Here we go. More of your questions and more of their feedback. I give you … our phenomenal Creative Team.

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Which Photo Pocket Page design do you find most useful?

Jennifer: The Photo Pocket Pages I use most are Design A (for my main weekly layouts), Design G (for extra photos; I especially like that there are slots for vertical photos in this layout), and the 6×12 Page Protectors (for longer journaling).

Deb: Design A is the one I use most because I naturally take my photos horizontally. For my extra inserts, I haven’t decided on a favorite. It just depends on which photos I have that I want to include.

Lindsay: I am finding that I’m using all of them fairly regularly. I would have a hard time giving one up if I was going to have to choose one. The different styles really add variety to the book.

Marcy: I started with Design A and use it all the time.

Kelly: I’ve actually found that I like Design F best (there are 10 pages in the Big Variety Pack 1) – lots of little pockets and opportunities to fill them!

Monica: I’m really loving Design G (shown) & Design E as inserts.

MaryAnn: Design A is what I use every week. I also use the 6 x 12 Page Protectors.

Liz: Design A – It’s great for the way I take photos (mostly landscape oriented photos on my dSLR, with a few portrait oriented ones from my camera phone). A close second is Design F (shown). As mentioned above, there are 10 of these pages in the Big Variety Pack 1. The 3×4 pockets are so fun to work with.

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I would like to know if you are printing your photos at home, what kind of printer are you using? My second question is what program do you use to keep track of your digital photos?

Ali: I print at home using an Epson Stylus Photo R2000. I use Aperture for photo management.

Deb: I do print at home on the Epson Artisan 837. I use Picasa to organize my photos. All of my photos are in folders named by date. I just start a new folder every few days so individual folders are named something like ’2012 02 07. If I have a lot of photos on one date I will make a folder just for that day. Then I tag my photos with keywords to make them easier to find.

Marcy: I’m using an Epson Photo Stylus 1400 which I love. All my photos (from my SLR and my iPhone) get downloaded into folders on my computer that are dated.

Michelle: I started printing at home this year and I love it! I would not be able to complete my pages in a timely manner if not. I purchased an Epson Artison 730 printer and it’s fantastic. Crystal clear photos and easy to use.

Kelly: Epson Artisan 800. My photos are all organized in Adobe Bridge.

Monica: I use my HP Photosmart Pro B8350 to print my Instagram pictures & hybrid inserts. I am currently using Photoshop Elements 8 for my digital photos.

MaryAnn: Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer & iPhoto.

Liz: I use Adobe Lightroom. I take photos almost every day so organizing them chronologically by year/month/day works best for me. I have Lightroom set up so that the date is automatically added to all photo files upon import. (ex. 20120101-DSC_1523.JPG). I also tag and label photos using Kayla Lamoreaux’s photo flow system. This system allows me to quickly find photos, either by date or by subject/event.

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I would like to know what other systems everyone uses for their photos. Obviously all of you are doing Project Life, but do you do anything in addition to that (i.e. scrapbooks, mini albums, photo albums)? Particularly for events where lots and lots of pictures are taken (i.e. vacations, birthdays, holidays, etc.).

Jennifer: I don’t do anything in addition to Project Life; I incorporate all the extra photos from the year directly into my Project Life album.

Ali: I do 12×12 and 8.5×11 layouts, minibooks, a Week In The Life 8.5×11 album, and a December Daily album. My layouts go into a family album by year.

Deb: As of now I’m only using Project Life, with inserts for extra photos.

Marcy: In addition to Project Life I scrapbook and make the occasional mini book.

Sheri: I still have traditional scrapbook albums where I put stuff like birthday, holidays, etc. And even though I am a digi scrapbooker, I still print my layouts and put them in traditional albums. My album of choice is the 12×12 3 ring leather We R Memory keeper albums. I print all my layouts through Persnickety Prints.

Monica: Working full time in public accounting with a 1st grader, 21 month old and a another baby due in April I am in a season in my life where I only have the energy & am making the time for Project Life. I trust that with different seasons this will change.

MaryAnn: I only do Project Life. When I have an event with lots of photos I use additional page protectors and insert them within my weekly spreads. What I have found works best for me is to do my week at a glance as normal (because I usually have a limited time frame to get it done), then as I have additional time I can add the photos from the event. That way I don’t feel like an event is causing me to feel like I’m getting behind.

Liz: Yes – in addition to Project Life, I also do photobooks and mini albums.

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Do you put the extra elements (like stickers, die cuts, info tabs etc) directly on your photos? Or on top of the plastics? Both?

Jennifer: For journaling cards I put the elements directly onto the cards, but for photos I usually put the stickers on top of the plastics.

