Pixels to Pages

Twenty22 Chapter 9: September

It's been a minute since I've posted, I know. I do so, so good leading up to September. But when the 'ber months arrive, I get busy doing all things fall! I finally got around to finishing Chapter 9, my September pages, and wanted to share them here. There are 5 spreads. It was a busy month! Let's dive in!

The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• One Second Everyday App
• QR Code & Barcode Reader App
• Chapters September Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1 Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2 Kit
• Chapters February Kit
• 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1 Kit

Title Page

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters September Edition was placed in the center placeholder (there are two 6x4 Title Cards included with each kit). Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page. The PDF that is included with all Chapters Kits shows how this is done.

Spread One

Usually when fall rolls around, I tend to get all crafty. I work on the computer so much during the first part of the year, it is nice to work with my hands once in a while! So you will see some evidence of that throughout my September pages.

Spread Two

In this spread you will see that I made use of my Pocket Frames Kits. Gosh I love those things! They come in all different sizes and they are a great way to add extra photos and journaling to your pocket-style pages!

Spread Three

My birthday is in September and I had a blast celebrating throughout the month! The filler cards you see on the right are ones I made in Affinity Photo for iPad using the wood texture paper from the February Edition of the Chapters Collection. Aren't the quotes fun? 

Spread Four

I think the color of that cozy textured paper works really well with the photos. Why can't fall last all year? I created the "Fall" filler card right on the page in the PL App using 4 Free Form Text text boxes! I also used a frame from my 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1 Kit.

Spread Five

September didn't end very well for many Floridians just south of us. Hurricane Ian blew through with a vengeance. I used Editorial Templates to create this spread. I love those templates!

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Feel free to scan the QR Code to see some other snippets from September! The video was made using the One Second Everyday App. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and view the pages. I really appreciate it! I'll be starting on my October pages and will share them as soon as they are complete. I have a few more other topics that have been on my mind as well, so I will show up here a little more frequently!

TWENTY22 CHAPTER SEVEN : JULY

I'm a little behind in my documenting and that is ok. I had to focus on a home improvement project (which is still ongoing), but I did manage to carve out some time every so often to work on my July pages. Today I am sharing the pages from Chapter Seven (July) in our 2022 Family Yearbook. The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• One Second Everyday App
• QR Code & Barcode Reader App
• Chapters July Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2

Title Page

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters July Edition was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page. The PDF that is included with all Chapters Kits shows how this is done.

Spread One

In the spread above you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the July Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is placed in the Big Shot A Template from the Project Life app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month! I love consistency! The page on the right is the Big Shot 7 Template, however, it is in its reverse. I wanted the 6x8 placeholder to be on the outside edge of the page. This is a technique I use all the time with the help from the PicTapGo App. This is what I do:

1. I place all of my photos and journal cards in the template. Do NOT add journaling yet.
2. Selecting the edit tool in each placeholder, I tap the PicTapGo icon.
3. When in PicTapGo, select the "crop" icon.
4. From the options at the bottom of the screen, select the the third icon from the left to reverse the photo or card.
5. Select the checkmark in the bottom right corner of the screen, then select "done" from the top right of your screen.
6. You will do this to all images on your layout. But note, you may have journal cards like you see on my page with no word art on the card, so you wouldn't need to reverse that one.
7. Once your images have been reversed, export your page to your camera roll.
8. Open the Project Life App again and create a new Editorial Page, selecting the full 12x12 layout.
9. Place that page you just exported to your camera roll into the template.
10. Select the edit tool and use the PicTapGo feature to reverse the image, just like you did above.
11. You photos and cards should now be facing the right direction.
12. Use the Free Form Text option to add your journaling.

I teach the above technique in a video tutorial and so much more in my Memories Matter and Memories Matter Project Life Design Series Classes. Now through Sunday, September 11 you can save 20% on classes in the Project Life Classroom! You can view the classes by clicking on the "Classes" link in the nav bar at the top of the page. Use code: btschool at checkout. If you have already taken the classes, share the code with a friend who may be wanting to learn how to document their photos and stories using mobile apps!

A template from the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. 1 Kit was also used on this spread. The little labels with text on them are just Free Form Text boxes made with a capital letter "I" using a bold, sans serif font.

Spread Two

We had some special guests from Ukraine come and stay with us for about 10 days in July. I won't write about it here in this post as I explain everything on the layout. Just click the layout to enlarge it and read the story! Templates used are Big Shot 7 on the left and Big Shot 6 on the right. The 6x8 journal card, 3x4 and 4x4 filler cards were created in Affinity Photo using the colors from the July Chapters Kit. They resemble the Ukrainian flag. Journaling was added using Free Form Text (just so you know "West Wind" is the name of the team).

