We are seeing a huge increase in those interested in documenting life in with the Project Life method of memory-keeping. On Friday another shipment arrived to Amazon – our largest order to date – by a landslide. In fact, when we placed the order, we felt that our huge quantities might be a little too generous and we hoped the products would sell. And then Friday came. And Friday went. And we sold out of a few items in just a matter of hours.
(By the way, another order of even more plastics – nearly twice as many as Friday’s shipment in fact – is well under way. We expect that shipment to arrive to Amazon.com by late April. If I could get it here faster, I would. I will have more of an update on the timing of other products in the next couple weeks.)
So what does all this mean?
To me it means that you guys get it. It means that Project Life truly is a solution for those of us who love to document life with pictures and stories and anecdotes and memorabilia – but we simply don’t have time for scrapbooking in a time-consuming, artistic, detail-oriented way.
To me it means that you value your memories and you value the hobby of memory-keeping … but you value your time the most. You want to document life but you don’t want to spend hours and hours putting your memories into books. You want to live your life to its fullest. You want to cultivate a good life.
To me it means you are thrilled about how Project Life is helping you and so you can’t keep it to yourself. You’re telling your friends, who then become interested, and they are telling their friends … and, well … you know what I mean. For the record, we are so grateful to all of you who are spreading the word. Project Life is 100% a word-of-mouth thing. Our growth does not come from any paid advertising whatsoever. What we earn goes straight to the next re-order of products, as well as the development of new products. Trust me, we are in the thick of new product development right now.
Kudos to you. Here’s to each of you who is making the effort to record your life, no matter what your approach or style. Project Life or otherwise. Here’s to each of you who understands that the actual process of recording life can be an incredibly rich experience, but it doesn’t have to take away from actually living your life.
This is one of my very dearest friends Jen – documenting life like she does so well.
If you haven’t visited our About page recently, we have updated it so that anyone interested can quickly get to know a little more about us and what we do. For a more detailed story about how all of this came into fruition, there is a link to my recent interview on The Digi Show. Something to listen to on your next walk. : )
Here’s an update on our products – ALL of them. These updates are specifically for U.S. customers. If you live outside the U.S., please be sure to check for updates with our international distributors.
Please bear with me as this will be another topic for another day. We’re working on a lot of product development right now. A lot. I know there are many questions on what we’re working on and when it’s going to become available. We’re super excited that you are anxious for the next round of new items.
Not only do I prefer to have more information before I share any more, but I also have been completely consumed with today’s shipment arrival and really need to get through this weekend with so much going on. I literally gave play-by-play updates as products were showing up on Amazon shelves, and I personally answered most questions that were asked on facebook, twitter, and here on my blog. As Ellie in New York stated on twitter today, I would TOTALLY wear a t-shirt saying I survived the Feb 2012 Project Life Re-stock. Ha! No kidding, sister. : )
On a similar, funny note: Dawn in Arizona said this on facebook today: “I kept checking all morning and was totally stressing out since I had to leave to go to my cardiologist appointment. My doctor even commented my blood pressure was high and I said, You have no idea… I NEED my project life stuff and I just know they are going to be out before I get home! He gave me a crazed look and I was so relieved when my phone decided to finally corporate so I could place my order. He came back to check my blood pressure a few minutes later and it had gone down. He said, Wow! That must be important stuff to stress you out that much! HA HA!!!
Trust me – we do not intend for the ordering process to be stressful. Ultimately we would love to have an insane amount of inventory for every single product so that we never run out. But right now we’re doing the best we can.
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{ new to project life? }
Since many of you are new to Project Life … be sure to check out the Slide Show that is very informative and helpful as you get started.
I know we’ve all been very anxious to get some products here. Several items have been sold out but now the wait is just about over. In fact, we expect the shipment to arrive to Amazon tomorrow – Friday.
Stuff to keep in mind:
1. It’s a huge shipment. Even if the product shows up first thing in the morning, it takes time to show up in the system and actually become available for purchase. So if the clock is ticking and you don’t see anything show up for hours + hours, please understand that there are tens of thousands of products to scan in and sort and stock and … that’s just our stuff. (We love Amazon so much. Have I mentioned that?) There is no way for us to know exactly when the product will show up in the system. You can keep checking and keep refreshing … or … you can simply wait to hear from me, since I will notify you (via blog/facebook/twitter) when the products are in.
2. The quickest, easiest way for me to send updates is via facebook + twitter. If you feel like you haven’t been getting as much information as you’d like, please know that I do sprinkle in product updates with other fun content on facebook + twitter. All the time.
