justem: little bits of this and that

obsessed

today i have a quick scrappy share.
this is my last layout for midnight rooster this month.
for some reason the photo got way over exposed...
i really need to take a better picture.
but in any case...i like it.
it's kind of my take on the chevron craze...
though a little simpler!

*published: Scrapbook Trends, February 2013*

that's all for today.
have a good wednesday.

project life. or "she might be crazy..."

so project life.  it's everywhere.  seriously.  in fact, it's a bit ridiculous how "everywhere" it is. keeping track of your life. your whole life. one year. 52 weeks.  sounds nuts, right. yeah. it totally is nuts. but i like nuts. (a lie...i only like them when smooshed up into nut butter.) and even though it seems crazy, i decided to try it. i'm not normally the bandwagon jumping kind of gal.  (let's face it, jumping, running, any type of remotely strenuous physical activity...not exactly my forte!)   but, i decided that if i was ever going to do this, it should be this year. no newborns. a first birthday. actually having some time in my life (that one is debatable!), and hopefully finally getting back into the swing of things.  but...and it's a big BUT...i've given myself some guidelines, that i'm already finding a bit hard to follow!!  they are:

• use up the old stuff.  it's embarrassing how much product i have.  yes, i have been accumulating it for years. yes, i have been lucky enough to acquire some of it for free. but seriously...it's a ton. i am not letting myself buy things just for project life other than page protectors and maybe one set of blank journaling cards.
• no do-overs.  if i don't like it, i can't change it UNLESS it something technical, like when i tried to use century old scenic route rub-ons and only a quarter of the letter actually transferred to the photo. that i did-over. this is going to be a tough one... ;)
• make it work.  you will notice that i did not take a photo a day.  you will also notice that three of my photos are from the same day! wait, no four.  and new year's eve is on the right page and new year's day is on the left page. say what?  well, i decided that being methodical and trying to fit it all perfectly from left to right as the week went on would probably be the large downfall of this project, leading me to great frustration and ultimate failure. (yeah, i was that sure about it...) so instead i figured the photos/journaling/etc. can go anywhere they fit within the two page spread.  it will be more of a "weekly review" than a "document each day" type of project.
• keep it real.  i told myself that i am doing this for myself and for no one else. i don't want to get caught up in the competitiveness that is the scrapbooking world.  let's face it, mine will never be the coolest or the cutest or the most innovative...but that's not what matters. i did post this first week over at studio calico and on this scrapbooking blog, but for the rest of my weeks, i will only be posting on my "everything" blog.  (email me for the password.) also...there are bound to be things in this album that are maybe a little too real for the general public.  yet another perk of the private blog...

so i finished week one yesterday on my day off, and seriously...i love it. i love the little bits. the stories. the pictures. the tiny memories i otherwise would have forgotten. i love it.  and i might need you all to remind me of this post and my unabashed love for project life in a couple of weeks when i've practically given up and am whining about how it takes to much time and it's not fun anymore.  give me a swift kick in the pants if i say that. because this...this is what scrapbooking is all about.  or at least it is what is should be about.

are you working on project life?
i really would love to see if it you are!
please link me up!!
happy tuesday!
over and out.

scrappy sunday!

I have a layout to share today! It's another Midnight Rooster layout from their Nantucket kit.  This layout was inspired by this blog post from last May.  It's a pretty simple layout, but I'm proud of myself for using more than one photo! ;) The little band of patterned papers at the bottom is actually made up of leftovers from another one of my layouts this month. I will post a tutorial about it (and the other layout) on the Midnight Rooster blog later this week!

(do you see my risotto behind the bottom border?! when i made it i didn't think about the fact that anything i set behind it to hold it up for the photograph would show through the holes in the border!!)

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Midnight Rooster Reveal: Nantucket

Happy Wednesday! I wanted to share a layout with you today from the newest Midnight Rooster kit, Nantucket, available for sale now! I know I am biased, and I say this all the time, but every month I am blown away by the perfect blend of product that Tobi puts in these kits. It's like we share a brain... ;)  This was the last layout I created this month, but it's one of my favorites, and I think you will be able to see why! I love the photo, and the product, and the sentiment...and my grandma. ;)

**PUBLISHED - Scrapbook Trends**

I actually had a mist-tastrophe on this one...I first tried to use my Studio Calico Cream Mr. Huey's only to find out that it had separated into a cream solid on the bottom and an oily bottom on the top. Try as I might to mix them, the whole bottle was a goner. Of course, I didn't realize this until after I had sprayed oily spots all over my already completed layout!!  Luckily I had another piece of October Afternoon paper laying around and was able to literally tear the layout apart and piece it back together on a fresh (though misted this time with white) piece of patterned paper.  So the fancy swoosh at the end of the tape measure sticker? Totally not intentional...it was a result of the sticker being pulled off and stuck back down!!  Oh shoot! I just realized I forgot to write the date on it!  That's my number one flub...I forget ALL the time! Oh well, who wants to be perfect anyway? ;)  Have a great day!