A summer's worth of photos

Last month, a forum member posted a challenge on my LSS's site. The challenge was to finish up all unfinished projects within six months. I laughed confidently when I read the challenge at first-- all I have left to finish up is my December Daily, I thought. Then, I remembered my photo a day project from last summer.

I had challenged myself to create a mini-Project Life type project, by taking a photo everyday last summer. Then, I was going to create nine 2-page layouts.... one for each week of our summer.

However, to date, I'd only created 2.

But, this all changed yesterday and today, when I'd woken up Monday morning and decided that I couldn't do any other crafting until these seven layouts were done. So I moved some supplies up onto the dining room table and worked on four layouts yesterday (we had the day off because of Louis Riel Day) and three more today (there was no school because it was declared a snow day-- woohoo!-- the first one of the year.)

So, I decided to keep things simple and stick to my original sketch (seen here and here). I used two sheets of 12x12 American Crafts cardstock for each layout, scraps of patterned paper from my scraps file, PTI stamps (fabulous frames) & dies (fabulous frames, modern alphabet & numbers). I also decided to incorporate this week's Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Handmade Pinwheels, by including a handmade pinwheel onto each layout.

The scraps I used for July 15 - 21 were all My Mind's Eye.

Here's a close-up of the pinwheel:

For July 22-28, I streamlined my design even more, using some Heidi Swapp (blue) and MME (woodgrain) patterned paper.

The pinwheel was made using Heidi Swapp patterned paper:

For July 29 to August 4, I used Crate Paper (orange) and MME (blue chevron.)

For the pinwheels, I used another scrap of Crate Paper patterned paper:

For August 5 to 11, I used some Echo Park (green) and MME (butterflies, woodgrain) patterned paper.

For the pinwheel, I used Crate Paper patterned paper:

For August 12 -18, I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper.

... and Crate Paper patterned paper for the pinwheel:

For the last two layouts, somehow I'd messed up with printing my journaling (in the seven weeks before hand, I'd printed Sunday to Tuesday on one piece of cardstock and Wednesday to Saturday on the other). However, when I was putting these together, assembly line style, I'd realized that I'd messed up. I decided to just go with it, though, rather than reprint my journaling, so the dates are on the right hand side.

For August 19 to 25, I used some MME (yellow), Heidi Swapp (blue) & Fancy Pants (green -- this was the backside of a Christmas line from several years ago-- nothing was off limits for this project!)

The pinwheel was made using Echo Park patterned paper:

And for my last layout of the summer, I used My Mind's Eye (grey stripe, butterfly) and Crate Paper (light pink, blue herringbone) patterned paper. Since August ended on a Friday, I didn't have a photo for the Saturday spot, so I added another pinwheel and wrote a little paragraph on how it's always hard to see our summer come to an end.

These two last pinwheels were made out of Crate Paper patterned paper:

So, this means that I have completes my unfinished projects-- what a great feeling!
Do you have any unfinished projects sitting around? If so, what are they? Could you finish them in six months?

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

1. I only worked one day this week, which has been nice, because it's given me a bit of time to get some other things done......one of these things being taking down my summer decor and putting out some fall decorations.

I filled the container with an assortment of silk leaves. The pumpkins (LOVE that white one!) and gourds were picked up yesterday after school at our town's farmer's market. I felt like I lived the ultimate of a charmed life as I walked home with my kids, under the canopy of yellow leaved trees, carrying my pumpkin in my arms. :)

I got this wreath at Michael's a couple of years ago..... Sage said she doesn't like the glitter on it, but I think it's very delicate looking and pretty.

2. I was super proud of Austin yesterday. He had to run the endurance run at school (1.6 km, or 1 mile for my american friends). Last spring, it had taken him over 12 minutes to run it. When he came home from school, he had me guess his time.......... 9 min 45 seconds! He said he "ran" the whole thing (so, no walking or stopping) and when he was done, he couldn't even talk, it was so hard to breathe! I told him I was so proud of him, multiple times, because to me, this meant that he tried his best, which is all I ever desire from my kids.

3. Sage came home from school yesterday with a tree seedling for us to plant. We chose a nice spot in the backyard, behind our new patio, where I think it will flourish. I said we'd have to take a photo of her in her grad dress (in less than 10 years) beside it.


4.  So, Sage and I have been busy this week..... making bracelets. We're using the new paper bead die from Papertrey Ink, some of my 6x6 paper pads and some beads I bought at Walmart. We've made 16 so far. We're planning on selling them as a fundraiser for my mission trip to Congo.

 

So, I'm still a little unsure of how much to charge. My friend, Val, suggested $10 each, which seems high to me, but $5 seems too low (it is a fundraiser, after all). I'm leaning towards $8 each, but 3 for $20. What do you think?


5. And, I wanted to share the first layout that I made at my crop last weekend. It's the first layout for my photo-a-day summer 2012.

I used American Crafts cardstock (12x12), Papertrey Ink cardstock (white), stamps (fabulous frames) and dies (fabulous frames, modern alphabet uppercase and modern numbers).

Have a great weekend!
Thanks for looking!

A few crop for Congo projects

I wanted to share a few projects that I got done at my fundraising Crop for the Congo on Saturday.

I decided to work on scrapbooking my Photo-a-day for summer 2012 photos.... Here's week 2:

I used American Crafts cardstock (12x12), My Mind's Eye patterned paper and Papertrey Ink cardstock (white, aqua mist), stamps (fabulous frames) and dies (modern alphabet, fabulous frames.)

Then, using my scraps, I decided to make a card for Moxie Fab World's Focal Point Challenge, as well as for the My Mind's Eye Blog September Challenge: which was to create a layout and card using the same products.

