project life 2012...my title page

so here's my thoughts on this. i'm not reinventing the wheel. i won't be writing anything that hasn't be said. i won't be writing the best project life post ever written...nope,that honor belongs to lisa.

i'm no expert. ali edwards and cathy zielske are on the PL creative team. they are pretty amazing and definitely what i'd call experts.liz tamanaha is incredible, she's another crazy inspiring team member. any of the people above can teach you WAY more about project life than i can.

i'm not going to blog every single page i make for project life. i will share whenever i feel that i have something of value to share, or something i want to show you. or maybe (like today) i'll blog whenever i'm just plain excited about something.

 

i'm not going to be a perfectionist. this is not an album that is for a design team. or a magazine assignment. it's for us. i don't have to use the latest and greatest. i don't have to worry about it being anything other than a treasure to my family.

 

i'm not going to pressure myself on this. it is going to be fun. sure, some weeks it might seem like a chore to get through. but it's going to be a treat for me. something very different (both in concept and execution) than anything i've ever done before.

 

you know what's going to be really great about it? remembering all of the funny/insightful/weird things my girls say.

like this little gem...

yesterday was ranger family day. a day where we went to j's work and did all sorts of things. from looking at vehicles and weapons,to an obstacle course...you get the picture.

early yesterday morning harper came downstairs wearing skinny jeans and a sweater. she said

"mama...i'm not sure i can throw hand grenades and flip tires in this fashion outfit. what do you think?".

 

see what i mean? this album is going to be MAGICAL for us to look back on one day.

i have to tell you that i did not anticipate this being as FUN as it has been. from collecting a stash, to placing my order (clementine core set and "a" pages)...to working on my title page last night, this process has been a joy to me. more fun than i can remember having in a long long time.

i think it's high time for me not to take myself so seriously in scrapbooking. it isn't about how much product i can get on the page. it isn't about assignments. it isn't about doing what i'm supposed to do.

it's about us. it is a hobby i love and don't want to stop loving. this project life thing is just what i need.

with that being said, here's my title page. simple and classic...and boy was it FUN deciding what to use, where to put everything, and putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

(click to see larger)

the top right card says: this year is going to hold so many beautiful adventures. our 8th deployment, a move across the country. this year our babies will turn two,our sadie will turn four,and our first baby will turn six. we will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary(half a world apart). we will be apart for months, yet together longer than we've ever been together. this year is going to be something else. and i can't wait to see what blessings it brings. so grateful for each day i'm given.

bottom left card says: a collection of the everyday moments. our ordinary miracles...our life in 2012.

random fact: i couldn't find a red pen to color the "be" part of the bottom left card. so i used mister huey's in over due and a q tip. haha! classy!

products: clementine core kit, "a" page protectors (now sold out) , ek success sticko hearts from kissing booth add-on, pink paislee houndstooth artisan tape, black baker's twine, thickers from brooklyn flea, mister huey's overdue mist (used to paint the "be" letters on the remember card), ormolu chevron tags,  studio calico/sassafras butterflies,martha stewart doilies,heart and typed phrases from october afternoon farmhouse flower sack, pearls, flower from mme stella and rose brads, twogirlzstuff labels (shop now closed), rough typewriter font.

if y'all have any questions about how *i* am tackling this project, please ask below and i'll answer in the comment section. again, i'm no expert. i want to share how i'm making this work, and making it special to me. but for general questions, any of the posts and blogs linked above are exceptional!!

 

hope you have a beautiful, blessed thursday sweet friends!

xoxo

Comments

[Sherrie M.]

Will you be doing regular scrapbook pages or just PL? That's what I've been toying with...doing both seems like too much. Thanks for sharing as always.

[Stephanie Howell]

hey sherrie! i absolutely will still be doing pages! i won't worry about overlap at all. i'm treating PL as an "at a glance" format. photos, quotes, ephemera. the layouts will still be much more about the in depth story.

[Lynn]

So fun Stephanie! I adore your journaling on your title page. I started Project Life last year. So fabulous. I do traditional 12x12 layouts for my boys albums and using PL for our family album has allowed me to capture so much without feeling overwhelmed. Happy memory keeping to you!

[Linda in aus]

Love your first page Steph, i had fun doing mine as well using little bits and pieces. I am really looking forward to starting my Project Life.

