Project Life | Week Sixteen

Welcome to Project Life | Week Sixteen

This week for an insert I grabbed one of Simon's Dot To Dot books that he had just finished.

He loves dot to dot - most often getting into them again each time we travel. He started this book during Spring Break. Once he's completed all the dot to dots he's done so he was totally fine with me cutting it up. I love that this is a super convenient place for keeping stuff just like that - random pieces of our life that might have otherwise just been recycled.

Here's a closer look at page one:

I tried to journal a bit more earlier in the week - grabbing those cards and just jotting down a little something at the end of the day.

Above you see the back of the insert page. Pulling out the bunny dot to dot seemed fitting for this week.

Here's a closer look at page two:

For Easter our nanny and the Easter Bunny teamed up with a scavenger hunt - Simon was over the moon (he said it was a mystery just like Scooby Doo). I included all the clues folded up for safe-keeping.

On the photo of Simon playing basketball I included a phrase from my new You Are Awesome word art. You might recognize the photo from last week's Thankful Thought post. I'm thinking I might burn that little video to a DVD and add it into this album.

I also added a bit of an overlay from my Awakening 4x6 overlay set on the photo of me driving.

I'm also still going strong with my Instax Mini 7S. I took four or five shots on Saturday and stuck those in one of the smaller pockets.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT


I'm so totally inspired by MaryAnn's use of page protectors. Planning to order (or see if I can get them locally) those 4x6 flip up page protectors - genius.


Project Life is a product created by Becky Higgins. It can be anything you want it to be. The album kit (similar to the one I’m using) 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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30 thoughts

  1. marcy says…
    04/25/2011

    I'm including the clues to our easter hunt as well! Great spread Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Debbie S. says…
    04/25/2011

    It's so awesome how the pieces become the whole with Project Life. Your overlays look great, and I love your photo of the word POOL especially!

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. dawn says…
    04/25/2011

    Great week for you family Ali. I love the bball of Simon, being outside is always better then the TV.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Damiane Lucas says…
    04/25/2011

    Gorgeous PL post, as always! I love your "You are Awesome" word art. Do you have a tutorial on this? Also, I am waiting for your latest 4 x 6 inch journaling cards that you featured in last week's PL post.

    Thank you, Ali, for your devotion to this project. There have been many times that I wanted to give up on PL because of it requires daily commitment and because I don't have kids. However, when I see your weekly PL posts, I find encouragement to press onward.

    Thanks again. Hope you enjoyed a great Resurrection weekend.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      04/25/2011

      Here’s a quick how to using Photoshop Elements:

      ADDING WORD ART TO YOUR PHOTO IN ELEMENTS
      One of the simplest ways to start using digital elements is to add them to your photos before uploading to your photo developer or printing at home. Here’s the basic steps for adding a .png file to your photos:

      1. Open the .png word art file in Elements (the free element available in yesterday’s post will work great for this).
      2. Go to File/Open and navigate to your photos. Select a photo to open.
      3. With the .png window active (click on it to make it active), select the Move Tool (the black arrow). Click & hold on the .png image and drag onto your photo. This will create a new layer on top of your photo layer.
      4. To resize the word art click on the bottom corner (make sure the word art layer is selected in the layers palette) and drag. In Elements (at least in Elements 6) you do not need to hold down the shift key while resizing to keep the proportions correct.
      5. If you want to recolor the word art follow the instructions listed above regarding recoloring .png files.

      You can also watch a video here: http://aliedwards.com/2010/01/scrapbooking-with-your-computer-opening-recoloring-adding-to-a-photo-loading-brushes.html

  5. Kristyn says…
    04/25/2011

    Another big THANK YOU for all the inspiration, Ali. I so enjoy you sharing your weeks with us. I love how you use your word art and overlays on your photos! I need to look around your site and see how to do that! I'm finishing up my Scrapbook on the Road book from my Germany trip...can't wait to share it!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      04/25/2011

      Hi Kristyn - here's a quick how to using Photoshop Elements:

      ADDING WORD ART TO YOUR PHOTO IN ELEMENTS
      One of the simplest ways to start using digital elements is to add them to your photos before uploading to your photo developer or printing at home. Here's the basic steps for adding a .png file to your photos:

      1. Open the .png word art file in Elements (the free element available in yesterday's post will work great for this).
      2. Go to File/Open and navigate to your photos. Select a photo to open.
      3. With the .png window active (click on it to make it active), select the Move Tool (the black arrow). Click & hold on the .png image and drag onto your photo. This will create a new layer on top of your photo layer.
      4. To resize the word art click on the bottom corner (make sure the word art layer is selected in the layers palette) and drag. In Elements (at least in Elements 6) you do not need to hold down the shift key while resizing to keep the proportions correct.
      5. If you want to recolor the word art follow the instructions listed above regarding recoloring .png files.

      You can also watch a video here: http://aliedwards.com/2010/01/scrapbooking-with-your-computer-opening-recoloring-adding-to-a-photo-loading-brushes.html

  6. Damiane Lucas says…
    04/25/2011

    Ali, when you take close-up photos of your PL album, do you use a macro lens?

    Just wondering. Your close-up shots are super cool!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      04/25/2011

      I'm just using my regular lens - a 24-70.

  7. Noelle says…
    04/25/2011

    I'm keeping a list of all the extra page protectors I want for my project life. I have a cute valentine my sister sent my baby girl, hanging on the fridge for safe keeping. When I am no longer unemployed (hopefully any day now...fingers crossed)....watch out! I'll be stocking up on all these supplies I've been longing for!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Tiara says…
    04/25/2011

    First, I want to say I am so grateful for your weekly posts of your PL album. Love the ideas, and it's always a treat to see your updates when I refresh your page. One question: What is the size of your album? My album was full last year, and I didn't add all the extras as I am doing this year. My album is already full. Just wondering and thanks again for the posts!

