It's getting a little bit personal here!

Oh, this crazy, busy summer!  I finally got some time off and worked so hard on a project for an online class I took from Stacy at Big Picture Classes.  Honestly, I took it because I was afraid I would miss the emails and lessons from a daily-prompt-style phone photography class I took in July.  This class, however, was much more thought-provoking and really required time that I didn't have.  The class was called i.scrap and it was an Introspective that used 9 photos that referred to nine "I" statements (I know..., I am..., I went..., I believe..., well, you get the idea) along with journaling to capture a period of time.  I thought I wouldn't have time to finish my project until fall but then I got some unexpected time off and I immersed myself in it.  What I finished with was so personal, so true and honest, that I decided not to share it.  Can you even believe that scrapbooking can be so raw?!  The journaling I did surprised even me!

So... I don't have a project to share and I know it has been a long time since my last post.  I thought I would be upset about that, but I think I am still in the glow of loving the final, finished project so I am just basking in that! And I love that I made something that seems a little more than just decoration, something really meaningful to me.  Have you had that experience with papercrafting or memory-keeping?  It really is a first for me!  I used to journal all the time, but this is something different because those were intended only for my daughter and only to share in the unknown and far-away future!  This is something that is in my family room!  I got a taste of this around Christmas when I completed an assignment for Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas.  One day's prompt asked that we write a letter to our future selves.  Mine had me in tears.  I crafted a hidden pocket to keep it in that most people would look right on past but it would be there for me to find... or for someone who really cared about details and hidden treasures.

I wanted to share another workshop they are having at Big Picture Classes:  The Big Idea Festival.   No, I don't work for them and, no, I don't get a discount for mentioning them, but this is free and it promises to provide more personal, thought-provoking memory-keeping.  Since it is FREE, I feel very little guilt suggesting that you join me!


They promise 30 prompted lists to celebrate your childhood memories and daily doses of inspiration over the course of 10 days.  I have never participated in this before so I offer no personal guarantees, but it sounds like a creative and interesting start to a meaningful memory-keeping project!  Here's a link for more info: click here.  When you register, you can enter a refer-a-friend code.  This is mine:  C02EB594.  It will allow you a future 10% off on a class you pay for, if you decide to take other classes from them sometime down the line.  (I got 10% off of the i.scrap class I took because I had earlier entered a friend's code when I signed up for that Phone Photography class!)
And speaking of stuff to share to save money, I read about Groovebook on Sarah Hamer's blog and decided to try it myself.  It is a photo printing subscription service that prints from a smartphone.  They will print and ship 100 photos a month, for $2.99.  They are bound but are perforated for easy removal and have the date and time printed above them.  

You select which photos to upload and how many of each, up to 100 total.  I selected both 4x6 and 4x4 just to test it.  This is a 4x4 black-and-white from Instagram.  It is just printed with borders on the sides.

I tried it thinking I would just cancel after I got the first book if I didn't like the photos, but I'm keeping my subscription.  The paper is thinner than what I am used to, more like the weight of a glossy magazine cover, but I like the print quality, {cheap}price, and ease.  If you want to try it for free for the first month, I received this coupon in the back of my book... just sharing the love!

Unless I have a specific project in mind, I find that my phone photography pics stay digital.  I like this because I have real photos to share, keep, craft with, all without much expense or effort.  If you want more info about the service, click here. 
That's all I have in my crafty file for today.  So... what's on your creative agenda?