Project Life – Week 4

I might be a bit (or a whole lot) obsessed with Project Life. Absolutely love the process and the results!!! Here’s the spread for week 4.

Something I adore about Project Life is that it has pushed me to pay attention to my family life in a different way. I’m journaling our family. I’m taking more pictures. I’m documenting it all! I really didn’t think we did enough “cool” things during any given week to fill out the weekly spreads… but I was wrong! I’m taking notes of things that are important and special to us. I’m just enjoying this completely.

Project Life – Week 3

This is my PL spread for week 3! I already have a good rhythm going and can organize all the pictures and text pretty efficiently (following the process I shared last week).

Now I need a better set up for taking pictures of my layouts. I work on this project during the night time for the most part… not a good time to take pictures. So, I’ll be looking into low-light digital photography and/or a DIY light box and/or taking pictures by a window during the daytime (check out Ali Edwards’ post about this).

Week 4 is all ready good to go. I’ll be printing tonight, so hopefully I can share tomorrow.

Since I am the one taking the pictures, I rarely appear on them… gotta change that! My goal for week 5 is to appear on at least 1 picture! =D

Also, I just bought the Project Life Baby Edition for Him digital kit. I’ll be using this kit to make Antonio’s scrapbook. I have so many pictures that I think PL is the best solution to finally have all our memories on one place (not hidden on a computer). I’ll be using my PL process to put this album together. I will probably also include some traditional layouts. Stay tuned for more on this ginormous project!

My Project Life Process

Today I will show you how I put together my Project Life layouts. I’m a PL newbie, but this is what works for me, so far. My layouts are pretty simple. I’m sure I will get more adventurous as the year goes by.

1. During the week (I go from Monday to Sunday), I take pictures with my cameras or iPhone 5 and take notes using the Day One app (which I love!).

2. I made a simple Photoshop template of the page protectors that I’m using (Becky Higgins PL Photo Pocket Pages Design A). This is what it looks like when I open it on PS Elements.

3. On PSE, I open all the pictures that I want to use for the week and size them (4″x6″ or 3″x4″). Then, I start arranging them on the template.

4. I leave the top left 4×6 spot empty for a title (date) card. I bought the Seafoam PL digital kit (which includes all the cards on the “regular” printed kit and the digital papers that coordinate with the collection) and think is worth it.

5. I fill any other slots with filler cards. My layout then looks something like this…

6. When I’m happy with the order of the pictures and cards, I add any text (if needed).

7. Then, I print everything at home. I use an Epson Artisan 730 printer (it prints my pictures beautifully).

8. I add any little embellishment that I can come up with (I designed the circles and arrow tags using the Silhouette Studio and cut with the Cameo) and slide all my pictures and cards on their respective pockets! Super simple!!!

I like my method because I can get a pretty clear idea of what the end product will be without having to print tons of pictures. I just print what I need. Also, it goes super quick! I can have my digital template complete in a matter of about an hour. Add another hour or so for printing, cutting to size, embellishing and sliding cards on the page protector. And that’s it!

I truly think this the perfect solution to document our lives. I love that you can make it as quick and simple or long and complex as you want! I will be starting my little guy’s baby book using this method (will be buying the baby boy digital kit soon!).

Hope this helps get you motivated to record all those daily life memories (big and small)! =D

Welcome 2013!

Here I am… trying to bring the little old blog back to life. Well, let’s try this blogging thing again on 2013!!!

Today, I’ll share some of my (big picture) plans for 2013.

1. One Little Word (click on the link to go to Ali Edwards blog… that’s where I first read about this movement). My word for this year is MELIORA!!! It means ever better (love that!). Meliora is the University of Rochester (where I got a couple of degrees ) motto. I saw it on a poster at the airport on New Year’s Eve… it aligns perfectly with my goals for this year. Striving to be ever better (for myself, my family, and all aspects of life)!!!
2. 2013 Focus - As a family effort, we’re planning to use this year to better our home… truly make it the Marrero-Sanchez home. I’m not saying we’re gutting the house and redoing the whole thing… we just want to make it great for us! In order to do that, we need to continue watching our finances (maybe be even more careful). There are some projects that are way overdue… can you say painting?!
3. Of course, making is an ongoing thing around here. But, it is always important to bring it up and remind myself of why I love making so much… be it food, quilting, paper crafting. I enjoy the process, but I love when my family loves the end result. There’s nothing like a loud “mmm” with lots of emphasis from the little guy when he likes something I made for dinner (it happens often… he’s a good eater… it still makes me oh, so happy every single time).
4. Vacations!!! - The hubster is extra busy working towards his doctorate, so every moment together counts. We are planning a couple of fun vacation trips (one during Spring and one during Summer). I’m super excited about it all!
5. Document it all. I’m doing Project Life for the first time this year! (Thank you Becky Higgins for an awesome system that allows me to document my family life!) I completed the first week already. I will have a separate post with more details about my process. This is the first look at it.

