I’m starting something new. And I’m calling it Feedback Friday.
Between my blog, facebook, twitter, emails, forums, and message boards there are plenty of questions floating around at any given moment. You’re looking for feedback on various topics – related to Project Life or not. We will do our best to gather those questions and comments and I will offer my feedback to as many as I can … each Friday here on my blog.
Sound good?
Here we go – round one! : )
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I love and own Project Life. It’s a wonderful way of expressing my creativity in a efficient and fast-paced way. I hate to complain so don’t take this personally, but it’s all that’s ever seen or discussed on your blog. You used to have so many ideas on organization and floral arrangements and photography. I just miss all the other aspects of your blog that you used to post.
Feedback: I don’t take that personally. I take that as constructive feedback – thank you! I’m so happy that you love Project Life. I’m fully aware that my sharing as of late is very, very heavily Project Life-related. This is because it’s a particularly busy time for our company because of our new partnerships, new products, new Creative Team and other news-worth happenings. I want to be sure to keep everyone in the loop since most of you are using (or contemplating using) Project Life.
That said, I do agree that it’s time to bring back the balance of content. I’ll be very happy to get back to “other” topics soon. Whether or not my sharing is related to ideas or products or anything else, I certainly appreciate that you’re stopping by and hope you continue to enjoy your time spent here.
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I’m so excited about all the Project Life elements available on JessicaSprague.com but I was hoping for some full page templates.
Feedback: We agree! And … we’re working on those right now, actually. Coming soon!
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I’m confused. Are these the digital elements that you need to use to create the book to be printed at year-end by Shutterfly? Or is that coming later? I am hoping for a drag and drop digital book.
Feedback: The digital elements available on JessicaSprague.com are for you to be able to use the art however you’d like. It’s for people who use Photoshop to create their own pages, party invitations, and other projects. If you are brand-new to this concept and want to learn the very basics, I recommend taking a beginner level class such as Up & Running with Photoshop: Beginning Digital Scrapbooking (which I see is on sale right now!). As mentioned above, we’re also about to release our full 12×12 scrapbook page templates – Project Life style. So that makes the design process super easy! No matter how you choose to use the digital elements, you would then print your projects however you’d like.
If you are looking for the drop-in-your-photo-and-add-your-journaling method, that’s the Shutterfly photo book – coming in December. The concept is that all the pages are already designed for you (with our Project Life art) and you just drop in your photos + journaling and Shutterfly will send you a printed + bound book. Very cool.
Everyone has their preferred way of doing things, which is why we’re so pleased to add these digital options to the option of the good ol’ paper-and-photos-in-your-hands method. : )
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Do you need Photoshop to use the digital Project Life elements?
Feedback: Yes, Photoshop Elements is the most commonly used program but you can use just about any editing software.
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Where is a good place to order prints? I want something fairly cheap, good quality and would be nice to have less than 1-2 week turnaround.
Feedback: Great question! I know there are a lot of fantastic online resources, and I also know a lot of people choose to print at their local Costco, Sam’s Club, WalMart, Target, Walgreen’s, etc. In other words – endless possibilities! I would love for anyone to comment on their favorite online resource!
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Is there any way to transfer my current pre-paid project on Zilbio, to Shutterfly? I have barely started my Ziblio project, but would love to take my pre-paid amount and apply it to a new album with Shutterfly.
Feedback: Sorry, but Ziblio and Shutterfly are not affiliated with one another and so that’s not an option. If you have started a project with Ziblio, you can either finish it (I’m actually quite excited to finish a couple projects that I have in the works there) or you can inquire about a refund. I don’t know that it’s possible, but you can ask them. Call the customer support line at 877-209-1560 or email support@ziblio.com
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I would love to see you do a leather or faux leather album.
Feedback: Personally, I feel like We R Memory Keepers nailed it with their leather albums. I’ve been using them for years.
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I have thought a lot about doing a black and white version of Project Life and wondered if you had considered that?
Feedback: We have thought about a more neutral edition of Project Life, yes. We have also thought about a wedding edition, and baby editions, and classic editions, and grunge editions, and contemporary editions, and … you get the idea. There is so much fun potential to grow the Project Life family of designs and we have plans to do just that. : )
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I’d LOVE to see some examples of Project Life used in a baby album.
