Hello Stranger! Freebie Time.

Oh gosh, it's been so long since I've had time to post. 

The year has been hectic but with positive changes and new routines. My focus has been on health and wellness not only for myself, but also for my children. 

Needless to say, memory keeping, crafting and scripting has taken a back seat. That's not to say I've not made time for myself along the way. 

I've taken to sitting at my sunny window (on my yoga mat), committing to morning stretches (without a mat. does that still count as yoga?), and the occasional meditation. And sometimes all I can manage is taking a few conscious deep breaths in.   

A few nights ago, I made time to get my brush out and practice some scripting. 

So here are some freebies to say "hello! hope you are all doing great."

Here's the link for the ETERNITY card on the left, and here is the link for the FAMILY quote card on the right. 

If you use the the free printables, all I ask is that you please tag me on @themakingtable when you share on Instagram. I would love to see how you use them.

MY PROJECT LIFE JOURNAL | March 2015 part 2

I shared a few pages from my March 2015 personal PL journal a few days ago (here) and I'm sharing a few more from that same month. 

I like being able to use more girly cards and patterns in this album as it's just for me. 

Here's the first spread:

This next spread is a photo hubby took when he went for an early morning fish. He saw the dappled sunlight coming through trees and wanted to show me. I'm like the full page photo too -- something I don't do very often. 

The RHS page titled heart words is a blog post I wrote about my relationship with my eldest son and how hard it is sometimes to parent a child who pushes you away (read here). It was important to include in my album because it documents where I was at, on this mothering roller coaster.

The heart words title (below) and the "oh yeah, so good" filler card (above) is from my HEART WORDS kit here. 

And with that, I'm a quarter of the way through 2015. The question is whether I continue with 2015 or just start 2016...?

Supplies: Digital journal card from my online store {themakingtable.bigcartel.com), One Little Bird, and Digital Project Life. Stamps from Kellie Stamps and Ali Edwards. 

PROJECT LIFE | New Release Heart Words Collection

I had put my memory keeping on hold for a little bit while I made some decisions about my approach. 

Did I want to continue with physical albums? Would printed photo books be a better option? Do I continue with the boys' journals? So many questions and options. 

At least now I have a loose plan in place to keep moving forward. For the moment, I will continue documenting 2015 as physical Project Life albums. 

Here's a look at March:

The scripted cards are from my newest Heart Words collection of digital cards from my online store here.

The cards include phrases I say to the boys (eg. love you more), things I say to my myself (ie. just breathe), and headings (eg. so proud) I like to use to tell the stories.

Do you ever become indecisive about how you document and memory keep? 

Supplies: Digital downloads from my online store, Sahlin Studio, Paislee Press, Big City Quiet. Stamps from Kellie Stamps, Becky Higgins page protectors in Design C. 

PROJECT LIFE | Feb 2015

Hello Friends! Sure feels good to have finished my February 2015 pages for our family album!

I've had a few photo paper issues which has delayed my printing but I won't go into that here. *boring* 

Just a super quick post today to share the pages. 

Again, I have used my latest Everyday Journalling Collection (shop here) on the RHS of this spread and a few card designs that may or may not be coming soon on the LHS. I say that because family/work life has been a little crazy and things have been put on hold temporarily. But it's getting there! 

Hope you're more up to date than I am ;) and enjoy your week! xo

Supplies: Digital downloads from my shop and Paislee Press. Becky Higgins page protectors in Design C. 

PRINTABLE FREEBIES | Handwritten Quote Cards for Project Life

Hiya! Just a quick post today to share a few FREE printables I had promised to those who had mentioned their interest on Instagram.

These filler cards I have handwritten and scanned for use in my Project Life Journal. You can read more here. 

The card on the left is a quote I found that I really love because it is how I feel about my husband. Which is why I included the #iloveyou stamp from Kellie Stamps when I used it in my PL journal (pictured above). Unfortunately, I cannot find the author of the quote for inclusion.

The one on the right are words I wrote myself in a moment where I was letting self comparison impose on my own sense of self worth. We've all done that at some point, right?

Just click on the links below to download the cards.