That’s it for now… see ya later!

It’s apple season!

You can already feel the crisp air of autumn in Upstate New York. That can only mean that apple season is upon us!!! What better way to enjoy apples than by making apple dumplings? Yeah, that was dinner last night! They are scrumptious! (Is scrumptious more delicious than delicious? That’s what I’m going for.)

I only took a picture of the final product because there are way better pictures with the recipe already.

 

Gotta love love love Cook’s Country, Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen! Their recipes are just a breeze to follow and they just work!

Sweet Cherries are the best!

This season, sweet cherries around here have been delicious… more like still are! So in a very spontaneous kitchen move, I made Skinnytaste’s Cherry Custard recipe. It is very fast and easy to put together. I didn’t have white flour and used whole wheat instead… I’m sure that changed the flavor a bit.

It took longer to bake than the 25-28 minutes suggested. I’ll be getting an oven thermometer to double check my temperature. It took my custard a good 40 minutes in the oven to set.

 

But it was delicious and worth the wait! It tastes like rich bread pudding but with cherries!

The Skinnytaste website has tons of delicious recipes… go visit it! I have made a good number of recipes with great results. Really, my go to website for delicious Weight Watchers friendly recipes.

Pinning!

Same as winning!

If you follow me on Pinterest, you’ll see lots of activity going on right now. For one, I’m trying to organize my boards (trying to figure out baby’s 1st birthday theme)… and also, I’m catching up on reading blogs (thus, lots and lots of pinning… fabulous recipes and ideas!). I always wanted to find a way to have all my bookmarks/links in one place but in a format where I could “see” and remember whatever I had bookmarked… well, Pinterest is great for that! Can you tell I love it?!

Today, my family and I walked and walked and walked… both outside (by the canal) and inside (at the mall). So, we decided not to exercise more… we did walk for approximately 4 hours. I’m still eager to start P90X, but it won’t be today.

That’s it for now… back to pinning/dreaming/planning!

Back from vacation!

So… I was on vacation and not crafting or cooking much or posting… did anybody miss me? No worries, I’m baaack!

Before going away on vacation I did finish and mailed out my 3rd quilt! This one is very special. I made it for Quilts for Kids (an awesome nonprofit that upon request will send you fabric so you can send a finished quilt in 4-6 weeks for a sick kid in need of comfort).

 

*L: Finished quilt (plus husband’s legs). As you can see, they use some really fun fabrics. R: Backing fabric. I really loved every aspect of this project. I’m planning on requesting another kit soon!*

Please, if you feel it in your heart to make a quilt, request a kit! Don’t wait like I did. I had only finished 2 quilts and wasn’t very confident. I guess the perfectionist in me doubted that I could make a decent-enough quilt for a very deserving kid. I can assure you, the quilt is not perfect. But you know what… kids need quilts! So go ahead! Request a kit! Make a quilt! Mail it back! It feels good.

Other than that quilt, not a whole lot happened on the crafting front. Will be back to it shortly though!

Just today I tried this Banana Oatmeal Muffin recipe (I found on Pinterest of course!). It is pretty good. It doesn’t taste like Banana Bread, but it is a healthy variation. A recipe was enough for 12 muffins. From my calculations, that makes each muffin be 3 WW plus points (sometime I’ll tell you my Weight Watchers story, I promise). Not too shabby… great for breakfast or a snack. And this is what they look like…

Speaking of Weight Watchers… I stopped the program while I was on vacation. Eek! I know… bad bad bad… but there was no way, I was going to go home and not eat my mom’s cooking… and tomorrow is back in the saddle, monitoring what I’m eating and exercising (do I see P90X on my future… well yes, I think I do). I’ll keep you posted. First time I tried P90X, I lasted a month… this time I’m shooting for the 90 days!

