Right now every member of our Creative Team is hosting a Project Life giveaway on their blog. And so is my lead designer, Lori Whitlock. That’s 15 chances to win! Click on each person’s name and you will be linked directly to the specific blog post where you can enter for a chance to win.
What’s so exciting about this bundle is that it’s all you need to complete an entire scrapbook. Well … you’ll need your pictures and a favorite pen of course. But that’s really it. You don’t even need scissors or adhesive. In fact, you don’t even have to have the 12×12 cardstock. That’s just a fun bonus! Wait – say what? This is called scrapbooking, right?
Yes. This is scrapbooking. We just took all the fuss out of it. What you do or don’t do is completely up to you.
Most of you know how Project Life provides a solution to memory-keeping, because you’re well on your way with doing a Project Life album yourself. In fact, some of you have completed several albums using the Project Life system. But I’d be willing to bet that you have a friend that could really use this collection of the basics. You can totally enter to win, even if your intention is to pass it on to someone else.
We are currently sold out of a lot of items (boo!) but before you know it – we’ll be all stocked up again. We are expecting all of the “plastics” (photo pocket pages + page protectors) back in stock by the end of this month – just a few weeks away. As for the Core Kits, we’re looking at a late May arrival but I will have a full update for you soon (soooo much to share with you!). Once you hear about the reasons behind the delay on those, I’m pretty sure you’ll be very understanding. As always, we appreciate your patience as the product continues to evolve. We are always looking for ways to make the product more + more worthy of your pictures and memories.
Having said that, we’re down to the very end of this batch of Cobalt Core Kits, which is our only remaining edition right now. Definitely enter for a chance to win, but if you don’t – and you’ve had your eye on the Cobalt Core Kit – this is the time to pick it up. They’ll be wiped out shortly.
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A closer look at what we’ve bundled together for this big giveaway:
You didn’t think I would give away these goodies on all these other blogs, and not do a giveaway HERE, did you?? You have a chance to win this collection right here, right now. We’re going to choose TWO winners and announce them on Wednesday (so be sure to check back). Just leave your first name + city + state.
NOTE 1: The winners (here on my blog as well as on all the other blogs that are hosting this giveaway) have to be in the United States. This isn’t because we love our international customers any less. It’s just that the product is shipping directly from Amazon.com so international shipping is not an option.
NOTE 2: The giveaways don’t end here … if you can believe it. Over the next couple weeks I will be sharing links to several other blogs that are hosting this same Project Life giveaway. If you want to be in on that for more chances to win, be sure you’re following me on facebook or twitter (either one is fine) because I will share the links exclusively there … not on my blog.
Okay, enough of all that. Go. Enter! And GOOD LUCK.
If someone would have told me 20 years ago that some day I would run my own business, I would have looked at that person and said, “You’re crazy. After high school I’m going to college and getting married, then become a mother, and maybe I’ll even be a teacher. But business? No. Not a business person.”
If someone would have told me 10 years ago that some day I would run my own business, I would have said to them, “No way. I want to have children and raise a family. And besides, I have the greatest job on the planet. I get to share my love of memory-keeping with people who care about that. Business school is not for me.”
If someone would have told me 3 years ago that some day I would run my own business, I would have still felt puzzled. “Me? No. I have 3 kids now. I still love my job. I don’t have a clue about running a business and besides – that would suck all the creativity out of me. It’s not my cup of tea. It’s not what I planned to do. It’s not … me.”
Right? I mean – that’s really not me … is it?
It’s not that I wasn’t capable. I’ve always had a knack for organizing (memories, people, things, occasions, information, and just about anything else). But running a business? Um, yeah. That was so not on my radar. Business owners go to business school and then they’re in lots of meetings their whole career and it’s … business. Which is not creative work. Right?
Apparently not.
It was two and a half years ago that I found myself at a crossroads. With a bit of fear, a dash of excitement, a heart full passion, one simple idea, all the support in the world from David, money out of our pockets, and a tremendous amount of faith – we started our little business.
It all happened so fast that I hardly had time to think too much about what we were doing – what we were really doing – once we made that decision. It’s been a very exciting + challenging 2.5 years. Many ups, and plenty of downs … and I would do it all over again. Some day I might even have the opportunity to mentor others who want to start a business. That season is not now. My family is my priority first and foremost … and the rest of my time is totally gobbled up with running this business and serving in my church and community.
Once in a while I get questions regarding this topic because many of you are also small business owners – or you want to be – or maybe you were like me and never dreamed of “running a business” but you have a really good idea or a passion for something that can help others. In any of those situations I can attest that business school is not a requirement. I’m sure it would be very helpful – no doubt! But there is no class or book or person that can teach you everything that you learn from just doing it.
Being an entrepreneur requires faith in yourself, faith in your idea, and don’t get me wrong – absolutely a willingness to work hard.
I was 33 years old when I started Becky Higgins LLC (of course with David. You guys likely know by now that he is absolutely behind-the-scenes making so much of what we do, possible) and I will tell you that there were a few bits of influence in my life that impacted me. One of them being the example of my dear friend and previous boss Lisa Bearnson. Lisa has always been an entrepreneur at heart, and yet her family and service always came first.
I also read a couple of books years before I even thought to start a business, simply because they were recommended to me: The Brand Called You + Purple Cow. A few months ago David and I read Rework together.
These are not what I imagine “typical” business books might be like. I absolutely benefited from what the authors shared in each of these. In fact, since Rework is the only business-related book we’ve read since actually starting a business (go figure), David and I found ourselves totally in line with so much of the counsel that is given in those pages. It’s nice to feel validated, but it’s more important to learn. And trust me – we are still learning. And learning some more, and then some more.
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my top 10 tips on running a business
Here are 10 bits of advice for those who want to start a business – no matter what industry. This is based on my personal experience. Not just ideas pulled from books, but principles that I have really implemented, whether they were already in my heart & soul before I jumped into this, or because I’ve worked really hard to get there.
1. Family first.David O. McKay said, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” Period. No idea or business model or passion for anything is worth sacrificing your marriage or your family. It’s simply not right. Put your family first. Make sure they know that they are more important than your idea/product/work. You can put your heart and soul into your work, but remember that your first work is with those you love the most. They depend on you.
