Here we go – another big splash of inspiration from the Project Life Creative Team!
Here’s what I’m going to do to prevent this post from being ridiculously long and potentially overwhelming: I will simply share just one image from each Project Lifer. (Trust me, narrowing down is not easy with all the eye candy!) If you are drawn to her style, if you want to see more, if you need to know the details … click on her name … which links to her blog … which is where you will find much, much more on her Project Life pages.
As a reminder, the purpose of having a Creative Team is to share inspiration on documenting life in the Project Life format. Our products are designed to be ultra simple without any need for “extra” products. However, we celebrate creativity just as much as we celebrate simplicity. The Creative Team is … well, they’re very creative, each with her own unique style. We understand and appreciate the fact that many of you do like to add a little custom flair to your pages and the Creative Team is excellent for inspiring some ideas. Plus, they’re all just darn good photographers of everyday life.
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.
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Lindsay Teague Moreno (new + digital!)
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Sheri Horton (new + digital!)
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{ feedback friday: creative team edition }
Yep – that’s right! We love these special editions of Feedback Friday and we’re inviting you to ask our Creative Team your burning questions. What’s on your mind? Ask anything you want. It could be a general question that they could all answer … or you could ask specific questions for specific CT members. Include your question(s) right here in the comments.
Tags: creative team
jennifer olson said
becky are you going to make more page procetor for are project life
jennifer olson said
i would like to ask ct members do you like the old post bond album our project life
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 PL at once (one for each kiddo). What paper cutter do you recommend for multiple sheets?
my burning question is: as a mom that works full time outside the home how do you capture what your family does while you aren’t with them? I have a teenage son and like it or not his life is taking place where I am not. I want to do project life so badly but it seems my pictures are all about my life not my family’s. My everyday is so different what everyone else is doing every day. oh, and I should mention that I do not have any cooperation when it comes to photo taking.
maybe get them some instant cameras and ask them to take photos of their day? Respectfully of course… LOL. They might really enjoy being part of the process.
Hi Nancy,
I am finding myself in the same boat. But… I have gotten to the point that if no one else is going to take the picture’s, then I will include them. Like pulling them aside and snapping a picture of me holding the camera out to snap a picture of the two of us.
I would get your son involved. He should know how to use a camera, even if it is a disposable one.
I also pick a day or two, walk through the house and snap picture’s. Somewhere I read that we need to do this because in a week, month, year or year’s things will change. I took a picture years ago. My husband loved it and hung it above our shoe/coat rack. It was a picture of all of our shoes in a line, showing the size difference. None of our kids live at home anymore. I sometimes wonder if my kids or grand-kids will look back and go “Wow, we (of they) did use to own one of those things!”
Picture idea’s:
Your work area
Breakfast time
What’s for dinner
Them sleeping
Piles of laundry
The mud they drag in
Stores, post office, the bank in your town
Your street sign
I hope this helps,
Lori
Maybe your teen will capture photos on his cell? You could also just assign him one small square for journaling and ask him to write down one thing that happened in his week? Same for your partner? Also, don’t discount the photos you take around the house when you all are just lounging around. I don’t think it’s bad for it to be mostly about you – after all, you’re the one doing the documenting, so your perspective is totally unique. Good luck!
I agree with the cell phone or iPod idea. My 15 y.o. daughter recently showed me pics from her iPod touch and she had some great ones of the neighborhood kids and stuff she did after school. I told her I really wanted to download them for Project Life and she was all for it. He may feel less obvious if he’s taking pics with these rather than a camera. Or ask his friends if they happen to have some of your son. Maybe check his facebook page.
I also like the ideas given above for everyday items and scenes. Include some news items too. You can easily find images to use for national or local news. Or take a pic of the front page of your paper.
Top ten lists are good fillers too. Ali Edwards has some great journal prompts that could help.
Good luck!
I agree with Patty about checking Facebook – I have pictures of my teenage son at school/school events others have posted to his Facebook page.
Trying to get started with Project Life…I hope Amazon re-stocks soon!!!!
You all have your own philosophy and technique, so answer me this: 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? Thanks! Love your work, ladies. You are all inspiring!
