Creative Conversations no. 011 | chatting with Marta Andilla

27 August 2014

I discovered Marta when she was featured on Caylee’s blog. Then I promptly followed her on Instagram and fell in love with her style and design aesthetic. Marta incorporates color in such amazing ways on her projects and she is one of the sweetest people I know. I’m so glad she found scrapbooking and had the courage to take the plunge to create! I’m always inspired by her, and I’m sure you will be too. Welcome to the blog, Marta!

Tell me about yourself. Hi there! My name is Marta and I am 33. I live on my own in Hospitalet, a city close to Barcelona, Spain. I work 9-6p.m in the tourism industry. After that, I do what I really love: scrapbooking and blogging. Specifically, what I love the most is playing with my Project Life.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? I love to write sci fi or fantasy short stories, also comic plots.

From time to time, I get hit by an idea or a character and I need to write it down. It is one of the most exciting things that I have felt!

What do you do to express your creativity? I mostly work on my Project Life but I also love to find new ways of expressing myself. For instance, some weeks ago, I discovered calligraphy is a fascinating way to soothe myself.

I also love art journaling and writing.

How did you get started doing this? I have never felt myself as an especially talented or creative person, but I learnt the best way to find yourself and discover amazing things is pushing yourself a little bit out of your safe zone. So, one day, I saw an ad about a scrapbooking workshop in my town and I decided to try it out. It was one of the most scary and disturbing things that I did (I sweated and sometimes I wanted to cry of embarrassment on the following workshops for months) but it also was super fun and challenging so I started my quest of finding out more about this hobby until now.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? Project Life and mini albums are my fave.

Who or what inspires you? It inspires me words and emotions. People who write/tell and instill emotions and stories with a few words. People who are capable of writing raw and people who encourage you to be a better person. And if this is coming along with beautiful images or Project Life spreads, that is a total win for me! 😀

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? I must say that I usually find inspiration when I am working so I normally don’t go around trying to find inspiration. I have a strong desire to create and I have to sit down and do it.

I love to look at other’s people works. It blows my mind but I also feel easily discouraged because I compare myself. I try not to do it, but if I am having a bad week I do not realize it and I enter on a roller coaster all the way down. So I stay away from inputs: IG, blogs, facebook until I am OK.

If I am working on something and I feel uninspired I walk away of what I am doing. Usually, cleaning the dishes or leaving home and doing something totally different (like dancing) is what helps me the most.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? I always feel it is hard for me to answer this question. The simple way to said it is that it makes me feel SO GOOD that I just can’t stop it. Before crafting, I always felt a little lost and without a specific path in my life. With everything that I do now, I have found a new dimension of content.

Describe your creative style. Currently: Fresh, bold, and fun!

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

Cards
Stamps
Tiny alphas
Masks
Sprays

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? I love mornings but I am most productive when I am fully awake in the afternoons. I never can sleep more than 4 hours straight so I tend to feel sleepy!

What project(s) are you currently working on? At this moment, I am following Olya’s challenge: Project Life catch up and I would also love to find time to change the design of my blog.

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Hot pink!…lemon yellow! Agh! Can’t decide! 😀

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? The power over time. Going back and forward and look at events. How fun would be watching at your self when you were little or watching Michelangelo painting!

What is your favorite quote? “Make it happen” has come along with me since I started this journey. Now, I think I would change it to “Let it happen” 😀

Isn’t Marta so inspiring? Follow her on her blog, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to keep being inspired. Tell her I sent you!

—

Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.

Project Life 2014 | week 12

26 August 2014

Week of: 17 to 23 March 2014

What happened this week: In contrast with the week before, this week was pretty routine. It seems like there’s a trend with one week being pretty exciting(ish), and the week after being a little quieter. But I’m totally fine with that.

That said, some highlights this week included new scrapbook supplies (yay!) and a lovely letter from Vanessa.

Left-hand side

For some reason, I kinda love those gold stars in the corner of the bottom left photo.

