Things I Have Learned Since... I Started Bullet Journalling

1. | I like crossing things off... It makes me feel accomplished...

2. | I can find extra hours for things in the hopes that it will mean something is crossed off!

3. | It has helped me get back to things I was neglecI ting...

4. | Mine is not as pretty as other's I have seen. It is basically lists. People keep asking for pictures. It's boring! No one wants to see my to do lists and reminders. 

5. | I still have too many things that I want to do each day. I have always loved projects and I continue to find new ones...

6. | The sense of accomplishment I feel each day is making me feel more relaxed... Sometimes I have to move things to the next day, but I mostly accomplish everything on my list!

7. | I enjoy keeping track of my reading in yet another way... Maybe I will actually keep track when I start books instead of when I finish them?

8. | As part of my bullet journalling, I have been following a cleaning schedule. Best. Idea. Ever. I don't follow it exactly, but I like the framework!

9. | I still wish I had more time in a day... Like blogging? Still haven't quite got back to that with more than a one time schedule most weeks, but I did this post! And I have a couple other ideas with this theme!

10. | I think my favourite part of Bullet Journalling is that I am getting back into taking pictures!

Project Life - Week 5

Another successful week! I didn't take enough pictures this week... But, since I have declared February 'Beatrix Potter' month, I thought including some Beatrix Potter postcards would be a fun fill-in. Plus, I love them and why keep them sitting in a box? This way people can see them. I think my postcards will appear again...

So, this week I went with two pictures of my co-workers kids. If I hadn't done that I wouldn't really have anything for this week! I again included what each picture was of, even the postcard, and I also picked my favourite aspects of each day as a sort of journal. For the filler card I included my book mail...

This is page two. The sunset is from the same day...  I wasn't going to include the little version, but it was better than using another filler card. Peter Rabbit has always been my favourite Beatrix Potter book. I love including the postcard. As you can see my friends daughter was using my phone. Maybe that is why all the pictures have been lousy lately...

And then we have the two pages together. I am really having fun with this project. I really like the idea of the Cobalt cards, but I could do with a bit less orange... The colours are also blue, green, and red. I would prefer more variety. I am looking forward to a collection of these and having a record to look back on my life.

So, this place was built in a time period where overhead lights were taboo or something. It is making it hard for me to find a good place to take pictures for this... So, we will work on that.

Also, no Casey... Weird...

Project Life - Weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4

I find that I am really bad with adding more projects to my ever-growing list of projects, but here I am taking on another one. Debi and Trish had been talking about Project Life. I was curious... You see, it is a combination of scrap-booking and journalling. So, basically pictures and writing about your day, week, month... I do that! I participate in #photoaday and I have a day-by-day journal. I found a project that puts the two things together. And, I can share! I am not entirely sure that I want to share, but I am going to post what I have done so far before I can change my mind. Sadly the pictures sort of suck. I need to find a different set-up next time...

This is the title page. I included Casey because she is the closest thing I have to a kid (and I know this is better if you have children) and scenery because that's my favourite thing to take pictures of. The quotes are just filler because I actually love quotes.

This is the first page of the first week. I decided to use a 4x6 card to tell a highlight from each day of the week. Then, I used one of the little cards to say when the pictures were taken. I imagine the little pictures will fluctuate. I was 4 weeks behind...

I have discovered I need to do something different with my phone pictures, but I didn't want to waste them... The Hobbit poster is because I am battling with my printer. I also decided to include what I had read so far.

Next week... The first picture was my very first assignment for my photography course. I also decided to include what I have received and sent so far on postcrossing.

I really need something other than a cat to take pictures of... Again my reading and a recap of the events of each day.

New week! The first picture may seem boring but it was the very first picture I took using manual settings on my new camera. Isn't the little train cool? I am not sure what it is during the summer... It is the first I had ever stopped at it. Again, reading and a recap...

