Project Life is giving me a creative outlet … and a confidence to produce something that looks attractive even in it’s simplest form and doesn’t require more time than I have to work on it. I am loving it so far.

I was thrilled to see the release of the digital products through JessicaSprague.com and the photo books on Shutterfly. I love it! I bought the Cobalt Core Kit and also some of the digital papers and elements of the Cobalt edition. This is something I like to do with my Instagram photos in my Project Life book. I take my Instagram photos and open them in Photoshop. The Instagram photo is about 4×4 and I put it into a 4×6 file and then add a digital paper to the back.

Sometimes I add text or other Project Life elements to it also. Then I can print my Instagram photos along with all my other 4×6 photos and they fit in the Photo Pocket Pages without hassle. Thank you for Project Life, I have really enjoyed every minute I spend working on it!

You can see more from Suzanne’s Project Life on her BLOG.

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{ WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? }

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a re-cap: In December, our first-ever Project Life photo books on Shutterfly became available. There are two editions: Turquoise and Clementine. Same awesome graphic designs that you find in our physical product as well as our digital elements available on JessicaSprague.com, but the difference is that you drop your pictures and add your journaling into page templates already set up for you. You do this completely online. When you are done, a completely finished photo book (professionally printed + bound) is sent to you. It’s a very beautiful process. I’m a fan.

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{ BRINGING THE TRADITIONAL PROJECT LIFE LAYOUT TO OUR PHOTO BOOKS }

The way we have Project Life set up on Shutterfly is that the “default” 20-page photo book is set up for you to quickly + easily add your photos and text … but it’s also super flexible if you want to alter the design or page count or book size or anything. So cool. There are many different layouts and Idea Pages (templates) available but when we released the product, there was no “typical” Project Life layout, which is simple and linear. You know – like the Photo Pocket Page Design A. Four spots for photos + 4 spots for journaling cards per page. Simple.

Shutterfly has heard the plea. They have responded to the request. They have added the Design A template to our Project Life photo books! THANK YOU Shutterfly. When you are creating your book in Shutterfly, you’ll notice the tabs on the far left side (Layouts, Backgrounds, Embellishments, and Idea Pages). When you click on Idea Pages and scroll to the very bottom you’ll see Design A. Simply drag + drop that on the left page and then the right page too … if you want that format. That’s it! You can leave the design alone and just add your photos + text, or you can change a few things if you’d like.

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{ HAVE A LOOK }

This is what Design A looks like in a Turquoise 12×12 photo book and then an 8×11 photo book (since the format does need to change):

This is what Design A looks like in a Clementine 12×12 photo book and then an 8×11 photo book.

{ TAKE NOTE }

Notice the focus is on large photos + journaling cards. Notice that you hardly even see any background in the square format. Remember that you can change the background pattern, the journaling cards, the photo size, etc. You can add embellishments if you’d like. You can remove photos or journaling cards. You can add them. You can re-size them. You can do pretty much anything you want. Or nothing at all.

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{ MY PERSONAL APPROACH TO PROJECT LIFE IN 2012 }

I am pleased to finally have a start on our 2012 Family Yearbook. I am pleased that “catching up” on the whole month of January is a cinch. I have chosen the Clementine Edition in the 8×11 size. I am highlighting one week per layout – not necessarily a picture-a-day, but just whatever I want to document each week. This is the first week in January.

{ DESIGN NOTES }

1. I left the layout pretty simple and straight-forward. This is the default background (neutral but very cool detail).

2. I added 3 embellishments – the tag at the top for labeling the week/dates, the stamp art on the left side, and the “document” art on the bottom right.

3. I omitted a journaling card and I also swapped out a journaling card.

4. I increased the size and customized the proportions of that large photo, taking the place of two smaller photos.

5. I changed the text color to orange on one of the cards just for fun.

6. I didn’t “have” to do anything beyond dropping in my pictures and adding my journaling. But doing these things literally took me all of 3 minutes.

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{ MY ADVICE }

Play. Play. Play. If you’ve never created a photo book in Shutterfly, just get in there and play. Look at your options. Upload a few photos. Mess around with the backgrounds and embellishments and Idea Pages. The best way to learn is to PLAY – honestly. I did this over the weekend and learned a lot just from looking, clicking around, moving things, and figuring it out as I go.

I promise you will become more + more comfortable with the process once you dig in. I personally love it. I am so excited to document my family’s life in 2012 with this format. It is so quick and really fun. Because I plan to sit down with Shutterfly just 20-30 minutes per week (in one sitting), I feel completely liberated about how easy this is process is, and how thoroughly our life can be documented with just little snippets here and there of our everyday life + our exciting moments + whatever we feel inclined to document.

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{ FINAL THOUGHTS }

Project Life is offered in 3 different ways because whatever works for me doesn’t necessarily work for you. And whatever works for you doesn’t necessarily work for your friend. And whatever works for your friends doesn’t necessarily work for her mother-in-law. You get the idea. I realize most of you are using the physical product – which is fantastic. I totally know that some of you are so not interested in large 12×12 albums, so the digital route is the way to go. Seriously – whatever floats your boat. Whatever helps you document your life the way you want to do it. Take your pick.  : )

If you want to check out an entirely completed Project Life photo book, Deb Duty has been kind enough to share her Turquoise Edition family book from 2011 – HERE.

]]> http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/01/design-a-on-shutterfly/feed/ 35 http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/01/interested-in-hearing-the-story-of-project-life/ http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/01/interested-in-hearing-the-story-of-project-life/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:00:15 +0000 Becky Higgins http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/?p=12434 I was recently part of a wonderful discussion on The Digi Show and that episode is now live today. Go HERE to listen.

For those of you who don’t consider yourselves “digi” … wait. This episode actually has a whole lot more than digital chit-chat. In fact, Steph (the host + the mastermind behind The Daily Digi + and huge influence in convincing us to take Project Life to the digital world) … asked me to share how Project Life came about. I actually talked quite a bit about that experience, as well as the story of how I even got into scrapbooking in the first place. It was really fun to be able to tap into my memory and recall so much from the past, and share pieces of my evolution and the process it has been to make a little idea become … a little bigger. At the end of the show I even share my “pick” which is something really fun for the life-documenter in each of us.

Side note: If you missed it, Steph wrote an incredibly insightful and inspiring blog post about how Project Life fits into her crazy-busy life and what her work-flow looks like. You can check that out HERE.

(Obviously this explosion of interest caused us to sell out of some items rather quickly but as I’ve mentioned – we expect those items to be back in stock on Amazon mid-February. Thank you for your patience.)

I want to extend a very special WELCOME to all who are new to this concept and our brand. We have created a GETTING STARTED slide show for anyone who wants to understand the Project Life approach to memory-keeping. This slide show is useful for those who want to really get to know Project Life and how it “works”. Even though it’s designed to be insanely simple, we totally get that actually seeing it work, step-by-step, really is so helpful. These are just a few of the slides:

For any of you who already have the product, but perhaps you haven’t actually opened the box yet … our GETTING STARTED slide show is for you, too. No need to feel guilty or “behind” (no such thing!). Just sit back, flip through the slides, and my hope is that it all just starts “clicking” for you and that you’ll want to rip the plastic off the products and get started!

I love what this newbie to Project Life recently told us. Elisa says, Until now, I had always felt overwhelmed by what I expected the final product (scrapbook) to look like, versus what my skill level was. My enthusiasm for Project Life stems from knowing that I can’t mess this up – no matter what I do, it will be beautiful.

Know someone who could use some help in the memory-keeping department? Send them HERE. Oh – and be sure they see the main Project Life video that shares more of the philosophy behind the product.

{ simple or creative – it’s ALL good }

I’ll emphasize it again and again – Project Life is designed for simplicity. If you need a pep talk about this, be sure you see my recent post: Project Life in its Most Basic Form.

However … anyone who has been following my blog + facebook / twitter posts has noticed a flurry of creative idea-sharing. While I strongly promote the simplicity of Project Life, I am also fully aware that many do love to embellish and personalize and add their own flair as a creative outlet. I have personally evolved in kind of a full-circle way, in that simple is my personal style and I don’t add much of anything. And yet – I do love that so many enjoy the creative aspect of scrapbooking as well. Project Life is completely flexible that way.

No matter if you are using Project Life in the most basic form or you’re seeking for creative ideas, you are sure to feel inspired as you see what others are doing. Today we’re sharing some recent layouts from our Creative Team.

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{ but first! }

Please help me welcome our newest Creative Team member – Jessica Sprague!

Heard of her before? Yep. It’s the same Jessica Sprague that carries the Digital Project Life elements on her website. And guess what? She is actually doing Project Life this year and we are so pleased that she’ll be sharing her layouts with us. It’s so fun have Jessica join our Creative Team and I know many will be inspired by her work.

In case you’re wondering (I have a feeling the question will come up) … yes, we are considering adding another digi Creative Team member or two, to represent the digital side of things.

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{ on to the inspiration }

Layout by Jessica Sprague. Layout template is Design A. Most elements are from the Clementine Edition.

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Title page by Cathy Zielske, using her 6×12 template – available to anyone for FREE. The red damask print is from the Digital Clementine Edition Paper Pack and she put it in our 6×12 Page Protector (which is expected to be back in stock early Febrary).

All patterns you see in Cathy’s pages see are part of the Digital Clementine Edition. The Scrapbook Divider (clear bookmark) shown will be back in stock early February.

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Pages by Deb Duty using the Turquoise Edition (currently sold out; not sure when it will be back in stock yet). She used a Design G Photo Pocket Page (back in stock early February) to combine horizontal + vertical photos to the full-sized Design A layout. You can see the front + the back of that above.

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Layout by Jennifer Woodbury, using the Amber Edition. Also used: Classic Calico Scrap Pad from Studio Calico; Ali Edwards 365 Photo Overlays; C-Line Flip Pocket 4×6 Page Protectors.

Jennifer’s comments: “This is a layout that illustrates something I love to do in my Project Life albums, which is to show connections across time. Current photos often remind me of moments and photos from the past, and when that happens I like to try to incorporate the older photo in the layout as well. In this layout, the photo I took of my #2 & #3 daughters going down the slide holding hands reminded me of a similar photo from two years ago of  my #1 & #2 daughters. I used a flip up page protector to showcase the older photo. This layout also shows how I sometimes incorporate current events into my Project Life album, with a photo and journaling about Steve Jobs.”

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Pages by Liz Tamanaha. Do you love, love, love how she implemented her girls’ art? She used kraft paper from paper source; striped journaling card from her then & now journaling card kit by paislee press + three paper peonies; vintage label stamp from purple onion designs.

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Pages by Marcy Penner, who brilliantly pulls little bits + pieces from her stash to mix and match and always implements little Instagram prints.

