Some of you reading this headline will know exactly what I’m talking about because you’ve been waiting for this day. Perhaps you have been “holding out” on starting your 2012 Project Life … waiting for Design A to show up.
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{ WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? }
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a re-cap: In December, our first-ever Project Life photo books on Shutterfly became available. There are two editions: Turquoise and Clementine. Same awesome graphic designs that you find in our physical product as well as our digital elements available on JessicaSprague.com, but the difference is that you drop your pictures and add your journaling into page templates already set up for you. You do this completely online. When you are done, a completely finished photo book (professionally printed + bound) is sent to you. It’s a very beautiful process. I’m a fan.
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{ BRINGING THE TRADITIONAL PROJECT LIFE LAYOUT TO OUR PHOTO BOOKS }
The way we have Project Life set up on Shutterfly is that the “default” 20-page photo book is set up for you to quickly + easily add your photos and text … but it’s also super flexible if you want to alter the design or page count or book size or anything. So cool. There are many different layouts and Idea Pages (templates) available but when we released the product, there was no “typical” Project Life layout, which is simple and linear. You know – like the Photo Pocket Page Design A. Four spots for photos + 4 spots for journaling cards per page. Simple.
Shutterfly has heard the plea. They have responded to the request. They have added the Design A template to our Project Life photo books! THANK YOU Shutterfly. When you are creating your book in Shutterfly, you’ll notice the tabs on the far left side (Layouts, Backgrounds, Embellishments, and Idea Pages). When you click on Idea Pages and scroll to the very bottom you’ll see Design A. Simply drag + drop that on the left page and then the right page too … if you want that format. That’s it! You can leave the design alone and just add your photos + text, or you can change a few things if you’d like.
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{ HAVE A LOOK }
This is what Design A looks like in a Turquoise 12×12 photo book and then an 8×11 photo book (since the format does need to change):
This is what Design A looks like in a Clementine 12×12 photo book and then an 8×11 photo book.
{ TAKE NOTE }
Notice the focus is on large photos + journaling cards. Notice that you hardly even see any background in the square format. Remember that you can change the background pattern, the journaling cards, the photo size, etc. You can add embellishments if you’d like. You can remove photos or journaling cards. You can add them. You can re-size them. You can do pretty much anything you want. Or nothing at all.
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{ MY PERSONAL APPROACH TO PROJECT LIFE IN 2012 }
I am pleased to finally have a start on our 2012 Family Yearbook. I am pleased that “catching up” on the whole month of January is a cinch. I have chosen the Clementine Edition in the 8×11 size. I am highlighting one week per layout – not necessarily a picture-a-day, but just whatever I want to document each week. This is the first week in January.
{ DESIGN NOTES }
1. I left the layout pretty simple and straight-forward. This is the default background (neutral but very cool detail).
2. I added 3 embellishments – the tag at the top for labeling the week/dates, the stamp art on the left side, and the “document” art on the bottom right.
3. I omitted a journaling card and I also swapped out a journaling card.
4. I increased the size and customized the proportions of that large photo, taking the place of two smaller photos.
5. I changed the text color to orange on one of the cards just for fun.
6. I didn’t “have” to do anything beyond dropping in my pictures and adding my journaling. But doing these things literally took me all of 3 minutes.
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{ MY ADVICE }
Play. Play. Play. If you’ve never created a photo book in Shutterfly, just get in there and play. Look at your options. Upload a few photos. Mess around with the backgrounds and embellishments and Idea Pages. The best way to learn is to PLAY – honestly. I did this over the weekend and learned a lot just from looking, clicking around, moving things, and figuring it out as I go.
I promise you will become more + more comfortable with the process once you dig in. I personally love it. I am so excited to document my family’s life in 2012 with this format. It is so quick and really fun. Because I plan to sit down with Shutterfly just 20-30 minutes per week (in one sitting), I feel completely liberated about how easy this is process is, and how thoroughly our life can be documented with just little snippets here and there of our everyday life + our exciting moments + whatever we feel inclined to document.
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{ FINAL THOUGHTS }
Project Life is offered in 3 different ways because whatever works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you. And whatever works for you doesn’t necessarily work for your friend. And whatever works for your friends doesn’t necessarily work for her mother-in-law. You get the idea. I realize most of you are using the physical product – which is fantastic. I totally know that some of you are so not interested in large 12×12 albums, so the digital route is the way to go. Seriously – whatever floats your boat. Whatever helps you document your life the way you want to do it. Take your pick. : )
If you want to check out an entirely completed Project Life photo book, Deb Duty has been kind enough to share her Turquoise Edition family book from 2011 – HERE.
