Project Life Cards - Organization PART 2

Hello all!

As I said in PART 1 of the organization posts, I have had a really hard time trying to find which cards would work in my page layouts.  I previously had the cards sorted and stored in Medium CTMH Organizers by kit.  Both 4x6 cards and 3x4 cards were stored together.  

It just wasn't working for me.

If you ever feel like something isn't working for you in your creative space, you change it right?  Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands and change the way I had the cards. 

I have found that I use the 3x4 cards a little more than I use the 4x6 cards.  

I decided to organize my cards alphabetically by kit and then by size.  The first CTMH box was used solely for 4x6 cards - alphabetically by kit name.

Half of the second CTMH box was used for the rest of the 4x6 cards I had.  

The other half of the CTMH box, I started over with the 3x4 cards.  Again, I organized the cards alphabetically by kit name.  

Now, I also have some themed cards from Hobby Lobby that really didn't fit into a kit but are used throughout my albums for specific trips, school functions, birthdays, etc.  I have an Antonius plastic organizer from IKEA that I used just for these kinds of cards.  It is arranged alphabetically and sorted by size as well.  I have even stored the grid and lined 3x4 and 4x6 cards in the Antonius organizer. 

I guess I will see how it all works when I get my daughter's scrapbook out and try to get some layouts done!  Wish me luck!

Until Next time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

Project Life Cards - Organization PART 1

I have been a busy chick lately and haven't been writing at all.

I have tried to get to work on some albums but have found that the way I am set up, I really can't find the ones I want to use quickly.  It was taking forever to find just the right card to use in my daughter's album.

A friend of mine told me about this website from a fantastic woman who has been keeping up with the PDF's of each of the kits that Becky Higgins has released in her Project Life line and has been updating it with each release!

So, I saved and printed each of the PDF Files and created a project Life Binder.

The PDF's have a picture of each of the cards that come in each kit and there is also a checklist so that you can keep track of the kits that you have.  For those of you who have a dozen or less kits, it is easy to keep track.  But for those of us who have a dozen or more to pull from, this checklist is PHENOMENAL!!!!

I used page protectors and sorted the kits alphabetically.  Now, when I work on albums, I can just flip through the book and find the proper card to suit the layout.

Pretty awesome, eh?

Until Next Time...
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

I am thankful to have a hobby that I love. 

Scrapbooking, of course!

It allows me a creative outlet, doing something worthwhile 

(keeping family memories) 

and

has introduced me to more wonderful friends than I can count!

It is amazing how many people I have met through Scrapbooking!!!  

It is definitely something I see myself doing through the rest of my life and hope to pass on the memory-keeping bug to my children, especially Sophie.  

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

And The Packing Begins....

My SKYLINE SISTERHOOD awaits!!!

5 days....

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

Ahhh...The Birth Of A Scrapbooker....

This is how it all started:

Wife says to husband…
“Look – I got invited to a ‘party’ and I won’t have to buy a basket, or jewelry, or candles, or even another plastic container! This party is different because I’m going to MAKE a page for a scrapbook! I’m ...going to learn how to put all those pictures we keep in a box into a photo album that will last a lifetime!”

FOR YEARS AFTERWARDS this can be heard in the home:
...-How much can a pair of scissors cost? And why do you need an entire cutting system if you bought scissors?

-The photo album was HOW MUCH? You HAD to get a paper trimmer too? Then please tell me ..what are the scissors for?

-How many magazines do you need to buy to be INSPIRED? And what’s with all this paper?

-You want what for your birthday? A xyron? What the heck is a xyron?

-I don’t understand why you need a digital camera. The 35mm I bought after college works just fine.

-Ouch! I just stepped on one of your %&*(*&% eyelets!

-MORE paper? You haven’t even used up what you got already!

-First the camera, then the printer, what’s next a scanner?

-I see..so if we get these target cubes you’ll be able to see the paper you have and then you won’t have to buy anymore?

-Son, how many times have I told you – You CANNOT play with MOMMY’s tools!

-I don’t get it ..why do we have to go to Lowes to get paint chips if we aren’t doing any painting around here?

-Don’t worry sweetie..we won’t tell Mommy you borrowed her stickers to make Barbie look pretty.

-You had a 40% off coupon and you still spent over 100?

-What do you need all this yarn for? You don’t even knit! Do you?

-No dear. I do not know how to scan and stitch. Maybe someone on YOUR message board can help you there.