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MaryAnn Perry used a Big Envelope Page (back in stock again in early February) to keep lots of memorabilia from the month of December. She created the 4×6 insert with one of the papers from the Original Edition of the Digital Project Life Paper Pack. Also used: Ali Edwards Brush for the title Holiday Word Art Vol. 03.

Pages by MaryAnn Perry. She did a little mix + match because her title card is from the Turquoise Edition and her journaling cards are from the Clementine Edition. In addition to the Design A Photo Pocket Page (coming back early February like almost everything else that is sold out), she used Design E as well, and trimmed it down to 6×6. She also used the 6×12 Page Protector. Also used: Ali Edwards Templates (December Daily Template Package Vol. 04); Cathy Zielske Templates + 6 x 12 Photo Templates; Avery Small + Large Adhesive Tabs; Technique Tuesday Stamps (December Daily 2011 by Ali Edwards); Cosmo Cricket Tiny Text TX903; Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher.

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Pages by Michelle Wooderson. You’ll notice she used a 6×12 Page Protector (coming back early February) to add some extra highlights, like a handwritten list and her husband’s warning (oops!).

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Pages by Monica McNeill, who included her boys’ “Guess How Many” journal cards from the party (she set out Amber Edition cards for them to write on) and also included pieces from the Turquoise Edition. She trimmed down Design F to accommodate the number of cards that she had, and worked this in with Design A and Design G. Also used: Decorative Paper Tape Numbers + Vintage Numbers Rubber Stamps from Cavallini & Co.; Star Banner Yellow Stickers + Border Stickers Brown from Jenni Bowlin; Tiny Type from Cosmo Cricket; Graph Paper Bag from MishMash; Wood Grain Tag + Honeycomb Tag from Banana Fish Studio;
Scrap Pads from Studio Calico; Mini Market Stickers Red&Cream from October Afternoon; Tickets from Tim Holtz; Smash Pad Entertainment from K & Co.

I’m still pinching myself that Project Life really is available on Shutterfly. We love comments like this one from Nicole: Becky, I am working on Project Life through Shutterfly and it is AMAZING! I LOVE LOVE everything and I LOVE most of all how I can customize everything the way I want it but with such ease!

The Shutterfly platform is fairly simple to use but I’m sure it seems quite overwhelming for someone transitioning from physical scrapbooking product. I want to address the questions and comments that are coming in, hopefully resulting in a better understanding about this Project Life option. If you’re ready to dig in and give it a try, click HERE for the Turquoise Edition or click HERE for the Clementine Edition.

{ Note } You can find some of my tips and inspiration for taking everyday photos in the Storytelling section on Shutterfly: Documenting Everyday Life

{ Also Note } I am personally using the Shutterfly photo book version of Project Life for our family’s 2012 yearbook and will happily share some of my own layouts soon, as well as samples from others who have submitted their screen shots. The purpose of this specific post is to answer your questions and address your concerns and as you will see, it’s long enough as it is. We’ll come back to the “fun side” and idea-sharing later.

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I thought the Shutterfly version would be a simple drop-in-my-pictures-and-add-my-journaling approach but it looks more complicated than that.

It absolutely is that simple, actually. The page templates (called “Idea Pages” on Shutterfly) are set up so that all you do is drop in your pictures and add your journaling. That’s it. You only alter the design if you want. I wonder if it “looks” more complicated because of the layouts being less “linear” than what most of our Project Life products are like.

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I’ve looked at it but starting seems so overwhelming. What is the best way to get started?

Since Project Life is designed around ‘bite size’ portions of photos and stories a week at a time, I recommend you set aside “Project Life time” each week to select your favorite pictures and create a spread. That’s my personal approach to creating our family yearbook this year and I anticipate spending about a half hour or so each week creating a spread about the previous week. As for getting started …

1. Select your book size and style (Clementine or Turquoise)

2. Next you will be prompted to “choose pictures for your book”. You can upload the desired photos from your computer, an existing album in your Shutterfly account or Facebook.

3. Once uploaded, “select” then “add” photos to your book. After the photos have been added a pop up will appear with 8 quick tips to making an amazing photo book. If you haven’t made a Shutterfly photo book before, spending a couple of minutes to review these tips will give you a great head start!

4. Your photos will be added to a tray at the bottom of your screen from which you can drag and drop them onto the pages as desired. If you’re adding a lot of photos at once (let’s say you want to make a book about last year), you may want to consider using the “auto fill” feature which places the pictures for you chronologically based on their time stamp. If you choose to do this, start by making sure you’re happy with the way your photos are laid out. Then go back to add captions and any other journaling you want.

5. If you want or need to play with the layout of the page to fit your photos or the amount of text you want to include, go into “customize mode” by clicking on the “customize page” link in the bottom left corner of your screen. Make the desired changes to the template and click “apply changes”. Customize mode allows you to easily move or resize any photo space, embellishment or text box. You can also add more text boxes as well.

That’s it! Oh, one last thing to keep in mind – don’t worry about if you’re making the “right decision” about which Project Life edition to use or which book size you want. You can always change size or style at any point before you order your book! Very cool.

{ Note } When it comes to the nitty-gritty and the technical side of creating your book, please go directly to Shutterfly for help as I will not be able to help you if you leave a comment on my blog, for example. The fastest and easiest way to find answers to your questions is through their FAQs. If you are unable to get the answers you need you can contact their customer service department by:

Email: customerservice@cs.shutterfly.com
Phone: 888.225.7159

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What size is the photo book?

When you get started with a Project Life photo book, the default size is 12×12 but you can change that if you’d like something smaller. Shutterfly photo books are available in the following 5 sizes:

• 12×12 square (hard cover only)
• 8×8 square (hard or soft cover)
• 8×11 landscape (hard or soft cover)
• 7×9 (soft cover only)
• 5×7 landscape (soft cover only)

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Once you start the book how long do you have to complete it? Can I work on it over the whole year?

Indefinitely. And yes, you can work on it as long as you’d like. As I mentioned, I will take the entire year to create our family yearbook in 2012. I’ll do a 2-page spread each week until the end of the year, and then I’ll print the book. I think many people are planning to do something like this as well.

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I’m a dedicated Project Lifer with the physical product but I’ll admit that the photo books intrigue me. It doesn’t make sense for me to do both but do you have any thoughts on this?

What is so exciting about this year for Project Life, is that we have all these OPTIONS now. We have the physical product, the digital product on JessicaSprague.com, and the photo book option on Shutterfly. Pick one that floats your boat. But if you just love the idea of trying a couple options, then by all means – go right ahead! Perhaps you’re using the physical product for your regular, everyday documenting and photos. If you want to try the Shutterfly option too, perhaps you could create a photo book that focuses on a person, trip, or theme. Create a book about the last family reunion, your parents’ anniversary, your daughter’s first year of college, whatever. Anything. The photo books don’t have to be as thick and involved as say, a full-sized scrapbook.

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Will there be other designs, or just Clementine and Turquoise?

I would absolutely love to have ALL Project Life designs available on Shutterfly but the thing is … that wasn’t up to me. Shutterfly has a LOT of photo book designs and lots more coming, so they could only choose two designs for now. Depending on how customers like our designs there, we’ll see if it’s possible to add more Projection Life designs in the future.

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How many pages is the Project Life photo book? I want to do a photo-a-day book for this year, which would require 104 pages (1 week per layout x 52 weeks) + title page + last page.

The “default” book is set up to be 20 pages, just like every other Shutterfly photo book, but you can increase the number of pages. Currently their maximum page count is 101; however Shutterfly is working intently to increase the page maximum to 111 to allow for enough pages to create a complete Project Life book with a spread for each week. This should be available sometime in March.

Guess what, Project Lifers? This is due in large part to your voice. We do hear you, we listen, and we are grateful to Shutterfly for working hard to make it possible.

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How does the cost of the Shutterfly version end up comparing with the physical product? If, for example, you were doing a picture a day for a year, would the photo book be more or less than buying the physical Project Life stuff and printing all the pictures?

Excellent question. But I’ll be upfront and tell you – it’s not as easy a question as you’d think. There are several variables that will affect the final cost of a photo book – size and cover are only part of it. First of all, I think the regular price of a 12×12 hardcover book is $54.99 but it goes on sale fairly often. Second, the cost of additional pages varies by size so adding a 12×12 page costs more than adding 8×11 or 8×8, etc. Note: The additional cost is for a ONE SIDED page.

Creating a photo book with one layout per week would total 106 pages (52 spreads x 2pgs/spread PLUS the Title and End pages) which would require the customer to buy 86 additional pages. At $1.50/pg (for the 12×12 size) that would bring the total cost of roughly $184 + tax and shipping. So let’s assume we’re talking about a $184 photo book, which would be without any discounts at all. (I want to point out that discounts and coupons are available frequently, so this truly is the “worst-case scenario” and definitely on the high side.)

Okay, now let’s look at the price of the physical product. Let’s say you stick with just the basics to create a full scrapbook. That would be a Binder + Project Life Core Kit + Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages. Without any “extras”, we are looking at about $65. Now let’s look at the cost of photo printing. Again, this is variable and we have to keep in mind that the cost of printing photos is different from place to place. Let’s say you print your photos very economically – at Costco, for example. Those prints are currently 13 cents/print. Let’s say you print 365 prints for a full year’s worth of pictures, which would definitely fill an entire album. That’s nearly $50 in printing. So the grand total of physical product + printing your photos = $115.

So you can see how there’s not really a simple answer. Even with the numbers I’m throwing around here, that’s not considering that most photo book makers will likely find a coupon to use, which will bring the cost of the photo book way down. And perhaps your favorite place to print photos costs more than 13 cents per print, which would bring the cost of a physical scrapbook project up. So really – the price comparison could be a wash!

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The page templates provided in the default 20-page book are pretty cool but they don’t all fit my personal style. Do I have other options?

Yes, there are a whole bunch of Idea Pages (page templates) to choose from and you can switch those out as you wish.

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There isn’t a lot of journaling on the page templates. What if I have more to write?

You’re right; the way the pages are set up, there are just little bits of journaling here and there. The advantage to this, is that anyone who doesn’t feel confident about their writing, or perhaps doesn’t want to say much, that’s just fine. However, the text boxes are adjustable and you can make them larger for adding more text. I know I’ll be doing this.

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I was expecting to see the Project Life classic layout (like the Design A Photo Pocket Page) but instead I see a totally different collection of layout designs. Are you planning to add the more traditional layout as an option?

Yes! Based on the desire for this (expressed by many of you), Shutterfly is working on adding an Idea Page (page template) so that you have that option. It takes time to implement and test and they are working on it. We really do listen, we hear you, and we work hard to provide solutions. We are grateful to Shutterfly for hearing you too and as soon as they have that layout template ready, we’ll announce it.

