Can we talk Project Life again? As you are probably aware, I fell off the Project Life bandwagon a few years ago. I stilled loved it but I was struggling to keep up with the weekly spreads. I thought if I tried switching up pocket page designs maybe that would get me back on track. It didn’t.
I tried switching to a smaller sized album – 8.5×11 – and focusing on a monthly approach. That didn’t work either. The pocket page configurations was the deal breaker in this case. While I love the collage look of the 9 up trading card pockets, I found that I was picking and choosing photos based on how well they matched other photos on the page instead of choosing photos based on the stories I wanted to tell. So I ended up with pages that were visually appealing (to me), but not necessarily meaningful, if that makes any sense. And that left me feeling frustrated and defeated.
I desperately wanted to find a formula that would help me:
- Complete layouts as simply and quickly as possible.
- Choose photos based on the stories/moments I want to remember (vs. choosing photos because it “fit” the pocket configuration).
- Enjoy the creative process again.
You guys. Eureka moment when I tried the 6×12 pocket page. (Thank you Kelly Purkey for starting this trend.)
It’s just like Page Design A (my favorite)…but better. I’ll touch on all the reasons why 6×12 is working for me as I walk you through my January spreads.
Title Page for my 2016 album. This is a total departure from my norm. I usually do the title page last but I had these photos from December already printed out (from when I was attempting a 6×8 Project Life format) and just went with it. To complete the page, I simply added the New Year journaling card from my Mantras set.
The 6×12 pocket configuration allows you to easily showcase both portrait and landscape photos. I tend to take more landscape oriented photos so the 4×6 photo pockets are a must have. Also? You have more room to get creative in the 4×6 slots. In the top slot I went with a square photo crop, then added a striped background for visual interest. The 4×6 slot is also a great spot to include more photos. That’s another important factor for me because sometimes (most of the times), I find it hard to choose just ONE photo. As you can see in the bottom slot, I ended up including three photos. One photo would have been fine but putting the three together better captures how much fun they have together.
Products used: All The Stripes Photo Templates Set, New Year card from Mantras Journal Cards set.
Here’s the first January entry.
When you put the two pocket pages side by side, it looks just like a Design A Page. But, that split down the middle between the two pocket pages makes a huge difference when I’m working on the layout. All the difference, actually. When I worked on this spread I was able to just focus on the four pockets to the left without worrying about how it would match up with the right side. Thinking about layouts in terms of 4 pocket configurations is simpler than 8 pocket configurations and I’ve found that my pages are coming together so much faster now.
Products used: All The Stripes Photo Templates Set, 4×6 Photo Templates Vol. 3, #fromwhereistand chipboard tag and the story of today journal card from the Project Life Everyday Edition
Most of the spreads this month are devoted to a Saturday spent in Idyllwild where the girls (and their cousins) got to see snow for the very first time. It was a big moment and you’d better believe that I photographed the heck out of that day! Between myself and my brother, we took over 600 photos. I don’t ever recommend taking that many photos, it just makes the scrapbooking process that much more challenging. One of my goals this year actually is to be more selective and mindful of the moments I choose to photograph. But in this case, being that it was our first time in the snow, and the views were so stunning, I go swept up in the moment and went snap crazy.
Products used: All The Stripes Photo Templates Set, journal card from My Tribe, favorite wood veneer piece by One Little Bird for Gossamer Blue.
Another spread devoted to Idyllwild.
And finally, the last entry for January. It’s a mix of different events throughout the month. I did manage to squeeze in a lot of the photos here. The two 4×6 photos help to keep it from looking too cluttered.
That’s it for January. I’m loving the 6×12 size. I’m loving the monthly format. I’m currently caught up through July and will be sharing more finished layouts in the coming weeks. There are a few other key things that have really helped me to streamline my project life process which I’ll get more into in future posts.
Thank you for this. I’ve always hesitated to do PL because it’s just me and I didn’t think I had enough going on for a full-blown PL. I agree Kelly’s 6×12 is a great idea. I just got the photo templates to help me. Bring on 2017!
That’s been my issue too Deb. Now that my girls are both in school, I don’t take a lot of photos during the week so the 6×12 size is PERFECT. Excited for your 2017 documenting adventure! Bring it on indeed!
Your layouts look awesome! Love it all! I encountering the same issues. 12×12 is way too big for my school album, and 8.5×11 is awkward in terms of pocket size configuration. I’d love to try a 6×12. I was curious where you bought your black 6×12 album? And are your pocket pages the Becky Higgins brand?
Thank you so much Maggie! Yes, the 6×12 pockets are Becky Higgins, Design H. The WRMK album I purchased on Amazon. I may have snagged the last two black albums. Unfortunately, they are no longer making this album. I say we start a campaign to convince them that there IS consumer demand and need for this size! I don’t know what I’m going to do otherwise.