In light of sharing an abundant amount of Project Life inspiration this week, today I want to broadcast a very important reminder:
PROJECT LIFE IS DESIGNED TO SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS OF DOCUMENTING LIFE.
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I know, I know, I know. I’m the one sharing a smorgasboard of examples and blog posts that have an abundant amount of inspiration. I am fully aware that this can be overwhelming for some of you – especially if you’re just getting started. All of that sharing is mostly going to appeal to those who have the itch to get creative. I will continue to share creative ideas because you are a large part of my audience.
But … this post is for those of you who really do want to keep things simple. This is for the newbie. The brand-new-to-scrapbooking. The first-timer. The busy + tired. This is for those of you who want to throw in the towel because scrapbooking is just “too much”. This is for your friend/cousin/sister-in-law who doesn’t think she’s cut out for scrapbooking.
Project Life truly is a back-to-basics approach to scrapbooking. Pictures + words. That’s it. Slip it all into pockets and add title cards that are already designed for you. Don’t think about layout design. Don’t think about cutting and pasting anything. SIMPLIFY. Get it done.
I want to share a blog post with you, written by someone who stumbled upon the hobby of scrapbooking, totally loved it, and then found herself totally doing nothing because of how overwhelmed she felt by what everyone else was doing. I really do think many of you will greatly appreciate her words and relate to her experience. This is by Nathalie: Eyes on your own paper, ya’ll.
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My inspiration sharing for today is on the other end of the spectrum from what I’ve been sharing this week. You don’t have to go crazy customizing your Project Life album, because you know what? Your pictures and your words are custom and personal to your story.
Instead of showing you loads of ideas for creative ways you can use Project Life, I am so very pleased to share with you a complete album that was used in the most basic way.
Emily Straw used Project Life to document her family in 2011 – quickly, easily, simply. This is her email:
Hello, Becky! I have to say that I am so, so happy with my Project Life kit from 2011. I finished at 3am on New Year’s Day, in a tradition I decided to start by finishing my album on New Year’s Eve. This is the first year I used your kit and I love it so very much. I am not very eloquent with words, but I wanted to share my finished product with you because you have really helped our family keep our memories from this year safe and special. Thank you for designing such a wonderful system!
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A very special thank-you to Emily for sharing. I know her simple approach to Project Life will inspire many. As a reminder, the very basics are: Binder + Core Kit + Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages (which are currently sold out but you can pick up some 12-packs or wait until the 60-packs are back in stock in February). Also note: Emily used the Turquoise Core Kit, but that just sold out as well. We still have Amber, Cobalt, and Clementine in stock. All Project Life products are shown here.
Project Life is about your life. Keep it simple, add a little flair, or get fully creative with it. The beautiful thing is – it’s your choice.
Just dying to hear from you about digital PL:) With it already being January 5th, I think there are many of us anxious to get guidance from you on how to proceed with doing PL picture a day on Shutterfly. I feel like I’m already behind on the New Year and was really hoping today’s post would be in response to so many of our questions asked yesterday. It seems like every blog is talking about PL, but it is all the paper version. Crossing my fingers tomorrow’s post is about digital, so that I can get caught up this weekend. Thanks Becky!
I’m excited you want to try Shutterfly Wendy. There is a lot of work involved in pulling together a comprehensive FAQ post about Shutterfly. Not because it’s complicated, but because there is coordination that needs to happen between me and the folks at Shutterfly, so that I can be sure we’re answering everyone’s questions accurately. I’m hoping that the big Shutterfly post will be Monday. Thanks for your patience.
If you are doing the picture-a-day approach, just be sure you’re taking your daily pictures and even if that’s all you do this first week, you’ll be able to get right on track next week. : )
Thanks so much for this post! It reminds me I can do this in the most simplest form and it will be awesome!
When will the Design A photo pocket pages be available again. This will be my 4th PL book! I am addicted
February.
If anyone is wondering when any sold-out items will return, those dates (months) are always listed with the respective product on our PRODUCTS page.
If a product says “currently unavailable” that’s because it hasn’t been re-ordered YET and the date is unknown at this time.
Becky,
Thank you for sharing Project Life at it’s core. I am a purest, not much other than photos and journalling go into my album and I LOVE IT. My family LOVE IT! I don’t even stick to the Picture Of The Day. It is just what ever is on my camera, print, journal in my album.
*POOF* no more stress.
Thank you for such an awesome product. I can’t wait to start filling my album in a few weeks when things have slowed down just a wee bit
Tammy, I’m like you (and Emily) when it comes to even my own Project Life. I don’t use it as a creative outlet. I use it to document life in its simplest form. That’s the stage of life that I’m in right now. “Creative” scrapbooking is taking a break in my little world right now and it’s a very liberating feeling. : )
This is my first year using Project Life and I plan to keep it very simple, although I love looking at all the other creative inspiration out there too. I’m not going to stress about trying to do any more than the basics. And her book still looks super cute!
