Project Life Plan

Okay, I am sure no one but myself is interested in this but I feel it necessary to get my plan set for my scrapping for the year. Last year was by far my most productive year with following through on a plan and I want to continue with the momentum. Along with completing my Project 365 album, I worked on my 2008 album and am a few layouts away from being 100% complete. Hoping to share that in a post within a week or 2. So like last year, this year I will be working on 2 albums. This is an extremely long post giving you way too many details on one of those albums so prepare yourselves, or click away now.

Album #1 PROJECT LIFE - THE EARLY YEARS

I purchased the Project Life kit, which is made by the amazing scrapbook designer Becky Higgins. She is the same one who did the Project 365 album last year and this is along the same lines but even BETTER in my opinion. First of all, it is made so you could do a Project 365 with it or just use it to document your life however you want. It is complete with the album, page protectors, coordinating title cards, journaling cards and embellishments. FABULOUS!! And this is great for non-scrapbookers. No gluestick needed, just put the photos into their pockets, write on the journaling cards and you are done! Check it out on her blog HERE and HERE. Along with all the super cute coordinated supplies, everything is packaged in adorable boxes that can be reused for all your photo and scrapping supplies when you are done. FABULOUS!!! If you are wanting a kit, they are still available but she is in the process of switching over to selling it on Amazon. It should be available there in the next few weeks.

Most people I know are using the album for the 2010 family album. I debated this but want to get back to a little more traditional scrapbook and have something a bit more creative and unique (more about that soon). So instead I am using Project Life to deal with this disaster.

PLEASE someone raise your hand and say that you have boxes and baskets and tubs and bags full of photos just waiting to be dealt with? Well, I have them too and just feel sick everytime I look at them. They are pre-DSLR camera (many even pre-digital camera!) and as important as the photos are in representing our lives and the people we love, I know they will never inspire me for scrapbooking (not to mention the time that I don't have to invest in dealing with them). So thanks to Project Life I now have a solution! A pretty place to put the photos without me needing to dwell on the horrible angles, bad photo quality, finding cute embellishments and the perfect layout design...... And most importantly, an opportunity for me to journal about important people and events in our lives before those memories have left my brain FOREVER!

Here are the pages I put together TODAY in about an hours time. Tom's Grandpa Charlie's 80th birthday celebration 5 years ago, where his very large family celebrated with a grand reunion in Idaho. It has made me sad to know that these photos (along with so many more) have been sitting in boxes where the girls can't look and enjoy them and talk about the family members. Now it is taken care and on to the next event. They are nothing fancy but the photos are organized and documented and that makes me happy!

I know that this album won't fit ALL the photos but it will be a good start. I am thinking to attempt 2000-2005 in this one and then move forward or backward from that. I am kind of counting on Becky creating a new album next year to help me continue with this project.

Want to see how others are using Project Life? Check out The Mom Creative blog for a McLinky to 50+ Project Life posts.