Spread Three

I continued my story about our Ukrainian visitors in Spread Three, using more filler cards in the blue and yellow colors for consistency! The page on the left is the Big Shot 20 Template. The page on the right is the Set A No. 1 Editorial Template, but in its reverse. I did the exact same steps as written out in Spread One, however, I opened the exported photo in Affinity Photo first, and did my reverse there. Then I added my word art. Once I was happy with my word art, I exported the photo to my camera roll, opened the full page 12x12 Editorial Template in the Project Life App and placed the picture in it. Then I added my journaling using Free Form Text. So love the way this turned out.

Spread Four

Really simple pages using journal cards from the July Edition of Chapters and a Pocket Frame template from the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. 2 kit! I think the bokeh cards are perfect! Can you tell the Big Shot 7 template is one of my faves? 

Spread Five

I really like incorporating Editorial Pages in our Family Yearbook. The page on the left uses Editorial Template Set 3C No. 4. Love those cookie pics! The page on the right is simply Design A! All filler/journal cards are from the July Edition of Chapters.

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Feel free to scan the QR Code to see some other snippets from July! I love adding video to my albums using the One Second Everyday App. I am using the free version of this app right now, but I think in 2023 I am going to invest in the paid full version. I've used it consistently each month this year and I fell the paid version will be a good investment!

July is done, now it's time to move on to August! Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, leave them below!

TWENTY22 CHAPTER SIX : JUNE (part two)

I mentioned in my last blog post I had only 2 or 3 more layouts to do in order to get my June photos + stories documented. That was a total miscalculation! Turns out I needed 8 more spreads to get those stories told! And you know what? I thought it would totally stress me out. But looking at the photos and writing about them brought me so much joy. I was just so happy going through the process of laying out these spreads. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• QR Code & Barcode Reader App
• Chapters June Kit
• 6x8 Pocket Frames No. 2
• 6x8 Pocket Frames No. 3

Check out the pages below!

Spread Seven

I love the colorful weathered wood board included in the June Edition of Chapters. You will see a lot of it on the following spreads. I used it to create the 6x8 and 3x4 journal cards you see above. The title on the large card was done in Affinity Photo for iPad. Isn't that beach house gorgeous?

Spread Eight

There are lots of random photos on this layout. By using the same pattern journal card on both pages, it helps to make the spread cohesive. Repetition is a good thing. Adding titles and journaling directly on my photos is a technique I use all the time. The Free Form Text option in the Project Life App is so worth purchasing! I use it all the time and it is a great way to add two text boxes on one journal card–a text box for a title and one for the journaling!

Spread Nine

I wish you could see me right now as I type out this blog post. I have the biggest smile on my face just looking at this page! If you haven't played Tidal Ball on the beach yet, what are you waiting for? Grab the game on Amazon and take it with you on your next trip to the beach! The title on the 6x12 photo was done in Affinity Photo for iPad, exported, and then placed in the layout. I used two text boxes on the journal card. It's a little hard to see, but the first text box (the first 6 lines) is right aligned The second text box (the remaining lines) is left aligned. I did this so the ends of the lines will go on a diagonal to following the angle of the waves in each of the corners. And can you tell I am having a ball with these QR codes??? The videos they go to aren't very long, just little snippets here and there, but so fun to look back on!

The Sun, Sand, Surf, and Tidal Ball filler card is one that I modified from the June Edition of Chapters.

I brought the original card into Affinity Photo, covered the original text with two rectangles in the sandy color of the background and then added new text!

Spread Ten

Oh for the love of puzzles. This is another spread that just fills me up with all kinds of happy! I used a template from the Circle Pocket Frames No. 2 Kit to highlight a few speciality shapes in the puzzle. The journal card is one I created in the Small Print section of the Project Life App using the light blue textured digital paper from the June Edition of Chapters. And can we talk about the right side of the spread? I LOVE THIS!!!! When we completed the puzzle I took a photo of it, knowing I would be using it in an Editorial Templates with a large placeholder in the Project Life App. I exported the page without the text. I brought the page into  Affinity Photo for iPad to add the text (I wanted to access the glyphs of one of the fonts) and exported that to my camera roll. Finally I dropped the completed layout into the full page 12x12 Editorial Template. 

Spread Eleven

A golf outing and a few more random pics! I'll be honest and say that there are a limited number of journal and filler cards included in the Chapters Monthly Storytelling Collection Kits. And this is on purpose. The kits are meant to limit your choices when it comes to decorative elements. It is the photos and the stories that matter. But these kits have plenty of papers to create your own filler and journal cards, allowing you to expand your creativity and your designs skills whenever you want. You saw in Spread Nine how I altered one of the filler cards. Now here on this spread you can see how I filled a 3x4 placeholder with the green textured paper from the June Edition of Chapters and added a quote to it! Easy peasy! I really like the type treatment of the "cousins," and "brothers" on the right side of the spread. This was just done using the Free Form Text option in the Project Life App and dragging the text box so the letters flowed off the side and bottom of the placeholders. 

