Wrapping UP

Not my presents! I am wrapping up Project 52. Wow, what a year it has been. I have been really good at staying on top of my journaling this year!! I love this 8X8 calendar album because it allows me to create one little page a week and write a bit about each day. (I bought another one for 2010) Daily writing varies, sometimes it is a list of things that happened, sometimes I just write one word or phrase, but it helps me to know what was going on every week this year.

I am not looking for scrapbooker of the year with this, I love to scrapbook, but this is mostly just a chance for me to play and use up some of my favorite photos alongside the journaling that corresponds. Here are a few pages from this fall:







My goal was to use up some of those great papers that I buy and never know what to do with...and also to use a lot of stickers if at all possible.

What the what?!?!

A few weeks ago, I participated in a Blogger user study with Google. Basically, I had to write a diary entry every day that I made a post and at the end of the two weeks I had to be on the phone with someone at Google for an hour answering follow-up questions and providing some feedback. Very easy, I made a little extra money, no big deal. I was happy to participate.

I was surprised to find that a few days later, along with my gift checks was a card. A HAND-WRITTEN thank you card from Google! Google is a huge company, yet someone took the time to tell me thank you...and it wasn't a computer generated letter, it was an actual card. As a card crafter, this meant so much to me. It is up on my mantle.


I miss making cards for fun...I don't feel like I have had time to make regular cards lately I am sort of looking for a good color inspiration challenge site...I don't really like sketch challenges but I LOVE color challenges. Does anyone know of a good one?

In other news....
I hope to attend a crop at some point this weekend...I have a lot going on....but I have a list of projects that I would like to revisit in the near future so that they don't get lost in the shuffle before the year ends.
Project 52
One Little Word
December Daily (basic book is put together, YAY!)

Are you attempting to finish any of these same projects? I would love to see what you have going on with your December Daily, One Little Word or Project 52...

Project 52 Update mid-year (sort of!)

I meant to post this in June...but life happens so here it is!


My favorite thing about Project 52 is that I am keeping a weekly journal about the major (and minor) things in my life. I am able to throw in pockets of stuff, pictures, random found objects and my favorite stickers and papers. I am free to make collages of my favorite clothing tags, stickers or anything else I want.



I get to play with paint! I made this using extra paint during summer school. I traced a couple of circles, added lines with a ruler, painted the rays using florescent tempera paint and then I used a black pen to jot down all of my favorite memories from summer school this year.

I can scrapbook in reverse...I know I will have lots of favorite photos from a camping trip, so I made a page with some of my favorite Cosmo Cricket papers....and I will add the photos later!




First week of summer! Awaiting some pictures...I just had to use some Cosmo Cricket paper!



I can add some of my favorite stickers in with my journaling!

The pages don't have to be perfect! As long as they tell the story! This is a (nearly) chronological record of 2009.


I will definitely do Project 52 again! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with all the journaling and scrapbooking, but once I realized that I don't have to write a novel every day and I can get away with collages and pages without pictures, it became much easier. I don't realistically make a page a week, I might make 2-3 one week and then none the next, but it is definitely a fun project!

Project 52 and The Numbers Game

The prompt this week over @ The Creative Type is to use numbers....

I decided to put together a little page using some of my favorite spring flower pictures and a countdown for the last weeks of school for a page in my project 52 album.


I used some chipboard #s and letters from the paper studio, some hambly screenprints & rubons...


Ooh, I should probably tell you that I received an Audrey (it is a little award for being a favorite...see my sidebar for the 'trophy' image) for my Twilight book...I am pretty stoked...I will be a guest designer again next week!

More Project 52

More project 52 pages....I am finally caught up! I now have a page for every week and I even have an idea for this week's page!! Last night I spent some time finishing up some of the details on a few of the pages...I really like stickers and sticker collages so I made a couple of those and I experimented with making my own clear overlays using StazOn...it was really fun, I look forward to making more overlays.


