Digital Project Life Layouts: March 2014
Project Life is my preferred method of scrapbooking and I’m hoping to provide you with some useful tips for either documenting your own lives or putting together your own pages with minimal fuss.
Here’s what I’m going to emphasize with the layouts I share:
- The random stuff I like to capture and document for myself.
- The simple approach to Project Life that I take. There are a lot of photos and very little embellishment and journaling.
- The way I organize some spreads into themes or stories.
You can click on each image below for a slightly larger view.
Capture Idea: Actual rainfall. A rare occurrence in these parts.
Capture Idea: Ok, how could I pass up that famous Oscars selfie? You can apply this to other major news screenshots in your area. Maybe the local paper or a national headline.
Story Idea: I’m a little quirky. I like to be photographed with giant oversized toys and things. So I tend to collect a set of them over the month. I just put them all together in one side of the page here. You can do this for any other series or collection of photos that go together.
Capture Idea: During one work day, my husband and I were texting each other back and forth with random pictures of our offices. Sort of like a dance-off, but totally not. So I just picked three from each of our offices and put them on one page.
Story Idea: March was when I started learning calligraphy and I took pictures of my practice sheets. I put them all together here with some other artsy resources as a reminder of my progress.
Capture Idea: I took a picture of a new hairstyle I was trying out. Might be fun for you to do the same, if you end up wearing that hairstyle a lot later.
Capture Idea: Any new and fun toys in your life? We started collecting these Lego figurines from the Lego Movie.
Simplicity Point: Got lots of photos? Fit them in 3×4 slots. Use minimal journaling.
Story Idea: This whole spread was our trip to Arizona.
Simplicity Point: I had a lot more pictures than this from the trip. But limiting myself to one page helped me get it done and in the book.
Capture Idea: Going on any tours? Get a picture of the tour bus or vehicle.
Capture Idea: On the highway, we saw an Olive Ave, so of course I had to get it! Maybe you’ll see road signs with your name too and you can start a collection.
Simplicity Point: Type your captions directly on the photos.
Simplicity Point: Just write a quick hit list of what you did on the trip.
Resources:
Photos edited with RadLab. (Affiliate Link)
Templates by Cathy Zielske: 01, 02, 05
Fonts: ABeeZee and Klinic Slab
Kits: Plus One Mini Kit, Seafoam Edition, Kraft Edition
For more info on my general approach to Project Life, check out this blog post.
Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. She’s awesome. Go visit her website for more information or watch her 3-day course on CreativeLive.
Get Your Old Photos Scanned
As we’ve made the switch to digital photography, it’s possible to back up multiple copies of photos everywhere. But what about all those photos that pre-date digital cameras?
Last year, my husband and I decided it was time to get our parents’ photos from the good old film days scanned and archived.
We used ScanMyPhotos.com (not sponsored or compensated in any way; we paid full price for everything). We purchased the PrePaid Photo Scanning box and opted for scanning at 600dpi, with the add-on for having photos scanned in order.
After you place your order, the company sends you a flat rate USPS box for you to fill with as many photos will fit (without overfilling or bulging out the box). The instruction sheets they send are pretty clear with how they’d like the photos packaged.
All of these albums from my parents’ house only filled one flat rate box. To utilize the “Scan in Order” feature, we just had to label an index card and bundle it together with the photos with a rubber band.
The box came labeled with the proper addresses and invoice number. We just need to pack the invoice slip in the box, seal it up and drop it off at the post office. Within two to four weeks, we got our photos back, along with a disc containing all of the digital copies.
I’d say the scan quality is very good, considering the original photos were up to 30 years old, printed at the local drugstore, and collecting dust for all these years.
Here’s a photo of me from 1986; completely unedited except for cropping and resizing.
One caveat is that they won’t scan professionally taken photos where you don’t hold the license or print release. To be on the safe side, we made sure not to send any school or professional studio photos.
Overall, it was worth the money to get all of those memories preserved. It’s tough to say how much these originals might degrade over time.
Have you archived your pre-digital photos in any way? Did you scan yourself or hire a service?
Photo Series: Document the Trash
Have you ever noticed that trash cans take on different designs everywhere you go? I think I first noticed trash cans at Walt Disney World. There, the trash cans take on various colors and patterns to match up to the themed lands of Disney.
Since then, it’s been a quirk of mine to include trash can photos when I’m visiting someplace new. It’s like I enjoy being weird.
And just by pure luck, when we were at Griffith Park having our engagement photos taken in 2012, we spotted a trash can with some cute graffiti on it. Destiny, much?
photo by The Goodness
Any quirky shots that you like to grab when you travel?