2. Pray. I realize and respect that everyone has their own set of beliefs. For those of you who know that God is real, you have to remember that He wants you to be happy and He wants you to succeed in life. In order to succeed, He is constantly there to offer His guidance. How can we feel guided if we’re not asking and seeking? In other words, pray about your decision to start a business and be sure it feels like the right thing. And then – never cease to go to Him … before any book or blog or friend.
3. Brush it off + move on. There is usually plenty of enthusiasm when starting a business but that might soon wear off as soon as you hit a rough patch. Manufacturing defects or dissatisfied customers or legal issues or … you-name-it. There will be hurdles. Work through them. Learn from your challenges. And press forward. You’ll be even better equipped to do so.
4. Read. I have recommended a few books. They’re good. They influenced the way I approach what I do and offer wonderful principles that are applicable in so many ways. Are there more books? Better books? Sure. I just don’t know about them. I have a pile of books I’m interested in reading but they’re not more pressing than other things going on in my life right now and I figure I’ll get around to them sometime.
5. Grow organically. It’s okay to start small. You don’t have “launch yourself” in some huge fashion, spending loads of money on advertising and dozens of products. Even if you have one idea or one product, as long as it is good, that’s a great place to start. We still have yet to pay a dime for advertising. It’s not to say that we never will. We just chose to put our money into developing the product I feel passionate about.
6. Social media is your friend. It doesn’t matter if you have a local bakery in your town or some online presence that receives hits from across the globe. It doesn’t matter if you offer a service or a tangible product. You need to have a website and that website needs to be clear about what you do – in design and function and content. Keeping a blog, and using facebook & twitter & other social media can absolutely be the key to word-of-mouth when it comes to your product. I completely know that this has been a tremendous blessing to our business.
7. Be different. You have to have a niche. No matter what. Be specific with what you can offer instead of thinking about all the possibilities and trying to do them all at once. What is unique about you and your product and your brand? What will set you apart from everyone else in the industry? Definitely read Purple Cow. Seth Godin knows what he’s talking about.
8. Find balance. I’m a mother. I get it. Juggling many roles is hard work. If it’s not the right time to start a business, you’ll know. When it’s the right thing to do, and you just can’t deny that, and you know with all of your heart that you have to start a business – you are in for a ride. There will be less sleep. There will be sacrifices. You will struggle to get homemade meals on the table each night. You may shed a few tears from the stress. You may gain a few pounds (*clearing throat*). The key is to have balance and how you achieve that is personal because everyone’s circumstances are different. Know when to stop. Know when to turn off all distractions. Know when to take care of yourself and shift your priorities back into place when they slip a little.
9. Believe. Believe in your work and believe in yourself. If you don’t absolutely believe with 100% of your soul in whatever you’re offering, you should reconsider what you’re doing. If you’re passionate about what you do, others will get that. They’ll feel it. They’ll believe in it too, and ultimately they’ll be a loyal customer for life. This isn’t a strategy. This is just what happens when you believe in what you do. Also – believe in yourself. Maybe you didn’t finish college or you haven’t got a clue about how to write a contract or what kind of accounting software to use. Believe that you can learn to do anything, and that you can find resources to help.
10. Don’t be alone. Part of finding resources to help you is involving others in your business. Involve others to help in different areas so that you don’t have the be the expert in every area. It’s okay to wear every hat in the beginning (in fact, it’s a good idea so that you really understand the whole spectrum, and the inside work of every part of your business). But you have to know when to hire others so that you can maintain balance (#8) and sanity. If you burn yourself out, you no longer have that really wonderful thing to offer. That fire in the beginning will burn out if you’re not careful. Let others do what they do best so that you can stay focused on the vision – and what you do best.
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I could go on and on and on … but this isn’t the time to elaborate extensively. I’m in the middle of more product development and some other projects right now and have to stay focused. But I wanted to just share these quick thoughts with you because I just feel like someone needs some encouragement, some recommended resources, and perhaps a cheerleader saying GO FOR IT! Or perhaps you are getting the feeling that this isn’t the season. Maybe that idea in your mind needs to develop a little more before you run after it.
I think I’ll call this a bag crush. I don’t actually have the bag, but I do think it is absolutely rockin’ and I’m considering a purchase.
I kind of think that some of you are salivating just a little bit too. Am I right? How about this: One of you will be the randomly-selected lucky winner of The Silhouette Bag because they’re so generous (and smart).
Leave your first name, city, and state/province. This is open to U.S. and Canadian residents. The Silhouette Bag is their first and only style currently; the winner will get to pick their preferred color (black or chestnut).
Check out silhouettebags.com. I’m pretty sure most of you will. Notice the detailed stitching and the two pockets hidden on the front and the back of the bag between the handles. With the secret magnetic closures, these pockets are perfect for phones, lip gloss or keys, making them easily accessible at all times without even opening the bag! I so dig that.
Before I dive into my feedback to your questions and comments … congratulations to our randomly selected winner of yesterday’s giveaway! Hey Caiti of Port Jefferson, New York: Shoot an email to brandi@beckyhiggins.com and she will hook you up with your free seat in Heidi Swapp’s new class!
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I saw your yellow frame on Pinterest and I am making a green frame. How big is yours?
Total size of the entire frame/wallpaper project is about 5’10″ x 3’10″. The white frames are each 11×14.
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Does matte or glossy finish look/work better with the Photo Pocket Pages? Is one photo finish more popular than the other?
I used to think it made a difference but I just don’t have a strong personal preference these days. Both options look great behind our crystal-clear page protectors. As for popularity, I’m really not sure. One might argue that the glossy finish is best for the sharpest image, but then you have more fingerprint “risk” with glossy. Pros and cons to both. Bottom line: It all comes down to personal preference.
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Will you travel to Houston in June for the CK conference?
I’m pretty oblivious to events in general these days. I really don’t have much of an idea about what shows and conventions and events are even happening simply because I’m off the road. And I love that right now as this phase of my life = immersed in raising a family and running a business. My priority (in the work area of my life) is dedicated to developing solution-based products, providing great customer service, offering inspiration on a regular basis, and improving on everything we do – constantly. The more I’m gone the less I’m working on stuff that benefits you. Maybe I’ll end up at another scrapbooking convention sometime but it’s not on my radar for the near-future … because of the reasons I just outlined.
