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.

Wanted to share some completed layouts from Project 365. These come from the lovely & talented Maggie Holmes.

One thing I noticed about Maggie’s use of products (from the kit) is that she’s putting the black day-of-the-week stickers over the photos, and the clear letter stickers (that coincide with each day of the week) on the journaling blocks, over color. It looks awesome. I happen to be doing the opposite of that, but maybe I’ll switch it up once in a while.

I also want to point out a few other things:

1. She included vertical shots in the horizontal pockets (two 3×4 images, side-by-side)
2. She rounded her photo corners with a punch (to match the journaling blocks)
3. She got herself in front of the camera!

I love seeing different approaches to Project 365 … with the kit, without the kit, paper-based or digital, journaling in the 4×6 spots (instead of photos) … you name it. People are doing it.

One thing I’m loving about Project 365 is that this is already feeling like more of a “family effort” than the traditional theme-based or event-based scrapbooking that I’ve been doing for our family all these years. It’s so easy for your kids to “chime in” to Project 365 for a day here & there.

The other day, some friends were over at our house and Porter took my point & shoot camera around the house and took some random pictures. I looked through the pictures with him later, let him choose which one he wanted to be the “picture of the day”, and this was his pick:

Totally loving that it’s his perspective … blurry and all. (By the way, that’s me and Karolyn chatting in the office while the kids were playing.)

Porter took the picture, so it is absolutely appropriate that he writes on that day’s journaling block:

So let your kids participate, no matter their age. Pass over the camera and let them take the shots. Let them write some journaling, in their own words. Ask them to contribute a little art once in a while (which can replace a picture). If you have a few kids, you could even set up a rotation where each kid gets to do the “picture of the day” on a regular basis (once a week or whatever).

And chances are … it’ll mean the world to them that you’re inviting them be a part of the project.

I don’t know about you, but once in a while I’ll come across a photograph that just makes me gasp.

This was one of those. This is my friend Sarah, who is expecting a baby in the next few weeks. Isn’t she just lovely? Isn’t this just one of the most beautiful prego pics you’ve ever seen? I just wanted to share it, in case it inspires anyone else, like it inspired me. (Kudos to her friend, Michelle, who took the picture.)

What makes me love the picture even more, is what you can’t see. Sarah was having an emotional, stressful day … feeling like a run-down mom (you’d never guess that this is her 5th baby!). Late in the afternoon, she and Michelle just stepped outside in the 10-degree weather for about 10 minutes and this is what they got. Like Sarah says, “It’s amazing what a little hair fluff with the fingers, some lip gloss, and a cute dress can do”.

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Completely unrelated (but speaking of being inspired) … I’ve got some catching-up to do on some idea books. Here are a few of the latest releases from CK that I am looking forward to reading through:

1. Month by Month Scrapbooking by Amanda Probst
2. Get Creative with Type by Brian Tippetts
3. 101 Expert Solutions for Scrapbooking

I always enjoy browsing through a new idea book, hot off the press.

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It seems as though MOST of you are having great success in using the files from the free download that I posted (in the last post). That is terrific! If your luck wasn’t that great (yet), try clicking on that link again. It should work just fine for PC and Mac. Sometimes the download gets interrupted or something. Or if you have a friend who got it okay, have her e-mail the file to you. If it’s still not working, and since I’m not able to (individually) help you trouble-shoot, please ask your husband, sister-in-law, co-worker, ANYone that has some “techy” skills, to help you. I want you to be able to use these, if it can help you.

Ready for this infomercial-style post? Here we go!

Imagine that I’m yelling this from your TV: Are you bummed that you didn’t get the Project 365 kit? Do you have a friend who could really benefit from doing Project 365, especially since there is no “scrapbooking” involved? Do you wish that you could at least have those cute journaling cards from the kit? We have the solution for YOU!

Okay, seriously. No more infomercial. I’m just so happy that we can share this with you … a FREE DOWNLOAD of some of the designs from the kit.

Clickhere.

When you click on that link, you’ll notice that a file is immediately downloading onto your computer. When you open the folder (called “Project 365″), you will notice a folder of JPGs and a folder with a PDF in it. There are some title page (and ending page) cards, some “week of” cards, some journaling cards, and a couple designer cards (to use as a background when you have smaller memorabilia on some days, instead of a photo). This certainly isn’t everything from the kit, but it is definitely enough to help you do Project 365. You’ll need to get some 4″ x 6″ divided page protectors, a 12″ x 12″ binder, and you’re good to go. See the post just below this one for resources.