Spread Twelve

Another spread where I used an Editorial Template (it's the page on the left). I may go back and add a bit more journaling to it. I wanted to mention how much I love the North Carolina coastline, its dunes, and all the plants that grow there. I can photograph them all day long! I used a template from the 6x8 Circle Pocket Frame No. 3 Kit for the photos of the flowers.

Spread Thirteen

My heart is going to BURST!!!! Like the filler card says–"I love these humans." The page on the left was, again, done in an Editorial Template. The text was added in Affinity Photo for iPad. God, these pictures make me so happy!

Spread Fourteen (last one!!!)

Super fun spread on the left! Love all these women!!! Kristen, Becca, and I always have to get a photo of us on a Carolina beach in the same pose. So fun! And our hats! The girls loved them! Check out that filler card on the right side of the spread. Its original size is 6x12. This was actually an assignment from my Type Talk class that ran earlier in the summer. Students were to select a 3 to 5-letter "summer" word and go on a "found type scavenger hunt," searching for letterforms in food, architecture, foliage, etc., snap a photo of it and place it into exclusive Pocket Frame Templates that were part of the class downloads. "Ocean" was my word and I used it here on this page. The students in the class had AMAZING photos and I will be sharing them on my social media platforms in the coming weeks. The fall session of Type Talk will run in October!

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Still LOVING the idea of adding video to my albums. 

Whew! June is done! How is your summer documenting going? Don't worry if you are behind. Summer is busy, you'll get to it when you can! If you have any thoughts or questions, leave them in the comments below! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read!

TWENTY22 CHAPTER SIX : JUNE (part one)

June was a very busy month for us. There was so much going on and it is taking me a while to combine my photos + stories for those thirty days. When I realized I was already up to 6 spreads for the month and still had 2 or more 3 to go, I figured I would share my June pages in two separate posts.

The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• QR Code & Barcode Reader App
• Chapters June Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 3
• 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1
• 4x6 Circle Pocket Frames No. 3
• 6x8 Pocket Frames No. 3

Grab a drink and get comfy! There is a lot to talk about here!

June Title Page

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters June Edition was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

Spread One

In the spread above you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the June Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is placed in the Big Shot A Template from the Project Life app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month. The filler card on the left page and the "good vibes only" journal card on the right side are  from the June Edition of the Chapters Collection as well. That other journal card you see was created in the Small Prints section of the Project Life app using one of the textured papers from the June Edition of Chapters. I love that paper! If you want to learn how to do that and other tips and tricks within the Project Life App check out my Memories Matter Design Series Class by clicking here. Other products from my shop used on this spread included a template from the 3x4 Pocket Frame No. 1 Kit.

Spread Two

Pocket Frame Kits used on this spread are from the 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2 Kit, 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 3 Kit, and the 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 2 Kit. All of the journal cards you see on the spread are ones I made using the Small Print section in the Project Life App with textured digital papers from the June Edition of Chapters. It is a very cohesive page because I am repeating the textures and colors of the journal cards on both sides of the spread! 

Spread Three

I am ecstatic about this Buffalo Trace spread. Friends, pay attention to the little secret I am about share with you here. I have mentioned it in the past, in my December Daily albums, but I still don't think digital memory keepers take advantage of it as they should. I am talking about company Media Kits.

A Media Kit, also called a Press Kit, is a set of promotional materials a company may offer to the media (reporters, bloggers, videographers) in order to help them write articles about the company. It can include things like logos, fonts, colors, branding do's and don'ts, high-resolution images, etc. If you document stories about some of your favorite brands, whether it is clothing, food, amusement parks, points of interest, and all the things in between, check that company's website to see if they have a media kit for you to download a logo or images that you can include on your pages. 

Case in point: The logo you see on the 6x8 filler card in the spread above was a .png file downloaded directly from the Buffalo Trace website! I created the card in Affinity Photo for iPad and was able to place the logo right on the card. I exported the card to my camera roll, dropped it into my Project Life template, and then adding the journaling.

I did the same thing for the journal card on the right side of the page. There was a png of a single bottle of Buffalo Trace in their media kit. It's like a digital sticker! I created the card in Affinity Photo for iPad (used one of the textured papers from the June Edition of Chapters), pulled in the bottle of bourbon, and just duplicated it a few times! I love the way it turned out!

Let's talk QR Codes. See that one in the upper right corner of the right side of the spread? It's very subtle and not in your face. There is no white background you would normally see. I was able to achieve this in Affinity Photo for iPad by placing the QR code on the image and then changing the blending mode of the layer to "darken." I really like the way this looks! What do you think?