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I know you post photo ideas on Facebook. Do you have a list that I can print out for those days I am stuck?
Why, yes I do. Our little photo idea resource is right here in the new Inspiration section. The list is a PDF that is ready to print – and it’s free. Want to share it? You have my permission. Make as many copies as you want.
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Will you be putting the Best of Becky Higgins Sketches book back into publication?
It’s technically not my book. I mean – it’s definitely my baby. I created every bit of that book (published 5 years ago) and it’s absolutely one of my favorite projects I’ve ever done. But I don’t own the rights to it. I was commissioned by Creating Keepsakes, who was my employer and my publisher at the time. I have no idea if they plan to reprint the book but you could always try contacting them to ask.
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I found an overstuffed box of greeting cards that I received during my son’s first years including baby shower, baby arrival, first holidays, and early birthdays. They are from friends, family, and former co-workers. Do you have any suggestions for what to do with them – specifically which ones to save, which parts to save, and how to show them off?
First of all, it’s nice that you found this later because now you have some retrospect. As you look through those cards now you’ll find yourself not really caring to keep those cards from people that aren’t super close friends or family. You may want to toss the store-bought cards that just have a quick note that isn’t really sentimental at all. You’ll naturally want to hang on to the ones that have meaningful sentiments to your son from those closest to your family. In fact, you’ll probably find a few that you want to display in an album (probably your son’s baby book). As for the rest? I’d for sure put them in a Big Envelope Page that goes in his album. That’s exactly what the product is designed for.
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I’m just curious if you have any ideas on how to incorporate the digital Project Life with memorabilia that you want to keep (cards, kids notes, etc.) I lean towards doing Project Life through Shutterfly but I want to also document and save the fun little paper things. Any suggestions??
So you know the Big Envelope Pages I just talked about in the previous question? Yeah. Those are pretty darn handy. And practical. And versatile. You can certainly do Shutterfly books and keep memorabilia in Big Envelope Pages. Over the years you could have an album full of yearly envelope pages, each filled with documents, trinkets, and other stuff that didn’t go in your Shutterfly photo book. Are you catching the vision?
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I was curious how your view towards Project Life has changed over the years. I understand that it is evolving and changing, but how has your attitude changed about it?
Project Life’s genesis is based on my predicament/frustration/struggle to keep up with the memory-keeping I wanted to do. I created a solution to meet my own needs and now it’s available to the masses. So my view hasn’t really changed because it’s still serving that purpose. I created it to be a solution and we still do everything we can to ensure that our products remain solution-based in an industry that is full of (wonderful) creativity-based products. Hope I’m answering your question. ; )
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Will you, at some point, re-share all your “cultivating a good life” posts that you share on facebook + twitter?
Ah. Another question that I’m pleased to say “Why, yes!” You guys are the ones that motivated me to create a whole section on my website that would be where we collect and share inspiration. It’s right here, my friend.
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Wondering in general, how many Photo Pocket Pages fit into a binder? I have 4 kids! Do I need to start out with 4 binders, tons of Photo Pocket Pages and maybe 2 core packs or what would you recommend?
The product is designed to simplify all of this in your mind so that you don’t have to think so much about what product to get, and how much. Here it is: To create an album you need 3 items. The Binder + a Big Pack of (60) Photo Pocket Pages – because that’s how many pages fill an album + a Project Life Core Kit, which has all the title + journaling cards that slip into the pockets to compliment your photos. It sounds like you are thinking about creating an album for each child, so you would get 4 Binders + 4 Big Packs of Photo Pocket Pages + 4 Project Life Core Kits. The most popular Big Pack (all Design A) will be back in stock late April but you can absolutely get started with a Big Variety Pack 1 because you’ll want to sprinkle these pages into all your albums anyway.
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{ some favorite bits of your feedback }
From Becky: Thank you, thank you, thank you for teaming up with Shutterfly and making project life digital books available. It may be one of the easiest books I have ever completed with Shutterfly. Love project life!
From Kate: I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much Project Life has meant to me. I was a “traditional” scrapbooker for most of my life. Over the years, I spent SO MUCH MONEY on all the fun papers and embellishments that I ended up in terrible debt. This year, I finally faced my debt head-on. Starting January 1st, I decided not to buy any unnecessary items for an entire year. I called it my “Stopping Spree.” Of course, I ordered my Project Life in December, so I could continue documenting my memories all year. I just feel that Project Life is such an economical way to preserve everyday life!
From Kirby: I’ve thought or had the inclination to shoot you an email of THANKS so very many times THANK YOU a hundred times over for Project Life – for the simplicity when I’m not feeling like adding much & the flexibility of being able to do a little more ‘playing’ when I’ve got the time & am feeling motivated to create. I find that, looking back, I love both. The importance lies in getting my family’s stories documented – THANK YOU for making that possible in such a very real, practical, flexible & DOable way!!
From Elisa: I watched the slide show for newbies and thought it was just fantastic. Is it possible to be even more excited to get my hands on the Project Life stuff?! The level of detail and the accompanying photos were precisely what I needed to completely eliminate any anxiety or confusion about what goes where, and what everything is for. I watched it twice! I forwarded the link to everyone i could think of – nothing but raves and “I can do this!” Project Life is a wonderful product with a wonderful team behind it. I can’t wait!
{ Quick Note } to announce the winner of yesterday’s Marimekko notebook giveaway: Congratulations to Jan W. of Smyrna, Georgia! Email brandi@beckyhiggins.com with your shipping address and we’ll get that notebook sent to you straight away. : )
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When I say “Heidi” most of you undoubtedly know who I’m talking about. Heidi Swapp is a fellow designer in this crazy cool industry of memory-keeping, and she is my friend. We met about a dozen years ago through a mutual friend (her cousin-in-law Nanci is my dear friend). David and I were in our “medical school phase” and I was really (accidentally) launching a career in scrapbooking as the Creative Editor for Creating Keepsakes magazine at the time. I think my first or second book was published around then.