Just to clarify: When Shutterfly adds this classic Project Life “Design A” Idea Page to the collection, you will automatically see that in your page template options, even if you’ve already started a book. In fact, I know many of you will want to create the entire photo book with that layout design so that it mimics the physical product and everything is lined up and organized, and the journaling cards go through the middle and everything. Some of you are familiar with a similar, linear format that we used to have with Ziblio. If you want that, you can certainly have that by making every page the “Design A” template. In fact, I’m contemplating doing that myself, at least on some of the pages. If you want to hold out until that is available, you certainly can. Just keep your pictures in one place and you can quickly drop them in when the time comes (crossing our fingers for very soon).

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I was hoping to see more Project Life Journaling Cards.

Because we are adding the Design A page template, it makes sense to add some Journaling Cards as well. Note: Shutterfly has completely maxed out the number of embellishments that we can offer per Project Life design. In other words, we are pleased to at least be able to squeeze in 10 Journaling Cards per design, but unfortunately we’re not able to add ALL of the journaling cards that you find in the physical product (Core Kit).

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What do you do about the memorabilia and the “stuff” of life? It doesn’t seem like I can implement this into a photo book like I can with the physical product.

You’re right, to an extent. There are pros + cons to each option, and that’s why you have to choose what works best for you. Can you include actual, physical, dimensional “stuff” to a photo book? Well – not really. Can you scan or photograph those items (receipts, movie tickets, programs, awards, ribbons, etc.) and make them a part of your story in a photo book? Absolutely. That’s what I do.

Let’s say you strongly prefer the photo book (personally, I love that the end result is a skinny, professionally bound book simply because we already have so many full-sized scrapbooks in our home from being a lifetime scrapbooker). Let’s say that you also don’t want to let go of the “stuff”. Solution: Get a 12×12 Binder + Big Envelope Pages (currently sold out but available again early February) and keep a binder with a Big Envelope Page full of memorabilia for each year – or however you decide to use them. Naturally, organizing + displaying memorabilia in our Photo Pocket Pages is also a great idea. Having a 12×12 binder specifically for all the “stuff” that doesn’t fit in your photo books would certainly be an option to consider.

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I’ve created other photo books on Shutterfly and there are certain design elements I like from other designs. Can I use them in my Project Life photo book?

You bet! In fact, two of our very own Creative Team members have also designed books for Shutterfly (Ali and Liz) and I bet they have very cool elements that many of you would love.

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Will you still be able to do the cover of the book as a single photo like you did for your family yearbooks? I loved that look, and am ready to jump in and try Shutterfly.

You have as much flexibility with the cover as you do with any of the other pages. Shutterfly makes the whole experience customizable. Again, I want to re-emphasize that you do not have to be creative or spend time altering pages in a Project Life photo book. It’s designed to drop in your pictures, add a little journaling, and be done.

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Will there be a school version available in the future?

Let’s hope! One step at a time, my friend.  : )

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How true-to-color does the finished product from Shutterfly come out?

Color calibration and resolution is different for every computer so it’s hard to judge what your expectations are based on the computer you’re looking at, but Shutterfly print tests every style to ensure the final product accurately reflects the designer’s intent and their color palette was developed specifically with accurate, high quality color in mind.

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Can I save each page as a jpg on my computer for printing?

Shutterfly is introducing a new feature in February which will enable you to download a pdf of your book for easier proofing before you order. The pdf WILL have a watermark and is intended for proofing only.

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I want to print my pages outside of an album and use them for a hybrid album. I don’t see the option to just print pages in 12×12 format.

Unfortunately, you can’t print the pages in your book one-by-one. They only come in a bound album. If you’d like to create digital scrapbook pages for say, a hybrid scrapbook, you will love the Project Life products available in digital format at JessicaSprague.com.

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Do I pay for it only after I order it? I’m assuming I keep working on it until it’s done and then place the order and pay.

Yes, you are only charged when you order. Take as much or as little time as you’d like to create the book. As I mentioned, I will literally build upon our family yearbook a week at a time in 2012 and will print at the end of the year.

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What is the maximum file size for pictures when uploading them? Can you upload RAW format, or does it have to be jpg?

Only jpg formatted photos can be uploaded. I don’t think there is a maximum size but the bigger the file the longer it will take to load. Shutterfly recommends a maximum file size of 4-6MB.

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Does Shutterfly ship internationally? I live in Australia and am curious about that option, and the cost.

Yes! Shutterfly does ship internationally. Shipping costs are based on book size and can be found HERE.

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I have trouble with the captions. I can’t seem to get them the right size.

You can resize the text boxes by going into ‘customize’ mode and changing the size of the box. Additionally, you can change the font size by clicking on the text box.

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Is there a way to have plain white boxes with rounded corners to use for journaling that can be adjusted to ANY size? I played with the grid ones that I found and they can be adjusted in size but have to maintain their proportions it seems. If I want a square or just an itty bity rectangle that is wider than it is tall I want that option. You don’t always need or have room for the proportions of the grid ones on there.

Unfortunately, you can only change the size of embellishments (including the journaling cards) in proportion to their original size. However, if you don’t see what you want in the Project Life kit, you can also search Shutterfly’s extensive palette of embellishments to see if something closer to what you want is available there. There are several shapes and sizes of tabs or frames that could fulfill your need.

To search, click on the “embellisments” tab to the far left of your screen. Then click on the link for “get more stickers”. This will bring up a search box that includes EVERY embellishment available in all 70+ styles Shutterfly offers! For your particular search, click “Categories” then click on the boxes for “Frames” and/or “Organizers”. All sorts of options will appear. Click on the ones you’d like to add use, then click “Add to Project”. These will now appear in your project’s embellishments palette on the left side of your screen. Remember, these can also be re-sized using customize mode.

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Will we be able to use coupons or Shutterfly discount codes to purchase the book?

Absolutely!

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I’ve been creating a book on Shutterfly and overall, I love it. But there are a few things with the program that make it difficult. 
1.) No zoom 2.) No copy + paste 
3.) No undo when you are in customize page mode
 4.) No redo anywhere
. Any chance you have connections with Shutterfly and can get these things addressed?


These are all great ideas. #3 is on the short list to address in the next couple of months (however just to be clear if you haven’t already “applied changes” you can just click “cancel” to undo any changes you have made to the page). Shutterfly will definitely look into your other requests as they plan for future enhancements.

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Where is the copy function so I can duplicate pages?

Shutterfly does not currently have a “copy” function but is currently working on one which should be available in the coming weeks.

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I am loving it but it doesn’t auto save. I lost tons that way and had to redo it all.

Shutterfly is in the process of reviewing an auto save function to make sure it will work as intended and expect updates shortly. We encourage you to save your project frequently on your own to avoid the loss of work.

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Please beg Shutterfly to upgrade their iPad app. I want to do my Project Life on it soooo bad!

The current creation path is built in flash which doesn’t work on the iPad. Shutterfly is DEFINITELY working on opportunities to create books on the iPad (and other tablets) but due to the extensive work required to accomplish this and ensure it runs smoothly, it’s probably not something that will be available this year.

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Can I order more than one book at the end of the year? I know my girls will want their own copy. I understand you can order more pages, I didn’t see where you could order more than one book. What would be the cost of each additional book?

Yes! You can order as many copies as you want at any time. You will select the quantity you need when you begin the order process. One of the biggest advantages of creating your book in Shutterfly is that you can even order the book in different sizes for different recipients! So if you want a big, beautiful 12×12 book but your girls only want it in 8×8 – NO PROBLEM! Isn’t that so cool? Shutterfly also SAVES your project indefinitely so if you decide you want to order more copies of your book as gifts at Christmas or for a birthday or Mother’s Day or whatever, you can go back into your account and just order another book (again, in any size). Costs vary by size but each book of the same size will be the same price. Prices do not vary with quantities.

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{ Once again … } If you need tech support or have specific questions about your project (or prices or coupon options or other questions), please do not ask here on my blog or contact our Customer Service, as we are not the experts. Shutterfly is all set up with customer support for anyone creating a Shutterfly book. You can contact their customer service department by:

Email: customerservice@cs.shutterfly.com
Phone: 888.225.7159 (Monday – Friday, 6am – 5pm Pacific Time)

I love that we got an email in French! This reader lives in France and is wondering where she can buy Project Life. The answer for her, and for all Europeans is HERE. Anyone who lives anywhere outside the U.S. can go HERE to find your closest distributor for Becky Higgins products.

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Is there any chance we can purchase the Project Life boxes that the old kits used to come in, to protect the albums when moving?

No, sorry. Those were nice but they’re gone.

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Are there any plans to make monthly dividers that are more like the ones from the past kits? I loved the clear dividers with the color designs printed on them.

Yep, we’re working on bringing those back – a set to go with each Project Life edition. But first, we have more of our Scrapbook Dividers coming and those will be available again on amazon in a few weeks. They are neutral and classic and work well with any theme or style.

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I’ve been considering Project Life for a couple of years now, and thought I was familiar with the whole thing. But now that I am ready to buy, I don’t see anywhere the details of what is included in the Core Kit. What do the title cards say? Are the journaling cards already in there?

When you click on any of our Core Kits on the Products page, you’ll be linked to their listing on amazon. Here you will see more details and several images of the contents. You will probably also benefit from seeing my posts – What Exactly is in a Core Kit? and Project Life Core Kit: A Closer Look at the Cards. I appreciate your question because I do think it would be good to include more specific information (# of cards, # of sticker sheets, sizes, etc.) on our Amazon listings for the Core Kits. Thank you! We’ll work on that.

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I would love to know how you organize your recipes! I would like to make a book of some sort and I’ve been brainstorming. You have such awesome ideas – thought I would ask!

Oh wow. I’m am so not the person to be asking about recipe organization at this very moment. Unfortunately. In fact, thank you for reminding me that I have actually been neglecting the Recipes section of my web site. However, if you haven’t checked that out in a while, it does stand as a wonderful little place that I have collected some of our favorites.

I wish I had a fantastic answer for you and one day – I kinda think I should come up with a great solution since I do love organization and I do love good recipes. But for right now, my recipes are so unorganized. Some are in a cute little recipe book I used to keep up with, some are on the computer, some are scribbled on a piece of paper and shoved in a binder. Some are hiding in a recipe book and itching for me to pay attention and actually make it! So no – I’m sorry I don’t have a great idea. However, I have a very strong feeling that some of your fellow readers will love to chime in with their solutions and favorite recipe-organizing sites.  : )

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What is the best way to add the different sized Christmas cards into Project Life?