I LOVE the photo placement on Kelly’s layout. That was genius! Never thought to break up photos like that.
So glad you have these fun editions. It really helps me to think outside the box. I keep holding on to memorabilia from our daily life, which I have to admit is alot of fun right now, and I throw them in my PL to do box. Seeing how they incorporate in their items is refreshing.
I feel a little overwhelmed with 5 kiddos, one with special needs, being a good wife and trying to take care of myself so my PL has been on hold for months to be honest. But I keep coming back here for inspiration and as I write this I have my book opened to a blank slate and I’m going to dive in. Even if it’s ONE page. Even if it’s while my kids are still in their jammies and eating lunch
Marisa
Wow, all the design team inspiration is AMAZING! Thank you for sharing your work with us.
My question….can you tell us your favorite tip/trick for PL? Just whatever helps the process for you…whether is is something you do to make the workflow easier or add your personal spin or capture special moments.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE looking at all of your layouts ladies
I have 2 questions…
1) Is there something I could be doing with my PL memorabilia, etc. until the “plastics” are back in stock?? I feel like I’m going to be starting this project BEHIND from the very beginning
2) I have a Silhouette Cameo machine that my hubby got me for xmas. Was wondering 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 PLifer not digital but like some of the digital items that I see.
Thanks for the inspiration & I CAN NOT WAIT to get started
Lynne, watch this video to learn how to cut PNG files on your Silhouette/Cameo I do this now and it is FAB!
http://aliedwards.com/2011/12/december-daily-2011-day-three.html
Is PL your family’s yearly photo album? More specifically, do you house photos in any other albums? I have been transitioning to digital scrapbooking over the past two years and love the process. I would like to begin doing PL digitally and am already currently doing two scrapbooks for my children digitally. Is it okay for me to be compeltely digital or do you suggest I still keep printing 4×6 photos? (I need to reassured LOL). I’m so worried that someday I may regret not having hard copies of my photos. I really would like for PL to be my family’s yearly photo album, but would like to know if it currently is working for someone else.
Kelly, PL is my family’s photo album. I stopped scrapbooking about 4 years ago, and stopped printing “normal” 4×6 photos for a basic album when I started PL (2010). We have a comprehensive digital filing system (with backups regularly) for ALL our photos, and PL for the real, tactile, “flick-through-it-and-remember” experience of a photo album. We have one album only on the go, and it sits in the living room where any of us can pick it up and look through it. I can get creative, or keep it simple – depends on the week and other life pressures. I know you could print your PL digitally and have that to flick through, and part of that is really attractive to me, but the paper version is so much better for us – it’s ongoing, real, a family project, and keeps me motivated to “keep up”. Whatever works for you! (Always, always back up your digital work, keeping a copy off-site.)
Liz and Lindsay, what size photos are you using for the 4 – 6X6 slots? Kelly, what size photos are you using for the ones you cut to fit in 3 different slots? Please explain your process.
Thanks
Hi Diana, 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.
Yes, I second the question on how to best use the 6×6 page slots, as well as… for people like me who have no color printer at home, what’s the best and most effective way to do hybrid layouts?
Becky, I love the 12×12 basic A editions that you said are now available on shutterfly. I cannot find them on the site. I find clementine and turquoise editions, but not with the basic A format. Where do I find that? Thank you!
I meant to reply to you, but I left my comment below! Just make sure you aren’t on the title page when you are looking for Design A. Once you click on the arrow to go to the next page, you can click on idea pages and you will see the Design A option at the bottom.
Another question for the design team….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.
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’re loving 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.
Hope that helps!
Lindsay
jennifer olson said
TWO ALL OF THE CREATIVE TEAM TILL
TELL ME HAVE THE PAGE PROTETORS YOU US THE PIST IN YOUR PROJECT LIFE AND YOUR YOU GOING TO BUY MORE OF PAGE PROTETORS FOR PROJECT LIFE
jennifer olson
becky higgins are you going to make more page protetors for the project life
Jennifer – If you go to the products page, each product shows the currect availability. If the items are currently on order, it shows when they will be available. For example, Design A page protectors should be back in stock sometime this month.