Heidi, a lifelong creative, came to my house with Nanci for one of my “scrapbook nights”, which I did pretty regularly with my girlfriends for many years. She was very much in a stage of rediscovering her love for scrapbooking and we instantly hit it off. For Heidi, the rest is history. She went on to teach and work and design and publish and create and of course inspire in so many ways. Of of late, she has re-launched her brand and her website and a line of new products. I genuinely love this girl. Heidi is warm and real and ambitious and insanely creative.
Heidi and I are each teaching a 12-week course at Big Picture Classes this year. We have different styles + different approaches to memory-keeping, and I love that. Most importantly, we both really care about inspiring others to document life and be more observational and more aware of the details that surround us. (Note: You’re not hearing much about my class yet because it’s the last 12 weeks of 2012.)
But Heidi’s class is starting next week!
Heidi’s class is called Art of Observation and you can learn all about it by clicking on that link – and of course that’s where you can register too.
Workshop lasts 12 weeks and costs $99.
April 5 – June 27
I’m thrilled that Heidi and Big Picture Classes would like to giveaway a seat to Heidi’s class to one of my readers! Leave the usual information in the comments: Your first name + city + state/country. Winner announced tomorrow on our Feedback Friday post.
My friend Kerri Bradford (who is also the designer behind the popular Turquoise Edition of Project Life), was just announced as a new teacher at JessicaSprague.com! She is launching what looks to be a very cool class that I know many of you will be interested in.
You just got your new baby . . . *ehem*. . . Silhouette. She’s all hooked up and now you’re wondering how to get to know her better. Join Kerri Bradford as she leads you through the ins and outs of what you see in Silhouette Studio. She’ll give you a basic overview of how to use the library for Silhouette shapes + shapes from outside sources as well as show you the basic tools and menus to help you get on your way to making your first cuts!
You can see the details and learn all about Silhouette: Getting to Know You by checking out THE CLASS. And … you can have a chance to win a FREE SEAT in Kerri’s class by simply leaving your first name, city, and state/country right here in the comments. A lucky, randomly-selected winner will be announced in my next blog post!
Teens documenting their life? Yeah. I’m totally a fan of that idea. Well, let’s be honest. I’m a fan of anyone and everyone making a point to document their life in some way. It’s ALL good.
But I really have a special place in my heart for kids who scrapbook because I started scrapbooking when I was young. I’m sooo glad I have this stuff. I’m so glad I cared about my pictures + stories + clothing tags + handwriting samples + doodle art + candy wrappers + movie tickets. I’m so glad I can share that stuff with my kids so they can see what their mom was like back then.
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Tonight I’ll be speaking with a group of girls from church – ages 12-18. They know the significance of cultivating a good life, so I’m going to focus on documenting life. Naturally, Project Life will come up and in fact, I have a whole lot of goodies with their names on it. While developing this concept and this system, we always kept in mind the spectrum of those who would be interested in documenting life. This isn’t just for 30-something moms like me. This is for singles, empty-nesters, teens … even pre-teens.
Meet Kayla.
She is one of my favorite young people on the planet and this year she decided that she would embark on her own little Project Life journey. (You can imagine my elation the day she told me.) Kayla is 15 years old and a Freshman in High School.
B: Kayla, why did you decide to start a Project Life album?
K: I began high school this year and wanted a way to document my experiences in high school.
B: What are you hoping will be the result of doing Project Life this year?
K: I am hoping my Project Life will result in me wanting to do more! I want to continue keeping memories throughout my life.
B: What are your observations taking on a project like this when you have other responsibilities, like school?
K: Project Life fits right in with my life. I have found it easy because I can be creative but I don’t have it spend a lot of time on it. It’s scrapbooking made easy!
B: Do you have a routine for working on your album?
K: I take a picture every day but I do the layout and journaling every Sunday.
B: If you could see an album like this from anyone that you know, who would it be and why?
K: I would like to see one from my mother’s childhood. I would like to see it because I could see how she was as a teenager and compare our different experiences.
Kayla is doing an awesome job telling her life story. Favorites, family, friends, quirks, entertainment, goals, hobbies, daily rituals, spiritual stuff, funny stuff, weird stuff … all the stuff that makes up who she is. I so love that Kayla is doing her part to tell her story. She has no idea what a goldmine and a time capsule she is creating. Sure, she’ll love looking back at this in a couple years – and ten years – and thirty years. She’ll also find her children and grandchildren eating it up. It’s hard to imagine the impact something like this can have on future generations, let alone those who are doing it today.
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cobalt edition
Kayla’s album is the Clementine Edition, which is currently sold out. In fact, you guys gobbled up all the inventory we had on all almost every edition of the Project Life Core Kit. (Yep, we’re working on the re-print of all of everything.) HOWEVER … We do have some of the Cobalt Edition left and I happen to think it’s such a fun + perfect fit for most teens!
Of course this isn’t teen-specific. This style will float a lot of your boats. So fun, eh? I love how designer Kim Gayton made the Cobalt Edition so bright and lively and happy. Check out a sample album that Creative Team member Kelly Purkey created HERE.
Remember: Project Life isn’t about starting on January 1 or your birthday. It’s about getting your pictures and memories into an album, whenever you want, however you want. You only need the following items to complete an entire scrapbook. Anyone can do this.
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Pack of Design A (Amazon found a magic/missing pallet and we miraculously have these back in stock … but they’ll be wiped out again soon I’m sure)
What kind of shelving unit or display do you keep your scrapbooks on?
I have had these Cropper Hopper cubes forever, but I’m not sure they even make them any more. I know a lot of scrapbookers love the Expedit series of shelving at IKEA.
Worth mentioning: I just recently – like this past week – moved the scrapbooks down to the kids’ eye level and suddently there is a surge of interests in looking at scrapbooks. Seriously, it’s like a magic trick and I’m so thrilled. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?
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Would you be kind enough to share where your kitchen wallpaper is from?
The company is Seabrook. The name of the book/collection is Shadowplay. Go here for more information. And since I smell the next question a mile away … the chair, pillow, and little chest are all from Potato Barn in AZ.
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I want to incorporate a date stamp into my pages. What date stamp do you recommend using?
You can pick up any ol’ date stamp at an office supply store, but I do think that Dear Lizzy’s new Neapolitan Roller Date Stamp is rather fun.
