jamaica makes

the beach

 

 Morro Bay, California with PX-70 Color Shade film in a Polaroid SX-70

The film takes so long to develop and needs to be shielded from light for the first few minutes so we took these quickly and left without waiting to see the results. I'm surprised at how well they line up considering I wasn't even thinking about about that when I took them.

This is my first pack of film (Impossible and using the new camera) so it's definitely a learning process. Tina told me how to focus properly, Tim helped shade the photos right after taking them and, after reading the website again, I figured out I had the light setting wrong the entire time. I'm a dumbass. But that's cool, the next pack is going to be better.

project life: weeks 2 & 3

Thank you guys for all your nice comments on my book! Katie wrote a nice note on tumblr about how it might convince her to scrapbook again which made me realize just how amazing it is having someone to share with. It's magical when something you make makes someone else want to make stuff too. There's an energy about it that's absolutely contagious. So thank you!

Now whether that excitement is sustainable, we'll have to see. LOL. My lesson for this week(s) is about getting it done. Not every page or every pocket is going to be perfect. If I'm going to keep up, I have to let go of my compulsive tendencies to redo each piece a half-dozen times.

I've filled up three sides of the slide page protectors and I'm onto the last. That means I'll have 48 photos for the month, more or less. Am I going to end up with the same photos over and over if I do 2 full pages each month? I'm thinking about doing a Photo of the Day challenge next month and only using those images instead. I can just fill in the blank spots/page with something else. 

I moved the amaryllis photos to a page of their own after realizing it's going to take more than 12 photos to get to the flower. The bigger issue now is what am I going to do when the stalk extends beyond the frame of the photo?

I redid/finished the first few pages of January (no more futzing from here on out though, I promise!). I used Ali's Hello Life Boxes No. 2 for the Jan at the top. Love those. I'm so excited she made months to match the Hello Life box I used on the cover. Now I can use them throughout my book over the course of the year as a monthly intro. I'm planning to include the Movies and Books cards each month too. (Is it wrong to deny myself the new Taylor Lautner movie because the whole world will know my shame?) // Recolored Paislee Press Photobooth patterned papers made into cards

Oops, swapped a photo here too. But in my defense, it matches the journaling better. Also moved the badge to the outside of the page protecter on Ann-Marie's advice, now everything lays much nicer. No more bulgy pockets.

Week 2: This was a short week, just the left side and the front of the half page insert. I warned you it was going to be all cats up in here. // More recolored Paislee Press cards

Week 3: This was an insane mail week. Everything I'd ordered over the last month or two all arrived in one day. It was crazy. The best part was the arrival of Howard, a surprise from Tina. Who even made me a video to show me how to open the damn thing. So awesome! I just had to wait for film to arrive to try him out. 

The excitement over getting a new Polaroid motivated me to pull out my old 600 and check my last batch of film. I've been hoarding it since last Christmas—one unopened box that unfortunately, is dated 2009. So I'm feeling a little more motivated to use what I've got before it's toast. The shot above is from the old camera, in the rain. I think the diamonds along the right are water droplets on the lens. It's strangely mauve-ish.

I'm looking foward to February... we've got guests and trips and events so there'll be more than just the cats. : )

 

PS. Carey, I do print my instagram photos at home. I finally moved to the iCloud so now my instagram photos appear automatically in iPhoto via the Photo Stream which makes it really easy. I can fit six 2" square pictures on a 4x6 sheet in a page layout program but you could use Photoshop. And if your printer prints larger sizes, you could easily fit more on a page. This is what it looks like before I print and cut them up.  

cataloging 2012

 It's going slowly, my version of Project Life. It's hard not to get distracted by all the fantastic things people are doing with it. But I know better than to rush it. With Becky's words to Kelly echoing through my head, I'm slowly figuring out what works for me. Even so there has been a lot of pocket rearranging and a ton of peeling—pictures off cards and pages apart—over the last few weeks as I find my comfort zone.

12 x 12 is too big for me, it always has been, so I'm using an upcycled Kolo album from my early scrapbooking days. I'm comfortable with smaller pages and the 6" x 8.5" page protectors Studio Calico sold to go along with Ali's December Daily kit fit perfectly. More importantly, most of the Project Life protectors can be cut down to fit nicely inside. // Kolo Catalina album,  feather tags from fellow fellow

Title page 2: in progress. I still need to write something on the Anthro gift card book (but what, feather/wings/flying quote?) and a "family" photo for top right // Design A page protector, Ali's Hello Life Box, Press Cards from Paislee Press and the sky TTV hoarded from Tina's dare swap ages ago 

 

Jan divider: killer neon grid paper from fellow fellow cut via silhouette into the perfect tabbed 1/2 page which I created myself.

Envelope insert: Anthro receipt folder holding the new year's horoscope and assorted bits

Monthly abbridged section: a compilation of 2" instagrams from the month // slide protector sleeve, woodgrain from Paislee Press Photobooth

I'm using 2 pages per month, adding in extra photos and random bits as needed/desired to fill up the slots

The back side of the 2nd page is devoted to keeping track of how fast my amaryllis is growing (daughter of a scientist...)

Jan intro: in progress still. Top spot is saved for a monthly Hello Life Box I begged Ali to make and the bottom is going to have a handwritten calendar with dates highlighted (at least that's the plan for now) // Design F protector, wee bit of something special

Next page: also in progress, needs journaling about how nice it is to be home cozy in your own bed. Back side of the intro page will have a list of books and movies from the month. // Design B page protector

First week: stuff, notes, photo and vintage pin from etsy. // Design F page protector

First full spread: a visit to Laguna for 2 baby showers and special time with Dr West. // Design F and A, Paislee Press Hello There cards, wee bit of something special

 

Here's where I'm at with the whole process, I love it. The sliding of items in and out of pockets is IMMENSELY gratifying. Addicting, actually. It could explain why everyone's so obsessed. Will I have a full spread every week, highly unlikely. When I go on trips (or leave the house, in general) there will be more to add, I know. But for now I'll happily fill it with the bits and pieces of my life as I accumulate them, continue to compile cat photos and keep track of the  funny things people say.

PS. Please send pretty mail!

 

the other half

Phew! By the end I'd worked my way up to a 2" ring—which is huge—and it's still too small. The piece of cardboard from the box the UPS man dropped, yes, the one labeled fragile and the chipboard sweater tag added extra bulk as well as the thickers I used on most pages. For long-term storage I'm going to remove the ring and tie the stack up with twine, both ways, including the unattached ring. That way it'll be a tidy bundle in the drawer with the rest of my little books.

Here's one last shot—of the pocket page which ended up being my favorite.

the last two weeks-ish

I'd probably be further along if I didn't keep redoing pages. It's always the writing that screws them up. And, I've resigned myself to the fact that there will always be glue-bers on my photos. It's inevitable.

The yellow calendar pocket is new, filled with tags and cards from packages/presents that have come in the mail recently. Just the little ones, larger (business) cards and tags are being punched and slipped right onto the ring. 13 is my all-time favorite, I love how the gold foil numbers fit within the rim of the glass.

The funny thing about this year's project is my obsession with thickers. I've got a bunch already but I rarely use them. I'm not sure why, they just always seem too big or something. But this month, I can't get enough. As I was checking out at Beverly's the other night, the cute girl who usually cuts my fabric asked what I was doing with them since I usually just buy sewing supplies. I looked over both shoulders, leaned forward and said, "sssshhhh, don't tell anyone but I scrapbook too." It was classic. We both had a good laugh over that.

I'm not sure what's up with my photos, they're blurry. The camera must have been focused on the ring the whole time. Sheesh.