New Art Journaling & Project Life Cards in My Etsy Shop

I ordered some new designs for scrapbook cards.  In this previous post, I explained how I made the cards. I like to have little pieces of collaged paper to use as backgrounds in my art journaling and Project Life scrapbooking, so I photographed sections of collages that I made and printed them off into the perfect size for Project Life sleeves.

I really like the quality of how these cards turned out.  When printing these, there are minimum quantities to order and I don't think I will ever use all of them, so I put some of these in my Etsy shop.  Hopefully if I earn some money from these, I can print off more designs!  I'm also open to trades if you have your own homemade Project Life style journaling cards (or homemade stickers, I love stickers.)

Here are some pictures from my shop:

"The cards are meant to bring a colorful burst to your projects. You can use these as a layer in:

• greeting cards

• Project Life books (the cards are sized at exactly 3.94" x 2.88" in order to fit into Project Life sleeves)

• art journals

• traditional scrapbooks

• or just flip the back over and write an uplifting note to a friend.

I like to use these by gluing a small photo on top and outlining the photo to make it stand out against the colorful background. Another way to use these is to glue a smaller piece of light paper on top (or stick a label on it) and add some writing.

You can buy a set of just one design or you can buy a set with all 5 designs.  Check it out at my shop.


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One Way to Print Your Own Project Life Cards

Thank you so much for your congratulatory comments on my big news!  We are so happy!

I like to use my own designs for scrapbooking.  I have been using the Project Life system for a couple of years now and I typically cut up my own cards from leftover scrapbook paper or painted papers.  I have also made a few digital cards that I print out every so often to replenish my stock of cards.  I have had ongoing struggles with my printer to get them to print out nicely.  We bought a brand new printer and I still can't figure out why it's printing wonky. 

So I looked around online for a place to order cards and I found a printing company called 4over4.  (This is not a sponsored post, I was just happy with the printing quality, so I thought I'd share.)

I ordered the mini postcards in a custom size: 3.94" x 2.88.  If you order 4"x 3" they won't fit into the sleeves of the Project Life scrapbook binders.  

I love the quality of the cards that were printed and I loved that they sent emails throughout the process so you knew exactly when your cards were being mailed. 

For your first order, you can get 20% off with the coupon code Template20.  I was hesitant to order more than one image because in case the cards did not turn out nicely, I didn't want to be out a bunch of money.  I was pleased to find out that they sent another coupon to use on my next order!  yay! 

The downside I think is the minimum number of cards required.  The minimum qty is 50.  So, unless you are going to be doing a lot of scrapbooking, it might be too much.  I'm planning on using these for other purposes (like little note cards or to use in backgrounds on art journal pages.)  I am also going to make some "art journaling/scrapbooking kits" for my Etsy shop when I order more designs to ease the cost of the cards.  It would also be a blast to swap these with other people, so if anyone decides to make some of their own cards, let me know!

I tried to use Overnightprints.com a few years ago for prints and postcards, but I just couldn't get the colors to work right.  When I sent them an email about the color differences, they didn't have any answers for me.  I'm going to try this company to make greeting cards and other prints. 

Project Life Pages: Yes, these are Christmas scrapbook pages!

Blasting back to December of last year.. here are some more Project Life pages. 

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Project Life Pages

Besides art journaling and painting, I love to keep a scrapbook of family photos.  I haven't taken pictures of all of the pages, but here are a few from my 2013 album.

I like to use the Becky Higgins photo pages from the Project Life series.

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Project Life Inserts

One of the things I like about scrapbooking in the Project Life binders is that you can add regular 3 ring sleeves (8.5"x11") and slip in children's artworks or other fun things you receive.  Easy, fast and colorful.

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Project Life Journaling Cards

I have been creating 3"x4" journal cards digitally for my scrapbook.  I enjoyed making them by digitally combining snippets of my artwork with designs and text in Photoshop.

I thought this would be a fun project for me, so I will have some unique cards for my Project Life scrapbook, plus I could add them to my Etsy shop for other people who scrapbook or art journal.  These could be used in Smashbooks, art journals, Project Life or other scrapbooks.

They are available for instant download at my Etsy shop!  Only $3 for 12 different designs.. and you can print them off as many times as you want.

