Today I’d like to share with you some random bits of inspiration, fun, ideas, stuff … as we head into the weekend. In no particular order.
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{ #1 – Winners }
We have our winners from yesterday’s giveaway! Ella Publishing will be giving Rebecca Cooper’s new eBook to:
1. Julie in Wellington, New Zealand
2. Mary Lou in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Ladies, go ahead and email cooper.rr@gmail.com and she’ll hook you up – Congratulations!
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{ #2 – Go Notes }
Kiki Creates has the most adorable new thing – Go Notes. These are little business-card-sized cards with different prompts on it to fill in a little written love for someone special. I’ll be packing these in my kids’ lunches once in a while, for sure. Kiki just debuted her kid sets in time for the beginning of a new school year. They are a perfect little note to stick in a lunch box, a back pack or anywhere else! She sells them for $6 per set as a pdf digital download so you can print as many as you’d like, which also makes them super economical.
Kiki blogged about them here. Head over to her etsy shop if you want to get your hands on this ASAP, or just browse around to see her other cute stuff.
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{ #3 -Wall Art Inspiration }
Every Wednesday photographer Laura Winslow has a series on her blog called Wall Art Wednesdays. A lover of photography + home decor, this has naturally become one of my personal favorite columns on the web. Laura is great at finding wonderful inspiration in various styles, and she shares new ideas each and every Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Lyons. This is an example of what Laura features on Wall Art Wednesdays.
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{ #4 – Inspiration for Cultivating a Good Life }
It’s on my homepage: Cultivate a good life and record it. Most of you know I share a { POTD Idea } almost daily on facebook + twitter. This picture-of-the-day inspiration goes along with the “RECORD IT” part of my slogan. The purpose is to inspire you with ideas on what to photograph and document in your life. Most of the photos are submitted by readers like you. If you’re interested in submitting an idea or two that you think will be widely applicable to others, I invite you to email your { POTD Ideas } to submissions@beckyhiggins.com. I’m especially fond of strong photography skills (hint, hint photographers). : )
The other part of my slogan is “CULTIVATE A GOOD LIFE” and lately, I have fallen into the habit of sharing nearly-daily inspiration for this as well. I hope that by sharing these little snippets, you are uplifted and encouraged and inspired. Sometimes I share thoughts that are just rock-solid in what I believe and what I try to live. Most of the time, I share thoughts that I need to be reminded of, just as much as the next person.
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{ #5 – An online scrapbooking project }
You are invited to a FREE festival packed full of big ideas at Big Picture Classes this month. There are 12 fun-filled days featuring 12 of their talented instructors. Each will be giving you a word of the day, along with a downloadable template so that you can create a mini layout about that day’s word and how you applied it in your life. Sounds like an inspiring project! It just started this week, so it’s not too late to check it out. Even though this has started you can still get all the content and participate in whatever projects you want.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to register. Remember: It is free and you will not see a charge in your account, but you do have to check out.
If Big Picture Classes is new to you, learn more and become a member for free here.
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{ #6 – Meal planning made simple }
I’ve mentioned e-Mealz a couple times before, but if you haven’t heard of it before, you should! We have personally been using this online meal planning service in our family for quite some time now, and we still love it. With summer coming to a close, school starting and a hundred to-do lists in every direction, you are likely looking for ways to simplify your life. When scrambling to fix dinner at the last minute, people often turn to unhealthy or expensive options. Been there, done that. More than I’d like to admit.
What I love about e-Mealz, is that they provide an everyday solution in the form of simple menu plans and grocery lists, which are published every week. This “mental maid” is an easy-to-use and concise tool for creating delicious, family-friendly dinners while sticking to a weekly budget. Right now your can enter the code SCHOOLTIME to get 10% off your E-Mealz subscription. It’s already cheap, so this is just a bonus!
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{ #7 – Blogger Cookbook }
Speaking of food … The gals over at How Does She? wanted to create a way to support the American Red Cross. They gathered favorite recipes from 50 hand-selected bloggers. I was happy to be invited and delighted to participate in sharing one of my favorite recipes. And I’ll just add … ooooh, the recipes in here look gooood. And, it’s for a terrific cause because 100% of the proceeds to help those in need with all the world disasters and calamities. Learn all about how you can get your hands on this here — it’s available as an eBook, as well as a printed + bound hard copy.
