Project Life Week 2: Now

 This is the NOW side of my Project Life album for Week Two of 2013. I loved making it, just like I love making them still at Week 16. This is a pretty long time for me to stay with something. I think I'm going to make it! I hope so anyway, because the failure to complete the project would be right there in my albums!

 The Week 2 card is from my Amber Edition of  PL. I tried to pick up colors from my stash to coordinate. These alphabet stickers are American Crafts remarks, roosevelt jr. I love them for PL. They are just the right size for titles, and they are flat. I've had these for seven or eight years, so I doubt they're still available.

 The beginning of January was hard on my big boys. Ross badly injured his ankle, and Sky had a horrific wisdom tooth debacle.

 The top left pocket in this photo is what happens when you load your paper into the printer upside down. Who knew? The cork alpha stickers are from Creative Imaginations. They are the oldest alpha stickers I have; I bought them nine or 10 years ago. They still stick like I bought them yesterday.

 More Amber journaling cards. I have really enjoyed using them, but I don't think I'll buy another PL kit because there are so many other products out there I want to use. Also, it gets a little boring working with the same colors for a whole year.

 Lots of typewriter journaling with my 1952 Underwood. My writing is huge, so to fit it PL pockets would be virtually impossible.

I finished up with the week's grocery receipt. I haven't been doing that lately, mostly because I'm so disgusted at my lack of success in saving money at the grocery store.

Birthday Wishes

 Desk clean-up card, although anyone who has ever seen my desk knows that it is never clean. I used Bazzil Bling card base and MME glitter paper. That MME 8x8 pad has seen a lot of action over the years, but it's still hanging on. The gorgeous butterfly is my favorite A Muse Studio Butterfly Trio die set.

 I used real vintage crepe paper for this rosette-love that stuff!! It's much nicer than what you can buy today.

 I think this is mostly old Heidi Grace. The epoxy tags might be K&Co, I buy a lot of their embellishments.

 I used Crafty Secrets stickers here, and a K&Co adhesive border.

More of that MME pad here, plus some vintage snippets, like the dictionary paper and baby blue trim.

It's a beautiful day here today, and I only have half a day to work. Tonight we get to go watch Wilson in his first school play. He plays a star, an actual star, not a Hollywood star. This should be good. Very, very good.

Project Life Week 2: Then

 Hello! Thanks for stopping by! In case you missed my first couple of posts on how I do Project Life, let me review. On the left side, I do our wedding of almost 25 years ago. On the right, I do current events. Today is a left side, I was working with very old photos and memories, both a bit faded and worse for the wear.

 You can click on any photo to make it larger.

 Here, I sewed the photo directly to the mount, and wrote the names in a Bic marker.

 More sewing, a little stamping and embossing, and more of my hand writing. This is all just Stampin' Up! cardstock that matches the Amber Project Life Edition I'm using.

 Here you can see an Amber Edition journaling card on the left, and a patterned paper card cut from my paper stash. I have no intention of only using Amber stuff in this album. I enjoy mixing it up and using stuff from my stash.

 I love to staple things together, and it couldn't be more perfect for PL because it's flat. I stamped on the card on the right, and I think that gorgeous brad is from Prima.

 I try to use vintage dictionary paper on every page. It's one of the elements I will use throughout the album.

On the bottom of this picture is a K&Co adhesive border. I LOVE these things for PL. They are flat, and come complete with glitter. Plus, they are each 12 inches long, so you can easily use just one on a two page spread.

So, that's the old side of Week 2. I'm caught up with my album right now, and am enjoying it so much! Most weeks, I show improvement, and my pages look a little better than the week before. Also, I'm getting much better at remembering to take pictures of our daily life. I hope eventually to always have enough photos for a two page spread of current events.

Teacher Christmas gifts

 For Christmas last year, Wilson's teachers all got mini journals and note cubes. The stamped image is non-denominational. It reads, "Feel the magic of the season." I was hoping that wasn't offensive to anyone. No one threw their mini journal back at Wilson in an offended huff, so I think they worked out.

 They will definitely have plenty of places to write things down. The stamp is a Gina K. Designs stamp.

 Next year, I won't make any of the gifts Christmas themed, unless they are an actual Christmas item. The ribbon is Stampin' Up! I can't remember who makes the die, but it's in a little folder, and it cuts and embosses on one pass. I love it to death.

 Mini journals are useful. I use a fall themed mini journal as a food diary. I am trying to pay attention to what I eat. I generally eat way over or way under my daily calorie quota. You'd think this would work out to a nice, even weight, but it doesn't, at least not when you are overweight to begin with. I think it works perfectly for skinny people like my husband.

It's a beautiful day here in Pueblo. Right now it's 45 degrees, and we're looking for a high of 74. Colorado's weather is truly fabulous most of the time. Our weather and geological impressiveness are why everyone wants to be here, which is why it's so expensive. Anyhow, I think it's nice enough to get outside and take some Project Life photos. For the past month, the weekends have not been conducive to outdoor photography of paper. Rocks, maybe. Paper, no. Scissors, perhaps. .

Friends are flowers...

 All five of these cards use stamps and supplies from the very first Gina K. Designs Stamp TV kit. Some stamps I tire of quickly, but I have loved this kit for years.

 I have been trying to use stuff up lately, and it's not easy, I tell ya! When you have as much as I do, and you, too, probably, I'm not sure it's even possible. GKD usually avoids super trendy stuff, so the stamps hold up over time.

 The STV kits are jam packed with supplies. You can just make cards forever and still have leftovers! These lilies won't ever be out of style. And don't even get me started on the iris stamp below-love that thing!

 I have recently joined three new Project Life based kit clubs. SHHH. I know I shouldn't have, but they were irresistible! Also, I need to infuse my stash with some fresh, new stuff.

I'll be sure to tell you all about them when one arrives, which could be as soon as tomorrow, if I'm lucky! I doubt it will be full of pink and brown, don't you? These colors still sell well in my Etsy shop. What's in style with papercrafters is not always what the general public is looking for. That's a good reminder for all of us-the people you craft for don't know or care if you're using the latest and greatest!

Christmas in April?

 I make Christmas cards all year because Christmas sells in my Etsy shop all year. Last week I sold both Christmas and Halloween items. This card features mostly Melissa Frances stuff with Bazzil Bling as the base, and SU! organdy ribbon. Those are real vintage buttons, too.

 This is another card featuring A Muse Studio's Nordic Noel. I love that deer image-it looks so great embossed.

 Gina K Designs stamps. I think these were in the very first Stamp TV kit. I used to love those things! I'm sure I still would if I ordered one. They were a great deal, too. I think I have six or seven STV kits.

 This card is all a|s. It's little and square and elegant. The photo is a little overexposed, but the colors are palest blue, a creamy latte and black.

More GKD. Earth tones are my second favorite colors to work with, after pastels. Brights and jewels don't appeal to me much at all. This card is also smaller than an A2. Anything smaller then A2 has automatic cuteness factor in my book.

It's so cold here today. It kind of came as a shock to me because I've really been enjoying the spring weather. Today it never made it out of the thirties. I'm done with the cold! Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, 58 degrees. I hope so.