Really hate the quality of my camera pictures... The first paper that is cut-off is a recap of a road trip. I want to use pictures instead of pointless journalling, but I was too far behind and wanted to get it done in a certain amount of time.

On to the next week... Recap and pictures...

The first picture and the last picture are more of me playing with manual settings. The second to last picture is my second photography course assignment. And, as you can see, I am starting to resize pictures for the smaller slots.

And, that's it so far... I am not really all that crafty, but that's me.

Looking Back - A Pin it and do it Post

The topic for October Photoaday on the 28th was 'looking back'. I was originally going to take a picture looking in the mirror in the car, but forgot my camera when I was in the car and so decided to 'look back' through pictures to share an older one.

I decided on this one:

Little Casey

She is not so little now:

I took this picture in May:

Same tree in June:

Then again in September:

Same tree, but different half of it...

Another spot I visited a few times:

May:

August:

Or, look at this picture in the spring:

And now the fall:

In a way, 2012 has been all about looking back. I took pictures almost every day since April. I also have been doing my day-by-day journal; so not only do I have some scribbled thoughts for each day, but I also have a picture for every day. I could do the progression of the seasons in a post. I am pretty sure I took more pictures of the tree from above. I have stood in many different places. I have captured the same sky on numerous nights. I can see Casey grow up in her pictures.

And, you know what? I hate getting my picture taken. If I hadn't got so obsessed with taking pictures this year, I may never have had this cute memento of Casey and I:

What have your experiences been when you stop and 'look back'? Are you like me and have common themes to your photos that you can trace changes in? 

While I never officially signed up, #photoaday and my day-by-day journal are both Pinterest pins and this post counts for Trish's Pin it and do it.

Pinterest and Snapshot Saturday - April 27, 2012

I mentioned on Thursday that I was joining Trish's Pinterest challenge. In an attempt to keep myself on track, I am going to combine her challenge and Snapshot Saturday for the Saturday's in May. I know it is not May yet, but I started Trish's challenge early... So, I am just starting early.

In my sign-up post I mentioned this project to make a calendar journal. Her version looks like this:

My version looks like this (although I still haven't found a box I like, so still a work-in-progress):

Not the best picture in the world, either, but you get the idea... I used 4x6 size index cards because I don't have one of those fancy paper cutter things. I think if you made a lot of them, though, it would save you money in the long run to buy one and use the bigger index cards. Index cards, at least in Canada, are overpriced. Then, I couldn't deal with the idea of cutting up my postcards, so I used little ones that were almost the same size as the index cards. I think when I decide on a box I might switch to bigger size ones to divide things up a bit better, but we will see what happens.

I used two index cards per day also. I am a bookish person, so I have one for day to day things and then I have one for bookish things. I have all ready started using them, so that is why I used the Steve Kluger books to hold my calendar up. For my first bookish day I wrote down that I received two Kluger books in the mail. My other version of the picture looks like this:

Yes, those are bubbles. I was at one of the Dollar type stores investigating their prices for index cards and I walked by a shelf of bubbles. I have to admit I was a bit intrigued by how Casey would react to them, so I brought some home. She loves them! I'll have to see if we can coordinate a picture of her actually playing with them. I never thought about it at the time. So, yes, for April 26, 2012, my entry says 'Introduced Casey to bubbles. Fun!'

I took more pictures...

Yep, I accidentally bought unlined index cards... I used them anyway, but I was sitting weird and this one is not quite straight...

I was excited... At least the coloured ones (and some of my white ones) have lines.

Slightly better writing... 

I was staring at book piles thinking I really need to put them somewhere else...

Okay, can you tell I am a bit excited about this project? I have been brain-storming other ways to have fun with this, so you will probably hear about it again...

All right, since I scheduled this and it didn't post, I might as well add the pictures of Casey and the bubbles. I don't know why I bother scheduling anything.

Please disregard our horrendous kitchen floor. 

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books and the Pinterest Challenge is hosted by Trish at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity.