Project Life 2014, weeks 1-13

I wasn't entirely sure I was going to do Project Life again this year; I still haven't completed last year's album and am not feeling a pressing need to work on it very fast. I like it when it's done, but it's somewhat time consuming (determining photo size and placement, printing photos, picking a 6x6 pad, cutting everything, journaling, decorating, etc)...basically killing the original concept of easy. Then again, I did easy (4x6 photos and plain journaling cards) and didn't like it any better.

In January I stumbled across a Youtube video of someone who had given up PL the previous year, but for 2013 decided to drop her photos into the Collect app (which puts a photo with a few lines of journaling all on a 3x4 card--although you can print them as 4x6) and just go with it. I found this immensely satisfying, as I take most of my everyday photos with my iPhone and I loved that I could do my journaling at the same time. Interest in PL renewed...for a few weeks. I have just had the hardest time with inspiration and mojo this year; the 50 Layout Challenge is really the only thing getting me to scrap right now, and I'm usually the last one to post on Saturday night, just before the deadline.

This week, I decided to pull out PL and get caught up. Thursday night, I spent an hour importing the Collect cards and dropping them in to the PicFrame app (changing it from 1:1 ratio [square] to 4:3 ration [rectangle]), then transferring them to my computer. After that, it was just printing them on my little photo printer. (As an aside, Sams Club and the Selphy totally mess them up, but my A646 works like a champ).

Friday I spent about an hour in the morning choosing cards for each week and then worked on it for a few minutes here and there until I had 11 weeks done by 9pm. With the Design F page protectors I am much more ok with saying "I only have enough photos for one page this week". As I type that it sounds silly, but I know that I would not be ok with doing that for Design A. I guess it's just one of those quirks.

Anyway, weeks 1-13; with some journaling still needed for week 1 and a photo in week 2.

Week 1--will do the journaling on my typewriter...as soon as I go buy a new ribbon. Cards are from PL Jade.

Week 2- The 3x4 cards are from PL Kraft and the 4x6 are cut from a MME pad.

Week 3-The 3x4 cards are from the PL Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party mini kit and the 4x6 are cut from the Fancy Pants Memories Captured pad.

Week 4-The 3x4 cards are from PL Cobalt (which I ended up not liking as much as I thought I would and sold 2/3 of the kit). One 4x6 is from Cobalt and the other is from a paper pad.

Week 5-I decided in the interest of time to just use cards (no paper from 6x6 pads because it takes some time to look through 100ish paper pads). This was probably my easiest spread, since there were only a couple cards and they were pretty enough without help. All cards are from WRMK Simply Happy.

Week 6. This is probably my favorite so far. The cards are PL Kiwi and I love the bright happiness of it. I added in a few things cut from the AT Plus One paper pad for fun.

Week 7. This one took the longest. Cards are from the PL Maggie Holmes kit, except the 4x6 on the right side. Turns out, I don't actually like most of the 4x6 cards, so I cut some stuff from the coordinating 6x6 pad. The Mint Heidi Swapp ink pad actually matches the MH greens pretty well.

Week 8. Entering the one page phase. I was so tired with Jacob not sleeping that I didn't even bother to take pictures most of the time and didn't want to fill it in with fake pictures or too much decoration. I think they all turned out well, though. Cards are from the PL Blush kit.

 

Week 9. One of the quicker ones. Cards are from PL Jade (which I am fast running out of) and the yellow banner is cut from a PL Seafoam card (the other kit I "had" to have and ended up not liking). 

 

Week 10.  I'm not usually fond of putting the week somewhere other than the 4x6 spot, but Design F is somewhat limiting if you have a 4x6 you want to use. I could have cut this one in half though. Cards are from WRMK Notable.

 A close-up of the letters, made with plain chipboard colored with a Bic Mark-it marker.

 

 Week 11--After I got weeks 10 and 11 done, I realized I had completely left out any pictures and mention of our trip to Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (fair, food, rodeo and concert), so I'll do an insert for that.) Spring Break...we did a whole lot of nothing, as evidenced by the daily card, lol. Cards are from PL Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic.

 

 Week 12--This was the week I really wondered if I wanted to give up on PL, since I only took 3 pictures. Alas, there were other notable things and now I'm kind of enjoying it again. Cards are from PL Honey, which is one of my favorites (I actually bought a second box during Black Friday sales since I'm almost out and think it would work good for a Disney album, if we go).

Week 13--my favorite title card. I had a ton of photos from this week, but generally from 2 events--the bluebonnets and Brandon's birthday. Since I plan to do actual layouts for both events, I stuck to a couple pictures, thus just a one pager.

 

 

Caught up until this week now :)  I'll probably try not to let it go so long in the future, but I think a once a month session will work fine.

 

2014 in 2014 total: 502/2014

50 projects, weeks 6-10

I never know what to do with pool pics, so I dug out my SS I [heart] summer line. Not 100% pleased with it, but I like it well enough. (20 points)

My birthday cutie. I loved this DCWV Birthday stack so much, I bought it twice...but this is the first time I used it, lol. (30 points)

Kind of plain, but I really could not figure out what else I wanted to add. (6 points)

I originally took a pass for this week (you can take 5 passes; basically, you have to post 2 layouts the following week to avoid being knocked out of money contention). Jacob was not sleeping, so I as averaging 2 hours of sleep a night and I could not concentrate on anything to save my life. Anyway, I like it, but wish I had done something to make "wrangler" stand out a little more. (14 points)

I figured since we had just taken the 2014 bluebonnet pictures that maybe I should scrap the 2013 ones :)  I really like how this one turned out, just wish I had placed the pink paper over to the left a little more. The one downside to all the layering? The brad on the left hand side had to go through a sticker, 2 photos, the doily sticker, 4 sheets of patterned paper and a cardstock base. I was about to give up when my piercer finally made it through. (24 points)

 

2014 in 2014 total: 344/2014