A New Project + A Process Video

I'm not the type to say I'm behind. Frankly, I'm only interested in scrapbooking a few things from my childhood & I haven't really experienced anything terribly momentous. I don't have kids, it's only me & Ryan + our 3 little kittehs ;) & sometimes my 2 cousins, who are as special to me as anybody can be to another person. So the stuff I've always been scrapbooking is our everyday life. I haven't ever put constraints on what I NEED to scrapbook. I usually just go with the flow, use photos that are inspiring me at the moment, or a story that I want to tell & I pair it with whatever photo fits. I have SOOO many photos that aren't scrapbooked, just like the majority of scrapbookers out there, but I don't let it get to me. If they make it onto a page, cool. If not, well that's okay too.

Well, something has changed. I'm still not considering myself behind in any sense of the word. But I am going back. I was looking through my box of photos... yes I only have 1 box of printed photos, most of which are before digital photos that I don't have another copy of... anyway, I was looking through the box & noticed that in one of the divided sections had over 3 inches photos in it. I flipped to the section & it was my Steph & Sue section. Needless to say I felt this overwhelming sense of guilt. I would consider myself their primary memory-keeper. I try to take note of the little things that go on in their lives, the things they say, how they are changing over time, etc. They haven't had the best childhood, but it's still had some great moments, & I want them to remember those special moments. So I challenged myself. [Sometimes I think back to that exact moment, & I think well... what was I thinking!!! haha] I made myself promise, to no one but myself, that I was going to scrapbook each & everyone of those pictures. Then I started looking through them, &  a good majority of the photos had both of them in them. Well, I had this grand idea to make a scrapbook for each of them. So that entailed a new batch of prints... to make the set I had a double set. That in and of itself was a project, let me tell you. Luckily I had a code for 101 free prints from Shutterfly. After several days of choosing, uploading, & ordering the prints I was starting to make a dint into the photos that need to printed a second time. Well, once I got the prints in the mail, I divided them up... there were so many photos it was overwhelming. I put them in their own 4x6 boxes, I think they are Iris brand & I could barely close the boxes... & that's not all of the prints, I'm still holding out for another 101 free prints to come into my email!!

It was at that moment that I decided I had to make a plan for this whole project to get it under control & create some stress relief. I decided on a few things. First, I'm doing the whole project in 8.5x11, there so much less room to worry about, I can fit about 2 4x6 photos on a page with ease & still have a little bit of room to embellish, plus if I only have 1 photo it's not going to require alot of embellishing & title work. I want this as simple as I can make it. Second, I coordinated this with a huge purge. So as I went through ALL of my supplies, which isn't much honestly, I made a giveaway pile, a keep pile, & a S&S project pile. I kept the supplies that I thought matched their personalities & preferences. This made everything so easy. It felt kind of like I made page kits & I've been able to get so many pages done since then. Third, I made the ultimate decision that I would make almost identical pages for each of them for the photos they are both in & different pages for the photos of each of them alone.

Today I'm going to share one of my most recent pages for this project. I plan on making a video sharing some of the others soon. I just want to have a nice stack under my belt before I share ;)

Anyway... here's the page I'm sharing today:

There will be at least 1 companion page that goes along with this one, so I didn't do the journaling yet, I want to see which page will have the optimal room for it.
Here's my process of making this page. It's very similar to how I've made the others in the projects.

 

Thanks for reading & watching :)

It's March!! *Elle's Studio DT Gallery*

I can't believe we are already into March, it's almost Spring here in Georgia & I'm so excited about that. This cold weather is getting to me. I'm ready to be outside & soak up some sun without being blasted by freezing winds & seemingly constant rain. Seriously... why oh why are we plagued with downpours all winter, when its already so cold, but in the summer, there is hardly a drop of water that falls from the sky, but you can still count on the humidity. I don't get it. :)

Ok so I'm not here to bore you to death about the weather. I'm here to share my Elle's Studio March Design Team gallery. If you haven't been over to the site, you definitely need to. There are so many inspiring projects up, it's so awesome getting to be apart of such a talented group. 

So I made 3 layouts this month. All of which I love dearly. 

I used tons of Elle's Studio You & Me collection. Instead of traditional journaling, I decided to stamp a quote from one of my favorite songs of all time, Walk the Line by Johnny Cash. If you don't know me personally, you might be surprised to know that Johnny Cash is my favorite single recording artist of all time. Seriously. His music makes me think of my dad, who I love dearly. This song in particular is such a beautifully written love song. Ryan is my 1 and only & the words on this layout are truer than true. I would do anything I could for him. 

Here's some close up details:

The photobooth strip from our trip to the bowling alley is so indicative of who Ryan and I are as a couple. 

The photo on this layout makes me smile from ear to ear. Every year I take care of my 2 little cousins & to me they are like little sisters to me. I can't imagine my life without them. But that's not what this layout is about for me. This layout is about Ryan's relationship with them, he's so kind, compassionate, loving, caring, everything you could ever dream of in a male role model for 2 little girls. His relationship with them makes me realize that if we ever decide to become parents, he's going to be the best dad ever. Boy, do I love him. 

Here are the details:

This layout is a memory that I don't want Sue to ever forget. She & Ryan have a special relationship. They share a love for scary movies, zombies, & late nights. haha. Steph & I LOVE sleep, but these 2 can stay up so late. This was one of those moments, when I woke up & they were sitting together watching a movie late at night during the summer. I immediately had to snap a picture because I knew that it was going to be something that could be overlooked in the future. I hope she never forgets how awesome their relationship is. 

