07/27/19 - 3 Yrs (Gone)

Okay, so I lied...
In my previous post I said I was done with my Pet Themed TN, but I just created another layout.
That makes 14 in this TN, if you're counting.
I didn't think I could comfortably fit any more but this one fit and fit well.
In fact it gave me less trouble than the layout right before it... go figure!

 

June 20th (2019) was the 3rd anniversary of the passing of my Malti-Poo, Ivanna.

She was 15.

I came across the bottom photo and decided to scrap it.
It's a photo of the memorial statue we bought after she passed; it sits on the window ledge on our front porch.

Funny story...
this is the 3rd time I scrapped this photo; unbeknownst to me.
I knew I scrapped it twice, once for a tribute page and once for a Project Life layout, but had no idea until after I had stuck it down here that this was the 3rd time!
Apparently I printed multiples of this photo w/out realizing.
It's the 3rd anniversary so I guess it was just meant to be.
::shrugs::

 

 

Anyway onto the layout.
As I said, I came across this photo one night, when felt the urge to be creative, but was exhausted (lately it's the story of my life, but that's a whole other Oprah)!
So I thought I would play a little w/ glue and paper and just see where it went.
Well, THIS is where it went.
But to be honest, the only things I stuck down that night was everything on the bottom (minus the date stamp) and the black tag and the "this was a tough day" phrase on the top.
Everything else was added a couple of days later.
But I'm glad it worked out that way, because in that 2 day interim I remembered I had the top photo, that I have never scrapped, which would work perfectly on this spread because of the colors in the BG of the photo.
Sometimes it really does work out better to allow the scrappy process to marinate!

Product deets:
> the BG papers are from Kelly Purkey
> the majority of the embellishments are from Elle's Studio.
> the "3" is from Pinkfresh Studio
> the "xo" and the "thinking of you stamp" are from Studio Calico

And though it was difficult to really capture the true fullness of this TN, I wanted to share this w/ you:

Seeing it so full, and flipping though it, makes me smile!
Despite some of the creating process being a PITA, LOL
 

07/23/19 - " (the) Visit"

*Note I created this page just prior to my unintentional scrappy break, just forgot to post it*

A 2-page

Traditional Traveler's Notebook Spread

Nope, it's not your imagination...you have seen this before, well at least the bottom half.

If you saw my original post, you may recall that I said my book was getting too full and bulky to fill up both sides of each page (and you may also recall I said I didn't like the look of the blank side).

Original layout:

I was just going to let it go, but then decided to reach out for "expert help".
I asked a fellow TN Scrapper, who has been scrapping in TNs a lot longer than I have, and who is also a scrappy designer, how she is able to use all her pages and fill up her books without them being too bulky?
Her answer? She removes some of pages from the TN before she starts. Less pages means less bulk and more freedom for play!

Unfortunately I learned this trick after already filling up this TN pretty well.
But I still went in and removed some blank pages best I could. It did cause the book to fall apart a bit as the bulkiness of the completed pages made it difficult for me to re-staple it but with a bit of perseverance... and lots of regular tape and washi tape (LOL)… I was able to get it back together again, though I must admit the tape is a bit unsightly, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Though, I did also have to tell my self to just "breathe" because I did have a momentary melt down when I saw the book fall apart (thanks my OLW)!
I know better now going forward.
And I just made sure not to put the tape on the actual photos in case the tape started to erode over the years, which I believe it generally does.

But enough about that!
For the new page I used some washi tape that had been sitting in my stash along with bits and pieces from the same Echo Park collection I used for the original page.
I also added a button to match the bottom button to help tie in the 2 pages and make it look more like one.
I also added the date. I wanted to stamp it but neither of my roller date stamps had 2012 on them; it was either before or after ::doh::!
The page is not 100% to my liking, but it definitely makes me feel much better about the previous blank space!

Now I know another handy trick to working in TNs and am looking forward to creating in them more!

BTW - this is the same book I recently said I was finished w/… I'm happy to say I was able to include 13 layouts in it!

