Project Life: Tips & Tricks

For my project life post this week, I wanted to share a little bit of HOW I do my project life, and what works for me-- in case it would help you!

I am VERY OCD, and a little organization can help you out big time when it comes to a weekly project. Personally, I'm of the opinion that ALL worthwhile tasks begin with a great notebook:

For me, I like taking notes during the week, of what happens, life events that happen. It helps me try to get an idea of what my spread has room for, possibly a color scheme/line of products I may want to use and which page protector I may want the second side to have. Here's what the week looks like as I draw it out:

When I have time throughout the week, I even start on my week, for example, here's this past week, Week 15 in progress:

I use post-its in co-ordinating color to mark photos, type, style, size. Right now, I'm using yellow for Persnickety Prints polaroids, my absolute favorite way to get prints in a unique way. Orange tabs are for full pocket pictures, pink is what week the protector goes to. I write on the tab post-its WHAT it is, which makes it SO easy when I go to plug them in after printing.

How do you organize to get ready for your own weeks? Do any of you organize throughout the week? Work as the week goes on, or just commit a a few hours on a certain day? I'd LOVE to hear how you all do Project Life!

hello spring.

Yesterday was GORGEOUS.

After lots of snow & icky weather, rain and wind, we finally had a day worthy of wearing shorts & celebrating the sunshine. The are starting to occur more often, normally followed by a bout of not so great weather, but it's getting closer & closer to SUMMER.

Being so busy with scrappy projects, moving, job stuffs [more on that subject soon!!] and life, today we took a break and just enjoyed a few minutes.

Cheers to sunshine.

To upcoming road trips.

To spending our nights at the drive in.

Hello late night bonfires.

To endless amounts of ice cream.

Non-stop baseball games.

Shoes? Overrated.

Oh, it's so close I can feel it.

Fold It In

If you've never taken a self-paced class, you'll want to start with this one. Kristin Tweedale, better known as rukristin in the scrappy world, is an incredibly unique, talented gal who I have had the pleasure of being friends with.

I am contributing in her new class, Fold It In, that will be available on May 1st-- check out more on her blog, here, and be on the lookout for sneaks, giveaways and more information. Look for the hashtag #FoldItIn and head on over and sign up for Kristin's newsletter, with class happenings, discounts & goings-on! I cannot wait to share more about this project, and look forward to sharing with you!

Throwback Thursday

We're back for our second edition of our new feature, Throwback Thursday! In case you missed the first one, Trisha & I will be hosting a bi-weekly post where we both share a layout with older pics we've never gotten the chance to scrap, or old product from our stash mixed with new-- a little encouragement for you to get those older photos on a page!

Here's what I have for you today:

Thanks for stopping by, make sure you jump over to Trisha's blog and see her layout as well! I hope we inspired you to get out some of those older pictures you've been meaning to scrap, and get them on a page! If you DO join in, link up, I'd love to come leave you some love on your blog!

Project Life Blog Hop

Today I am linking up with a wonderful group of ladies who are celebrating 2013 being a quarter over! Time really does fly, and this year has been amazing so far, and I am so glad to have my Project Life welllll on track! This project is definitely something I make sure to give time to, as I find it incredibly rewarding for myself, my little guy and everything in our lives.

I could not WAIT for this year to start, and it is really turning out to be an incredible year, making documenting it that much more important to me. For the hop, I want to share some peeks at my favorite moments of the year so far, some that I have shared & some I haven't----

 
 
 


What I love most about this project, aside from getting our memories into these albums, is that it is such a individually unique way of memory-keeping. It can be as simple or complex as you want, and is PERFECT for trying out those new techniques you've see popping up everywhere. I use it as a way to test out those watercolors, mists & layers on a small canvas to see how I like it! If you would like to see more of my Project Life, check back every Sunday, when I share a spread each week! 


To find even more inspiration and tips, tricks and other people's take on this project, make sure you hop along and see all the ladies blogs today. From here, you will head on over to  Rebekah's blog, and if you get lost along the way, you start back at Margie's blog-- the co-ordinator of today's event! Here's the hop order so you can see ALL the Project Life inspo we have for you today:

Margie      http://xnomads.typepad.com

Maya        http://mayadahan.blogspot.com

Michelle    http://www.table-for-five.com/

Kristy      http://kmstewart.blogspot.com

Michelle R  http://MichelleRoger.wordpress.com

Emily        http://mrscraftyadams.blogspot.com

Barbara    www.maynardpl.blogspot.co.uk

Katina        www.lovinglifeslittleblessings.com

Michelle B   www.michellebostinelos.com/blog

Tina         http://tinasscrapcorner.blogspot.com/

Nicole       http://nicolemann.blogspot.ca

Marisol      www.mariclaudibenitez.blogspot.com

Brooke       www.graceandlight.typepad.com

Scruptious   http://eversoscrumptiously.wordpress.com/

Rechelle     http://Levanfamily365.blogspot.com

Kelli        http://whimsikel.blogspot.com

Sonia        http://www.craftshandson.blogspot.com

Shay         http://sbookinshay29.blogspot.com <<<< you are here!

Rebekah   http://istampscrapcraft.wordpress.com/

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the hop, can't wait to see what the other ladies have come up with myself!

watercolors.

