Here we go. More of your questions and more of their feedback. I give you … our phenomenal Creative Team.

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Which Photo Pocket Page design do you find most useful?

Jennifer: The Photo Pocket Pages I use most are Design A (for my main weekly layouts), Design G (for extra photos; I especially like that there are slots for vertical photos in this layout), and the 6×12 Page Protectors (for longer journaling).

Deb: Design A is the one I use most because I naturally take my photos horizontally. For my extra inserts, I haven’t decided on a favorite. It just depends on which photos I have that I want to include.

Lindsay: I am finding that I’m using all of them fairly regularly. I would have a hard time giving one up if I was going to have to choose one. The different styles really add variety to the book.

Marcy: I started with Design A and use it all the time.

Kelly: I’ve actually found that I like Design F best (there are 10 pages in the Big Variety Pack 1) – lots of little pockets and opportunities to fill them!

Monica: I’m really loving Design G (shown) & Design E as inserts.

MaryAnn: Design A is what I use every week. I also use the 6 x 12 Page Protectors.

Liz: Design A – It’s great for the way I take photos (mostly landscape oriented photos on my dSLR, with a few portrait oriented ones from my camera phone). A close second is Design F (shown). As mentioned above, there are 10 of these pages in the Big Variety Pack 1. The 3×4 pockets are so fun to work with.

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I would like to know if you are printing your photos at home, what kind of printer are you using? My second question is what program do you use to keep track of your digital photos?

Ali: I print at home using an Epson Stylus Photo R2000. I use Aperture for photo management.

Deb: I do print at home on the Epson Artisan 837. I use Picasa to organize my photos. All of my photos are in folders named by date. I just start a new folder every few days so individual folders are named something like ’2012 02 07. If I have a lot of photos on one date I will make a folder just for that day. Then I tag my photos with keywords to make them easier to find.

Marcy: I’m using an Epson Photo Stylus 1400 which I love. All my photos (from my SLR and my iPhone) get downloaded into folders on my computer that are dated.

Michelle: I started printing at home this year and I love it! I would not be able to complete my pages in a timely manner if not. I purchased an Epson Artison 730 printer and it’s fantastic. Crystal clear photos and easy to use.

Kelly: Epson Artisan 800. My photos are all organized in Adobe Bridge.

Monica: I use my HP Photosmart Pro B8350 to print my Instagram pictures & hybrid inserts. I am currently using Photoshop Elements 8 for my digital photos.

MaryAnn: Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer & iPhoto.

Liz: I use Adobe Lightroom. I take photos almost every day so organizing them chronologically by year/month/day works best for me. I have Lightroom set up so that the date is automatically added to all photo files upon import. (ex. 20120101-DSC_1523.JPG). I also tag and label photos using Kayla Lamoreaux’s photo flow system. This system allows me to quickly find photos, either by date or by subject/event.

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I would like to know what other systems everyone uses for their photos. Obviously all of you are doing Project Life, but do you do anything in addition to that (i.e. scrapbooks, mini albums, photo albums)? Particularly for events where lots and lots of pictures are taken (i.e. vacations, birthdays, holidays, etc.).

Jennifer: I don’t do anything in addition to Project Life; I incorporate all the extra photos from the year directly into my Project Life album.

Ali: I do 12×12 and 8.5×11 layouts, minibooks, a Week In The Life 8.5×11 album, and a December Daily album. My layouts go into a family album by year.

Deb: As of now I’m only using Project Life, with inserts for extra photos.

Marcy: In addition to Project Life I scrapbook and make the occasional mini book.

Sheri: I still have traditional scrapbook albums where I put stuff like birthday, holidays, etc. And even though I am a digi scrapbooker, I still print my layouts and put them in traditional albums. My album of choice is the 12×12 3 ring leather We R Memory keeper albums. I print all my layouts through Persnickety Prints.

Monica: Working full time in public accounting with a 1st grader, 21 month old and a another baby due in April I am in a season in my life where I only have the energy & am making the time for Project Life. I trust that with different seasons this will change.

MaryAnn: I only do Project Life. When I have an event with lots of photos I use additional page protectors and insert them within my weekly spreads. What I have found works best for me is to do my week at a glance as normal (because I usually have a limited time frame to get it done), then as I have additional time I can add the photos from the event. That way I don’t feel like an event is causing me to feel like I’m getting behind.

Liz: Yes – in addition to Project Life, I also do photobooks and mini albums.

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Do you put the extra elements (like stickers, die cuts, info tabs etc) directly on your photos? Or on top of the plastics? Both?

Jennifer: For journaling cards I put the elements directly onto the cards, but for photos I usually put the stickers on top of the plastics.

Ali: I put them on my photos.

Deb: I put them on top of the plastics.

Marcy: Usually in the plastics.

Michelle: I put the elements directly onto my photos and cards (shown) and don’t worry too much about the archival quality.  The majority of the products I use are safe for my photos.

Kelly: I’ve been putting my directly onto the photos.  I usually love foam adhesive to pop things up but I don’t like to stretch the pockets too much, so this has been a good exercise in using flatter embellishments.

Monica: I put them directly on my photos.

MaryAnn: Both

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For those members who are doing Project Life digitally, what are you doing for the background? I see that Sheri and Lindsay have kept theirs a neutral color on each page. Will you keep that same background in the entire album?

Jennifer: I am doing my digital pages with a plain white background and will keep it the same throughout the album. It’s definitely a matter of personal preference. I gravitate toward a simple & clean look.

Lindsay: I will be keeping mine that consistent tan color throughout the book. I find that it’s really helping my pictures and elements pop off of the pages when it’s that neutral color.

Sheri: My plan is to have the same background paper for each month. All the weekly layouts for the month of January will have the light grey that you’ve seen. Than for my February layouts, I will likely use a light pink (still haven’t decided). This way each month is coordinated.

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I really want a printer that can print 12×12. Is this a worthwhile investment if I want to be able to go hybrid with my scrapbooking? If so can you please recommend any good brands?

Ali: I love my Epson Stylus Photo R2000. I use it daily.

Marcy: My printer (Epson Photo Stylus 1400) is a wide format printer. I love it.

MaryAnn: Yes. Yes. Yes. My printer paid for itself within the first 3 months. I have saved so much money on printing photos at home. I use the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer. The quality is amazing and I have never had any problems with it. I have owned it for two years.

{ INK } I replace ink maybe once a month but that is not all of the colors, I have found a great place called Cartridge World that I can get ink at a fraction of the cost and it’s the same quality. Green and red ink only have to replace them once a year maybe the green every 6 months if you are using it more often.

{ PAPER } I buy 4×6 paper for Project Life prints at Costco. The Kirkland brand quality is amazing and can’t be beat. It”s better than anything else I’ve tried. Saves time since it’s already cut down for you. It’s a glossy finish. When you print it choose photo paper pro II (8.5×11 paper). I also buy at Costco – Kirkland brand. Again the quality and price can’t be beat. As far as paper for large format I use Canon paper and I’ve found that the semi gloss works best for albums and the premium pro works for photos to be framed (although the premium pro will take more ink to print) I do not recommend getting the matte paper! In my opinion, you will LOVE the canon PIXMA. It is amazing!

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I do not have Photoshop Elements (yet), but when I get it I don’t want to be overwhelmed. What suggestions do you have as a good starting place to begin my learning curve on how to use digital brushes, alter photos, etc.? This whole world of digital is new to me and seems as intense to me as normal scrapbooking would to a non-scrapbooker!

Cathy: Consider taking an online class to learn more. Places such as JessicaSprague.com and ReneePearson.com offer affordable, quality education to help you master the basics of digital scrapbooking.

Jennifer: When I was just learning Photoshop Elements for the first time, I purchased a Scott Kelby book to help me learn. These days however, there are so many great online classes available at sites like jessicasprague.com geared specifically to digital scrapbookers that would probably be really helpful as well!

Ali: I have a page dedicated to Getting Started available here (includes free downloads for testing things out) and links to other sites with good information for getting started.

Deb: I highly recommend Jessica Sprague‘s photo editing classes as a starting point. They really helped me to understand the basics of Photoshop Elements when I first started.

Lindsay: My best friend is a Photoshop newbie just like you, and she’s taking on Project Life this year. I recommended that she sign up and take a few of the classes at Jessica Sprague’s website. She just completed a couple lessons and is THRILLED with everything she’s learning. I think taking a class will be helpful. Finding a friend or family member that has some experience that can help answer questions wouldn’t be a terrible idea either!

Sheri: I use Photoshop Elements and love it! I honestly can’t say enough wonderful things about the online classes through JessicaSprague.com. I tell everyone I know to check out her classes.  You can’t go wrong! She has classes for beginning all the way up!!

Monica: I love the Missing Manual series for Photoshop Elements.

MaryAnn:  I learned from tutorials online by Ali Edwards and Cathy Z. It is amazing what you can learn online. I also recommend classes at JessicaSprague.com.

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Is purchasing a Silhouette a good investment? I have seen the amazing features it has through viewing what Ali Edwards does on her pages through her blog (and sometimes using Photoshop). But, is something like the Cricut comparable to it?