Project Life Update

Scrapbooking is one of those hobbies I have that goes in spurts.  I really enjoy having finished scrapbooks but sometimes it feels tedious to put all the pieces together.  I want it to be a low-stress hobby.  I don't want to feel like I *have* to keep up with it and I only want to work on it if I feel like it.  How about you?  Do you feel kind of overwhelmed if you get behind on scrapbooking and you have tons of pictures?  Do you try to catch up or do you just throw the pictures in photo albums?

I had all of these little square photos printed from Printstagram.com.  They were pretty fast and the quality is scrumptious.  I highly recommend them if you want to print off your photos from your Instagram app.

I found this really lovely printed tape with roses on it from Michael's craft store which I used in most of these cards.  I was going to link up some of the products I used, but then I realized that with most of them, I take them out of the package, throw away the labels and I don't know what brand they are anyway.

I really really love this sock monkey sticker!!  The Life card will be on the front page of this new 2013 book.

All of these cards I made in one sitting and I think that the colors work with each other.  Repeating the rose colored tape helps to tie them together.  All of these cards will go into my Project Life binder with divided sleeves. The cards photograph better outside of the sleeves. 

Thanks for reading!  Best wishes, Marcia
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Celebrating 2012-- Highlights of My Year

I read Carin's post today about her creative achievements of 2012 and it got me thinking "what would be on my list if I were to make one?"  At first I thought, well, I don't have a whole lot to say, but then I thought back to all the little things I am proud of, that made me happy and experiences I had this year that were fantastic. 

I'm not going to lie, this Christmas season I was not fully in the mood to celebrate the holidays.  I pay a lot of attention to the news and read many of the stories that come across my way.  Of course, there were the big tragedies in Newtown and the movie theater and the one in my own state at the Sikh temple.... and many more smaller tragedies that I hear about all the time.  All of the bad things in the world have really weighed on my heart and I have just not felt right celebrating when the world is so broken.  How can there be such evil in the world?  It really has thrown me for a loop.  I try to keep my blogging light and happy and positive but it just seemed like one after another this year.  Because of this, it has really made think about how I treat other people and how I need to be a positive force.  I need to keep perspective and not let the little things irritate me.  I need to focus more on the big picture rather than the day to day.  Letting things go that are really not a huge deal!  We all need to be kinder to each other because we do not know the burdens another person bears.  And I'm not just talking about a random act of kindness thing, but overall a shift in perspective for myself. 

It's important to not take the little things (and the big things) for granted.  It easy to let things slip by without really celebrating them.  It's easy to focus on what you don't have or what you are not, rather than the things that you do well or the things that make you happy.  I encourage you to make your OWN LIST of things that you are proud of or great memories you have from this year.  Celebrate them!  Embrace them and be proud of them.  Carin had 60 things on her list! 

Here are some of my creative and personal highlights of this year:

1.  Participated in a fun online workshop from Strathmore with Traci Bautista.

2.  Showed my students artworks in the Youth Art Month Show at the Hilldale Mall and the State Capitol. 

3.  Created some amazing collaborative canvases with my students (2 of which were auctioned off and 2 of which are hanging in my school.)

4.  Conducted several fun and messy afterschool art classes for kids.

5.  Went to New York in March for the National Art Education Conference and had an amazing time!
I got to hang out with some of my favorite art ed bloggers in person, and saw Peter Max and Chuck Close give speeches! 

6.  In January I started working with Marit and the team on a new mixed media art magazine called Featuring.  The first issue came out in April!  I interviewed artists and wrote 3 articles for the first issue. 

7.  Put out another school yearbook successfully with the middle school kids at my school.

8.  In June I volunteered at the Re-Art Swap at a local art store in Madison where you can drop off unwanted supplies and then pick up new ones.  Amazing!  I am so volunteering again next year. 

9.  In June we also took a family trip (with Andrew's family) to Disneyworld!   Yeah, I want to go back.

10.  Had a lazy summer filled with art, friends, Daria time and relaxation.

11.  In August, I wrote a lesson that was published in Scholastic Art magazine.

12.  In August, I created a new logo image for our school's 30th anniversary that was printed into a big banner and used on our school t-shirts.

13.  In September, I launched the Weekly Doodle-- printable drawing prompts for kids.  I'm considering make some more e-packets for download.

