Hi friends, its Jodie here with you today with a Project Life post.
I’m noticing a few 2014 Project Life spreads still being blogged here and there, so I’m in good company in finishing up my Week 40, which takes me to the start of October.
Here’s the left side:
And the right:
I’ve used Basic Grey’s J’Adore collection this week, working with the 6×6 paper pad and ephemera pack.
Because I was grieving the sudden loss of our fur baby Daisy, I spent most of the week curled up doing not much at all, which means aside from one photo of Daisy the rest of my spread is about the weekend, which we spent in Sydney on a pre-booked holiday. I still had plenty of photos of Sydney so I had no problems filling up my spread for the week.
I love all the vintage French perfume references in the ephemera pack and some of the patterned papers. For my title card this week I’ve layered two of the ephemera pieces, typewritten the week number and dates in a strip journalling style and stitched them down.
I knew that I wanted to include journalling about losing Daisy, but also that I didn’t want it on immediate display, so I created this partial flip pocket so that the reader would need to lift the pocket to read the full story. I trimmed a piece of paper to 3×4″ and cut it in half on the diagonal. I layered an acetate heart from the ephemera pack so that it overlapped the paper, and added a scalloped strip piece and some extra hearts.
When you lift the flip pocket you can see the full story.
And then on to Sydney. I couldn’t not document the amazing soft shell crab burger from Manly Grill. It’s a bit funky to look at but gosh it was delicious!
Some more strip journalling detailing the highlights of our weekend away.
And a selfie taken in our motel room before going out to dinner one night with the beautiful lights of Darling Harbour in the background. I used the remaining half of the 3×4” paper from my flip pocket to add some interest here, and it created a base for an embellishment cluster at the side of my photo.
Thanks for dropping by the Papercut Labs blog today!
Welcome, welcome to the Papercut Labs’ 12 Days of Christmas! Over the next twelve days we have some awesome Christmas projects to inspire you and (if you’re not already) get you totally in the Festive Spirit! To keep up with the hop and where it lands each day: visit our information page. And don’t forget to join the crop event for chances to win the giveaway prizes.
So where are you in the hop? DAY ONE! Make sure you check A Piece of Cake Designs tomorrow for stage two.
Monday, 8 December 2014: Papercut Labs << YOU ARE HERE
Tuesday, 9 December 2014: A Piece of Cake Designs
Wednesday, 10 December 2014: Kellie Stamps
Thursday, 11 December 2014: Heidi Swapp
Friday, 12 December 2014: The Scrappery
Saturday, 13 December 2014: Seriously Scrapbooking
Sunday, 14 December 2014: Maya Road
Monday, 15 December 2014: Stampin’ Up!
Tuesday, 16 December 2014: Scrapmatts
Wednesday, 17 December 2014: D-lish Scraps
Thursday, 18 December 2014: Studio Calico
Friday, 19 December 2014: Papercut Labs
It’s Jodie for Papercut Labs with you today for the First Day of Christmas, and I have a project that can help you get organised for the Festive weeks ahead. (Note from editor: click the images to view a larger version of them!)
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to the busy time around Christmas I really need lists to stay on top of everything. Each year I grab a notebook that I can alter and use for the entire Festive Season, so that I can keep track of my notes, things to do, gift ideas, family holiday plans and anything else that pops up. Everything is in one place and easy to find which is definitely a good thing! With a few scrapbooking supplies, a sewing machine and a printer, you can put together a Festive Planner like this in no time at all.
My favourite notebook to alter is an A5 spiral notebook from Typo. They come with a back cover in heavy duty coloured cardstock and an elasticised band to keep the notebook tidy and secure. Because I remove the original front cover I love that they have a second inner cover also made from cardstock.
The back covers & elasticised bands come in different colours so you can pick a notebook according to your chosen colour palette.
For my other supplies I’ve used some papers from my stash from Crate Paper’s Bundled Up collection. I’ve also used some coordinating papers from other Crate Paper lines, Style Board and Oh Darling, some Bundled Up ephemera and some free Christmas printables from Marie Lottermoser. My full materials list is included at the bottom of the post.
The first step is to alter the front cover. With a pair of scissors remove the original front cover of the notebook. You’ll be left with a cardboard inner cover which will be the base for our festive front cover. In my case, the inner cover is kraft cardstock. Add a patterned paper which has been trimmed so that it’s just smaller than the notebook (creating a border) and then embellish as you wish.
I’ve chosen one of the Christmas free printables from Marie Lottermoser as a feature for my front cover. You can find these gorgeous fawns and three other designs on Marie’s blog.
I’ve divided my planner into sections and added a tab to each one. This makes it easy to thumb straight to the section I need.
To make the tabs, I’ve typed my headings in Word, using a different colour for each title within my colour palette. I’ve printed these onto the smooth side of some white cardstock, and then punched each title out with a tab punch. If you don’t have a tab punch you can simply cut the words out in rectangles of the same size and use a corner rounder to round the top two corners of each rectangle.
There’s already a pocket inside the front cover of the Typo notebook, but to make it a little more festive I’ve trimmed it so the top of the pocket runs diagonally.
