Project Life | Week Twenty-One

project life | week 21 | close up

Welcome to Project Life | Week Twenty-One

project life week 21 | spread

Each week when I sit down to write this post the first thing that I want to say is that I love this project.

No matter what - no matter if it didn't feel like it came together as easy as the week before, or if I felt like I had too much or too little, or that I put it all together on Monday night before posting - no matter what, as I look back through the completed week when it's time to write about it the first thought that comes to mind is how happy it makes me to be doing this project.

One of the things I tried to work on this week was immediately writing something down if it popped into my head as a story I wanted to record. I caught a couple cute things Anna's been saying because I took action rather than thinking I'll remember it later on in the week. I'm pretty sure if I would have waited until today they would have been lost because I don't have a specific photo to go along with them. Photos are great for jogging memories, but not all stories I want to tell have a matching photo.

Here's a look at week twenty-one:

project life | week 21 | right

If you're a regular reader you probably already saw the post-it notes that I wrote about last week.

That metal number 4 was somehow floating around downstairs so I slipped it in the pocket. It might come out if I want to use it on another project.

project life | week 21 | insert front

One 6x12 American Crafts page protector insert this week (they are in stock at both Scrapbook.com and Two Peas). I found a stash of these while I was cleaning/unpacking/moving things around. It's nice to be able to have this size on hand and not have to cut up a 12x12 or do any stitching.

project life | week 21 | insert back

Here's the back of that insert. The top instax 210 photo with the journal block on the background looks like it's floating in the 6x4 space - I stapled it in place so you get that peek- through effect. Tag on the back is from Bananafish Studio.

project life | week 22 | right

This week there was a lot of photos of Simon. In other weeks there have been more of Anna. That's how it goes.

A COUPLE NOTES : We loved Kung Fu Panda 2. I thought it was awesome - animation, story, humor. The top right photo of Simon (in the image above) was taken in Rep Arne Robland's office on Friday when Simon got to go to work with Dad. Rep Robland has a life-size Anakin Skywalker costume from The Phantom Menace (the one where Anakin does the big pod race). I wish I would have been there to see him put that helmet on his head.


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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36 thoughts

  1. Paula in Australia says…
    05/31/2011

    First to comment?? Love your Project Life - you are so inspiring. I love Anna's little quirks and conversations.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Katie Pendergast says…
    05/31/2011

    I wish I had the motivation you do to do this project!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Cynthia says…
      05/31/2011

      I agree with Dawn. Once you are in the groove, it is really easy to put in neat stuff that you might normally throw out (and is great historical documentation) and the notes are easy. I have had to catch up twice due to not being to post (I had the photos) and honestly it wasn't that bad because there is so much flexibility in this project...there are no rights or wrongs and it is about your family, your life, your everyday...or whatever you want it to be about. Seriously, you CAN do it!

    2. dawn says…
      05/31/2011

      Hi Katie, just wanted to give you an encouraging nudge to really think about getting a PL next time Becky Higgins has one available. It seems like a lot of work to some but really it's not. I do mine like Ali's and on Sunday nights when kids are in bed I sit and go thru that weeks pictures and my pile of papers and am so thankful and happy to have this album. Some weeks are slow and others are packed, I like that it's always different. The end result will make you happy and it's worth the time and effort you put in it. Hope this helps you a little and if you have a specific reason why it may not work please share it and see if we can help you.

  3. Marty says…
    05/31/2011

    Love your Project Life posts, so many great ideas!

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. dawn says…
    05/31/2011

    Ali, I always think the same thing when doing my PL too. So thankful for Becky coming up with this amazing album. So thankful my kids will have this to look back on and remember these little moments. The flowers photos are beautiful, hooray for a Simon week and sweet Anna's new sayings. We say Kung Fu Panda 2 and loved it also. It is nice when one movie can bring the whole family together. Thanks for sharing another week with us and motivating me to keep up on mine.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Suzie Perrie says…
    05/31/2011

    So glad to see the 6x12 page protectors are back in. Just ordered! :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Maureen says…
    05/31/2011

    Thinking about these 6x12 page protectors got me to thinking about some old unused photo albums I bought...about 10 yrs ago! Got them out and yes, they are 6x12 and now have 40 of these page protectors...ready to use. Not as heavy as the newer ones but shopping the stash is using something I already paid for.

    Now I have a 6x12 binder for a future project too!

    Reply 2 Replies
    1. Kim aka MyEbella says…
      05/31/2011

      now that is a good find. I need to clean out my "crap" room as we like to call it and OMG I can't wait to see what I find in there!!

    2. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      Awesome - love that Maureen!