Tags: Project Life, shutterfly
I knew for sure what you were talking about as soon as I saw that headline. Thank you thank you thank you Becky…… I have started but may go back and change what I’ve done so far. That is the brilliance of photo books. Thank you Shutterfly too.
Yay!!! I’m so excited to have this layout option! Thank you, Becky!
I was so excited to see this title!! I did the 1st week of 2012, but I’ve been putting off the rest waiting for the Design A. Thanks so much!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So glad to see this as I started a book but wasn’t completely happy with the pages and wanted to use that format for other things. I love the original Project Life concept and am doing my best to take a picture a day and document some of the small/everyday stuff of life. I am SOOOOOOOO EXCITED to see this layout. Thanks so much. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend, completely catching up on January. Now I can do my journaling everyday in one place. I currently have a note pad open that I try and write in each day so I don’t forget what the focus of that day was. Thanks Becky and Shutterfly for responding so fast. You have one very excited customer today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is perfect for my square daily photos. I was having to do it custom each week and it was very time consuming.
bummed as I thought the A pages were avail…I am in a holding pattern till they show up….ughhhh I have the binder, the kit, but no pages…
Our physical Design A Photo Pocket Pages (and other plastics that are on the way) are expected to arrive on Amazon.com by mid-February. Just a couple weeks away now.
Oooooh, so excited to get started! Thank you, thank you to Becky and Shutterfly!
Hi Becky! I have made several photo books on Shutterfly, and I love them! I just wanted to give everybody the tip to make sure you save your changes often, because a few times I have lost some of my work when I forgot to save. I love these Project Life designs.
Wahooo! I can’t wait to share about this! I am so exited!! Totally tempted to go back through and redo my last four week lol. Thank you for making this happen Becky, you are a gem
I’m so excited about this! I plan to go back and do previous years using this method.
Are those new journaling cards found in the sticker section too? I don’t remember seeing those before. Those will be so nice to play aound with so that you don’t just have the same four journaling cards on each layout!
I am really happy to see this. I’ve created the first 4 weeks of my Project Life in Shutterfly so far and at first I didn’t know if I would like it but I’m starting to get the hang of it now. I do love these layouts and thank Shuttercal for adding them – yeah !!
But, I also like the pre-designed layouts too – I wasn’t sure about them at first but I like that I can add more photos to the week – I usually take a photo a day but sometimes I might have some special photos I want to add for the week so I have the flexibility to do that.
I still have some practicing to do but will be using a combo of Design A and other Shutterfly layouts. It is a lot of fun once you get in there and start playing around with it.
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but can’t find it on Shutterfly, when I searced project life it came up with nothing found….. I’m wanting to find the Clementine 8 x 11 can anyone please give me a direct link??? Thanks so much.
Rachel, here is a link to the 8×11 photobooks. Clementine is on the second row. Hopefully this helps!
http://www.shutterfly.com/custom-path/stylecatalog.sfly?fromLocation=lightbox&order=false&defaultBookTitle=My%20Photo%20Book&bookInitID=1327982306785&bookSize=8×11
I am happy to see the A Template. Not sure what I’m going to do for sure now. I bought all of the Cobalt Edition from Jessica Sprague and am using Template D to create my full 12X12 pages. (Template D is just Template A turned on it’s side.) Then I planned to use it in Shutterfly in one of their full page templates. But two things I’m wondering . . . .
(1) Can you rotate Shutterfly’s Template A so that you can use it with vertical pictures and the horizontal journal cards? (Like Template D.)
And (2) Can you drag and drop the Cobalt journal cards into the Shutterfly spaces like you would a photo? In that way – create a Cobalt book in Shutterfly.
I guess if not I’ll just continue as I am. But thank you Becky and Shutterfly!!
Woohoo! Loved hearing the exciting news and seeing your layout! So excited to get started. I’ve got my photos ready and now a reminder from you! Sadly, my kids have strep throat. Happily, that got me the day off. They have a comfy sofa, popsicles, and DVDs to watch. Is it wrong to be just a little pleased about the situation??
yipee!! just opened my PL book in shutterfly and checked out all of the new stuff. I am doing the Clementine 12×12, but I have also imported the turqoise page ideas, embellishments, etc. as they compliment one another some. I love the clementine journaling cards, so excited to see them!!
Horray! I can finally get started! I was getting a little nervous that I would start to forget some of my journaling if it took much longer. Thank you for listening. Any word about adding Cobalt to Shutterfly?? Just thought I’d ask!
