Getting Started with Project Life

Project Life can be a very simple way to scrapbook all of your memories. Most of us now have phones with a camera on them and that is how 90% or more of all our photos are taken.  Only once in awhile do we have our "good" cameras with us.  And most of the time the pictures I take on my phone are not ones I would deem "scrap-able", but they are the pictures that truly show what is going on in our lives. I have over 700 photos on my phone. I take pictures of all kinds of things. And so does my daughter. I sometimes look at my phone and have over 20 photos of her just making faces at it. I want to get these moments into my albums as well and project life is perfect for this!


Basic project life protectors come with different slot orientations for photos and have journaling cards and things to add to them. Below is a sample of some of the different combinations of protectors. You just print and add your photos in the spaces provided then fill in with journaling or small photos.

Other than starting out with a basic PL kit (album, protectors, and card inserts) I would suggest a couple apps for your phone as well. These are not necessary but they make it even easier (if that's possible) to get your photos into your albums. The first app is Momento (I believe this is only an iphone app right now, but their are others available for android).  This app is like a journal for your phone and it also pulls your feeds from your facebook and other social media sites. Yes, you could use any other journal app but along with letting you add all your little moments if you are just adding it and want to use a photo on your phone that you maybe don't remember the exact date it was taken, when you click the photo it asks if you want to use the date/time the photo was taken as its date! That feature alone is completely awesome! So many times I take photos and then when I go to do my layouts I can't remember when it was taken. Sure I may know the general week I took it (not usually, lol) but this adds the EXACT day and time! The other thing I am loving about this is it has reminders for a daily photo so you remember to document something, and it pops up a reminder asking "how was your day" as a journaling prompt so that if you are as forgetful as me, you still will be able to jot down anything that happened that you want to remember!

The second app you need is PICFRAME. This app works so great with your phone. Project life has 4x6 and 6x4 photo slots along with 3x2 and 2x3 and with picframe you do not need to use a computer program such as photoshop to put two photos on one 4x6 picture to be printed.

Here is a screen shot of picframe and some of the layouts it has.  The highlighted one is the one I use most often. If you can look close in the top right corner of the picframe photo you can see it says 3:2 that is the ratio you want to add two photos for a 4x6. If your photos are more horizontal click the 3rd little block and make sure your ratio is 2:3.

They will print on a 4x6 picture together and you can leave the little border or get rid of it. Then all I do is cut them apart and round the edges if I want. 

I also keep the walgreens app on my phone and upload the photos to walgreens at the end of each week for my project life albums. 

To simplify it even more, I keep all these apps in one folder on my homescreen of my phone so that are all together and easily accessible. 

Tutorial for the Card holder or notepad

No, you are not seeing things. Yes, I did post this project the other day but I have the tutorial ready for it now. 

Note pad or card holder

pictures and instructions by Tanya Stottlemire

Note this is not my original design, I got my basic info from stampinwithblythe.com as well as splitcoaststampers tutorials.

Start with an 8 1/2x 11 piece of cardstock ( I am using strawberry slush )

score the 11 inch side at 2 inch, 3 inch, 9inch and 10 inch, then

on the 8 ½ inch side score at 1, 2, 6 ½ and 7 ½.

cut away the squares and spots marked with an X

then trim away the triangles marked with diagonal lines to create tabs.

After the extra paper is cut off and the tabs are made your cardstock should look like the photo below

Now fold all your crease lines and make sure you have the bottom of the box facing up and add score tape/sticky strip to all the tabs. (photo below)

Turn box over and add sticky strip to 3 sides of the box. (do not add it to the larger side that was scored at 2” and 3” yet) excuse the extra score line on the left it was a mistake. Photo below

Flip it over again and add your designer paper to the large space. My dsp is cut at 1 ¾ x 4

Move to the other end of the box, and using a circle punch, punch a hole that will make your tab when your box is done.  

Now carefully fold your box except the end with the dsp and fold in your tabs. Next, apply snail adhesive to the side flaps that are next to your dsp and fold them inside the box. Your box should now look like this.  

Finish by decorating how you would like. I added ribbon and a flower. Then cut printer paper in 1/4's and fill your box for scratch paper or with cards. You can see the punched tab on the photo below.

Santa and his Elves.

Well Christmas is over and I did not get all the projects I wanted to make completed. (do we ever?) But I did manage to get 25 little christmas bags made for my daughters school party and was able to make the little snowman tea light candles as ornaments with her class as their craft at their party so it was not a total loss.

There are always so many things I want to get done over the holiday season between thanksgiving and christmas. One year I would like to be able to get everything checked off my list. Just once! This year I didn't even get my Christmas cards sent out so that seems like a major fail for me. I made them. Not 100+ like I wanted but I did make over 30 to send out to family and friends. I had them all signed and in the envelopes and I brought them upstairs to mail but had to do something in the kitchen and was afraid they would get something spilled on them so I put them up. Do you think I have been able to find them? NO!  It is now Dec 26th, Christmas is over and I still have not found those darn cards! Oh well maybe I will still mail them when I find them. Or at least I will have a jumpstart on next year.



Here are the cute little bags I made for the goody bags for her class! Aren't they cute! Obviously these have been all over pinterest and other blogs so I can not take credit for the idea.  The one picture I think I used for inspiration came from this blog and was from 2009!

The box in a bag instructions are from splitcoaststampers tutorials section and I used real red and lucky limeade as my primary colors for my bag.  Some silver glimmer paper and black ribbon made adorable belts. Since I didn't start with Stampin' Up! until last year the round tab punch that I wanted to use was already retired and I just didn't like any of the other ones for the bag closure.  I have a cameo and thought I would just cut them out but I kind of had to make my own pattern and size it but I think in the end it worked out wonderfully and all the little kids LOVED them! It was well worth the time it took to make them all. 

Take a look at My Paper Pumpkin.....

Have you tried My Paper Pumpkin yet? No? You don't know what it is? Well I will tell you, better yet, let me show you!

Here is the June My Paper Pumpkin Kit so you can see exactly the type of things you get and how quick and easy they are to make!! It's a great product for anyone wanting to make cute products to give but not wanting to take a lot of time, or money to get started! These kits also make wonderful surprises for kids, grandkids or college students! What a great thing to receive in your mailbox each month other than junk mail and bills! 

Previous kits have included cards, journals and even a cute little brag book!

Don't miss out on the great kit sure to come directly to your door in July! But hurry! If you want to get started with My Paper Pumpkin you must sign up by July 9th to get a kit in July. Please Note that everyone who joins will receive the Welcome Kit their first month that includes a clear block to be used with all the great stamps that you will receive in future kits. 

Open House Info

Back in the saddle

 It has been forever since I have been blogging. Mostly because I just have not been creating anything but in the past few weeks I have finally gotten back into crafting again!  I made 5 cards yesterday, they are all pretty much the same except the color schemes. And they were cased from Dawn McVeys Blog, here. She also has an awesome tutorial for making the gorgeous flowers. (Note to self, stop by the local library sale and pick up some old books!)

Sorry the picture isn't very clear, I uploaded from my phone and had to email it so it became blurry when I enlarged it. I know I said 5 cards and I did make 5 cards, I just hadn't made the 5th one when I took the picture.  The scallop punch for the flowers, the scallop border punch and most of the cardstock are from stampin' up as is the little "just because" saying on the tags.