This is EXACTLY how I do it…simple! I love all the creative ideas, but I’d rather have a finished album at the end of the year than make it super creative. I just posted my tips for keeping it simple for me on my blog today { http://bit.ly/ysDEnf }! I feel much more proud of the Project Life albums I’ve done the last two years than I do about the scrapbook pages I use to spend time on and never finish anything!
I’m so glad you posted this. I was starting to get very overwhelmed by everyone’s over achievements that I thought maybe I won’t succeed in achieving my goal of creating a yearbook this year. Your post about making it simple allowed me to refocus and now it doesn’t seem so impossible. I was really hoping to accomplish my goal digitally but I’m nervous about committing to Shutterfly after all the negative comments. I assumed it was going to a duplicate of the basic project life in digital form but that doesn’t sound like the case. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the response to the Shutterfly concerns.
That’s why I stopped loving traditional scrapbooking – the comparisons to others pages who were printed in magazines and lauded and then not feeling good enough about your own…crazy I know to think about such things! But many of us do, so it’s nice to see the range of Project Life stuff, the more involved to the clean and simple.
Keep sharing these simple ones! All the extra and added stuff is why I got out of traditional scrapbooking in the first place – it was just too much and took too much time. And I’m not sure my family would better appreciate the traditional layouts more than having a simple, documented span of our life, so that’s another reason I stopped – they don’t and won’t care about the “prodcut” I used on a page or the time I spent finding just the right layout/design scheme. That’s what I love about PL! I don’t have to think or worry about that at all and I’ll still have something memorable to look at. For the millionth time – - thank you!!
I just wanted to say that I LOVE the music Emily used in her video! So fun!
Becky, I am creating a physical Project Life album for myself, and I’m also making a digital album which I will be able to print for my 4 children. Not having done a digital version before, I am finding it difficult to add text. Do you have any pointers?
Working on a big blog post dedicated to the Shutterfly (digital photo book) option of Project Life. Look for that early next week.
Becky,
As others have said, THANK YOU for your product. I started late mid-year this last year and I have tried to write something for a few days every week. I haven’t printed out all my pictures for the end of the year, but have journaled what I could so I know where to put them.
I used to do HUGE scrapbooks with stickers and layouts and everything, I stopped 7 years ago when I had my daughter. The mess was too great, the amount of supplies I owned were overwhelming, and evenings of “scrapping all night” never came again. Your system is a cross between the old picture only scrapbooks of my childhood and the prettiness of the scrapbooks I used to make.
I feel like every comment I write or picture I post is one I would not have done before, and with this in mind I try to keep the pressure off myself even when I miss a day/week/major event. It’s hard to change that mindset of going for “perfection”, but I try.
Thanks for this post, and your products!
Wendy
That’s why I have picked it up this year…sweet and wimple so I get it done. Thanks for the post.
aren’t the 12 packs of photo pocket pages sold out too? Maybe that happened since you posted, dunno.
The 12-packs of Design A + Design D have sold out, yes. But most of the designs are still available.
Did not mention which dividers she used … are they the scrapbook dividers you have listed but sold out or a different divider?
Thanks in advance!!
Those dividers were the ones that came with the “old” kit that we no longer offer. Now our Scrapbook Dividers are neutral and simple and clean. I do know that lots of people would love us to bring back the designer ones, specific to each Project Life edition, and we are considering that.
I’m a newbie to PL, but was completely drawn into how easy it should be. I bought two core kits – the cobalt and the clementine. I love documenting the everyday, ordinary stuff of our lives. I refuse to be overwhelmed and will employ the “KIS” method – Keep It Simple! I’ve purged quite a bit of my scrapbook stash and donated it to the elementary school. My desk has been liberated from the clutter, set up with my album and PL kits, and a smooth writing uniball pen – YAY! So happy and so grateful for such an amazingly simple way to document life. Thank you Becky!
Yay! That is exactly what I did! I kept it simple and hand wrote all of the documentation. Added a flair here and there and Wella! A full year of documentation of my family for 20111. K.I.S.S. Keep it Simple Simple!
I started PL last year, enthused by all the examples I had seen and the idea of scrapbooking. It was winter and there was very little going on in my life. I spent most of my time at home, out of the cold, snow and ice. I am a widow with family thousands of miles away. I am an early retiree, my friends are all working and still have children at home. I was feeling pretty low. I was discouraged that I didn’t have much to put in my book. I stopped. Then last fall, life picked up and I did some single event scrapbook pages. I got interested in photography of places and things, not people. I started looking at my life in a totally different way. I stopped feeling down because my life wasn’t interesting as defined by others. This year I have started a new PL. I am including things that appeal to me, a few photos, cartoons and newspaper clippings, a bit of journalling, just enough to give the flavor of my life. I stopped comparing myself to what everyone else was doing. I am happy with my monthly approach. I will just add things when they appeal for however many pages that takes and then start a new month when the time comes. Very loose, but accurately portraying where I am in my life this year. I am feeling at peace with this approach and know that I will be able to continue throughout the year. Some months will be busier than others, but that’s my life. Thank you Becky for this product and for the philosophy behind it. I am enjoying it now that I am not comparing and putting pressure on myself with unrealistic expectations. Again, heartfelt thanks.
