the moments in between

Project Life® - thoughts on working monthly

It has taken me a bit to settle into a new Project Life® routine, but I think I'm finally there. I'm excited to tackle the monthly approach - I think it's just a better fit as my boys get older. Since our family of five spends most days at school or work, I've found it takes a bit more thought and intention to get all of our stories into my album. As I started brainstorming ideas to include every month, I asked Marcy Penner if she'd be up to adding a monthly recap sheet to her awesome planner sets. This gives me a great place to consolidate all the random notes of what we're watching, reading, learning and loving - which makes me more likely to include those details in my album. 

My second change for 2014 is that I'll be mixing up my album. After 3 years of using design A with an insert now and then, this is a big switch for me! I'll be using page protectors cut down to 10x12in to bookend each month. In between, there will be a mix of different sized pocket protectors, and maybe even a layout now and then. One of my favorite things about making Handbooks and minibooks has always been the way mixed up sizes of pages look layered together - it really invites you to keep flipping through the album. Being able to bring that look to a larger scale has me really excited about all of the possibilities.

I do still have one problem - where to put these pages. For the moment, they're in a 8.5x11in binder I found at Target. It's cute (stripes!) and they *almost* fit. I'd like to try Marcy's custom sized album idea, but I haven't had a chance. This will work in the meantime.

I started my 2014 album with the Studio Calico Office Hours Project Life® kit. That'd be the left side of this spread. The right side is a layout made with the Office Hours Scrapbook kit, and some embellishments from add-ons. Once I knew I wanted to include layouts in my book, I decided that these weren't going to be important moments that I'd want in one of our other books (I currently have albums for family | each boy | Matthew & I | holiday | Travel). These were going to be total everyday moments that I just wanted to feature a BIT more. Or even just an excuse to play with paper. These pages will be either 6x8in or 8.5x11. They'll likely be backed with memorabilia rather than a second layout, so the smaller sizes give me more flexibility. 

I had lofty goals of finishing January by the end of February, but didn't quite get there. I DO have all of my photos printed - and for me, that's the hardest part. Now I'll be able to work on this in bits and pieces as I have free time. I wanted to share some in progress pics to give you a better idea of how these spreads will work together. I'll be primarily using my Studio Calico kits - I think it will work really well to have each month's spreads be coordinated but each month of the year to have a different feel. Even with just the photos in place, flipping through this makes me really, REALLY happy. PS : You can see the monthly calendar cards make an appearance here - as I mentioned in my title page post, I'll be adding one each month! 

I'm planning to put a little Instagram video together showing me flipping through these pages so you can get a better sense of it, but I'm having trouble keeping my phone steady enough so I don't make you all motion sick. ;) I've got a breakfast date with two of my boys, so I'll give that a try again later and add it here when it works!

Before I head out, I wanted to share a quick tip for trimming down 12x12 page protectors to a smaller size. I was having a lot of trouble getting a clean cut with my rotary trimmer. I have a Fiskars Procision and LOVE IT - but it was shredding the sides of the page protector as I cut. I realized it was pushing the page protector down as the rotary blade went across it. I grabbed some cardstock and layered that under the page protector, and it cut perfectly. 

Two more things -

1 : Confetti Wallpaper. Matthew Wilson, one of the awesome graphic designers at SC, has made this free digi wallpaper available to everyone. I kind of love it. 

2: Last Call. Studio Calico has been spring cleaning the warehouse, and there are some awesome deals. Check it out here - there are still a few things left, but there won't be for long! 

And now I'm really out of here. Have an awesome Friday!!

Studio Calico Office Hours

It's reveal day at Studio Calico! The March kit is called Office Hours - and despite add-on names like To Do, Spreadsheet and Report, we think you'll actually like spending some time in the office. ;) If you're a subscriber, you can take advantage of your presale perk and buy add-ons now. If you're not, you'll be able to check out all the kits and do some shopping at midnight EST - until then, there are sneak peeks here so you can make your shopping list! 

The Office Hours Scrapbook kit had me at kelly green and navy. I also fell in love with the wood veneer buttons - there are three different designs, and once you stitch them you'll see how cool they are. I love the contrast of the colored thread to the wood veneer - it's a nice bit of texture on a project.

Rad | Office Hours Scrapbook kit + Clean Slate Ink

Snow day!! What better way to celebrate than with a trip to our favorite sledding hill? Sam had been waiting ALL winter for this day - last year was the first one he was big enough to hit this hill, and he's wanted to go back ever since!

