Muse My World

Project Life - Organizing Your Photos

I hope that you are enjoying my posts on beginning Project Life.  Today I wanted to talk a bit about photo organization.  Since the majority of this project is photo based, and if you are anything like me, I am going to assume that you will be taking an unimaginable amount of photos each week.  And, since there are only so many spaces on the page, you will only be using a few photos from each week.  SO, here are my little tips, and how I am organizing my photos.

First, start with a blank memory card.  It is SO. MUCH. EASIER. if you start with an empty card every week.  So, say you start on Monday (which is what I am doing) just keep taking pictures all week long.  Then, on Sunday, when you sit down to do your page(s), download all your photos from the card into your folder for the week (more on that in a minute).  That way, you know exactly what photos you have to work with AND your memory card is now empty again and ready for the coming week.  Make sense? 

So, this is how I am breaking down my folders:

First I created a folder on my desktop simply called "Photos".  Then, in that folder I created a "2014" folder.  Then, in that folder I created 12 folders all labeled with the months (see picture above).

Then, in each month I created 4 folders, labeled week 1, week 2 and so on.  I didn't want to go through and name each folder the exact date because I will know what dates I am working on and it is a super time intensive process, but if you need to do that to stay organized, by all means, do what works for you. 

Then, for instance tomorrow, when I am working on January, Week 1, I will open my photos, 2014, January, Week 1 and move all the pictures from my camera into this folder.  I know, since I started with an empty memory card, that all my photos are strictly from this week.  You don't even have to necessarily make your page every week.... but if you keep your photos organized, you will have a MUCH easier time creating your pages when you are ready to do so. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and if you have any questions, please let me know. 

Project Life - Organizing and Planning Layouts

Ok, so today I want to talk about how to stay organized and plan your project life pages.  First, let's talk about HOW I am approaching my layouts this year.  How you are going to actually approach Project Life will make a big determination in how organized you need to be and how much planning you need to do.

I am going to be working on my pages on a weekly basis.  Essentially, the goal is, to have 52 (or maybe more) pages in my album for the year.  My goal is to do my weeks' page on Sunday every week.  You may be doing more of a monthly thing, or maybe you want to do it quarterly.  The great thing about Project Life (as you'll hear me say over and over) is it is completely individualistic.  You can do it how you want to.  There is no right or wrong way.  So, I plan to do a page a week.  This means, one 12 X 12 page, not a double spread.  BUT, I'm not going to be too harsh on myself.  If I miss a week, that's ok.  If it was a crazy, busy, important week I might do three pages.  My goal is to let this be a free flowing project and enjoy getting the photos printed and telling the story.  How are you approaching your Project Life this year?

So, because I want to do a weekly system, I think it will be important for me to keep notes throughout the week so I know what to journal.  This will include awesome things my kids say, dates that we did certain things on and the general feeling and emotion of the event.  I decided to get a planner and try to stay as organized as possible.  When I spoke with a group of veteran Project Lifers, most of them recommended Marcy Penner's planner.  This is a set of PDF's that you can buy and print on your own time as you need.  Super simple and I love the fact that I can print as many or as little as I needed.  I also picked up a planner at staples to put it all in.  My favorite part of my planner; it only has three rings on the inside (not five or six like others).  I got the size 5.5 X 8.5 making it even easier to print my pages (fewer cuts!).  And, after also speaking to the same group, I decided to go with the Pilot Frixion Pens for note taking and journaling in my album.  The gel pen is eraseable... yup, wrap your head around that!!

The bulk planning of my pages will start on paper.  One of the cool things about Marcy's planners is they come with a Project Life planning sheet.  I usually sketch out my design anyways, but I think this step will be even more critical with Project Life.  That way, I can choose my cards based on what I want the page to look like, and I can mess around with the arrangement and photos without wasting a bunch of materials. 

Alright, I hope this has helped you a little bit in how to get organized to make the most of your Project Life... If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Project Life - What You Need to Get Started

Ok, so let's jump right in to the Project Life week I've got going on here.  First, I wanted to talk about supplies.  The great thing about Project Life is you can make it as simple or as detailed as you want to.  And, based on how you are doing it, you are going to need different supplies.  However, two supplies are essential to every project life album: the album and page protectors.  Let's start with albums.  Here is the album I bought for this year:

Blush Album from Two Peas In A Bucket

I decided to go with the 12 X 12 albums for this year.  There are other choices available.... you can go with a "handbook" which is a smaller 6 X 8 size, or you could even go with a 8.5 X 11 size.  The choice is up to you. 