I realize that everyone has different levels of being tech-saavy, so I’ll explain this as clearly as possible so as to not scare anyone away. : )

[ PDF ]

When you open the PDF, you’ll notice 7 pages for you to print. For best results, print on a color laser jet printer. Don’t have one? Try your local copy shop. When you go to print, the most important thing is to notice that you have the option to change the scale of what you’re printing. It’s probably set on some default setting right now, like “fit to page” or “shrink to printable area” or something along those lines. You don’t want any of these. CLICK ON “NONE”. Then print, cut, and use! Of course you’ll only need one print-out of the title blocks. Since you’ll want several of the “week of” cards and the journaling blocks, just print those specific pages however many times you want. Once you cut everything to the appropriate size (4″ x 6″), these will slip right into any 4″ x 6″ photo album or page protectors (see previous post for people’s recommendations on where to find these).

[ JPG ]

For those of you who are a little bit more digital-saavy, and you have some photo-editing software (such as Adobe Photoshop), you’re going to love these JPGs. First of all you can print the title cards just as they are. You’ll have photo-quality cards and you’ll be saving your own ink (printer ink is expensive!). As for the “week of” and journaling cards, simply open the file you want to use in Photoshop, add your text (whatever font & size you want), save it as a JPG, and print it just as you would print any other picture that’s a JPG!

Where to print? Most photo-printing services (such as Shutterfly, Snapfish, Scrapbook Pictures, and Costco) will mail your prints right to you. Here’s one of the journaling cards, so you can see what to expect, and then a sample of journaling that I did on one of the JPGs:

So you would print this out and then stick it in one of the 4″ x 6″ slots on the same page as those 2 days’ worth of photos. Make sense? Plus — you could also just print out the JPG journaling blocks as photos, and use a photo-safe pen to handwrite your journaling (instead of typing it in Photoshop).

If you have questions about these downloads, please leave a comment here. If you have alternative suggestions for Project 365, please leave them in the Comments of the LAST post so that those looking for ideas will see yours there.

Just a few more notes before I leave you alone. : )

1. I’ve never posted a zip file on my blog before, so I’m not sure how this will go. It’s also quite possible that my blog will be slammed with many of you getting this file all at the same time. If there are any technical problems getting this file from my blog to your computer, just try again at a later time. Or if we see that it’s more than just “high traffic” issues, we’ll see what needs to be done differently. Okie-dokie?

2. I know many of you are still wondering if we’re going to reprint the kit. I wish I knew. We’re still working on that possibility, but it takes time. The answer right now is: I just don’t know. SO … since that means that there is a chance at getting the Project 365 kit in the future, you may want to just print journaling blocks a week or two at a time until we know for sure. That way, if we DO a reprint, then these journaling blocks you are printing & journaling on will go right into those page protectors in the kit.

3. As I’ve mentioned before, there are many people working behind the scenes on Project 365 … to correct mistakes, to work on solutions, to help make this work for you. The graphic designer behind this project is someone I truly enjoy working with and her name is Lori. She not only interpreted my ideas into the perfect output of colors & patterns that are just so fun in this kit … but she’s the one that pulled together these PDF and JPG files for you to use. I’m just so grateful to her, and so many others that have contributed to helping ALL of us this past week. : )

Many of you have been sharing your ideas of how you’re going to approach Project 365 without the kit. One obvious choice is to do it completely digital. There are a LOT of online services that offer photo storage & organization, blogs, etc. Remember the “blog to book” concept I mentioned a while back? Check out Bloggled.com for more information. Some of you have mentioned ShutterCal as an option; that looks cool too.

If you have other great online resources that you’re using for Project 365, please share in the Comments for others to see.

Jessica Turner blogged about her alternative solution here. Jessica is in good company, as I’m noticing so many of you taking a similar approach: You are purchasing the divided page protectors to slip in your 4″ x 6″ photos and getting pre-designed 4″ x 6″ journaling cards for your daily notes. She includes some helpful links on her blog.

If you have good resources (especially online) for purchasing divided page protectors, share that with us in the Comments, too! Any other alternatives? Could you share something that will benefit others to know about? Let us know! (If you shared an idea or approach in an older post, you may want to post your comment again here.)

So this post’s comments are dedicated to idea-sharing. Have at it! This just may get the wheels in your head turning.

NOTE: We also have another possible solution that you’ll want to hear about. Just fine-tuning some details and will be in touch very soon with that.