Download

Download

Please let me know in the comments if you have downloaded the printables. Remember to tag me on Instagram (@themakingtable) if you share something you have created with the freebie cards as I would love to see it!

Happy Crafting everyone! xx

PROJECT LIFE | New Release Dragonfly and Favourites Collection

It's been an interesting few weeks where I have been in my own head a little bit too much. 

Lots of thinking...thinking...thinking.

About the future, the past, and making an extra effort to enjoy the every day moments.

It was one of the reasons why I started a mini album for myself. I needed a place to record my thoughts and things about me. 

So here are my January 2015 pages in my personal album. 

Only two pages for this month. Next month might only be one page or one pocket. I'm just going with the flow for this album.

Mr 7 showed me what he wrote on his first day in Grade 2. I love it for so many reasons.

I love reading what my children write -- especially free writing where they write about themselves. It's an amazing insight into their little personalities, what's important to them, and how they are feeling.

The 6x8 Project Life album that I am doing as a personal project is a place to share with the my boys who I am, what's important to me, what I am thinking about or struggling with. And most importantly, what makes me happy.

In my January 2015 pages, I am using cards from my new Dragonfly Collection of digital cards, available here.

I also designed one to use in the boys' individual 12 x 12 albums. I create one 12 x 12 pocket page each month for them, and I wanted journalling cards I could quickly complete and pop into their albums.

Here is the Favourites Collection, also available here.

Here's look at a few of the cards from the above Favourites Collection in use. I combined it with a personalised stamp from Kellie Stamps, and also one from her latest release.

Thanks for stopping by and having a read! Hope you all have an awesome week! xx

Supplies: Digital journal cards from my online store {themakingtable.bigcartel.com) and One Little Bird, Stamps from Kellie Stamps, Becky Higgins 6x8 album in light blue, and 6x8 Becky Higgins page protectors.


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PROJECT LIFE | Sunset Play

I'm sharing a layout today that I quickly finished last night.

These photos of the boys at sunset were taken by my husband on his phone camera. I remember him showing me these photos and being blown away by the amazing colours he captured. 

I especially love the photo of my youngest playing in water, taken from a distance. Looks like he's walking on water. 

I decided not to use any filler cards, stamps or embellishments on this page because the photos by themselves are so pretty.

Well that's it from me today. I'm off to finish another page I have in progress! 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

PROJECT LIFE | King Island

School holidays starts...NOW!

I am grateful that I am able to work from home over the September break.

A few weeks ago I started on selecting and editing photos from an afternoon at King Island. It sounds rather tropical because it's an "island" but really, it wasn't that exotic. That's not to say it wasn't an awesome afternoon with my three boys.

Starting with over 100 photos, I managed to cut it down to 23. There was little hope of fitting it all into 2 pages as originally planned. We were only there for 4 hours! 

Memory keeping lesson I learnt from this spread:
I don't need to obsess about the journalling. I need only journal if there is something I want to say, or if a story needs to be told. There's no need to journal just for the sake of filling up a journalling card. 

Today I'm sharing the first two pages:

Here's a close up:

Supplies: Goals stamp set from Kellie Stamps, Freebie "Adventure" card from Kelsey, Especially.

I like creating simple filler cards with stamps, and I'm a bit crazy for inspirational words words and quotes. I used two of the stamps from Kellie Stamps' Goals set here:

Photo from kelliestamps@bigcartel.com 

Thank you for having a look at my pages. I'll be back next week to share the rest!

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend! xx 

PROJECT LIFE | Finishing August 2013 PL pages

It has been such a long time since I have worked on my Project Life pages. August 2013 has been on my to-do list for almost 3 months! I shared some of August here and here.

I have managed to get some other little creative projects done in that time, such as the baby photo shoot from which I produced a mini album and photo movie here.

But mostly, over the past few months, I have been re-evaluating my priorities and my want to spend more time with my family and less time in front of my computer and phone. 

There is less than a week left of the school holidays and it has gone so quickly! As it always does. 

I have made an extra effort to be more present with the boys this mid-year break, and not look at the holidays as my time to "catch up" on my Project Life. The holidays is my time to really enjoy and connect with my babies who are growing up way too fast.

