David and I were headed to bed around midnight last night and just as we were about to go upstairs, this is what we find.

She knows to stay in bed. She knows this. But she so desperately wants to hang out with us late at night. So this is Claire’s way of finding a happy medium. She can be kind of close, kind of able to hear us … kind of like she’s hanging out with us in a way, right? And yet, we have no clue. So she doesn’t get in trouble.

Brilliant, really.

And makes for a nice picture that will become a classic in her childhood. This is sooo her. Are you taking pictures of your loved ones that truly tell a story? I’m not talking about the posed, smiley type of pictures. (Although those are nice too.)

As for the end-result here … yes, it’s a vertical photo presented in a horizontal orientation for my Project 365. This is how I choose to display my vertical photos in the horizontal pockets most of the time. (I take mostly horizontal pictures, like most of you.) I did this in Photoshop. Quick stuff. Colored background. Cropped & resized the picture. Dropped it on the canvas. Added a border, drop shadow, and some text. Done.

PS – If you’re in a soupy kind of mood, I posted a new recipe.

Noticing a few more questions about Project 365 (specifically about the kit this time, not just the concept).

Q: What’s the ribbon for?

A: Anything you want! Just a fun extra that we added to the kit so that you can incorporate it throughout the album if you want. This is what I’m doing with it once in a while — cut a short piece, fold it over the top edge, and staple:

Q: Any other ideas for how to include multiple pictures when you just can’t choose one photo for a particular day?

A: A fellow blog reader (Amy Z I think?) shared a brilliant idea in the comments at some point. I’d love to share this with you, along with a visual to help you grasp the concept. (Thanks, Amy.) Just re-size a few pictures to fit the tri-fold journaling blocks that are in the kit. (For this example, my photo size is 2.25″ W x 2.75″ T.)

Q: What’s your approach for journaling each day? (This great question really is more about the concept and doesn’t have anything to do with the product.)

A: Sometimes I do a blow-by-blow for the day and make a list of the happenings. In this case, the picture for that day usually comes from one of the things I listed. Or sometimes I focus my journaling completely on the thoughts/feelings/details/information about just the picture I’m highlighting. I don’t feel like I need to have the exact same approach to journaling every single day. I enjoy mixing it up a bit. Keeps it interesting.

PRODUCT TIP: In case you haven’t already figured it out (I’m not sure if I mentioned this or not) … those 4×6 transparencies that came in the kit … they have a protective film on them. You should peel this off before using it as a photo overlay.

Added note: Same goes for the monthly bookmark-style dividers. Peel off the protective film!

MORE TIPS: If you haven’t checked out the KOTM blog lately, the past few posts have been awesome tips. I just learned about a new gadget I’d never seen before!

RANDOM SHOUT-OUT: Just wanted to say a very special HELLO to Mary Kadry, who did something ultra kind for Alyson, who is now able to do Project 365 because of YOU. : )

I continue to get comments & e-mails about customer service issues (mostly regarding Project 365 and my baby kit from last fall). I know many of you want answers to some of your burning questions. I want to be sure you know who to contact for the most efficient & helpful service. I can not personally help you with your product-related questions.

I want to add that someone new has taken over the customer service, and we are realigning our expectations for customer service. They are committed to improving the current processes and will be paying special attention to your e-mails.

I do not know for sure about a Project 365 re-print. I wish I did. At this point, I wouldn’t count on it. We’re already a month into this now (for those who started with the first of the year), so if you missed out on my kit, it’s up to you whether or not you still want to do your own version of the picture-a-day concept. Just in case you missed it … check my Jan. 10th post for the free downloads that may be able to help you put together your own Project 365. The concept alone is just so fun. : )

So … back to getting your questions answered …

1. If you have ordered a baby kit & haven’t seen it yet, call Customer Service.

2. If you are on back-order for a Project 365 kit & are wondering about your order, call Customer Service.

3. If you have a general concern about KOTM, e-mail Customer Service.

4. If you have a defective piece of your baby kit, e-mail vgrothe@ckmedia.com. (Some of you have noticed a misspelled journaling block or something similar. That error happened somewhere in the production stage — still baffles me HOW it happened & I’m very sorry about that.)

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Customer Service contact information:

E-mail: CreatingKeepsakesCS@Holdenmss.com
Domestic calls: 800.453.1173
International calls: 720.374.3628
[Phone line hours are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. MST, M-F]

Do you have evidence of someone’s existence in your home? This photo, submitted by Abby W., is evidence of a certain cutie little person in her family.

And this piece of evidence was submitted by Denise:

And Kristen took a picture of something that might even be a familiar piece of evidence in your home:

Look around to find little evidences that you just may want to photograph today.

I’m tending to a couple of your “most frequently asked” questions lately. First, many of you are looking for a new recipe. Sorry I haven’t posted one in a while! Okay – it’s done. Here you go. : )

The other request is for more information about the display of photos in our home office. It’s a simple project.

