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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 0:50:17 GMT
I haven't scrapped in about 5 years. I have TONS of stuff. I don't want to go back to 12x12 pages as I have too many pics and they take forever and honestly, I want something I can stay on top of.
I've been out of the circuit for a while and someone told me I should do Project Life. Can you guys give me some advice? Can I use the 600+ pieces of paper I have and all my ribbon and metal and paints with the core kits?
I just had my first baby and I want to capture these memories, but 12x12, album after album isn't going to go it for me...and I don't want to invest a crap ton of money into a whole new system...a little bit is ok, but gosh, I have so much crap!
Help me please!!
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Post by elsiej on Sept 16, 2015 1:06:08 GMT
Well I don't do much PL anymore...(that's another story), but have you considered something like 8 1/2x 11, and just do many photos on a page. If you but a core kit, you can always embellish cards, but your paper will be used in bits and pieces.
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Post by shutterbug2sue on Sept 16, 2015 1:13:45 GMT
Congrats on the new baby!
During the early months, I had little time to scrap (and still don't regularly - hopefully someone has some advice for that); however, I kept a notebook handy and wrote down things I wanted to remember. So at least I had a record of events/when they happened for when I had time to scrap. And as time passed, not every memory seemed scrap-worthy which helped cut down on the scrapping.
I also kept a shoe box in the main area where I put things I thought I might use for scrapbooking later - labels from baby clothes, cards, a teeny tiny (clean) diaper from the first days, etc. If I don't use the items, OK, but at least I had them.
I also moved the camera to an easy to grab area instead of putting it away in the closet after each use. Those photo-moments are fleeting sometimes and having the camera handy helped.
Enjoy your new baby!
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Post by cath4k on Sept 16, 2015 2:02:58 GMT
I had quit scrapping for five years, too. When I came back to it I had 10,000 photos I wanted to sort through on the computer and scrap. I got them down to around 6,000 and managed to scrap 10 years worth of photos in 5 months. I did use the PL method, but obviously not by doing a week at a time. It was important to me to just get the photos printed and in albums because my two youngest children hadn't even really seen photos of themselves (they were all on the computer.) I did buy a couple core kits because I had previously de-stashed and was starting over, but I also used regular supplies. I then have done PL for the past few years without core kits at all. It can definitely be done with your stash! I really did find it the most manageable way to get my photos into albums.
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Post by megs78 on Sept 16, 2015 2:47:26 GMT
I also kept a shoe box in the main area where I put things I thought I might use for scrapbooking later - labels from baby clothes, cards, a teeny tiny (clean) diaper from the first days, etc. If I don't use the items, OK, but at least I had them. I keep a small basket in my craft room for this too (not for baby stuff as I don't have one, just for everyday life). I used to do PL but found that I was getting bored with the core kits...they originally appealed because I wouldn't have to think about design etc but after a while they seemed to stifle a bit of creativity. So now I mix it up - PL, 12x12, printed digi layouts, 8.5x11...it all goes in the same album. I love the end result. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Sept 16, 2015 3:41:49 GMT
Since you have a bunch of papers and stuff already, I would invest in a 3x4 punch or die so you can make your own cards out of what you have. I think I even saw a set of thin dies in both 3x4 and 4x6 if I remember right. Personally, I would like that option better anyway because those core kits have way too many duplicate cards for my taste. How many "Best Day Ever"s can a person realistically have?
I agree with the PP who suggested writing down notes and making sure you get the photos. I didn't take nearly enough photos of those early months simply because I was so busy and so tired! Half the battle is just getting the photos printed.
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christinec68
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Post by christinec68 on Sept 16, 2015 3:48:29 GMT
You can absolutely use your current stash with PL. You can simply cut down your papers with your trimmer to fit in the pockets and use your embellishments to dress it up.
Welcome back to scrapping and Congrats on the new baby!!
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Sept 16, 2015 3:52:41 GMT
If you have papers and want to use them all you need is an album and pocket page protectors. You don't need a core kit (or mini kit) to scrap if you use your own papers. That being said it is much easier to just slip a premade card into a pocket and they have some nice baby kits.
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Post by anniefb on Sept 16, 2015 6:28:36 GMT
If you have papers and want to use them all you need is an album and pocket page protectors. You don't need a core kit (or mini kit) to scrap if you use your own papers. That being said it is much easier to just slip a premade card into a pocket and they have some nice baby kits. Yep, agree you can totally use your existing supplies and embellish as much or as little as you want. I did a 12x12 PL album for my niece's 1st year. I had one (baby) core kit but got bored with it really quickly. But there may still be some useful cards in there for you to use like milestones and some of the 'firsts', especially if you're short of time. If you're going to use the pocket pages, it might help to decide what design(s) you're going to use ahead of time so you know whether to take mostly horizontal or vertical shots. I often found that to be the longest part of the process if I hadn't planned ahead. Congrats and have fun with your album  |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Sept 16, 2015 7:04:01 GMT
Do you have a lot of time to scrap with a new baby? I would suggest project life. Photo, embellishment card, journaling done. If you are too busy just takes millions of photos. More photos that you would ever need. Every little thing the little one does. Today he/she ate a cheerio and yesterday he/she drank 5 bottles of milk (formula, breast milk whatever) and had a great day... The first year is so busy...but just take pictures. Create photo ops. I wish I had taken millions more photos of DS and I took a LOT! Just more!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 7:08:27 GMT
I've been taking photos..
So here are more questions...how may 4x6 photos can the one pocket page hold? And the cards..are they just like embellishments? I guess I was thinking that each PL pocket held like a mini scrap page?
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Post by Delta Dawn on Sept 16, 2015 7:23:10 GMT
How many can an 8.5x11 page hold? I don't know.
For 12x12 it depends on the page protector design/style. I got a few different ones when I did the album years ago. There are little slots you can put in a few strands of baby's hair, hospital bracelet, that kind of thing.
I am by no means an expert nor do I know very much about it. A Project Life scrapper will be able to give you more and better advice than I can.
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Post by megs78 on Sept 16, 2015 8:42:28 GMT
The standard (original) PL page protectors hold 4 4x6 photos on each side - less, if you use one of those 4x6 slots for a title card. The kits usually comprise a series of title cards (traditionally used in the top left 4x6 pocket) along with a series of either 4x6 or 3x4 journaling cards (that can be written on) or filler cards (which are basically a kind of patterned paper cut down to size, all things considered). Some people embellish each little pocket like a mini scrapbooking layout, some don't - I was the latter!
If you're looking at a spread across a double page of standard Design A page protectors, you'll have four 4x6 pockets along the top, four 4x6 along the bottom and eight 3x4 pockets across the centre.
There are a heap of different page protectors styles available that can hold more photos of different sizes - and going digital opens up a whole new set of options.
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Post by megs78 on Sept 16, 2015 8:42:57 GMT
ETA - gah, accidentally posted a duplicate reply. Sorry.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 10:46:48 GMT
8x8 is a nice size...easy and fun to scrap. I find they go together very quickly, only needing 1 pic and very little embellishment. You could use the supplies you already have. They are also easy to take with you to show to friends and family and quick and more easy to look at and, I think, more attractive than project life.
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kitbop
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Post by kitbop on Sept 16, 2015 11:26:37 GMT
Youtube: Definitely watch Shimelle's recent 9 videos on "catching up on project life". It will give you a good idea of the freedom to create your own PL cards (and might be inspirational since she too is catching up on a baby album!). Start by cutting 20 of your favourite papers into 3x4 and 4x6 sizes. Decide if you want rounded corners or square (the pre-made kits are rounded. If you are going to use them, you may want to round all the corners. Some people don't mind mixing round corners with square however, myself included!) Buy some pocket pages. Slot a few pictures of your baby's first week into the page, add some paper, and decide how much embellishment you want! I'd recommend going light if you want to catch up Focus on some stories! One stumbling block may be photo sizes...having 3x4 plus 4x6 pics helps with design and getting more pictures into a layout. Good luck! |
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oaksong
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Sept 16, 2015 11:42:22 GMT
Lots of good advice here. I think pocket pages would be an easy way for you to go as well. Try to get in the habit of organizing, uploading and printing your favorite photos regularly (weekly, monthly.) That way you always have something to work with when the mood hits you.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Sept 16, 2015 12:53:34 GMT
you may also consider the PL app if you have an iPhone. You can print the pages in 8x8 or 12x12 and just slip into a page protector. At this point I'd say just getting the picture and basic details is all you need to worry about with a new baby. I wish I had PL when my son was born. 25 years later I don't remember much of the day to day.
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Sept 16, 2015 14:09:46 GMT
Please be aware that although many people use PL/Project Life in relation to a style of scrapbooking it is actually a brand of products. Check out Becky Higgins' site for lots of info on PL. Due to the popularity there are a lot of companies with similar products (pocket page protectors and precut/designed cards). There is no "right" way to scrap with pocket pages. They are products to use in which ever way works for you: theme, chronological, and any thing else. Becky actually has a blog post or video on her site showing how she designed her baby kits to be used. That maybe helpful for you to look at. Her store has all the different varieties of pocket pages. Depending on what you use will determine how many photos of which size you can put on a page. The most popular page design is design A: 4-4x6 pockets and 4-3x4 photos. beckyhiggins.com/project-life/ |
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Loydene
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Post by Loydene on Sept 16, 2015 14:20:39 GMT
Don't buy "core kits" ... or specific Project Life stuff. Just get some packages of pocket protectors -- see We R Memories -- use the paper, etc that you have, create a pretty 4x6 pocket filler as you wish, and start stuffing the pockets! You can get creative and get a package of vertical 4x6 pockets -- or really go crazy and get a package of MIXED horizontal and vertical pockets --
The concept is the same -- use a common print size, create something pretty occasionally, use the same size 4x6 as a journal card --- stuff pockets
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Post by cynipidae17 on Sept 16, 2015 14:28:45 GMT
I didn't have much time to scrap when my girls were babies (they are 3 and 5 now), but I wish they would have had pocket albums (project Life). I think that with pocket albums you can simplify down your albums to help you keep up. I would look at all of the designs of pockets, look at how most of your photos are (landscape vs portrait) and pick the best designs to make it as easy for you as possible. I have found to get more photos on my pages I like to print a lot of my cell phone pictures 2x3 so they fit in the smaller pockets. I would also pick up a pack of the lined cards or blank cards so when your baby has a milestone you can write it down and put it right in the album. I would keep embellishments simple because that is truly what slows me down. Good Luck and congrats with the new baby!!
