Project Life 2010: Back to School

Well... both kids are finally back in school as Alex just had his first day yesterday and Clara started nearly two weeks ago.  I'm still behind on 2015, so I haven't gotten to those first day photos yet, but I decided to work on my 2010 album and do those photos instead.

I can't believe how little they were!  This day seemed like just yesterday and forever ago all at the same time... sigh.

 For this spread, I used Little Dreamer Designs' Creative Space sets (links on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Disneyland

I got motivated at the end of last week to work on my Disney pages from 2010.  There were two factors involved in this... 1) Sahlin Studio was having a sale on her Project Mouse kits and 2) Clara and I have been working on our plans for our trip to Disneyland this summer.  It was really hard to decide which kits to buy since there is such a great selection in the Project Mouse line.  I ended up starting with the first basics set.

Here are my pages...

Of course the kit worked perfectly with these photos!  I think I'm going to need to pick up a few more before Clara and I go on our trip.

Oh... there's still one more two page spread from this trip... just dragging my feet on finishing up the journaling.

Supplies (link on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Week 21, part one

I'm moving right along with my 2010 pages! I'm about to the point where I need to get more pages ready with photos on templates.  I have a block of skiing spreads that I've skipped and a block of pages from our trip to Legoland/Disneyland that I need to do.  But other than that, I'm about ready to move forward into the awkward months (the time period where I stopped doing photo-a-day and actually pretty much stopped taking photos altogether.. sigh).

 Here's the first part of week 21...

It's funny how perfectly this kit coordinated with the kids' clothing for this part of the week!  I'm still loving this project.  I know I keep saying this, but it's funny how much you forget.  I had forgotten how Clara always had to take a stuffed animal with her everywhere she went!  It was so fun to look back and see her with her bear at the Cubs game!

Supplies (links on pinterest)....

Project Life 2010: Week 12

This was a week that, once I really looked at it, made me glad that I'm going back and documenting these years.  I just can't believe how much has changed since March 2010... of course the kids look different, their activities and friends have changed... but that was to be expected.  I'm talking more about the things I didn't really give much thought to.

1)  In the upper lefthand corner is a movie, a movie rented from Blockbuster which doesn't exist in this area anymore.  Whether in Chicago or when we lived in Texas, Blockbuster was where we went to pick out our movie for family movie night.  2)   Right next to that photo, is one of the kids waiting at the bus stop... the #11 Lincoln Avenue bus bus stop.  My favorite bus in the world as it went everywhere I needed to go and it pretty much dropped me off right at the door of wherever I needed to go.  A few years ago they eliminated that bus route, it was a sad, sad day.  I still hope that one day they'll bring it back, even though I don't have the use for it like I once did.

3)  It's not a big photo, but I'm talking about the little square photo of Clara and a friend eating outside.  That was taken at our local neighborhood burger place... it had been around over 20 years I think.  Last fall they lost their lease and they're gone.  I never would have thought that was coming in 2010.  And finally 4) the journaling is on the other page, but the photo is the one of Alex reading on this page.  Alex loved to read, so our routine at that time was while Clara was in ballet, we would go across the street to Borders to buy the next book in the series he was reading at the time.  At that time, I couldn't imagine a world without big giant bookstores everywhere, yet here we are.

After reflecting on these things, I am more thankful than ever that I found project life and this style of documenting life.  I'm so glad those little random photos and stories have a home!

And for these pages, I used the fabulous, brand new Storyteller Bryce kit from Just Jaimee (link on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010 - Week 4

It's been a bit since I last posted, hasn't it?  Well... I have been scrapping, it's just that it's all been with upcoming kits, so I can't post them yet.  

The new products I used on these pages, released today so I'm free to share...

I had skipped this week when working on my 2010 book because I wasn't sure what direction to go with colors.  That is an issue I have quite often with project life... finding a kit that I think can work with, if not all, at least most of the photos from that week.  Anyway, I thought the new stacked pocket cards from Just Jaimee worked well, so I used those and a few, mostly black and white, elements from the main Quinn kit.  I think it turned out okay.

In other news, I was cleaning out moving things around in my office and found some old photo CDs!!  I found one with all of the photos from my first year with my first digital camera (2003!)... I can't wait to scrap them!  I'm just trying to figure out just how many projects I can reasonably handle at one time.  Like I think I've mentioned before, my 2010 photos drop dramatically once I got off track in June when the kids went to camp.  I went from a photo a day to 10 per month for a few months.  So, maybe once I get 2010 all laid out, I can start on 2003.

Supplies (links on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Album Cover

I love it when things just come together!  

You know that designing an album cover is one of my least favorite, last things to do before printing. Well... this week the most perfect template set fell in my lap and I knew I had to use it for my 2010 album cover!