[stephanie]

I love it. : )

[Astrid]

Love your title page!! I'm still on the fence if I should join Project Life,this kind of post are bringing me to the yes side :)

[Tracy O]

love your title page and your post, you wrote exactly what I was thinking and why I am doing PL this year. so love the concept and I love that I can include pictures that I would otherwise probably not include on a layout..I am treating this more of an "out takes" album, and a chance to remember all the little things. Hubby will be deploying this year and this is also a great way for him to share in the time he missed with us while he is gone. Looking forward to your inspiration in 2012

[Nicole]

Beautiful! I love how you journaled on your title page Stephanie. Such a great idea to get your thoughts on the year ahead on paper. I look forward to watching how you approach this project. I'm a 2012 newbie too!

[jennifer Camplin]

Understood what you are trying to explain.. no worries.. no pressure.. have fun to make memories on own.

Enjoy scrapping the year with your dear family.

By the way love your work as always... :)

[Steph H]

I totally missed that J is deploying again between now and your move!! So excited to see what you share. I am starting a family PL in January and will be picking up a second kit to serve as baby smokey's baby book. Traditional baby books and I don't get along!

[Stacey L.]

I wonder how you remember to write down things. do you carry a little notebook or write on your iphone notepad? just curious. I have twin 11 year olds and a 7 year old - the comments are hilarious and endless.

[Stephanie Howell]

Notebook in purse,twitter and fb!

Sent from my iPhone

[Sherry]

Love the cute quote from Harper. Priceless. I am on the fence with Project Life -- not sure how it will fit into an already busy schedule. But, it will help me remember the day-to-day buzz in our home and lives.

Hope you share some of your PL pages.

[Jennifer]

Food for thought...I did this project a couple of years ago and that was all I did. I don't have any other layouts from that year (though I did do a couple of mini-books). I absolutely LOVE having the daily/weekly all in one place. For me, doing layouts as well would have been too much. I will probably do this project again, and will modify it a bit to be more like what Ali Edwards did this last year...looking at it as more of a week at a time than HAVING to have a photo and journaling for EVERY SINGLE DAY. I got stuck in that rut and it made it more difficult for me, but I still absolutely love the end result. Good luck!

[MonicaMcNeill]

Your opening page is beautiful and words even more so. And um, while you do not see yourself as an expert, you will bring your well defined style to this project and that will provide so much inspiration for those that love your work :) You are an expert, on being you!! Have fun with it this year.

[Shanna Noel]

I don't have any questions about HOW you are doing it just that I LOVE that you are doing it!!! I LOVE when you talk about how you are doing this for YOU and YOUR family! As someone that has come from scrapbooking for teams to ONLY scrapbooking for me and my family I can so relate to this post! I think you will find that you will discover a whole new inspiration scrapbooking this way!
xoxoxo

[abby]

Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to see more of your pages. I started this in Oct on my birthday and wanted to do it that way. I am excited you are joining in, because I always am inspired by your pages! :) Love your title page and your excitement!

[Peg]

I love your opening page and the way you included a recent picture of all of you. It would be fun to consider a similar page for your last page because the kid's changes (and maybe you and J, who knows!) will be fun to compare. Hope you will share lots but totally understand how that might add unwelcome pressure. This will be an absolute treasure for J this year and the girls through the years. :)

[Lisa A]

Are you using the PL book from Amazon to put your pages in? Thanks for sharing with us. :)

[Stephanie Howell]

hey lisa! no, im not! i will either use an american crafts d-ring album or a we r memory keepers album!

[Julie McD]

Love, love, love your title page! Hoping to kick mine out tomorrow! One thing I find that helped me with my journaling last year was to refer back to my facebook posts (where I put random, goofy things my kids say) and to keep notes in my daily calendar. It seems the journaling is the last thing I get to, so it helps to have a reference. In fact, I have many weeks to catch up on there, but the photos are up-to-date and it's been so cool to watch the kids look back and laugh at our daily routine! Have an awesome New Year's!

[laceyAnderson]

Love this title page! Love that you're doing this! :)

[Emily]

Stephanie... I will be married this year, my first nephew will be born and will likely be going through a first deployment. I have been agonizing about how to make all of these things come together on paper. Maybe it's time I think about doing this instead!! I'm absolutely in love with just putting in the IMPORTANT things and the things i want to remember to tell Zach when he comes home. I love it :)

[9isfine]

I tried PL last year and found it to be such a chore. I was disappointed with myself that I didn't follow through with it all. I'm happy that I have a couple of months though. I love your opening page. Maybe if I added more of myself to the project, like you did, instead of just using the kit as is I'd have had more fun with it. I love the idea of it and will hopefully try it again someday. I hope you enjoy every bit of the process. I'm sure you will treasure every bit of the result!

