3-to- Inspire Saturday with Trina

Hello everyone and happy weekend! Today I'm on the blog sharing a 3-to-Inspire challenge and a peek at how I'm using the new Life Crafted Album. It's time to tell your stories.

First let's begin with your 3 prompts for the challenge:

1. Use multiple formats within an album (switch up the page size, pocket format, add extras, etc.)
2. Mix elements from at least 2 kits. (Hint: I'm combining [and sneaking] elements from both the January 2019 and the February 2019 kits . . . for those of you who can't wait to see what's coming.)
3. Mix black-and-white photos together with color photos.

Now onto how I'm using my new Life Crafted Album. My main approach for memory keeping this year is using it mini album-style. My first album begins in October. (I am breaking out Christmas into it's own separate album plus any big vacations into their own albums, too.)

For the left-hand page I've punched holes into an oversize 4x8 tag. (We'll be carrying these tags in the Citrus Twist Shop beginning February 1st, plus the February Life Crafted "Love Stories" kit includes one of these tags so everyone will have the opportunity to play with one.) For my right-hand page I've inserted a small scalloped pocket that has a hidden photo tucked into the pocket. Here are some close-ups:

On the flip-side of the scalloped envelope I attached a 3x4 journaling card plus a little bit of Amy Tangerine washi tape and a chipboard heart circle. (Washi tape is great for small attachments.) I used my American Craft fringe-cutting scissors to cut fringe for the right-hand page.

Here is a close-up. (The little gold fabric star is from Maggie Holme's. Willow Lane) I twirled some thread clippings around two fingers to make a thread nest and tucked it under one of the layers and stitched it down.

Confession: This spread has quite a few elements from February 2019 Life Crafted. I used a simple grid pattern for the left-hand page. The base for my right-hand page is one of the 5x7 ledger pages that come in our Stories & Details Class and Kit (that is now on sale).

These close-ups will show you how I created my grid (and roughed up the pieces of pattern paper using my finger nail) and my journaling page. I have made a conscious decision to include more journaling in my albums this year. Since losing my dad, mom and brother over the past 5 years my sister and I have come to realize that some of the stories are gone forever when we lose loved ones. I want my daughter to read the stories behind the photos and share them with her kids one day.

Some of these stories are simple, like the walks my husband and I take Maggie on, down by the local river. We have walked so many miles on that trail!

I feel so lucky and happy that my daughter frequently sends me photos from school. They sure do brighten up my day and let me know that she is doing okay at college. The left-hand page uses the back side of the ledger page from the previous spread. The right-hand page is a traveler's notebook page that I've tucked into one of the Life Crafted Album's TN sleeves. The 4x6 photo fit perfectly at the top of the page and left room for journaling down below. NOTE: I have mass cut white base pages at standard TN-trim size plus more at 5x8.25 so I can easily grab and use them in my album.

Here are close-ups:

The flip side of the previous TN page is a partial book page trimmed to fit. I love how the black-and-white photo looks against the rustic color of the page. I fussy cut buildings from a 4x6 journaling card in the January 2019 "Fresh Start" Life Crafted kit and layered them at the base. I fussy cut my own "washi tape" strip from a piece of pattern paper. The right page remains blank because I'm not sure whether to keep the next spread in this album or move it into my Christmas album.

For this next spread I documented an accident. I fell off a ladder on our driveway and shattered my wrist. This is what my afternoon in ER looked like (there were no smiles until the pain meds came, LOL.) Crafting has been a bit of a challenge for me over the past 2 months as my right wrist heals. While the bone is fully healed, the tendons still have a ways to go. Because of this—and because one of our subscribers from the UK (thank you, Rhie!) has encouraged me to keep on crafting, even while sitting on the couch on the days my wrist is not feeling too good—my pages have been very basic of late. One of the joyful things that have come out of my fall is that the pages are coming together very quickly and this album is now filled with many stories. 

There is nothing pretty or frilly about this page but rather it's a documentation of life happening. When I couldn't use my right hand at all I found I could still type one handed...so I did.

Here are some outside shots, peeking in, of my album so far. I love how chunky it's getting inside and how I can keep adding pieces and pages to it. There is plenty of room in the album to add more, too.

I am very excited to see what you do with today's challenge and to see how you are using the new Life Crafted Kits and Albums.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Trina