The Happy Planner

I have always loved a good planner, but more for keeping track of events and memories.   I use the planner as a reference while scrapbooking! When I saw The Happy Planner from Me and My Big Ideas, I knew this was the planner for me.  I get to paper craft on a smaller level while keeping track of appointments and family fun.   It also allows me a place for menu planning,  lists,  and keeping track of exercise and water intake.  I also love that it is easy to personalize your planner, like by adding bible verses and inspirational quotes.   These stickers from Me & My Big Ideas are my favorite!

I also love that the disc bound system makes it easy to remove pages to decorate.  I recently tried adding a decorative card to my planner.  I took a page out, lined the card up where I wanted the holes and made a mark in each slot with a pen.  Then I used a regular hole punch on each dot.  Next I used a rectangle punch to create the slit.  This card easily goes in and out of my planner.  LOVE it...can't wait to add more personal touches like this!

vacation memorabilia...

We are about to head off on vacation, so I thought I'd share a tip for keeping track of memorabilia while vacationing!  Whether you scrapbook or not, it is nice to save some of the bits and pieces that you collect along your travels. 

I always bring ziplock bags of all sizes with me when traveling.  A gallon sized one is perfect for keeping track of all your receipts, brochures, tickets, scorecards, etc!  This helps keep everything together and protected from getting wet or crinkled.  

Then when you get home you can look through all your pieces and see what you want to save, scrapbook or toss.

Do you have any special ways of keeping track of your memorabilia when traveling?  What are your favorite pieces to save from your travels?

Project Life update & {Elle's Studio features}

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my Project Life goal was to print pics at the end of the month and get them into layouts before the next month was over.  So far so good!  I have been keeping up with this goal and it makes me want to do a happy dance!  ;)  I just love that I have a space were I can leave my projects out and work on bits here and there. 

I use several Project Life kits when creating my pages.  I also love incorporating Elle's Studio products.  If you haven't checked them out yet, why not?!  ;)  Head over to their blog for some inspiration and browse their shop. 

In the past week I have had 2 of my layouts featured on their blog.  This one was a member gallery spotlight for April.  These were beach pics from our spring break in Myrtle Beach.  My focus was the shadow family picture and just went from there!

This layout I had posted on instagram and was highlighted here.  It shows off more spring break fun!

How are you doing with your scrapbooking goals?  I would love to hear!

myrtle beach {sketch challenge}

This is my take on the Thursday sketch challenge over at Elle's Studio.  This is my second time participating.  {Check out my other layout here.}  I love the inspiration it gives me to create layouts.  I don't do much of them anymore since starting Project Life style albums.

I created this 8.5x11 layout of Little Bit at a seaside cafe while we were in Myrtle Beach.  This will go in my 2014 Project Life album as an insert. 

Featured...

One of my Project Life layouts was featured on the Elle's Studio Blog!  This was the week of Valentines, so I incorporated lots of red and pink!  So excited and grateful for the highlight! 

I love Elle's Studio products and if you haven't been to their shop or blog, check them out now!  Thanks ladies!

3x4 cards in 4x6 slots...

I am not a person devoted to one certain type of page protectors.  For my Project Life album I usually float between American Crafts, We Are Memory Keepers and Project Life.  Most recently I was using these 6 - 4x6 type from We Are Memory Keepers.  But I don't always put 4x6 items in those slots.  I use quite a few 3x4 cards and photos as well. 

Here is an example of 2 - 3x4 cards that I was using on a layout.  The problem I have is that they tend to overlap and slide around in the 4x6 pocket.  As I was looking around my craft table I had an idea to use washi tape to secure the 2 cards together, making them the perfect size for the 4x6 slot!

I just chose a solid color washi tape that I rarely use, lined up the 2 cards face down and put a strip of tape in the middle.  This little trick holds them together nicely and eliminates the sliding!

Best thing is, you have no idea they are taped together when looking at them in the album!

Happy crafting!

hello 2014 album...