Ali: I love it : ). I haven’t used a Cricut so I can’t compare it to that. What I do love is that it’s a computer vs. a cartridge based program (I’m already using my computer for many parts of my memory keeping tasks so it really makes sense for me). I can cut any fonts from my computer and use many of my digital elements. It’s been awesome.

Marcy: I have had both the Cricut and the Silhouette.  The Silhouette is a work horse and way more economical once it’s purchased. You only purchase the designs you want and you can cut fonts and your own designs as well.

MaryAnn: I am totally intimidated by the Silhouette and think it might be above my skill set but I love the amazing things that Ali is doing with it so I’m dying to try it out. I will let you know if and when I decide to make the leap.

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I am finding it hard to remember from week to week how many horizontal/vertical photos, etc., I will need. I’d appreciate any insights as to how to handle this, because it seems like most of the pages I see are using Design A (which I too love), but I do like the idea of having a variety.

Deb: I typically use Design A, but if I wanted a variety, I would probably try to take a lot of photos both ways so I’d have more options when choosing which photos to use for the week.

Marcy: I would get into the habit of taking vertical and horizontal orientated shots every time.  That way, once you’re planning your week you don’t have to be limited by your photos orientation.

Monica: After going through Project Life last year I find myself this year taking both horizontal & vertical shots when the subject allows. But most times I don’t have the opportunity if I’m trying to capture a special moment. If I find myself with both orientations I usually print both so I have options when I’m working with my week.

MaryAnn: When I first started doing Project Life I took a lot of vertical pictures and at that time there was only the option to have horizontal so I started training myself to take more horizontal… now that I have the option to include vertical pictures I am retraining my view through the lens again… so for me this will be an ongoing learning process that I am excited to implement into my pages.

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My burning question is actually about how to handle the journaling on those weeks that I have horizontal spaces for the cards. Most of the cards (all of them perhaps) are oriented to the vertical, and I am finding it hard to add journaling to those spots that are horizontal.

Jennifer: I would use one of the grid journaling cards in that situation. I love them; they are so versatile and work both horizontally and vertically! You could also purchase the new horizontal digital journaling cards and then just print them at home for your album.

Lindsay: You’re in luck, those horizontal journaling cards have made a debut (shown)! That should solve your problem. However, if you’re wanting to use your stash, don’t be afraid to cover up the lines going the wrong way with a piece of cardstock and journaling over it! Also, if you’re into photoshop, it’s not too difficult to erase the lines and re-write them in yourself.

Monica: Have you seen the new digital horizontal cards? Even if you aren’t doing Project Life digitally you can print the cards and use them.

MaryAnn: I try to lie out the week before I start…. doesn’t always work that way…. but sketching it out works for me.

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Who uses post processing? And what are some favorite post processing tips?

Cathy: I love playing with my photos after the fact and I rely very heavily on Totally Rad Actions. I use their newest product called Rad Lab which works for both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop. It has numerous “recipes” for creating some very cool looks for your photos plus it allows you to create and save your own custom recipes. The possibilities are endless.

Deb: I just do basic clean edits in Photoshop. I use the methods taught by Erin Cobb in her Clean Color tutorial. She has one for Photoshop and one for Photoshop Elements. For the smaller square photos that I include I use Instagram filters.

Lindsay: I post process almost all of my photos because I’m anal retentive by nature when it comes to photography and scrapbooking. I use Lightroom to organize and pre-process my photos and then do the rest in Photoshop. My best tip is to get to know and use a program like Lightroom or Bridge to do some of your pre-processing like exposure changes or white balance changes before opening them in Photoshop.

Marcy: I post process my photos taken with my SLR. Occasionally I lighten up my photos taken with my camera phone.  Right now I’m using Rad Lab and loving it.

Monica: I do not post process for Project Life.

MaryAnn: Pioneer Woman’s Free Actions. My advice: Don’t over do it.

Liz: I edit my photos using RadLab, a Photoshop plugin by Totally Rad! Examples of my photo processing using RadLab can be found here.

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Do you – Becky and others – only do 1 Project Life album for your entire family, or do you also do one for each spouse/child/pet etc.? I guess a better question is: How many albums do you have on the go at any one time? Thanks, I need that final push to send me over the edge. ; )

Jennifer: I only have 1 album for my entire family. It would just get too complicated for me to do any more than that!

Ali: Just one Project Life here. It’s a family album from my perspective (and others when they contribute). In addition to Project Life I have a 12×12 family album for 2012 going right now.

Deb: I make one album with the kit, but I will probably make a Shutterfly version each year too.