Sue,
I love your approach. Trust me, one day you will look back and be so happy that you took the time to document your life at this particular time. I have done PL through some difficult times and I am always proud of myself for taking the time to appreciate and recognize my life, no matter how difficult it might seem at the time.
Thank you so much for this post Becky, it has come at the perfect time. After wanting to do PL last year, and putting it off all year until it was “too late”, I bought the Clementine kit for this year, but was about to give up on PL before I had even started. I’ve been so overwhelmed with all the inspiration out there on the web, I couldn’t get my head around how to start/set up my own PL system/station etc. I had gotten totally bogged down with the details of what other (super talented) people are doing. Now I don’t feel so guilty about just making our family’s album simple, just photos and journalling on the cute little cards that come with the core kit, maybe add in some bits and pieces here and there. Thank you again.
PS – if I could put my 2 cents worth in about a future product – I too would love to also have the “decorated” dividers that match each theme
If you are apprehensive about PL–don’t be….just start it. i have done it for 4 years now and it has changed the stress level of scrapbooking. I keep my PL album out and work on it when I can. Some weeks that means a little each week. But some weeks turn in to a month and then I do catch up. I really try not to let it get past a week or two for the most part. I keep all my stubs and stuff in a pocket, so I am ready to get started (I now use Becky’s pocket pages to store this “stuff: I print my pictures out at home which makes it super easy. Some weeks when I have time, I get creative and add lots. Other weeks, I stick my photos and journaling in and move on. Some weeks I type my journaling other weeks I handwrite it. I allow myself this freedom to keep it simple and JUST DO IT. Seriously, some weeks look great -lots of pictures and creative embellishing and other weeks are not as great and may have “just enough” to complete it. And hey thats life.
My husband and 2 boys will occasionally look through the book with me. I find they are more interested in this type of scrapbook. This book contains the great vacation photos, holidays and concerts. But also has my favorite stuff, food photos, quotes, photos of our dog, etc. Some are funny. We have moved in the past few years so even looking back at our homes in PL albums has been great. so I make sure to take home/decor photos.
There is now alot of inspiration out there –just start doing it…once you get organized and find your system you will find it isnt overwhelming and doesn’t have to be elaborate. I feel less stress now about documenting our life then when I use to do much more creative 2 page misc. layouts……promise:)
Becky,
Thank you very much for this post. I am a very simple Project Lifer but began to wonder why I wasn’t trying to be super duper creative with it all, especially after seeing so many examples of how people are approaching it. Thank you for addressing these concerns and for sharing the past two posts! Very inspiring and I’ll keep on my super simple path!
Thanks for everything you’ve done!
Kate
Thank you for sharing Nathalie’s post on her blog. The whole post was excellent but these words leaped off the page at me: “I realized there has got to be a better way to live this one, short, precious life than by going around counting the ways I suck.” I’m going to post them on the wall of my craft room to remind myself not to put down myself or compare my work to others’. My work is good because it’s mine!
I love that thought too. How true. Lesson learned. I, too am going to post that on my wall.
First of all, thank you Becky for featuring my book today! And great job to Nathalie, beautiful post! I want to point out how incredibly SIMPLE AND EASY this project is. I noted in the email that I finished it on New Year’s Eve. What I didn’t mention was that I did all of the pages from after the birth of my 2nd daughter to the end of the year IN ONE DAY. That’s 4 1/2 months of scrapbooking done in one shot! I used to take hours or even days to get a single layout done, and now I have a whole year done with some of the biggest changes made in our family. Don’t worry about taking a photo a day, I certainly didn’t! Thank you to everyone for your kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed it
Blessings!
The BEST part of this post, Becky (and Emily!) is this: Emily didn’t worry about putting a picture in every pocket, a journaling card in every journaling pocket, or putting a vertical picture in the slot sideways!
I will be finishing 2011 this weekend, and starting 2012 when my supplies arrive. It was my first PL year. I felt guilty for a short time, thinking I had to put only ONE place card in the journaling spots, that I couldn’t put more than one in on a slow week… Eventually I got over that, but all the comments about being intimidated by the creativity out there? Boy, did that sound familiar!
I wanted to add the following to my post earlier. My mother passed this past July. When my boys went back to school in Sept I pulled out my PL album. I hadn’t touched it in almost 2 months!! I didn’t have alot of photos and I certainly didnt have much to say journaling wise. I put a tribute to my mom in photos and journaling for the week she passed….but wasnt sure how i would fill in almost 7 weeks. A couple of things, I realized I had photos on my phone —a nice surprise. Also, I had to get creative. So I walked around our town and took lots of photos of the cute downtown–architecture, shops, awnings, street views etc. When we went to the park bike riding, I took some photos I would not normally take–the lake, duck pond, etc. I went out to my garden and took photos of flowers and garden. Around the house, I took photographs of my sons current likes -sneakers/food etc. Basically, I “fudged” it by adding these type of photos to fill in those weeks with the few daily shots I did take. And you know what …its just fine, I almost treasure some of the unique shots/photos/pages I had to make of everyday life. So even if you find you missed a certain part …you can always go back and show your everday life……Sometimes its a picture a day, sometimes its a several pictures of one event, occasionally its a few photos months later.
