crafting Archives - Page 2 of 10

Project Life Card Holder

October 22, 2013 By Taylor 49 Comments

A few months ago I was playing on Instagram and looking at the hash tag #craftroom because it’s just plain fun. I came across an awesome Project Lifer, Miriam and her pretty feed. I looked back through her photos and fell in love with her Project Life Organizer! My husband is really handy so I started drawing up some plans. Spoiler Alert: he built it and it’s amazing!!!

The one I saw on Miriam’s Blog is a lot larger but mine has to fit on a shelf so I had to keep the size down. I gave my husband the dimensions and this weekend he went to work! Mine is 30″ long and 9 1/2″ deep.

My husband even made risers in each section so my cards have stadium seating. He glued and nailed the dividers in and I sprayed it white. In other news I need to stop buying Project Life Kits :/

I have been using the plastic trays that the kits come in so the cards stand up. I find it SO much easier to use something if it’s already out. Not only are they handy but now they are even prettier in my new holder! When people walk in to my craft room they always say “what are these pretty papers?!” They are their own decoration :)

Thanks Bryan for building me the best Project Life Holder Ever!

Make a Fabric Flower Pot

October 2, 2013 By Taylor 5 Comments

Back in 2011, one of the very first things I ever “pinned” was this. A fabric covered flower pot, which also led me to one of my favorite bloggers Ashley Ann Photography. I have thought about them for years but the main problem is that I am not a “plant person”. I am crafty and I am a mom yes, but I kill all plants. But I am trying to change that and I thought a cute pot would help.

I used my new Martha Decoupage because it’s waterproof and it’s my new obsession. I want to cover everything in it.

I cut pieces of fabric and started wrapping them around the pot. I started with decoupage underneath. The terracotta really soaks it up so I had to add a thick layer. I just folded the fabric under on the bottom of the pot.

I used 3 big sections of fabric and overlapped them so I didn’t have any folds.

It dried pretty quickly and I attempted to pot my plant which is a funny story. I bought the plant a week before potting it and I left it in my hot, Houston garage in the middle of summer for a week. My mom came over and let me know I was suffocating it. I didn’t even know that was a thing. Wish me luck keeping it alive, it already has one strike against it.

She lives in my craft room now, I have already remembered to water her :) Is anyone else not a green thumb at all?

Also, (this is totally unrelated to flower pots) this month I was featured in an online publication, DIY Lifestyle Magazine! I am super excited! They are letting all of you guys have the issue for free :) If you have an iPad… Check out the September issue of the DIY Lifestyle Magazine. Many DIY projects were contributed by talented bloggers and my article was published in this month’s issue! For your free trial download the magazine here: http://bit.ly/T2rMXd then click on subscribe. Next, click current subscribers and enter in the promo code: septfree1 to get the current issue for free; and do it soon because the coupon is only valid until October 8, 2013. Enjoy!

2013 Project Life Update (January to August)

September 18, 2013 By Taylor 5 Comments

I haven’t done a Project Life Update in a while so I figured I would share a few pictures today :) It’s quite clear that I am a huge Project Life Fan, it changed the way I scrapbook and I think it is something that anyone and everyone can do. Here are some of my older posts: HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE. I started Project Life in 2011 but not until August so I was playing catch up all year, then when 2012 rolled around I wanted to be current with that so I was doing two books at a time. For the first time, this year I finally caught up with one book and have only had to work on one! Another first, I’m only one month behind which is huge for me… I’m usually years behind on my scrapbooks.

I am pretty nontraditional when it comes to Project Life and that’s what I like about it. It’s so custom. Most people that I follow on Instagram or in “blogland” tend to do the weekly layout. I have never done that because my pages don’t fall like that. For example, I might only have 10 pictures from the entire month of April but then I might have 30 pictures just from one day like a birthday.

Also, I am kind of a “Project Life Kit Junkie”. Some people buy one kit and use that one the whole year. I like to buy as many as I want and then each page is different. I also started subscribing to Studio Calico’s PL Kit each month so I have a lot to choose from. I will add links for products that I love (please note some are affiliate links on Amazon)Here is an example of one page from an event, and I didn’t use any papers in this layout. Just pictures and snippet of the invitation. I used Photo Pocket Pages – Design B.

One of my new favorite plastic pages are actually not even the Becky Higgins brand (I wish she would make some) But these hold Instagrams perfectly! I order my pictures from Postal Pix which is an App right on my iPhone. Also a tip for all women… try to put as many pictures of yourself in your book, my first year I realized I am never in any pictures so I try to make a point now! I used the Square Ring Photo Sleeve Protectors.