3.Will we run out again? This is one of the most frequently asked questions right now. The short answer: Hopefully not. The longer answer: We ordered so much inventory, guys. While we think we’ll have enough to last until the next shipment comes, Project Life continues to spread like wildfire. Friends are telling friends and they are telling their friends. There is no way for us to really know how much will sell tomorrow, this weekend, next week, and next month. So we ordered more than we think we’ll need. Remember that I post updates on facebook + twitter. If something looks like it’s going to run out, I try to notify you ahead of time.
The good news in all of this is that even if we do run out of something fairly quickly, we have already placed another huge order so more will be on the way soon.
4. This is what is showing up on Amazon.com this weekend. If you live outside the U.S. please check with our international distributors for information on product availability in your area.
5. My best advice as you prepare to shop Project Life this weekend, is to know what you want to purchase. That’s why I shared links and prices, so that you can plan accordingly and have a good idea of what needs to end up in your Amazon shopping cart. Remember: Our Products page has ALL of our products on display at any given time, even the sold-out items that are going to be re-stocked.
I’m letting David take over for this special edition of Feedback Friday. And why not, right? He is the other half of our little business and the genius behind so much of what we do. Here are his responses to your questions.
What is your occupation and how do you split your time between the business and your primary occupation?
I am a full-time Anesthesiologist. My time is split 90/10 on most weeks and 80/20 on some weeks. With our business I am fully in charge of all the bookkeeping, taxes, payroll, logistics, etc. This allows Becky to concentrate on the fun stuff. Luckily we have a great accountant and I have been passing more and more of the bookkeeping and taxes off to them as we have increasingly become bigger and bigger as a company.
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How did you choose the field of Anesthesiology? What do you love about your specialty?
As a medical student we have rotations in many different specialties. At that time I had a chance to ask questions and see what life is really like for those physicians. I discovered that some fields that I thought would be interesting and fun, turned out to be boring and monotonous for me. For instance in my Internal Medicine rotation I felt like we sat talking and planning and never did anything. I enjoy doing procedures (epidurals/spinals/central lines) and seeing instant results. When I give a medication, we see the results within minutes – not weeks/months like in the clinic. In short, I chose the field of Anesthesiology because I enjoyed it most.
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Now that Project Life is HUGE in the scrapping community, it probably seems like it was an easy bet to everyone. But when you and Becky first acted on the idea, how did you weigh the personal risks (ex – your finances, etc.)?
When Becky made the decision to leave Creating Keepsakes magazine we faced a major crossroad. She had to decide if she wanted to retire from the scrapbooking industry or start a company and produce this product she believed in. We felt that there was an unmet need. We believed that Project Life would help people get their memories into scrapbooks with ease and style. I knew that because Becky believed in the product – and herself – we could make it happen. I figured if it didn’t work we could at least break even, so the finances/personal risks were based on that assumption. Luckily once we started the ball rolling we didn’t have much time to really sit down and think about all the risks.
We started this company with the objective to create one kit per year. We thought that one product only once per year would allow us to maintain a simple company with little time commitment. We did not anticipate the evolution of the product. The full kit made less and less sense as we progressed. (Side note: The problem with a full kit is that you rely on one company to produce all portions of the kit. The factory may specialize in paper materials but not in plastics or metals. If you divide the portions apart you can use factories that focus on one type of material and therefore decrease defects and improve quality.)
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What are three of your favorite things about Becky… and does she really not eat Raisin Bran any more?
1. She is beautiful, not just in looks but also in personality and attitude. 2. Her work ethic is incredible. She does not cut corners to make things easier on herself. The problem with this is she is also a control freak and has a hard time passing things over to for other people to do. 3. She is an awesome mother to our 3 kids.
She will rarely have Raisin Bran. She did eat it daily for years and years though.
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Tell the truth, do you have your own Project Life binder with your own journaling?
As Becky has said in the past she does Project Life in the Shutterfly photo book format. She has been using the Clementine Edition this year. I will occasionally journal for a picture if I took it or it is directly related to me. I love Project Life. I love looking though our older albums, but to tell you the truth I am involved directly with scrapbooking about as much as most of your husbands.
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As a man, do you have any advice for how I can convince my husband of the long term value of Project Life & scrapbooking in general? He just doesn’t seem to get it and says it’s just my hobby, nothing more. How would you sell Project Life to a man that thinks it’s just photos? Trying to convince my hubby why I love it.
When I was reading though the questions I kind of laughed when I saw this one, because I have talked about Project Life at work and tried to “sell” it many times. However, when I really think back on it I realize I have only “sold” Project Life to female colleagues – the female doctors and nurses. I have described the product concept and business to male colleagues but have never really tried to sell it to them directly.
I feel that this issue is a big difference between most women and men. Although I love looking back through the pictures and stories of our family I do not feel a responsibility or obligation to record it personally. It seems like women feel that responsibility for record keeping more than men. I am not sure why, just an observation. To make the point, I have talked to busy women who work (while their husbands are at home with the kids) and it is still the woman that feels the obligation to document life – not the stay-at-home dad.
