Hi! My name’s Amy Cornwell. I have my own business where I make jewelry to celebrate all of life’s events and I also have a small lifestyle blog where I talk about crafts, family, jewelry and traveling. I’m so honored to be talking to you all today about my Project Life experience.
I’ve been scrapbooking since middle school, using paper & embellishments to make my pages. When I fell away from scrapbooking after having two kids, I knew I needed something different. I still loved capturing memories with my camera, but the thought of scrapbooking it all was daunting. Enter Project Life. I saw the simplicity of it and it intrigued me. I knew I had to have it.
The first year doing Project Life I did the picture a day. It was hard for me, because as a working mother I felt like my pictures were all the same – in the evenings of my kids playing or taking baths. The second year (2011) I did things differently. I scrapbooked events, not putting pressure on myself to take a picture to put in the album every day. I loved doing it this way and easily kept up with my book in 2011. (notice below that sometimes I don’t even journal, I let the pictures tell the story)
Enter 2012. We started the year with our 10th anniversary trip to Mexico and then it was back to real life. I had a conference to attend in April and shortly after that summer hit. As of a week ago, my 2012 book was stuck at March. I have had no desire to work on my album this summer because of general busy-ness and the fact that my pictures were piling up. I felt a little bit like a scrapbooking failure and very overwhelmed. I had done well in 2011 and now I was getting way behind for 2012.
Finally I had my chance to catch up. My husband went out of town for a work trip last weekend, so I organized and edited the pictures I wanted to print (about 200 in all). Once the kids went to bed one night, I got to work! I started at 8pm with 200 pictures and over 5 months to complete. I’m all about simplicity. I love seeing people like Ali Edwards create beautiful spreads for their Project Life albums and wish mine would look like that. But I’m realistic and know my own personal limits. So I do very easy spreads with just a little bit of journaling and sometimes stickers.
For my massive catch-up session I used just a few items: my core kit, various plastics, a black pen and some letter stickers. That’s it. I didn’t use any other embellishments on these pages. In 2011 I rounded the corners of each picture, but for 2012 I’ve left them as-is. I like that look because it fills up every bit of available space in the plastics. My favorite plastics to use are the classic Design A (I think because I’ve been using that for the past three years) and Design C. Design C is great for me because I take mostly landscape portraits, so I just slip them in with one journaling card (or not!) and that page is done!
Here’s the exciting part: By midnight I was DONE. Completely. Journaling. Pictures in. Done. I ended up using about 150+ pictures and 13 page protectors. This is the exact reason why I love Project Life so much – you can keep up with it weekly or you can slack off (like me) and get a massive amount done in one night. My kids love going through the books, laughing at memories and flipping back and forth to see pictures of themselves. That in itself is all worth it to me.
I know lately there’s been a huge emphasis on all the new products. We’re all so excited, and it really is fun to think about the cool designs and practical memory-keeping solutions that will be in our hands later this year. It feels completely appropriate to constantly remind ourselves of why this matters, what this is all about – not just the Project Life system, but the idea of documenting life at all, in any format.
We received an email from Michelle in Michigan and with her permission, I’m sharing it here because I know without a doubt this will be just the inspiration that someone will need on cultivating a good life – and recording it.
From Michelle: I am on my second year of Project Life with last year being my first attempt. Documenting for it gave my whole family more pictures of my dad than we would have had had I not begun the process. Your inspiration as well as others (Ali Edwards especially) led me to document as much as I could those last days together—even before we knew they were the last. While still painful to look at, I am forever grateful for those pictures … capturing that last year.
In the spring of 2011 before his cancer returned, I was able to take some random, un-posed and incredibly beautiful pictures of my dad that I will always hold dear. Without all of the encouragement, I might have not picked up my camera as often. My dad had been “cancer-free” for only 6 months (though we suspect not as free as we had hoped), but we were blessed to have him an incredible 16 months post diagnosis … longer than many others. As you said, time is just so precious and should be cherished, even and especially when the days turn so painful, heart-wrenching and difficult.
My heart breaks for your brother, his family and your entire family with the days ahead … and yet, it is moments like these that make you truly understand what loving and cherishing family and friends is all about … in this gift of life we are all given. As someone who works in estate planning, I have seen moments of passing tear families apart, but God blessed my parents and my family as my dad’s passing (incredibly painful as it was) brought my 2 sisters, brother and myself even closer than before. I pray those same blessings for you and your siblings.