Feedback: Me too! I know some people are doing this and I would love nothing more than to see it with my own eyes. Anyone is welcome to share their projects with us, any time! Just email your pictures to submissions@beckyhiggins.com. As I mentioned, I would love to do a couple baby editions of Project Life but it’s going to take a little time. Focusing on the school/childhood stuff first. ; )
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I saw your mom’s crocheted washcloths on Facebook. Does she sell them? I love those kind of washcloths!
Feedback: That’s so cute. She loves to make them (she loves just about any kind of needlepoint work) but no – she doesn’t sell them.
What a wonderful post, Becky! Thank you!
To answer the question about online photo printing…I faithfully use Persnickety Prints for not just my PL photos, but ALL my photos. There are so many size options and FANTASTIC quality and prices. Once I order, the prints are usually shipped and at my door in less than a week (often 3 days). This company is SO fabulous that my latest order included a poster-sized enlargement that just wasn’t going to be clear enough for perfect quality so they called me to notify me of it and helped me choose a better size.
Every order I have placed comes with a promo code for free shipping or a % off my next order. I LOVE them!! Hope this helps!
Thank you! That’s helpful! I’ve ordered from Walmart so many times just because they’re cheap and convenient, but their quality sucks! Looking forward to trying something new!
I have used a great service online…
scrappingsimply.com
They have great prices and flat rate shipping. They have great quality and if you happen to live in UT county, you can even pick up your photos and not pay shipping. I highly recommend them!
Would love to see some of your project life —please share on your blog soon.
I tend to order my photos for scrapbooking from costco, and pick them up right there, I have also adjusted my account settings with them to print in lustre with no color correction. But I would suggest sending the same photo to a few different places, then when you get them, write on the back where they were from and lay them out to look at all together and choose which YOU like the best.
I was also wondering if there are plans to make a chocolate, or navy version of the basic binder? And are we going to be seeing any Project Life related stamps?
I would absolutely love to see Project Life related stamps!
I was wondering Becky if you have a list complied somewhere of all your POTD ideas. It would certainly save me scrolling back thru 100s of facebook entries
Thanks, Janine
Once again, wonderful, wonderful customer service – you guys rock!! I have been wondering if there will ever be a list of all of your ‘Cultivate a Good Life” quotes put out in one place? I know there was some talk about this a while back…. pretty please?!!
In answer to your where to print photos I Love, Love, Love Persnickety Prints. The quality of the printing is fantastic and their prices are great as well.
Love the idea of Feedback Friday! I would love a blog post in the future from your creative team on how they organize their PL. Things like how they have their PL station set up at their house, and also how they keep up with their PL. Like do they do it once a week, every night, etc. I would love a post with tips from them! Thanks Becky!
I also love Persnickety; their 12 x 12 prints are simply stunning. If you are willing to pay a little more, choosing the colour correction option at scrapbookpictures.com produced amazing results too. They correct each print individually; this was especially great in my pre-calibrated monitor days! Another little shout out to Persnickety; I ordered a print on 8.5 x 11 that was slightly smaller and they even trimmed it for me!
Becky I am loving that there are so many options now for PL; looking forward to seeing what you have in store for us next.
Becky,
For years and years (60 albums worth), I’ve been scrapbooking the traditional way using Creative Memories albums. I love the way they look – a continuous two page spread. I’m thinking about changing this year’s to the albums you sell, but I’m not sure about the three ring binder. Do the three rings in the middle of a spread bother you? Do they interfere with the look of a continuous layout?
I do not care for the 3 ring binder for traditional scrapbooking for that very reason, but I also don’t do very many 2 page layouts. I do love it for Project Life though because I have added so many additional elements to my Project Life album, it’s really easy to put items in.
I’ve used scrapbookpictures.com – their prices are great, selection of sizes fantastic, and so easy to use!
Hi Becky!
Thank you for all of your hard work!! Oh how I love your products, ideas and inspiration!
I love the convenience of digital Project Life. I am in a VERY hectic and busy time of life right now and it is much easier for me to use the digital format. I LOVE the new Cobalt colors and designs but I see that it is not offered digitally. I was wondering if it would be offered in the future? I can’t tell you how much I hope so!!
I print my photos at Costco but about midway through the year, my membership lapsed and it wasn’t renewed until a week ago. Shutterfly did a few deals on bulk printing, which is what I used. Each place did a beautiful job with my photos.
Are there any plans to release the scrapbook dividers with designs on them?
Becki,I know you don’t know for sure , but any idea when school years paper or digital version will be ready? My third child graduates and I don’t have time to do a whole album the traditional way. Just let us know and thanks so much!
