i thought i would share some thoughts on project life with you today. and also show you how i go about setting up my album, and getting it all assembled. here's my kit, that came on monday.
i have been a fan of becky higgins forever. and from her first project 365 kit, i just fell in love with the concept. the photo-a-day idea. it's a big commitment. but it's also a super cool project, when you see it coming together. i'm so glad that i completed my 2009 album (with the exception of a few months of journaling to finish. lol!), and i kind of regret that i didn't stay with it for 2010. but i'm back for this coming year, and am really excited about it. it might also help that i'm in love with the turquoise edition. i just heard that kerri bradford was the genious behind the design. which totally made sense, because it's her style from start to finish. and i'm a huge fan of her's also. so i was really meant to work with this kit 😉
here's a little something i blogged last year, as i was discussing the idea of project life, and showing my first few weeks of the project:
"here is 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."
i'm so insightful, aren't i? lol! anyways. onto how i assemble my album. keep in mind, this is how i do it. and could be totally different from what everyone else does. or maybe my way just doesn't work for you. totally fine. in fact, if you check that link i mentioned above (the "this year" one), you'll find a link there to a fellow blogger that filmed a video on setting up her album. it's really cool to watch. and she did a few things i would never do. but that's what makes us all unique, right 🙂
the first thing i do, is add all the divided page protectors to the album. then i pull out all the title cards. there is one for each week, along with some extras. these are where you write the dates for that week. i spread out all the designs, and then put them in a nice, planned out order. but that's mainly because i'm slightly anal about things being perfect, and not having the same design or color in a row. lol! then i go through, and slip one title card in the top left pocket for each week. 52 times.
the monthly bookmarks are to add into the album, to give a clear view of where each month starts. these come with a thin plastic covering on them, to protect them from scratches. so i simply peel all of those coverings off, and then i place the entire stack of bookmarks into the front of the album. i will insert them into the correct spots, as i go along.
there are some special front page and back page cards. there's a picture in the kit, of how they could be arranged. while you could certainly change it up, i figure if someone else took the time to think it out and come up with a plan, then i'm all for it. so i slipped those all in, exactly like they showed.
NOTE: since 2011 starts on a saturday, i will be starting my album on that day. i like the idea of a sunday thru saturday week. so i will actually take one of these filler cards and one title card OUT, and slipping in my very first photo and journaling card. i'm ok with having my title page and my first official day be together.
next up is the filler cards. there are spots for eight journaling cards on each weekly spread. since there are seven days in a week, the extra spot gets filled with a filler card. these are just decorative cards, that work on their own. or you could do something to them. i spread out the filler cards, with the ten designs. and then i go through the album again, and slip one in each week. i try to pick the best design or color that goes with the title card for that week. this entire kit matches of course. but some cards just naturally look better with certain cards. kwim?
the journaling cards. this takes a bit of time. i spread them all out, into the different designs. there are 20 designs. keep in mind, there are bi-fold designs included in the kit as well. these are for when you have more to say, and want more room to write. i don't put these in my album to start. if the time comes and i want a bi-fold card, then i swap it out.
for arranging the journaling cards, i split them into 3 groups. once again, this is just totally my way of doing this. and my way, isn't the right way for everyone. just how i do it. i sort them into three groups (2 groups of seven, and 1 group of six = 20 designs), so that i have a good mix of designs and colors. i like to make sure i don't end up with a bunch of cards with red in one week, or have all the best cards with the text on them in another week. so i sort them out. then i shuffle them out into weeks, using group one, then group two, then group three, and then back to group one. since the third group has 6 designs, i randomly pull a card from the other piles to add in.
once i have the 52 stacks, all in order, i start slipping them into the album. for me, it doesn't matter what pockets i slip them into for each week. because when i add the photos, and then go to journal, i will arrange them exactly how i want them. i just like to have them IN the album, and in the orders i want for the weeks. kwim? some people keep them in the boxes they come in, and randomly pull them out to use. but i prefer to have as much as i can, put together and ready to go.
and now, my album is all assembled and ready to go. how i worked on this for my 2009 album, was to print my photos every weekend. i'm about 3 minutes from my costco, so it's easy and convenient to place small orders like that. i don't want to make anything super complicated, or have multiple spots to upload photos or keep track of them.
so for me, i just take my photos during the week. pick my seven photos for the week, upload them to costco and order, and then slip them in the album. if i do this every week, i can remember what photo goes with what day. and i write the journaling cards when i add the photos. i journal about what the photo is. so i don't feel the need to write anything down during the week. i don't have a great memory, but i CAN remember what the photos are about just by looking at them ;)
in the end, i have the one storage box that holds my extra pieces. the bi-fold journaling cards, the days and numbers stickers, the extra title cards and filler cards, and the date stamp. so i have the album and a small storage box. that's all i need to work on this project, in addition to my photos and a pen for journaling. love that.
have i talked you into ordering one of your own yet? you know you're all intriqued by it, right? i need some of my online friends, to be doing this project too. so we can keep each other on track. if you have ordered it, which kit did you get? if you havn't ordered, do you need a gentle nudge. because i can do that. i'm a great enabler. lol! and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask.
Laura Vegas 
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