Ali: I put them on my photos.

Deb: I put them on top of the plastics.

Marcy: Usually in the plastics.

Michelle: I put the elements directly onto my photos and cards (shown) and don’t worry too much about the archival quality.  The majority of the products I use are safe for my photos.

Kelly: I’ve been putting my directly onto the photos.  I usually love foam adhesive to pop things up but I don’t like to stretch the pockets too much, so this has been a good exercise in using flatter embellishments.

Monica: I put them directly on my photos.

MaryAnn: Both

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For those members who are doing Project Life digitally, what are you doing for the background? I see that Sheri and Lindsay have kept theirs a neutral color on each page. Will you keep that same background in the entire album?

Jennifer: I am doing my digital pages with a plain white background and will keep it the same throughout the album. It’s definitely a matter of personal preference. I gravitate toward a simple & clean look.

Lindsay: I will be keeping mine that consistent tan color throughout the book. I find that it’s really helping my pictures and elements pop off of the pages when it’s that neutral color.

Sheri: My plan is to have the same background paper for each month. All the weekly layouts for the month of January will have the light grey that you’ve seen. Than for my February layouts, I will likely use a light pink (still haven’t decided). This way each month is coordinated.

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I really want a printer that can print 12×12. Is this a worthwhile investment if I want to be able to go hybrid with my scrapbooking? If so can you please recommend any good brands?

Ali: I love my Epson Stylus Photo R2000. I use it daily.

Marcy: My printer (Epson Photo Stylus 1400) is a wide format printer. I love it.

MaryAnn: Yes. Yes. Yes. My printer paid for itself within the first 3 months. I have saved so much money on printing photos at home. I use the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer. The quality is amazing and I have never had any problems with it. I have owned it for two years.

{ INK } I replace ink maybe once a month but that is not all of the colors, I have found a great place called Cartridge World that I can get ink at a fraction of the cost and it’s the same quality. Green and red ink only have to replace them once a year maybe the green every 6 months if you are using it more often.

{ PAPER } I buy 4×6 paper for Project Life prints at Costco. The Kirkland brand quality is amazing and can’t be beat. It”s better than anything else I’ve tried. Saves time since it’s already cut down for you. It’s a glossy finish. When you print it choose photo paper pro II (8.5×11 paper). I also buy at Costco – Kirkland brand. Again the quality and price can’t be beat. As far as paper for large format I use Canon paper and I’ve found that the semi gloss works best for albums and the premium pro works for photos to be framed (although the premium pro will take more ink to print) I do not recommend getting the matte paper! In my opinion, you will LOVE the canon PIXMA. It is amazing!

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I do not have Photoshop Elements (yet), but when I get it I don’t want to be overwhelmed. What suggestions do you have as a good starting place to begin my learning curve on how to use digital brushes, alter photos, etc.? This whole world of digital is new to me and seems as intense to me as normal scrapbooking would to a non-scrapbooker!

Cathy: Consider taking an online class to learn more. Places such as JessicaSprague.com and ReneePearson.com offer affordable, quality education to help you master the basics of digital scrapbooking.

Jennifer: When I was just learning Photoshop Elements for the first time, I purchased a Scott Kelby book to help me learn. These days however, there are so many great online classes available at sites like jessicasprague.com geared specifically to digital scrapbookers that would probably be really helpful as well!

Ali: I have a page dedicated to Getting Started available here (includes free downloads for testing things out) and links to other sites with good information for getting started.

Deb: I highly recommend Jessica Sprague‘s photo editing classes as a starting point. They really helped me to understand the basics of Photoshop Elements when I first started.

Lindsay: My best friend is a Photoshop newbie just like you, and she’s taking on Project Life this year. I recommended that she sign up and take a few of the classes at Jessica Sprague’s website. She just completed a couple lessons and is THRILLED with everything she’s learning. I think taking a class will be helpful. Finding a friend or family member that has some experience that can help answer questions wouldn’t be a terrible idea either!

Sheri: I use Photoshop Elements and love it! I honestly can’t say enough wonderful things about the online classes through JessicaSprague.com. I tell everyone I know to check out her classes.  You can’t go wrong! She has classes for beginning all the way up!!

Monica: I love the Missing Manual series for Photoshop Elements.

MaryAnn:  I learned from tutorials online by Ali Edwards and Cathy Z. It is amazing what you can learn online. I also recommend classes at JessicaSprague.com.

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Is purchasing a Silhouette a good investment? I have seen the amazing features it has through viewing what Ali Edwards does on her pages through her blog (and sometimes using Photoshop). But, is something like the Cricut comparable to it?