I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one “fudging a few weeks”. I am doing a Project Life album for our first year of marriage. What with starting a new job- two new jobs actually and everything else going on in our house, i have fallen behind and there are empty spots in our album. I was thinking of doing the same thing- taking shots of of the everyday things that are often overlooked-they too need to be included because most certainly they are parts of our daily lives. In the end it does not matter the photos are from weeks or months later.
Becky,
I love PL. I am behind in my pictures since 2009. So last year I put all 2009 pics in a PL album, but I didn’t do anything else. Now I have gone back thru them and documented on the cards. I had done a few double page lo’s for 2009, that I put in the PL album in chronological order. I love that I can still do traditional layouts for special occasions if I want to. I too, was like Nathalie. Didn’t scrapbook fancy (just wasn’t me, but I somehow thought this is what it had to be to be “good”) and so I became stuck and farther and farther behind. I must tell you that now that I do some traditional layouts in the PL album, I am doing them how I like them, not all embellished using 5 different patterned papers etc! I am actually enjoying doing these layouts and not being under that pressure! Why do we as humans turn something into what it doesn’t need to be? So glad for PL. I am convinced my family is not concerned about the stuff on the page as much as they are the pictures themselves. If they are in a box and nothing is ever done with them, then nobody can enjoy them. So glad my family is going to be enjoying looking at the things we have done and remembering all we do!
Molly
amazing! such an inspiration! love the simplicity!
Becky, can you tell me if the pocket pages (A) will again be available on Amazon UK? In France, we do not find these pockets but I want so much to the project! Help me !!!!!!!!!!!
I’m excited to start Project Life this year. Anxiously awaiting new stock of Design A pocket pages. Are the date stamps available that were included in the kits last year?
Erikka, I have one going spare if you want it and can mail it to you if you’re in the US. Message me at park@sbfund.com with your details and will mail it next week. : )
Thanks for posting this, Becky.
I began scrapbooking 10 years ago when my middle son was only weeks old. It was an outlet I enjoyed that allowed me to “escape” my life as a firefighter’s wife and mom to 3 (at the time) very small children. I never thought of myself as creative, but soon became the scrapbooker my friends turned to for inspiration. While my ego blew up, so did the demands I placed on myself. It had to be the best and if it wasn’t, I wasn’t happy with the layout. Several years ago, when my youngest (turning 8 next week) was a toddler/preschooler, I went to a weekend crop in NH. I worked and worked on layouts always thinking about the contest they were having. My pages were wonderful, but extremely complex. During the judging, we were looking at all of the entries. I was admiring a very lovely, but simple, layout hung just below mine. Several women were standing next to me. They were joking around with one another and chuckling, They were making extremely snide comments about a layout…my layout. I was devastated. I got rid of every ounce of scrap booking material I own after that. I have not done a layout since that day 5 years ago.
Without going into detail, the meaning behind what those women were saying was that my layout, as complex as it was, lost the story. It had wonderful design elements and all the latest & greatest embellishments, but it lacked in the “telling a story” department. It was far too complex to decipher.
I ordered your Project Life today. I am very excited to begin it. I hope it brings me back to what I loved so much! I promise to keep it simple!!
Colleen
Colleen,
I’m so sorry that happened to you. It may not have been what they were looking for but it was still rude of them to talk about it out loud and hurt your feelings. It’s sad that you quit scrapping because of this too, all those memories not written down.
A similar thing happened to me and I quit scrapping but I missed it to much and started again. When I discovered all the latest and newest trends and tried to keep up with them that just made my albums feel fake and not for me. Thankfully I worked past that and most of the time I am confident in my pages and telling stories my way.
I have done PL for three years now and LOVE LOVE it. I kept it simple and in 2011 changed it up a little but still pretty simple. I’m sooo happy you are giving this a try and you will love it. It’s the perfect solution for us scrappers. A place to tell your family story!! Have fun with it!!
Thanks Dawn. I am looking forward to it.
Colleen – I’m so glad you did! Sometimes we mock the talents of others to boost our deflated egos … so can I respectfully suggest that you keep it simple ONLY if you like it simple? If you like to get your glitter on, this is your one, short life – live it your way – if your pages are intricate and you truly enjoy that, so be it. I am inspired by the work of others when I am content with mine. Looking forward to hearing more about your journey back
– Nathalie
Thanks Nathalie!
I adore all the inspiring pages out there, but I kept my PL ’11 simple with no additional adornment. Why? Because that’s what allowed me to keep going and actually finish it! I’m writing my journaling cards for Week 52, with a great sense of accomplishment. Thanks for highlighting the original vision for Project Life.
Becky – I can’t begin to express what a fun day it’s been between the barfing of one kid, incessant snot-sucking for the other and a run-way/rolled in poop dog to have the delightful experience of having something meaningful to me shared with this community of awesome (mostly) women. When my kiddos – please God – are asleep tonight I look forward to responding to more comments and watching your lovely video Emily! Bedtime can’t get here soon enough!