I do understand why Becky and many, many others love it. I also understand that scrapbooking is much, much more than just photos. I look as it being a photographic journal. With each picture being worth more than a thousand words many of you are leaving an family history library for your loved ones. My mom and dad both lost their dads when they were teenagers, so I have never met or really heard much about my grandfathers. It would be absolutely incredible to find a Project Life type of scrapbook with everyday photos and stories of my grandfathers. I would love to know more about who they were and how they lived. Instead we only have a few precious photos and stories that have been passed down. So although I don’t “do” Project Life personally I understand and fully support Becky and others who are trying to pass on a legacy to their children.
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How much creative input do you have with the design of Project Life?
I actually have more input than anyone except Becky. Even though I don’t scrapbook (Would you if you had Becky doing it for you?) I understand the problems and frustrations that scrapbookers have. I appointed myself as Becky’s harshest critic over the years. I am never afraid to tell her if I think something is terrible. I also have a feel for the pulse and needs of our customers. I have stayed up late with Becky on multiple occasions, many times with a ruler to help get the measurements of the Photo Pocket Pages perfected down to the millimeter. I read the comments and pass on and point out things to Becky just in case she missed it. I am also very involved with the business aspect of the company.
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What is it like being married to a ROCKSTAR???!!! What’s it like to be known as Mr. Becky?
I am assuming you are talking about Becky? She is just like everyone else. She still does put her pants on one leg at a time unless she is stumbling around after 3-4 hours of sleep. I guess from that perspective she is a little like a rockstar in that she stays up late, but usually just emailing and taking care of business stuff left over from the day. So much of the work in our house gets done after 8 pm once the kids are in bed.
The only time I am known as Mr. Becky is at scrapbooking conventions (and I’ve only been to a few over the years). Most of the time I am just Dad / David / Dr. Higgins / Dr. Happy Juice / the candy man / gas man / epidural guy / my-best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world-because-I-don’t-feel-this-baby-tearing-my-pelvis-apart.
I got this note from Suzanne in Texas. Great inspiration to pass along.
Project Life is giving me a creative outlet … and a confidence to produce something that looks attractive even in it’s simplest form and doesn’t require more time than I have to work on it. I am loving it so far.
I was thrilled to see the release of the digital products through JessicaSprague.com and the photo books on Shutterfly. I love it! I bought the Cobalt Core Kit and also some of the digital papers and elements of the Cobalt edition. This is something I like to do with my Instagram photos in my Project Life book. I take my Instagram photos and open them in Photoshop. The Instagram photo is about 4×4 and I put it into a 4×6 file and then add a digital paper to the back.
Sometimes I add text or other Project Life elements to it also. Then I can print my Instagram photos along with all my other 4×6 photos and they fit in the Photo Pocket Pages without hassle. Thank you for Project Life, I have really enjoyed every minute I spend working on it!
You can see more from Suzanne’s Project Life on her BLOG.
We are pleased to share happy news with our randomly selected giveaway winner. Congratulations to Debbie Dill from Simpsonville, South Carolina! Email StudioJewel@gmail.com and they’ll hook you up with your $100 gift certificate.
On to your questions + comments from this week.
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Becky, I was wondering if you consistently use the same “filter” on Instagram? And which one you love the most?
I have several go-to favorite filters.There isn’t just one filter that is so perfect for every shot, know what I mean? The same filter used on a nature shot vs. a still life shot vs. skin tones will look totally different. So the filter I use really depends on the picture I take. To answer your question, here are my favorites.
I snapped a quick still life picture to demonstrate how different filters look on the same image. While these are my favorite filters for this particular image, they’re not necessarily the same favorites for skin tones. So here are a few more favorite filters.
{ tip of the day }
That picture of me? Not taken with an iPhone. My friend + super talented photographer Natalie Norton snapped that picture of me with her dSLR. Did you know that you can instagram (yes, I’m using it as a verb) photos that aren’t necessarily taken on your iPhone? True story. I figured this out accidentally a few months ago and it’s just one of those things you iPhoneographers must know! You can get any image from your computer to your phone with syncing … or you can email the image to yourself then save the image to your photo library and there it is! All ready to be instagrammed. : )
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Do you personally combine Project Life with POTD?
I have been doing the 365 or photo-a-day approach for the past few years. This year is different for me. For 2012, I am using Project Life to document our family’s life one week per layout. Sounds kinda the same, right? Yes, I will still end up with the same number of photos and pages in my photo book (I am using the Clementine Edition on Shutterfly in the 8×11 format), but I’m just more relaxed with this approach. The end result will be equally cool to past years of documenting with a picture every single day. Hope I’m making sense. I am really, really happy with this approach. In fact, I will be honest and tell you I have done one layout in 2012 so far (you can see that HERE) and … that is all so far. The idea of “catching up” on the last 4 weeks might feel a little overwhelming if I’m trying to keep up with the POTD approach. But I’m not. That pressure is gone for me this year and I know that this weekend I can skim through my pictures from this past month and easily get caught up in probably an hour.