    Reply 4 Replies
    1. Ali says…
      04/25/2011

      I'm just using a regular We Are Memory Keepers 12x12 album - it's getting close to being full and I'll be starting another one soon. Not sure if I will start a vol. 2 for May or wait a bit longer.

    2. Tiara says…
      04/26/2011

      Thanks, I thought it was because the album is less bulky this year. One more question...have you been able to find the 4x6 flip-up page protectors Maryann used in her PL? Thanks so much!

    3. COEngrGirl says…
      04/26/2011

      Maryann posted a link to C-Line where she gets the flip-up 4x6 protectors. You can also get a similar product from Close to My Heart (CTMH), as well as larger 12x flips. They're called Flip Flaps from CTMH.

    4. COEngrGirl says…
      04/26/2011

      PS. I'm not a CTMH consultant.... just an avid user of thier products! :-)

  9. Kelly says…
    04/26/2011

    Has anyone else fallen more than a few weeks behind on Project Life and gotten caught up? I've done many of my journaling cards and collected plenty of stuff, but haven't printed pictures in awhile. Not sure if I should plan which pictures go where before I print or just print up a bunch of pictures (too many), then choose where they go.

    Also, when you're staying caught up, do you decide which pictures will go in and where ahead of time? I print locally, aiming for once a week. And I do think I'll get caught up and do that, it's just going to take a little doing.

    Any help with a big catch-up project would be much appreciated! Thanks!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Sarah says…
      04/26/2011

      Oh definitely. I fell behind right at the beginning (about a month's worth). What I did was insert all the journalling cards and ephemera that I had collected and then printed the photos I liked (had two folders - one for my 4x6s, one for my "littles" as I call them ont he computer). Wound up with extra photos but used them in spots where I had no journal cards (cut them down) or added in extra inserts. Also have been using paper/embellishments from my stash when I've had a blank spot, as well as quotes, horoscopes, headlines etc. Felt so great to be caught up and I have been checking Ali out ever since as inspiration. I stopped scrapbooking (though kept journalling) after my two year old was born and have felt awful about it. PL has revived this for me and just love it!!! Good luck!!

    2. Kelly says…
      04/27/2011

      Thanks for the great ideas. I really like the workflow you mentioned, Sarah, leaving the photos for last. I do have lots of other stuff, so I think that will help me feel like I'm making progress!

  10. Lynn W says…
    04/26/2011

    A couple of things - I was 6 weeks behind after my grandson was born - couldn't figure out if I wanted to include all his pictures in my PL album or do one just of him. Figured that out and worked on it this past weekend and I'm almost caught up - so don't give up. Start where you are and fill-in the past weeks as you are able. Also, regarding Flip Flaps - I have photos on my blog of 2 of Close To My Hearts products (Flip Flaps) - they come in the 4 x 6 size but also come in assorted 12 inch sizes. (3 different widths) I am NOT a consultant. I also have photos of another product called Flip Flops.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Beth Holmes says…
    04/26/2011

    Hi Ali,
    Love this week -- especially the dot to dot and the splash of red color title on the journaling card. What pen did you use for this. I am also used the Turquoise Project Life and would like to get a couple of colored pens to use for journaling like this.
    Thanks,
    ~Beth

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Kendra says…
    04/26/2011

    I seriously LOVE using the little flip up 4x6 page protectors in my PL album. Sometime 1 picture a day isn't enough :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Gypsy Chaos says…
    04/26/2011

    I laughed when I read about the dot-to-dot book. Several months ago, I photographed several sudoku books that I'd completed. It was a good filler for an uneventful day!

    Off to check out these page protectors...

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Tracy Moniz says…
    04/26/2011

    I found the 4x6 "flip" protectors at Joann.com - they are currently on sale for $4.89 a pack!

    http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=xprd1024904

    Joann also carries the 12x12 "gate" page protectors - I got some of those too! ;)

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. sabrina says…
    04/27/2011

    You are doing such an amazing job of documenting your family's life!! Thank you for sharing! Sabrina

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Patsy says…
    04/27/2011

    MaryAnn's videos of her albums are amazing! Thanks for sharing the link on twitter Ali!

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Becky H says…
    04/28/2011

    Ali,
    Close to my Heart Flip Flap Protectors are 15-$3.95, what a bargain.

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Julierose says…
    05/01/2011

    Thank you for Project Life--I have tons of scrapbooking paper--I am going to cut into shapes to match protectors--I got so discouraged trying to "design page after page with new ideas constantly--and felt so guilty that I just abandoned scrapping totally. THIS is so energizing--am setting up my scrap "place" again and jumping in (a few little steps at a time) hoping to get my "Mojo" back. Just love this idea---plan to get a kit for my mother- of- four/working daughter for her birthday....Sincerely Julierose

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Jen says…
    05/02/2011

    love your album so far. i just got mine in the mail and am starting it tonight. one thing i want to ask you - your journal cards with the words (love this, just some notes etc.), did those come with your album or have you crafted those yourself? i bought the amber edition and have none of those but that may be because they re not supposed to be there and you are just so crafty. thanks!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      05/02/2011

      Hi Jen - they came with the other one (called Turquoise - which sold out early).

  20. Jacqui Barreto says…
    06/08/2011

    OK, I have to say that you're the ultimate scrapbooker! Love your work!!!

    Reply 0 Replies

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