#myselfiescrapbook | Week 1

Good morning! Today I'm sharing my pages for Week 1 of my selfie scrapbook. I'd hoped to share these sooner, but didn't  get them photographed before I left for my trip to Manitoba, so I'm sharing them now. Better late than never right?

For the beginning of my album, I took some inspiration from a Minibook workshop I took last year at Studio Calico. It was taught by Marcy Penner (one of my faves) and she had a lot of transparent elements, layers and different sized pages. I love that you can see right through my title page into the pages that come after it.

To start, I cropped my photo to a circle, and added the "My Story Matters" from this digital brush set by Ali Edwards. I used the PNG file as an overlay, and changed the colour to a light grey so that when I printed it, you could see through the letters. I typed out #myselfiescrapbook and cut it like a banner. I placed my photo in the pocket and stapled my photo to the pocket page (next to story) so that it wouldn't move around. I then stapled my banner on top of the pocket page.

I love how my photo looks even after I turn the page. It goes perfectly with the tag on the right.

Using the "I AM" stamp from Ali Edwards' One Little Word mini kit  I stamped onto the tag. Then in Word, I typed out a few things about me that were relevant to right now. I love that it offers a little glimpse into who I am, and what I like at the moment.

On the back of the tag, I used a frame from my stash (I believe it came in a Studio Calico kit) and a quote from Julie Gagen (found here).
When I was reading through Jen's intro post about #myselfiescrapbook I knew that I needed to include this quote in my album somewhere. I could have put it on the front of the tag, but decided that it was better for the back of the tag. I didn't want it to distract from my front page, but I love how perfectly it fit with the "my story matters" that I put on my front page.


Behind the tag, I have a little 2x4 pocket that was hidden behind the tag. Originally I thought about moving the tag, or changing the order of the pockets, but decided I was okay with it hiding behind the tag. It's almost like a little surprise when you turn the page.
The first weeks prompts included starting with my feet. I don't really take pictures of my feet, but after a few prompts that involve my feet, I'm a little obsessed with taking selfies that include my feet! This particular photo happened to include Gracie who is always near my feet in the morning.

The second prompt I did was "hands". I hate my hands. Like to the point that I do everything I can not to draw more attention than necessary, but for some reason I notice other people's hands and assume they're staring at mine. Anyways. Enough about my hands. I added a label and journaled straight onto the photo. The journaling on my photo is a short description of what they do/endure during the day.
On the right was "hair" (obviously). I had a wonderful hair day, and took advantage of the natural light in the craftroom. I wish my hair curled that nicely everyday, but since it doesn't I'm trying to embrace the imperfect curls as well. I printed some labels on vellum as well as cardstock and cut them out. Some are from Studio Calico, others are freebies I found on Pinterest. Just whatever I had saved on my computer.

Next up was "favourite shirt". This shirt is one of my favourites right now. I don't know why, I just really like it. Used a self-timer app on my phone to snap this photo.
On the right was "what I carry". I have 2 bags, and so I took a photo of each bag, and it's contents, and journaled about what's in each bag, and where I take it. The top bag was the one I take to work. It usually has my keys for work, a book, and a little zipper pouch full of random things that usually go between both bags (mints, advil, lotion, etc.). The bottom bag is my purse, which has my wallet, a TON of random candy and receipts and lists I forget to clean out of it, my glasses (that I never wear), some lotion, midol and there was a hair elastic, but I don't think it made it into the photo.

Next up was jewelry. I don't wear it much these days, but when I do, it's one of the necklaces in the top corner. The pearl was my very first birthday gift from Jon and I love it so much! The robot and mustache are ones I purchased in college, but still love. My favourite pieces, are two of my owl necklaces. Is it obvious that I'm obsessed with owls? I adhered the labels to a scrap of clear plastic that I cut to fit in the pockets. I used the same label shape on both sides of the top pocket, and a different shape for both sides of the bottom pocket.
The right page's prompt was "now let's see you". I was originally going to take a head to toe selfie, but was feeling like a whale that day, so I opted for just a photo of my face.

I'm definitely enjoying this project so much! I've loved seeing everyone's pages on Instagram, and in the link ups (that I'll be adding my link to). This project fits perfectly into my One Little Word prompt for this month, and I'll definitely be including a piece of this in there in some way.

If you haven't joined the #myselfiescrapbook, it's definitely never too late, and I absolutely suggest that you check out Jen's blog Sunlight & Air and jump on board. You might regret it for a little while, but you'll have so much fun!
Have a great weekend!
-Alexandria

FavouritesFriday | Instagram Accounts

Today I'm sharing some of my absolute favourite Instagram accounts, and a few things I love about each of them!

First up:
@ara_esp I've been following Ara and her paper creations since I created my crafty Instagram in 2012. At the time, I had 2 accounts, and only used my current one to post crafty things. I fell in love with her style and creativity. We've done a swap or two of crafty things, and I'm so glad that she's the first person I follwed, and still continue to follow!

@jesiiii I love her little wood paintings, and have been trying to save up to get a custom piece (or several) from her! Her creativity is inspiring, and I've fallen in love with her quirky style, her cat Digby, and her photos of abandoned buildings.

@littlepaperlane There are no words. I love seeing glimpses inside her little shop, and photos of her kids and their dog. Minty is easily my favourite Instagram kid on the planet. I love their Australian accents, and would absolutely love to meet their adorable little family. She's blunt, opinionated, and so so creative. I love seeing her window displays, and envy her creativity in making them.

@creatiate I don't even remember how I found this lovely human being. Her stamps are amazing, and I've also been saving for a bunch of them. I just love her creativity, and that she hand carves all of her stamps herself. That right there is the definition of small business. I've recommended her to TONS of people and I can't get enough of her creativity. She recently had a baby and isn't doing as much custom work, but the stamps listed in her shop are still beautiful pieces of work!

@jmm_crafts I love love love Harry & Bella (her cats), and love seeing them help her with her quilts. I love that she loves her cats as much as her hobby and shares them with the world! Makes me think of my cat every time I see hers trying to help her sew, or holding a quilt down. Cats are the cutest!

@angelascreativecorner Angela is the most creative human being I've ever seen. I love that she not only makes paper creations, but also makes cake pops, and sometimes even cupcakes. I love seeing all of her crafty projects and have definitely been inspired by her on more than one occasion!

@happiescrappie I'm definitely not a planner nerd, but for some reason, I LOVE her planner photos. I don't understand owning more than one planner, but she has a lot of them, and I love all the pretty colours. I think I'm mostly attracted to her photo style. So many bright colours, just browsing her feed makes me feel happy!

@wonderforest I probably have the biggest girl crush ever on Dana from The Wonder Forest. I've been in love with her work for quite some time! She's so beautiful (inside and out), and I'd be honoured to work with her to make my blog pretty. I've been reading her blog on and off for a few years, and her Instagram is simply beautiful. I love that she's also launched a Youtube Channel, and blog to help people with their blogs for free. I've learned so much from her, and I'm currently working on making mine a little prettier without (hopefully) spending a ton of money. I think I'm also a little biased because she's a fellow Canadian, but I love her blog, and her cute little Etsy shop. I also love that she has a line of device cases on Casteify.

Thank you for coming by to check out some of my favourite Instagram accounts. I hope you found some new people to follow. I'd love to hear some of your favourite followers! Leave a comment and I'll check them out. Feel free to link your own account, and I'll check yours out as well!

-Alexandria