project life: weeks 23,24 , & 25

i am no where near being caught up on my project life album.

but, i'm making a huge effort to wrap it up before the end of this year.

i have photos through the end of september already IN the album.

and i have my 'planning' out done through the beginning of october.

i worked out sorting through photos for the last three weeks of october yesterday,

and that was a HUGE task.

carnival. corn maze. halloween.

holy cow.

but i worked through & kept telling myself

'pick only what tells the story'

it's my little mantra i repeat while i'm working on my PL album.

'only what tells the story'

i say it to myself 100 times over.

it's a layered message,

reminding me to KISS.

ya know, keep it simple stupid.

a few months ago i was getting all bogged down in having everything perfect in my album.

it was wearing me thin, as well as my inspiration.

i LOVE seeing everyone post pictures of their happy mail..

but it makes me covet stuff i really don't need..

and because i'm a pretty simple, repetitive scrapper..

likely won't use anyways!

so, i tried to spend some time reconnecting to myself & my style.

sounds silly, i know..

but every once in a while i need a good swift kick in the kiester to remind myself i do this for me,

not for awards or recognition.

a 3x4 card that isn't 'just right' is NOT an issue in the big picture

and seriously, as long as it's telling the flippin' story, MOVE ON.

so anyways, with that mantra in mind,

i sat down & busted out a week each day last week.

well, almost.

monday i worked on my title page..

saturday i knocked out a bunch of stuff i needed to print

& yesterday i planned out the last few weeks.

i have two more spreads completed, but i figured i'd wait since there were always a TON of photos here.

week 23: 

I think one of my favorite things about this method is that I scrap MORE of the everyday stuff that wouldn't have earned it's own page the old way.. a random quote i said this week, our obsession with jaws, how much in love with washi i am. all part of the story.

i fought with my need for 'perfection' just a bit on that 'summer bucket list' card i had the dude fill out for me. in the end i know i'll appreciate his handwriting much more than straight lines in the years to come! i asked him what were some things he wanted to do over the summer.. (i feel bad that we only managed 2 of the 6.. but the kid had a tall order!)

may 30th was this kiddo's actual birthday, but due to some scheduling conflicts in both papa & dad's working schedule, we had to push back his party a week. he wanted a 'pirates of the caribbean' birthday.. so a pirate birthday it was.. i loved this shot of him with the candle so i blew it up to a 6x12 and made it more prominent in the spread.

i always love those '20 questions' things i see people do with their kiddos, so i decided to give it a go with the dude. i wanted him to write out his answers, but i know how this lack of space would have gone over with his 8 year old larger than life handwriting, so i just wrote it out myself! :)

i had a second insert this week with some pictures & info from the party. i always like to keep a list of who was there.. & i work so hard on a menu that matches the theme, that goes in there too! (especially when my pictures of said items are less than stellar!)

my original plan was to put an "8" in that top pocket wear the balloon is. put some confetti & one of the gold coins from the treasure decorations in there.... but that got nixed when i remembered i salvaged this balloon from the party. simple simple simple. just a picture, a label sticker & some journaling. BAM. i find it easiest for me to do something universal when i have several pictures from one event. i feel like keeping the embellishment, or journaling spot the same helps to tie them all in together, AND makes the 'getting it done' part move along faster.

week 24:

this was a week i was really struggling to pull it together. i felt like it just wasn't jiving for me. i muddled through it, reevaluated what the important pieces of the story were for us this week, and then took some stuff out, and added new stuff in. like the EW twilight cover? hello. has to go in. my entire family knows i'm a twi-hard, so they don't even flinch at my geeking out. (see the dude's drawing of a vampire for me early this year, proof enough?)

and here is the right side. tried to remind myself the STORY is what is important, the embellishments & titles are just MY artistic expression. get it down & get it done when the inspiration isn't there.

week 25:

this spread ended up being one of my favorites of this year so far. i've tried to break myself out of this color combo thing, and it just doesn't happen for me. even as a traditional scrapper, the paper had to 'match' the picture. (and if im honest, most of the weeks i am NOT happy with a certain piece, it's because i feel like it doesn't 'match'. it's ridiculous.) so this week i spread my pictures out, like i usually do, and stood back & took in what colors hit me first. green, black, pink. now i'm not much of a pink person, but i am in love with the amy tangerine sketchbook line, and was desperate to use some of it. it went PERFECTLY with  my photos for this week, so i was instantly inspired and moving forward. i felt like i was channeling my inner 80s child with the hot pink/bright green color combo, and somehow that got me moving.

two things i've come to embrace. not EVERY picture needs a 3 page story to go with it. sometimes just a simple date is sufficient. (i'm the EXACT opposite of someone who has a tough time journaling...!!) learning to appreciate those pictures that i can just date stamp & move on. finding the balance between our 'family' life & my story. sometimes it's more my story some weeks, when i'm away from my family... if i could get the boys in my life to contribute more to this, i totally would.. but for now they'll just have MY perspective on everything.. and that's okay too ;)

i'm also embracing hidden journaling & quote cards. some weeks there is just 'less', and i'm okay with that. not every pocket needs a story. if it's not vital to our story, than it gets left out. that quote pocket came as a result of pulling out some less significant 'pocket filler' crap & inserting a quote i shared on facebook during this week as i was struggling with some emotions & frustrations about a situation out of my control. no one else may appreciate that quote, but i am instantly reminded of why i shared it, and what situation it was about. for someone else, it won't have the same meaning, but it's still a valuable reminder!

and with that spread, i have one FULL album, complete with 25 weeks of project life spreads.
one album that contains pictures and stories and quotes & the paraphernalia of life.
not one single scrap of memorabilia is sitting in a crate waiting for a home this year.
and i seriously can't tell you how WONDERFUL that feels.
not to have a ticket stub or arm band, or map floating around waiting for a final resting place.
THAT is the key to why i started this method.
and man that feels good.

onto my second album.
keep your fingers crossed i crank it out before the end of the year.
i'm determined, and making it my goal to catch up.
hopefully with this new less is more mantra in my head pushing me forward that'll be a goal realized.

xo-k