December Daily

I've always been a huge fan of daily December albums probably because I love the holiday season so much. I love the music, the decorations, the tree, the lights, the baking, the colours, the smells, the movies, the feeling, the get together with friends and family. It's such a special time of year. I've always want to do a daily December album after seeing Ali Edward's. She is such an inspiration. Check out her album's here. Last year I was going to give it a go and I even got as far as making the cover but that was about it. See below. I ended up making a digital daily December album. It's still in the works and I hope to have it done by the end of the year. See below to view my completed pages. All products are from Designer Digitals. Click on my Gallery link to see all credits. This year I think I'm going to incorporate my daily December right into my Project Life since Project Life is all about recording special moments throughout the week. I will be including lots of extra bits n pieces like holiday cards, wrapping paper, digital scrapbook pages and extra inserts for photos and other memorabilia. It will be great to see it all come together. If you're looking for some great inspiration check out Pinterest. There are a lot of amazing albums out there to see. December 1st is this Saturday and I can't wait as we will be picking out this year's Christmas tree. It would be perfect if we had a little snow falling when we went and picked it out :) Just saying LOL! We have made it a tradition to go the first Saturday in December and we ask both sets of parents to come to share the moment with us and our kids. Looking forward to carrying this tradition on for years to come. A questions for my readers -  Do you have a fake tree or do you get a real one? What colours do you use on your tree? Do you change them up every year? Do you collect anything at the holidays? Can't wait to read your response. Have a great week! Til next time - Tara

Project Life-Extra Inserts

Today I'm going to show you a few of my extra inserts that I have added to my Project Life. I LOVE adding extra inserts rather it's brochures, extra page protectors to hold more photos or even a Tim Horton's box. Adding inserts is a great way to have more room to add extra photos and memories without having to add a new 12 x 12 page protector or doing a whole new spread. As I've said before, some weeks I don't have enough stuff for a double page spread. I'm okay with having two weeks in one spread. These weeks I'm most likely adding in an extra insert. 

This is a Pinnacle Collection Card Page Protector that I got at Walmart. This extra insert shows the interests that Hubby and I were into at that time. I think this is going to be a cool thing to look back on not just for us but the kids as well.

The one on the left is a Martha Stewart 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" page protector. I try each month to complete the instagram challenge. I love that they are random photos capturing bits and pieces of life. On the right is the Pinnacle Collection Card page protector which I used again to put extra memories from Addison's Birthday Party.

This week I added the Martha Stewart 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" page protector to hold more photos from the week but I also included some brochures from the Butterfly Conservatory.

Since I'm a digital scrapbooker as well, once and awhile I like to include some of my digital pages. All digital supplies are from Designer Digitals. See credits HERE. This is also displayed in a 6x6 Making Memories page protector.

This week I included a brochure which I placed some of my journaling on. I also included a Tim Horton's Timbit box. I liked how Summery it looked. My goal was to store some extra photos in it. I haven't done it yet, but I might go back.

Thank you for checking in! Have a great Sunday Night! - Tara

Designer Digital Sale & Fall Pages

A post on my blog is so overdue :) Today I'm going to share some of my fall digital pages plus a few of my Project Life pages. I'm LOVING how it's coming together. I LOVE all the little memories I've captured in 2012. If you are on the fence ... my advise is jump on in. You are going to LOVE it! Make your Project Life whatever you want it to be. It's up to you, you don't have to follow any set rules. Another happy note to all of you out there that buy digital products. Designer Digitals is having their quarterly sale starting today. Everything in store that is regular price is marked down to 30% OFF. Sale ends Tuesday morning. Don't miss out! All products used on my digital pages are all products from Designer Digitals. This first layout is one I finished this morning using one of Katie Pertiet's templates. I love taking templates and altering them and making them my own.  Enjoy the inspiration and I hope to do better on blog posting :) Click layouts for credits. Have a GREAT day.

Tara

Two Layouts from last year that I loved. The first one was a lift of Crystal Page. I knew as soon as I saw her's that  I had to lift it. Thanks again Crystal for the inspiration.

A few fall pages that have caught me eye.