More sewing!

Hello There!!! I’ve been meaning to post some projects, but they’re not quite finished. I guess I’ll have to change my blog-finished-projects-only policy, so I can keep active around here.

Oh, I did finished something! But the picture is kind of sad and doesn’t show how cool it is. Anyhow… I found this apron tutorial and wanted to give it a try. My fabric stash is not big… it isn’t even medium sized… but I managed to get 4 fat quarters (3 different patterns) that coordinated well and put the apron together in no time. It was super easy and looks very cute when you wear it. Should take a picture of me wearing it…

I am currently working on machine quilting a quilt for my son. As soon as I finish it (hopefully in a day or two), I’ll post pictures. It’s looking super cute already.

Of course, since I’m almost done with my second quilt ever ;D, I had to start planning (meaning: buying more fabric) my next project. In fact, I already started it. I know… I should finish the one project first but I couldn’t help myself.

I’m doing Craftsy‘s Block of the Month (BOM). It’s a free class and includes videos, written instructions and forums! It started on January 2012, so I’m way behind. Every month, Amy Gibson shares 2 different blocks. At the end of the class, I’ll have a finished sampler quilt composed of 24-12.5″ blocks. Exciting!

I chose batiks (or look-alikes) as my main fabrics and Kona white for my background fabric. I bought 22 fat quarters of the batiks… hopefully that’ll be enough.

These are the 2 blocks for January (left: asterisk, right: wonky pound sign). They were super easy to make. Can’t wait to make the rest of the blocks.

And a non-sewing project… I finished and started using the Meal Planner. It is awesome! I just want to use it for a bit before sharing here so I can give you my opinion. I will share more details soon.

Until next time! Peace.

My first quilt!

This has been such an accomplishment that came to be with quite a few difficulties. But, I learned a ton! I’d tried piecing and quilting a few times before with no success. This is the first time I end up with a finished quilt and not a bunch of fabric scraps in a bag. Mind you, I taught myself to sew, cut fabric and everything else… so it’s a big deal to me!

First the stats:

This quilt measures 24″ x 32″ (if I remember correctly) and is composed of alternating hourglass blocks. I used two A Walk in the Woods charm packs by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics and two Bella Solids White charm packs. Love the Red Riding Hood illustrations/theme. The backing and binding fabrics are fleece from JoAnn Fabrics. This was not a very expensive project since I got the charm packs on sale from the Missouri Star Quilt Company website (love their Daily Deal and their service is fantastic… also, check out some awesome tutorials on their YouTube channel).

What I learned during the process:

• Being consistent is hard and many seams were ripped and sewn again in the making of this quilt.
• I’m glad I kept going and finished it (even though I broke my machine in the process and bought a new shiny one)… although my quilt is not perfect, I’m mighty proud of it. I think it was very helpful to start with a small quilt. My previous attempts were really big and overwhelming projects that frustrated me quickly.
• I started this quilt with a very basic manual sewing machine… no bells and no whistles. It worked fine for what I wanted/needed it until it broke. I went out and bought a new one (not terribly expensive) with a few extra features (needle up/down, computerized, drop in bobbin). I guess what I want to say is that you don’t need the latest newest sewing machine to make something beautiful… but it helps if you have it. I’m very happy with the sewing machine I have now (and will be using it to gain experience and get good at sewing), but will be saving my pennies to get the one I really want… a Janome (we’ll see what models are available by the time I have enough money saved… right now I’m looking at the MC6600P and dreaming of the Horizon)!
• A dull rotary cutter blade is the enemy… run to the store and get a new one when it won’t cut in one swipe. This is key when you have to square your blocks… many many blocks in my case.
• I can hand sew. I was going to machine stitch the binding but decided to give hand sewing a try. It turned out this was my favorite part of the whole thing… maybe because it’s the last thing you do? I saw a couples videos on YouTube and went for it. It was super relaxing and went way faster than I thought.
• The quilting is not perfectly straight, but after you wash your quilt and it gets all wrinkly you can’t really see it.
• I love love love the process… from choosing fabrics and design to binding the quilt.

I’m just happy to be able to share this finished project with you! Until the next time… Toodles!