1. Got the wall shelf from IKEA (I can’t put my finger on the exact shelf, but click here for a similar product).

2. Got the frameless clip frames from Pier 1 Imports (not able to find them on their web site but click here to see them on IKEA’s web site. Looks like they have all the sizes too. And holy cow, they’re cheap!).

3. Printed some favorite family photos, all in black & white, in various sizes to fit the frames.

This is a close-up of what the frameless clip frames look like:

Speaking of taking a picture of the TV, here are a couple more photo ideas to turn the wheels in your head and get you thinking about different ways to document your life.

Fellow blog reader, Keri G took this:

And this one is from Debi B:

Neither one of these pictures really needs explanation. Whether your TV is used for the daily news, your favorite drama series, or a game system, snap a picture of what you see.

A historical day. Some of you are celebrating, some of you are absolutely dreading the changes to come, some of you are indifferent. However you look at it … it is what it is. Historical.

Remember: Project 365 can be about anything & everything. Paint the full picture. The little details in your life (what you eat for breakfast, potty-training triumphs, shoveling the snow, running a carpool) are important. Don’t forget the bigger picture too. We are living history. Current events will help you paint the picture of your life with even more colors than otherwise.

As I think of, or hear of, more ideas to inspire those of you that are involved in doing Project 365 … I will share them. Here are today’s thoughts from fellow readers:

1. Kolette Hall is giving her Project 365 a twist on gratitude. You will be inspired reading & seeing her approach here.

2. “Heather” is going to give each family member a week in the project. They will take their pictures with every other person in the family and have them write something they love about that person. Heather illustrates an example: “During Lily’s week I will take a picture of her with her dad, me, Ashton, Bailey, Daisy, probably one with just Lily and maybe a picture of some of the things she is in to right now. In the journaling I will have her tell me something she loves about each person.”

3. “Briana” says that she is a teacher and a parent asked her to take a photo of her child during class and e-mail it to her. She says, “I was more than happy to! I thought it was funny that we were both doing the project! You could also send a camera with your kiddo to school and have them document what they do on a daily basis.” Note to self: I am sending a camera to school with Porter soon. Love this idea.

4. “Amy” shared how her husband’s grandfather passed away recently. She got a picture of him from her stash that best fits him, to use as the picture of the day. Then she took one of the tri-fold journaling cards and had family members write memories or things they would remember most about him. Amy loves that a piece of him and his legacy, is now a part of their family’s Project 365.

I know that most of you reading this are in a bit of a cold & snowy climate at the moment. (So I’ll refrain from telling you how warm it’s been here this week!) Here’s a photo idea for anyone who thinks this is an awfully familiar scene:

Whether you have to shovel twice in a whole Winter, or you are busting out the snowblower on a daily basis, snap a picture of the action. I took this shot of David clearing our driveway in Cleveland some four years ago. The angle? I squatted down to get as close to the ground as possible. I’m not exactly missing Cleveland winters right now.

And if you haven’t already read the comments from yesterday’s post, it’s worth breezing through to get other photo ideas. Thanks to all who chimed in. And thank you for the e-mails with more photo ideas! I can’t take time to personally respond to each one, but I’m going to be posting an inspiring picture here & there from your fellow blog readers (maybe one will be yours?).

This photo is from Heather C. Her daughter (in Kindergarten) likes to pretend to teach school to her younger sister & dolls, and this is a sample of her writing, along with Heather’s interpretation added to the print.

A quick note: I am still getting asked if there will be a re-order on the Project 365 kits. We still don’t know that answer. I promise that as soon as I do know, you guys (my blog readers) will be the first to know.

You will notice that I will be sharing more photo ideas here on my blog. If you’re involved in Project 365, perhaps you’ll be inspired for one of your daily shots. Even if you’re not doing Project 365, you may get ideas for ways to capture your life on “film”.

Here’s idea #1 for today:

It is what it is. Cereal. Do you eat the same thing for breakfast each morning? Take a picture of it. This is part of your everyday life. How appropriate to include it somewhere in your 365!

Idea #2 for today comes from my friend, Nanci. She was driving down the road and it was such a gorgeous day that it made her think of her trip to Hawaii when she was 17 years old. Great memories. Why not put a photo from that trip and include it in her Project 365? She says, “It would be fun to throw a couple of reminiscent photos and journaling in our 365 if we find ourselves daydreaming of another time and place!” I could not agree with Nanci more. Who says your picture of the day has to be taken that day?

(That’s a little flashback to my childhood slumber parties. My grandma made that giant doll for me.) If you have a picture of the “memory” that you think about on a particular day, scan it, print it to size, and include it in your 365 album. If you don’t have a picture to accompany the memory, just write whatever you feel like writing about the memory and that can take the place of that day’s picture spot.

So how cool is that? Your Project 365 is not only a representation of what happens in your life this year, but also includes some of your reminiscing of past happenings. I love that. Go Nanci.

Do you have a great photo idea that is sure to inspire others? E-mail the photo to me (bhiggins@ckmedia.com) with a brief explanation and I’ll share a few of those here on my blog.