kapachino

Category: crafty

  • introducing project life & 2012 weeks 1 – 6

    I started Project Life on my birthday at the beginning of February. It’s a scrapbooking system that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It uses a 3-ring binder, photo protector pages, your photos, and journaling cards. There are special Project Life kits and supplies that you can buy, or you can just recreate it on your own.

    I really love it. I’ve never kept up with a scrapbook before, but this seems sustainable. It’s been five weeks and I’m going strong. I do one spread (two 12 x 12 pages) per week, and I usually put it all together on the weekends in about two sittings.

    Here’s the front page (click on the pictures to make them bigger):

    The week of February 5 – 11 (including my birthday):

    February 12 – 18 (including Valentine’s Day):

    February 19 – 25 (Meredith turned 7 months):

    February 26 – March 3:

    March 4 – 10:

    So I almost didn’t post about this at all, because so many of my ideas for this are taken directly from Elise. The top left pocket with the date on the kraft paper circle, the weekly quote, the list of the week’s happenings, and the labeling are all inspired by her. I’m not an original person, but I do like to craft. So I take other people’s ideas and make them my own.

    My album isn’t the most detailed, creative, or cool, but I like it. If I had more time I would have a blast adding little things here and there, but I don’t. I take pictures and keep odds & ends throughout the week. On Saturday I choose pictures (I print them using Snapfish and pick them up at Walgreen’s) and get a basic layout. On Sunday I put it all together.

    I don’t know if anyone is even interested in the supplies I use, but here’s some basic information. I already had some scrapbooking supplies around because I’m in a monthly craft club that focuses on making cards. I decided not to buy the Project Life kit, because I figured I could make it more like I want it on my own, but the kit is great if you don’t have any supplies or if you don’t feel like getting creative with it. I did buy the big pack of Design A page protectors because I liked the layout.

    My binder is American Crafts. I use a Fiskers corner rounder and paper cutter. I have a few punches from Stampin’ Up (tag, circle, heart) that I use frequently. I got some washi tape, some labels, some stickers, and I cut out cute patterns from magazines to add interest. I try not to spend too much money on it and use what I have.

    Let me know if you want more details about anything. I’m going to try and get my act together to post my progress (with clearer and more detailed photos) every week or two.

  • Documenting Life

    I know I said I don’t have new year’s resolutions this year, but I’m still trying to slowly make changes (as I can handle them, and as the ideas gel in my mind). With Meredith’s arrival my nostalgia has increased tenfold, and my urge to document life has grown exponentially. I know my blogging has suffered lately (I’m working on it), but I’ve also been experimenting with other forms of record-keeping.

    Tumblr

    I created a site dedicated only to Meredith, and for now it is password-protected because it makes us a little bit nervous to have her out there like that. I try to update it every day with a picture or at least a sentence or two. I think it’s a good place for my family to keep up with her, and it’ll be fun to look back on later, too.

    Journaling

    I got the Mom’s One Line A Day 5-year journal for Christmas, and since the first of January I’ve been diligently writing a tiny bit about each day before I go to bed. I love this; it’s so easy, barely takes any time at all, and encompasses almost everything we do.

    Smash Book

    My mom bought me this little scrapbook which I already love. The pages are pretty and it comes with a pen/glue stick combo and the idea is to just smash everything in, no stress, do it as you go. I’m not positive how I’m going to use this yet, but I’m thinking of making one for every few months and using it for our life as a family as a whole. So far I just put in a little memento from the wedding we went to over the weekend, but I have lots of ideas. If I like how it’s turning out, I’ll share my progress with you.

    Instagram

    I’ve also been neglecting Instagram, but I plan to start using it a lot more and printing the pictures with something like Printsagram to add to the Smash book.

    Book blogging

    Reading has always been a huge part of my life, and it’s still my primary hobby. I’m working on reviving my book blog, and one of the rules I’ve imposed on myself is that I can’t start a new book until I’ve written up the last one. I’m getting better at taking notes while I read, which helps, and I have other ideas for the blog too.

    Please tell – how do you document your life?

  • When I Feel Like Creating

    I feel like I’ve been in some sort of trance this week, on autopilot. The days have just been lulling by, and I haven’t done much besides work, eat, sleep, watch TV, and read.

    Yesterday I got let off work early, so I came home with an entire evening to do whatever I wanted since I hadn’t planned on being there. I thought about cleaning, or starting on a project around the house, but in the end my exhaustion won me over again and David and I collapsed on the couch with Chinese food.