I have accepted that crafting is an after-hours gig, to be enjoyed after the little ones are asleep. 

Anyway, I've had some late nights (an old habit i'm still trying to kick) and I have now completed a 2-page spread and a 1-pager for August 2013. I only have one more page to finish the month off!

Here's a look at the pages.

Patterned Paper from Amy Tangerine's Plus One (The Stamp Spot)

Here's a close up of the stamp I used from Kellie Stamps' Magical set. I love this quote.

The boys had the chickenpox for most of August so it was nice to see them out and about and a lot less spotty towards the end of the month. Here's the page I did about their weekend adventures.

Thanks for stopping by, and I will leave you with one of my favourite quotes.

"Perhaps parents would enjoy their children more 

if they stopped to realize that the film of childhood 

can never be run through for a second showing." 

-- Evelyn Nown.

PROJECT LIFE | TL comes to visit

My bestie Tanyalee, author of the The Drawing Board, came to visit earlier in March this year. We had not seen each other for almost 10 years, even though we now text EVERY DAY!

I met TL about 16 years ago when we worked together at TAFE. Although it was only for a few short months, we became instant friends.

I loved going to work everyday because we got to hang out, and our most critical decision each day was where to have lunch! 

With family commitments, work changes and relocations, our conversations became less frequent and eventually, we went years without contact. Thanks to social media, we reconnected a few years ago and discovered our mutual love for crafting, memory keeping and Project Life.

On TL's visit, she met my youngest boy for the first time, and saw my eldest for the first time since he was born 10 years ago. We shopped, we ate, we talked..and we talked...and we even did some scrapping!  

Which brings me to the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves. We decided to scrap exactly the same photos from her visit, but with NO CONSULTATION with each other during the entire creative process until our pages were finished.

This is a bit different from how we usually craft as I am used to sending progress photos to TL and vice versa. We normally know what the other is working on at any given point in time.

So here is my page from TL’s recent visit in March this year.

Yesterday, my husband calls me 10 minutes after he left for work to say he accidentally took my phone to work with him. No big deal if I wasn't having one of those days where i needed moral support. Sometimes you just need a friend who understands your illogical craziness.   

I consider TL part of my family - the sister I never had. She inspires and motivates me everyday. 

Friends are a treasure. Go on, tell a friend you love them!

GUEST POST | Tanyalee from The Drawing Board

Today I am welcoming my first guest Tanyalee (TL), the lovely author of The Drawing Board. 

We have known each other for over 15 years and she is one of my bestest friends on the planet. TL is a busy mother of three, works full-time, is studying AND finds time to craft in-between responding to my text messages all day lol.

I love TL's crafting style - clean and fresh with the focus on her photos, and always gorgeous. I am in awe of how she picks the most perfect filler cards to highlight the  beautiful tones in her photos, every single time.  

I'll let TL introduce herself further and tell you about the Project Life Challenge we set for ourselves.  

"Well this is a new experience for me. I have only been blogging for five months so making a guest post is a little daunting. But when the idea came up that Sue and I guest post on each other's blog I couldn't pass it up. Thank you my gorgeous friend for having me. 

The idea of this post came up after I took a trip to Queensland in March to visit Sue and her family (and some other friends and family). You see Sue and I have been friends since we worked together at TAFE many years ago. Our friendship developed quickly, but when my family moved to regional Queensland and then Tasmania, and both of our lives became busy with work and family, things changed. 

But thanks to the wonders of the digital age and social media we connected again and have rediscovered all of the things we have in common. We 'talk' to each other every day - numerous times a day. Sue is like the sister I never had - and I love her to bits. To be honest, sometimes I don't know what I would do without her. 

So more about our challenge. Before I even made it to Queensland we came up with the idea of creating a layout using photos that we took during the visit. The catch was that we couldn't share our progress with each as the end result had to be a surprise. 

I totally underestimated how hard that would be. You see we share progress shots with everything we work on. We help each other with card choices and photo placements and colour matching. I guess you could say we cyber-scrap. 

Well enough about that. Let's get down to the business end of this post. The reveal of my Queensland visit Project Life page. 