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{ #8 – Where Women Create }
Where Women Create is all about celebrating creative, entrepreneurial women. I love that. And I am honored that they have featured me in their brand-new issue, along with Heather Bailey, Stacy Julian, Susan Branch, Holly Becker, Melody Ross, Kim Stoegbauer, and more. Women that span across many markets, each with their own story and their own niche. And congratulations to Tim Holtz, who is featured in their new column: The Men Who Make It!
If you’d like to pick up a copy for yourself, go here for the short-cut to this latest issue.
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{ #9 – School Lunches }
Yes, there are supposed to be labels in those label holders. But Crew can’t resist sliding them out right now.
I know some of you must already do this, but for me — this is something new this school year in our home. To save time and stress in the mornings, I have everything pre-bagged and ready-to-grab for the kids’ lunches. The only thing I need to do is make their sandwich. They are otherwise 100% responsible for getting their lunch bags, choosing a variety of items from this drawer, and packing their lunch.
We got big containers of things like pretzels, Sun Chips, crackers, etc. and put it all in snack-sized baggies. Plastic spoons are in the drawer as well, next to the applesauce and mandarin oranges. We have a drawer in the refrigerator that has the same concept: Cheese cubes, grapes, and anything else that needs to be refrigerated. All ready-to-pack. There’s my back-to-school tip-of-the-week. : )
Chances are, you went on a trip this Summer. Or had a family reunion. Or played close to home with a staycation. Today I’m sharing an idea with you. An idea on how you can quickly and easily create a photo book with your favorite Summer pictures. Don’t mind the horribly un-flattering freeze frame here. Nice.
The marvelous thing about basic supplies, such as the Photo Pocket Pages and Journaling Cards, is that you can leave them in their most basic, simple form and have absolutely classic, timeless results. Or you can get creative, work your magic, and transform them into whatever you want, for whatever you need! Below are some ideas that will surely get the wheels in your head turning. These ideas are the result of our “Just the Basics” contest that we held this Summer.
NOTE: We have sold out of the Journaling Cards, but more are coming and due to be in stock by October. We currently have some Design A and Design B of our Photo Pocket Pages in stock on Amazon.com.
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ARTIST: Elaine in California
CONCEPT: Create custom title cards and journaling cards to enhance your photos/theme. Elaine cut out little custom shapes, used designs from cardstock she had, and even did some hand-stitching for this particular scrapbook layout.
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ARTIST: Janet in Pennsylvania
CONCEPT: Home Management Binder. Janet uses the Photo Pocket Pages and 3×4 Journaling Cards to organize things such as her pantry/freezer inventory and her birthday/holiday list. She says, “I love being organized and these ‘BH Basics’ work like a charm. The Photo Pocket Pages are great for keeping all my info in one place as well as any notes (love that they are double-sided) and my shopping lists. And of course, no project is complete without some photos of loved ones. I love how these basic products made my Home Binder even more functional and certainly pretty.”
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ARTIST: Tami in Washington
CONCEPT: Spinner Display. Tami created a high school graduation party guest book for her daughter, but with a twist. More on her idea, in her own words: “My daughter wanted a guestbook, but to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea because it seems they get stowed away never to be looked at again, but them I came up with this idea which I think is a great way to display these memories in her dorm room this Fall.
“I used the Journaling Cards and punched them using a rolodex punch and a template from one of the original spinner cards. I placed them on a table next to the spinner and invited guests to leave their wishes for Hailey. I decorated the spinner using KI Memories patterned papers and a few assorted embellishments. I printed several of her senior photos in wallet size and added them to the spinner, this was a great way for the guests to see all those great photos! I set a camera on the table next to the spinner and asked guests to take their own photos and I’ll be adding those (as well as some additional party and commencement photos) to the spinner as well.”
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ARTIST: Sandy in Florida
CONCEPT: Dig into your stash of cardstock and cut it into 3×4 blocks to place in the 3×4 pockets. Mix these pages into other scrapbooks. This is such a simple form of scrapbooking. And even simpler because you’re not using adhesive!
