Week 4=Craziness

As you can guess by the title, week 4 of this year wasn't exactly calm and this week really hasn't been much better--not necessarily bad craziness but the timing of some of it could've been a whole lot better. So far this has been our January for illnesses. We haven't had one in awhile so I guess we were due. Brannon was home sick most of last week except for a few ill attempts at going back to work (get it...ill attempts?? I crack myself up sometimes!). Most of what he wanted to eat came from McDonald's...he hates it any other time. I now think of it as PukeDonald's...can only take so much of that stuff! Since last Monday was Martin Luther King Day, the kids were home for school which added up to some more craziness.  Saturday, we finally got the toilet fixed in the kids' bathroom so we don't have to share with them anymore.  I also got the boys' room cleaned up...FINALLY! They could have been featured on an episode of Hoarders it was so bad. I'm not even going to tell you how much trash I pulled out of there! How hard is it to use a stinking trash can anyway??

Sunday started off deceivingly calm. Caden cooperated when we were getting ready and was fairly calm at church. I was called to be the Assistant Cubmaster for the Cub Scouts and Caden was actually excited about it.  I am too honestly. At first, I thought they had to be kidding but the more I thought about it, the more excited I was.  Colton had an "It's Great to be 8" fireside so he could learn about baptism. He'll be 8 in June...at least he says he will. I don't think there's any way possible he's already that old but he swears he is. And then we get home. The refrigerator decided it's had a long enough life and is now on it's deathbed. We'll put it out of it's misery tonight and tomorrow the new one should get here. I didn't even have to set it on fire like I did the oven (I still stand by my it-was-an-accident story). It'd been nice if it could've gone out a few years ago or even lasted another year or two but it just wasn't meant to be.  We've helped extend it this week by putting a lot of ice bags in there to help keep it cool enough to not ruin the food. And we have a couple of ice chests too. I've been using the freezer too since it's more of a cooler now...it's barely freezing if at all.

The first part of this week was really warm...in the 70's!  I was going to do some photos for some friends but last week kind of caught up to me and I was afraid I was getting sick and then Ali ended up staying home on Tuesday (yes, I'm very aware of my extremely large run-on sentence ;) ). Then Tuesday was stormy and the rest of the week has been cold. I'm so ready for spring!!!

I got last week's Project Life done (again only 2 photos so mostly journaling...have to get better about the photos!). I also finished Digi-in-Deeper from JessicaSprague.com. Here are the layouts...

Project Life:

Digi-in-Deeper (Lesson 12):

I also got a banner made for Valentine's Day using last week's free shape (I think it was last week) from Silhouette.  I forgot to take a picture of it so I'll try to do that later today. It turned out really cute!

Off to make something else....

Quick Layout

Just real quick...I made this page this morning using one of Tiffany Tillmans's templates (you can get it by signing up for her newsletter at Simply Tiffany) and the kit you get for signing up at P&Co. Brannon's home sick again so I'm trying to avoid the germs by staying in my craft room. :)

Cootieville

I don't know about your house but cooties have been flying left and right here! It started off with Ali getting a stomach virus on Thursday and staying home from school Thursday and Friday.  She was feeling a little better on Saturday.  Some friends from Utah were in town so we went with them and a few other friends to dinner. Caden was HORRIBLE! And he brought Colton down with him. I'm not even going to go into what all they did but it'll be awhile before they get to go to another restaurant! I can only imagine what everyone thought.  We did try getting on them but once Caden gets going, you can't stop him no matter what.  At least we were back in a private room but still! Anyway, when we got home, he Caden decided it was his turn to get sick. We didn't even see that one coming considering how he was before. I've been getting touches of it off and on but never like they did.  Colty has a little bit of a cold and Brannon ended up staying home from work today because he was sick.  I AM SICK of the cooties! Saturday ended up being a nice 65 degree day so I had the windows open trying to air out the house. Lysol stockholders need to thank me for using their product so much too. You're welcome! ;)

On a brighter note, I got another calling at church.  I was released as the Relief Society secretary and now will be on the committee for Relief Society activities.  I liked being the secretary and loved everyone I worked with but I am ready for a break.  I did that for 3 years so it was time for a change. Of course, since Caden was sick, I didn't get to be there for the changes.

Even when he's sick, Caden is pretty creative! He invented a new Batman vehicle and built it out of Legos.

He made me take pictures and post them on Facebook and Instagram and then kept making me check it to see if any of my friends liked it. He was soooo excited when someone did!

I got a couple of more Project Life spreads done too. I'm really liking this! I bought more templates from Becky Higgin's today but don't you dare tell Brannon! :)  I really want to get the rest of the core kits. I have Clementine but I really like the rest of them too.  I don't want my whole book to look exactly the same for 52 weeks.  I've been incorporating other scrappy supplies too.