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Just watched the Project Life video. May sound crazy but I love the pink on the bedroom walls. Any chance you know the color/brand?
Behr’s Raspberry Lemonade 130C-3 (purchased at Home Depot). Claire’s bedding is from Pottery Barn Kids, several years ago. Stuffed animals and very sleepy girl not included.
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I’m out of the loop. Are there any Photo Pocket Pages to accommodate Instagram prints?
We are working on it.
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What do you do with all the Christmas, Birthday, etc. cards that you and your family receives?
Naturally, Christmas cards are displayed on the wall and our tradition is to leave them up after the holidays 2-3 months. I’m about ready to take them down this weekend, in fact. I used to save all of our Christmas cards until last year when I had an epiphany: I am not the keeper of other peoples’ memories. I have enough to keep track of with my own family. So I made a very liberating decision to throw them all away. If you missed that organization post, check it out. My camera was along for the journey as I went through and organized a bunch of stuff in our home office. That was fun.
As for Birthday cards, most of them get thrown away but we save the special ones that were homemade or have a sweet note, or grandma’s handwriting, etc. These go in the Big Envelope Pages in the kids’ scrapbooks.
For 17 years I’ve been keeping a basket full of the most special letters and cards we receive. Remember: We keep the kids’ special cards in their scrapbooks. But the cards that are for David and me? I just add them to the basket. It’s not really organized but they’re all in one place and that’s good enough for me. To be honest, I don’t ever go back and read them. But they meant something to me/us and so I’ve been hoarding them I guess. Mind you, these are not the thank-you-for-our-wedding-gift kind of cards. They are personal and specific and special for one reason or another and it doesn’t feel right to toss them. I figure there may be a day later in my life that I’ll have time to dig through that basket and remember the kind words of loved ones. Who knows.
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What kind of spiral grid paper are you using in this photo??(Referring to a picture I posted on facebook + twitter that showed what David and I were working on recently.)
Oh, how I love my Marimekko sketch notebook. First of all, this is my go-to place for all work-related sketches. Everything from product design to ideas for the website. It is well loved and well utilized and some day I’ll have to take you on a tour through these pages. I picked it up in Finland when we were there visiting my parents a couple years ago. The sad thing is, I’m about ready to get another one and I can’t find it anywhere online! : ( If anyone else has a cool resource for a sprial-bound notebook with grid paper, I’m all ears.
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What kind of scanner do you use?
The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M has a permanent spot between my computer and David’s. It’s a sheet-fed scanner, and compatible for our Macs. I’m sure there is a similar scanner for PCs. And here’s the portable version. We also use a flat-bed scanner (Epson Perfection 4490) for scanning thicker items (like pages in my grid notebook from the last question, and some of the kids’ art, and other odd-shaped items that won’t work in the ScanSnap.
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How do you reduce the page after you scan? Is there a certain program used?
I re-size everything in Photoshop Elements. That’s my only photo editing software, besides what’s built-into iPhoto on my Mac.
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What camera do you use? Trying to decide between a Nikon d3100 or CANNON eos rebel t3?
I am so not up on the latest & greatest in cameras. I find myself taking most pictures on my iPhone these days (you can see my favorite iPhoneography apps here). But I do really like my dSLR (Nikon D90), which we’ve had 3.5 year now, and I still use it at least weekly for one reason or another. Isn’t it amazing how technology is changing the way we photograph life?
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Ok Becky… I have to know, HOW do you style your hair? I love it!
This is funny. You should see me right now. Okay, actually… I’ll snap a quick self-portrait. This is exactly what I look like right now as I’m writing this. For real, I’m sporting a pony tail almost every day. When I’m not, I change it up. Sometimes, I’m round-brushing for straightness and body. Sometimes I’m throwing my curling iron into the mix. Maybe it’s down. Maybe it’s up with a dozen bobby pins. But today is typical. Pony tail. Truth is – I really don’t spend my time on my hair, like … ever. But I guess that’s relative.
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Say you have a 7 day trip to California that includes SeaWorld, Disneyland, Beach, Zoo, etc. Would you still print just a few pictures, enough to fit your WEEK or would you consider making perhaps a small photo book just for this vacation? I just know that I go picture crazy on trips and I wind up with another album. What do you do for special occasions?
You asked what I would do … and I’m nothing less than honest with my answers. So I’ll just tell you that with any traveling we have done and any big events we have had in the past few years since I have been using the Project Life method of memory-keeping, I have taken so much pressure off my own shoulders by just sticking with my simple plan to have one week represented per layout in our family yearbook. That means I’m choosy. Yes, of course there are loads of pictures not “scrapbooked”. But that’s not the point. We want to remember our life, but we don’t need every picture and every memory written down. I have never loved memory-keeping so much as I do now – ever. It’s very liberating to be choosy and really narrow down. The rest of our photos remain on our computer (and of course backed up) and I’m 100% content with that. I’m not really doing extra pages or mini albums these days. Just not the phase I’m in.
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Why do your pockets come in such odd sizes? I can’t print off 3x4s at WalMart. Or 6x6s. Am I missing something? This seems like a really neat prospect… but when the printing of the pictures is a hassle… what is the point?
Welcome to Project Life; sounds like you’re new to the concept and I’m so happy that you want to learn more! If you check out our Getting Started page, you’ll see how this all works and how easy it really is. The 3×4 pockets that are found in most of our Photo Pocket Pages are designed to hold our 3×4 Journaling Cards. Many Project Lifers enjoy being creative with their pages, even though it’s designed to be incredibly simple. We love ALL approaches to Project Life!
As for the 6×6 pockets in Design E, those are great for cutting down kids’ art, or placing a cd or dvd in a pocket, or a block of patterned paper, or a photo enlargement trimmed to size … you get the idea. Here’s one way I used it in Porter’s album. I showed this (and much more) in my recent video about Getting Organized with Kids’ Stuff.
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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!
This is exactly why we have the products we have, and why we’re bringing out more products for needs like this. Our Big Envelope Pages are a huge seller for a reason. They are an excellent place to store newspaper articles and cards and all sorts of memorabilia. Depending on the size and shape of your newspaper clippings, these are excellent plastics for displaying that kind of stuff as well: Design E, 6×12 Page Protector, and the classic 12×12 Page Protectors.