Spread Four

You may have noticed by now that Big Shot 7 Template is a favorite of mine. I like the 6x8 placeholder on it. It is a great space to do a lot of journaling in, saving the rest of the pockets for photos. This 6x8 journal card was created in Affinity Photo for iPad using a textured paper from the June Edition of Chapters. I made the title on the card in Affinity as well, but the journaling was done in the Project Life App. The "love is sweet" filler card was created in Affinity for iPad, too. This could have easily been done in the Project Life App, but I really wanted to have access to the glyphs of the font I used and couldn't access them in the PL App. The 3x4 journal card was created in the Small Prints section of the Project Life App using one of the textured papers from the June Edition of Chapters. The little heart swoosh is the Ding Dong Extras font I installed in the Project Life App.

Spread Five

Again, the journal cards were created in the Project Life app using a blue textured paper from the June Edition of Chapters. The filler card in the bottom left was done directly in the Project Life Template (Design A). I used the weather wood textured paper from the April Edition of Chapters (it coordinated with the stage at the brewery). Three text boxes were added by using the Free Form Text option in the app to add the words and dingbat heart. For the image in the 6x8 placeholder, I ended up manipulating one of the files from the 6x8 Pocket Frame No.3 Kit to make it work a little better for me here. It was done in Affinity Photo for iPad.

Spread Six

Last night on my Instagram feed I asked: "How do you get 17 photos, 3 journal cards, and one filler card in a double-page, pocket-style spread with 16 place holders?" It's by using POCKET FRAMES!!! Can you tell I am loving these Pocket Frame templates? I mean how else would I be able to get all of the photos you see on these pages to fit within one double-page spread??? You can't. They are so handy and a huge asset to have in my digital tool box! I am just over the moon with these. I'm so happy to be able to combine so many photos and stories on a double-page spread like this! 

Have you given Pocket Frames a try? I have a freebie with two circle Pocket Frames for you to test on in this blog post. Give them a try! I know you are going to love them and want more!!! And when you do, check out all of the Pocket Frames available in the Pixels To Pages Shop!

That's it for Part One! I am finishing up the other layouts for June and will share them early next week, if not sooner! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below!!!

 

TWENTY22 CHAPTER FIVE : MAY

I'm really happy to be sharing Chapter Five of my Twenty22 Family Yearbook with you this Sunday evening! Photos and stories from May are documented in three spreads with a title page and an end page for my "film adaptation" video QR code.

The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• Chapters May Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 3
• 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1

Before I go into my May pages, I wanted to remind everyone about two things. First, there are only a few hours left to purchase the Summertime Journal Block Party Kits. I brought them out of the vault for this weekend only. They will go back into the vault this evening at 10pm EST. Here is a link to see the kits in the shop!

Second, tomorrow, June 6, is the last day to register for my new class Type Talk! Registration will close tomorrow night and class begins this Friday, June 10. More information about Type Talk can be found here.

On to May Pages:

Title Page:

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters May Kit kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

Spread One

In the spread above you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the May Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is placed in the Big Shot A Template from the Project Life app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month. I created the Run for the Roses journal card in Affinity Photo for iPad using the red texture background from the May Edition of the Chapters Collection. Other products from my shop used on this spread include the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. 1 and No. 2 Kits, and the 3x4 Pocket Frame No. 1 Kit.

Spread Two

I love the bright color palette of the May Edition of Chapters! The journal cards on the left side of the spread are ones that aren't intended for the size placeholders you see them in! The 3x4 journal card at the top is really a 6x8 journal card. The "This May Moment" journal card at the bottom is a 4x3. I just moved it within the placeholder so you can only see the left part of the card. I am so glad I created 4x4 cards specifically for QR Codes linking to a variety of video I've been taking. Adding video to my album this year has been so much fun. Once I placed the QR Code on that 4x4 filler card, I exported it to my camera roll and then placed it in one of the Pocket Frames from the 3x4 Pocket Frame No. 1 Kit. 

The 3x4 journal card on the right side of the spread is actually a 4x6 card from this month's kit. The 4x6 card doesn't exactly match the aspect ration of a 3x4, but I am still able to pull it off!

The "Surprise" label on the top photo was created using two free form text boxes in the Project Life App.

Spread Three

I can't even be to tell you how happy I am with the left side of this spread. It's my absolute favorite from this month. I am a HUGE Dave Matthews fan. Earlier in the year while checking his 2022 tour schedule, I noticed he didn't have a show scheduled for Tampa. The closest one was in Orlando. I didn't think to keep checking to see if he was adding more concerts. I only found out about the concert after a friend posted she was looking forward to the concert the following week! OMG! I can't believe I almost missed this! I ended up getting tickets for 8 under the pavilion (this girl isn't sitting in the lawn anymore). SO MUCH FUN!!! My throat hurt for days from all the screaming! Such a great show!

The photo with DMB on it is a picture I took and added text to in Affinity Photo for iPad. Love the way it turned out. Our friend Tom took the pic of all of us in our seats. I took a screenshot of the setlist from DMBs website to remember all the songs that were played!

A pocket frame from the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. 3 Kit was used to add three more photos and text. I love these frames!!!!

