Project Life May 2013

The pictures are the first thing you notice when you look at a layout. Unfortunately, You might not get the perfect shot. Every photo will not be perfect. You might not even get a photo. The photo that tells the best part of the story might not be the best. It is ok!

The great part of Project Life is that there are pictures AND words. At the beginning of this project, my layouts always leaned to the picture side. I could not even have imagined why you would have a page with mostly text and a tiny photo, or maybe no photo at all. Now, I get it! 

The stories are just as important as the pictures. There needs to be a balance. We can not let the lack of a photo or a less than desirable photo deter us from documenting the story. Pictures fade, but the story is immortal.

Week 19- my friend inspired me with a picture of her morning routine. I tried all week to get a picture of my kids in the bathroom brushing their teeth. I only ended up catching 4 of them, but that was secondary to the story of our morning routine and what it is like. 

Week 20- so many stories. This week I had too many stories to tell. I probably needed two layouts!

Week 21- I need another album! Because of this project, I realized that I need a separate school album for each of my kids. All the school stuff overwhelms the layouts. 

More mini albums. I have decided to make different albums for school years and mini albums for sports seasons, vacations, special achievements, birthdays, and anything else that needs it. It really frees up the album for the everyday moments.

Week 22- find the stories. Don't be afraid to ask your kids if you can take a photo. Take lots of candid shots. I find myself more aware of my world, I am looking for the magic in the everyday routine of life. Not just the sweet moments, but the stories that define our family. 

Anything can be a story!

Project Life April 2013

Childhood is full of routine. As I have been putting my layouts together, I have noticed a bit of repetition in our photos and journaling. We go to the park on Wednesdays for play group. Every Wednesday! That gets a little boring seeing that same set of similar photos each week. It has really made me look for the little stories within the same old thing.  

It has also challenged me to find stories on that day outside of play group. Honestly, some days it is a stretch to find something to add to the layout for a specific day. 

I am finding that it is ok to not have a picture once in awhile. A journaling spot is enough. Sometimes we miss or can't take a photo. That doesn't make the experience any less important. Sometimes just a reflection on the day or a thought is enough.

Week 14- I wrote down a few quotes that I found thought provoking or inspiring from General Conference. Just words, no fluff!

Week 15- memories! I took a photo of my 6 year old son looking at an aquarium today and I journaled about a similar picture from his toddler years. Ethan loved this recollection of a memory. It was a sweet moment as I retold him the original story.

Week 16- as I have looked back over the photos and stories so far this year, I realized Daddy and Mommy were missing. I know I was there and so was he, but in 30 years I want my kids to know it. I want them to see it. I want them to remember! Because of that, I am trying to take more photos of us too.

Lied Children's Museum- this layout has made me think a lot about posed and unposed pictures. I LOVE to see the genuine expressions on my children's faces. I want to see a variety of emotions in my layouts. This really has to do with the photography aspect of this project. I am by no means a great photographer. Still learning. 

Week 17- putting it all together. It is amazing how we learn these lessons; about balance, just text, including photos of parents, etc.; without really knowing it. We just notice a problem or need, start making a change, and then we can look  back and recognize why.

Week 18- I just love my family! Through this project, I have come to appreciate my family more. It is so easy to forget the sweet and tender moments. I am reminded of how amazing they all are and of how lucky I am to have them.

Project Life is magical!

Project Life March 2013

One of the things that working on my Project Life album has taught me is that there are stories that happen each day I don't want to forget. When I look through my old scrapbook albums and photo books, I only see the big events like birthdays and holidays. There are layouts about summer or a special achievement, but not too much about the little moments that make our lives. 

These are the moments that tell our story. Especially now, when my kids are little and growing so fast, I want to remember the sweet and silly things they say and do. I want to capture the moment when they were tenderly helping a sibling or defiantly throwing a tantrum. When they were dancing in a puddle or earnestly talking on the play phone to Grandma. Life is too short to forget all the beautiful little moments that are woven together each day.

Touch-A-Truck- this is a unique event that we have attended since our oldest son was a baby. We love climbing on the trucks and just being together. I had to include all the great photos in our album. 

