Project Life Tuesday
Confession: my unfinished Project Life journaling cards have overwhelmed me.
Becky Higgins has been posting all these amazing albums lately, and instead of inspiring, it has made my overwhelmed feeling worse.
Those spreads are beautiful.
I can’t even get my journaling done, let alone adding stamps and other pretty stuff.
I think to myself, okay, if I blog about finishing Project Life, then I will finish it.
But 50ish weeks of unfinished cards just seems like too much.
And life has been so busy.
And Adeline hasn’t slept well in about 7 weeks.
So my album has just sat on the floor in my living room, waiting for me to crack it open.
And last night I did.
I wrote a month worth of cards.
And the spreads are simple, but so wonderful.
The fire was rekindled.
THIS is why I do Project Life.
Because my family’s story matters.
And this album is a keepsake worth completing.
I intend to have at least half of the album done by next week. A month a night means I can easily get caught up. It didn’t even take that long!
I just needed to start.
If you are like me and you have been dragging your feet, stop.
You can do this.
Get those cards journaled.
Get those photos developed.
Next week I will share a video of my album and my plans for 2012. I have been thinking for a few months how I am going to do Project Life so that this behindness doesn’t happen again. (Hint: Weekly completed layouts. Tips. Lots of photos and bit of life. And YES, a linky to link up your Project Life layouts!)
I hope you will join me in another year of recording life’s every day moments.
It will enrich your life is so may beautiful, unexpected ways.
To create a full Project Life album, you’ll need:
1. Binder
2. Core Kit
3. Big pack of pages
Everything else is extra. That said, I would recommend:
1. coordinating cardstock
2. 6×12 pages
3. 6×12 pages
Share your progress here:
I agree. I was so good until about June. Now I need to get in there and finish up the year before I move ahead to next year. I’m going to follow your lead and just get moving.
As my son reminds me: Bob the Builder can we do it! Bob the Builder yes we can!
So glad you were able to get so much done! Thanks for the pep talk! It was needed. Where do you find the 6 x 12 page protectors with the 6 x4 slots? I’ve haven’t been able to find those. Thanks! (laew@aol.com)
See the link in the post! I got them on Amazon
Just getting started is usually the hardest part for me, too. Yay on getting a month of journaling completed!!! I caught up this weekend and am making plans for next year. I didn’t use the official Project Life supplies this year, since I am a digital scrapper and am completely lost when it comes to paper. I am planning to get the digital supplies that just came out and do it the “real” way in 2012. Good luck to you in finishing your book…I can’t wait to see how it turns out…I know it will be beautiful!
I’m looking forward to completing it. You all motivate me!
I have January and February done, with my own paper. I planned to do it like that for the whole year since I have so much paper and stuff. But it did not last……that was still too much work. So i ordered the Turquoise edition for February thru December. I am also so behind. I printed March, April pictures. Have to add those in. I hope to be all caught up for 2011 by the end of January 2012. I don’t take pictures every day, but I do put in all pictures from the whole year. I bought all the different page protectors etc. I did some for March a few weeks ago and it looks so nice! I just need time!! We have to make time for it. I keep thinking if i just put in 1 event this week than I’ll be a bit further again. Let’s keep trying and not give up! Your blog posts keep the spirit going Jessica! ;0) Good luck!
Thanks! I feel like I need a pep talk, but darn it, Project Life was created in a spirit of keeping things simple. 🙂
Thanks! I needed this to feel like I can do it!
i too got caught in the rut of looking at the beautiful books that were being posted and feeling bad about mine. but then i started thinking…..in a couple years (or more i have a 1 and almost 5 year old) i’ll be able to dedicate so much more creative time to this album. but right now the album wouldn’t be ‘me/us’ if it was all crazy beautiful/crafty because that isn’t what life is like here right now. if i could put the smell of a run to late dishwasher, clean needs to be folded laundry, crushed goldfish or baby vapor rub in the book that would represent alot more of our life too!
be super proud of yourself that you got a month done! that is worth a huge pat on the back.
the only reason i’m up to date on my album this year is because i went at it with the approach of pictures per week instead of by day and i have felt so much better about it! and it has resulted in less journaling because i will sometimes do an entire weeks layout on one set of pictures so i only need to write 2-3 journaling cards vs 7!
keep it up, i’ve enjoyed following your progress!
Yes, weekly spreads instead of daily spreads are part of my plan for next year.
I have been trying to get caught up on everything before Christmas. I just ordered the last month in pictures and am going to try and finish up the journaling from the last two months. I have been working hard to maintain the updates on my blog so that journaling won’t be a nightmare. I just have to copy it (and elaborate a little) and then I will be done. The end is near! Then, getting started on one of the gorgeous new kits!
the kits are beautiful aren’t they? What one did you order?
Have you ever considered doing digital Project Life? Two years ago, I switched my family books to digital, and I’m finally – FINALLY caught up (at least with current stuff). I used to joke that my family albums were only done during Olympic years – I have two lovely albums for 2004, and two more for 2008 – but everything in between resides on my hard drive. I just didn’t have the time to keep up with all the – stuff! In 2010, I learned how to use Photoshop Elements, and I have a great 12×12 – 86 page Shutterfly book. 2011 is about three quarters finished. I was worried about digital books not having the same “personality” as “real” scrapbooks, but I love that they don’t take up as much space on my bookshelf, that I could make multiple copies if I wanted (so that each of my three kids can have their own book), and to make them more “personal,” I had a font made of my own printing that I use to journal in the digital books. Your journaling would practically be done, since you always write something on your blog. It’s still not exactly the same… but it’s DONE :-).
No, I love the tactile process of a big scrapbook. The digital is just not for me…
I can’t wait to hear your plans for 2012. I’m trying to figure out what to do myself. I didn’t do the picture a day this year, but I feel like I would like a focus for next year. I’m planning to video my 2011 at the end of the year. I didn’t post my layouts this year (I just shared my pictures), but I’d like to share my layouts!
You’re inspiring me to do more with my photos and memory journaling in 2012! Could you share how you do the layout for two photos on a single 4×6 print for these books? I think you mentioned it in a previous post. I’m just learning to use PSE but haven’t figured this out yet.
Hi Jessica, I was wondering if you kept a daily journal notebook to help you when you fill out the journaling cards for project life? I’m so excited about starting project life and have the turquoise kit to go back and fill out for 2011 (I’ve been better about printing pictures this year). I’m going to use Colbalt for 2012. I’m struggling with how to keep track of the daily moments that happen so I don’t forget about them when I go to fill out my album. My kids are 5 yrs., 3 yrs. and 6 months so my “time” to devote to this project is limited! Any advice you can give me would be so helpful!
I have my Project Life stuff in the amazon boxes, wrapped up under my tree. I can’t wait until Christmas when I get to open them. I didn’t open them when they arrived, just wrapped them up. My son keeps say…that’s “Mom’s scrapbook stuff, don’t touch it”. 🙂 Anyway. I posted on my blog last week about how I’m going to try and figure out how to get a handle on this. A plan. because I can really see this being a failure for me, just like Project 365 2009, and 2010 were. I didn’t even attempt 2011. I have come up with a few ideas that I think will work within MY timeline with being a full time working mommy, active in church (women’s and children’s ministry), and having 2 kids (5yo and 11mo). I’m not going to pressure myself to do a full layout a week every week for PL. Because I will fail and then beat myself up. But I am going to make it a priority. I’m going to start capturing my life again. I’ll keep linking my PL Tuesday posts up on your blog as well. Thanks for the inspiration. Nat