Project Life 2013

I have been a huge fan of the Project Life community for a couple of years now, and love seeing creative ways that people use this project. Love the format, and flexibility, and colors, but the stumbling block for me has always been the physicality of the entire thing.

For several years now I have been getting rid of paper, and doing most of my creative projects digitally. Yes, I still love paper and journals, and have a stash that will last me for a while. But when I look at all those physical albums that Project Lifers accumulate, I just can't do it. The only time I make physical photo albums these days is when I make gifts for my nieces and nephews. These albums are small and fun, and the kids love them. But I no longer want or need physical albums around. They are bulky and not portable. I still have dreams of chucking it all and running away, and need to be able to travel light.

Then I had a light bulb moment. Why not do this digitally? After all, I did participate in the December Daily project several years ago digitally and loved it. No fuss, no muss. And so very portable. So the investigation began. Would I have to create my own templates, etc? Did a quick web search and found there was lots going on digitally already. Like I said, this is one passionate community.

So here is where I am at. I found and bought ONE layered template. The one called Project Life - Template Design A. That cost me $2. And by the way people, Template Design D is simply Template Design A rotated 90 degrees. So save that extra two bucks for some chocolate and rotate. No, not you, the template. I use Photoshop Elements 9, but you could do this with any variety of free software out there.

Next steps? A lesson learned from the December Daily project is "preparation is an indicator of success". So here are my steps: (I've linked to relevant supplies below)

1. Decided to use Template Design A as my foundation. I can always rotate if the urge arises.
2. Decided on a background for my pages for the year. Also a freebie.
3. Decided to create a two-page spread per week.
4. Decided that my weeks would run Monday to Sunday. This took much longer to decide than I would have thought. There are pros and cons. Anyway, I digress.
5. Decided not to buy the digital kits - the paper, journaling blocks, etc. While I do like some of them, did not love any enough to buy them. Also have my own digital stash waiting to be plundered.
6. Explored sites like Pinterest, etc and found lots of lovely items designed specifically for Project Life and available for free. So downloaded those that caught my eye.
7. Organized my digital work space so I can easily find what I need.

So, the unveiling. For the total cost of $2, this will be my foundation page for 2013. I am so excited to begin. If you are a Project Lifer, let me know. Would love to see your pages.

Relevant links:

What is Project Life?

I bought my template here.

I found my foundation background here.