The craziness of working on Saturdays has begun again! Another round of teaching classes to foster parents and childcare workers.

Studio Calico started offering online classes this year. So far, I've bought all five. Maggie Holmes taught a class in March called "Happy Little Moments." I love that the classroom stays open to me forever and that I can complete it at my own pace.







I have more pages to complete, but it's a start!

Project Life Year 38 | Weeks 13-15

These epic posts are getting to be a habit. Everything and nothing has been going on. Make sense?? If it doesn't, I don't know how to explain it.

So, let's catch up with project life, shall we?? You'll only see my beautiful face (HA!) as the rest are blurred out for privacy purposes! I finally figured out how to do it! Thanks to youtube!

Week 13

I got a much needed trim...I can never manage to look my age no matter what hair style I get so I just go with it. Had dinner with a friend at Ruby Tuesday's and managed to try something new. Aiden came for his weekly visit. I caught a sunset at while stopped at the traffic light on my way home one day. supplies: Project Life cobalt core kit, printable from here and here.

Missing a card from this side of the 2-page spread for week 13. I wanted to try creating a spread with one big picture (first saw it being used on KP's blog). I don't have a large format printer so I cropped the photo in pieces in PSE 6.0 for Mac and then cut it apart with my paper trimmer. I plan to scrap a page using part of that photo...I'll get to it one day. And, if you're wondering the water here is THAT blue. Supplies: silhouette cameo to cut the polaroid frame and the number 13 using the budmo jiggler font and the printables from the first page of this spread.

Week 14

Here's where life got kind of...well, life-y. I was stressing out trying to figure out how to fill a two-page spread with photos and words. I didn't take many photos during this particular week and I didn't really have much to say. So, I gave myself permission to do a one-page spread. Stress relieved! During week 14, I finally got a much needed massage using a gift certificate I got for Christmas. Aiden turned one month old so he donned the onesie for some photos. We managed 2 and this was the best one. Dinner with the U's at Keyaki. Sushi heaven! Gas prices went up to $4.97 a gallon and I spent A LOT of money that week. Supplies: Cut "fourteen" with my Cameo using Pacifico font and stamped the background with the Studio Calico Epic stamp set. I put the quote on an Elle Studio printable from here.

Week 15

Another one of those one-page spread kind of weeks. My nephew Nathan had his first high school songfest. I got his class's performance on video on my blackberry and uploaded it to youtube. Then I used a qr code creator and made a journal card with it. I got the idea from here. I made all my journal cards for this spread in Photoshop CS5. I found the youtube and twitter graphics on the internet.

Week 16 is almost, but not quite done. My mom had a doctor's appointment yesterday that took way too long and cut into my Saturday scrapping time.

Stay tuned for some Happy Little Moments pages from Studio Calico's March class taught by Maggie Holmes. That's another work in progress. But, no stress!

Project Life Year 38 | Weeks 11 and 12

I've shocked myself immensely by the fact that I've kept up with Project Life for 12 weeks now. THREE WHOLE MONTHS. My life may not be exciting, but in a few years it will be fun to look back on this year of my life and see what life was like before the big 4 oh. I've blacked out the faces of anyone not me in these pictures. believe me when i say they're cute and lovable.

Week 11
work on a saturday at the mall...oh how i hate the mall. i lasted all of 2 hours and told my co-worker i was DONE. aiden came for a visit. i was amused by my high score on bejeweled blitz.


march began this week so i put in a divider. i actually went back and made dividers for january and february. just a few cuts with the cameo and paper.

the other side of week eleven...something i made with the cameo for a friend. i don't know what the saying means, but i did it anyway. lunch to say good-bye to one of our students. savoring those girl scout cookies and found it ironic the words on the cookies. a picture of my hutch covered with post its...me thinks i need a rolodex.

week 12

aiden was baptized this week. we had family lunch at my house in honor of aiden's baptism. the finding of aiden's pictures all over facebook.
i found that "as seen on facebook" printable here.

another parent training in one of the low-income communities. the pile of giveaway bags slowly dwindles in my office. my secretary went on maternity leave this week and i sat at her work station one day. coveting her shoe tape dispenser. discovering i don't tweet as much after taking a screen shot of my recent tweets. receiving a picture of 6-day-old madden, my secretary's baby. found the "as seen on pinterest" here.

the quotes i use on my pages come from my pins on pinterest. i used the February and March kits from Studio Calico. i also used the SC PL awesome stamps for week 12. Ali Edwards digi brushes and stamps. Old SC die cut tags. some other printables probably linked on my pinterest board for project life.

