my *new and improved* scrap space

Okay, it's really not new anymore.  We've lived here for 3 1/2 years.  "My side" of the room above the garage has been finished for a good portion of that.  But yesterday I had had enough.  I don't know what exactly kick started me into move-the-furniture-rearrange-sort-organize-toss-sort kind of day.  But I did just that.  And boy, it feels good!  (Maybe it's the book I'm reading??  I'll leave that for another post...)

The room right after it was drywalled.

The room painted white and with lights

 'My side' of the room after Mike put the laminate wood in, March of 2009

The space itself is nothing to write home about just yet; there's no color anywhere really (though I have these big plans to start framing art that I've saved from the kids' school bins) and most of my stuff is still disorganized.  There aren't any blinds (which I really need to do, because the sunlight has discolored some paper that had been left out) and no trim around the windows.  But what I did do-- was go through (some, not all) boxes of kids' school papers, an armoire full of scrapbooking books and magazines, and another cabinet (my Dad's old stereo cabinet he was going to get rid of, but HELLO!  I can try to find a use for anything.)  Before there were scrapbooking things in almost every room of the house.  Not even exaggerating.  Ask my husband.  I was worried I wouldn't be able to fit 2 tables in an "L" shape up there despite the room being a decent size (14x16).  Side note: My "side" of the room isn't just my scrapbooking stuff; it also currently houses a full sized bed, a twin bed (currently without a mattress because I bought a trundle bed for Maddie and Sadie, legos, & calico critters.  Those little toys are on "my" side because of the laminate wood flooring there (easier for finding the tiny toys that fall) unlike the rest of the room which is carpeted.  I am really happy with the way it turned out.  Someday I'll have nice cabinets and shelving (not anytime soon!).  Someday we'll finish our basement and can move the beds down there (we have guests who do stay now and then, so having the beds up there actually works out very well, when I don't have the beds covered in piles of paper).  

 So here's the after--I have two 6ft tables forming an "L" and then lots of stuff under the tables.

Here is the side that isn't mine.  This side is about 14x30.  This is where a lot of the toys live, including the xbox, air hockey table, and basketball hoops game.

The armoire on the left houses my scrapbooking magazines, projects to do, and envelopes & cards.  The cabinet next to it is all boxes of photos.

Now I just need a good lamp (the lighting is not so good in this room) and I'd like a big comfy rolly chair (like those at The Scrapbook Store ; ).  I am kind of glad there aren't before pictures for evidence of what a disaster it really was (particularly the beds).  Now I just have to use the space.

Disney book--done & ordered. finally.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

confession

There were two Christmas trees still lingering in the house.  One with ornaments yet.  Until today.  I realized you could still see the tree upstairs in the window above the garage when driving past the house.  So I decided it was time to go.  Perhaps I should've just hung hearts on them??

january project life

Sigh.  Okay, so maybe January isn't quite finished yet.  Groan.  I had issues uploading pictures from my camera to computer, so I haven't printed the very end of January.  But I am impressed that I have so many pics printed in the first place.  From one whole month.  Probably the most printed from a month since this era of digital (sadly!).  Perhaps I am feeling some negativity because I spent 12 hours (LATE nights) creating a shutterfly book using a digital version of Project Life for our Disney trip last year.  It turned out awesome, but in my zoned state of mind (lack of sleep I suppose) I didn't look at the expiration date on some coupons I had.  So, alas, the coupons expired and my book is sitting in the "cart" waiting to be ordered.  I can't wait to order it and share it!!

I am loving that I have been really good about uploading pictures(until the issues...), sorting them, deleting bad ones, and uploading to have them printed.  The rest of the project isn't going as smoothly as I had hoped.  I'm not loving it, and I think because it is so simple.  I'm trying to get over that and just put the pictures in the book. I am certain I'll have multiple volumes, since I am sometimes printing several pictures from one day.  But it's supposed to be whatever you want it to be, right??  I'm going to start going through my stash, too, and use more of my own stuff.  The journaling cards are great, but the page protectors that fit them are out of stock online.  I turn them or put them in a 4x6 slot, that doesn't really bother me.  But I am finding the bright colors of the cardstock in this kit are sometimes clashing with my pictures.  Hence the need to use my own stash.  Lord knows I have enough stuff ; )  And finding the space & time is another issue--more so because it involves pulling out tons of stuff and sprawling across the kitchen table (and sometimes a bench and chairs, too!).

So here is some of what I've done with it.  Nothing terribly exciting, but I sure am glad I've been making notes, I had already forgotten a couple of the funny things I wrote down.

The top left card has some journaling and then says, "From basketball to building barbie houses"...bottom right card says "we stay busy seven days a week."  I have to add a pic off of my phone of the barbie house taking up our closet : )

At first I had several pages of Maddie's birthday in the book.  Then I condensed it quite a bit of some of my favorite shots.

I have another picture off of my phone to add to this page.

Here's a stack of little things I have to add to the work in progress...

I included the baby shower invite in one of the 4x6 slots, and a note that was on the table at the baby shower.  This baby shower was a big deal (well, all of them are, but this one was really special).  I have yet to journal about the mom-to-be's journey, but I can do that at any time.  The gals in the photo with me are all wives of college friends of Mike.  The mom-to-be & husband had been trying for 7+ YEARS to conceive with no success.  They went through the whole fertility thing, including in vitro.  They had pretty much lost hope, and began to accept it was just not meant to be.  She signed up for the Chicago Marathon last spring and voila!  Found out she was pregnant.  I love stories with happy endings!!

Thanks for looking!

come visit me in Utah!

 because I plan on winning this ; )