Project Life | Week Two
Here's a look at our Project Life | Week Two.
Here's the left side:
And the right side:
The second half of the week includes both what I was doing (in Vegas) and what was happening here at home.
In-between the left and the right side I included a couple things this week:
Last week I showed you a sneak peek at the program insert I included.
In addition to that I took the layout I created last week and placed it inside an 8.5x11 page protector. Depending on how many layouts I make over the course of this year I might just make this into two albums (first half 2011 and second half 2011). I love the idea that this would include layouts and the stuff of life within the divided page protectors on a weekly basis.
On the back of the layout is our flight itinerary to Vegas and a card I received while I was there.
Here's a couple close-ups:
I took the photo and journaling from this post and inserted them into the album. I can see doing that at different times throughout the year. I'm thinking that these long journalers that I used in Week In The Life last year would be great for longer journaling that you want to add to your album.
I think I might use one of those for the post I did last Monday about going to the capitol.
For this 4x6 I created a new canvas in Photoshop at 300dpi. I filled the background with grey using the paint bucket tool. I copied my text from my blog post and pasted it onto the 4x6 canvas and adjusted the font, type size and made the color white. I added a hand-drawn "on Tuesday" title.
Last week Simon told me when he gets older he'd like to have a wife. He'd also like to have a boy named Greg and a daughter named Molly.
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 (it's currently sold out but should be back in stock soon). If you live outside the US check Becky's site for more information on sources.
View all my posts about Project Life here.
TODAY'S POST SPONSORED BY : Peachy Cheap
Scrapbook DAILY DEALS! 65% OFF My Minds Eye Journaling Cards TODAY ONLY!
I was so excited to see a early morning post again today! Excited again to see your PL pages. What a sweet thing to remember about Simon and his "kids" one day. My one daughter has her kids names picked out too. I like that your week has some of you and the kids mixed together in it. My favorite part this past week was putting the paper stuff in it, it tells even more about us then just the pictures. My daughter has even agreed to let us make a copy of the letter from a boy she likes to keep in a pocket. Thanks for making the time to share this with us. Have a Happy Tuesday!
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I really love what your doing with this project! Great storytelling and adding receipts/tags/etc. is cool. I especially love your idea of adding your layouts and making it a 2 volume set to encompass all of it! Thank you for sharing your inspiration!
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Oh my...I am starting to doubt my choice to do the digital book for Project Life..I really do miss the emphemera and add in possibilities that you are doing...I wonder if I can cut up the book after I order it in December??
Any advice from anyone is appreciated.
BTW...LOVING the OLW class....the online commmunity is such a wonderful bonus
Thanks for the thoughts....I paid for the Becky Higgins book already to be printed at the end of the project. Silly me...but I think I might try scanning some of the "stuff" too. And if it is not working I will just deconstruct the bound book into pages My goal was to be all digital with one project...Create is my word this year...looks like I can put it to use on this...Thanks for the suggestions...they helped!
I've done a digital version last year, but needed to work with paper this year. I've also been thinking about which of my two boys would eventually get to keep the album, and decided that they (or their wifes one day!) could always make duplicate copies, taking turns in keeping the orignals of certain pages.
Totally Liz - I was thinking she was printing it as a bound-book at the end of the year (vs. individual pages that would go into an album).
I am doing both. Paper version bc I like to collect and add "things" too but also digital bc l three kids wNt their own to keep! I figured it's super easy to just drop my pictures and journaling into the digital version each week after I've done the paper stuff at home. Then (if the kids really still want it) I can order three copies of the printed book for a New Years present. I'd love for them each to have proof of our daily lives. LOL
Or you could add extra pages and then adhere the actual "stuff" to the pages like a real scrapbook. :-)
Hi Debbie - I think I might agree with Debbie. You can also always scan in receipts and papers...but that adds more time on to the project too.
Debbie - when reading your comment, I immediately thought you should swap to the paper version if you miss your ephemera in week 3 of 53 :) Not quite sure how the digital version works, but don't you commit to order it when it's all finished? Which mean you wouldn't loose money you invested when changing now, right? Just a thought!