We both have very similar styles with our Project Life so I was very excited to see Sue's layout. If you want to check it out too, it's over on my blog The Drawing Board now. 

This was such a fun challenge. I can't wait till our next adventure - and our next crafting challenge. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for letting me hijack your blog today Sue. Love you long time girlfriend. Xx"

Thank you my beautiful friend for popping in and sharing your amazing page. So much fun and can't wait for our next catch up so we can do it all again xx

To see more of Tanyalee's work, visit her blog The Drawing Board.

PROJECT LIFE | Boys' October 2013 pages

A quick post tonight to share the boys' monthly page.

As you may know, I have a family album where I have all the photos for the family, and then each month, the boys have a single page in their album where I include photos, stories and quotes pertaining to them.

So, back to the boys' individual albums. This is where I include photos of their drawings from school, or a screen shot of their favourite computer game, or their favourite food or toy.

Here's the page for my eldest.

I have used the Jade kit and the Favourite Mini Stamp Set from Kellie Stamps was perfect for this page. I can see this set being well used in the boys' individual pages.

I like being able to include the screen shot of my son's Club Penguin character in his album. It's a good memory to capture because it is one of his favourite games right now.

Here's a few close up photos.

Kellie Stamps: Favourite Mini

Kellie Stamps: Favourite Mini, Monday-Friday

This calendar card from Paislee Press features in every monthly page for the boys so far. I love it. However, I have altered it again by replacing the "O" with the OCT stamp from the Monday-Friday stamp set.

That's it from me this evening. And that completes my October 2013 pages! 

I am working backwards from the end of 2013 and am now half way through August so I really feel like I am getting somewhere! 

Enjoy the rest of your week. We have a short working week so only 2 more days until the long weekend! xx

TUTORIAL | Use a cello bag to position your stamps

Oh dear me. 

I believe my last post was over a week ago... the night before the first day of the school year. 

I have not crafted for maybe two weeks, and I am going a little crazy because that's all I have been thinking about! All in good time.

With school starting, I'm getting used to the school and work routine, impromptu after school errands, and dinner/homework duties.

Who knew that it would be such a challenge to just get myself and the children to bed earlier. And to drink more water. And to eat three meals a day. And to stay cool and calm.

Enough of my ramblings. I'm just popping in to share a little trick I use when I'm feeling unsure how a stamp/s will look on a filler card or photo.

Many of you (if not all!) may do this already or have done so in the past. I tried it out one night when I was too scared to stamp directly on a photo without knowing what it would look like. I'm not great at "visualising" stuff like this.


GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES:
- a cello bag (sometimes called Polypropylene Bags)
- ink 
- stamp/s of your choice (i used stamps from Kellie Stamps)
- filler card or photo of your choice (whatever you want to stamp on!) 


STEP 1:
Open up your cello bag by tearing along the seams. You can use scissors, but i find it easy to just tear. Then you can cut down the middle to make it easier to work with.

STEP 2:
Position the cello sheet over your filler card or photo. 

Ink up and stamp your images onto the cello sheet. This will give you a good idea how the images will look on your filler card or photo without having to waste a filler card/photo whilst you decide stamp placement etc.

I find Stazon ink very good to minimise the risk of smudging the ink onto your fingers and then onto your cards or photos (done that many many times!)

Step 3:
Remove the cello sheet and stamp directly onto your card if you like how it looked when you did your test stamp. If not, repeat step 2 until you get the look you want!

Remember to keep the stamped cello sheets away from your good cards and photos, especially if you have used ink that is not quick drying or smudges to avoid unwanted ink marks.

So that's it! Love a bit of cello bag stamping when I'm feeling undecided and want to experiment. 

Hope to have some layouts to share with you very very soon xx

TUTORIAL | Create 3x4 polaroid style 3x4 photo

Hi there! 

Just dropping in to share a quick tutorial on how to make a 3x4 polaroid style photo in Photoshop.

I have an older version of Photoshop so I am hoping the video still helps those of you with newer versions and also Photoshop Elements.

This is the first video tutorial I have created, so please be kind if you notice any awkward newbie-ness. I recommend viewing it in VIMEO via the link below instead of playing it within this page.


