Documenting Life

Documenting Life........ A Chaotic Life :) 

I love the idea of Project Life. Absolutely think its the best idea yet to document those little moments in life that we forget about as time moves forward. I am also completely overwhelmed by it. LOL. So of course, I had to find a small scale way to do it. I have completed daily daybooks for all months up to and including June. But I also find that I get creative block, or complete memory loss. I either forget to take pictures, or I forget what I did on certain days. (They say once you have kids your memory is not what it use to be.....Me, personally, I think that actually happened in my teens, but I will gladly blame the kids lol) So of course, I had to find a way to take the idea and make it smaller. Something I don't have to be so committed to. SN@P Studio by Simple Stories has a colorful and fun line of binders, colorful pages, insert pocket pages, and of course stickers galore. (YAY!!!) I have used their products in my daybooks, scrapbook pages and smash pages. Recently with my coupon in hand, I purchased a Sn@p binder. LOVE IT!!!! Then I got an idea. (luckily, I was back at the store before I could forget what I was there for again!!) I bought a second one and additional insert pocket pages. I put all the protector insert pages in my red one. And I now use that one to document my every day life. (If I skip a day...oh well) And I put all the pretty and fun pages in the second book (orange) and that is now my All about me, whatever I feel like book, Welcome to my chaotic life book. I will still make daybooks. Because well, I am addicted to all things paper. But on those days, I just don't have the time......or energy....or the memory......well.....I only need to fill a 3x4 space, and that is so much less intimidating.

I used Heidi Swapp's Color Shine (primrose) to spray the Hello Journal card with a gear back ground. 

Still a work in progress but my Top 5 Guilty Pleasures Page

The above pictures are all from the orange Sn@p binder I am using for my "All about Me" Chaotic life book. I hope to upload pictures from my Red Sn@p binder that is more like a project life book in small scale soon.  I also have pictures to upload from my May and June Daily's and my daughter Alyssa's Memory file book from her 14th Birthday. 

Happy Scrappin everyone!!!!!

Cloud "Mini" Daybook..

For my May Daily, I decided to do a mini version of the day book. I went to my first ever crop night and met a lot of really nice ladies. Learned a few new techniques and was actually able to finish sewing a daybook. This book is slightly smaller then I am use to making and working with.  My goal is to post updates throughout the month on the progress I make in my book. Here is the daybook I made that I will be using throughout the month.

Cover

Hello page was made using Silhouette Cameo.

Banner Page also made using Cameo

My favorite new page to do, a white graph or writing paper page cut to resemble a cloud.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Scrapping everyone :)

Pastel Colors Daybook. Getting ready for Spring....

Spring is in the air. Well, sort of. It's been kind of chilly here, even in North Carolina. (They tell me it is unseasonably cold........all I can say is BRRRRRRRRR)  So what else is there to do on a chilly and rainy afternoon but lock myself in my craft room and get to work. Trying to keep up with my March Daily. And of course, feeding my daybook creating addiction by making what else....a new daybook. If you get a chance, tell me what you think.

Happy Scrapping!!!

Happy Accidents

So a few months ago, while buying my cinch, I decided to add some chipboard and other binding items in to my purchase. After all, what good was a cinch if you couldn't use it. One of the things I ordered was a Heidi Swapp memory folder set. I threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. It resurfaced months later when I was packing up my craft room to move from NY to NC. It made the trip and ended up in another drawer. I began watching many videos, craft channels and came across a tutorial on using Memory files. How lucky that I already had them????Well now all these months later I finally decided to try my first "attempt" at making one. There is one thing I hate doing, GLUING paper to chipboard. Its not that I can't do it, it FRUSTRATES me to no end. (insert multiple cups of coffee here). Yesterday I had made two really cute tags with no real "game plan" in mind. Many people ask to see pictures of my new home, and I figured, well........nows my chance. Still not sure if I enjoy making these as much as I love making daybooks, but here's a peek at my latest project.

Altering Tags

Today, I am playing around with Tags. ( I am suppose to be catching up on laundry and cleaning, so of course I am in my craft room hehe) Here is a peek at what I am working on today.

The Capture the Moment tag book is made with five tags that are bound together using my ATG gun and Washi. It is the perfect size to add instax pictures from the Instax Mini. The second tag (hello) is for the cover of my next day book.

