'Project life' album / scrapbook - anyone heard of this or doing it?

[spicandspan]

So I have just fininshed photo album / baby book type things for my 2 kids, and enjoyed it, but felt a bit sad that we really only have photos and stuff from big events (birthdays etc) - not much every-day stuff. I feel all inspired to try and document their growing-up in some way, and came accross Project Life via google:

www.beckyhiggins.com/products/

It looks like a kind of cross between a traditional photo album and a scrapbook.

has anyone done this project or one like it? Was it do-able? If you look past the Americanisms etc it looks like it could be a nice thing for the kids to be involved with / look back on - they love their baby books!

I'm worried about a) having enough time and b) how much it will cost to buy all the bits, if I don't keep up with it.

Anyone with any experience of this or similar 'basic' kind of weekly or monthly family scrapbook?

I started to do an A-Z of each year so, just 26 photos to sum up things that had happened that year. I also had a "Birthday Book" which had just one photo from their birthdays. I am woefully behind with both of these now :o Scrapbooking took a back seat to other stuff.

I think anything that ties you into any sort of monthly/weekly thing will soon become a chore and get forgotten.

Oh, and my scrapbook pages were fairly plain. I can't be doing all that fluffy frilly sentimental stuff :o

I've done a family challenge which MiL passed down to her wives group.

Basically each month has a theme and we have to take 30 photos that capture that theme. We are then picking the best out and having an album put together with all the families photos.

This is an example of the themes we've used here it's made me take more photos with DD, MiL to get to grips with her camera, and us all to take more pictures that aren't just special occasions.

We don't scrapbook, last year we had a photo album put together on snapfish [was about a tenner] and it's been great to look back on the families year.

We have decided to use photobook to make a family annual each year (bit like blue peter)
Silly jokes the kids told that year, funny drawings they did, tickets to fun things that we did and of course photo's.
thankfuly we have a scanner and I am quite handy with the computer so putting things together have been quite straight forward.
The hardest part for me is choosing a photobook supplier.

You can make the book as simple or complicated as you want it. Just start with photo inserts and photos and add journalist as you go. You can decorate the journalist bit or not.

That project is a bit big for me. This year I want to do the December daily aliedwards.com/projects/december-daily. It's only a month and I think I can commit to it more than 365 days :)

I scrapbook and already have a lot of tools but even without a lot, you can surely do it!

Yes, I do the project life system.
I like that i don't have to spend ages matching up bits of paper and theming brads and ribbons to the weekly colour scheme each week and that if I want to do a full spread of photos only then I can.

I do do some more fancy pages as I was fortunate enough to find a local shop that had a 50pence sale on scrapbook stuff.
I Only bought the layouts from becky Higgins site. A suitable folder can be bought at hobby craft (it is black imitation leather and well made for twenty quid) they also stock their own version of page layouts but only a choice of two in my nearest one.
I bought cheap 6x6 scrap pads, a couple of smash pads, some brads and embellishments, alphabet stickers and The 12x12 sheets of cut it yourself journalling cards. I use tickets and brochures and parking tickets(!) amongst other things that would normally go in the bin as well.

Kids love popping stuff in the box for me to put in the book and I take less pictures of the same event rather than more as I tend to take them with camera or phone as they are happening so it gives a more realistic overview of our lives rather than 70 birthday pics and nothing of them have a kick around in the garden.

I print at kiosks once every couple of weeks when food shopping and probably 'do' the folder every three. Just keep notes. I tend to work on a week to week basis equalling a two page spread but if something happens then I include separate pages for that or If I get some great photos of one particular day. it's a flexible system. You can Do whatever you please.

Mine is left out and gets thumbed through ALL the time by the kids, myself, visitors. I love the journalling side of it which initially I thought might be a bit nafftastic but in fact gives me the opportunity to tangibly record funny little snippets that people say that usually I forget soon after. Even now, looking back a few weeks from today makes me smile at how rubbish my memory is!

Have fun, I'm loving it!

Just wanted to check in with this. I ordered the page protectors from project life, but just make my own cards from patterned paper / index cards - found a small amount of paper goes a long way. Absolutely love the 8 weeks I have done, what a great project! And takes a surprisingly short time...

Well I read on several forums that most 12x12 ring bringers will fit - brand names I read was American crafts and wrmk. But I have just got the page protectors at the moment, held together with treasury tags! Wanted to see if I enjoyed the project before buying a binder.
Definatly worth making your own cards. Very easy.

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