{Pocket Pages or PL} Anyone?

Can you believe that in 2017 I did not do one scrapbook page or PL spread? I really just didn't have the desire to do it. But this year, I am in a challenge with some online friends to do 4 pages a month through October. This will then give me 40 pages at least this year. I am also challenging myself to use a lot of my old stash. Already in this second week of January, I have used ribbon, PL cards, stickers, pocket pages, etc., that have not been touched in well over a year. I am enjoying this immensely.

So, today I wanted to share with you my first three spreads that I have done. I did go back and do the last week of December, and as I am caught up, I may continue to work backwards through 2017. Here is that spread:

Then here are the first two weeks of 2018:

I am not doing this by week or anything that puts pressure on me. I am putting the photos I enjoy in each spread, and when the two pages are complete, I stop there and move on to another spread. Because I am doing it that way, you will notice my title cards for each page are done by the 'days of . . .' not weeks. I create these cards in Photoshop Elements, and then I stamp the date and whatever else I decide to stamp on the 4x4 card.

I hope you enjoy my pages. What are you trying to accomplish this year with your art or scrapbooking? Thanks for stopping by!

Personal Printer Bag!

If you remember my post from a week or so ago, I compared the differences between photos printed from personal photo printers. If you missed that post, click here. My newest printer and favorite printer is the Epson Picture Mate PM400. I love to keep my little printer in a bag because I take it downstairs to work on. It's so much easier to carry everything that way. Plus if I want to take it to a crop or something, it's packed and ready to go and the dust also stays away. However, the directions for this printer clearly state that you cannot turn it on its side because the ink could leak. Well, because of its size, any bag I had the printer would have had to be turned onto its side to carry in the bag. Darn! So the search for an appropriate bag began. I found one, and I can say that I am extremely pleased!

The measurements of this little printer are 6.5 x 16.4 x 10.9 inches, and the Thirty-One Perfect Party Set bag works perfect! I am now naming it the "Perfect Photo Printer Set." :) It's actually an expensive bag but you can find used ones for as low as $29 on eBay. And probably any 9x13 dish carrier would work. Let's look at what I can get inside.

Here you see the bag closed. It can expand to hold even more but I do not need to use it 

that way currently.

Inside I can fit the printer, ink, and there is space for a little something else.

Or if I want, I can put extra paper inside. The ink and paper would also work well 

together in that spot.

Or the paper can also fit in the top pocket. Here you can see four packages of 

paper in the top. I could fit more there if I wanted.

Also inside the bag without using the expanded option, I can put extra Project Life pages 

or even pages in progress on top of the printer! Note that I do 8 1/2 x 11 pages. 

The 12x12 pages would not fit in here.

And here you see that it fits perfectly without opening it up to the expanded option. This bag 

would certainly hold a lot more if it were expanded.

I am super pleased with this bag. It is perfect for this printer! Now I can just grab it with my pages in progress inside and take to any location in the house or on vacation or to a crop. Hope this helps some of you that want a bag also for your printer. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!

A Personal Printer Comparison: Epson Charm, Epson PM400, and Canon Selphy

Okay, I have wanted to upgrade my Epson Charm for sometime. I have had it for years, and it has served me well. Anyway, I did a photo comparison so that this may help some of you trying to make the same decision. Let's look at what I did and what I discovered.

1. These images were not edited. I just added text to help people that look at the photo. 
2. The image was printed on Epson Matte paper for the Charm and the PM400 prints. 
3. The image was printed on Canon glossy paper for the Selphy print. 
4. I always felt the Charm printed dark and would be frustrated editing photos. You can see how much darker that print is from the rest. 
5. The PM400 prints a bit lighter so I won't need to edit the lighting in photos. YES! 
6. The Selphy the color is not as rich as you can see but still not bad. 
7. I used the PL app to print these two photos on one 4x6 sheet. 
8. The photo closest to the true coloring of my boys is the PM400 print.

 So, here is the comparison. What do you think?

Edited to add that I received the Epson Semi-glossy paper in the mail today. I just tried it out, and it is extremely similar to the matte paper. Since it is hard to find the Epson Matte paper (unless you buy it with the Charm ink cartridge), I will use the Semi-gloss from now on. Really nice paper.

Feel free to ask questions below. Thanks for stopping by!

Triple {Art} Cards

Today I wanted to share an update with you. I have shared this tip with you before but I am doing something a bit different now. To see my original post from 2013 and the paper I use to print my art, click here.

In that original post, I mentioned that I wanted to scan my art but it was a low priority. Now I scan my art while I am working on a project. Sometimes it means scanning the art before I put a title or scripture on it so that I just have the background, and sometimes it means scanning after the art is complete. I also no longer just create 3x4 cards. I also use the scraps and adhere them to the Project Life grid journaling cards. They come in 4x6, 3x4, and 4x4 sizes. This allows me to make more cards and have a bit of variety. Here are a few of my recent 3x4 cards. 