  7. AbbyS says…
    05/31/2011

    So true! This album makes me happy...knowing I documented something from our day, something my son said, taking out the camera...I love reflecting back on the photos taken of the week. Very fulfilling.

    I love the idea of 6x12. I need to restock! Have a great week!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Krystyn says…
    05/31/2011

    Oh I am absolutely IN LOVE with the whole Project Life thing and desperately want to jump in...but my 'track record' with daily scrapbooking projects is quite poor..I have 3 INCOMPLETE DD albums...but I remain so so tempted.

    Reply 4 Replies
    1. dawn says…
      05/31/2011

      You can do this, it is so much fun and rewarding. Who knows this COULD BE THE ALBUM YOU DO FINISH AND LOVE!! Seriously there isn't much thinking or planning involved. I keep my very low key and love the results. YOU CAN DO IT!!

    2. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      Yes exactly - really more flexible and my approach has not been a strict daily like the DD. You CAN do this!

    3. Cynthia says…
      05/31/2011

      I may be wrong but I don't see our PL as a strictly DD type of journal. I think there have been weeks where Ali has focused on 1 or 2 days, collected stuff or had photos from one source (thinking the garden). I have had weeks where I have done Sat - Fri and documented and then other weeks where there hasn't been so much journalling of events but more pictures, ephemera, tickets, etc. I had just finished doing a 365 for our son (and it is SO much work) and I was dreading this a bit but it has turned out to be so much easier and fun than I thought!

    4. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      For me this is so much LESS work than DD. On an average day I briefly think about PL - jot down a little something, stick a receipt or other piece of paper into a pocket and maybe print a couple photos during the week. Then on Mondays I pull the rest together. Very low pressure and you find your own rhythm :).

  9. Nicole Jannink says…
    05/31/2011

    Just like you I love doing Project Life this year. Every week when my page is ready, I'm so happy doing this. Love to see that in your PL everything is just as it comes, no matter how many pictures you have from each of the kids.
    I love looking at your PL every week, it gives me so many ideas and inspiration!

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. tetcy says…
    05/31/2011

    I love living vicariously through you. :) It makes me glad I take the time to blog because looking back, these are the manageable snap shots of day to day (week to week) life....my life.

    Do or do not do...there is no try. - Yoda

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      Blogging is one of my favorite ways to document our stories.

  11. Cynthia says…
    05/31/2011

    I love seeing your weekly PL's for inspiration, and also as the expression of your family life and the cute things from your kidlets! Our 'kidlet' is 18 so the fun and cute is different however what I LOVE about PL is how incredibly flexible it is. It really is like a time capsule of this moment or a couple moments or every blinking day of last week if I feel like it! As I look back I am so impressed (and it's not as if we live a 'shock and awe' kind of life lol) with how joyful and meaningful and poignant it is. It is a great project!

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. ShellyJ says…
    05/31/2011

    I look forward seeing your progress on PL each week! You never disappoint. Thanks for the inpspiration :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Stephanie says…
    05/31/2011

    gotta carve out some PL time tonight. Thanks for the added jolt of inspiration! A bit behind on last week on account of being out of printer ink!! But time tonight to print a few pictures and pull last week together.

    What's interesting is that even as it's keeping on track for a weekly record, I'm finding I'm putting in more and more old pictures that keep cropping up. So I'm doing now, but also looking back. And how great is that?!!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      I almost did that this past week too Stephanie. It's just such a great place to keep things :).

  14. Debbie S. says…
    05/31/2011

    Awesome, as usual! That clematis is a show-stopper...

    Love the photos of Anna playing with the mists (are they?) and Simon doing kung-fu and wearing the helmet...so CUTE. :)

    Your tags are getting cuter and cuter, too! Have a great day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Milly H says…
    05/31/2011

    Love the note about writing things as they happen. Such a good reminder. Going to have my journalling cards to hand this week - so good to write in the moment rather than trying to remember at the end of the week. :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. lee says…
    05/31/2011

    It's so inspiring to see your progress and dedication to your Project Life album! The more I see your pages, the more I think about doing this or a similar project in the future. We'll see...but thanks for showing not only the finished product each week, but also talking about your process (especially what works, what doesn't, what helps you manage it, etc.).

    Have a great week! Look forward to seeing what week 22 looked like for you. =)

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. liz says…
    05/31/2011

    As always, you are such an inspiration Ali! I bought project life a few months ago because I loved how you were using it to document things on a weekly basis. The album arrived and I've just been staring at it. I tried to start on it a few times but felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. Seeing your pages and reading the encouraging comments above from other readers to just....start, well that was the kick in the rear I needed! I just tackled last weeks photos, processed them and sent them to costco to print! Thanks! :)

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      05/31/2011

      Awesome Liz :). I think it takes some time to get in the groove and to figure out what works for your own personal process. I can't wait to see yours - you are always inspiring!

