I decided to try Project Life by Becky Higgins. I got the idea more from Ali Edwards though. She did it last year and is doing it this year too.
Basically you do a two-page spread about each week. Initially I thought it would be a lot of work and just too much to add to my already huge pile of projects, ideas and STUFF that I have on my plate. I mean really? You have to do a 2-page spread every week! But if you look at the set-up of the pages it's not so bad. It's less like a traditional 2-page spread and more like a mini book. Just grab some 4x6 or 2x3 images and grab a couple journalling blocks and you're done. No need for excessive embellishment.
So, at the last minute, I decided to give it a try. I already do the December Daily and that's a layout every day during December. Surely I can do this? Plus I'll actually be getting something done. Getting a handful of pictures and a notecards worth of journalling down. I need to document this stuff because I'm getting more behind even as I type this. That's what really sold me. Getting something down every week. :)
I bought a
12x12 leather binder from Archiver's in red because I couldn't get the Becky Higgens package. She has a whole package you can buy with the binder, page protectors, journalling cards, date cards, etc. I didn't want to do that. I wanted to use my own stuff (to save money). Although her stuff is already set up for you, so it would be a tad bit easier but...I bought my own.
These pages protectors (not all the same because I wanted some variety): 4x6 and 4x4
9 4x4's
One 6 x 12 Eight 3 x 3 Inch
Four 6 x 6
After I had the products I had to decide on a first page. Some kind of cover page that would be cool, would set the tone for how my album was going to be, something that would say "Turn the page and look through this gigantic book it'll be interesting and fun and loaded with awesome pics!" LOL
Well at that point I stalled out. Yep. So instead of sitting around looking through all my stuff I went to the internet and started looking at other people who had done Project Life. I started with Ali, then went to Becky's blog and found a whole host of ideas which led me to other blogs, to a Studio Calico discussion post which led me to several pinterest sites with ideas.
So happily I perused the internet pinnning ideas as I went. In case you are wondering what I found here's a link to my Project Life Pins.
Then I sat down and just did it. Just did my cover and the first two weeks. It was fun. I loved it. I didn't overthink. I just grabbed my favorite pictures, some ephemera I collected and got down to business. Here are the results:
(if you click on the images you can enlarge them)
My Cover
I used some pictures of my from the last month. I was going to take some special ones but I figured I might as well use what I have.
This is the 4x4 9 picture template. I cut out some 4x4 squares from some scrap paper and used 3x3 pictures.
I love this center square. I used a combination of thickers foam letters 2 and 0 and used some american crafts letter stickers for the 1 and 2. I used some Karen Russell phrase stickers (very old) and stitched on the heart with red floss. (I drew it on with a pencil and just went over the drawing with the floss). Then I just drew a thin line around the box to emphasize it. Simple. Easy. Not too much digging for supplies involved (in reality that can be the biggest time drain).
I wanted to do something with numbers, so I used the numbered cut-out and glued that on a white 4x4 piece of cardstock then cut out the 5 and 2 from a piece of travel paper and added weeks with some small letter stickers.
This one just shows what I'm documenting. My Life (rub-ons). I used a Martha Stewart butterfly with some stitched on red/white striped floss. (I think Doodlebug).
I did a little stitching around the picture of me sewing because...well, I just thought it would be cool and ironic. LOL
and obviously I'm a dork. LOL
I stitched red on the corners on this one because I had some leftover red floss from the heart on the 2012 and I thought it was a close up of me and Jacob so it made it feel even closer and more cuddly. I didn't mean to include someone else on the cover besides me but I liked this picture a lot.
Here's Week 1: 1/1/12 - 1/7/12
See, it's nothing special. Just a bunch of pictures and a handful of journaling. Just enough to get something down.
I am going to always, well, probably mostly always put the week date on the top left corner of the layout just so that there is some consistency.
Page 1 using the 9 4x4 page protector. I like this one because you can get a lot of images on here.
