It’s Feedback Friday time, and I don’t just have a special guest. I have a team of special guests!

I’m sure you are familiar with our Creative Team. They each have their own take on documenting life with photos + words + stuff  – each adding her own creative spin. Project Life is their common denominator and they each have a plethora of fun ideas to share on their respective blogs. Today they are responding to your questions.

{ NOTE } This is Part 1 of a 2-part series because you have sooo many questions and our Creative Team has sooo much wonderful feedback. Check back Monday for Part 2.

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Do you like the old post-bound album or 3-ring album, as used with Project Life pages?

Jennifer: I prefer three-ring binders (like the ones sold to coordinate with Project Life) over post bound albums. The ability to easily rearrange and add pages is really important to me. I also really like how three-ring binders lay flat when you open them up.

Ali: I’d already switched to 3-ring albums before starting Project Life. I love the flexibility – especially because I don’t scrapbook stories in any specific order. Having 3-ring binder albums makes it really easy for me to add new pages as stories are told.

Deb: I prefer the three ring albums. They’re so much easier to add pages.

Lindsay: I am not a post-bound fan (never have been really). Once the 3-ring and D-ring became readily available, I switched to that. So, I’m a huge fan of the Project Life binders. They’re easier and I think the page protectors stay in-tact easier in a 3-ring situation.

Michelle: I strictly use 3-ring albums now, whether they are the Project Life albums or other manufacturers’ styles. The post-bound albums really inhibit being able to add in or take out pages in a good way.

Kelly: I use a three-ring album.

Monica: I’m a fan of the D-Ring albums so I love the Project Life albums.

MaryAnn: Project Life 3 ring binders. I like to have the flexibility to take things in and out of the album and move things around if I want the option.
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I’m planning on making some of my own title cards and journal cards from “baby” papers. I am going to be working on 3 Project Life albums at once (one for each kiddo). What paper cutter do you recommend for multiple sheets?

Lindsay: I’m a guillotine cutter girl, myself. I have my old faithful industrial cutter that I bought years ago and it still goes strong. I’d recommend spending a little extra on a high quality guillotine cutter so you don’t have to re-buy one next year!

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As a mom that works full-time outside the home how do you capture what your family does while you aren’t with them?  Oh, and I should mention that I do not have any cooperation when it comes to photo taking.

Ali: I don’t  : ). Well, I do add things they bring home from school (love things with their handwriting) or things our nanny writes down. My albums are more about our “together” experiences and my own personal thoughts and reflections about our life.

Deb: Even if I never included pics of my boys I would still do Project Life. Just think about all the different things you do each day. There are lots of photo opportunities all around you. I love taking pictures of the ordinary elements of my life because I know it will be so fun to look back on. I really wish I had a photo of my big clunky cell phone from the 90s or my swatch watch from the 80s. When you want to include stories about your family, you can always take pictures of things that are related to them. Some examples are: homework all spread out on the table, shoes where they left them in the middle of the room, the cookies you made for them, etc. To get more photos of the people, take more un-posed shots of them so they won’t feel like they have to stop what they’re doing to pose and smile for you. Maybe that would make them less likely to mind your camera if they are able to ignore it? Also, if my boys are going somewhere without me that I really want included I will ask them to take a picture with their phone for me or hand it off to someone so they can be in the picture too.

Lindsay: My kids hate taking pictures, so I totally get that. I try to do a lot of un-posed shots. There are tons of great journaling prompts out there. Maybe write the journaling first and then take pictures of your kids just doing what they do in the evenings or first thing in the morning. To me, the stories are just as important (if not more so) as the pictures, so don’t feel like you need to do what everyone else is doing. Since you are working take advantage of the time you are with your kids by bringing your camera along on the weekends, if you can make it work.

Sheri: I am also a Mom who works full-time outside the home, so I know how you feel. I am limited to taking pictures in the morning before we all rush out the door or in the evenings when we get home. With my husband working shift work, there are mornings and nights where it’s just me with the girls. This adds an additional challenge. My goal has always been to document life, so there will be days when I don’t take any pictures and other days, like on the weekend where I take lots! So I try to keep that in perspective when doing this project. A great way to get inspiration is to get involved with monthly photo challenges. There are lots going around the web. I did this last February and found it very helpful in capturing everyday stuff I may not have thought of before. Don’t forget your kids will likely want to know what Mom did when they weren’t with you, so capture a little about your day at work too. Don’t stress about the lack of photos you’re taking, but rejoice in the ones you are capturing. Life is still getting documented and that’s all that matters!

