One week down, and I have to admit that I think I might be too OCD for this project! lol With some items too small or too thick, it was hard for me to just slip everything into the pockets without organization. I'm thinking I need to "let go" a little bit and embrace the lack of unity most of my spreads will have. Did anyone else feel this way when they first started?
This week I headed back to the gym after a two week hiatus, so I included a pic of the stair machine and a tag from some new workout clothes. I also included a pic of a lego set that Sam built. I was originally going to use the clipping from the box "as is" but it was too thick and ragged, so I scanned it and printed a photo. (This is the OCD I'm talking about, people!) I did the same with the mac and cheese box (a lunch treat this week) and the packing tape from the Container Store (lots of organization this week). In addition to the Clementine kit, I used a couple elements from the Cobalt kit.
And I know I said I wasn't going to stress about the photos (which I'm not), but I definitely need to take more than I did last week. Also, I waited until yesterday to start putting everything together, and it took me much longer than I expected. This week I'm going to try create my spread as I go, adding things here and there throughout the week. We'll see how that goes. I think there's a definite learning curve with this project!
Edited to add: After getting into the groove with week two and embracing the process more, I went back and tweaked week one. I added a couple more basketball pics and an outtake from our family photo "shoot". I also added a pic of an art project I'm working on with the 2nd grade classes at the kids' school (more on that later), and a pic of my iphone screen right after midnight on the 1st. And then I just moved a couple things around to maintain some semblance of balance.
Here's the original:
And here's after tweaking:
All the original elements are there, I just added more "stuff" from the week.
How about you? What's your progress? Are you struggling with anything? Any suggestions or tips? I'd love to see/hear!
This post is participating in Project Life Tuesday at The Mom Creative.
I commend you for this! My children are grown and gone and I wish I could have done this...I suppose I still could but I sure don't remember even when every photo was taken! I was much too busy ( working a full time job,school, sports, and a house to keep up) to have had the patience to do this...I think you are great for giving this the best effort! I hope every week is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI love all of your inserts this week! I just completed my first year (2011) today, and I learned a lot along the way. One of the big things I learned is that anything you are capturing is better than nothing at all, so perfection is definitely not required :) Just try to do what feels right or what your have the time/energy/resources to do and remember that it will be wonderful at the end of the year even if it isn't "perfect" in your mind.
ReplyDeleteI also found that I became much more efficient as the weeks progressed. My strategy was to wait until the end of each week to put it together although I edited photos as I took them (daily or whenever). If I had a photo that I thought was a favorite for the week, I put it into a Project Life folder I created organized by week. I also kept a big clear art envelope (probably 12x12) in the book and would throw any extras (movie tickets, receipts, etc) in there and then go through it at the end of the week to see what I wanted to keep.
It will get easier and more gratifying I think! I love what you've done so far, you are off to a great start! Keep it up!
Great job so far! I love the way the layout looks. It flows very nicely. The OCD part is very funny to me...
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with @CMcCormick! Anything you document is better than nothing. I just finished my second full PL album (after an epic fail in 09). If you keep up with this project, you will settle into a routine. I documented my process at my blog if you are interested. Keep up the great work!
This almost looks like something I could get into, almost! Fun to see your progress so far! And I love seeing pics of those kids that we love!
ReplyDelete