Project Life | Week Nine

Welcome to Project Life | Week Nine.

Each week when I photograph these pages and upload them to post one of the first things that comes to mind is HOORAY FOR LIFE!

There's something about seeing it spread out here. Of course it's not all of it, and obviously it really doesn't even scratch the surface of all the moments and minutes of a week. But boy does it do a good job of capturing a glimpse of the life we are leading right now.

Here's a closer look at the left side:

I got a new toy last week - an Instax 210 (the photo of Anna on the bottom right). It's basically the wide format of the one I have been using (and will continue to use). The images are twice the width and the same height as the Instax Mini.

Both are really simple and fun ways to capture life.

The insert this week is the school lunch calendar with a little note I stapled on about Simon being a "school-lunch-kid."

The other side of the insert includes a flyer for his school.

A closer look at the right side:


Project Life is a product created by Becky Higgins. It can be anything you want it to be. The album kit is available for purchase through Amazon. If you live outside the US check Becky’s site for more information on sources. View all my posts about Project Life here.

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49 thoughts

  1. Sarah says…
    03/07/2011

    Love the bath photo (well all the photos really!) My 2 year old has the same dogs and lines them up just like Anna has :) Thanks for keeping this going - you're keeping a very busy mum, wife and attorney inspired!!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Michele H. says…
    03/07/2011

    I so enjoy seeing your PL every week. It's really taking shape and I look forward to seeing your album evolve.

    Quick question - love the "fan" card in the last photo. where is that from?

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Michelle F says…
      03/09/2011

      I noticed the 'I'm your biggest fan' card right away too. I found it at an online shop.

      http://pinkolive.com/biggest-letterpress-card-snow-graham-p-2132.html

    2. Ali says…
      03/07/2011

      Hi Michele - the brand on the back says "Snow & Graham."

  3. aertre says…
    03/07/2011

    How much does Becky pay you to advertise? I hope a lot because you really do (almost) make me want to go out and buy ones of these things!

    Reply 4 Replies
    1. Stacey K says…
      03/07/2011

      I'm making do with my stash, basically following the same layout but sticking to 12x12 paper, I started late & have done 3 weeks & lOve it! In Australia there is a huge wait for the kit so I said I can do this with what I have & am printing pics off my iPhone at home.

    2. Beth says…
      03/07/2011

      I have to agree with Barbie. I am on a mission to "shop" my scrapbook supply stash this year, and although I think Becky's page protectors look cool, I am using We R Memory Keeper 4X6 Photo Sleeves that I have on hand already, a We R Memory Keepers 3 Ring Album (haven't found one on the market that I like better! They are just awesome!), and making my own journal cards. You are truly an inspiration Ali!

    3. Barbie says…
      03/07/2011

      I did buy the page protectors (in both styles A and B) but all of my other supplies were already in my stash. I am simply cutting my paper to fit the page protectors... I pre-cut a stack of solids on my paper cutter and am using them as journaling cards. I'll find an album soon, but I don't have one yet. You don't have to buy the kit to play along! :)

    4. Ali says…
      03/07/2011

      :). She's not paying me to advertise.

      I do get a small percentage if people purchase the kit through the links to Amazon here (just like any one who uses affiliate links to Amazon).

      I'm doing this project and showcasing it because I REALLY like it and think it's a great way for many people to approach memory keeping.

  4. Jennifer Levin says…
    03/07/2011

    The new Instax photo is great! I've added the mini to my wish list. Thank you for continuing to post this each week. It really is helpful and very inspiring. I'm feeling a little bad because I'm about three weeks behind, but I'm very much loving the process.

    Thanks again. And, by the way, LOVE Anna in the sunglasses!
    ~Jen

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. DawnS says…
    03/07/2011

    Love the "fan" card too (Snow & Graham has great stuff)...and I love Project Life. This is my first year doing it and I'm so glad I took the plunge!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ann Marie says…
      03/08/2011

      I looked on their website but couldnt find any single cards like that. Can anyone direct us to where we can find that particular one? What set or series it's in? Thanks!

