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.