Project Life 2015 Gameplan
With the new routine that I’ve set up for working on my project life layouts in a monthly format, I’m actually on track to complete my 2014 album shortly after the new year. That means I can start the planning process for how I’ll tackle 2015.
Here’s the gameplan!
1. Dedicate Time
I have one and a half hours every Saturday afternoon unless I’m out of town or have something else scheduled. (I’m going to let you in on a secret… this is the time when my husband goes to church and I stay home like a heathen)
2. Plan My Tasks
For each available Project Life timechunk, I pre-plan what I’m supposed to work on. This reduces decision fatigue so I can get started right away.
3. Organize by Month
This is continued from 2014 and I really loved how it expedited my process!
4. Select Photos
After each month is over, I make sure I’ve imported all the photos from all the sources (DSLR, point and shoot, my iPhone, my husband’s iPhone). I use Photomechanic to select out my favorites from each source and then copy them into a working folder for Project Life. I always name my photo files with the date, so the pictures sort themselves into chronological order. This is a totally separate task from working on layouts.
5. Use One Core Kit per Month
Totally works for me to keep things cohesive. Also, I pre-plan this so I don’t have to think about it. I really aim to reduce decision fatigue and set up creative constraints so I can get things done!
6. Incorporate Brush Lettering
I plan on using my own brush lettering for month headers and other embellishments. (get your own copy + a freebie here)
7. Use a Consistent Font Scheme
2015 Font Palette: Oil Can and Adria Slab
8. Catch up on 2013 Photos
I am scheduling in time here to work on my 2013 layouts. With my dedicated time, I think I’ll actually make it!
9. Write Blog Posts
I’ll continue to share my layouts here on the blog to share my capture ideas and get-it-done attitude about scrapping.
10. Enjoy my Photos
This is really the best part. Because of the lag time between when I take the photo, and then sort the photo, and then work with the photo, I get to experience stuff three times! It’s fun to look back and think to myself, “hey, remember that?!” This is definitely my reason for continuing on this Project Life process.
If you also do Project Life, what’s your gameplan? What’s your reason why?
For more info on my general approach to Project Life, check out this blog post.
Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. She’s awesome. Go visit her website for more information or watch her 3-day course on CreativeLive.
Resource Round-Up: Working with PNG Files
photo by Death to Stock Photography
When I’m working on my digital scrapbooking, the word art that I like to use is in PNG format so that I have tons of customization options. I can layer over photos, resize to fit the space I want/need, and customize the colors.
Check out some of my word art for sale (plus a word art freebie!) in this post.
For those of you new to using PNG files in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, I’ve rounded up some video tutorials and resources for you.
How to Recolor PNGs by Cathy Zielske
Click here for Cathy’s original blog post and written instructions.
HowToRecolorPNGs from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.
Working with Digital Stamps by Cathy Zielske
Click here for Cathy’s original blog post and written instructions.
Working With Digital Stamps from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.
How to Work with Photo Flag PNGs by Cathy Zielske
Click here for Cathy’s original blog post and written instructions.
CZ Design: How to work with photo flag PNG files from Cathy Zielske on Vimeo.
Working with Layered Sentiments by Ali Edwards
Click here for Ali’s original blog post and written instructions.
3×4 Layered Sentiment How To from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.
Any other awesome tutorials or resources for using PNG files? Share them below!
Photo Series: I Watched My House Being Built
When my husband and I bought our home, we ended up purchasing new construction. On the day we signed the paperwork, our property was nothing but a plot of land. Because of this, we had the opportunity to stop by every week to see how the construction was coming along.
We decided to take a photo from the same spot each week, so that we would have a cool series of how our house was built.
After we moved in and started to decorate, we decided that one wall in our living room would hold a collage of these photos (how meta).
Still pretty cool to look back on though.
Do you document change and growth with a consistent photo spot? Maybe your kids or pets or garden?
Silver Lake Utah Photography and Tips
Silver Lake is about 40 minutes outside of Salt Lake City. The lake is completely encircled by a boardwalk, so it was pretty easy to get some photos from every angle.
Photo Tip: Snap those cabins or buildings nestled in the trees.
On the way out to Silver Lake, our bus broke down and everyone disembarked as we waiting for a new bus to arrive. I was able to get this shot from the side of the road.
Photo Tip: Crouch down to hide as much of the road as you can, so that the attention is given to those trees.
We eventually made it to the lake and it was really pretty there.
Photo Tip: Try to get some of the wildlife. This lucky duck swam by at just the right moment.
Lake reflections make me happy.
Photo Tip: If the lighting is right, try to get reflections from the water.
More reflections. I think this one’s my favorite of the bunch.
