pamgarrison

project life • week 13

This was week 13, March 25-March 31 (yikes, a few weeks ago!)

Above is the left page of the spread. (It's a Design D page.)

I used my Silhouette Portrait to cut out the "oh yes!" on the date card. 

{Here are the cute paper pennants.}

It was a full week for us, as my daughter was home for spring break and Easter too. 

I had a lot of photos I wanted to use, so I ended up using two additional inserts. 

I wanted them to be different sizes than each other and smaller than the standard week pages so that it's obvious it's all part of the same week. In the photo above you can see the two spreads, each having a tag on the edge for ease of flipping, and to label it as far as the Easter page goes. 

The first insert (above) was just a series of photos that I had taken of my kids one day. I had planned to go out and get one of them together and just took these in the meantime, but I liked them when I was going through my photos and felt it demonstrated  their relationship well, so I used them all. I put them in this page protector, a first time I've used this kind.

{The D journal card is a downladable from here. }

This is the back of that insert. I made it all about my daughter's week home. 

Again, I love this project, becuase it inspires me to take some pictures I normally wouldn't, like the one of my daughter and dad. We went over to my Dad's one day and because of PL, I made sure to take  picture,of the two of them. Without the project motivating me to document her week, I know I wouldn't have, I would have assumed that there would always be time for more pics.

I wanted to use this banner that was part of the Studio Calico PL kit. I had to cut it so it wouldn't go over too much of the photo and don't mind at all that it's split between two pockets, to me it works fine. 

I had so many pics just from Easter, I decided to do an insert for just that.  I used a Design F page protector and just cut the last row off. That way it was layered, showing under the first insert, but still smaller than the weekly spread pages.

The You're a Good Egg card is a free downloadable from here.

{My Dad has always sung that song to my kids, so I was happy to include that snippet on their photo. }

The back side of this insert is more from Easter at home. More PL kit goods, more Paisley Press downloadables. 

And the last page of the week's spread, just miscellaneous ongoings from the week up to Easter Sunday. 

My printer was acting up, that's why you see the line above, almost half way down the photo. I used it as reason to add on a bird from an old bird book and some of the PL kit stuff above the line, as if it was a plan. 

Sadly, my printer completely died afterwards. After many attempts to fix it, I gave up and ordered this printer which I am anxiously waiting for. I did a bunch of review reading etc. before choosing this one, I'll let you know if I agree with the positive reviews. As soon as I get it, I'll be printing non stop, as I've got weeks 14,15 & 16 to catch up on! 

home made journal cards

As I've mentioned, I'm participating in Project Life this year. A main part of Project Life is the page protector pockets and filling them with either photos or something else like journaling cards. I showed you some I made previously with washi tape, and here are some I made the last few nights with pen and markers. 

I simply used this pen and doodled on the back of these cards that a friend gave me. 

and then I got out my Copic Sketch markers and had more fun:

Pretty fun and super easy. Can't wait to use them in my project life spreads. Thought maybe some of you doing project life might want to illustrate some of your journal cards yourself too. Put a link in the comments if you do!

project life • week 12

Project Life weekly spread March 18-24, 2013

So, the truth is that I had gotten on a roll a few weeks ago and was almost caught up with it all, and then there was Easter, and I went away for Whatever Craft Weekend, and before I knew it 2 weeks had flown by, then another, and I was behind again. But last night, when I started to embellish these already filled pages, I fell right back into a groove. I was relieved, as I had a nagging fear that the train might have come off the tracks. Hooray! 12 weeks completed!

This morning, as I was photographing this week's spread to do this post, this shot literally brought tears to my eyes. It's not a great shot, the lighting is bad, my daughter's eyes are nearly closed etc., but I am thrilled I have it, that this moment was captured. (My daughter surprised my son by being here when he walked up after school, he wasn't expecting her home for Spring Break until the weekend.) I never would have gotten out my phone and taken a picture if I wasn't doing Project Life. Or, in the chance I had, would not have done anything with it more than let it sit on my phone or computer with thousands of other images.