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That was Michelle’s email to accompany the donation that she was making to my brother’s family. She did this in memory of her dad who passed away in October of last year from esophageal cancer. It goes without saying that I am deeply moved by her email, very grateful for her donation, and further inspired to keep on photographing + preserving memories.
If you missed the post about my brother, please check it out. It truly was the most difficult post I had to write, but I have been – my family has been – very moved by the outpouring of love and support and generous donations. The deadline to place an ad on my blog with 100% of the donations going to Jonathan’s family has ended this week. Those ads will all go live this Saturday.
However, ANY donations in ANY amount from ANY person, family, organization, or company – are still welcomed and so, so, so appreciated. If you are able to contribute even just a few dollars to my brother’s family to help ease the burdens they’re facing, email brandi@beckyhiggins.com and she will let you know how simple it is.
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we are featuring 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this weeks comes from – Creative Team member Jessica Sprague.
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{ a quick note from Jessica }
Whew! So much has happened this year, it makes my head spin a little! But my favorite parts of the year by FAR are the times I get to spend with my beautiful family. I chose 5 photos that represent events, big and small that are great memories we’ve made together this year.
One of my not-so-secret secrets is that except for really major events, I’ve stopped taking my big DSLR with me everywhere. Not only does it lighten my load physically, I feel like it takes the pressure off to capture a “perfect” moment. My replacement? My trusty iPhone, and most often, Instagram. This year I’ve found that I enjoy my experiences, (my life, really) more when I am snapping a quick pic or two with my phone, rather than participating in the event “second hand” on the flip side of my 20-70mm lens.
That’s why all of the photos I’ve chosen to share are Instagrams – most of my 2012 photos are! I’m a huge, huge fan of Gramfeed, which allows me to look at all my Instas in a gallery. I can share the link with my friends and family, and choose to include only my photos, or all the photos from the people I follow as well. It’s definitely Insta-gratification. *wink* In addition, I can pull the Instagrams directly in to Photoshop as I’m working on my digital Project Life this year, making finding and opening photos a snap! (Ha! See what I did there! Snap!)
I chose these five photos as representative of my family and our year so far. These memories are what inspire me to keep taking pics, to keep making an effort to record our lives, and to keep seeking adventures that bring us closer together.
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I took this first photo on February 4 of this year, just outside our church building. Rowen was baptized on her 8th birthday, and all of her grandparents and many of her cousins were able to come to our special occasion (a rare treat since they all live far away). Her grandma made the white dress she is wearing. She looks like a sweet angel, and this was a very special time for us. This reminds me that I need to record both the everyday events AND the big milestones in our lives. This combination is what really makes the fabric of life so beautiful and interesting.
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I love this photo for the movement it creates, as well as for the special time – this summer I’ve taken every Friday out from my regular working schedule to spend the day with my kids. On this trip we went to the Children’s museum , and this is Elliott playing with one of the giant hula hoops there. It reminds me of our summer Friday outings this summer, and how much fun we’ve had together, just us three.
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This is Rowen in our neighborhood pool, which is down the block from our house. The kids are becoming avid swimmers (their mama is not), and we’ve spent plenty of time at the pool this summer beating the heat!
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This photo is of my awesome husband carrying Elliott as we walked through a craft fair in Cary, NC. We try to spend our Saturdays together as a family, and we LOVE to find new and different things to experience together. Collecting memories is what life is all about!
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My last photo is from a fun park in Durham, NC called Frankie’s – it has video games, laser tag, mini golf, go-karts, and lots of other stuff we love! Elliott and I both chose mustache mood rings as our ticket prizes, and HAD to pose with them. We have had some great times at Frankie’s (and I will say that I have gotten really good at some of the arcade games, hehe). It lets us all experience our inner geeks.
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You can learn more about Jessica here, and check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
This Q+A post is completely dedicated to the questions you have about last week’s Big Reveal of products that I announced and introduced. In case you missed it, here’s a re-cap: First I announced 2 new brand-new designers in the Project Life family. Elise Blaha Cripe designed the new Seafoam Edition and Heather Bailey designed the new Olive Edition. Totally different styles, and so much enthusiasm for both.
