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Project Life Check In + a Step-by-Step Video on Journal Cards

June 6, 2011

Project Life Check In + a Step-by-Step Video on Journal Cards

Opener

I think I'm liking the idea of updating my Project Life album every two to three weeks.

Why? Well, for starters, I'll get more mileage out of my page protectors. Next, I don't take quite as many photos as I did in the Days of Scrapbook Yore, so I feel less pressure to make sure I have images to get into the book.

This spread covers two weeks, May 15 through May 28.  Some of the biggest news of this time period? Hello? Oprah's final show? I think I could have devoted an entire mini album to that one. Alas, I'll suffice with a shot of my television screen and notes on a journal card.

Although this photo didn't make the cut:

OPRAH

(Yes, I watched the final show with a smoothie in hand.)

This one didn't make the cut either:

Thumbsup!

Nor this one:

Wespeakyourname

OPRAH. WE SPEAK YOUR NAME!

Alright, moving right along…here are my pages:

Page1

Page2

I made a new set of 2.75 x 3.75 layered journaling files for those of you who want to dabble in custom journaling cards. I use a mix of my own handwriting on the Project Life cards, and my custom journaling cards. Sometimes, I have more to say than I can usually fit onto a hand-journaled card.

CZ_JournalCards02

The files work just like any other layered Photoshop file. You open them, change your font to one you like, type in your journaling, and then change the green placeholder color of the pop word to whatever you like. Here's a very short video showing you how they work:

Working with layered journal cards from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Open layered journal card file. Select the layer with the pop word (the word in green on the template) and change it's color. To do this, click once on the Set Foreground Color icon in the tool palette to pull up the Color Picker. Move your mouse around to find a color you like. Click OK.

2. Go to Edit > Fill Layer. Make sure the Contents drop down is set to Foreground Color and that Preserve Opacity is checked. Click OK and the color will apply to the pop word.

3. Click on the journaling layer (with the T icon) and highlight all the words to change the font.

4. Type in your journaling, and you're ready to print. Be sure to send the file to print with the Crop Marks option checked in the PSE print window.

To print multiple cards on a single sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock, you will use the MultiCardJournalingTemplate file included in the package.

1. Open the MultiCardJournalingTemplate.psd file, and make sure you also have your journal card file open as well.

2. In the upper most bar there is an icon that has a drop down for Arrange Documents. Click on that and select the view that shows two docs side by side. Note: you can also just click on the top of the MultiCardJournalingTemplate.psd window and drag it over to the side, so you can view both documents at once.

3. Click on the journal card so its active, then hold down the Shift key and select all four layers in the document.

4. Next, hold down the mouse, click anywhere on the journal card file and drag over to the MultiCardJournalingTemplate.psd file. Let go and the entire card will transfer to the template. All of the layers move together because they are still highlighted. Click to drag into place centered in the crop marks. Repeat for more cards.

If you have any questions for me, leave me a comment. And have a fabulous Monday.

For more information on Project life, click here.

 

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Comments

  1. dawn says

    June 6, 2011 at 5:08 am

    Your two weeks looks good and love the photos of the house and new color. So funny having all those Oprah pictures to choose from, she is great. I think everyone doing PL had a picture and story about Oprah that week. The journal cards are so cute and the little titles for each one is fun, thanks for sharing them with us. Happy Monday.

    Reply
  2. buckey@wildblue.net says

    June 6, 2011 at 5:54 am

    cathy, i was wondering if you could do the journal cards in pdf. i don’t use photoshop, but would love to be able to type my journal cards for project life. any suggestions?

    Reply
  3. Kendra B says

    June 6, 2011 at 6:18 am

    Thanks for the instructions!!

    Reply
  4. cathy says

    June 6, 2011 at 7:09 am

    Right now, theyre not in PDF. They would have to be blank. So youre saying you could type in a PDF? If so, I can probably amend them, but in PDF, you cant change the colors to customize, which is part of the problem. : )

    Reply
  5. melanie says

    June 6, 2011 at 8:31 am

    I love the new front porch, it’s very modern & Zen. Great entries to record- I’d love to do this, maybe next year.

    Reply
  6. Becky J. says

    June 6, 2011 at 8:37 am

    Thank you for making these cards! They are PERFECT! Just love all of your stuff!

    Reply
  7. Lynn M says

    June 6, 2011 at 8:52 am

    Thanks so much for these little cards. I’ve created some in Word for my Project Life, and these will add more personality to my album.

