Project Life: August and September 2015

It's been so long since I have written and published here on the blog. Too long. Some of you may know, but for those who have wondered what I have been up to, I have been in the middle of packing for a huge international move. My husband has taken a job in the UAE( United Arab Emirates). We're beyond excited to move to a wonderful country filled with a rich cultural heritage. I can not wait to explore the city of Abu Dhabi and experience the beauty and art found there.

I will be sharing my experiences on the MSE blog and website. I know that I am sure to be inspired by all the wonderful things that Abu Dhabi has to offer. I have another week or so left here in the islands. While I wait, I have started a Pinterest board about Abu Dhabi which features some of the architecture and things to do. In the short time I have looked around the web, I can already tell that my weekends will be full of fabulous family adventures.

Though I haven't had much spare time to blog, I have managed to make time for memory keeping. While I didn't meet my summer goal to finish some of my Project Life pages for previous months, I have continued to complete one page for each month of 2015( a much better track record than the previous year).

August Birthday Celebration by Christy Strickler |Supplies: Digital Kit: Pocket Life August '15 Collection from Traci Reed Designs



















The most exciting event of August was my son's birthday. We didn't have a big party but celebrated in small ways throughout the day. A pocket page was the perfect answer to show the day's highlights. I streamlined my process in order to create this layout. If you are short on time and want to do the same, I have a few resources for you.

First, check out the article that I wrote for the Traci Reed Designs blog. It includes 3 tips which will help you become a little more efficient as you design your page.









Second, you can watch me create the birthday pocket page layout in this video:

I didn't make a video for my September Project Life page but I still wanted to share it with you. It features just a few of the photos I am taking to document our moving experience.

September Pocket Life Intro Page by Christy Strickler |Supplies: Digital Kit: Pocket Life September '15 Collection from Traci Reed Designs


















I don't have any concrete plans for the upcoming weeks ahead. My family is in a holding pattern until we receive the final go ahead to book our flights. My goal is to do my best to keep sharing projects and articles here on MSE but if for some reason things quiet down a bit on the blog, you will know why.

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

Pocket Life '15 August Collection from Traci Reed Designs

Pocket Life '15 September Collection from Traci Reed Designs

Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Project Life Inspiration on Pinterest.

The Get It Scrapped Membership has a complete module on pocket page design.
Click here to visit Get It Scrapped.

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Catching Up: Project Life 2015 and the DigiScrap Geek Podcast Episode 38

It has been my goal to share relevant thoughts and inspiration to go along with each episode of the DigiScrap Geek Podcast. I was doing quite well with this up until a few weeks ago when I rebranded my website. Changing things around on MSE took all of my full attention. I changed to a new template, had to learn a few new things and then learn to fix the mistakes I made along the way. It wasn't necessarily hard but it was time consuming. I still find myself tweaking things but well, I digress...

Back to the topic! We have continued to record the DigiScrap Geek Podcast and I have continued to write down ideas to expound upon regarding the subjects we cover. Today's post has to do with a request from our latest episode. The topic of Project Life came up. I love Project Life but as with anything I do, I have found I needed to organize it my way in order for me to make it a doable project. I have talked before about how I do a monthly page spread mixed in with 12 x 12 Scrapbook layouts. Talking about something is one thing. Showing is another. I decided to make a video sharing a walk through of my 2015 Scrapbook Album to date.

In the video, I talk a little about how my method is saving me space. I know it might not seem like that when you see all of those cat layouts. However, using this method has cut down the number of albums I have each year. Prior to this, it would take 4-6 albums to document a year of photos. I now have about 2-3 albums for one year. Still a lot, I guess, but for me a much better option.

I still have more insights to share from other episodes of the DigiScrap Geek Podcast. Summer seems to be the perfect time for me to catch up on blog posts( even get ahead in my blogging) and catch up on listening to my favorite podcasts. So stay tuned for more articles from yours truly. Same Bat Time. Same Bat Channel. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend with your family with a little create time for yourself.

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

365Unscripted: 3x4 Collage Cards 2 by Traci Reed

365Unscripted 4x6 Collage Cards by Traci Reed














Currently List Cards and other products can be found in the RUKristin.com online shop.

The DigiScrap Geek Podcast Episode 38

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Project Life:June 2015- Starting my Summer Stories

This week, I got my hands on the next Pocket Life '15 Collection from Traci Reed Designs. I was very excited to see that it had a nice summer vibe. I have been anxious to get started on my Summer Stories Pocket page series. Working with this kit is helping me stay on target in regards to my summer project life goals.

June Project Life Intro Page by Christy Strickler |Supplies Digital Kit: Pocket Life '15 June Collection from Traci Reed Designs



















I began the page with a Summer Stories card. We don't have any big plans for this summer which means I am really not sure what to expect photo wise. I will still be including a card for each month, however, you might notice that the June 2015 card is 3x4 inches this month. I usually create a 4x6 inch card for the introduction to each month.

