Project Life/Project 12/Project 365 monthly thread for January 2011

[BernardandMissBianca]

Happy Birthday to Pjlla's DS!!!!

 

[Pixieflip]

I keep reading this thread over and over. I really wanted to try this last year. So this morning I looked at the photos I already have for January, took some photos around the house of things to represent a bunch of days that I do remember and with a few fill in things, I think I can do this!

I'm doing it digitally with a 2 page spread for each month. Are the rest of you planning a traditional album?

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I'm sort of doing a traditional. I use the picfolio album from CM. You just slide the photos in the pockets and some journaling cards. Let me dig up a page from 2009.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

 

[bearbear]

I am going to start to do this. I will! Now that we have a PS3, my pictures are separated into what day they were taken and I can pick out the best ones to print. We do take lots of pictures, I just need to take one everyday. We have lots of fun ones already done for January, I just need to organize them. I am going to go and take a pic of DH shoveling. He will be thrilled.
I will try to keep up.

 

[Pixieflip]

Very nice! I love those, too.

 

[pjlla]

Happy Birthday to Pjlla's DS!!!!

Thanks! I'll let him know. I wished it could have been a more fun day, but I didn't think it was quite right to let him miss school (not that he even asked... just was thinking about it). We did take him out for dinner, his choice, and his sister had swim, so he had our attention all to himself. And we let him order dessert... that is a big deal in our houes!!

I keep reading this thread over and over. I really wanted to try this last year. So this morning I looked at the photos I already have for January, took some photos around the house of things to represent a bunch of days that I do remember and with a few fill in things, I think I can do this!

I'm doing it digitally with a 2 page spread for each month. Are the rest of you planning a traditional album?

I'm a traditional scrapper, but I'm going to do this particular project as sort of a hybrid. I'm going to do the layouts using Picasa and making photo collages for each month. I haven't totally decided if I am going to do a one page collage and one page of journaling, or a two page layout combining both. I'm going to decide as I go along.

I am going to start to do this. I will! Now that we have a PS3, my pictures are separated into what day they were taken and I can pick out the best ones to print. We do take lots of pictures, I just need to take one everyday. We have lots of fun ones already done for January, I just need to organize them. I am going to go and take a pic of DH shoveling. He will be thrilled.
I will try to keep up.

WOOHOO! So glad to have someone else on board with this project! It makes it more fun to have a group to share ideas with! Personally, I'm not worrying too much about taking a photo EVERY day. I did that in 2009 with the P365. I am just concentrating on getting more photos of everyday life and doing sort of a "month in review" each month.

I'll hop back on later and share photos of my P365 book I did in 2009, in case any one else is looking for ideas. Thanks so much to Buffy for sharing photos of her previous project!..............P

 

[pjlla]

January's cover page:

February's cover page:

March's cover page:

Random page in January with journaling.... blank white spots are where I removed photos/mats before photographing..

October's cover page:

All of the pages, ready for photos and journaling!

When I did this project in 2009, I KNEW I would have trouble keeping up with it every day/month if I had to start picking papers, cutting them, etc every month. So I spent the end of December and part of January getting the entire book set up. I selected patterned papers that represented each month (for example... February was done in pinks/purples for Valentine's day, June was done in pinks because that is my birthday month and pink is my signature color. March was done in greens because of spring and St. Patrick's day, October was green/orange/purple, my favorite Halloween color combo).

I filled in each and every block of each month with a piece of patterned paper..... first block in upper left cover of 2 page spread was titled "week of" .... used rub-ons to do that... and then it was date stamped below that.

When the month ended I printed my photos, cut them to size, added my journaling blocks, and the month was done!

**WHAT I DID WRONG/WOULD CHANGE: Being my typical CHEAPO self, I didn't want to splurge on the BH album set. So I created my own. I used the trading card page protectors. I figured I didn't need a huge journaling space or photo space. But I didn't stop to think about exactly how I would fit things into these small vertical spaces. I ended up having to print all of my photos at home. I would copy/paste them into a Word document, size each photo appropriately (after some trial and error I figured out just the right size), print them and then cut them apart. Very time consuming and wasted a LOT of photo paper. Plus having them all be vertical slots sometime made it difficult to take just the right photo. (BTW, wallet size photos might have worked, but at the time I didn't know about combining 4 photos into one and having it printed as a 4 x 6.... I thought I had to order actual "wallets" and didn't want to waste the money getting multiples... which seems to be the only way you can get wallet sized photos).