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Are there any Project Life kits for 8.5 x 11 scrappers? I’d love to buy Project Life but I don’t want to switch formats.
I totally know what you mean by wanting to keep all of your books/albums the same size. The reason 12×12 makes so much sense is this: 99% of us print our photos in the standard 4×6 size. The whole idea behind Project Life is to SIMPLIFY the memory-keeping process. Adapting the design of Photo Pocket Pages so that they adapt for an 8.5×11 album isn’t simple. It would require the user to crop photos and get creative that way. We are always open to ideas and suggestions and possibilities. Smaller versions of Project Life very well could be part of our product offering in the future.
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I take a lot of photos daily on instagram with my iPhone. Have you ever considered making Photo Pocket Pages to fit the 4×4 photos? I have found sleeves that hold the 4×4 photos, but nothing that can fit journaling cards too & such.
Yes, we are working on those now. I’m super stoked.
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What’s the latest on when the plastics will available on Amazon.com?
This is what is on its way right now and due to hit Amazon’s shelves in about two weeks.
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Pack of Design A (60) – $24.99
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Variety Pack 1 (60) – $24.99
Photo Pocket Pages – Big Variety Pack 2 (60) – $24.99 *NEW (40 Design A + 20 Design D)
Big Pack of 12×12 Page Protectors (60) – $24.99 *NEW
12×12 Page Protectors (12) – $6.99
6×12 Page Protectors (12) – $5.99
Photo Pocket Pages – Design G (12) – $6.99
Big Envelope Pages (5) – $9.99
Scrapbook Dividers (15) – $7.99
3×4 Journaling Cards (100) with plain grid design – $3.99
We can’t give a specific date because we don’t have one. The timing isn’t up to us. It’s up to customs, freight, transportation, logistics, and Amazon folks who are receiving the product. In the meantime, there is no need to keep checking Amazon as long as you’re checking my blog regularly or at least getting my facebook or twitter updates. I’m a communicator. I will give you updates so you don’t have to wonder.
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Will you please share more layouts that are more like the pictures on your home page? They are basic: Pictures + cards from the Core Kit. Beautiful and simple. Those pics show the true beauty of what you have created! A brilliant idea. As a full-time employee and a full-time mom who loves creativity … I just think seeing “basic layouts” is important. Just a thought.
I completely agree with you! If you missed it, be sure to check out my Project Life in its most basic form blog post. I would be thrilled to see more submissions from Project Lifers who aren’t necessarily getting “creative” with their pages. If you are simple with your style and using our products in the most basic form … please submit your layouts. Then I can be better about sharing those. : )
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With the way your Photo Pocket Pages have evolved and expanded in recent months, why are there no horizontal cards in the Core Kit, to work with Design B + Design D?
Because, like you mentioned, of evolution. Now that we have different configurations of Photo Pocket Pages available … including many more that are in the works right now … it absolutely makes sense to include horizontal designer journaling cards in the Project Life Core Kit. We’re re-ordering more Core Kits in every edition and these will now include a box of horizontal journaling cards. They’ll probably show up to Amazon around May-ish.
In the meantime … if you already have a Core Kit, you also have a stack of 3×4 grid cards that came in the kit. These work for both horizontal + vertical use. Leave them plain, or dress up the edge with a simple strip of Project Life Cardstock if you’d like. We have cardstock collections for every edition available right now. You can see them all HERE.
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Do you think you’ll ever do a Project Life booth at CHA? I kept thinking about it during the show!
While I have fond memories of attending craft and scrapbooking trade shows many times over the years, I’m just not there “in the scene” these days. I totally recognize that it’s unconventional for our company to not exhibit like most other scrapbooking companies. But I think we’re unconventional in a lot of ways and we are quite content with that. Exhibiting at a trade show or a consumer show is not a small project. Any time I would invest even thinking about extra stuff like that (let alone actually working to make it happen) just means less time designing products and inspiring others to document their lives. Right now I’m focused on the core of who we are … and what we do … and how we can help others.
One day, perhaps. But this isn’t my season for trade show exhibition.
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Have you ever thought about selling Project Life on TV? Just throwing that out there. I know you’re thinking big and I can totally see it.
Yep – we’ve thought about it. I have experience with QVC from “back in the day” when I did a bit of that in my last job (designing stuff for QVC, selling stuff on-air at QVC, etc.). For many reasons and thanks to my experience, we’re opting out of QVC scene with Project Life. At least for now. But I’m a never-say-never girl.
One day, perhaps. But this isn’t my season for QVC.
