we interrupt this programme . . .

. . . I didn’t think that I would become an errant blogger but by default I seem to have slipped in to a very non regular posting pattern.

Both my jobs revolve around the UK school schedule so I am looking down the thin end of a quiet few months soon YAY, my “out of the home” job finishes for nearly two months at the end of July and my at home job schedule gets a whole lot easier after this weekend, only one more meeting in June and then its all housekeeping until October.

Going to be doing a lot of housekeeping around here too, got lots of decorating projects waiting to happen this summer. plus I am working on getting a whole project life style kit designed for 2014 – I have really enjoyed this way of documenting our lives this year and it has inspired me to keep doing this. I may have to think about storage for all my albums though – I could never go digital, enjoy playing with the paper too much.

There is every possibility that if I can get an entire PL style kit designed that I would offer it, or parts of it for sale providing that I could figure out the logistics of offering a large download, research required I think.

My intention is to design a kit for me to use next year and then adapt those designs if I offer it to the scrapping public, basically I will alter the colours so that the public kit is a neutral colour palette, that way it can be combined with anything else to create something unique, it also negates the need to offer the designs in a multitude of colour ways. See colour ideas below.

As always let me know what you think.

( all images below are from DESIGN SEEDS an absolutely amazing colour resource blog )

Project Life

I thought I would just do an update here – I am still doing Project Life and managing to keep up with it on a week to week basis.
My process has definitely simplified as I have gone along and is more “stripped down” that last year when I did undertook the PL albums for the first time.

One of the downsides of this years version is that I am not using my “big camera” very much at all, I got a mini ipad for christmas and have become a bit of an instagram junkie, It doesn’t mean that I am documenting less or anything just that my album is full of lots of little square photos!

I am throwing in a rare “big camera” photo here and there, I printed one out 12 x 12 so that it filled a whole page protector because it was a) a great photo b) it was a special moment and c) because I have been itching to cut up a large photo and fill a whole page.

At the moment I am using this format of photo protectors the most

One of these a week plus an insert occasionally is enough to document a week in our lives, but I am looking forward to being able to get my hands on this orientation

A while a go I purchased a large pack of Becky Higgins official Project Life photo protectors, they were a variety pack of different size “insert pages” I am sorry to have to report that I was seriously underwhelmed by them, the sizes and the orientation was fab but the quality was seriously lacking (SORRY but that is just my opinion based on my experience) I have had more than one of them split down the edge the first time you use them.

I have been using American Crafts and WRMK photo protectors as well and in my humble opinion , based on my experience and usage WRMK are by far the best quality.

Filler Cards – I didn’t use these much last year, I have to say I really didn’t get the concept (I mean lets face it the title isn’t a giveaway is it !! ) This year they are working well – I am having fun designing my own and using some of those great freebies that are available out there and they are an absolute must when you have “low photo” weeks.

Here is one of my recent pages really simple . . . I think this is a great example of one of my low photo weeks, only five instagram photos but it still documents our week adequately

Camera and laugh filler cards are my designs, the circle week card is a collaboration, the circle is a great freebie from September Blue and the background I designed.

A Freebie on Friday

Just a simple set of 3×4 cards, ideal for a small square photo or a journalling block.

Let me know what you think – feel free to download from the usual place

Quote cards

I used some of my favourite Seuss quotes and my go to font BEBAS to create these 3×4 filler cards.

download from the usual place.

Camera love . . .

I always have been a sucker for images of cameras and throughout the years the scrapbook industry has not disappointed.

Fact in point, my current AC D ring album that I am using for this years project life has images of cameras all over it.

Recently I was designing some filler cards for an album that I will be collaborating on next year for my cousins wedding and I decided to use a camera image that I designed a couple of summers ago.

I was really pleased with how the cards came out so I though I would whip up a set of camera fillers for you to use now.so without further ado here they are, all the usual applies, please credit back, personal use only.

Download them here

number fillers

I am working on some general filler cards for my project life album at the moment

These 3×4 “everyday happiness” cards can be used alone as a filler or you could decorate the white space in the middle with patterned paper, washi tape, an embellishment or even a small photo (2×2 inches)

Please feel free to download from the usual place HERE

If you use these or feature them please credit or link back to me Thank You

Thrifty Thursday

Ok so not everyone has got a scrapbooking budget – I know I don’t. Since I downsized my stash and moved from a dedicated room to a box of bits on my dining room table I only buy something if it is a necessary addition. My biggest expenditures at the moment are glue dot rolls, plain white smooth card for my printer and printer cartridges.

There are so many free printables out there at the moment that you don’t really need to buy stash as long as you have a supply of white card and a printer. I realise that its not everyones cup of tea but it certainly has benefits. You can be really selective about what you print, no need to buy a pack of product because you like 4 out of the 8 cards. plus there is a certain amount of flexibility, if the downloadable is in JPEG format when you insert it into a word or pages document you can re size the image so it fits your needs.

The other benefit to thrifty scrapping is that a lot of “chain” stores are offering great products at reasonable prices that can be used on scrap projects. My favourites at the moment are Paperchase for their stickers and their small D ring albums, also The Range, they have some great embellishments, loving their shaped paperclips by Craft Shop, just bought arrows and planes each pack was a £1 and contains 10 pieces.

Ok enough harping on about being thrifty . . .

Here is a Freebie to keep you coming back

another chalkboard themed card – write on them with white gel pens or wet chalk pens. I kept them 4×3 inches in size so that they can be use for Project Life too.

please comment and let me know if what I am sharing is useful to you.

Monday Morning Madness

March equals Spring, right ? well not if you look out of my window right now it doesn’t, we have snow again !

As I have been moving forward with my Project Life album for 2013, I have been investigating “filler cards” I have to admit I didn’t “get” that concept last year, don’t ask me why, probably because I didn’t have protectors with 3×4 pockets.

This year however I am coming round to the fact that its actually a really great design idea, so I am downloading and printing my favourites off and also designing some of my own, which obviously I will share here (and probably on interest too)

Anyway here’s what I designed for my project life album this week, but you could use them on any of your crafty paper projects.

some 3×4 Spring/Easter printables

The JPEG doesn’t do them justice – the grey decoration under the text is some flowers !

you can download them HERE

A Freebie for you

I was sat here this morning after the dust had settled from the usual Monday morning mayhem, listening, all I could hear was the slight humming of my computer and the dogs gentle breathing, sigh . . .

So I whipped up these 6×4 cards for you all to use either in your PL albums or on your scrap book layouts – ENJOY

If you are interested in having them in a different orientation (3×4) let me know, leave a comment

as always – if you use them link back to here

you can download the PDF HERE

blinking heck – week four already . .

YAY – week four completed

I stuck with the design A page protector this week and used the other side of the design J page protector from last week (obviously)

I didn’t feel like there was much to report this week and I didn’t take many photos either so this format worked out quite well.

The four 3×4 cards across the middle of my page are ones I put together myself, the week number is from September Blue – going to be using these in the entire album. The other three I designed my self one to indicate the date of the week. I can see me using this format each week now.

The other two are done to illustrate specifics – a new fave tv program, I just downloaded the logo and added text. The other I created as a folded card, in order to hide some details that I want to include but not share.

My last card creation was the “He said” acrd just to document a funny conversation I had with my youngest.

so one more week bites the dust.