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ARTIST: Maria in British Columbia
CONCEPT: Favorite Photos Flash Cards. Maria used a tea tin (there are lots of tins and containers around this size), decorated it with patterned paper, and created a home for favorite family shots. She says, “Google’s Picasa now makes it easy to get little photos printed at my local grocery store. After a little click, click, click with my corner rounder, the pictures look great on the 3×4 Journaling Cards.” Maria even used a Journaling Card to label her cute little tin, and utilized the back of each 3×4 card to document the who, what, when, where, why of each photo.
Let’s just get right to it. Ladies and gentlemen … the following items are what we will have available by October 2011. Please read my commentary for details.
Yes, this looks familiar for a reason. It’s the same Turquoise binder we’ve had all year. But we’re running out of these, like everything else that has sold out. So I’m telling you now, this is the time to stock up on this binder if you want. More of these binders will become available, but the new binders are likely going to be a little more expensive than our original binders for several reasons. As soon as we have new images/info/pricing, of course I will share. FYI: The new binders will have a solid color spine that coordinates with the album, as well as a metal bookplate for labeling the binder. Those are the main visual differences.
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No, this is not a mystery box. I’m not keeping the contents secret. I just don’t have the actual Core Kits here to photograph yet, so this graphic will have to do for now. The box is approximately 7″ x 7″ x 4.5″ tall. What’s inside? The Project Life CORE components. Specifically, this includes all the title cards, filler cards, first and last page cards, journaling cards, bi-fold journaling cards, and stickers you would need to complete a full album (and then some!). As a bonus, we even threw in a stack of 3×4 Grid Journaling Cards! The aforementioned “core contents” are still pictured here. NOTE: Only what I’ve listed here, is in the Core Kit.
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Now you can get as much 12×12 cardstock in your favorite Project Life collection(s) as you want! This quality double-sided designer cardstock is meant to be used with other Project Life components if you’d like, or not at all. These are great designs for any scrapbooking, card making, and crafting projects.
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See Turquoise Binder above. Same story. Amber binders still in stock can be found here.
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See Turquoise Edition of the Core Kit above. Same story.
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See Turquoise Cardstock above. Same story.
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This is another item that may be familiar to many of you. These incredibly versatile, incredibly popular little boxes of 100 grid Journaling Cards have sold out and we’re bringing them back. Plain + simple, they’re a staple.
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Remember the Scrapbook Dividers that came in the full Project Life kits? They were designed with numbers and/or months. We know you have more uses for these, so we made them as generic as possible — keeping the design neutral, versatile, and classic. Think about your other scrapbooks. Think about those school and childhood albums you are working on (or will be working on) for your kids. Or any kind of scrapbooking that you do! Oh, the organizational possibilities. And … we’re including sticker labels for the part that sticks out above your page protectors. Those stickers are all about options. We’re giving you months and numbers and school years, that are even applicable to most countries. And … of course blank labels for whatever you want! The material is a sturdy, sandblasted, acid-free plastic that is still thin enough to not add bulk to your album. Leave them classic + simple or embellish the Scrapbook Dividers however you’d like. The sky’s the limit.
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You have been begging for these! Hooray that they’re finally coming! Made of a similar material as the Scrapbook Dividers, these pockets will hold artwork, papers, memorabilia, cards, and any treasures you want. The flap tucks into the front (no bulky snap), and you’ll have a place to label and identify your contents with the pocket and label cards. There is plenty of room inside this 12×12 Big Pocket Page. For planning purposes, you may want to have a Big Envelope Page per year for your child’s scrapbooks.
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You are already familiar with Design A. It’s the classic Project Life design that allows for 4×6 photos and 3×4 Journaling Cards. We anticipate selling out of what’s currently in stock at the moment. So get what you want now, if you don’t want to wait until more come in October!
NOTE: We’ve raised the bar and have improved the quality of all of our new Photo Pocket Pages. You’re going to love them!
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Same story as Design A. We currently have some of Design B in stock on Amazon.com, but we anticipate selling out soon.
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Okay … NOW … Let’s unveil the NEW Photo Pocket Page designs. I’ll preface with this: You likely have a problem called sooo-many-photos-that-I-need-to-do-something-with, right??
Solution: Don’t stress about designing scrapbook pages if that’s not your thing. Just use these Photo Pocket Pages to slip in your photos and even your memorabilia. We have title cards + Journaling Cards to fill in the gaps and help you organize and document it all. Easy-peasy my friends.