My participating in this project is helping me see the little moments in my life, motivating me to capture them, and then, actually print them and document them for us all. I am feeling very grateful for it. It is everything I'd hoped it be and more.

Since the week had long gone by, I  filled in what I could remember from the week. So really, it's a little sparse on storytelling, but it works. The pictures tell the story fine.

I do love my home made journaling card from washi tape scraps and the tag off my son's new shoes, and his feet :) The other things here are mostly from Studio Calico's Project Life kit. I'm not sure if I've ever really mentioned that I did not buy a "core kit" that they sell for Project Life. In my last Project Life post, I put a bunch of links to the page protectors I bought, and the arrow stickers (above), and I mentioned that I have a hand-me-down binder for right now. I think I'll be moving it to one I purchase later. (More on that and why, when I do it.)

I love the ombré alphabet letters (from Studio Calico kit) on top of my washi tape journal card. The embellishment items are fun. I do love having a place to use those type of items where I really didn't before; I don't use them when art journaling.

For this half of the week I used a different style photo pocket protector,  Design D.

I like the vertical 4x6 photos and may end up using more of these throughout the weeks. I've noticed that many people stay with the same format each week for their pages, which gives the book structure. There are others who intentionally mix it up for creativity. I'm not really sure what I want to do yet, I'm just finding what page works best with the photos that I've got for the week so far, although, I'd like to have a structure of some sort eventually.

And that's it. Now to catch up with weeks 13, 14 & 15. That nagging "you're falling too far behind" feeling returns a little when I realize three weeks have passed, but I'll just have to simplify and get it done!

project life • week 11

 

Here's my Project Life spread for week 11, March 11-17, 2013.

As I've said before, I'm really glad I decided to attempt this project this year. I'm very pleased I'm sticking with it too!

 

This week I downloaded these printables to use in a couple pockets. I just printed them on my everyday desk printer, which is what I print my photos on as well. I've used this printer for every photo in my PL this year, and I've used this photo paper. However, I did just buy some of this photo paper to see if I prefer it. I think printer paper is one of those things that I'll have to try a bunch of different types to see what I like best, since printing photos is really pretty new to me, (I didn't want that to stop me from doing the project, so I just am going for it now, even though I may prefer something else in the long run). Keeping the focus on making it do-able for me.

Someone recently asked me what page protectors I'm using. I bought this variety pack at the start to give myself options. But then I saw another big variety pack so bought it too. The way my brain works, if there are options, I usually want to have them in my supplies on hand, then I feel I've got all the bases covered and can create in any way I want, it's not necessary though, to have it all, just the way my mind works, and like I said, I'm trying to make this project as easy as possible for me to stick with it. Getting it done is my priority above all other concerns or wishes I might have with it. 

On this week's spread, the left side is Page Protector F series specifically (included in one of the big variety packs I bought). and the right side is the more traditional Page Protector A.

As I mentioned last time, I screen-shoot a lot of texts with my daughter to include her life at college in our family album. This week, it dawned on me that I could change the colors when editing in iphoto since I don't particularly care for the usual text screen appearance. Just one of those, "um, duh" moments.

I used my favorite white pen to write on the journal card and circle the "Happy" flair.

Oh, and looking at this photo I can see that I'm not quite done. Since the bottom right pocket is a 4x6, but I've used two 3x4 pictures, I'm going to stitch a line down the center on my machine to keep the photos in place. Then this week will be done and I'll be onto the next :)! 

I hope I've answered those that had questions. Please feel free to ask in the comments if not. As I am just beginning this project this year, I'm doing lots of learning on the go too, so am happy to share what I've found to work and not work for me so far. I'm glad some of you have decided to jump in this year too. I'm enjoying the challenge of a whole new type of play.

washi tape love

 

I'm sure I've shared with you before my love for washi tape, and really, colored tape of all kinds while we're at it. I've collected quite a lot over the past few years (I have bought online from Freckled Fawn and Cute Tape before, and in person at Michael's and anywhere else I've come across it. I even bought the kids' colored tape from Target. As I was looking for links for you, I stumbled across this which I might need to get, darn it, and this, which I am getting for sure. As far as art supplies goes, it's a pretty inexpensive item with a lot of bang for the buck. I store mine in something similar to this, (I can't find the exact item) and it makes it really easy to see what I have and easy to access it too. 

