Hi everyone, I'm back again today to share some ideas that have worked for me with Project Life this year. I love that it gives me a chance to stamp + play with bits & pieces, so here are a few fun things to try in your next Project Life spread!
I am in love with the Design F page protectors by Becky Higgins. As they come, they are (1) 4x6" pocket at the top, and the rest are 3x4". This is great, but sometimes you have a 4x4" photo or 4x6" journaling card that you may want to use. Nobody ever said you couldn't cut your cards/photos, right?! In the above example, I cut the photo in the top right to 3x4", and adhered the rest of that photo to a 3x4" journal card before placing it in the adjacent pocket. This gives the illusion of a 4x6" pocket, and stretches this particular page protector to be used any way you like!
Maps are great to include in the pockets...here I used a piece of an old road atlas I picked up at an antique store for $4 (remember those HUGE road atlas' that your parents/grandparents had in their car?!). I placed it next to the photo of the market that we visited and used a gold star to mark the location. Notice that I cut this photo as well to make it look like there is a 4x6" pocket there. ;)
I am a BIG believer in making this project be about random, every day things in my family's lives...and that includes MUSIC! I was driving to work one morning, stopped at a light and realized I had (unknowingly) cranked the volume up way high to this specific song...and posted it on Twitter, lol. It was playing through my iPhone, so I thought to snap a screen shot (just press the button at the top of your iPhone at the same time as your round 'home' button...it will save to your camera roll!)...which was neat when I was looking for photos for the week, because it showed the date and time.
This photo above shows you that it's ok to fill those pockets with just about anything...I cut the numbers with my Silhouette, painted the 3 and 9 (it was my birthday) and sprinkled some confetti I had cut from scraps on my desk into the pocket. I used my sewing machine to seal the edges, and it was a fun way to 'play' a bit while documenting my 39th birthday. :)
With a husband who travels quite a bit for work, a full time job outside the home for myself and a 13 year old daughter...we text to stay in touch throughout the day. A LOT. ;) Snap a screen shot of a sweet/funny/memorable text from someone you care about and include it in your week. I even created/cut a frame that says 'via text' for that pocket.
Aahhh...Project Life wouldn't be the same for me without my stash of stamps. I have some favorites, and the alphabet seen in the above photo is on that list. I used it to stamp a quote I had saved on Pinterest, as it tied into the crazy week we were having. Just about every pocket that week had some stamping on it!
Finally, don't be afraid to mix up your page protectors!! This one above is from WeRMemoryKeepers, and I find the (3) 4x4" pockets across the middle to be a nice switch from the Design F. When I get in a rut, I switch up and pull a different sleeve for that week...I only do 1 page protector per week, so this works GREAT!
Hopefully I've been able to give you a few ideas on how to change things up a bit in your ongoing Project Life attempt...sometimes all you need is to change how you see things to give you the urge to dive in again!
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I'm in love your PL album!!!!! it's fantastic. I've been doing a 'modified'PL album - in an 81/2x11 format with baseball and regular page protectors and covering a month at a time - I love that I can document everyday life in a creative way and see our lives unfold. thanks for all the inspiration
Posted by: Anita Price | August 22, 2012 at 02:03 PM
Wonderful tips Nicole! Love it. TFS!
Posted by: Megan Smith | August 22, 2012 at 02:54 PM
Beautiful job w/ these PL pages, Nicole! Love all your details, and I hadn't seen the WRMK plastics w/ the 4x4 across - very cool!
Posted by: Cynthia B. | August 22, 2012 at 03:51 PM
Here's hoping I can find those page protectors in my local Michaels. Great PL idea.
Posted by: Florence Unrau | August 22, 2012 at 05:03 PM
Oh my goodness, your layouts are gorgeous. I am doing simple photos+journaling cards most days, but every once in a while I steal some extra moments to make a big mess on the table and do a bit more.
Posted by: Natalie (QSOgirl) | August 22, 2012 at 05:37 PM
thanks so much ladies...I've really enjoyed just using my stash and playing with favorite supplies for this project!!
:)
Posted by: Nicole | August 22, 2012 at 08:38 PM
What a fun project. This si so cute and I love how you can use all your scraps and stash for the project. Great job. Thanks for sharing
Posted by: Dorina D | August 23, 2012 at 12:33 AM
This is so cute! Thank you for the tips Miss Nicole.
Posted by: specialist recruitment agencies | August 23, 2012 at 02:06 AM
Fabulous idea, thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Bevb | August 23, 2012 at 09:28 AM
I really love Nichol's work and hope to get into Project Life someday. Maybe once my lil' kindergartner gets all settled into a school routine :)
Posted by: Renee VanEpps | August 26, 2012 at 08:22 PM