to scrap was a few months after we bought our house in 2009 and I still haven't finished that page.

Last month, I came across the sketch of the week over at Sketchy Thursdays and decided it was about time to scrap again. I started the layout that week but didn't actually finish it until this week, almost a month later. Yes, you read that correctly. It took me a month to do a page. A month!

It is such a simple layout too. It would have taken everyone else 10 minutes to complete. But not me. For me...it took about a month.

Supplies:
Patterned paper: 
Basic Grey Kioshi "Yuriko"
Basic Grey Wisteria "Pond"
Lettering:
Doodlebug Simply Sweet mini rub-ons,
Thickers Lullaby Charcoal
Basic Grey Fruitcake mini monograms
Fun stuff:
Maya Road sheer mini birds
Effervescence Border Punch
Signo white Uni-ball pen
Bazzill cardstock

m.o.j.o.

I feel the scrappy mojo slowly returning.....

titles hinder creativity

I still have not unpacked all my crafty stuff but that did not stop me from starting to scrap a page. It has been awhile so I thought I would start off easy. I decided using a sketch was the way to go. I only have a few printed photos to scrap but I was able to find a few that would work with the sketch. . . This was over a week ago (maybe longer). I have been slowly working on it but now I am stuck more than ever. And what is it that has me stuck? A title. A one-word title.

Titles have hindered my creativity in so many ways. I take too long to blog because I am thinking of a title. I take weeks to upload my photos to Flickr all because of a title. Then there is scrapping. . . not that every page needs a title, but sheesh! Creativity should not be this hard.

The hubby and I have been off of work since last Friday. We took some time off to celebrate our anniversary. We had many different ideas about what we were going to do during our time off but we ended up doing none of them. We were quite the lazy couple. It will be hard to go back to work tomorrow, but even more so since the hubby still has the rest of the week off from work.

it's so basic

Basic Grey cardstock.

Have you seen it? Is it new? Has it been around awhile?

Basic Grey now sells their plain patterned paper (you know the "plain" side of their patterned papers) in separate packages. I took a quick trip to the local scrappy store yesterday and happened to come across it. I saw it and just had to have it. I limited myself to just one package though, as with anything Basic Grey it is quite pricey. Well that and the fact that I need more paper like I need a hole in my head.

Okay....WOW! While looking for a picture to share ('cause my camera battery will not cooperate) I came across Scrapbook.com. Again, let me just say WOW! The site lets you select a color scheme based on the item (or uploaded picture) you have selected. Now that is just too cool.

I like to call myself a scrapbooker but...

So today was National Scrapbook day.

Did you scrap? Did I?

Of course not, silly. I just collect the stuff. I couldn't even tell you the last time I scrapped. Well let me rephrase that. I have tons of stuff on the table and a couple of pages sitting there but I have not finished a page (or even got halfway) for I am sad to say probably a year (or more). Sigh.

So let's talk about other things shall we. Today I did 3 loads of laundry. I watched the cat run head on into the recliner. I then got to see said cat stuck under the laundry basket after she knocked it off the bed and it landed right on top of her. I heard a crash in the bedroom and figured that the basket had been knocked over. It about 5 minutes later when I heard the meowing. I thought she was in the closet meowing at the wall. Again. I went into the room to find the basket upside down on the floor and her caught inside. Poor kitty sure has had a full day. At least she is never boring. I mean...last week she took a head dive straight into the garbage can. Head inside can. Feet outside of can.

In even other news...

We may be buying a house. Papers have been signed but not the "real" papers so it is not yet a done deal.

Two pages ~ one layout = *FOUR*

Well it is finished. It only took a week of sitting on the table but it finally got done. I had to buy some more alphabet rub-ons in order to finish what I started though. Rub-ons sure do take a lot of work, especially the really tiny ones.

Can you believe these pictures are from 2001? Yikes! Talk about old pictures. These are the first pictures that I have scrapped that have my Uncle in them. Maybe now I can scrap more recent pictures of him.

I am not too sure that this layout is finished though. I had wanted to put the date on the page but the place that I had planned to put it did not work out. I also think that it needs something in that white space in the middle of the page. What do you think? So far, everything I have tried has made it too busy.

So that makes Four pages for the year but only Three uploaded for the LOAD challenge. Hmmmm considering that I *should* be on layout 11, I think I need to step up the pace. Well, actually considering this is *me* we are talking about…I think I am right on target. LOL!

Now there are *TWO*

I woke up this morning a bit under the weather. It seems the more I actually take allergy medicine the more I seem to feel terrible when I stop taking it. Today, the in-laws were going to stop by and the husband decided to vacuum the rug and the couches. That was the worst! Our vacuum cleaner is pretty new (well 2004 is still considered new right?) and I loved it when we first bought it but now, not so much. We never had any problems with it but something must have happened when we used it to clean that last day in our apartment. Now whenever we turn it on it STINKS! Kind of a musty/moldy smell but there is no mold. B ran that vacuum forever and the smell really made my head pound. I just wanted to go back to bed but cleaned up the bathroom and the litter box, which did not help at all with my headache.

After our company left, and I took a little nap, I was able to finish the layout I had started last night. I had used paint and it took awhile to dry so I had to wait. This brings me to a question. For those of you that have used Heidi Swapp paint. Do you find that the paint really does not dry completely? I painted some chipboard and it took awhile to dry and even still, it is quite sticky. I notice her paint is quite rubbery compared to say the Making Memories paint. So have any of you encountered this?

And now…here it is…the reason for the title of this post…my 2nd layout of the year. I wonder how long I can keep this up.

I have *ONE*

That is…one finished layout for 2008! It only took me a few days but it is finished and uploaded to the LOAD challenge gallery. Go me! ;)

I started out wanting to create a round page since I have never scrapped a shaped page before. I had planned to cut the photo edges so that the layout would be totally round but then I got to thinking how this layout would look once it was in the scrapbook. I just *knew* it would bug me to have the next page in my scrapbook showing thru. So, I decided to not cut the photos and to stick the round shape down onto a regular page. Now I no longer have to stress. LOL! I am very happy with how it turned out.

The all-in-one creative update

I keep mentioning that I would share current pages and I never got around to it. So here it is. The all-in-one post. Much more creative and upbeat than my posts of late.


Here are a some of my most recent Scrappay Divas challenge pages:

Scrap an Object



Supplies used:

Bazzill - cardstock & flower
American Crafts - letter stickers
Dollar Tree - foam letters
Heidi Swapp - ribbon
ric-rak
button

This is a picture of one of B’s fancy dinners.


Stamping on patterned paper



Supplies used:

Basic Grey: patterned paper, chipboard, tag
Autumn Leaves: brads, flourish stamp
Making Memories: paint
Doodlebug: gem
Colorbox: chalk ink
ribbon

I really liked this challenge. I finally used my flourish stamps and the stamping actually looks like it is originally part of the patterned paper.

And I also wanted to share another page that I did just for the fun of scrapping but it seems like Blogger is not being very cooperative. :(

So until next time....be creative!