Monica: I work full-time outside the home and have a few different things that I do to capture my family’s day. If I know that something unique is coming up in my husband’s day I ask him to snap a picture with his phone. On a day I volunteer at the school I try to snap a picture of my older son’s desk, keep my visitor badge etc. My youngest son gets a sheet sent home everyday & I add that in occasionally. I love adding in both of their schoolwork to provide a “snapshot” of what their day is like. Most times though our Project Life reflects our time together. I try not to get too caught up in getting 100% of the day from all perspectives captured. I am the storyteller for my family & since this is being told from my perspective I expect that what is captured will mainly be from the moments I am present.

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Do you find it easier to MIX your page protector styles according to the photos you have, or easier to USE ALL OF THE SAME page protectors, and “make the photos work” — perhaps adding the odd extra journaling page or extra page of just pictures? Since you all have your own style, can you give a little feedback as to WHY you’ve chosen (page protectors) the way you have?

Jennifer: Personally I like to use the same design (Design A) of page protectors throughout my album. The reason Project Life works for me is because I keep it simple, and therefore I have to limit the options I give myself. If I had to pick and choose different styles of page protectors for each week, my personality is such that I would spend more time figuring which page protector to use than I would actually completing any pages! That said, I do like to use different page protector styles to add in extra pictures or journaling beyond my basic weekly layouts.

Ali: I like all the same for the main foundation (I use Design A). I do like to include inserts (usually smaller sized page protectors or I will cut down larger ones to make the width less than the main page protectors) when I have additional content. I started with Design A and it’s my favorite – partly because it is really rare for me to take a vertical photo.

Deb:  I use all Design A for my weekly pages which works well for me because I typically take a lot of horizontal photos. I use a variety of other styles for my inserts. It just depends on how many and what type of extra photos I have.

Lindsay: I mix mine based on the amount of pictures I have and how long the story I want to tell might be. I usually lay everything out and find the page style that will fit what I have.

Marcy: Right now I’m very comfortable with using the same ones. Design A was all that was available when I started Project Life, so I developed a routine with those.  I look forward to trying the other styles soon.

Michelle: I prefer to use the Design A Photo Pocket Pages as the main pages in my PL albums. I like to use other styles as inserts that can easily be cut down or stitched. I definitely want to experiment with using the other styles here and there as my main pages also. You just have to remember that what you use for one week will also be used for one page of the next week.

Kelly: My whole mantra on this project is to make it work, so I choose whichever design works for my photos that week. But I’ve also found you can trim your photos to make it work in any design – my week 5 with the 2 big photos cut down to three pieces each is a good example.

Monica: I always start with Design A and then draw from the Big Variety Packs for my inserts. My photos always drive the Photo Pocket Pages I choose. For me this project is most definitely picture-driven so I want them to take priority in my product choice. All else seems to follow.

MaryAnn: This year (as in years past) I’ve decided to keep the base pages or my weekly pages consistent using only Design A. I then add different style Photo Pocket Pages as inserts, layering them in between Design A when I need additional space to tell the story, based on the Photo Pocket Page that works the best for the number of photos, memorabilia, and stories that I want to share within that page. I alter the majority of my inserts because I like when they are smaller than the main pages.

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Can you tell us your favorite tip/trick for Project Life? Just whatever helps the process for you… whether it is something you do to make the workflow easier, or something you do to add your personal spin or capture special moments.

Jennifer: This year I am sketching out my weekly layouts ahead of time and I am finding that really helpful. Creative Team member Marcy Penner has great free printables that makes the planning process even easier. I am also using an app on my phone (Momento) to capture everyday moments and I find it really helpful to refer to that as I put together my weekly layouts (I talk a little more about Momento here).

Ali: My biggest tip is to just let it flow. I don’t think about the album all that much as I go about my week. It’s out on our kitchen counter and available for me to jot down notes or stick little bits of paper in the pockets. On Mondays I print photos (every once in awhile I will print during the week but mainly on Mondays) and finish it all up.

Deb: I take a lot of photos and lately the majority of them are taken with my iPhone. For my first step each week, I use a template of Design A that I made to write down which photos will go in which slots and where the corresponding journaling will be.

Lindsay: My best tip if you’re doing digital is to purchase a Wacom tablet to put your pages together on. It has saved me so much time in photo editing, making everything cohesive and hand journaling.

Marcy: My Project Life station saves me every week. Everything is organized, accessible and speeds things up tremendously. I’ve rearranged since, but you can find my old space here.

Michelle: My best tip for Project Life happens outside any album. It starts with keeping a calendar of photos taken and jotting down a few memories/captions. This helps me design my pages with ease when it comes time to print out photos for the week.

Kelly: Using my iPhone has totally been the key to keeping up with PL. I’m able to snap little photos and capture things as I go, without having to carry around a big camera.