The three other photos I included were pulled from the Dave Matthews Band Facebook page (I did give photo cred!). He has an amazing photographer that travels with him to each show and he posts photos each night after the concert. I especially love the one where he is writing out the setlist! Yes, they are low resolution–suitable for an 8x8 print, though. I print my albums at 10x10, so I'm not that concerned if they are a little grainy.

The 4x6 journal card on the right side of the spread is one I made in the Project Life app using the Terrazzo pattern digital paper from the May Kit!

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Feel free to scan the QR Code above. It's just a 45-second clip of daily video I took using the 1 Second Everyday App. I may have missed one or two days in May, but I'm not going to stress about it! I love experimenting with video! These are so much fun to go back and watch!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have below! The June Edition of Chapters will be released on May 14th!

 

TWENTY22 FAMILY YEARBOOK: CHAPTER FOUR

I cannot believe it is already May. People are always saying "The older you get, the faster time flies," and that is soooo true!!! I sometimes wish the calendar months had a "pause button" so we can slow down and savor the moments. But I guess that is why we scrapbook right? Today I am sharing Chapter Four of my Twenty22 Family Yearbook!

Photos and stories from April are documented in four spreads with a title page and an end page for my "film adaptation" video QR code.

The pages were created on my iPad Pro using the following products and mobile apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• Chapters April Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 3
• 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1

Before we get into my April pages, I wanted to let you know about some things happening here for {inter}National Scrapbook Day this weekend! Pixels to Pages will be participating in a iNSD Blog Hop with a bunch of other indie digital scrapbook designers! I'm super excited about it! So keep an eye out on my Instagram and Facebook pages on Friday!!! All of the designers participating will have a fun freebie on their blogs for you to download. And, if you were thinking about purchasing anything from the shop or enrolling in a class, wait until the weekend! I will have a few discount codes for you to take advantage of!!!

Okay-keep scrolling and reading to see how Chapter four came together:

Title Page

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters of April kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

Spread One

In the spread above you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the April Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is placed in the Big Shot A Template from the Project Life app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month. The filler and journal cards are all from the April Edition of the Chapters Collection as well. The Kentucky Derby graphic is part of the invitation I created for our party. I placed it in one of the Pocket Frames from the 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1 kit.

Spread Two

Check out my garden tower! I just love watching it come to life! It fills out more and more everyday! The filler cards and the journal cards with the droplets on them are from this month's kit. I made the two journal cards with the pink border right in the Project Life App using the dark pink textured paper from the April Chapters kit. If you haven't seen it yet, I do have a tutorial on how you can make your own cards in the Project Life app and will share it at the end of this post!

Spread Three

All journal/title cards were made in the Project Life App using the White Weathered Wood patterned paper from this month's kit! I am loving the photos from our Easter morning walk. I have this thing for driftwood. Although the photos aren't of actual driftwood, the roots and dead tree reminded me of it. I just love the texture and color!

Spread Four

Weekend with the girls is always so much fun, aren't they? I love the way this spread turned out! Those Pocket Frames really come in handy! They help to add extra photos and journaling on your pages! The journal card with the orange border at the bottom was made in the Project Life App. The "friends" filler card was created in the Affinity Photo for iPad app. Typography is a passion of mine and I love finding ways to use it in my pages. I have a new class, Type Talk, coming to the Pixels to Pages Classroom in June! Next week I will be sharing more information about it and how you can register!!!

For the most part I am happy with the way my spreads turned out for April. The one thing that bothers me, however, is that I don't have that "line" that connects the right side and the left side of the pages together. I talk about this a lot in my Memories Matter Class and Memories Matter Project Life Design Series Courses! But I am not too concerned about it because I try to have a repeating pattern or color from my journal/filler cards on each side of the spread to connect the pages together!

Final Page

Feel free to scan the QR Code. It's just a 45-second clip of daily video I took using the 1 Second Everyday App. I may have missed one or two days in April, but I'm not going to stress about it! I love experimenting with video!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have below! The May Edition of Chapters will be released around May 15th!

I have share the tutorials below in the past, but if you are new here and looking for instruction on how to create your own journal cards in the Project Life App check out the video below! I am also including the video on how to use the Pocket Frames in the Affinity Photo for iPad App as well!

Thank you for taking the time to read! See you back here on Friday!

 

 

 

New Products in the Pixels to Pages Shop!

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that there are several new products in the Pixels to Pages shop! Seven new kits to be exact! Let's hop right on into them! Beginning with the April Edition of the Chapters Collection!

I am loving the color palette this month! It reminds me of Easter eggs. The pattern of the month is a white weathered wood and you'll find a mulberry paper texture on the colored digital papers! I remember working a lot with mulberry paper when I was documenting my photos and stories with physical products and I think you guys will love these!

