Things are lovely here– I am having such a wonderful time with Miss Vivian.  But because I’m spending so much time with her, crafting is at a minimum these days– the best reason to be taking a break!  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few projects going on!

First of all, I am doing another photo-a-day album like I did in 2010 using a Project Life kit.  And since it’s leap year, it’s a Project 366 this time around! It seems like everyone in the entire scrapbooking world is doing some variation of a Project Life project this year, so it’s nothing earth shattering.  I decided shortly after I found out that I was pregnant that I would do the photo-a-day style scrapbook as a combination baby book and family album for this year, since I knew that I would be taking SO MANY photos and would be super overwhelmed thinking about scrapbooking them for my normal 12×12 albums.  This way, the photos and memories from this year are documented in a much more manageable way.  In the future, when I have more crafty time, I will probably make some 12×12 pages from the most special photos, but I won’t feel the pressure to do them all.

In 2010, I learned that if I had the little journaling cards pre-placed in the slots, I was so much more likely to keep on top of writing them each day.  In December, when I got my page protectors and journaling cards, I spent an evening slipping the journaling cards into all the pockets for the whole year. This way, I don’t have to think too hard about picking what card I want to use if I don’t have the time. At the end of the day, or on the next day, I try to take a moment to write down a thought or memory on one of the cards. Sometimes if it’s a longer thought, and I’m not sure if it will fit on a little card, I’ll write it out on scrap paper to put it onto a bigger card later. So far this year, I have had one bigger card of journaling per week.

Plus, I am attempting to mix it up a bit, since I’m not doing my regular 12×12 scrapbooking these days (I’ll get back to it one of these days, when Miss V has a more predictable schedule!). I’m trying to take some time each week to add some embellishments– label stickers, decorative tape, etc.– to the cards so that it’s not just straight out-of-the-box this time around.  It satisfies a little bit of the creative itchiness!

I take photos every day, but I don’t necessarily upload/edit them the same day… even though I keep in mind which one I will be using for my photo-of-the-day.  When I have the time (maybe every few days or so, hopefully), I process them in small batches and keep them in a special album in PSE until there are free prints or free shipping sales at Shutterfly to print them in big batches (this isn’t any different from my method in 2010, or the way I plan ahead for my regular scrapbook pages).

When Vivian was born, my parents got out my baby photo albums and brought them when they came to visit.  It was really fun to look through them and see how much she looks like me as a baby sometimes!   However, the photo albums are unfortunately the sticky “magnetic” page kind, which, aside from being non-archival, are falling apart.  So when my mom left two of the albums with me so I could scan some of the photos for myself, I decided it would be a good idea to take the photos out completely, organize them chronologically, and put them into new (archival) albums. I have really enjoyed seeing the captions my mom wrote on the back of the prints, so when I slip the photos into the new albums, I’m intending to copy the captions next to the photos.

And there’s other stuff, too….  I am working on a framed monogram for a friend, and I eventually hope to add custom monograms to my Etsy shop. In the hours leading up to delivering Vivian (seriously!) I was working on a couple of PhD ornaments, and I’ve stocked up on glass balls so that I’m ready for graduation season!

Oh, and by the way, I got my Corsica photobook printed and it looks fabulous!  I’m hoping to do a post about the finished product sometime in the near-ish future!

What have you been up to?

I based the letter’s design on an alphabet found in THIS book (also used for other monogram projects in the past) and framed it in a floating mat frame like the others I’ve used for my framed paper illustration projects.  Unlike the monogram cards in the past (that have to survive mailing in an envelope), I did leave some of the tendrils un-adhered so that they would have a more three-dimensional quality inside the floating-mat frame.

She was born on Nov. 30 just after 2:00 am.

She is a source of unceasing delight to us!  I can’t believe that she is already one week old! We are just so happy.

I’ll be taking a bit of a blogging break…  But I do have one post that I prepared before her birth that will auto-post tomorrow. 

That layout means a lot to me– I put a lot of love (and hand-stitching!!) into it, so I was over the moon when I got contacted by Creating Keepsakes that it had been selected for publication.  I told my parents about the fact that it was going to be published, but I didn’t tell my dad that the layout was about him & me!

I got my copy in the mail last week, but I didn’t share right away because my dad reads my blog, and I wanted to surprise him with a copy of the magazine in person!

