On the dearth of pretty paper

Looking at my recent posts, you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd done no scrapbooking in weeks. And you'd be so so wrong!

Since about March, I've had maybe the most creative time of my life so far. And the main reason is Project Life.

What is Project Life?! Hereafter referred to as PL, it's a system of scrapbooking designed by Becky Higgins to capture everyday life. You can find out more here.

I figured I wouldn't have enough time or enough money to 'do' Project Life but looking at the enormous number of PL spreads popping up all over blogs, I got PL envy. I also got inspired.

I love my Document 2011 album - another project I said I wouldn't do! I love seeing how things have changed over the course of the year.

I love the 4x6 mini layout format. I don't love being behind, waiting for photos and losing the little details from many of the stories I wanted to tell.

So egged on by a few scrappy friends (or enablers, you decide) I decided to make Project Life work for me. (I'm not the only one doing so, check out Leanne, Jenny and Laura for starters).

From the original idea of a double page spread per week containing a title card, photo a day & 8 journalling cards, there are a multitude of different options

I decided on 1 page per week with inserts added for special occasions. I made up a kit of supplies, aiming to use up some of the beautiful things gathering dust in my scrapspace.

I decided to print my photos at home and learned how to produce fairly decent 4x6 prints using Picasa. I downloaded some free journalling cards to print.

And you've been looking at what happened next. That's all we did in March.

On the proper order of things

I'm making great progress with Document 2011 and I am so pleased with the latest pages I've made for this project!  As I mentioned before, I've decided to work backwards to try & keep the journalling and memories fresher.  I've finished December and almost completed November so I have some new photos to share with you today.


December - Wintertime, Echo Park.  Winter, a new boiler & new tyres, a friend to stay, registering the baby, visiting work people, Isaac over the month (including a new toddler group), a Christmas party, pottery painting, life group dinner, first haircuts (with corrupted photos, sob!), a month of sickness and Anna over the month.  I added a double page spread of 4x6s to cover Christmas in between the usual 2 middle pages this month.  It's pretty much all photos with a little bit of journalling and embellishing on each one for context.  And our focus for the month?  Andy turning 32 on the 22nd.

 The memorabilia envelopes contain some of our Christmas cards and wrapping paper samples.  Also a sachet of bread sauce (cos my brother and his wife are a little crazy) and Isaac's first craft from Twinkling Stars.  Or mine, depending on how you look at it!

 I love that little mug sticker and it fits so well with some journalling about meeting a friend for coffee.  We talked so long that Andy thought I'd gone AWOL.

 We had the best time at Lollipops pottery painting cafe.  Isaac really got into the hand-printing and Andy loved the mug we made him.  I used that photo of Anna for her birth announcements - more on that in Document 2012!

These two pages face each other and show shots from our Christmas.  The journalling mentions where we were for each bit.

I'm really pleased with how this month turned out - I especially like the focus page with all its little embellishment clustering.  I'm also embracing the pretty paper party motto of use that stash!  As someone said recently, if the paper sits in a pile then you won't get to look at it, whereas if it's on a layout...


I've just realised that I haven't blogged June, July or August (though they are all complete).  I will catch up with that soon, I promise.


And one last picture - I love love love this layout, which is the focus page for November.  I just have to do my memorabilia page for that month then it's all finished.

I have used up all kinds of lovely things I have had in my stash for ages on November's pages.  I've been trying to find a place for that birdie ribbon forever!  And the little metal bird & heart.  I love this paper collection too - I bought it when I thought it was amazing but I struggled to use it so it got hidden away.  Now though, I love it again and I'm planning on using it all up on another couple of layouts and some cards.


Now I just have September and October to scrap and Document 2011 is finished.  Apart from the title page and some sort of concluding layout.  But other than that!

On documenting life

I've toyed with the idea of doing Project Life this year, mostly because it involves buying new stash and I'm a sucker for buying things.  In the end, I decided that I don't have time, as evidenced by the fact that I've just finished documenting August 2011.  I will say that we've been fairly busy with this whole 'family of four' thing for the last few months and only just climbed out of our little bunker.