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/products/
I don’t seem to be able to follow the weekly format b.c of too many pictures. For example, recently we had snow and took a lot of snow pics along with others that week. How do you incorporate pictures of one event (birthday or my snow day) in your PL albums?
COLLAGES!
I used snapfish’s collage function when I wanted oodles of photos. I create 8×10 or sometimes 4×6 collages. (With 8×10, I attach the collage to 8.5×11 cardstock and use regular 8.5 x 11 page protectors; I have oodles from work.)
snapfish lets you choose the photos, and designate one as the ‘primary’ or focal point.
When you click ‘make collage’ or whatever the exact words are, poof! A collage appears.
You can continue to click and the photos will be rearranged.
NOTE: it will NOT save any arrangement UNLESS you put it in your cart. You can add any collage to your cart, and click away for a new arrangement.
~ I put any results I like into my cart. Then, when I’m done playing, I look through my cart and decide which one I like best.
I use collages, too. I just use Photoshop – make a blank page 8×10 (or whatever size) then edit/crop each photo you want to include on the collage and move them onto the page. Leave a space for a title or journalling if you like. I do this for every ‘major’ event in a week layout (eg birthday, holiday etc).
Hi Molly, I have been searching for ideas on what to do with lots of photos taken on one day as well. The first day of school is one example where I take a lot of photos of each child. Birthdays, Christmas and Easter and vacations are others.
If you are not keen on spending money on Photoshop Elements, I just discovered that you can do 12×12 collages in Picasa (it’s free!) and then upload these to Persnickety Prints or any other photo lab which does 12×12 prints. You can then just slide these into your 12×12 photo sleeves. The Persnickety Prints blog has three YouTube videos which shows you how to do it. I have individual Project Life albums on the go for each of my three children and it will be great to print three copies of say a vacation photo collage and add to each child’s album. I also came across a lovely blog called Clover Lane and she shows how she adds Picasa collages into her children’s scrapbooks so that might give some inspiration too. Another option is just to add another photo sleeve in for that week and fill it up with your extra photos.
When you first start designing your book on shutterfly, it starts on the title page. You won’t see the Design A page option unless you click the arrow to go to the next page. Once you are on any of the weekly layouts (meaning not the title or the last page) you can click on idea pages. Scroll down and Desgin A is the last one.
I decided in Mid January that I needed to start taking more photos. I discovered Project Life around that time through Ali Edwards. Unfortunately I am still waiting for items to be available on Amazon. In the mean time, I have my order all lined up on my wishlist.
My question is this… which photo pocket page layout do you find most useful?
I would love to see perforated journalling cards on an 81/2 X11 sheet so I can journal and easily print out the sheet on my home printer. Any chance you might be adding that?
OH MY GOODNESS. what a brilliant idea!
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 (birthdays, Christmas)? Thank you so much
Joanne
Hello, 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.).
Thanks
I second this Tiffany! I would love to know if PL is replacing eveyone’s tradtional photo albums. Also, am curious to know if others are doing anything in addition to PL. Thanks!
Oh, Becky, these designers are amazing. I have not ordered my kit yet. I am going to do it. We travel a lot with our RV and I think these would be perfect to bring along and get something done while on the road.
I know that Project Life products are coming sometime in the near future, but do you have any list pricing available? Examples:
60 pack variety – retail $______
Style A (15 packagage) – retail $______
Will the Core packages come back as well?
Etc…
Will Amazon be the only place that carries your products?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Terresa
There’s info on pricing on this post, but you can also check the products page. http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/02/feedback-friday-6/
Hope this helps. I know plastics are due anytime now!!!
Thank you so much!!!
I have a list ready to order as soon as Amazon is up and running.
Will the turquoise core kit be available again as well? 12 x 12 paper.
There was no date on when the “article” was written. I hope the 2 weeks was at least a week ago.
Can’t wait.
Again, thanks for the link.
Just noticed Becky had an update on her FB page that plastics are hopefully to arrive on Amazon near the end of the week!!
