I don’t exactly have album layouts to share today. Lately real life has been getting in the way of Project Life. :) But I do want to show you all what Kenny got me for a little Valentines gift this year. (Cue angels singing in the background…)
YEA!!! My new kits! Two of the Amber kits for my girls and one Turquoise kit for Kole. Talk about the best Valentine surprise ever. Isn’t it romantic!? ;) Now that I have my hands on my beautiful new kits I am SO motivated to get caught up so that I can start using them. Hoping that by next Tuesday I have LOTS of layouts to post.
I wanted to answer a question one reader had after my last Project Life post: “how do you keep track of the other stuff that goes with the pictures so when you scrapbook you have it all there?” I’ve had other similar questions on how I organize and assemble these albums so I thought I’d share my process – for any fellow scrapbookers out there who get as excited about all of this stuff as I do! :)
Step 1 – Go through photos. I organize my pictures by blog posts since I share most of my favorite pictures on my blog. For example, in my 2011 folder I have a January folder and in the January folder I have two other folders – one for January blog posts and one called January randomness (pics I am keeping from the month but didn’t blog). So if I’m working on Addison’s album, the first thing I do is go through my folders of pictures for each month and choose what I want to develop for her album. I put everything I’m going to develop in another folder titled something like “Addison’ PL March – June 2010” This step takes the longest for me because not only does it take a while to select the pictures, but I also have to crop and save any vertical pictures I’m using (directions on developing two 3×4’s as one 4×6 in Photoshop here). Luckily most of my photos have already been cropped/edited so I don’t have to add that step to the process. Blogging has made this all so much easier for me.
Step 2 – Upload photos to print. I’ve used on-line sites before, but I get really impatient with the whole shipping thing. There is a photo store near my home that is a bit pricey, but produces high quality prints so I usually just pay a little more and go there so that I can pick up the pictures an hour or so after I make the order.
Step 3 – Organize photos in order. I use my blog and picture folders to help me organize the pictures into piles in the order I will use them. I group them in themes (Disneyland, picking lemons, random February pictures, etc.) and spread them out all over my work space. You can see to the left that I was sharing a work space with Addison and her Valentines. :)
You can see in this picture I posted two weeks ago the piles of pictures on the right. (You can also see why I need a bigger scrapbook room!) :)
Step 4 – Add additional memorabilia. Any little thing I think I MAY want to add to these albums I keep organized in my PL drawers in my scrapbook room.
I have a pile for each of my girls (the work is organized on the left of the drawer). Here is a picture of Ellie’s stuff from March 2010 through today…
Step 5 – Before I start assembling the albums I do one last thing. I go through my blog and see if there is anything I want to print for their books. I know I mentioned this a lot when I first shared Ellie’s album, but I have to say again that blogging has made the journaling for these books so easy. Here are a few examples of how I’ve added material from blog posts to my albums…
awwwwwwww, what a lovely Valentines Gift! I wish i could get that here in Germany! I love the turquoise set.
Have a lovely Day
Vanessa
I’m so glad I stumbled on your blog a few weeks ago and saw your PL posts! This is exactly the style of scrapbooking that speaks to me and my style, and I have already ordered my first kit- now to start printing out the pictures… 10 years worth (I know- don’t even say it!!) of my beautiful girls. It’s ok… I feel it is manageable now with this system.
Two questions… do you have any of the PL vertival 4 x 6 page layouts? And what pages do you use for your 8 x 10’s? Did you order those from PL too?
OK, another question… do you do one album per child per year, or do you also have a family album? I’m not quite sure how I want to set those up. (Obviously one per daughter, but them do I also have holiday albums or family? Decisions!)
I love all your project life posts. You are motivating me to get going on my kid’s books. I Seriously need to, I am embarrassed to say I have my oldest son’s done great, Danica’s ok, and Amity’s is just pathetic. I am going to work on it…you have indeed inspired me!
You should sooo move to digital scrap-booking!!!! No loose papers and pics hanging around to clutter your house (I know how you hate that);-) It all neatly organized on your computer and there is never any waste of materials or a mess to clean up!!
Your journaling will never fade and your embellishments and pics will never fall off…. It’s the best!!!
Hi Kelly! My 8×10 sheet protectors I bought at a local scrapbook store. I don’t do one album per year – I’m just going to fill each album until it’s full and then continue on (I think I’ll have about a year and a half in each album). I”m going to print my blog for my family books (the books I keep with me). I explained what albums I’m doing in a post titled “Scrapbooking Plan”…it’s on the side of my blog under “popular posts.” Hope that helps! Good luck catching up!
Deena- I could never go digital…I LOVE the supplies and real pictures too much. And I love being able to incorporate art work. Plus I get tired of being on my computer more than I already am! :)
Isn’t funny how it’s the stuff like this that we count as romantic?! I love it!
I wish I could hire someone like you to do all this for me. I haven’t printed pictures in way too long.
ps. Thanks for all your fun comments Erin! I laughed at the one about our new floors. You are the best!
Thanks Erin! I’ll check out your other post:-)
Pretty amazing. I love how you are so dilligent in keeping up with them. I am so far behind it’s just a joke now.
Hey, it’s March now- you better get that header changed. You are really falling behind on the important things!!!
Erin…what I wouldn’t give for half the motivation you have! I wish I was excited about scrapbooking like you are. I’m giving my daughter a scrapbooking kit for her birthday and I’m really hoping she enjoys doing it and then can scrapbook her own stuff!! Is that horrible of me? LOL!! I just don’t get into it!
I am totally a follower now. I’ve popped in through the link up before…but your blog, your albums, your kiddos…too cute for words. Thanks for sharing!
Wow. You’ve given me so much inspiration that I’m giddy with excitement to get started right away!! I have three boys (6, 8, 10) and have tons of school related stuff and photos that I have been collecting and NEED to get into albums pronto! THIS is the ticket. I am already a project lifer, but didn’t think to do the boys school albums in this way! LOVE IT!!
Do you blog every day?
OMG did you see you were featured on BECKY HIGGINS BLOG!?!?!?! YOU ROCK MY FRIEND :) I know I would feel totally awesome if I were you :)
I love that you shared this! I’ve been wondering how you kept up with everything! I don’t even have kids and I’m way behind on scrap books- but would LOVE to do a project life book when I do have kids! Thanks for sharing!
This is a wonderful idea; thank you for sharing. I have drawers full of memorabilia and tubs now, etc. I was figuring I’d just keep a tub of school stuff/art work for each child and maybe take photos of the art/etc. that I want to keep.
Also: For those that use FB, don’t forget FB statuses, for either the kid-related stuff or for your own scrapping.
(P.S. “Que” –> “queue” Sorry, I’m a Writing Assistant and always notice these things. *sigh* I saw a product that Kohl’s was selling that had an inappropriately placed apostrophe and I kept thinking, “Who would pay $60 for that??)
I saw that this morning – how awesome! She also posted a pic of your girls looking at their PL book on facebook the other day!
What an awesome album. Thanks for sharing.
LOL! I’m laughing pretty hard at myself right now. (And am afraid to read any comments after mine. *facepalm*) So, you meant “cue” not “queue.” My apologies.
Mamawheelie – Don’t stress it! I’m so grateful you pointed that out! We were both a little off at first. :)