Project Life: Week One

I was so excited to get my first week done, that I took some really bad pictures with my iphone and am posting them. (Sadly, I was all set to post the same evening I made this, but blogger's being a pain about uploading pictures!)

I have been on the fence about what kit I want to use for 2013. I was going to order Seafoam, but I had downloaded (and then printed) a bunch of free cards from the internet. I used some Snap freebies to create my title page:

This may change as the year goes on...I wanted a picture of each of us (I added our names and ages as of the start of the year on those little banner strips) and I wanted a picture of us on New Year's Day. The picture quality is bad (too late in the day and too dark), but I may keep it. I will probably add our Christmas card picture to the title page later in the year.

The first week:

I think I can get by with some snap products, the freebies, and things I have created on my own. A lot of the time I use pictures and memorabilia anyway, so I probably don't need a whole kit. 

Week 1: The first picture is actually from New Year's Eve which was Monday (I do mine Monday-Sunday, so sometimes I carry over New Year's Eve). I got the idea from Elise, and was able to play around in storybook. The quote card is a freebie from her as well.

 Page 2 with another few cards from the snap freebie set.

Then, Becky showed the new sets American Crafts is coming out with in May. I don't think I can wait that long, so I guess I'll have to wait to use one of those next year. *sigh* Rough life, right?

So I went to Archiver's yesterday and bought a bunch of snap 3x4 cards, 4x6 cards, and stickers (to make my own cards with the blank grid cards I have). Come back to the blog every now and then to see how it's going!

Project Life - Week Seven

Week Seven:

Valentine's Day and basketball in the house:

Two protectors inbetween. First, a 6x12 protector for 3 4x6 pictures to highlight all the stuff we did on Valentine's Day including: scavenger hunt for the kids, a few valentine's they received, Ryan's first basketball practice...

...and Scott & my date to "Million Dollar Quartet." The program, ticket, and very good review from the paper the next day! The second protector was 8 1/2x11 and has Ryan and Jillian's handprints (we made them as Valentine's for family and of course I kept a copy!):

On the back is a picture Jillian colored for me while she stayed with a friend today. Page two, lots of pictures (including two of me...one by Scott and one by Ryan. I love stealing pictures off Scott's phone!). Also, my feet in the picture of Bentley and I taking our first run together.

Pretzel Kisses or Hugs

I made these for some little Valentine's Day gifts and a few people asked about them, so I thought I'd post the recipe:

1 bag pretzels
1 pkg. M&Ms
1 pkg. Hershey "Hugs"

Place pretzels on baking stone or sheet. Place a Hug on each pretzel and bake at 200 degrees for about 8 minutes (just watch for the Hugs to melt). Remove from oven and promptly place a couple of M&Ms on each pretzel, pressing into the melted chocolate. Allow to cool before serving. At room temperature, this takes SEVERAL hours. I would recommend making these the day before you plan on eating/delivering. Or you can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the process.

2011 Cards

Now that 2011 is over, I can post the designs I used for last years' cards. My latest thing is to create a year's worth of two styles of birthday cards (one for women and one for men so when I send them to say my uncle and aunt, they don't get the same card) and an anniversary card.
This is the inspiration for my first card (from Archiver's):

I had some colored paper and matching buttons from a card I wanted to make, but couldn't remember, so I used them here. I think there were 4 or 5 different background colors and coordinated buttons. I cut the flowers from my friend Crista's cricut (I could cut 9 at a time-bonus!). The stamp set is from Stampin' Up!

The second set also came in a variety of colors...pink, purple, orange, turquoise and green. THey were simple, inspired by the brads I found at Archiver's:

I loved this anniversary card! It was inspired by this card (can't remember where I found it...saved it before pinterest was around):

The stam set is the same on I used on the first set of birthday cards from Stampin' Up! I layered some flowers and secured with a crystal brad. I used silver clips on my first few until I ran out of those.





I am done my 2012 birthday cards, and have my idea for the anniversary cards, so be watching your mailboxes! Thanks for looking!

Project Life - Week Six

Week Six:

Pictures from some of the places we went and a portion of my work from a tutoring session:

Used another 6x12 protector for part of the program from the Grizzlies game (cover and line ups). Tab is a basketball sticker I folded in half:

And in the back of the 6x12 protector (which I again trimmed to fit the memorabilia in it) I put Ryan's class list for Valentine's. Page two had a lot of pictures, so I did all the journaling on a 4x6 card:

The "before" picture of Ryan flips up to reveal the during and "after" shots:

Project Life - Week Five

Week Five:

First page, lots of pictures/memorabilia, squeezed the journaling in on one card and on the picture for Monday-Wednesday. First time including a screen shot from my phone.

In the middle is a 6x12 protector that I stuffed with Ryan's wish list from his book fair...