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Becky, I use Picnik to edit and number my POTD photos. They are closing in April. Do you recommend any other (FREE preferably) photo editing sites? Thanks so much.
Honestly, I’m really only familiar with my own little system, which is iPhoto on my Mac. That’s where I organize my pictures. I welcome others to share their thoughts, experiences, and ideas in the Comments.
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What’s going on with Project Life in the UK + Europe? Is it no longer going to be available on amazon.co.uk?
The way Project Life will come to customers in the UK and all over Europe has been modified and we feel this will be a much better customer experience for those in that part of the world. You can read all about it HERE.
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Let’s see some Project Life inspiration for teens and tweens.
Amen. Anyone of any age is invited and encouraged to share your Project Life pages with us. Email submissions@beckyhiggins.com. Remember: It’s not the creativity that matters. We want to see how you’re documenting your life with pictures + words. Same goes for those of you in your retired or empty-nester phase of life. We would love to see how you’re using Project Life!
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I bought your original baby kit from several years ago and it is pure genius! Are you considering bringing that back at all?
Yes. Can you picture it? Project Life: Baby Editions. It’s a natural idea! The old kit that I did still required you to put pages together and get a little creative. I am such a fan of further simplification and that’s exactly what you can expect out of all of our products. I do not have an expected date (I know you’re going to ask), but at least you know it’s in the queue.
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Hey Becky, I’m working on my first Project Life album and I’m realizing that my husband and kids are the main subjects my project. How do we (the documenters) make sure that we are included and not forgotten?
1) Hand the camera over and ask someone to snap a picture of you. 2) If no one else is around that can snap an occasional picture for you, learn about the timer option on your camera. Then set the camera down on the table while you’re working on homework with the kids, the floor while you’re changing a diaper, the counter while you’re doing dishes or working on a project, or a tripod if you have one. That’s a sure-fire way to get yourself in more pictures.
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Do you have an estimated time frame of when the new Project Life template will be uploaded to Shutterfly?
You haven’t heard – it’s already there! And we are LOVING it! Read more HERE.
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I love your teal ottoman! Saw it posted on Pinterest & on your blog. Could you share where you got it?
Home Goods – one of my favorite go-to places for home decor, and it has been for many years now.
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{ a couple favorite comments }
Marcia on Facebook said:Becky, I LOVE PROJECT LIFE!!! It takes me to my happy place. Thank you for coming up with this supercalifragilisticespealidocious idea!
Marci in Oregon said:Really enjoying the fact that I can be as creative as I want to be, or just stick my to-do list in the slot, or a grocery receipt… it is that simple! THANKS!
(Unknown) said:I will always do Project Life. It works. It is easy. I really love it. It has given me back the love of capturing my family’s life with a bit of flare.
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{ next week’s feedback friday }
It will be a special edition. Your questions will be answered by the other half of us – David Higgins. So … what’s on your mind? What would you like to ask David? He has been 100% involved in taking this little idea in my head to what it is today. He’s not a scrapbooker but he knows a thing or two about … just about anything. : )
Some of you reading this headline will know exactly what I’m talking about because you’ve been waiting for this day. Perhaps you have been “holding out” on starting your 2012 Project Life … waiting for Design A to show up.
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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.
There seems to be an explosion of interest in Project Life this year and I’m not sure I have the words to articulate how I feel about this. Seriously. I am truly happy that so many people “get” this method of memory-keeping. I see how Project Life is helping those who weren’t doing much with their pictures actually do something and enjoy it. I see how it is bringing many who set scrapbooking aside, back into this wonderful hobby.
(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.
We are super happy to welcome Miss Kelly Purkey to the Project Life Creative Team and we think you’ll love what she has to share with us in 2012 as she embarks on doing Project Life to document her own adventures. Get to know her HERE.
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{ no. 2 | digital project life tutorial }
If anyone would be the master at helping others to understand how to use the digital Project Life templates that are available on JessicaSprague.com, who would that be? Uh, yeah. Jessica Sprague. Well guess what? Jessica whipped up a little video tutorial out of the goodness of her heart and I think you’ll fine it really helpful. Check it out HERE.
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{ no. 3 | photo inspiration }
I put together a little collection of personal photos to share on Shutterfly, hoping to inspire others to document the everyday. You can check that out HERE.
There are a couple other related photo collections that I think are specifically inspiring to Project Lifers:
Lili Niclass, the fabulous and super sweet designer behind the Clementine Edition has just released a few extra Journaling Cards that coordinate and you can check them out HERE. She also has a set of 4×6 photo collages (HERE) that I think many of you will be pretty over-the-moon excited about.