Note about scanning: I’m a fan. You mentioned your bubble jet printer, which makes me think that maybe you don’t know that you can print anything that you scan, just like you print photos. Just be sure your scans are saved as JPGs and upload for printing like you would any other pictures. It’s a very inexpensive way to get excellent prints of your newspaper articles, awards, and other memorabilia. Like I said – I’m a fan.
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I’m wondering – do you print your photos at home? If so, do you have a sweet printer?
I don’t. And I don’t. But … most of our Creative Team uses and recommends a printer for home use. If you missed that question in their Q&A on my blog, you can see their recommendations in this post.
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Do have a favorite pen that you like to use for journaling?
Yep. I’m a long-time fan of American Crafts’ Precision Pens.
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What is the significance of the 10 of hearts in the Clementine Core Kit – just for fun?
That’s a fun question! I asked Lili, who designed that edition and she said, “Yes, for fun – because it’s cute, and as far as I know it means love and good luck!”
Page by Deb Duty.
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{ a couple favorite comments }
“This is my first year doing Project Life and I just had to send a huge THANK YOU your way. I became an avid scrapbooker in 1997 when my daughter was born. After child number three and life becoming so busy, I found myself turning into a collector of scrapbook supplies. I continued to take the pictures and collect the supplies but very few stories actually made it to pages Now that I am involved with Project Life, I no longer have to stress about all the stories I’m not telling. I love how the project can be as simple or detailed as you want. I have even collected some of my favorite photos from the past years that have been sitting collecting dust and I incorporate them into my current Project Life pages as a “flashback.” It has been fun to tie the past and present together. I love how this Project Life can be anything you want it to be! Thank you, Becky, for Project Life!”
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From Donna: “I just wanted to let you know how much I absolutely love doing Project Life on Shutterfly. It’s a breeze! Now let me tell you – I am so computer-illiterate that sometime turning on my computer can be more than I can handle but it truly is as easy as everyone has been saying it is. I just about have a whole book done just with my January pictures and it is so much fun to click drag and see results. I totally had my feet dug in to not like this way of doing Project Life but wow! With results like this I just may switch. Thanks for making life so easy. You are my EASY BUTTON.”
David had the rare opportunity to drop the kids off at school this morning. After dropping them off he called me and said, “Quick. Write this down. Claire just said …” and he quoted her, exactly the way she said it.
PS – My favorite pens for memory-keeping are for sure American Crafts’ Precision Pens.
David is totally catching on to something that I am personally working on and trying to be better about. And that is to write down those quick quotes, anecdotal stories, and other things that seem to come and go so quickly.
I do not have the best memory.
I honestly believe that this is part of what I love so much about memory-keeping is that if I didn’t photograph and write and record? I know I would forget so many important things. Especially when it comes to our kids and what they say. If I could see actual quotes of what I said as a little girl, and how I worded things … and things that David said – and our parents said – when they were kids? I would love that. So I’m really trying to be better about jotting down notes like this as they happen.
My secret to success in this effort?
The 3×4 Journaling Cards. For real. I keep a box of these in my purse, right along with my iPhone and sunglasses and wallet. Because when those moments happen, I can now be just as quick to write something down as I am to take a quick picture on my iPhone.
You’ll notice my little box is a bit worn from being tossed around so much, and a little empty from being utilized.
Why I love these cards:
1. Horizontal. Vertical. Whatever I want it to be.
2. Double-sided in case I have more to say on the back.
3. The grid is completely versatile in style. I leave most of them plain-jane but sometimes I’ll add a simple strip of patterned paper on one side for some color.
4. The 3×4 size is cute and small and not overwhelming to “fill” at all.
5. I drop the cards directly into the 3×4 pockets that most of our Photo Pocket Pages have.
6. I’m a better documenter because I’m capturing slices here and there without any effort at all.
7. I have felt way less guilty. Come on, Moms. You know what I’m talking about. How many times have your kids said something and you’ve thought, I have to write that down. And then you don’t. Me? Oh, just about 378,019 times so far. … But I’m so changing that.
The beauty is that you can stick notes in your son’s lunch or your husband’s brief case or on your daughter’s mirror. And then eventually the note can end up in the scrapbook because it’s already on the card that will go directly into a 3×4 pocket.
Plus, your kids can write on these cards and tell their own stories without feeling like they have to say a whole lot. In fact, I encourage others to share these cards with the whole family. Let them write and doodle and color and scribble and do whatever they want with these. You’ll magically have a collection of bits and pieces of their personality! Heck. At $3.99 for a box of 100, why not give each family member a box of cards and have them do whatever they want with their cards, right?
Around here the little Journaling Cards are becoming a family thing. Nothing real creative. Just using them for simple slices of everyday life – just like taking snapshots with a camera.
What are YOU doing with the Journaling Cards? We’d love to see – and potentially share – your ideas! Email submissions@beckyhiggins.com.
Side note: Most of you know that our family albums are in the form of a Shutterfly photo book, which I discuss briefly at the very beginning of my “Getting Organized with Kids’ Stuff” video. You can certainly implement scanned art or scanned cards or scanned anything into digital pages or photo books, just as easily as adding digital photos. For the cards we write on in our family, those are primarily for the kids’ individual scrapbooks, which I discuss in great detail in that same video.
Do you feel like you are swimming in the stuff that your kids bring home from school?
Do you feel like you have more papers, projects, pictures, works of art, programs, awards, and memorabilia than you can manage?
Do you feel completely overwhelmed by the very idea of organizing all this stuff?
Do you have a desire to bring some order to the chaos, and ultimately have organized scrapbooks for your kids?
Me too, friends. Me. Too.
I really needed to get a grip on all the stuff for my kids so I embarked on a little journey with a big goal. I decided that having a video camera along for the ride might end up being beneficial for some of you too. That’s the goal. This is not a quick tutorial. This video is nearly 30 minutes long and you’ll feel like you’re hanging out with me in our home office as I walk you through my own process of creating order out of chaos. You’ll appreciate the fact that I’m years behind on the kids’ scrapbooks. And you’ll see first-hand what I’m doing to get to a place where I no longer feel Mom Guilt.
