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Simple things Sunday Photo Link Party No. 128

There have been so many special moments to celebrate this week, more than I could possibly share in one post. The kids have been off school for Fall break and we’ve been enjoying some quality time together. We celebrated Addie’s 6th birthday and the loss of her very first tooth. We went to the zoo, watched movies, stayed up late and spent most days in our PJ’s. We explored around Papago Park this weekend, which was a lot of fun. The kids loved climbing in and around the rocks and taking in all the beauty that can be found in this desert landscape.
Now it’s your turn to share what simple moments you’ve been celebrating this week! Join Stacy of KSW and I for Simple things Sunday! You can share your photos on both of our blogs using the linky tool below or  join us on instagram using hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday.

Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

 

If you’re new to Simple as That I’d love for you join us in this weekly tradition! 

What is Simple things Sunday?


This weekly photo share is all about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. Each Sunday we gather here to share our photos with each other. To enjoy the beauty that can be found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things are. 

Just a few quick rules to play:

1. Grab a Simple things Sunday button and include it in your simple things post.

 2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.
Leave as many as you can.


Saturday Share No. 6 – Simple Project Life® Tips

Welcome back for another Saturday Share everyone! Today I’m going to share a few quick Project Life® tips but first things first, the winner of last week’s Halloween mini kit giveaway is Lj Carrieri! Congratulations! Shoot me an email at cooper{dot}rr{at}gmail.com to claim your prize!

Project Life® quick tip: Documenting memories with Project Life® is meant to be simple + easy and that’s why I love it so much. It’s easy to get caught up in extra embellishments and fancy design ideas, but at the heart of it all, it’s simply putting photos and stories together. I try really hard to make these two things the focus of my pages and to keep things low-key.

Keeping journaling cards handy so I can have the kids jot down a quick memory or I can journal things for a particular event as they happen has helped keep things simple for me on the journaling front. This weekend my daughter lost her first tooth and after searching online for cute printable tooth fairy letters + attempting to design my own had an ah-ha moment. How silly! Why was I making this so complicated? All I needed to do was grab a 4×6 journaling card and have her write a little letter directly on the card. After the tooth fairy reads it we can easily slip it into her project life album!

For more tips on keeping Project Life® simple and stress-free, check out the links below:

Getting Started: Project Life® Organization
Documenting School Memories with Project Life®
Tips for using your own handwriting in your Project Life® albums
Project Life for Beginners from Sweet Rose Studio
Getting Organized for Project Life: A 3 Part Series at Simplify 101
Tips + Tricks for Printing Photos from Love Design + Sunshine

Now it’s your turn! We’d like to invite you + your friends to share your photo pocket style layouts too! Share your tried and true tips, link a related blog post, photos you’ve uploaded to Pinterest, whatever works for you. Simply follow the prompts in the linky widget below! I can’t wait to see what you’ve been working on. 🙂

Make sure you stop by and visit Imaginisce, Pebbles, My Sister’s Suitcase, Sweet Rose Studio, and Balancing Home for even more Halloween Project Life® ideas!

Pop Rocks Free Printable Gift Tags for Halloween

Pop Rocks Free Printable Gift Tags for Halloween – a cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!

A cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!
My kids love handing out treats to their friends at school on Halloween but with three kiddos in school, the cost can add up pretty quickly. Today I wanted to share a cute, low-cost treat idea that really rocks!
A cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!
I found these Pumpkin Patch Orange Pop Rocks at the dollar store that come in a bag of three for $1.00 and I designed some simple tags to go with them. All you need to do is print the tags, attach them to the pop rocks and you’re done!
A cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!
There are three different tag designs to choose from. The ones pictured above simply staple to the side of the packaging. The ones pictured below are double sided. Simply print, fold in half, then secure to the top of the pop rocks package with staples.
A cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!
The final gift tag has space for a hole to be punched and can be attached to the pop rocks using twine. I printed my tags on 4×6 sheets at Costco but they can easily be printed at home on white cardstock. Scroll down for links to download 4×6 or 8.5×11 tag sheets.
A cute, low-cost treat idea for Halloween classroom treats that really ROCKS!
My kids are really excited to hand these out to their friends + I’m just as excited at how simple and budget-friendly these little treats are! Enjoy these printable tags and if you liked this post please take a moment to share with your friends on Facebook, Pinterest. Thank you so much! 🙂
Be sure to follow Simple as That on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ for more simple Halloween inspiration throughout the month of October!

Silly Spider Halloween Hairdo

Dress up a simple bun with this silly spider Halloween hairdo!

spider42

We had so much fun with this silly little hairdo last Christmas that we decided to try our hands at a Halloween version this year. My girls are excited to wear their hair like this sometime this month! We call it silly spider hair and it really is so easy,  just follow the steps below.

Related: Easy, No-Carve Pumpkin Ideas {including a darling Fox pumpkin}


Supplies

Silly Spider Hairdo Supplies

Instructions

Create the spiders face. Cut a small circle out of black felt. Slip inside the hairpin. Using hot glue or other strong adhesive glue the pompom to the felt. See images below. Lastly, attach googly eyes to the front of the pompom.