For journaling I selected pre-lined Post-It notes. Again, the idea was good, but they were just a little too large... so I ended up having to trim those too.

It all worked out okay, but I made it more work for myself than I realized it would be. Live and learn.

**WHAT I'M GLAD I DID: I'm SO glad that I prepared the entire book in advance. I'm SURE I would have quit if I hadn't had that book all ready to go!

I'm glad that I had prelined journaling blocks ready to go and I didn't rely on computer printed journaling, like I do on most of my scrapbook pages. It made it much faster and easier and portable to work on!

I'm GLAD I included so many pictures of just regular life.... laundry waiting to be folded, foods we prepared, myself in the middle of my weight-loss journey, the scale the day I broke into a certain weight category, kids and DH hanging around the house in their pajamas on the weekends, the kitty, the kids school buildings, etc.

I'm GLAD that I DID IT! It is just a GREAT representation of our real lives, not just vacations and birthdays..............P

**BTW, gotta add.... if you have been scrapping for a while and think you see some REALLY old patterned papers in my project, you're RIGHT! My original plan to do to the entire book using just paper I already had (there is the CHEAPO me again!)... but I wasn't totally happy, so I ended up buying some newer papers for a few months (like Decemer and July... didn't own much RED). But overall I did use probably 80% papers I already had.

 

[MarieS]

I'm GLAD I included so many pictures of just regular life.... laundry waiting to be folded, foods we prepared, myself in the middle of my weight-loss journey, the scale the day I broke into a certain weight category, kids and DH hanging around the house in their pajamas on the weekends, the kitty, the kids school buildings, etc.

I'm GLAD that I DID IT! It is just a GREAT representation of our real lives, not just vacations and birthdays..............P

Love this! Great scrapbook!

It's only January and I'm already having a hard time taking a picture a day. I've taken a bunch of the boys, the snow but I'm getting stuck for ideas. Maybe our lives just aren't that exciting

Also, I've started writing out a jouranlling card each time I take a photos so I remember which day it goes to.

Any other advice or tips? I really want to make this project work and not have another half done project.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Pam I love it!!!

I think that would be a good size for the kids to do if they want to make a 365 album.

 

[pjlla]

I got to order my Proj Life today!!! It should be here by the end of the week!

Cheryl--I did Proj 365 in 2009, too, and I did a celebrations album on top of it--just had to scrap those pages!

Is it here yet???

Love this! Great scrapbook!

It's only January and I'm already having a hard time taking a picture a day. I've taken a bunch of the boys, the snow but I'm getting stuck for ideas. Maybe our lives just aren't that exciting

Also, I've started writing out a jouranlling card each time I take a photos so I remember which day it goes to.

Any other advice or tips? I really want to make this project work and not have another half done project.

Sounds like you're off to a great start. Writing up the journaling is half the battle.

I personally don't feel like every photo has to be a masterpiece or something super exciting. I just took a peek at my 2009 P365 book to see if I could come up with some ideas for you....

how about a picture of the calendar.... kind of late in the month for that now, but I took a picture of our fresh new calendar with the birthdays all marked. You could take that idea for Feb. 1st.

something in the kitchen.... I took a picture of muffins in the oven (I rarely bake, so it was a bit of an event...).

birds at your birdfeeders or other wildlife in the yard.

empty tissue box to represent someone's cold.

load of groceries in the trunk or on the kitchen counter. Make note of how much you spent and how long the groceries should last. Could make for a chuckle years from now.

kids playing with their favorite toys.... I have many, many photos of DS working with his Lego robot. I also took a photo of DD's favorite stuffed animals.

how about using actual ticket stubs or receipts. I did that in place of photos a few times.

the treadmill or other piece of exercise equipment you might use regularly. Plus you could make note of how often (or not often) you use it and such.

the scrapbook pages/books you are working on.

appointments.... I got a picture of DS in the dentist chair and DD with her pediatrician.

household tools.... how about a picture of your washer and dryer. Maybe make note of where they came from, how much they cost, and what you like/dislike about them.

some sort of collection you or someone in your family has. I took a photo of my collection of Disney mugs on their display shelf.

before/after pictures of rooms or closets that you are cleaning.

family pets.... even little ones like goldfish.

a photo of a piece of artwork that your child makes or brings home from school.

the kids attending a club/sport meeting.... scouts, karate, music lessons... something like that.

the cover of a good book you're reading.