I got inspiration from Elise Joy and I started sewing my actual calendar pages in to an 8×10 Page protector. I sometimes add sequins in before I sew :)

An example of random pictures from a month. I usually have photos from events, holidays, parties etc. Then for the few pictures that don’t fit into those pages, I make them their own page. This is my favorite plastic page Photo Pocket Pages Design A ,and they are often sold out on Amazon. You can find these at Hobby Lobby now too. These papers are from the Studio Calico subscription kit.

Sometimes I don’t have any journaling so I just add a title right to a photo.

A page all about my juice cleanse, using my new favorite stamp – (similar Mason Jar Wood Stamp)

Another favorite plastic page is the Photo Pocket Pages – Design F. I use these for cell phone pics. I have way more cell phone pics in my albums than “real photos”. These cards are from Studio Calico and the Heather Bailey Olive Kit.

Another page with no journaling.

I am also obsessed with “Thickers”! You can get them on Amazon or you can find them at almost every craft store, Target even has them!

When I have a lot of photos from something but I don’t want to spread it over so many pages, I will make collages and print them to 4×6 size. This is using the plastic page “A” again. I use it most often. The papers are from the Clementine Edition

I use the 5 x 7 Page Protectors often for invitations, pamphlets, school pictures etc…

Favorite Thickers :)

For this little road trip, I only took my pictures with my iPhone. Also, I when I go out of town, I always look for a 4×6 postcard for my layouts.

Another road trip post with just my iPhone. This is using the Honey Kit and these are going to be my new favorite plastic pages I can already tell! They just came out, Photo Pocket Pages – Design K. They hold 6 Instagrams and have 4 pockets for journaling or cell phone pics.

In August I decided to do a “day in the life” type page and I tried to take a picture every hour… kind of fun! I used PicMonkey to add the times right to the pictures.

I also have 2 new “toys” that I use ALL THE TIME now! After researching a ton, I decided to get the Canon SELPHY Photo Printer. I love it! It makes it so much easier when you have your quality photos right there. I will still use snapfish for my big orders but this is perfect for cell phone pictures or when I forget to order something, of if I just can’t wait for my pictures to get here :)

And I have been looking for something to cut 3×4 pictures FOREVER! I finally found one at Hobby Lobby!

Also, being the “collector” that I am I just purchased the Sunshine Kit and the Flea Market Mini Kit, can’t wait to break in to these…

Is anyone out there a Project Lifer? I LOVE looking at other peoples pages because I think everyone is so inspiring in their own way! Please leave a link if you have a book!

5th and Frolic Project Life Core Kit

August 12, 2013 By Taylor 15 Comments

This post is part of a paid campaign with American Crafts, but all opinions are 100% my own. This is a product I have used and loved for years.

If you have been reading TaylorMade a while, you know that it’s no secret how much I love Project Life. I don’t just talk about it here on my blog, I also talk about it in person too :) I have even converted some friends because I am just that happy about it. I started memory keeping before I was 10 years old, before I even knew what memory keeping was. In High School I started a traditional scrapbook. But after college, life got busy and I stopped. Which is a similar story that a lot of people have and now that I have kids, preserving our memories are more important than ever to me! Enter Project Life.

Project Life is a super-simple approach to scrapbooking created to simplify the process. It requires no scissors, no glue, no tools and no skills of any kind. If I want to I can whip out 10 pages in an hour. If I am feeling especially creative, it also can be customized and “fancied up”. I even bought my non-scrapbooking sister a kit last year :) I love that it appeals to the person who’s never made a scrapbook in their life as, as well as those with lots of traditional scrapbooking experience. I have posted some of my tips and tricks HERE, HERE and HERE.

Project Life used to be sold exclusively online but is now available at Micheals! YAY! For all our immediate crafting needs, Michaels carries one of the largest selections of Project Life, including two exclusive core kits and several exclusive albums.

The two exclusive kits are both awesome. The Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Core Kit is my personal favorite and it features an array of light blues, pinks, greens, yellows and airy neutrals. The fun icons include birds, trees, foxes, houses, keys and clipboards. The edition has a distressed feel. They also carry the The Vintage Travel Core Kit which features deep blues, reds and browns, along with a variety of darker neutrals. The icons in this Edition include trains, airplanes and maps.

I usually have a good mix of DSLR photos and iPhone photos so I love the smaller pockets for those! Here is a spread I did with the Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Kit with some pictures from March, I tend to skip around a little (click on the picture to see them larger)…

(Left Side)