You can check it out yourself– have a look at the Creating Keepsakes special issue “Scrapbooking Holidays & Celebrations”, page 46!

My title didn’t quite stand out enough from the stripy paper, so I adhered it to vellum and used foam adhesive behind the letters to pop the vellum off the page.

The journaling is written on the die-cut chipboard packaging from a Prima rhinestone swirl.  I used the bling a while ago on a different project, but the packaging was too pretty to throw away!  I’m glad that I found a use for it on this layout.  (It also fits into the Products You Love Nov. 2011 class challenge at Two Peas)

In my album, this layout faces my Thanksgiving 2009 layout, so I used similar products so that they would harmonize nicely.

Supplies:
patterned paper: My Mind’s Eye So Sophie (Sisters Circular Bliss, Open Your Heart Berry Stem, Happy For You Precious Stripe)
cardstock: Recollections (kraft), the Paper Studio (cream)
vellum: the Paper Studio
twine: My Mind’s Eye Lime Twist (Happy Go Lucky Together)
title: Silhouette SD with fonts Anagram and Wendy Medium (welded)
border punch: Fiskars Sunburst
journaling pen: Ranger Inkssentials white opaque pen
aqua pigment ink: Stampabilities

layout inspired by “sketch” of THIS layout by Pam Brown from the Echo Park blog

A psalm of praise. Of David.

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All your works praise you, LORD;
your faithful people extol you.
They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
The LORD watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.

My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

(read this Psalm and others at BibleGateway)

We got to meet Husband’s best friend’s girlfriend (and now wife!) for the first time– and it was a really fun lunch.  As we drove away, Husband and I kept talking about how wonderful they were (are) together.

I made this page combining two challenges:  the Two Peas in a Bucket Stretch Your Sketch class for Nov. 2011:

and the BasicGrey blog Use a Punch challenge.  As you can see, I went to town with my border punches!

Aside from using it to make a few borders, I created a ruffle strip down the right hand side of the page…

…and I punched the edge of a strip of paper before folding it into a rosette.

Supplies:
patterned paper: BasicGrey Kioshi (Lilo, Fuji, Ran)
cardstock: American Crafts (white textured), Paper Reflections (pale blue and sea green), etc.
border punches: Martha Stewart (Doily Lace, Bubble Bath), Fiskars (Apron Lace, Sunburst)
alphas: BasicGrey Kioshi alphabet stickers
twine: My Mind’s Eye Lime Twist (Happy Go Lucky Together)
pearls: Queen & Co.
brad: Making Memories
journaling pen: Sharpie Ultra Fine Point
sketch: Two Peas in a Bucket Stretch Your Sketch class for Nov. 2011

Check this out!  A paper-pieced gingerbread house banner that I made, inspired by the opening artwork for a CK article, is featured today on the CK blog!!

using this sketch:

and some lovely Lily Bee supplies.  I love how I can combine products from a number of collections (I think four are represented here…) and have them coordinate so well!

Some detail photos:

Supplies:
patterned paper: Lily Bee Audrey (Classy), Lily Bee Christmas Town (Christmas Window)
die cuts: Lily Bee Lovely Die Cut Frames, Lily Bee French Couture Fashion Essentials
stickers: Lily Bee Christmas Town
alphas: the Paper Studio Embossed Alpha Sticker Black
twine: My Mind’s Eye Lime Twist Happy Go Lucky Together
pearls: Queen & Co.
Silhouette SD: “sun” die cut shape out of scrap cardstock
journaling pen: Sharpie Ultra Fine Point
foam adhesive: American Crafts This to That
sketch: Lily Bee Sketch Challenge #4

Basically, I pieced random coral and aqua fabric scraps onto a muslin base.  Because I knew I couldn’t be trusted to do a very random job (haha), I stole an idea from my sister-in-law:  I “numbered” the five fabrics that I had, got out a trusty 6-sided die and rolled to see which fabric would come next (a roll of “6″ meant re-roll).  I have to admit, I did cheat every once in a while– since it’s a linear design, I didn’t want any repeats, and sometimes I just wanted to make sure the the fabrics were more “equally” represented.  But on the whole, the method was great!

I sewed the pieced strip between two leftover strips of paisley eyelet, hemmed the short ends, and stitched the long ends into an envelope-style pillow cover to fit a form that I had on hand.