PIP Day....Project Life In Progress..Week 8

Hello friends, hope your weekend was great! Today I have my PIP day post for Project Life Week 8. Last week's pages were all Valentine themed. This week it's nice to get back to just a mish mash of my supplies.

My Project Life routine:

I've had lots of questions about how I do my Project Life. Currently I have my groove down and it goes like this: Once I take that last photo on a Sunday, I'm ready sketch out my layout. I look through my iPhone/camera to find what photos I want to use by pairing them up with notes I've written daily in my calendar. I pick the best photos for each day (sometimes one, sometimes more) and decide if they will be square or rectangle or full size. I make notes of this on my little layout sheet. Then I'm ready to print. I email my photos from my phone to my computer then transfer those photos to my photo library. From there I edit then print. I then take my PL album with photos to my work table. I'll take some time to mull over supplies to see what I want to use. I select journaling cards, stamps, embellishments and patterned papers. That leads me to the photo below. I usually take a break right about here and wait for another time to work on my pages. Then the next day I'm ready to create and assemble the pages. Then I really try to get any inserts done this same week. And that's it.

Product Picks:

I just got a fun order from Banana Fish Studio, so many fun elements to use and the packaging is adorable. As a shop owner, I send out lots of orders each week. It's delightful to be on the receiving end sometimes, so when I receive a package just for me it's extra fun.
When I create kits for my shop I always make one for myself so that I can use the items for samples for you guys. I have a little stash from a recent kit or two shown below to use + I picked a few fun papers and some Washi tape. That Sassafras paper is one of my all time favorites. I have to use it in small pieces so I can savor it some more. This week's layout seems to be taking on a peachy/aqua/green theme. These colors were what coordinated with a few of the photos I took this particular week.
Chit Chat:

When I look my favorite Project Life weeks, I really try to analyze why I like those particular pages so much. One of the things I've noticed is that those pages have a lot of white/neutral backgrounds instead of busy patterned papers. So I'm trying to use more of those kinds of papers for my base 4 x 6 and 3 x 4 inserts. I've started a small collection of papers so that I can have a stash to pull from. Of course the blank Project Life 3 x 4 cards are perfect. For the 4 x 6 inserts I'm using some grid cardstock that I created + a few others that have pretty neutral backgrounds. That makes a great starting point for layering on patterned papers, accents, die cuts, stickers, Washi tape, stamps, etc.
Challenge:

It's always fun to find a new way to use a certain product in my Project Life pages. To keep things fresh & new, I like to look at my Pinterest Project Life boards and other blogs to find a fun little something to add to my pages. I'm also looking for a fun way to add inserts to my pages using the various Project Life page protectors.

Questions answered:

Q: How do you print Instagrams all on one page?

A: From my iPhoto library I select all the Instagrams that I want to print. I then hit print and that takes me directly to my printer settings. I adjust the size to a custom size of usually 2" or so and see if they all fit on my 8.5 x 11 sheet of photo paper or whatever size of photo paper I want to use. Then I just hit print. None of my Instagram collages are done with Photoshop, just my printer.

Q: What thread do you use when stitching on page protectors?

A: I usually use whatever thread is in my sewing machine at the time. Usually a white thread and I just stitch slowly. The plastic tends to grab the thread so you have to push it through the machine to keep a steady stitch length. Then I just trim with my paper trimmer.

This week:

This week I'll be finishing up Week 8 of Project Life and then will head straight for Week 9 to get caught up. I'll also be working on some cards sets for family, birthday cards and a few assignments. Look for a shop update later in the week too. I will have a few new kits and the mother load of NEW tags!

Okay, off to start my Monday. Laundry.......lots of work in between.....shipping packages.....and walking my puppy. Have a great day everyone!