Productive Day

It took me until the last day of the first month of the new year to finally scrap a traditional layout but I did it.  And not just one, but three.  And four cards.  All before 1:30 PM.  Go me!

Because I've jumped around so much the past few years I decided to start with 2013, a year that has only been documented in Project Life.

All three of these are from February 2013 photos.

I had a half-used sticker sheet on my desk so I created a few cards with the remainder.

That's all folks!!!  TFL!

2013 Albums

Twenty-seven days into the new year and I'm doing fairly well in the BALANCE department.  *big smile*  I've only accepted two jobs during the last two weeks which has left me some free time to catch up on some scrapping.

I've been able to finish both my 2013 Project Life and December Daily albums which makes me very, very happy.  I'd like to share just a few random excerpts with you.  Please don't judge the photography.  I'm not good with adjustments when it comes to the plastic page protectors.

First off, Project Life....

Some pages from our July trip to Tennessee

Pieces of August & September

October, my birthday month

More October and a glimpse of November

As you can see, Project Life is a method of memory-keeping that involves pocketed page protectors.  It makes it easy to document one's random moments/days without a lot of planning and effort.  I love how it turned out and am already caught up with a similar album for this year, 2014.


The next album I'm going to share is what we in the "scrapworld" refer to as December Daily.  I love the concept and believe this is my 5th such album.  My December albums vary in size and method but each one is very special to me.  This year I chose to do a 6x8 pocketed page protector system.  Here are a few excerpts....

My 2013 Cover

Days 2 & 3

Day 16 (edited out addresses on envelopes)

Christmas Eve (Day 24)

Christmas and the day after

With these projects behind me, I feel like I can finally get back to creating traditional scrapbook layouts.  Balance is a good thing.


As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by!!

Birthday Bash

In celebration of my best friend Aimee's "Big Five-Oh!" last weekend, her family surprised her with a fabulous birthday bash.  The temps here in Florida were in the 40s but that didn't damper the Retro Surf theme.  We managed to stay warm with the help of a outdoor propane heater, four fire pits and of course, a few alcoholic beverages.

The decor was so cute and Aimee's vintage 1970s Volkswagen Bug took center stage.

I loved these vintage table centerpieces, part of her brother's collection.

Her cake was amazing!!

This life-size Jenga game was a HUGE hit!

A photo of myself with the Birthday Girl.  (Notice the red noses.....cold!!!)

And my gift to her, a set of handmade cards.  I couldn't resist adding in a bit of vintage flair of my own.

My New Organizational System

As most of you know, I {heart} organized spaces so it will come as no surprise that I would find The Container Store to be the DisneyWorld of shopping experiences.  I have placed online orders from them for many, many years but never had the opportunity to visit the brick and mortar store until last month when I made it my mission while visiting family in Tampa.  Mom, Meg and my niece Jenna were not as enthusiastic but did tag along with me. It wasn't long before they were totally bored but I could have stayed in the store all day.  I found so much I loved and wanted!

In the end I chose and purchased an Elfa Utility Board with select components.  I thought it would be the perfect solution for freeing up desk space in JulieWorld.  Installation was easy. I did it myself with just a few tools.  

Here's what it looked like with the components I bought in the store....

As you can see, I had loads more room for additional components which was easily solved by placing an online order.  This is how my new system looks now that it's complete.

My most frequently used supplies are all in plain sight and within reach.  I am totally in love with this system!  I can't wait to go back to the store for more ideas but I have the distinct feeling that my family will send me out on my own next time.  *wink*  

My Week

This was back to school week for our county and I am happy to report that not only did I survive the week with my Kindergarten/1st grade class, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. We experienced some hiccups of course but all were minor and we had a really great week.

I have to admit that the students are not the only ones being educated.  I learn something new most every day in the classrooms.  For example, this week I was corrected by a six year old student who insisted that the shape I was referring to as a parallelogram was a rhombus.  Well, it turns out that we were both correct. Did you know that a rhombus is a parallelogram with four equal sides?  If not, you're welcome.

And until this past Thursday I had never heard of a tangram.  In the event that you are as in the dark as I was, a tangram is a Chinese puzzle with seven flat shapes (tans) that you assemble in different ways to form pictures.

For our math lesson we read The Tangram Magician and discussed the different shapes.  (Notice the parallelogram?  LOL!) The kids then got to cut the shapes from a handout and make their own creations.  Very fun, interesting and quite educational.

I have no assignments scheduled for this coming week and will probably keep it that way.

Balance.

It's a New Year!

We've enjoyed our Christmas break tremendously but alas, all good things must come to an end.   Meg and I both "go back" to school tomorrow.  She will be returning with a different schedule which has her a bit apprehensive but she will do well, I'm sure.  I will be subbing the entire week for a teacher who has a split class of K/1st graders.  She has a great group of kids but the first week back from vacation could be a bit challenging.  

On the home front, Christmas is finally all put away until next year and I've been busy trying to finish my December Daily album which I hope to complete today. Next up will be polishing off December for my 2013 Project Life album.  I plan to continue PL again this year but with a drastically streamlined creative process. Basically I intend to have full size photos (no mats) along with journaling and filler cards, period. The everyday stories will still be recorded but by eliminating the whole "pretty embellishing process" I will free up time to do the traditional layouts that I miss so much.  It also frees up time to pursue other memory keeping projects such as Kerri Bradford's History Project class which I am very excited to begin.  

For those who scrap, are you making any additions/changes in 2014?