There are a few cards in the collection that represent a couple of National Days in April. Did you take any pictures for National Handmade Day or National Siblings Day? Don't worry if you did not, snap a few now or dig up some old photos and use those! National Picnic Day is later in the month (April 23). Consider that as a reminder for you to go and enjoy a meal outside!!!

Here is a sample of what the first spread in my April Chapter may look like. I am definitely expecting this to change since I know I have a lot more photos to take this month!

And below is what the last page in my April Chapter will look like. The title page for May will be placed right beside it.

The April Edition of Chapters is now available in the shop!

For an overall explanation of the Chapters Collection in general, please check out this blog post. 

Moving on! Ready for some new Pocket Frames??? I have 6 new Pocket Frame Kits in 6x8 and 6x12 sizes! I'm so excited about these!

6x8 Pocket Frames No. 1

Working with the Big Shot Templates in the Project Life App are my favorite! Check out how I used one of the PSD files in the Affinity Photo App to add a single photo to! I didn't add the text in Affinity. I exported the Pocket Frame with only the photo (I turned off the text layer) and then once I dropped the picture into the 6x8 placeholder in my template, I add two text boxes using the Free Form Text feature. These large Pocket Frames are awesome for adding both a text and a title to!

6x8 Pocket Frames No. 2

Some of the Big Shot Templates in the Project Lift have 6x8 placeholders in both vertical and horizontal orientation. So do the Pocket Frames:

6x8 Pocket Frames No. 3

The 6x8 Pocket Frames with placeholders for 3 photos are PERFECT for allowing you to place more pictures on the page than the template allows for. The extra bonus is that you also have room for journaling (and even a title)!!!

6x12 Pocket Frames No. 1

OMG! You guys!!! Check this out for a title page in a travel album. I know I will be using these 6x12 Pocket Frames A LOT!!!

6x12 Pocket Frames No. 2

And just like for the 6x8 Big Shot Templates in the Project Life App, there are templates that have the 6x12 placeholder in both vertical and horizontal orientation! I like to look at these larger Pocket Frames as a way to "divide" my page–separate a main story from the others that may be on the same page.

6x12 Pocket Frames No. 3

I'm loving the slender rectangles on some of the 6x12 Pocket Frame No. 3 templates! They have a modern vibe to them!

Whew! That was a lot! You can find these new 6x8 and 6x12 Pocket Frame Kits, along with the 3x4 and 4x6 Pocket Frames that were previously released in the Pixels to Pages shop!

As a reminder, there is a QR code on the kit previews for the Pocket Frame kits. This is a link to a video tutorial on how to use the PSD files and Overlays from the kits in Affinity Photo for iPad! Use the camera on your phone to scan the code to watch the video while you are following along with Affinity Photo on your iPad! The video is also embedded below! The video demos the 4x6 Pocket Frame Kits, but you will use 3x4 in the same manner. And friends, if you do not use Affinity Photo, the PSD files that are in the kit can be used in Photoshop or any other software that will recognize PSD files. If you do not work with an app or software that opens PSD files, the PNG overlays that are in each kit can be used in apps like GoDaddy Studio, Canva, Procreate, or Creative Cloud Express!

I really hope you enjoy working with these Pocket Frames! Don't forget to tag me when you share your pages on social media! I'd love to see how you are using them!

 

 

TWENTY22 FAMILY YEARBOOK: CHAPTER THREE

Chapter Three in our 2022 Family Yearbook is complete and I couldn't be happier! When I created the March Edition of my Chapters Collection, I had no idea the colors and textures would work so well with the photos I would be taking this month! I'm just thrilled with these pages!

March is covered in 7 spreads, with a title page and an end page for my "film adaptation" video QR code. 

Pages we’re created using the following products/apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• Adobe Express (formerly called Adobe Spark Post)
• My Chapters March Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 2
• 3x4 Pocket Frames No. 1
• Fonts: The Brande & Lotaline, Barlow Condensed, Youth Line, +  Archer Pro (journaling)

Let's see how Chapter Three of 2022 came together!

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters of March kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

Spread One

In the spread above you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the March Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is placed in the Big Shot A Template from the Project Life app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month. The two journal cards with the rust texture and yellow line were created in the Small Prints section of the Project Life App. A few months back, I did create a video of how you can create your own journal cards in the app. I will share that video at the end of this blog post. The "Advance to Venmo" card was created in the Creative Cloud Express App (formerly known as Adobe Spark Post).

Spread Two

I am loving that rust texture from this month's edition of Chapters! I made the two journal cards you see on this spread in the Project Life App. The filler card with the quote from Anthony Bourdain was created in the Affinity Photo for iPad App, using the colored texture digital paper from this month's kit. The fonts are those I am using throughout the Chapters collection. I have them loaded into Affinity Photo and the Project Life App so I can use them in whatever app I am in. I also created color swatches from the March kit using the RGB color codes from the Chapter Summary PDF that is included in each monthly Chapters Collection! Everything is matchy-matchy!