I have some friends doing Project Life, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they produce over the year, but I've decided to focus on Document 2012.  This year I want to capture more of the everyday and the stories, rather than just the events we attend.  I love how my friend Leanne blends the two in her Document 2011 album.  I just need to remember to print the random photos and write the stories, which would be easier if I assembled the pages as the year went along instead of working 6 months behind.  In the spirit of which, I've finally sorted a system for collecting ephemera and I'm moving my Document notebook down to the kitchen to make my life easier.  And I've borrowed a suggestion from a PL blogger; I've started December's pages while I still remember (most of) the little things!

On a slightly different note, we're just back from a lovely weekend at my parents' house to celebrate my birthday.  I love this photo of me and the kids - I don't appear in enough of my family photos!!

document may 2011

I can't believe how quickly these 4 pages came together.  I started work on them yesterday while the boy napped, did about 45 minutes yesterday evening while he was in the bath and finished them this morning during naptime.  (I love 2 hour morning naps!)  So these are my pages for May 2011.  That was the month Isaac and all his friends started to turn 1 so that's taken up quite a lot of room.  I was back at work and so not taking as many pictures as usual or doing as many interesting things either.

May - Playground, Echo Park and Boy's Toys (embellishment kit), Make and Create Shop.  Birthday parties for Isaac's friends, 2 of which were cancelled for illness, Isaac learned to climb, things with no photos, playing in the park, 12 week scan for baby, Isaac's birthday party & Isaac's birthday.  Focus: Isaac turns one.

I love this paper range and I only once came across the problem of loving both sides of a piece of paper!  I used an embellishment kit I bought a little while ago, that's been sitting waiting for the right 'special project' to use it on.  In the spirit of pretty paper party, I just opened it up, tipped it out and used about half of it!  I love the little gingham flower and the felt car embellie the most!  Planning another order from this shop soon as their Christmas stuff looks like it will be fab!


Thanks for all your lovely comments on my last couple of posts - it's always great to know people are looking and liking!

document 2011

I'm taking a small break from pretty paper party to show you a project I've been working on since the beginning of the year.  The first thing you'll notice is that I am waaaaay behind!


Last year, Shimelle Laine launched a project called Document 2010 with UKScrappers, an online scrapbooking community.  The basic idea was to create an album documenting the big and little things that happen over the course of a year.  At the time, I thought I didn't have time to produce a set of layouts every month so I didn't join in.  And I spent an entire year becoming more and more jealous of all the beautiful projects I saw appearing, such as this one from Laura and this from Jen.


So when 2011 rolled around, I decided to make the time.  The basic set up is to take lots of photos (which I do anyway) and collect little bits and pieces from happenings throughout the month (which I also do anyway, I just didn't have anything to do with them until now!).  Then each month in the album follows the same format;

• An envelope page for storing all those bits and bobs;
• 12 mini-pages in divided page protectors, documenting all the things we've been up to;
• A focus page, highlighting something important from the month.

I've just finished April so I figure this is a good time to do a summary post.  For the most part, I've tried to stay within a paper range to make my life easier, though I do pull embellishments and things from the rest of my stash too.  Incidentally, I have the photos, the bits & bobs and the events for the rest of the months to date.  All I need to do is find the time to document them!

January - A Walk In The Park, Echo Park.  A weekend away in Wales, lots of new things for Isaac (teeth, carseat & shoes), eating out with friends and mummy & baby groups.  Focus: new year's resolutions.

February - Joyride, Cosmo Cricket.  A lot of lasts (last mummies & babies, eating out with Cathy and Kat, days at work for Andy), revising for exams, starting the Marriage Course at church, visitng my parents, a new niece (Amelie May), more teeth.  Focus: my birthday.

March - Girl Friday, Cosmo Cricket.  Full-time daddying, back to work, visiting Calke Abbey with my parents, passing MRCPCH 1b, learning new skills (climbing the stairs), my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary, a positive pregnancy test and the loss of my father-in-law.  Focus: the highs and lows we've had through the month.

April - Earth Love, Cosmo Cricket.  Easter (eating chocolate, messily!), eating outside in the sunshine, learning to stand, my first mother's day, 2 lovely weddings, visiting my parents and the return of morning sickness!  Focus: a sunny weekend with friends, including a BBQ.

I've just realised that this is a bit of a Cosmo love-in!  These are quite old ranges with lots of scraps that I wanted to use up.  I might have to find another manufacturer for May though!