Such an amazing multi-media trend right now, that I am just all about, I love it. I have been so inspired to use watercolors from amazing designers lately, and could not have been more excited when Chic Tags posted it as their Sunday Challenge, I got to work right away!

I know this quote stems from John Mayer's Daughters, but this line ALWAYS makes me think of munchkin, and school age kids and how much they truly bring color to the world. It turned out amazing, I am so happy with this layout, and it is now on display on my new scrap rack ;] Make sure you join in on the fun and make your own project with watercolors, and link up to the Chic Tags blog, here, for your chance to win a $20 gift card to the Chic Tags shop! file://localhost/Users/treshaylatibbs/Downloads/Digital.Downloads/SCThisIsMe/This%20Is%20Me%20Cut%20Files/Cut%20Files/Triangles/Triangle%20Elements.png

Throwback Thursday.

Many of us are socially addicted to instagram as scrappers, I know I am. What I love most about instagram is being able to quickly see and share all of our fun everyday photos, and all the prompts-- #throwbackthursday is one of my faves. Old fun photos are just amazing and especially lately, mean quite a lot to me.

Trisha & I decided we wanted to start a feature together on our blogs, so we've come up with Throwback Thursdays with Trisha & Shay-- we'll be bringing you inspiration to jump start your creativity and get you to pull out those old photos & get them scrapped!

Here's my layout:

Isn't he SUCH a chubbers?! It's so funny to look at pics from when he was little & see those cheeks. LOVE this photo & that we get bunnies in our backyard every year!

Now head on over to Trisha's blog, to check out what she came up with! Join us every other Thursday for a fun throwback project, and feel free to join in on our fun ;]

March #SMBiGbloghop : Glitz Design

Hello again ladies! This month we are bringing you inspiration along with one of my favorite companies, Glitz Design. I was lucky enough to meet and get to spend some quality CHA time with Laura, Ginger and Erin at Summer CHA last year, and they are just wonderful ladies. Gorgeous & glam, just like their fun paper products, I love everything they come up with and this release, Uncharted Waters, has got to be my favorite.

Here is my layout for today, a throwback to the most amazing Spring Break I've ever been on. The colors were PERFECT & just make me want to sing I'm on a Boat-- which came out during that week and just makes me giggle. I love how it turned out, and the sewn waves were my favorite little detail, and the whale paper clip just ties in great ;]

Next up on the hop is Corinne, head on over there & see her ammmmazing layout with watercolors! 

Need to get your hands on this collection? Some of the hard to find, sold out everywhere items are available in my shop Forever Young & Crafty, use the code GLITZ20 to get 20% off your entire order! 

OA Winner

TGIF. & it is beautiful here in Ohio, even if it's pretty cold for our spring break week this year! I wanted to come on here & announce the winner of some of the October Afternoon goodies that I have in my stash, and the winner is:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Danielle, congrats! I will get that sent out to you on Monday! xoxo

If you would like to check out my guest post today, head on over to the OA blog, where I'm sharing a layout today!

If you're here for my scrap stash sale that's going on all month long as I move my craft items into my new space, check out my post here.  Thank you to all those of you who have taken some of these items off my hands, it feels so great to get rid of some of my hoarded items!!! 

papa.

I feel like lately, scrapbooking has become even more personal that ever before. With project life & the need to tell more about the stories in the photo, not just add pretty paper behind it, I feel so much closer to my scrappy friends, online and in real life. Most of my IG followers know the good & bad of my life before anyone else, because I feel like you SEE a huge part of my heart.

Thursday, my grandpa died, my Papa.

It hurts to type his name. We haven't had the heart yet to really sit Caleb down and tell him, he doesn't quite understand what that means yet. I also have yet to make it through a sentence about Papa talking, without bursting into tears. I have put homework and starting my new job off a little bit, because I am just totally devastated.

He spent most of the holidays in the hospital, and that was heart breaking enough. My grandparents were my everything when I was little, and I hate to say it, but I was clearly the favorite ;] As the first grandkid, that also had the first great-grandchild, I would stretch it to say I might've been a little spoiled-- a trip to Meijer for a toy most Saturdays, trips to Florida with just them every year, and all those little moments that mattered because I was the closest distance to them. We lived with them when I was little, as my mom was a single mom and worked a lot.

He will never get to walk me down the aisle. 

I will never get to see him AND Caleb go to our favorite places in Clearwater. 

He will never get to see munchkin grow up and graduate, but he was lucky to have him as long as he did, I know Caleb will cherish his BB gun. 

I will never get to hear all of his stories as a Vietnam Vet. 

I don't ever get to say goodbye.

It was almost fitting that just the day before I was collecting all my older pics, trying to decide which ones to hang up around the apartment and came across all the older family ones. With Mammy's help, I have a ton of them from over the years with him, and they will definitely be that much more important now. All of us loose close family and friends, so we all know how much it hurts, even knowing he's in a much better place doesn't make me want to cry any less.

If you know me, you KNOW I stay busy. I have a to do list at all times that's a million miles long, and I love it. But right now, I don't feel like doing much of anything, it's all been put on hold a bit. So if you're expecting an e-mail, or text me and I don't answer right away, please have a little patience, it'll take awhile for me to feel like myself again.