Design F is one of my absolute faves. Think wallet-sized school photos, or filling them all with Journaling Cards that have anecdotes and memories written on them. Think receipts and tickets and handwritten notes. And of course 3×4 photos. With a 4×6 title card at the top, of course.
This is our solution for including horizontal and vertical photos and Journaling Cards in one page. The unique size is intentional, as we know many of you enjoy various page protector sizes. There is not a single wasted inch in this design.
We used to include a pack of 54 Photo Pocket Pages in our full Project Life kits. Now we’re throwing in a few extras because we know how much you love the versatile designs for so many projects! There are plenty of these pages to fill an entire album or two (depending on how bulky you get!). These come in a classic white Becky Higgins box that you’ll love for long-term storage of … whatever you want.
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Another Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages, and this one has a variety of designs. For planning purposes, this is what I strongly recommend you pick up to go along with all the school/childhood products that are coming early 2012. We’re just offering this Big Pack ahead of time so that you can start organizing and working on such things. I’ll be talking more about that in the coming weeks.
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{ a few last notes }
1. Prices. I know you want prices but we don’t have those solidified yet. I will let you know when we know. In general, manufacturing costs have gone up and that is out of our control, but we are doing everything we can to keep the prices low. We love making scrapbooking affordable!
2. Timing. Everything that has been pictured in this blog post is anticipated to arrive to Amazon.com by October. Earlier would be even better, but when we have to depend on others’ schedules, we can’t promise anything. As of now, the timing is on-track and looking good. Thanks for your patience as we’ve sampled and re-sampled and re-sampled again in order to make these products spectacular.
3. Pre-orders. If you’re in the U.S., we can’t do pre-orders because our products are sold + distributed through Amazon and that’s not how they work. When the items arrive at Amazon is when you can order. Amazon is phenomenal at processing + shipping orders in record time. I will give you plenty of heads-up via facebook + twitter + here on my blog.
If you’re outside the U.S., most of you will have pre-ordering available to you beginning as early as this week. Those of you in New Zealand and Australia will want to check here and those of you in Canada and elsewhere should check here.
NOTE: If you are international, please be sure to pre-order what you want so these distributors can order sufficient quantities. If you don’t pre-order, there is no guarantee they will have product available for you. If money is tight right now but you have plans to purchase products in a couple months, it’s worth at least notifying/emailing the distributor with your intentions. This will help with their order quantities. We don’t want anyone feeling frustrated over sold-out products.
4. Products-at-a-Glance. Want to have all of these product pictures together in one place? For your convenience and reference, here is the Product Catalog for the Fall 2011 items. (Just be sure to click on the green Product Catalog to open that PDF.) Feel free to print it, dream up what you’re going to do with the new goodies, and mark it up. Of course we’ll share the updated catalog when we add specifics and images of the November stuff — including the new 2012 Project Life designs, etc.
5. New 2012 Project Life.Yes, I am about to share images of our two new editions soon.These items are due to arrive by November, so we’re getting very close to being able to let the cat out of the bag on all of that.
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I seriously am giddy about what’s coming. These are the tools — this is the system — that is going to help me (and you) get pictures into books. So many of you reading this are already doing Project Life. You get how solution-based and simple and easy it all is. Now you just have more options. Everything we do stays with that same philosophy: Simplify the process of documenting life.
I can hardly believe it, but it’s already back-to-school season. Again. I am seriously loving all the school supply abundance in the retail setting. Always inspiring to me.
I know many of you are familiar with the in-the-classroom project I’ve been doing for my kids’ classes over the past few years. You know … the Personal Yearbooks.
I’m not going to repeat and reiterate everything in this blog post. I just wanted to bring this up – as a reminder to those of you who have considered doing this. And also, I want to be sure that all my new readers, particularly parents & teachers of school-age kiddos, know about this. Because it’s a way cool way to help young students create their own month-by-month documentation of a year in school.
I invite you to check out my Free Stuff page and learn all about it. (It’s a free downloadable PDF.) Why we do it, how we do it, supplies needed, plenty of tips, and all the ideas you need to get started. Share this with your fellow parents, teachers, friends with school-age children … anyone you think might be interested.
If you’re not able to take on the project yourself (perhaps you work full-time outside the home), just bring it up with your child’s teacher and you guys could always try to find a parent volunteer in the classroom. Most parents would be happy to do what they can to make this happen. It really is a treasured keepsake for the kids, and a very simple format.
