Project Life | Weeks Thirty and Thirty-One
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Welcome to Project Life | Week Thirty.
Week Thirty was the same week as Week In The Life (which I'm still working on getting all together).
There were a few people who asked me if I was going to do both Project Life and Week In The Life. My answer was absolutely - they are really two different projects and it worked just fine having them happen at the same time.
My focus for this particular week was definitely more on Week In The Life - many more photos and details were compiled and collected compared with what I usually add to Project Life (at least the way I'm approaching it). For Week Thirty I printed out some of the photos I didn't include in my Week In The Life album, took a screen shot of the Big Picture Week In The Life community, and added just a few other things. I'd say it's pretty seamless with the rest of my weeks throughout 2011.
It's good enough. And sometimes that's really, really good.
Project Life | Week Thirty-One.
Last week feels like a bit of a blur. Maybe because I was recovering from the intense documentation of Week In The Life or maybe because I just felt tired in general - whatever it was it still feels like a blur. A good blur, but a blur none-the-less.
Simon was away for the week with my parents. Chris and I worked, Anna hung out with her babysitters during the day and the three of us seemed to end most of our days at the local pool. It was a good week but definitely felt like something was missing without Simon here.
I did include a bit of an email that came from my parents about how Simon was doing. I just copied and pasted the text onto a Small Journal Card Overlay, printed, and rounded the corners.
A few photos from our garden rounded out the week.
I added (after I took the main album photos for this week) a 6x12 divided page protector to include some of the photos my parents took while Simon was visiting them last week.
I'm all caught up and excited to be moving forward again (and get on with putting my Week In The Life together). It's been a few weeks since my album was downstairs on the counter - that's where I like it best as it feels easier to capture bits of life down there - especially the writing part.
Project Life is a product created by Becky Higgins. It can be anything you want it to be. The pieces of the album kit (similar to the one I’m using) are available here. If you live outside the US check Becky’s site for more information on sources. View all my posts about Project Life here.
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26 comments
loving your album and seeing it each update...looking forward to seeing your week in a life album together, Im working on mine right now I love putting it all togheter
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Really enjoyed seeing your two weeks here. I had to catch up in mine for a few weeks and promised myself not to let it slide again. Your weeks had a great mix of photos and paper things which I love. Great idea to capture the BPS site for a photo.
I have to be honest and tell you that my WITL wasn't as perfect and fun as I had hoped. It seemed the kids acted out more then usual and things didn't go as planned. On the Monday after WITL ended my thought was not to pick up the camera for a few days but I ended up taking tons of pictures this past week and we had a great week with many great memories. I was so tempted to change the weeks and forget about the first week and document this last week. The more thinking and looking at both weeks pictures though and from reading your blog reminded me that it's not only the perfect moments that count but also the less perfect ones too.
Thank you Ali for sharing your family, thoughts, projects with us here. I can't express enough about how your blog inspires me everyday and reminds me to slow down and look for the little things. Doing a WITL this year has changed me again just like last years did.
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Ali, I'd love some tabs for my page protectors. Where did you get those clear ones you used on the last page - the one with Simon?
I'll echo Dawn's thanks for sharing so much with us. I have been inspired to reorganize most of my old photo albums. The photos are looking so much better in their new home and now all sorts of treasured memorabilia is happily keeping them company!
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Those are from an office supply store - like Staple or Office Depot. They are called Index Tabs: http://www.amazon.com/Avery-Printable-Inserts-inches-16241/dp/B001HA4JXQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1312900439&sr=8-5
how do you attach the index tabs to the side of the page protector?
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I was wondering about your numerical monthly divider thingys... Who makes those?
Love your stuff! [And your name ROCKS!]
-Ali M
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Hi - it came with the Project Life kit. There will be a new one available for 2012 later this year on Amazon.
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I think I'm going to start Project life next week! The more I see what people do the more I love it! I need to just jump in!
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Wanted to share a few thoughts...First, I'm very behind on my PL album. I stopped after the beginning of June. This happened b/c summer has been so busy and full AND b/c I don't have a photo printer at home. I think being able to print photos at home really helps keep ya' on track. I am in the process of catching up, though. Second, I actually looked at the week-in-the-life project as an extention of PL, not as as a completely different project. Perhaps that's b/c my plan is to include my WITL project in the same PL album (which will take up two albums by year's end). My plan is to use photo collages for each WITL day and to add journaling on a seperate page next to each collage, making it a two page spread. I will also probably add a 5x7 enlarged photo on the journaling page. Anyway...Just sharing some random thoughts. Everyone's approach to PL and WITL is so different and that's really neat. For me, I decided to marry the two projects :-) I LOVE what you've done with your WITL project so far. As usual, it's lovely and so very inspiring. Your blog is a part of my every day reading enjoyment... Just saying :-)
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I also love how they are all so unique - and all along I've said that there are definitely no rules :). Love that people make it work for them!