***

my studio calico february kits sat untouched for a bit. i did use bits and pieces on my PL spreads, but for the most part i was looking for some mojo to come my way. i knew i wanted to use a picture of aiden. i knew i wanted to cut something out with my cameo, but it took a while to figure out how i wanted it all to look.

using the blackout font, i put this sc paper on the mat and went to town. i printed out a picture of aiden with my pivi printer and the layout came together. i used some classic calico and warm calico to make the splatters.

my godsister had worn a dress with a similar print to one of the february papers so i used a picture of her and one of her sister to make this layout. i made pinwheel flowers with that printed paper and some dear lizzy epoxy stickers. i also used the whole package of sequins!

my march kit came this week. kinsey wilson had posted her silhouette triangle cut file on her blog and i wanted to use it on a layout. i also used the stamps from the illustrated and narrative add ons.

Project Life Year 38 | Weeks 7-10

Another epic Project Life Year 38 post. I had intended on posting weeks 7 and 8 last weekend, but I wasn't home long enough to get pictures taken and uploaded. The late nights and busy days started on Wednesday and ended on Sunday night. Five days of getting home late (or not at all as was the case on Thursday). I spent the beginning of this week feeling a little hung over...and I wasn't even drunk!

Week 7...

A successful parent training in one of the southern communities. Evan's 1st birthday and meeting my god sisters for the first time. Setting the calendar from February through August at work. Used my silhouette cameo to cut "Celebrate Life", "Celebrate this" and the circles cutout.

An Erica Hernandez freebie file for the February calendar. Ali Edwards digi brushes and stamps.

Week 8...

Dinner and dessert with Anita. Made diaper tryke #1 for Tam's baby shower later in the week. My to do list. Ali Edwards digi brushes and stamps, Studio Calico Number border stamp.

My washi tape order (10 rolls!). My first visit to Spinn N Play. A pictureless Thursday. The BEST donuts around. Silhouette cameo cutout.

Week 9...

Grocery shopping and dinner with Friends on a Saturday. Lazy Sunday and my view on the way to KFC.

Weights at the gym...being a wuss. Valentine's day and my Studio Calico February kit. Driving home from work close to 8:00pm...more than 12 hours after I left home in the morning. The night that never ended...and a day that began with new life. Happy Birthday, Aiden Seth! Auntie Vera LOVES you! His birth story isn't something I want to share with the world since it's not my story to tell so it's inside the birth stats folder (cut that with my silhouette). Printables from here and here. I used a sketch pen with my silhouette to write the birth stats.

Week 10...

Academy songfest. Parish picnic. Dinner at Teena's. Apple turnovers from Napoleon's Bakery in Honolulu. Printables from here, here and here. I realized after I took the picture that I forgot the date range card. Will put that in later.


A self portrait of me for the month. Three of my co-workers decided to be funny and block my car in. A shocking front page (for our family at least). Diaper tryke #2 for Aiden Seth! I used my February Studio Calico kit as well as the Project Life "Epic" and "Awesome" that they had and sold out of in record time. Also used a few Amy Tangerine stickers, an old Jillibean Soup arrow, a silhouette cameo cut out and Studio Calico Bull's eye stamp from January.

Valentine's Day

I used to be one of those people...you know the kind... the one who disdained Valentine's Day as just another Hallmark holiday highly marketed by Madison Avenue. Some may think it stemmed from bitterness. The bitter taste of not having a significant other with whom to celebrate the day. Maybe so... But, maybe I just didn't get why it took a certain day of the year for significant others to remember to lavish love on their loved one. Shouldn't love be celebrated every day?

As an elementary school teacher, I've been the recipient of many a Valentine. From tear apart cards to well thought out letters to pieces of candy to full on large boxes of that sugary concoction, I've gotten it all. I would don black on February 14 and carry on with my day as if it was just any other day. Until one year...