Happy Scrapping :)

Washi journal book

Here is a quick little project. This is my latest Washi Journal/Daybook. For each 4x6 card I ran a strip of tape from my ATG gun down each connecting side of the pages. Then put a coordinating strip of washi over it. After building the book up with pages, the outside edge became tacky, so I ran a strip of camera film tape down the center and folded over the edges. I like these little mini books. I can document a single event in them, they are small and easier to store. And the tape/washi combo makes them pretty strong so they survive in my purse. Its like having your own mini brag book - Daybook style.

Tag is there to show size. Book is 4"wide by 6" tall.

Washi Film tape used with ATG for binding

My favorite page

Happy Scrapping

WORKING WITH DISTRESS INKS

Ok, so in hopes of keeping up with my blog on a more consistent basis, I decided today to post the next few completed pages of my March Daily. Basically, I am all thumbs when it comes to posting on my blog. My pictures have yucky (yes, that is the technical term) lighting, I crop but forget to straighten my photographs and have been even known for posting upside down photos. (You just have to tilt your head, right????.) Oh wait, I also have a blur issue......I like to keep everyone guessing as to whether or not their glasses are doing their job hehe. Ok, so we have definitely determined that the computer savvy end of my blog escapes me. As I look wistfully at the many talented scrapbooking, journaling, artsy and cute blogs of the many people I follow, I can think only one thing.......My talent does NOT lie in computer savvy. Coffee and crafts is it for me. So imagine my surprise when my coffee pot revolted against me today. Maybe it is over use??????? ( 13 cups of coffee in one day is normal, right?) Ok, so I may have overworked the poor Keurig. I have named her Sally. We are the best of friends. But I guess with it being all take and no give on my part she shut down on me this morning and I had to resort to my single cup ceramic filter which makes absolutely wonderful coffee. And then I go to my computer. The other "enemy" out to get me today. To post the pictures. Ummmmmm. I think the electronics have begun to conspire against me in the wee hours of the morning. Well, I still haven't figured out the lighting and the blur issue. But I promise you all that the pictures are right side up :)

Happy Scrapping!!

The page on the right are notes my husband and I had left for each other. The left side is Day 5.....when my son had a really bad day, my husband decided that brownies make it all better :)

Day 6 was my "winnings" at a Lia Sophia party. The two hour party lasted four hours because we couldn't stop laughing. Day 7 was my husband's latest Chef experience. He may have a new career in his future.

I have so many pages in this day book because I just kept adding paper when I made it, I decided to extend my seventh day into my craft room "mess" while I was creating :)

As Promised.......

Here are the inside views of both the mini book (which is still a work in progress) and the larger book, my March Daily. 

  I am still working in the book but I wanted to show a fun way to document single or small events. Thanks to the Scrappy Scrappy blog for the WONDERFUL idea!!!  

Here is how I made mine: I cut 4x6 cards and taped them end to end (starting with the first two pages. Instead of just washi, I ran a strip of tape from my ATG gun (to give it a stronger hold). I tend to be very rough with my books as I usually throw them in my pocketbook in case I come across a "scrapable moment" :) As I added pages, the edge became very tacky.  For the final bind, I added a strip of washi down the center (over the tacky binding). I then ran more tape down the side of each (front and back covers next to the binded edge) and folded the washi over the binding. (to give it a more notebook like look). On to this month's Daily:

March Daily

My title page and day 1. Still working on the inside cover, I wanted to use it to add little bits of goodies (receipts, cards, etc.) from the whole month.

Because I only wanted to add one single picture, I made a flip out card to hold the picture, instead of using another full page. Page one is about my goals and things I would like to accomplish for the month of March.

March 2nd is just a few pictures from my March Mini Journal.  The mini book documents the whole party.

Day three is mostly journaling, although we did have a bird fly into our car window while we were enroute back from the airport. (I swear this was a pterodactyl and not really a bird!!) It cracked the window from center all the way across. I used an outline die cut of a mason jar because I wanted to use the graph paper page for journaling directly on.

When all else fails, I take pictures of the family. My husband is on a cooking kick (he is retired and has now realized his talent of cooking. My daughter had a presentation on Michael Jackson and my son had his first day of driving. (Eeeeeeeek.......When did he get old enough to drive?????)