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I never thought about putting in extras like school programs and travel things! What a great way to make it not only a photo scrapbook, but a life scrapbook as well!
I totally love this concept of a life book:) I'm currently working with my daughter's 3rd/4th grade class to create a memory book of their school year; and going a step further for my own daughter and creating pages that will go into that same album. Hoping to have pages to share about that soon:)
Exactly what I'm going for!
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Ali, your project life album is looking great. Last year, I incorporated several 4x6 album pages (sewn to 3x4s) within my regular scrapbook album, and included lots of little stories and tidbits of life. I used your week in the life journal cards, photos, and other digital elements on the 3x4s. And I love it. By far, my favorite album yet. It's a great way to include funny things your kids say, or simple little things that happened, things that would likely be forgotten if only doing full layouts. This year, I'm excited about my plan to mix it up even more, adding lots more stuff of life like receipts, product labels, etc. from throughout the year. Essentially I'm doing full page layouts and project life all year long in one album, and it is turning out amazing! Thanks for all the inspiration Ali.
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Ali, you're amazing! (that's all I have to say about that)
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My goodness Ali! What an early post! I live in the NW but am on the East Coast this a.m. and am so excited to see a post so early. What a beautiful layout. I'm glad to see such wonderful ideas from everyday life. Thanks for sharing!
I definitely was not up at that time :). I can set my posts to go live at specific times.
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I do love the sound of this project ... I suppose I can start at any time of the year, can't I?
Last year I only discovered Project Life in March, so I started POTD then, though I actually ended up "backdating" a few months to August 2009 (in month-to-view layouts). Sounds complicated, but I absolutely love that I am so very nearly FINISHED an album for the first time in over ten years of scrapbooking! (only a few filler items and the title/final layouts to go) So, you can start anytime and do things as YOU want to!
Any time :).
That's what I'm thinking, Ruth! I've only jotted down some thoughts and collected bits and pieces of everyday life, but have nearly no photos of this year yet. I plan on just going with the flow and adding in whatever crosses my way. Plus, I am still thinking up a system for me, as ordering the kit for $150 from Germany unfortunately isn't an option for me right now. Planning on picking up whatever divided page protectors I can find …
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i envy your commitment in accomplishing such a long term project. i guess i will have to admire from afar for i might not be able to complete a similar project anytime soon.
thank you for always sharing your creativity with all of us. makes me want to jump out of bed and do a page or two. :)
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I so love the inserted page and the program and all the tickets and receipts. I have been taking some pictures, I still have the kit untouched from last year, but I'm realizing not one a day. This is a good solution though to just work with whatever you have!
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I have purchased PL, but haven't started it yet (working on finishing up some other things first), but I'm curious, how much time did you spend on this week's spread? I know you do this 'for a living', but would like to know approx. how much time I may need to set aside per week if that's the route I decide to go? I have my stuff pretty organized so that won't be an issue. I work out of the house FT and am thinking I should set aside one evening a week (~2hrs)? Also, are you still doing 'traditional' albums as well with the other pictures you take and when the heck do you find time to do those? LOL
Hi Elizabeth - good question. So far I've really been doing it in little bits of time rather than one big chunk of time.
Yesterday I did the second half of the week in less than an hour. Printing from the simple little printer on my kitchen counter helped (see this post for more about that: http://aliedwards.com/2011/01/ae-approach-project-life-2011.html). There was no photo editing, just printing and rounding the corners.
The handwritten journaling also helps it go fast.
Most days I add a little something as I pass through the kitchen. That takes less than 5 mins. No stress.
When I do things like print out the journaling that takes a bit longer...but I'm pretty fast at that too (lots of practice).
I'm not sure I'll do a "traditional" 2011 album this year. I'm thinking that any 12x12 or 8.5x11 layouts I do might just go into this album (which if I do that will likely become two albums). I'm not sure about this yet - waiting to see how it goes.