Sticker collage #1


Clear Overlay #1



Sticker collage #2 (K&Co.)


Clear Overlay #2


Sticker Collage #3

Project 52 Update

I haven't posted a lot of entries on my Project 52 book lately. I really haven't been totally faithful in making the one-page layouts....In Feb/March I didn't really have a lot of photos printed, and with my new printer I finally printed a few photos so that I could make some pages. I have been faithful at the journaling though, so that will make it easier to get caught up later. I want to go back to some of the weeks that have a blank page and make little collages on those pages instead of making them traditional scrapbook pages. There wasn't a memorable event every week so I will use generic 'everyday' photos from school, home and family to fill in some of the pages.
I love this project because it only involves a 1-page-layout and tons of journaling for the week, with room for cute little drawings or extra embellishments on the page! You can't see my journaling in this example, but I write quite a bit for each day. I can also include ephemera...the rainbow is an actual artwork I created as an example for my students. I plan to save more things like this throughout the year. Enjoy!!

Project 52 Month 1 is Done

Hey!! I made a new title for my Blog title in Photoshop. I have seriously only used Photoshop like 3 times in my life so I have to sort of feel around and figure stuff out each time, but I always learn something new. I took all of the letter photos in my classroom and then cropped them to fit together!! I really like how it turned out. My next goal is to make some really crafty letters with scrapbooking supplies and photograph each letter the same way.

Anyway, I just wanted to give you an update on my Project 52 progress. I am still journaling each week. I sit down and look at my calendar at some point in the week and I jot down information about each day. Everything from funny quotes and happenings to what I ate that day might make it into the journal. I like this page style because I can go back later and add small photos and snipits from scraps that match whatever is going on that week. I can leave room in the margins for additional stuff!
Then, some point that week I make something for my journal. I found a really great list of techniques I want to try throughout the year on top of the things I have already done so far.

This month, I have been used a lot of inspiring products and they have found their way into my journal. Here is a little heart made out of hearts on craft paper. These are little stickers from K&Co.


I also made a weaving with left over scraps (from my Christmas cards!).


I made a little painting inspired by Matisse (My students are learning about Matisse at school!). He uses lots of organic shapes and I love his work.




And I used some handmade paper to do some stamping with this awesome set of eggs, I know it isn't Easter, but the little ovals are so modern that I don't really see them as Eastery anyway.



I love this journal because it is forcing me to make something every week and combine all of the things I love: journaling, photography (I don't have a lot of pics in there yet!), crafting, and art. Enojy!!

You can check out all of the people participating in Project 52 on Flickr.

Week One "Project 52"

Here is my Project 52 Album. Everything on the cover is from the Close to My Heart Silhouette Level 1 paper pack. I embossed the numbers and cut them out before I adhered them to the sticker. I covered the entire 'medallion' with liquid glass to keep the letters from getting ripped off. I didn't want the cover to be too busy because I have bad luck with really 'scrappy' stuff falling apart.


This 52-Week calendar is from Close to My Heart. It is perfect for this project. I am sure I won't fill up every SINGLE day, sometimes I may just write--really busy!!---or make a color copy of my planner and paste it on for that week.



The first inside page uses the same paper pack and a picture I took in December.


Well, this isn't hard to keep up with so far. I am not doing anything too strenuous each week of the year, just jotting down a few things and each day and making a one page layout. I decided to put "INSPIRE" on the very first page so that I would remember my WORD for the year every time I flip through the book.


I figure that I won't be able to complete some pages until the next month because I won't have any of my pictures developed. I tend to get about 3-4 months developed at a time. This may make it a little bit tricky to keep on top of things, but not every 'layout' has to have pictures. Some of my layouts will be collages with poems or lists or journal writing. I am leaving room on the 'week' side for small 'inchie' pictures and creations. I don't want this to be too bulky.


You can check out the other Project 52 layouts on the Flickr sight.