Then I announced the Baby products, and finally the Childhood products with a couple of videos … including a surprise announcement at the end of Friday’s video. It was an exciting week, and we are so grateful for your feedback and I’m happy to address many of your questions.
It’s Feedback Friday Tuesday Time!
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Q: When will your new designs be available?
A: Everything can’t be produced and delivered ALL at the same time (unfortunately). To keep you as informed as possible about when different products are expected to arrive to Amazon (for U.S. customers) – our freshly updated Products page is always the most updated with product availability, dates, and links.
For example, you can click on the CORE KITS + MINI KITS section and you’d see this (below), which includes the availability status of all of the editions. Whenever we receive production updates that affect the timing, we quickly make the necessary edits to this page so our customers are always well-informed.
If you live outside the U.S. you can inquire with your local distributor about the timing for products to arrive to your country. We have a whole section on the sidebar of the Products page called Shop by Country. That’s how you can find out who to contact.
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Q: Will there be a way to pre-order your new deigns to ensure they do not sell out?
A: For customers outside the U.S., yes. Just contact your local distributor, as I just outlined.
For U.S. customers, we would love to make this happen but have been limited by Amazon’s inability to do pre-orders on our products. But believe me – we are looking into other ways to make this possible. We would love it just as much as you!
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Q: Will your new designs be available digitally? What about your new plastics designs?
A: Absolutely. Every edition that we offer is (or will be) available in the form of digital elements as well. Right now all of our digital products can be found on JessicaSprague.com and we anticipate all the NEW designs (Seafoam Edition, Olive Edition, Baby Editions, and Childhood Editions) will be available around November. We’re also working on adding the new Photo Pocket Page (“plastics”) designs soon.
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Q: Will your new deigns be available through Shutterfly?
A: That’s up for discussion. Shutterfly is not carrying ALL Project Life editions (their choice; not ours) but they do currently have the Turquoise Edition + the Clementine Edition available, with the possibility of adding another for next year. Stay tuned for more information.
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Q: Will there be a coordinating binder for all your new designs?
A: We will have coordinating binders for the Seafoam + Olive Editions (the images weren’t ready in time for last week’s reveal. I’ll share pictures when we have those). However, we will not likely have “designer” binders for the Baby and Childhood editions. Instead we plan to offer classic, solid-colored We R Memory Keepers binders that coordinate beautifully.
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Q: Will you be offering coordinating 12×12 patterned paper for your new designs – including Cherry?
A: Yes, the 12×12 Patterned Paper for Seafoam + Olive + Baby editions will arrive with the other products for those new editions. You can see a sampling in those respective posts last week. It’s possible we’ll bring back the Cherry 12×12 Patterned Paper in the future, but with sooooo much else coming out right now, it’s not exactly on the very top of the list. We’re also holding off on producing Childhood 12×12 Patterned Paper for now, simply because (like I said earlier) we can’t do EVERYthing all at the same time. Same goes for the other already-existing editions. We’re not ready to reprint those packs of Patterned Paper just yet.
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Q: I am super excited about your new Bazzill cardstock. Will the new designs have matching cardstock as well?
A: That’s something that I don’t know how to answer just yet. When the little boxes of 3×4 Textured Cards and 4×6 Textured Cards show up on Amazon in the next couple weeks, this will be the first time we’ve had these available. In other words, we have no idea if they’ll be super hot, or if people just don’t take to those items as well. Once we see how things go with those, we’ll be able to tell if it makes sense to offer the same thing for our new editions coming late this year.
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Q: Is your upcoming Baby Kit meant to cover only the first year of life? Or could we use it for our toddlers?
A: The Baby Core Kits are really designed to document baby’s first year. However, if you wanted to carry the album into the toddler years, you absolutely can. The Core Kit includes so many cards that do not have specific prompts on them so that you can use them for any themes or topics or photos.
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Q: How much will the new Baby Core Kits cost?
A: All Core Kits are approximately the same number of cards and same packaging. So the Baby Core Kits will be the same price as our other Core Kits.
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Q: Outside of the US most of us say “Mum” instead of “Mom.” Are there cards in your new Baby kit with that wording?