Becky,
I’m so happy your posted this, was hoping you would soon. I’ve been doing PL for 3 years and I’m even surprised and a little overwhelmed by all the attention it’s getting this year. I can see why others are backing out of doing one this year, it seems more blogs are posting their fancy way of doing PL, using all kinds of embellishments. This is so cool and I love seeing them but worry what it is doing to the newer followers and the ones who did jump on board this year.
Please please post more of these albums and emails showing others doing it the simple way. Just photos and writing. I hope any of you reading this and are rethinking it please BUY IT , JOIN THE FUN, this is way to cool of an album not to give it a try. Just keep it simple and have fun and NO STRESS!! Mine is simple and I love love it.
Thanks Becky!
I loved watching this video!~ I am new to PL and it is so inspiring to see a full album, to watch the change in seasons and the children grow. My favorite part was seeing her growing belly and then actually get to meet the baby! These are priceless memories and I am SO glad I took the plunge
Hi Becky!
Thank you for showing us the simple way of doing Project Life. I too love scrapbooking but feel totally overwhelmed with everything (all the creative choices etc)….I really love the creative way to do PL, but I totally, completely and 100% fall into the category of ‘busy & tired’….I started one in 2011, and my goal is to complete it within the beginning of the year while staying current with 2012. I just ordered my 2012 stuff today!!! Yippee!!!
I am doing our family books using the PL supplies, but while I do an event/week/thing in our family book, I am taking other pics from that set of pics and putting some into each of my 3 kids books…so dealing with the pics only once and getting 4 books accomplished at the same time!!!! I am using Clementine for 2012, and using my stash of printed papers in place of a core kit for the kids books – love that I am using what I have on hand. Down the road as I need it I will order some core kits for the kids books.
I am also choosing not to be stressed about whether or not I am doing a pic/day, or layout/week or a layout/month. If I have enough pics for a pic/day that is great, but if I only have enough for 1 or 2 layouts/month, that that is great too. I am excited to get my photos into my albums!!! Some months will have lots of pics and some will have only a few!!! The point is that I am letting go of the expectation of having a pic/day, and I am choosing to be happy and rejoice in what I am able to do and what works for me!!!! Thanks for being part of that process in helping me to let go. : )
I really like it that you have posted both the simple approach and the more creative approach, as I send my friends here to your blog, who also feel like they will ‘never catch up’, I love that you have both approaches featured here – then everyone can decide what suits them, their family and their lifestyle.
Thanks for helping all of us overwhelmed, busy & tired people to simplify and be successful with our memory books!
Sincerely,
Marcia Froese
P.S. Oh and I need to add that while I am using some of my older printed papers for accents in my kids 2011 books, I also have the blank PL journaling cards to use as well… just had to add that, I am excited about getting my products….and also for my pics to arrive, I ordered a bunch this week too. : ))
I so love this post. That is EXACTLY why PL works for me. I don’t have to stress over designing anything. Becky has done it all for us. And now an even simpler idea. I was always trying to make a vertical picture fit for into a horizontal pocket. Emily,s sideways pictures look absolutely fine. I am going digital for the second time this year and hope Becky’s FAQs next week brings good news about making this book more like last year’s. If not, I’ll figure something out. PL saves hundreds of hours of work and stress trying to make the “perfect” page in my other books. I cab’t quite give it all up because I have enough product for 10 lifetimes! But a Super Simple PL has become my first love.
I was wondering if there is anyone who has used the PL to catchup with photos from years ago . My family is grown and out on their own but I am interested in pulling the old pictures out of the albums and into the PL binders and kit. I have the Clementine and Turuoise kits and wanted to start until I saw all the fancy PL stuff and was overwhelmed and set them aside.
I am behind in my pictures and just started going back to those years and putting them in PL binders. I put the pictures in and journal what I remember on the little cards. LOVE IT! I also have some traditional scrapbook pages done for some of those years, and I just put them in the binder in chronological order. I don’t worry about a picture a day or even all the pictures from a week in a layout. I just put the pics in the album chronologically and write about them. Hope this helps! Please use your kits. You will be so glad you did! There will always be those who delve into creativity and that is great for them, but doesn’t mean that everyone has to do what they do. Follow the example in Emily’s video and just get your pictures in a book and write your story!
Thanks for the encouragement Molly!
Yes! I am in the process of doing this as well.
I pulled out all of our photo albums pre-kids, and bought a few We R Memory Keepers, with Becky Higgins page protectors and using the new grid design journaling cards.
It isn’t anything fancy, as I simply don’t have the time.
Because I am going to have quite few years worth going into these albums (1998-2006), what I am doing is taking this: http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2011/12/project-life-the-title-page/cz_projectlife6x12titlepageblank-psd/
From Beckys Title Page post here: http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2011/12/project-life-the-title-page/
I have downloaded the PSD file, and I am using where lastname goes, as the event. And underneath where PROJECT LIFE is written, I am using this for the year.
When the year changes, I will slip in one of these into an 8X12″ page protector.