Here's a detail shot:

New Elle's Studio Projects + New Video

Hi all. I'm here to share my new projects for Elle's Studio, that went live this morning. I've been loving the new collections, both are so beautifully designed. I've been dying to share. Seriously. Hardest thing I've done. Another thing I have to share is a video I made while creating the first layout.

First things first, my projects...

This was my very first project. I've been waiting & waiting to scrapbook my most favorite photos from last year, & the You & Me collection was absolutely perfect for the photos. For my first project I wanted to step out of my scrapbooking box, so I did that a few different ways on the same layout. First, I decided that I had to do an 8.5x11 layout, to go further, I made it a double page layout. Both are so out of the ordinary for me. Then, just one step further, I decided it was necessary to make the background papers different from one another. I really like the way it turned out & surprisingly, I've been scrapping more and more 8.5x11 pages since then, & I'll be sharing those soon. :)

  

2012 was a HUGE year for Instagram, especially for me. This is almost all of my photos from last year. I only eliminated a few doubles, from places we've been & things we've eaten. I'm sure someone will wonder how I made this collage. I used Picasa, a free program from Google. I put in a custom size ratio, when I created a tile collage. Then printed through Photoshop Elements after cropping it in half & moving it to an 8.5x11 canvas. I love this technique, because I can create awesome sized collage prints & still use my standard sized photo printer. 

    

This layout makes me smile. I've never been good at grid layouts. Most of my pages have TONS of layers & I love doing that. The LOVE card inspired the grid design because I didn't want to cover any of it up, since the word is so important, but I also didn't want to layer it over my photo either. So, in comes a grid. I really love the way it turned out & I will definitely be making more in the future. 

Ok. So there you have it. My very first Design Team Gallery. Now as promised. A new video. This is  the process from my very first gallery project!!

New at Elle's Studio

Today is the launch of the new collections at Elle's Studio. I'm so super excited because that means just 1 more day & I can share my projects with you.

Here's a peek at the new collections, first up is You &Me

& next up is Day to Day

I hope you stop by there & check it out, because both collections are truly amazing. I love everything Elle made for the new lines & I can't wait to see what's next!!

December Daily

I'm here to finally share my December Daily. It's really not a "December Daily" it's more of a holiday mini album...

I used the Simple Stories Teal Sn@p album & mostly Crate Paper Sleighride Collection :)

I started on Thanksgiving, so that I could include all of the holiday season.

my college graduation ceremony was a super important event this December, so I had to include it. So glad to be done, & not have a  20+ page research paper looming over me anymore!

this year, Ryan & I went simple with our Christmas Tree. I decorated it with gold ornaments & clear lights + our ornaments from each year we've been married, so far there aren't very many randoms on there, but eventually it will be PACKED with random ornaments that mean something to us. 

my mom & I spent the majority of our winter break with my dad in FL. A few days after my graduation, he had a stroke & had to be hospitalized. He was in FL when it happened, so we had a LONG drive & hard few days. But he's doing well & we are blessed that he recovered so quickly. 

Since I wasn't at home, Ryan and I didn't get to watch our favorite holiday movies together, but my dad & I did catch Home Alone on TV one night after he was released from the hospital. 

I was totally missing my kitties & Ryan the whole time I was in FL with my dad, so Ryan kept me updated with TONS of picture messages :)

my dad's doctors recommended him to start exercising more, so we started walking everyday after dinner, before the sun went down. 

these 2 pages are bittersweet for me. It is the last night before I had to come home to GA & the morning I left. After I pulled out of my dad's driveway I wanted to cry. I missed him immediately. There's no one like a dad, I love him SOOOO much. 

one thing I LOVE the most about winter break, is one of my BEST friends, Megan, has more free time, so we got to Skype. It's been such a long time since I've seen her, it was awesome to catch up & share some crafty projects.

at the end of the album I decided that I wanted to choose a few of my favorite photos from the year. It's a super random mix & in no particular order. 

I'm so excited about what is coming for Elle's Studio. I've been holding onto the secret for about a week & it was a pleasant surprise when I opened my first DT box. 

Elle's Studio is going be releasing 12x12 patterned papers that coordinate with their tags & stamps for the first time!! It's so exciting. Trust me. You'll want to be on the lookout for the new products. They are all so lovely & very much Elle's style. 

Another thing I'm excited about is the new Tabbed Tags!

I've already used a few of the new ones in my first 2013 PL spread, they are perfect for tucking behind a photo that you have alot of journaling about :) I'll be able to share once all of the fun products are revealed and available. 

I can't wait for y'all to see ALL of the new surprises in store from Elle's Studio, & I really can't wait for y'all to see my first designer gallery. 

I've got HUGE news!

I've been holding onto this little nugget of a secret for a few weeks now. I've wanted so bad to post it here & everywhere, it's been practically torturous not being able to tell anyone. So today's the day I can finally spill the beans. I'm so extremely excited to say...

I'm on the 2013 Elle's Studio Design Team!!!! Whew, it feels good to get that off my chest. I will be participating on the DT from January to July 2013, my first projects will go live on 1 February on the Elle's Studio Website!

If you don't know what Elle's Studio is, it is a small scrapbooking company that specializes in journal and embellishment tags, as well as stamps!Everything is of the best quality & made in the USA. I have been in LOVE with Elle's Studio products for quite some time, especially since starting Project Life, so this is a DREAM team for me.

I can't wait to post my first projects for you to see. I hear there is ALOT of BIG surprises coming this CHA for Elle's Studio I can't wait to see & share them with you.

Check out the rest of the talented team members over at the Elle's Studio Blog!