Project Life Newbie

Happy New Year to everyone (Chinese new year at that haha).  I haven't blogged in months as I have been busy with the holidays and the preparations for my sister's wedding.  Finally, after everything has done, I am back to my usual self, a CRAFTER! Wooohooo!!!

If you are on my blog for the first time and reading this entry, I'm sure you are searching about Project Life.  And this may not be a tutorial on how I make mine (coz as you see, it's also my 1st year on PL), I will give you websites of some of the ladies who have inspired me to capture life as it comes, and appreciate life as a whole.  And yes, while taking pictures capture the moment, wouldn't it be nice to have an album of these photos that you can look at years from now, and not just store those memories on your hard drives or social networking sites that might eventually crash or close.

Anyhoo, I have been searching and researching on project life since 2012 but could not convince myself to start one.  I was afraid of committing to the project and might end up giving up on it and wasting so much money.  But looking at the images on google and instagram, I am made to realize that project life is so easy, just don't stress on that "photo-a-day" concept.

Welcoming 2013, it dawn on me that a lot will change this year so I told myself I need to document this year, a year of change.  So again, I "studied" project life.  I searched for blogs that covered project life and I'd like to share it with you as I know it will inspire you the way they have inspired me to join the circle of project lifers.

1.  Becky Higgins - the maker/designer/founder of project life
2.  Ali Edwards - mostly does project 365 (documenting everyday life) - photo-a-day approach
3.  Amy Tangerine - though she has her own line of scrapbook/daybook/smashbook products, still does project life like any other crafters who wish to try new things and make new ways of documenting life
4.  Lisa Truesdell - an Instructor and a designer at twopeasinabucket.com website.  I highly recommend reading her 2012 Captured Class at twopeas.  I read her 12-month lesson on Project Life and it has helped me do mine smoothly.

I also watch random flip thru videos on youtube just so I have an idea of how other crafter approach project life.

Hope I have somehow helped you decide if Project Life is for you. 

PS:  If  you think being single with no kids, having a daily routine and doesn't go out is boring and not worth documenting?  Think again, I am on 5th week on PL and so far, I have been filling in the pockets pretty well. :)

Here's the cover page/1st page of my 2013 PL :)

December daily

Hi everyone!  I know I have been slacking on my blog posts.  I have been very busy with work and some family stuff and I just couldnt find enough time to blog at the moment.

But yey for me, I'm able to make some few projects while I was away from the blogging scene.  Recently, Kathy Orta of Paper Phenomenon did a series of Youtube video tutorials in making her December Daily.  Wondering what a december daily is?  Its a scrapbook/smashbook or whatever you want to call it that was started (if im correct) by Ali Edwards a few years back and it has been a hit.  Its where you record the memories, things, events, traditions and whatever it is that makes you look forward to December and most especially Christmas.  Some may start as early as Thanksgiving and end it up to New Year. It doesnt matter, its your book and you can do it anyway you want it to be.

Anyways, I have made mine using Kathy's Tutorial on a lapbook type album at it was a great project I tell you.  It seemed to much work but she taught it well and I was able to make it. 

Here's a quick video of a flipthru of my 2012 December Daily, and I hope it will also inspire you to make your own and record your holidays this year.

And by the way, incase this looks complicated to you all, Kathy has another video tutorial series on Youtube making a december daily using cards and envelope.

Thanks!

DIY - Heidi Swapp's Memory File System

A few weeks ago, a good friend Cathy introduced me and some ladies to Heidi Swapp's Memory File System.  And as always, I got curious and started searching for websites and of course, Heidi's blog as well.  It looks so interesting and seemed to be another simple way of preserving memories.  For Heidi, she says, its an interactive scrapbook - that can hold about 25-50 photos depending on the accessories you are putting in. 

I can't find any of this here in the Philippines and ordering online is out of my options since international shipping is way too much and I can't afford it for now, even if the products are affordable and reasonably priced.

So yes, like any crafter would, I made my own using what I have available.  Recently, we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday and his retirement so I wanted to make one to store photos from that event.

So here's a tutorial of how I made my Memory File System.

Enjoy!

Gather your materials.  12x12 paper/cardstock of your choice,  additional paper for accent/embellishment, adhesive, scissors and short file holder

Choose 2 pcs. -  2 designs of 12x12 paper to cover the inside and outside part of the file folder

Trace the folder and trim

Apply adhesive onto the file folder, making sure to add it to the edges of the folder to prevent them from peeling off.  Use a good adhesive, adhere the prepared designer paper and trim off excess.