I started making a bunch of striped journaling and weekly date cards for my project life album that I'm keeping. I used these cards for a base for the most part.

For this one I covered an old date journal card that I had, that's why you can see through to a design under a couple of the stripes. That doesn't bother me though.

I had used all patterened tape before, but then started loving the solids.

For the card pictured above, I used my little dream machine to cut out the oh yes on scrapbook paper and then did stripes of washi behind it.

I find the washi cards easy to help tie in colors on a weekly spread. For example, my printer was acting up, so the photos came out with pink and purple hues. I added in a digital card from here, and decided to use the washi tape to make some cards that would match, as purple is not a standard supply color for me.

It's a fun way to choose your colors. I took the photos above just to show the difference adding or changing one color makes in a color palette. 

 

I started making diagonal cards, and then used the triangles cut from the edge to make cards themselves. You know me and my love for scraps of all kinds...

I used some Project Life arrow stickers here, as well as an old card that I covered in washi tape trying to make my own chevron design.

Oh washi tape, I love you!

Have a favorite source for wahi tape that you'd care to share? Tell us in the comments.

More washi tape love on my instagram  ( pamgarrison is my user name).

project life • week 10

 

Project Life week 10, March 4-10.

As you can see in the photo above, I chose to use a calendar card with the days of the week highlighted instead of a header card, just because the calendar card was already there from use on the other side.

I really enjoy working on this project when I allow myself the time to do it. Still developing a method that works for me.

I really love that I've got my daughter and husband thinking about taking photos to use. (My son doesn't have a phone yet, but when his 14th b'day rolls around we plan to get him one, I'm hoping he'll start taking some pictures too.)

I take a lot of screen shots of my phone (on an iphone you hold down the top on/off button at the same time as the home/circle button to do a screen shot) when my daughter send me snapchats like this one:

or texts (top row pictured).  The bottom row pic was one she texted and I just saved it to my camera roll. This project would be so much harder for me without cell phones, but I definitely use my DSLR too during the week, so my Project Life spreads have both in them. 

And another week documented! Feeling really good about that. Ready to try to catch up on weeks 11 and 12 (before 13 is over!).

project life • week 9

 

Week 9, February 25- March 3, 2013

This week I added an insert pocket for a super awesome letter our daughter sent us.

I put the envelope in a page protector to determine size, cut the excess off and put washi tape on the edge to hold it in place.

Love that this project gives me a place to keep the letter someplace where we'll see it again and among photos of exactly what was going on at the time.

project life • week 8

 

Project Life week 8, February 18-24

See that picture bottom left? That's the biggest reason I'm doing this project, to have our lives documented for my kids. Only 8 weeks in, and he's looking at it! Love.

I've really appreciated technology even more since taking this on, because it makes it so easy to get photos and texts from my daughter capturing her life at college, and it makes me realize how easy it is for us to stay in contact vs. what it would be like without the benefit of today's inventions.

But I won't even pretend that having a reason to play with fun papers and flair ( like the Studio Calico items above)  aren't another reason I am enjoying this project so.

I wrote on the photo Sunday Morning with an app called Over that I like a lot.

This week was pretty standard. I used a cut up piece from my Paper Source calendar for the week date card. And since I was cutting into it, I used the month and glued it onto the Scrapbook dividers to break up the months in my album.Of course, I'll have to wait until after each month is over and I've torn the used calendar sheet off the wall to put them in the album, but that doesn't really matter.

Other than that, it was business as usual. Still happy to be doing it, and onto week 9!

project life • week 7

 

Week 7, February 11-17

This was my favorite week so far. Probably because of all the fun Valentine's Day themed fodder, as well as lots of photos to choose from when I sat down to print.