Again – the albums are not going to be anything spectacular. However they will be actually looked at now instead of hidden at the bottom of the cupboard.
Goodluck on your catch up!
Diane
Hi Sonu,
Yes, I agree with Molly, please use your kits and put your pics into the albums!!! Don’t worry about the creative stuff if that isn’t your thing….just put the pics in and write about your family and your life!!! I know you will be so happy that you did it. I have Jan 2011 of this past year completed, and that is exciting for me. I look forward to completing my 2011 as I work on my 2012 book…and you know what? I have years to go back and complete, but at my own speed and as I am able to do it, in my own way and my own timing.
Have fun!!!
I don’t know that my comments are appropriate for this post; however, I just want to say … after a couple years, I’ve finally figured out what works for me. The key thing is to journal. Journal. Journal. You can always fill the photos in later. Or newspaper articles of what happened on that particular day in your life. Or whatever. I am thrilled to figure this out after such a l-o-n-g time (well, it seems like forever to me!). Now, I can go forward!! Thank you SO MUCH!!
My hubby bought me the binder and the core kit for our anniversary next week, but I am super frustrated that I can’t get any of the A or D page protectors because I am SO excited to get started. I used to be an avid scrapbooker but fell off the wagon some when life got hectic as I started homeschooling my 2 boys. When I saw Ali Edwards doing this on her blog I KNEW this was what I needed to make it manageable for me. I am taking pictures and saving bits here and there…and watching Amazon every day until the page protectors are available again!!!!!
Becky:
I did project life from two years ago (I think it was your first one). I have just now received the Clementine Edition. I’m waiting on the page protectors (Style A) but in the meantime, I went to use the pages from the original edition and noticed that the Journaling cards in the Clementine box are slightly larger than the ones I’ve been using. Were they increased in size slightly or am I losing my mind? Will the new page protectors fit these slightly larger journaling cards?
I just compared the two – and you are right! The new Journaling cards are both a little bit wider and taller. However, in saying that – they fit in the page protectors perfectly still. So not to worry.
I believe Becky mentioned on her blog awhile back that the new cards are slightly larger. I also think the new protectors may have slightly larger pockets as well. Either way, the new core kits fit the new protectors.
Thanks, guys!! You were super helpful. Now hopefully the new page protectors come back into stock soon! I don’t want to get too far behind. I just looked over my last project life and it made me cry because what it essentially does is show you all the blessings that are found in those little moments.
I’ve been following your blog for a while now but just barely jumped on the Project Life wagon. I am so excited to get started. I received my Clementine package at 7:00 pm tonight. Tomorrow will be spent organizing my book and as soon as the Design A page protectors come out, will be ordering those. Thank you!
Thanks for this Becky…a reminder that simple is still beautiful. Loved seeing Emily’s album and knowing that mine will look that great when finished!
HI Becky I am from Australia & of course it is harder to get things here & it is usually cheaper to get it sent direct from the states. I want to get the type A protector pockets, is there any anywhere??? I can get it shipped to a US address as I have a sister there.
thanks
Melanie.
Thank you so much for this wonderful post. I am new to PL and I am so excited about it. I am going to spend this weekend organizing my first book! I wanted to ask you what you do with all of your extra pictures that you take. I have four small children and I am constantly taking pictures- probably too many! It is hard to just choose one! Thanks for your help! Kimberly
I have just put the finishing touches to my PL 2011 and feel well pleased with myself, yay! However, I did the paper version and found it quite time consuming so this year I am going for a digital version keeping it simple and using the templates available from Jessica Sprague. I want to get it printed as a photobook but I live in the UK so don’t think I would be uploading it to Shutterfly? I am confused about where I can get this done….(ha ha, already thinking of the end product). Has anyone got any suggestions and an idea of costs
Snapfish sells photobooks in the UK and they are ALWAYS having a sale. They are available here: https://www3.snapfish.co.uk/snapfishuk/fe/photo-books/rampup . Hope that helps a fellow UK PL-er!
Hi Meg, thanks for your reply. I had looked at Snapfish but couldn’t find the 12×12 books, doh, so thanks for the link.
I’m very new to digital scrapbooking and wonder if you could explain something for me: If i design a layout using the digital template and digital elements do I then upload it to the photobook as if it’s just one big photo?
Thanks for any help you can give me,
Sue
jennifer olson said
i got the new clemetine and the cobalt to my project life
becky wont are you going to do for project life 2013
and are you going to make more photo pocket for project life soon
i have been working on my project life
can you come up with spme new photo pocket pages for project life
A question about simplifying the digital version of Project Life…
I am drawn to the digital version because it won’t take up as much space when printed – I did the original PL in 2009 and my binder is huge!
But I’m a little disappointed in the number of pre-designed pages available on Shutterfly – about 20.
If I want to do a 2-page spread each week that’s 100+ pages.
The reason I am turning to PL rather than scrapbooking is to simplify… but if I now have to design all of the pages myself, that’s no longer simplified… now I need to invest time into design work again…
Will there by chance be more page designs coming??