Monica: My favorite tip is to always have your camera out & accessible. Also, don’t be afraid to carry around a point & shoot or use your camera phone. Pictures have such a strong emotional pull for me that I make sure they are my focal point in this project. If the journaling is for you then keep out journaling cards & write down your stories during the week. If its memorabilia then make sure you have a central place to collect your bits of life during the week. I suppose my favorite tip is to figure out which part of the project makes your heart sing & make that a priority.

MaryAnn: Being able to print my pictures at home has been one of the major components that have allowed me to be successful with project life. Journal a little bit everyday in a notebook and write like you talk. Keep your camera with you all the time. The more you take pictures, the better you will get at it. Don’t spend all of your creative time looking online at everyone else’s work. I look for inspiration the night before I work on my layouts so when I start the following day my time spent online doesn’t eat into my creative time. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the AMAZING inspiration out there but sometimes I have to remind myself of the reasons I do Project Life – for my girls to know my life as a mom, to celebrate our everyday lives as a family together, and because it makes me so happy. Don’t let comparison steal your joy. When all else fails. keep it simple.

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Is there something I could be doing with my PL memorabilia, etc. if I don’t have the Photo Pocket Pages yet?

Jennifer: I use file folders to hold my memorabilia until I am ready to put them in my album. You could also use a regular 8.5×11 page protector to hold onto all that extra “stuff” – maybe one for each week?

Ali: I would pick up some large envelopes and date them by week or month.

Marcy: I would continue on just like they were. Plan your pages, journal and store everything together, so when they’re restocked you can just pop your stuff in the pockets. This is exactly what I do when I go on holidays as well. I have some planner pages available here that might help.

Michelle: I suggest you work on your layouts just the same as if you had the plastics. You know the sizes of the inserts so just make a sketch and then work on your pages as usual. You can slip all the finished inserts into a simple page protector or envelope and label it with the week.

MaryAnn: I use the Big Envelope Pages to store my memorabilia.

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I have a Silhouette Cameo machine that my hubby got me for Christmas. Was wondering if it’s possible to get the digital brushes, overlays, etc. (ex. Ali Edwards) into my machine so that I can cut them with my Cameo?? I’m a traditional Project Lifer (not digital) but I like some of the digital items that I see.

Ali: Absolutely. I’ve got a tutorial right here to help you with that. Make sure to read the note in that post which will also teach you how to “release compound path” to remove any extra lines.

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Is Project Life your family’s yearly photo album? More specifically, do you house photos in any other albums? Is it okay for me to be completely digital, or do you suggest I still keep printing 4×6 photos?

Jennifer: Yes, I am using Project Life as my family’s yearly photo album and I don’t currently have any other albums. I think it’s totally fine to be completely digital as long as (1) you do eventually print your pages (in a photo book or some other format) and (2) you have a good back-up system! I was a digital scrapbooker for years and rarely printed my layouts, therefore my kids never saw those pictures. That is why I now print 4×6 photos to put in a physical Project Life album – because I want them to be able to see those photos in a more timely fashion!

Lindsay: Project Life is going to be my family photo album for the year. I’m not doing the 365 format, so I’m just putting together pages of the events that happen in our lives during the year and adding them to the book. At the end of the year, I’ll print a large book for myself and 3 smaller-sized books for my girls to keep. I’m loving the digi format. It’s saving me time and money by not having to print out every picture and being able to replicate the book at a very low cost.

Michelle: Right now I am using Project Life for our family’s main photo album. All my extra inserts go right into my Project Life albums. I do keep some school and sports pages separate for my girls’ albums too.

Sheri: I stopped printing 4×6 photos around the time my oldest was 6 months old; she’s now almost 6 years old. Why? Because I filled four huge albums with just 4×6 photos and she wasn’t even a year old yet! I knew that printing all the photos didn’t make sense and I would never been able to keep all those albums! My Project Life books are like our family yearbooks, but I only print one, at least for now. That’s the great thing about doing it digitally; I can easily print more copies later on. On top the Project Life books, each of my girls also has their own scrapbook which I still keep updated with a layout here and there. The main goal for these albums is to keep stuff that’s specially about them, like school stuff, etc.

Monica: I started using Project Life because I found I was not making time for traditional scrapbook layouts. That is simply the season of life I’m in. In addition to Project Life I have implemented Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories. Part of that system is printing the pictures you intend to scrapbook & housing them in either storage albums (chronological photo albums) or category drawers (organization by topic). I trust that in another season of life I will be able to go back to creating traditional layouts and I want to maintain the system that works for me.

MaryAnn: PL is my yearly photo album. My albums are hybrid because I like to include both digital and traditional layouts, as well as memorabilia. I don’t house photos in any other albums but I do enlarge photos for display around my house. I think it’s personal preference if you want to do only digital.

