In light of my last post on creativity, I thought I'd share a little of where I'm spending some of my creative energy.
Those of you who know me in 'real life' and who have been to my house lately have probably been subjected to my giddy excitement over Project Life. {Sorry}
Giddy, because it just. makes. me. happy. Excitement, because at long last I'm actually doing something with our pictures. The guilt-laden boxes and files of photos are finally being defeated.
See, I dream of being crafty. I dream of being super-organized. And I combine the dreams into one and I envision beautiful scrapbooks, baby books that are meticulously filled, and a computer who's hard drive is not crammed with jpegs.
I also "want-to-like-to" journal. That means I have dozens of beautiful but unfinished journals with scraps of family life, random happenings, and never-forget moments in them. If only I can remember which journal I wrote them in.
Project Life has been an eraser for my mommy-guilt. It combines the pictures with the journaling and you do what you want with it. Mine's simple. Simple makes me happy.
The real beauty of Project Life for me is that I can start now, but I can always go back and add in things from previous months, years, or decades. I love the 3-ring binder. Love the sturdy pocket pages and variety of layouts. Love the journal cards and the fact that the box of scrapbook stuff I bought at the turn of the century can now be put to use.
I keep our album out at all times because it just makes me happy. Did I mention that?
Project Life only needs a little explaining, and there are beautiful blogs out there with layouts and inspiration. I probably won't be that blog and I probably won't post pictures of my album, but I can point you in their direction.
First step. Becky's blog. She has just recently posted a note to new PL'ers, and it's grace and freedom. Grace to start where you are, and freedom to be as fancy or simple as you want to be. View the sample albums, click on free stuff, and check out the products.
Next step. If you're on Pinterest, search Project Life. Tons of inspiration and free products, and all the great blogs with beautiful ideas and layouts. If you're not on Pinterest (whaaa?!), just google Project Life, and don't be overwhelmed. Ever.
And if you homeschool? We bought another album to use for our timeline book. We use the design F pocket pages and the 3 x 4 journaling cards. I print a 4 x 6 piece of paper with the time span (1000, 100, or 10 years, depending on the era and the amount of historical data). We write the dates on the journaling cards and add pictures or stickers if we have them. We are getting into the Renaissance now, so we may use some bigger pocket pages for printed artworks. It's simple, neat, and less expensive than other timeline books you could buy. Again, it makes me happy.
Project Life has tons of possibilities. It has been such a burden-lifter for me and if you don't already have a system in place for your pictures, you should check it out. Maybe it will make you giddy and excited, too! If so, drop me a line. If you are already a PL'er, I'd love to see your album and hear your ideas.
Linking up with The Better Mom, Growing Home, and Titus 2sdays.