Project Life: Day One

For a couple of years I've been hearing more and more about Project Life.  It's nothing new, just new to me.  Probably because the only real scrapbook that I've done was back in my senior year of high school.  Project Life isn't necessarily a scrapbook, but closely related.  It's almost a highlight of your life in pictures, words and cute cards.  (Well, maybe it is a scrapbook. *shrugs*) I recently decided that I needed to document this year of my life. Not sure why, but I'm rolling with it.

I'm getting a late jump on it for a few reasons.  The primary one being that I couldn't wrap my head around exactly how to do it.  I've seen so many examples out there.  Some who use a 12x12 format and those who use 6x8 (I think).  Then you have those who PL (project life) weekly, those who do it monthly, those who do it by events, etc.  So you can see why a visual gal like myself was having somewhat of a hard time, right?

THEN, the big concern.... COST!  I could quickly see that PL would likely suck me in and I would want to purchase all the stamps, cards, ink, etc that I could.  Not embellishments, though.  I'm a pretty simple gal and don't need 'em (I don't think).  I looked into digital stuff and again, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how it all works, however, I think it might be a cheaper route for me.

Over the weekend I decided to get a photo insert to start.  Not an album or starter kit.  Just the photo insert.  I have been itching to start, but needed to marinate on it.  I also wanted to try to wrap my head around it more.  I asked several PL'ers on instagram how they did what they're doing.  I looked on pinterest.  I even googled.  At the conclusion of it all, my OLW (one little word) and a helpful new IG friend +rukristin, ......  said DO it!  So today I did.

I've decided to do a recap of January, since I am still trying to wrap my head around this and I'll do the same for February since I'm starting mid-month.  I think once I've done both months, I'll be able to decide how to move forward.

The things I've learned so far:

1. The smaller pages might work better for portability.  I need to try them.

2. Making your own cards is just fine. It's my memory keeper.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  It just has to exist.

3. I'm really going to enjoy stamps.  I think I like the physical aspect of it and seeing it come to life.

4. I'm going to try persnickety prints to print my photos.  They are already set up to print photos for PL, so no need to make it harder on myself.

5. If I continue with 12x12, I need to get Design A.  It may feel less stressful to get it all done with less pockets.  Although, if I'm doing a weekly thing, I may want the extra spaces that Design F provides. (Small note: I was able to find things cheaper at Michaels than what I see on amazon.  Look around for a less expensive and quicker option.)

6. I need a smaller paper cutter.  I used the one at work today that's a pretty good size and it's already been a bare to deal with.

7. I'm going to be a hybrid gal.  A little pre-made, a little digital, a little self-made.

8. This is going to be therapeutic for me.  I've only done 4 cards that I made, however, they allowed me to create on a very basic level.  Which in turn, allowed me to escape and reflect and also DO!

9. DO! Yep, just do it already!  I'm just starting out. My pages won't be perfect and won't be as beautiful as those who have been doing this for a long time. All that doesn't matter. What matters is just doing it.

10. I need a scanner. There are some brush script items I'm working on that I want to add as well as art work from my son and any papers that I really want to toss but can't because I really want to preserve the memory.  A scanner will declutter my life and my storage quite a bit! lol

11. Storage is going to be a must! I'm going to end up getting some more ink pads, stamps and cards. As well as paper, colored pens and some other small items.  I want to be able to quickly pull from my stash in an organized manner and create.

12. Keeping it simple will be key for me.  I love to design, but I've always had a simplified style.  I will want that to remain in my PL book. Plus, keeping it simple will highlight those things that matter, have some order and will be visually pleasing to me.

I'm excited to continue creating and will likely work on it throughout the week or definitely Sundays. It's going to be nice to keep this up and have something to look back on at the end of the year.  Below you will find my start at my first page of my PL book.  It will be interesting to see how this grows....