I'm such a sucker for packaging, it's nice to have somewhere to put it when I come across it. The "sending you my love" postcard was sent to me in the mail, but it's a Rifle Paper Co product (love everything they make!).  The plastic heart frame around my husband and me, as well as the "Be Mine" under my son was from a Target sticker package, the Spread The Love card was included in an etsy order I placed with them. The clear, colored hearts was cut from a Target bag I received with something. Most everything else is either handmade or from Studio Calico Project Life kit.

Almost 2 months down...that's crazy! So happy I decided to do this project and document our year. Onto week 8 I go...

project life • week 6

 

Project life week 6, february 4-10

When I finally got around to finishing week 6, it was fun. Lots of pictures to be found on my phone and on the computer from my camera. Love how this project is helping me to see my life a little differently, from a new perspective, and the committment to documenting it causes me get those photos printed. It reminds me of the very early days of blogging, where everything in my life was seen with a new pair of eyes. Instagram does that for me too, and now this project...It's good for me to look with a fresh mindset. I'm grateful for the projects that encourage me to do so!

project life • week 5

 

Here's my project life for week 5:

My son brought me a piece of art he did at school, so I folded it and put it in an insert. I didn't have a 6x12, so I used half of one that I had already cut into and sealed it closed with washi tape.

  Generally, I'm trying to put the items that occur in the beginning of the week on the left side, and things from end of the week on the right side of the spread. I was sick for the first few days of the week, so you can see the photos on this half are light. Even still, this side shows some reasons why I'm appreciating this project so much: a place for a beautiful letterpress thank you note I received, for a note that I found in the bathroom that my husband had left for my son to discover before school, and a place to document and remember forever the sweet and adorable thoughtfulness my son showed by loading up my nightstand (before leaving for school) with things he thought I might like, since he knew I was too sick to get out of bed. If I weren't doing this project, I wouldn't have taken that photo.

I had started filling out the pockets while the week was happening (2 weeks ago), but then let the printing throw me off, and fell behind.  I try to wait until I have 4 or 6 3x4's ready to print all at once to not waste printer paper, but this can kind of hang me up, so I'm going to come up with another solution. (One part of trying to bring order to my life this year, is to recognize what's throwing me off and then finding another way of operating vs. continuting on with the same ineffective system- duh, Pam.)

I used the TimerCam app to take a self portrait of myself working on a quilt project Self portraits are pretty new to me, but that app made it easy to capture a real moment, once I switched the timer to 10 seconds, that is.

Another great thing about doing this project is that I'm getting my husband to participate in the documenting. As is common for lots of families, it's pretty much been my role to take photos.  So, when they were at an event for extra credit (we only had four tickets to my son's math event, so I gave up mine to my daughter's boyfriend - isn't that nice of me? such a hardship to be home alone for a couple hours on a Saturday evening- you can see how tough it was for me in the photo above),  I texted mid-event and asked for some photos. Since then, he's even taken a few without my promting. That is awesome.

The favorite stretch out of my comfort zone this week was to figure out how to write on my photo using my tablet (the word "hearts" and the playing card icons). Felt like an accomplishment, baby steps into a new world of possibilities.

With this, the 5th week done, I've done 1 out of 12 months. I'm excited, it's already fun to flip through just those 5 weeks. Onto to week 6 so I can feel caught up!

 

project life • week 4

 

Let's see, it's the middle of week 6 right now, one of these days I hope to catch up with these posts here so that the weeks are posted right after I finish them, instead of weeks late. Just like last week, it's pretty standard, not much chatter needed to explain it.

I used a hand me down PL card for the date header, covered it up with some washi tape, a playing card, and one of my printables with a cand carved stamped 4. That "you'll flip over this" was a postcard advertisement that they were giving away at Anthropologie over the holidays.

After my son's dental appointment, they asked him if he wanted a token for the photo booth they have in the office (!!!!), I was so thrilled, I love photobooth photos (who doesn't?!?). I thought the appointment card was cute too and glued it and a portion of the photobooth strip to a piece of watercolor paper I had painted on. The green striped paper under the stamp is a piece of tissue paper that was part of a gift I received. I like using unexpected items for the pockets.