[christina rayevich]

I'm seriously considering doing this. I scrapbook alot but something like this would be a fun quick look almost like a photo album & with my husband out to sea he misses alot of this small stuff while he's gone.
I do have a question for you after I was looking at the core kits on amazon- Is there enough journal cards etc in them to finish a year?? Also do the BH page protectors fit in a normal d-ring AC album or do you need the BH albums?
xo

[Stephanie Howell]

there are a RIDICULOUS amount of cards in the box. and yes, you can use d-ring ac albums!

[tara pollard pakosta]

I love your idea for doing PL! I so wish I would have ordered one in many ways! I may just order one yet. I didn't finish my 2011 book yet either and I need to go back and tweak it in many areas and add some different pages to it, I have a whole file folder of stuff to add to it still!
That's what I was going to tell you, buy a cute file folder, the plastic kind with the button (Target) and put all the fun things in it for the month as you go, then weekly go through it and add to your album. kids papers from school, notes, letters, cards, receipts, anything you can think of! I have loved what they add to the book!
Can't wait to see what you do and HOPE you share at least once a week!!!
tara

[Lindy]

Hi Stephanie....I love your PL title page. I am actually doing this for my daughter on her Kindergarden School (however, she started K in Aug and I just got the product) Oh, well, better late than never. :)

I can somewhat relate to doing it for me. I am not on any design teams but I always entered a lot of challenges and I got worn out and didn't feel like scrappin' anymore. After reading this I am so ready to get started on her book. Thanks so much for the inspiration and that we should remember we are scrappin' for US for our FAMILY. {{{HUGS}}} Lindy

[tara pollard pakosta]

p.s. did you see on facebook you can download all your information, so you can see every post and every photo etc. all in one folder?!
tara

[tara pollard pakosta]

p.s.s. I am such a dork, I know you print at home, what printer do you use and what printer paper? I can never find a satisfactory printer! I have 3 of them sitting here and 2 of them were over 400. and they still aren't very good at all!!! ugh!
tara

[Stephanie Howell]

i have a hp photosmart all in one. dont love it AT ALL. totally want an epson wide format. :)

[Krista]

OK I have been considering doing this for a while. But my concern is I barely seem able to find the right time and amount of mojo to go in and create a scrapbook page anymore. How are you going to document your life? Weekly? Monthly? Do you anticipate having multiple pages for said period of time or will you cram into one/two? Will you have a place for collecting things to go in your PL page early or wait til the end of the period you're going to document and then refer to your notes and go back and collect the things? What if you miss a section of time because you're too busy? You seem pretty forgiving of yourself and flexible, but that fear makes me nervous. Don't feel pressure to answer all of these questions right now. I assume I won't be the only one with these types of questions and combined with all the others that will surely come in, it might warrant a post of your own. Plus I think you tackled some of this in a previous post that I should go back and reread. ;)

[vee]

looks awesome!!! love the mix of red, black and white! :)

[Melinda T]

Love your title page! And love reading your blog. I know project life will definitely be magical and treasured for years to come!

[Catherine]

Stephanie,

Your starting page looks great. Have fun & a very Happy New Year!

All the best,
Cat

[Stephanie]

I am so pleased you do this project! I look forward to your ideas!

[Jessica]

I have a paper daily planner - I jot notes in there on the appropriate day. I carry it with me anyway...

[Jen]

I'm sold! I just ordered mine today and I am so excited :)Thanks for sharing!!

[Leah]

love your take on PL...I will be doing it for the first time this year and will look forward to seeing your inspiration!

[Sarah]

I LOVE your title page, and can't wait to see your PL pages!

[Gracie]

Wonderful page!
Enjoy the journey :)

[justem]

love your take on it!

[amy]

Love the idea of project life. Just received mine today and can't wait to start. I'm not just not sure about what is the best/easiest way to print the 3x4 pictures???

[Barb]

Can't wait to see where this takes you, Stephanie.

[Jennifer Sanborn]

:) So awesome! :)

[Stephanie Howell]

i just use pse :)

Sent from my iPad

[Amy]

Beautiful page! And wow, 8th deployment... We tackled our 3rd in 6 years and it felt like too much. Will be praying for you all.

[Nicole]

you took the words right out of my mouth.
love you.
:)

[[email protected]]

I bought a kit for my sister {should have bought myself one -- as they are out of stock now!!} Anyway, there are tons of journaling cards!! No fear of running out or even using up extras if you mess some up.

[Stephanie Howell]

hey krista!
i am planning on a m-sun weekly approach. some weeks i might document every day, some weeks i might just do an overall week at a glance approach. i am planning on a 2 page spread per week. (using the a pages). some weeks might have an extra insert (6x12, 8.5x11, or an envelope). some weeks i might add an extra 12x12 page full of 4x6 photos. its going to be fluid and from week to week.
im going to keep notes through a notebook i carry, twitter, instagram, and facebook. im also looking into an iphone app called memento. clibe is good as well.
i will throw things into an accordian type folder every week and then cull through them at the end of that week. photos will most likely ALL be through instagram.