Any of you who have done this, feel free to leave a comment with your own tips + ideas.
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I am getting a lot of questions about our pending school and child related scrapbooking products. This is a completely separate thing from this in-the-classroom Personal Yearbook project that the kids do. Yes, we are working on very cool, very solution-based products that will help you tackle all that childhood and school STUFF that accumulates with your kids … and even the stuff that you have from your own past.
We anticipate an early 2012 release date for these items. Because many of you are anxious to figure out what to do with all the pictures and papers and memorabilia that pile up – especially with a new school year starting – I will be addressing this topic in the coming weeks. We’ll talk organization and preparation. Can’t wait!
I know, I know, I know. Project Life is sold out and yet I keep bringing it up! You know why? Because you keep inspiring me. So I want to continue passing along the inspiration.
Aaaand … Project Life will be back in the house before we know it! We are anticipating September for the reprint of Amber Edition and Turquoise Edition and November for the two new 2012 editions. It’s never too early to get those wheels spinning, for those of you who:
A) are new to the Project Life concept
B) are already doing Project Life but anxiously awaiting the new arrivals
C) have friends + family members who should know about Project Life
So today I want to share with you two emails I recently received. One is from Gemma who is 17 and the other is from Karen who is 56. They are living on opposite sides of the country, in very different stages of life, with very different experiences. But they have something in common. They are telling their story. They are creating something so simple, and yet so much more valuable than they realize.
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{ Gemma from Bainbridge Island, Washington }
Hi Becky,
I am 17 years old. I started scrapbooking when I was probably 11 or 12. I love scrapbooking. I love being able to put my family’s memories in a book so they can look at it and remember it. Four years ago my family moved. I kept scrapbooking but I found it harder and harder to find time while I was adjusting to a new neighborhood and school. Then I just flat out stopped because I was so overwhelmed with all that was going on in my life. Earlier this year a family member of mine introduced me to Project Life. I started to do the digital version. It has really changed my life. I love being able to sit down with my parents and show it to them. I do not feel like I have to spend so much time trying to be the one who preserves my family’s memories.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you so much!
Gemma
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{ Karen from Pennsylvania }
Dear Becky,
I recently finished reading more than 200 letters that my father sent to his parents while he was serving in the Marines right after World War II. Reading each one of them has been an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. My father has been gone for 18 years now, but I heard his voice again for three wonderful days. As I read, I heard my father trying to calm my grandmother’s concerns about the girls he was meeting on leave. (And now I know where my worry gene comes from!) I heard him give supportive words to his little brother about schoolwork and heard him tease his parents about their car, which seems to have been on its last legs. And I now know where that insidious melanoma cell that took him away from us far too early came from — he served in Califormia and spent many weekends going to the beach or pool to “get some color” in his pale, freckled skin.
I heard and learned so much, but I am greedy. Now I want to see it all, too. I want to see the barracks that he complained about. I want to see photos of his Marine buddies who meant so much to him. I want to see him roller skating. I want to see the girls who had my grandmother so worried. I want to see the house that all of those envelopes were addressed to. Unfortunately, this will never happen. And that is why Project Life is so important to me.
I am 56 years old. My children are now grown and living their lives happily , so my Project Life book is not full of their everyday adventures and experiences. But, I will have a record of the times we do get together, of the movies and plays that I have seen, of the books that I have read, of the recipes of family favorites, of the friends I now have time to see more often, of the events of the day. I am still living a life of everyday moments worth recording.
I am doing Project Life not merely for myself or for my children, but also for a great-great-granddaughter or grandson who will share my gene for wanting to know everything possible about his or her ancestors and their lives. He or she will want to know what I looked like, what my house looked like, how I spent my days. It doesn’t matter that I am not documenting the life of a young family. There is still so much of the everday life of a 56-year-old that I know will be interesting to someone, somewhere down the line. Answers to questions about life in 2011 and beyond are the gifts that I can give to those who come after me.
So, to all of your followers of ”a certain age” who feel as though they are struggling to find topics for their photos and/or journaling, I suggest they think about the questions their great-great-grandchildren might have about life in the year 2011. What seems so mundane to us now as we live day to day will be fascinating information for others later.
Thank you, Becky, for creating Project Life so that one day, decades from now, someone with pale, freckled skin and a healthy dose of curiosity will come across my Project Life book in an attic, wipe off the dust, and be transformed to another place and time.
