Friday Favorites no. 056 | links from the week

6 February 2015

Going to try doing this.
Maybe this will finally do the trick for my mornings.
So much prettiness in one place.
Yes to journaling.
Slow and steady is better.
All the shades of white.

Yay for Friday, you guys!

I’ll be the first to say that this hasn’t been my best week. It’s been one of those week where you just want to start over. But since it’s almost over, I’m glad I made it to the end and am hoping that next week is better.

It’s gonna be a good weekend xx.

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Life is often full and busy. But I like to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things. So Friday Favorites is a weekly series where I share my favorite(s) for the week. Check out my other Friday Favorites here.

Project Life 2014 | week 17

5 February 2015

Ameliawrites-PL2014-week17

Lo and behold, it’s a Project Life post!

Trust me, I haven’t fallen off the Project Life bandwagon. I’ve just been a little bit slow in putting them together.

I actually have all my photos until September 2014 printed out. Now I just need to sort through photos for the remaining months of 2014 and pick cards for the spreads. Easy, right?

I just need to carve out time to get down to it, womp. And I will soon.

Excuses aside, I finally found time to finish and photograph this spread and I’m glad it’s finally done and in the books. Now moving on to the thirty other spreads I need to do…

Week of: April 21 to 27, 2014

What happened this week: It was a relatively fun/busy week since we got USS passes, went out for dinner, and visited the Tulip Festival.

Because I had quite a few photos from the Tulip Festival, I made an insert to include all the extra photos and memorabilia. This is how the spread looks like with the insert flipped.

For the insert, I trimmed off the last section of a Project Life Design D page protector. I actually like the vertical 4×6 pockets, which don’t happen very often.

Left side (without the insert)

Right side (without the insert)

Other details from the insert:

I pulled some enamel dots, Amy Tangerine Remarks stickers, Dear Lizzy Project Life cards, and Pebbles journaling cards from my stash to help the insert come together and look a little more cohesive.

Techniques used: I used my Instax camera a fair amount this week, so I included all of those polaroid photos.

Thoughts: This week ended up being a nice mix of pastel and bolder colors, which surprisingly worked. And since this week seems like such a long time ago, I’m glad I got all the activities documented.

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Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I’m embarking on this year-long project to document all my memories in 2014. You can see my other Project Life posts here.

All the Memories | 15 memories to document in 2015

2 February 2015

Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and busyness of life and forget about the little moments that make up the big moments.

Since this year is all about intentional memory keeping and not letting the moments slip by, I put together a list of 15 (big and small) memories to get you started on your memory keeping.

Look out for these moments and document them in any way you choose!

15 memories to document in 2015:

1. A new experience

2. A new restaurant that you visited

3. The first concert of 2015 that you attended

4. One new food that you tried

5. A new favorite recipe

6. One new country/city/town that you visited

7. One new friendship that you formed

8. Your most-used mode of transportation in 2015

9. Your favorite song (the one that is always on replay)

10. Your favorite drink

11. A funny story/epic memory

12. A new routine

13. One new book that you read and enjoyed

14. One thing you regret doing/not doing

15. One goal you set and achieved for yourself

What other memories do you plan to document this year? Let me know in the comments!

Missed the other posts in this series? You can catch up on them here:

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All the Memories is a blog series talking about all things memory keeping – from memory keeping ideas to answering your questions. This is the year to get those memories documented!

Let’s look at January

31 January 2015

Guys, I think I say this all the time, but where has time gone and why is it already the end of January??

Such is a mystery I think I’ll never comprehend; time definitely flies.

Since there’s no point in bemoaning how quickly time has passed, let’s just take a look at what went down on the blog this month!

I started the year with a look at my 2015 planner and blog planner set-up.

I put all of 2014’s Creative Conversations in one blog post to give you so much inspiration in one place!

Since 2015 is the year to document those memories, I started a brand-new memory keeping series talking about all things memory keeping. I have three posts in the series so far: 5 reasons why you should be a memory keeper / 5 ways to start memory keeping / 12 ways to document your memories).

I gave myself permission to disconnect because it’s okay to disconnect sometimes.

I made two art journal pages for Get Messy and I love creating again.

And not forgetting my regular Friday Favorites (no. 052 / no. 053 / no. 054 / no. 055).