  6. esther_a says…
    03/07/2011

    Well, my huge box of albums (2) and page protectors (many packs) has arrived, so I can reorganize all of my old falling-apart albums. What has caught me by surprise is that my older photos are 3.5"x5" so they don't fit very well. I didn't even think of that! Any suggestions? There aren't any page protectors for that size, are ther? The best I can think of is to mount them all on 4"x6" cardstock - but what a lot of work that would be!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Raylene says…
      03/09/2011

      I mounted my photos on cuts from 12x12 papers in the kit, but you could use any you have in your stash. I try to print my pix 6x4, but sometimes my photos are a little smaller . . . why? who knows why, but I like to fill the whole space because of the "flip side." I really liked having the papers sticking out a bit. You could also use some of the larger journaling cards and add a line or two around the mounted photo.

    2. Barbie says…
      03/08/2011

      I found 8.5" X 11" divided page protectors that had 3.5" X 5" spaces for photos (I used them in my DD this year and just cut down my pics). You could add them in with your other page protectors if you like the mixed-size look...

  7. Danielle Crume says…
    03/07/2011

    Ali, I'm always inspired by your PL posts! I am the mother of four kids (9,7,5,2) and love the idea of this project, but I struggle with the thought of having everything in one album as well as providing equal (as much as I can) numbers of photos/stories about each kid. Because of this, I have not been able to move forward with anything. I really struggle with this. How do you ensure that it is "fair" and that each kid is equally represented? What about dividing up the albums? I need to move forward and do something! Thanks so much. I look forward to continuing to see your PL posts throughout the year.

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Julie A says…
      03/07/2011

      Hi Danielle
      You sound so like me it's funny! I'm in my first year of PL and I'm using it as our family album and not doing a picture a day - I just put in our 'best of' photos and the rest go into the kids' own photo albums (as well as their own copies of all the 'bests' - the printing costs are minimal.) This has totally taken the pressure off, and 2 months on, it looks like we've ended up with equal numbers of photos about each child in our album anyway. I love PL so much that I can see myself replacing the kids' photo albums with PL kits in the future - and by limiting myself to putting in one photo of every big moment/event, one album should last a long time. Hope this helps!

    2. Tiara says…
      03/07/2011

      Danielle,
      I also struggled with this when I first began, but now they have a family album for all of them to share. One of favorite memories is when I finished the first one the day after New Year's and we took time to look back as a family of the whole year in pictures, artifacts and words. A few tips I've picked up from various people are focus on one child for a few pictures a week and documents their favorites and personality, do a "take three" example...I take a pic of all three of my kids and have them each tell me what they enjoyed most from the day/event and my favorite of all, give them a camera for one of your pictures each week and let them journal. Hope this helps!

  8. Jenny says…
    03/07/2011

    If you ever feel like you're not being inspirational. STop. and remember that you reach more people than you realize. I just wanted you to know that and even though I will be 10 weeks behind on the album I am inspired by how you fit it all in and capture the things that you and your family will be interested in in the years to come.

    Thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Helen Rosen says…
    03/07/2011

    You mentioned last week that you're using a Sharpie pen for journaling. Which size are you using? Is it the marker or the fine tip pen? Love your PL album!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Damiane Lucas says…
    03/07/2011

    Thank you, Ali, for sharing your PL album with us each week! I really enjoy your PL posts!

    Today I noticed how you varied your journaling with the thick pen (marker ??) where you wrote, "I love it. Chocolate Milk." What pen/marker is that? Great idea! I would love to try that, too.

    I applaud you for diligently working on your PL album. I peeked at Becky's blog recently and learned that she's using a digital version of her PL album. Wow, what a surprise.

    I expected that the designer of this hands-on kit would use her own invention, too (binder, cards, page protectors, and hand journaling). It's ironic that she hasn't shared any blog posts of herself using her hands-on kit. Yet, thousands are selling on Amazon.

    Thank you again, Ali. I am ever grateful for your hands-on scrapbooking dedication. Thanks for your PL commitment. I truly look forward to seeing your PL posts each week. You're such an inspiration!

    Much love to you!

    Reply 3 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      03/09/2011

      I pretty much vote for people being able to approach memory keeping in whatever works best for them. I love that Becky has made both a digital and a paper version available :).

      I'm using Sharpie pens - the regular old Sharpies :).

