March 4, 2018

Project Life 2018 – Weeks 1 to 4

Today I’m sharing the first four weeks of my 2018 Project Life album. Truth be told, I’ve had a draft of this post saved for a couple of weeks now waiting to be finished and posted! As usual, life is pretty hectic but I’m doing what I can when I can to stay up to date.

This year I really am going to try to share my weekly spreads on Instagram and some more detailed shots on my blog on a regular basis.

Week 1

I love the colours on this spread. Pink and yellow is a favourite combination for me at the moment. This week came together pretty easily using the January Citrus Twist Pocket Life kit. I think this is actually the first time I’ve included florals. I don’t know why but I’ve always shied away from them. To me they’ve never really felt like they belong unless there are flowers in my photos. I’m trying to change that mindset now!

Some more detailed photos:

Week 2

Another spread using the January Citrus Twist Pocket Life kit. I think there may have been one or two things from previous Citrus Twist kits in there as well. I’m not a big fan of greens usually but I like the softness of these greens so decided to go with it. I wanted to include a see-through element so found this great little cut files from Rachel Hodge which are available at The Digital Press. Link is here if you’re interested in checking them out.

More detailed photos:

Week 3

For this week I wanted to work with some of my digital supplies and put together a hybrid spread. I really love how it turned out and how quickly everything came together. I used the Messy Beautiful collection by Paislee Press which is available at The Lilypad. Link to the journal cards is here. I did recolour some of the cards to suit what I wanted and used some of the elements to create additional cards and embellishments. Then as usual, I used my typewriter to journal onto the printed cards.

Here are some more detailed photos:

Week 4

Nice and bright this week! I loved how well my week three hybrid spread came together so much that I decided to do the same for week four. I used another Paislee Press collection for this one called Backyard BBQ. Sadly though, I don’t think its available for sale anymore. But I loved the bright pops of pinky-red in this collection and how they matched some of my photos so well. This week I also used Instax printer which I got for Christmas. LOVE the added interest and texture of having those little instax photos on my spread. I also played around with drawing borders on some of my cards which I am really happy with. And look – MORE FLORALS!

Here are the detailed photos:

January 26, 2018

Project Life 2018 – Title Page & My Memory Keeping Plans For This Year

I can hardly believe that we’re almost at the end of January already. Time certainly flies when you’re having fun with a toddler and a newborn! Today I’m sharing my completed 2018 Project Life title page along with a little bit of info on my memory keeping plans for this coming year.

2018 Project Life Title Page

I was quite excited about my title page for this year and being able to include little Jack. We weren’t entirely convinced that he would have arrived before the end of 2017. And with his arrival our family is complete. So it feels so wonderful to be able to represent that on this spread.

I used mostly products from the January Felicity Jane Kit – Reagan. I have only recently subscribed to these kits so this was my first one. I really love the soft colours and prints so I’m looking forward to seeing what I will receive over the next couple of months. You can find out more about Felicity Jane is by clicking here.
The “Making New Memories” card is a digital product from Anita Designs which I recoloured to suit my spread in Photoshop. You can find it on The Digital Press site here.

2018 Memory Keeping Plans

Given the amount that I have on my plate this year – a newborn, a toddler, a house to ‘run’, a full-time study load and a wedding to plan – my memory keeping goals are quite lofty. But I’m sticking with them anyway. My hope is that I will be able to keep up with or achieve what I want but I’m not going to get too hung up on it if things don’t quite go to plan.
I spent a little bit of time a couple of weeks ago sorting out my albums and labelling system so that everything is organised and ready to go in the hopes that it will inspire or motivate me to be a bit more consistent at getting things done and into albums.

Project Life

This year I’ve decided to switch from Design A pockets to Design F pockets. I have been admiring the 9×12 albums that have become popular recently but it’s not a size I really want to commit to. If for no other reason that the albums and page protectors are expensive to get hold of here in Australia. But I like how the spreads look with lots of 3×4 card spots which is why I went with Design F. My plan at this stage is to work on one week per page, so two weeks per spread. I’m going to be more intentional about what photos and stories I choose to include each week so that I’m not overloading myself and will hopefully be able to stay on top of it.
I’m also hoping that I will be able to go back and finish off the half-dozen or so spreads that are remaining for my 2017 album. And in a perfect world I’d go back and complete 2016 but there is a lot of work to be done on that one so I’m not sure how I’ll go.
I’d like to continue to share my work here on my blog and Instagram but will probably just hold off and share 4 weeks worth of pages in one go.