Techniques: On the left-hand side, I used embroidery thread and hand-stitched a border along the heart-shaped card in the middle row. I also stapled a Roundabout days tag to the middle of the top right photo.

Right-hand side

I included the “Thankful” sticker from MAMBI because I thought it made a good combination with Vanessa’s beautiful handwriting of Robert Downey Jr’.’s quote, “There is unpanned gold in every soul you run into.” (She also has a free printable of it here.)

I stapled a wood veneer star onto a 3×4 card from Amy Tangerine’s Cut and Paste collection.

And more gold stickers on photos.

Thoughts: No photos of people this week but I still love how this spread came together. I think kraft and gold make a pretty good combination.

So glad that week 12 is in the books!

—

Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I’m embarking on this year-long project to document all my memories in 2014. You can see my other Project Life posts here.

22 recipes | one-pot french onion pasta

25 August 2014

One-pot French Onion Pasta by Joy the Baker

One-pot pasta dishes might be my new favorite thing nowadays. I love how simple and easy it is to put everything together, yet still have such delightful flavors. I especially enjoyed those caramelized onions, mmm. Plus, the arugula adds a delicious dimension to this dish.

Although the recipe calls for Parmesan cheese, I just used Mozzarella because that’s what I had on hand and I just needed some cheesy goodness with this.

I’m adding this to my go-to list of recipes whenever I need a quick meal!

19 down, 3 to go.

—

The 22 recipes are part of my 22 list, a list of 22 things I’m working to accomplish while I’m twenty-two. Check out my other 22 recipes here.

Project Life 2014 | week 11

21 August 2014

Week of: 10 to 16 March 2014

What happened this week: Quite a few highlights this week, including visiting my friend’s brand-new baby girl, my photo being featured on Becky Higgin’s Instagram feed (that’s a highlight, right?), having dinner with my parents and friends, and finally removing the probation plate off the car for good!

Techniques: No earth-shattering new techniques this week. But stamping on photos is still my go-to technique when there’s empty space on a photo. Also, I trimmed a 3×4 Project Life card to make a journaling spot in the bottom left-hand corner.

Left-hand side

Right-hand side

Thoughts: The Studio Calico printable labels made an appearance this week. But overall, I’m still going with my familiar favorites – wood veneers, gold, washi tape, and stamps. Doesn’t get old.

I still have plenty of catching up to do, but I’m plodding right along with this project.

In case you missed it, I shared my Project Life catch-up progress here earlier this week.

—

Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I’m embarking on this year-long project to document all my memories in 2014. You can see my other Project Life posts here.

22 recipes | chocolate chip muffins

20 August 2014

Chocolate Chip Muffins by Sally’s Baking Addiction

I saw a photo of chocolate chip muffins on Instagram awhile back and I’ve been wanting to bake some of them ever since. I finally had the opportunity to bake some a couple weekends ago and found this recipe.

As I type this post, I now realize that I forgot to sprinkle the sugar on top of the muffins as the recipe suggests. But even sans sugar, these muffins were plenty delicious and wholly satisfied my chocolate chip muffin craving.

This recipe came together really easily and quickly. Instead of making large, bakery-style muffins, I made mini muffins instead for a breakfast meeting. Although I’m pretty sure they would taste delicious either way.

In fact, these were so delicious that I made them again the next weekend. Mmm.

To me, these muffins taste the best when they’re fresh from the oven. But really, they still taste good the next day and the next. If they even last that long, that is.

18 down, 4 to go.

—

The 22 recipes are part of my 22 list, a list of 22 things I’m working to accomplish while I’m twenty-two. Check out my other 22 recipes here.

Project Life 2014 | catch-up progress

19 August 2014

Last week, I shared in this post about catching up on twenty weeks of Project Life in two weeks. Sounds pretty crazy, I know. Daunting as it sounds, part of the inspiration and motivation has come from scrolling through the #letscatchuponprojectlife hashtag on Instagram and seeing so many of you do this together.