KimR+: So Much to be Thankful For

LoriS: These 3 on Halloween

Mamabean: Cold November Days

My Project Life

Gallery Inspirations

Are you up for some inspiration? I've been cruising the Designer Digitals gallery and have found 5 amazing pages to get your creative juices flowing. I've taken a little break from digital scrapbooking but after seeing these pages I've been craving some computer time so I can design a few pages. Let me know what you think. This first page is by Brittany a.k.a BrittanyLane. I love the bright colours against the grey background. The colours are so playful just like the elements she chose. I can't wait to get my hands on this kit. Click all layouts for credits.

This next one is by Sharon a.k.a. Shannamay. I love the monochromic feel and the layering of elements. I really like how she stapled down the ribbon tags.

This layout is by Georgina a.k.a. Georgeinci. What's not to like. I like the design, colours, brushwork, photos, monogram ..... yup I LOVE IT!

This next layout is by Jenelle a.k.a. js74. I love what she has done with Kayleigh's Layered Works template. The colours are perfect and I love that she tinted her photo to match the colours in her layout.

This layout is by Kim a.k.a. KimR+ LOVE LOVE LOVE! I so want to get my hands on Katie's Play Outside elements. I love Kim's design and all the COLOUR!

Check back soon for an all NEW Copy Cat Challenge.

Tara

Project Life-Extra Inserts

Good morning! Today I wanted to talk about extra inserts in my Project Life. I love adding extra inserts to my weeks, rather I include an extra page protector to hold extra pictures & journaling or include brochures and pamphlets from trips we took this summer. In January I included a baseball card page protector where I included 8 things that I was into and on the other side I included 8 things about my Hubby. I like this idea and hope to do it again later in the year. I can't wait to look back one day and see what we were interested in. Plus it's a great way for our girls to know what interested us at a certain time. So today I want to show you an extra insert I did using the baseball card page protector. I wanted to document the girl's rooms. How cool is this going to be in ten to twenty years? I plan on doing this every few years. On one side I did Addison's room and on the other I did Emily's. I took 7 to 8 photos capturing all the parts of their room from their bed and bookshelves to their closet and stuffed animals. I did a little journaling and I decorated it with paint chip cards to document their room color scheme. I took a small square punch and punched out a small square from each paint chip. I also included fabric from their quilts and a monogram so you knew who's page was who's. I love the way it turned out. I hope I've inspired you to document room's in your home. Please leave me a comment telling me what extra things you included in your Project Life. 

Tara

Published!

I'm so excited to share with you today that I've been published in Creating Keepsake magazine September/October issue. It's on news stands today. It's my first time being published in this magazine and I've been excited ever since I receive the email back in March saying they would like to use my layout for their Fresh Faces feature. I have attached a copy below. Look at the awesome lead in page for the feature. How cool is it to be rendered as a cartoon. I'm the top right girl ... the one that is waving. I'm off to go buy a copy. Take care and enjoy your day.

Tara

“Copyright 2012 by Creating Keepsakes magazine. Posted with prior permission from the publisher.” 

Sharing More Project Life Pages

Hi everyone, today I thought I would share 3 of my favorite spreads from the summer so far. We have had a busy summer. Lots of splash pads, swimming, day trips and more. I've had so many photos I didn't know what to do with them, making it hard to pick some weeks. I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer with family and friends. Would love your input. Are you currently doing Project Life and if so what do you love most about it? If not doing it, are you thinking about doing it next year. Remember if you are thinking about doing it you don't have to wait until January to start. You can really start any time. I wish I knew about this project three years ago when I had Addison. I'm planning on starting a Project Life type binder for both Addison & Emily. In their own books would be all their hospital memorabilia. Hospital bracelets, bassinet card, birth announcement, cards etc. I'm also going to include their artwork, photos, swimming certificates, awards, cards, some digital layouts and maybe even an outfit. Its a book for them to take with them someday. Okay back to 3 layouts from this Summer. Of course I picked layouts that the colours coordinate for the whole week :)

The first spread on the left is the last page of our holidays. We took a week off in June and I ended up doing 2 1/2 spreads to document it. Love the colours. The other side of the spread covers week 26. In this spread I have included some extra inserts like a Martha Stewart  5 1/2"x 8 1/2" page protector which holds my Instagram Challenge photos for the month of June and on the other side I have pictures from the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. I included two brochures from that trip. 

