i wasn't even sure i was going to do project life this year. i ordered the kit, of course. but i wasn't sure about actually doing it. but then, i was working on finishing all the photos in my project 365 album from last year (i think i'm missing about 15, that i need to fill in). and it made me really appreciate the meaning behind the album. and made me so happy that i decided to do it. and made me want to do it again.  

Project_life_week1

you know the drill. click on any photo to see it larger. figured i would share my first two weeks of the album with you. i know someone had commented, asking to see my title page for my project life album. and here it is. there's nothing fancy about it. this is just the way i choose to start mine, much like last year's. this year started on a friday, so there were only two days that week. so i just started right on the front page. if i get a wild notion to make a more official title page at a later date, i can do that and add it to the front.

Project_life_week2

i am missing one photo for this week. i must have missed one in my photo order, but i'm pretty sure i had one for that day. in fact, i know it was a photo of the girls laptop. will order that in the next batch. a few people have asked, so figured i'd tell you all where i got the yellow breadbox. it's from target. $15, and comes in red, turquoise, yellow, and green 🙂

Project_life_week3

and you can see that saturday is missing on this week also. that's only because i had all my photos printed last friday. and i put these together on friday. so as of that time, i was caught up. lol! i usually just print my photos once a week or every other week, and then add them in. and yes, one of those photos is blurry. i did that on purpose. just happens to show some of my CHA projects, that you're not supposed to see yet 😉

and i wanted to share something else with you, regarding the project life kit. 

i met tammy morales through my blog, and have chatted with her many times. and she filmed this video, that is all about setting up the project life kit. i saw becky higgins post about how someone had put together a video, and that it was something she's been meaning to do, but hadn't gotten around too. and it was fun to link over and realize that i knew that certain someone! you can view it HERE. it's 21 minutes long, and literally takes you through every part of the kit and how she's putting it together and using it, along with some other options. it really shows how simple this project can be, and how awesome this kit is for making this quick and easy and beautiful. i think sometimes it helps to have a visual, and to actually see something being assembled and how it works. and i think tammy did an amazing job of doing just that. i did tell her that when she shuffled the journaling cards together, that it made me panic a little. lol! i'm the kind that made sure those cards were in a very particular order. but that's ok.

because just like she said over and over. "it's ok". "it's totally fine". "it's whatever you want to do". that's what i tell anyone that asks me about this project. don't overthink it. don't stress over it. it's one photo a day, and one journaling card. so simple. did you have something special one day, and take 50 photos, and were worried about what to do. stop, and pick just one photo to represent that day. you can scrap that same photo, along with the other 49 photos, on another layout if you want. this project can be all that you scrap the entire year. or it can be just another project that you do, in addition to other layouts. it's all about what you want it to be. seriously. looking back at my album from last year, i would guess that about 70% of the photos in that album are ones that i'll never scrap on an actual layout. and yet, i have them in an album with some journaling. they're represented and accounted for. how cool is that? to be able to document all the little things in our life. the ones that we don't feel are special enough to devote an entire layout too. but that really do make up our day to day life, and tell something about us.

and one more thing. becky higgins is getting ready to launch the digital version of project life. it might be an option that some of you would prefer. she's posted some info and peeks at it on her blog the last few days, so check it out HERE.

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20 responses to “first two weeks of project life”

  1. Carla Avatar

    I really love your pics so far! And I like the way the journaling cards are in the middle. And OMG…I totally forgot about the date stamp from my Project 365. Shoot, should I go back and add it?
    I will check out that video for sure. Nice of her to make that! A lot of people do get wigged out about the project. I think people who feel overwhelmed will feel better when they actually start putting the album together. TFS!

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  2. Suzanne Avatar

    I saw the video! She did a great job! I did not order this kit around. I have not had time to finish last year’s. Love the concept though!Thanks for sharing your process!

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  3. Leslie Avatar
    Leslie

    I’m acutally considering PL digi – I know – crazy! Never done anything digi before. Who knows – I may like it!?!
    Did you just love going to CHA? Sound crazy, fun, and overwhelming all at once!
    I totally clicked on your yellow breadbox picture – did you fall in love w/ those at Target? I saw them last week and kept playing with them but I didn’t give in. I so still want to though – lol!

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  4. Cheryl Avatar
    Cheryl

    Love the breadbox … where did you find it? Mom had one when I was growing up and I’d love to get one of my own instead of just tossing the bread hinder and yon.

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  5. Mary Lynn Avatar
    Mary Lynn

    That looks great. It looks like the Project 365. Is it the sameidea?
    I wish that I could have gotten one but did not know about it.
    I am working on the Year in Review album only for this year.

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  6. Sandi N. Avatar
    Sandi N.