This past weekend, I turned the plan into action and I spent about six hours pushing paper. I would’ve spent more time if I had more to spare. But alas, the weekend went by so quickly.

During the week prior to the weekend, I spent my free evenings planning my spreads, sorting through photos, editing, and compiling my week in reviews. On Friday, I sent the photos off to print at my local printer and got them back the same day.

So all I had to do this weekend was trim the photos, add them to the respective spreads, and choose paper to match. I don’t know if six hours is a long time to be just choosing paper for nine layouts. It probably is, considering all I had to do was just slot things in and the fact that all the spreads aren’t even actually complete.

But boy, I had so much fun pushing paper, you wouldn’t believe it. I’m totally in love with scrapbooking and this project. I was so absorbed in it all that I didn’t even have time to photograph the mess.

With the exception of week 14, I currently have the papers and photos for week 13 to 22 complete. That said, I am by no means ready to call these spreads done, but the skeleton is there with the photos and papers picked out. Now I just need to go back and add my weekly title cards, journaling and embellishments.

I don’t know how well I’ll do with the catch-up plan this week, since I’m starting a new term and have a full workload at school this fall. But I hope the inspiration I received this weekend is sufficient motivation for me to press on to completion.

How are you doing with your Project Life catch-up? We’re in this together so let’s keep pressing on!

P.S. If you need more inspiration and motivation for catching up on Project Life, Caylee, Olya, and Lauren all have some great tips to help you out!

Friday Favorites no. 034 | links from the week

15 August 2014

Really good trick from Elise on cropping photos
Love the designs from Rachel’s new etsy store!
And these notes to my younger self.
I need to remember this + stay focused.
This rad-looking DIY.
Going to have try making these delicious cupcakes.
Interesting read on working for yourself.

I can’t believe it’s the last weekend before the Fall term starts. Time really flies. So I’m soaking up the last of summer and catching up on Project Life this weekend (I hope!).

Have a good one! xx.

—

Life is often full and busy. But I like to take time to enjoy some of my favorite things. So Friday Favorites is a weekly series where I share my favorite(s) for the week. Check out my other Friday Favorites here.

22 recipes | lemony lemonies

14 August 2014

Lemony Lemonies by Bakerella

I have a fetish with lemon-baked goods. I love the tanginess of the lemon and how it add so much freshness to food. When I saw this recipe, I thought these lemonies would make a great addition to my growing collection of lemon-anything recipes.

These lemony lemonies have a cake-like base, covered with a generous serving of lemon-flavored icing. I had to make extra icing to adequately cover my cake and also added more lemon juice for a better icing consistency. Together with the base, this is a good combination of sweet and sour.

Overall, these lemonies tasted pretty good, although I didn’t any get rave reviews from my taste-testers. But try it yourself and see what you think!

17 down, 5 to go.

—

The 22 recipes are part of my 22 list, a list of 22 things I’m working to accomplish while I’m twenty-two. Check out my other 22 recipes here.

Creative Conversations no. 010 | chatting with Kellie Winnell

13 August 2014

One thing I really love about blogging and the Internet is all the friends I’ve made through it. And Kellie is no exception. This lady is bursting with creativity and has such interesting creative ventures. I love seeing how she is inspired by life, which is reflected in her creativity. Welcome to the blog, Kellie!

Tell me about yourself. I am a 31 year old, married to a guy I adore with 3 gorgeous girls, one pretty amazing pooch, living in a small town in Australia called Seymour. I design my own range of stamps, that I love doing. I am slightly addicted to DIY craft related projects.

What is one weird or interesting fact about you? I like honey and cheese slice on toast, together?

What do you do to express your creativity? I dabble in a little of everything. Although I would say to express my creativity I use my Project Life, and my Project ‘My’ Life. A little album I do that is all based on myself, and what I am currently reading, doing, liking and so on. I’m also getting into art journaling and loving it.

How did you get started doing this? I read about Project Life on a blog about mmmmm 3 or so years ago. Bought everything [wasn’t as well known back then in Australia]. Then failed at my first attempt. I can honestly say that not having a photo printer at home was the reason for this. I then got back into it and documented the whole of 2013, the only thing I have actually stuck with and finished for a project that runs for a whole year.

