A few thoughts before I get started.
History:
So I did Becky Higgin's first version of Project Life - Project 365 - back in 2009. That year was quite the year to pick. First off I had just had a baby 6 months before. We also had a 2 year old. And as if that wasn't enough, yep, there's more - my father, Grandfather, and Auntie "M" (the closest thing I had to an aunt) were all battling cancer, I was president of the local Association of Fundraising Professionals Chapter (one of the largest and BEST in the country), I was to start Leadership Houston (a yearlong leadership program) in the fall and I was working full time as a development director for a major university. Whew! Just thinking about all of that makes me tired.
So I did the project as intended - a picture a day for a whole year. It was magical. It was hard. It was freeing. It was tiring. I am SO GLAD I did it. I look back on that simple album - no embellishments - just photos, cards and journaling and it is precious. I have photos I would have NEVER taken - but Project 365 gave me the license. I carried my point and shot with me everywhere. I pulled it out all of the time. I have hilarious photos. Everyday photos. Extremely sad photos. Ones that I will cherish forever. Ones that my kids think are crazy. I was hooked. then I completely fell off the wagon with the deaths of aunt and father. But I took my photos. I was determined. And I finished it about two years later. It is a cherished possession. I have more photos of my daddy and granddaddy than I ever would have just doing the usual special occasions. Project 365 taught me to look at my life differently, to capture things differently and to see things.
Needless to say, I took a break in 2010. I was in full-on mom mode. We lost Granddaddy that year.
In 2011, I just wasn't ready. I finished the 2009 book. And to this day I love looking at it.
2012 - the project beckoned to me again. I was suckered in. I craved the memories I had from 2009. I got the, black signature binder, design A page protectors, Clementine Core Kit. I asked for it for Christmas. I asked my husband to help me. I went strong through the spring. The stumbled in the summer. I have been working at it - inching along - I have the photos, the stuff, the calendar to get it done - AND I WILL.
Late 2012 - I wanted to do it again, but knew things weren't working the way I was doing it. Ordering photos and waiting for prints - getting behind - that's not how I am successful. I searched everywhere for an answer. One thing kept surfacing - weekly progress -- habits - a rhythm - it all spelled - p-r-i-n-t-e-r.
I asked for a photo printer for Christmas - yes, mother, a gift with a cord - every southern gal's worst nightmare. But I wanted it. He agreed and even researched the right one for what I wanted. It arrived - it came with Photoshop elements, I found a free app to print directly from my phone - can you hear the choir too?
I bought the plastics on sale during the Black Friday sale Becky had on Amazon. I did not buy a core kit - I still had supplies from the year before AND I have a stash, a stash I love. Every month I get more by way of a subscription to Cocoa Daisy. I have what I need.
So here is Week 1 of my 2013 Project Life. Super excited to get started.
I am using this calendar from A Vegas Girl at Heart on each spread - keeping it simple. That is important. Plus those thickers from last year add a lot of bulk. Grabbed a few sheets of Echo Park's new photo freedom line Today's Story and a sheet from Studio Calico's Darling Dear line. I'm using my embossing plates from Stampin' Up as a way to add some texture without much bulk. Keeping is cohesive with some kraft paper on every date/title spot.
Most of the supplies are from the Cocoa Daisy Kits. Don't tell, but I even cut up full sheets sometimes! I find it spurs me on to make actual layouts with these scraps - sometimes cutting into a sheet is the hardest part about starting a layout - now I just throw what I have on the page and start.
I also got some washi - FINALLY. I am hooked. It's a great addition to this project. So that's it. I am trying to keep parts of it simple and parts of it pretty and creative. So far - I'm still in love.