The only issue I have found with doing this is that the printer does not always print true colors. In the photo above, you can see the cards on the bottom left printed red when really it was pink. The orange and other colors also did not print correctly. Here is the original art: 

That can be a bit frustrating as I really wanted the pink to print not red but I just deal with it. But the good news is that this does not always happen. For instance, the very first photo printed true colors. I just wanted you to be aware so that when you print your art, you might also see this happen. Other than that, I really love scanning my art and having to use over again on other creations. I hope you will give it a try. Thanks for joining me today!

Product List (click product tags for more information)  

View blog post for supplies

Organizational {Friday} Paint Center

Many of you may remember the Ultimate Tray from Stampin' Things. I shared it with you and showed you how I stored my PL cards in the tray:

You can see that post with all of the details by clicking here. Well, I then ended up moving my cards to my Raskog cart, which you have also seen:

So, what was I going to do with the awesome Ultimate Tray that Sue made? Well, it is perfect for so many things. I decided to use it on my art journaling table, and it has become my little paint center. I LOVE looking at all of the color. Color just makes me happy!

Look at all of that color! Yum! The Ultimate Tray stands perfectly on end since the ends with the handles are about 7 1/2" deep! Look how much fun stuff I can keep on top:

That's a lot of great stuff! Then inside the cubbies, I keep:

• paint dabbers
• Claudine Hellmuth paints
• Crayons
• Neocolor crayons
• Box of oil pastels
• Squares of bubble wrap ready to use
• and other things I use on my art journaling pages

If you are interested in this tray, please click here. Also, remember the "Joy Through the Journey Benefit" is tomorrow to help Sue and her family as she battles cancer. You can read the complete details by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed Friday!

***Note: Unfortunately, my dear friend Sue lost her battle with cancer so this tray is no longer available. There are several things on the market; however, that are similar.***

Organizational {Friday} IKEA Goodies Means Changes

I placed an IKEA order last week. The closest store to me is an hour away. So, I loaded up my cart, and paid $26 shipping for the goodies noted below. It certainly was worth it as it saved me time and gas. My box arrived earlier this week, and here is what was inside:

• 2 Raskog carts in teal blue
• 2 pkgs. of Grundtal containers
• A Bygel wire basket
• 3 Antonious containers

Today I wanted to show you the first Raskog cart. I have moved my original grey Raskog cart to my pantry. The second Raskog will be used for my art journaling supplies. Here is a short video of the new teal filled cart for Project Life. I still store my cards the same. To see how I store them, please click here for that post.

If you couldn't tell from the video, my favorite new piece is the wire basket. I should have gotten more than one of those! The links for each product are noted in the bulleted section above. Just click on the product name.

If you are interested in printing Project Life Card Design Reference sheets, please click here. Not all of the kits are there but most of them are. It really is a handy reference! I just printed them double-sided and keep in the pink binder.

I hope you find something helpful here today! Thanks for stopping by! I always appreciate you! Blessings,

Organizational {Friday} Embellishment Center

So, how do you store all of the tiny things? Maybe you store some of them in an old spice rack or some on your Clip-it-Up. But what about those things you don't want to put there or that don't have packaging or you just don't know what to do with? Maybe you have these items stuffed in a drawer and you just hunt for what you want. 

Well, today I wanted to share my new embellishment center. I purchased this old wooden cassette tape holder from eBay, and I thought it would be great for embellishments. Some people use these to store their ink pads. I already have great storage for my ink pads already so I did not want to use it for that. You can click here to see that storage (scroll to the last photo). 

Note: The awesome papercrafting ruler in the photo was given to me by my precious dad. Thanks Dad!

First, I went on a search for boxes that would fit these small spaces so that I could use this unit for some of the embellishments I had stored in drawers. After purging some items and organizing this unit, I freed up at least 4 drawers in my Scrap 'n Cube. Yeah! Now my drawers are ready for other larger things. I found these clear boxes from clearbags.com that fit the spaces very nicely.

These boxes measure 4 3/8 x 3 x 8 5/16. The packaging of many embellishments take up a lot of room so moving them to these little boxes was perfect.  And for those embellishments that do not come in packaging (such a tickets or tiny envelopes), now they are easily stored and labeled in these boxes.

To start, I made labels for each section. I took 5 empty boxes and covered the sides with colorful washi tape. I then used a clear label to show what is in each column. I really didn't need to do that but I also wanted to bring come color to this piece.