I have done a couple of subject focus digital books in the past. I really debated what to do for this year. I have tons of embellishments and stickers that I like being able to use on the physical product. I like physically doing something with my pictures. So for me the physical product won this year. But I love the compact size of digital books. You can have MANY on a book shelf! I also love that shutterfly has your book saved so that if something happened (I think fire) you could buy another copy of the book(s) you already made. Does anyone know how long shutterfly actually keeps your book on file?
Thanks!
This is GOOD news, Becky! I love design A! I’ve not been ready to take the digital plunge, but want to now. Do you know if there is an easy way to transfer photos from Picasa to Shutterfly? This will be the ONLY thing that keeps me from going PL digital – I don’t want to have to download all my pics and then re-upload them – that would be too much work. Help!
Fabby news Becky! How awesome that Shutterfly responded so quickly too; I am loving using the physical kit this year, but for sure will make some of these adorable photo books for past years. Just wanted to say that Clementine is my all time fav, it makes me happy every time I look at my book! Thanks so much for everything you guys do!
As soon as I saw Design A on Shutterfly – I felt like SCREAMING……………..I am so excited!!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Shutterfly! I’ve been waiting for this update
))))))
Yes!!! lol
Becky, you are a rockstar!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I love how you are always listening to feedback and then you deliver. A beautiful rarity these days.
Becky, what size font do you most often use on a 8.5 x 11 page? I know it might differ depending on which font you choose.
Becky, do you have any tips for how to easily swap styles of the journaling cards in the new design A layout in Shutterfly? (8×11). I played around with this tonight, but couldn’t get it to work. I just don’t want my cards to be in the exact same place on every single page… Unless, perhaps, there was a pre-designed page of the plain grid cards… I cold live with that! Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Thanks again for making this happen!
Jennifer,
Go to the page you want to switch cards and select CUSTOMIZE PAGE from the bottom left side. You must be in Customize Page to make changes. Once in Customize Page you can change journal cards, change the layout, resize items. Remember to always save as you go along even if its minor changes. It will SAVE you frustration. Hope this helps.
I began playing this week with the Shutterfly option of Project Life. This is my first time attempting this style of scrapbooking. I have to admit, at first I wanted to do only the binder with the journaling cards, however after reading today’s post and seeing that I do not have the “core” supplies yet, I thought I would dive into the digital. After about a half hour of “playing” I have half of January finished. As, a full-time mom, wife, and professional educator, I am very busy, and I can already see how this method may just be the most productive and “hassle-free” for me. Thanks , Becky and Shutterfly for such a great opportunity!
Yep! I knew too. I am LOVING the Shutterfly book as is, but more options is always more better!!!
Thanks a million Becky & Shuttefly!!!
I love Shutterfly and have used them for years to make photo books. This time I have decided to do a year book for 2011. I have all my pictures saved there and plan to use Project Life for my 2011 yearbook. I can add more (lots more) pages right? You mentioned 20 pages. Thanks.
Becky,
I don’t see any sort of tag in the digital Turquoise kit to put the week and dates on like you did on your sample layout using the Clementine Kit. Am I missing it? That’s kind of a big deal to me, I’d like to label the weeks the same easy way on each page, if there isn’t one can we get one? I know there is a tab embellishment but that one is blue and blends into some of the backgrounds. Thanks.
Go to the Embellishments section on your Right Hand Side. Select Get more Stickers on the bottom. Select Categories. Select Organizers and a bunch of tags and other assorted goodies wil appear. Choose whatever you like an dthen click on the Add To Project and it will then be in your Selection Bar for you to choose at anytime you like. Hope this helps.
Becky LOVING the SHUTTERFLY option. I did the paper version for 2011 and loved it BUT had two very very full binders and not alot of storage options. Plus this year we are doing a home remodel so space is limited. Decided Shutterfly is my best bet for a quick and easy but beautiful book. So far I am enjoying it very much. THANK you for providing this option for us Project Lifers!
[...] In fact, I will be honest and tell you I have done one layout in 2012 so far (you can see that HERE) and … that is all so far. The idea of “catching up” on the last 4 weeks might [...]
I am pleased to see this Design A option – thank you! I did my first digital Project Life scrapbook for 2010 on Ziblio and loved how it turned out. Last year I did books for both 2008 and 2011 to start to get “caught up.” I’m hoping to tackle two years again this year on Shutterfly. I loved the simple layout on Ziblio and am happy you were able to add something like that to Shutterfly. Looking forward to starting January this weekend.
I can’t find Design A when I set up my Clementine 8×11 book. Where is it???
[...] You may remember that we added a Design A style layout to the idea pages in the Clementine and Turquoise Editions shortly after those were released last [...]