Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Where I Create: My Scrapbook Room Tour

So, over on the message board at Studio Calico, we are sharing where we scrapbook & I realized I had never posted photos of my new studio. Back in October Alex remodeled our upstairs playroom for me. He built me a new table...a new cabinet...and basically went totally out of his way to make this room 'mine'.

And I think he did an AMAZING job! We had some seriously obstacles when we started but I think he  came up with some great solutions! Problems including: nasty carpet, no windows and little lighting,  sloped ceiling....the list goes on!



This is what you see when you walk up the stairs from our Living room. We added recessed lighting, new paint, a new red light that we made, and lots of storage.




This is my scrapbook table that Alex built. We found a table online and then he recreated it for me. It has a glass top so that cleaning up any paint or messes is easy. Its hard to see in the photos, but the top has been made our of extra wide planks. Its awesome.  I have my silhouette here, my Mac Book, and this is where I create. 


Just at the end of my desk is this little nook. We weren't really sure what to do with it for the longest time, but one day it hit me to add a table top attached to the walls and now its my computer desk/print station. I also have my tv & dvr wall mounted (that swivels) so I can see the tv from wherever I am in my room.


This is standing at the end of my scrap table looking back towards the stairway.


Moving right along the room is my cabinet (also made by Alex). It houses all my papers, stamps, etc. I seriously am in love with this piece. We painted it a light turquoise that really pops. Its simple. Its rustic. Its perfect.

I also have a rocking chair that my mom used when I was little. She would rock my twin and I simultaneously in it. I found a little ottoman and recovered in burlap for a foot rest. And the milk can / side table is from my childhood as well.

The little desk for my sewing machine is a thrift find. It was already red and only $5, so she came home with me.  The storage cart beside it is where I store all of my Project Life stuff. Its much like the Ikea cart that everyone wants, but since I don't have Ikea near me, I found this at World Market. $20. 


My room has a very slanted ceiling (the roof line) so there isn't much you can do in regards to vertical storage. So built-in bookcases were the answer for me! I use vintage baskets, bread boxes, mason jars...really its a hodgepodge of storage items. Probably 80% of my scrapbook supplies are stored on these shelves. The other 20% is in my cabinet.


This is just on the other side of the built-ins. The dresser was my daughters and honestly, I didn't want to use it at first. But after thinking about it, I decided to use it and it stores my fabrics and inks and a bunch of odds and ends. And I LOVE that I have a little piece of her memory in my room.


And finally, we are back to where we started. The white board is something I made out of a window from my great- grandmothers house. And yes, it is lead paint. :) Everything else around it is a collection of things I love. 

We still would love to put a window in with a dormer...and I am sure it will come...but for now, we are holding off. Adding a window would help tons in regard to crappy lighting. Maybe come Spring...

Thanks for stopping by and seeing where I create. It isn't fancy or coordinated. But its mine and honestly? This room is a true reflection of all the things I love!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

High 5 for Friday!

TGIF. Seriously. This week has been an emotional week - and I am so thankful it is over. I did want to share five things from this past week. Hang on tight, this could end up a bumpy road.

1. Got my MRI on my knee done. The good news? No surgery required. The not-so-good news? No surgery required. Apparently I have the knees of a 75 year old person. Arthritis and all. My Dr did give me a cortizone shot, thought and for the first time since October, I think I am not in pain. That is good.

2. Beautiful weather. Sun shiny and not too windy. I live for Spring, and this week has been a great week, weather wise.

3. I've found lots of good apps to download to my iphone. Lets see, I've downloaded: Marksta (watermarks for iphone cameras), Over (the best app I have found for adding text to your iphone/instagrammed photos), Vsco Cam (a great little camera), and PinTo (an app for Pinterest but I have yet to use it).

4. I worked on my Project Life book. I am caught up till this week. It isn't fancy and I have yet to find my stride, but its working for me. I am making my album work for me, and honestly, I think that is the smartest thing I could have done. I plan on sharing a months worth of layouts at the end of each month. So check back. For reals.