Spread Three

I got a lot of journaling going on throughout these pages! Notice how I carried journaling from one 4x6 card to the other on the left hand page. That top card is one included in the March Chapters kit. The journal card below that is one I created in the app using the yellow texture from this month's kit. Read the story. It's worth it.

The page on the right. This one got me excited! Why? Well first, I don't think I've ever used Big Shot 10 in my albums before. If I have it was a very long time ago. And second, this template gave me the chance to experiment with a new Pocket Frame size that will be released in my shop soon–6x12 Pocket Frames!!! This one hold 3 photos. What do you think? I LOVE IT!!! I do use a template from the 3x4 Pocket Frame No.1 Kit on this page. I will also share another link to a tutorial on how to use the Pocket Frames in the Affinity Photo App at the end of this blog post. It demos the 4x6 Pocket Frames, but you'd use the 3x4 in the same manner! The journal card you see on this page is one I created in the Project Life App.

Spread Four

Ok before you read any further, I gotta put a little disclaimer on some of the photos in this spread, as some readers may be offended by them. They are not gory or anything like that. They are photos of signs and some may take offense to the subject matter. I'm not apologizing for them at all. It's my album, I'll include what I want! ;). You've been warned.

Cafe du Monde. Just so yummy. I still can't decide if I liked the beignets better at Cafe du Monde or those from Cafe Beignet. Any readers out there who have been to NOLA have a preference?  I made the "Beignet there, done that" filler card in Affinity Photo and the journal card on the left was done in the Project Life App. 

So the page on the right makes really good use of the 3x4 Pocket Frame No. 1 Kit and the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. 2 Kit. I am really addicted to using these things! I love that I am able to have a photo on the card with enough white space to add text. The NOLA filler card is one I created right there in the layout using the green texture "paper" from the March Chapters Kit and the Free Form Text option in the Project Life App. I really like the way that looks!

Spread 5

I think one of my favorite moments on this trip was stumbling upon Fritzel's European Jazz Pub and listening to Richard "Piano" Scott play. This guy was AMAZING!!! He sounded just like Louie Armstrong!!! Truly talented! The journal cards were created in the Project Life App, but check out what I did with one of the 4x4 QR code cards that are included in the March Chapters Kit:

I recorded bits and pieces of several songs Richard Scott played and combined them into about a 4-minute long video using iMovie on my iPad. I then uploaded it to Vimeo and used the link to create a QR Code. Once I dropped the QR Code into the "watch this" card, I placed that card in one of the 3x4 Pocket Frame files! How fun is that? I'm loving that I am including video in our Family Yearbook this year!

Spread 6

Last spread for our NOLA trip. Check it out! Do you see what I see? Could those be 6x8 Pocket Frames? I thought the Big Shot 23 template in the Project Life app would be a good one to test out a 6x8 Pocket Frame. It passed my test, so you will soon be seeing those in the shop as well! I also used a 4x6 Pocket Frame template and a 4x6 Pocket Frame Border on this page, both are from the 4x6 Pocket Frame No. Kit.

To close out our trip I used an editorial template on the right!

Spread 7

I think the colors from the March Chapters Kit compliment the photos perfectly! All three journal cards were created in the Project Life App using the textured "paper" from the March Chapters Kit. 

Any paddle boarders out there? I am looking sooooo forward to a paddling this year! I'm sure I'll be taking lots of photos of our paddling adventures!

And finally my final page for Chapter Three:

Feel free to scan the QR Code. It's just a 45-second clip of daily video I took using the 1 Second Everyday App. I actually missed two days this month, but still having so much fun with it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post! Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have below! The April Edition of Chapters will be released around April 15th!

Okay for those of you who like tutorials. Grab your favorite beverage and watch these if you haven't done so already!

 

 

 

TWENTY22 FAMILY YEARBOOK: CHAPTER TWO

Today I am excited to share the February pages from my 2022 family yearbook. Chapter 2 consists of a title page, five double-page spreads, and an end page with a QR code for the January video I created in the One Second Everyday App. You can click on each double-page spread for a larger view.

Pages we’re created using the following products/apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• The Creative Cloud Express App (formerly called Adobe Spark Post)
• My Chapters February Kit
• 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks + Cards Kit
• 4x6 Pocket Frames No. 1
• Fonts: The Brande & Lotaline, Barlow Condensed, Youth Line, +  Archer Pro (journaling)

Title page was created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters of February kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

In the spread below you can see the 6x12 Calendar Card from the February Edition of the Chapters Collection. This is place in the Big Shot A Template from the app and I will ALWAYS use this template on the left hand side of the first spread for each month. Using the Affinity Photo App, I place a single photo in the 4x6 Pocket Frames No1 (A + B files) for a few of the photos on each side of the spread. I exported the photo to my camera roll then place those pictures in the 4x6 place holders. I chose not to add the text in Affinity Photo, but instead add text using Free Form Text in the PL App.

