OBSERVATIONS: The love affair continues with Project Life. Here I am in Week 7 and still really loving this process. Some of you have asked me if I'm still doing regular scrapbooking, regular defined as creating separate layouts outside of this album.
The answer so far in 2012? Not really.
Part of the reason is that these two pages I do each week for Project Life feel like one, big 12 x 12 layout in and of themselves. It's been so cool because I don't have to simply keep the layouts to one particular subject. They can be a random mish mash of the week's happenings. This is such a freeing way to document.
I think that's why this concept is so successful: it is a very liberating approach to memory keeping. I know I don't have to cover everything that happens in my life and yet I'm really on the lookout for the stuff I want to keep, save and remember.
It just keeps getting better. Here are my pages for Week Seven.
I designed a new card set to use for my weekly recap journaling. It includes 11 layered cards in a 6 x 4 horizontal format. Aside from the "week in review" text, the set also includes each day of the week in "a saturday story" format. I wanted to create some more journaling cards to give me more room to share daily stories as well. These layered cards are fully customizable in Photoshop Elements so you can tailor the colors and backgrounds to match your album.
I plan to mix these up with my other layered cards throughout the weeks.
One thing that's been pretty constant from last week (and ho BOY for this week) is Zielske people under the weather. I'll be sharing a bit of Aidan's ER visit next week.
I also am continuing to love using Tiny Templates to document life. Last week, I went out for a fabulous dinner with two of my dearest friends. We took some really poorly lit shots with our cell phones, and I wanted to create a tiny layout card to celebrate. Tiny Templates are perfect for using your less-than-stellar photos to tell a story. Every bad photo looks just a tiny bit better the smaller it gets!
The other thing I added this week was some of the Project Life Big Envelope Pages.
There are things that I want to save throughout the year—like the Valentine's Day cards that Dan and I exchange every year—and I figured it was time to pop one of the Big Envelopes in the back of the album to have a place for such memorabilia. Anything that I really don't want to cut up to use in the weekly spreads will go back here for now. I may even add a pocket for Aidan and one for Cole.
I already figure that I will be keeping my Project Life pages in more than one album as the year progresses, so we'll see how these pockets end up adding bulk to the overall project.
And that, memory savin' friends, is all she wrote on Week Seven.
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dawn says
Hi Cathy, hope Aidan is doing better by now. Sorry about the whole house having a flu bug, that’s never fun. Let’s hope that will be the last of it this season.
Your pages look fun as always, love all the little bits and your new template looks perfect, love the idea.
I actually had a question for you before reading this about those weekly recaps you do.
Is this the first thing you do? Have you ever had to decide between this recap or a photo for the week?
I’m asking because this recap is something I try to include every week now but each time there is a photo that I want to make sure goes in.
Thanks for any help you can give me on this.
Hugs for you all of you and get well wishes!!
cathy says
I mostly do the recap first. Because Ive been taking notes all week, its really quick and easy. I figure now, if there are extra photos I want to include, I can do them in a Tiny Template to get more images in. : )
dawn says
Thanks Cathy for the tip. I think this will be what I start doing first to and see how it goes. Those tiny templates are the coolest!!
toni from says
I love this layout Cathy, and yeah I love the picture of Cole curled up, what a great real life photo! I hope everyone in Casa Zielske continues to improve. I also love the new frame journalers, I will be getting those ASAP.
Dar says
I ordered a set of 12×12 page protectors for my Project Life album, and put them in the back. Now, when the mood (or a large photo!) strikes me, I can create one of my more “traditional” layouts, and include it with the rest. I think it will add a nice visual impact to my album as a whole.
Thanks for the update, and the helpful tips. This Project Life is great fun!
Kate Ware says
I simply cannot read the words “Tiny Templates” without hearing you say it in your Tiny Elvis voice! 🙂 Love them, and love your layouts! 🙂
cathy says
Ah HA! My plan is working perfectly. ; )
Wendy says
Cathy,
I am loving using your design templates for Project Life. I also use all of the different designs for the page protectors and thus have many vertical 4×6 photos in my album.