A: The vast majority of our products are sold to U.S. customers. It would be nearly impossible for us to conform to everyone’s specific needs for every product we create. For this reason, you’ll always find plenty of “blank”/versatile cards in every kit we offer, allowing you to journal however you’d like. However, this would a time that we’ll make an exception – because we love our international customers. : )
Around the time that the digital elements become available (November?) – we will have a handful of cards from the Baby kits that have “Mum” instead of “Mom” and we will make this available at no cost for anyone who wants them.
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Q: I want to order multiple Baby kits to mix and match. Is there anything that makes the pink for girls and blue for boys besides the color?
A: It’s really just a color change. Maybe the word “girl” or “boy” pops up like once on one of the cards in the respective editions, but these 3 baby editions are all the same graphic designs but different COLORS between edition. There’s also a pattern or two that changes between the editions, but that’s it. Example – we included a damask/feminine pattern in the “For Her” edition and a zig zag/chevron pattern in the “For Him”. They’re ALL yummy – and mixing + matching the editions could be a really fun idea!
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Q: I can hardly wait for your new Childhood Mini Kits. You mentioned that the box will hold 100 cards. How many will be title cards and how many will be Journaling cards?
A: There are (10) 4×6 Title Cards + (10) 4×6 Journaling Cards + (40) Prompt Cards + (40) Journaling Cards. All are double-sided so that you have vertical and horizontal options.
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Q: How much will your new mini kits cost?
A: We don’t know yet.
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Q: How many pages will your Mini Album hold?
A: There are 20 pages. If you were to pair a Mini Album with a Mini Kit, one layout would look like this: (1) 4×6 Title/Journaling Card + (4) 3×4 Prompt/Journaling Cards + (3) 4×6 photos. So the Mini Kit would provide the exact number of cards you would need to complete a Mini Album, along with (60) 4×6 photos. Obviously you can do whatever you want, but that hopefully gives you a better idea. I have loaded all the cards of a Mini Kit into one of the Mini Albums and will plan to share a video of this soon. It’s so stinking fun + easy!
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Q:Can you share more about your vision for the mini kits and what other products you are considering? Will there be holiday or vacation mini kits?
A: The vision is BIG + FUN, but how about I just give you enough of a glimpse that you’ll catch a piece of the vision with me? We’re staring with Childhood Mini Kits and a few colors of the Mini Albums. Obviously Mini Kit + Mini Album = the perfect fit and the easiest and most fun way to assemble a mini album with EASE. Very Project Life style. So naturally, the mini kits will expand into different themes: Baby, Holidays, All About Me, Heritage … our list is long.
But this isn’t just about creating mini albums. This is about having a handful (100) cards of a particular theme or style that you can mix into ANY Project Life album you have in the works. For example, I’m using the Childhood Mini Kits to build my kids’ 12×12 albums. Another example: Let’s say you’re doing a 12×12 Project Life album that documents your family’s year. The Holidays Mini Kit (which will include all the major holidays) will have cards that you can use on those specific layouts you want to do about your holidays + celebrations throughout the year. Make sense?
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{ we’re so happy that you’re happy }
From Danielle: I totally appreciate the “manly” edition, as I have a house full of a guys! I’m the only girl here, and it is hard to find really great scrapbooking materials that reflect a more masculine style. So thank you for thinking of the guys with your Seafoam Edition!
From Beth: Oh. My. Goodness. I am in love! Feminine without being cutesy. I am going to be seriously stalking Amazon, Facebook, and the blog come November so that I can grab your new Olive Edition.
From Becky: Was 3 months behind on Project Life due to a busy summer. Just caught up in 3 hours. Thank you for making documenting life do-able during the toddler years.
From Lauren: My hubby and I are hoping to get pregnant withour first baby in the next year and I just know this will be the first thing I buy once I see the positive sign. I can’t think of a better way to document welcoming our first baby into the world.
From Tara: A- this week was awesome. B- I love everything. C- those mini albums: LOVE!
Oh, for the love. Can this week be more exciting? I am guaranteeing myself a nap this weekend.
But first – I have more huge, exciting product reveals for today! You’ve all been anticipating the Childhood products and the video explains everything (because I KNOW most of you are skipping past the video and looking at the pictures and thinking – huh?) … and there’s even another surprise at the end. So – yes. You for sure need to watch this video. : )
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Our very own lead designer Lori Whitlock is the graphic design talent behind everything you see in these Childhood products. We love Lori, and I couldn’t be happier with the results of all her hard work.