To do this measure one inch (1″) down from the top of the pocket on the right side. Line that mark up with the top edge of the pocket on the left side and mark with a pencil. Cut away the top portion with scissors. Add some patterned paper cut to size and embellish.
The next step is to add strength to each heading page so that its not easily torn out of the notebook.
Adhere the tab for the section in place on the sheet of notepaper, and adhere a piece of patterned paper cut to size over the top. Add another two notebook pages (you’ll now have a piece of patterned paper and three notebook pages in total), and using a sewing machine stitch them all together around the outside edge. (Tip: to stitch close to the spiral you can use a zipper foot on your sewing machine.) This makes a sturdy section header page that won’t tear out of the planner easily. Then you can embellish your page. Repeat this step for each heading page in your notebook.
You can create as many sections and tabs in your festive planner as you like. This year I’m happy with four sections: one for keeping track of gifts to buy; one for chores that need doing before Christmas; another for Christmas itself, (for things like recipes that I want to make for Christmas Dinner, grocery lists, Christmas treats to make); and finally one for our family holidays (lists of things we need to pack, places we want to visit while on holidays).
The circle printables I’ve used throughout my planner are also from Marie Lottermoser. They’re a set of 9 that suit a 2” circle punch, and you can find them on her blog here.
As I’ve embellished each page, I’ve coordinated the colours to match the font colour on the corresponding tab.
To add an extra storage area on the back of the planner I’ve used a plastic sealable pocket that I picked up for a bargain from Officeworks.
I’ve positioned it on the outside of the back cover and stitched it in place along the bottom edge with my sewing machine so that it’s securely in place. I’ve then added a couple of stickers and some die cut patterned paper straight onto the plastic pocket.
Once the plastic pocket is stitched to the back you can then add another pocket to the inside of the back cover.
Trim a piece of patterned paper to size, then using a large circle punch, punch a semi circle on one side of the pocket.
Attach your pocket using double sided tape on the three straight edges and embellish. Because I didn’t want to stitch through the back cover I faux stitched this pocket using a white rollerball pen.
As an extra little place to secure notes or to mark a place in my planner, I’ve given a wooden peg a bit of festive treatment. I’ve watered down some gesso to create a white wash for the top portion of the peg, and then painted the bottom portion with Mod Podge and added a good coat of red glitter.
This really is a quick festive project that will help you keep all your Christmas planning in the one easy to find place!
Thanks for joining me on day one of the 12 Days of Christmas blog hop! Don’t forget that the crop is still open and you can try to win giveaway prizes right up to December 20!
— Jodie
Materials: Typo A5 spiral notebook, Officeworks sealable plastic pocket, patterned paper – Crate Paper Bundled Up, Style Board & Oh Darling collections, American Crafts cardstock, Crate Paper Bundled Up Accent Stickers & Ephemera, Crate Paper frames, Heidi Swapp Mixed Company Buzz Words, My Minds Eye brad, October Afternoon labels, Sizzix die, bakers twine, wooden peg, glitter, shipping tag, acrylic paint, gesso, doily, Christmas free printables from Marie Lottermoser, ric rac, scallop edge punch, washi tape, paperclips
Hi everyone, it’s Jodie here with you today with my Week 38 Project Life Spread!
This week I thought I’d try something different for my Project Life supplies, and use a kit from a kit club. I decided on the October main kit from A Piece of Cake Designs. My photos for week 38 had touches of yellow, sandy beiges, some pinks and turquoises, so I used that as my colour palette and pulled coordinating papers from the kit. I also added some black and white papers and cardstock for contrast.
Here’s the left page:
And the right:
I’ve kept one 6×4 pocket on the left side for journalling in a ‘review of the week’ style, and added extra journalling in separate pockets for anything I wanted to expand on. By doing a summary pocket you can easily run through the highlights of the week. I’ve typed my journalling on my computer, highlighting the days of the week in capitals so that they easily stand out.
It’s important to me to record the changes in seasons as well as family happenings. This week where I live the wattle trees were in full bloom and I’ve included a photo of them in flower, and another photo from a few days later as the flowers dropped and our paths turned into a yellow carpet from them. I’ve drawn inspiration from the wattle flowers for my title card and fussy cut some yellow flowers from one of the patterned papers, scattering them around the card. I’ve used some Thickers for my week number and stitched through them, both to hold them in place on the card and for some added texture. I’ve then used a date stamp to add the actual dates of the week on the card.
I’ve digitally added the scripted word “Love” to the centre of the photo of my homemade biscuits. It’s a freebie by by Polka Dot Creative that can be found in the A Piece of Cake Designs digital store here.
Machine stitching journalling strips has been popular for quite a while, and has mostly been stitched right through the middle of the words. I’m loving the new trend of stitching at the bottom of the strip below the text, and I’ve done that here with some white on white stitching.
