Week In The Life | Tuesday

Today I'm sharing my Tuesday pages of my Week in the Life Album. To check out Monday, and find links to supplies I used that weren't included in the kit you can go here.

The journaling cards in this photo are all old Studio Calico cards from my stash.

The top left card is from my Studio Calico stash.

Thank you for coming by to see my pages for Tuesday. I added pocket pages from my stash because I didn't think my photos would hold up to being touched a bunch when people flip through the album. They added a bit of bulk to the album, but I'd rather have a bit of bulk than have to reprint photos.

I'll be back on Friday sharing my Wednesday pages!

Have a great day

-Alex

Project Life | Week 25

So much coffee being had today. I've noticed that I generally drink more on Mondays. No reason really, Mondays are actually my work Thursday, so you'd think I would drink less coffee. Anyway, today I'm sharing week 25. More Studio Calico cards this week, and a stamp from Kellie Stamps (here), though that set isn't currently available, she's working on re-releasing some of her old sets in digital.

The left side; I hadn't planned to document two layouts this week, but I had few photos (as usual lately). I used Kellie Stamps on two of the cards (this is bullshit and summer view).

The right side; it wouldn't be my life if it didn't have an adorable photo of Gracie, and a picture of my desk at work. When we stopped for ice cream after work I snapped a photo because it was something we were doing quite often, and deserved to be documented.

The bottom left card is a photo of the birthday card I made my mom. We had dinner this week with the family to celebrate her birthday and my Uncle's birthday (we do them together in June even though her birthday is in July, and his is in June).

Thanks for coming by to see my spread for this week. On Wednesday I'm sharing some more of my Week In The Life album (Tuesday). I'll see you all back here in a couple days.
Have a great day!

Week In The Life | Monday

Today I'm sharing Monday of my Week in the Life album. I wanted to share this earlier, but I didn't get it done until recently because I kept changing things and taking out things to try and make it thinner, but that didn't work out. If you have questions feel free to leave them in the comments, this has a lot of photos, so I won't throw a ton of words into it.

I stapled some of the plastic numbers to the front cover since I didn't put the year onto the spine of the album.

The little circle symbols are the freebie from THIS Design Essentials release The wood veneers are from my stash, the patterned papers and chipboard heart circle are from the kit.

I used the free digital word art that Ali put up along with some graphics for blogs and Instagram.

The word art on my first photo from each day is from this set by Ali Edwards the stamp on each daily review is from Kellie Stamps (but not currently available).

On the back of each 3x8 pocket I used these stamps  from Ali Edwards, to stamp things that happened during each third of the day. On one photo from each day, I used the remaining numbers to show what time my day started (when it started on the hour, not halfway through).

The Monday card on the top left is available in the same digital set that I used on my first photo for each day (link above).

Thank you so much for coming by to see my photos from Monday. I had so much fun putting this together, and trying to use as much of the kit as I could without making my album too bulky (and clearly failed). I surprised myself with how much of the kit I managed to use on this project, but I'm also so excited that I actually completed the project.

I hope you have a great weekend. I'll be back on Wednesday of next week sharing my Tuesday pages.

-Alex

23 | Things About Me

I've done similar things in the past that ranged from 10-20 things about me. I wanted to do this again, but be more purposeful in what I'm sharing (if that makes sense). I want to focus more on sharing things that you may not know about me (nothing as obvious as "I'm a ginger").

The word art on my photo comes from Ali Edwards (here).