Ali: I love it : ). I haven’t used a Cricut so I can’t compare it to that. What I do love is that it’s a computer vs. a cartridge based program (I’m already using my computer for many parts of my memory keeping tasks so it really makes sense for me). I can cut any fonts from my computer and use many of my digital elements. It’s been awesome.

Marcy: I have had both the Cricut and the Silhouette.  The Silhouette is a work horse and way more economical once it’s purchased. You only purchase the designs you want and you can cut fonts and your own designs as well.

MaryAnn: I am totally intimidated by the Silhouette and think it might be above my skill set but I love the amazing things that Ali is doing with it so I’m dying to try it out. I will let you know if and when I decide to make the leap.

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I am finding it hard to remember from week to week how many horizontal/vertical photos, etc., I will need. I’d appreciate any insights as to how to handle this, because it seems like most of the pages I see are using Design A (which I too love), but I do like the idea of having a variety.

Deb: I typically use Design A, but if I wanted a variety, I would probably try to take a lot of photos both ways so I’d have more options when choosing which photos to use for the week.

Marcy: I would get into the habit of taking vertical and horizontal orientated shots every time.  That way, once you’re planning your week you don’t have to be limited by your photos orientation.

Monica: After going through Project Life last year I find myself this year taking both horizontal & vertical shots when the subject allows. But most times I don’t have the opportunity if I’m trying to capture a special moment. If I find myself with both orientations I usually print both so I have options when I’m working with my week.

MaryAnn: When I first started doing Project Life I took a lot of vertical pictures and at that time there was only the option to have horizontal so I started training myself to take more horizontal… now that I have the option to include vertical pictures I am retraining my view through the lens again… so for me this will be an ongoing learning process that I am excited to implement into my pages.

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My burning question is actually about how to handle the journaling on those weeks that I have horizontal spaces for the cards. Most of the cards (all of them perhaps) are oriented to the vertical, and I am finding it hard to add journaling to those spots that are horizontal.

Jennifer: I would use one of the grid journaling cards in that situation. I love them; they are so versatile and work both horizontally and vertically! You could also purchase the new horizontal digital journaling cards and then just print them at home for your album.

Lindsay: You’re in luck, those horizontal journaling cards have made a debut (shown)! That should solve your problem. However, if you’re wanting to use your stash, don’t be afraid to cover up the lines going the wrong way with a piece of cardstock and journaling over it! Also, if you’re into photoshop, it’s not too difficult to erase the lines and re-write them in yourself.

Monica: Have you seen the new digital horizontal cards? Even if you aren’t doing Project Life digitally you can print the cards and use them.

MaryAnn: I try to lie out the week before I start…. doesn’t always work that way…. but sketching it out works for me.

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Who uses post processing? And what are some favorite post processing tips?

Cathy: I love playing with my photos after the fact and I rely very heavily on Totally Rad Actions. I use their newest product called Rad Lab which works for both Photoshop Elements and Photoshop. It has numerous “recipes” for creating some very cool looks for your photos plus it allows you to create and save your own custom recipes. The possibilities are endless.

Deb: I just do basic clean edits in Photoshop. I use the methods taught by Erin Cobb in her Clean Color tutorial. She has one for Photoshop and one for Photoshop Elements. For the smaller square photos that I include I use Instagram filters.

Lindsay: I post process almost all of my photos because I’m anal retentive by nature when it comes to photography and scrapbooking. I use Lightroom to organize and pre-process my photos and then do the rest in Photoshop. My best tip is to get to know and use a program like Lightroom or Bridge to do some of your pre-processing like exposure changes or white balance changes before opening them in Photoshop.

Marcy: I post process my photos taken with my SLR. Occasionally I lighten up my photos taken with my camera phone.  Right now I’m using Rad Lab and loving it.

Monica: I do not post process for Project Life.

MaryAnn: Pioneer Woman’s Free Actions. My advice: Don’t over do it.

Liz: I edit my photos using RadLab, a Photoshop plugin by Totally Rad! Examples of my photo processing using RadLab can be found here.

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Do you – Becky and others – only do 1 Project Life album for your entire family, or do you also do one for each spouse/child/pet etc.? I guess a better question is: How many albums do you have on the go at any one time? Thanks, I need that final push to send me over the edge. ; )

Jennifer: I only have 1 album for my entire family. It would just get too complicated for me to do any more than that!

Ali: Just one Project Life here. It’s a family album from my perspective (and others when they contribute). In addition to Project Life I have a 12×12 family album for 2012 going right now.

Deb: I make one album with the kit, but I will probably make a Shutterfly version each year too.