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Childhood Mini Kit: Wellington Edition
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Childhood Mini Kit: Bridgeport Edition
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Childhood Mini Kit: Mayfield Edition
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Here’s a layout that Lori created for her daughter’s album. She’s in my same situation … not enough time in this whirlwind week to complete the journaling in time for today … but you get the idea of how amazing these cards look paired with photos.
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Speaking of Lori, you’ll definitely want to pop over to her blog because she’s actually giving away one of the Childhood Mini Kits! (Of course delivery of the prize to the winner happens later this year when the products become available).
{ timing } As of now, we’re hoping Childhood Mini Kits arrive before the end of the year … but we’ll update you if we find out anything different on our production timing.
{ versatility } Once again, we aim to keep our products versatile. Not only in the whole vertical/horizontal orientation of all the card designs and the double-sided nature of every single card, but also in the product offering. I touched on this a little in the video, but just in case there is anyone feeling bummed that I didn’t just put the whole 9 yards (18 years worth of childhood memories) in one box? It just doesn’t make sense as a product when one person might want to just do a couple years’ worth like this … and someone else might want to do several years with these products.
Having the Mini Kit system with 100 cards in a box to document a full year in a child’s life just makes sense, and allows for total flexibility for you, the customer, to decide if you want to just try one out … or if you want to pick up a whole bunch of these Mini Kits. Obviously the price point (not completely finalized yet) is way lower than a full Project Life Core Kit.
Also speaking of versatility, you’ll find that our Childhood cards work for any child, living anywhere, attending public school, charter school, private school, home school … doesn’t matter. Nothing says “1st grade” or “Grade 1″ or “Year 1″. You can totally make these cards work for your child’s life. And … I really hope you’re even inspired to go back and get your own childhood documented now that it’s easier than ever!
{ expanding the mini kit line } I mentioned this in the video, and briefly shared our vision of these products “exploding to be a much larger line of Mini Kits”. Just to explain that a little further … we want to offer an expanded offering of different colors and styles (…and themes …and designers!) so that year after year after year, you’ll have the option to mix it up if you’d like. See what I mean? This is a long-term big picture idea for the Mini Kits. For right now, we are super thrilled with the Wellington, Bridgeport, and Mayfield Editions – and we sure hope you’re pleased as well.
Yay for the Big Week of Reveals.
Yay for simplifying memory-keeping for everyone!
Seriously – Thank you times a million for your enthusiasm + support. It’s been an absolute thrill to finally share all of this with you this week. Our designers feel the love too, and it just motivates all of us to keep doing what we’re doing. : )
I just had to do a video for this next big reveal because instead of just showing you the product, I’m taking you on a tour – page by page – of the actual baby album I’m working on for our son Crew (who is nearly 4 now) – using the cards from the Baby Edition for Him. I’m going to let the video do all the talking now.
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{ worth noting }
1. Designer. The amazing (and holy beautiful) Lili Niclass is the graphic designer behind all 3 Baby Editions. Recognize her name? She designed the wildly popular Clementine Edition of Project Life also. We adore Lili and collaborating with her on projects is a joy. I asked Lili to skip any temptation to add cutesy baby bottles and diaper pins into the designs, keeping the designs very fresh and modern – and yet classic. She nailed it.
2. Versatility. As with everything else we do, this product is designed with flexibility and versatility in mind. Every single card is double-sided. Perhaps a title card with horizontal orientation doesn’t fit well with an occasional layout (or all of the layouts!) because you’re using something other than Design A Photo Pocket Pages. No problem. Flip it over for the Vertical art. Perhaps you just don’t have much to say on a particular layout so you’re not interested in filling all the 3×4 pockets with Journaling Cards? No problem. Flip those over once in a while for gorgeous “filler” art that will complete your page.
3. Adoption, etc. The Baby Edition Core Kit works well for documenting Baby’s first year (or the earliest part of their life). In the context of the Project Life Core Kit, babies are babies are babies. In other words, whether they come to you via birth or adoption, whether they were welcomed into a traditional family or not, whether you’re working on a more recent baby album or you going back and getting this done for your “baby” that’s now in college, or maybe even doing your own baby book … the product is versatile. Even if there are a few cards that you feel don’t “apply” to the story you’re telling, there are plenty extras to make up for the un-used cards. You won’t run out of cards.