How to make polaroid style 3x4 photo from Sue Ko on Vimeo.


Would love to hear your feedback in the comments below.

Thanks again for dropping by! 

I will be back soon for another Project Life layout share. 

My Project Life Process right now.

I know, I know! It's January 2014 and I've only just completed November 2013. 

But don't get excited, because that's the only month I have completed for 2013!

Now moving onto September 2013...here's what it looks like so far.

I am happy to report my Project Life process has been reviewed, revised and refined...and repeat.

Today I'm sharing my process (read: strategy) to complete 2013 by the end of February. That's my aim. I will keep you posted on how it pans out.

Those of you who are regular visitors to my blog (thank you!!) will know I have been working on layouts of my boys as babies. That is still rolling along but my focus for Jan/Feb is completing 2013. And you may also know I primarily do monthly or event spreads.

So this is what I'm doing right now.

HOW I ORGANISE MY PHOTOS ON THE COMPUTER?

I have a folder for each month, and then sub-folders within those. The folders with day_month_year are from my camera, and then I have a folder for photos from my phone, and my husband's phone.


HOW I DECIDE WHAT LAYOUTS TO DO? 

Step 1: Events
Firstly, I will work on events from the month. For example, our afternoon at Bribie Island, or putting up the Christmas tree -- anything where I have taken a series of photos from the one day.

Step 2: Monthly Overview
Once the event/s for the month are accounted for, I move onto selecting the photos for my monthly spread/s. It could be 1 x double page layout, 2 x double page layouts, or just the one page. 

I prefer the flexibility of monthly spreads because I don't feel the pressure to have sufficient photos for every week, or to have a two page spread every single week.

Step 3: Individual page for the kiddies
Once I have completed the event and monthly overview pages, I work on the overprints and the "highly commended" photos.

The "overprints" are the photos that I have printed twice (mostly because the colour was out, or I forgot to print with a border). 

The "highly commended" photos are ones I really like of the boys which I was not able to include in the monthly overview spread. 

These handful of photos go into the boys' albums as a single page layout dedicated purely to them. Here I will include details of their school excursions, drawings they have done, quirky quotes and any other details I want to record.

Here's a look at what I've done for the pages in the boys' individual albums for the Nov 2013. 

The focus was on getting the photos into pockets and telling the story. 


Here's a close up of the journalling. 

STAMPS: Kellie Stamps (Photo Bomb). Dear Lizzy roller date stamp.

That's my process for now.  I'm happy to say it's proving productive, and I'm having fun -- no pressure, just keeping the documenting wheels in motion. 

What's your Project Life or memory keeping process right now? Would love to hear about it if you would like to leave a comment and share.

That's it from me today, thanks again for stopping by! xx

November 2013 layout

Here in sunny Queensland, Australia -- it is stinking HOT!

We are fortunate enough to have the air conditioner cranked, and another batch of the boys' favourite coconut mango ice-cream in the freezer (sorry, i know i go on about this, but it's really GOOOOD!).

I'm sharing my first completed monthly layout today. All my previous layouts have focussed on an event, so it was both fun and challenging to work with a bunch of photos that was a snapshot of our November 2013. 

Here's a look at the spread.

I used Amy Tangerine's Cut and Paste mini kit, Dear Lizzy's Polka Dot Party mini kit, and the Midnight Edition.

For my title card, I stamped "NOV" (Monday-Friday set, Kellie Stamps) on a 2013 Calendar Journaling Card (Paislee Press).

This "Love this moment" stamp is a rubber wood mount from Kellie Stamps. I think I will be using this one A LOT! 

Freckled Fawn wood veneer heart from The Stamp Spot on an Amy Tangerine Cut and Paste filler card in the next photo.

I love sweet potato gems! This is a bit of a treat in our household so the NOM NOM wood mount stamp (Kellie Stamps) was perfect for this photo.  I used Brilliance ink in Starlite Black and I am so impressed with how beautifully this ink stamps onto glossy photo paper.

A little bit blurry, but check out the Light Wood Veneer Flair (Kellie Stamps)! These flairs have really cute designs.