Best,
Karen
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Okay, goosebumps. You got me.
Side note from Karen regarding the photo above: “I am holding my Project Life opened to the spread for the week during which I started to read my father’s letters. On the left is a collage of the typical places I stop by on an errand run (bank, drug store, etc.). On the right side, bottom left, is a photo of the old shoe box that contained all 205 letters. Also included on the right are a photo of the new eyeglasses I picked up that week and a photo of my cat playing fetch. Finally, there is a photo of my two children, whom we met for dinner at my son’s favorite restaurant in Arlington, Virginia .”
First of all, click refresh. You should see an color update to my website. It’s grey. And overlapping super-skinny rings. Two of my favorite classic things in design. In fact, that grey is really close to the neutral paint on our walls at home. It’s only appropriate that it’s my website background too, right? I love, love, love grey with just about any color.
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Okay, the real reason you’re here today — Inspiration.
I wanted to share with you something that I do when we travel. It’s the organizer in me. It’s the photographer in me. It’s the documenter in me. I don’t care which part of me it is … I just do this because it makes sense to me and helps with my digital photo organization. Maybe it’ll help you too.
I call this { VIRTUAL BOOKMARKS }.
Here’s what I do: When we travel for multiple days, I simply take a picture of the date** first thing in the morning, before I take any pictures that day. You know how, on longer trips, the days sometimes run together or you get them mixed up? Especially as time goes on and your memory gets a little fuzzy? I realize I’m talking to the chronologically-minded crowd here. The rest of you won’t care.
The result of doing this? When you import all your pictures on your computer, and you see them all there, you’ll also see those VIRTUAL BOOKMARKS that help separate your days/events. This may not really matter years later, but it can really help you keep it all straight when you are preparing to add some photos to a scrapbook or if you’re organizing a slide show or … you get the idea.
**By taking a picture of the date, I mean taking a picture of anything that indicates what day it is. A calendar page, your cell phone, iPad, hand-written on paper or post-it note … anything at all.
I know you’re visual. I am too. Here’s a look at some VIRTUAL BOOKMARKS from our trip to Alaska last week.
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From our recent trip to Maryland/D.C./Pennsylvania:
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You get the idea. See? So simple.
I’ve been doing this for the past couple of years and there’s a reason I keep doing it on our trips. Oh! If you can, add a note about what you’re planning to do or where you’re planning to be, with the corresponding date. Even just a general idea. Helps with the whole organizing thing. I’m going to be better about that from now on.
For example, I wrote the port for each day, and that really helped with our cruise picture organization. It’s amazing how quickly you can forget some things.
One more thing: You’ve noticed my handy dandy notebook a lot. It goes everywhere with me. I like my technology but some things just have to be pen-to-paper for me.
I’ve been getting lots of questions about this topic so today I’ll share with you how we usually organize block parties. Our process isn’t necessarily the way it works best for others, but this is our groove and it works for us. I hope you’ll glean some inspiration and possibly feel more motivated to organize a block party in your own neighborhood.
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WHAT: We have hosted a block party just about every year since we moved here 5 years ago.
WHY: We love a sense of community, we have great neighbors, and we seek opportunities to get to know them better, and have everyone become better acquainted with one another as well. It’s hard to build friendships without face time. Isn’t it amazing how you can live next door to someone and hardly ever see them?
WHEN: We’ve done every time of year – Spring, Fall, Winter. Usually we avoid the Summer time because it’s so hot in Arizona but we were just early enough this time that it wasn’t quite dreadful yet. Because of Summer time, we opted for a weekday evening (cooler temps, kids aren’t in school, and weekends are usually full or less-consistent in general).
HOW: Higgins style = simple. Simple = No decorations, no cutesy party favors, no making the food all by myself … not even planned games. I’m not really elaborate when it comes to parties. If I were elaborate, I probably wouldn’t have many parties ever, because I don’t have that kind of time.
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Step 1: A few weeks before the party, we sent a save-the-date email to all neighbors whose addresses we had.
Step 2: I made flyers.
Don’t be confused by the graphic. I used a map of our little neighborhood but distorted the image in this picture for privacy reasons. Here is how I set up the document in Pages (word processing on Mac computers):
Step 3: A couple weeks before the party, my good friend & neighbor Sarica and I took our kids on a walk one morning and the kids taped a flyer to every single door in our neighborhood. **Definitely involve your kids in the planning and preparations! This will help instill in them a sense of community.