I didn't do the pictures in any particular order except the food. Figured I'd keep that all in one line.
Piece of red paper, a white tag with red heart, glittery 1 number sticker from Making Memories, thin strip of white cardstock with date stamped using red Tim Holtz ink.
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy LOL
I love this picture! I put the address on the bottom. I used remington noiseless font and printed it on a piece of white cardstock then cut that out and glued it on.
Here it is again. I messed around with it in Photoshop. I love this picture. :) It's right downtown Minneapolis next to the McCormick and Schmick's
I typed up the menu of Jayde and I's dinner at McCormick and Schmick's. I just went to their website for the details.
Page 2 of Week 1
The We Bought a Zoo square I just copied an image from Google of the poster, resized it in Photoshop and printed it on cardstock. Then glued the ticket from the theatre on there. I think that is something I'm going to do continually this year just to document the movies I go to. I would like to add some journalling about the movies but only if I have room.
My journaling page. I used some notebook lined scrapbook paper and cut it up into 4x4 squares. I just joted some notes down for each day as to what I did. I'm just recording the basics. If there is a bigger story I want to tell I will but I didn't have one for this week.
Note that on most of the pictures I wrote something about what the picture is or a short sentence or phrase about it. I think that will also be something I do weekly. Write on the picture itself, add a phrase or word sticker, create something in word and print it on cardstock or print the picture with words on it.
Week 2: 1/8/12 - 1/14/12
This week was an excercise in using all the cameras I own. I have pictures from my Canon DSLR, my Canon point and shoot and my camera on my Droid Bionic (used several different apps for the images)
Page 1 of Week 2
Jayde and I went to bingo with his mother and her and I won, hence the blank bingo card (one of my non-winners) with the amount in letter stickers of what I won.
I made this 4x6 page with 3 images, so there is a 2x4 and 2 2x3's of the pencil case that I sewed together and gave to Michelle. I made a tag (top left image) of my initials kind of like branding. LOL
A 4x6 with our names on top and some letter stickers on the bottom.
This next page is the 8 1/2 x 11 insert I added for this week because I had so many pictures that I wanted to include. I made this using the Pocketbooth app on my android. I took several pictures of my nephew that come out like photo booth pictures. I downloaded them to my computer and made a 8 1/2 x 11 blank canvas in photoshop and dropped the images on there. I centered them because I figured it was easier to center instead of having to cut them out and put them on a piece of cardstock. That would have been more work than necessary.
I punched out a heart then cut around it to get the frame then lightly glued it on and stitched crosses to hold it in place. Peanut Baby is two different kind of letter stickers. the baby has flocking (I believe Making Memories).
I have to say I love this page. I really do. I loved putting all of those pictures on there and highlighting my favorite and putting the nickname I have for my nephew.
Here's a close up. (p.s. I will be having pictures of my other nieces and nephews too it just so happened that Jacob came to visit on Wednesday)
This is the second page of the insert. I used the same heart punch and then added the descriptions of the people using the Remington noiseless font again on white cardstock.
Here's a close up.
Page 2 of Week 2:
My journalling. The pink cow on the right is something I got from the Burger I ordered from Burger Jones in Burnsville.
Another movie. I copied the poster from the website, resized it in PSE (Photoshop) and then printed it on a 4x6 piece of picture paper. I added the ticket stub and some words to describe it.
Two pictures I love. The one on the left is from my phone the BeFunky app which allows you to change to b&w and added the black border. The second is from my DSLR. I added the cute and fat because that's what I call him sometimes. LOL I figured it was good to get some of the phrases down that I call him.
Chicken Fettucine that made from PW. I turned the image from my phone into a polaroid hence the weird looking image but I didn't care. I liked playing around with the app, Poladroid.
Stuff from Auntie Sheila's house. I just had to include it. LOL
So that's about it. My cover and the first two weeks. Honestly, it took more time to take pictures of the pages, correct them some and download and write this post than it took to actually make the pages. :)
Here is the full album Project Life 2012
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