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{ no. 5 | 6×12 templates + tutorial }
Most of you know that Ali Edwards creates some of the best digital templates and many of them go so perfectly as an add-on to Project Life. She recently added templates specific for the 6×12 Page Protector (currently sold out but available again in a few weeks) and also shared a video tutorial for working with the layered templates. You’ll find all of that HERE.
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{ no. 6 | inspiration for stuff to keep }
Jessica Turner (The Mom Creative) has come up with a wonderful resource and free printable that Project Lifers will love. It’s a document called 100 bits of Life and you can get it HERE.
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{ no. 7 | project life for free }
Right now there are 2 Project Life giveaways happening so be sure to go enter for a chance to win. Go to The TomKat Studio and Margie Romney-Aslett‘s blog. Both giveaways close tomorrow – Thursday night.
Be sure to click on those Amazon links to see several detailed shots of each binder. They are both made with the very best materials. Crafted by We R Memory Keepers, just like our Project Life Binders. It’s a gorgeous coated paper. They are beautiful. Classic. Timeless. Stylish. And … yes, they are wipe-able (because that’s an important quality about a binder that’s being handled, if you ask me).
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{ a gift for you }
We are pleased to share with you … Project LifeBINDER LABELS! They are free, they are fun, they are available to match each of our current Project Life editions, and they are HERE. Right now. Enjoy.
Monica McNeill shows how she printed the labels on a textured cardstock, trimmed to the exact size, and adhered the design to the folded piece that comes in every binder. Note: You can just discard that folded piece that comes with the binder if you want to eliminate thickness.
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Even if you’re not using our Signature Binders but you are using another type of album by We R Memory Keepers (or any other brand with a label holder on the spine), feel free to use the labels as you wish.
Amber Edition label shown in a black leather binder from We R Memory Keepers | Photo by Jennifer Woodbury
You know, when I started this “Feedback Friday” thing in December, I didn’t expect so much to “come up” that would keep me from being consistent with my Friday posts. But it has. And you know what? Stuff will continue to come up again and again because that’s how life works out. So instead of my instinctual desire to say “Sorry I’m late with this post” or “Sorry we’re skipping Feedback Friday this week” or “Sorry I haven’t finished that video that I talked about” or whatever … I’ll just remember that ya’ll get it. Life happens to you, too. : )
Now. On to Feedback TUESDAY … responding to your comments + questions on various topics.
Do you know of a good book or resource on how to be a better blogger or how to get started with blogging?
Oh goodness, there are so many resources out there. There are books about blogging and blogs about blogging and conferences that are specific to bloggers. But I’m afraid I don’t really know of any one, specific resource that is “the” best because I never sought after any formal blogging education. Maybe some fellow readers/bloggers can chime in on this one? I will mention that I know of a conference coming up in April that I think would be a lot of fun and useful for those who are interested in learning more about blogging. It’s called SNAP and you can learn all about it here.
I began this blog 5 years ago for the purpose of sharing, uplifting, and inspiring. I guess my personal advice (purely based on personal experience) would be to make sure that you are absolutely, positively passionate about what you’re blogging about. People who start with the I-want-to-try-to-make-money-by-blogging mentality aren’t as likely to find success or enjoyment for that matter. I am never, ever “searching” for things to blog about because I am genuinely passionate about cultivating a good life and recording it and helping others to have success with that. While I spend a good chunk of time blogging, it hardly feels like work and the content comes very naturally in the context of what I love, and what I do, and what I love to do.
*We’re not talking about personal/family blogs; that’s different. I assume the person who asked this question is interested in starting a blog that would be open to anyone and everyone and I assume they are interested in monetizing a blog or creating a blog to support their small business.
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Is the weight of the cardstock in Cobalt and Clementine products the same as the Amber and Turquoise products from last year?
Yes, it is exactly the same.
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I love the idea of sharing Project Life layouts and seeing what others are doing. What’s the best way to share my pages too?
I love all the sharing too – it’s awesome + inspiring! In fact, right now there is such an abundant amount of sharing and posting and chatting about everyone who is doing Project Life that I’m finding I can’t keep up with seeing everything that everyone is doing.
We have an official Project Life Community over at Big Picture Classes. It’s completely free and includes a forum for idea-sharing, it’s a great place to ask questions of other Project Lifers, and of course there is a gallery dedicated to sharing layouts. This is a wonderful place to share your layouts!
Also: Jessica Turner (The Mom Creative) hosts Project Life Tuesday on her blog each week, which is where anyone can link up to their layouts. She does this because she loves, uses, and believes in Project Life – not because I asked her to. Hey, guess what? It’s Tuesday right now! Head over to her blog and check it out.
Also: Our Digital Project Life offering on JessicaSprague.com comes with a gallery for idea-sharing as well.
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I’m brand-new to Project Life and wondering how to use the bi-fold cards.