-Who took Daddy’s sandpaper?

-Don’t worry sweetie..we won’t tell Mommy you borrowed her stamps to make yourself look pretty.

-It’s 11PM. Isn’t that layout done YET?!

-Shhh..don’t tell Daddy that Mommy borrowed his sandpaper.

-Yes, I guess we can stop at that cute little scrapbook store during our vacation.

-You’re going to take a crap? I meant go to a crop…nevermind.

-NO MOMMY! NO MORE PICTURES! NO MORE PICTURES! NO MORE PICTURES!

-So who is this Becky Higgins and what’s the big deal about her? She an actress or something?

-I thought you already had a sewing machine. What’s this one for?

-No..I’ve never printed on vellum before..YES..I can help you figure out the right printer settings..but what’s vellum?

-Queen of the week doesn’t mean you won’t still make dinner, right? Right? Whew.

-You just joined a what? A swap? I’m really happy for you honey.

-MORE paper? What’s so special about this ‘BRAZIL’ paper?

And the hardest one of all…

-Where did all these boxes of pictures come from…I thought you were going to put them all in a scrapbook!?

Well, there you have it!  How it all started...way back in September 2002 when we moved to Georgia. I found this write-up on Allison's Facebook and had to copy it.  It really is quite accurate!  As far as I am concerned, it is the ONLY way to preserve your memories and I am proud to say that I have completed over a dozen albums and have several more that are a "work in progress".  I don't see myself ever giving up this awesome and amazing hobby.  

Especially when my children love to look through all the albums and ask me all kinds of questions.  

Nope!  NEVER!!!  



Scrapbooking is seriously the only way to preserve your memories and celebrate your family from generation to generation!

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

The Scrap Loft Re-Vamp...FINALE!

I spent a lot of time last week putting together Expedit Shelves from Ikea and re-organizing my Scrap Loft.  I know, I know! I spend a lot of time re-organizing and not enough time scrapbooking! But that is about to change.  
I have a great set-up now and can really get to work on some layouts in this great area!
As I said the other day, I am on the Design Team for Jayne's Feeling Scrappy Sketchapalooza class.  So, I have a few layouts to get done ahead of time. 
Not to mention, the other layouts I need to do to finish up some of the albums that I have on the go.  That is the MAY Use Your Stash Challenge over at Scrapshare:
My CHALLENGE to you for the month of May and this weekend's celebration of National Scrapbook Day.....(if you choose to accept it) is:

1. Go through all your albums in search of things that you need to do to FINISH the entire album to call it "COMPLETE".
2. Make a list of each of the things that you need in order to finish the album.
3. Get to work this month on purchasing those things and creating what you need. FORGET using your stash, this is about FINISHING THOSE SCRAPBOOKS OFF!
4. Put the album back on the shelf, IT IS FINISHED. COMPLETE. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
5. Keep track of the pages you complete ONLY. Don't worry about money, don't worry about tracking the money you spent. The goal is to FINISH your albums in their entirety. Get that journaling done, get those page protectors on those pages, get the titles done! Whatever it is, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy "Git 'r Done!"

***afterall, you can't count the page as DONE until you finish everything!!!

So, the plan this week is to get in here and GET MY SCRAP ON!!!! 

Now, the pictures you have all been waiting for!!!!!

BEFORE:

The room was taken apart. I took the scrap table from the corner by the bookshelf and put it in the hallway to hold a lot of stuff while I moved stuff and threw stuff away.   

This is the wall that I re-organized and re-purposed a lot of stuff.  I also figured out that the small 4 cube Expedit would fit on TOP of the 8 cube Expedit without hitting the ceiling!  MORE STORAGE!  WOOT!

My large scrapbooking table sat in front of this bookshelf. But not anymore baby! 

AFTER:

I bought 2 Expedit Shelves at Ikea and 2 VIKA AMON table tops to sit on top of the shelves.  Jessica came over one night and we measured out the wall in front of the window and figured out that 2 Expedits lying down could fit across the entire wall and we could build my JetMax cubes up either side of the window.  It looks fabulous!  Thanks for the awesome idea Jess!!!  YOU ROCK! Oh yeah, thanks for helping me put together the last Expedit. It went together so much easier. She also helped me to put my papers back in the slots they belonged in and move around some stuff up here too!  (On a side note:  Jess pointed to the directions and it had 1 person with an "X" over it and then 2 people trying to put it together. I am not one to look at directions in the first place and YES, I did put one together on my own thankyouverymuch! Leave it to Jess to point it out though!  Love ya Jessica!!!! )

Now, I have plenty of room for me to crop, a friend to come and sit at my table and crop with me AND another 6 foot table to have 2 more friends crop with me!