 

Next is a spread that includes only one week. Week 27. This week Doug and I really noticed the bond forming between the girls so we really wanted to document this with words and photos. Also it was Hubby's birthday and I included a card about me (Mommy Right Now) On this card I have what I'm listening to, craving, watching, favorite outift and what I'm working on. I want to include this type of card once in a while throughout the year for Hubby and I. Love that the photo and elements flow together.

Week 30 I'm loving all the pink. This week Addison got her hair cut. I included a before and after shot plus I included some actual clippings of her hair. I also added a Martha Stewart 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" page protector to house my July Instagram Challenge and a snap shot of my Pinterest boards. I LOVE Pinterest. I would be lost with out it. It's definitely a site you could lose a lot of time with.

Click Pictures for Credits. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and look over my pages. I don't post often but if you would like to be notify when I do please follow me on the right. Have a GREAT evening.

Tara

Instagram Pages

WOW! It's been way too long since I last posted here. I can't believe it's going to be two months tomorrow. Must mean life has been busy and it has :) I'm still trying to find the balance between working full time, family life and of course my creative hobbies. There are just never enough hours in the day plus I start getting my creative mojo too late at night and my kids get up way too early in the morning. Today I want to share with you my Instagram pages. I pick 8 of my favorite Instagram's to capture each months memories. To date I've created 13 pages. I started Instagraming in June 2011 after seeing my hubby do it. At first I wasn't sure but after awhile I was hooked :) It's probably the app I use most on my iPhone. If you don't know what it is check it out HERE. You might be asking why I like it so much. Hubby and I find that we love looking back at our Instagrams. It really captures the everyday life. We find we enjoy these photos more than the ones we have taken on our SLR camera. It doesn't matter if they're grainy and out of focus. I'm hoping soon to create a book with every Instagram photo I have posted. Right now I sit at 2093 photos in just one year. Here is my lastest page I just created yesterday for June and underneath is a copy of all the rest. All products used are from Designer Digitals. Click on my gallery to view all of them with product credits. If you would like to follow me on Instagram my name is teeleedee. I hope everyone has a fabulous day and Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!

Tara

Sharing Project Life

Hi, okay so my plan was to post this last week, but I've been so busy with catching up on my Project Life. I'm almost there. The week that got me so behind in the first place was week 9. I just couldn't get it to look the way I wanted it to. I like when the elements flow nicely together and it just wasn't happening that week. Today I'm going to share with you Week 10, 11 & 13. Week 10 was my first week that I didn't do a full spread for the week. And it worked out perfectly. It shows that you don't have to do a full spread every week. As long as you are capturing and documenting life, that's all that matters. Week 10 & 11 are facing pages that are divided with an extra insert. A Martha Stewart 8.5"x11" page protector. The weather was amazing these two weeks and I had a ton of photos I wanted to include in my Project Life. I used a digital template by Cathy Zielske: Story Guide No.03A. I altered it a bit to make it fit all the photos I wanted. This week I also included week in review, the weather, Instagram photos and cute little Incredibooth photos of Emily and I. Love the way the week turned out. Click HERE for Credits.

Week 11 I used Becky Higgins Design F Page Protectors for the first time. I really love using Design A but wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Design F Page Protectors are great for weeks that you have a ton of little things that you want to document and have in there own sleeves. This week I included Bits & Pieces, a DVD cover of the movie Addison is into, the cover of the book I'm reading, a little recap of the week and pictures from the week. I'm definitely looking forward to playing with Design F again. Click HERE for Credits.

Week 13 I ended up doing a double page spread and I love that the colours flowed from one page to the other. When putting my pages together, if I find a photo colouring might not work the way I want it to I usually turn that photo into Black & White. It's always a quick fix. I've included a April Memories card which I included every month. I'm liking my little Bits & Pieces card. It's a nice place to document the odds and ends of the week. I used my Silhouette to cut out some chevrons and wording. The funny thing about my Silhouette that my husband bought for me for my thirtieth birthday is that I had it for 3 years before I started using it. What was thinking LOL! It's such a GREAT tool to add elements to your page. Now I'm dreaming of the Cameo. Click HERE for Credits

Well thanks for stoping by and taking a look. I hope in the next couple of weeks to get all my pages uploaded to flickr. That's my goal. Check back next week for another Copy Cat Challenge. Hope the rest of your weekend goes well.