Great timing on this question, as I’m sure many of you are contemplating – do I throw all the cards away? Do I keep them? If so, what do I do with them? Well if you want to implement them into your album (not necessarily Project Life, but any 12×12 scrapbook) … there are a couple thoughts I have on this: 1) Simply place all the cards you’re keeping in a Big Envelope Page (these will be back in stock in a few weeks if you missed them earlier). Or 2) If you’d like to see them in your album instead of tucking them away, you could simply trim down the cards that are not a perfect fit for the standard pocket sizes … and use any of our Photo Pocket Pages to store and display your cards. In fact, I’d be willing to bet many of the cards would be perfectly fine to trim down to even a 3×4 size.

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I know there are a lot of suggestions for a 3×4 punch … Any thoughts on whether you might do this one/think its crazy/etc?

We don’t think it’s crazy. We think it’s brilliant. And we’re working on making that possible.

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What size corner rounder should I get so they’re the same size as the corners on the Project Life cards?

Personally, I use THIS one and I’m very pleased with how the rounded corners look, as well as the quality of the tool itself.

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My son is 14, and I am 13 years and 9 months behind on scrapbooking. No joke. I’ve made 3 pages and one wasn’t even about him, lol! I’m considering starting Project Life, starting from when he was a baby. I have always been overwhelmed with scrapbook layouts, supplies, etc. Do you think this would work?

Ab. so. lute. ly. I created this for you. You will find it to be incredibly gratifying and liberating when you toss that guilt and pressure out the window and simply start sticking those photos into Photo Pocket Pages, resulting in caught-up albums for your son.

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Does anybody have a solution on how to carry out your Project Life while waiting for products to come back in stock? Would love suggestions, as I don’t want to get so far behind.

I would invite anyone who wants to contribute their thoughts, to please do so. My thoughts: Take pictures as you planned to take pictures in 2012 (whether it’s just random/whenever or a photo-a-day approach). Keep the pictures that you know you want to use in a folder on your computer called “Project Life 2012″ … or go ahead and print the pictures you plan to use. Additionally, jot down a few notes to go with your pictures that you don’t want to forget, whether it’s on a note-taking app or in a document on your computer, or handwritten on a note pad. Just keep all your notes in one place.

When those Big Packs of Photo Pocket Pages are back in stock in a few weeks, you’ll be ready to snatch up what you need, drop in those pictures, catch up on your 3×4 journaling cards and be right on track.

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{ a couple favorite comments }

Debra said: I have just discovered you … it’s like you read my mind. I love scrapbooking and taking pictures but don’t have time. Your system seems perfect!

Stacy said: You rock! You encourage me to continue putting the emphasis on the photos, not on all the foofee stuff. Thank you.

PROJECT LIFE IS DESIGNED TO SIMPLIFY THE PROCESS OF DOCUMENTING LIFE.

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I know, I know, I know. I’m the one sharing a smorgasboard of examples and blog posts that have an abundant amount of inspiration. I am fully aware that this can be overwhelming for some of you – especially if you’re just getting started. All of that sharing is mostly going to appeal to those who have the itch to get creative. I will continue to share creative ideas because you are a large part of my audience.

But … this post is for those of you who really do want to keep things simple. This is for the newbie. The brand-new-to-scrapbooking. The first-timer. The busy + tired. This is for those of you who want to throw in the towel because scrapbooking is just “too much”. This is for your friend/cousin/sister-in-law who doesn’t think she’s cut out for scrapbooking.

Project Life truly is a back-to-basics approach to scrapbooking. Pictures + words. That’s it. Slip it all into pockets and add title cards that are already designed for you. Don’t think about layout design. Don’t think about cutting and pasting anything. SIMPLIFY. Get it done.

I want to share a blog post with you, written by someone who stumbled upon the hobby of scrapbooking, totally loved it, and then found herself totally doing nothing because of how overwhelmed she felt by what everyone else was doing. I really do think many of you will greatly appreciate her words and relate to her experience. This is by Nathalie: Eyes on your own paper, ya’ll.

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My inspiration sharing for today is on the other end of the spectrum from what I’ve been sharing this week. You don’t have to go crazy customizing your Project Life album, because you know what? Your pictures and your words are custom and personal to your story.

Instead of showing you loads of ideas for creative ways you can use Project Life, I am so very pleased to share with you a complete album that was used in the most basic way.

Emily Straw used Project Life to document her family in 2011 – quickly, easily, simply. This is her email:

Hello, Becky! I have to say that I am so, so happy with my Project Life kit from 2011. I finished at 3am on New Year’s Day, in a tradition I decided to start by finishing my album on New Year’s Eve. This is the first year I used your kit and I love it so very much. I am not very eloquent with words, but I wanted to share my finished product with you because you have really helped our family keep our memories from this year safe and special. Thank you for designing such a wonderful system!

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A very special thank-you to Emily for sharing. I know her simple approach to Project Life will inspire many. As a reminder, the very basics are: Binder + Core Kit + Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages (which are currently sold out but you can pick up some 12-packs or wait until the 60-packs are back in stock in February). Also note: Emily used the Turquoise Core Kit, but that just sold out as well. We still have Amber, Cobalt, and Clementine in stock. All Project Life products are shown here.

Project Life is about your life. Keep it simple, add a little flair, or get fully creative with it. The beautiful thing is – it’s your choice.

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{ the dilemma }

The “dilemma” is best outlined in this recent reader comment. A wife/mom wrote: I’m starting to feel overwhelmed with all the choices and what is “best” for my family. I’m an all-or-nothing kind of girl, and right now I’m doing nothing to preserve my family’s memories because I don’t know which direction to go. Should I do Project Life for each of my kiddos’ first year and then an album a year after that for each of them? Should I just do a family album after their first year album? If I do an album for each kid, do I do a regular Project Life AND a school kit? When they reach the age of going to school, should I just do a school kit? I’m pretty overwhelmed! I feel very motivated to get organized and go through the piles of paperwork/ephemera in the upcoming year–especially since my five-year-old is so inquisitive about his family history. I need suggestions on how to best tackle/organize documenting a family’s life! I’m just at stand-still until I know what simplified approach I should take. Thanks for all you do!

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Okay, first of all — everyone take a deep breath with me.

Inhale. Exhale. Good.

Now I want you to go to your happy place and feel a great sense of calm envelop you. No? That’s not working? Are you feeling stressed about this too?

Okay then. Let’s get real. Here’s the thing: Most of us are facing the very same challenge. I totally get that this reader feels stuck until she knows her game plan. Wanna know why? Because there is something to be said about BEGINNING WITH THE END IN MIND – something I read about years ago when I first read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This life principle has stuck with me ever since and absolutely plays a role in my scrapbooking approach + organization.

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{ my recommendation }

If you are interested in being a documenter of life – or if you have already been taking pictures and/or scrapbooking for quite some time – It’s worth stepping away from your tools and supplies and computer … and just step back for a moment (or a day or a week).

Ponder these questions: What do I want the end result to be? Why am I doing this? Who is this for? What do I want to get out of it?

With this type of thought process, many of you will come to a place of greater clarity about your scrapbook organization. It might take a little time to realize whatever it is that you need to realize. But many of you truly will have an a-ha moment. Super. However … Many of you will not necessarily have the light bulb moment, but rather you will throw those questions and this blog post to the wind and say Who cares about a system!? I just want to play!

And you know what? That’s okay too.

“Figuring out” a scrapbook system isn’t for everyone. Sometimes it’s best to just do something. Start somewhere and have fun and that’s it! But for many (myself included), there is great value in thinking about the big picture … even if it evolves and changes a bit over time (which is a thousand percent perfectly okay!).

In addition to your own personal pondering, I’m sharing some additional thoughts on this topic – from me, and from our Creative Team. As with everything else in scrapbooking, there is no right or wrong, no best or worst. Do what feels right for your life, your situation, your family, your sanity. The purpose in sharing these ideas is the hope that something will stand out to you as something you want to consider for your own system … or perhaps a completely different idea not even mentioned here will pop into your mind.

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{ becky }

Here’s my personal approach to memory-keeping for our family: As I think about the big picture (the future), I would like our children to have a series of family yearbooks and a series of personal scrapbooks. It’s a simple plan, and something that I feel I can maintain. Further explanation follows.

Family yearbooks: One book per year, through their entire childhoods. These are thin photo books (I’ve done the past few years this way and will continue now with Project Life templates on Shutterfly). Some years will be more dense with loads of pictures and memories and some years will be just a handful of favorite highlights and moments from the year. And that’s okay. I’m not trying to have them all exactly the same thickness. The idea is that 1) we will have a collection of books that will span across many years, 2) the focus is on family photos + togetherness + memories, and 3) each child will have his/her very own complete set to keep forever. I talked a little more about my approach in yesterday’s post.

Personal scrapbooks: In addition to the family yearbooks, I envision that each child will have a handful of full-sized 12×12 scrapbooks to take with them. I’m not exactly sure what a “handful” means but maybe like 7-8? I would love these albums to be comprehensive in content and yet concise enough that it doesn’t become an overwhelming collection of large albums that require their own mini moving truck when the kids are no longer living with us. (Okay, quick – someone freeze time so that day doesn’t come any quicker!) The idea is that these scrapbooks will 1) focus more on the individual child – personality, milestones, accomplishments, school, sports, hobbies, etc. and 2) be a place to organize and store all the papers, artwork, and other memorabilia specific to the child’s life and experiences.

That’s it. That’s my plan. That’s my big picture. I used to create ongoing family albums (12×12 scrapbooks), which I really do love but the bummer is that those recorded memories won’t really “go” with the kids when they leave home. Ultimately I plan to scan all those pages (holy mother of projects!) and get those into photo books that I can print in multiples as well. A girl can dream, right?

In the meantime, I’ve been getting organized and back on track with the kids’ 12×12 albums and I’ve been video-documenting the process along the way so that I can share that with you. I hoped to do that before the end of 2011 but due to a series of life circumstances, including a really full Christmas season, the video is not quite ready. But I will wrap that up as soon as I can. If you have organization and scrapbooks and your kids’ school stuff on the brain, I think the video will offer some ideas you may be looking for.

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{ marcy }

When I first started scrapbooking I was determined to make it “fair”. Every kid was going to have the same number of layouts to take with them. I was going to be Supermom. After a while reality sank in. I was lucky enough to find time to make one layout. And then to duplicate that 3 times?

I realized that it was more important to get stories recorded once than to worry about my kids taking albums with them. And now that I’ve started Project Life I don’t feel any differently. It’s ours. I don’t worry about dividing up albums when the kids move out, or about who gets what. At the end of the day that’s not a big deal to me. I don’t anticipate a big family fight over layouts and pages. And even if there were I figure I’ll scan everything and burn them to discs and divvy it up that way. I guess it’s one of those “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it” kinda things.

