Disney book--done & ordered. finally.

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Photo books are the perfect gift for any occasion.

confession

There were two Christmas trees still lingering in the house.  One with ornaments yet.  Until today.  I realized you could still see the tree upstairs in the window above the garage when driving past the house.  So I decided it was time to go.  Perhaps I should've just hung hearts on them??

january project life

Sigh.  Okay, so maybe January isn't quite finished yet.  Groan.  I had issues uploading pictures from my camera to computer, so I haven't printed the very end of January.  But I am impressed that I have so many pics printed in the first place.  From one whole month.  Probably the most printed from a month since this era of digital (sadly!).  Perhaps I am feeling some negativity because I spent 12 hours (LATE nights) creating a shutterfly book using a digital version of Project Life for our Disney trip last year.  It turned out awesome, but in my zoned state of mind (lack of sleep I suppose) I didn't look at the expiration date on some coupons I had.  So, alas, the coupons expired and my book is sitting in the "cart" waiting to be ordered.  I can't wait to order it and share it!!

I am loving that I have been really good about uploading pictures(until the issues...), sorting them, deleting bad ones, and uploading to have them printed.  The rest of the project isn't going as smoothly as I had hoped.  I'm not loving it, and I think because it is so simple.  I'm trying to get over that and just put the pictures in the book. I am certain I'll have multiple volumes, since I am sometimes printing several pictures from one day.  But it's supposed to be whatever you want it to be, right??  I'm going to start going through my stash, too, and use more of my own stuff.  The journaling cards are great, but the page protectors that fit them are out of stock online.  I turn them or put them in a 4x6 slot, that doesn't really bother me.  But I am finding the bright colors of the cardstock in this kit are sometimes clashing with my pictures.  Hence the need to use my own stash.  Lord knows I have enough stuff ; )  And finding the space & time is another issue--more so because it involves pulling out tons of stuff and sprawling across the kitchen table (and sometimes a bench and chairs, too!).

So here is some of what I've done with it.  Nothing terribly exciting, but I sure am glad I've been making notes, I had already forgotten a couple of the funny things I wrote down.

The top left card has some journaling and then says, "From basketball to building barbie houses"...bottom right card says "we stay busy seven days a week."  I have to add a pic off of my phone of the barbie house taking up our closet : )

At first I had several pages of Maddie's birthday in the book.  Then I condensed it quite a bit of some of my favorite shots.

I have another picture off of my phone to add to this page.

Here's a stack of little things I have to add to the work in progress...

I included the baby shower invite in one of the 4x6 slots, and a note that was on the table at the baby shower.  This baby shower was a big deal (well, all of them are, but this one was really special).  I have yet to journal about the mom-to-be's journey, but I can do that at any time.  The gals in the photo with me are all wives of college friends of Mike.  The mom-to-be & husband had been trying for 7+ YEARS to conceive with no success.  They went through the whole fertility thing, including in vitro.  They had pretty much lost hope, and began to accept it was just not meant to be.  She signed up for the Chicago Marathon last spring and voila!  Found out she was pregnant.  I love stories with happy endings!!

Thanks for looking!

come visit me in Utah!

 because I plan on winning this ; )

I caved

So I bought Project Life.  I purchased the Cobalt edition, but spent literally weeks debating between the two new sets.  It came the first week of January.  A lot of people aren't sure they "get it".  I confess I was one of those people for a while.  I had no desire to do the 365--ONE picture everyday thing, and I feel like that's how it was used at first.  It's evolved into something totally different, and I'm hoping this works for me.  I intend this to be a place where I can put the little things I've been throwing in a shoe box to save.  A place for cute drawings and notes the kids leave on the counter or for each other.  A place for concert or movie tickets.  While I have been making little notes in a journal on most days, I don't have pictures for everyday.  Some days I have several pictures.  The biggest reason for my jump into this is that I am so worried about losing my memory.  Sounds silly, I know, at 33 to be so worried about that.  But I've had some "episodes" of not being able to remember things, so I'm trying very hard to make the most of this "easy" scrapbooking so I will never forget.  I fully intend to continue books for the kids.  I will still make layouts.  I'm not sure I have it all figured out yet exactly.  I'd like to make a slimmed down digital version, too, on shutterfly.  I have to decide what and how to use all these options out there.  But have no fear, I'm not giving up any of my paper and stickers, even if the kids think I have an entire store's worth  ; )

So back to Project Life...there are different pieces available for purchase--cards, a 12x12 binder, and matching cardstock.  The box of cards includes tons of 3x4 cards and 4x6 cards for journaling or just looking cute.  The idea is you fill the page protectors (the fun DIVIDED page protectors) with pictures and these cards and VOILA, you are scrapbooking life right now.  The idea is there is no such thing as being "behind".   Here's hoping!  I have almost the entire month of January photos printed.  I have never ever done that before in my life in the age of digital cameras.  I have decided to reprint some of them as wallet sized, but still, having them printed is a huge accomplishment in itself!!  I have big dreams of keeping up with 2012 while going backwards to do the other years.  Ha!  Here is a look at Project Life in use (this isn't mine--I found TONS of inspiration for PL on pinterest!!!  And lots of cute free digital downloads, too!!)  I'll post my  month of January this week.