I was teaching 4th grade at the time. February 14 dawned just like any other day, only I made a conscious effort to remember to wear black. I got the bags full of candy and cards. My family loved holidays like this. But that one year, I got a card from my friend who worked across the hall. Ironically, it was a Hallmark card. Inside contained a lovely sentiment as well as a handwritten note. Basically, my friend told me that Valentine's Day wasn't just for couples. It was also a day to celebrate the love we have for our family and friends. Finally, someone had the guts to tell me to look at it from a different perspective.

Today, I made the conscious effort to wear red. And, when I received an email from a co-worker that someone was wearing black because he didn't have a valentine, it was my turn to share those words of wisdom.

I searched on pinterest for valentine printables and wrote a nice note to my co-worker. While I don't know just how much my words sunk in, at least I got a smile at him. And, before anyone else suggests (someone already beat you to the punch), he's way too young for me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Year of online classes

When 2012 rolled around, Studio Calico rolled out online classes. So far, I've signed up for photo-a-day with Nicole Samuels, stretch your kit with Amy Tan, and happy little moments with Maggie Holmes. Nic's class is a year-long class and works perfectly with Project Life-Year 38. Amy's class runs for the month of February and teaches us how to stretch our kits using only the main kit. I combined my main and add-ons when I got my January box, so I'm using all of them. I wasn't going to sign up for Maggie's class, but Valerie posted pictures of her class kit and I was hooked.

Aside Studio Calico's classes, I signed up for 2 classes with Big Picture Classes. I am again attempting to complete One Little Word with Ali Edwards. I also signed up for Move More, Eat Well with Cathy Zielske. I will complete those class assignments before the month is up.

The beauty of online classes is that I don't have to be dressed and sitting at a desk to complete the lessons. I can be in my pjs or in bed and still get stuff done. It's refreshing to be on the other side of the desk...not being the one teaching. Of course, this is all fun stuff, but I do learn a lot in the process.

Here's a layout for the first Stretch Your Kit challenge. The challenge was to use a mask on your layout. I cut "enjoy this moment" with my silhouette cameo and used it as a mask with Mister Huey's classic calico.

I met my god sisters/cousins for the first time last weekend. They were living in Colorado and moved home a few months ago. While this island is small, it's still very easy to not see people you know often. I've blocked out their faces for privacy purposes.

Have a great Sunday!

Documenting | A Day in the Life

On Wednesday, I joined Ali Edwards and loads of scrappers in "A Day in the Life." Put simply, you take note and take pictures of the things that happen that day from sun up to lights out. It so happened that I took the day off to be at my mom's oral surgery.

I decided to use an Amy Tangerine Day Book from her inagural line. I had intended to use this particular one on something else, but suffice it to say it wasn't worth the beauty that is this book so I had to do some covering up.

Front cover:

Without the overlay. I misted the cover with Studio Calico Mister Huey's in Barnwood and cut the "Wednesday" word with my Silhouette Cameo. I used Ranger distress ink in Tea Dye on the outline.

Some cover up here... used both sets of the Amy Tangerine washi tapes and the gray asterisk washi tape from an old Studio Calico kit.

Ali shared a freebie file on Wednesday. I used the Silhouette cameo to cut it and used more Amy Tangerine washi tapes.

Used some Amy Tangerine Bits and remarks stickers. I also found old Jillibean Soup arrows and used one here.


Not exactly the breakfast of champions, but I was still half asleep since I was dressed AND ready to go right around the time I usually get out of bed.

More paper surgery here...




I printed a copy of the documentation sheets Ali shared last year for "A Week in the Life" and cut it apart to put into the book. I also used some silhouette cuts to dress up the front of the envelope in the middle of the book.


No pictures for the hours between 12 and 4 pm... I did nothing productive.


At the gym...waiting for Body Combat to begin!

I re-colored and printed a Life Stacks digital brush by Ali and put it in my book.

That's all folks!

Thank you, Ali, for sharing your great ideas with us. It helps me document my life...how ever boring (or not) it may be.

In other news...

My cousin Jamie and her two children are heading back to Sydney, Australia after having been here for two months. I made this card using the January Studio Calico "County Fair" kit. The airplane was cut using an Amy Tangerine shape on my silhouette cameo. I also cut the words "see ya!" with the cameo and used the negative as a mask. Cloud stamps came from an old Studio Calico kit.