Project Life® 2014 | Week Eighteen
How do you gather your stories?
I was thinking about this question yesterday as I put this spread together. As you've seen before, when I'm working on past weeks I usually have the photos and a handful of sticky notes in place. Some weeks more, some weeks less. As I worked through remembering and gathering the stories for week 18 it made me think about how lucky we are that we have access to so many different ways to collect our stories.
Generally I rely mainly on the photos to act as story starters to jog my memories. This week though, I actually felt like I was missing some stories - nothing big or huge or profound, just some more specific details.
To round-up more stories I went back through my calendar + Instagram to see what I could find. My calendar (on my computer) was helpful but it was Instagram that was most helpful. Just like my blog is a great holding place for longer stories, Instagram is such a great place to hold my shorter stories - especially those in-the-moment sentiments/memories/conversations that fit so well into my Project Life® album.
From going back on Instagram I saw that it was 86 degrees on May 1st. I saw that Simon and I were watching Pirates Of The Caribbean ( which I totally didn't remember just from looking at the photo).
Today I'm sharing Project Life® 2014 | Week Eighteen (April 28th - May) which uses the Poet Society Project Life® kit from Studio Calico. You can check out all the new kits for September over at Studio Calico here: Scrapbook Kit | Project Life® Kit | Card Kit.
Here's a look at Week 18:
I'm still a fan of using Project Life® to show a week-at-a-glance.
Simple captures. Relationships between people and places are one of my favorite things to document.
Sometimes you get a card with a sentiment that doesn't really fit any stories you've got to tell right now.
Cover them up!
On my title card (from this printable set) I added a big punched circle (using another 4x6 journal card included in the main kit). Next to it I added a second punched circle (1.5 inches) that includes the "let your light shine" sentiment from one of the cards and finished off the gathering with the gold rub on.
I took one of the 4x6 cards and cut it in half to create this day of the week card. I messed up thinking that Sunday was the last "S" on the bottom - not seeing that the week started with Sunday. I know some people think of their weeks that way but in my mind a week begins on Monday. I just crossed it out, moved that to the top (which still doesn't really make sense in the time span) and kept going.
This kit this month includes some wood veneer phrases. I wanted to use them because I like the texture mix, but the words didn't fit with my story. Instead I just turned them over and used the back side. I trimmed each one a little bit to fit into the pocket (it was still pretty tight). On top of each I added one of the stars and some sentiments about the photo of the wisteria.
For the "the best ever" journal card I used the box from this set: Poet Society Project Life Stamp Kit + "the best ever" and "here's the story" from this set: Poet Society Project Life Add-On 2 Stamps.
Can't tell you how happy I was to get back to making stuff.
Circle + a star + a staple. Can't get much more perfect than that little trifecta of goodness. The circle is from one of the printables this month available here.
The "Anna says" note is the kind of stuff I want in Project Life®. Those awesome little stories of things said and observations recorded. I could do a whole layout about that one little comment she made, but really this is the perfect place for that kind of story.
Next to the "Anna says" card is one that combines two different journal cards (stitched together) that I ran through my printer to get the "86" on top (the 8 and the 6 are from this digital alphabet):
I wasn't sure this was really going to work - partly because of the thickness of the two cards together. My goal was to get the "86" (for 86 degrees on May 1) onto the card. In Photoshop I added the 8 and the 6 together on a 3 inch x 4 inch canvas (300 dpi). I re-colored the image the yellowish color and placed it where I wanted it to be on the card (closer to the top). Then I ran a test print onto a plain piece of paper to see where it was going to come out. Next I adhered the 2 cards right on top of that same location on the 8.5x11 sheet and ran the whole thing through the printer to get this result:
It did come out of the printer a little dirty because it was thick but not enough for me to junk it.
FUN.
After that I added the date using a good-old date stamp and a few words about how awesome it was to have it this hot on May 1.
I totally love the "I am still learning" gold letterpress card. It was too perfect to do anything to it and it's something I totally embrace in my life.
IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
- Think about the way you collect stories. What works best for you? Is it an app? Sticky notes? Calendar? Carrying your journal cards in your car/purse/etc and writing directly on them when the inspiration strikes? I'd love to read about it in the comments.