The big thing for me this week was to refuse to be intimidated anymore and figure out (thanks to previous training by patient computer tutor) how to make a 4x6 template in PhotoShop and how to put three photos in there and text on top. Love that PL really motivates me to solidify things that I've been wanting to do. The top two pockets are from bags that I had as well- the left one is from World Market and the right one was part of a bigger gift bag, it just made me happy, and I liked the colors with the week. I added a little water to one of the ribbon cartridges on my typewriter and got it to type a little bit darker, still working on that. And that pretty much sums it up, another week in the book! 

project life • week 3

 

Project Life January 14-20, 2013

 

Not really much explanation needed for this spread. A scrap of art I made this week with a Martha file label on top serves as the week header. One of my own postcards, a 4x6 photo of my paint palette from the art day Wednesday pictured onthe back of the mason jar die cut. A Studio Calico PL kit ampersand, a post it note with some notes on it.

I had just gotten back on Sunday, taught on Wednesday locally, and then left Friday for some fun in Palm Desert. Another busy week for me with stories that I wanted to include, tricky, figuring out how to balance each week. I'm thinking that I'm probably too concerned with that, because the cummulation of all the weeks will tell a more balanced story. So, I think I'm going to let that go a little.

{The awesome postcard pictured top left was made by Mary Ann, as soon as it came into my email, I knew it was going right in my Project Life.}

What I did to include more than just my week was to have my daughter email me a photo, screen shot a text conversation with my husband, and gave my son and husband journal cards and asked them to write down their favorite part of their boys' weekend at home:

Can you even believe my son's penmanship (or lack thereof)?!? He hates writing- the actual act of pen to paper or pencil to paper. He says it takes too long. Hard for me to fathom since I've found myself re-writing, writing directly over what I just wrote down as a form of doodling, when on the phone or waiting etc. Anyway, I was not about to say a word about it, as I was grateful to get his cooperation at all, so I translated it on the back in pencil for future understanding. Plus, I love having an example of his writing.

Pretty simple week. Still really enjoying this project. Not sure I can say I've gotten a method down yet, but I'm sure it will develop over time. Still really happy I committed to doing it this year!

project life • week 2

Yay! I'm really doing it!  Here's my spread for week 2:

I was away from home for most of this week. So it's especially "my life" heavy. Luckily, I had taken a photo of my son doing homework Monday before I left, and also lucky that I saw my daughter while away, so she's included too. After getting home and starting to work on it, I realized that the boys' story of the week was missing, so I had my husband email me a schedule of what they did while I was away.  I put it on the cute mason jar Eileen Hull gave me (from her Picket Fence collection with Sizzix - coming soon). I also included my son's side of a phone conversation we had while I was away.

Since the reason I was away from home was a teaching event at French General, I used one of their business cards as the week header card (or whatever they're called). {Side note: did you know that French General is now open 5 days a week?!?}

As before, I'm pretty much using either hand-me-down products, the Studio Calico Project Life kit, or things I have already, like the Martha Stewart labels from her  line at Staples. Still hoping I'm not going overboard on the extras, that I won't tire of it and wish I hadn't embellished the photos so much later on...still figuring that out, and reminding myself that it's ok to not really know my style of this yet. It's fun and I'm focused on getting it done and enjoying the process far more than the result. It'll be interesting to me to see how I approach it later.

I do love this pen for writing directly on photos (I've been using semi gloss photo paper that I had already).

Doing things like hand cutting out letters from paper I have at home (and then machine stitching onto the photo) gives my book a personal touch, which is part of my story as well. Still love using the scraps from the playing cards that I cut up too ;).

Pretty crazy about the Studio Calico Make Some Thing Today transparency. You can see a piece of Hambly (no long in business, sigh) transparency behind it as part of the next week.

Used a close up photo of one of my journal pages as a different way of relaying my story, vs. photos or text (Martha file labels again).

So, here are some of current thoughts after just beginning this year long project:

1. I want to learn how to use my camera better for low light situations.

2. I need to find a way to have my family participate more- or how to include them more. It's a bit tricky with a daughter away at college and 2 boys that don't care to be photographed. I know the project is through my eyes, but I do want it to be about the whole family, not just me.