Join me on this quest to get organized. This video was built piece-by-piece over many weeks. If I had nothing else going on, this would all have happened in a few days. But that’s not my real life. So I fit it in a little here, a little there. Many outfits. Many hairstyles. Too many outtakes that warrant their own video … some day.
I genuinely want you to feel inspired to get organized with your kids’ stuff without being completely overwhelmed. In fact, I expect that many of you will even get organized with your own childhood and school stuff as well. (But just take one thing at a time, okay?)
As I mentioned in the video, I’m looking forward to hearing from you, too. If you have insights to share that will help us in developing product that will ultimately help you, don’t be shy. We are literally in the middle of designing school/childhood products right now and I invite you to participate in our brainstorming. Consider yourself an honorary team member of Becky Higgins LLC. So much of what we have done is a result of listening to our customers and readers. Your suggestions will be heard and considered.
Here’s an update on our products – ALL of them. These updates are specifically for U.S. customers. If you live outside the U.S., please be sure to check for updates with our international distributors.
Please bear with me as this will be another topic for another day. We’re working on a lot of product development right now. A lot. I know there are many questions on what we’re working on and when it’s going to become available. We’re super excited that you are anxious for the next round of new items.
Not only do I prefer to have more information before I share any more, but I also have been completely consumed with today’s shipment arrival and really need to get through this weekend with so much going on. I literally gave play-by-play updates as products were showing up on Amazon shelves, and I personally answered most questions that were asked on facebook, twitter, and here on my blog. As Ellie in New York stated on twitter today, I would TOTALLY wear a t-shirt saying I survived the Feb 2012 Project Life Re-stock. Ha! No kidding, sister. : )
On a similar, funny note: Dawn in Arizona said this on facebook today: “I kept checking all morning and was totally stressing out since I had to leave to go to my cardiologist appointment. My doctor even commented my blood pressure was high and I said, You have no idea… I NEED my project life stuff and I just know they are going to be out before I get home! He gave me a crazed look and I was so relieved when my phone decided to finally corporate so I could place my order. He came back to check my blood pressure a few minutes later and it had gone down. He said, Wow! That must be important stuff to stress you out that much! HA HA!!!
Trust me – we do not intend for the ordering process to be stressful. Ultimately we would love to have an insane amount of inventory for every single product so that we never run out. But right now we’re doing the best we can.
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{ new to project life? }
Since many of you are new to Project Life … be sure to check out the Slide Show that is very informative and helpful as you get started.
Just a quick note to let my blog readers know that I am literally giving play-by-play, minute-by-minute updates of product arrivals today ON FACEBOOK + TWITTER. As each item shows up, I’m sharing links. If you want to be absolutely in-the-know, be sure you’re getting my updates. Just saying.
If you’re not interested in getting my facebook + twitter updates, I’ll do a blog post later when everything from this shipment (10 SKUs) is in stock. But hopefully by then, everything really is still in stock. I can tell you right now that there are a few items literally flying off the Amazon shelves just as fast as they were placed there this morning.
I know we’ve all been very anxious to get some products here. Several items have been sold out but now the wait is just about over. In fact, we expect the shipment to arrive to Amazon tomorrow – Friday.
Stuff to keep in mind:
1. It’s a huge shipment. Even if the product shows up first thing in the morning, it takes time to show up in the system and actually become available for purchase. So if the clock is ticking and you don’t see anything show up for hours + hours, please understand that there are tens of thousands of products to scan in and sort and stock and … that’s just our stuff. (We love Amazon so much. Have I mentioned that?) There is no way for us to know exactly when the product will show up in the system. You can keep checking and keep refreshing … or … you can simply wait to hear from me, since I will notify you (via blog/facebook/twitter) when the products are in.
2. The quickest, easiest way for me to send updates is via facebook + twitter. If you feel like you haven’t been getting as much information as you’d like, please know that I do sprinkle in product updates with other fun content on facebook + twitter. All the time.
3.Will we run out again? This is one of the most frequently asked questions right now. The short answer: Hopefully not. The longer answer: We ordered so much inventory, guys. While we think we’ll have enough to last until the next shipment comes, Project Life continues to spread like wildfire. Friends are telling friends and they are telling their friends. There is no way for us to really know how much will sell tomorrow, this weekend, next week, and next month. So we ordered more than we think we’ll need. Remember that I post updates on facebook + twitter. If something looks like it’s going to run out, I try to notify you ahead of time.
The good news in all of this is that even if we do run out of something fairly quickly, we have already placed another huge order so more will be on the way soon.
4. This is what is showing up on Amazon.com this weekend. If you live outside the U.S. please check with our international distributors for information on product availability in your area.
5. My best advice as you prepare to shop Project Life this weekend, is to know what you want to purchase. That’s why I shared links and prices, so that you can plan accordingly and have a good idea of what needs to end up in your Amazon shopping cart. Remember: Our Products page has ALL of our products on display at any given time, even the sold-out items that are going to be re-stocked.
I’m letting David take over for this special edition of Feedback Friday. And why not, right? He is the other half of our little business and the genius behind so much of what we do. Here are his responses to your questions.
What is your occupation and how do you split your time between the business and your primary occupation?
I am a full-time Anesthesiologist. My time is split 90/10 on most weeks and 80/20 on some weeks. With our business I am fully in charge of all the bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, logistics, etc. This allows Becky to concentrate on the fun stuff. Luckily we have a great accountant and I have been passing more and more of the bookkeeping and taxes off to them as we have increasingly become bigger and bigger as a company.
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How did you choose the field of Anesthesiology? What do you love about your specialty?
As a medical student we have rotations in many different specialties. At that time I had a chance to ask questions and see what life is really like for those physicians. I discovered that some fields that I thought would be interesting and fun, turned out to be boring and monotonous for me. For instance in my Internal Medicine rotation I felt like we sat talking and planning and never did anything. I enjoy doing procedures (epidurals/spinals/central lines) and seeing instant results. When I give a medication, we see the results within minutes – not weeks/months like in the clinic. In short, I chose the field of Anesthesiology because I enjoyed it most.
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Now that Project Life is HUGE in the scrapping community, it probably seems like it was an easy bet to everyone. But when you and Becky first acted on the idea, how did you weigh the personal risks (ex – your finances, etc.)?