    Reply
  8. Christine Preston says

    June 6, 2011 at 10:09 am

    Cathy,
    I love how simple these cards make the journaling aspect of my Project Life. Here is my question: what would be your digital solution for making the patterned filler cards (in your example, the blue striped one)? I didn’t buy Project Life and it is now sold out, so I’m trying to recreate all the other parts. Any suggestions?

    Reply
  9. cathy says

    June 6, 2011 at 10:17 am

    Hmmm. Good question. I suppose if you had the skills needed, you could create your own. The blue striped card on mine is from the turquoise Project Life. I dont do much design like that, which is why I love Beckys kit! : )

    I would just put photos in those spots, or…. find a few sheets of patterned paper you love, like a ledger style, and cut those into 2.75 x 3.75 cards to use!

    Reply
  10. Jewel says

    June 6, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Thanks for the adorable journaling cards – they are perfect! Also, I wanted to comment on how freeing your approach to PL is for me. I was falling way behind as I wasn’t taking that many pictures so I started thinking, why bother? Isn’t it weird that at age 47, I can’t tell myself, it is ok that I don’t have to have a page for everyweek. But after reading on how you are approaching PL, I thought, duh! why didn’t I think it was ok to do a few weeks or even a whole month and leave it at that.

    Reply
  11. cathy says

    June 6, 2011 at 10:26 am

    Yeah, Im so not hung up on making sure i get everything. Maybe its age, maybe its that my kids are older. But I still think everything they do is adorable so I dont think thats it. : )

    Reply
  12. Delia says

    June 6, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Hi Cathy,
    Another vote for you doing a version in PDF for us non photoshop people. If you kept to the green of this year’s project life there wouldn’t be any need to change the colour.
    cheers

    Reply
  13. Suz says

    June 6, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    for those not in photoshop, just go into Word and make a custom page size of 2×3 and type away. if you want a title like Cathy has, just make a macro. HTH!

    Reply
  14. Val says

    June 6, 2011 at 4:27 pm

    Love these journalers. Are you selling 4×6 journalers like you have in your project life?

    Reply
  15. carol in seattle :) says

    June 6, 2011 at 4:31 pm

    Cathy, I love seeing your approach to PL. Just one question…are YOU in it? Don’t forget to get photos of YOU in your scrapbook!

    Reply
  16. cathy says

    June 6, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    Yes! : )

    http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/11855

    or the story card collection but those you have to drop in your own journaling blocks!

    http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/9873

    Reply
  17. cathy says

    June 6, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Whoops! Forgot myself this time around! : )

    Reply
  18. Annette says

    June 6, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Diggin those little cards. And your approach. Mine is more like a memorabilia keeper at the moment, but hoping to add the photos and stories I’ve been capturing other places. Just do it, right? Was thinking since mine is turning into more of a monthly thing I might even add in some of “the monthly” spreads if I wanted to add in more photos. Still, I think it fits a need between layouts and just the photos. And I love the green!

    Reply
  19. jennie says

    June 6, 2011 at 7:45 pm

    i love that in the last post, dan matches the house, and in this post, you and the smoothie match lady o. well played, zielskes! 🙂

    Reply
  20. Donna B says

    June 7, 2011 at 2:04 am

    This is fantastic. Thank you for these journaling cards!

    Reply
  21. janice m says

    June 7, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    yes, TY so much for the wonderfully designed journaling cards.
    i printed one card with the TODAY your fav chartreuse color. one i changed to orange. both turned out with lots of gray in it. i’m not sure why? is it my printer?

    Reply
  22. cathy says

    June 7, 2011 at 7:04 pm

    Sounds like a printer issue! That would be my guess!

    Reply
  23. Kelly says

    June 9, 2011 at 5:15 am

    Just noticed this – you’ve probably be doing it right since the beginning! – are you rounding all your photo corners???? Loving how it looks. 🙂 and totally loving the cards – I’m having so much fun catching up on the last few weeks with mixing and matching hand writing or typed cards…thanks!!

    Reply
  24. cathy says

    June 9, 2011 at 8:12 am

    I am, but just on the smaller cards. Not my main 6 x 4 photos!

    Reply
  25. JoLynn says

    June 12, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Thanks for the alternate journaling cards! I did that on a few 2010 layouts, as the designs did not always suit the page. Yours look way better, and I always seemed to have measurement “issues.”

    Your Oprah pictures are hysterical. I do see an Oprah album in your future. You know you want to…

    Reply
  26. davina ishikawa says

    October 13, 2015 at 4:10 am

    Interesting piece ! my business partners yesterday was made aware of http://pdf.ac/8jfeyY to write in pdf . It’s relatively convenient to learn and it’s useful ! I am guessing they have a 7 day promotion now

    Reply

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