Life Pages Update-How I Plan and Organize my Weekly Scrapbooking

Over summer, I started doing weekly scrapbooking. I still have a few weeks to catch up from summer (maybe over Spring Break... Or a long weekend??) However, I started getting the Gossamer Blue Life Pages kit (I gave up my subscription to their AMAZING scrapbook kits to try this out for awhile. I love it! I found that I really need to organize my thoughts before I sit down and start working.

I started with this amazing planner from Marcy Penner. I print two per page, and paste them into a sketchbook that I keep in my basket. Since I'm using the GB kits now, I nixed a lot of the "stuff" that I had in the basket, and focus more on what's available in the kit, with of course, a few things thrown in like mini bags, sequins, enamel dots, etc.

The white GB box fits in one of the pockets, along with a paper cutter, my sketchbook, Staedtler markers (which I've had for over two years now and they are still kicking!!).

A few extra cards (just in case, but I really haven't used them) and my FANTASTIC! Xyron/Teresa Collins stapler. 

Xyron Adhesive Dots, photos (which by planning out my layouts, I only print what I will use).

And of course, at least one extra mini alpha. I love mixing those up and plastering them all over. Pin It

Photographs and Apps: How I Organize My Weekly Scrapbooking Part 2

Hello again! I'm back with Part 2 of how I make my weekly (or sometimes monthly when life becomes routine) layouts. Really, this is a collection of cool apps and tricks to make life a little more simple, and ways in which you can speed up the whole process. Especially when using your stash.

 

Apps:
I am in love with my iPhone. Seriously though, this little bugger is amazing. And all of the apps available?? LOVE!

Photo Taking Apps:
Hipstamatic

While I have Instagram... I really love my Hipstamatic app. No, it's not free, and yes, I've spent more than I'd like to admit on lenses, film upgrades, etc. But it's super fun. And you don't "have" to share your pics if you don't want. Often... I don't want to.

Photo Altering Apps:
A Beautiful Mess

This is really just an app to alter pics, use some filters, add some wording and images and have fun. Then you can Instagram or Facebook away and be done. I do however like this to alter some images, or add phrasing right when it happens. Sometimes the wording gets wonky, and its hard to straighten. I end up redoing it then, which is kind of frustrating.


Over

This app was free for iPhone users during the App Store's birthday week. So I didn't actually pay the $1.99 for the app. Totally worth it though. It's like A Beautiful Mess, but a little more user friendly. It has multiple artists' creating images and phrases for it, so you get more of a collection of varied items, rather than one point of view. They are pretty similar though. No filters on this app, and you don't have to make square photos, which I like.

The Essential Project Life App!:
PhotoDate 

 

If you haven't heard of PhotoDate... You really need to look it up. If you are doing weekly, or scrapbooking in general, and use your phone... This is HUGE! It actually tells you when you took all of your pics on your phone. So simple, yet soooo important. I can hardly remember what day it is, and this little app does it for me. Want to be accurate with the date stamper? Now you can! 

Apps to Make Life Easier:
PicFrame

Part of the frustration of scrapbooking weekly is the whole finding a photograph thing. It's kind of annoying how those little 3x4" pockets make printing a picture kind of impossible. This app is genius, as you can just combine photos together to either create a collage, stitch two pics together for a 4x6, or just print them on the cheap. The 99 cents for this app is amazingly inexpensive for the ease of use. There are some really great tutorials on how to use this app (my favorite at MySistersSuitcase), but it's pretty easy to use.
 

Costco

Costco is one of my favorite places to go. We seriously spend too much money there. But it's worth it when we normally buy the same things each month. And kids eat a lot. I don't know where they put it, but they eat. Anyway... I love Costco's print quality. I know it's not always the same quality as a "professional print lab"... But for the cost, they are really good. And the app is super easy to use. Plus, after using PicFrame, it's even cheaper!!