So here's Week 2...

and Week 3...

And since Saturday was so warm, I managed to get some pictures of the kids!  You can see a few of them on the Week 3 layout.  I really like how they turned out.  Turns out all I had to do to be happier with my pictures was to learn Lightroom!  Wish I had learned that a lot sooner!!  I do most of the main edits in LR, export them as .psd files into a folder on my EHD, and then finish up in Photoshop.  Sounds way more complicated than it is. :)

Well, my kids neglected to come with mute buttons so it's up to me to go quiet them down before Brannon gets woke up.  Uggghhhh...too late!!!  Bye!

Project Life 2013

I just finished taking Digital Project Life at JessicaSprague.com.  I've been wanting to try it for awhile but didn't really know how to get started...not sure why I had such a mental block on it. Jessica is about to make it a self-paced class so if this is something you are interested in, you can still take it pretty soon.  I'm hoping that I can get caught back up with my scrapbooking. The last couple of years have been a little hard dealing with my miscarriages and I just wasn't in the mood for much of anything...I've done a few pages but nothing much.  A few weeks ago Colton told me he wished I'd add some to his books and last week he told me he missed the days when we would craft together.  He loves to help!  So it's time I get started with it again.  And I'm working more on my photography too. Hope to make it a business this year!!

I have my PL title page done and will work on the 2nd week today (with any luck at all). I used Becky Higgins' Clementine Edition and some supplies we got in class plus some supplies from various designers I just have in my stash. Now that I see how much fun and how easy PL is I wish I'd stocked up on all the kits while they were at JessicaSprague!!  Becky has opened up her own digi store at AC Digitals so you can still get them there or find the already printed traditional kits at Amazon...just do a search for Project Life and you'll find TONS!

And thanks to my friend Mechelle whose pictures I stole off of Facebook since I didn't take any. :)

Wall-art for Ali

I finished Ali's project...well at least for now.  I tend to go back and add stuff along the way but it's at least hangable. :)

When Colton was a baby, I had a giraffe picture hanging in his room.  As is typical with a house that includes a Caden, it got knocked off the wall at some point and the glass broke out of it.  It's been sitting there for a few years waiting for me to fix it.  Now, Colton has outgrown that picture so I stole the frame to use for this. I cut a piece of thick chipboard for the back...it completely covers the back and is stapled on (after I was finished covering it) so it kind of turned the frame into a shadow box.  The photo was done as part of one of Jessica Sprague's classes (you really couldn't guess that, huh?)...I think Advanced Photo Editing but I can't remember.  It's been sitting on my desk waiting for me to do something with it for a very long time. The paper is from Provo Craft I think but not sure.  The tape at the top and the yellow tape at the bottom is from Heidi Swapp. The clip is from Design Originals. The ribbon from my stash...it's satiny ribbon died with Tattered Angels Glimmer spray. The rhinestone heart is Me and My Big Ideas and the green tag and green and pink borders are from Stampin' Up!.  The flower is made from satin cut into circles and scrunched up with a flame.  The satin is layered with a couple of pieces of tulle and hot glued together.  Then, a few pearls are glued in the middle.

Now I'm just waiting for Ali to get home so see can see it!

Home Decor

I love making home decor projects!  That's what I've actually been working on here lately.  I do have some scrapbook pages done (paper ones) but Ali made me swear I wouldn't share hers...she hates the school picture I used.  So I guess I won't post those this time.  I do have a few other projects to show you!

This first one was done for a Relief Society activity at church.  We were trying to tie in photography and memory keeping together and I had made some wall-art like this a few years ago.  Remember this post?  Here's the new one.  I have it hanging in my bedroom.  {my pictures aren't the greatest today...sorry!}

 These were done the same way the others were...basically.  All you do is find you a frame...I use 10 x 13" frame and a 5 x 7 photo.  Ok...then just crackle paint it.  For this one, I gesso'd  it, let it dry, and then painted it black.  Then I painted it a 2nd time in black.  Before the 2nd coat dried all the way, I painted some  One-step Crackle (from DecoArt) on it.  So it crackled it but almost barely noticeable.  I wanted it to look a little aged but not decrepit. ;)

Cut some corrugated cardboard to fit the frame.  Rip off one side of it to expose the corrugated part.  You can be as clean or grungy as you want.  The other frames I did were grungier than this one.  I still left some grunge on it though.  Or if you are like one of the other ladies that were at the activity, when you get completely done with a piece of really stubborn cardboard, you open the frame to find a piece already done for you that the frame manufacturer was using as backing. lol  Now, you can ink it up.  I just ran a Vintage Photo Distress Ink pad over the top of the corrugated part.  I also spot inked some Walnut Ink Distress Ink over parts too.