Okay gals, who's coming and when?  I have an empty calendar after the 25th of May! Until then, it is end of school year stuff, book fairs, parties, etc.  You know how it is at the end of the school year!  You BLEED money for parties and teacher gifts. So, anytime after May 25th, let me know when you are coming!

For right now, I am going to go through my photos and try to scrap a few pages.  Maybe even make a couple of sketches and take this new space a test-drive!
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

Heading to the MOTHERSHIP....

There is a 43% off coupon to be used this weekend to celebrate National Scrapbook Day and I am heading up to Kennesaw / Marietta to use it!  I know!  I know!  I really don't need to be spending money right now, but Archiver's NEVER has a coupon that large!  So, it is a big deal.  Plus, I can use it to get what I need.
Speaking of NEEDS:
On Monday, I went through each and every scrapbook that I own to see what needed to be done to finish off the albums or start the albums. Now, I have a LOT of albums that are finished.  BUT....I found 10 albums that need a couple things done to them to FINISH them off. 
So, the plan is to take this list to Archiver's with me.  I have all of the paper I need, but there is a really cool new tool called the Sew-Stamper that I really want to be able to use with my pages. I have been eyeing that thing since it came it.  It puts little stitches around your pages or around your photos.  Really cool little gadget.  So, I think that will be one of the purchases I make today.
My CHALLENGE to you for the month of May and this weekend's celebration of National Scrapbook Day.....(if you choose to accept it) is:

1. Go through all your albums in search of things that you need to do to FINISH the entire album to call it "COMPLETE".
2. Make a list of each of the things that you need in order to finish the album.
3. Get to work this weekend on purchasing those things and creating what you need.
4. Put the album back on the shelf, IT IS FINISHED.  COMPLETE.  NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

There is your challenge for MAY USE YOUR STASH too!  Imagine that!  2 posts in 1!  Now, I am off to have a shower and get to work on my list before I head up to the "Mothership".  Now Project Life Ladies, this goes for you too!  You may need to go back and look at those pages to make sure that you have all the photos that you need, or that you have journaling you need to finish.  So, get on it!  
Look for my post later this weekend about photo opportunities for Project Lifers.  I have lots of links for you to seek out ideas for photos of your every day.  So, keep your eyes peeled for that post this weekend!
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

Feeling Scrappy is Making a COME BACK!

Jayne announced on the Feeling Scrappy Blog that she is starting classes again!  I am so pumped!  Sketchapalooza is BACK, baby!!!!  Woot! Woot!  
For those of you looking for inspiration or just to get out of your "scrappy rut" or to find that "mojo" that went missing, THIS IS THE CLASS FOR YOU!
Check it out:

"Sketchapalooza #7 - June 4th

We have a new Sketch Class all ready for you! During this class you will be provided with tons of brand new original sketches (5 per week!) with examples of finished pages from our talented designers during this month long course. This fast paced, exciting class is suitable for any level of scrapper and caters to both traditional and digital artists alike. This class is perfect for anyone who wants to get a tons of pages done and wants to have a ball doing it!
Here is what you can expect during this class:
• A full four weeks of class running from June 4th to July 3rd
• Detailed sketches made exclusively for you by our designers
• 20 total sketches (5 per week!)
• Digital templates provided for each sketch in PS/PSE and SBC+
• Tips and tid-bits to keep your creative juices flowing
• Fabulous creative examples for each sketch by our talented designers
• A private class forum with lots of support and friendly conversation
• A gallery filled with layout examples
• Self-paced class - do as much or as little as you like
• A PDF file including all the sketches from the class for you to keep for future reference
• Prizes - who doesn't love a chance to win?
• Plus a few surprises :)

The cost for this month long class is only $25.00.

Ready to sign up? Just click the "Buy Now" button."   Go HERE.


I am definitely taking the class.  This is a fabulous way to get your MOJO back and get back to scrapping!  Some of my favourite layouts have come out of the Sketchapalooza classes. So, I am totally pumped!  