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{deb}

I don’t have profound thoughts on this, but it’s not something that worries me. I have two boys and I just assume that the albums will stay with me until I’m gone and then they can figure it out after that! They’ll just have to share. I started scrapbooking when Alec was born in 1995 and then Mason was born in 1997. Their dad drowned when we were at the beach in 1998 two weeks after Mason’s first birthday. At that point, I had been making a book for each of them. I couldn’t go on with scrapbooking so I just put the books on a shelf and didn’t think about scrapbooking again until I started getting interested in photography ten years later and of course that led me to Becky Higgins and Project Life which I’ve been doing for almost two years. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back and scrap from all the years I missed. Maybe one day.

(By the way, I’m happily remarried to a man who didn’t have any children. He loves Alec and Mason as his own and they both say he’s the best thing that ever happened to them.) In other words … I have two boys who are teens right now. I don’t really stress about what will happen to the albums. At this point I am only doing Project Life – no other scrapbooks. These albums will stay with me until I’m gone. After that, my boys will just have to share them and split them up however they decide. I plan on doing this for every year from here on out so there will be lots of albums to go around!

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{ cathy }

I know for me, that most of the albums will stay with me. I mean, my kids will get their school albums and their baby albums, but I’m keeping everything else here. When I die, they can have at it. ; )

That goes for Project Life as well. It’s our family document and I think it belongs in their family home, even after they’ve flown the coop, which in my case with Aidan, gets closer all the time. Sigh. I’m holding them hostage!

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{ jennifer }

I don’t have it all figured out. Ultimately, I think just getting memories documented is what’s most important. I can’t let myself get too worried about exactly who will get what down the road. I imagine that my Project Life albums will stay with me even after my children leave the house. I just don’t know if they will really want to take such an extensive collection with them. I do want them to have something that is theirs to keep. I’m imagining a more condensed collection of memories; something along the lines of a school album in which multiple years of their lives can fit into one album. But like I said, I’m still figuring things out and just trying not to let the details get in the way of the actual documenting of life.

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{ ali }

I’ve had different thoughts about this over the years. Here’s where I’m at today: I’m making these books as much for my kids to look at today & down the road as for me. Right now the plan is that they will all stay with me. I do Project Life, annual family albums, minibooks, photobooks, and then I also have a baby album for my daughter, quite a few years of albums that are just my son’s stories, plus albums that hold my own stories from yesterday and today. That is a WHOLE LOT of albums. That said, anytime any of my kids have an interest in these albums I will happily hand them over.

For more information on Ali’s thoughts on album organization go here.

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{ monica }

My personal big picture is focused on my family enjoying our scrapbooks right now while the boys are still in my home. In addition to Project Life, I have implemented Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories which means my layouts are categorized by All About Us, People We Love, Things We Do (my Project Life Binders fall into this album category) and Places We Go. While our All About Us has the layouts organized by person I do not focus on maintaining an album for each child. My oldest son has a disproportionate share of layouts right now and I’m OK with that. Why? Because my youngest son’s story is primarily being told in Project Life right now.

I work hard to not get crazy about “even” or “fair” because if I did I wouldn’t be focused on telling the stories that speak to my heart the most right now. I trust that in the end what my children will see is my love for our family throughout all the stages of our life together. I trust in this because both my 7 year old and my 18 month old frequently pull down albums and look through them with wonder. They are not focused on seeing a particular person but instead focused on seeing our life. I see my albums only leaving my home when my husband & I are no longer here. I see these albums as part of my legacy for future generations, not necessarily a possession of a particular child. Right now I am writing my life story for me. I would like to think that there will be someone years from now who sees this as a treasure but as there is no guarantee I focus instead of my boys seeing our scrapbooks as treasures to be enjoyed now.

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{ maryann }

This might sound a little selfish at first but just stick with me for a moment and hopefully it will make more sense as I explain my thought process. My Project Life albums are about our daily lives from my perspective. It includes stuff from our family life, things that my girls experience, the little everyday stuff we do, and how I interpret them. It’s a collection of our lives as a family from my point of view.

That being said it’s not something that needs to be done in duplicate form so each child can have one to take with them when they leave our house. The plan for now is they stay here with me. So I get that this might sound completely selfish because part of the reason I do Project Life is so that in the future my girls will be able to read my albums and relate to the same situations that I struggle with … laugh at and cry over … but the way that I write in my albums have made this the most logical approach for me at this time.

Plus the thought of doing two albums is overwhelming and I know my limits and honestly I would fail before I could even start. However – keep in mind part of that is because I have an almost 3 and 4 year old. As they get older I plan to include them more in the process so the albums will evolve more into a family project as opposed to just my perspective on life. So I will reevaluate it again at that time. I think it will be something that is constantly changing for me. The most important thing for me is to keep it simple so it is attainable – or it won’t be doable!

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{ liz }

Since most of my scrapbook albums are photo books it will be easy for me to print additional copies when and if my daughters decide they want the albums. The Project Life album is different though, since I’m not doing a digital version, don’t plan on switching to digital, nor do I have a desire to maintain multiple copies of Project Life. The Project Life albums will stay with me. What I can see myself doing is using the information I’ve collected in the Project Life album to create new photo books (funny things you said, vacations, a year of Saturdays, etc.) to give to my daughters.

Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve already made a photo book this year called Snapshots of Sisterhood. I would also like to add that because I was doing Project Life (and hence keeping up with photo editing, etc.) that particular photo book only took me a few days to put together, as opposed to what probably would have taken me a few weeks to do. And I’m certain that I was feeling inspired to create because I wasn’t stressing out about getting “caught up”. I love Project Life. It has totally changed the way I approach and feel about documenting!

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{ michelle }

Since the creation of Project Life, I will now be using that method of scrapbooking from here on out. It’s truly the only way I can keep up with my photos. It looks like I’ll probably have 2 albums filled per year which will include some traditional scrapbooked layouts tucked in here and there. Some of those layouts may feature only one of the girls or a special occasion but for the most part, this is a family album that features our life as a whole. I do have individual albums I started for my two girls that hold mostly sports related photos, programs, school related photos and the like since sports is such a big part of our lives. I’m behind on those albums so I may start implementing the Project Life method for those albums too by using an assortment of the page protectors to speed up the process.

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{ okay – your turn }

If you have thoughts on your “big picture” system – please share in the comments.

My hope is that you will feel inspired + motivated + ready to make a plan for your Project Life in 2012.

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Title page by Kelly Purkey.

Supplies Photo Pocket Page – Becky Higgins; Patterned paper – Crate Paper; Cork paper – Recollections; Vellum – Paper Source; Tag – Bananafish Studio; Stamps – Studio Calico; Ink – StazOn; Stickers – 7 Gypsies, Basic Grey; Stapler – Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher; Pen – American Crafts; Fonts – Avenir, Bebas Neue

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{ most important message about Project Life }

Project Life is whatever you want it to be. Please, please, please keep this in mind as you see a smorgasboard of ideas and examples from others who are doing Project Life. The products are designed to simplify the process of memory-keeping for you. If all you do is add your pictures and write some journaling notes, that was the whole purpose in the first place.

Project Life is designed to be an easier-than-ever scrapbooking system. Simply pair your photos and journaling with pre-designed title cards and journaling cards. Your photos, these cards, and even your memorabilia slip into the Photo Pocket Pages and that’s it. The result is a stylish masterpiece that represents your life or whatever occasion you choose to record. With Project Life’s beautifully simple format, deciding what supplies to use or how to design layouts becomes obsolete, leaving you more time to experience life.

However … I totally realize and appreciate that many of you have that creative instinct to do something more. And that’s wonderful too! Personalizing your project and going beyond the core essentials can be fun and just the creative outlet you need. Kelly’s title page above and Mandi’s title page below are examples of artists who take customization seriously.

Title page by Mandi in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Supplies for her 8.5 x 11 title page: Crate Paper Neighborhood Collection – Friendly; Basic Grey Basics Micro Mono Stickers; Heidi Grace Beyond the Sea Punchboard Box Set Alphas + Symbols; My Minds Eye Lost + Found One of a Kind Buttons (from Studio Calico’s Handmade kit); Cosmo Cricket Tiny Text Stickers (from Studio Calico’s Brooklyn Flea kit); Studio Calico’s Mister Huey’s Calico Shine; We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper; Stampin’ Up Dimensionals; Fiskars Fingertip Craft Knife

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{ my personal approach to Project Life in 2012 }

For 3 years I have documented our family’s story with a picture + blurb of journaling to represent every single day. I used the physical product to create a 12×12 scrapbook in 2009. I made a digital photo book for 2010 and 2011, both of which I need to wrap up the journaling and having the actual books printed and shipped. Soon. Super excited about that.

Project Life began with that “365″ approach for me, but I want to emphasize again + again: Project Life does not necessarily = Project 365. Yes, you can absolutely do that. Of course. In fact I know many of you have done that, or are planning on that for 2012. The 365 approach is so very cool but honestly – it can be difficult to keep up with that pace if you have a lot going on in your life. I will forever be grateful that I have documented our life with the picture-a-day format for the past 3 years. But even I – a dedicated documenter of life – find the photo-a-day approach challenging because of how much I have going on.

Now. Twenty-twelve is a new year and I am beginning the next volume in our family yearbook series. I am choosing to stick with the digital version and will be doing a Project Life photo book on Shutterfly. I’m using the Clementine template. The Turquoise template is also available and very cool. My main reasons for choosing this method: 1) I can print multiple copies so that each child has a family yearbook and 2) The photo book is much smaller/thinner. I have so many large scrapbooks in our home and they already take up a lot of space.

My approach: I know some of you will be surprised about this, but I am going to relax about the picture-a-day thing. I love, love, love it. But this year I am joining many of you in the weekly approach. Each two-page spread will show a week in our life but there will not necessarily be a picture for every single day. I’m looking forward to this.

Big picture for me: No matter how I document our family’s story, the end goal is to have a family year book each year. Some years it might be photo-a-day (check), some years it might be just a few highlights for each of the 12 months (check – did that in 2008), and some years it might be the weekly approach (new to me). The point is that I’m preserving my family’s story. I can accomplish this - you can accomplish this – with very little time and stress. I have been – and continue to be – very open to how I evolve in my approach.

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{ advice to those who are brand-new to Project Life }

1. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Project Life is designed for SIMPLICITY.

2. Watch my Getting Started video. (NOTE: I did this video last year when the products were slightly different. When you see little things that look different than your new products, look past that and focus on the core content of getting your album set up.)

3. Check out the Project Life Community. This is a great place for Project Lifers to ask each other questions, share ideas, and of course share finished pages to inspire each other.

