Scrapbook Challenges: So Happy To Give

Mondays should be about the beginnings of a new week. A fresh start. It's just that it's very hard for me to not see it as the demise to my weekend. For that reason, I try to keep my Monday schedule light. I try to find something to be grateful for and to uplift my day. Cute photos of my son from the days when he was small are always a sure way to uplift my spirits. I guess that's why so many of these photos have been making their way onto my layouts for Scrapbook Challenges. After all, Monday generally means that there is a new sketch available.

This week, I chose to work with a set of photos in which my son has just helped wrap a gift for my husband. He was so excited to have helped and to be nominated to bring the gift to his dad.

So Happy To Give by Christy Strickler |Supplies Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine; Letters: American Crafts; Die Cuts, Stickers, Transparency: Pink Paislee; Wood Veneer,Stamp: Cocoa Daisy; Ink: Versacolor; Other: Tag, Ribbon, Doily. Glossy Accents; Based on Scrapbook Challenges Sketch # 436

Sketch #436 is one that, once again, took me out of my comfort zone with a larger photo. Sketches with large photos make it so simple to feature one picture in particular. I am definitely pulled into this page when I see the picture of my son. Much of the real estate is taken up by photos in this sketch which diminishes the busy look of the bright and energetic patterned paper prints. My large photo is a tad bit smaller than the sketch called for. That's fine with me. It just leaves a bit more white space on the bottom under the title.

How do you handle Mondays? Need some inspiration to get you back in your groove? Check out Scrapbook Challenges Skectch #436 along with inspiration from the SBC sketch crew. Don't forget to link up your projects on the SBC blog. We'd love to see your work!

Supply Options

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

Many of the supplies I used on this page came from Cocoa Daisy's April kit. I am not an affiliate but I am a subscriber.

View blog post for supplies

Additional Resources

Using Larger Photos on Your Scrapbook Layouts

The MSE Big Photos Pinterest Board

Related articles

• Scrapbook Challenges: In the Sink?
• Scrapbook Challenges: How Do You Do Sketch #433
• Totally Rad Gamers
• 4 Ways to Tell Scrapbook Page Stories When You Don't Have Photos
• Try this: Scrapbooking Ideas for Overprint Techniques

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

Related articles

• Project Life 2015: Weekending
• Three Impressive Layouts From One Template - And You Can't Even Tell!
• Revitalizing A Layout, Pocket Style!
• Scrapbooking Ideas for Recording a Top 10 Round-Up of Current Culture
• Project Life: February 2015

Catching up with the Digiscrap Geek Podcast

I know you might be thinking it's been too quiet on the blog. Really, it hasn't. I have just found myself posting quite a few articles over on the main MSE page this week. In fact, I have more to post and those will be coming soon. I am still balancing my need to write more posts with my need to create more projects. It's a constant tug of war, but I would be dishonest if I said I wasn't glad for it. Having things on your to-do list that one actually wants to do is never a bad thing. Meanwhile though, I do believe I have neglected to share what's been happening over at the DigiScrap Geek Podcast.

Heritage scrapbooking is a vast subject to cover. So, in episode 25, we revisited it once again with Katie Scott. Being a part of these heritage related episodes has inspired me to break out some older photos. I had planned to have a layout finished and ready to share regarding this episode. However, I had the grand plan of handstitching all over this page and it's taking me longer than I thought to finish it. Plus,my cat stole several small squares from my patterned paper grid( I am not kidding). I only had one sheet! I figured that it might be best to just refer you over to the new episode while I figure out what to do with this page. Rest assured that I will complete it. Somehow.

Carrie kicked off a new series for the podcast. In essence they are mini episodes with the benefit of getting to know the staff of the DigiScrap Geek Podcast. Yours truly was the first lab rat  guest. It turned out quite nice actually. So much so that I ended up editing and tweaking my about page with a link to this podcast included. I am looking forward to hearing the mini episodes about Summer, Carrie and Karen.

Episode 26 aired, featuring a discussion of gallery standouts. I must confess that the nerd in me was quite interested in this show. Mainly because I keep trying to figure out if there is some magic algorithm related to the how and the why of certain layouts being chosen. Though I didn't discover the magic formula, I did pick up on a few tricks for posting to galleries. I also found that The Gallery Standouts blog is an exceptional source of inspiration( even for paper girls).


We did talk a bit about adding the proper credits aka supply lists to your work in the galleries. I thought it was quite apropos to share how I propagate my personal galleries and create my supply lists. So I wrote a whole article on the subject. 

You will also be excited to note that we have a live event coming up to get you pumped up for iNSD. If you want to be part of the audience, pop over to the DigiScrap Geek for more information.














Since it's Friday, it means that it's a typical recording day for the DigiScrap Geek. I am super excited to talk to our guest today. I wish I could share more, but sadly, you will just have to wait until the show posts( and somehow, I have to keep it a secret). Meanwhile, if you need a memory keeping geek fix, you can find us chatting in the DigiScrap Geek facebook group.

Related articles

• The DigiScrap Geek Podcast, Episode 19- You're so Mommyish
• The DigiScrap Geek Podcast 7: What's that Pig Doing There?
• The Digiscrap Geek Podcast, Episode 3: I was a Template Snob
• The Radical Act of Telling Stories: rukristin on the Digiscrap Geek Podcast
• The DigiScrap Geek Podcast: Geeking out about Photos with Episodes 13 and 14