14.  Had a drawing page published in the Doodler's Anonymous Coloring Book yeah!  It's so cool.  The book, I mean.. my drawing is nice but the other ones are so amazing.

15.  Sold a few things in my Etsy Shop!

16.  Bravely experimented with glass fusing at school!

17.  Got a new phone with a texting plan!! (Welcome to the year 2005, right?)  And I joined Twitter. Woah!  Technology overload.

Follow @marcia_beckett

18.  Was in the running for the Art Ed blog of the Year with The Art of Education.. did not place in the top 10, but still honored to be one of the 20 in the running!

19.  I had a few activities printed in 2 books in October.  The best part of submitting to these sorts of things is that you get free copies of the book!  And it looks good on your resume.  Not that I am planning on ever leaving my current job but it's still always good to pursue recognition in your professional field.

20.  Issue #2 of Featuring Magazine was released in the fall and I wrote 2 articles in this issue (one really long and intensive one and the other was a shorter interview.)   

21.  Continued to moderate the online group Artists in Blogland and continued to connect with more and more amazing, soulful and positive artists across the world.  If you have not joined us there, the New Year is the perfect time to commit to making more of your own art.  We have lots of fun challenges, swaps and interviews in the works.  

22.  Wrote an article for Art Journaling magazine by Somerset Studio which hits the newsstands any day now.  I am very (humbly) proud of it!  I have submitted to many, many publishers and contests this past year and received *many* rejections, but also a few acceptances. That is part of the process I have learned.  Maybe some people have an easy time with it, but I am simply proud of what has been accepted.  When I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer for a magazine as my career.  Now I am simply satisfied with a few articles here and there.  :)  

23.  My husband started his foray into the world of blogging with a Lego blog.   It has been fun to share the experience of writing a blog.  There is a whole community of adult Lego collectors who buy and sell sets.  Very interesting.  

24.  Bought a binding tool to make my own sketchbooks:

25.  Kept several art journals and filled a few of them!

26.  Experimented with Gelli plate printing.

27.  Made several mixed media collages for fun!

28.  Filled two scrapbooks with Project Life style scrapbooking!

29.  Participated in an ATC swap where I received some beautiful cards in the mail and made some to send out.

30.  Read a whole bunch of inspiring books! 

31.  Made a little bit of art with my darling daughter.

Well if you have read this far, thank you!  I hope you will create your own list now and share it with me.  Going forward 2013 seems full of possibilities.  Happy New Year!!

Project Life Scrapbook Card Tutorial

The other night I decided to make some scrap cards that can easily be used in my Project Life scrapbook.  Many people use the Project Life system to scrapbook a layout a week.  There is no way I could ever keep up with that and if I did, I would end up with shelves and shelves of scrapbooks. So, I just use it as a regular scrapbook, adding things whenever I feel like it.

One way to save time is to pre-make a whole bunch of scrap cards.  Then, you can add a photo to them later with some journaling (if you want) and then be done with it.  Making the cards will go faster if you have all of your materials out at once and just make them in stages.

Project Life Scrap Card Tutorial

As you can tell, my scrapbooking style is like the rest of my art... hodge-podgy, random, not overly concerned with precision.  MORE IS MORE!

1.  Start with a piece of colored scrapbook paper, cut to the 4"x6" size.

2.  Here, I started to layer on strips of other scrapbook paper.

3.  I tore a piece of floral paper for the top and added a striped piece of colored tape at the bottom.

4.  The blue transparent flower tape was added and 

I used a variety of rub-on letters and patterns around the edges. 

A piece of black polka dotted tape was also placed in the middle.

5. Two more torn pieces of floral paper were added and a few more letter rub-ons.  I think that's enough stuff on this one!  So, now to use it in my scrapbook I will add a photo and a caption about the picture and then it's ready to go.

 

Here are several of my finished scrap cards.....

Now, add some photos and any other finishing touches.

Arrange your cards, plus any extra photos or journaling cards in your Project Life scrapbook.

I assume if you've read this far, you are really interested in Project Life.  Here are some more links to get you started:

8 Tips to Get Started on Your Project Life Scrapbook

My Disneyworld Scrapbook

Starting the Disney Scrapbook

My Pinterest Board on Scrapbooking

Becky Higgins-- What is Project Life?

 Project Life Printables (search for Project Life on Pinterest for TONS of ideas!)