3. I need to find a way to organize the supplies that I'd like to use and do a purge of those I won't.

4. I want to really work consistantly so that I don't fall more than a week behind because I don't seem to be able to remember much from weeks past. 

5. I need to develop a little note keeping system, be it an app like momentum, or a little notebook. 

6. I want to learn to be able to digitally add to my elements, create my own, so need to learn more photoshop and illustrator. For example, I really would like to re-do the phone conversation with my son digitally somehow...but probably won't at this point. I assume by the end of the year I will do that type of thing when first making the card. And that's ok, I'm growing, I know I will like the end of the year's spreads more than these, but this is an authentic telling of our story right now.

7. I'm using a lot more color than I thought I would overall, especially red. It's funny when I suprise myself from what I thought I would do,no right or wrong, just noticing.

8. I think I do want my whole spread to have a somewhat cohesive look. I think. So far, I have kept in mind a sort of color scheme as I make my choices, and have tried to balance out photos/text/misc inserts throughout the week. That was pretty easy to do, because this spread was done all at once (late), we'll see if this 4th week, that is in progress, will have any "look" as a whole or not, as I've been tucking things in as the week has gone along. Just kind of fun things for me to think about as I develop my own voice/approach to this project.

9. So far, I think it's a fun project  and am really happy I'm doing it! 

project life • week 1

I've finished my first project life spread! I know, what's the big deal, right? But for me, it feels like an accomplishment. Like a first row of crocheting a blanket after just learning how. I'm having fun learning this new-to-me way of expressing ideas, a little bit of a new creative language. And I'm super hopeful that I'll keep it up all 52 weeks, knowing that surely there will come a day when it might not feel so fun. I want to remember this feeling to get me through that. The challenge-is-fun feeling (and accomplishment is fun too).

Pretty much still using a mix of hand me down Project Life products, Studio Calico Project Life kit items (like the stamps above) and my own items or fodder from life (like that bit paper with stripes on top of heart that is glued on a vintage label which was on a package purchased for my December Daily project from Hello Forever.

Arrow printable is my own, and I wrote on it with a favorite new item- a pre-inked calligraphy paintbrush.

The first seemed really special and exciting, so I glued the stars on it. It's also why I decided to do an extra insert vs. the standard 2 page spread. Probably a little bit because I'm excited about the project too, but I figured, why not use that energy while I have it?

I loved the photo of the beach so much I wanted it to be full size. I printed it 6x12 and although they sell page protectors that size, I didn't have one, so instead I made one from a 12x12 protector. I put the photo in against the right edge, and then sewed it on my sewing machine alongside the left side of the photo. To create the edge that goes in the rings, I just held it against that part on another page protector using it as a template and handcut it and handpunched the holes in the same place.

I wrapped a vintage label around the photo and put a geotag chipboard sticker on. I also love the little A with a heart that was left over from making the letters on inside cover (out of playing cards). I'm trying to play with the little items I love without letting them take over or take away from the big picture. I also know that I tend to grow out of itmes, you know, styles change, I don't want to put so many current products in that the book feels really outdated to me in a few years. Just telling you the things I'm thinking about as I figure out my approach to this project.

This is what you see when you flip the page- Three individual photos sized 4x6, 4x6 and 3x6 .

Here's the right side of spread when the flap insert page is out of the way.The photos are blurry and dark, but I'm focusing on telling the story, (and getting it done!)  vs. pretty or perfect.

That's why I used this less than pretty sheet from our Hearts card game. It's even a little wrinkled, but I love that it captures the fact that our 20 year old sometimes still calls us Mommy and Daddy. I cut the top off the paper we were using and sewed it on the middle of the score sheet. (It's from the dollar spot at Target.) Then I stitched over the sticker letters because I had to scoot them over a few times to get the placement close to centered, and I was afraid they would loose their stick.

I updated an old journal card with washi tape on the top and bottom, added a vintage label with a heart from the playing cards on top and some arrow stickers. (I can't find the orange, but link is same product in tan.)