Additional Product:
-Elle's Studio
-Kelly Purkey

07/15/19 - "Use Your Stuff Challenge" #367

07/23/19 - Edited to Add: I am including this in the current Double Trouble Challenge: Challenge #33

Hi!

This Week's "Use Your Stuff" Challenge is MASCULINE.

I used a lot of my Birthday Themed sticker stash to create this page about my son's 24th Birthday:

"24th Birthday (Boy)"

Edited to Add: this is a 12x12 Paper layout

Since I concentrate so much on Project Life spreads, I always feel a bit rusty w/ Traditional Layouts.
And because of that I always see things I could have done better.
Oh well...done is better than perfect!

And isn't that llama adorable?!

The story:
The day after his birthday, Joseph stopped by our house to pick up his gifts.

His Birthday is June 14th.
I realized that after I stamped the date I should have used the date the photos were taken instead, but I guess since it was just one day later, it's not that big of a deal.

Of course, I say that now but only time will tell if it drives me crazy enough to fix it later, LOL!
Repeat: "done is better than perfect" ::wink::

I don't know how "masculine" this page is, but it's about a boy, well a man, my son so I'd say that qualifies for the challenge.


Products:
- Echo Park
- Maggie Holmes
- Carta Bella
- Pinkfresh Studio
- Elle's Studio

07/12/19 - Project Life Week 16

I didn't take a lot of photos this Week.

TBH, I've noticed I haven't been taking a lot of photos in general.

The reason? 

Quite honestly it's because I've been trying to not post so much on Instagram (Social Media).

But if I take a photo and don't post it to Instagram, where I tell a story w/ my caption, I find that by the time I go to scrap it, I forget the story behind my photo!

First World Problems, amirite?! LOL

So for the purposes of taking more photos and capturing my story, I think I may need to just not worry so much about how much I post on Instagram but instead learn to balance social-media life w/ real life.

So what to do when you don't have a lot of photos to include in your weekly spread?

Insert memes/IG Posts ( I said I was posting less, not that I was scrolling less, LOL!).

If you recall on a previous post I advised that I like to include Mems/IG posts because I think the ones I choose to include also tell a lot about me!

So w/out further ado...

Here's Project Life Week #16

-Click on each page to enlarge-

This week includes the 6x6 insert that I created of Hamlet snoozing on my lap; I already shared it by itself  in a previous post.


 It accompanies this 12x12 Traditional Pocket Page:

 (There's a tiny glare; one of the drawbacks of taking photos in a page protector.)


This week I included (counter-clockwise from top left):
- An IG post about how the moment I wake up in the morning, I already am thinking about going back to sleep that night!
(Who else can relate?!)
- An IG post about a dog being very unhappy w/ his Starbucks order.
He wanted a Soy Latte, not a Puppuccino.
If you didn't know, a Starbucks Puppuccino is an espresso-shot-sized paper cup full of whipped cream, just for dogs. Starbucks offers these for free.
This post made me chuckle and as a lover of animals and Starbucks I just had to save it in my album!
-The story of David ordering me the wrong size Nachos, they were the biggest size they sell! But of course I ate them...ALL! LOL
- Cuddling w/ Hamlet, which also references the 6x6 insert.
Journaling: "Cuddling w/ Hamlet never gets old, but this time there's more to the story ==>"

This is the way the two pages look together in the album.

 

Do you see that 6x8 Pocket Page (black w/ staples)?
That is the back of my "Sharp Objects" Pocket Page that I created and also previously shared by itself in it's own post.
That page is part of Week 17.
I was going to fill in the pockets but decided that leaving them blank/black would make the 6x6 layout of Hamlet stand out more.
Especially since the next week's spread is really colorful (stay tuned)!

I'm happy w/ the choice, though it's not something I would have allowed myself to do last year...
I'm becoming a bit more flexible and really adhering to the "no rules" rule of scrapbooking these days...
And I'm totally loving it!


Per usual most of my supplies come from:
- Elle's Studio
- Kelly Purkey
- Kellie Stamps
- Studio Calico
- Tim Holtz

07/01/19 - Project Life Week 15

Week 15

This Week's Project Life spread was difficult to take photos of.