The bi-fold cards are designed to give you twice as much real estate as a regular 3×4 journaling card. This is handy for those days when you have more to say. I know some people like to go beyond that as they attach small pictures, movie ticket stubs, or other memorabilia on the bi-fold cards as well. Fill it up however you’d like, then fold on the scored line and insert into a 3×4 pocket. Or … leave it unfolded and insert in a 4×6 pocket.
Any chance there will be a Project Life Wedding or Baby edition?
Absolutely there is a chance! In fact, that’s the plan. Just not right this second. In fact, don’t plan on seeing those products in 2012. We are prioritizing the school/childhood version of Project Life before any other themes. As you know, the school/childhood stuff is taking a little longer due to the “life happens” theme I mentioned a minute ago. (*sigh*)
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I have about 20 years of photos to catch up on. Not proud of that, but happy they are in boxes awaiting a glorious unveiling. Please help me get a sense of what I might need to put together some albums and get caught up. Just wondering if you have a good suggestion for a basic “Dig yourself out” package.
“Dig yourself out” package!? That’s awesome. The good news is that I absolutely have a recommendation. The bad news is most of what I’m recommending has sold out … but more good news is that it will all be back in stock next month. Lucky for you, waiting another month isn’t such a big deal when you’re talking about pictures that have been waiting around for 20 years. : )
My recommendation: Get a bunch of the Photo Pocket Pages (Big Packs of 60 are the best value). Then decide – Do you want there to be a designer look to the albums or a plain/classic look? If designs are important for adding flavor, pick up a Core Kit (as many as you need) in whatever edition(s) floats your boat. Or … if you want to have the most timeless, neutral look of all, get a bunch of the plain grid 3×4 Journaling Cards for all the notes and stories and captions you want to add with the pictures. Put everything in some nice binders (note: our classic Signature Binders will be available this week) and that’s all you need! Oh, and a pen. : )
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I can see how the Design F Photo Pocket Page design would be really cool for school pictures and trading cards but how does it work with my regular Project Life album?
Picture this: A title card in the top corner and then all the 3×4 pockets filled with your kids’ scanned art (mini versions) … or a bunch of 3×4 cards with family quotes or “momisms” that you say all the time … or fill it with 3×4 pictures to simply get more on a page. Design F is one of my absolute favorites because of being able to get so much onto one page while still maintaining an organized look. Here’s how Liz Tamanaha used Design F for her 2011 Project Life title page.
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I’m just curious to find out why European customers have to wait longer to get Project Life?
I really wish our friends there in Europe could have access to Project Life now, trust me! Product is making its way but it’s a long way to travel and it’s a much more complicated process to get it all there than one might realize. But it’s coming – next month I believe. If you are in the UK or anywhere in Europe, go here to sign up for email updates from Tammy Morales. She’s keeping her customers well informed.
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I’m taking most of my pictures with Instagram these days. Since these are square photos, what’s the best way for me to implement them into the Photo Pocket Pages? Are you coming out with a design that will work for square photos?
First of all, me too! A lot of my daily photos are taken on my iPhone, using the Instagram app. Secondly, yes – we are planning to offer more Photo Pocket Page designs that meet the needs that so many of us have for square photos. I’ll share the ETA on that as soon as I have one (we’re working on it).
In the meantime, try using Design E for a super dramatic Instagram page once in a while (6×6 square pockets). Personally, I think that would be so cool. On a more “normal” scale for implementing those Instagrams, check out what Marcy Penner does. She uses square pictures a lot and simply adds them to her 4×6 and 3×4 cards.
I know there are apps/printing services for the Instagram (and similar) images but I haven’t personally tested them myself yet. The one I hear about the most is PostalPix and I hear it’s great. If you’re interested in printing yourself or uploading the images to your favorite printer, Deb Duty shares a quick tutorial on her blog HERE that shows you step-by-step how to prepare those files to print. Simple stuff.
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Do you have suggestions for how to incorporate 3.5×5 photos into the Project Life format? I’m helping my mom consolidate my family’s photos from my childhood into several Project Life albums and the first several years are primarily 3.5×5 and then they switch to 4×6 pictures.
I think mounting those pictures on 4×6 cards seems like the most natural solution so that you can slip those into the 4×6 pockets. We are going to be coming out with 4×6 grid cards (ETA to be announced) and that will help a lot, especially with projects like what you’re talking about. I think it’s awesome that you’re getting all those old photos into albums. Good for you and your mom! What a neat project to work on together, too.
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I am wondering about the number stickers included in the Core Kit. I thought they might be intended for dates, but there is only 1-10 so that doesn’t make sense. But I can’t think of what else they could be used for?
As you know, we included day stickers so that you can label the day of the week as it pertains to specific pictures and journaling cards – if you want. This applies especially well to those who are documenting life with the photo-a-day approach, which of course isn’t everybody’s approach. That is why we also included number stickers, simply for numbering your pictures and journaling cards. For example, you would put a clear “1″ sticker over the first picture and a colored “1″ sticker on the journaling card that goes with that picture. And so forth. It’s not likely that you’ll have more than 10 photos per page, which is why the numbers are 1-10.
