It's my life

Lori Whitlock Spotlight- Sweet Girl Mini Album

I have a cute little mini book to share with you today.  I am using the Mini Album Pinking Edge and some papers and embellishments from Sweet Girl by Lori Whitlock for Echo Park. 

We are on vacation right now and heading out to see some snow, so I'm just going to leave you with some pictures of the album.  I'll try to get back on the computer later today and give a few more details about each page.

Supply list is at the bottom.

Mini books are really so much fun, especially when you can cut out your own.  It easy to add as many pages as you want and even alter the size.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to see my project.

Supplies Used:

Mini Album Pinking Edge

Scalloped Shapes

4x6 Frame- Silhouette Store #9783

Sweet Girl Paper Collection by Lori Whitlock for Echo Park

Have a wonderful day!!

December Daily 2012, Day 2

Here is my Day 2 of my December Daily album.  This picture shows the before and then farther down I show you the after.  I'm really excited about this project.  I have been making it really simple on myself.  A picture, a few extra embellishments, and some short journaling.  One of the keys for me is keeping all of my supplies in a 12 x 12 Iris storage case.  I have all of the pieces of the kit, a few other supplies such as twine, washi tape, a stapler, foam adhesive, and stamps.

Here is the completed page.  I have been doing some sewing, see here, and made this Christmas outfit for him.  I took him outside and snapped some pictures of him right before naptime which was probably not the best time to do it.  He doesn't look that happy but I still think it's a cute picture.

And here is the before picture of Day 3.  I'll be back tomorrow with an update of the finished page.

I'm really excited for class this weekend.  Can't wait to see you all there.  Make sure you are keeping up with me each day.  :)

December Daily 2012, Day 1 and Class Information

Well, my December Daily is all ready to go and I have completed my first page.  Some of you might remember that I am teaching a class on how to put this album together, Saturday, December 8th, so I wanted to show a little of the process to those who are participating so that they can gather their own things for each day this week so during class time they can catch up on their own album.

Here is the cover which has been finished for some time and I have already shared.

Here is a picture of Day 1.  I wish I had thought to take a picture of it before I started the finishing process but I forgot to.  I did take a before picture of Day 2 so at least you can see the transformation for that page.

I am using the Teresa Collins Christmas Countdown Kit which is brand new this year.  I absolutely love it. The size is perfect and I love the three ring binder so I can add as many extra pages as I want.  There are three tabbed dividers. In the first section I will have all of my daily pages.  In the second section I am planning on documenting special foods and recipes that we like during the holidays and the third tab will be for all the family gatherings we will be attending when we go to Florida to visit after Christmas.

A December Daily should be a no stress fun way to document one or two things that are happening in your life on each day of December.  Some days I will take pictures, like I did today, and other days I will fill my page with thoughts, or quotes, or other important information.  I think the key is to have fun.

A goal of mine this year is to do more journaling than I normally do.  I have a hard time with journaling and so I am going to take this opportunity to really challenge myself.

Here is the start of Page 2.  I have put some embellishments and the date on each of the pages but I am sure that once finished it won't be as bare.

So here are some things to think about as you prepare for your December Daily album.

• Did something special happen that I could document either with a picture or journaling.
• Do I have a tradion that I want to document.
• Are there any goals that I have for December that I want to document.
• Did I get together with family or friends to do something special.
• Did I watch a holiday movie or show that day.
• My favorite holiday things, such as movies, songs, colors, decorations, presents, traditions.
• My holiday shopping experience.
• My wish list or that of my kids.
• Something special that I did for others.
• Something special that someone did for me or my family.
• Remembering holidays of the past.

Oh the list could go on and on, but hopefully that is a good start for you.  I used December 1st to document a tradition that we do each year on the first day of the month and how Garrett got to participate for the first time but maybe you will have something different that you want to document.

Please stop by tomorrow so you can see Day 2.  I will try to post a new page each day but if I don't I will be sure to catch up the day after.  For those taking my class, I suggest that you have envelopes or sandwich baggies labeled for Day 1- Day 7 and be sure to put down your thoughts or ideas plus any pictures that you might have for that day inside the envelope.  It will help you stay ahead of the game.

Supplies you will need for class:  (please check back as this list might change)

• paper trimmer
• scissors
• favorite adhesive for small things
• foam adhesive  (if you know me, I use these a lot!)
• black journaling pen
• circle punches
• ruler
• glue dots, craft and mini size
• small Xyron 'X'
• bone folder
• Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher and staples or small stapler

As of right now, there are only 3 spots left in the class.  Please contact me as soon as possible if you would like to either get a kit or participate in the class.

