Thursday, January 31, 2013

Project Life - Week 3


It’s Week 5 of the New Year and I’m not doing too badly with my Project Life album. I’ve completed the pages for Week 3 and the photos for Week 4 are waiting in their folder. I just need to put them together.
Here are my Week 3 pages:

Week 3 ~ Left Page
 
Week 3 ~ Right Page
Supplies are the same as previous weeks with the addition of Ali Edwards Hello Life Boxes, Cathy Zielske's Week in Review and Be Bold Journal Cards.


Thursday, January 24, 2013

Project Life

. . . And Week Two is complete. Clearly, I'm still keen. I took a lot of photos during week 2. Plus, I'm only a week behind. That makes me happy.

Thanks for looking.



Week Two ~ left page

Week Two ~ right page
Supplies are the same as last week. Have a great day!


Monday, January 21, 2013

Project Life - photo a day

I am so glad to be doing a project like this again. It has taken me some time to settle on exactly how, but I think I've finally figured it out.The album is going to be 12x12 and all the pages will be fully digital.

I'm using the Becky Higgins Project Life Turquoise Album and Core Kit, along with Project Life page templates that I ordered through Scrapbooker's Inner Circle and AC Digitals.

I got the plain 12x12 protectors, as well as some plain and some pocket 6x12 protectors. My intention this year is not to take a photo every single day, but to take pictures of things in our life that are ordinary but I want to remember. There will be days without any photos, and there will be days with multiple photos. There will also be images taken from the internet when I haven't been able to take a photo. I also want to keep random pieces of memorabilia - gas and grocery receipts, movie tickets, etc. All these and any extra photos will go in the 6x12 protectors.

I've completed the Cover Page for the album as well as the pages for the first week of 2013. Some elements on the Cover Page came from Cathy Zielske and everything else from AC Digitals. On the Week 1 pages all supplies are from AC Digitals except the date stamp which came from Snow Moon LLC on Etsy.

Here is the Cover and Week One for you. I am hard at work on Weeks 2 and 3. Where does the time go?


Cover Page


Week 1 - left page

Week 2 - right page





Thursday, January 10, 2013

TODAY


In an effort to blog again, I'm participating in The Simple Woman's Daybook. Because that's me. I'm simple.  HA HA.  Another idea stolen from Barb.
You can find the details here.
 
FOR TODAY
Outside my window . . . the weather is mild and the sun is shining.

I am thinking . . . I need to get off this computer and down to the market for fruits and veggies before the girls come home from school.

I am thankful . . . for a husband who supports me in what I enjoy doing.

In the kitchen . . . it’s leftover night. Blah.

I am wearing . . . jeans and a hoodie.

I am creating . . . Project Life pages.

I am going . . . to music lessons tonight.

I am wondering . . . what I’ll do while my children are at their music lessons.

I am reading . . . Fall of Giants by Ken Follett and Quiet – The Power of Introverts in a World that Doesn’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

I am hoping . . . I’ve made the right decision.

I am learning . . . to be happy with who I am.

Around the house . . . there are a lot of areas that need to be sorted and organized.

I am pondering . . . the next couple of months and how they’re going to pan out.

A favorite quote for today . . . Best friends are people you don’t need to talk to every single day. You don’t need to talk to each other for weeks, but when you do, it’s as if you didn’t even stop talking.

One of my favourite things . . . my iPod.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . . spending tomorrow with Isobel due to her teacher protest day.

A peek into my day . . . tea with a friend this morning, errands, laundry and a bit of scrapbooking before getting the girls from school. A nice easy day.




Tuesday, January 8, 2013

2012 YIOOL - Final Pages

For 2012 I changed things up a bit. Instead of doing my usual Project 365 where I took a photo a day for the entire year and created a layout for each weeks' photos I did an album based on the  A Year In Our Ordinary Life album templates that I downloaded from my copy of Jessica Sprague's Computer Tips and Tricks. The album was a quick look at the year. Just 15 photos per month. Here are my last few pages of the year:




 (October won't load - don't know why - sorry)



I have to be honest, I didn't enjoy this format as much as the Project 365 albums that I've completed in the past. This one didn't get me excited about doing the pages, it didn't get me excited about taking photos and I don't think it really gives a full picture of what our life was like in 2012. I changed the format to make things easier for me and while it did that, I think it is lacking somehow.

