AE : 365 : Project Life Updates
My 365 : Project Life by Becky Higgins
You can read my more details about how I am approaching this project in my original post here.
So how do I feel about this project and my approach after almost two months? The biggest thing I love about this album is that it really shows the progression of time. I am excited to see what it looks like at the end of the year. I am excited to start at the beginning and have in my hands a snapshot of 365 days in our lives.
I like that it is very low-pressure. If I don't happen to take a photo on a particular day I am just grabbing a piece of paper collected from the mail, printed from online, etc., or substituting in a photo from the same time period (within two or three days is my limit).
Repeats? Some of the photos I used here will be used in other layouts to tell more complete stories (such as a photo from Anna's birthday). In the case of her birthday, because I know I will be doing a more detailed layout with a variety of photos, I just put a small handwritten "happy birthday" onto one of my journaling cards.
Process? I find that if I keep up with posting a daily photo and journaling on my Flickr page that it makes it a ton easier when I have time to print photos and assemble into the page protectors. There is nothing to try to remember and the photo has already been chosen. It works best when I am in my regular daily routine...but, as with many other things, it becomes more challenging when other activities/vacations/houseguests make life more interesting.
Yesterday I uploaded all my photos, printed my journal cards, rounded corners, and assembled everything from the last few weeks (again, being able to cut and paste the journaling from Flickr makes a big difference for me). The one-hour-photo I used yesterday (Walgreens) wasn't great so I ordered the same batch from scrapbookpictures.com. For some reason I have grown too accustomed to instant gratification.
Here's a shot of a week in-progress. Post-it notes are working well as a general reminder of the date and the assigned photo. The "stuff" is tucked in over the course of the week or simply laid on top of the pages until I am ready to either crop to fit in the pockets or fold.
One of the things that has been keeping me motivated is that I have designated a spot for this album to sit open. It's current home is on a cabinet in my office (sharing space with my sewing machine). I have found if the album is out and open I am much more likely to grab some bits of paper and just stick them in the pockets. It also serves as a great reminder that this is something I am wanting to keep-up with in 2010.
SAMPLE SPREAD
If there is something larger I want to include, but it's not large enough to fill a full 12x12, I stitch and crop the page protector. I first did this for my Disney album that appeared in my Life Artist book to create page protectors for each of the park maps. I don't try to make these perfect and I often have to force the page protector through the machine. I trim off the excess page protector after stitching the pocket to size (I stitch with the paper inside the protector as a guide).
The back side of the penguin is blank for now. Most likely I will add something from Simon's school basket.
SAMPLE SPREAD
I cut a piece from the Lost DVD packaging and added a cough-drop wrapper. More backpack gems have been included here (see more on my post Scrapbooking Stuff That Comes Home In His Backpack).
On the back I slipped in something Simon had printed out from the computer (a fried rice recipe from Ni Hao Kai-Lan). Instead of just slipping it into the page protector I added a little bit of hand-journaling on a piece of cardstock to actually get more of the story told (it is attached with a mini paper clip).
SAMPLE SPREAD
SAMPLE SPREAD
Thanks again Becky for establishing such a fun project!
I think I've always been intimidated by these year long, every day kind of projects, but I really like your approach! It would totally work for me to include things other than photos for several of the days and I like that you include larger bits as well. I think my plate is pretty full right at this moment, but this is definitely a way I would consider incorporating it into my family's memory keeping! :>
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Do you think this is something you'll do yearly? Also, the album looks so big. Where do you plan to tuck it away when it's not on your office cabinet? It looks really neat BTW!
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I LOVE the idea of designating a spot for the album to stay open. What a simple, obvious, but completely overlooked (by me) solution.
Wow.
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This is wonderful Ali and it's great that you are doing this for Anna's young baby/toddler years...because it goes so darn fast! Also, it incorporates everyone in your family and not just the "baby" so that Simon doesn't feel left out. Sometimes people go crazy doing a baby album and the other siblings feel left out and not special anymore. This is a great "journal" place where you can have a reference to look back on the details when you are working on the individual albums for each child. But as you mention, it is a "good" habit to get into and having the portrait sleeves and pocket pages makes this easy to collect the memoriabilia and photos without having to feel like you have to pull out all the papers/ephemera like you do for traditional albums. This is a great place for people who are tradtional "journalers" to start "scrapbooking" and not feel limited and/or overwhelmed. Just delightful to see this process...thanks for sharing and updating us all. Fondly, Roberta
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I noticed that all the photo pockets are for horizontal photos only. Are you feeling limited at all in not being able to include vertical shots more?
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Fabulous! thanks for sharing again. i love your approach!
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I don't know if anyone has mentioned it, but I thought I would give you an idea of how to get the page protectors through your sewing machine more easily ... Put a sheet of paper --like computer paper, or just notebook paper, or even newspaper or tissue paper-- underneath your page protector and run it through the machine together. The paper creates more stability for stitching and after you've sewn, you can tear away the paper with no damage to the page protector. Save the scraps for the next stitching!