4. Plenty to spare. Because you will undoubtedly have extra cards, even after completing a full album for Baby, you will love having these on hand as little notes for baby gifts or other baby projects.
5. Best gift ever. Speaking of gifts, there truly was never a better baby gift available until now. (Okay, so I’m biased.) I mean, seriously – think of it. Any mother who welcomes a new child into her family is undoubtedly going to be taking loads of pictures and she is going to want to do something with them. Let’s help new moms NOT feel guilty, or feel like she has to do elaborate, time-consuming, “creative” scrapbooks. This is the easiest system ever for getting a scrapbook done – and seriously, so fun. So truly fun to slip photos + Title Cards + Journaling Cards into pockets with ever touching a pair of scissors or adhesive. Best thing since sliced bread.
6. We thought of everything. I can’t possibly show every card design in this blog post, but know this: There are designated First Page + Last Page cards, as with all other Project Life Core Kits. The Baby Edition includes 25 unique 4×6 Pre-labeled Title Cards with topics I recommend you include in Baby’s album, as well as 35 additional Blank Title Cards for whatever topics you want to include. There are 40 4×6 Prompt Cards and 80 3×4 Prompt Cards, offering suggested things to write about. Bi-fold cards for longer journaling? Check. Blank Journaling cards with ample room to write about anything and add captions to your pictures? Check. There are 400 of those. Half of them offer the horizontal version on the back of the card and half of them simply have a filler design, as mentioned earlier.
All of this to say … this is not not NOT your average cutesy baby-themed scrapbooking product. The amount of time, thought, design work, conceptual work (all with a heavy emphasis on organization) that went into the Baby Editions will be clear as day as you flip through the cards and see how solution-based this is. Plus, the actual graphic designs and color palettes are just so stinking cool – no matter if you’re doing this For Him, For Her, or going with the neutral set.
How about I stop writing, and just fill the rest of this post with pictures?
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Right now we anticipate these baby products by the end of this year – hopefully November. As with all of our products, you will always see the most updated timing on individual items as they’re listed on our Products page. And yes – we’re working on loading ALL of this week’s newly-revealed products to that page right now. Coming very soon.
Photographs are windows to our memory. Reflections of our life. Reminders of our blessings. Each Wednesday we are featuring 5 personal favorite photos from a Creative Team member or a friend. These 5 photos will remind of us why photography is so beautiful and why documenting the everyday is so important. The goal is to leave us all a little more inspired to cultivate a good life and record it.
Our inspiration this weeks comes from – Creative Team member Monica McNeill.
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This summer we spent a lot of time in the car taking my oldest son to and from camp. While my middle son is not old enough for camp, at 2 years old, he is old enough to want to be just like his brother. He insisted on taking a bat and glove with him because that is what Garrett was doing. Instead of focusing on my son with the bat and glove I decided to let the ballpark sign fill the picture to emphasize how little Owen is in this moment. By doing this I am now telling two stories with this picture.
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The first few weeks of my maternity leave my older boys were both still in school. This gave me & Travis a good bit of time to be still. I wanted to capture this special time together so I became very comfortable with self portraits. I took this picture by simply holding my iPhone above us. Your cell phone is a great tool for self portraits. It is light and easy to manipulate your angle. Also, there are so many different photography applications that you can then post process your pictures with. After I took this picture with my phone I used Instagram to blur out our surroundings and draw a stronger focus to Travis.
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With a toddler and an infant I spend a lot of my time sitting on the floor playing with them. This photo was taken on a lazy Saturday morning. I love this picture because it just hints at the chaos in this season of life: blocks on the floor, busy hands, little legs learning to kick and a Mama in the middle of it all. By creatively cropping the picture I got to decide which story to tell.
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At the beginning of summer my oldest son & I made a list of everything we wanted to do. He has been a fan of the zoo since he was tiny. But up until this visit he has not had a partner in crime to run ahead with. Once the baby & I caught up to the boys I took a series of shots of them at this ledge.This is my favorite because there are now two sets of feet balancing on the edge to get a better look. Even though I can’t see their faces I will be able to look back on this picture and remember when five and a half years was a big age difference. These boys are going to grow so fast & I want to capture all the little details like chubby little legs versus longer lean legs and where the bottom of their shorts hit relative to each other.
