Project Life® 3/18-3/24/2017

This week, I used Ali's Handdrawn Days digital files on each of the photos for some unity in the layout. Again, multiple products from Ali's Story Kits were used, among other random (probably Simple Stories and Project Life) cards.

I added the stamp "Scrap" from Technique Tuesday's Paper Hoarder set to a card from Ali's Read Story Kit.  It worked quite perfectly for the story I had to tell about Max pouring over scrapbooks.  I also used cards from Ali's Drive kit (Miles and Miles) and Numbers kit (Cost of Goods Right Now). The title card is from Ali's Craft kit.  Embellishments are all from one AE kit or another.  I believe the "hustlin'" card is from a Simple Stories sheet. The stamp on Tuesday's photo is from the Technique Tuesday stamp set as well.  I stamped using Staz On Opaque white ink.

Embellishments again are from Ali's kits.  I have them broken up, so it would be hard to say which ones.  The grid card is a Project Life product.  The Yikes from the Surprise kit was perfect for the journaling about my unexpectedly green calzone. The journal card about my throwback photo was from Ali's Old + New kit, which was my first Story Kit purchase (AKA the gateway drug).  The #Cool card was, I believe, from a We R Memory Keepers kit...or Simple Stories...not sure.

A close up of some flair.  

Catching Up with One Little Word® 2017

I appreciate the simplicity of One Little Word®. It's really easy to stay "caught up."  Here's February:

Last year had the same theme for the month of February.  Choose something that you want to practice.  This year, I chose daily prayer--spending 1% of the day with God.  It was a good thing to stay cognizant of. (Circle embellishments from Ali Edwards; cross from Micahels; heart stickers from Starfoam)

Since March does best as a double-page spread, I decided to use this card from the Simple Stories Posh kit as a starter. I love the message.  Embracing loving the days.

Again this year, Ali suggested a vision board that related to our words.  I chose the two scenes because relaxation and rest have been underrated in my life, except on weekends when I tend to crash. I need to embrace the need for these each day.

The final page is also from the Posh set.  I really like that set a great deal.  Lots of uses.

Project Life® Title Page

Keepin' it simple.  I used cards from the Inspire Edition in my Project Life® app.  I added to the 'about us' card and signed the 'written by' card.  I used Ali's number stickers for the year.  Not sure how far in to 2018 this will go, if at all, so I put the stickers on the page protector in case I needed to edit.  I dig it.  Love the brush script and water color.

Project Life® Week of 3/11 through 3/17

The double-page spread.  Not as much embellishments this week, as I believe there are lots of "words" to consider.  When I was finished with the guts, I just decided that adding more was unnecessary.  I am also becoming quite free with where the photos go in the spread.  If I went in a day-by-day fashion, this spread would have very little unity.  Bottom line: It would have bugged me.  So I grouped things together where it made the most sense.

I decided to use a meme that I loved to title the spread.  So spot on.  I love that I was able to incorporate the back of one of Ali's cards into this spread.  That does not always work out as smoothly.  I also used a Project Life card I had for St. Patrick's Day, as well as a digital Project Life® card that went will with my Seuss-y shots.

This week had a theme all right: bat-shit crazy.  My journaling tells the tale.

Project Life® Week of 3/4-3/10

Week 2 of my newest Project Life® adventure is in the book. This week uses a hodgepodge of materials from a few different vendors, some of whom I remember, others, I do not.  I have my materials organized by their use, not by vendor, and sometimes things look pretty similar from set to set. I attempted unity by having the same patterned 4 x 6 card (I believe from WRMK) on each page, adding a label or chipboard element for variety.  I also repeated some cards of Ali's with grids and sayings. After that, I chose cards that would help me tell the story, which was Ali's theme for the third week of Storytelling with Project Life®.  Some cards are from Ali, one was randomly in my stash, but I think it is from WRMK or Simple Stories.  

I had the spread done, then I went to a scrapbook store and purchased this cute stamp which was part of Taylored Expressions Weekend Warrior set.  I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with this image when I got home.  I used StazOn in opaque white and stamped directly on the photo.  First use of the stamp: buttah.

Stickers from various Story Kits of Ali's are all throughout the layout.  I believe these will continually be my icing on my pages.  They are just too cute.  I added them mainly to the outside of the page protectors.

Project Life® Begins Again

I was so, so, so excited in 2010 when Project Life® came out.  I have done this project three times as a whole album, not necessarily a whole year.  It is the easiest, most efficient way of scrapbooking that exists on the planet.  Call it "pocket scrapbooking" if you will, but Becky Higgins was definitely the enabler for me.

Recently, I joined Ali Edwards' Storytelling with Project Life class. An overview of the class is here.

The first week allowed class participants to take video walks through Ali's albums.  I was pretty excited about that.  The best part?  She's not done with them.  Not by a long shot.  And that made her even more human to me.

The second week was focused on process.  We were challenged to just FILL THE POCKETS.  Get a spread done.  Use a "kit" that is color coordinated to eliminate some of the decision making hurdles.  Add embellishments AFTER the story has been told.  Tell whatever story you wish; don't be critical of yourself.

With these things in mind, I tried to take a photo a day, at minimum.  I used Instagram (sorry, it's a private account, but my craft one is public) as placeholders for the stories. (Ali stresses how she uses it religiously to remember the stories when she runs out of time for the physical book.) Here's what evolved:

I used Ali's 4 x 3 Class Set stamps and StazOn opaque white ink on each photo.  You will also see a variety of word and chipboard stickers from Ali's Story Kits and Simple Stories.  The cards are from the Project Life® Honey Edition.  The journal cards are actually bifold cards that I cut in half.

page 1

page 2

full spread

And like that, a week is done.  I decided to go Saturday to Friday with my weeks so that I could compile the pages on a Friday, when I have time and motivation.  Seemed to work well.  Wish me luck!