How crisp the above stamped image?! This was the first time I stamped onto glossy photo paper and I think it almost looks like it has been printed. 

I've use the quote stamp from the Best Friend's stamp set (currently on sale, Kellie Stamps) and the Brilliance Starlite Black ink again. Although the ink has "black" in the name, it's more of a shimmery dark charcoal colour which I love.

Finally, remember you still have time to win this awesome prize pack simply by commenting on all the blogs participating in the Kellie Stamps January Release blog hop. Competition closes midnight (AET) 5 January.

Good luck everyone, it's an awesome prize! And thanks for stopping by xx

Christmas 2013 Photo Overlays

Ahhh....here they are!

From the moment I released my Summer Christmas Collections, I had been planning to design some photo overlays to complement them.

It has taken me this long to get them done! 

My excuse? Well...I went and found myself a job so it was a matter of juggling work, children, home and still finding time for the basic eating and sleeping. Unfortunately, the sleeping component has suffered somewhat, lol.   

These are available from my online shoppe as PNG files. 

These photo overlays have been designed for 4x6 photos, but I'm sure you could use them on 3x4s as well.

I am considering choosing a few photos and using them as Christmas cards this year too.

Anyways, I hope you like them because I have really enjoyed making them.

Enjoy the rest of your week xx

ON MY MIND | Gratitude Rocks

GRATITUDE (noun) The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness.

I am a big fan of gratitude. I think that if there was more gratitude in today's busy and often impatient society, there would be less road rage and less people would be clipped in the heels by shopping trolleys.

Finding small blessings in our everyday lives can help slowly pull us out of the depths of sadness and reignite our zest for life.

Have a look at this video about a book called 365 Gratefuls and be inspired!

365grateful.com from hailey bartholomew on Vimeo.


BRINGING GRATITUDE INTO OUR EVERYDAY:

Gratitude eventually becomes second nature. Like anything else, it takes practice. And like I tell my boys, the more you practice, the easier it gets.

I still get overwhelmed, but I am learning to see everyday moments for what it is, and with a positive spin. This can be very liberating and for want of a better word, a relief as we learn to simply LET GO and appreciate. 

Here are some examples of what I mean:

EXAMPLE 1: You get stuck in a traffic jam, bumper to bumper driving home from work. 
OPTION A: Get cranky and frustrated that you are wasting time sitting in traffic.
OPTION B: Make the most of the situation, crank up your radio and sing your heart out (maybe wind up the windows first if you are shy). Or just sit and BREATHE. Appreciate your little bit of down time. 

EXAMPLE 2: You are bursting to finish a crafting project Saturday afternoon but the kiddies want to watch a movie with you.
OPTION A: Tell them you have a project to finish and to watch it on their own.
OPTION B: Be thankful your kiddies love spending time with you and enjoy the moment of togetherness with them. Snuggle up and enjoy.

EXAMPLE 3: It's Saturday morning and you have the entire week's washing to hang out on the line.
OPTION A: Grumble to yourself that the washing is never ending and what a nuisance it is to do this every weekend.
OPTION B: As you take your washing outside, enjoy the sunshine and admire what a beautiful day it is. And how awesome is it that sunshine is nature's best sanitiser so your clothes will be extra clean, not to mention doing the environment a huge favour by avoiding the dryer.



GRATITUDE AND PROJECT LIFE:

I was inspired by the video clip and considered doing a photo gratitude journal for 365 days.

So I started to plan how this project would fit into what I am currently doing in terms of Project Life. Then it hit me. Project Life is my take on 365 Gratefuls!

I am already recording everyday moments with photos and journalling. I may not take a photo every day, but the things I do photograph and record helps me celebrate all the things that I am blessed with.

Project Life also offers us the the opportunity to reflect, find the positives, and give thanks for things such as:

- the life of a loved one;
- a precious moment shared;
- an obstacle overcome;
- a personal achievement succeeded;
- the beauty of the natural world around us; or 
- a life lesson learnt. 

I am sure there are more we can add to the list. What's on your gratitude list?

If you have read this far, THANK YOU! I hope you have been inspired to continue finding more blessings in your life every day xx