We just completed our first ever hands-on ™Project Life workshop. It was inspiring for me to learn what approach others take to document and record their everyday lives. There is no right or wrong way when it comes to memory keeping. My classes are NOT a place for people to come together and "compare", but to learn from one another. We are all in different stages of life. We need to do what works for us NOW. As promised, I am sharing with you how I incorporate the ™Project Life system into my current workflow. [if you want to call it a workflow!]
I am never "caught up". Who is? As you are reading this, you're doing something new, this moment, you'll never have it again (wow, I had better make this worth reading- no pressure!). We're never done making memories!
I don't create pages, or layouts in chronological order. I try, but it doesn't happen. I'll find a photo from Christmas or Halloween on one of my mobile devices and have this urgency to add it! It can't be forgotten! I'll end up adding and re-arranging pages over and over. Currently, I am ok, up to about May 2012.
I keep it very simple. It's about the photos and the story for me, not so much the embellishments and bows.... well, there are no bows, I have all boys. I wonder if I had a daughter, how much my style would change... interesting thought.
When I am feeling really creative, I may take the time to get into the details of a 12x12 digital layout [using photoshop CS6], but I tend to snap a lot of photos and I hate leaving any of them out! Focus on the photos.
The ™Project Life System works best for me when I incorporate all of the various page sizes. The majority of my pages are 12x12. I feel like I can fit a good 15-20 photos on one 12x12 without it looking cluttered (Picasa is great for a quick collage). The 12x12 print is what made Persnickety Prints what it is today. We're confident you won't find a better quality 12x12 photographic (silver halide) print for the same low price. Anywhere. They're simply gorgeous, and only $1.99.
My mobile device has changed my life. We are taking more photos than ever! What do we do with them? I own a photo lab & yet I do not print ALL of my photos. That's ok! I print about 60% of the photos I take, which is an average of 200+/- photos a month. Why we need to be printing is a topic in and of itself; let's keep focused-- mobile makes memory keeping easy. Not only do we have our phones with us most of the time, the quality and megapixels of these devices continue to improve. Currently, the 8mp front lens of the iPhone 5 can print beautifully up to 12x18! I do not personally own a point and shoot camera anymore.
Not only have mobile devices changed the way we take pictures, but the photo apps themselves! Post processing is not limited to photoshop geniuses anymore! Anyone can take a photo and process it with a filter at their fingertips. I love that I can incorporate these everyday photos into my memory keeping. With 4x4 pockets, I can easily slip in my iPhone and Instagram photos. After all, the photo tells the story. [new Persnickety Prints mobile ordering app coming soon]
Becky Higgins Project Life Design I and J are perfect for 4x4's and 3x4's.
With the 3x4 pocket in mind, we created a 3x4 "Polaroid" print, offered on our 110# cardstock, add your story at the bottom and slip it in!
Photo Books aren't for me. I love the bound photo book for gifts, and that is all. Not only are most photo books not archival, they aren't versatile. I need to be able to add memorabilia to my albums! Physical concert & movie tickets, the guitar pick from John Mayer, or my sons first tooth! You can't do that with a bound book. Project Life gives me the flexibility to write down feelings and memories as they happen. It would take me at least 6 months to get a book put together, and by then- the moment is lost.
Recently, my Grandma passed away. I want my boys to remember their GG. Not only did I have my boys write down their memories of their grandma, we used the Project Life system at the funeral. Guests wrote down memories of Grandma, and we slipped them into a completed memory book for generations to remember her.
The vertical 8x10 page protector is perfect for the funeral program.
Digital 8x10's slipped into the 8x10 sleeve
It's hard to see, but metallic photographic paper POPS!
The 6x6 pockets are a fun way to incorporate Instagrams or a grid of photos that flows.
Not sure what to do with extra photos or odd sized prints? Slap them on a 6x12 cardstock with washi tape, or in any pocket!
There are various ways to use Project Life. I am doing what's best for me. I document and keep memories of everything I can, some months are more detailed than others. I document the good and the not so good. When I look back on my albums, I find strength and hopefully my family will too.
-Chari