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I am extremely uncomfortable asking people to pose for a picture. I much prefer to observe camera in hand and when those around me are immersed in “being them” – then begin to shoot. This was one of those moments. My dad & middle son were singing when all of a sudden Owen ran off. At first we thought he had tired of the game but then he brought them each a microphone. He and my Dad were so wrapped up in their moment they forgot I was there. These are the pictures that make me come alive.
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You can learn more about Monica here, and check out more of her everyday photos and Project Life pages on her blog.
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By the way, yesterday I was part of the Paperclipping Roundtable. We had a fantastic discussion on how to fit scrapbooking in our very busy lives, in case you’re interested in listening. Plus – I take a couple minutes on the show to explain more about what people can expect out of my upcoming online class – Project Real Life. Listen HERE.
It is an honor to introduce you to our other new graphic designer – the one and only Heather Bailey!
Some of you may be brand-new to Heather’s brand, but I have a feeling most of you have used – or at least seen – her charming designs somewhere. Perhaps you have some of her sewing patterns, or maybe you’ve picked up one of her newly-introduced-to-the-shelves-at-Target day planners or notebooks. Heather is no stranger to graphic design. She’s done everything from fabric to housewares. There is a reason so many of us are drawn to her vibrantly gorgeous designs – and we are beyond thrilled she agreed to join the Project Life family of designers. Introducing … the OLIVE EDITION of Project Life!
Heather had a chance to play with her own Project Life cards in her first-ever Project Life pages. What do you guys think? I’m thinking the Bailey family just may want to keep going with their Project Life album, because this is pretty amazing. : ) Oh, and by the way – Heather’s super talented photographer husband Isaac took the following photos. His coloring is much better than mine (above).
Sooooo …. are you kind of freaking out with me? I love how Heather balanced out the girly-girl patterns with geometric goodness. Be sure to check out Heather’s blog today as she is announcing this big news to her readers … and be sure to leave her some love and tell her how much you adore her designs – either here on this post, or over on her blog. : )
{ coming next } Tune in tomorrow for another edition of our new, weekly “5 Photos that Inspire” post by another Creative Team member. And then … the next big surprise comes on Thursday when share share the Baby Editions of Project Life (speaking of freaking out).
{ arrival time } We anticipate the new Olive Edition – along with yesterday’s featured Seafoam Edition – to become available sometime this November.
I am completely thrilled to introduce one of our newest graphic designers – Elise Joy Blaha Cripe!
If you are even remotely familiar with Elise’s blog you know she’s amazing in a million ways … and you know she is a Project Lifer (yippee!). Project Life has been a new thing for Elise this year, documenting her journey which is full of creative projects + decorating their new home + gardening + married life + all sorts of adventures. I have been so drawn to not only her way of capturing slices of life but also her sense of design. The girl’s got style.
Elise has designed one of our new editions for 2013 and we are both super stoked to share with you a few sneak peeks of … the SEAFOAM EDITION of Project Life!
Elise had a chance to play with her own Project Life cards as she incorporated them into this past week’s layout (she does a week-at-a-glance documenting in her Project Life album).
Just to note a couple things that you’re seeing here: It’s a layout using Design A Photo Pocket Pages, but on the right side you’ll also notice our new Design J which she has sandwiched between the 2 main pages. Also – that bright pink peeking out from behind (close to the spine)? Elise actually painted those stripes onto one of our Scrapbook Dividers. You can see more about that here.
Sooooo …. YUM, right? Don’t her designs just make you want to scrapbook? Be sure to check out Elise’s blog post today as she is announcing this big news to her readers … and be sure to leave her some love and tell her how much you adore her designs – either here on this post, or over on her blog. : )
{ worth noting } When we were in the early design phase of this edition, I asked Elise to avoid any pink, any flourishes, any damask, any anything that would be “girly”. You know why? Most of us have guys in our life, right? Our husbands, sons, whomever. Is it possible they would appreciate some pages without the frill? Do you see where I’m going with this? The Seafoam Edition will be so rad for creating an album – or at least some pages – for HIM. And the best part? It’s so totally perfect for most of us girls, too. Hello, versatility. I am personally so excited to use the Seafoam Edition cards for all sorts of scrapbooking.