Oh, I am so thankful for January and all that happened.

February, bring it on.

Friday Favorites no. 055 | links from the week

30 January 2015

Perfect for meal organizing.
Beautiful post.
This sounds like fun.
I needed this in the beginning of January.
Still working on this.
Trying these photo prompts.
How adorable are these Valentine’s?

Are you ready for the weekend yet? I’m (surprisingly) ahead with school assignments this week so I daresay the weekend has arrived early for me, which is a good thing!

I’m looking forward to doing some fun things this weekend. Hope yours is as great xx.

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Get Messy no. 014 | an art journal challenge

29 January 2015

So Get Messy is back after a break!

If you signed up for the Get Messy newsletter, you would have received eight different prompts + challenges for you to work on. I loved the variety of prompts and how they really challenged me to think out of the box!

That said, I wish I had had more time to work on these during the break. But I do have two new pages to share today, based on the prompts.

Challenge #5:

Journal prompt: Choose one word to sum up this past year. Write it, stamp it, type it boldly. Add no explanation, your word will speak for itself.

Art Prompt: Use a full page from a magazine as your background for your word.

2014 was such a good and full year for me. It was full of new experiences, full of lessons learned, full of friendships formed, full of opportunities.

Challenge #6:

Journal prompt: Set one crazy bucketlist goal for yourself this year. Choose one thing, that if you really work and plan for, you can accomplish that is so far outside your norm it scares you a little. Go skydiving, ride an elephant, get a tattoo.

Art prompt: Find photos, words, etc to represent your goal and get you excited about it! Make 2015 the year you surprised yourself with your own bravery!

So much fun getting back into art journaling and I loved how these pages turned out. I can’t wait to do more soon!

P.S. I’m linking up at the new Get Messy art journal website today and you should too. Also, check out the brand-new membership program, which is totally exciting news!

All the Memories | 12 ways to document your memories

26 January 2015

So you’ve decided to start memory keeping (YAY for you!), because it’s obviously a good idea to document your 2015 memories, right?

But what method should you use?

Like I mentioned in my last post, there are seriously so many options for how to document your memories.

These days, I like using Project Life (or pocket scrapbooking) as my chosen documentation method. But more on that in another post on another day.

That said, since I like having options (most of the time anyway), I put together a (non-exhaustive) list of ways that anyone can use to document those precious memories.

And all you have to do is to pick your favorite way and try it!

12 ways to document your memories

1. Mini books/albums

If all other paper projects seem too daunting, just start small with minis first. (I’ve got lots of inspiration here.)

2. Photo books

Photo books are few and far between for me, but for those that I’ve made, I really do love. I also love seeing Ronnie’s beautiful photo/story books.

3. Pocket scrapbooking/Project Life

I’ve mentioned this already, but I couldn’t not include it in the list right? (Full post another day.)

4. Photo collages

This one is so easy and convenient to do, you can literally do it at your fingertips on your smartphone. Just download a photo collage app (like this) and viola! You can do weekly or monthly collages and print them out at the end of the year. Or just whenever you want, really.

5. Picture frames

Since so many things are digital nowadays, I always appreciate looking at a nicely framed photo and holding it in my hands.

6. Daily/weekly/monthly journaling

Try a consistent journaling project for a neat compilation of thoughts and memories at the end of the year. Or do what Elise is doing and just keep a journal, period.

7. Blogging

I still remember the days of angsty teenage posts and blogs. But those days aside, blogging is actually like keeping an online journal, which is a really good way to document with words and photos.

8. Videos

A picture may paint a thousand words, but some videos are just beyond words. Since Youtube and vlogging is kind of a thing right now, you could totally hop on that bandwagon. Just saying.

9. Digital/hybrid projects

If paper isn’t really your thing, try going digital or doing a mix of both. (Paislee Press and One Little Bird are some of my favorite shops.)

10. Scrapbook layouts

This is how I started scrapbooking (again, that’s another story for another day). But layouts are perfect for combining anyone’s love for words, memories, and paper into one project.

11. Social Media

Since I use relatively limited social media nowadays, this isn’t my preferred memory keeping method. But if it works for you, then I say go for it! Better memories documented than none at all.