- Try running a pre-printed card through your own printer. It's a great way to get typed journaling onto a journal card or add a digital stamp to personalize the card.
- If you've got cards with sentiments that don't align with the story you want to tell, use punches to cover up that area and create your own sentiments with letter stickers, stamps or handwriting.
SUPPLIES
Click on the images below to link to the products used in this project.
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I just did a happy dance in my kitchen when I saw your latest PL Spread pop up in my blog reader! Thanks for another great creative spread. I'm so thankfull that you continue to capture a week across the two pages, and that you push your creative side with embellishing and using supplies in new ways. It inspires me, not just in PL but in my mini albums too. Thanks for the constant inspiration Ali - you do it so well!
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Oh dear. I didn't think I was going to need that 2nd PL stamp add on but now that I see it used with the stamp set from the PL kit, I'm not too sure. Might have to sleep on that one :)
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Great post! I'm not good at telling stories, I don't like the way I tell them, but I love writing down what my kids say. Whenever they come up with something funny or endearing, I quickly grab a small piece of paper or a sticky note and write that down with date and context. As long as it's written somewhere, it can then wait until I go on with the PL album (I'm not on a weekly basis, I'm on a "when there's something to show basis"). Otherwise, I rely on my calendar, some more sticky notes and my memory (maybe not very accurate). I also tend to put these notes at the end of the finished pages of the PL.
Back to telling stories, I see that on the journal card "Anna says" you used "she" to give the context, very neutral, do you ever use "you" and speak directly to Anna or Simon in your PL album? I was wondering about that the other day because I was journaling something only one of my sons did and wanted to say "you did this and that" first and then wondered about saying "he did this and that".
Thanks for reminding us that you can always cover up the sentiment on a card or cut it up. Great ideas and inspiration as always.
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I just started journaling 5 minutes every morning. Nothing deep, just notes about our days, because it's super helpful in getting more stories into my pages. Those stories are so important, but if I don't have a corresponding photo for them, I often forget to include them.
I use the same technique. I've been keeping a Stevenson Family Journal since January 2012 and it is an awesome way to "get it down". Funny quotes, sad things, ordinary days...its a great collection. And its all in the same notebook (each date has its own page) so it becomes like a perpetual calendar that I can see what we were up to a year or two ago. It is often the catapult for family dinner conversation..."guess what Kyle did for the first time only a year ago today?!"
I love that daily practice.
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Since I started scrapbooking about a year ago, and I'm not a chronological scrapper, and I'm not tech savvy, I scrap pretty much whatever hits me. It could be from 3yrs ago. But I've gotten a lot of inspiration. The stories that I'm drawn to are things like my husband standing in front of the mirror teaching my boys how to tie a tie. That layouts done, but still have 8th grade graduation to do. Not that I won't ever, but I'm drawn to the mundane things, they mean so much to me and fill my heart. The first time my 10yr old girl chatted on the phone with a friend, a small but very sweet gift she insisted her dad must buy for me. And since I'm a slow scrapper, I have sticky notes all over the place. I don't have a dedicated craft space either, so things are haphazard. But that's me in a nutshell. I'm excited for witl, because I plan to scrap that sort of a cross between a mini book and project life, so I can have a taste of what that's like. Oh I'm sorry to go on. I love to see your PL layouts, thanks. Michelle t
This is exactly how I scrap. Obviously we have birthdays, celebrate holidays, etc. I dont need a layout about that every year. I like capturing my three boys being "them". Things they will likely forget when they are grown.
Yes! The impromptu "football" game with their sister in my front yard. Where they're inevitably fighting, she steals the ball and scores. Perfect. Exactly what I want, too. Thanks. Michelle t
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I also was so excited to see your PL spread this morning. Yay! In terms of capturing stories throughout the week, I use the Day One app on my iphone as well as the notes function that came with the phone. I find that my phone is the best option for jotting down stories since I always have it with me - also why 90% of my photos are taken with my phone! This has worked well for PL. Thanks to your encouragement Ali, I'm more inspired than ever to take this time to capture quotes and thoughts throughout the week that would otherwise be gone from my memory. These nuggets are what I love most when I look back through my PL and traditional albums. Thanks!
