Complicated Simplicity

minibook: random childhood memories...

supplies: red cardstock, kraft cardstock, tan cardstock, ali edward's childhood memory overlay things, sharpie pens, silver sharpie paint marker.

I decided to make a minibook of my random childhood memories vs a layout (for Ali's Yesterday and Today class). I don't really do traditional scrapbooking, and decided that a "normal" album just wasn't for me. :-) So, I collected a bunch of random childhood memories and recorded them here. It was so much fun and I have a wawillion other memories still waiting to be documented (maybe in another minibook). I even got Paul thinking of some of his memories and I'll have to make a little book for him as well.

Anyway, I kept it really simple. I printed the overlays onto tan cardstock, cut them out, and glued them back to back. On red and kraft cardstock, I traced one of the longest journalers and cut them out. I glued a piece of kraft to the red and then punched holes in all of my pages.

I wrote my title with the silver paint marker and decided it needed something more, so I added the "r" and then wrote my name (maiden) over and over. I did this on the back cover as well and I love the way it turned out.

On the journalers, I wrote the numbers in silver and then wrote the titles with a red sharpie pen. I had three sizes of journalers and so I layered them so the longer ones would peek out as you flipped through. Then I wrote my stories out using a black sharpie pen.

It was fun to pick out a bunch of random stories and get them down. I didn't worry about how they sounded too much-I just got them recorded. I love it-it's my favorite minibook to date. :-)

101: happy

I had grand dreams of making this a weekly project. Then I got started on my first 101 minibook, and realized that was just going to be too much! Haha! :-)

Instead, I'm aiming for one each month, so we'll have twelve 101 minibooks at the end of the year. Sound good?

The first topic is this: 101 things that make you happy

Seems really simple to come up with 101 things, but it was actually difficult. I took my time and came back to my list over the course of a week until I finally had 101 things listed. I listed really simple things (flip flops, good mail, etc), feelings (love), people (Paul, my family, etc) and interesting things (rainy days, summer breezes, etc). Anything that makes you happy should go on your list.

I'm still in the process of working on my little pages (I decided to get creative with this one, but may go a bit simpler for the next-we shall see), but wanted to share a few I've completed below. If you join in, please leave me a link or e-mail so I can see your project and get even more inspired! :-)

101...what it is

101 is a minibook project that I dreamed up a couple of weeks ago. I was working on my project2011 list, and looking through some of the things on day zero. I came across one that was to "make a list of 101 things that make me happy". I loved that, and added it to my list. I also found "make a playlist of 101 of my favorite songs". I loved that too, since music is so important to me, so I added it to my list as well. Immediately, I thought "what if I list my 101 biggest inspirations as well?". So, I added that to my list too. And I realized the possibilities for 101 lists were endless. There were so many cool lists to be made.

I decided I didn't want to just make these into lists that would get tucked away...I wanted them to be visible. Something I could look through on a regular basis to remind me or inspire me or encourage me. That's when I came up with the idea to turn each list into its own minibook. Simple ones. Small ones.

Each book will consist of white cardstock cut into 2x3 size. Fifty-one pages per book. I'll cut two pieces of patterned paper to 2x3 for the front and back covers. Each book will be portrait/vertical in orientation and a hole will be punched in the top. Each white page will be numbered (front and back) 1-101 with a simple line border drawn around the page (with a Sharpie pen).

I've prepared two so far (I used different numbering styles on each)-photos below. I plan to follow the same format for all of mine because I want it to be a simple project that I can whip together super quick. The creative part for me will come as I'm filling in the pages. I plan to use Sharpie and colored pencils and cut-up photos and magazines and catalogs. I plan to use handwriting and printed out type (cut into strips or squares or to fit the tag). I plan to use glitter and glue and really just do whatever I feel like doing. Or....I could just simply choose to write them in without any fuss. :-) No rules. Just a fun little way to make lists.

