Please forgive me. I made no scrapbook pages to share today for Make a Page Monday. Instead, I made like NINE of ’em!
It’s that time again. Project Life catch up time. Lately, I have not been sticking to my usual routine, that routine being to sit down every Monday and just make the page or pages. Life has been busy, emotional and work-laden. Sometimes, my record of daily life has to take a back seat for a while.
But thanks to my Project Life photo organization system (see a brief video overview here), my photos are broken into weeks so when I’m ready to scrapbook, they are too.
I plowed through several weeks on Sunday and here was my guiding principle: no mucky muck.
What that translated to what this: just add the photos and write one, short paragraph. That’s it. And can I just tell you how freaking GOOD it feels to let go of the pressure to be creative?
I mean, seriously people. I feel liberated on so many levels. At the end of the year, I’m going to compile all of my digital files into one lovely, elegant book (still not sure where to print it, but I’m open to your suggestions!) and it’s not going to matter than I didn’t get all crazy creative or that I had match-matchy two-page spreads. What will matter are words and images that capture a year of Zielske life in a simple, unassuming way.
Damn. That makes me happy. Here are my pages.
Aaaaaand… release!
It feels really good to get caught up in less than two hours. It’s simply a matter of dropping in photos, writing a bit of journaling and calling it good.
I blurred out a few images and used my Teen Privacy Circles (they’re free) because I’m getting much better at knowing some photos are just for a family album.
Plus, it got me out a Make a Page Monday bind: I had no new single pages to share.
I wonder if it will slow down a bit with Aidan being gone, this pace of my recent memory keeping. It’s not that life is slowing down, but we’ll just have to see.
I’m serious about getting suggestions for where to print my book at year’s end. Please share your experiences with me in the comments. I want to make an awesome printed book.
DIGITAL SUPPLIES:
Giada says
Cathy, your Project Life is always clean and simple and inspiring ♥.
I love that you don’t use lots of embellishments just because it’s trendy and I love that your pages look so-well-put together, something I am aiming and hoping for mine 🙂
RitaQ says
So happy & inspired to see your catch-up pgs. Was wondering if you had ‘fallen off the wagon’. :). Ironic to see your comment re-slowing down. I have no kids in house (except the 4-legged one) and I generally have more than enough to fill pgs. But I also beg for daily life photos from my far-away offspring.
Printing? Sorry no experience for PL book but have loved the Adoramix books for Wedding & travel photo books. But they are pricey & thick pages but lie flat which I love.
Jacquie says
I am an avid follower/believer in you Project Life system. I was nearly 5 months behind recently, but thanks to surgery and your ‘system’ I have only 2 more months to catch up. I can’t bang out 9 weeks in 2 hours and I am okay with that. It will get done soon and I feel absolutely no pressure.
About the printing. I was still holding out hope for Artifacts Uprising…is there any chance they may still come through?
Cathy Zielske says
I hope so. I’m not sure. I should email them!
Kirsten says
What is the matter with Artifact Uprising?
Cathy Zielske says
At present, they don’t offer 12 x 12 sizes. 🙂 Their only fault, really.
heidig says
Nice job!
Stephanie Vetne says
Love your pages! I have all my digi layouts printed at Persnickety Prints and love them. I’ve never had a book printed there but I would definitely be willing to risk it.
Katie says
I am just embarking on my weekly PL journey and your iPhoto organization tip will be so very helpful. Thank you, Cathy!
Laurel says
Adoramapix! They are pricey, even with discounts… But the quality is amazing. So muh better than shutterfly.
Yolanda says
I love your PL pages, clean and simple or embellished. It’s the completed story that matters.
As for printing your finished album, I love Blurb (I get proline uncoated paper and upgraded end sheets). I use their BookWright software (you can also use InDesign, if that’s your thing). I like BookWright because it allows you to make several versions of your book at once (hard cover, soft cover, e-book) and it’s great for giving copies to others.
If you prefer a lay-flat option check out Adoramapix or MyPublisher. Design Aglow just released some beautiful lay flat albums, as well. Lay-flat albums will always be more expensive and tend to have a smaller page limit than books with gutters, so this style may not be an option if your PL album is more than 100 pages.
Valerie W says
You go Cathy! I just did the same thing this weekend, finished 10 weekly pages, it feels great! Adorama books are amazing, I really love them. I also ordered a sample book from Artisan State. I know they received mixed reviews, but I have to say, the book I ordered almost a year ago is still gorgeous, so I will be torn between these two companies when ordering my 2014 book.
Yolanda says
I hadn’t heard of Artisan State. Just checked them out. Thanks for the tip.
Amanda Villagómez says
I printed my photo books for Project Life through Shutterfly. I was happy with the quality but don’t have a lot to compare it to. I did two albums because I was doing a 2 page spread every week and had a monthly Day in the Life spread. This year I am typically only doing 1 spread a week.
Thank you for mentioning that the teen privacy circles were free. Lately I have been thinking I wanted them but kept on forgetting to check for them at Designer Digitals. Now they are downloaded, and better yet, for free.
Thank you for continuing to share your PL process.
Kendra says
My favorite place to print is Adorama. The pages come back gorgeous! They really focus on the photos and the paper is amazing. I like their metallic paper covers, too, if you go that route. It is worth the price difference. They have some good sales that help. I’ve heard good things about Artisan State but haven’t tried them yet.