Lindsay: I only have one album but the great thing about digital is that I can just print out multiple copies of the book with no extra work and very little extra money! This was what really pushed me into digital over the paper version. My girls will all get a copy of the yearly book to take with them when they leave the house. I will eventually go back and do my girls’ first-year books in this format and I’ll just print one for me and one for that child.

Marcy: Because I also scrapbook traditional pages I only make one Project Life album.

Michelle: I only do one album for the family. If there is a focus on one person, like a birthday, I add additional inserts for that event.

Sheri: Project Life is my main project, but not my only project. I still maintain albums for my girls and on occasion I print a few layouts for our family album too. That’s why I love digital so much! I can create one layout but print it three times for all of our albums! In these albums I include layouts that are specifically about that child or in the case of our family album, I include the more detailed layouts about holidays, birthdays, etc. I am always creating new layouts that aren’t Project Life related. Instead of leaving them on my hard drive, I print them and put in these other albums. I have always planned for my girls to have a set amount of albums to take with them when they leave home. I am also about to start the biggest project of my life, even bigger than Project Life! It’s called Project Family History! I’ve been slowly collecting stuff over the years, but now I feel like I have a plan in place and ready to start putting it all together, all with the help of Becky’s Project Life products!

Monica: I only have one Project Life for my entire family. Right now this is my only “active” album. However, I have several albums that follow Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories that are not chronological or an individual person. What I love about this is that if I’m inspired to scrapbook a traditional layout I just slip it into my existing Library of Memories.

MaryAnn: For now one album; that’s it. I need simple and attainable or Project Life wouldn’t work for me.

Liz: I’m only doing one PL album per year but also have other albums (mostly photobook projects) going at the same time.

Becky: I was included on this question, and I’m happy to chime in. I create a digital photobook, which is our FAMILY YEARBOOK. Upon completion after a full calendar year, I print a copy for us to keep and a copy for each of our 3 kids to have. My approach is week-at-a-glance and this layout is an example of a weekly layout this year.

Beginning with the end in mind, I also want each of our kids to have a set of scrapbooks that is all about them. This started off being a little more elaborate and involved when I began scrapbooking for the kids at the time of their birth. After nearly 10 years of this, and taking a few recent years to do just about nothing at all on their books, I’ve evolved to a place more simplicity. I still want to do scrapbooks for our kids, but I’m much more simple in my approach – not only in style, but in my system. Ultimately, I am saving myself countless hours of work and getting a more meaningful, timeless result.

Naturally, I’m using Project Life products to get back on track with the kids’ books. I created the products as a solution for myself, and I love them just as much as I imagined I would. Being able to slip photos and art and memorabilia into pockets instead of designing full, creative layouts? That’s my kind of scrapbooking and I’ve never been so content with memory-keeping in my life.

If you happened to miss my new video, I share more on this topic in much more detail. Check it out – Get Organized With Kids’s Stuff. I love the discussion in the comments of that blog post, by the way. There were a few comments made by those with older kids, who said their kids really don’t want a lot of scrapbooks. Valid point for sure. I don’t want my kids to have a U-Haul truck full of scrapbooks when they leave home.

My reaction to those comments? First of all, it makes me want to be sure that I’m really condensing the books. Each year in their life doesn’t need 20 layouts. (Personal opinion, not a blanket statement of advice.) Can I accurately sum-up a year in their life in say, 5-6 layouts? You bet. So I’m even more motivated to edit a bit further and be better about condensing what I include. But the discussion also reaffirmed to me that I’m doing what feels right for me and for my family.

Beginning with the end in mind is important. But the “end” isn’t just a grown kid moving out of the house, and taking some scrapbooks with them. Scrapbooking isn’t just about the finished scrapbook. The process of memory-keeping is equally important – if not more.

What I mean by this, in the context of scrapbooks for kids, is that the very act of putting books together with their pictures, memories, awards, art, school work, etc. sends a very clear message to that child that you care, and that their life is totally worth recording. As I mentioned at the end of my video – for me, this is a love language.

Does this mean that I believe if someone doesn’t do scrapbooks for their family or their kids, that they don’t love them? That’s ridiculous. Of course not. Not for second. Everyone has different love languages. Every parent has different ways to show love to their children. I celebrate the fact that we all have our own parenting styles and family styles. I happen to have a genuine desire to do scrapbooks for my kids and involve them in the process as much as they want to be, so that it becomes a family effort. Obviously each family has their own habits and traditions and priorities. Just the way it should be.

The best way for me to summarize my thoughts and how it relates to every person reading this? No matter what your lifestyle, or what your angle, or what your preferred products are, or whether you scrapbook or write in a journal or take a million pictures or not …

It’s Feedback Friday time, and I don’t just have a special guest. I have a team of special guests!