I kept things simple as I was a little strapped for time this week. I think it works well. Many of the patterns I chose to work with are bold. I also changed how I showed the weather this month. I took a photo of the ocean from the car and wrote about our heat wave on it.I have been playing around a little with my Lomo Instant camera. I think the little instant prints are going to be a great addition to my pocket pages.

I am trying something new this week. I created a "watch me scrap" style video showing how I decorated and placed the cards. When this style video first made its appearance in my You Tube feed, I questioned whether or not they were effective as a means of inspiration. After watching a few, I have to admit that there is something to be said about being able to just watch the creative process in motion. Sometimes the person talking can detract from the video. Let me know if you like it.

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

Pocket Life  '15 June Collection from Traci Reed Designs

You can see some of my past Project Life pages for 2015 here.

True Scrap Pocket Pages class replays- More Information Here

Project Life Step by Step
Click here to view more details

The DigiScrap Geek Podcast Episode 20









Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Project Life Inspiration on Pinterest.

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Project Life: May 2015

Here it is, time to start another month with a brand new Pocket Life Collection from Traci Reed Designs. This page heralds something new...the start of a new video series for My Scrapbook Evolution. In the Pockets of a Paper Scientist will share a behind the scenes look at my hybrid pocket pages.

 I am also pleased to say that the video quality is improving. There are a few things I would like to get a better handle on. I need to make a few lighting adjustments in my creative space. There is also the issue of my HD webcam focusing and unfocusing itself a few times. It's still a learning process. If there is something you would like to see in particular regarding Pocket Page scrapbooking, please feel free to drop a note in the comments or send me an email by clicking the "write to me" button above.

Now, let's get to the pocket life inspiration!

I especially loved the shaker pocket. It does take a little time to get used to the feel of the We R Memory Keeper's Fuse tool. I have a few other ideas for stuffing some of the page protector pockets for future pages. I guess that means I better get off the blog and start creating! Perhaps, you should do the same.

May Pocket Page by Christy Strickler |Supplies Digital Kit: May Pocket Life Collection by Traci Reed Designs; Other: Sequins, Glossy Accents

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

May 2015 Pocket Life Collection by Traci Reed Designs

365 Unscripted: 4x6 collage Cards by Traci Reed Designs

Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Project Life Inspiration on Pinterest.

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Project Life 2015: Starting on April

Here I am starting on my April pages when I haven't even finished March yet. I know that's not how a lot of people work, but it's the way I work. I create my pocket page spreads in the same manner that I approach my scrapbook pages. I am either A. excited about a certain set of photos or B. excited to work with a specific set of supplies. Today's page will fall in category B. Traci Reed's April 2015 Pocket Life collection is available now. So why not create with it now? I have enough photos to at least start my April pages. So yes, this is a very good idea.

All of my Project Life spreads feature a monthly format. This means that, should I need to shuffle a few cards around, it will be no big deal. Namely, I am considering moving the video game card on the upper left side. I have a few other game related cards I will be making later on along with cards about our favorite tv shows this month. Depending upon other photos and my currently list cards, I might find it a good idea to move it and keep all of my media related cards together. We'll see. 

Meanwhile, I love the title card. I love the photo featuring spam( a home cooked meal that my mom used to make-> don't judge) and the row of silly cat pictures along the bottom. Those cards will all stay put. Since I knew I was keeping them in place, I decided to play around with adding a visual triangle to my pocket page. It is one of my go to design principles for traditional layouts and I thought that I might like pocket pages better if I started trying to use it. My triangle consists of the same type of flower in 3 places: the title card, the filler card, and in the cat card on the left. Already, I like my page much more. I think I am going to try to work with one specific design principle in mind every time I create a pocket page from now on.

I know some people are very strict about finishing all of their Project Life pages each and every month or they feel behind. Not me. It stresses me out. I don't want to feel behind. I just want to get my pages done when they inspire me to work on them. Giving myself the freedom to jump around chronologically still means pages are getting finished and placed in my album. I will finish March. Most likely in the next week or so. When I do, rest assured that I will share them in a round up post so that they all sit together where they belong.

How about you? Does Project Life stress you out? Do you feel behind? Try my method and let me know how you feel after. Start with photos you love or choose a product you just simply have to use. I am willing to bet that pocket pages will become less of a chore.

Supply Options

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

April 2015 Pocket Life Collection by Traci Reed Designs

365 Unscripted: 4x6 collage Cards by Traci Reed Designs

Additional Resources

The Traci Reed Designs Team Inspiration Board on Pinterest

The My Scrapbook Evolution Project Life Inspiration Board on Pinterest

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