OBSERVATIONS: Last week, Aidan had a friend over and imagine my surprise when she pulled out this giant, honking Project Life album to share with her friend Phillip. As I watched her re-living the first 24 weeks of our lives in 2012, I realized how grateful I am that I decided to dig in and give Project Life my full attention.
It has become a weekly labor of love for me. Yes, it takes some focus and dedication, but it has re-connected me with memory keeping in a way that feels fresh and creative again. And, above all, simple for me.
Here are my pages for this week:
It seems like every few weeks in Project Life, I get a new thing to try out. In the past few weeks it has been using blocky, clean sans serif titles ghosted back over photos. I did a tutorial on this last week. (Click here to find it.)
PRINTING TIP: If you are printing a 4 x 6 photo, many photo printers accomodate for the edge-to-edge/borderless printing (called the "bleed") by making what you are printing just a bit bigger. What this means is that you have to play with anything overlaying on those photos a bit, making sure stuff that matters isn't too close to the edge, lest it get cut off. For example, see my overlaying type this week? I actually placed it so it didn't hit the edges of my photos, knowing that it would be slightly enlarged and get cut off. Some of the type did get cut off, but the overall effect works for me. So keep in mind, if you have a title bar, or a piece of word art, you'll want to move it in just a bit to make sure important text or other elements don't get cut off.
One thing I do on my 3 x 4 cards is to print them onto 4 x 6 photo paper but turn OFF the full bleed settings to make sure they print exactly as I intended. Then I can include the crop marks option as well to make trimming quick and easy. If you leave the bleed/borderless settings turned on, your 3 x 4 prints larger than it should.
I busted out my wireless remote controller last week to shoot us gathered around our kitchen table for Father's Day breakfast. It's not fancy, but I love seeing the four of us together, just out of bed, PJs and all.
One thing I didn't include last week, and I really think I missed an opportunity, was a text I sent to Dan after dropping Aidan and Cole off at the newly remodeled Como Pool:
I know. Inside, I'm really just a 10-year-old boy. Moving right along…
Here's our weekly recap:
For anyone who likes the idea of doing a weekly recap, I just have to stress how helpful the Day One app has been for me in this process. Four times a day it pops up on my computer and asks me for an update. It's been such a simple way to keep track of what we are doing, saying and thinking during the week.
And one final shot…we went to see Moonrise Kingdom last week and Aidan returned home inspired to take a page from the Wes Anderson (think Royal Tannebaums) and built a fort in her room.
It's making it really challenging to vaccum in there.
And that is all I wrote for Week 25.
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Kate says
Cathy, I just love this week’s spread. Would you be willing to do a blog post showing how to turn off the full bleed settings? I have photoshop open now and went to look as I was reading your post and can’t figure it out.. that could be why my printing seems to be a little off.
Thanks!
Tamie Speara says
Cathy, do you know if there are project life pages (or another comparable brand) that can hold a 5×7 photo? I can’t find it if there is. I already printed all my kids’ 1st day of school pics at 5×7 when I was scrapbooking the traditional way. I’m now switching to project life but don’t want to reprint all these pics. Thoughts?
cathy says
Kate, what type of printer do you have? Its different on every one. On my HP, I just choose 4 x 6 as one of my settings, as opposed to 4 x 6 borderless. Does this help?
cathy says
I believe they are coming in the new page protectors designs, but I cant be sure. Ill check! : ) Hold tight and Ill let you know!
Julie says
I love that you included that text to Dan, because when I read that caption on the photo of the kids, I laughed to myself thing…he he he poop… LOL!!! and then there you went and spilled the beans. glad to know I’m not along!! 🙂 Thanks for all your PL inspiration! I am a bit behind and need to get my groove on! THANKS!!! <3
Shelley Laming says
I love it, Cathy — and I am inspired. I laughed out loud at your pool text. You are too clever, my friend. xo! -shell
dawn says
Hi Cathy, I love your Pl more and more each week. How AWESOME that Aidan pulled it out to share with a friend and that you got that picture of her reading it!! Some friends/family don’t get why I do this and all the time it takes but you said it perfectly, LABOR OF LOVE!! I can’t imagine NOT doing this project, it’s the highlight of my week.