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Lindsay, what size photos are you printing for the 6X6 pockets of Design E? Kelly, what size photos are you using for the ones you cut to fit in 3 different slots? Please explain your process.

Lindsay: My pages are digital so I just make my photos 6″ in height for a horizontal photo or 6″ in width for a vertical photo when I size them down and then put them into the clipping mask. If I were to print it out I’d make sure the photo was at least 6×6. It’s possible to add the 4×6 photos in the large 6×6 slot and use the extra space as a title area or some extra space for journaling.

Kelly: I used Instagram photos in those spaces. I opened the photo in Photoshop and cropped it down to a 6″ wide by 8″ tall photo. That’s a printable size on a 8.5″x11″ page (I print my photos at home) so once it’s printed as a 6″x8″ photo I can trim it down to two 4″x6″ photos, then trim the bottom 4″x6″ photo in half to two 3″x4″ to fit in the pockets.

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How do you deal with times where you have lots of journaling? I tend to be wordy and am looking for alternatives to only using the bi-fold cards.

Jennifer: I have used one of the 4×6 slots in my layouts for longer journaling. I also really like to use the 6×12 Page Protectors to incorporate longer journaling (like blog posts) into my album. I wrote about this in more detail here.

Ali: I add in an insert – like a long journaler or 6×12 layered template here. This past week I also used all four of the 3×4 spaces for one story, which you can see here.

Lindsay: I’d recommend using one of the 6×12 journaling spots (both Cathy Z and Ali E have some great ones available). I used one this week and was able to get a lot of journaling in the pages. Also, don’t be afraid to take up a spot where a picture would normally go to journal there. Finally, if you love a picture and want to add more journaling, think about journaling over the photo. Either by adding a 50% opacity layer over the photo to journal on or add a piece of vellum with your journaling on it into the photo slot over the photo.

Michelle: I have started doing some journaling right on the photos in Photoshop. Simply open up the photo and add text. I can fit a lot more on the photo than if I tried to add a journaling card. Use a small font and place the text on parts of the photo that are not pertinent.

Monica: I love adding 6×12 inserts that can hold longer stories. Both Ali Edwards & Cathy Zielske have awesome templates at Designer Digitals.

MaryAnn: I use Ali’s Journalers and Journals by Cathy Z that are available for purchase at Designer Digitals and then I slip them into a 6×12 Page Protector. Or I sew a custom page protector. Favorites: Words And Photos 6×12 Layered Templates, Long Journalers Vol. 02 Value Pack, Long Journalers Value Pack, Weekly Wrap Ups Vol. 01, Layered Journal Cards No. 01.

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How do you incorporate many pictures of one event (ex – birthday) in your Project Life albums?

Jennifer: I usually use one photo from that event in my main Project Life spread for the week, and then I use a different page protector style as an insert to include the rest of the photos from that event.

Ali: I add in more Photo Pocket Pages.

Deb: I either make 4×6 collages or if I want the photos to be bigger I use an insert. So far I’ve used Design F (currently sold out but there are 10 of these in the Big Variety Pack 1), Design G, and the 6×12 Page Protectors as extra pages within my week.

Lindsay: You could add more than one photo to each designated photo slot if you really want to add all of them. Generally, I look at how many slots I have and narrow down the photos I have to that many, choosing the best 8-10 of each event.

Michelle: I usually combine smaller photos into Instagrams or for even more photos I add an insert page.

Kelly: Resize the photos – two 2″x3″ photos look great together in a 3″x4″ pocket.  Don’t be afraid to fill up an entire page with just photos!

Monica: I’m not sure I’ve ever had a week that did not have an insert.  : )

MaryAnn: I use digital collages to add in extra photos both 8.5×11 and 12×12. Usually with the 12×12 I will reduce the size to 10×10, 9×9, 8×8, or my new favorite 6×6 because it fits in photo pocket page Design E. There are many different digital collages out there, but my go-to ones are: Project Life digital page templates, the Monthly 8.5 x 11 Album Set, the Monthly 12 x 12 Album Set, the Monthly Photo Page Add-On Pack for 8.5 x 11, Grid No. 01 Layered Templates.

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Our Creative Team is amazing, and I’m so grateful for their useful, thoughtful, and inspiring feedback. I’m sure you’ll agree. Check back Monday for more!

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Speaking of feedback … we have updated our Contact page, making it easier for folks to get in touch if they have questions, feedback, submissions, or customer service needs. Plus, we updated the Home page and the About page too. More web updates are in the works, all in the name of you – our reader – having a better experience surfing around my website.

 

Tags: creative team, Project Life

This entry was posted on Friday, February 24th, 2012 at 10:57 am and is filed under Q&A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.