Project Life Week 13: NOW

 This was the first layout where I had any special Project Life products besides my Amber Edition. I used my very first Cocoa Daisy kit here, which I think was the April kit If you haven't checked out CD, you are missing out-it's a fabulous kit club.

 On this card, I used the little camera shutter circle and I embossed one of the stamps in gold. I also used the gorgeous washi tape from the kit. I think it's still my favorite washi.

 This one is Amber Edition and snowflakes from my stash. This photo cracks me up because my husband is an incredibly intelligent man, and there's this giant brain on the front of the section he's reading. He had no idea I was taking his pic.

 I had to add a little dab of my new washi to this card.

 This one has some wood veneer and one of the cards from the CD kit.

 Just a photo-I did type on it, though. The kitten paw is just a bonus for you;)

 A final photo collage.

 Gollum. (He used to hide a lot, and was all eyes when he was a baby.) Now, he is the most social of the bunch. He even forgoes food for attention. There is never enough petting and love for him. Never.

Sparrow. Oh my word is this kitten sweet! He's so gentle, he always keeps his claws sheathed.

Project Life Week 13: THEN

 This layout is a bunch more wedding reception pictures. This is the simplest PL layout I have done to date. I had already done twelve weeks of wedding pictures, and there just wasn't that much more to say. So, I slapped the pictures on some cardstock, inserted them into the pockets, and called it good. There really aren't any rules when it comes to PL.

 You just do exactly what works for you as you are completing that pocket in that moment. No need to worry or fret about any part of it. It's all for fun, and you won't believe how much your family will enjoy looking at your album. It makes it worth every bit of the drudgery of printing pictures. If you love printing pictures, then you really have it made!

 I don't start having fun with PL until I am walking from the printer to my studio with a stack of pictures. That's when the fun begins, and I love every second of it. If PL isn't your thing, don't worry! I'll be back tomorrow with more card pictures!

Project Life Week 12: NOW

 Only four photos this week. I still wasn't very good at remembering to take pictures, although I already loved the process of Project Life.

 Amber Edition Week card. This is a horizontal card, but I used it vertically because I'm a rebel that way. I added a little chipboard "celebrate" here, because this was Ross's birthday week. I can't believe I am the mother of a 22yo. I also added some hand stamped presents along the bottom of the card, and some sewing.

 All I did to embellish this sweet, goofy pic of Wilson was add an old label maker title.

 To emphasize that these pics go together, I used the label maker here, too.

 Sky and Wilson playing Legos. Sky was home for Spring Break. This photo is from Dec., though, because I forgot to take a single pic of Sky while he was here!!! *SIGH* (What is the matter with me?)

 This typed card is my journaled confession. I added a strip of vintage orange ric rac.

 This card tells the story of W being sick, and I added some sewing, and a strip of patterned paper.

 This is my week in review card, with one of our sweet kittens' head in the way. I love having these little cuties around, and they play a pretty big role in current PL pages.

Here's Ross and Yizhen in New Orleans on his birthday. Yizhen moved to San Francisco after graduation, and Ross just moved there this week to be with her. They are so happy and so adorable. I've had this little banner for years and years, and I think it came in a kit, but I'm not sure which one.

Project Life Week 12: THEN

 Time to step back almost 25 years! This is the left side of my Week 12. We are at the wedding reception. Troy's mom and dad threw the reception for us, and it was so nice! We had a small wedding, but I thought it was perfect.

 I like to add vintage paper to most of my layouts. Here there is vintage sheet music and book paper. I love those little alphabet stickers! I can't remember who makes them, but you probably have them too, so what does it matter? I think that's Sassafrass paper on this layout.

 This is a vintage button and some glitter glue dots. I started with a piece of painted chipboard and just added layers, finishing with the mother of pearl button.

 DH and I, and a couple of dear relatives!

 Posing with the little girls, and cutting the cake!!

 A little layered die cut embellishment.

A final piece of book paper.

Day 6 of Whole30 went well. Today is W's birthday, so we are having steak, cucumbers with homemade mayo, and watermelon for dinner. That's AFTER Troy took the boys to DQ for ice cream. I stayed home to blog and watch old Murder, She Wrote episodes, because believe it or not, DQ is not Whole30 complaint.

Project Life Week 11: Now

 First, some cute pictures of my youngest and one of our kittens to lure you in and make you like me, and a big thanks to Michelle for including me in today's hop!

 It is not that easy to take Project Life pictures when you have a boy and three kittens helping.

 Many times there will be a tail or a paw in a picture.

 I just leave them there because I love them. SO. MUCH.

 So, for those of you who have never visited my blog before, which will most likely be all of you, I do two PL pages a week. On the left, I do a THEN page, with photos from the past. On the right I do a NOW page. This works well for me because I like getting old pics in an album, and everyone loves seeing them, too. It also helps because I still have a hard time remembering to get lots of pictures and write everything down.  You can see I only had five pictures this week. I am trying to get more these days.

 This was way back before I had anything but my Amber Edition to use for PL. I am now a member of two kit clubs (Citrus Twist & Cocoa Daisy) and have all the latest and greatest. Here I did not have enough Thickers to make my title, so I used a stamp for one E and drew the 11. I think it looks terrible, but I like it because I was using what I had and making it work. I have tons of Thickers now, but I will never change this card; it's a reflection of where I was that week.

 I must say I love my kits and having so much stuff geared specifically to PL. However, it's okay to do PL without hundreds of dollars of PL supplies. I think my first PL kit arrived in time for me to add to week 13. Here I just used stamps, my typewriter, patterned paper and mulberry paper flowers. And my sewing machine. I sew on every LO.

 I apologize for the glare. I just realized as I loaded these pictures that the super high tech anti-glare lenses in my glasses take away the glare, so I can't see it when I'm taking pics. Next time I will take my glasses off or wear my contacts. I have been fretting over my PL pics, because they are truly awful. I think this is one reason why.

 If you click on the pictures, you can see them MUCH better!

 Here I'm documenting our Salad in a Jar kick. It's great for people who take their lunch to work.

This is our youngest pouting a bit over having a bottle of Hershey's syrup and no milk. This is how you learn to live with disappointment. But not for long, because his dad hopped in the car and went and got milk. Spoiled much?

Project Life Week 11: Then

 I used a lot of Basic Grey Two Scoops on this layout. I used to hoard that paper like crazy. I don't hoard anything anymore. I use whatever I want, whenever I want. In fact, I love throwing out empty packaging!

 Here I added a die cut heart and some MM flowers & crystal brad. Remember those?

 Another heart. It's a wedding, after all!

 I did some hand stitching on this pocket. Don't start looking for this as a regular thing. It won't happen very often.

 This is Gollum. We named him that because he has huge eyes and he used to be wild and hid from us at every opportunity. He is not wild anymore, and neither are his brothers. Man, I love these kittens!

Well, there you have it. There's just not much to chat about with these old pictures, so I will say good night!

In other news, DH & I started Whole30 today. We made it through just fine.  I normally drink three cups of coffee with milk and sweetener, but today I just drank one cup black. It turns out I don't really like coffee that much. I think I'll skip it tomorrow.