  18. Cindy says…
    05/31/2011

    I wish I would have started this project THIS year, but I'm definately going to do it next year...........CONGRATULATIONS, you're half way done!!
    Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH for making a pdf list of journaling prompts!

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Jessica B says…
    05/31/2011

    Every week I find myself looking forward to this post. I was thinking this past week that I should have taken it on, then I thought oh well maybe next year. But, know I'm thinking maybe I should just start it now anyways. Maybe it wouldn't matter that it is halfway through the year.

    Anyways thank you for the great inspiration!

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Laura says…
      06/01/2011

      I think you should just start Jessica! I found out about Project Life 6 weeks after my son was born. It took me about another month to decide to order it and a week or so before it came in the mail. Then it was a week or so before I was able to make time to start. So, once I started I was a good 3 months behind. It really goes much more quickly that you might think, once you get going. And I think it's fine to just start now, and have the "year" be from say, Memorial Day this year to Memorial Day next year. I started my book with the birth of my son, which was Mid-December 2010. For next year I think I might start with Christmas or New Years day. But whatever you choose to do, it will be great! You can do it! :)

  20. Anne says…
    06/01/2011

    I love looking at your project life layouts. And I think they are awesome. I also decided to try it thid year. I am very relaxed about it. If a week does not work out, we jsut do the next week. The only rule is that I do complete weeks only. So either a photo from each (or most days) or nothing. I did a lot of traveling lately and jsut left those weeks out. Mostly because I want to make a complete travel album.

    I do not think it works for we though. I have two problems with these little snapshots from every day; either a day reallt, really did not have any photos. And nothing that warrents a photo; or it had so many photos and I cannot choose just one. So all in all this project frustrates me because I have to choose one photo and only one (or 2, I am a little flexible). Then I try to fill up the days that rally do not have photos with photos in and around the house, or photos of the things we take for granted and do every day. And this frustrates we as well. I would much, much rather have a layout of our house, a layout of my typical day, a layout of the things we usually eat, a layout of the stores we visit, the furniture we love, etc. Than having random pictures of these strewn over several pages.

    In short, I will complete the year. It is kind of neat to look back on, but I would so much rather make layouts of these things.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      06/01/2011

      I think this project is really what you make of it. For me this is not a photo-a-day project. I've had some weeks where I didn't use any photos at all and just filled the pockets with papers and stories from that week.

      I think it's good to evaluate projects and find out what works for you and what you like best. It sounds like you're finding that regular layouts are what make you most happy and tell the stories you want to save for your family - awesome to know that for yourself!

  21. Sue says…
    06/01/2011

    Again another great week of "your Life" Ali. I so enjoy seeing what you do! I wish I had this idea when my kids were young (actually I wish scrapbooking was around when they were young!) I feel my life if fairy dull now and really not worth documenting on a weekly basis. I guess I will just have to live vicariously through you! Thanks so much Ali

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. Ali says…
      06/01/2011

      Hi Sue - I have to say that I think part of the magic of this project (or any sort of project that encourages bits of daily documentation) is that it helps you "see" your life. Often people who feel their lives are "dull" find a new appreciation for the life they are living (or they find it's an opportunity to change things up, try something new, etc). Documenting doesn't just have to be about the things you do, it can also be about the things you are thinking, feeling, etc.

  22. Holly says…
    06/01/2011

    First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU to Ali for your encouragement, support, ideas and weekly posts. You truly are amazing! I look forward to checking your blog every week (and it really helps pass the time at work!) :o)

    I started PL back in January of this year and I had doubts as whether or not I would be able to keep up with it. Like many projects, I always start and never finish. I still have yet to finish DD from this past year. I have fallen a bit behind on PL but I have at least printed the pictures and inserted them into pockets so they are in the correct week when I go to journal about them. The other thing I do is at night when taking my few minutes to relax on the back porch, I keep a little notebook and write down little tidbits from each day. An example would be: Mon - nothing exciting. Talked to Mom/doing well. Got new book at Walmart, etc. Then even if I don't finish that week in my album, I have all the tidbits written down and am able to do the journaling later.

    To all of you out there who think your life isn't exciting enough or you are too busy but want to start PL, JUST DO IT! :o) I have a crazy work schedule, husband's job requires him to be away from home a lot, and we do not have any kids. Yet, I still find myself telling stories and taking pictures of things that otherwise would not be documented had I not committed to PL. Like today, I have some pretty funky tan lines on my feet from my sandals. So I'm going to document that. Once you get started, it really isn't that hard to keep going. It also gives me something to look forward to.

    Reply 0 Replies

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