My Sweet Hubby gave me my first project life “kit” for Christmas (I’ve been using digital PL). I’m so excited, but now that I’m getting started I’m wondering if you can recommend a pen–it’s been SO LONG since I did “traditional” scrapbooking that I don’t even know where to start with pens….a little advice please…
Thanks!
OK, why did I not even THINK about putting portrait pictures in the landscape slots? Duh, maybe I can finish a few pages instead of getting stuck with trying to figure out what to do (reprint as landscape or use a different style page). An Ah-Ha! moment!
Dear Becky,
I discovered Project Life concept through Ali Edwards’ blog, then I came here and I must say that I really love what you’ve created. However, I’m a bit frustrated as I saw that Amazon.com did not ship in Europe (I’m French) and I heard that the core kits and page protectors would onlly be available in April on Amazon UK. Is that true or can I hope to be able to buy it sooner?
I thank you very much in advance for your reply.
This is my first year doing PL and I just received my core kit in the mail today. Today’s post was perfect timing for me as I was worried I would get overwhelmed before I even started. Emily’s album is fantastic, and it embodies the one thing about all of the PL albums I love, and that is the everyday normal stuff. I can’t wait to start to fill mine up with my family’s memories – I am really looking forward to this project.
A year ago I purchased your turquoise edition PL on Amazon. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive. The minute it came I put all the cards in their proper place. I had good intentions to start putting pictures in it but then never got around to it. It just sat there in my craft room. For a year. I had decided to completely quit scrapbooking because I couldn’t even manage to find the time for something as simple as project life. Then something amazing happened. 2 days ago I decided to take a look at PL on shutterfly. In just ONE DAY I had an ENTIRE YEAR scrapbooked!!! I still can’t believe it. I’ve told all my friends and family on facebook to give it try. Thank you so much for making scrapbooking simple and fun again!
Emily, thank you so much for posting this video!! you have made me feel completely validated by your super simple approach. i enjoy the inspiration of all the creative people out there in scrapbook land, but it is wonderful to see others take the less “fancy” road!! Thanks again for helping me feel better about my approach.
To change a quote i have seen “Only God is perfect, our scrapbooks don’t have to be.”
I did Project Life (Amber) pure and simple last year and LOVED it. I have my Turquoise kit and am ready to start my 2012 album now. The thing that I love most about doing it simply is the feeling of accomplishment I get each week as I see my album growing. Also looking at my now complete 2011 album and thinking how many more memories I was able to capture using this system than I could have ever done with my traditional artistic scrapbooking style. I still scrapbook that way, but it is purely as a creative outlet now, as my need to document life has been fulfilled through Project Life. Thanks Becky!!
I’m so happy to see this post! The thing that attracted me to PL was the simplicity of it all. I was excited to order a kit that included all of the components to make scrapbooking do-able again. I’m always excited to see the new kits that come out each year and to pick one that suits me. I get creative just arranging the kit components in my own way. I also find that adding ephemera to my PL album also gives it it’s own original look. Photos and stories are what matter the most to me. There was a time when I just collected scrapbook stuff in hopes of getting some albums completed. That’s not the case with PL. Last year was my first year doing PL. I set up my album in January and then printed and inserted photos throughout the year. With the exception of some journaling that still needs to be completed, my PL album is done. Even if I didn’t get the rest of the journaling done, my album is beautiful and all pictures, as well as a lot of ephemera, have been inserted. It’s my favorite album…ever! We’re all enjoying it so much and it’s so neat to be able to look back at our year. I wish I had an album like this for every year since I was married. Anyway, my Clementine core kit is due to arrive next week (Can’t wait!) and in the mean time I’ll get the rest of my journaling done for my 2011 PL album. Thank you, Becky, for creating PL. Scrapbooking is more enjoyable to me than it’s ever been. God bless!
Glad for the post. I’m keeping it simple! Just want to see if I could get a year down. Whether I do a post a day or not, eh, I’m not worried about it. I do so many other things as “creative” projects that I’ve decided this will be my quick, easy and organized solution to consistently document life. That way I can creatively create scrapbook pages without guilt about whatever I want without feeling like I’m “missing” stuff. Thanks Becky and Emily!!!
Thanks, Becky, for this important reminder. I tend to be the one that is completely overwhelmed because I read all the blogs and want to do EVERYONE’s style! But, this helped me see that I need to find my own style and do what works for me and my family, and just go for it. I have my album put together, my title and ending pages done, and my first week ready to go when I get pics printed! Yay! Thanks for the unending motivation to work PL the way I need to! =o)
NOW, I am ready to tackle the kids’ school papers that have piled up for 5 years! I’m waiting (not so very patiently) for your video/blog post about the kids’ school system! I CAN’T WAIT!! I need HELP! SOOO EXCITED to hear what you have to say and to see any new products you come up with. I know they will be just what I need! =o) Thanks for everything. You do a fabulous job and we love you and PL!
Do u know when the black signature binders are going to be available?
I’m pretty sure that I saw this somewhere before, but couldn’t find the information. Being somewhat computer challenged, how is the best way to print on the cards using computer and printer? I would appreciate any help or suggestions. Thank you.