I’m sure you are familiar with our Creative Team. They each have their own take on documenting life with photos + words + stuff  – each adding her own creative spin. Project Life is their common denominator and they each have a plethora of fun ideas to share on their respective blogs. Today they are responding to your questions.

{ NOTE } This is Part 1 of a 2-part series because you have sooo many questions and our Creative Team has sooo much wonderful feedback. Check back Monday for Part 2.

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Do you like the old post-bound album or 3-ring album, as used with Project Life pages?

Jennifer: I prefer three-ring binders (like the ones sold to coordinate with Project Life) over post bound albums. The ability to easily rearrange and add pages is really important to me. I also really like how three-ring binders lay flat when you open them up.

Ali: I’d already switched to 3-ring albums before starting Project Life. I love the flexibility – especially because I don’t scrapbook stories in any specific order. Having 3-ring binder albums makes it really easy for me to add new pages as stories are told.

Deb: I prefer the three ring albums. They’re so much easier to add pages.

Lindsay: I am not a post-bound fan (never have been really). Once the 3-ring and D-ring became readily available, I switched to that. So, I’m a huge fan of the Project Life binders. They’re easier and I think the page protectors stay in-tact easier in a 3-ring situation.

Michelle: I strictly use 3-ring albums now, whether they are the Project Life albums or other manufacturers’ styles. The post-bound albums really inhibit being able to add in or take out pages in a good way.

Kelly: I use a three-ring album.

Monica: I’m a fan of the D-Ring albums so I love the Project Life albums.

MaryAnn: Project Life 3 ring binders. I like to have the flexibility to take things in and out of the album and move things around if I want the option.
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I’m planning on making some of my own title cards and journal cards from “baby” papers. I am going to be working on 3 Project Life albums at once (one for each kiddo). What paper cutter do you recommend for multiple sheets?

Lindsay: I’m a guillotine cutter girl, myself. I have my old faithful industrial cutter that I bought years ago and it still goes strong. I’d recommend spending a little extra on a high quality guillotine cutter so you don’t have to re-buy one next year!

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As a mom that works full-time outside the home how do you capture what your family does while you aren’t with them?  Oh, and I should mention that I do not have any cooperation when it comes to photo taking.

Ali: I don’t  : ). Well, I do add things they bring home from school (love things with their handwriting) or things our nanny writes down. My albums are more about our “together” experiences and my own personal thoughts and reflections about our life.

Deb: Even if I never included pics of my boys I would still do Project Life. Just think about all the different things you do each day. There are lots of photo opportunities all around you. I love taking pictures of the ordinary elements of my life because I know it will be so fun to look back on. I really wish I had a photo of my big clunky cell phone from the 90s or my swatch watch from the 80s. When you want to include stories about your family, you can always take pictures of things that are related to them. Some examples are: homework all spread out on the table, shoes where they left them in the middle of the room, the cookies you made for them, etc. To get more photos of the people, take more un-posed shots of them so they won’t feel like they have to stop what they’re doing to pose and smile for you. Maybe that would make them less likely to mind your camera if they are able to ignore it? Also, if my boys are going somewhere without me that I really want included I will ask them to take a picture with their phone for me or hand it off to someone so they can be in the picture too.

Lindsay: My kids hate taking pictures, so I totally get that. I try to do a lot of un-posed shots. There are tons of great journaling prompts out there. Maybe write the journaling first and then take pictures of your kids just doing what they do in the evenings or first thing in the morning. To me, the stories are just as important (if not more so) as the pictures, so don’t feel like you need to do what everyone else is doing. Since you are working take advantage of the time you are with your kids by bringing your camera along on the weekends, if you can make it work.

Sheri: I am also a Mom who works full-time outside the home, so I know how you feel. I am limited to taking pictures in the morning before we all rush out the door or in the evenings when we get home. With my husband working shift work, there are mornings and nights where it’s just me with the girls. This adds an additional challenge. My goal has always been to document life, so there will be days when I don’t take any pictures and other days, like on the weekend where I take lots! So I try to keep that in perspective when doing this project. A great way to get inspiration is to get involved with monthly photo challenges. There are lots going around the web. I did this last February and found it very helpful in capturing everyday stuff I may not have thought of before. Don’t forget your kids will likely want to know what Mom did when they weren’t with you, so capture a little about your day at work too. Don’t stress about the lack of photos you’re taking, but rejoice in the ones you are capturing. Life is still getting documented and that’s all that matters!

