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One Little Word® 2017 | May

May in the One Little Word® class was all about seeing our word through photos. I looked through the past months to find the photos where I could see balance. There are already so many areas of my life where I can say, that I feel balanced. But still, it's a work in progress because there are always days or weeks, where I feel stressed out and not balanced at all. This often happens, when I want to make and do so much more than time allows. I still struggle sometimes to feel overwhelmed by all the projects I want to tackle. Sometimes I have no idea how to do it all and if it's worth it. And then there are other weeks were it seems I have all the time in the world. Where I can sit and knit all day long without any other projects waiting for me (or at least I don't care about those projects that are waiting). As I said, it's a work in progress. It was a pleasure to go through the past few months and visibly see all the areas I already included balance into my life.

And now onto the pages from my album:

That photo of me on the left was perfect for an intro page. My boyfriend took it while we were on vacation (isn't it the best view ever?). "The way I see it" is a stamp from the lens story stamp.

For my smaller photos I cut down a 6x8" page protector to fit my album size (5x7"). I used one with four pockets and just sewed with my sewing machine once around (the top is open though).

I used this circle stamp to stamp circles on white paper which I punched out afterwards. Then I added my text. 

To the last page I added a 3x4 card from the lens Story Kit. And that's it.

 

READ MORE ABOUT MY JOURNEY WITH MY ONE LITTLE WORD HERE
why I chose BALANCE // January // February // March // April //

one little word® 2016: LIGHT // one little word® 2015:  QUALITY // one little word® 2014: OPEN

BASIC SUPPLIES
several items (stickers, stamp sets, notepad) from the 2017 selection at AliEdwards.com, all printables are part of the class, precision pen in #03, black StazOn ink pad, thick white cardstock from StampinUp

*One Little Word® is a concept created by Ali Edwards where you pick a word at the beginning of the year. You work with your word on a year long journey. You can find out more about the class and sign up here.

Project Life® album | April + May 2017

Today I show you my April and May spreads from my personal Project Life® album. Yep, I still love this 6x8" album. It's so much fun to work on the pages each month.

I usually have my title card on the top left corner. But this time I had to put those two photos next to each other because they represent April SO well. It was super warm but there was also snow.

The photo of me, holding the quote card is in a 3x8 page protector. Really like how that looks like.

Sometimes I prefer computer written text on my cards. On the right I combined it with a stamp.

 

When I have a 4x6 pocket to work with, but want to add two 3x4 cards, I just glue them together. That's what I did on the bottom left. It looks like two 3x4 pockets, but it's actually just a 4x6 pocket.

Yep, you will see that grid on the right each and every month.

Because I didn't make any projects from the book "A Year Between Friends" I used a photo in my 6x8 pocket.

On the right I added an overview of my Me Made May outfits outside of a page protector.

On the back of the paper on the left I just added some patterned paper and a stamp.

 

WHAT IS A PERSONAL PROJECT LIFE® ALBUM?
It's an additional album to our family album. In this album I tell my own story. It's all about my projects, books I read, important text messages/e-mails I get, what I eat and drink, basically stuff I share on my Instagram account.

SUPPLIES I USED
Basic Supplies List, 6x8 album from Studio Calico, I print my photos at home with my Epson SureColor P400 on Canon semi gloss photo paper

Summer of Basics Make-Along

I heard about the Summer of Basics Make-Along for the first time back in March on the Fringe Association blog. I didn't make plans back then but now after Me Made May and that I learned, that I don't have enough basics, I decided to join. This Make-Along is about making three handmade clothes during three months (June, July, August 2017). And you can win fun prizes (although that's not the reason why I joined).

Last week when I jotted down some ideas about what to make, I made the decision to use just my stash. In the past months I collected fabric and yarn that's waiting to be made into something wearable. In January 2016 I wrote about a project called Stash_Less. For the Summer of Basics Make-Along I want to pick up that project again. So I am a bit limited to what I am able to make (I'd love to make a Fen Dress or the new Lodo Dress, but I don't have enough fabric for those projects in my stash).

I picked these three patterns to make for this make-along:

• Ogden Cami by True Bias in a dark petrol colored modal (it looks like black in the photo)
• Basics Pocket Skirt by Cali Faye Collection in gray/brownish linen
• Davis Sweater by Pam Allen in kestrel (linen yarn) by quince&co

This project doesn't mean, that I won't make more than three things in the upcomings months, but these are the ones I have to finish until the end of August.

To make this project a little bit more manageable I break it down to smaller steps:
(I crossed out the tasks that are already done)

OGDEN CAMI

• print pattern and instructions
• assembling the pattern
• decide which size to make and cut out pattern
• buy thread in the right color
• wash fabric
• iron fabric
• cut fabric
• sew garment
• take photos

 

BASICS POCKET SKIRT

• print pattern and instructions
• assembling the pattern
• decide which size to make and cut out pattern
• buy zipper and thread in the right color
• wash fabric
• iron fabric
• cut fabric
• sew garment
• take photos

 

DAVIS SWEATER

• print pattern
• decide which size to make
• wind skeins into balls
• make swatch
• knitting, knitting, knitting
• take photos

Me Made May 2017

This year I participated in Me Made May for the first time. The idea is to wear something you made everyday in May. Because I don't have enough clothes to wear something I made for 31 days in a row, I decided to work on something to wear on those days, I don't wear me made clothes.

In the image above you can see, what I wore in May and on which days I was making something. In the end I wore something me made on 20 days of 31. I'd say that's pretty rad. I expected it to be much harder and that I would end up with less days where I wore me made clothes.

I learned, that I don't have enough basics like simple shirts or tees. In the knitted cardigans section I already have a small collection, but when it comes to simple shirts my options are limited. And I also don't have enough clothes for the warmer weather. Those are the reasons that I decided to jump on the "Summer of Basics" Make-Along (more about that on Wednesday).

In May I made two new items. The Togue Pond by Pam Allen (that I started in April) and the Willow Tank by Grainlinestudio. Both turned out really amazing and I'm sure I'll wear them all summer long.

These are the clothes I wore during Me Made May:

• Woven Hudson Pants by True Bias (day 2 / day 25)
• Adventure Tank by Fancy Tiger Crafts (day 3 / day 10)
• Adventure Tank by Fancy Tiger Crafts that I lenghten by 4" (day 16 / day 24 / day 31)
• Range Shawl by Andrea Mowry (day 4 / day 8 / day 14)
• Bellows Cardigan by Michele Wang (day 5 / day 6)
• Gray Cardigan I made in 2014 during my knitting class (day 9 / day 20 / day 21)
• Lucinda Sweater by Carrie Bostick Hoge (day 12)
• Rosemont Cardigan by Hannah Fettig (day 17)
• Ludlow Shawl by Julie Hoover (day 19)
• Togue Pond by Pam Allen (day 26)
• Willow Tank by Grainlinestudio (day 29)