    Laura
    This is great. It looks a lot like the project from last year. So easy and fun to do. It is fun to read and see photos of your families life.
    I am doing the 365 kit from last year. I just love it!!! I have kept up with it so far too. I am starting to take more photos to. It is kind of my way to show the girls the simple things I do to take care of them, a long with items in the house I want them to know the short story behind.
    Thanks for thinking of me:)
    Sandi N.

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  7. Amy Avatar

    Thanks for sharing your first finished pages. I’m still waiting for my kit (in Australia) so it’s exciting to see other’s finished products and start getting ideas for mine!
    I too love the fact that this will “scrap” or record the everyday stuff that I know I will never actually scrap!

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  8. Brenda H Avatar

    your good to keep up on this. Its smart to do it while its happening. I did a similar thing with Memory Works Simple stories – same concept and went back and did 2009 from start to finish and it was torture – trying to remember when we did what and what to journal – wasn’t an enjoyable experience – i’m happy with the finished project but it was hard to do in reverse. I need to start now with this year – thanks for the inspiration as always! Love the Q&A below! 🙂

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  9. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    I sat and counted out my days for the year so I made sure that the card with the #’s 1-13 got put in a place where the date could be circled, etc. Yep, I got a bit panicky at the shuffling, too. LOVE those giant journaling cards (the bifolds), though. What a lifesaver when I forget to take a photo. Already this year I’ve slid one of those into a photo pocket and labeled it with the price of gas, milk, movies, etc. And I had to slide a second one into a “missing photo day” pocket this week, listing our family’s favorite TV shows. Those giant journaling cards are my ticket to sanity!

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  10. Megan Renfree Avatar

    Looks great Laura. I got my kit yesterday and started putting it together today. Like you I wasn’t sure I was going to do it, but looking back through my album from last year, I really think it was worth it. I think I might not stress quite as much about it this year though and maybe have some pages as fortnight pages.

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  11. Janet Avatar
    Janet

    thanks for sharing Laura! I have went back and forth with Project 365 and Project Life so many times it makes my head spin. I will just continue to do my year in review albums which each 2 page sprad captures a month. I have been doing this since 2006 and those are my FAV albums. But oh Project Life seems to always call my name..ha! I know what you mean about capturing everyday photos. So many people comment on my albums about how I incorporate every day things. I tell each of them- every picture you take does not have to have a person in it..seems simple, but that is a hard concept for alot of people. And really isn’t that was life is- just everyday things…SMiles!

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  12. Yvonne Winters Avatar
    Yvonne Winters

    i SO wanted to do the Project 365… bought the kit, put it together, it just needed hournalling and photos.. i think i made it through the first 3-4 months of 09. here it is jan again and i want to do one this year… but realistically if i never finished 09 i’ll never finish 10. i could go back and do most of the photos, but stopped making notes in my planner… so i punish myself by saying it isn’t honest enough. there was even a hiatus from the camera for a couple months last year. i need to let go of the guilt! but i love the concept!

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  13. Laura T. Avatar

    Looks great so far … I still need to order my June-December 2009 photos and do the journaling for all those months too (such a procrastinator). I wish I had purchased the Project Life album, but with not even being finished with the 2009 and a baby on the way, I would have been that much further behind. I did see the digital album, so I guess that is still a possibility.

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  14. wendy bretz Avatar
  15. Tammy Morales Avatar

    Laura,
    You are sweet! Thanks for the kindness.
    Thanks for sharing this information, I hope the video helps release some ‘fear’.
    I love seeing what other people are doing with this great kit Becky designed for all of us.

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  16. Amy Avatar

    This is turning out super cute.

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  17. Sara Rossi Avatar

    Great pics Laura! So glad you’re jumping right into the new kit! You put me to shame! I’ve been procrastinating about whether to do it this year or not {even though the new kit sits in my kitchen!}. Sorta leaning towards a monthly album if I go for it. And yes my last year’s album still needs journaling…slowly getting through that!! LOL!!
    Thanks for the video link–maybe that will inspire me! Off to watch! 😉

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  18. Lynn Avatar

    I hadn’t heard of Project Life before but it sounds like a really good idea. The little, everyday things that we often forget are sometimes the most important.

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  19. kat Avatar
    kat

    I can’t wait until I can order it!
    For your PoTD do you have any rules behind it? Like you have to take each picture? or can others take the pictures for you? trying to figure out if that even matters, lol!
    just wondering what others are doing…

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  20. cindy johnston Avatar
    cindy johnston

    Thanks for sharing what you’re doing with project life Laura! love it! TFS!!! I would also like to know where you got the super cute bread box! 😀 I’m going to check out that video now! have a great one!
    ps: I was able to get the collage thing down thanks to you! THANKS so much! seriously, I dont think I could have done it without your instructions! you rock girl! 😀 oh, and my collage looks awesome!!

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