Michelle t says
I love those Halloween cards! So cool. I know the Designer Digitals sale is over but I’m still going to go look for them. I don’t have any suggestions for places, having just used Shutterfly the last couple years for vacation books. Thanks for sharing. Michelle t
Audrey V says
I’m pretty value driven (ok cheap, I mean frugal). I’ve used Shutterfly, and the company through Jessica Sprague’s site, Paper Kiwi. I liked them both, but I liked Shutterfly better. I wait until I have a coupon or a good sale. With Shutterfly you just have to remember to turn off their photo enhancement so your color stays true to your photoshop settings.
Megan W says
I love how simple your pages are!
One quick note before you print. It looks like there is a typo in Week 36.
Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Your comment (way long ago) that your scrapbooks are for you and not necessarily your great-great-grandchildren was a game changer for me.
Cathy Zielske says
Ah yes! Thank you! Changed and done. I’m a horrible proofreader!
Katie says
I’ve used blurb.com before to make Instagram books (I didn’t use their Instagram feature, I designed it myself using their inDesign plugin) and I loved their quality. Every book I’ve made with them turned out beautifully and the site is easy to use. I highly recommend them. Good luck!
Jenny B. says
Your scrapping speed amazes me! 🙂 I recommend Shutterfly. I’ve had several books printed with them, and they have the best photo quality of the ones I’ve tried. The others I’ve tried are Adorama Pix, Blurb, and Snapfish. Adorama Pix would be my second choice. Their books are beautiful (especially the shiny covers), and I love the thick lay-flat pages, but I don’t think their photo printing is quite as crisp and bright as Shutterfly. Since you leave such a nice wide margin around your pages, the lay-flat style is not a necessity. My Blurb books are just OK. I can see printer lines across some of the images, and some pages are off-center. My Snapfish book was printed several years ago, and it is also just OK. One that I haven’t tried yet, but would like to try is mpix. I’ve been getting all of my 4x6s printed with them, and they are THE BEST. I’m hoping their photobook quality is just as good.
Julie says
I have no printing referrals, but what I do want to say is I sure hope you team up with Becky Higgins and make some of your fabulous templates part of the project life app. I can totally see me doing most of my pages through that app as I am much more likely to get it done while waiting at practices and what not to bang out a few pages. Most of my pictures are on my phone anyway. and I just love your stuff. LOVE. it would be cool to see that happen! 😀
Julie says
I have no printing referrals, but what I do want to say is I sure hope you team up with Becky Higgins and make some of your fabulous templates part of the project life app. I can totally see me doing most of my pages through that app as I am much more likely to get it done while waiting at practices and what not to bang out a few pages. Most of my pictures are on my phone anyway. and I just love your stuff. LOVE. it would be cool to see that happen! 😀 just sayin’!
Carol says
I use BLURB for printing books and love their product. Lots of options and always available discount coupons on-line.
Shannan says
Love it! Last year I just had my digital PL pages printed at Persnickety as 12×12 and put them into page protectors and a binder. The whole year fit in one because digital pages aren’t as bulky.
Debby says
I’ve had a book printed through Shutterfly and it was…okay. I’ve used viovio (now prestophoto) for their cute little 3.5×3.5 mini books for holiday gifts for the grandparents. Decent quality for what I was looking for at that price point, but not something I would recommend for a year-long book.
I am dying to try Adoramapix. I’ve only read good things about them, and you really do get what you pay for with photobooks. It’s worth it to me to pay extra to get excellent quality.
Mpix does do beautiful prints, but they don’t do 12×12 photobooks, unfortunately. The largest they go is 10×10.
kate says
Blurb without a doubt for thicker books – I’ve completed about a dozen in total, most of 80+ pages. Shutterfly for smaller, thinner books. In my opinion, blurb are the way to go. Value, quality, size choices, discount vouchers, easy to use the software, yeah, you could say I’m a fan.
MMDesigns says
You can’t go wrong w Adoramapix quality. Lay flat pages and pro quality are worth the price (get on email list and they have 30% and 40% sales many times a year). To me spending $100 for an entire book/year worth of memories is still cheaper than printing out 4×6 prints all year long! Just ordered 12×12 prints from Persnickety and can’t wait to see quality when they arrive
MMDesigns says
I did lots of research and comparisons before starting w Adoramapix too. Have ordered 8 books in past two yrs (trying to play catch up) and customer service is top notch.
Shawna says
I haven’t finished a digital book yet…on my to do list! I pinned this lady’s post quite a while back so there could be some new printers by now but really liked this post about all her comparisons: https://thedailydigi.com/12-different-photobook-printer-reviews
Good luck finding a great place to print your books!
Kay Gregory-Clark says
Hey Cathy! Is there a single template at DD for just the layout you use here?
Cathy Zielske says
Kay, it’s part of a set. 🙂
http://www.designerdigitals.com/digital-scrapbooking/supplies/product_info.php/products_id/17095
Marilyn says
As always your PL pages are stunning in their simplicity. I can recommend Adoramapix. I’ve ordered over fifty books to date and am always pleased with the quality and service. (In a large order placed during their transition to a larger facility, two books contained errors. One had several pages out of order, the other had a minor flaw in one photograph. Both books were willingly replaced.) The thick, sturdy pages will hold up to a lifetime of use, yet even a fifty page book is slim and takes up very little space on a bookshelf, and the lie-flat feature is great. I think the books are worth the price.
Rachel says
Gorgeous pages! As always, I’m amazed by your speed and ability to make attention-getting clean and simple pages. I’ve just started my PL catch up, but it’s going to take me a whole lot longer!
I mostly print individual 12×12’s at Persnickety, and the quality is amazing. When I print photobooks of our vacations, the best quality I’ve found is Adoramapix. The pages are a really nice, thick photo paper and the color is beautiful. That said, I usually end up printing vacation books at Shutterfly because they have so many sales and free book coupons. The quality is good and you can’t beat the price if you time your printing right.