Tara

What I'm Reading

Today I wanted to share what I've been reading lately, since reading has been taking over my spare time leaving me little time to be creative. I've never really been a big reader, but about 10 years ago I started reading before bed to help me sleep better. It works wonders and it's also helped me become a better reader and has helped me with my spelling. I normally just read before bed but when I get into a good book I get consumed and I never seem to be able to put it down. Well for the last month that's what has been happening. I've been consumed with reading some really good books. Now I know probably most of you have read the The Hunger Games trilogy. I really enjoyed reading this trilogy. At first I was slow getting into it, but after a few chapters I was hooked :) I went through the trilogy fast. I was very happy with the end. I was glad it didn't keep me hanging. It kind of sucks when you get done a series because those books will never be the same as when you read them for the first time, but I have heard from a few people that said the enjoyed the books more the second read around. So I'm definitely going to read The Hunger Games trilogy again this fall. I've seen the movie but have to say the books are waaaaaayyyyyy BETTER! If you have seen the movie but haven't read the books I recommend you read the books. The movie can't give you as much detail as a book can, but I did like the movie because it gave me an extension of the book even though they left out what I felt were important parts. 

After doing a search on Pinterest on The Hunger Games. I noticed a girl had pinned a book called "Divergent" by Veroinca Roth and this girl had said it was better than The Hunger Games. So that afternoon I went to my local Walmart and picked it up. As with most books it took me a few chapters to get into it and when I did I was HOOKED! I couldn't put it down. I would read on break and as soon as the kids were in bed I would sit on the couch and read until bedtime. Also staying up later than I should :) I just finished this book last night and I LOVED IT! It's a must read. This is also going to be a trilogy. Right now only book one is out, but book two is coming out May 1st. I can't wait but am glad I don't have it in my hand. I need to get some other things done first. My husband keeps asking if I like it better than The Hunger Games. It's a hard question. I really liked The Hunger Games and I love Divergent as well. But if I had to pick one I would say that Divergent consumed me and I wasn't able to put it down. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Now that I'm taking a bit of a break from reading I have to get up to date with my Project Life. I plan on working hard core over the next few days to get caught up. I will post a couple of pages next week. Everyone have a fabulous weekend.

Tara

Copy Cat Challenge No.1

Good morning! Hope everyone is having a great week. Today I'm bringing you a Copy Cat Challenge. It's a challenge that Kayleigh and I used to have at our blog: Creative Inspiration Blog. I'm going to continue this challenge over here. For this first one I have picked a layout by Georgina a.k.a Georgeinci titled "I Love You". I love the design and how she has arranged all her elements on the baker's twine. The colour combination is perfect. I really like the grey and white with the hint of pink. And let's not forget the photos! They are adorable. Thanks Georgina for the inspiration :) Click Layouts for Credits. Have a GREAT weekend!

Tara

My Layout

Project Life-Favorite Pages To Date

This is my first post sharing my Project Life pages with you. I'm so happy that I took this project on. I hummed and hahed and talked it over with my husband. With me going back to work I wanted to make sure I had the time to complete it and not feel stressed. And thats the great thing about this project. You don't have to stress yourself out. You don't have to do a double page spread per week or even one page per week. No matter how much you are doing as long as your doing it, thats all that matters. In the end you are going to have so many memories recorded that you might otherwise have missed. With only having completed 12 weeks of the project so far I can't believe how many little memories and details I have recorded that otherwise might gotten missed or forgotten in a year or even a month. I love making notes about the little things my girls say or the funny things they are in to. Even keeping track of the weather is a cool thing to look back on especially with all the warm weather we were having this March. If I have one thing to say I would say everyone should give it a go. You can do it as digital or traditional scrapbooking. There is a lot of great products out there. In my Project Life I use Becky Higgins page protectors, but use a lot of digital elements as well. In the next month or so I will upload all my pages to my flickr account.

