Project Life Update!

 Project Life, an easy to do scrapbook, has become an absolute favorite way to craft my memories! I have always been very faithful about printing my photos so starting a scrapbook wasn't necessarily for that reason.  We have photo boxes and books all over the house! But I noticed how many scrapbook items I'd collected over the past couple of years because I simply adored them.  I asked for a Project Life album for Christmas and made it my goal to complete a page or two every week or two.  So far, so good! Really good, actually.  

 There is something so utterly relaxing and soothing about setting some time aside to simply make a page.  It makes me stop and look at the photos longer than I ever would if they were simply on my phone. It causes a flood of memories to fill my mind.  My rosy moments or beautiful memories I snap never seem extraordinary.  Just present and begging to be captured.  But once I go back and look at them all strung together on a page? 

It's like the beauty of string lights, one bright moment trailing after another. 

This is my little spot in the craft room where I put the pages together. 

This window faces our yard and farm and makes it so easy for my mind to turn off and my fingers to get crafty. 

How do you record your memories? Have a question for me about Project Life or keeping your photos printed and off the phone? Ask away! 

Project Life Update

Morning friends! 

I wanted to pop in and share my updated Project Life scrapbook pages I finally got caught up on last weekend.  As the girls and I sat surrounded by paper, photographs, tape, and more I told them their mama could scrapbook for daaaays.  And it's true.  There is something so richly rewarding about documenting my days beyond the keys of my computer. 

As I always say, you can spend as much or as little time on Project Life if you want! It can be a process as simple as printing a few photos and slipping them into the pockets with some scrapbook cards and you're done.  Or you can sit and make your own scrapbook cards, or embellish the store-bought ones to your heart's desire.  It's totally up to you! 

Last weekend Brett was putting up electric fence because our cows are giving us fits this winter.   They keep breaking into the neighbor's pasture and I can't even count the number of hours he's spent on the fence. Anyway, the girls were getting over colds so we just tucked ourselves inside and got crafty! I'll share more details soon on this big hoop on the right, but the girls had fun wrapping string and yarn around embroidery hoops to make dream-catchers.  Just a quick idea for you if you're looking for something fast and crafty to do! 

What are you up to this week? 

Have you read about my photography class coming in March?

Project Life: Week 2 and resizing photos to print!

Hey friends, near and far! How (truly) are you today?  I'm excited to share my second week of Project Life with you!  If you're thinking "didn't she JUST share week one?!" the answer is yes!  

The end of another week snuck up on me and before you knew it Sunday night had rolled around and I had this huge urge to design another page before Monday came knocking.  Once again, I'm so glad I did!  I truly am loving Project Life so very much, like wondering why I haven't done it sooner. 

For me personally, being able to slip some cute journaling cards in with my photos is very appealing visually, plus I'm getting my story down a bit on paper, instead of just being lost on the "inter-webs", as Chewbacca mom calls it.  

For right now I'm keeping this super simple and easy.  I have a million ideas on how to include painting, more creative layouts, etc. but I think the point is to make it fit your life.  Right now "simple" fits my life! I really enjoy recording a bit of one week, before another begins.  

I had a good question last week about how I resize my photos and print them myself.  I made a video to show how I do that in Lightroom.  I have a whole list of disclaimers about the video-like the shifting light, the weird wind sounds in the background, etc. but this is real-life!  I'd rather post it and help someone than hide it due to perfectionism. 

You can view the video here: Project Life photo resizing

 I hope this encourages you to give Project Life a try! 

My first Project Life album!

I am super excited about this post today because I have something crafty to share with you! It's no secret that our family has been on a pretty twisty journey the past year or two, going from adoption to now foster care.  Throw in a few other curve balls of life and you have me sometimes feeling a bit worn out.  I am pretty good at recharging though and crafting is one way I like to simply have fun!  I'm always kind of surprised when a mom tells me they feel guilty for doing something fun or resting or fill-in-the-blank, whatever fills you back up.  My favorite quotes about this very subject are "an empty cup can't fill others" (or something like that), and "learn to rest, not quit." 

I believe whole-heartedly in taking care of ourselves, because so many of us mamas are taking care of so many others!  In order for me to give, give, give, I must sometimes fill back up.  I do at least one thing a day to fill back up, even if it's a 10-minute sit by the fire or a cup of tea and a good book before bed.  

Crafting and photography set almost everything right in my world.  When I'm partaking in either of these activities the noise is silenced, my soul is at rest.  It's when I reflect, pray, and worship.  It was with this in mind that I began looking for a way to combine my love for the two in a tangible, hands-on medium I could easily fit into my busy life.  

I considered my own form of bullet journaling, but it just didn't ever click for me.  In the end it felt like too much work for a lot of lists, when really the things I want to remember aren't my lists but the stories and photographs.  Enter Project Life!  

I discovered the idea of a Project Life scrapbook album years ago but haven't ever made one.  One day recently at Hobby Lobby as I was talking myself out of buying every single scrapbook item ever made, it clicked.  I should totally make a scrapbook and put all the cute stuff I already have to use.  I started reading up on Project Life albums to see how others started and kept up their own yearly scrapbooks. 

I was delighted to see that anything goes, truly! You can spend as little or as much time on a Project Life album as you like and I like that.  

So what is a Project Life album?  It is a scrapbook album that you fill with scrapbook items, like these cute graphics and art cards you see, and photographs during the year.  You can purchase a BIG album like I have, which is the 12x12.  You can also purchase the clear pages with pockets to go inside the album.  Last, there are scrapbook accessories GALORE online or at Hobby Lobby you can also fill your pockets with.  

These are my first pages!  Or really, one page, two-sided.  You guys, this was SO easy and so wonderfully fun to do.  I have my own printer so I quickly scaled some photos as close to 3x4 as I could and combined them on a sheet to print.  Next I cut out all the photos, slid them into pockets, and journaled on a few scrapbook cards.  Last I slid the scrapbook cards into the pockets and added a few extra embellishments here and there. 

This was so super quick to do and I love that!  I can easily keep this up by taking a few minutes each Sunday night, printing a sheet of photos, and having my page made for the week in under 30 minutes.  

Here's a close-up of the pages I've finished so far! 

Isn't that so fun?! You know how much I adore the blog, but I'm a very devoted book fan over a Kindle any day so it completely makes sense that my personality craves a real-life book of my life story.  

Of course it didn't take long for the girls (ok, Anna) to spot some of my cute supplies laying around and get totally inspired. 

I mean she does come by it naturally, doesn't she? 

I had both the girls pick out some cute scrapbook cards and print some photos.  Then they each got their own binder and we filled the table with stamps, markers, glue, and more!  We've left this out on our table all week long and it is adorable to see how many times I'll find one of them quietly and happily working on their scrapbook.  I'll share their pages with you soon! They are precious. 

In this ever so busy season of life, scrapbooking is saving my sanity.  It's keeping my creative spirit alive and that feels so good. 

What about you?  Have you ever done a Project Life album or another kind of memory-keeping?