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Post by abr79 on Sept 16, 2015 14:45:20 GMT
Absolutely you can use your existing stash to do PL! Just cut down 12x12 papers into variations of 4x6 and 3x4 sizes like a PP suggested!
To keep it simple, I would suggest sticking with one style of page protector - like Design A. It takes the thought out of it (I found switching between page protect styles caused too much thinking and too much thinking causes me to stop a project). One side of a design A holds 4 landscape 4x6's and 4 portrait 3x4's. There is a similar variation (not sure the design letter) that has 4 4x6's in the portrait orientation and 4 3x4's in the landscape orientation.
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Post by abr79 on Sept 16, 2015 14:46:41 GMT
you may also consider the PL app if you have an iPhone. You can print the pages in 8x8 or 12x12 and just slip into a page protector. At this point I'd say just getting the picture and basic details is all you need to worry about with a new baby. I wish I had PL when my son was born. 25 years later I don't remember much of the day to day. Oooh, yeah - this is a good idea. The PL app helped me get my 2014 photos under control. And if you don't want to print individual 8x8 or 12x12 pages, you can upload them into a photo book and just get it printed that way. That's what I did and I love them! |
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molitva
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Post by molitva on Sept 16, 2015 14:48:27 GMT
I agree with everyone suggesting a project life approach/pocket page protector approach. That's how I do my albums with a few 12x12 pages thrown in. You can get lots of pictures in an album in a much shorter amount of time.
I'd suggest deciding what type of pocket page protectors you want. You might make this decision based on if your pictures are mostly portrait or landscape orientation. I print my portrait oriented photos in 3x4 (to fit in the small pockets) and my landscape photos are usually kept in 4x6.
I wouldn't purchase a core kit if you want to use up your supplies. Do a few layouts before you decide if your current stash will be sufficient. I do agree with watching some youtube videos but remember, you can embellish as much or as little as you want.
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Post by saralovesducks on Sept 16, 2015 14:52:51 GMT
I'd give Project Life a try! Like others said, instead of buying a core kit just use your supplies to create you own cards. Best of both worlds.
Congrats on the new baby!!
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christinec68
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Post by christinec68 on Sept 16, 2015 14:55:33 GMT
I've been taking photos.. So here are more questions...how may 4x6 photos can the one pocket page hold? And the cards..are they just like embellishments? I guess I was thinking that each PL pocket held like a mini scrap page? There are various pocket page configurations. I believe the most popular is style A which has spaces for 4 horizontal 4x6 and 4 3x4 pictures. Each space can hold a card or pictures. There are also pages that hold 6 4x6 horizontal pictures. You can probably add extra prints behind the photo on show. Photosheet is a good, free, safe app to download to your computer to easily put multiple pictures on one print. It's a cost effective way to get 2-3x4 pictures on one 4x6 print (or any other size configuration. there are templates in the program). The PL cards are decorative in nature - may have a quote or a design and some of them are for journaling. You can embellish them or use them as is. |
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Loydene
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Post by Loydene on Sept 16, 2015 15:05:38 GMT
I'm coming back because I don't think I made my basic point -- I think cutting your photos down to 4x3 wastes time in either the cropping or editing. 4x6 prints are readily available and generally less expensive to print. I'd use 4x6 pocket pages solely ....
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Post by scrapcat on Sept 16, 2015 15:24:02 GMT
You don't necessarily have to do Project Life, but you can use divided page protectors to make it a little easier to keep up with. I've been incorporating divided page protectors in my albums for years to help accommodate more photos.
My suggestions would definitely be to use the supplies you have on hand, cut down the paper as needed with a paper trimmer. I think the 12x12 page protectors that are divided into 6-4x6 photos on each side (12 photos) would be good to get started. Then use the pattern paper to fill some of the photo slots and included notes/journaling or other embellishments.
I also wouldn't try to go back right now, just start scrapping your baby as current as you can, it will be more fun & fresh for you. Then you can always go back and fill in some older photos and trips later on. The best advice I ever got when coming off of a break was 'just start!'. You will find a flow and work it out!
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