{ coming next } The best thing about releasing 2 Project Life editions at the same time is that we try to make them quite different from one another. So maybe the simple/graphic/modern look isn’t totally your style. Maybe you prefer something more feminine. Tune in tomorrow for the next big surprise. I have a feeling there will be additional squeals about who designed our other 2013 edition, and what her Project Life products look like.
{ arrival time } We anticipate the new Seafoam Edition – as well as the other new edition (sneak peeks on the blog tomorrow) – to become available sometime this November.
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This is just the beginning of all the fun we’re going to have all week long on my blog with the
The following are notes from individuals and families who have generously donated to my brother's family. There are many others who donated beyond the notes you see below and the ads you see on my blog. We can not thank you enough for your kindness and generosity during this very difficult time. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Jonathan -- May god give you strength and courage in the coming months. Enjoy your family. Love you wife and hug your kids. Lean on Him. He can handle it. God Bless.
- Tricia Shelton
May you be surrounded by love, friendship and family in this difficult time.
- The Gourlay Family
Dear Jonathan, Tina and family: Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Although we have never met, we felt compelled to reach out to you. We hope that through these well wishes you feel loved and cared for. Life is about our families, communities and sharing love with each other. Through Becky's blog, I know that you have a wonderful family. We hope you know that through Becky's web community, you now have many new friends thinking of you. May you find strength in God and from all the prayers said on your behalf.
- anonymous
I wish you all love, peace, courage, and strength for the days ahead. I'll be praying. Be blessed!
- Sandra
You and your family are in our prayers. God Bless!
- Angie Murray
Thank you, Jonathan, for being there to support Becky while she shared her gifts and talents with me through the years, albeit remotely. This small gift is the least I can do to say thank you. God bless you and your family.
- With loving thoughts, Terri C
Although I've never met Jonathan, I have been following Becky's articles, books, and blog for years—even met her once at CKU Orlando. Like so many that Becky has touched, I've always admired the love, unity, and values of your large and beautiful family. I wish you all love, peace, courage, and strength for the days ahead. I'll be praying. Be blessed!
- anonymous
All I can say is that I believe God has heard your call because He certainly placed it on my heart to respond. It was loud and clear. And when He's involved, great things far beyond what you and I can comprehend will occur and I pray that gives you peace today and the days to come.
- Peggy Krantz
May you continue to find peace and comfort knowing you are surrounded by loving family and friends.
- anonymous
My heart is filled with love and pain and gratitude for eternal families as I have read about the challenge your family faces. Please accept my donation as a small token to help ease the significant, and often devastating, monetary burdens that come with this challenge. Thank you for a fine example of strength during the darkest times we face in life - an example that gives courage to others struggling with trials in their lives.
- anonymous
To Jonathan and family - I am keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.
- God bless all of you, Leslie Schmitt
"Praying for you and your family." 1 Peter 5:7
- Kristina Proffitt
I'm praying for you throughout each day and asking God to give each of you the strength, comfort, and peace to get through this enormous trial. May God bless all of you in ways you never could've imagined and may His mighty and healing hand be especially upon you Jonathan.
- Much love, Lisa in Florida
May you continue to find peace and comfort knowing you are surrounded by loving family and friends.
- anonymous
Dear Jonathan and family, Our heartfelt prayers are with you and your family. May you know in your hearts that there will always be someone, whether here or above, who will always be with each one of you.
- Maria
Jonathan, his family, friends, and coworkers are all in my prayers during this difficult time. Thank you for sharing your story with all of us- it's very inspiring to see Jonathan's strength through this battle.
- Kristen
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is that small voice at the end of the day that says 'I will try again tomorrow' " - Mary Anne Radmacher - The last year has been really difficult for me, but this quote always seems to help. I hope it helps you and your family, as well. Don't forget, miracles really do happen. Hang in there and keep your chin up.
- Love and prayers from NM, Stephanie Taylor
To Jonathan, Tina and your entire family: I wish there were more that I could do to help you. Becky's books have been my favorites since I first read them. Because she shared family photos and stories, I feel like you are all old friends. Good luck and I am sending happy thoughts and sparkly wishes your way!
- Jacki Samolsky
Big hugs and lots of prayers of healing and peace to your whole family.