This is how my outside cover looks like laying flat on the table.

Repeat the process to cover the inside part of the folder, make sure to leave a little gap between the paper so you won't have a problem closing it.

You can skip this part if you don't want to add additional pages inside.  You can also use mini file folders and repeat the process of covering the inside and outside part.  But for this project, I made a pattern for a top note shape, about 12 inches wide and 9 1/2 inches in height.  Traced it to a chosen cardstock (you can choose double sided this time if you want) and cut.

I prepared 2 of the top note shaped paper scored at the center to make a 6x9 1/2 page

Also, I made a flip page to store more photos and for journaling.  I cut 4 1/2 inches wide paper out of my 12x12 paper, holded and stack 3 papers (for this project) and folded them 1 page longer by 1 inch. Say 1st page is at 4 inches in height, the next page would be 5, and so on.

Finished project.  Front

1st spread when opened.

Attached the pages using staple wires.  You can opt to stitch them.

Hope to see your work soon.

Thanks!

First Smash Book

My relationship with smash book started in February 2012.  We have a love and hate kind of relationship because looking at the pages, it seemed easy, but when I am about to start to make my page or spread, I always end up pulling out all the embellishments I have, my room seemed like a bomb just blew off.  Then I remember, it should be messy and beautiful, stick to the plan - just smash everything in there, no rules.

And so I started to use one of my folios.  First stop - Simple Orange.  I liked it coz its.... SIMPLE.  My first folio was About Me coz it was easier and so i thought.  I embellished the outside cover with thickers, few papers and flowers. Good start huh.

Then I started printing photos of everything I see, browsed thru magazines and did some cutting.  But I just couldn't make myself use the clippings. Ughhhh.. another dilemma, I had to have a plan B - print more photos and use it. So my next pages where about my dream wedding, my favorite summer clothes (that I wish I could have the courage to wear), about me as a photographer and my favorite stores to shop.

Wedding spread

 Summer clothes spread

 Me as a photographer

 Favorite shops

After my first few pages, I stopped.  I wonder, why can't I finish this book, its about me for heaven's sake.  I guess I really don't know me either. Haha.  But I didn't give up on this book, if it weren't for the cover page that says "ABOUT ME", I would've finished this months ago.  So here are some of the other spreads I have made in this book and hopfully I can finish this and get to start a new, and this time, NO THEMES! 

  Me as a Smash*aholic and a Shopaholic

 My 2012 birthday spread

 Me and my favorite pastime - swimming and the beach

Til next time!

First Entry - Smashbook

Hi everyone!  This will be my first blog ever, so please bear with me and I hope I can keep it up.  I have been a crafter since I was in highschool, roughly about 15 years ago.  I started with jewelry making, and when I'm on vacation, I make sure to drop by Michaels and Joanns to grab some stuff for me to make.  After the craze of handmade jewelries, my creativity subsided and felt blah.

In 2009, I started my paper crafting journey.  Watching Youtube videos, reading blogs, browsing thru hundreds and thousands of the photos on Google and trying to make things I see. Little did I know, my passion for scrapbooking/journaling would be unveiled.

One day, I was again on my laptop looking for something interesting, and like everyone else I know, I came across K&Company's Smashbook and got curious about it.  I further searched about it, and then I saw the Youtube video, then BAM! I know I needed to have it. 

I also came across the Facebook group called Smash*aholic where I met very talented women who shared my passion, and I guess obsession with the folios (as what the company calls it).  Thru that group, I got a website that offered a great discount for the folios.  My 1st two folios were the Orange (Simple) and Green (Eco) which I asked my Aunt residing in the US to buy me online.  My next one was the Red (Doodle) one which was sent by my boyfriend from Canada.  My next folios are the Blue (Retro) and Pink (Pretty) which were gifted to me by my mom's friend also based in the US and the Black (Modern) which was bought for me by my mom when she went on a vacation.  Wonder why all were sent and gifted to me? Coz I'm from the Philippines and no one sells it here!!! Oh what a shame.  Anyways, the last on my collection is the Mini Smashbook which was sent to me by a good friend who I became friends with thru the Smashaholic group - Wendi.

Before i forget, I also got 1 more of the Orange folio when i entered into one of Kellie Winnell's giveaway raffles and I was lucky to win it.  

Currently, I am working on 3 folios, 2 Orange folios - About me and a secret project, and the green one for my penpals from the same Facebook group.

Here's my collection  of the smashbooks, oh and 2 Amy Tangerine's daybooks, which I am also obsessed with. But save that for another post.

What's in your collection?