Hello there! It’s Carly here to share more from my summer handbook project life binder. Hope everyone has been having a fantastic summer, I can’t believe that September is just around the corner.
I have been loving documenting in my 6×8 binder this summer so much that I have made the final decision to stick with it instead of going back to my 12×12 binder as originally planned. There are two main reasons for my decision to keep to this size. First, I love that it is portable. I can easily take my binder, portable printer and phone and / or camera anywhere I go and easily be able to keep up with my documenting.
The second reason why this format size is working for me is because I find it takes very little planning. When working with my 12×12 layouts, in order to get a cohesive looked on my pages I really had to think about what photo I was putting where. There were so many more options and colour of the overall page played a much bigger roll.
Although I love documenting in the handbook size, it does have it’s downfalls. You can’t beat the 12×12 binders for their ability to hold so many more photos and I take a lot of pictures. I actually have 3 handbook binders on the go now and each binder has it’s own project theme to better handle all my pictures. If I was staying with my 12×12 binder I could have easily stored everything in one place. The other thing I miss about my 12×12 binder is I documented monthly and in one or two spreads I could see all the highlighted moments of the month at one glance.
There is definitely pluses and minuses to both binder sizes, but I guess the trick is finding which one works for you. I’m pretty sure one day my approach to documenting will change once again and who knows, maybe I’ll go back to my 12×12 binder because after all there is no right or wrong way when it comes to documenting your story. 🙂
Thanks for letting me share today’s project with you and if you have any questions please feel free to ask! To see my other Paislee Press projects you can visit here, and you can always visit me at my (new) blog, on Instagram or over at Pinterest.
-Carly
Products used in today’s project share: picture + words no. 14, 4×6 photo templates vol.3, month in review cards, picture + words no.12, in progress kit, picture + words no. 10, about us journaling cards, pictures + words vol.3 and presscards no. 13.
Gorgeous project! I’m doing my first annual PL in a Basic Grey 6×8 binder and I like it for the exactly same reasons you gave. So in my case I keep my 12×12 for a traveling album, so I can keep my travel pictures all in one place 🙂
Hi Fernanda, I love the idea of using the 12×12 size for your travel album. I always have so many photos after a vacation and it would be great to collect them all together in the larger binder. I just might have to do that! 🙂
Looks great! I love it!!
Thank you Krystyn!
Your spreads are lovely! So bright and simple.
I’m really hoping someone comes out with a 9×12″ album system! I’m using a Handbook for a second year, and 12×12 is not an option for me – I just don’t have the space. 9×12 would allow for standard photo and card sizes without the hugeness of the 12×12. If no one does a 9×12 I will try to figure out 8.5×11. I have the same pros and cons list as you do – the Handbook is lovely and portable but it is also rather limiting. Mine is all 3×4″ portrait photos, no filler cards at all.
Oh I love the idea of a 9×12, it would be perfect! Yes, someone indeed needs to create that size!
Have you seen Marcy Penner’s album – she altered it to be 9×12 and has cut and sewn page protectors – too much work for me! But a lot of people were excited about it, so I’m hoping there’s enough to get someone to release a line that size. 🙂 http://www.marcypenner.com/memory-keeping/my-album-for-project-life-this-year/
Yes, I saw Marcy’s, she’s amazing and a huge inspiration for me, but like you it’s too much work for me to alter page protectors. I really like to keep things super simple so altering wasn’t in the cards for me. 🙂
I recently started a baby 12X12 album for each of my boys who are now teens. I decided yesterday to do a smaller album so the timing of your post is perfect! Thanks for the beautiful inspiration.
Hope the smaller album size works well for you! 🙂
This is just beautiful! What do you print on, Selphy or Charm? Do you use the momento app? My pictures never come out this good…I recently purchased photoshop but still on the learning curve. Thank you so much for sharing. I would love to be able to scale back…I find my self buying more than I use and I’m starting to feel like a hoarder..hahaha.
I have the Selphy, however it did break not long ago but I just replaced it so I have it when I need something portable. I also have the Canon Pixma MG7120 which I use when at home and I really love this printer! I don’t have the momento app but use Pic-Tap-Go for most of my iPhone pics and edit my SLR photos in Lightroom. I do have photoshop as well, but don’t really use it to edit my photos. Instead I pretty much just use photoshop to digital scrapbook and for making photo books. Hope that helps answer your questions. If you have any others please don’t hesitate to ask! 🙂
So beautiful.
Thank you my friend! 🙂
Love, love, love the 6×8 size! These are such light spreads, but I really like that you still were able to include some words with the photos. Very nice.
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