Silly Spider Hairdo Supplies 
Use 4 black pipe cleaners cut in half to create the spiders legs. Place four on each side of the hair bun. Bend slightly at the top, then again at the bottom to create a small foot.
 Silly Spider Hairdo Tutorial
Secure the pompom for the spiders face in the center of the bun and that’s it! 
 Silly Spider Hairdo Tutorial
I hope you have fun with this silly Halloween hairdo!  It’s such a great costume alternative for tweens who don’t want to dress up, for Moms who want to feel festive without going all out or for kids who aren’t allowed to wear costumes to school.
How-to Video

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Simple Halloween Treat Cups

Make these simple Halloween Treat Cups for your next classroom party or holiday get together.

 
It’s no secret that I like to keep my craft projects simple and sweet! These little Halloween treat cups are no exception. Follow along as I show you how to put them together. They’re quick, inexpensive and would make great party favours, classroom treats or just a cute Halloween craft for the kiddos.

Supplies

Black, orange and green paper cups Black Sharpie Construction Paper Googly Eyes Gluestick Scissors Cellophane bags Ribbon Halloween Treats 

We made three varieties of treat cups – pumpkins, bats and Frankenstien monsters. Use construction paper to create your bat’s wings, Frankenstien’s hair and bolts and the pumpkin’s mouth then attach to the corresponding cups using a gluestick. To attach the wings and Frank’s bolts, fold over a small flap on the end and apply glue the flap.

 
Now add your eyes and any finishing touches with a black sharpie. For the bat’s mouth and fangs use a white opaque marker or some white craft paint.
 
Now you’re ready to add your treats. We chose treats that matched the colour of our cups, but any Halloween goodies will do. Throw them in a small cellophane bag, tie it shut with some coordinating ribbon and add the bags to your treat cups.

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Make these simple Halloween Treat Cups for your next classroom party or holiday get together.

Simple Things Sunday Photo Link Party No. 127

Moments I want to remember from this week, all captured with my iPhone. 
1- Addie writing letters and sounding out the cutest words in her notebook before bed.
2- Time away, just the two of us even if just for a quick {and delicious} meal.
3-  A fun time at the Home Depot kids workshop with my Buddy.
4- Playing at the pool, even if we were freezing at 26 degrees C! Oh boy…what’s happening to us!?

Now it’s your turn to share what simple moments you’ve been celebrating this week! Join Stacy of KSW and I for Simple things Sunday! You can share your photos on both of our blogs using the linky tool below or  join us on instagram using hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday.

Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

 

If you’re new to Simple as That I’d love for you join us in this weekly tradition! 

What is Simple things Sunday?


This weekly photo share is all about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. Each Sunday we gather here to share our photos with each other. To enjoy the beauty that can be found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things are. 

Just a few quick rules to play:

1. Grab a Simple things Sunday button and include it in your simple things post.

 2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.
Leave as many as you can.


Saturday Share No. 5 – Project Life® Giveaway

Welcome back for another Saturday Share everyone! I’m excited to share the rest of the pages from the Halloween Mini Album I posted about earlier this week, along with a fun giveaway!
Scroll down for details on how you can win a Project Life® Halloween mini kit + to link up your latest Project Life® inspired creations!
Image Map
This mini album has been so fun to put together and I’m so happy to have 8 years worth of Halloween memories documented! Just a quick overview of the supplies I used…

I included a title page, along with a two page spread for each year beginning in 2005 all the way up to the present. I still have plenty of pages left in the album to add the coming years photos! I used some of my Retro Halloween Photo Overlays to add a little flair to some of the photos in the album and I also used them to create some of my own custom filler cards – see closeup image above.

I loved using the new Project Life® Halloween Mini kit for this album and I look forward to adding another page in just a few weeks time when we celebrate our first Halloween here in Arizona!
Make sure you stop by and visit Imaginisce, Pebbles, My Sister’s Suitcase, Sweet Rose Studio, and Balancing Home for even more Halloween Project Life® ideas!

If you’d like to win a set of Halloween themed Project Life® cards + record some of your precious Halloween memories then simply follow the prompts in the rafflecopter widget below!










One winner will be chosen. Must be a US resident. 
Giveaway closes Wednesday October 9th at midnight!

Project Life® Halloween Mini Album

I absolutely adore Halloween! Couple my love for this spooky little holiday with my love of photography and you can only guess how many Halloween photos I’ve taken through the years! There’s plenty, let me tell you! After seeing sneak peeks of the new Project Life® Halloween themed mini kits {which are starting to hit stores btw} I knew exactly how I could get a handle on all those Halloween photos!
I’ve put together a Halloween mini album and so far I’ve documented 8 years worth of Halloween photos + memories! I’m so thrilled to have them all in one cute album like this + am just as thrilled at how quickly it came together! 
Supplies I used for the Album:
I started out with organizing and printing my photos. I feel like this beginning step is what took the most time, but after I had all the photos printed  it was a breeze to add them to the album along with the cute journaling/filler cards. I utilized a lot of photo collages in this album so I could fit even more photos in – I really wanted this album to showcase the photos.
I designed a simple insert for the album cover. If you’d like to use it too, you can download it in your choice of orange, black or green right here.