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Ali, LOVE everything about your new site! And I love seeing your PL spreads:) I always leave here inspired. Always :D Thank You for that!
I seem to collect stories most by, 1. Taking lots of pictures, and 2. Jotting stuff down on 3x4 cards.
The cards become a source for thoughts/things said/details of what is happening, and I use them a lot to make 'to do' lists, which themselves become a journal card sometimes. Easy peasy to me.
Pictures of course are used to tell the story, but also instead of taking the time to write details sometimes. For instance, when we were in Paris, we visited Versailles (OMG!). It was crowded of course, and while we enjoyed our visit, you do feel a bit as though you are being herded through. So, when taking pictures of rooms, and wanting to remember 'who slept here' kind of details...I snapped a pic of the sign that said 'Queens Bedchamber' or the like. It just wasn't convenient to plan on carrying the camera and cards and pen around and spend time writing details, when I could capture them with a click. I don't usually keep or print those pics. But they help me remember details that I'm very likely to forget, in the excitement, or by the time I get home to actually scrap them. Helped immensely, especially with a project that big where there were lots of amazing places we went, and you just can't expect to remember all the details.
I so need to use the idea of covering up sentiments or such, on cards I wouldn't normally use, but actually otherwise like the design! Why don't I think of that when I'm creating? LoL. Now I will :) Thanks!
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Love this spread, Ali!
I use the same method for printing on smaller bits of patterned paper or journaling cards. Usually I just print an outline around the canvas on the practice run to conserve little ink, though!
I do that sometimes too. Great for making sure you get it in the right place.
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Loving the large photos and Ideas and Inspiration section! Great site rework.
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I'm Old Fashioned...I keep a hand written daily journal
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I have several different ways I use to collect my stories. I use FB & Instagram, I have a one line journal where I write "the best moment" of the day, I use a prayer journal during my "quite time" (that's where the true stuff is found), and I still use an old day planner that sets on my desk. In the day planner I don't just keep appointments I write babies that are born including weight & length, deaths, special moments, new jobs, other firsts & lasts. I have a friend who's Dad still keeps an old school day planner. On her birthday the year she became a first time Mom he gave her his day planner from the year she was born…she loved looking at everything he had written about her.
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Ali you said you are going to have story kit coming soon I wonder if you thought about doing a subscription also with digital kit or the one you said is going to have it?
We are working on figuring out a way to offer that (that makes sense with the products) - it won't happen with just the Story Stamp™ :).
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I have to remember about covering up sentiments and changing things around. I do it once in a while, but sometimes I sit there going thru everything to find the perfect one! That's one thing that makes me hesitant to do kit clubs just bcz I don't want to curtail my stories to the supplies. Thanks for the inspiration!
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As usual, your spread is a wonderful combination of large beautiful pictures and journaling. Thank you SO MUCH for embracing the imperfect and showing us that it is okay to draw a line through a mistake or have a bit of printer ink smudge on a card. I cannot tell you how freeing that is for me. Sometimes I really get locked down in the it must be magazine perfect mode.
I use OhLife to capture journaling...I like that they send an email reminder, because I am quite likely to forget to do it, but also use photos uploaded to my Elements Organizer to jog stories as well.
And, thanks for your inspiration on altering cards to make them work with our stories.
You are welcome! Crossed out lines are real life ;)
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Oh, Ali, this was exactly what I needed! I've been losing steam and momentum on my Project Life album this year. With a 7-month baby in the house, my creative time is precious and I've been gravitating toward other things (handmade cards and 12x12 layouts, mostly). I've got a stack of photos printed out and I was starting to feel guilty about letting weeks go by without touching my Project Life album. Then your post showed up in my reader. I'm so inspired after seeing your spread! I think I'll go catch up on those past few layouts. I particularly love the "Best Ever" story about Anna. I admit I got teary-eyed reading it. :-) Thanks so much for sharing!
Awesome! You can do it - it was so great to get back into it again.