Another fun way to use the number stickers is for making lists in your journaling like Deb Duty did in this layout:
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What is the best way to print on the cards using computer and printer? I would appreciate any help or suggestions.
Liz Tamanaha has an excellent + simple tutorial HERE on her blog.
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You said that you are probably going to do two pages per week. Do you mean two pages front and back or do you mean a front and back and count that as two pages?
I mean that one week will be represented with 2 pages that face each other – left side and right side of a layout. When you flip the page in our family book, you would view one week at a time on each two-page spread.
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The Turquoise Edition Core Kit sold out before my eyes. Do you think you will have more of these coming?
It disappeared before our eyes too! One day there were plenty in stock and then over the holidays – *poof* – they were gone. I’m not sure why the sudden surge of interest in that particular edition at that specific time, but we’re thrilled that Turquoise continues to be so well-loved and yes we are making more. I will share an ETA when we have that. In the meantime, the other 3 editions are still available.
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{ a couple favorite comments }
Dana in Texas said: I’m even more excited that I have found Project Life to help me ORGANIZE what I feel and see everyday. I am such a believer in capturing my heart on ‘film’, and preserving future history. I think it is THE main reason I am a photographer, because I know that I am preserving a memory I may not remember otherwise, and on a day I know I will never get back – for me AND other families. It’s an awesome and sometimes overwhelming feeling.
Christie: From the bottom of my heart (tears in my eyes!), I thank you for creating this product. You brought the joy back to me for preserving memories for my family. I’m learning to make it my own, and I’m LOVING the process once again.
*Note: Even though we don’t have our school-related products out yet, Christie is using Project Life products to do her kids’ school albums. Check it out here. Remember that I have been working on making a video that will also share tips on getting organized and how to get things going with your kids’ albums. I’ll do my best to continue sharing inspiration in this department.
DISCLAIMER: There is an abundant amount of inspiration in this blog post. You may be required to cuddle up in your favorite chair for this one. The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you. Remember: Project Life is designed to SIMPLIFY. My purpose in sharing so much, especially in this first week of January, is so that you can pick + choose which inspiration might stick with you. Project Life is a personal thing, and yet we are part of a community and we share a common goal: Cultivate a good life and record it.
My hope is that you will feel inspired + motivated + ready to make a plan for your Project Life in 2012.
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 }
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.
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):
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? : )
I love pictures. It seems obvious to say, but really – I love pictures. And I love the memories associated with pictures. And I love the connections we make with pictures.
I wanted to share this video because I’ve been thinking a lot about how documenting everyday life is something that many of us are trying to be good about these days but I bet as many of us look back – it’s something we’ve been doing – or our parents have been doing – for a long time. Here’s a look at just a few of the connections that I have personally made between pictures from the past and now.
A very special thank-you to our good friend Zachary Baird who wrote this song specifically for the Project Life message I want to share, which is – Cultivate a good life and record it. Document the everyday. Find the blessings in your life and embrace them.
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I do have one more video to share for my 12 Videos of Christmas series, but that will come after Christmas. In the meantime, may we all be able to enjoy a little extra time with those we love the most. May we focus on what really matters and set other stuff aside. Please know that we appreciate you so much for being a part of our life. Everything that we do with Project Life is so much more than a business. It is an amazing experience to connect with so many of you through this love of documenting life. Thank you for being a blessing to us, and more importantly – for being a blessing to your family and friends and communities.
Comments and questions are gathered from facebook, twitter, emails, and right here on the blog. It’s time for another edition of Feedback Friday!
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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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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!
Our Creative Team is already rocking + rolling with great inspiration. I love how they’re each using Project Life in their own, unique way. They are each so brilliant with how they each photograph their life + happenings + loved ones. Of course I love the end result – gorgeous and fun scrapbook pages that didn’t zap a lot of time out of their schedules.
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!
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.
We have some very special friends - the Fuchs ("fewks") family - that are adjusting to a "new normal" with their special-needs daughter who had a terrible accident and is now confined to a wheelchair. You can read all about it HERE
For the benefit of Claire's family - and also for the benefit of many generous sponsors - I opened my blog for advertising for one month only! This is temporary + the ads will run February 1 - 29, 2012. 100% of the ad fees have gone directly to Claire's family.
Because of the nature of this fundraiser and the need to keep the entire process very, very simple - we are not taking any more sponsors at this time. Anyone who wants to reach out to the Fuchs family with a note of encouragement, or a letter in the mail, or even a cash donation, can find that information HERE
This is one of my very dearest friends Jen – documenting life like she does so well.