Design A Page Protectors from Studio Calico

Page Protectors.... There are so many options in this category, but the standard and typical layout that you will most often see is the "Design A".  You can buy them in boxes of 60, it's awesome.  There are a ton of different layouts available, and you can buy mixed boxes as well.  The choice is yours.  I'm going to stick to the Design A for the majority of the year, while I'm getting acquainted with this whole thing, but I'll probably change it up at some point. 

Jade Core Kit from HSN

The rest of the supplies are really up to you.  You can buy a "Core Kit" via Becky Higgins which has both 4 x 6 cards and 3 x 4 cards and contain like a crazy amount of 600 cards in one kit.  Or, you can do something like a Studio Calico Project Life monthly subscription kit (like I've already mentioned) and get a variety of supplies every month.  You could even use your existing paper crafting stash and make your own cards and embellishments.  It's really up to you and how much time you want to spend.  I bought a core kit (the Kraft one... on sale at HSN), and I also subscribe to the Studio Calico Project Life Kit, and I will probably use my stash stuff.  I like having lots of products available when I'm creating.  You may just want a core kit and be done. 

Other things you may want to invest in, if you don't already use them or have them available, is a good, permanent journaling pen, a date planner or organizer and a corner rounder (if you like the look of the round corners).  Other than that, the supplies are limitless.  Like I said, you can make this project as simple as slipping a card into the slot and calling it good.... or you could spend lots of time embellishing, stamping, sewing, etc. to make a card creative.  You will probably see me doing both throughout the year. 

So, the last thing I want to talk about before I end this ridiculously long blog post is where the heck can you get this stuff.  Well, you can visit Becky Higgins website (the creator of Project Life) and get all the information you could ever want about the core kits and where to buy them.  You can stop at Michael's and get stuff.  HSN sells Project Life (and has AMAZING deals on clearance items).  Studio Calico does the monthly subscriptions and you can purchase on Amazon. 

Alright.... next topic will be how to organize and plan your pages.  Do you have any questions about supplies?  Anything else you would like to know about just leave me a comment and I'll be sure to address it.  Thanks for stopping by!!

You Are Perfect Single Layer Card

I really loved the stamp set in this month's Cuppa Kit from Studio Calico.  It was designed by Lindsay Letters and has hexagons and an amazing font.  I just couldn't resist making a single layer card using only stamps and ink.  I really think it turned out perfect (pun intended)!  How do you like it?  Do you ever make single layer cards? 

If you have never made a single layer card, I here by challenge you to do so.  Pick out a stamp set that has both graphics and sentiments and sit down and make one.  Leave me a comment with your card so I can check out what you did.  Thanks for stopping by!

Advent Calendar DIY Part II and Activity Ideas

Welcome to Part II of the Advent Calendar DIY.  If you missed the Advent Calendar DIY Part I you can check it out.  Today we are going to focus on the finished product and what activities and ideas you can put inside your calendar.  I wanted to do a mix of both activities and actually items, so I started by making a list of what I wanted to include (you can see the list below).  Some activities needed to be done on certain days (like visiting Santa) so I mapped those days out first, then filled in the rest of the days with a mixture of items and activities.

Here are some Ideas for activities to include:
-Make Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows
-Take a drive to look at the lights
-Make cookies
-Read Twas the Night Before Christmas
-Watch Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
-Sing Christmas Songs
-Visit Santa
-Write a letter to Santa and mail it
-Make a Christmas ornament
-Make a gingerbread house
-Attend a Christmas Parade
-Go Ice Skating
-Make a Snow Globe
-Decorate gingerbread men
-Make handmade cards to send to family out of town
-Make a wreath
-Have a park day
-Have cinnamon rolls/donuts for breakfast
-Go to Columbia and watch the Candy Canes get made (then buy candy!)
-Go Sledding
-Plant a tree

Here are some ideas for treats to include:
-Candy Canes
-Hot Chocolate Packages (with marshmallows)
-Chocolate Santas
-Bag of Popcorn (for movie night)
-Hotwheels cars
-A special ornament for the tree
-A Christmas CD
-A favorite Christmas DVD/Blu-ray
-Measuring Spoons (for cookie-making day)
-A book (Christmas or not)

There are many more items and activities you could include in your advent calendar.  How about a picture a day?  Or maybe making a homemade gift each day during advent?  I hope you have fun making your calendar and remember to enjoy the time spent with your family!!