    Even though I haven’t done much about it, for the past few days I’ve felt the urge to create. This is not to be confused with being creative, because I am nothing of the sort. I don’t ever come up with ideas on my own. No, I’ve just had the desire to make something with my own two hands. So this weekend I’m going to try to wake up out of my trance, and these are some ideas I had:

    Cook something. I’m embarrassed to admit how long it’s been since I’ve done this. I am not a cook and don’t pretend to be one, although I’d like to one day get to the point where it’s no longer a stressful activity. However, when I have the time and there’s no pressure, I find putting together a meal quite satisfying.

    Work on the front room of the house. I love this room, but I never spend time there. It has a grand piano and a wall covered in bookshelves. I would love to add a cozy place to sit and read, but am not sure how. It also needs some decorating, and I’m sure I could find some things around the house to spruce it up.

    Break out my clarinet. I played this lovely instrument for ten years until I dropped out of band halfway through college, but that was more due to the inconvenience of practice times than distaste for playing. My favorite band Over the Rhine features a clarinet solo in their song “Desperate For Love” and ever since I heard it I wanted to learn how to play that part.

    Compile favorite quotes & inspiration photos. The other day I was reading Holly’s post about making a graphic sign for your wall and I got to thinking, what quote would I choose if I were to make one of these? That led me to thinking about all my favorite quotes, from books, songs, plays, movies, etc. and how I’d like to have them all written down somewhere to read through. It also got me thinking about what I want to put on my own walls and what I want my house to look like, for that matter.

    The usual hobbies, cross-stitching and card-making. I joined a Stampin’ Up club so I’ve recently become the owner of an idea book & catalog for putting together cards and it has me wanting to break out all my neglected supplies. And of course my cross-stitching project isn’t going to finish itself!

    Hopefully I’ll find myself doing one or more of these things in the coming weeks. But first, I need to clean my house because I’m one of those people that can’t go to sleep if there are dishes in the sink or clothes on the floor. No way will I be able to let myself play around if the floor is still coated in dog hair. :)

  • Friday Things: Making Me Happy

    My all-time favorite book is The Lord of the Rings, and it’s been a deep sadness of mine that David doesn’t share my love. He’s never shown any interest in reading the book, and according to him he “suffered” through the first movie when it came out in the theater.

    But it’s been a month since he’s had to be home from work, and he recently got it into his head that he’d watch the top 50 movies from imdb.com. Guess what? All three of the LOTR movies are on there. And since I already own them, he started watching them at home all by himself. I was so proud!

    The best part is, he actually likes them now. He uses subtitles so he can keep track of all the names and places and he doesn’t mind them being so long since he’s in the comfort of his own home and can pause anytime he wants to. He even started reading The Hobbit! And yesterday he took a trip to Half Price Books and came back with The Children of Húrin, the only book about Middle Earth that I haven’t read because it was published after Tolkien’s death.

    I know it took a lot for him not to buy anything for himself, but he saw this and had to get it for me. He’s the sweetest. :)

    ***

    I’ve been making more progress on my hopelessly antiquated cross stitch project. It’s not my style at all, but it was free & still so much fun to see it come together. Working on it in front of a movie has become my new favorite way to unwind, and I’ve already found some projects I want to take on after this one is complete. Some of them are: Sherlock Holmes silhouette, birdhouse tree, hidden lily, and so many things from this Etsy shop.

    ***

    It’s true that our pups aren’t always a source of happiness, like when I’m trying to sleep in and they decide to use my bed as a wrestling ring, or when we’re trying to relax and they won’t stop pawing at us, or when we’re watching a movie and someone walks by outside and they flip out like it’s the most! exciting! thing! ever! but gosh, I love them so much that I can’t imagine life without them.

    Every cuddle, every lick, the way Oliver lies upside down all twisted, the way Eddie tilts her head to one side, how when Cleo gets excited her whole body wags, I can’t get enough of any of it. Our house may be covered in a thin layer of fur, and we may not always get the peace and quiet we think we want, but it’s so worth it.

    ***

    All pictures taken on the Hipstamatic app from my iPhone.

  • Work Scrapbook Page

    My unit at work is putting together a scrapbook for the patients. Each employee is required to create her own page to introduce herself. It’s supposed to help the patients get to know us and feel more at home. Today I took the time to put mine together, and this is what I came up with.

    I think the colors are soothing, it’s clean without being boring, and the paragraph I wrote hopefully portrays me as someone my patients will trust.

    Other than sleep in, watch some World Cup games, and work on our budget a bit, that’s what I did with my Friday. What about you?