OKAY....I hope that is enough!! I don't want to run out of ideas.... it is a long year ahead!

Don't worry too much about the photos always being "exciting".... life isn't always exciting. But wouldn't you LOVE to see a scrapbook about the everyday life of your grandmother when she was in her 20's or 30's?? What she cooked? Where she worked or what she did around the house? Places she visited, books she read?? I know I would!!

I hope everyone is doing well with their projects. January will be over soon and then we can start fresh with February!..................P

 

[MarieS]

Thanks for all the ideas! They really help!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

My PL kit arrived Thursday night!! I got the dividers and protectors put in, and the front/back pages. I picked up my pics tonight, so if I can get up early tomorrow morning, I'm going to knock out January!!

YAY!!!

 

[pjlla]

My PL kit arrived Thursday night!! I got the dividers and protectors put in, and the front/back pages. I picked up my pics tonight, so if I can get up early tomorrow morning, I'm going to knock out January!!

YAY!!!

Woohoo! Is it as cool as it looks online? Which one did you get? That would be GREAT if you could get January in place before January even ends!


I'm at an all day swim meet with DD today (scheduled to last 8+ hours), so obviously my picture today will be swim related. But I'm gonna remind DH to take a picture with his blackberry if he and DS do something today. I know they were talking about going to the movies to see Tron, but they could only find it in 3-D and DH can't do 3-D (he has a neurological disorder that affects his eyes). Not sure if they will try another movie or just stay home.

I got some good pictures at DS's b.ball game yesterday. I tried another setting on my camera... I set it on the "sports" mode AND the "burst" mode.... using both together really helped. The color of the photos still is a bit yellow, because I can't use the flash, but at least the pictures are pretty clear and show some good action.

TWO DAYS LEFT this month! What will you choose to photograph to remember this month?

BTW, DD can officially start driving tomorrow as a learner! That will definitely be the final good POTD for January!..............P

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

WAY TO GO, to your DD, pjilla!!! Driving as a learner is awesome!!

I have my January pics (thru the 27th) in the album and the stickers on the sleeves & journaling cards. Just have to write the journaling cards out! I've taken pics for the 29th and 30th, but they're not developed yet.

Tomorrow, I KNOW what my pic will be. I busted my heinie this month on DS's 1st year album(s). Keep in mind, he'll be 2 1/2 on Tuesday. Tomorrow's pics will be the FINISHED ALBUMS!!!!

 

[pjlla]

WAY TO GO, to your DD, pjilla!!! Driving as a learner is awesome!!

I have my January pics (thru the 27th) in the album and the stickers on the sleeves & journaling cards. Just have to write the journaling cards out! I've taken pics for the 29th and 30th, but they're not developed yet.

Tomorrow, I KNOW what my pic will be. I busted my heinie this month on DS's 1st year album(s). Keep in mind, he'll be 2 1/2 on Tuesday. Tomorrow's pics will be the FINISHED ALBUMS!!!!

wooohoooo! You are on fire! And only 1.5 yr behind... that's NOTHING!! I'm currently working on mid-2005. I had the vision a few years ago that I would get "caught up" to within 2-3 years of present, but everytime I make progress in that direction, something slows me down... either I get working on a big vacation album or life gets in the way and the scrapping time comes to a screeching halt!

I'll be back tomorrow to see how everyone is doing and be sure we are ready to finish the month strong!.............P

 

[pjlla]

Make sure you get out there today and get one final picture for January! Mine will be, as mentioned a picture of DD behind the wheel.... even if it is only for a trip down the driveway!!

I'll be starting the Feb. thread either later tonight or first thing tomorrow morning. Make sure you come and check it out!.............P

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

OK, totally pathetic. I have 12 days of photos. Now granted I have 1000 (well not really, more like 30) of the snow storms but geesh!!

I need to get on board a little more!!

 

[wdwmickey]

You could make a collage of "January moments" for the month I've done that in several albums, January is not a big photo month in our house

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

that's probably what's going to happen.