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Ali and everyone that has commented! Great ideas - especially the sewing technique! I have had a calendar posted in my daughters room since she was born (she is now 9!) and each day when I go in to say goodnight, I write a comment about something she did, or we did that day as a family. I intended to keep the calendar from her first year, but into her 2nd year she was doing the cutest things. Now I keep the calendars to help me document when I get behind in my scrappin' and its helping me with Project 365. I love the idea of leaving the album open on a table or desk... hhhmmm. now where should I keep it??
Thanks for the continued inspiration!
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I was just thinking this morning, I wonder if Ali will post more of her 365 pages? Thanks for reading my mind! I'm doing it again this year, the same process as you--photos and ephemera from daily life (Top Ramen wrapper this week as my kids are sick and that's the only time they get ramen!). I love seeing your pages, and you are right--keeping the book out makes all the difference. I started doing that about March of last year and it was so much easier to keep it up. Thanks for sharing with us!
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your album is looking great. i love the pic of anna with the pouty face, LOL.
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Not me, mainly because I take almost 95% horizontal photos. I do have one in there so far and I just put it in sideways (whoever is looking at it can simply turn it to see).
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It is huge - at least 3-inches at the spine. Not sure I will do this yearly - maybe every couple of years. I will know more how I am feeling about it towards the end of the year. I have a shelf-unit (metal kitchen shelves) that hold all my albums at this time. It will go there as well.
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Ali, your album is looking crazy cool. Thanks for inspiring me add a few "extra" to the journaling card. My album is looking better already!
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I am so in love with this.
and the ace hotel!
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Beautiful -- I love the way it's coming together :-)
A question:
Ali, I was wondering if you felt limited at all by the horizontal-only option of the page protectors? Maybe it's a personal preference, but I find I take a ton of vertical shots and this album idea seems like it wouldn't work for me. Have you run into that yet?
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Wow, this is great! I don't follow blogs daily, but I have yours bookmarked in my "Scrappy Goodness" folder, and I was hoping you had an update for your Project Life album today! So happy! I think you are the main reason I decided to buy one myself. I'm recording my 42nd year of life (I turned 41 this week). Thank you for your comments about Flikr. I don't have an account, and may try it to see how it works.
I also made a journal to write in this year, and I started it in January. It is pictured in my blog. I am enjoying telling brief daily stories that way, and putting up pics of each week. I love how colorful the journal I made is, and I'm enjoying the format.
Anyway, thanks again for sharing so much inspiration!
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Hi Ali,
I love your approach. I did a digital project 365 last year and I loved how it worked as a picture of our daily lives. I used it as a reference point for my more artsy pages. I could pick and choose stories from my 365 that I wanted to expand on in my more traditional album.
I adore Becky's kit. I wasn't in love with the patterns on the cards so I have copied your approach to printing on the blank side. Love it. I also find I love using the small pockets for little bits of scrapbook supplies I want to use up. It's a great way to experiment and play without committing to an entire layout.
I leave the album out on my scrap table in my home office and I find my kids (I have 3) love to come in and flip through it. They even add their own journaling cards! This kit and this approach just enable me to really capture all the little stories that sometimes get lost in the more traditional format. It makes it easy.
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Ali, thank you so much for the peek into your 365 album and for sharing a bit about your process. Right about now I am kicking myself for not jumping on the POTD bandwagon! I know it's not to late to start, and maybe I can get my toes wet with a month instead of a whole year. You make it look so easy! Thanks for always inspiring me!
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Thanks for sharing. It's fun to see how others are doing Project Life. My pages are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/colopyfam/sets/72157623441778700/
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I am feeling very inspired! This is really awesome. Thanks for sharing.
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Hi Ali! Love the layouts, as always! :) I wanted to let you know, I finally finished & posted my album from CKU-Houston 2008, Evolution. I had just finished another album about me, so I did mine about my dad, who passed away in 1996. Thank you so, so, so much for that class and project - it was a tremendous healing process that really did me a world of good. All those things I've had floating around in my head for the last 14 years... it was really awesome to finally get them all down on paper, and your eclectic style was the perfect setting for the memory book I wanted to create.
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/154875-scrappyhare/1600033-ali-edwards-album-cku-08-evolution-part-1/
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/154875-scrappyhare/1600038-ali-edwards-album-cku-08-part-2/
(The rest of the journaling for the 2nd section I had to paste into a comment... too many words! lol)
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/gallery/member/154875-scrappyhare/1600043-ali-edwards-album-cku-08-part-3/
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Do you have any tips for sewing page protectors? You inspired me to have a go at it awhile back but my protector just got munched by the sewing machine. Doesn't help I can't sew :-P
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Any chance you would share your file for the little journaling cards? Thanks!
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THanks ali..I am using becky's album to put together a 365 project too... I hope to get some pictures up soon. It would be fun to see what others are doing, perhaps you could do a thread for people to put there blogs or a flickr group for added inspiration.
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Hi Ali. If you are having trouble stitching page protectors get a teflon coated foot for the machine. Some manufacturers use make generic ones. It really helps the plastic slip through but still allows the feed dogs to do their thing. Works a treat :O)
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