Pictured above is the title page of the album. It’s just a couple of photo collages featuring photos from different years, along with a quick note about what you’ll find inside the album.

I decided to do a two page spread for each year starting in 2005 when Carson was just one and Emily three. I included whatever journaling tidbits I could remember from previous years with lots of photos.

This happened to be the first year I took the kids photos on those steps. We’ve moved away from the small town where these photos were taken, but every Halloween that we lived there I took the kids photos on those same steps.
I had lots of fun using my new Retro Halloween Photo Overlays on some of the photos in the album – see images below. These overlays are perfect for 3×4 and 4×6 photos and are all in PNG format so you can use them as is, or customize the color + opacity however you’d like. You can read all about them here and purchase them in the digi shop here.
I had a lot of fun using the new Pebbles Inc. Thirty-One collection in conjunction with the Halloween themed Project Life® kit. It coordinated perfectly! These little decorative tags + the 6×6 patterned paper pad where my favorite things to work with!
That’s just a peek at the first half of the album. Be sure to stop by the blog this weekend for Saturday Share – a brand new Project Life® inspired link party that I’m hosting each Saturday with a group of talented bloggers!  I’ll be sharing the rest of the album, along with a fun Halloween giveaway that you don’t want to miss, especially if you’d like to get your hands on some of these fun products!

Fall Photo Inspiration + Fall Photo Checklist

It’s Fall! As a photographer, is it any wonder that I love this season so much? Rich colors + golden hues make for breathtaking photo backdrops. With school starting and Halloween right around the corner, opportunities for capturing precious memories are all around. There is just so much beauty to capture this time of year!

Join me as I share a few Fall images that I’ve captured through the years + be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for details on how to download my free Fall Photo Checklist!

A trip to the pumpkin patch presents all kinds of fall photo opportunities. Get down at your subjects level to capture the world from their point of view.

Capture the eerie glow of that freshly carved pumpkin with these quick tips for taking spooky pumpkin photos!

Seeing my kids all dressed up in their Halloween costumes is one of my favorite things about Fall! Follow these 5 quick tips for taking fabulous photos this Halloween!

As the leaves begin to change colour go for a family walk in search of beautiful Fall foliage + capture the wonder of the season through your childs eyes.

The golden hour is my favorite time of day to shoot and in Fall, this early evening light seems more gorgeous than ever! 
The colors of Fall are what I love so much about this season. Be on the hunt for color as you explore the world around you and capture the different hues that make this season so unique.

I created this Fall Photo Checklist a few years ago filled with 50 photo ideas + photography prompts to help you capture Fall. You can download my Fall Photo Checklist for free right here or take a look at the printer friendly versions of all 8 of my photo checklists available in the shop!

July, August + September Monthly Photo Collages

I got a little behind on my monthly photo collages and have been playing catchup over the last week. I finally have July, August + September complete and just have to print my September collage, then they’ll all be in my 2013 Project Life Album! Woohoo! I’m so happy to have them all done!

You can read more about these monthly photo collages that I’ve been putting together since 2010 and download the free 12×12 templates here.

The template I use for my instagram photos is designed to fit Becky Higgin’s 6 x 12 Page Protectors and its such a great way to summarize all my instagram pics at the end of each month. I love using these collage templates each month to create a summary of the special memories we made as a family. It’s such a quick + easy way to get a lot of photos documented at once!


You can find my free monthly collage templates here.
More about my instagram collage templates here.
I’ve shared some detailed instructions on how to use my templates in this post if you need a few tips. When you’re downloading or purchasing the templates please remember, they are layered PSD files suitable for use in Photoshop or Photoshop elements.
If you’ve been creating your own monthly photo collages for 2013 I’d love to take a peek at what you’re up to! Leave me a link in the comments or shoot me an email at cooper{dot}rr{at}gmail.com!
For my own records, here’s just a brief rundown of what we’ve been up to over the past three months.
July 2013
July was all about swimming + keeping cool! We spent countless afternoons at the pool, we celebrated the 4th, my 35th birthday and started to get ready for school that started unseasonably early for us this year. We got out hiking and had fun exploring the desert!
August 2013 
August was another full month with school starting for the oldest three. It was an exciting time for Addie as she started kindergarten! There was lots of school work, school photos, homework and time spent settling back into a regular routine. We made one last trip to the mountains with friends and got a taste of the cooler temperatures we could look forward to come October.
September 2013
I feel like we’re really starting to settle into life here in Arizona + the kids are all adjusting well to their school schedules. We were able to take some time in September to visit the Phoenix Zoo, did a little bit more baking now that the temps are starting to drop a little bit. Carson’s been working so hard on his cub scout requirements and we had so much fun camping with the ward the last weekend of the month!

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