I would love to have you join me on this little project. Every so often, I will post a new 101 minibook (with a new topic for the 101 things, of course) and then I'd love to see what you come up with. You can follow my minibook blueprint, or get as creative as you choose. It's your minibook, after all-inject your style into it! :-) Are you interested? Look for the first minibook topic/post to come in just a couple of days!!!

project...minibook: 2011 personal mission statement

This year, I wanted to create a mission statement for myself-something to focus my thoughts and actions on in the coming year. I decided to use kraft and two pieces of simple black with silver paper. I went with a 4x6 size.

To come up with what to include in my mission statement, I used this Mission Statement Builder. I e-mailed myself the results and tweaked it and moved things around/added things to fit my purpose.

At first, I wasn't happy with the butterfly I drew on the cover, but now I'm quite happy with it. I think I might add some color with colored pencils eventually, but I love that it kind of signifies a change.

I used 1" book rings and a basic name tag label on the cover (wrapped around to the inside) and Sharpie Pen to write my title and draw the butterfly.

On the inside (where the label wraps around) I wrote my name and the date. I loved this black with silver script paper (found at JoAnn's), and the words seemed very fitting for this little project.

I wrote my titles on white cardstock, cut them into strips and glued them to my patterned paper with a Scotch craft stick. I used kraft for my journaling pages (and wrote with a Sharpie pen). This one is "i am at my best when..." I put five things that I find really help me to be my best (i am inspired, i am surrounded by love, i am well fed + rested, i have clear goals + intentions, and i've had alone time to think).

i will try to prevent...these are things I've found that contribute to the times I'm less than stellar (worrying about things beyond my control, feeling limited by my situation, overwhelming myself with too many tasks, distractions from God and His will).

i will be a person who...this is who I want to strive to be this coming year and are things I admire in others (loves everyone, lives life fully, encourages others, maintains faith in all situations, creates, is strong in all areas of my life).

i will seek out ways to use my talents + gifts...this was a hard one for me because I have a hard time seeing my own gifts sometimes-I think a lot of us do (listening, creativity, teaching, encouragement).

i will find personal enjoyment through...these are things that really make me happy and need a prominent place in my life (creating things, spending intentional time with paul + family, capturing stories-past + present, exploring + adventuring, reading + learning).

i will find enjoyment in my work by...things that I really need to and want to work at this year (creating things i love, dreaming up new ideas + concepts, creating my brand, maintaining my etsy shop).

i will stop procrastinating + start working on...some of these things are loooong overdue (exploring PDX + Oregon, telling my story, my family history, organizing + archiving mom's photos, getting healthy).

i can do anything i set my mind to, including... I struggled with coming up with lots of things, although I know there are more, which is why I left some blank space for adding things in later. I also struggled with the wording of the title because the truth is I really can't do anything I set my mind to, but I figure the point is to get you thinking about doing things you thought you couldn't and, ultimately, kept the language in (having a thriving etsy shop, traveling, living my purpose).

in 30 years, people will say...this is what I hope they'll say (i honored God, i loved others, i gave all i could, i was creative, i inspired + encouraged them, i lived simply).

in 10 years i will be...I also wanted to include some ten year goals for myself (37 years old, a momma, a pastor's wife, a top etsy seller, a world traveler, an athlete, a "50 stater" (visited all 50 states), our family historian, living a very simple life, an inspiration). I really struggle with putting down "a momma" because the truth is I just don't know...and I just don't really think that one will come true. I decided to put it in, because it's my dream and hope. I hope that in 10 years I will be a mom and I will be a world traveler. And that's what this list was about...the things I would like to happen in 10 years. This was a bit of an emotionally difficult list to figure out. :-)

a letter to me in 10 years...I just tucked it into the envelope. I need to somehow decorate the envelope, but am not sure what to do to it exactly.

I wrote "to be opened on or after december 19, 2010 (heart) rachie" on the envelope as a reminder of when to open it. Then I signed, dated and placed (put our current location-portland, or) the inside back cover and was done.

This was an amazing project for me to do. I love that I have more of a focus for the coming year and that I really realized where my passion lies right now (creative things and stories). I also defined who I really want to be and become. It's something I hope will become a yearly tradition-creating a personal misison statement. I'm hoping p + i will have some time to create a family one as well in the next couple of weeks.

project...minibook: 2011 every...