Monica: I work full-time outside the home and have a few different things that I do to capture my family’s day. If I know that something unique is coming up in my husband’s day I ask him to snap a picture with his phone. On a day I volunteer at the school I try to snap a picture of my older son’s desk, keep my visitor badge etc. My youngest son gets a sheet sent home everyday & I add that in occasionally. I love adding in both of their schoolwork to provide a “snapshot” of what their day is like. Most times though our Project Life reflects our time together. I try not to get too caught up in getting 100% of the day from all perspectives captured. I am the storyteller for my family & since this is being told from my perspective I expect that what is captured will mainly be from the moments I am present.

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Do you find it easier to MIX your page protector styles according to the photos you have, or easier to USE ALL OF THE SAME page protectors, and “make the photos work” — perhaps adding the odd extra journaling page or extra page of just pictures? Since you all have your own style, can you give a little feedback as to WHY you’ve chosen (page protectors) the way you have?

Jennifer: Personally I like to use the same design (Design A) of page protectors throughout my album. The reason Project Life works for me is because I keep it simple, and therefore I have to limit the options I give myself. If I had to pick and choose different styles of page protectors for each week, my personality is such that I would spend more time figuring which page protector to use than I would actually completing any pages! That said, I do like to use different page protector styles to add in extra pictures or journaling beyond my basic weekly layouts.

Ali: I like all the same for the main foundation (I use Design A). I do like to include inserts (usually smaller sized page protectors or I will cut down larger ones to make the width less than the main page protectors) when I have additional content. I started with Design A and it’s my favorite – partly because it is really rare for me to take a vertical photo.

Deb:  I use all Design A for my weekly pages which works well for me because I typically take a lot of horizontal photos. I use a variety of other styles for my inserts. It just depends on how many and what type of extra photos I have.

Lindsay: I mix mine based on the amount of pictures I have and how long the story I want to tell might be. I usually lay everything out and find the page style that will fit what I have.

Marcy: Right now I’m very comfortable with using the same ones. Design A was all that was available when I started Project Life, so I developed a routine with those.  I look forward to trying the other styles soon.

Michelle: I prefer to use the Design A Photo Pocket Pages as the main pages in my PL albums. I like to use other styles as inserts that can easily be cut down or stitched. I definitely want to experiment with using the other styles here and there as my main pages also. You just have to remember that what you use for one week will also be used for one page of the next week.

Kelly: My whole mantra on this project is to make it work, so I choose whichever design works for my photos that week. But I’ve also found you can trim your photos to make it work in any design – my week 5 with the 2 big photos cut down to three pieces each is a good example.

Monica: I always start with Design A and then draw from the Big Variety Packs for my inserts. My photos always drive the Photo Pocket Pages I choose. For me this project is most definitely picture-driven so I want them to take priority in my product choice. All else seems to follow.

MaryAnn: This year (as in years past) I’ve decided to keep the base pages or my weekly pages consistent using only Design A. I then add different style Photo Pocket Pages as inserts, layering them in between Design A when I need additional space to tell the story, based on the Photo Pocket Page that works the best for the number of photos, memorabilia, and stories that I want to share within that page. I alter the majority of my inserts because I like when they are smaller than the main pages.

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Can you tell us your favorite tip/trick for Project Life? Just whatever helps the process for you… whether it is something you do to make the workflow easier, or something you do to add your personal spin or capture special moments.

Jennifer: This year I am sketching out my weekly layouts ahead of time and I am finding that really helpful. Creative Team member Marcy Penner has great free printables that makes the planning process even easier. I am also using an app on my phone (Momento) to capture everyday moments and I find it really helpful to refer to that as I put together my weekly layouts (I talk a little more about Momento here).

Ali: My biggest tip is to just let it flow. I don’t think about the album all that much as I go about my week. It’s out on our kitchen counter and available for me to jot down notes or stick little bits of paper in the pockets. On Mondays I print photos (every once in awhile I will print during the week but mainly on Mondays) and finish it all up.

Deb: I take a lot of photos and lately the majority of them are taken with my iPhone. For my first step each week, I use a template of Design A that I made to write down which photos will go in which slots and where the corresponding journaling will be.

Lindsay: My best tip if you’re doing digital is to purchase a Wacom tablet to put your pages together on. It has saved me so much time in photo editing, making everything cohesive and hand journaling.

Marcy: My Project Life station saves me every week. Everything is organized, accessible and speeds things up tremendously. I’ve rearranged since, but you can find my old space here.

Michelle: My best tip for Project Life happens outside any album. It starts with keeping a calendar of photos taken and jotting down a few memories/captions. This helps me design my pages with ease when it comes time to print out photos for the week.

Kelly: Using my iPhone has totally been the key to keeping up with PL. I’m able to snap little photos and capture things as I go, without having to carry around a big camera.