5. *sigh* I resigned from Paper Issues. I an barely type that out. I love Paper Issues and Cassie Box. But it just wasn't 'right' for me right now. I have cried over this decision, but at the end of the day, I have to stay true to me and what  I think is best for me. Some of my closest friends (online, scrappy friends, anyway) are members of the Paper Issues DT and I already miss chatting it up with them all day. I know I did what I needed to by leaving, but gosh. I underestimated how much it would hurt. In some many ways, Paper Issues was my baby - working on new ideas, keeping the blog going, etc. This decision wasn't made easily, but it was right for me right now.

Thats it, folks. My High Five for Friday! I am linking up to Lauren, at From My Grey Desk. You should, too. :)

ps. I am working on my post already for my Sunday Project Life Freebie list. Its going to (probably be posting late, but thats just the way it is :). It will be up though! You can sign up to get email alerts when I update my blog. You should join me so you don't miss a thing!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Project Life Freebies Week 2

 
 
Welcome to Week 2 of Project Life Freebies.
 
I am glad you are here! :)
 
Let's get to the goods, shall we?
 
The fine print: This list is in no-way all inclusive. I have tried to check all the links I have included to verify they are truly free but in the case I missed one, let me know so I can delete it from my list! Also, this will be a 'running' list of sorts. My plan is to have a freebie post every week to showcase other, new freebies that I have found. Also, go leave these creative people some love & thank them for the freebies. They worked hard to create these & unselfishly give them out for free. Oh, and these are not for resell or copying. And, as always, give the creator of the wonderful stuff you download credit.
 
 

 
 
1. Splendidly Imperfect has shared these sweet journal cards. Love the color scheme!
 
 

 
 
 
2. Simple Brighton created these journal cards with journal lines for those of us who have a hard time writing in a straight line. I ADORE THEM. Yes, I do. And you will too!
 
 

 
 
3. How cute are these? So cheery and happy. One Velvet Morning made these and are super sweet! You can pick up this card while you are there.
 
 
 

 
 
Well, friends. That's what I have today. You can check out other weeks and other Project Life Freebies  here, here, and here. Please, if you find thses downloads helpful, become a follower of my blog (see my sidebar!) and leave me a note in my comments! ! If you have some that are free, link them in the comments and I will share them as well! 

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Project LIfe Freebies Week 1


I am all about Project Life.

I am all about free.

Add those to things together, and (naturally) I am all about free Project Life goodies!

My goal is to share, each week, great free downloads that I find online + that you can find in my own Project Life book. Some might be featured more than once - that just means I love them that much! ROFL

The fine print: This list is in no-way all inclusive. I have tried to check all the links I have included to verify they are truly free but in the case I missed one, let me know so I can delete it from my list! Also, this will be a 'running' list of sorts. My plan is to have a freebie post every week to showcase other, new freebies that I have found. Also, go leave these creative people some love & thank them for the freebies. They worked hard to create these & unselfishly give them out for free. Oh, and these are not for resell or copying. And, as always, give the creator of the wonderful stuff you download credit.



 
Pinned Image
 
1.Smitha Katti designed these colorful 2013 printables and  has great freebies on her blog, here



 
 
2. This great journaling set was designed by rukristen and you can find her blog here. Oh, and she has a new PL series going on at her blog called 'currently'. You should check that out too.
 
 
 
 
 
3. This fab set is from MotherZ originals. LOVE the teal + yellow combination! These will for sure be seen in my album!
 
 
 
 
4. Finding Nana shared this set of 2013 calendars. I can see using these in a multitude of projects!
 
 


5. I have featured these before, but they are that good. LOL They were designed by My Sisters Suitcase and you can find them here.

So, that is this weeks picks. Please, if you find thses downloads helpful, become a follower of my blog (see my sidebar!) and leave me a note in my comments! ! If you have some that are free, link them in the comments and I will share them as well!

My favorite

Hey friends! Today I am spending time getting ready for my parents to visit for a couple of days. House cleaning, laundry, you know the drill!

I wanted to share with you my favorite layout of 2012. Paper Issues is having a blog hop showcasing everyone's favorite project and I wanted to play along! You can read about the blog hop + Paper Issues Giveaway here. Be sure you link up! 

My favorite project of 2012 was a layout that I created to celebrate Olivia's first birthday. I love how her outfit coordinated so well with the papers! The design I used was super simple + it included lots of white space which I think helps focus on Olivia's super cute photos! 