The strong shades of navy and green in the kit offer a great contrast to my mostly white photos, and they fit the VERY COLD mood of the day. I added watercolored accents for a pop of bright color, and they help bring in a bit of fun to the otherwise subdued colors.

Let's Do This | Office Hours Scrapbook kit

The rub-ons in the main kit are fantastic - cool designs and awesome quality. As soon as I saw the "Let's Do This" banner, I thought of this photo of my boys. They were practicaly spring loaded on our second morning at Disney, and I barely managed to snap this photo before they ran to wait for the bus to Epcot. 

My scissors got a workout on this one!! I started by cutting patterned paper into 1in squares, and then used my scissors to notch out the corners to make plus signs. I scattered them around my page, and then finished it with the wood veneer buttons. and enamel dots. 

Fun | Office Hours Scrapbook kit + Add-ons + Deja Blue & Clean Slate Ink

One of the summer camps my bigs do each year has a parent's night where they get to show off what they've been leaning. Last summer, both Alex and Ben did one called "Get Your Game On" and explored the strategy and math behind many games. And then we had to buy Stratego, because they both fell in love with it. ;)

I started this page with many of my favorite little bits and pieces from the kits, and scraps of paper from my other projects. I started by placing my photo on the background and then building outwards around it. 

Oh Fun | Office Hours Scrapbook kit + add-ons + Clean Slate, Yes Pes & Deja Blue ink + circle punch

When I'm not sure what I want to scrap, I often pick a month in my photo archives and choose a photo at random. I came across this photo of Sam at the children's museum and immediately knew it would be a great fit with all the circles in these kits! I layered my photo with some patterned paper and a journaling tag at the bottom, and then took a cue from the photo and made a grid of circles at the top. I love how it expands the pattern in the photo and emphasizes how little he looks at this exhibit!

Have you made your reveal day shopping list? I'd love to hear what you get! 

Studio Calico offers three types of monthly kits - Scrapbook, Card & Project Life® - as well as add-on kits and shop items to complement them. A new kit is revealed on the 27th of each month (at noon EST if you're a subscriber, at midnight EST if you aren't). For more information (or to start your own subscription!), click here. 

2014 Project Life® title page

Since starting Project Life® in 2011, I've struggled with title pages. I have had two albums every year - and when I do manage to get the first title page done, the second one often remains blank. This year, I came up with a simple idea that will be easy to replicate when I start my second album.

I started with a 6x8in Handbook page protector and added two favorite family photos, a bit of a birthday ad from Anthropologie, and a bold wood veneer five (I used this pack from the Wanderlust collection - this design would be fun as well!). Behind that, I filled a 9.5x12in (trimmed down from 12x12) page protector with Hello Forever calendar cards for January through June. This was an AHA! at 2am idea, and I love how it turned out! When I start my second album for 2014, I'll follow the same pattern using cards for July through December. 

I'll be carrying the calendar cards into each month of spreads, and it will be the perfect way to tie the whole album together. To finish the page, I added some cards from the Studio Calico Sugar Rush Project Life® kits to fill in the empty spaces. I may replace them with favorite photos as we get further into the year. Either way, I'm thrilled to have a complete title page and to know my second album will have one as well! 

Studio Calico Office Hours Sneaks

It has been so very FEBURARY here. Cold. Gray. BLAH. The Studio Calico Office Hours kits have been a nice shot of spring greens and preppy navys in the midst of all that. What's on your must have list this month?

I started out with the Office Hours scrapbook kit. A little Mister Huey's gold was the perfect accent with this preppy color scheme, and I added more brights in the form of watercolors to offset the very white & cold sledding photos. 

For my second layout with the Office Hours scrapbook kit, I set to work making some hand cut pluses. I've found myself obsessed with quilted patterns lately, but not the idea of actually quilting. So this was a nice way to use that inspiration. 

One of my favorite ways to make a page is to gather my favorite bits from all of the scrapbook kits and then puzzle them together onto a page. I love seeing how different shapes can fit together. 

Since my photo taking lately has been sporadic (February BLAHS and bad weather don't inspire a lot of photos!), I dug back into my archives and came across one of Sam at the Children's Museum. The photo inspired the grid of circles on the top part of my page. 

 I have offically started PL 2014 with the Office Hours PL kit! I'm making some big changes this year - switching to monthly, downsizing to 9x12, and doing a mix of page sizes each month. I'll even be mixing in some layouts. I've got January about half done and I am really feeling re-energized about this project. 