You can watch a video tutorial of how to use the Pocket Frames in Affinity Photo for iPad here.

In the second spread below, I used a journal card from the 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks and Cards Kit. The title on the large 6x8 photo and the 4x6 picture of the muffins was added using FFT. And how about my photo shoot with the strawberries! Anyone addicted to Replica Surfaces??? I have quite the collection of these things. I'm totally addicted to them. Not sure what they are? Check them out here. 

The journal card you see on the left in the spread below is one I created in the Project Life App. If you are interested in seeing how you can create your own journal cards in the Project Life App using a Chapters Kit, check out this video tutorial.

The journal cards used in the 3x4 placeholders below are actually 4x6 in size! I made the "just run" filler card directly in the layout by placing one of the colored papers from the Chapters: February Kit in the 3x5 pocket and used Free Form Text to add the word art. Easy-peasy!

The events unraveling in Ukraine right now are hitting close to home. Our family live in the city center of Kyiv 20 years ago while my husband was the Marine Attache at the U.S. Embassy. Our hearts are breaking right now. 

I used an Editorial Template in the app for the page on the left. On the right hand side, I used the Design P Template. The map you see is actually a screenshot from Google Maps I took of Kyiv and used Affinity Photo to callout some landmarks. We didn't have digital cameras back then, so the two photos you see of me and my boys were ones I scanned in. The "watch this" 4x4 card is from the Chapters February Kit. When we lived overseas 20 years ago, I was scrapbooking with physical products, using Creative Memories albums. While flipping through one of the albums I made in Ukraine, I came across a spread documenting their Independence Day Parade, celebrating their 10 years of independence of the Soviet Union. I'm still wrapping my head around that Putin was at this parade. You will see a photo of that SOB in the video. 

The final page for February is another QR code, leading you to my One Second Everyday video for February. I am having so much fun with video this year!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read! The March Edition of Chapters will be available sometime during the week of March 14!

 

 

TWENTY22 FAMILY YEARBOOK: CHAPTER ONE (+video tutorial)

Today I am excited to share the January pages from my 2022 family yearbook. Chapter 1 consists of a title page, three double-page spreads, and an end page with a QR code for the January video I created in the One Second Everyday App

Pages we’re created using the following products/apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• The Creative Cloud Express App (formerly called Adobe Spark Post)
• My Chapters January Kit
• 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks + Cards Kit
• Fonts: The Brande & Lotaline, Barlow Condensed, Pirates, Archer Pro (journaling)

Title page was Created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters of January kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

The first spread of each chapter will always have the Calendar card from the January Chapters Kit on the left-hand side just as you see in this photo. I listed a few of the chapter highlights in the journal space below the calendar. The 3x4 filler card on the left-hand side is actually 4x6 in size but it fit very nicely in this place holder. On the right-hand side of the spread the 3 x 4 journal card you see with the January title is from my 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks and Cards Kit. 

The second double-page spread uses the 4x3 journal card from the Chapters January Kit. I placed it in 3x4 placeholders, then using the photo editing tool, I rotated it to a vertical orientation. The two journal cards you see with the purple border are ones I created directly in the Project Life app! At the end of this post you’ll find a link to a 20-minute video tutorial demonstrating how you can set up your own journal card templates in the app using digital papers you have purchased from outside sources! The 4x6 photo with the two dogs was created in Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark Post). It’s a template I created in the app a long time ago. I use it over and over again and just switch out the photos. Once it was exported, I dropped it into the 4x6 placeholder on my PL template, then I used several text boxes to add the journaling and the word art title on the photo!

I couldn’t be happier with the way the third spread turned out. On the left I used Editorial Template Set 1A No. 1. On the left I used the Big Shot 20 template. I’m not one to use a lot of purple in my albums, but man! I seemed to have been drawn to that color from the kit this month!  All of the filler cards were created directly within the placeholders on the page using several text boxes. I just love this spread!

And finally the last page simply has the 4x4 card meant for a QR Code. Scan the code with the phone on your mobile device and you can view the short movie created with the One Second Everyday App! I used the Affinity Photo app to place the QR Code on the card, exported it to my camera roll, then added the card to the center placeholder in the Design Q template, with the shadows turned off. I originally had thought I was going use the bokeh pattern paper in the placeholders on either side of the card, but I changed my mind. I love all the white space. In my album, this will be placed opposite of my February Title page.

January is done! Looking forward to February keep these dates in mind when taking pictures throughout the month. The graphic below shows the National Days that will be represented in the Chapters February kit! You can expect that kit to be released sometime during the week of February 14.

Below is the video tutorial I mentioned earlier in the post. If you are wanting to learn even more advanced techniques when using the Project Life App, the Memories Matter classes can help! Click the links below for more information!

Memories Matter

Memories Matter Project Life Design Series