 

Getting My Planner Ready for 2013

Well this is my second post for the day.  So many things going on this week.  My life and my blog have been full!!  If you are looking for my Petaloo/Graphic 45 project, just scroll down a little and you will find it.

But I also have another fun project to share with you.  A 2013 planner that I created using digital pages and cut files by Lori Whitlock Designs.

I am constantly on the lookout for things that I can make that will make my life more organized.  I have a lot going on and it's easier to juggle it all when I use calendars and lists.  So here is a brand new project that I have been working on for Organization 2013.  It was entirely made from scratch so throughout this post you will see pictures of the different pieces and I will try to explain as much as I can about how I did each.

Here is the cover of my planner.  I used For the Record 2 by Lori Whitlock for Echo Park throughout the planner.  I just love the colors, the flowers and the fun embellishments in this line.  Perfect to carry around all year.  To create the planner I used a piece of chipboard which I scored in the middle to create the spine.  The size of my planner is 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches so I did have to cut the chipboard down a little.  The spine is about an inch wide.  After I had scored and cut the chipboard, I folded it to look like the outside of a book.  Then I attached a two ring binder mechanism that I had bought on Etsy with brads.  I also used foam tape and score tape on the back inside of the mechanism to create a strong hold.  You can see the brads on the last picture better.  Then it was just a matter of decorating all of the areas with patterned paper.

Here is a picture of my first tab from the Divider cut files.  I named each of my tabs for a different section as you will see throughout the pictures.  Here are my calendar pages.  The labels are also from Lori Whitlock and they are so fun and easy to use.  I loved mixing up my colors and patterns for each little section.  Then I just typed out my words, welded the letters together, and cut them out to fit on the label.  

Here you can see the planner pages created by Lori available at JessicaSprague.com.  These are all PDF files but you can easily import them into Photoshop, resize them, which is what I did, recolor them, and then print them out.  I printed all of the pages out on smooth white cardstock paper.

You can kind of see the how I attached the binder mechanism in these pictures.  The brads help strengthen the bond but they really are more decorative than functional.  The score tape on top of the foam tape really helped.  I'll try to take a picture of how I did it and add it later.

Here is a look at February's page.  

Here is my next tab, Grocery Lists.  Again I used the label cut files and some fun embellishments from For the Record 2.

I probably will just print out a bunch of these pages on copy paper since they won't be staying in my binder for long.

Last tab is my Notes, probably my most important section in my planner.  I always have so many projects going on in my head and things that I want to remember.  So, writing it down really helps me to keep everything going smoothly.

This last picture is off the inside of the back cover.  I know you can't really tell from the picture but there is a pocket that I made out of patterened paper.  I actually built up the sides of the pocket with adhesive and paper so that the pocket would hold a bit more.  I think that I will probably put receipts and important papers there until I can file them away.

This last picture shows you the spine a little bit better.  The brads are old Stampin Up! ones.  They are very heavy and strong.  So glad I had something like these in my stash.

Wow, I know that is a lot of pictures.  I hope they help if you are trying to recreate a planner like this.  All of the files for the cover, dividers, and labels can be found at Lori Whitlock Designs and the Silhouette store.  The planner pages are found at JessicaSprague.com and the For the Record 2 papers, sticker and chipboard embellishments are from Echo Park.

I've got plenty more to share in the next couple of days so please stop back by.  You can always follow my blog through my feed reader.  Just put your email address in the space above or connect with me on Facebook.

Have a great day!  Christine

Announcing My December Daily Kit for 2012

I am so excited to share that I have put together a December Daily Kit/Class this year.  I have chosen to use Teresa Collins' kit with a lot of extras.  I'm still putting the final touches on the inside pages but I thought I might share a picture of the cover.  The book is a three ring binder that measures about 8x10.  Everything that you need besides your pictures and your basic supplies will be included.  I promise you are going to love it!

The class will be held at The Scrapbook Princess on December 8th, which I know is a little past the first of December but it just happens to be how the schedule works out.  If you are attending, I will be helping you get prepared for the first week prior to the class by sending you an email giving you tips about how to document your days without your book in your hands.  There are a limited number of kits available so if you are interested in one please email me right away.  If you can't make it to the class you are more than welcome to buy a kit.  Pictures of each page will be provided.

I'm really excited about this project.  It will be the first time that I do a December Daily officially and I can't wait to get started.  I'll be posting more as it gets closer to the date but don't wait to sign up, these kits will go fast!

