back to the drawing board

Happy Thanksgiving.

just a bunch of die cuts for my project today. each little element was die cut from a piece of mixed media paper that i added color to with either ink or pigment power. gold metallic ink for the wheat stalks - green mica spray ink for the leaves - brown distress ink & mica spray ink for the acorn - orange pigment powder & water for the jar - gray/black spray ink for the sign & border.  

supplies
cardstock: [kraft] bazzill, [solar white] neenah
specialty paper: [mixed media paper] strathmore
accents: [brads] tim holtz/advantus, [twine]
distress ink: [frayed burlap, ground espresso] tim holtz/ranger
spray ink: [cinder glimmer mist] tattered angels; [crooked broomstick & holly branch distress mica stain] tim holtz/ranger
specialty ink: [gold glimmer metallic] hero arts
watermark ink: [clear versamark] tsukineko
pigment powder: [orange burst] ken oliver crafts
embossing powder: [black detail] hero arts
rubber stamp: [sentiment/turkey time] a muse studio
craft dies: [a2 thin frame cutting plate, sitting pretty fall accessories, stitched rectangles stacklets] taylored expressions

to begin each month in my pocket scrapbook i've been creating a little scene on a pre-printed 3x4 calendar card. here are my first six months of 2019 - i try to put together each card at the beginning of the month but most of the time it takes me a couple of weeks to decide on the scene. my favorite so far is the little duck playing in the puddle.

supplies for all months
calendar card: [2019 3x4 calendar] taylored expressions
cardstock: [scraps]
patterned paper: [scraps]
craft dies: [build a scene calendar] taylored expressions

supplies for janaury - march
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
stamp & die combo: [if cats could talk] taylored expressions
craft dies: [little bits - birds, build a house; little bits - flowers & stems, little bits - hearts; build a scene - rolling clouds, little bits - rainbow's end] taylored expressions

supplies for april - june
calendar card: taylored expressions
cardstock: [scraps]
patterned paper: [scraps]
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
clear stamps: [rain or shine] my favorite things
craft dies: [weather icon dies] hero arts, [shadow box card spring add-on] lawn fawn, [rain or shine] my favorite things, [build a scene calendar 5x7; little bits - butterflies; little bits - fruits, little bits - suns & clouds] taylored expressions

today's card for my pocket scrapbook - happy easter! the bunny & his little carrot are paper pieced with a few scraps of patterned paper/cardstock.

supplies
cardstock: [white] bazzill basics
patterned paper: [dots & stripes brights 8x8 paper pad] echo park paper co., [scraps]
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
watermark ink: [versamark] tsukineko
embossing powder: [white] hero arts
clear stamps: [easter time] jane's doodles
rubber stamp: [big bold easter] taylored expressions
craft dies: [yesterday edges] echo park paper co.

i've been keeping up with the monthly into the jungle stitch-along blocks - here is january through august. i haven't decided if i'm going to do the top border as charted so i'll hold off on it until the end of the year. the bottom border i'll probably start on soon.

and i've continued to make a 3x4 card for my pocket scrapbook each month. you can see some months were a bit slower than others for stitching.

supplies for cross stitch
pattern: [into the jungle] the frosted pumpkin stitchery
fabric: [shale 28ct lugana] picture this plus
threads: cosmo by lecien

supplies for card
patterned paper: [scraps]
accents: [alpha stickers]
distress ink: [milled lavender & victorian velvet] tim holtz for ranger
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
clear stamps: [critters down under & critters in the jungle] lawn fawn, [fierce friends] my favorite things, [colour chameleon] clearly besotted

a quick little 3x4 card to document the beginning of my spring break. just a bit of paper piecing with scraps, a sentiment stamp & some alpha stamps.

supplies
cardstock: [solar white] neenah paper
patterned paper: [pixie-licious 6x6 mini deck] cosmo cricket, [scraps]
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
marker: [yg21] copic
rubber stamps: [bunny business] amuse studio, [jessie's abcs] lawn fawn, [bunny tails & happy trails] taylored expressions
craft dies: [build a scene - calendar, little bits - flowers & stems] taylored expressions

this little tree frog is the march addition to the into the jungle stitch-along i'm working on this year. and as with previous months - i made a 3x4 card for my pocket scrapbooking album to keep track of my number of days stitching.

supplies for cross stitch
pattern: [into the jungle] the frosted pumpkin stitchery
fabric: [shale 28ct lugana] picture this plus
threads: cosmo by lecien

supplies for card
patterned paper: [scraps]
accents: [alpha stickers] lily bee design
distress ink: [milled lavender & victorian velvet] tim holtz for ranger
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
clear stamps: [into the jungle, toadally awesome] lawn fawn
craft dies: [grassy border, into the jungle, toadally awesome] lawn fawn, [tip toe through the tulips] taylored expressions

here's my february block for the into the jungle stitch-along by the frosted pumpkin stitchery. it took me 11 days days to stitch up the little trio of toucans.

and here is the 3x4 project life card i created to keep track of my stitching days. a bit of paper piecing for the toucan & the pinkish outline i created with a couple of distress inks to match the fabric i'm stitching on.