Hi! Recently found your blog (have quietly followed your work for years in various Scrapbooking mags though)! I was so excited to find PL. Like many others, I’ve purchased what I can, and now I’m just waiting patiently (or trying to) for the page protectors to come in stock on Amazon. In the meantime, I’m trying to plan my albums, and I have a dilemma. I’m using Project Life to catch up on several years of high school scrapbooks for me and my brothers (we all graduated 5-15 years ago). I have a pile of old 3 x 5 and 4 x 6 traditional prints to scrapbook, but harder — a whole lot of newspaper clippings (my brothers were into sports and landed in the news a lot). I would like to use the clippings as they are (would rather not have to scan and trim them down because I only have a bubble jet printer). Some of them are small (those aren’t the problem), but others are full size, big articles. Any ideas on simple ways to preserve and scrapbook these within the PL system? Further, any ideas on how to scrapbook all those certificates kids get in school (i.e., award certificates) within PL?? Thanks!
If you simply use 8.5×11 , or basic 12×12 page protectors to slip the clippings or certificates into, then (if necessary) use a sewing machine to “cut down” the page protector to an appropriate size, you can add almost anything into your PL album. You can add journalling by writing onto a journalling card and slipping it inside the page protector beside the item (to date it or explain more about it), or onto a piece of cardstock if you need more space. Have a look at Ali Edwards’s layout (above) to see what stitched page protectors can look like. Dead easy!
Did I miss Cathy Z’s inspiration for this month? She’s my fave.
What good timing!! I have a burning question…
Do you put the extra elements (like stickers, die cuts, info tabs etc) directly on your photos? Or on top of the plastics? Both?
I’m trying to be a bit more creative this year and so I am loving all this inspiration!! Thanks!!
Hi Becky and Creative Team Members, Do you have any inspiration for P/L’ers who dont have cute babies or even teenagers, husbands, fancy houses etc to photograph and scrap about. I have 7 cats and a Cockatoo and if I develop one more picture of them I think I will get committed, lol. I have done the morning routine, whats in my purse, whats in my fridge, my house from the inside out and I do mean that literally, truck, car, Nieces Nephews, etc any new instpiration would be appreciated
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2011/11/project-life-without-kids/
Here is a post Becky did on those without kids….
any word on when those plastics are coming in? I’ve had my core kit for over a month but I can’t get started without pages!
Never mind – just saw the FB post about the end of the week!!! yay!
Love to see all the PL pages! Its not overwhelming its inspiring and nice to see the variety! Keep em coming..
For those members who are doing PL 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? I’d love to see more digital examples!
I am a traditional scrapbooker and am looking to go Hybrid sometime in the near future, like the next year (or two). I have a few questions about it that have been bugging me
1. 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?
2. 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!
3. 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? (I had never even heard of the silhouette until this year. I like to have tools around that I know I will use and also that won’t take up too much space unless I plan on using it a lot!)
Thank You!
-April
I bought the Variety pack of the PL page protectors and while I love them, 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….
My burning question, however, 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.
Thanks!
Hi Becky! I’m so excited to finally get on the Project Life wagon. I’m just waiting for the photo sheets to be available on Amazon again. In the meantime I’ve made tons of 3″ X 4″ journaling tags. I’m offering them for free until I open my Etsy store again (in the next couple of weeks). Please feel free to let your readers know about the free printables so they don’t miss getting them for free. Here’s the link:
http://www.thisthat2011.blogspot.com/search/label/free%20printables
Thanks for making scrapbooking less time consuming. Can’t wait to get started!
s a n s k u
ps. Can you get the photo sheets anywhere else?
I found the photo sheets. Ordered them. Can’t wait to get started!
I’d ask who uses post processing? And what are some favorite PPing tips?
I have been viewing your blog for over a year drooling over every piece of info and picuture display. Working Mom of 3 trying to “pump myself up and dive in” so my BIG question is Do you – Becky and others – only scrap 1 PL 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, need that final push to send me over the edge ; )
Is there anyone who is not using a day to day or week to week approach with project life? If you are not what method are you using?
I am a big scrapbooker but just ad my first child. So things avevrelly changed for me! I would love to start project life but do y’all have a baby collection? If not any suggestions how what to use and how to get started? Also what way – like daily or weekly. Thank you so much for the help.
I would love to see pictures (or get tips) of how the CT organizes their Project Life supplies, especially all the little pieces-stickers, tags- that go into making their pages.
Thanks!
Jessica