Hello 2014 project life album!  I love project life style scrapbooking, drop photos in, drop in accent cards, journal and add a few embellishments.  Sounds easy enough right?!  My problem is I start off good but then fall behind.  I love the idea of capturing every day life as opposed to only scrapbooking the big life moments, birthdays, holidays, milestones, etc.  But I have come to realize that I don't like to be boxed into weekly scrapbooking either.  I do scrapbook a week at a time occasionally, but some weeks I hardly have any pictures and other times I have a gazillion!  ;)  So I've decided to not limit myself and just see where the layouts go.  

 

I did not do a very good job of staying on top of my 2013 album.  I would fall months behind and then play catch up.  I did have a couple scrapbook marathon weekends in January and got my album finished.  

 

Here is my title page for 2014.  Loving 5th & Frolic by Dear Lizzy! It is a Michaels exclusive core kit.  Did you know that you can use competitor coupons at Michaels?!  I used a Joanns 50% coupon and scored this kit for only $15! 

 

For 2014 my goal is to print pics at the end of each month and get them scrapbooked before I print the next months pictures.  We will see how that goes....so far so good! 

organizing memorabilia for project {life}

I love to be organized but for the past year I have failed at organizing my memorabilia that I want to include in my project life album.  :(  I just kind of stuffed everything in a manilla envelope, not in any particular order....oops.  So when it would come time to put a particular week of photos together I might leave out something I wanted to include, like a receipt, tag, coloring page, etc.     

So this 2013 began and I decided it was time for a better way to organize those bits and pieces.  

I had an old 12x12 accordion paper organizer that I wasn't using anymore and it had just the right amount of pockets...one for each month!  So I labeled one section for each month....

Now I can drop stuff in to the appropriate month and know right where it is when I'm ready to scrapbook that week.  

The great thing about this organization project is that it didn't cost me a thing!  I already had the folder and labels!  Remember to peruse your stash before you head off to the store to purchase something.  You never know what you might already have that you can repurpose!

project {life} 2013 intro page...

I am totally not done with my 2012 album yet but I was so excited to use my new Project Life kit that I got for Christmas....so I jumped right into it and completed my intro page for 2013! 

I loved the little cardstock people used on this layout that I decided to create my own.  I added each family members name and our ages at the beginning of 2013. 

I love this process!  Just drop in pics and accent cards, add a personal touch of my own and done! 

Look for some upcoming posts on how I've recently reorganized some of my Project Life supplies and memorabilia!  ;)

project {life}...weeks 18-21

I'm still playing catch up with my scrapbooking.  I'm loving my new craft room, it's just that not much scrapbooking is getting done in there yet.  I'm trying to get a new routine figured out now that school has started...slowly but surely!

In the meantime here are some pages I had done before the move...

 Our house went on the market this week, we sold a couch, got a new one and got new dishes!

 This week brought several showings already, Mother's Day and Mark ran his first 5K!!!

Little Bit did a Mother's Day recital for me!  ;)  It was so cute, she drew her dance moves and then preformed them for us!!!  I love this girl!

 My sister graduated from 8th grade this week, Gracie's last soccer game and last day of school!

Our 1st week of summer!...lots of outside time!

project {life}...weeks 14-17

I am so far behind on posted and actually putting these pages together.  With the move and starting a new job, I have just put scrapbooking on the back burner.  Well school is in full swing now so I'm ready to get back to my pictures!  Since I haven't posted any pages in a while here is the month of April!...

It's Easter time!  I included an insert this time that had vertical slots for 4x6 pics...love this! 

 

This layout is weeks 15 & 16 combined.  I have done this before when I don't have enough pictures from one week.  

And week 17....soccer, garage sales and a family visit!

I'm hoping to scrapbook tonight and catch up a bit...we will see!

altered {clipboard}

My family was just up over the weekend and my mom was telling me about these altered clipboards that she saw and thought would be fun to make.  So I broke out the scrapbook paper and mod podge and we got to work!  I already had a clipboard on hand and my mom picked one up fairly cheap at Dollar General. 