Here is one of the layouts that I completed from a sketch that Jayne created for Sketchapalooza 2 - it was the graduation sketch #2:

I hope to see you in class and I can't wait to see how your layouts look after the class starts and the first set of sketches go up!  See you in CLASS!
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

SSNA Retreat 2012

This past weekend, I spent the weekend at the Red Rooster Retreat with some ladies from ScrapShare.  Check out my pics:

 My retreat partner, Jessica

 Jessica, Marta and I pretending to be "Scrapping ANGELS"  ha!

 Me and Jess

 Me, Christy and Marta

 Jessica, Me, Christy and Marta

Jessica, Pam, Christy and Marta.

It was a great weekend and I got completely caught up to April 8 2011 in my Project Life Album.  More posts to come about that.  I also completed 15 traditional pages for my other albums using sketches from CTMH Idea Books.  I am pretty psyched!

When it was time to plan for this retreat, I did a power layout of current printed photos that were sitting in my power sort boxes.  Then I took all of the photos I have taken since January 1st 2012 and copied them into a 366 folder to be renamed and printed.  I then started renaming the files to 1-1-12, 1-2-12, and so on.  When I printed them at CVS, they were printed with that name on the back and it was SO easy to put together.  What I didn't realize is that the majority of the photos I wanted to use for this album were VERTICAL!  Good thing I bought Variety Pack  2 which has both horizontal and vertical page protectors in it.  I was a little frustrated when I first started adding the photos to the page protectors because I didn't realize the orientation of the pictures would be such an issue.  Newbie error!  Ha!  It's okay though.  It looks fabulous so far.  

I am now onto the next set of photos for the last week.  I am really enjoying this process and when I got home from the retreat and showed Ben the album, he seemed to enjoy looking through the album too!  Not bad eh?!?!?!  My current page count for 2012 is now up to 157 pages for 2012!  Woot Woot!  Go ME!!!
Now, to figure out when the next retreat is so that I can get some more scrappiness in!!!

Until next time, 

Scrap On!

~Cyn~

Simple Woman's Day Book - Week 14

Monday April 2, 2012

Outside My Window....it is sunny and gorgeous!
I am thinking...the freezer is broken and I need to cook everything in there or give it away!!!  ACK!  
I am thankful...for Jess and her kidlets for coming over to help us eat our food...CHICKEN FEAST!
In the kitchen...I have a chicken feast and a bunch of vegetable dishes from my broken freezer....
I am wearing...blue shorts and a pink tank top.
I am creating...page completion kits from Skyline that I didn't complete while I was there.
I am going...to North Carolina later this week to watch a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game versus the Montreal Canadiens.....GO HABS!!!  
I am wondering...how to get in a nap while Ben drives to NC.
I am reading...The Hunger Games Trilogy.
I am hoping...Sophie takes a nice long nap tomorrow.
I am looking forward to...our little family trip at the end of the week. I have already lined up the housesitter/petsitter too.     
I am learning...there are a lot of rude, over the top people that really don't know how to treat others....it is disheartening at times.
Around the house...Nathan and Sophie are playing with Sam and Erica in the backyard, Ben is watching Jeorpardy with Jess and I.
I am pondering...what projects to take with me to my next retreat.  
A favourite quote for today....

"What screws us up most in life is the picture in our head of how it is supposed to be." (not sure who said this, but whoever it is sure is wise...)

One of my favourite things...my computer

A peek into my day....

************************************

If you are interested in joining in with the Woman's Day Book Entries, click the link below:
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Until Next week, SCRAP ON!!!

~Cyn~

Diary of 5 - Week 12

Thursday March 22, 2012

I am seeing...the school picture for Nathan on my desk that actually looks decent for once (yay Nathan!!!), the photos that I am laying out for a gift album I am doing and my stuff still not totally unpacked from Skyline lying around my scraploft. 

I am hearing...the hum of the dishwasher, babbling of Sophie as she reads her books to herself (in her own little language) and a little music coming from the iPod player.
  

I am smelling...the vanilla perfume I put on this morning mixed with the shampoo I used in the shower.  Interesting smells when combined!

I tasted...Tim Horton's coffee this morning and I even made Cinnamon rolls!
 

I am feeling....a little worn out.  Skyline was this past weekend and I haven't fully recovered from the sleepless nights at the retreat. 




Tonight will be an early night for me since Ben is still in Michigan on his training course. We FACETIME every night so that Sophie can see her daddy....she misses him so much! He gets home tomorrow.  

If you want to participate in Diary of 5, go here:
http://diaryof5.blogspot.com/

Until next time,
SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~