Project Life 2012, Status Complete

Warning:  Lots of photos ahead

We had a pretty big year last year.  I had a hard time keeping up with my Project Life book.  I am so proud to finally tie up all the loose ends.

Here is a look at the overview of my book.

I have it all put together in Blurb.  A quick upload and my beautiful keepsake is on its way!

Here is a closer look at the cover.

It is really similar to my 2010 and 2011 covers.  I got the original template from Weeds and Wildflowers.  It was a free download that I do not think exists any more on their website.

For my book, I used the Weeds and Wildflowers {Every}Day Life Pages.  They were already put together for me.  All I had to do was add the pictures and add journaling.  I did make some tweaks as I don't do a traditional Project Life.  But, I enjoyed it and wouldn't have finished it without having so much of the "work" out of the way.

Here are a few of my interior pages.

It is amazing times in our family.  I have enjoyed spending time with my children, spending romantic evenings in front of the fire with my husband, and getting my house completely organized and set up. God has been faithful to us in 2012.  He has been faithful to us in 2013 as well.  We are so blessed.

I hope you enjoy a peek into my little Digital world of Project Life.

Digital Scrapbooking - The Easy Way

I have shared more and more of my digital scrapbooking creations.  In fact, I really do virtually no paper scrapbook pages anymore.  So, I wanted to encourage all my paper crafters out there that you CAN do this.

I have a few loves in the crafting world . . . all things Papertrey Ink . . . all thing Shabby Princess!  These are two things that I buy without fail.  I just buy and buy and buy.  Papertrey Ink is a physical product company that has the MOST adorable things.  The entire team is amazing (yes, I met *stalked* them at CHA a couple of summers ago).  Shabby Princess is equally amazing in the digital world.  Her designs like Papertrey Ink are timeless, beautiful, and always look amazing.  And the SP team is equally amazing.  Although I only know them in a digital/online sense.  **I feel like I live half of the time in the real world and the other half in the matrix!!**

I was looking around a few months ago for something specific that I was needing for a digital book I was going to scrapbook.  I ran across something I found amazing!!  Pre-made elements . . . all the hard work done for you . . . I had been under a rock.  Where had this been all my life?  So, I ran over to the store that was carrying the digital genius products.  That is when I discovered Connie Prince Designs.  She has this amazing blog where she gives out freebies and showcases her amazing stuff.  Seriously, go check it out here:  http://scrapinfusions.blogspot.com.

Let me show you something I made that I was super happy with:

Now let me show you how easy it is to do this for yourself in a simple graphics program like Photoshop Elements.

I bet you didn't realize that all the hard work was done for me.  Amazing right??!!  I have this totally amazing layout that anyone . . . and I mean anyone . . . could totally do.  The best part . . . if you head over to her shop at Gingerscraps, you can get all the pieces for this layout for only $3.  AND you will have enough stuff to do lots more pages.  Paper scrapbooking doesn't hold a candle to the budget friendliness or the ease for the finished product.

Thanks for looking today.  I have a HUGE post that I am working on all about the big move . . . coming sooner than I would want.  And, I have started designing my new studio!!!!!!  I am hopefully going to have the time/energy to share all about that as well.

Blast from the Past

So, I was going through some computer files (man I wish I had a single unified system but I changed each time I changed computers . . . bad idea) to look for some pictures for our Pastor Appreciation day. I ran across some of my older scrapbook pages.  I found this . . .

I was first of all impressed.  :)  But it struck me because this looks just like my 4 month old son . . . today.  This was my precious daughter at 8 months old.  And my son is playing in this as I type.

Thanks for joining me on my blast from the past.  I wish I could tell you where the digital elements from this layout came from.  Sadly, I cannot.  If I figure it out, I will update this post.

4 months

School has started and life is starting to fall back into a routine.  This is glorious as I really needed this to help Noah get on track.  He is 4 months old today!!!  Can you believe it?  I am blessed.  God is so faithful.  Most of you know that we are building a house (which is coming along great).  Because of it, I have been moving things and cleaning at our current house.  My craft room is back to full functionality!!  Yeah!!!  I have been doing all sorts of fun stuff in there.  Cards . . . sewing . . . and I have set up my computer station so that now I can digital scrapbook easily too.  I hope to start blogging about all of my endeavors.  I am trying to think it through as I have so many things to share about sewing, cleaning, cooking . . . . I just want to make sure that I don't loose my focus.  Know what I mean?

I don't have a card to share today as I am on my laptop, so I thought I would show you what I did this morning.  This is a couple of pages from our recent vacation.  Thanks for looking!

Credits:  All of this came from the Captured Life series by Tracie Stroud.

A Year in the Life

I have shared a little hear and there about my digital scrapping. My blog has mainly been about my card making endeavors, but I would like to branch out from time to time. Today would be one of those days. I was applying for a blog team position with a digital scrapbook designer that I really like, and it hit me that I don't blog about my digital scrapbooking. I don't really know why except that I am, for the most part, a private person. It is like bearing my heart and my soul. But, I would like to share what divides my crafting time.

I had this idea a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to make a book for my mom about our family for each year. It is like a yearbook so to speak. She has 9 grandkids and 3 great-grandkids. So, she doesn't have room to put up that many photos. And face it, in this digital world, it seems counter-intuitive to print photos. Where do you put them once they are printed? How do you store them? If you do put them in traditional photo albums, how do you mark them for date, occasion, or faces. If you put the info on the back of the photo, you are forced with removing them from the album to find out any info. Ok, you get the point. So, I think making this for her will be genius. And, if I am already doing one, I can just print one more and give it to my mother-in-law. Brilliant! Or so I think. I'll let you know.

Here are my January, February, and March pages. Enjoy!

I used the 8.5 X 11 templates from Weeds and Wildflowers Everyday Life Series. The digital kits are from the Capture Life series by Tracie Stroud.

I would share my April, May, June, and July pages. But . . . they are not done. I will catch up eventually. Thanks for looking today at a small peek into my world - or at least the other side of my crafty world.