Aidan looks so pretty in those two shots of her, so grown up!! How lucky to have the remote for that picture, it’s cute.
Thanks for sharing and I’m so glad you jumped in this year and are having fun with it.
Joy says
I think I’m finally going to get on this wagon train. I bought the digital templates from JS last weekend. I made a concerted effort to take more photos this week. Not a whole and so far, all on my iPhone with a lot of Instragram-ing going on, but I think I’m ready to return to the world of digital scrapping on my terms. Thanks for the great hints/tips/peeks at your own way of doing Project Life.
cathy says
Shell, thank you for appreciating my inner 10 year old boy. ; )
cathy says
Joy, your iPhone can be a huge boost to Project Life! I use instagram shots a lot in mine! : )
Enjoy the process!
Kate says
yes, that does.. I always choose borderless. I have an HP also, so I will try it and see if that works, Thanks!
Pedita Hall says
Thanks so much for the printing advice! I am trying PL using digi but then printing out for the album – at the end of the year I’ll print an album then decide what to do from here. In any case, my photos and journalling cards all printed with the edges cut off. It won’t work on my printers to do it as you said (I just get bordered photos instead) but if I adjusted the “overspray” setting to minimal – thanks to your advice – its now fixed!
Thanks so much.
Pedita
Laurie says
Cathy, my iphone died and I lost all of my Day One notes for the year. Do you back yours up somehow? Jut wondered what you do to avoid that since you are so “techie”
cathy says
Laurie, I also bought the app for my Mac, so it syncs to my computer. Although, I thought that the original App synced with DropBox. Did you happen to have a Drop Box account?
Elizabeth says
There should be a feature that allows you to turn off the extension that messes up the printing area in full bleed. Mine is under “borderless printing,” and the slider lets you go from maximum extension to no extension. It defaults in the middle, so I change it every time I print full bleed. (I have a cheapie but awesome Canon printer)
Jen Hart says
Cathy, beautiful pages as always 🙂
I have a techie question. I hope it is not something you have already covered and I missed.
I print my photos from PS and they are not true 4×6. It means that they are too small for the pockets and I end up mounting them all, which, whilst I love the pretty paper I use to mount them on and gives cohesion to the project for that wee, it takes way longer than I really have time for. I really want my 4×6 to be that size so I can print and add. Any Answers? xxxx
cathy says
Jen, maybe it has something to do with choosing borderless 4 x 6 ? Do your prints print out with a white border?
Stacia says
Anything that provides an excuse to postpone the vacuuming is a win in my book. 😛
Jenny B says
I love that she showed the album to her friend! It makes me wish that I wasn’t doing my album all digital. I plan to print it as a photo book when it’s all finished, so we won’t be able to look through it until next year. I know my (lack of) bookshelves will thank me, though. 🙂
Brooke says
I have a 4 year old and we are just getting to the poo and wee laughter stage!
I also love trying out new techniques each week. There is something about working in small scale that makes it less scary!
Laurie says
Of course not! HA! Lesson learned. I think before I start again I will make sure it is synching somewhere else, that would be smart.
cathy says
Tamie, they are coming, according to Becky Higgins! They will accommodate both vertical and horizontal 5 x 7s. Here is her post with info on all the new products and when theyre coming out!
http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/07/full-update-on-project-life-products/
Gina says
Thank you for all these tips! Your blog is getting back into scrapping and I am more than grateful! Do you put those black boxes with words on your photos or is that done after for us?
I have been checking out your videos – AWESOME! Thank you!!!
Blessings!
Gina says
That should say getting ME back into scrapping, gsshh
funny status says
I wonder why other professionals don’t notice your website much m glad I found this.
Janna says
ok seriously. you make me hysterical!!! I’m finally catching up on you blog – from way too long ago and I am literally laughing out loud. I love the text! WAY. TOO. FUNNY. I guess I must be a 10 yr old boy at heart too.