So, what am I going to do for 2013? Well, I'm hoping to have a bit more time on my hands this year, so I am going back to the photo a day/layout per week concept. I'm basing what I'm doing on Project Life as created by Becky Higgins and following closely along with Ali Edwards and Cathy Zielske for inspiration and ideas. I know though, that in order to be successful I need to make this as easy as possible. I have ordered my album and page protectors including some 6x12 protectors to include some memorabilia and I've downloaded the Turquoise Kit and Page Templates from AC Digitals. In order for this to work, itneeds to be digital for me. No cutting, no pasting, just an hour a week at the computer, upload to Costco and voila - it's done. 

Of course, it's January 8th and I haven't started, so I'm already a week behind. Cross your fingers for me. I'm going to see what I can get done.




Saturday, January 5, 2013

2012 In Review


In an effort to blog more, I have decided to steal ideas from other people. Tee hee. I’ve taken this one from Barb’s blog.

2012 in Review

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Went to New York City for a week on vacation with Dave and the girls. I’d been there for business back in my career days, but never for fun. We had a fantastic time and I would not hesitate to go back again. There is so much to see and do there, I could go every year and do something different every time.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My good friend from high school, Lori Ann, gave birth to a baby girl in January. I am in awe at her courage.
 
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No. Thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just the USA in July.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Personal Time. I felt like 2012 found me constantly running from one thing to another, none of them for me.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Our trip to NYC in the summer. It was another fantastic vacation with my 3 favourite people.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmmmm. . .  This is a tough one. I don’t feel like I really achieved anything this year. I need to change that for 2013. Perhaps working?

9. What was your biggest failure?
Exercising and eating right. I did not do a good job in those areas at all. This needs to change in 2013. I feel so much better when I eat right and exercise regularly. I need a walking buddy. Someone to motivate me to get out there and do it. And not scrapbooking regularly.  I miss my creative side and the friends I have who share the same interests.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really. As I get older I find an increase in weird unexplainable medical ailments that get labelled ‘normal anomaly’. It’s nice to know they haven’t been serious but annoying and frightening to go through all the medical tests necessary to rule out anything serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My new camera.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Everyday life, NYC, nothing unusual.

13. What did you get really excited about?

My new camera and travel. Both our trip to NYC and our planned trip in 2013 to see the Henriksson’s in Hawaii.

14. What song(s) will always remind you of 2012?

PSY – Gangnam Style – I’ve heard that one way too much.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Happier – looking forward to the next few months.
– thinner or fatter? Fatter – sadly.
– richer or poorer? Same.


16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wished I’d done more scrapbooking, said ‘yes’ more often, taken more photos and done more things that make me scared.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I’d worried less about things I can’t control. I wish I’d been more comfortable with who I am.
 
18. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Day was spent at home with my family just hanging out. Isobel didn’t even get dressed.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
I have a few favourite TV programs. Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, and Private Practice are my crying shows. I’ve also enjoyed Scandal, Revenge, Modern Family and The Good Wife. And recently we discovered Damages on Netflix. I actually don’t watch much TV but this list makes it sound like I do. We PVR everything we like these days. No commercials and we get to watch when we’re ready.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?
I have read so many good books. I reread The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and loved it still. I really enjoyed The Light Between Oceans. Sarah’s Key was very hard to read but very worth reading at the same time. I know there are many more but I can’t think of them. I am loving my Kobo.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?
Right now I’m enjoying Surrender by Ben Lee, Living in the Moment by Jason Mraz, Babylon by David Gray and Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

I don’t get out to the movies much. I need to change that.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 44. We had just come back from NYC. I met Nicola for tea and had ribs for dinner at home with my family.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time, less stress, more scrapbooking.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Personal fashion concept? I don’t think I have one. Some days I’m in yoga pants, a hoodie and no make-up. Other days I make an effort but nothing fancy. Practical and comfortable would probably describe it best.

26. What kpt you sane?
My peeps – Dave, Meredith and Isobel. They make it all worthwhile.

27. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2012.

I don’t cope well with being busy.