I think the patterned paper is from the Wild Asparagus collection from My Mind's Eye. You can tear it now or wait until you get the red piece done so you can measure it easier.  When you do tear it, ink the edges up with some distress ink.  The red piece is a piece of packing paper (save that stuff...you never know what you can do with it!).  I mixed up some Making Memories scrapbook dye (Cranberry) and sprayed it and let it dry.  You can tear it before or after you dye it.  Ink those edges up too.

I made my photo in Photoshop using some techniques I learned from this class from Jessica Sprague. I also turned the photo to sepia.  You can use any photo treatment that you like though. :)

Layer the photo, then the red paper and the patterned paper and then center it on the cardboard.  Dress it up however else you like.  Here I used some embellishments (banner, bakers twine, tag, and jewels from Heidi Swapp's Daily Junque and Soiree; the flower from Prima; rhinestone brad and library clip from Stampin' Up!; ribbon, fiber, and lace from my stash). Oh and the Don't Forget tag is from House of 3's store in the Silhouette store. All in all, it's a pretty easy project.  The cardboard can be time-consuming though depending on how stubborn it's being. :)

I bought a couple of workshops from Nancie Rowe Janitz when she first came to Jessica Sprague.  I just now had some time to work on them.  Michael's must have known because they put their canvases on sale this week...buy one, get one free.  Or if you don't like the ones on sale, they have a 40% off coupon for the rest of them. :)  The first workshop is Grateful Canvas Wall Art. Mine didn't turn out as good as hers...I swear Mod Podge has something against me!  I also painted the edges of my canvas with some Rich Espresso paint (DecoArt's Dazzling Metallics Elegant Finish).

The other one is Creating Subway Art. Apparently, gel medium doesn't really like me much better than the Mod Podge does so mine is way more grungier than Nancie's.

I've got some more projects I'm working on too.  One is for Ali's room and I'll take photos when I finish it (hopefully better photos than the ones I posted today!). I also finally started Colton's school picture album so he'll have one like his brother and sister.  I have the album built but need to add his first 2 years of school first.

Hope you liked all the projects!  Have a happy, crafty day!

Template-Sketch

I have been playing around in Photoshop today instead of cleaning my house like I should be doing.  I made a template (for digi-scrappers) or you can look at it as a sketch for you paper scrappers.  Or make it into a little of both!  I left it open to where you can put your title and journaling where you want plus other embellies that you may want to add.  Look at the post below this one with the Surprise! layout if you need a sample.  I guess I go about it a little backwards...I make the layout first and then make a template from it. lol  If you want the layered version, just click on the template image...it's a direct download so you don't have to mess with pop-ups or wait for the download link to appear.  

For those of you who've never used a layered template or haven't used any of Jessica Sprague's templates (I learned how to make them from her)....every layer that has a + sign in the layer name is a layer where you are going to clip your paper to.  Except for the background layer...you don't have to clip anything to that layer. Just click on the background layer and move your paper over.  As long as it's 12 x 12 at 300 dpi, you are good to go!  For the other layers though you will need to clip your papers in. 

Clipping instructions...

1. Target your layer in the layers palette where you want you paper to appear.

2. Open your paper up and select the move tool.

3. Move your paper to the template.  The process for this is different between versions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  If you need help with this part, leave a comment and I'll try to help you figure out what to do with your particular version.  If you have another program outside of Photoshop products, I don't have a clue. ;)

4. Make sure that your paper really did come in on the layer above the one you want to clip to...if it didn't, then move it down real quick.

5. Hover your mouse between the two layers and hold your Alt (Option for Mac) key. The cursor should change to a snowman looking thing (or if you like the boring description...two interlocking circles). If you have CS6, it won't look like this but I can't remember what it's supposed to...but it will change it's shape so you know you have it. Click down and the layer above (the paper layer) will get this down arrow icon in front of it showing that it was clipped to the layer below it. 
Alternate CS (Photoshop):  Move your paper to the layer above the clipping mask. Make sure your paper layer is targeted still and right-mouse click.  Click Create Clipping Mask.
Alternate PSE (Elements): Do the same for Photoshop but instead of right-mouse clicking, hit Ctrl (Cmd) G and it will clip it down for you. :)

What this does is to allow you to shape your paper or photos without having to delete any of it.  If you will grab on to your paper with the move tool, you will see that you can move it around to whatever position you want...so if you like one side of the paper better than the other, you can move it to the "good" side. You can also transform (resize) your paper and photos to fit the clipping mask better.  It opens up a whole lot of options for you!! 

Have fun with it and I'd love to see what you do with it if you want to share!!