simple pages completed albums

I've been scrapbooking today! Here is a simple page layout that I wanted to share with you:

Last weekend was my dad's memorial. Afterwards we went to my step-mom's house and she got all of her Creative Memories albums out. We poured over them and you know what? There was not a single piece of colored paper or stickers on any page. Just photos and writing. And it was WONDERFUL. These were precious memories that we could share and enjoy and not a box of photos to wonder about. So don’t worry about getting it ‘right’ just get it ‘done.’ You will be so glad you did.

If you want a bit of decoration on your pages, here is what I did:

First I stuck all my cropped photos down...scrunching them about 1/4" apart allowing room for a title and photojournaling on the page.

Next, cut two 1-inch strips of paper to mount to both edges of the layout:

Add a title sticker:

I used a brown pen to add some dots...that kind of anchors your sticker to the page so it's not just floating in space.

I often use pre-cut squares of lined acid-free paper for journaling 'the story.' After writing, adhere some Tape Runner to the back, then mount on coordinating colored paper. Use trimmer to crop.

Stick journaling box on and voila! DONE!

This year I would rather be simple and DONE....than fancy and far-behind. If you feel the same way, then please keep checking back for more simple page layouts.

Happy Scrappin',

:DL

Power Layouts Step Three

We ended Power Layouts Step Two with our pages (guides) looking like this:




I blogged that post awhile ago (blogged that post? or posted that blog?) so I'm assuming you stacked these neatly back into your Power Layouts Box and they are not still covering your dining room table. Now it's time to get those pages out of the Box and into your Album!


says one procrastinator to another... :)

Set your album and/or empty refill pages in front of you. Transfer everything that is on your first 'guide' onto your first scrapbook page. Using photo mounting adhesive, mount everything down onto the page.


Stack the empty guide somewhere for later use (you can see I just tuck the empty guides into the lid of the Power Sort Box as I go along).



Lather, rinse, repeat.


It helps if you go away somewhere like a Beach Retreat...

I am bleary eyed yet smiling because I completed 70 pages using Power Layouts and a weekend Beach Retreat! But you don't have to go away to get Step Three completed. Really. All the work (layout, cropping, enhancing) is done and it's just a no-brainer-stick-the-stuff-down-onto-your-album-pages step. Do a page at a time or do the whole entire box (like me, I'm a crazy-person).

I can't wait to hear how your Power Layouts project is going!! Once you complete an entire album in just a few evenings, you will be hooked! This is the perfect solution for those of you who are far, far behind.

Happy Scrappin',
:DL

December Daily project finish line

When I started my very first December Daily album I had no idea that my kids would take such an active part in the daily journaling and documenting.

I also had no idea that December would include my dad suffering a stroke and passing away 3 days before Christmas. I had no idea that I would be gone and leave my December Daily album behind expecting several pages to be empty when I returned. What a surprise to see that my beautiful children had delved into the basket of journaling boxes while I was away and filled the empty pages with notes, scribbles, drawings, thoughts and prayers...

the bottom entry on this day says, "Opa's doing worse! Everyone is sad. :("

i flew down to sunny southern california to be with my dad before he passed away. it was hard for me to even process that it was Christmas. when my eldest daughter called me on my cell phone and asked where i put the cookie cutters, it took me a bit by surprise -- why does she need cookie cutters?....oh yah, it's Christmas...

the girls used a picture from the Gingerbread House Kit box for this page.

i didn't take any photos from the stroke unit.....just memories....

but i will include these photos in our december daily album - photos of my 3 girls and a prince holding down the fort while i was gone:

december daily album project...finish line. time to print a few more pictures, add them to the book and close this until next year. How will our hearts feel when we unpack this album next December? will my heart still be breaking in memory of my father? will i have had some healing? will our lives be radically different? will we hold ourselves together through the bonding of sugar cookie cut outs, frosting, and joy? what surprises jumped out of your December Daily album this December? i would love to hear - we are on this scrapbooking journey together.