Becki, thank you SO much for partnering with Jessica Sprague. I used a paper copy of your original Project Life but then because I do all digital, I stopped. And wished and wished and hoped you would eventually create digital pieces – hooray!
Oh, also, when I print pages I often use Scrapbooks to Share (sbtoshare.com). Their prices look in line with Persnickety prints.
I am like you – all my layouts are two page spreads. I could not imagine breaking up the continuity with that space between. But I decided to try a DCWV three-ring binder a couple years ago and never turned back. Since my books tend to be thick it was always such a hassle to create a “flat” book that wasn’t all flared out on the outside edge of the pages. (FYI sticky back velcro strips between every 2-3 pages, placed between the holes or hinges in the sheet protectors, create just enough thickness to compensate for thick pages with embellishments. But it’s a job.) But now I don’t have to deal with that anymore with the 3-ring binders. The main thing that I never do, however, is create a title that crosses both pages or allow photos to be cut and separated between the two pages. Keeping that in mind, I do not even notice the separation of the pages anymore. They still look great together in the 3-ring binder and somehow your eye sees what it wants to see and the separation becomes a non-issue. I love them and these DCWV albums are the best!
Thanks Becky. You used my question about the Shutterfly digital book. Yay!!! Just what I was hoping for.
I asked this question on JessicaSprague.com but never received an answer, so I figured I’d try here. Do the digital files include layers of each of the elements that can be pulled apart and used, or are they just flattened files—or are they vectors? I’d love to be able to re-size things, possibly buy other set elements and re-color them, etc.
All of the files are flattened .png and .jpg files. Hope that helps!
Yes, thanks very much!
Yes, the files are flattened, BUT most of the individual design elements (eg the phrases on the journalling or filler cards and the graphics etc) are included seperately also. I purchased two complete digital kits (cobalt and turquoise) and have had so much fun in the last few days “playing” with them and trying out all the options. The colour schemes are so easy to change as well, by simply using hue / saturation in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
WOOHOO!!
I am so glad I slogged through the comments! I love some of the designs, but not the color scheme – so now I may have to buy everything. uh oh – $$$$ flying away.
Thank you for sharing this information!
Pretty please… would you give us some 8.5 x 11 page protectors with PL sized pockets in them (and 8.5 x 11 digi templates at Jessica Sprague, too) Many of us no longer have room for oversized 12 x 12 books, and/or love to print at home!
Do you have any ideas for the layouts? 12 x 12 supports using 4 x 6 photos and 4 x 3 cards – easy peasy with the common photo size. What would you use to get a week onto two letter size pages?
I bought three prepaid digital Project Life books a year ago, but I haven’t actually started them yet. Should I start them with Ziblio, or will they transfer over to Shutterfly? Thanks.
Somewhere above, Becky explains that Ziblio and Shutterfly are not connected or related in any way. Therefore, you must use Ziblio for your previous purchases.
Hope I helped.
Hey Becky…I was wondering if you have ever considered doing a monthly themed project life kit? I use my PL to do a “month in review” (it feels like less of commitment and more do-able that way) and I was hoping to see a monthy themed set that would incorporate the seasons/holidays throughout each month? Just a thought. Thanks!
I LOVE this idea! I also use project Life to do Month at a Glance pages (among MANY other pages in between!).
I have seen several people ask about a “baby themed” Project Life and maybe it’s just me and my dislike of most of the “baby” scrapbook stuff out there, but PL on its own is amazing for documenting a baby’s first year and beyond.
My daughter is three and when PL came out I bought it and started working on documenting her first year – I have taken pictures of her every day and I blog a lot so it wasn’t hard to recreate the first year – the hardest part is just choosing one picture per day!:)
Anyway, I’ve continued to use a PL album for every year of her life and I think it is the BEST way to document your child’s life – you get the big moments (first food, first steps, etc) and you also get those little moments that are just as important like hanging out with family and friends, going to the park, etc.
So for me a “themed” PL isn’t necessary at all – just run with an album design you like and document your baby’s life that way. You won’t regret it:)
I am doing PL as a “baby album” for my son who is almost 7 months. I am doing it month by month, not week by week because its easier for me
would love to see others’…i submitted pictures to Becky also.
I love getting prints from shutterfly. The picture color and quality is amazing!
One more question to add to the list
I love the graphic word designs you have used (eg, this is not the end) would you consider releasing an acrylic stamp set that related to project life?
Cheers.
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