Walgreens

Personally, I am not a huge fan of Walgreen's photography labs. Mainly because they only print in glossy paper. And that bugs me. A lot. Probably because it's hard to photograph when the pics are on a layout. Totally a personal thing, everyone has their "thing"... Glossy paper is mine. The app is great though, and the service is really quick. When I really need a pic fast, I will send them here. Plus they have super late (some 24 hour) hours... Which is helpful. They are more costly than Costco's photo lab. Something to think about, but they do have coupons often. I always Google to see if there is an available coupon code to use before I finalize my order.

How It All Works Together:
Lastly, this is how I put it all together. I have scraps of paper about the size of business cards that I plan out my week. Arrows usually mean that I've moved something, or mixed up dates. Sometimes I draw silly things, scratch them out, add more. Often I totally change it all up. Any which way though, the sketches have helped me to stop printing 18 million photographs that I don't use. They aren't hugely expensive, but waste is waste. This has made me much more streamlined in my process.

Whew! Lot's of information overload. This week, I'll be posting the four weeks of layouts that I completed in about 24 hours using this process.

***Project Life is a system of memory keeping created by Becky Higgins.  You can learn more here*** Pin It

A Little Project 12 Sneakpeek, and a Freebie Silhouette File!

Hello!! I hope that all of you had a great weekend. I crafted a bit, pinned a bit, hung out a lot. Let the girls nap, went to church, had a great breakfast, and just overall enjoyed early Spring.

I started my Project 12 already for this month. Or rather, started the title piece. Which of course led me to create a file for all of the months of the year. I used a font that was already on my computer, but changed a few things so that it would make a good cut file. I love when things look purposefully offset, so mixed up the letters a bit.

The file is for all of the months. They are all lowercase, so if you like things correctly capitalized... This may not be the right file for you. If you're like me and like the whimsy, it's pretty fun!

Here is a pic of what the file looks like. I filled in the titles for emphasis. The file does not have filled color. If you'd like the file, HERE IS THE LINK. Enjoy!!

Pin It

February's Project 12 with Gossamer Blue

Last month was a little bit of a pain-in-the-butt. Mainly because we all got sick. All of us. At random times, and not always the most convenient at that. And, my printer ran out of ink. So there isn't journaling... yet.

Anyway... I used my February Gossamer Blue kit for this. I did add a few bits of Elle's Studio. They had a fantastic sale in February, and I was feeling a little down... So did a bit of retail therapy. In doing so, I found out they were local (north of Seattle!!). I L-O-V-E supporting local, so definitely will be purchasing again from them directly.

Here are a few of the details... A little Macklemore (again, LOCAL!!!), a beautiful walk, sicky babies, a beautiful and sunny Northwest day, and more!

Like my "Journaling will go here" Photoshopped title?? Me neither, but I'm outta ink, and have a plan. A few more neat photos, including one of irises that were growing on the other side of my fence. Who knew?!?!?! Okay... So I really don't "do" plants. But I did Google, and found out that after they bloom I can transplant some somewhere else. I think.

I took quite a few sweet photos this month, so even added those in a separate holder with six pics. Of course, I forgot the snap the other side. That's how it's going today. Pin It

Gossamer Blue: Project 12, the January Edition

I love the idea of Project: Life. The idea is fantastic. However, I don't really have the time. And currently, with two kids three and under, the energy. I have the tools. I got sleeves last Christmas, and bought a few more sets of the other sizes. So when Gossamer Blue started their Project 12, I knew that I could keep this version up. I started in December making a title page for the book. And officially started January 2013.

While I know that most people aren't going to be interested in the silly things that I or my family does, I know that my children one day will. I think it's going to be nice for them to read about what really went on each month.

I decided to put a "Highlights" section in each month. Not all events are photographed, and not all I really need to. However, I wanted to let the girls know that we did do events each month.

I used phone photos for this. It was fun being able to snap pics throughout the month of cute things the girls did, silly stuff to remember, Hipstamatic pics of random things.

And journaling. In my own handwriting. With a little bit of die-cuts from my Cameo. <3 br="">

I hope that you enjoyed seeing just a few of my fun little sections. While it's out of my normal scrapbooking style, it was lots of fun to do. Pin It