The more I do these monthly pages, the happier I am that I made this choice. (The choice? To do a monthly recap as opposed to a weekly documentation.)
Part of me is happier because this approach fits my life really well right now. I am not taking a crazy number of photos (unless I’m at an ultimate tournament) and having recently gone through all of my scrapbooks, I realize how little space I have for more traditional albums.
You guys know this, right? I don’t have a custom scrap room with shelving galore. I also don’t presently have other areas where album storage would make sense. That may happen further down the line, but furniture to accommodate scrapbooks is going to be way down the list behind college tuition, a new dishwasher and possibly a new car. You feel me?
Such is the need for economy of space and the digital book I made last year? It takes up less space.
People ask me frequently how I do this project. Not the mechanics of it, although sometimes those questions arise, but how do I narrow all these images of my life down into such a tight little package. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and I’m going to do some serious brainstorming to create a workshop for 2016 to help women narrow their focus and create a monthly document of life with the end goal being a printed book or digital pages for a traditional 3-ring binder. More on that later, but for now, here are my pages for June.
Wow. That’s half a year documented so far. Six more months to go!
SUPPLIES:
Minimal Basics Template Set (12 x 12)
Life Basics Minimal No. 03 Add On Pack (12 x 12)
Twelve Month Sans 6 x 4 Cards
Hip Squares No. 01 Brushes & Stamps
Hip Squares No. 02 Brushes & Stamps
Clean Framed No. 01 Brushes & Stamps
Minimal Basics sets are also available in 8.5 x 11 as well. Find them here.
MY 2015 ALBUM PAGES SO FAR:
January Pages
February Pages
March Pages
April Pages
May Pages
WANT TO SEE MY 2014 BOOK? Click here to see the finished result.
heidig says
Great job! I love this monthly thing you do.
Maureen says
The more I see of your monthly layouts, the more I am leaning this way myself for next year. I’m not going to go digital (I love playing with paper too much!) but I think a monthly format would be a welcome change. This year we are still doing weekly but so much less structured than in previous years (not a picture a day or even journaling every day but more of just filling in the week with our favorite photos from that week) and I have been enjoying it so much more. I’m loving your mix of BW and color photos!
Cathy Zielske says
Thanks, Maureen! I’m feeling very freed up by doing it this way. Plus, I cannot emphasize the space factor. I just don’t have room for any more big albums. 🙂
Janie says
Oh Cathy – I would so appreciate a workshop that would help me develop my own process for completing a Project Life album. I definitely want to capture our life moments on a monthly basis but something always gets in the way and I find time getting away from me. I know I and many others would benefit from your experience and tips.
Katie Jones says
I love how “little” Aidan and Cole look in the photo of the two of them on the journalled (last) page! So cute! You can see the little kid in both of them in that photo.
And I’m amused (wrongly so?) by how much more animated Cole is in the photo with his buddy than the ones with his cool mom and the group shot! Bless him, teen boys hey.
Loving your sharing of your monthly set-ups, Cathy, thanks so much.
You’re amazing. xxx
Cathy Zielske says
Yeah, classic teen punk, right? 😉
Jody says
Hi Cathy,
I just recently posted on my FB page to all my scrapbook friends the thought of making all my traditional paper pages into digital books because the amount of space the 3 ring bulky paged albums take up is ridiculous. (and I have a room designated solely for my scrapbooking/photography hobby) With that, I would toss (!) the originals and only keep the new thin, sleek photo book (while also keeping a copy on my computer) Does this thought ever cross your mind too? And I’ve only been scrapping since 2007, I can’t imagine how much more books you have than me…
Cathy Zielske says
Well, I know it’s affecting my choices today and going forward. I’m going to be doing a post about the state of my albums, I think this week… because I recently went through all of them and this is what is making me realize, “Okay, now we need to be a bit more efficient with our space.” 🙂
Jody says
…and I don’t know about your kids, but I don’t think mine will want to lug around 20+ bulky scrapbook albums to everywhere they move to in life 😉
Kinjal says
The way I see it is that Project Life in its original form (weekly I mean) is a great idea to start with. You have a lot of excitement, want to try new things and its so easy if you follow the cards + photos + journal physical approach. But once the sheen wears off, you can find yourself behind, and guilty about it. But, we grow. And our projects should grow and adapt and suit our needs as we do. When I think about P365 or Project Life, or even daily journaling, I know they are all a season. My life will change, ideas will come, new thoughts and philosophies about how best to document will be around. Just have to go with what works for the time we have, in the world and circumstances we are living in. I haven’t done a weekly page since 9 this year. I started to feel guilty about it, but then gave myself permission to let it go. I’ve transitioned from a time where the idea of filling a weekly spread was what motivated me to get out the house, enjoy unemployment and do things. Now I’m at a stage where it captures the adventures. But its alllllll good. Next year I might do monthly, I might not. Just different strokes for different folks at different times.
Go Cathy, go. 🙂
Kathleen S. says
Love your approach, makes the year seem doable and I need the concept of a little is enough in my scrapping! What font did you use for “Want/Need”. I’m sure I need it because I want it. Thanks!
Cathy Zielske says
Kathleen, I think I used Berthold Azkidenz Grotesk, but then I hit it with a wet stamp filter I bought from a company that is no longer in business. 🙂
Karen T says
I really like this monthly recap and I’m thinking I might start doing it for my family. I have found that as the kidlets grow up the number of photos decrease. I’m interested to know if most of these photos were taken with your iPhone or with your DSLR? I’ve been toying with getting a new DSLR but wonder whether I should just continue with my iPhone. The workshop sounds like a goer and maybe you include how you crop or manipulate the photos because that always look so great. Thanks
Cathy Zielske says
90 percent were taken with my iPhone 6. 🙂 Also, you just gave me a mini brainstorm about some things for the class, creative cropping being one of them. I always forget about ideas like that but love to talk about how I choose and crop. So thank you!
Katie says
I am so intrigued by the idea of monthly PL. It’s already so hard to choose photos, I feel like it would be overwhelming to face a month at once! I have little ones (3 and 5) and the corresponding high volume of photos. From January to May this year I basically stopped taking photos because it was too overwhelming to have them keep piling up. Either I’m OCD or just more verbally-oriented, because I always want to have a lot of words and struggle to fit those in as well. Something is not working!
I’m deciding if I can live with weekly spreads, but only maybe 12-15 a year. It comes down to choosing to participate in a new memory or document one. But since the documenting is also reflection, I think it is worth it to find a place (and the energy and time) to do both. It mirrors the struggle with trying to hold onto these moments so tightly, and finding ways to save pathways back to them, versus letting some of that go and just enjoying them.
It’s so nice to have a place to read and talk about these things that I am the only one in my house and real life thinking about! Thanks Cathy!
robyn says
Yes, please, please, please a workshop!
loribeth says
I can remember being lectured in journalism school to narrow my focus. I find I’m always trying to stuff in too many little extraneous details which, although interesting, can sometimes (often?) water down the impact of whatever piece I’m working on. And that probably goes for scrapbooking too. I get you on the “no room” for too many albums or scrapbooking stuff, too. We are considering moving to a condo in the near future, and that would mean seriously downsizing my scrapbooking stuff (among other things…!). Which is something I probably need to do anyway, move or not. So yes, I would love to hear your thoughts on these subjects. 🙂