And a bonus? I was blessed with this layout being picked up for Scrapbook Trends, so that was a nice surprise as well! Though I have been published many times, I still love seeing that my work has been chosen to inspire others! 

Happy Sunday, friends! I will be posting a new feature on my blog later today. Every week I will be linking up some fabulous Project Life freebies that I have found around the web! 

Friday, January 11, 2013


Hey friends! I am back today to share how I quick and easily changed the font color on the digital week cards that I am using in my Project Life album. This is by no means the only way - or for that matter, the easiest way - but its what I do and I think its easy!

For today's lesson, I will be using these week date cards. They are cute, huh?? My plan is to recolor the numbers each week to coordinate with the other elements on my Project Life spread.

Here goes:

1. Find an image online, and download it.
2. Open the image.
 
(this is my file opened)

3. Click the foreground color on your tool bar. Choose what color you would like to use, or click on a color   from your project to color match it.
(Choosing the new color of my elements)

4. Make sure the 'contiguous' box is checked at the top of your screen.

5. Open up the Paint Bucket Tool. Move the paint bucket (your cursor) over to what you would like colored. Color all parts of your image that you'd like to change. You will only color the areas that are adjacent (if there is a break in the image, the color could spill out!)

(this is my recolored elements)

6. Save your file as a jpeg and then print. For my printing, I use Epson Presentation Paper in Matte Finish.

You're done! As I said before, this is not the only way to do it. But for me, it is surely the easiest!

If you have any questions, leave a note in the comments and I will try to answer them! 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Project Life: The Details In The Planning

It has taken me awhile to decide if I really wanted to do Project Life. I am still trying to finish up last years book (I got behind in October! yikes. But I am catching up now).

But, I am going to do it. I am taking on Project Life 2013. Maybe not a full 2 page spread every week - and I am sure I will get behind and then have to catch up. But I am going to do it, and do it my way ;) 

To get ready for this big project, I sat down and thought about ways to make it easier for me. Pre-printing journal spots. Using my Canon Selphy 900 to print photos. Gathering my materials ahead of time. These are ways I can be more productive whenever the mood strikes me to work on our book.

The key for me  in getting ready for Project Life was getting organized. I learned last year, that it is easier for me to keep all photos, notes, and odds and ends all together, then sorted into files by week. I found clear plastic folders at Michael's and then I label them with my washi tape with each weeks date. To avoid getting too overwhelmed with scope of how big of a project this can become, I focus on things in monthly increments - so I get a month worth of folders ready at one time.

 (folders labeled, ready to go, for January 2013)


Inside of the folders, I put any and all memorabilia for that week: photos, receipts, report cards, etc.  I also print out my week # cards and put them in the right envelope as well. When I am ready to work on any particular week, I can just grab that folder and everything is ready to go. When I am done with a week, I pull off the washi tape and reuse them the following month.

I mentioned that I print out the week # cards and include them in the appropriate weeks clear envelope. I am using these  that I have changed the color in photoshop (I will have a tutorial on that tomorrow!). I edit them in Photoshop and then print them out on Epson Presentation paper. They look sooo good in person!

Thanks for stopping by today. Do you have any hints/tips for organizing your memorabilia or PL supplies? Share in the comments!






Tuesday, January 8, 2013

January Simple Scrapper Blog Hop & Giveaway

 
 
I am so excited! This is my first Blog Hop since I have joined the Simple Scrapper team and this month? They knocked it out of the park with the templates and inspiration! For my layouts, I used my Gossamer Blue kit and when combined with the FAB templates,  these layouts came together in no time at all!

 
 
 
Want to win a one-month Simple Scrapper Premium Membership? Visit the team member blogs and look for the entry link. Entries will be pooled and one winner selected at 11:59pm CST on Wednesday, January 9. You may enter from multiple blogs. Use this link to enter the giveaway for a one month trial membership to Simple Scrapper: http://ow.ly/ctrlx.
 
 
Then, make sure you go through the Design Team Blog Hop! I guarantee you will be inspired to get scrapping today!
 
Melissa Priest <<<<this is me ;)
 
 
The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.