Tag: Project Life Photos

That mischievous little elf…

Our Elf on the Shelf has been much into the mischief this year…

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While he was getting used to us, he hung out in our wreath.

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Then, I guess he got comfy, because he TP'ed MB's bedroom

(no pictures for that one,
although it was fun to hear the kids when they woke up!)

Then, he decided to take Barbie on a date:

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I guess he figured he was welcome to do whatever he wanted then…

So he ate a little snack:

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That is… ate a snack while perched on the ledge above our 2-story foyer

(we think he must’ve flown up there)

It’s a good thing Santa comes tomorrow night.

There is no telling what mischief he would get into if he stayed too much longer.

That mischievous little elf…

Our Elf on the Shelf has been much into the mischief this year…

IMGP1678

While he was getting used to us, he hung out in our wreath.

IMGP1702

Then, I guess he got comfy, because he TP'ed MB's bedroom

(no pictures for that one,
although it was fun to hear the kids when they woke up!)

Then, he decided to take Barbie on a date:

IMGP1849

I guess he figured he was welcome to do whatever he wanted then…

So he ate a little snack:

IMGP1881

That is… ate a snack while perched on the ledge above our 2-story foyer

(we think he must’ve flown up there)

It’s a good thing Santa comes tomorrow night.

There is no telling what mischief he would get into if he stayed too much longer.

Oh the weather outside is frightful…

but not snowy, alas. 

IMGP1649_edited-1

Just rainy, dreary, and cold. (BOO!) And, it doesn't look to improve today at all.

Weather forecast

And, of course, today is the day I have scheduled to run my errands.  Thinking it may be better to postpone until tomorrow.

Although, this time of year is always hit-or-miss. December in Georgia can be warm, sunny and Fall-like, or it can be wet, cold and dreary.  We never have snow this early, but winter is usually beginning to sneak into town by now.  The past five or so years have been very warm and fairly dry – we had a 100-year drought going on.  This year, it seems all that has changed and we are having one of the wettest Falls on record.  We had a 100-year flood (we like to do things big down here in the South) that people are still recovering from, and we are falling into a pattern where at least two days each week is wet, rainy and cold.

I don't mind the rain too much – especially now that I work at home 100% of the time.  I just put my slippers on, turn on some cheery music, and watch the rain fall while I work. 

I remember growing up in Savannah – our Decembers were even more unpredictable than they are here in the North Georgia area.  Some days the temperatures were in the 80's and then they would fall into the (brrr) 50's.  It's never too cold down there.  The coastal weather is usually pretty mild. 

I think that is one of the reasons I like living where we are so much.  We have more "real" seasons than they do down there.  Nothing as extreme as my friends in Minneapolis, but we at least know when it is Fall, Winter, Spring, or Summer.

This year, I'm just hoping for a cold, but dry Christmas.  I'm not so sure I'm going to get my wish, though.

Journal Your Christmas… Day 1

I’m taking a new class this year – it’s called Journal Your Christmas and it’s about capturing memories of Christmases past and present and your dreams for future holidays. 

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The thing I like is that it’s focused on words – on writing – as well as photos.  I can’t always remember to take a picture a day (as is evidenced by my sadly unfinished Project 365 album) but I can take a few minutes to write some thoughts down and maybe even find old photos from Christmases past if I don’t have a current one.

To begin with, you are to write your “manifesto” – or what your intentions are for the album.  At this point, I don’t know what my intentions are. I am simply going to take this day-by-day and see where the creative process leads me.  What I do hope to accomplish, though, is a record of why Christmas is special to me – memories of traditions, Christmases from my youth, and thoughts about the Chrismases I’ve spent thus far with my own family.  I am hoping to create something that will record a little snapshot of life today and how we choose to celebrate our holiday.

I’m also hoping this class will help me step out of the commercially-induced frenzy that captures so many of us this time of year – and helps me to refocus on what the season is really all about.

Puppy Love

I’m finding more and more inspiration for scrapbook pages in reading online blogs and looking at websites selling pre-made digital templates.  Because I’m not using PhotoShop, most of those templates are not much use to me. It is easier to make my own in StoryBook Creator than to figure out how to re-layer the many files that are sent with a downloaded template. (I’ve tried it on a few freebies and decided it was way more trouble than it’s worth)

What I have been doing, though, is much like what we do when we’re scrapbooking traditionally. (and I use this technique for both digital and traditional pages)  I simply “eyeball” the page and make my own version using rough estimates on what sizes the pictures are and where the embellishments are placed.  This challenge has been fun and I have been enjoying seeing if I can reproduce what I see online with some relative semblance of accuracy.

Here’s an example:  I saw this layout from Designer Digitals:

LT707240And decided to create this layout:

PuppyLove - Page 019You will notice I took some creative license with my design.  I didn’t add the dotted/stitched border.  I added an additional embellishment.  I had planned to put a background in there once I was finished, but then I decided I liked the clean look of the white page, so I left it.

