Pocket Scrapbooking is the generic term for "Project Life" -- a commercialized term coined by Becky Higgins. In essentials, it's a form of scrapbooking in which you use page protectors with pockets to wrangle your memories. I started doing Project Life and sharing the pages on my blog back in 2012: 2013: 2014: 2015: In 2016, I stopped sharing photos from my albums, but I did keep doing it. I took some of those albums off the shelves to snap a photo or two and here you go... 2017: 2018: 2019: And I just finished my 2020 album: So, why... Read more →

Yes, I still scrapbook! It's a much smaller part of my art life than it used to be, but I still looove looking through albums full of photos and journaling. Today I thought I'd share a peek into my current "Project Life" or pocket scrapbooking album. I have a few "rules" that I have kept to for the 7+ years I've been doing "Project Life." Here they are in practice: Nothing has to match or coordinate. I don't design "pages," I simply go pocket by pocket. My albums are part digital and part "real." In the image above, the number... Read more →

You guys, I was so happy to see all the positive comments on Friday's post about Project Life. Yay! I really love looking through my past albums. There were two comments I wanted to address: A question that came up a few times was about the photo printer I use: I have been using the same printer to print my photos for the last 10 years. Okay, that's a lie. I have been using the same brand of printer -- this is my second Epson PictureMate in those 10 years. This is the first one I had, this is the... Read more →

Did you know that I still scrapbook? It's true. I no longer make the big 12x12 scrapbook pages, but I do try my best to keep up with Project Life aka pocket scrapbooking. I've been a Project Life participant since 2012! (You can read my very first Project Life post here.) After 7 years, I still love my Project Life albums. They're super fun to flip through because they're packed full of memories. It will not surprise you to know that I approach my Project Life albums slightly differently than other people do. Today I thought I'd share some recent... Read more →

Today I asked Michelle LaPoint Rydell to share a favorite post from the past. Here's what she said: I first discovered Julie's blog back in late 2007, when I was just getting involved in the world of mixed media. Her art was so inspiring, and she had tons of helpful tutorials that made it all seem possible for me too! Now, almost ten years later, I still look forward to her posts. Her writing style is fun to read, and she is so generous with her knowledge, that it keeps me coming back for more. I love that she lets... Read more →

The folks at Graphic Stock asked me to put together a video sharing how their images might be used for crafting. GraphicStock has over 300,000 royalty-free images that can be used for all kinds of craft and art projects. In the video below I share three ideas: ONE: Using patterns and labels for Project Life or pocket scrapbooking... TWO: Transforming .jpgs to .fcm cutting files for your ScanNCut... I think the leftover silhouette from the cut out would make a great stencil! THREE: Using Adobe Illustrator to transform an illustration into a totally unique Christmas wreath cut out of paper....... Read more →

Happy Summer! I hope you're having a great July! This month I spent time in Florida, California, Maine, and of course, here in Massachusetts. With all the traveling I do, I am definitely conscious of the fact that there's no place like home! With that in mind, take a peek into life around here at the moment: As you can see, I have lots of projects-in-process. I'm playing Project Life catch-up, working on some new paintings, designing new stencils and stamps...so much fun stuff that I can't wait to share with you! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

Are you like me with a bunch of scrap papers left over from scrapbook pages, and extra pre-cut pocket cards just waiting to be used? I'll admit, in the past I've thrown out perfectly good scraps and given away pocket-cards I knew I was never going to get around to using...because really how many “best day ever” cards can a girl have and use? But now I've decided to stop cut back on the amount of artsy stuff I'm buying an make do with what I already have...hello, I can paint over those best day cards or even just use... Read more →

Hey there! Today I thought I'd share a project I filmed for Scrapbook Soup TV. You can catch the show on PBS or online at the Scrapbook Soup website. As you know, I love drawing patterns, so this was super duper fun to do! Watch the video below: Here are the cards from the video: And a Project Life spread using them: I hope you'll try making some of your own! Thanks for stopping by! Read more →

I put together a quick little tutorial for Sakura of America using their Koi Coloring Brush Pens and I thought you might enjoy seeing it! It's all about how to create doodled pocket scrapbooking (or non-generically, Project Life) cards! Here's the page from the video: And as a happy gift for all of you, you can download a FREE high-res printable .pdf of my six doodled cards... ...by visiting the download area of the Balzer Designs Classroom. You will have to register for a free classroom account to access the download. The good news is that in the future I'm... Read more →