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I just have to say, I love the larger photos you're posting on your site! I so appreciate getting to inspect the detail of your work. You have such a way of drawing me in, and I love it! Thanks so much for sharing so much of your life with your readers! Congrats on the re-brand, too. Everything looks and feels fresh and fantastic.
Me too! Thank you - Katie and I were getting excited about it all over again yesterday. It's so much better :).
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When I first stumbled on to Project Life 2012- It was already 4 months into the new year. However since I'm a heavy Instagram user I was able to catch up with my pictures and stories in just 2 short week weekends! At the end of last year I decided I didn't want to start PL another year-- then July rolled around and with a 45 day trip to Europe and ending in Paris, I thought - Hey why not take a mini album with you and can catch up on the last 6 months while overseas? My trip didn't happen, as my husband hurt his back and then my mother passed. Now I'm home after a month spent with my family in Texas- and I committed myself to finishing my 2014 PL and of course once again Instagram will be a much needed source as I didn't keep any records during the time spent in Texas mourning. Thanks for the reminder of how important our stories really are! Xo
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I have a calendar/journal on my laptop that I write on for each day. Sometimes I'm able to keep up with it daily, other times I'm playing catch-up - sometimes weeks have passed before I have time to update it. When that happens I use photos, daily to-do lists (which I don't use daily...ha) texts from my cell phone, caller id on the landline, computer histories and last but not least, I ask my husband if he might remember any details. Truly detective work! I've also learned it's ok if I don't remember everything and will just jot that on that particular day and move on. At over 600 pages, this journal is really my gift to myself, and occasionally I'll use it to recall a specific day from several years ago. It's also helped me slowly write about our road trip from Oregon to Manhattan and back, fall of 2012 on one of my blogs http://phinearts.blogspot.com/ of which I'm almost finished!!
P.S. Loving your new website! Having built several websites I know what a TON of work goes into everything!! Great job!!!
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I love seeing you PL spreads Ali - they always provide that extra burst of inspiration I need. I really like the idea of making the PL SC cards work to fit what I need in my album...just because there is a certain sentiment on there doesn't mean I have to use it! I'll be looking at my leftover cards a little differently! And I'm really getting on board with wanting the Tiny Attacher. :)
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I will often text my husband during the day to tell him about something interesting that happened, and to capture the story to scrapbook later, I take a screenshot of the text I just sent. Then it's right there among my photos when I sit down to create a layout.
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Thanks for all the inspiration and ideas! I'm going to try the journal card printing since I often detest my own handwriting! I keep a PL planner/calendar where I jot notes and keep things-to-do lists and menus for the week. I'm going to try using Instagram for capturing some of those "she said..." moments which I always think I will remember, but then I never do!
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I use the Momento app on my iPhone to remember stories. I've added feeds for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and our blogs for myself, my husband, and my son. The app gathers all of our social media posts in one place, so I can scroll through and remind myself of the stories - for Project Life or for layouts for my son's childhood album that I'm working on (11 years later). I can also add my own notes to the calendar when my son says something funny or amazing that I want to be able to quote.
I also find that the bits of journaling for our family Project Life album are inspiration for more in-depth layouts for my son's album.
Back before I had the smart phone technology (or even a digital camera, for that matter), I wrote things down on loose leaf paper and added it to the photo album that held the photos I planned to scrap. Even though life threw me a few curveballs and I didn't scrapbook for several years, those stories aren't lost and I can still make detailed layouts this many years later.
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I love the ideas and inspiration at the end of these posts! And love to see your daily blog posts! I keep track of my daily thoughts in my analog filofax calendar. I want to use Evernote but I just can't seem to get the general lay of the land with it. Plus I am a paper planner gal and like having everything in one place. Yesterday I wrote my grocery shopping list on a 4x6 PL card and saved the whole foods receipt. Thought that would make a fun memory to look back on. Even with the coffee stains on the list :)
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I love how you capture life. The wisteria card. So awesome. Blooming flowers are just so special to me too. We have wisteria all over our swing seat in the backyard. I just love it so much too. I feel like we would really get along, haha!
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So lovely, as always Ali. Just a quick note that I think the card you used for your title card came as a 4x6 in the kit, rather being a printable. I didn't see it on the page you linked to anyway.
Keep it up! :)
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