[flkipper]

Stephanie, I thought J was going to school this year...where is he going to be deployed to?

[Stephanie Howell]

hey kip!!
we will be going to newport sometime late this summer. that means we still have 8 months or so here. rangers deploy every 7 months or so! :) sorry, i cant say where. great to hear from you! xoxo

[JoLynn]

Love PL. I love that you are willing to share with us. It is a liberating thing. I also know some pals who incorporated 12 x 12 LOs in the midst of the divided pages.

I agree that CZ and AE are queens (I adore them both). But you, girlfriend, are featured in my latest Scrapbooks, Etc. edition. So do not sell yourself short! I was browsing and actually recognized your kids (as if I know you personally, right?), and exclaimed, "Stephanie made that page!" You are royalty to some of us. :) But I will let you be human, your highness.

[Paula]

Love this post..I am starting this too for the first time and feel anxious (but excited) about it..how will I stay motivated? What if i am just too busy and forget to write it all down? Its a big committment. Thanks for keeping it real for so many of us...Whatever you do decide to post I know it will be motivating for the rest of us that are trying this along with you~

[gillian]

It's wonderful, Steph. As per your usual. :)

g

[jackie]

i did PL this year and i loved it! i am so happy that you are doing it and sharing with us. i love to see your pages...they are so inspiring! what is the model of the epson wide format printer that you are wanting? i have been looking for a printer myself. with kids, it is easier to print at home, right? by the way, i love this page that you have started with.

[Tina]

I will be doing the same thing Steph. This will for us...more for Tyler. It'll be great to give him when he's all grown up. No pressure to be perfect or use a ton of product. I like that you've blogged about that. Happy New Year!

[Margaret McGarry]

This looks like it is going to be a fabulous project for you! I was on the fence about doing it this year, and have decided to wait. I've got so many other year-long projects I'm starting this September, I've decided to see how those go first. My husband is likely to deploy again in the fall, so I am considering adding PL into my scrap-routine shortly before that, and just run it Sept to Sept.

I made a similar album when he deployed for 15 months a few years ago, doing monthly 2-page spreads with photo highlights, with an 8.5 x 11 calendar insert with all the little things we did written into it, so he wouldn't miss the little stuff or the big stuff.

This album was THE BEST therapy for me during the deployment (along with my regular scrapping), and a huge gift for him when he was downrange and upon his return. (I scanned in the pages and sent him color copies for him to view and toss while he was there.)

So excited to see what you do with PL, whenever you feel like sharing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[Rachel]

I really cannot wait to see your take on PL! I love your work, so I think it will be so neat to see how you do this.

Happy New Year :)

[Melanie]

oh, i'm so happy to see you are doing this - i decided to try it this year as a getting my feet wet again with capturing family stories. i'm so out of practice but am excited to see how you progress and hopefully i'll stay motivated.

[Peggy]

I am ready to start my first PL! I am so excited to stretch my creativity. Looking at your pages really helps. My only concern is that I don't have enough "life" to document every week. I am an empty nester now. But I am willing to give it a shot.

[EvelynB]

After reading that you were going to do Project Life this year I jumped on the bandwagon. I figure, if you can handle it with four kids I should be able to do it with two. :-) Are you planning to keep a stash of frequently used embellishments out to add to your album or will you work from your normal scrapping space? Do you have a 'place' for your album to make it easy to add stuff to, jot stuff, down, or are you putting it all into your phone/notebook first and then sitting down to complete the page at the end of the week? How long did it take you to make your cover page and do you have an idea of how much time per week you anticipate it will take you every week? (Probably a tough question since the first week hasn't concluded yet!). I can't wait to see what you create!

[Stephanie Howell]

hey evelyn! you go girl!
yes, i keep a stash out! it has labels and tags and washi tape in it.
i am using instagram,twitter and facebook as a journal of sorts (and the momento app to compile it all). i also jot down notes in my planner.
i have a box that i add memorobilia to each week. i will pull from the box every sunday evening when i work on the week.
my title page took me about half an hour but i took my sweet time and had fun with it!

[Jenny]

The PL is new to me. How are you getting your text on the cards? Printer or are you using an old type writer?

[Stephanie Howell]

Printer!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Megan -Best of Fates]

Gorgeous! Just found your blog from Pinterest and love your title page, so pretty and personalized!