When Becky made the decision to leave Creating Keepsakes magazine we faced a major crossroad. She had to decide if she wanted to retire from the scrapbooking industry or start a company and produce this product she believed in. We felt that there was an unmet need. We believed that Project Life would help people get their memories into scrapbooks with ease and style. I knew that because Becky believed in the product – and herself – we could make it happen. I figured if it didn’t work we could at least break even, so the finances/personal risks were based on that assumption. Luckily once we started the ball rolling we didn’t have much time to really sit down and think about all the risks.
We started this company with the objective to create one kit per year. We thought that one product only once per year would allow us to maintain a simple company with little time commitment. We did not anticipate the evolution of the product. The full kit made less and less sense as we progressed. (Side note: The problem with a full kit is that you rely on one company to produce all portions of the kit. The factory may specialize in paper materials but not in plastics or metals. If you divide the portions apart you can use factories that focus on one type of material and therefore decrease defects and improve quality.)
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What are three of your favorite things about Becky… and does she really not eat Raisin Bran any more?
1. She is beautiful, not just in looks but also in personality and attitude. 2. Her work ethic is incredible. She does not cut corners to make things easier on herself. The problem with this is she is also a control freak and has a hard time passing things over to for other people to do. 3. She is an awesome mother to our 3 kids.
She will rarely have Raisin Bran. She did eat it daily for years and years though.
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Tell the truth, do you have your own Project Life binder with your own journaling?
As Becky has said in the past she does Project Life in the Shutterfly photo book format. She has been using the Clementine Edition this year. I will occasionally journal for a picture if I took it or it is directly related to me. I love Project Life. I love looking though our older albums, but to tell you the truth I am involved directly with scrapbooking about as much as most of your husbands.
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As a man, do you have any advice for how I can convince my husband of the long term value of Project Life & scrapbooking in general? He just doesn’t seem to get it and says it’s just my hobby, nothing more. How would you sell Project Life to a man that thinks it’s just photos? Trying to convince my hubby why I love it.
When I was reading though the questions I kind of laughed when I saw this one, because I have talked about Project Life at work and tried to “sell” it many times. However, when I really think back on it I realize I have only “sold” Project Life to female colleagues – the female doctors and nurses. I have described the product concept and business to male colleagues but have never really tried to sell it to them directly.
I feel that this issue is a big difference between most women and men. Although I love looking back through the pictures and stories of our family I do not feel a responsibility or obligation to record it personally. It seems like women feel that responsibility for record keeping more than men. I am not sure why, just an observation. To make the point, I have talked to busy women who work (while their husbands are at home with the kids) and it is still the woman that feels the obligation to document life – not the stay-at-home dad.
I do understand why Becky and many, many others love it. I also understand that scrapbooking is much, much more than just photos. I look as it being a photographic journal. With each picture being worth more than a thousand words many of you are leaving an family history library for your loved ones. My mom and dad both lost their dads when they were teenagers, so I have never met or really heard much about my grandfathers. It would be absolutely incredible to find a Project Life type of scrapbook with everyday photos and stories of my grandfathers. I would love to know more about who they were and how they lived. Instead we only have a few precious photos and stories that have been passed down. So although I don’t “do” Project Life personally I understand and fully support Becky and others who are trying to pass on a legacy to their children.
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How much creative input do you have with the design of Project Life?
I actually have more input than anyone except Becky. Even though I don’t scrapbook (Would you if you had Becky doing it for you?) I understand the problems and frustrations that scrapbookers have. I appointed myself as Becky’s harshest critic over the years. I am never afraid to tell her if I think something is terrible. I also have a feel for the pulse and needs of our customers. I have stayed up late with Becky on multiple occasions, many times with a ruler to help get the measurements of the Photo Pocket Pages perfected down to the millimeter. I read the comments and pass on and point out things to Becky just in case she missed it. I am also very involved with the business aspect of the company.
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What is it like being married to a ROCKSTAR???!!! What’s it like to be known as Mr. Becky?
I am assuming you are talking about Becky? She is just like everyone else. She still does put her pants on one leg at a time unless she is stumbling around after 3-4 hours of sleep. I guess from that perspective she is a little like a rockstar in that she stays up late, but usually just emailing and taking care of business stuff left over from the day. So much of the work in our house gets done after 8 pm once the kids are in bed.
The only time I am known as Mr. Becky is at scrapbooking conventions (and I’ve only been to a few over the years). Most of the time I am just Dad / David / Dr. Higgins / Dr. Happy Juice / the candy man / gas man / epidural guy / my-best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world-because-I-don’t-feel-this-baby-tearing-my-pelvis-apart.
I got this note from Suzanne in Texas. Great inspiration to pass along.
Project Life is giving me a creative outlet … and a confidence to produce something that looks attractive even in it’s simplest form and doesn’t require more time than I have to work on it. I am loving it so far.
I was thrilled to see the release of the digital products through JessicaSprague.com and the photo books on Shutterfly. I love it! I bought the Cobalt Core Kit and also some of the digital papers and elements of the Cobalt edition. This is something I like to do with my Instagram photos in my Project Life book. I take my Instagram photos and open them in Photoshop. The Instagram photo is about 4×4 and I put it into a 4×6 file and then add a digital paper to the back.
Sometimes I add text or other Project Life elements to it also. Then I can print my Instagram photos along with all my other 4×6 photos and they fit in the Photo Pocket Pages without hassle. Thank you for Project Life, I have really enjoyed every minute I spend working on it!
You can see more from Suzanne’s Project Life on her BLOG.
We have some very special friends - the Fuchs ("fewks") family - that are adjusting to a "new normal" with their special-needs daughter who had a terrible accident and is now confined to a wheelchair. You can read all about it HERE
For the benefit of Claire's family - and also for the benefit of many generous sponsors - I opened my blog for advertising for one month only! This is temporary + the ads will run February 1 - 29, 2012. 100% of the ad fees have gone directly to Claire's family.
Because of the nature of this fundraiser and the need to keep the entire process very, very simple - we are not taking any more sponsors at this time. Anyone who wants to reach out to the Fuchs family with a note of encouragement, or a letter in the mail, or even a cash donation, can find that information HERE