Since I am starting a teaching job at a local preschool this fall, I thought it would be neat to make a schoolish one for me!  I started with the book print paper, laid it under the clipboard and traced around the edge.  I cut on the inside of my lines and still had to trim it slightly to fit.  Then I just used some scraps I had to add layers to it.  The faux polaroid is cut from a larger sheet of paper.  I used stickers to put my name on it.  Then used some washi tape to accent.  I finished it off with the 2 stamped owls...kid and teacher ;)
A coat of mod podge under and over everything completed the project!  I wish I would have gotten a pic of my mom's before she left, cause it turned out super cute too!

Linking up with...

project {life}...weeks 12 & 13

 Week 12...

This was Little Bit's spring break week and the end of our long weekend getaway! 

On the way home from Branson we stopping in St. Louis at the zoo.  It was super crowded and a little on the warm side but we had a great time.  Little Bit loved going from one animal to the next, discovering all that were at the zoo!  We also kept seeing progress on the new house....stud walls went up and Little Bit got to stand in her room! 

We enjoyed some time at Chuck E Cheese with good friends celebrating a birthday, looked at scrapbooks with my girl, mommy got a haircut, more items were purchased for the new house, and yummy lunch at Noodles & Co. {one of our favs to eat!}!


Week 13...

Lots of fun this week and some firsts!

Little Bit recently informed me that her favorite hairstyle was curly...even though she has only had it done once...lol.  So I curled her hair for school on Monday!  Fun times at the park and shopping with friends {we found out our Gap store was closing, boo} and had a fun night out with some girlfriends.

Library storytime, first time camping!!! {in the backyard}, egg hunt at Little Bit's preschool, trying out our new sponge rollers for curly church hair!, and trying out a new restaurant.

project {life}...weeks 10 & 11

Week 10...

I am trying to get caught up, really I am.  It has just been hard to find time to craft lately with being out of town some and keeping our house clean and picked up for the showings!  When I drag out all my stuff I like to be able to leave it out for a few days.  But I've been itching to craft so I might just have to clean up after myself!  These 2 layouts I did at a crop I went to a couple weeks ago.

This layout shows some lunch with friends, playing paper dolls, measuring furniture and our basement walls! 

I got my first order from Elle's Studio this week {and am using a few of the snippets and pennants on this layout ;)}!   It also highlights a trip to visit family and see my sister play volleyball.

Week 11...

Fun play times and a spur of the moment weekend getaway! This is the layout with an insert.

Here it is without the insert.

A little bit of this and that...just like the title says!  Basement floor and plumbing, approved!  Kite flying and park play with daddy.  Fun with friends!

Here is the insert....playing at the park on the left and trip to Branson on the right!

This layout highlights more pics from the Branson trip....Silver Dollar City, mini golf and a fun show!

I really like to include things that I collect from our trips, or even just the day to day happenings of life.  Here I have shown 3 things I used to help tell the story of our Branson trip...part of a paper sack, paper from the condo we stayed and the mini golf score card!  I save receipts, brochures, business cards, paper menus, coloring pages, etc...anything that I think might come in handy when I'm documenting our memories!

project {life}... week 8 & 9

Week 8...
Fun times with friends, trying a new place to eat {yummy sweet potato fries!}, checking out our lot all marked and ready to break ground, home show, and both our mom's were up for a visit.

Almost everything exciting this week was on Friday...what a busy day!!!

I just love the top picture...Little Bit is standing where her room will be in our new house! Love it!

And here is week 9....
I did do an insert this week and I included my 1st mini layout! I was inspired by Jenni at The Hufford House to try added a layout in with my photo insert pages. I really like the idea of highlighting something special and/or fun!

Here is the first side. It was all about breaking ground at our lot this week!

We also closed on our construction loan, got Little Bit signed up for soccer and battled sickness.

Here is the mini layout I did. It is a highlight of Little Bit with her new foam sword! She just loves playing pirate! ;)

This is what Little Bit was doing while her dad and I were signing papers at the bank for the construction loan. It was too cute for me not to save!