4. Follow me on facebook or twitter (same content; two options). I share almost-daily inspiration for picture-taking + life-documenting. I’m sticking by your side on this. We’re in this together.

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{ advice to those who are “behind” }

Yuck. Don’t you hate that word? Who wants to feel behind on anything right? If you have already been doing Project Life at all in the past few years, and if you have a year (or more) that you haven’t “finished” please consider this: Let it go.

I sooo know that it’s easier said than done. But let me tell you from personal experience, that “letting it be what it is” is a very liberating feeling. My first year of trying to do the daily documenting thing went completely by the wayside when I grew more and more sick with my pregnancy. I simply couldn’t keep up. So you know what I did? I compromised. Instead of having nothing for my family that year, I decided that it would be A-OK to create a photo book that simply highlighted each month on a two-page spread. That’s it. And you know what? We love that book. And it tells our family’s story in 2008 – even if it’s less-comprehensive than I originally intended it to me.

Let’s say you got part-way through 2011 and you just burned out. Guess what? What you did document is utterly fantastic and you should be pleased as punch that you cared enough to document with pictures + words at all. What now? Well, obviously that’s up to you but you should seriously consider just letting it be what it is and starting fresh with 2012. Perhaps a different approach for this year is what you need. Perhaps a simple month-at-a-glance photo book is more manageable. By lightening your load, you will likely be more motivated to stick with the project.

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{ excellent  “getting started” inspiration from a few of our Creative Team members }

Ali: Reflections, Ideas & 2012 Title Page

Michelle: Organization | My Work Space + Favorite Products

Deb: Photography Inspiration for Documenting Life + Random Project Life Tips

Jennifer: Getting Started

Monica: The Beginning | Finding my Project Life Rhythm

Cathy: Project Life, Take Two (+ free download)

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{ more inspiration on the world wide web }

I was “off the grid” quite a bit over the holidays – happily directing all my focus on family. As I’ve worked on getting back into my groove I’ve noticed an almost overwhelming amount of conversation and sharing about Project Life. There aren’t words for how that makes me feel. Everyone is doing their own thing. Some are taking the daily documenting approach, some the weekly approach, some the monthly approach. Some are using Project Life to go back and scrapbook past years, some are using it to document specifically about life changes (weight loss, losing a loved one + adjusting to their “new normal”, etc.).

It’s allll good, folks. It’s all good.

Enjoy a sneak-peek into the minds + albums of some who are embarking on doing Project Life in 2012. You’re in good company.

Title page by Nicole Reaves.

Nicole: My Title Page, Goals, + Products I’m Using

Kelly: Making it Work for Me / Title Page

Noell: My Intro Page / “Yep I’m Doing This”

Susan: Debated but now I’m Committed + Title Page

Stacey: Project Life 2012

Lindsey: The Beginning + Documenting Vacations

Jenni: Today Matters

Aby: Thoughts from a Professional Organizer (*And she’s giving away Project Life too! Enter for a chance!)

Jessica T.: Plans for Project Life 2012

Jessica: Project Life Newbie

Stephanie: My Goal is to Keep it Simple + My Organization

Jen: I Said I Wouldn’t Do It

Robyn: The Start of Project Life

Shirley: Hello, Project 365 + Title Page

Kristina: Jumping on the Bandwagon and Staying Accountable + Setting Up my Studio for Project Life

Natasja: Project Life Preparations

Jeanye: How Project Life Will Become a Part of My Life

Melissa: Wrapping Paper + Pocket Pages

Catherine: Title Page + Free Download

Paula (empty-nester!): Return to Scrapbooking

Lisa: How I Make it Work for Me

Kristine: I’m in Love

Kami: Focusing on our Everyday in 2012

Shelley: Documenting a Happy Life

Allison: Doing this for my Kids and my Kids’ Kids

Jenny: Lessons Learned from Last Year

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{ want to share YOUR Project Life? }

You are always welcome to share with us. We love to see how everyone is using Project Life! Email your pictures to submissions@projectlife.com. Likewise, we always love to see pictures of happy customers with their product.

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{ inventory update }

As some of you know, we are currently sold out of some products. Please know that we really did order a lot, but thanks to the wonderful viral affect of word spreading rapidly about Project Life, some things literally flew off the Amazon shelves over the holidays.

Have no fear. More product is on the way and we’re re-stocking inventory as fast as we can. If you aren’t able to get your hands on something that you want, remember that documenting life can + should still happen. You can still get started on taking pictures and writing a few notes, even if you’re waiting on Photo Pocket Pages.

This is what is sold out now but will be back in stock on Amazon in about a month (early February):

Journaling Cards (box of 100, grid design)

Photo Pocket Pages: Big Pack of Design A (60)

Photo Pocket Pages: Big Variety Pack 1 (60)

Photo Pocket Pages: Design G (pack of 12)

6×12 Page Protectors (pack of 12)

Big Envelope Pages (pack of 12)

Scrapbook Dividers (pack of 12)

Everything else is in stock. Check it all out HERE. As for the black + white Signature Binders? Those will be showing up on Amazon this week. I’ll let you know when they’re there.

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*NEW* items that are part of that same shipment for early-February:

Photo Pocket Pages: Big Variety Pack 2 (60) – This has 40 of Design A + 20 of Design D

Big Pack of 12×12 Page Protectors (60) – Just like what it sounds. Good ol’ classic page protectors with no pockets for full 12×12 scrapbook pages

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{ digital update }

I will have an entirely separate blog post about the Shutterfly option, which I mentioned is the product I’ll personally be using to document our 2012. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, for those of you who are interested in the Digital Project Life components/kits/templates available on JessicaSprague.com, there is some great inspiration from The Daily Digi: Does Project Life Fit in with my Life?

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Oh my stars. How’s that for a loaded blog post?  : )

Featuring a wide range of layouts with 7 photos per spread (plus other layout designs), Project Life is designed to help you capture and celebrate daily memories, week by week, throughout the year. Document your life or your family or any theme you want – on a daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal basis.

This is what it looks like as you begin a Clementine photo book:

Here are a couple layout samples using the Clementine edition (8×11 landscape format):

This is what it looks like as you begin a Turquoise photo book:

Here are a couple layout samples using the Turquoise edition (8×11 landscape format):

I personally can not wait to get started and play with the photo books. Now if you’ll excuse me …  ; )

If you don’t want to have to think about “designing” a title page, we’ve got you covered. Every Project Life Core Kit includes all the designer 4×6 and 3×4 cards you need to drop in the pockets and that’s all you need to do.

{ From the Clementine Edition }

 In fact – you’ll notice that we even printed a little “map” on the back of those specific cards (title page and last page) so you can see a suggested placement idea, leaving out all the guesswork. It doesn’t get simpler than that.

However …

I know many of you want to do something more personal, more specific, more custom. So today I’m sharing some title page inspiration from our very own Creative Team. Some of them even implemented additional products from their stash of supplies, resulting in a perfectly customized style that is unique to their album.

{ Page by Jennifer Woodbury  |  From the Amber Edition }

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{ Page by Monica McNeill  |  From the Turquoise Edition + other supplies }

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{ Page by Ali Edwards  |  one card from the Turquoise Edition }

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{ Page by Deb Duty  |  From the Turquoise Edition }

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{ Page by Liz Tamanaha |  Design F Photo Pocket Page peeking out from behind }

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{ Page by Loni Stevens  |  Background paper from the digital Clementine Collection }

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{ Page by MaryAnn Perry  |  From the Clementine Edition for their 2012 album  }

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{ Page by MaryAnn Perry  |  From the Turquoise Edition for their 2011 album  }

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{ Page by Michelle Wooderson  |  From Turquoise Edition + other supplies }

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{ Page by Cathy Zielske, using her own 6×12 title page template }

Cathy will be the first to tell you, like many of us, that she is crazy about the 6×12 Page Protectors and wanted this to be the opening page to her 2012 album. She designed this 6×12 title page and … guess what? She is graciously sharing the template with my readers for FREE … in case you’re feeling inspired to do something similar. Obviously using a favorite coordinating Project Life digital paper would be awesome and you could customize it however you’d like.

Click on the one you want and drop in your favorite background paper!

CZ_ProjectLife6x12TitlePage (left)

CZ_ProjectLife6x12TitlePage.psd (center)

CZ_ProjectLife6x12TitlePageBlank.psd (right)

In fact, here is the link to the free font Cathy used in the PSD files: Museo Slab 500.

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A few quick examples using the templates + digital Project Life papers:

{ Left page use a paper from the digital Amber Collection + the CK Becky font. Link to this free font is at the very bottom of the Free Stuff sidebar. Center + right pages use papers from the digital Cobalt Collection }

FYI: There are two other products Cathy released, also with 6 x 12 page protectors in mind. One for weekly recap journaling that needs more space. One for photo collages. Click on either one of those links to see more or purchase.

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One last idea, and this comes from a reader (I’m sorry I don’t have her name but be sure to claim this idea in the comments if you were the one that shared it). She says: I have an idea I’m planning on using for my next Project Life title page. Take a photo of the front of your family home in each season – winter with snow on the ground, spring as it greens up and everything is blooming, summer (for us the last couple years, that means sunburned grass!), and fall with leaves turning colors. Take it from the same spot each time and it is a great representation of how different your house looks over the course of a year.

1. physical product on Amazon.com (and also available through international distributors)

2. digital elements on JessicaSprague.com

3. photo books on Shutterfly.com (coming just before Christmas)

Let’s talk about #2 for a minute.

Today’s video is a short + sweet instructional video that shows you step-by-step how to add text to one of our Project Life Journaling Cards that you can get on JessicaSprauge.com. In order to use the digital elements, one really should have some basic understanding of Photoshop Elements (or other photo editing software). That said, I know many of you are really unfamiliar with Photoshop and yet you’re intrigued with our digital products and would like to learn more. That’s super.

My hope with this video is that you’ll see how easy it really can be. Of course there is sooo much one can learn and JessicaSprague.com offers a plethora of classes to guide and teach and inspire. If you want to start small and simple and just test the waters of the digital world, sign up for Up + Running with Photoshop, which is a beginner class that I’m actually going to be taking myself (and it’s on sale right now!).

In the meantime – enjoy this little tutorial.

Many thanks to my very own brother Kevin who put this video demo together for us. He pretty much rocks.

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By the way, have you heard? Based on popular demand, we now offer full LAYOUT TEMPLATES for Digital Project Life!! They are available as a set of templates, as well as individually.

Here are some sample pages using the Layout Templates with the digital Project Life elements:

Layout by Kari Holt.

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Layout by Heather Landry.

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Layout by Debra Hutton.

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I noticed that a couple of your Photo Pocket Page designs have pocket openings on the side sometimes, instead of at the top where I expected. They’re wonderful and completely useable but I’m just wondering … is this on purpose?