I’ve been thinking about doing a page on Sydney for a while, and have been waiting for the right inspiration to hit.  Well, one look at that layout and I was ready to go.

Inspiration can come from many places.  You can be inspired by a picture, by an advertisement, by colors, fabrics, sunrises, etc.  The trick is to be open to the muse and either act on it right away or write your ideas down so that you can act later.

Sunday Scrapping

Hi, everyone,

My Sunday Scrapbooking post is up at The Lady’s site. Please check it out and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Lois

You’re not behind…

Happy Sunday!

I’m recovering from a 3 week-long headache and way too much activity this weekend.

So while you’re waitin’ on the next column here, check out my latest guest post here: The Lady at Home.

I’ll be back tomorrow. Promise.

Scrapbook Layout Inspiration

Happy Tuesday, y’all…

It’s raining here. Nasty, wet and cold.  My youngest is at home with me – she has the sniffles. We are snuggled up in the house and I’m trying really hard to remember that I work full-time and stay focused on work.  What I really want to do is grab a blanket or two, light a fire, make some hot tea, and snuggle by the fire with my little Doodlebug.  Maybe that will come in just a little bit.  Must get a few more things done.

I thought today I would share a layout idea that has inspired me.  I found it over at Ella Publishing Company’s website. They have a neat new eZine that has some pretty awesome ideas in it. I’m finding great inspiration for layouts, color schemes, you name it.  One thing I’ve learned over the  years  is to always be on the lookout for things that catch my eye.  Once I find them, I either take a picture, save it on my PC, or put it in a folder I have of scrapbooking ideas.

Here’s my folder –

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I just rip pages out of magazines and save them here. When I sit down to scrapbook and need a little inspiration or help getting the creative juices flowing, I just rummage around in the pile of ideas. That is usually a good way to get me started.

I used to subscribe to tons of scrapbook magazines.  Now, not so many.  I have found that I can get the same inspiration from looking at blogs and other scrapbook related websites (like Ella’s) to find (free) ideas.  So, I have started an electronic version of my idea “folder” as well.  This is a little simpler – it’s just a PowerPoint file that I copy/paste images into whenever I see an idea that inspires me.

ideafile

Here are some places for you to consider as you search for ideas for yourself:

  • Designer Digitals – they have challenges that are awesome. If you are a digital scrapbooker, the downloads that come with the challenges are pretty awesome, too.  If you are traditional, consider getting the downloads anyway. You can always print them on your own cardstock or re-create the layout, etc. on your own.  The ladies at DD are really talented and I always find a few things I want to try over there.
  • Ali Edwards – always has awesome ideas.  Check her blog out (if you haven’t already) – it is well worth the visit.
  • Cathy Zielske – I love her no-nonsense style of scrapbooking. Clean lines, lots of whitespace and capturing the essence of a story.

Okay, enough rambling…. Here’s the original layout that inspired me:

Here’s my version:

my take

And, here’s a bonus for you – a link to a template you can use in StoryBook Creator + (3.0) if you are using that for your digital scrapbooking. (as soon as I get Photoshop Elements, I’ll include those, too. Not in the budget yet, though)

Send me your pages! I’d love to see what you do with the idea!

Check this out

Just a quick update to let you know I have been asked to contribute articles about scrapbooking on the blog “The Lady at Home.”

I’m so very excited to be joining the Lady and sharing my love of scrapbooking with her readers. I will be posting a weekly column (tentatively to be posted on Sundays, I think) so check her website for my articles as well as all kinds of other great things – articles about homeschooling, recipes, etc.

More of Me: The Abridged Version

Ok, so I found some time yesterday to do a little journaling in my Me: The Abridged Version book.  I also realized while I was working that I wanted more vibrant pages for the album.  The color scheme I had chosen was a little muted.  So, I’m amping things up a bit now.

Here’s a sample of a page I’ve completed.

MeTAV-1

I’m still considering removing the craft paper background and just doing it on white.  But I’m not sure yet.  (do you have an opinion?)

MeTAV-3

I’m finding this is actually pretty fun.  It’s an interesting change to write about myself – my thoughts, stories, etc. – as opposed to writing about my kids.  Being the centerpiece of the story instead of the background character who is chronicling the kids’ stories.  You should try it.

And, it’s interesting to me that my girls are very interested in reading the pages as I finish. And they want to know about me!  How cool is that?  As moms I think we get lost sometimes in just being “mom” and forget to be ourselves.  This project is reminding me of the need to focus on me some – focus on my story – and focus on things that make me happy. (like scrapbooking!)

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I challenge you – do a page about yourself.  Pick a topic – list your five favorite movies or books, tell a story from your childhood, whatever gets your creative juices flowing.  And, remember, the picture is optional. It’s the story that counts.