Here it is...

Ignore the black border, it's just there so you can see where the cover ends and the blog background begins.  I am really, truly in love with this cover... it makes me so happy to look at it.  I know it's similar to the one Shutterfly misaligned, but I'm thinking the wider white border will help make it look not quite so obvious if it's not 100% centered.  The template is super easy to use and it's only $1 at The Digital Press.

Here's the template set (link on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Week 8

Another week of 2010 done!  When I laid this one out, I didn't leave any room for journaling, so I had to journal on the photos this time.  I'm finding that an issue somewhat with working on 2010... when I have a lot of photos, I can't bear to part with any of them and fit them all onto the template, leaving no room for journaling.  Then occasionally, I have the opposite extreme... nowhere near enough photos so too many spaces.  It's really hitting me how much has changed since 2010.  The place where Alex got his big giant stack of pancakes... gone.  I'm so glad I have these photos though... and really makes me appreciate those "everyday" shots I've taken over the years.

Supplies (links on pinterest)...

   

Project Life 2010: Week 7

This may be one of my most favorite 2010 spreads yet.  The colors of this kit were amazingly perfect with my photos.  Clara's salmony colored snow pants were causing me problems since they weren't quite pink enough to go with the pink kits I had... but there was too much pink in these photos to go with a kit that didn't have pink.  Amber LaBau's hello, friend saved the day!

Here are the supplies I used (links on pinterest)....

Project Life 2010: Week 6

Like I mentioned yesterday... lots of bouncing around in my 2010 project!

Here's week 6...

I had a totally different photo editing style back then!  I had to make a decision to either re-edit the ones I wanted to use or try to duplicate the style on the photos I wanted to add.  I opted to leave the editing alone on those I had already edited and attempt to edit additional photos to match.  1)  Because it was less work :-) and 2) because that was my style then... I'm trying to stay as true to 2010 as I can and if that's the look I liked then, that's the look the photos shall have!

Created with the fabulous new Storyteller Quinn collection (link on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Week 13, part one

Bouncing around a bit, as the right kits come up.

Here is part one of week 13, spring break in Missouri...

I couldn't believe how perfectly this kit went with these photos!  Anyway... now to figure out what to do with myself.  They're working on a water main and water is off on our block from 8-3... I'm going to need to leave the house as some point.

Here's the kit I used (link on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Week 5

Skipping around a little bit.  I don't have the right kit yet for week 4, so I moved ahead to week 5...

I know I keep saying this, but having all of the tedious stuff done already sure makes finishing up my pages fun!  And actually, the tedious stuff, isn't all that tedious.  The fun of looking through old photos makes things really enjoyable.  It's completely different from laying out my current pages.  There are lots of photos of specific events/activities and not as many random photos like I do now.  I thought doing two years at once would feel boring since it was a lot of the same, but so far it's not.  Scrapping the two years couldn't be more different.  I think you can see some of that from my pages.  I scrap 2010 much more simpler than I do 2015.  And it's crazy, but 2010 has much more journaling usually since I was taking the text from my old blog posts.  I tend to bullet point my journaling a bit more in the current book.  Anyway... almost a month in and things are still going well.  I hope I can keep the momentum going!

Here are my supplies for week 5 (links on pinterest)...

Project Life 2010: Week 3

The fun stuff is starting!  I'm still plugging away on the tedious stuff (another 18 pages laid out, ready to go!), but I'm getting to play now as well.  As I mentioned before, my plan was to get my pages laid out on templates and wait for fun kits to come out to finish them out.  That was the plan, but you know how things don't always work out the way you think they will... well, this time I think they are! I'm currently working with three different digital designers.  I wasn't always a great creative team member for them since I always scrapped current.  For example, they would come out with a Valentine's Day kit that released February 1st.  They would want examples made up to promote this kit before the release date.  I never had Valentine's Day photos to work with until around mid-month, actual Valentine's Day... so I was always behind with assignments.  The designers I work with are great and very understanding, but I still felt bad.  Now things have changed!  As soon as a designer sends out links to a new kit they're releasing, I scan through my stash of laid out 2010 PL pages and pick the week I think will work best and start to play!  I'm having so much fun!  I know I could have always gone back to work with older photos, but I wanted a plan before I did.  With laying things out in advance, I know my page numbers.  I've done three weeks with just released or upcoming kits so far... weeks 3, 5 and 6.  Nothing to match week 4 yet, but since I know my page numbers, I could go ahead and upload my finished pages into my Shutterfly album, leaving room for the missing week.  Also with laying things out in advance, I know I'm not missing the little things by just scrapping the big events (since this is a project life album).  I'm so glad this is working out the way I had envisioned!

Here's week 3...

The kit for week 3 (on pinterest)...