    2. TracyBzz says…
      03/08/2011

      Becky has used the physical product last year. She did digi to catch up on some other projects and I think she's doing a digi day to day one this year.

    3. Monika T says…
      03/08/2011

      Hi Damian,

      Becky Higgins who created this Project Life Kit is doing a Digital version of it. She posted it on her blog yesterday and she also showcases alot of other scrappers PL kits and how they've adopted it to suit their lifestyle.

  11. Diane says…
    03/07/2011

    I look forward to this update every week! Thanks so much for the continued inspiration! I am having so much fun playing with mine. It seems that each little tag and receipt that passes through my hands now gets the question...should I save this for book? :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. KSW says…
    03/07/2011

    Your album is a work of art. It is lovely, a keepsake, and it is inspirational. TFS it -- and for building the digital pieces for us to build our skills.

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. kelly says…
    03/07/2011

    i especially love the photos this week.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Shelly Bailey says…
    03/08/2011

    I love seeing these every week. I so love the idea of capturing the school lunch menu. I am so going to do this for my daughters school album and highlight her favorites that she gets every week (which is the Becky Higgins school kit - isn't she awesome!) and so are you :-) - Shelly

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Alida says…
    03/08/2011

    Love that outfit! And I also look forward to seeing these pages every week.

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Michelle @ Raising Will says…
    03/08/2011

    Oooooh! I was so excited to see your PL post in my blog Reader. Just like every week, you make my day with your fantabulous album! Keep up the inspiration Ali. Your efforts are wonderful xx

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Sheree says…
    03/08/2011

    Hi Ali,
    As this is my first year of PL I was curious to know what size you make your photos if you are putting them into the small vertical pockets? I tend to resize my photos to fit in PSE, then print them instead of cropping. Thanks again for all the wonderful inspiration.

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Cynthia says…
    03/08/2011

    Thanks again for sharing your PL Ali. When I saw the pictures this week my first thought was how full of life it is (I feel the same when I look at ours). And of course your kids are so full of life and absolutely adorable! Love the bathtub toys!

    I think that is the beauty of PL, although your add-ins and modifications (and your incredible creativity) make it so much more special and inspiring.

    I am also doing this as a sort of weekly summary which really takes the heat off the daily idea and, I think, makes it so awesome (at a glance is also how my eye first takes it in).

    I have the Instax 210 and love it!!! Have you seen the Fujifilm Pivi MP-300 (don't have a link)? It prints up photos to look like the instant pictures. Very cool.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Sally says…
    03/08/2011

    Wow, I am so jealous of Simon's wonderful lunch menu! :) hehe. My kids usually pick one day per week to have hot lunch, but there is only one choice of a meal on the calendar per day. Seeing all of the choices Simon gets is awesome! LOVE your PL album. Keep the pages coming!!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Kris says…
    03/08/2011

    I love seeing your project life. It inspires me so much. I had kind of fallen off the band wagon of project life, only barely gotten started, but seeing this post really just makes me want to go home and start working on it. thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Stacy Milford says…
    03/08/2011

    The note about Anna loving chocolate milk hits close to home for me...my 15 yr old declared recently that Caramel Bugles are delicious! My first thought was...that is going into Project Life! Thanks again for always sharing!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Jessica @The Mom Creative says…
    03/08/2011

    Thanks for linking up to Project Life Tuesday, Ali. Don't forget to add in a Mom Creative link or button to your post. :) I love looking at your layouts each week!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Laura says…
    03/08/2011

    The thing that struck me this week is that all the photos and stories on a page don't need to be related other than the simple fact that they happened during the same week. I've started my PL using my stash but was still trying to have a page make sense (all zoo photos or all Valentines) but I need to allow myself to mix and match. It will make it so much easier to move forward and keep up.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      03/08/2011

      Go Laura - yes, that's exactly my approach :).

  24. Erika says…
    03/08/2011

    love love love your album! Looks sooooo good :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. dawn says…
    03/09/2011

    great pictures and extras this week Ali. The picture of them looking over the fence is my favorite you took that day so I'm glad to see it made it in the week's pictures. thanks again for sharing this with us.

    Reply 0 Replies

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