This photo of some beautiful flowers my hubby bought for me doesn’t need too much embellishing. I’ve used the little bit of whitespace left in the photo to add one of the Heidi Swapp acrylic words that came in the kit, and stapled it straight to the photo with my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher. I’ve then covered the staple with a gold foil heart so that it’s completely hidden. I’ve had this “Awesome” stamp from Kellie Stamps in by stash for a while now, and it fit perfectly with this photo. I’ve used Stazon ink and stamped it right on my photo.
For this 3×4 pocket I’ve cut down a gold glitter brown paper bag and used it as a background paper. I’ve then just layered some stickers, Thickers, and finally a cherry flair button. Again I’ve stitched the Thickers down, and have left the loose threads fall where they want to inside the pocket.
I used some chalkboard paper as a base for this card, adding one corner of patterned paper and part of a title strip. Many companies are incorporating extra designs onto their title strips so be sure to check them out before trimming them off and discarding them! These numbers in a row are the perfect addition to this card.
This is another filler card that has come together quickly. Starting with a background of a neutral patterned paper matted onto chalkboard paper, I’ve then grabbed some acrylic paint in a coordinating colour, and brushed a few horizontal brush strokes with a large brush on a spare piece of white cardstock. Once dry I’ve fussy cut around the painted area, being sure to pay attention to the intricate edges of the brush strokes. Then I’ve layered that piece, a vintage camera sticker, some text from another title strip that I’ve trimmed down and then stitched, and finally added a star enamel dot with some extra loose threads. One of my favourite things to do in my PL is create little layered filler cards like this!
Hi everyone! It’s Jodie here with you today and I’m super excited to have my first post on the Papercut Labs blog as a Project Life contributor!
My Project Life style is a little bit structured, but I also love to add in layers and lots of little embellishments. I do use Project Life cards, but most of the time I prefer to use 12 x 12” patterned paper or a 6” paper pad, and make my own cards.
I have my Week 18 spread for you today with a few tips, so lets get started!
Here’s the left side.
And the right.
This week I’ve used Echo Park Paper Co’s Capture Life collection. I’ve pulled a few patterned papers and this sticker sheet, which has lots and lots of embellishment options to choose from. I’ve also used two 3×4” cards from Becky Higgins’ Midnight edition core kit.
I’ve kept my title card this week fairly simple. I attached a label sticker to the centre of the card, which I then fed through my vintage typewriter, centering my dates on the sticker. Now, I’m (just…) old enough to have had typewriter lessons in high school, but for anyone that has grown up in the digital age, here’s a tip on how to centre your text on a typewriter.
First, feed your document through the roller until you have the line position correct. Use the space bar to move across to where the centre of the text will be (in my case this was the centre of the sticker). To centre the text we will need to backspace exactly half of the total spaces used, including letters, numbers, punctuation, and also any spaces.
The easiest way, I find, to do this is to backspace once for every second letter (or number, punctuation or space).
Using the text you want to type, say each letter out loud (remembering to include numbers, punctuation and spaces), and backspace once every second letter. So for my example of “28 April – 4 May”, this is how I backspaced. 2 8 (backspace) space A (backspace) p r (backspace) i l (backspace) space hyphen (backspace) space 4 (backspace) space M (backspace) a y (backspace). From that position you’re now…type away! Try this method and you’ll find you have beautifully entered text every time.
Because I had journaled about this photo on my right page, I chose to just add a few phrase and word strips from a Cosmo Cricket Tiny Text sticker sheet to this card, and added some enamel dots and Studio Calico wood veneers to represent Mum and daughter.
This simple filler card was made from patterned paper cut down to 3 x 4”. I wanted to use the banner sticker, but if you look closely you can see that it was just a bit too wide to fit in the pocket. Because it had good adhesive, I positioned it where I wanted it, and stuck it directly onto the outside of the plastic pocket. I really like how it overlaps the pocket just that little bit. I adhered the gold foil geotag to the patterned paper and slid it inside the pocket.
On the right page I had two 4 x 4” photos to use, but since I’m using a Design A pocket page, there are two pockets across the bottom that are each 6 x 4”. To work around this I trimmed my right side photo in half at 2”. I then adhered the remaining 4 x 4” photo and left side of the photo I cut in half to a 6 x 4” backing card to make sure they stayed in position. This slid into the left 6 x 4” pocket. I adhered the right side of my cut in half photo to the very left of another 6 x 4” backing card, leaving me a 4 x 4” journaling space on the right side of the photos.
The memorabilia on these photos is from the menu of the burger cafe I took the photos at. Because the menu was a single A4 sheet I didn’t feel too bad about swiping one for scrapbooking purposes. I might think twice about it if I was at a swanky restaurant though! (Taking a discrete photo of the menu like I did here is a better option in that situation ha!) I used a circle punch to punch out the café’s logo from the top of the menu, and trimmed a strip with some basic info about the café, which I backed with white cardstock to make it pop off the photos a bit more.
To finish off the remaining 4×4” journaling space I cut patterned paper to size, layered a frame and element stickers, and typed my journaling onto a label sticker. Finally I added some more enamel dots, and that’s Week 18 done!
Thanks so much for dropping by the Papercut Labs blog today!