I used My Mind's Eye patterned paper, diecuts and decorative brad and Papertrey Ink cardstock (aqua mist), stamps (pretty peonies, rosie posie) and dies (rosie posie).

I also made another card, this time for Moxie Fab World's Repetition Challenge:

I used Papertrey Ink cardstock (rustic cream, simply chartreuse), stamps (love lives here: holidays) and dies (love lives here). The patterned paper is new Simple Stories, from their 6x6 paper pad.

I had so much fun at my crop--- I was quite sad when it was over, knowing I didn't have it to look forward to anymore. I could easily get together with friends once a week to scrapbook (if our schedules permitted.) At the crop, in addition to hosting and preparing food, I finished a couple of card sets, made some paper beads and made the layout for week 1 of my photo-a-day for summer, which I'm hoping to post later this week....

Thanks for looking!

Five for Friday

1. On Sunday, we took the kids for a walk in the Pembina Valley.

2. I love how creative Sage is! Earlier this week, she decided to make some clothes for her stuffies out of white cardstock and markers-- so cute!

3. In preparation for their taekwondo promotion test, Jonah and Sage got to break some boards in class on Tuesday evening. It was a first for both of them-- and they both broke them using back kicks.

4. On Wednesday evening, they both did super well at their promotion test!

Jonah struggled with breaking with the back kick and ended up switching to an axe kick, where he was successful! So proud of how hard they tried!

5. And on the crafty side...

I wanted to share the card that I made for the Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger this week:

I was inspired by the different coloured keys, as well as the old fashioned feel of the typewriter. Here's the card I created:

I used Papertrey Ink cardstock (true black, soft stone, stamper's select white, aqua mist, harvest gold, pure poppy, hawaiian shores), stamps (shutterbug special), impression plate (simple stripes) and dies (modern uppercase alphabet, half & half).

The left over letter diecuts were sitting on my desk, so I decide to make another card with them, using the same stamp set:

I also used PTI banner builder dies & mega mat stack #5, some My Mind's Eye decorative brads and Echo Park patterned paper.

Thanks for looking!

I just don't know...

We were planning to have Jonah's birthday party this afternoon. The plan is to go to the pool.

However, when we checked the forecast last night, it was 40% chance of rain and cloudy.... so we called his three friends and rescheduled for Thursday.

Now, I got up this morning and checked the forecast--- it's suppose to be 26C and sunny! Tomorrow's not looking as warm..... so I'm wondering if I should call back and reschedule it back for today.....

Crazy, I know....

Anyway, I thought I'd post the invitations I made for his "the-date-keeps-changing" birthday party...

I used PTI cardstock (rustic cream) and stamps (simple sentiments). The dinosaur footprint stamp is Imaginesce.

And I also thought I'd share a photo I took of Jonah and the cake I made him on Monday...

 Here's a close-up.... I was quite happy with how it turned out!

Now, I need to go and figure out what we're going to do about his party.... and get a start on icing the triceratops cake he's requested for this event....

Thanks for looking!

*ETA: I called the three kids Jonah invited and it works for all of them for today, so we're back on for the party today! Off to pick up some groceries and to find a photo of a triceratops to make his cake....

Five for Friday

1. Well, we've survived our first week of summer with no casualities... yay, us! LOL!

We've actually been quite busy this week... I set a goal to take a photo a day for the summer with the plans of creating a two page layout each week, kind of like Project Life, but my style. Here are a few of my favourite shots...

Sage holding a bunny at the petting zoo at the Canada Day Carnival in Winkler on Sunday afternoon.

A great beach shot of Jonah & Sage on their first day of swimming lessons.

We spent three afternoons at our church helping to set up for our VBS next week. The kids had some fun goofing around with on of the props.

Another beach shot before swimming lessons.

This morning, we joined some friends strawberry picking.... in the rain! The picking was so incredibly slow that we only ended up with one pail. Oh well, there's always another day...

2. I received my issue of Stamp It! Cards in the mail this week, that features two of my cards.

Here's one of my cards from the issue:



It's on page 81, in the same spread as a card made by Betsy Veldman. (♥ her!)

3. I made another layout for this week's  Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Stamping on Patterned Paper. I'd actually created a different layout with these photos, but wasn't happy with it, so I started again. It's still not my favourite layout..... too many colours to try to incorporate it, but I'm calling it done.

I used Bazzill cardstock (dark grey), Crate, AC, Pink Paislee, Lily Bee and Studio Calico patterned paper and Papertrey Ink stamps (simply you, label basics) and dies (hello sunshine). I used Quickutz Cotton Candy dies for my title.

Here's a close-up of my journaling:

And a close up of my sunburst, on which I stamped some sentiments from Simply You.

4. I also made a couple more cards for this week's  Make It Monday at Papertrey Ink: Stamping on Patterned Paper.  This first one features a panel that I created orginally for the layout above:

I used Papertrey Ink cardstock (spring moss), stamps (lace bouquet, Beautiful Butterflies, label basics), buttons, twine and dies (angled label basics, heart border).

5. I bought  PTI's Road Trip stamp set second hand and it arrived in the mail yesterday. I'd just gotten home from a VBS meeting in the evening & there it was waiting for me on the dining room table! So I grabbed it, headed downstairs and created this card:

I used Papertrey Ink cardstock (aqua mist) & stamps (road trip), Crate Paper patterned paper and some baker's twine from my LSS.

Well, I think that's it for me.... we're off the beach again for swimming lessons. I know, it's a rough life! ;)

Thanks for looking!