December 8, 2012, kit/class price is $35

Carta Bella Beautiful Moments Project Challenge

I'm feeling a little rusty creatively due to my long crafting break so I thought that I would create something for a challenge just to give me a jump start.  It didn't hurt that I got some of this lovely Carta Bella Beautiful Moments paper while at the CHA show so I combined three of my favorite products, Carta Bella, Petaloo, and SRM Stickers, to answer the challenge as well as get my creative juices flowing.

The challenge that I am referring to is the Carta Bella Beautiful Moments Project challenge.  The deadline to enter is midnight tonight so I am cutting it close.

SRM Stickers released their 2013 calendar stickers this past CHA and I was able to get some to play with.  I decided to create a desktop calendar to put on my desk.  I am also planning on making a bunch of these for Christmas gifts because it was so easy to make and who wouldn't want a darling little calendar to put on their desk.

This is the front of the calendar.  It is a full 4x6 piece of patterned paper decorated with Carta Bella's Beautiful paper, Petaloo flowers, and SRM Stickers along with some crinkle ribbon and a die cut from my Silhouette.

The inside pages are 3 x 4 inches each.  I cut them down the middle so that you could have different pictures showing throughout the month.  The frame on this page was cut using my Silhouette and it is attached with foam adhesive to give it a little dimension. The right hand side holds the SRM Sticker 2013 Calendar stickers for each month.  Each page is decorated a little differently.  I'll add more pictures of the pages soon.

Here you can see how it is put together.  The kraft piece acts as a stand and is one large piece 6 x 10 inches scored at 4, 5, and 6 inches along the 10 inch piece.  I found this fun idea for the calendar stand from Betsy Veldman. Then all of the pieces are bound at the top with my Bind-It-All.  It is very sturdy and I really like the way it turned out.  

Well, I am feeling the creativity flowing so I better move on to my next project!  I miss all of the fun of CHA but at the same time I am so glad to be home.

My First Smash Page

I just created my first smash style page using SRM Stickers.  I never thought that smash style books would appeal to me but when the design team assignment came up, I thought I would give it a try.  It was fun!!  I still have more of the mini book look to my pages but I think if I keep working on new pages, I'll let go of my fear of messing things up.  These two pages were dedicated to Garrett's first day of life and 10 things that make me happy about him.  Everything that you see on the two pages that aren't pictures or my handwriting is a SRM Sticker.  I love that they are clear so you can layer them on top of each other and pictures.  Just fun!

Here is a little sneak peek of my pages but you can see it all up close on the SRM Stickers blog today.

Note:  This is actually not a Smash book.  It is a book by Fancy Pants which is similiar but is filled with kraft paper, pockets and picture sleeves.  

Tomorrow I'll have a post for you using Petaloo flowers.  A decorated frame, Tim Holtz product, subway art and flowers.  You'll love it!

Happy Valentine's Day

I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day today and share with you a little Valentine's Day project that I created.  I created this coupon book and tin for an article for ScrapJazz.com, so you can read the details here.  

But let me show you a couple of pictures here on my blog.  There are a lot of others in the article and a couple pictorial instructions on how I made the accordian book.

I used Jillibean paper and embellishments which I LOVE and a old tin from Maya Road.

Don't forget to go see more about my Valentine coupon book here!  ScrapJazz has tons of theme based articles.  Lots of great inspiration to be found on their site.

I hope you are have a wonderful Valentine's day today and I'll be back tomorrow with my Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog post!

 

Nikki Sivils Day, BooVille and Blueberries

Today is my day on the Nikki Sivils blog for September.  On her blog I show my little mini album that I am calling BooVille.  I made the mini book from the house chipboard book and her Halloween paper line, called Boo-tiful.  Click here to get the story behind this mini book, look at the inside pages as well as information on how you could win a little Nikki Sivils prize.  

 

I also wanted to post a card that I made with Blueberry HIll.  I love the bright colors of this paper line.  It makes the best cards to say thank you or hi to a special friend.

 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to stop by Nikki's blog to learn how to leave your comment.
 
 

Nikki Sivils and Bo Bunny projects

I've got two things to tell you about today.  First off I created a mini book and a card for the Nikki Sivils blog.  The mini book is going to be a graduation gift for my son who will be going on to middle school next year.  I know that he will enjoy having it to look back at in later years.  To see the whole album be sure to stop by the Nikki Sivils blog.

 

I also made a card using the Will He B the 1 line.  Love the stamp set that coordinates with the line.

 

I also completed another video for the Bo Bunny blog.  I created some jewelry charms with the rub-ons from the Sophie and Jazmyne lines.

 

Be sure to head over to the Bo Bunny blog to see the video.