Yes. Sort of. We originally designed everything to have openings at the top – always. But it’s not that simple. On a couple of the designs, because of the pocket configuration and the manufacturing machinery and the way things have to work logistically, a few openings are on the side instead. Like you said – it doesn’t change the usability and the function of the Photo Pocket Page.

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Do you do any other scrapbooking besides Project Life now? What about your childhood, your story, your ancestors, etc.?

Great question. (Gulp.) As much as my natural instincts are to feel guilty about what I’m not doing, I am far too realistic for that and guilt gets pushed to the side big-time. I am a documenter of life, an amateur photographer, a family historian. But that doesn’t mean I’m good at all of that, all of the time. It certainly doesn’t mean I have everything pulled together the way I’d like. Right now I’m focused on documenting the here + now of our family life with Project Life. I have also embarked on a journey called catching-up-with-my-kids’-books. And trust me, you’ll be hearing a lot about that soon since the journey has been documented with video. Other than that, no. Nothing else right now. Yes, I have childhood scrapbook pages and family history pages but it’s definitely not where I want it all to be. Yet.

Bottom line: There is a time and a season for everything. I totally have a vision for what I want to do with our family history stuff, and David’s and my childhood stuff. Another topic for another day. The vision is there. I’m just looking for some spare time.

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I am sure you have been asked this but have you ever considered catalog sales? I feel you have the most amazing products that could transform so many peoples lives as it has mine. I just think it would be so cool to see reps out there demonstrating how to use your products and inspiring others!

Yes, once upon a time it was a thought. But no – it’s not what we’re doing. Our business model keeps everything so simple. Our product is made and shipped to Amazon and anyone (in the U.S.) can purchase our products there and have it shipped directly to them. That is the simplest thing that we can do that is also very beneficial to the customer – you. Many of you are practically Project Life “consultants” because of the way you share it with friends and family. You have to know how much we appreciate that. Very, very cool.

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When is the Shutterfly version of Project Life going to be available?

Barely in time for Christmas.

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Will the Shutterfly/Project Life photo book be available in more than one size?

You bet. The “default” photo book sizes are 12×12 and 8×11 but you can convert your project to 8×8, 7×9, and even an itty bitty 5×7 gift size. I can’t wait for you to see these Project Life photo books!

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I wish I didn’t have to wait for other items to come in while some items are available now. It would be nice to get everything at the same time.

I hear ya. And I promise you that we’re not trying to stagger the availability of different products. Please keep in mind that there are so many behind-the-scenes logistics in manufacturing physical product that most people wouldn’t even think about, that affect the timing of products becoming available. Please also remember that this is our transitional year as far as product offering. When we started our company just over two years ago, we offered one SKU – one item. That’s it. Last year we offered 2 items. We now have 30 products and more in the making. So yeah – it’s a little tricky to keep everything on a predictable schedule. The beautiful thing about the way we’re offering product now is that we’re getting on track to keeping plenty of inventory in stock all the time – all year long. The few items that are currently sold out were re-ordered weeks ago and will be available again in January. As we move forward, we’ll be able to close that gap even more so that “sell outs” are very rare.

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I notice that the Photo Pocket Pages are not all the exact same total width. It’s subtle, but I’m just wondering why.

It’s all about the math. For the 4×6 and 3×4 cards to fit perfectly in every single pocket (which we really fine-tuned with all the new products) … each Photo Pocket Page is going to have to be a slightly different width. When you factor horizontal and vertical and different configurations … it is what it is. And those size variations are very, very subtle. The alternative is to have them all the exact same size, which would mean the cards and photos would not fit well in the pockets. They would be too tight or not have too much room, etc. Hope I’m making sense. It’s all about the math. This is the “fun” part of product design.  ; )

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Where did you get the white chairs that I always see in your pictures and videos?

Stanley is the brand. Coastal Living is the line of furniture. The name of the chair is the Wayfarer Side Dining Chair. We had the seat cushions recovered with a faux shiny wipeable leather that I found at a local fabric store.

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I don’t know if anyone has ever mentioned it but I think it would be awesome to have a set of page protectors that fit the 4×4 Instagram photos.

Oh, trust me. That’s in the line-up.  : )

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Can you please use month concepts when saying, for example, that the School Kits might be out by Summer 2012? Living in Australia, we are in summer now and I started getting overly excited!!

I’m so sorry that I wasn’t thinking of our friends in the Southern Hemisphere when I said that. We just aren’t close to having a date for the release of those products yet so I needed to keep it vague. I guess I could say we’re hoping for sometime between June – August 2012.

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What about the date stamp? Is it in the core kit?

Nope. We no longer have a date stamp as part of our products. This is easy to find online or at your local office supply store.

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Does anyone have any cute ideas/pictures for the very first page of their album? I love the cards with the kit but I want to make mine a little more personal, and I wast it to represent the whole year, anyone?

Excellent topic. I have a whole blog post about this in the works. If anyone wants to share their Project Life title page, please email a really good photograph to submissions@beckyhiggins.com for us to consider sharing with our other content.

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{ a favorite comment }

Can I just say that I know it is not by chance that I happened upon your website several months ago? I was a huge fan of your work with CK, but lost touch with everything scrapbook-related for a while as my family went through some tough changes and I was running in “survival mode”. I believe that I have an actual part in my body that is connected to my current level of memory preservation, and most of the time this body part weighs a ton and is twisted in several knots due to my “guilt” and inability to keep up with all of the photos I take and memories we make. It literally weighs on me daily. Several months ago your name popped into my mind as I was on the computer and I was curious as to what you were up to. I got chills and tears in my eyes as I watched your Project Life video (“Project Life by Becky Higgins”) and thought, “Wow, this is going to be the thing that saves me!” I was giddy and excited as I showed everyone the video, and have been following every development of your products ever since. I’m hoping Santa has a few white boxes for me under the tree this Christmas!

The following 4 items are brand-new and have just arrived today. Click on any of them to take you directly to their respective listing on Amazon.

Project Life Core Kit – Cobalt Edition

Project Life Cardstock – Cobalt Collection

Project Life Core Kit – Clementine Edition

Project Life Cardstock – Clementine Collection

There are several images for each item on Amazon but for even more detailed shots of the new editions go HERE. For all the nitty-gritty about what comes in a Core Kit, go HERE.

NOTE: None of them have the new editions yet, but the same ideas apply across the board, no matter which edition you’re using. You will be inspired looking at their pages and pictures. (Yes, the Cobalt + Clementine Editions are coming this week – they’re almost here and I will let you know as soon as it shows up on Amazon.)

Oh – and did you hear? Since announcing that Ali Edwards and Loni Stevens joined the Creative Team, we have also welcomed Cathy Zielske as our most recent addition.

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Layout by Ali Edwards. Notice how she implemented art into one of the 3×4 pockets.

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Layout by Deb Duty. I love how she included smaller pictures on a bi-fold card (unfolded and placed in a 4×6 pocket here).

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Layout by Jennifer Woodbury. It’s so fun to see Design G put to good use. Vertical + horizontal pictures in one page protector! This 10×12 size is so great for in-between pages when you have a lot you’re documenting for one theme/event/occasion and therefore want to include several pages.

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Layout by Liz Tamanaha. I love how she utilized Design E to enlarge a couple favorite pictures and capture snippets of loving conversation they have with the girls. Four, large, square pockets = clean design + fun, dramatic effect. I really like the Design E Photo Pocket Page.

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Layout by Marcy Penner. Part of her fantastic, eclectic look is due to implementing a variety of products in the details. If you have a stash of scrapbooking/crafting products that you haven’t used in a while, add little touches in your Project Life album!

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Layout by MaryAnn Perry. Check out the fun way she documented + displayed their Thanksgiving memories on this layout!

The 8.5×11 page protector is from We R Memory Keepers. The digital page design is Cathy Zielske’s Layered Template No. 95. The grey background on this page is digital paper from the Project Life Cobalt Collection.

MaryAnn used Design E and simply cut one of the 6×6 sections from the rest, making sure to keep 2 holes for placing in her album. On the back side of this, she stores a DVD that goes along with their Thanksgiving memories. (That is a self-adhesive disk holder from Avery.)

MaryAnn says, “Because neither of my little girls can write yet I decide to record a video of them discussing the things that they are thankful for. It turned out so cute and I wanted to include it in my album with the rest of the my thankful cards so I burned the video to a DVD. I used some of the digital paper from the cobalt collection and made a label for the DVD. I added a Cathy Z brush to the front of the DVD.”

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Layout by Michelle Wooderson. Notice how she added little touches of different papers by simply punching circles and adding those. Such a great way to soften the bold colors that are part of the Turquoise Edition for her personal style.

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Layout by Monica McNeill. Look how easy it is to add “extras” in the rings, just like the Photo Pocket Pages. She simply punched holes in the little envelope to add. The right side of this layout (behind the 8.5 x 11 insert) is utilizing the Design B Photo Pocket Page for Monica’s vertical pictures. The smaller 3×4 pockets are perfect for the little extras. They don’t always have to be used for 3×4 Journaling Cards.

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Can we see Project Life used as a baby album?

This request was part of last week’s Feedback Friday and I’m happy to share a few submissions that came in after that. So grateful for those who shared!

Layout by Juliet in Singapore.

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Pages by Jill in Pennsylvania.

Jill writes: I have been doing this for my daughter Reagan since she was born on March 1. I love how easy it is to use the journaling cards to jot down her milestones – when her teeth come in, when she tries new foods, when she rolls over and the list goes on and on. Also love that I can slip in bits of life into the pockets – clothing tags, receipts, pieces of baby cards, and the list goes on and on (again!).

Note: Jill is using the Original Edition of Project Life that she got at the beginning of 2010. And since I know someone will ask … Yes, it is possible that we could bring this edition back again.

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Pages by Emily in Washington, D.C.

Emily writes: Here is how I am using Project Life: My first baby, Parker, was born 6 months ago, and I had my Project Life album all ready to go. Instead of chronicling week by week (which was a bit overwhelming for me, not to mention there was no way I could limit myself to just seven pictures!), I decided to do a monthly account of my son’s life as he grows. It has proven very rewarding and successful – I add in bits in pieces over the month when I have a spare minute! Each month starts with photos by mama (in the same chair with the same stuffed animal) and his stats if he had a doctor’s appointment each month – and I keep track of all the new things he’s doing as well as our family’s experiences with him throughout the month. Throughout the month, I write down little bits in a notebook that I transfer to journaling cards. To be clear, I’m doing a month-by-month of his first year, after which I’ll probably switch to a family PL album.

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How do you move past a creative block that has been lasting for months??

