Category Archives: Documenting Life

Documenting 2018 with “52 Stories”

Posted in Creative Practice, Documenting Life, Project Gal- Memorykeeping by

I will be the first to admit that the last little while I’ve been getting bored with how I document the goings on around here. I used the weekly or monthly pocket scrapping documenting from 2011 until 2017 and, not gonna lie, it was a lot. Am I happy that I documented every little thing? Yes. Was it time for something different ? Heck yes.

Times change, things change and it was time to move on. I had picked up a Heidi Swapp Storyline album awhile back at Michaels and ordered extra pages. I was intrigued because it seemed like it was getting back to what documenting/storytelling had been when it was simpler. (you can check out what it’s about HERE on Heidi’s website) I organized my photos using smart albums in my Lightroom catalog to pull together photos per month that used the keyword “pl” which designates images I want to use in my weekly documenting.

After coming off a stretch of really intensive documenting, I have to say I felt super energized and a little bit freed by picking just one story a week to focus on. There were some extra stories and goodies thrown in for good measure but that was pretty much it! So without further ado, I present a little video overview of my completed 2018 album!

I’m extremely happy with the results and it was so. much. easier. to manage one story a week. Also… if anyone has suggestions for working with the arkon iPhone stand I’m all ears. Learning new stuff over here everyday. This project was one of my 20in20 projects from a class I’m taking with Stacy Julian and boy was it nice to tick off a project!

Thanks for taking a look, here’s to getting projects done!

Memorykeeping Organization: Creative Hub Notebook Tour

Posted in Documenting Life, Memory Keeping, Organizing by

Hi gang! Well, we are on day 3,257 of Corona-lockdown. Here in Boston, we are having a ‘noreaster storm so it is gray and super windy and raining and raw… the perfect day to finish up a project.

I have finally finished shaping up my Creative Hub Notebook and made a quick video to share with some friends so thought it might as well find it’s home here on the blog! The Creative Hub class is part of the Simple Scrapper membership I highly recommend this membership group, lots of great classes and inspiration and a terrific community of like minded scrappers! I’ve been a member for several years now and it is money well spent! Without further ado… here is the tour

Yep! Another project done, very gratifying to have all this stuff in one place! What projects are you working on ?? And yes, laying on the couch streaming english gardening shows on Netflix totally counts.

Cheers, stay safe and wash your hands!

2015 Islamorada Vacation Album!

Posted in Creative Practice, Documenting Life, Memory Keeping, Project Gal- Memorykeeping, Scrapbooking by

I guess I am crafting my way through the pandemic…that and walking the dog, cooking and puttering around the house is kind of keeping me sane. That and the occasional zoom cocktail hour with girlfriends!

Last week, I finished a project that was not even on my radar to work on-at all ! I am taking Stacy Julian’s 20in20 class (which is a memory keeping class to complete [there is my word again] 20 projects in 2020) and she was hosting FB Live class on completing an album in two evening sessions using her “short story” method of organizing, cropping and embellishing pages. Honestly, I wasn’t even going to join until about 30 minutes before the first session was to start…I was thinking about what I could work on that already had photos printed (you needed around 35-50) and an album, page protectors and white cardstock… plus your patterned paper and a very limited range of embellishments.

Because I had just finished inventorying my unfinished project bins AND my empty albums, I realized that I had photos and memorabilia printed from our 2015 April trip to Islamorada AND I had an album, protectors and paper already cut PLUS a super gorgeous kit from October Afternoon (now sadly out of business) that I had been hoarding saving for a good cause… so I grabbed all my stuff, cleared off the table and dove in.

Over the course of two 2-hour Live casts plus some extra time-because I had more photos to do, I finished the album !! I will say I had my doubts but it worked out and I’m super happy with the results! Here’s my amateur video tour of the album. One huge check off the unfinished list!

What unexpected wins have you had lately? Working on anything to share?? Hang in there everyone, stay home and wash your hands! xo

Creating in the time of Pandemic…

Posted in Creative Practice, Digital Scrapbooking, Documenting Life, Layouts, Scrapbooking by

Today is March 28, 2019. A lot has happened since I last posted, the world is spinning at an ever increasing rate it feels like. We are nearing the end of the first week of stay-home-so-you-don’t-infect-people here in Massachusettes. The news gets worse by the day. In the back of my mind, there is a corner that is in constant terror for my little sister who is a nurse in a medical icu unit that has just been turned into a covid unit. I have finally this afternoon put a name to the other feeling I have which is dread.

In an effort to not get sucked down that dark dank hole, I am keeping busy this afternoon scanning a clients slides. Having a yummy lunch of homemade knockoff Panera Autumn Squash soup. My daughter just brought me some yummy fruit smoothie she made and hubby is busy alternating working and doing laundry.

While the scanner is scanning (each batch of 30 takes over an hour), I decided to take a break from making masks to finish up a scrapbook layout that has been hanging around since probably 2014…

I had started a layout with this photo back then, didn’t like it, and there it sat in my unfinished layout folder …which we all know is the digital equivalent to that pile on the corner of the desk. I decided one of my projects for this year is to either finish/ re-work the layouts in that folder or delete them. This photo is from 2001 and seriously, don’t they look like they are conspiring against us?! Very happy to have made a start on a project that is useful and creative when we definitely need useful and creative things around us! The template is from this months Simple Scrapper templates and I think the kit is Just Jaimee’s Storyteller

What are you working on this weekend?

2019 One Little Word – recap!

Posted in Creative Practice, Documenting Life, In the Studio by

I participated in Ali Edward’s “One Little Word” class last year, this was my fourth year choosing a word for the year (rather than resolutions which, lets face it…never happen). This year I felt like my word – FORWARD – manifested itself in many ways so I consider it a success!

I made a super casual (cue uproarious laughter) video of my completed album, and as I was editing it, I had the thought that this is not really a scrapbook but more of a visual journal. Click on the link below!

My word for 2020 is COMPLETE so I feel like I am getting off to a good start finishing up 2019!

Do you participate in OLW? What is your word for 2020??!