this is our happily ever after

2013 Project Life (weeks 8-12)

Yes, I'm still enjoying Project Life, everything about it actually, but I'm running about a month behind on my album (mainly because I'm printing photos a month at a time)  The system I used last year (printing weekly at Walgreens) kept me up to date, but I didn't like the quality of the photos I was receiving, so I've switched to printing at Costco once a month.  It's what works for me (and our budget) right now.  

So let's take a step backwards to February and March... Seems like a lifetime ago.  

Feb 18-Feb 24

Feb 25-March 3

I added a Design G page protector to this week...it's my favorite design next to Design A.

March 4-10

This week covered our anniversary and visit from my cousin and her family.  I included a Design I insert to showcase the photos taken on our anniversary.

March 11-17

Included another Design G insert to make extra room for some photos taken outdoors

March 18-24

yep, included another Design G...

memory verse monday (week 17)

This week is going to begin a different memorizing challenge for the next 5 weeks.  Starting this Monday we will be learning a short passage from Ephesians 3.  This particular passage has been recurring in my devotionals and other things I've been reading and after reading it several times I decided I wanted to memorize the short passage. 

Today's verse is Ephesians 3:16 and we will be memorizing the rest of the passage over the next 5 weeks.  If you're hyper diligent you could go ahead and memorize Ephesians 3:16-20 in one week, but I'm neither hyper or diligent, so I'll be memorizing one verse at a time.

Each week's Scripture passage will be typed up on a 3x4 card that is this design but a different color. 

Right click, save and print. 

Digital project life card from the Honey Edition

Scripture Memorization Album

I've been feeling a need to have all of my "memory verse monday" printables in one place so that I could access them during my daily quiet times (or other times throughout the day).  I have been placing a copy into my Project Life album each week, but still wanted a place for just these cards. 

What could be more perfect for these printables (created out of digital Project Life cards) than a Project Life mini album.  Last week I ordered a midnight mini album and very quickly placed all of my cards from this year...just 13 so far.  I also created a title card for the album which I'll share below. 

Because I don't have as many 3x4 cards I just used some solid cardstock to fill in those gaps.  I thought about embellishing them, but then decided against it.  I reminded myself that blank spaces, whether in our daily lives or in our journals, allow room to breathe...I need room to breathe... and reflect! 

Here's the title card from the kraft collection of PL

You'll notice that quite a few of the cards have some tape at the top of them.  This is the washi tape I used to tape them on my office wall.  Instead of tearing it off, and possibly tearing the card, I just folded it over. 

To get all of the scripture printables click here.  Sign up to receive my blog posts via email on the feedburner to the right of this post.  I'd love for you to join this challenge with me!

2013 Project Life (weeks four - seven) + images of weeks in progress & a giveaway

So this is the second time I'm writing this post because the first one deleted itself when my computer went into hibernation...boo! 

I'll be honest in saying I miss not posting Project Life each week and I'm trying to come up with a way that I can get high quality photos printed locally.  I think I'm going to go back to Costco again and compare.  My photos are far from professional to begin with, but my drugstore photo lab just wasn't coming close to the quality I desired.  I've tried both Persnickity Prints and Mpix.  Both of these companies produce high quality photos which I've been very satisfied with.  I like Pernickity Prints because they offer 3x4 prints as well as instagram (which I have yet to print any), but I really like the navigation of Mpix's website a lot more.  However, if Costco can come close to these two labs I may choose to print there every couple of weeks so I can get my photos in a more timely manner and it's less expensive.

Week 4---WAY back in late January!  This is a perfect glimpse of everyday life.  Laundry detergent, an intersection I'm at many times a week, sidewalk chalk, tacos for dinner, lemon blossoms, and the cutest little boy I ever did see!

if you're visiting for the first time and wonder where the Scripture printable is from, I create one each monday, using the Project Life digital journaling cards,and you can find them in the memory verse monday category

I also made meyer lemon simple syrup and posted the "recipe" here

Week 5--more glimpses from the everyday + photos from a Girl's weekend

Week 6--I didn't pick up my camera much during this week, so several of the photos on the right page are from the same day.  One of our first warm Spring days when we spent a lot of time outside.

Week 7--this week includes a Design G page protector (my favorite design other than A) which holds pictures and the story from our day at the Zoo. 

This title card is from the childhood mini kit--Wellington Edition--not just for a children's album :)

journaling card also from the Wellington Edition

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Since I've been ordering photos from online companies I found myself forgetting the details of what I wanted to journal about a specific day.  So, every couple of days (or at least once a week) I try to sit down, look through the photos I've taken, put the photos I want to print into a folder, and get some journaling done while it's all fresh in my mind.  Below are some good (and not so good) examples of this.

You can see that I've put sticky notes where specific photos will go and I've done a part of my journaling.  I think I'll use a 6x12 page protector in the middle of this layout to share some reflections on the dotMom conference I attended.

I have most of my journaling finished for this particular week and I also put a inserted a Design G page protector where I place some photos taken at the park.

Wow...did you make it to the end of this post?  If you did and you're still reading I'd love for you leave a comment and enter to win some goodies. US residents only, please

I've been cleaning out my scrapbook stash and would love to bless someone with some happy mail.  If you're a Project Lifer tell me what new edition you're most excited about if you're not a PLifer then tell me your favorite way to document your life....facebook? Instagram? Twitter? Blog? Traditional Scrapbook? Photo Albums? or just Kodak moment memories?

Included in this giveaway are some fun journaling papers from Creative Imaginations, journaling spots, ribbon and embellishments from October Afternoon, date rub ons from heidi grace,and a stack of 3x4 journaling cards perfect for PL. 