Week 10- not only is it important to capture the everyday, but the firsts and the onlys too! My son loved looking at himself throwing the ball at t-ball practice. 

Week 11- I borrowed a few cards from the Midnight edition of Project Life for this page. They just fit the stories so perfectly. 

Week 12- I never used to take photos without people in them. Through this process, I have come to appreciate how photos of "things" or "places" without a person can help tell the stories. They can really show who you are.

Easter- I had to!

Week 13- I am looking for balance! When you have 5 kids, it is a job in itself to make sure everything is as fair as possible. I really try to make sure each child has at least one photo every week. Sometimes, I fail miserably at this! I am still trying...

More Easter- just love these pics!

Creating these pages has inspired me to work on another photo album of all the extra pictures. This had helped me to narrow down the photos to the ones that really tell the story.

Project Life February 2013

I am just posting these layouts in monthly blocks, but they have been done for awhile. I was really good about staying caught up on my layouts when I first started. Of course, Life interrupted this bliss of keeping on track. I find that the Collect app on my phone really keeps me on track and saves a lot of time when having to catch-up. 

Here are the layouts....

Week 6- loving Instagram pics this week. I love using my Instacollage app to edit photos. The effects are varied and I love sepia right now it seems.

Week 7- I just can't fit in all my stories! Tough problem to have :)

Valentine Bonus layout- I think I am doing pretty well at suppressing my "event" tendencies. I put 3 things together. Just can't narrow down the photos sometimes!

Week 8- the Project Life Olive edition is so beautiful! The chevron cards are my favorite! 

Week 9- even though I have a great DSLR camera, I find that I use my camera phone the most. The convenience of carrying my phone around instead of my camera enables me to get photos of those random moments. Priceless!

Documenting the stories of the everyday allows me to paint a more complete picture of what our family is really like. I have tried to include the "warts and all", not just the good times.

Project Life January 2013

I am so excited about Project Life! It is a great way to document memories. My kids love to look back at all of the silly and fun things we have done. They love looking at pictures of themselves and their friends. I love having a record of the everyday moments you forget.

Here are the January pages I have completed...

Title Page

A little family introduction. I love these family photos taken by our friend Chelsea. Gorgeous!

Week 1- my first foray into digital Project Life. I chose to use the Olive edition. I love the yellow& orange colors. I am still getting used to taking a picture a day, so I threw in an old picture of my triplets for their first day of Sunbeams. 

Week 2- I thought I would fill the pages up with pictures, but I find that I want to journal the stories more than anything. I love the pictures of my girls with their Great-Grandma!

Ethan's Birthday- I threw in this bonus spread. I still can't let go of my previous "event" scrapbook pages. I am trying to embrace the weekly format, give me time.

Week 3- I am obsessed with borders. I love the fine line of white that borders the photos in my layouts. It really makes each photo pop.

Week 4- full photos vs. Instagram pics has been my dilemma this week. I love how each looks. The full photo in each element space looks great. The Instagram photos allow for more journaling and some collages. Hmmm...

Week 5- finding just the right element is tough. I like the minimal look. I am not one for an explosion of stuff on the page. I find myself creating my own or tweaking something I already have to fit my vision. 

I can't wait to continue working on this project. I love creating and documenting memories with my family.

Catching Up

Life is so busy! I am going to try to be better about blogging and keeping up with our lives and documenting the everyday. 

One of the tools I use to help me keep track of our memories is the "Collect" app. It is so easy! I just add a photo (or more) everyday to the calendar. It is a great way to visually see what we have been up to. 

Aside from a really cool picture, I use the calendar when I create my Project Life pages. I can just pull up my calendar and see the photos I will need for my spread. Love it! 

I am doing great this year so far with at least one picture a day. There are only a few times or one month in particular where it was a challenge.

Project Life 2013

I have decided to embark on the digital journey that is Project Life! I am passionate about documenting my family's life. I always try to create photo albums or photo books of the year's activities. For 2013, I want to try to record the everyday moments. I think it is important to include the special things that make up the everyday in your albums, but I always seem to stick to the highlights. Holidays, birthdays, playgroups and those fun experiences always seem to populate my albums. This year I hope to get a good mix of both.

Here is week 1...