supplies for cross stitch
pattern: [into the jungle] the frosted pumpkin stitchery
fabric: [shale 28ct lugana] picture this plus
threads: cosmo by lecien

supplies for card
patterned paper: [at the zoo 6x6 paper pad] doodlebug design, [scraps]
accents: [stickers] elle's studio
distress ink: [milled lavender & victorian velvet] tim holtz for ranger
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko
clear stamps: [toucan party] newton's nook designs
craft dies: [toucan party] newton's nook designs, [skinny mini party borders] taylored expressions

one of my cross stitch projects for 2018 is a monthly stitch-a-long - into the jungle by the frosted pumpkin stitchery. january's block was this little sloth.

and i'm keeping track of all my cross stitch projects in my project life album - so i made a 3x4 card with this paper pieced little guy.

supplies for cross stitch
pattern: [into the jungle] the frosted pumpkin stitchery
fabric: [shale 28ct lugana] picture this plus
threads: cosmo by lecien

supplies for card
patterned paper: [at the zoo 6x6 paper pad] doodlebug design, [scraps]
accents: [stickers]
distress ink: [milled lavender & victorian velvet ] tim holtz for ranger
clear stamps: [hang in there] lawn fawn
craft dies: [hang in there] lawn fawn

as i've done the past 2 years i'm keeping track of the books i've read by making these little 3x3 cards for my project life album. this year each month will get a single spread of 12 3x3 cards for books. i usually read about 6 books a month - so this gives me space to add in some extra bits as well.

my first book of 2018 was a long one - drums of autumn by diana gabaldon. i'm reading one book in the outlander series each year so that i don't get too far ahead of the tv show. the little cabin in the background is on fraser's ridge & the teepee represents the many native americans they met throughout the book.

supplies
patterned paper: [build a scene 6x6 paper pack] taylored expression, [s'more love 8x8 paper pad] cosmo cricket, [scraps]
craft dies: [snowy drifts fancy dies] hero arts, [mountain border] homey bee stamps, [build a scene - lakeside, grass borde] taylored expressions

winter break has come to an end - so i made this little guy for my 2018 project life album. i covered the chipboard snowman with a bit of distress paint then embellished him with a few little pieces die cut from patterned paper & fabric scraps.

supplies
patterned paper: [teacher's pet 6x6 paper pad] echo park paper, [scraps]
fabric: [scrap] american jane for moda
accents: [chipboard snowman, die cut phrase, black rhinestones]
distress paint: [black soot & picket fence] tim holtz for ranger
rubber stamps: [date stamp]
craft dies: [build a scene - calendar 5x7, little bits - snowman] taylored expressions

i'm still working on my 2017 reading challenge & here's how i documented books 25-36. i finished book #36 way back in june but kind of got sidetracked with summer & forgot to post this. lots of good reads in this batch:

• Behold the Dreamers - a touching NYC immigrant story  - Oprah chose this for her book club & I'm excited to see this author speak - tonight actually!
• The Lightning Thief - why did I wait so long to read this one?
• The Widow Spy - a real life female spy story
• A Piece Of The World - Christina Baker Cline is awesome. i had the opportunity to see her speak twice - at two very different events - and it was one of the highlights of my summer.

a list of all the books i've read this year is over at my goodreads 2017 bookshelf.

this is a bit overdue - i think i finished up this set of 12 books about 5 weeks ago. a few of my favorites are highlighted above. my favorite book from this batch was news of the world by paulette jiles - i chose this book for the prompt 'a genre you don't normally read'. i also really, really enjoyed reading the girl you left behind by jojo moyes - it was for the prompt 'set in 2 time periods'. 

and my favorite 3x3 insert that i recently created was for a bustle book club read back in march - american street by ibi zoboi. i'm really glad i read this immigrant story & was then able to attend the book club meeting with the author at strand books.

a list of all the books i've read this year is over at my goodreads 2017 bookshelf.

i'm reading lots of books this year & here's how i'm documenting my progress. my goal is to read 60 books & i'm using the popsugar 2017 reading challenge prompts for 52 of the books. after i've read each book i'm making a little 3x3 layout to remind me of the book & which prompt it was for - and it's a good way to use up lots of my paper scraps! a list of all the books i've read this year is over at my goodreads 2017 bookshelf.

it was cold here last week - so i made this for my project life album. i'm hoping to make lots of these types of filler cards this year - simple little scenes that will help me use up some of the supplies i've collected over the years. 

supplies
cardstock: [ultra white felt] carta bella, [gray] bazzill basics paper
patterned paper: [scraps]
embellishment: [wood veneer bird] studio calico
clear stamps: [beast freinds] mft stamps, [sentiment/yeti, set, go] lawn fawn
dye ink: [gray area] studio calico
pigment ink: [onyx black versafine] tsukineko, [pebble] a muse studio
distress paint: [candied apple, ripe persimmon] tim holtz for ranger
liquid accents: [black & white enamel accents] ranger
craft dies: [bas - central park, bas - rolling hills, frame in frame cutting plate, p&p essentials - 4x6, ] taylored expressions, [beast friends] mft stamps

this week is taylored expressions november release week & we have lots of gift giving themed products to share with you! all new products will be available for purchase thursday, november 3rd at 7am pdt. and today there is a question of the day over on the te blog...