Assuming you’re referring to scrapbooking, I don’t feel the need to have that self-inflicted pressure in my life. I don’t feel like I have to be creative about how I preserve my family’s memories. That’s what is so liberating about putting my pictures + stories together with Project Life. I just add my pictures to the already-designed products that our graphic designers created and my work is done. I gave up the “I need to be creative” mentality a long time ago and highly recommend that for anyone who is putting too much pressure on themselves. There are far too many other important things in life.

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I was wondering if there are plans to make a chocolate or navy version of the Signature Binder?

We are starting with Black and White and we’ll see how those do. If everyone loves our Signature Binder as much as we do, we would love to expand the line to include more colors.

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Are we going to be seeing any Project Life related stamps?

Not anytime soon, but never say never.

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I have been wondering if there will ever be a list of all of your Cultivate a Good Life quotes put out in one place? Pretty please!?

I’m pleased that you’re enjoying those posts. I am collecting them every time I post one, but I haven’t yet had an epiphany as to how I might share the full collection in the most effective way. I thought of a set of 3×4 cards, a calendar (one for each day in the year), but honestly – nothing feels like the “it” idea just yet. Open to ideas. For anyone who may not know what we’re talking about, I share something on facebook + twitter almost daily and it says “Part of cultivating a good life is …” and then I share something that’s on my mind or based on my experience or whatever.

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Are there any plans to offer the Scrapbook Dividers with designs on them?

First of all, yes we are reprinting more as I write this since they sold out so fast. We should have more available in January. Secondly, we made the Scrapbook Dividers completely simple and neutral so that they could be used in any Project Life book or scrapbook. I am a big fan of versatility. Having said that, I know some of you would like to see designs printed on the dividers. It’s hard to know how much interest there is but feel free to add your comment. How would you feel if we offer designer stickers that coordinate with each Project Life edition, and you would place those on the dividers?

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I know you don’t know for sure, but any idea when school-related Project Life products will be ready?

I sooo know that many of you are anxious for this to come. Me too. There are a lot of reasons why it has been pushed back + pushed back some more. But we are working on it. I want it to be completely brilliant. I want these products to truly be a solution for all of you that want to get your kids’ scrapbooks done. It takes time and I have a lot of cookers going in my life – much more than just what you see here on my blog. Thank you for being patient. I don’t have a date, but it’s possible (if I had to guess) that we’re looking at Summer 2012.

Here’s the good news (since being patient can be hard): I have been working on a very detailed + informative video that will walk you through the process of getting organized with all of your kids’ stuff (papers, art, school work, pictures). Even though school-specific products aren’t available yet, I think anyone can get started right this minute with a little inspiration. I plan to share the video this month.

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I was wondering if you have ever considered doing a monthly themed Project Life kit? I use my PL to do a “month in review” (it feels like less of commitment and more do-able that way) and I was hoping to see a monthly themed set that would incorporate the seasons/holidays throughout each month.

We have thought about that, yes. I seriously wish we could move forward with every idea all at the same time, because there is so much potential! I just wanted to remind everyone that we do love when you share your ideas for what you’d like to see. You have great ideas and we’re pretty good listeners. If you have product input to share, email projectlife@beckyhiggins.com any time.

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Will the Project Life Binders and the Signature Binders fit the school days kits from a few years ago? I’m going to order for my 3 kids if they will work!

All of our binders are totally the standard 12×12 size so they’ll fit anything of that standard size. Yes, those old kits will fit. Order away.  : )

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Do your new binders hold any more pages than the ones from last year?

No. Same thickness as last year’s. If any of you have a We R Memory Keepers 12×12 3-ring binder, it’s the exact same dimensions as that.

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Can you please post some tutorials on how to use the Digital Project Life elements?

JessicaSprague.com offers a class called Up + Running with Photoshop that goes over all the basics to use digital products, such as our Project Life elements. It would be a wonderful skill to know some core concepts for so many different uses. I highly recommend it, based on everything that I’ve heard … and in fact, I’ll be taking the class myself soon. Anyone else care to join me? The class is 20% off right now!

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Spotlighting a favorite comment on facebook.

Terrie said: Ok, don’t know WHERE I’ve been, but I just discovered your products and I’m SO excited! I love to create scrapbooks for my photos, but due to life being so busy, I’ve not been able to “get around to it” for many years now. Thanks to you, I’m going to be getting back to my fav hobby. Thank you Becky for creating this system and making it so easy to keep up with preserving my precious memories!!!

Cleetus McDuffy + Project Life? Heck, yeah. When I announced the video contest, I encouraged viewers to create videos that would teach, inspire, or entertain. I’m pretty sure Cleetus nailed it for the latter category. Who knows? Some of you might even feel inspired in some way too.

Note: Cleetus has our “old” Project Life kit in the big box, which is no longer. I just wanted to mention that in case anyone (new) wonders what the big white Project Life box is that Cleetus carries around town. This is a good time to clarify that Project Life is not offered as a full kit anymore. That was the old way.

The new way of offering our products can be seen on our Products page. The very basics that one would need to make a Project Life album include a Core Kit + a Binder + a Big Pack of 60 Photo Pocket Pages. All of these items are in stock right now, plus many more. Since the holidays are upon us and many of you have someone in mind that could really use Project Life, this is an excellent combo. If Cleetus can do Project Life, anyone can.

And yes – I am totally hooking Cleetus up with some new products. After many failed attempts to be accepted on various design teams, Cleetus keeps getting snubbed. What’s up with that? Putting beef jerky in your scrapbook is about as creative as one can get, right? I’m so happy he’s getting the good news today that he is indeed a winner in my book. Let’s all give Cleetus some love!

For more laughs, visit Collin Kartchner’s YouTube page. He’s funny, yes, but he’s also very talented behind a camera and – not that I want you to spend all day in front of the computer – but I do love his other non-Cleetus videos so much. Check out Collin’s Vimeo page for more of his fantastic work. Two of the families he has photographed and filmed (the Chandlers + the Hills) are personal friends that we love dearly and there’s something very special about seeing those family videos.

I just wanted to let you know that YES – We will be having a sale this Friday. Black Friday. 24 hours of Project Life goodness … for less. Project Life Core Kits (Amber Edition + Turquoise Edition) will be 20% off. Everything else in stock is 10% off. All Becky Higgins products are available on Amazon and the prices will be automatically reduced for the 24 hours on Black Friday, starting at 12 midnight EST. (U.S. only.)

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{ meet our team }

We are so grateful for every partnership and alliance that we have here at Becky Higgins LLC. As our little company continues to grow – with abundant opportunities to grow even more, we have recently added a couple more people to help us with our endeavors. I really feel like we have an actual company “team” now. We are small, but we work hard. Every one of us is very dedicated to our families, first and foremost. We are also dedicated to doing our very best to carry out our mission, which is to help simplify the process of memory-keeping and to inspire you to cultivate a good life. I would love to introduce you those key people behind the scenes. Say hello to the team, and you can get to know them a little too!

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{ welcome our newest creative team members }

We are so pleased to announce that Ali Edwards + Loni Stevens are now a part of our 2012 Creative Team! We are thrilled that they’re both on-board with regularly sharing their Project Life pages throughout the coming year. I know many of you have already been inspired by what Ali has been sharing on a weekly basis in 2011. I am forever grateful for the influence that she has had – and continues to have – on spreading the Project Life love. You’re going to love Loni’s style too! She’s a talented photographer and great documenter of life. Get to know them both here.

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{ digi winners }

The excitement over our Project Life designs becoming available on JessicaSprague.com is so much fun! We are pleased to tell two of you that you have been randomly selected to win the full collection of any Project Life edition that you choose. Congratulations to Sarah W. in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Karen in Whitburn, Scotland. You ladies can email kari@jessicasprague.com and let her know which collection you’d prefer – Original, Amber, Turquoise, Cobalt, or Clementine.

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{ holiday cards }

Just in case you missed it earlier, I just wanted to throw out a little reminder that we have free (and adorable!) holiday card templates. Tis the season to be thinking about this.

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{ video contest }

Speaking of reminders, there are only 5 days left until the deadline! We have a little twist on this years’ 12 Videos of Christmas. We invite you to be a part of this year’s video series and this holiday weekend seems to be a great time to pull together a video submission, doesn’t it?

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{ gift guide }

Our friends at The TomKat Studio have put together a very fun Holiday Gift Guide loaded with great gift ideas for your best girlfriend, the guy in your life, teens, pet lovers, organizers, etc. They even included me as one of their featured product recommenders (is that a word?).

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{ thanksgiving }

My parents are in town visiting us this week (which means we’re eating a lot of Mom’s chocolate chip cookies). We are very grateful to be spending time with family and friends. We are also so very grateful to you, our devoted friends/readers/customers. Thank you for your enthusiasm and loyalty.

Most of all, I’m so thankful that most of you are committed to documenting life and recording your story. That’s just the coolest thing ever and I love you for it.

See you on Black Friday!

First, a super quick announcement about winners from the camera strap giveaway: Congratulations to the following (you ladies can email brandi@beckyhiggins.com with your shipping information):

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Hooray!

Big-time happy dance going on for a lot of you in front of your computers. Go ahead. It’s okay to be super excited. This has been a long-awaited day for many of us.

Today is the day that all – and I mean ALL – Project Life designs are available on JessicaSprague.com. Even the Original Edition, and of course the other 4 editions that have since joined the Project Life family over the past couple years – Amber, Turquoise, Cobalt, and Clementine.

This is just a sampling of a few of the items from a few of the editions. Some of you might already be 100% digital scrapbookers/crafters. Some of you are totally hybrid and you want to mix in a little digital love with the physical product. Some of you have never explored the digital side of things and perhaps you want to just try it out. That’s awesome!

For the newbies: You should know that Jessica has a strong passion for helping others learn digital skills, like I have a strong passion for helping others document everyday life. She has very helpful online classes that you can take in the convenience of your own home. If you’re interested in taking those first steps (or increasing the skills you already have), you should definitely consider taking a class.

A few other notes:

1. All versions of Project Life are offered as a full kit or individual parts. Yay for options!

2. Be sure to stop by the forums to join in the conversation and ask any questions.

3. People are inspired by seeing how other people are documenting their lives, so feel free to share your layouts in the Project Life Gallery.

The following examples were created by JessicaSprague.com creative team members, using the Project Life elements. A huge thank-you to the awesome designers – real-life scrapbookers – who created these. You can see more awesome inspiration in the Project Life Gallery.

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Oh, you didn’t think I was going to tell you all about the digital elements and not do a giveaway, did you? We are all over that! Leave your first name, city, and state or country for a chance to win a free FULL Digital Project Life kit – any edition you’d like! We’ll randomly select 2 winners here on my blog, and so will Jessica. Double your chances!