Saturday, July 20, 2013

Project Life... I've bitten the bullet...

"The album we've made is much more than a book. It's worth even more than the time that it took."
-Kimberly Rinehart

I have always said I was going to start Project Life when I found out I was pregnant, but last weekend on a whim, I decided “why wait?” This will be the perfect way to reflect upon my 30th year and to record our everyday life... before we leave our twenties and before we have little busy-bodies under foot.

Project Life digital title page: "Staying fine @ 29"

I love the idea of the physical Project Life album as a place to collect the paraphernalia of everyday life (ooo, pockets!!),  but I'm not so into the scraps and the mess (and the expense!). My plan is to go all digital, with the hopes of printing a 8"x10" Blurb book at the end of the year. I've created some templates in Photoshop and am often browsing my ever-growing collection of digital embellishments. Although I'm not afraid to tweak the files or just create my own illustrations and wordart when I can't find exactly what I want. My design style tends to be minimalistic with bold graphics (although sometimes I have to remind myself of this when I start to add too much stuff on the pages).

I've backed up a few weeks to start the project with my birthday week. Now all I can think about is how to make this new project fit my life and my style…  Each night this past week, I've worked for a few hours trying to get caught up. And, I'm getting close!

I'm hoping I can keep this momentum (and that I'll get quicker at putting the pages together!!) I've started an Evernote document to keep track of memories, quotes, and photos in real-time. I also marked the occasion by starting a new Pinterest board to collect inspiring design elements.

Week 1: June 15-21, 2013. It's birthday week!
Week 2: June 22-June 30, 2013. Our adventurous trip to Utah.
Week 3: July 1-July 7, 2013. A rainy and wet Fourth of July week.


I'm excited... can you tell?!?!?





Saturday, July 06, 2013

Sketch it out...

“When the creative impulse sweeps over you, grab it. You grab it and honor it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.”
-Justina Chen Headley, North of Beautiful


The coolest birthday present I received this year... a Wacom Bamboo Connect tablet. As I tore off the wrapping paper and realized what was inside, I immediately knew exactly what my first project would be.

I've been following along with the One Little Word workshop prompts this year (and totally loving where it's guiding me, by the way!!), recording my thoughts and ideas in an Evernote document. However, I'm a little behind in the creation of actual album pages.

I have been stuck on the May prompt... not too enthused about the doodles that I've sketched on notepads at work. But with a tablet, a whole new world was opened.

On our rainy 4th of July, I spread out across the dining room table and got to work. Drawing and tweaking... drawing and nudging... drawing and twisting.

I'm totally tickled with the results and can't wait to print them out for my album.

To celebrate my first tablet project, I'm sharing my wordart with you. Download them here [right-click the image and save as]:

___

I'm also eager to use the tablet for other scrapbooking and design projects... any ideas? Do you know of any resources or sources for inspiration? Share with a sister!



Friday, July 05, 2013

Southern Utah 2013... Adventure on!!

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
-John Muir

We just returned from one of our bucket list trips! A week of adventures through Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. We braved the triple-digit temperatures, totaling over 65 miles of hiking and just under 20 miles cycling.


A quick recap:
Day 1 | Saturday: Flew into LAS. Drove to Zion National Park. Hiked the Watchman Trail.
Day 2 | Sunday: Hiked to Observation Point, Hidden Canyon, and Weeping Rock. Rode the Zion Shuttle to the viewpoints.
Day 3 | Monday: Hiked the Zion Narrows.
Day 4 | Tuesday: Hiked to Angels Landing and Emerald Pools.
Day 5 | Wednesday: Rode bikes through Zion Canyon and Springdale. Hiked to Canyon Overlook. Drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. Stopped at the overlooks on the auto tour.
Day 6 | Thursday: Hiked the Navajo/Queen's Garden/Peekaboo Loops and the Fairyland Trail.
Day 7 | Friday: Hiked to Lower Calf Creek Falls and through Willis Creek Slot Canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Day 8 | Saturday: Drove through Cedar Breaks National Monument. Drove around St. George, UT. Flew home from LAS.


Favorite hike in Zion National Park:
J: 8-mile round-trip hike to Observation Point
R: Also, Observation Point

Favorite hike in Bryce Canyon National Park:
J: Peekaboo Loop
R: Navajo/Peekaboo Loops

Least favorite hike of the week:
J: Fairyland Loop
R: Zion Narrows

Favorite non-hiking activity of the week:
J: Flying down Zion Canyon Road on the bike
R: Riding roadbikes in Zion


Favorite meal of the week:
J: Carnitas flautas at Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon in Springdale, UT
R: Burger and sweet potato Smashfries from SmashBurger in St. George, UT... he planned our last vacation day around this meal

Best after-hike snack:
J: Coke and Pringles
R: Diet Coke and a nectarine

Favorite hiking gear:
J: The rented canyon shoes, neoprene socks, and hiking stick... don't know how we would have made it through the Narrows without them
R: A bandana filled with ice or drenched in water and wrapped around his neck

Most extreme temperatures:
J: The hot hot heat reflecting off the sand on the Fairyland Trail
R: The cold cold water of Lower Calf Creek Falls


Scariest moment of the trip:
J: Tripping and falling over rocks in the Zion Narrows, especially knowing that I had the dSLR camera in my daypack. I panicked while in the water, unable to get myself upright. Rob says I cried, but I don't remember that. But I did bring home nasty bruises and scrapes on my right calf as a souvenir.
R: The 2.5 minutes [sic] I was on Angels Landing... as well as trying to beat the storm on the unpaved Skutumpah road back from Willis Creek.

Biggest disappointment of the trip:
J: Realizing that we had only climbed half of Angels Landing... and knowing there was no way I would get Rob back out on that ledge 
R: Realizing that we could have biked further into the canyon because it was such a quick descent  

Proudest moment of the trip:
J: Every time Rob congratulated me on how well I was holding up to the hiking challenge... I think he was impressed.
R: Just knowing how many miles [upwards of 90!!] we did this week... in our multi-sport adventures


You can see more photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/janaandrob/collections/72157634415451857/

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