...and the book fair flyer (showing the book we bought for his teacher's classroom). I trimmed the protector to fit and added half a tab. Also, the program of the middle school play Ryan. Jillian and I went to see Friday night, a picture Scott took while away on a business trip (one of his new properties in Wilmington, NC), and Jillian's first hair cut:

Jewelry

I have wanted to make pendants like thsi for awhile now. I finally found the materials on ebay and after a few mess ups before Christmas 2010 (when all my friends were supposed to get them for Christmas, but only a few did), I came up with this:

The glass tile and bezel are off of ebay. At first I tried printing out the letter, but it smeared when I glued it to the tile. I finally settled on rub on letters (which limits your font a bit). I used diamond glaze to seal the back and attach the bezel. I also made all the "chains" out of cord. I was able to give them as birthday presents to my girlfriends throughout 2011.

When I was at Scrapfest with a couple of friends in September, we happened upon a bead store that was doing a make and take to try metal stamping. I've seen it lots of places like here and thought that it was a hobby I was not going to be able to do. Not so! The store was so helpful...I bought a few more blanks (the silver pieces you stamp onto) and they let me use the letters from the make and take to make these for Ryan and Jillian! Then, they showed us how to make the jewel drops using their tools! These cost $10-$25 online, and I made all of this for under $5!! I was deliriously excited! 

So, when I saw something this on the website I linked above, I thought, "I can make that!" And I did!

Christmas Projects

Pinterest is this collaboration lover's DREAM! Thousands of projects that I can steal mimic!

First up in December, I made these fun donuts for Ryan's class for snack one day (I'm trying not to be THAT mom.):

My kids ornaments for this year are not from pinterest, but copied from some decorations I saw at my SIL's house last year:

This family ornament was from pinterest. Made out of sculpy, the lights are our pinky prints:

Card inspired by pinterest. I don't make my own Christmas cards, but I do make a few (10 or so) that I can use for gifts and thank you notes (as a teacher, it's good to have these on hand!):

I got a lot of these projects done when we went to visit my mom in NC the week before Christmas. It was a great setting t get them done! This was from pinterest. My friend Gretchen (who is great at sewig and embroidery) made one first (using fusible web and sewing the ribbon down) and was sweet enough to give me her ribbon to use. I was lazy and bought some fabric glue instead, but I'm pretty pleased wiht how it turned out!

Even cuter on my little model:

Finally, a little present for my in-laws. I finally found something to do with all the wine corks I've been saving!

Project Life - Week Four

Week four is a bit incomplete:

You can see the sticky that notes what I still need. Missing a group picture from the birthday party Ryan went to and the picture of Jillian and I at our sushi lunch from Sunday. Journaling for Saturday is just a piece of the birthday invitation:

Under the sticky note is another of those flippy things (can I come up with a different name for them every time I post about them?) with the bad iphone picture I took at the party (wrote right on it with a white sharpie marker) and the better camera picture I took when I got home:

Project Life - Week Three

Really liking what I've done this week!

Had a bunch of memorabilia from Monday when the kids and I went to volunteer at Shelby Farms...the email a teacher sent out with all the service opportunities, the sticker the ranger gave all of us, and our groupd picture (label stamp from Papertrey Ink).

I journaled Monday-Wednesday al on one card:

Then come some inserts. First, a 6x12 protector for my friends' save the date. I think she got the idea off of Pinterest, but she designed it and assembled it herself:

And the inside. The knot tied as you opened the card (so cool!). I still need to add a little tab to it:

Second insert is 6x12 for 6-4x6 pictures. It's from Saturday when the kids and I had a day of high's and low's:

And the back:

I need to add one more insert with the pictures from Scott's trip to Detroit for the Auto Show. I have all the stuff for the insert, but the insert I want is out of stock. I like cutting down full size ones, and thought the stuff I had from his trip would fit nicely in one like this.

Finally, I did one of these little flipsters so I could do do three pictures for Sunday (hike in Stanky Creek, first finger nail painting, tornado warnings):

The labels on the last two pages are from a stack I've had FOREVER. Never really thought I'd use them, but I turned them over and the white side is perfect for this!

Project Life - Week Two

Not too much excitement in week 2. BTW, did I mention I am doing 2012 in the Cobalt edition of Project? I love the color combinations in this set!!

I included and journaled on part of the assembly directions for Ryan's new desk chair. Two pictures for Tuesday (one of each kid):

No picture for Friday (part of the flyer from the Sienna's oil change. Three days of journalig on one card. two days on the other to accomodate the extra pictures. The picture of the kids and the trains were taken by Scott and texted to me while I was away on our scrapping weekend:

The label in the bottom right corner is a stamp from Papertrey Ink.