This one has been in my head for awhile. A place to record every book read, movie watched, restaurant ate at and adventure had in 2011. Since we're in a brand new place, we are experiencing so many new things (and I've always been a bit of a book and movie addict), and I wanted a place to keep track of what was great and what wasn't so great.

For the cover, I cut a square out of a place mat from Target (the same one I used for my book of lists). Again, this is an album that will be handled and added to quite often, so I love that the plastic place mat gives it durability and more protection than cardstock could.

I then picked a scrap piece of paper and stapled it to the cover. The patterned paper is from the Love, Elsie Betty line. The stickers are from making memories-I picked them up a couple years ago at Halloween.

You can see the pattern showing through the cover on this side. The heart paper is also Love, Elsie. I picked these papers because they were left over from a little album I made for Paul for Christmas. :-) I cut the heart paper to 4x4 (because I wanted to try a square shape for a change).

I left a little tab on each of my four inner pages (all cut from the place mat) and used the same glitter stickers to label them.

A closer look at the tabs.

I used a Martha Stewart marker to write a little something on each patterned page.

The back side of the patterned paper is a pearly irridescent that is so lovely. I plan to highlight the favorite/worst in each category and other little things (fave quotes for the books and movies, furthest away/closest to home, etc.).

I cut white cardstock 4x4 for the inside pages. I plan to just draw a border and lines (like I did above) on each page. I'll just write in the date and what book/movie/restaurant/adventure it was with a few little words about each. I should be able to fit three or four per page.

And the embossed paper for the inside back cover again.

And the back cover is another piece of the place mat. Binder rings are from Office Max (you can get them at any office supply store) and I used/plan to use a Shapie pen for my "journaling".

If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below or e-mail. :-)

project...minibook: book of lists

So...it's no secret that I love lists. In 2011, one of my goals is to capture a fun list each week and I, of course, needed some way to document them. Enter the book of lists. :-)

I had a bunch of AC paper that I'd picked up from Michaels and I'd cut it to 3x5 for another project that got abandoned. So, I decided to put it to good use. Next time, I would use plain cardstock in kraft or white or some other neutral for the inside pages, but I am a huge believer in recycling and reusing what you have and this was a great way to use up some paper laying around.

The covers are a place mat that I picked up at Target (thanks Elise for the idea to use place mats + other non-traditional materials). The book rings are from Office Max and the sticker on the cover is just a traditional plain label from Office Max as well. And I used a Sharpie pen for the writing (and will use one for the journaling as well)-I just love those things.

So, I just cut the cover out of the place mat using scissors. I wasn't trying to be too picky about it being perfectly straight, or paying attention to where the lines/grid would fall. I just cut it out. :-) I took one of the labels and cut it almost in half. I decided to leave the rounded corners on the top of the label and just drew in a simple double-lined "frame" and wrote in my title.

This is the back of the cover-I just put the other half of the label on and wrote the year and my name (i like writing my name on things). :-)

I wanted pattern to show through the cover so I picked the one I wanted (numbers) and turned it around. The rest I left with the solid side forward. Like I said above, next time I will use plain cardstock (plain on both sides) because it just makes more sense in this kind of album (and I'm learning I like less patterns included in my albums-i just love the look of plain paper with simple handwriting/lines). However, I wanted to use up this paper, and this was a great way to do that.

This is the view from the back...lots of patterns. I cut another page out of the place mat for the back cover. I love the fact that it add extra protection/durability to an album that will be handled a lot. :-)

I can't wait to fill this up with lists. I'm planning to draw a little border on each page for my lists. I'll share some of the pages when I fill them out! :-)

Feel free to e-mail or leave a comment with any questions you might have. :-)

project...right now minibook

 
supplies used: American Crafts patterned paper bought at Michael's and JoAnn's, kraft paper and white cardstock from Michael's, label from Office Max, book rings from Office Max, Scotch Craft Stick glue stick, Sharpie pen, and Bic Mark-it marker.

This album was inspired by Elise when I took her big mini workshop a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to make an album that captured who I am right now. Who we are as a family. November 2010.