Lindsay: I only have one album but the great thing about digital is that I can just print out multiple copies of the book with no extra work and very little extra money! This was what really pushed me into digital over the paper version. My girls will all get a copy of the yearly book to take with them when they leave the house. I will eventually go back and do my girls’ first-year books in this format and I’ll just print one for me and one for that child.

Marcy: Because I also scrapbook traditional pages I only make one Project Life album.

Michelle: I only do one album for the family. If there is a focus on one person, like a birthday, I add additional inserts for that event.

Sheri: Project Life is my main project, but not my only project. I still maintain albums for my girls and on occasion I print a few layouts for our family album too. That’s why I love digital so much! I can create one layout but print it three times for all of our albums! In these albums I include layouts that are specifically about that child or in the case of our family album, I include the more detailed layouts about holidays, birthdays, etc. I am always creating new layouts that aren’t Project Life related. Instead of leaving them on my hard drive, I print them and put in these other albums. I have always planned for my girls to have a set amount of albums to take with them when they leave home. I am also about to start the biggest project of my life, even bigger than Project Life! It’s called Project Family History! I’ve been slowly collecting stuff over the years, but now I feel like I have a plan in place and ready to start putting it all together, all with the help of Becky’s Project Life products!

Monica: I only have one Project Life for my entire family. Right now this is my only “active” album. However, I have several albums that follow Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories that are not chronological or an individual person. What I love about this is that if I’m inspired to scrapbook a traditional layout I just slip it into my existing Library of Memories.

MaryAnn: For now one album; that’s it. I need simple and attainable or Project Life wouldn’t work for me.

Liz: I’m only doing one PL album per year but also have other albums (mostly photobook projects) going at the same time.

Becky: I was included on this question, and I’m happy to chime in. I create a digital photobook, which is our FAMILY YEARBOOK. Upon completion after a full calendar year, I print a copy for us to keep and a copy for each of our 3 kids to have. My approach is week-at-a-glance and this layout is an example of a weekly layout this year.

Beginning with the end in mind, I also want each of our kids to have a set of scrapbooks that is all about them. This started off being a little more elaborate and involved when I began scrapbooking for the kids at the time of their birth. After nearly 10 years of this, and taking a few recent years to do just about nothing at all on their books, I’ve evolved to a place more simplicity. I still want to do scrapbooks for our kids, but I’m much more simple in my approach – not only in style, but in my system. Ultimately, I am saving myself countless hours of work and getting a more meaningful, timeless result.

Naturally, I’m using Project Life products to get back on track with the kids’ books. I created the products as a solution for myself, and I love them just as much as I imagined I would. Being able to slip photos and art and memorabilia into pockets instead of designing full, creative layouts? That’s my kind of scrapbooking and I’ve never been so content with memory-keeping in my life.

If you happened to miss my new video, I share more on this topic in much more detail. Check it out – Get Organized With Kids’s Stuff. I love the discussion in the comments of that blog post, by the way. There were a few comments made by those with older kids, who said their kids really don’t want a lot of scrapbooks. Valid point for sure. I don’t want my kids to have a U-Haul truck full of scrapbooks when they leave home.

My reaction to those comments? First of all, it makes me want to be sure that I’m really condensing the books. Each year in their life doesn’t need 20 layouts. (Personal opinion, not a blanket statement of advice.) Can I accurately sum-up a year in their life in say, 5-6 layouts? You bet. So I’m even more motivated to edit a bit further and be better about condensing what I include. But the discussion also reaffirmed to me that I’m doing what feels right for me and for my family.

Beginning with the end in mind is important. But the “end” isn’t just a grown kid moving out of the house, and taking some scrapbooks with them. Scrapbooking isn’t just about the finished scrapbook. The process of memory-keeping is equally important – if not more.

What I mean by this, in the context of scrapbooks for kids, is that the very act of putting books together with their pictures, memories, awards, art, school work, etc. sends a very clear message to that child that you care, and that their life is totally worth recording. As I mentioned at the end of my video – for me, this is a love language.

Does this mean that I believe if someone doesn’t do scrapbooks for their family or their kids, that they don’t love them? That’s ridiculous. Of course not. Not for second. Everyone has different love languages. Every parent has different ways to show love to their children. I celebrate the fact that we all have our own parenting styles and family styles. I happen to have a genuine desire to do scrapbooks for my kids and involve them in the process as much as they want to be, so that it becomes a family effort. Obviously each family has their own habits and traditions and priorities. Just the way it should be.

The best way for me to summarize my thoughts and how it relates to every person reading this? No matter what your lifestyle, or what your angle, or what your preferred products are, or whether you scrapbook or write in a journal or take a million pictures or not …