There were 5 pieces total:

1) 6x12 Insert (front side)

2) 6x12 Insert (back side)

3) the Knotts Tasting Card (front side)

4) the Knotts Tasting Card (back side)

5) the 12x12 Layout

- Traditional Pocket Pages

 

Despite the difficulty I tried my best to photograph it so you could see it in action; in other words, how it would look if you were flipping through my album

 

Hopefully you see it!

(Click on each page to get a closer look):

 

 

Insert Front/Back:

This week we took another Tuesday off and went to the Knotts Boysenberry Festival.

Our second time attending; my first as a vegetarian.

We tried lots of good eats, though there weren't many veggie options...but I made it work!

I included photos of mine and David's favorite dishes -

David's: Boysenberry Glazed Salmon w/ Mixed Greens topped w/ a Boysenberry Vinaigrette

Mine: Boysenberry Waffle w/ Maple Boysenberry Cream Cheese Syrup; it was surprisingly very fluffy w/ a donut-like consistency!

Also we finally tried Knott's Calico Soda: a Knotts Secret Recipe, non-alcoholic drink, we loved it!

 

 

David's Zombie Charlie Brown Shirt is from Society 6.

 

 

I used a hole punch to add the tasting card directly into the album.

 

As for the rest of the week:

- Snuggles w/ Hamlet... who doesn't understand "personal space"! Look at his hoof on my lap, LOL
- Spotty got a bath. We actually don't bathe him very often.
- A cute photo of Hamlet
- Avocado and Soy Chorizo Pizza
- Brought out and filled up Hamlet's Pool.
Journaling: "Signs of hot weather? When the pool gets filled... the Pig Pool that is.
Though 84(degrees) is just the start! #SoCal"
-Hamlet enjoying some Chili Mango slices.
A snack I received in my monthly subscription snack box that I did not like.

I created the "Week 15 + Date Range" Card on the Project Life App that way I could include the small photo of Spotty as well.

Other Products:
- Kelly Purkey
- Kellie Stamps
- Elle's Studio
- Studio Calico
- We R Memory Keepers
- Becky Higgins
- Time Holtz

You may or may not have noticed but I mainly stick to same manufacturers for my scrappy supplies.
I'm finding it much easier to get pages done w/ my go-to products.

Thanks for stopping by.
Hope you have a good week!

07/01/19 - "Use Your Stuff Challenge" #365

Hi there!

This week's challenge over at the "Use Your Stuff" blog is MUSIC.

We want you to use a title, lyrics, or even an artist's name to inspire your project.

I used the song "Scream" by Avenged Sevenfold to scrap that time that my husband

had someone to go on "Supreme Scream" with, because I'm too chicken to do it, LOL

 "Let's Scream"

Journaling:
"I'm not really a fan of roller coasters, especially ones w/ big drops, so poor David always misses out!
I'm happy Chad was w/ us this day so David could go on "Supreme Scream!"


I did a combo of Alpha Letters (from Elle's Studio) and Stamps (from Kelly Purkey) to create my title. I don't know if you've noticed but I like to place my titles at different angles, mostly sideways or curved, on my layouts.
Lately I've been doing it so frequently I think it's almost another trademark of mine, like my outlining (...almost)!

FYI - The stamps I used have been in my stash for over a year, but this is the first time I've used them. I love stamping but I still get nervous doing it.
Another Kelly Purkey stamp is along the side of the first photo; that one is fairly new.

That washi tape has also been in my stash for over a year... only used once! It's from Simple Stories, and I love it, but I hardly use washi anymore.
That was a huge addiction for me once upon a time ago, but now not-so-much!

I used two Elle's Studio 3x4 pocket page cards on here, one for my journaling, cuz I gotta use those cards up! I mean, I do get a new set every month, LOL

The BG paper I actually bought for the other side, but this side wound up being a perfect fit for these photos so I went w/ it.
Here's the other side:

I still really like the original side, so I may just need to buy it again!

Well that's it for me..
I'm going to go and straighten those Alpha Letters, now... LOL

Have a good day and if you get the chance, don't forget to come play along w/ the challenge!