Each box is individually labeled with what I have inside. I also cut a piece of the packaging to slip inside just in case I needed to know more about the product. Things I am currently storing in this new embellishment center include:

• ATG refills
• Envelopes (tiny)
• Paper bags (small)
• Paperclips (decorative)
• Sequins
• Tags (tiny)
• Tickets

. . . and more. But as you can see, I still have a lot of open space. I would rather have growing room than have it filled up already! Other things you could keep in here are:

• Buttons
• Flair
• Flowers (small)
• Inks
• Washi tape
• Wood veneers

The possibilities are endless! Some people even lie the unit on a desk and keep their Project Life cards in these spaces. I love my Project Life storage, so I did not need this unit for that. Click here to see my Project Life storage.

The slots are also the perfect size to store my ATG refills. I store those boxes in the far right column. You can see them in the very first photo.

If you want to search for one of these units, you can search on Napa Valley Wood Cassette Storage. They come in many different sizes. I chose the largest which has 100 slots. I always think it's better to have more space than not enough.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you are able to get some great ideas from today's post. Have a blessed Friday!

{8 1/2 x 11} My Way of Scrapping Project Life

Note: This has turned out to be a rather lengthy post. So, grab a cup of hot chocolate or tea or something fun, and I hope you find this helpful.

In 2013, I really perfected how I approach Project Life or any other divided page protector scrapping. Most of you know that I do not scrap 12x12. It is just too big for me. I scrap 6x6, 8x8, 9x9, and 8 1/2 x 11. Mostly for my albums now it is 6x6 and 8 1/2 x 11. Love these two sizes. And for Project Life, I know most people choose 12x12. Again, that is just too big for me. I tried it in 2013, and I quickly knew it would not work for me. The 6x8 albums are a cute size but too small for this style of scrapping for me. I also want to be able to put in my regular, fancy scrapbook pages too into these albums. So, I have settled on using 8 1/2 x 11 albums. It is working so wonderfully for me but finding 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors can be difficult. We will discuss that shortly.

Weekly, Monthly, What?

I put photos in my album by month. I made three 8 1/2 x 11 Month-in-Review albums for my girls for Christmas. That concept showed me that approaching Project Life monthly is a great way to handle it. Basically for 2014 thus far, I am just using the photos I like for January. If it takes a 2-page spread for the month, great. If it takes more than a 2-page spread and goes over several pages, great. I am not going to be a stickler about it. It's very freeing to just print my photos, journal, and add what I want without worrying that I don't have photos for a particular day or week even.

Where to Find 8 1/2 x 11 Page Protectors

In my album, I use 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors by WRMK, Stampin' Up, and The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby). I also cut down some of the Becky Higgins Project Life page protectors. I will share that below.

WRMK Page protectors 8.5x11 Ring (9-3.5x2.625 Photo Sleeves), 10 Pack, #50030-8 

The Paper Studio 8 1/2 x 11 Album Refill (4.25 x 5.25), 15 pack, #808998 (left)

The Paper Studio 8 1/2 x 11 Album Refill (3.25 x 5.25), 15 pack, #808881 (right)

Stampin' Up/Stampin' Memories 8 1/2 x 11 Divided Pages, Code 5040-00

These particular pages I found on eBay, and I must say they are my favorite pages. They are sturdy, and I love the layout. Unfortunately, I have not been able to ever find these again. I have no idea how old they even are. I have listed the product name and number here just in case you might be able to find them somewhere for yourself.

Cutting Down 12x12 Pages

I love to use and cut down the Becky Higgins Style H pages. Once cut, they fit beautifully in an 8 1/2 x 11 album. To do this: 

1. Place bottom of page protector at 11 15/16". Trim top portion off. 
2. Turn page protector so the top is now positioned at 11 3/8". Cut off the bottom. 
3. Using your sewing machine, sew bottom portion of the page protector to close the open section. You can also use washi tape for fun.

I keep a little note of these measurements on a card on my trimmer since this is something I do often.

Adding the Months

Since I am scrapping my extra photos monthly, I went ahead and created my 2014 cards for each month. I used Memory Box distressed dots paper, a free printable calendar from Pinterest, and I cut Quickutz letters for each month in black cardstock. The printable calendar I cannot find online again. My laptop crashed before I could pin or save it. I am so sorry. Click here to see the many printable calendars on Pinterest. I am sure you will find one you love and can use.

My First Pages

Here are my first pages for 2014. Now, I don't get fancy with my pages. This is about getting the photos in and the journaling down—that's it. A few embellishments here and there but that's all I add. In the end will my family know how everyone else was adding so much more? No. I am sure it won't even cross their minds. They want the photos and the story. That's how my approach was to the Month-in-Review albums I made for my girls. And they poured over them at Christmas. One daughter even commented "Thank you mommy. I was thinking the other day that 2013 was the best year ever. Now I have it in the album." That touched me so much because that's exactly the purpose! So, that's my approach to my 2014 album.

I hope this has been helpful to you in some small way. Have fun getting those photos printed and journaling complete. And remember, to keep track of my journaling and memorabilia, I use a binder I created just for this purpose. Click here to see that post. Have a blessed Tuesday!