12. Photo albums

Sometimes, you just need to go back and be old-school by printing photos and slipping them into regular albums. No need to do anything else fancy. Just good old albums. (Remember to go acid- and lignin-free if you want to really preserve your photos though!)

As I always say, there isn’t a right or wrong way to document, just the right way for you.

Let me know which way you’re using to document your 2015 memories, or more memory keeping methods that you have to add to this list!

Missed the other posts in this series? You can catch up on them here:

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All the Memories is a blog series talking about all things memory keeping – from memory keeping ideas to answering your questions. This is the year to get those memories documented!

Friday Favorites no. 054 | links from the week

23 January 2015

Flashback to the skies two weekends ago, which remind me of how I need to get out of the house more and enjoy views like this.

Maybe I’ll do this someday.
Trying to eat more healthy meals like this.
These are super fun.
Getting ready for travel this year.
Digging denim.
Gonna try this!

I didn’t always love Fridays, but they’re fast becoming a favorite this year. Now we’ll just have to see how long that actually lasts. Either way, I’m excited for today’s plans and a nice balance of rest and activities this weekend.

Have a good one, xx.

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Permission to disconnect

22 January 2015

Note: I wrote this post a few months ago, and added the final words this week. And since it still applies now, I figured that today was a good day to publish it.

It happened slowly, at first.

I was especially busy one of the days during the week and didn’t have time to get to the end of my Instagram feed. Well, never mind, because I could always catch-up tomorrow. The next day, I started scrolling, but didn’t quite get to the end either.

Before I knew it, I was too many days “behind” to catch-up and would have missed some posts from fellow Instagrammers.

In the end, I decided to stop trying to get to the bottom of my Instagram feed.

If I had time to scroll through Instagram that day, I would. Otherwise, I would scroll for as long as I could and leave it at that if I didn’t see everything.

And it was incredibly freeing.

It was incredibly freeing just checking in whenever I wanted to, not simply because I “had to” get to the end of my feed for that day. It’s ironic how something that’s supposed to be fun can become such a chore or duty sometimes.

The truth is, most days, being on Instagram (or social media in general) takes up way more time than it should for me. To procrastinate reading school assignments, I scroll through my Instagram feed. To postpone doing chores, I read blogs. Social media becomes more of a way of escape than connecting me to people like it should.

So instead of using social media for the sake of it, I’ve decided to make it fun again by connecting and disconnecting as I need to. After all, life needs to be lived and I’m choosing to be present for what is happening today, right now.

Because sometimes, I like to disconnect. And that’s okay.

All the Memories | 5 ways to start memory keeping

19 January 2015

Last week, I shared my reasons for why you should be a memory keeper. With those reasons in mind, the next question you might ask is, How do I to get started?

If you do a quick search for “scrapbooking” or “memory keeping” on Google or Pinterest, it’s easy to soon get lost in all the many possibilities and options available to memory keepers nowadays.

To help you sort through the options, I’ve put together a quick list of my go-to strategies for how you can get started in memory keeping.

So enough talk, it’s time to get started!

Are you ready?

5 ways to start on your 2015 memory keeping:

#1: Take photos.

A lot of my memories are often captured in photos, which become the basis for my memory keeping. If you’re not sure where or how to start, just taking photos of the big and small moments of every day is a good place to begin.

#2: Write down memories.

Even when you don’t have pictures, capturing memories in words is a great way of memory keeping. So just write stuff down.

#3: Choose one way to document those memories.

Since there are so options available, just decide on one memory keeping method and experiment with that. Will you go digital? Or use the ever-popular pocket page scrapbooking? Or are you inclined to mini albums and layouts? Start with one way and figure out if it works for you.

#4: Remember to keep things simple.

Like point #3, while the options are plenty, choose to keep things simple and don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Start small and expand your options later, if you need/want to.

#5: Have fun!

The memory keeping process shouldn’t be stressful. So pick a method that you enjoy. Once one way starts becoming too stressful, stop and choose another memory keeping method instead.

With these five reasons, just pick one way first and start the memory keeping! Like many things, there is no “right” way of starting, just the way that works for you.

Let me know in the comments what other tips you have for memory keeping!

P.S. This post and this post also have some great tips on beginning memory keeping.

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All the Memories is a blog series talking about all things memory keeping – from memory keeping ideas to answering your questions. This is the year to get those memories documented!