Step 4: On the flyer, we requested that everyone tell us what they were going to bring (main dish or salad or side dish or dessert …). I kept a running list of these things, just to ensure we had a good balance of food items.
Step 5: On the evening of the party, we put a sign on the door, inviting all our neighbors to just walk in.
We set out plenty of these, accompanied with a couple of markers. (We have plenty of new neighbors so these name tags are instrumental in helping us learn and remember everyone’s names.)
Many neighbors came. Some were out of town. I love that all the kids knew to kick their shoes off by the front door.
And we spent the evening enjoying great conversation and catching up over plenty of food.
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{ BLOCK PARTY TIPS }
- Be sure to invite every neighbor. It’s not cool to leave people out. You probably don’t have everybody’s email address or phone number. Hence the flyers.
- Don’t expect 100% attendance. That’s just too many schedules to coordinate. Just pick a date and hope for the best.
- Collaborate with another neighbor and share party-planning duties.
- Child-proof your home if you’re not used to having children over. We have kids over all the time, so this was a non-issue.
- If your home isn’t conducive to large crowds (or you simply don’t want to have everyone in your home), consider a nearby park or even a cul de sac in your neighborhood that you could block off. Just choose a time of year that is ideal and comfortable to be outside.
- Have one, central place for all the food. Seems obvious, but plan ahead for this as you might need to gather a couple extra tables to set up.
- Name tags. Super helpful. See above.
- Welcome sign on the door. See above. This is especially helpful to new neighbors, to ensure them they’re at the right house when they show up.
- We don’t plan games because the kids are content to run around in the backyard, jump on the trampoline, etc. but you certainly could plan for a couple games. I do think it’s a fun idea. In fact, this is a perfect assignment for other neighbors or even have a couple teenagers take charge in the game department.
- Put a couple Sharpie markers by the cups so everyone can label their own cup. I like my neighbors but I try to keep my germs to myself.
- Speaking of drinks, this is a more personal preference. We don’t drink alcohol and we don’t prefer alcohol to be in our home. So we always provide drinks. A big water jug or water bottles or soda and juice or make a punch. There are plenty of options. For this recent party, we stuck with water because it was a hot day and we knew there would be a lot of congregating inside. Any spills would be water spills and I can handle that.
- Remember: This party isn’t about your house, if you’re hosting the party in your home. Don’t worry if there’s still laundry on your bed or dust on your blinds. This party is about building friendships within your community.
- If you have little ones, I recommend seeing if they could play at a neighbor’s for that hour or so before the party. That’s when you’re usually tidying up, pulling together last-minute food prep, etc. This will save you some stress if you have a hard time multi-tasking. My friend/neighbor Sarica had our kids over before this recent block party and boy, it was sure helpful to pull everything together without distractions.
- Need party food recipe ideas? Check out my collection of favorite Recipes (see categories on the right).
Still think Project Life has to be a “certain way”? There’s no such thing. Each album will be as unique as the people and families who are using Project Life to document their stories. I think anyone will find inspiration in this email I’m sharing with you today. And it’s perfect timing for those of you in Europe who now have Project Life available to you.
Dear Becky,
I’ve had an a-ha moment: Knowing that I have designated spaces to fill with everydayness has come to mean that I no longer “edit” our lives as far as what I include in the family album. I have crazy handwriting after being forced to be right-handed. I can not spell. I have to filter some pictures to look Instagram-y because they are fuzzy. My printer needs scolding occasionally, and I use a $69 point-and-shoot camera. And that is OK. I would rather have an album to enjoy now instead of waiting until the art fairies make me a well-equipped design genius.
I haven’t been using the full Project Life kit because they were sold out by the time I realized I wanted to do this for life as it happens instead of just for my childhood pics. I’m using your Photo Pocket Pages, Journaling Cards, leftovers from my Amber edition (my childhood album), and stuff from my stash.
The 0/15 spelling test? It’s in the album (bad spelling is a family trait).
The bill from the vet when the cat licked himself into what looked like a bikini wax? It’s in there — complete with the tiny, unflattering cat mug shot the vet prints on the upper left corner of the bill.