2013 Project Life (week three)

Week three: Jan 21-27

I always use Design A as a base for my week and this week I  added half of a Design C page protector to have a home for photos I took of K one afternoon outside.  I didn't feel the need to do much journaling...the photos speak for themselves.

I'm going to challenge myself to jot a quick list of photo ideas based on the PL layout I'm blogging about.  I hope this will inspire you even more to capture things you may not have thought about capturing.  I feel that I'm pretty good at getting a wide variety of shots each week and I'm honored and humbled that Becky Higgin's, the creator of Project Life, has chosen my everyday life photos to share with all of her readers quite a few times.  She recently shared one of my photos and her assistant emailed me and said that over 40,000 saw it (it was a simple photo of cupcake liners..for real...no professional photographer here!)

The top right photo shows Karsten's recent favorite thing to do...empty the dvd's out of the cabinet.  This was a big thing for him during this week that I documented..now he's moved on and isn't interested in making a huge mess.  I love that PL helps me to capture these little stages of his life...even if they only last a week.

photo ideas from this week:

• dirty hands
• kid's favorite mess to make
• skin care routine
• adventure outdoors
• something homemade
• self portrait
• bookshelf
• how you menu plan

2013 Project Life (week two)

Week two: Jan 7-13

This week I added a Design G page protector to share photos of my updated studio

I love that I captured a photo of my Mom in my laundry room with Karsten.  When she's here I don't have to do laundry...and that my friends...is a big gift for me (the one who despises doing laundry!)  Also you will see a silly photo of K, my weekly Scripture printable, and the final page of my 2012 PL album.  For those who don't do project life...let me just say that all of my photos from 2012 are in an album and documented.

Done

Finished

Stories Told

Complete...ahhhhh!  Love it!

back of Design G includes more studio photos and the right page just tells different stories from the week

I think my favorite creative thing on this page is the arrow I used on the top left photo saying Adventure This Way....that's the way my boy thinks...there's always an adventure ahead and I'm going to run as fast as I can to get to it!

That's week two...if you have any questions about products just leave me a comment! 

Photo Ideas this week:

• helping
• PL album
• creative space
• fun outside
• family
• happy mail

2013 Project Life (week one)

Over the next few days I'm going to be sharing weeks 1-3 of my 2013 PL album.  Click here to see my intro page

Here's a little background about this layout.

I start my PL week on Monday, so this is Dec 31-Jan 6.

There's also another Design A page protector between the weekly layout which includes a Project Real Life prompt, journaling, and photos.  Project Real Life was a 12 week online class that I took back from Oct-Dec.  (it's no longer available) 

The thing is...my life was crazy busy during those 12 weeks and I couldn't keep up with the weekly prompts, but I also didn't want to just "throw away" all the ideas I gained from this class.  So, I decided to take one prompt a month for 2013 and do it that way.  It seemed much more manageable for me this way.  The first prompt was "begin with the end in mind", so most of my photos and journaling on this double sided layout reflect this topic.

You will also notice that every PL layout for this year you will see a Scripture Printable, which you can find here. 

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Project Life is a product line created by the talented Becky Higgins.  Project Life is a simplified way of memory keeping which focuses on documenting the big and little moments of everyday life.  It can be anything you want it to be.  The core pieces used in my album can be found here.

I've also added other elements to my layouts.  If you have any questions about where I got something please leave me a comment and I'll respond soon.

Be Blessed

Photo ideas this week:

• evening at home
• entry way/mudroom
• photo of your blog
• kitchen sink
• something you watched on tv

 

2013 Project Life (intro page)

I can honestly say I'm more excited about Project Life this year than any of the previous 3 years.  I've learned so much about what works for me regarding taking photos, editing photos, printing photos, and getting each page completed. 

I tend to take a more creative approach to my layouts using extra embellishments here and there.  BUT I always use the Project Life Core Kit as my foundation, specifically the Design A page protectors and elements from the Core Kit(s).  This year (at least until May, when all the new editions are released) I'm using elements from every core kit I've used the past 3 years-Cherry, Cobalt, Clementine, Amber, and Turquoise as well as cards from the Baby Kit and Childhood editions.  It's a bit of a hodge podge, but it works for me and I try not to allow the creativity side of it take away from the photos and story telling.

This is just the first page--pretty simple and to the point.

 Supplies on this page:

• 2013 card (Studio Calico Project Life monthly kit.  Click here to join waiting list)
• @ card from Sn@p ---loving these for PL
• abide card from Turquoise kit using old letter stickers
• Scripture Card printed from Cherry Edition digital kit
• 3x4 Geniune card from Sn@p
• button from October Afternoon (i think)
• 3 card from Studio Calico

 

2012 Project Life (weeks 45-52)

Week 45

Week 46

Week 47

Week 48

Week 49

Week 50

Week 51

Week 52 (with several extra page protectors)

And there we go....2012 is documented!  I can't begin to tell you what an accomplishment this is for me.

In Karsten's baby/childhood album I plan on creating a 2 page spread for each month in 2012, but that won't be hard or very time consuming.  I'm currently working on his baby album using the Project Life baby edition and will complete January 2013 at the end of the month once I've printed out all of my photos.  Until then....thanks for stopping by and looking at my album.

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Project Life is a product line created by the talented Becky Higgins.  Project Life is a simplified way of memory keeping which focuses on documenting the big and little moments of everyday life.  It can be anything you want it to be.  The core pieces used in my album can be found here.

2012 Project Life (weeks 41 -44)

Throughout today I'll be sharing the remainder of my 2012 Project Life album that is finally complete.  I cannot begin to express what a great accomplishment this is for me.  Other than Karsten's Baby Album I have all of our recent memories documented....THAT is a wonderful feeling!

So, here we're going to go WAY back to October and begin with week 41.

Week 42

missing a photo in top right slot...need to get a copy from a friend

Week 43

Week 44