My Scrapbook Evolution-Blog: #ProjectLife2015

Showing posts with label #ProjectLife2015. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

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.

Friday, July 10, 2015

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

Friday, June 19, 2015

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.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Project Life 2015 Goals: Spotlight on Superb Summer Stories

Are you caught up on Project Life? I'm not. I could get caught up in berating myself, but I won't. Memory keepers spend far to much time worrying about being caught up. Instead, I decided to make a game plan. One which will allow me to catch up on Project Life for this year and which will also allow me to revisit the Stories of the Summer e-course from Simple Scrapper.

I completed my planning in three easy steps:

My first step was to download the free planning form from Simple Scrapper.
Next, I took a look at which months I had completed for Project Life so far this year. January and February are done. March, April and May have pages started. The photos and kits are gathered in one spot. I just need to make the collage cards and get them into pockets.
Finally, I took a look back at my completed summer stories pages from 2013. I made a note of what I liked and what I might change.

Using the planning form, it was easy for me to see that I could break my work down into small, doable pieces. I won't have all of the photos right away for the summer stories. I can probably work on a few cards here or there while I accumulate additional pictures. Meanwhile, I can fill the time by working on past month, one page at a time.

I do enjoy looking back at my completed 2013 project. However, I wish the products I used were a bit more consistent. I already know that I enjoy working with the Traci Reed Designs Pocket Life Collections each month. It stands to reason that these can be my go to kits for this summer. For all that the formality of planning implies, you really don't need a complex plan to be successful. Simple works pretty well. Who needs much complexity in this summer heat anyway?

How will you document your own superb summer stories? Are you just making layouts? Or will you include them in your pocket pages?

Affiliate Links when possible. Thank you for supporting MSE.

You can see my 2013 Summer Stories pages here.

The Stories of Summer E-Course is one of the many resources available in the Simple Scrapper Premium Membership. Click here for more information about Simple Scrapper.

How to Have a More Creative Summer- an article from the Simple Scrapper Blog.

Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Seasons: Summer Stories on Pinterest.

Friday, May 22, 2015

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.