Here's my process:

• I had picked up the AC paper, without knowsing how I was going to use it, I just loved the simple patterns and bright colors.
• Once I had the "right now" idea, I picked a size. 3x5 so I could get more pages out of each sheet, plus I wanted to play around with a different size (note: I *love* this size so much and can't wait to use it again and again-perfect for throwing in your bag or pocket and taking along with you).
• I cut my patterned paper and my two kraft pages for the cover. Then I started to arrange my patterned paper the way I wanted it. It was double sided, and I wanted to solid side to show, so I kind of "matched" up the patterns with solid colors.
• Since I didn't want the patterns all facing the same way, I cut some white cardstock to stick in every three pages, so I could start my pp the "other way" (you'll see what I mean in the photos below).
• Once I was happy with the paper placement, I was left with one sheet of pp left out. I cut it in half and stuck it on the front and back cover to give it some color.
• Then I punched my holes and put the book rings in.
• Next, I put the label on the front cover, wrapping it around to the inside (I folded it in half before placing it down to assure even placement).
• Then, I write my title in marker on the label and my name in marker on the inside label. It looked off, so I outlined them with my Sharpie pen and love the way it looks.

And that was it, for getting my album ready. :-)

I knew this minibook was going to focus on journaling with little to no photos. I set out to just write a few "light" things about our life/me right now. However, as I thought about it I decided I wanted to go a little more in depth. The pages ended up somewhat topical (with a few being more stream-of-consciousness). I'll list out some of the things I included at the end of the post (beneath the photos).

Here's what it looks like (I didn't include every page-there are 30 altogether):

 
the cover

 
the inside cover

 
first page of journaling

 
second page

 
third page (see the white page-added so I could put my patterned paper in the other way)

 
fourth page

 
fifth page

 
sixth page

 
seventh page

 
eighth page

 
inside back cover

 
back cover

With the journaling, I wrote right now... at the top of each page and wrote short sentences that would follow that phrase (like: right now...i am 27. i live in portland, or. etc)

Some of the things I included:

• where we live (location, why we love it, who i live with, the current state of our apt)
• our car (what it is, how much it is to fill it up, clean or dirty?, how many miles)
• my favorites (color, music, movie, book, tv, bath products, blogs, hairstyle, outfit)
• all about p (where he works, his current loves, his current habits)
• entertainment (where we rent our movies, what we're reading)
• creativity (my current inspirations and likes)
• web (what i love browsing, how many fb friends, how many ppl i follow on twitter, my pins on pinterest, how many blog posts i've written, how many comments, avg. pageviews)
• p + me (how long we've been married, how many months we've been TTC, things we share in common)
• i need (things i need to do)
• health (goals i have, how i feel)
• weather (current weather situation)
• routine (things i do daily/weekly, what i wear, my habits)
• technology (kind and color of cell phone, tv we use, iPod we use, GPS we use, etc)
• photography (the camera i use, the lenses i have, my editing process)
• infertility (current thoughts and reads, current baby names, current thoughts about parenting)
• family (the members of my current family)
• driving times (how far it is to go to where we go, and where we go to get groceries, to go shopping, etc)
• simple pleasures (the things currently making me smile)
• i want (the things i want)
• doubts
• guilty pleasures
• spirituality
• where my family lives

Just things about the right now. I hope to do this every year. I used the last page to just summarize how I feel about life, then I signed and dated the inside of the back cover. I hope to add a photo of myself in there. I originally, had more pages, but when it started becoming a chore to write, I knew I needed to wrap it up! :-)

Hope you like it. Feel free to leave any questions or comments. :-)

xoxo rachie

project...december daily 2010 minibook

 supplies used: kraft paper, patterned paper and green cardstock from Michael's and JoAnn's, Scotch Craft Stick glue stick, Office Max 1" book rings, Sharpie Fine marker and Sharpie Pen (I know these aren't archival safe/quality, but they are what I have. I'm not real concerned about my book lasting for years and I plan to photograph and blog the finished product, so I'll have those as well. Sometimes you gotta use what you have and do what you need to do!)