Thank you for these last few posts; they really spoke to me!! I have been a huge fan and follower of yours, Becky, since the early days of CK. You said jump, I said how high! I worked hard on creative lettering, creative cards, and sketches. (I still refer to your sketches for most of my layouts!!) So I really was on board in ’09 when Project 365 premiered. I loved the picture a day idea and happily completed my album. I was ready for your next big idea. hmmm…Project Life…. hmmm I was happy that you were happy, but I had already done it, and while I loved the project for that one year, I also really kind of missed my traditional layouts. I continued to read your blog and was cheering for your amazing work and your amazing company, but I must confess that I was secretly doing traditional layouts (gasp!) and was even a bit jealous that all your good advice wasn’t for me any longer. I felt like a big cheater every time I read your blog. I was convinced I had to do one OR the other. Fast forward to the first week of 2012 and your blog posts. Yahoo! The lightbulb finally went off! I can do both! Why do women like me need to have permission to do something a little different or a little easier? Who knows, but I am one them. So, to make a long story short, THANK YOU for giving me permission to personalize Project Life to fit my needs!! (I know you’ve been saying it for a long time, but now you’re personalizing it too. Maybe that’s what I was waiting for? ) Anyway, now I am jazzed more than ever that I can do a version of Project Life in addition to my other layouts. YAHOO!! Thanks once again for the endless inspiration!!!
Isn’t it funny that we can ‘hear’ something over and over and over again, but until we feel like we are being ‘spoken to’ we just don’t hear it?? I totally get what you are saying!
I apologize if this isn’t the best place for this question, but I have started my new album, and I am wondering about the number stickers included in the Core Kit. I thought they might be intended for dates, but there is only 1-10; so that doesn’t make sense. But I can’t think of what else they could be used for? Thank you!
Hi Melissa – have you checked out the Project Life board at Big Picture Classes?https://www.bigpictureclasses.com/
Awesome place for ideas, questions, etc. I think the intention is you would most likely use no more than 10 pictures in one spread so you can use those numbers to identify the pictures with the journaling cards. I’m using them in an insert for my son’s birthday to make a “list type” of journaling.
Hee Hee – how many of you, like me, have been checking this blog several times today looking for Becky’s answers to our digital Shutterfly questions? I’ve been taking my pics and keeping an ongoing journal – all ready to fly one way or the other.
Yes you and me both:)
[...] one, it is a leap year)..there is a great article and video posted over at the Daily Digi and at Becky’s blog. No one asked me to share these links…I just thought I would share the things I have read [...]
[...] http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/01/project-life-in-its-most-basic-form/ [...]
Thank you for sharing this Becky. I think one of the reasons why I have hesitated to really do PL since getting my big box in May last year was the fact that I was overwhelmed with all the many beautiful examples out there. I had to remind myself that it’s fine if mine would be basic, no frills. Maybe in the future, I can embellish more, but basic is okay. So this year, 2012, is the year I will complete Project Life.
[...] I’ll emphasize it again and again – Project Life is designed for simplicity. If you need a pep talk about this, be sure you see my recent post: Project Life in its Most Basic Form. [...]
I think there are plenty of us Simple Scrapbookers out there, but I think we also are less likely to post our work. I really don’t care whether anyone else sees it or likes it beyond me and my kids, so posting to a gallery has never been a priority. But I’m thinking maybe we “simple” Project Lifers would be doing our peers a favor if we DID make an effort to post a few layouts! I have a super-simple album done mostly with plain cardstock, because the “busy-ness” of the patterned paper on the premade cards detracted from the photos. It’s VERY simple!
Emily’s video made me so happy! First of all, it was very rewarding to see a year in the life of her beautiful family — and yes, I had to go back and see the baby’s birth a couple times.
But it was also great encouragement for this simple Project Life journey I’ve undertaken for 2012! I mean, the video showed her scrapbook as pretty eye-candy, lively and loving, FINISHED, plenty personal, and flexible. And forgiving. “Look — she put her vertical photos in horizontally… and it was okay!!!”
Thanks for sharing! <3
[...] completely agree with you! If you missed it, be sure to check out my Project Life in its most basic form blog post. I would be thrilled to see more submissions from Project Lifers who aren’t [...]
this will be my 3rd year keeping my memories in the PL way, and i still keep it basic. sure i sometimes add some little extra here or there, but for the most part not. i have come to terms with the fact that i am not the most clever or creative memory keeper and it’s ok because, for me and my family, it really is about recording our life. my girls get such joy out of looking at the books (over and over and over) that it has spurred me on to continue along this path vs. ‘regular’ pages (which i do still do sometimes) because i DO this and the memories aren’t lost. this year i am adding one more step to the mix by sharing, so if you’re interested, stop by and say hi
[...] For inspiration on the most simple approach to Project Life, be sure to check out our Getting Started slide show and be sure to check out this post if you missed it: Project Life in its Most Basic Form. [...]
[...] but found all about it here on Balzer Designs. Basically “Project Life” was designed by Becky Higgins and if you click here you can get all the basics about it. This is a big commitment and it costs a bit of money. Its a way to do simple life [...]
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