What's new

Project Life 2014 - How to keep going?

JuliettePerkins

JuliettePerkins

I eat, sleep, breathe Apple.
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
1,560
Hey everyone... looking for a little help!

I started doing my PL 2014 (first full year, but dabbled a little from Mid-October last year) and I've been using only design A, the two Maggie Holmes mini kits and the matching digital papers and embellishments, along with all sorts of stuff I pick up along the way.

I've realised that a single page is taking me hours to complete whether hybrid or digital, and with that comes the realisation that I just can't keep this up this year - I'm agonising over every photo, every card, every embellishment, every overlay.

So, now I'm at a bit of a turning point - I think I want to re-do all the six weeks I've got finished up to now using just one core kit and a really narrow selection of embellishments and maybe two or three fonts...

Should I re-do what I've got and really restrict my choices on my weekly PL to allow me to have more time to be more creative in other aspects of my scrapping? Will being restricted help me build this into my routine?

I currently run a few albums: a single page per week PL album (some of these pages are digi and some are hybrid); an event based PL album (like if we go on a holiday or have a cool day out - some digi and some hybrid); I also have a folder on my PC for all of my 'traditional' digi layouts.

I want the PL I'll turn into books/printed albums to be a simple recording process and not this time consuming thing that I wonder if I am truly enjoying.

Am I over analysing this?
 
I would definitely advise to let go of the parts that are stressing you out about the project, like over embellishing etc…, so that you can find the joy in it and stick with it. I would not advice redoing anything because it could potentially put you behind and just add even more stress. It's ok to change things up along the way and find what works best and let go of what doesn't. It's a process and when starting out I think all of us work at finding our grove and style we like best.

I am not sure how you are working on it but one thing that has really helped me is to find time each day, even if it's just 10 minutes, and add my photos and journaling for the day so it's fresh and then I am also not stuck at the end of the week working on it for hours. I have 4 kids with number 5 due any day now and there is no way I would have the time to devote a lot of time to this. I do add a few embellishments throughout the days as I work on that particular time but at the end of the week when I am wrapping it up is also a good time to add any embellishments then, if you desire.

Most importantly, let yourself off the hook. This project really is about capturing those every day memories and since life isn't perfect your pages don't have to be perfect either. I use my PL to capture our life as it happens and then I still do my traditional digi pages on the side to fulfill my creative side. Those pages I can pour a little more time and "perfection" into.
 
I couldn't have said it any better than Amanda... and don't get discouraged, it took me several months, almost a year, before I finally settled into a routine that works for me and I'm definitely finding that some weeks I'm crazy busy and those pages end up being super simple and some weeks I have more time and those pages get embellished more... as long as you have your photos and your stories told, you're golden!!!
 
Another thing about this project is there are no set rules. One thing that has really helped me is realizing that if there is a crazy week around here and I don't get time to do a page for that week then it's ok. There are other ways to record the memories. Maybe take a minute to jot down some highlights or stories from the week and then let it go and move on to the next week. Life is so fast paced for all of us and sometimes something has to be put to the back burner and it's ok if it's your weekly PL spread. Just pick up for next time and keep trucking along.
 
yes yes yes I agree with the advice given. Don't stress over perfection or compare your week to others, who cares? its your life, not a contest. I think too many choices can be hard, so limit yourself to the same templates week after week, and either the same kit or a different one each week or month.
 
Okay. So... whilst at work I've been throwing ideas round in my head. I think the Maggie Holmes stuff is so pretty it makes me go crazy with vintage embellishments.... I have a new plan:


I am going to switch to back to Midnight which makes me less embellishment crazy,
I'm going to build myself a 'little' embellishment kit from my fave TLP kits,
make a template that I will use each week,
decide on a choice of two photo processing LR presets for the photos,
make a separate weekly PL LR catalog so I'm not bombarded with my everything,
decide on three fonts for the year,
and then... RUN with it.


do one page per week still, with special events/extra photos and layouts going in the other album.


Thank you so much for all your support, I love PL but I need to make it fit into my couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon! I'll let you know how I get on with it :)
 
I do many of the same things and it is keeping me on track and going! I also use one template (but give myself the option to change if necessary for a week), 2 LR presets for all photos, a few certain fonts, and I kind of have an order and method when I do my pages of where my journaling goes/calendar card goes/etc. So far so good.

Good luck!!
 
talivstouwe said:
I do many of the same things and it is keeping me on track and going! I also use one template (but give myself the option to change if necessary for a week), 2 LR presets for all photos, a few certain fonts, and I kind of have an order and method when I do my pages of where my journaling goes/calendar card goes/etc. So far so good.

Good luck!!
Click to expand...

What lightroom presets do you use? Do you use Totally Rad?
Thanks! Sue
 
livelifejoyfully said:
What lightroom presets do you use? Do you use Totally Rad?
Thanks! Sue
Click to expand...

I wish! :) Totally Rad is on my wishlist - maybe Christmas!

I use a freebie from Preset Heaven for my color photos, and a black & white from My 4 Hens/Sarah called Haunted. :)
 
I was going to ask about what light room presets everyone uses too! I have lightroom but I haven't messed with it a lot.
 
I use M4H's Life Inspired presets pretty much exclusively... I LOVE LOVE the helper presets in there!!!
 
My advice is SIMPLIFY. that's all i've got. do what is simple and easy and manageable. do what gets it done.
 
Back
Top