Monica: My favorite tip is to always have your camera out & accessible. Also, don’t be afraid to carry around a point & shoot or use your camera phone. Pictures have such a strong emotional pull for me that I make sure they are my focal point in this project. If the journaling is for you then keep out journaling cards & write down your stories during the week. If its memorabilia then make sure you have a central place to collect your bits of life during the week. I suppose my favorite tip is to figure out which part of the project makes your heart sing & make that a priority.

MaryAnn: Being able to print my pictures at home has been one of the major components that have allowed me to be successful with project life. Journal a little bit everyday in a notebook and write like you talk. Keep your camera with you all the time. The more you take pictures, the better you will get at it. Don’t spend all of your creative time looking online at everyone else’s work. I look for inspiration the night before I work on my layouts so when I start the following day my time spent online doesn’t eat into my creative time. It is easy to get overwhelmed by all of the AMAZING inspiration out there but sometimes I have to remind myself of the reasons I do Project Life – for my girls to know my life as a mom, to celebrate our everyday lives as a family together, and because it makes me so happy. Don’t let comparison steal your joy. When all else fails. keep it simple.

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Is there something I could be doing with my PL memorabilia, etc. if I don’t have the Photo Pocket Pages yet?

Jennifer: I use file folders to hold my memorabilia until I am ready to put them in my album. You could also use a regular 8.5×11 page protector to hold onto all that extra “stuff” – maybe one for each week?

Ali: I would pick up some large envelopes and date them by week or month.

Marcy: I would continue on just like they were. Plan your pages, journal and store everything together, so when they’re restocked you can just pop your stuff in the pockets. This is exactly what I do when I go on holidays as well. I have some planner pages available here that might help.

Michelle: I suggest you work on your layouts just the same as if you had the plastics. You know the sizes of the inserts so just make a sketch and then work on your pages as usual. You can slip all the finished inserts into a simple page protector or envelope and label it with the week.

MaryAnn: I use the Big Envelope Pages to store my memorabilia.

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I have a Silhouette Cameo machine that my hubby got me for Christmas. Was wondering if it’s possible to get the digital brushes, overlays, etc. (ex. Ali Edwards) into my machine so that I can cut them with my Cameo?? I’m a traditional Project Lifer (not digital) but I like some of the digital items that I see.

Ali: Absolutely. I’ve got a tutorial right here to help you with that. Make sure to read the note in that post which will also teach you how to “release compound path” to remove any extra lines.

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Is Project Life your family’s yearly photo album? More specifically, do you house photos in any other albums? Is it okay for me to be completely digital, or do you suggest I still keep printing 4×6 photos?

Jennifer: Yes, I am using Project Life as my family’s yearly photo album and I don’t currently have any other albums. I think it’s totally fine to be completely digital as long as (1) you do eventually print your pages (in a photo book or some other format) and (2) you have a good back-up system! I was a digital scrapbooker for years and rarely printed my layouts, therefore my kids never saw those pictures. That is why I now print 4×6 photos to put in a physical Project Life album – because I want them to be able to see those photos in a more timely fashion!

Lindsay: Project Life is going to be my family photo album for the year. I’m not doing the 365 format, so I’m just putting together pages of the events that happen in our lives during the year and adding them to the book. At the end of the year, I’ll print a large book for myself and 3 smaller-sized books for my girls to keep. I’m loving the digi format. It’s saving me time and money by not having to print out every picture and being able to replicate the book at a very low cost.

Michelle: Right now I am using Project Life for our family’s main photo album. All my extra inserts go right into my Project Life albums. I do keep some school and sports pages separate for my girls’ albums too.

Sheri: I stopped printing 4×6 photos around the time my oldest was 6 months old; she’s now almost 6 years old. Why? Because I filled four huge albums with just 4×6 photos and she wasn’t even a year old yet! I knew that printing all the photos didn’t make sense and I would never been able to keep all those albums! My Project Life books are like our family yearbooks, but I only print one, at least for now. That’s the great thing about doing it digitally; I can easily print more copies later on. On top the Project Life books, each of my girls also has their own scrapbook which I still keep updated with a layout here and there. The main goal for these albums is to keep stuff that’s specially about them, like school stuff, etc.

Monica: I started using Project Life because I found I was not making time for traditional scrapbook layouts. That is simply the season of life I’m in. In addition to Project Life I have implemented Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories. Part of that system is printing the pictures you intend to scrapbook & housing them in either storage albums (chronological photo albums) or category drawers (organization by topic). I trust that in another season of life I will be able to go back to creating traditional layouts and I want to maintain the system that works for me.

MaryAnn: PL is my yearly photo album. My albums are hybrid because I like to include both digital and traditional layouts, as well as memorabilia. I don’t house photos in any other albums but I do enlarge photos for display around my house. I think it’s personal preference if you want to do only digital.