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Thanks for sharing your layouts. I really like the no rules aspect of this project. I'm busy working on completing my WITL but I think I,m spending way too much time on editing my photos. On the flip side I,m really sharpening my PSE skills. My goal is to devote some time for it everyday until its finished. TV watching (which can be a big distraction for me) has been reduced significantly since I began working on this project. This is a welcome change in my daily life.
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LMAO!!! I had to take a close look at your first posting of your layout. Your tea wrapper looked like a CONDOM!! I was so shocked. Now, including a condom wrapper is very "me" - I am unfiltered and un-apologetic for the reality of me .. but you always seemed more politically correct. LOL. Thanks for the laugh!
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Great stuff Ali! I just wanted to say a very heart felt "thank you" for including the little round note that said something like "today has been a really hard day". I've been wondering if you document the tough times. Did you write out your feelings when Lily was sick? When mama-ing gets really tough or when you feel really insecure (?) do you write about those things too? If so, where do you put them? If you leave them out, I absolutely get that. The whole staying positive thing. It's been a tough summer here and I was just wondering how you handle the tougher parts of life in your documentation. Please don't feel any pressure to answer. I absolutely don't want to intrude on your privacy!!
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I do document the more challenging times - some of them. It really all depends on how I feel about a situation - is it ongoing, is there an end, is it really something that needs to be written down, does it share a lesson or illuminate something? It's really a case by case basis - that little note is really just a note-to-self...I had an overwhelming need to add a little something in even if it doesn't include the whole story. I think each person approaches this subject differently - there are people who literally survive because they write - it's how they process what they experience. I'm not a daily journaler in that sense (using it as an outlet to "get it out")...I've wanted to be in the past but at least right now it's just not a part of my process. I go by gut feeling in terms of whether I think something really needs to be told...
Dear Martha,
I liked your question for Ali about sharing the tough times. I noticed her little yellow note right away and even left her a comment about how tough some days have been for me too. It's hard to know if we should include it or not. Some days I wonder if it will help my children as mothers/father to understand we had hard days and good days. When talking with my mom she says we were very easy children and she had no stress, worries, bad days that she can recall. Times have changed though and kids are very different now. I hope Ali's answer helped you and it might even help me too.
Ali, I liked how you answered Martha here and she said exactly how I've felt this summer. It seems some days that raising teenagers is harder then I thought and not easy to entertain around the house. I'm thinking of hiding some writing in my WITL and starting to in my Project life as well.
Ali and Dawn, Thanks so much for the thoughtful replies. I have definitely included little things here and there about tougher times. I put in so much "lovey dovey" stuff that is absolutely deserved and heart felt but I absolutely want to balance it so our "real life" shows too. When I do add tougher stuff I do it mostly in "short hand" without all the details. I love your idea Dawn of hiding the story so it CAN be pulled out but it's not prominent. Y'all have really helped me. Thank you so so much!!
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Love your work...where did you find the label sticker with the black border on the grandparent camp page? Thanks!
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Hi Melissa - that's from Jenni Bowlin: http://www.jbsmercantile.com/eco/store.asp?SID=1&Item=488
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Hi Ali, i have loved the idea of this project since you started it. Finally found and ordered a binder online (I am in Canada & the products have been difficult to come across even online, lol) Can't wait to start this, not sure if I will begin right away or start with the first week of school for my niece & nephew in early September. I have yet to complete my week in the life but I participated in it this year, and enjoyed it. I was a little less harsh on myself as my paternal Grandmother died during that week, however I still kept the mantra of life goes on every day around us to keep me going. Love your blog, thanks for always sharing :)
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We just spent 10 days in OR and WA. Saw your McMenamin's tag and it took me back. We love it there. Thanks for showing all your goodies. I love how you incorporate little bits and pieces.
Fun!
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LOVE that brother/sister photo. That should be in a frame forever.
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Ok - I JUST realized you are cropping the corners of all of your pictures & it adds SO much to the look!
I can't wait for next year... this is on my list of TO-DOs.
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Hi Ali, just wannted to tell you , lve finshed my week in a life project, and lm thrilled with the way it turned out, l kept it simple and scrapped in 8.5 x 11, this is the first time lve scrapped this size and the first for WIAL as well, and totally loved it, cant wait for next year, l hope one day when my grandchildren arrive that they to will enjoy what we all got up to in our lives- recored history, l just love it, thanks for inspiring so many people, you are a real blessing to us all, and l also wanted to say thanks for your email about buying your stamp sets in Austraila, l contacted the link you gave me and was able to buy 3 of the stamp sets l wanted, just waiting for them to arrive , l have put some of my WIAL on my blog , if you want to check it out, go to http://kateadderley.blogspot.com
thanks again .......kate
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Ok, Ali, I have to ask...whose legs got the decoration? It may be presumptuous but I'll exclude you and Chris?
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The card/memo pasted with hearts stickers they are definitely great! and I love the project life idea! It's like treasuring every minute that happens to life and that's the real essence of scrapbooking. :)
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