This is the first minibook I've created since taking Elise Blaha Cripe's big mini workshop (I highly recommed it if/when she offers it again). The workshop really helped me to define and articulate what I like when it comes to design, color, pattern, etc.

I like neutrals as the main/base with simple colors/patterns/designs to complement. :-)

I created a december daily album a couple of years ago, but it turned out not-so-great. I am happy that I have a record from that december, but design-wise I just can't stand the album. I would've been better off just journaling in my journal.

This year, I am so happy with how my december daily minibook turned out! The concept/idea comes from Ali Edwards-you can read more about her december daily projects here: december daily.

Here's my process for creating my minibook (you can see photos below):

• I decided I wanted to use a neutral for a base and decided on kraft. I picked up a big package of kraft paper and another of neutral cardstock (black, tan, grey, white and cream) at Michael's.
• I also decided that I wanted a red and green color scheme and was thinking about dots. I went to JoAnn's and Michael's and looked through their 12x12 papers (this is what works best for our budget and location). I couldn't find any dots, but I did end up with six sheets of patterns I liked, and one sheet of dark green cardstock (green patterns were harder to find).
• I chose to do a 4x6 format so that I could simply punch holes in my photos and add them in without cropping. So, I cut all of my patterned paper (and the green cardstock) down to 4x6.
• Then I cut two 4x6 pieces of kraft for the front and back covers (it's what I have, and it's heavy enough for me).
• I decided to use kraft for my journaling pages as well, and in an effort to make the most of what I have, I cut them to 4x5 (so I could get four/page vs. two/page at 4x6). I love the way it allows a strip of patterned paper to show too!

Once I got to this point, I took a couple of days to decide how I wanted to put the pages together. I am a very clean + simple kind of a girl, and so I wanted it to be perfect. I'd pull the pages out, lay them out a certain way, leave them, come back, etc.

• I ended up deciding on one patterned paper per day (25 days), with the photo page and journaling page (kraft) following. Once I figured this out, I just put them one after the other following a pattern (of course-ha). One of the patterns I'd bought, just wasn't working so I pulled it and set it aside for a future project.
• I glued the dark green cardstock to the back of the pages that weren't double sided.
• I was left with a few sheets of patterned paper, so I cut these into 2" squares (26 of them total).
• I cut some craft into 1.5" squares (26 also) and glued these in the middle of the 2" squares I'd previously cut. These were going to be my daily labels.
• I glued one of these labels on the backs of each of the patterned papers (the solid colored side) in the middle. I wasn't particular about what paper went where, other than I didn't want two in a row to be the same, and I didn't want the dark green patterned paper to end up on the green cardstock.
• I drew a "messy" circle inside each kraft square and wrote the day's number inside.
• I wrote the day in words, under each square (december first, december fifteenth, etc) and wrote a lyric from a Christmas carol/winter song around the other three sides.
• I did the same on the cover, using the number 25 inside the circle and writing "december" on top, "daily" on the right, "2010" on the bottom and "portland, or" on the left.
• Then I punched holes in all of the pages and used 1" book rings to bind it all together.

For the photo pages, I plan to use two photos/day. I'll glue them back to back and they'll go between the labeled page and the journaling page. I'll also have to get some 2" book rings to hold it all together.

And that's it! Photos are below, let me know if you have any questions! :-)

 
the cover

 
inside cover-not sure what I'm going to do with this (the kraft side)...any suggestions?

 
day one

 
this is what the journaling pages look like. Not sure if I'll draw lines/add labels/etc.

 
pattern paper #2 (p's favorite)

 
day two

 
pattern #3

 
day three

 
pattern #4

 
day four

 
pattern #4 (my favorite)

 
day five (and the patterend paper starts over with the red/white flowers)

 
day six

 
day seven

 
day eight

 
day nine

 
day ten

 
day eleven

 
day twelve

 
day thirteen

 
day fourteen

 
day fifteen

 
day sixteen

 
day seventeen

 
day eighteen

 
day nineteen

 
day twenty

day twenty-one

 
day twenty-two

 
day twenty-three

 
day twenty-four

 
day twenty-five

 
inside back cover

 
back cover

That's my album! Again, if you have any questions feel free to ask! xoxo rachie