1. I make a lot of terrible puns every chance I get. It annoys my sister, but Jon and I think they're hilarious so it's okay.
2. I have a cyst on my brain - currently not life-threatening, but a head injury would be very very bad for me.
3. When I was little, my older brother and I woke up before my parents and decided to play "hair dresser" in which he used safety scissors to cut the curls off my hair. I hated that all the old ladies would comment on them, and touch them, and I thought that if I didn't have curly hair any more, they'd stop touching my hair and telling me how "beautiful" it was. I looked like a little boy and had some bald spots until my hair grew back (I need to make a layout about this)
4. I've had a cat as a pet for as long as I can remember. My parents got one when my little brother was born (I was 2) and when she died in late 2010, I got Socks from a friend of mine.
5. I grew up without internet at home until 2006. My mom was terrified of hackers and viruses. 
6. I got my ears pierced when I was 10, and again when I was 11 or 12., however haven't worn earings since highschool
7. My hair wasn't straightened until I was 16 - one of my friends did it for me before going to a New Year's party. I didn't own my own good straightened until I was 18 or 19
8. I know at least 12 gingers who live or lived in this area while I was growing up - they're rare, but it's weird that I know so many
9. Until this year, I never drank coffee in any form - now I drink 1-2 mocha's everyday to get my coffee fix
10. I'm a home-body. I'd rather sit at home and watch Netflix or read a book than go out and socialize. Because of this, I've lost quite a few friends, but it's who I've always been. Plus working nights doesn't leave much time for socializing
11. The thought of driving makes me super anxious, but I know that if I ever want to live outside of town, I need to get my license
12. My sister is the only one of my three siblings that I see/talk to on a regular basis. I haven't seen my older brother since...Early July, which is completely normal, even though we live in the same town, and his house is literally a 3 minute walk from here
13. I struggle to keep plants alive. Unless they'll survive on whatever water and light comes from the sky, they will probably die within a couple of weeks. I want to garden more, but I never know how to properly care for the plants, or tell the difference between weed and plant
14. I've already planned mine and Jon's wedding on Pinterest and in my head. We've been talking about it for a year or so now, and the only thing stopping us is money, and all the time we'll have to put into making it happen. Maybe in 2 years
15. I hate throwing things away. I have two bins of clothes from highschool/college in our basement that I can't bear to part with, even though none of them currently fit me. I keep telling myself that I'll change my lifestyle so I can wear them again, but so far nothing
16. I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have 14,000+ pins, and a lot of them are things I want to try, but can never find the time to try. I remember when I had 9,000 pins and Jon told me I was crazy. That was last year.
17. I love kids. When I was in highschool, I babysat instead of getting a "normal" job. I spent most, if not all, of my weekends babysitting for the same family. I was their babysitter for 3 years, and was almost like family. It was the best feeling in the world.
18. I'm extremely indecisive. We have been talking about painting our house since last summer, but I have a hard time making a final decision on the colours. I don't want to spend the money on it if I'm not going to like it when we're finished. Luckily we finally picked colours, and we're making a plan to do it next spring/summer/fall. 
19. I complain. A lot. I'm working on not complaining so much, and trying to have a better outlook on everything. But with all of the negative things happening lately, it's been really tough to keep a positive outlook on things.
20. My relationship with my mom wasn't and isn't always that great. I love her, and I love doing things with her when I have the time, but sometimes (as with everyone) I just feel suffocated by her, but I'm still grateful that I can have such a close relationship with her that I took for granted as a teenager.
21. I have never in my entire life had a tan. I've been 50 shades of red/pink, but never had a tan. One year I got 3rd degree burns on my back, from an expired sunscreen, and being in the sun too long. Since then I try not to spend too much time outside when it's really warm.
22. I love camping, but I haven't been camping in 14 years. My family used to camp every summer with my mom's parents until the summer after her dad died. The year after that the lake we would camp at flooded to extreme levels and we stopped camping. We drove past that lake on our way home from Manitoba, and I don't even recognize it. The water is so high, and a lot of the cabins and trees have been washed away or removed.
23. I refuse to kill spiders. I'm scared of them, but I'd rather put a glass over it and wait for Jon to kill it, than kill it myself. I have no issue killing flies and other bugs, but spiders are where I draw the line.

Thank you for coming by to learn some new things about me. I'd definitely love to learn more about you, so feel free to share some things about you that might not be well-known.

I'll be back on Friday sharing Monday of my Week in the Life album. Have a great day!

Project Life | Week 24

It's Monday again, and today I'm sharing week 24. Another spread I had finished a while ago, but didn't photograph. I used cards from Studio Calico, and the title card came from a Becky Higgins kit, I just can't remember which one. Possibly a Dear Lizzy mini kit.

The left side. The girl on the train was so good, I couldn't out it down! Those Thrive t-shirts were sold to help Jen Lake pay for another surgery, you can learn more about her here. I gave one away, and bought a bunch for myself, and a few for my mom and my sister. Jon even got on board so I bought him a couple. The bottom right photo makes me laugh. Jon holds Gracie like a baby, and he did it while we were playing Settlers' of Catan. It was cute!

The right side. A lot less going on, but documented my organizing and creative endeavours this week. Finished a second book as well. It's no wonder I'm so far ahead of my challenge.

Thanks for coming by to check out this spread. I know it's nothing fancy, but this system was designed to be simple, and I'm a simple person.

Have a great day! I'll be back on Wednesday sharing a 23 post. This one is 23 Things About Me.
-Alexandria

Rainbow Alphabet

Good morning from Gracie, and I. When I was photographing this spread, she photobombed me again. It's so cute that she wants to be a part of it. Today I'm sharing a layout that I made about my nephew. It's about time I documented him a little while he's still small and adorable. I love that his personality is starting to come out, and he's such a dork.

Here's the full spread. I love the colours, and I think it turned out perfectly. I decided to do the letters in rainbow order, and love how the different patterns compliment and contrast each other. I put the photo on the O and used little letter stamps to stamp his name above the photo. I stamped the date below the photo and journaled in the bottom right corner. I added a couple of embellishments to corresponding colours and called it done.

Here's a close up. I cut the letters out of white cardstock, and added rainbow order patterned papers to the back of the page. I cut them to make sure they didn't overlap another letter, but so that I had enough to tape it to the back without it falling off. It turned out beautifully.

Thanks so much for coming by to check out this spread. I'm having so much fun making more use of my silhouette, and on my birthday wishlist is the attachment for the sketch pens, and some sketch pens. The possibilities will be endless then! Have a great day!

-Alexandria

Stamped 3x4 Cards | Kellie Stamps

Today I'm sharing some 3x4 cards I made using some physical stamps from Kellie Stamps. I know that she has recently switched to digital, and I'm so excited for her, but I really did love the physical stamps. Just means I'll have to get better at doing hybrid projects.