taylored expressions is celebrating release week with some fabulous giveaways. visit the te blog each sneak peek day this week to answer Taylor’s Question of the Day for a chance to win a prize from the latest release!



this month taylored expressions is releasing a few products designed for creating quick & fun yearly calendars. i used the 2017 3x4 calendar cards to create a few inserts for my 2017 project life album. i used the new build a scene - calendar 2 die set paired with the calendar critters stamp set which was released last november.



here's a close-up of my penguin. i paper pieced all 3 of my critters & then used the build a scene - calendar & build a scene - calendar 2 die sets to create a little scene. i plan on using these fun calendars in my project life at the beginning of each month .

to create my 'calendar critter cards' i used the following supplies available in the te shop:

Calendar Critters	Calendar Critters Dies	Build a Scene - Calendar	Build a Scene - Calendar 2	TE Premium Cardstock - Earl Grey
TE Premium Cardstock - Granny Smith	TE Premium Cardstock - Potato Chip	TE Premium Cardstock - Sprinkles	TE Premium Cardstock - Strawberry Milkshake	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube
TE Premium Cardstock - Toffee	2017 3x4 Calendar	TE Premium Ink - Oreo - Full Pad

InLinkz.com

 

for projects & new product information be sure head over to the te blog for a complete blog list of participating designers.

supplies

cardstock: [earl grey, granny smith, potato chip, sprinkles, strawberry milkshake, sugar cube, toffee] taylored expressions
patterned paper: [scraps]

other paper: [2017 3x4 calendar] taylored expressions

rubber stamps: [calendar critters] taylored expressions
hybrid ink: [oreo] taylored expressions
liquid accent: [apple green nuvo crystal dots] tonic
craft dies: [build a scene calendar, build a scene calendar 2, calendar critters] taylored expressions

this month my taylored expressions die focus assignment was to create a project with the bless your nest craft die set. when i pulled out the die set i was reminded of these photos i took last spring - a nest on our porch where baby birds are born each may. the babies live up in the nest for about 3 weeks before they fly off.

the nest die is the perfect size to fit inside one of the new 2x2 sized pocket pages & a 4x4 album by we r memory keepers. i die cut the nest 3 times & layered the cuts along with 3 die cut eggs. the bird die cut is also part of the bless your nest die set.

supplies
patterned paper: [happy go lucky 6x6 paper pad] fancy pants designs, [hip hip hooray 6x6 paper pad] we r memory keepers, [new year new you 6x6 paper pad] webster's pages, [front porch 6x6 paper pad] pebbles
accent: [tiny attacher] tim holtz/advantus
rubber stamps: [label/pockets & pages what a day, sentiment/pockets & pages documented] taylored expressions
ink: [soft pool] hero arts, [slate adirondack] ranger
craft dies: [bless your nest set & pockets & pages what a day set] taylored expressions
other: [4x4 photo sleeve w/ 2x2 pockets, 4x4 greige album] we r memory keepers

available in the taylored expressions store -

*bless your nest dies

*pockets & pages - what a day

*pockets & pages - documented

*pebbles 6x6 pad - front porch

*key ingredients subscription - united states

InLinkz.com

so this is my 3rd year tackling project life. i haven't shared any of it but a few shots on instagram. in 2012 and 2013 i did a 1-page spread for each week. this year i'm opting for more of a monthly or day-by-day approach. well not every day - more like just documenting days when something worth remembering happens.


and i'm getting really good at using photos from the internet. like that tree we bought after the holidays. totally borrowed that image from restoration hardware. and i screen shot the weather forecast. alot.

i'm hoping i'll have more time this year to add a bit more creative stuff to my filler cards. nothing too crazy - for example, just simple stuff i can cut with my cameo or paper piecing stamped images or practice with mixed media  techniques.

completed my project life 2012 album just a few days into 2013. and i'm going to go for it again in 2013. last year i used the design f photo pocket pages and did one page for each week. the small sized pockets worked well for photos since most were taken with my iphone. this year i'm going to change it up a bit and use the 4x4 photo sleeve protectors by wrmk. there won't be as many pockets per week so i might end up with some weeks being 2-pagers - but i'm going to try and keep it to just one album again. as for my 2012 december daily - it's about half done, but all my photos have been printed!

so it has taken me 6 weeks to decide if i would be sharing my project life pages - yes, i too have jumped on the bandwagon. i'm going for the more photos less journaling approach to the project. and i'm actaully caught up - or i will be once i finish up last week some time tonite. most photos are being taken with my iphone and i'm printing them at home with my canon selphy printer.

a few of the supplies used
patterned paper: studio calico & other
date cards: elle's studio, jenni bowlin, marcy penner
paper accents: october afternoon & others
stickers: sassafras lass & others
date stamp: 7 gypsies
page protectors: photo pocket pages design f
camera: iphone & camera+ app
pse actions: florabella
digital accents: [frames] designer digitals, [tape] pugly pixel
printer: canon selphy