I've also started a Handbook about our trip to Florida last fall. My plan is to work on this in stages, with a section for each park we visited. This will be the title page for our Epcot day - I used the Inbox stamp set to make the banners. The new Color Theory inks are AWESOME on photos. 

Here are the tools and inks that I used with the kit this month. Whenver a kit has pink, I tend to reach for inks that match the more boyish colors to play up that side of the kit. 

01 | Color Theory Inks - Yes Peas, Clean Slate, Deja Blue, Mint Hint

02 | medium water brush

03 | watercolor papers

04 | American Crafts This to That dot runner

05 | Tiny Attacher

(not pictured - Mister Huey's Gold, 1in circle punch)

See you on the 27th for the full reveal of the kits - and here's to brighter days ahead!

 

five on friday

1) This print makes me laugh. Hard.

2) I'm addicted to the game Dots. 

3) I am crushing on this house, big time. Sneak Peek : Reya Carlisle @ Design Sponge.

4) Everyone in our house has had "Everything is Awesome" stuck in their heads every since we saw The Lego Movie 2 weeks ago. It's getting a little old. 

5) Sometimes I make a mess in the name of work - I love my job. (Hello, Color Theory pretties!)

 

tutorial | color theory stamped background

I am knee deep in Color Theory products and writing about different color principles in preperation for my Color Studio class at Studio Calico, and I've got a quick stamping technique to share with you today. Once I got my hands on the new inks, I had to put them to work. What better way to put them through their paces than with a rainbow stamped background? Here's how to get this look : 

The Color Theory Ink bundle has sold out, but they are now available individually! You can grab all 12 gorgeous colors here. From top to bottom, I used Well Red, Blush Crush, Orange County, Sunny Day, Yes Peas, Mint Hint, Emerald City, Something Blue & Deja Blue (the names are as good as the colors, right??)

 The stamped background does most of the work on this page - I just added some Color Theory enamel dots and paper and embellishments from the Copper Mountain kit and Fremont Glades add-on to finish it off. Going tone on tone with the patterned paper and enamel dots  keep the background from being overwhelming, and a few well placed embellishments help draw your attention to my photos.

  

 Want to learn more techniques for using color? Join me in the Color Studio classroom! We'll be sharing technique tutorials and videos in addition to 8 secrets of using color on your projects. This class has been the perfect antidote to all the snow and gray, and I am getting excited to see what the students do with the ideas we'll be teaching. Registration closes on Feb 28th - I hope to see you there!

inspiration, delivered.

I've been getting Studio Calico kits almost since the very start in 2007. And I get just as thrilled when that box shows up on my front porch now as I did in the beginning. I love the ease of working with the kits - it's all coordinated, it's all the latest and greatest. As the boys have gotten older (and busier) and I've started working more, I love that I can just grab a kit and steal a few moments to make something.

 

Start a subscription now and you'll also get a free stamp set! This world stamp set by Hello Forever is too cool - the layered globe looks very cool when stamped in different colors, and the symbol and word stamps are versatile designs that will work on a variety of projects. 

I wanted to share a few of my very favorite pages made with the Scrapbook and PL kits in the past year. All of these were made with just the main kits - no add-ons. 

If you're already a subscriber, SC has a special deal for you, too! Add a second subscription and get your first kit for just $10. If you're a scrapbook subscriber who LOVES embellishments, I'd recommend adding the Project Life® kit. If you're a Project Life-r who loves patterned paper, you can't go wrong with either the Scrapbook kit or Card kit. And Card makers - the Project Life® journal cards are a fabulous addition to your cardmaking arsenal.

 

Happy Wednesday! I'll be back soon with a new layout and a technique video featuring the Color Theory inks. My desk is covered in bits and pieces to get ready for the Color Studio class, and I wanted to give you a little preview. 

snow day!

We've had a fairly snow free winter. It's been cold - very, VERY cold at times - but almost no snow. Sam has declared it "the most boring winter ever" and sighs sadly every time we drive past our favorite sledding park.

We finally got a decent amount of snow - it started Tuesday afternoon and continued into the wee hours of Wednesday. Add in some -25F windchills and the boys finally got a snow day!

 

A little cold wasn't going to keep them from sledding. And by "a little cold" I mean I can't believe they stayed out there as long as they did, because I spent most of the time huddled in the car. I'd hop out every now and then and do a head count.

Those three specks are mine. They had a fabulous time. And eventually we all thawed out. =)