A picture of me and my friend after 90 minutes of my first hot yoga class? Yep. She made me promise not to prove it by sending you a copy of us looking like sweaty lumps, but it’s in there.
I have married Steve twice. We won a wedding re-do on a radio station this February because I had chicken pox two weeks before our first wedding.
Tags off the replacement bras I just bought after my helpful spouse threw my old ones in the drier one last time too many? Yep. They fit in the journaling spot just fine.
Movie tickets from the impulsive Mother’s Day movie, even though it was no Oscar winning film? Yup. And I found a piece of print advertisement with the characters on it too.
Our 8-year-old daughter Audrey still needs to journal on the Octopus page.
My cousin posing with a very surprised UPS man after she missed the delivery of our iPad2 and had to stalk the driver to his store at the end of his shift? Yep, it’s there in 4×6 color.
I would have NEVER taken these photos or saved this stuff back when I made whole pages about single events, or even when I did monthly wrap up layouts. They really are pieces of the whole in our messy lives, and I am so thankful that they will now be included. Who isn’t going to love looking at that imperfect stuff later on?
Documenting life is a blessing. Anyone who takes pictures, writes in a journal, scrapbooks, or records life in any form knows how rich the experience can be — both the act of documenting, as well as being able to go back and look at what has been recorded.
And for many, documenting life has taken on a whole new level of significance. I know many of you have used Project Life to record the journey through difficult times. Like Karin.
In her own words: Really It all began December 1, 2010. My beautiful little boy was diagnosed with leukemia and our world turned upside down. We spend 45 hellish days in the hospital getting Elijah healthy enough to come home. Once we got home I didn’t recognize my little boy and I really felt like things were happening and changing so fast. So on January 14, 2011 I decided that I was going to start taking a picture a day of Elijah to document his year in treatment for leukemia. I wanted to be able to look back at this time through treatment and be able to show him that we lived a life with joy despite the circumstances. I wanted him to be able to look back at his treatment years from now and see that we lived life to the fullest and didn’t let life keep kicking us while we were down. Quickly I realized that I didn’t just want that for Elijah. I also wanted his baby sister Aliyah to see her life was lived and loved through all of this. So I started taking pictures and looked for an album to put the pictures in and write a little story about their day. I knew I didn’t have time to make them a scrapbook.
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So I found a simple album that was just picture slots and got one for each child. The problem? There was no place to journal. It left me cutting out little note cards and trying to fit the days journaling around the picture. Quite frankly, the end result was awful. But — that was what was available. Then my sister-in-law heard about my project and asked if I was using Project Life because she had just found out about it and ordered herself an Amber kit. I quickly looked it up and it was exactly what I had been wanting. I was sold and so I ordered a Amber kit for Aliyah and a Turquoise kit for Elijah. As soon as it arrived I copied everything I had already put into the cheap albums into the new kits and I loved the results! This was exactly what I had been looking for.
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Now I have 17 completed weeks in their albums and daily filling each new day. I am in love with your kits and don’t think I will be stopping at the end of this year. By keeping up with the journaling and photo processing every day I have found an amazing thing. My experience of life has changed. There are days that my experience says it was a terrible, horrible, no-good day with nothing redeeming at all. Then I go up to my loft office and process the day’s pictures and write the kids’ journal entries. Not one day in the 118 days of photos I have taken, has my kids’ overall experience been a total bad day. Sure, there are bad moments and hardships – especially in treating cancer – but my kids are thriving and still happy despite all we have given up. I see their joy and realize that the day wasn’t as bad as I experienced it and so I can go to bed each night in peace.
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I have seen my children’s amazing spirit and it has saved me from the darkness I feared when my son was diagnosed. Having Project Life has helped me to really live life with my children and see each day with honesty and hope. I believe whole-heartedly I would have given up on the albums long ago if it wasn’t for the simple brilliance of the Project Life system. Thank You for giving our family the gift of amazing albums as well as a changed outlook. While I am sure many people do not have as big of a push as we did to preserve our history I feel as though I would have greatly benefitted from the fresh eyes daily journaling and photos doing Project Life has given me. The time I spend each night on their albums is so centering it has just become part of my daily routine much like lunch. So again thank you.
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.
Photo courtesy of Kimberly Lyons. This is an example of what Laura features on Wall Art Wednesdays.
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