Photo Tip: Look for framing elements, like this space between the two shrubs.
And finally, a straight shot into the sun.
Photo Tip: Experiment with getting the run and lens flare into your shot.
Photos edited by RadLab. (Affiliate Link)
Digital Project Life Layouts: February 2014
Project Life is my preferred method of scrapbooking and I’m hoping to provide you with some useful tips for either documenting your own lives or putting together your own pages with minimal fuss.
Here’s what I’m going to emphasize with the layouts I share:
- The random stuff I like to capture and document for myself.
- The simple approach to Project Life that I take. There are a lot of photos and very little embellishment and journaling.
- The way I organize some spreads into themes or stories.
You can click on each image below for a slightly larger view.
Capture Idea: There’s no shame in selfies. How else will you remember what you looked like twenty years from now?
Capture Idea: Any hobbies you are working on. In this case, this was my progress in brush scripting.
Capture Idea: I received a card in the mail with this super cute Pixar stamp that coordinated perfectly with the envelop.
Capture Idea: Manicure shots since I’ve been painting my nails a variety of glittery patterns. Definitely a part of my weekly routine.
Capture Idea: I took a screen shot of the TV Guide app with the listing description of the Winter Olympics. You can take screenshots of your own favorite TV shows.
Simplicity Point: We went to the movies and I just laid the ticket stub on a piece of scrapbook paper to take a picture of it. Now, I don’t need to find a journaling card or anything to digitally enhance the space.
Story Idea: Make one page or spread about one specific outing. The left side here was free admission day to the Nixon Library because of Presidents Day.
Capture Idea: Food. If you ever move away, it’ll be fun to reminisce about your favorite restaurants in the area. Also, it may remind you to go back to a place that you might have forgotten about.
Resources:
Photos edited with RadLab. (Affiliate Link)
Templates by Cathy Zielske: 01, 02, 05
Fonts: ABeeZee and Klinic Slab
Kit: Plus One Mini Kit
For more info on my general approach to Project Life, check out this blog post.
Project Life is a memory-keeping system created by Becky Higgins. She’s awesome. Go visit her website for more information or watch her 3-day course on CreativeLive.
Instagram Challenge Round-Up: December 2014
I love Instagram. I spend way too much time there than is healthy.
I also love the benefits that come from joining various challenges: 1. You get to practice your photography (or doodling or lettering), 2. You’re part of a group of people participating in the same thing, and 3. Other people can find you and see your pictures.
Here are a handful of the challenges that and prompts out there for this month. Click on the link below the image for more information from the author of the challenge.
#fmsphotoaday by Fat Mum Slim
#DecemberReflections by Susannah Conway
#DecemberReflections by Susannah Conway
#doodleadaydec by ellolovey
#thehandletteredproject2 by Making Ideas Happen
#thehandletteredproject2 by Making Ideas Happen
Any challenges that you participate in that I missed? Leave them in the comments! I’d love to learn about more challenges.
Resource Round-Up: Start Learning Photography
I’ve said before in my photography journey post that I recently started to learn more photography skills using a DLSR
1. Click It Up a Notch
Courtney Slazinik provides a compendia of blog posts to help any beginner learn the art of photography. This website covers all the basic topics like using manual mode on your camera, settings, white balance, composition and more.
2. Jeff Cable Photography
I’ve watched a ton of Jeff Cable’s recorded presentations that he’s given at B+H headquarters. He’s well-spoken and tells you what you need to know without making things too complicated.
Here are my favorite videos:
– Photography 101
– 15 Features of your DSLR
– Shooting Great Portraits
3. Photography Concentrate
Lots of tips for new photographers! Rob and Lauren Lim are relatable folks who put together information and guides to teach you the nuts and bolts of photography.
4. CreativeLive
CreativeLive is my very favorite resource for learning. They provide streaming video courses online for free or for pay. They have an entire channel dedicated to photography, with up to three courses showing simultaneously. If you check the calendar, you can see the courses that are playing live, or you can purchase access to any of the courses that have already played. CreativeLive is also a great resource for those who are aiming to be professional photographers. Tons of experts and business advice too.
5. Improve Photography
Tons of information. This resource would be useful if you have targeted areas that you’re interested in improving.
Check out my Pinterest board about photography for even more resources!
Any resources that you recommend for those of us just starting out?
Who’s Olive?
Hi, I'm Olivia, aka Olive. I'm always trying out random crafts and things... so this blog shows the evolution of all the stuff I'm interested in.
Hobby Timeline:
2014-2015: Photography, digital scrapbooking
2015-2017: Brush lettering
2018-2021: Crochet
2021-present: Romance book reading