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Thanks so much for posting this - I needed a little inspiration for my Project Life. I especially love how you are making it whatever you want - I love all the little bits of ephemera and the way you journal wherever you want. Love that you added the lay-out of Anna into the mix and that you said you will continue to add lay-outs in here and there. I'm thinking that this is more like true, old-school 'scrap-booking'... like what we did as kids and teens when we just wanted to document it all and include bits of our lives... like that only more polished and soulful to some extent.
The biggest thing I'm learning from you on Project Life is that, it seems, there are no rules - I love that!! Thank you!! :)
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Love the documenting of the big + small aspects of your life. I see that you stayed at the Venetian. It's fantastic, isn't it? My DH and I stayed there this past summer to celebrate our 15yr wedding anniversary and experienced Phantom. Awesome memories! Good stuff. Enjoy your day and have a fabulous week!
Love it there - the rooms are so fantastic.
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Wonderful! thanks for sharing this! I hope you continue to share though out the year :)
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I bought your Long Journalers just for doing Project Life. I imagine having lots and lots of them sprinkled throughout my album by the end of the year.
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Ali, thank you for sharing your approach. I am doing something similar. The first time I did Project Life was 2009, and I kept both that and a traditional scrapbook. Seemed kind of overkill, so this year I thought I'd combine the two, probably doing fewer traditional layouts. It's nice to see your take on this approach.
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Wow! So inspiring! I want to do this. I love the grey journal box. Thanks for explaining how to do it! I can do that!!!!
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Love week two and Simons discussion about wife and kids, my daughter is seven and talks about her future husband and said she'll probably just have twins!!! Just opened today my new Rebel XS camera! I received it for Christmas...but have been nervous about taking it out of the box! It has so many buttons and the manual is so big, any suggestions?
Amy, I took a class through Jessica Sprague's website called, "Oh shoot! Beginning Photography". It was so, so helpful in learning to better use my digital SLR camera. You should check out her next class coming up on Feb. 28th (registration starts on Feb. 14th I think, but her classes fill up REALLY quickly). Anyway, just a suggestion. I feel like I understand my camera, SO much better now. Here is a link if you are interested:
http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.pbv.tabs.tpl&product_id=14&category_id=18&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=310
My vote is to pull it out and just start playing. My favorite setting on that camera was the "running guy." You can do it - it will be so fun to just play!
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Hi Ali
I love your projects. I however do not have Photoshop/Elements, but would love to purchase some of you overlays and brushes. Can either one be used in another photo editing program, I have Microsoft Digital Image Suite.
Thanks
Hi Terry - I'm not familiar with that program (someone who reads this might have more information). You could download a couple of my free brushes and see if they work. Here's a couple links: http://aliedwards.com/2010/01/scrapbooking-with-your-computer-downloading-unzipping-organizing-digital-elements.html
and
http://aliedwards.com/2010/09/love-you-digital-scrapbook-freebie.html
I'm pretty certain that you do need Photoshop or Elements to use the layered templates.
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Wow - this is awesome. :)
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After looking more closely, a couple more comments...
1. I see handwriting that's not yours. Very cool.
2. You're looking hot in the individual photos of you from Vegas! ;)
Thanks! Katie (our babysitter) is being an awesome willing participant in this process - she took a bunch of instax photos and wrote journaling too. She's awesome.
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this is so awesome ali! i love all the "stuff" you're adding to it (casino cash out, flight info, tea bag label, etc.). very cool.
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LOVE,LOVE,LOVE the bedtime conversation with sweet Simon.....my favorite part of the layout!
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thanks for sharing Ali! I ended up putting a lot of pages in between the regular pages from last years album...like you have done and I really liked it. It made me feel like I was completeing two things at once and boy was that fabulous! So, when i went to print pics and found that one was just not enough for the event i printed more until i had the whole story and then kept them in a special place until i had time to make a page with them. i will absolutely do that again this year!
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This is so wonderful Ali! I love the bits and pieces that you are sharing and how you're including layouts that you have and will create into the same album. And on another note: Love Simon's thoughts about having a wife and children. So adorably cute!
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