Have you thought about designing any 4×6 journaling templates that are portrait rather than landscape? Just curious….:)
cathy says
Yes! I just havent made them yet! : ) I will add that to my list and create a set based on portrait orientation!
Wendy says
Awesome!! Thank you so much!
Mindy says
i just found your blog through becky higgins & i am so happy that i did! i have my first two weeks of project life done, but then fell behind so i am playing catch up & feeling overwhelmed! i love the “week in review” and think that is the way to go as i am having a hard time with placing everything. now i can just use that & fill the rest with pics & stuff. and i love the tiny templates…going to buy those right now! looking forward to your future project life posts for more inspiration!
Marianne says
Hi Cathy, I’m LOVING the products you’ve been designing for Project Life! Documenting each week is a bit much for me right now, so I’m using P/L to document each MONTH. That said, I’m wondering if I have the ability (using PSE) to change your journaling cards from “week in review” to “month in review”? Thanks so much and please keep designing so I can keep buying!
cathy says
Hey Mindy, glad you found me here! : ) Becky is so awesome with creating this whole thing. Totally love her and the system. Be sure to check back! : )
cathy says
Marianne, thank you so much! Now, on that card, no…. that is a custom font that has been turned into artwork so you cant type over it. I didnt think to do a Month in Review on such a small card, but… I should create one, huh?
Jamie Danford says
Shit. I keep seeing your Project Life posts and feel that I’m teetering on the brink. WHY the heck did I ever scrapbook the traditional way in the first place????? This seems SO much more focused. Ugh. My PL book may start on March 1st. Can I still order it from BH?
cathy says
Jamie, you have to order from Amazon, Im fairly certain. However, after getting a huge amount of stock in last week, theyre out of many things again, but there is more coming in. Check out Beckys blog for more info! : )
Pedroza says
Hi Cathy,
I am glad everyone is starting to feel better. I love your project life, but I also love and miss seeing your traditional layouts of 8.5 by 10.
Rita says
I vowed NOT to do PL – no kids in house, etc. But now I, too, am teetering…. Thinking I can incorporate adult kids/grandkids phone/skype/text messages & conversations into album. Loving what I see… hoping it’s as ‘easy’ as it looks.
Cathy… wondering why you use ‘Week ___’ vs the actual date (Feb 12-18)?
All the best to Aidan.
cathy says
Ah HA, you are being tempted, my friend.
I just figure I know what year Im in, you know? I will use some actual dates in the album here and there. Plus, Im using Beckys monthly page dividers so I kind of know where I am in the year. : )
Marianne says
Oh, please do! And maybe going forward, your new products could include “month” in addition to “week” for those of us who’ve chosen to document our lives monthly as opposed to weekly?! Many thanks Cathy!
Jan C. says
Cathy, I would very much like to purchase the journaling brushes you show in this post, and I believe a friend of mine has them and is using them. But I can’t find them on the Designer Digitals website anywhere. Is something wrong on DD’s end, or have I lost my schmidt and just can’t find them when they’re really right in front of my face?!!!
Jan C. says
Never mind, all of a sudden they popped right up when I clicked on your name. 🙂
cathy says
Jan, they just went on sale this evening! Sorry for the time delay on that!
Conni says
Cathy I love visiting your blog, I come by often, lol Thanks so much for the link to Designer Digitals, I hoped over there and bought your templates, and had so much fun playing with them. I was wondering though if you could do a tutorial on using your brushes. Thanks again, for the templates and the inspiration!!
cathy says
Conni, I sure can! : ) What brushes do you have? Maybe I could include them in a tutorial!
Conni says
Wow thanks Cathy!! I purchased your Story Saver Brushes and Stamps, before I realised that they were brushes, but would really like to be able to use them, lol. Thanks again for your templates, I got some many pictures into last weeks PL layout!!
cathy says
Oh, I have a tutorial for those! This video shows how to customize stuff on the PNG portion (you dont have to use the .ABR brush files). At the end, I drop in a text box for adding journaling. See if this helps!
Conni says
wow, that looked easy, I am off to give it a try. Thanks so much for your help!!
Conni says
ok, I sent you an email, walked away from my computer, and when I returned it worked! Thanks for all your help, and for all you inspiration