Okay, here are my two FAVORITE pages so far. I LOVE when my double pages coordinate. I have a hard time when they don't LOL! The first page is week 2 which includes Emily's First Birthday Party. I also include an extra insert to hold more photos. Which actually is a page protector to hold baseball cards. I got these from Walmart. 

The black and white photos were just a few pictures I had printed off and hung up as decorations for Emily's Birthday. The idea came from Vinnie Pearce. Check out her post Here. Definitely going to do this for Addison's Birthday. 

On the other side of the extra insert I have who attend her party, the weather that day, the Kool-Aid package I used for her punch and little photos from the day. Another thing that I love about Project Life and with using Becky Higgins page protectors is that I can tuck in other memorabilia, like her actually invitation that I made and mailed out to people. I just love the way this week turned out. Click Here for Credits.

My second FAVORITE page is the week that included Valentine's Day which was actually week 7. Again I love when the weeks coordinate :) This week I've captured the kids writing their Valentine's day cards, our last day at Mother Goose Sing Song, Valentine's goodies and treats and pictures of the kids with their gifts. This week I put in an extra Making Memories 6x6 page protector to hold a digital page I designed plus some Instagram photos and a card I got from Doug and the kids. To see my digital page larger & for credits. Click here.

On the second page I've included some really cute IncrediBooth photos. IncrediBooth you ask? It's an iPhone app that lets you take photos as if you where in a photo booth. Really COOL! The layout of this 6x4 insert I will use throughout the year. I also designed a logo or word art for little tidbits of the week called "Bits & Pieces". I like the way it turn out. Hubby and I had date day at Chapter's & Starbucks, so I kept my Starbucks cup to use for this week. Click Here for Credits.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave me a comment and if you do check in on a regular basis please follow my blog. Next post will be a Copy Cat Challenge. Everyone have a safe and wonderful Easter weekend. Happy Hopping!

Tara

Lastest Layout

With the weekend being so cold and rainy I'm hoping to do some catching up with my Digital Scrapbooking and Project Life. I also have to get my buns in gear and get Emily's first year book done. Today I was able to scrap her first day of swimming lessons. I love this layered template by Katie Pertiet. It's been on my desktop from awhile and I've been dying to use it. I like how versatile layered templates can be. I always shrink them down to create more white space. 

Click Here For Credits

Click Here To See In Store

Last night my husband and I had a date night. We went to a 3 hour cooking class at Aroma Mediterranean Restaurant in London Ontario. We were divided in to groups of four: Salad, Soup, Main Course and Dessert. Hubby and I were split up. I was in the salad group and he was on dessert. We didn't really learn any cooking techniques but it was fun preparing the food with a group of strangers. After making the food we got to sit down to a four course meal. It was a fun evening and it was nice to step out of the box.

Please look back later in the week when I share a few of my Project Life pages. Enjoy your Sunday.


Tara

Welcome To My New Blog!

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone & welcome to my new blog. I haven't blogged in about a year since I had my daughter Emily. Kayleigh Wiles and I used to blog at Creative Inspiration Blog and I haven't posted anything in over a year.  I've been debating about starting a new blog for awhile and finally decided to give it another go. My plan is to blog once a week, but if life gets busy I might miss a week or so. I look forward to sharing moments of life and inspiration with you.


Since today is St. Patty's Day. I thought I would post some inspiration using green. In our house we don't really celebrate St. Patty's Day, but now that we have kids I would like to start. Today I'm going to make green pancakes and dye their milk green. It's going to be a St. Patty's breakfast!


I LOVE Pinterest! Lots of GREAT ideas there. Here are 4 green pins that caught my eye. 

1. I like the cute little gift idea. I can use this idea for other occasions. Pinned from The Crafting Chicks  2. I love poms. They make awesome party decorations. Pinned from Pom Love Etsy Shop 3. Great Shades of greens. Love getting colour inspiration from Design Seed 4. These cookies look yummy. Going to give them a try next year. Pinned from Here.

Here is my latest layout using all Designer Digitals products. I Love Katie's Pertiet's Vintage Charm Clusters. There so beautiful and they make it easy to complete a layout in minutes. Please click here for CREDITS.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful day :)

Tara