 Before I found out that Kellie was switching her stamps to digital, I knew she had a Design Team call coming up. I got to work making some cards to use in my submission. When I found out she was going digital, I put together a different batch of projects for my submission.

First up, I cut a bunch of 3x4 cards from regular, untextured white cardstock. I cut 10 in case I made mistakes, and I wasn't sure how many I was going to make.

I painted this one with blue watercolours and then set it aside to dry. When it was dry I used two different stamps. I added the dashed line with a pen.

 For this one. I stamped the to do list in the center of the card. I put a piece of washitape over that section and trimmed it to the size I wanted it to be. Then I used the #coffeelover stamp to stamp the background over and over until I was happy.At first I wasn't going to do the whole card, but anyone who loves coffee knows how out of hand we get sometimes.

 I stamped the background using the love stamp and grey ink, then stamped the love and you in black over top of it.

 This was one of the first ones I made. I stamped the center sentiment in black, covered it in washitape, all the way across the center and then stamped good times on top. I stamped it right on the washitape so that they would line up. When I was finished I carefully peeled off the tape and this was the result.

I bought what I thought was white embossing powder, but ended up being "clear finish" embossing powder. I stamped with versamark, added the embossing powder, used my heat gun, let it cool and painted over it with watercolours. I love how it turned out.

I love the little bit of texture, and that you don't necessarily notice it at first. I love how it turned
out.

Same as the others, I stamped the center portion, taped it off and stamped the background. This is what my brain looks like when I'm frustrated about things, so I see myself making more of this card in the future for sure!

Thanks for coming by to see these cards! I have so many stamps that I see more stamped cards for my Project Life in the future.

I'll be back on Friday sharing a 12x12 layout that I made about my nephew. Have a great day!
-Alexandria

Project Life | Week 23

 Monday already? Today I'm sharing Week 23 of my Project Life. I often wonder why I don't simply share the full spread and call it good. I don't really embellish my pages, and they're generally simple. This week I used some more Studio Calico cards and a sticker from my stash.

Here's the left side. I usually use alphabet stickers for my title, but because the words on the card look hand written, I just used my white pen to write the week.

Here's the right side. The circle camera on the green card was punched from another card and just glued to that one. I added the chipboard glasses from My Mind's Eye Cut &  Paste line. They've been in my stash forever and I finally got around to using them. I stuck the spring card to a patterned card because I didn't have a photo for that slot.

I've noticed that as I get further and further into the year, I take less and less photos. My routines become mundane, and I feel like I've documented them a hundred times already. Not that it's a bad thing to document similar things over and over (I have probably a thousand photos of my desk), I just can't bring myself to take a photo of my coffee cup every day. Maybe next year.

Have a great day! I'll be back on Wednesday sharing some 3x4 cards I made using some Kellie Stamps from my stash.
-Alexandria

Read More Books 2014

Happy Friday friends! Today I'm sharing a layout I made while I was working through Ali Edwards' Type Class. It really helped me embrace using typed words in my journaling on my layouts, and it taught me different ways to use text (alpha stickers, hand journaling, typed journaling) on my layouts. I love this page so much, and it was the most fun way to document the 50 books I read last year.

Here's the layout. I added the red heart paper behind the photo, title and journaling. It was completely by accident that most of the books I chose for the photo were red, white and blue. I thought it was funny when I printed the photo, and so I added red and blue to the layout. This page is 8.5 x 11 and it was a huge change for me. I usually do 12x12, and while that has it's own challenges, so does making smaller layouts. I love how this turned out, and I'm working on one to document the books I read this year as well.

Here's another close up. I used two fonts for the text (can't remember either of them of course) and made the numbers bold to break up the text a little bit. If you want to see all 50 books I read last year, you can check out my profile on Goodreads (here) and follow me! (It's only showing 49 books, but I did read 50, so I'll have to fix that). If you have any book recommendations, I'd love to check them out. Just leave them in the comments! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

-Alexandria

Gracie Love

Good morning! It's so nice to be back and sharing this layout with you. After the crazy-ness at the start of August, I decided to take a month off from the blog. It was so nice to create just because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. I have a lot of projects on my plate now, and I'm so excited to share some of them with you!

Today I'm sharing a layout I made about our cat Gracie. I used this cut file from I Heart Studio, and some pattern papers and embellishments from my stash. I'm trying to use what I have before I buy any more things I don't need or have space for right now.

This page is mostly simple. And it throws me off a bit that it's not symmetrical, but I'm embracing it's imperfections anyway. My favourite part is the paper layers down the right side. These papers are the same ones I used in the Love Themed Mini Album (here), and I just love how they look together.

This page has lots of paper layers, and love put into it. It was so much fun to create, and captures how much I love Gracie.

Thank  you for coming by to see this spread. It's definitely not my best work, but I've made worse layouts. I still love this page, but there are things I dislike about it of course. I'll see you all on Friday when I share another traditional page! I hope you have a wonderful day!
-Alexandria