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Lindsay, what size photos are you printing for the 6X6 pockets of Design E? Kelly, what size photos are you using for the ones you cut to fit in 3 different slots? Please explain your process.

Lindsay: My pages are digital so I just make my photos 6″ in height for a horizontal photo or 6″ in width for a vertical photo when I size them down and then put them into the clipping mask. If I were to print it out I’d make sure the photo was at least 6×6. It’s possible to add the 4×6 photos in the large 6×6 slot and use the extra space as a title area or some extra space for journaling.

Kelly: I used Instagram photos in those spaces. I opened the photo in Photoshop and cropped it down to a 6″ wide by 8″ tall photo. That’s a printable size on a 8.5″x11″ page (I print my photos at home) so once it’s printed as a 6″x8″ photo I can trim it down to two 4″x6″ photos, then trim the bottom 4″x6″ photo in half to two 3″x4″ to fit in the pockets.

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How do you deal with times where you have lots of journaling? I tend to be wordy and am looking for alternatives to only using the bi-fold cards.

Jennifer: I have used one of the 4×6 slots in my layouts for longer journaling. I also really like to use the 6×12 Page Protectors to incorporate longer journaling (like blog posts) into my album. I wrote about this in more detail here.

Ali: I add in an insert – like a long journaler or 6×12 layered template here. This past week I also used all four of the 3×4 spaces for one story, which you can see here.

Lindsay: I’d recommend using one of the 6×12 journaling spots (both Cathy Z and Ali E have some great ones available). I used one this week and was able to get a lot of journaling in the pages. Also, don’t be afraid to take up a spot where a picture would normally go to journal there. Finally, if you love a picture and want to add more journaling, think about journaling over the photo. Either by adding a 50% opacity layer over the photo to journal on or add a piece of vellum with your journaling on it into the photo slot over the photo.

Michelle: I have started doing some journaling right on the photos in Photoshop. Simply open up the photo and add text. I can fit a lot more on the photo than if I tried to add a journaling card. Use a small font and place the text on parts of the photo that are not pertinent.

Monica: I love adding 6×12 inserts that can hold longer stories. Both Ali Edwards & Cathy Zielske have awesome templates at Designer Digitals.

MaryAnn: I use Ali’s Journalers and Journals by Cathy Z that are available for purchase at Designer Digitals and then I slip them into a 6×12 Page Protector. Or I sew a custom page protector. Favorites: Words And Photos 6×12 Layered Templates, Long Journalers Vol. 02 Value Pack, Long Journalers Value Pack, Weekly Wrap Ups Vol. 01, Layered Journal Cards No. 01.

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How do you incorporate many pictures of one event (ex – birthday) in your Project Life albums?

Jennifer: I usually use one photo from that event in my main Project Life spread for the week, and then I use a different page protector style as an insert to include the rest of the photos from that event.

Ali: I add in more Photo Pocket Pages.

Deb: I either make 4×6 collages or if I want the photos to be bigger I use an insert. So far I’ve used Design F (currently sold out but there are 10 of these in the Big Variety Pack 1), Design G, and the 6×12 Page Protectors as extra pages within my week.

Lindsay: You could add more than one photo to each designated photo slot if you really want to add all of them. Generally, I look at how many slots I have and narrow down the photos I have to that many, choosing the best 8-10 of each event.

Michelle: I usually combine smaller photos into Instagrams or for even more photos I add an insert page.

Kelly: Resize the photos – two 2″x3″ photos look great together in a 3″x4″ pocket.  Don’t be afraid to fill up an entire page with just photos!

Monica: I’m not sure I’ve ever had a week that did not have an insert.  : )

MaryAnn: I use digital collages to add in extra photos both 8.5×11 and 12×12. Usually with the 12×12 I will reduce the size to 10×10, 9×9, 8×8, or my new favorite 6×6 because it fits in photo pocket page Design E. There are many different digital collages out there, but my go-to ones are: Project Life digital page templates, the Monthly 8.5 x 11 Album Set, the Monthly 12 x 12 Album Set, the Monthly Photo Page Add-On Pack for 8.5 x 11, Grid No. 01 Layered Templates.

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Our Creative Team is amazing, and I’m so grateful for their useful, thoughtful, and inspiring feedback. I’m sure you’ll agree. Check back Monday for more!

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Speaking of feedback … we have updated our Contact page, making it easier for folks to get in touch if they have questions, feedback, submissions, or customer service needs. Plus, we updated the Home page and the About page too. More web updates are in the works, all in the name of you – our reader – having a better experience surfing around my website.