...and...that wraps up my spread for week 1...only 51 to go!

"project life"-ing

Well, I'm going for it: I'm going to do a Project Life type documentation project this year! Project Life seems to be everywhere I look these days, from blogs and instagrams to conversations. I get why. {If you are not familiar with what "Project Life" is, you can see more here. It's a memory-keeping method developed by Becky Higgins in an attempt to simplify the process and make it do-able. } For me, in a very general explanation, it's going to be a week by week documenting of our lives for the 52 weeks of 2013, all compiled in an album full of page protectors. A photo album/scrapbook of our daily life.

I've just begun, and like I said, I'm super excited. I don't really have an official plan yet, like many who are experienced Project Lifers do. Well, my plan is to formulate it after some experience, I'm going to have to discover as I go what my process will be. So far, my main and most important goal is to stick with it for the entire year and get it done. I will keep that as my main goal: documenting this year for our family, and remind myself of that if I start to overcomplicate it to the point where I put it off or it stops being realistic. I really want to do this for our family; all the other benefits (the creating, the having a place for all the ephemera of life that I love but don't know what to do with, the committing to and completing a giant (for me) goal,etc.) are just side benefits to the main motivation.

Look at this cute video by   Design Editor of her adorable twins looking over their family's book. So awesome that they will have these of their childhood (which brings up another big goal for me and this project - to not use it as a way to beat myself up for what I could have, should have, done; I'm starting now and I need to focus on that positive). 

I had a lot of fun over the past week talking about documenting stories with Rebecca and Charlotte while away. (Rebecca, as many of you know, is quite well known for being a scrapbook author and designer as well as her stitching and painting and journal making mixed media artwork.) Anyway, Rebecca has a new post about feeling reinvigorated to play with pictures and paper and paint, so it'll be fun to see where that goes. 

So far, it seems I'm going to be doing a hybrid type Project Life, a mix of Project Life products (like the page protector inserts) and ones I make (like my printables) or get elsewhere. I am super excited to actually be documenting our year in a way that seems pretty do-able, pretty simple (if I stay out of my own way), and also a fun little puzzle, figuring out how to represent each week.

I've used a hand me down album cover that a friend happened to give me recently (hello serendipity), and signed up for the Studio Calico Project Life monthly kit. You can see their hello card that I sewed onto a piece of paper and glued down. (btw- i think i might finally be getting the hang of these tape devices, because for once, i used it and it worked, vs. my usual stick down technique). For now, I've doodled and washi taped and cut out letters from playing cards (inspired by Rebecca) for the inside of the album. I'm imagining this will likely change over the year.

{By the way, I used a favorite new pen above, to outline, and my beloved Copics to fill in.}

I used one of my prints (cut down and adhered to printed paper) and added a flair button from Studio Calico (I believe). Here's what you see when you open the book:

And if you turn that first little page, the Life Is Good half page, you see this:

I used these alphabet stamps in our initials repeated over and over. The number stamps I carved myself, and yes, I realize that PGA and GAG are the recognizable words or acronyms...oh well, I did it by age order, without thinking about that. I kind of think it's funny, and am not going to change it; my project is not going to be about perfection, that's for sure! No time for re-dos.

Here's the opening page. Most is from the Studio Calico PL kit, but the Garrison was left over from something I received and I just collaged on the scraps from my print that was cut down for little flap page (see above).

I'm wanting some free time to read Julie's Project Life links, because I know she's taken a less traditional approach, and she did Project Life all last year, and because I loved reading this post of hers.

I'd also like to revisit Ali's (seeing hers over the years is the main inspiration for me to do PL),  and new to me are Elise's, and Catherine's, and Liz's. Can you tell I've fallen down a new rabbit hole? Ha! Well, you know I love company on these journeys, thus all the links...c'mon...any takers? It's going to be fun, I can tell already, and I'm going to learn a lot which is fun too. And all these excercises like printing photos, or using services to order photos or or or are well and good in themselves, but the fact that they'll add up to a wonderfully personal book for the family? Even better!