I started Project Life in 2013 with the birth of my youngest son. It was a lifesaver. I wanted to have scrapbooks for all three of my kids, but I just didn't have the time to really sit down and create full page spreads from scratch. I needed some help. Enter Project Life. This scrapbooking system gives me the direction to create nice weekly spreads without a huge amount of time or brain power. I love it! Over the past year, I have made two spreads (family and baby album) per week filled with pictures, journaling, and embellishments.
As the year progressed, I have started to think about what works and what doesn't. After taking some time off my spreads, I have come up with my 2015 plan...
What I'm keeping the same:
- Page Protector Size -- I really love 12x12 size. I toyed with the idea of sizing down to a 6x8 album, but if I can't do it for December Daily I can't do it for the year. I'm staying big.
- Daily Journaling -- I tried to jot down a little bit of something every day. It helped when it came time to journal for the albums. I will be continuing this idea, although I am now going to use a planner to remind me to journal every day.
- Page Protector Design -- I used mostly Design A and loved it. I am not one of those people that can keep to just one design, but I like having A as my default. I'll be keeping that aspect while occasionally using other designs and smaller inserts.
What I'm changing:
- Format -- I did weekly spreads in 2014. They worked out well highlighting the quickly changing nature of the baby. But how many pictures of chickens at Deer Hollow do I need? Some weeks I struggled to get enough pictures to fill the pockets and some weeks I struggled to cut pictures out. This year, I will be doing monthly sections in the album. No set number of spreads, no set format. I want to include all our fun and not be concerned about limitations.
- Extras -- I added a little monthly wrap page with my TBR piles and photo a day, but it was restricting. This year I want to add more interesting photos and features.
- Monthly Card Inserts -- Since i am not doing monthly instead of weekly spreads, I want to create monthly cards. I spied some cute ones from Simple Stories that I might use. Or I might create my own...
Aspects to work on:
- Organize card inventory and supplies -- My supplies are everywhere. As part of my new craft space, I want an area dedicated to PL supplies. Still debating about how to organize my cards: maybe by color, maybe by theme. But I do know that I want them more visible and accessible. Being in boxes doesn't inspire.
- Day in the Life -- I would like to try this challenge at some point this year. Maybe seasonally?
- Week in the Life -- Another challenge I really want to try.
- More Stories -- I wrote down what we did each day in 2014, but not many things were written out as stories. I want to tell more stories in 2015.
- New ideas from Pinterest -- I have an entire board of PL ideas and never use any of them. I want to challenge myself to start using these great ideas. Maybe a monthly challenge to myself.