Specific Memory Keeping Projects

There are a few projects I want to participate in this year.

12 of 12 Project
I’ve been watching some videos on Amy Gretchen’s YouTube channel and have seen her working on this project which I really love. So I’m going to give it a go and include it in my Project Life album this year. You can find more information on the 12 of 12 Project in this video that Amy shared recently on her YouTube channel which you can access by clicking here.

Week In The Life
This is a project that I’ve participated in for the last two years and although it’s intense and time consuming, I really love the end result. So I’ll be doing it again this year. I have blogged photos and stories for each day of the last two years of Week In The Life and I intend on doing the same again this year. More info about the Week In the Life project can be found on Ali Edwards blog by clicking here.

December Daily
I’ve just completed my third year of this project and I absolutely love it. It not only gives me an opportunity to really stretch my creative muscles and use all the glittery, sparkly things, but also the opportunity to really make an effort to appreciate and enjoy all the moments of our daily lives as we approach Christmas. I’m definitely looking forward to participating again this year. And yes, I will probably be setting my alarm to get up at 1am to order supplies again this year if it comes to that…
Again, more info on December Daily can be found on the Ali Edwards blog by clicking here.

Other Memory Keeping Projects

Violet & Jack’s First Year Albums
I had started working on Violet’s first year in a pocket page / Project Life style album but am not entirely happy with how it looks at the moment. So I’ve decided to start over again with it. And at the same time, I want to start work on Jack’s first year so that I can try to stay on top of that as things happen. My plan with these two albums is to send off all the photos in bulk for printing with Persnickety Prints. Then work on completing the albums in batches when I can. I don’t expect I will get either of these albums finished this year but I hope to at least make a good start on them.

Ali Edwards Story Kit + Story Stamps
I have a massive backlog of untouched kits sitting next to my desk in my study. For some of them I already have story ideas jotted down in Evernote. For others I’ve not really put much thought into what stories I might tell. But I’m hoping to start working back through these old kits and making use of the products. My goal is to work with one old kit per month as well as the new kit I receive each month with my subscription. It’s all about using the products and getting my stories told. If you’re not familiar with these kits you can find more details on Ali’s website by clicking here.

Traditional Layouts
I’ve not really had the space or found the time to work on many traditional scrapbook layouts in recent years which is something that I miss doing. While I’ve been breastfeeding Jack I’ve been watching a LOT of process videos on YouTube which has provided me with lots of inspiration to get working on these again. I’d be pretty happy if I could get 2-3 layouts completed per month. Hopefully more!

So that’s it. It’s a lot, even without the commitments that I have at the moment. But I’m going to give it my best shot. Working on these memory keeping projects gives me so much joy. If I can manage at least half an hour per day I think I’ll be doing pretty well. And let’s be honest, don’t we all deserve at least half an hour of “me time” per day anyway?

January 22, 2018

I Want to Remember: Part 4

Life with Jack

I want to remember how quickly he has found a place in my heart.

I want to remember how all the fears and worries that I had about bringing a new baby into the world and having a little boy melted away the moment I laid my eyes on him.

I want to remember those precious days that I had to spend with him in the hospital.

Although I so desperately missed being at home, missed Violet and missed Lee, I am so grateful to have had a few days alone with my baby boy.

I want to remember how much my heart swells each time I look at him.

I want to remember how his sweet little breath smells.

I want to remember his hilarious cry with the high pitched girly squeal.

I want to remember how small and sweet and fragile he feels in my arms.

I want to remember that he is going to grow so quickly and that I will never again have this time again.

I want to remember to take every opportunity to slow down and just BE with him while I can.

I want to remember how beautiful it is to see how much Violet loves him and how affectionate she is with him.

I want to remember that although things are going to get tough over the next few months and there will be times that I will struggle to cope with caring for this newborn soul, it will all be worth it.

I want to remember that although I know I will end up wishing the time away when things are difficult, I need to cherish every precious moment that I have with him that I can.

I want to remember to make time for him, that he needs me to hold him and love him as much as possible.

I want to remember how happy I am to have him here to complete our family.