Thank You Sunday Sketch

Every Sunday at Studio Calico they give a sketch challenge on their blog.  I adore sketch challenges, as you all know I'm sure.  So, I try to participate every week.  This past week, I wanted to make a card using only items from my Cuppa Kit and using the sketch... ooohhh, a double challenge!!  Here is what I came up with:

Well, I freakin' love it!  I double stamped the sentiment to give it a 3-D look.  This is easily done by stamping your sentiment in a lighter color first.  Then, stamp again right on top with a darker color, off-setting the stamp just slightly.  I also love, love, love these stars I got in my kit!! WOOT!!  And then, I added a punch of color with the gold bow.  (and then, and then, and then!!)  Thanks for stopping by.

Advent Calendar DIY Part I

I love doing advent calendars for my kids.  It is such a fun thing to do each day leading up to Christmas.  It really helps us to connect everyday during such a busy time of year.  You can do an advent of how ever many days you want.  I typically do 1 through 24.  But, you could start on the 10th, or even the 15th and have a smaller countdown.  Here is a DIY of how I'm doing my calendar this year. 

 1. Gather up your supplies: muslin bags, fabric paint, number stencils, foam brush available at any craft store, piece of cardboard to put inside the bags. 2. Slide your piece of cardboard into your bag so when you apply the paint it doesn't leak through.  Line up your stencil on your bag.  3. Using your foam brush, stipple and dab the paint onto the stencil.  Try not to get too much paint on your brush and it will bleed through the stencil and distort your numbers.  4. Let dry for 1 hour.  

That's it.... This is how I made my bags for our calendar this year.  I made bags 1-24.  I don't make a bag for the 25th because, well, that is Christmas day.  Have fun with your calendars and I will be back with part two of this DIY.

Congrats Baby Stamped Square Frame - Make It Monday

Have you heard of the company Papertrey Ink?  If you have not, you NEED to go check them out.  This is essential!!  This company has incredible beautiful stamps, cardstock that will blow your mind, and an amazing design team that is just crazy talented.  Every Monday they have a series called Make it Monday that shows a video with a new technique or stamping trick to try.  This Monday is was to create a stamped square frame.  Here is my take on it.

I used an image from the Bountiful Banners stamp set to create the square frame.  I then die cut a banner using the matching Bountiful Banners die.  What do you think?  I love the framed image!!  Also, check out that cardstock base... it is Rustic White Cardstock and I have never in my life worked with such amazing cardstock.  It is thick, cuts like a dream, and stamps beautifully.  You have to try it!!!

A Happy Hello One Layer Card

When I received my Studio Calico kit in the mail and I saw the stamp set, my mind immediately went to the banner image.  And, I had this idea to create a large stamped "background" if you will, with the banner.  I combined two of the WCMD challenges at Studio Calico for this particular card; the Mood Board Challenge, where I pulled the colors, and the Ombre challenge.  This is a very, very different card for me with all the stamping and one-layer, but I am absolutely delighted with how it turned out.  I am also going to submit this bad boy to the Color Media Challenge at Moxie Fab World.  My color media is ink (obvi!) and embossing powder.  What do you think?  Do you like using stamps in a different way?  Have a great day lovelies!!

You're The Best! Stitched...

I have been a crazy card making fool lately!!  The Studio Calico blog has been hosting World Card Making Day challenges for the past week.  There were 5 challenges in all and LOTS of wonderful prizes to be had.  The best prize of all... A chance to be a guest designer for a 2014 kit (EEK! Fangirl moment!!)  That would be so freakin' awesome!!  Anyways, for some reason these challenges have just hit that crafting bone in my body with enthusiasm... and I've been going for it.  Here is one for the "use your scraps" challenge.  And guess what?!?  Chicken butt!  No, I'm just kidding... but I am ALSO going to enter this one into the Stickers and Tape Challenge on Moxie Fab World making this card a double hitter!! YEAH!! Stick around... I gotta lots more where this came from!!

P.S.  Did you know you could SEW Thickers??  Guess what... you totally can.  These are chipboard thickers and it went right through... but, if you break a needle I'm not responsible!! :)