Project Life Creative Team..

Hi everyone, you might remember me mentioning that I had a fun announcement coming. Well today is the day! I'm very excited to let you know that I am a new member of Becky Higgins' Project Life Creative Team.

The Email

As you know if you follow my blog, I am a big fan of the Project Life method of scrapbooking. One of my top priorities in the recent weeks has been catching up on some past weeks of my Project Life album. I was working diligently to get photos printed, memorabilia collected and completed pages into my albums. I was totally engrossed in the project when an email chimed on my computer. It was from Becky Higgins asking me if I'd like to join the Project Life Creative Team. A big smile came upon my face and I thought to myself, "How awesome is this?" I've been asked to be an integral part of something I am really passionate about. Then I stopped mid-email and thought, "What I am thinking, I just let go of a lot of work responsibilities. Am I nuts to take on more?" But then I read the rest of Becky's email and I knew this was for me. My responsibilities involve creating Project Life pages....simple as that....something I've been doing and am planning on doing for a long time to come. It was very easy for me to say YES!

The History

Anyone that knows me also knows that I am a huge fan of Becky Higgins and her work. From Becky's first scrapbook layouts that I saw in Creating Keepsake magazine, to her lettering and sketch books that I shared at every single crop I went to, to all of her many hair styles and home decor projects, plus watching her family grow through her shared scrapbook layouts...I've been there every little step of the way. I loved Becky's simple scrapbooking style. I copied her layouts and practiced her lettering styles. I was a little bit of a stalker as I look back on it. Okay, maybe a lot. Fast forward a few years and I've made my own way in the paper crafting industry with a style all my own.

Enter Project Life

When Becky's newest venture called Project Life came along, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. I was knee deep in design team work that involved mostly card making. My scrapbooks had been put aside. My favorite hobby that started when Josey was born was in a sorry state. I had piles of photos. I had tons of inspiration. I just didn't have the time to scrapbook. I went to 2-3 crops a year where I'd come home with 20-40 new scrapbook layouts. I loved the feeling of being surrounded with crafty friends, looking over old memories and putting together the photos + words + all my fun supplies. But up-all-night weekend crops were just too hard and I was still never caught up. Then Project Life came along.

A Simpler Way

Project Life was just what I needed to simplify my scrapbooking process. If you're not familiar with Project Life, here's the scoop in a nutshell: Simply pair your photos and journaling with pre-designed title and journaling cards. All of the components fit into a variety of photo pocket pages and that's it. The result is a scrapbook full of a year of your life, a special occasion or whatever you choose to record. The simple format lets you decide what other supplies you want to use and how you want to design your layouts. You don't have to be a creative super star. You don't have to make fancy layouts. It's simple and easy. There are currently FOUR designs of Project Life components available: Turquoise, Amber, Cobalt and Clementine. Plus lots of new page pockets and accessories. You can check them all out HERE.

(assembling my Amber Project Life kit for 2011...what a fun mail day!)

Why It Works For Me

Project Life works so well for me because it allows me to get creative with my supplies without having to make time consuming, traditional scrapbook layouts. As much as I love to make traditional layouts, the time factor is a huge disadvantage for me. There is no way I could scrapbook a layout for every photo or two that I take. My goal with scrapbooking is to always make the photos + the words and stories the main focus. Project Life is so super flexible that I can get as creative as I want with my mixy matchy style and endless amount of fun supplies...or I can simply use the provided materials when life gets busy and I just want to get the photos and stories into an album. Of course, there are times when I love to make those traditional layouts and I plan to incorporate some of those fun pages into my Project Life album too.

How I Use Project Life

I use Project Life to document a week of family photos + memories at a time. I usually take a photo a day or perhaps a group of photos that represent one week. I collect bits of memorabilia in the form of school papers, receipts, packaging, printed text messages, and whatever else I dig out of the bottom of my purse. I then pair the photos + collected items with Project Life elements to create a 2 page spread. All of my completed pages go into my Project Life binders. As the weeks roll by, my albums fill up and I've completed my goal of getting the photos + words into albums. I absolutely love it!

What's To Come

As a Project Life Creative Member, I'll keep on posting my completed layouts here on my blog. You'll also continue to see fun projects like my cards that I make from leftover supplies and more. Becky will also be featuring some of the Design Team projects on her blog from time to time. And then there's all of you. I've been reading lots of forum threads, emails and tweets about more people joining the Project Life community. That is great news! As much as I love to share my Project Life with you, I also love to see what others are doing with their Project Life too. The great ideas and inspiration keep me motivated to get those pages done.

That's Not All Folks

Becky has hand picked a fabulous bunch of girls to be my team members. I'm always excited to meet new friends, especially the crafty kind. Please visit their blogs today to get get to know them a little better:

Deb Duty

MaryAnn Perry

Monica McNeill

Marcy Penner

Liz Tamanaha

Jennifer Woodbury

And Miss Becky

I want to thank Becky for creating Project Life. And for inviting me to the Project Life Creative Team. And for inspiring me all these years. And for not blocking my email when I requested her mailing address to send her a notebook I made because she could not make it to a CK event I attended. And for having great hair and a knack for spray painting. Be sure to visit Becky's blog today also as she formally introduces the Project Life Creative Team.

You & Me + Project Life

It's gonna be a good time! Thanks so much for joining me today. Please leave your questions about Project Life in the comments section. I plan to make a running list of questions and address a few here and there with my Project Life posts. And be sure to link me up to your Project Life pages. I'd love to see them.
Put It In Perspective

These are the days, folks. The days you want to remember. They'll pass by quickly so if you're on the fence about Project Life...do it. You'll never regret taking the time to create pages and pages that are filled with your wonderful memories. I took my Project Life album upstairs today to share with the family and they loved it! They ooh'd and ahhh'd over funny photos, little things they'd forgotten, funny things we said, photos of how tiny our little kittens were....it all adds up to a wonderful life. Think about your life. Make sure you capture it.