What do you love most about what you do to be creative? I can honestly not give just one answer, I love absolutely everything there is to love about being creative.

Who or what inspires you? Everything, from just looking out my window, to looking on Pinterest. The amount of times I am doing the weekly shop and see a picture or even a colour combo and get inspired I can’t even count on one hand. I’ve started keeping a notebook on me to try and write things down, because as quickly as I am inspired, just as quickly I can forget.

How do you stay inspired? What do you do when you feel stuck or uninspired? When I am stuck I am a firm believer of stepping away and taking some time away. I often get asked this since I blog 5-6 days a week and am often working on some type of craft. I take the time away, I start to do things that I feel the need to do, and if that means no crafting for a week, then that’s what it means. I often start back refreshed and with a new look on things I was struggling with before hand.

Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to be creative? I do what I do because I can’t see my life doing anything else. I love making things, I love sharing my love for things and I love that my girls are following in my path.

Describe your creative style. Simple, yet not? Because that made sense right, haha? Black and white are my thing. My style is constantly changing as I evolve.

Name your top five favorite tools or products.

Date Stamp
My stamp sets
Grid Cards
White Gel Pen
Black smash* pen.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When are you most productive? I used to be a total night owl, up till wee AM. In saying that lately I feel more of an early bird, I am falling asleep by 10pm, so not me and up at 6am. Although I am most productive on weekends. Up till when ever I can stay up till getting creative. I love weekends.

What project(s) are you currently working on? Several things, my Project Life and Project My Life, new stamp lines, side venture I am working towards. Knitting and a hand full of DIY projects I am aiming to finish by the end of 2014. And in general, to simplify my life of clutter.

If you had to be a color in a crayon box, which color would you be? Black or Orange. Black because I love black and white really, no other reason. Orange because of my hair colour, haha.

If you could possess a super power, which one would you choose? To move things with my mind, seriously how much easier would house work be, haha?

What is your favorite quote? A day without laughter, is a day wasted.

Keep following Kellie on her blog, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook!

—

Creative Conversations is a blog series getting to know fellow creatives and friends that I’ve made through the internet. Read more about Creative Conversations here.

Project Life 2014 | week 10

12 August 2014

Please forgive the less-than-stellar photos this week, especially the slanted images. It slays my inner OCD-self but I haven’t been able to re-photograph them. I’ll do better next time, promise!

Week of: 3 to 9 March 2014

What happened this week: In contrast with last week, this week was a lot quieter – filled with more “routine” things, but still memorable, nevertheless.

Techniques: On the left-hand side, I used the “Blessed” MAMBI sticker as a “statement piece” on a 4×6 card because the bold text helped to balance out the photo-heavy right-hand side. I think that might be my favorite part about this week.

On the right-hand side, I used a piece of vellum + a MAMBI gold sticker (love those!) over several screenshots of WhatsApp conversations that I wanted to remember.

Left-hand side

The striped yellow and orange polka dot patterned papers are from We R Memory Keeper’s Inked Rose collection, and the bottom right 4×6 card is from Amy Tangerine’s Cut and Paste collection.

I made a flap to hold extra food photos from all the yumminess that was consumed this week. The notebook patterned paper is from Kelly Purkey’s Mon Ami collection.

Right-hand side

AmeliaWrites-PLweek10

That green card and “Daily Routine” sticker is also Amy Tangerine.

I couldn’t stop using the gold MAMBI stickers – so good.

Thoughts: For some reason, I like the collection of photos I amassed this week. Something about the ordinary things makes them special.

And those gold MAMBI stickers and gold Studio Calico chipboard shapes definitely drew me in this week. I had to stop myself from going overboard with those. (But really, can you actually ever go overboard with the gold? I really want to know.)

—

Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. I’m embarking on this year-long project to document all my memories in 2014. You can see my other Project Life posts here.