enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

PL

I thought for sure I would be doing another round of the album I completed in 2011. Monthly sections. Four photo spreads of 4×8 photos. I even have the albums purchased and ready to go. But I'm changing things up because although I loved it, that was such an "Elise-focused" project. I have a book about me and the projects I completed because it was a pretty "Elise-focused" year.

But 2012 will hopefully be the complete opposite.

Which means, I want a bigger album that can reflect me, but also Paul and our life as a family. I am totally intrigued by the Project Life format and I want more space to spread out and save photos and thoughts and stuff. It's too early to say how I am going to make this project fit into our life yet, but 2012 is going to be a hell of year and one I will be so happy to have saved in this format.

PLtitle

supplies used : PL Clementine paper (black dot & graph), Hambly transparency, Staples letter stickers & manila tag, gold star from Christmas clearance at Target, American Crafts herringbone paper, label unknown.

A few days ago I created the title page and realized this project appeals to my minibook making side. I gave up traditional scrapbooking (like full page layouts) about four years ago. While technically this is a full page format (the pocket dividers are 12×12), the pockets each feel like they hold a different page of a mini album. I love working in 4×6 and 3×4 sections and combining them all together to create something bigger. I can only imagine how rad the entire book will be once each spread is complete.

So welcome to Operation Document 2012. I am so hopeful that I will keep up with this project and am setting a goal to not just phone it in. I am not sure how often I will share it here, we'll see what makes the most sense. Maybe it will be something I post about on weekends, since I don't usually blog then?

IMG_8467 IMG_8487 IMG_8488

Fun facts about the title page : Both of those photos were taken on December 31st. We were able to video chat before the NYE celebrations got started and I took a screenshot to capture Paul. That choose quote is going to be a guiding force this year. I typed it up in PSE and printed on white cardstock. Then I trimmed and added the word "choose" with pen. I printed some blog text on the manila tag following the same steps as this tutorial on Ali's blog. I so rarely use our last initial – but I think I'll start the habit in this book.

Details : Project Life is a product and documenting system created by Becky Higgins. You can learn more about Project Life here. I have the clementine kit and will be using some pieces from that in addition to other patterned papers and embellishments. Right now, I have a bunch of design A page protectors. Currently, I am using the clementine album which is great quality but something I may recover in colored bookcloth to make it feel more like my style. I will be printing all my photos at home on my HP PhotoSmart printer (which reviewers hate but I love) and Office Depot brand semi-gloss photo paper.

I am so excited for this project.

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55 responses to “why i am choosing to do “project life” in 2012.”

  1. Sarah Avatar

    I am so glad you are doing this project! I’ve shied away from it the past couple of years. But, this year, I decided I wanted to do it, and I was going to enjoy it, not be afraid of it 😉 So excited to see what you do with it. It will be great!

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  2. Alyssa B Avatar
    Alyssa B

    darn, all the bloggers I follow seem to be jumping on the Project Life Bandwagon! Personally, I’m not a fan it or of the blog posts that accompany updates, but I am happy for you and everything that you and Paul have planned for 2012. Also you have already done a better job of photographing your layouts. So there’s a chance I might change my mind about PL in 2012!
    Just my two cents,
    Alyssa B

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  3. Amanda Avatar

    This looks like such a fun and creative way to document your life! I’m looking forward to seeing what you create, Elise!

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  4. Rose Avatar

    I was thinking about doing Project Life as well! I’ve read a lot about it. Truthfully, I’m teetering between your style of album and Project Life. I have a feeling this is going to be a year of Rose, and I should document that fully. I have a lot of projects I want to undertake, and my word for the year is “patience”….Hope those two things go together 🙂
    Thanks again for such an awesome blog. I can’t even tell you what inspiration you’ve given to me in just such a short time of reading. Can’t wait to see how you progress this album.
    Just curious – did you buy Project Life in parts? Or the Kit? I can’t seem to find prices for the kit.

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  5. eek! Avatar

    I am looking forward to seeing your 2012 PL and excited to start myself. Here’s to a fabulous year!

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  6. jessi Avatar

    I love it!! I cant wait to get started on PL this year. Also my first year doing it. Please keep us updated. You are so creative and have great ideas. I’d love to keep up with how your album is going. Yay!!

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  7. Lisa Avatar
    Lisa

    Looks good, I’m going to consider doing something like this. Thanks for sharing!!! 🙂

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  8. Jennifer D Avatar
    Jennifer D

    Project Life is no longer sold as a kit. There is a “core kit” that includes the main design elements, and then you purchase your binder, page protectors, etc… separately. Becky Higgins has a page that lists all of the products here -> http://www.beckyhiggins.com/products/ .
    One nice thing is that they offer the styles from both this year and last year as core kits, which gives more options for finding a design you like.

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  9. Katie Avatar

    Looks so cohesive and beautiful! I love the idea of Project Life, I just don’ t think that I can be focused enough to complete a full year, or even a full album hahaha… I love that you can include so many bits and pieces, though. That totally appeals to the “saver” in me.

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  10. CarlyMaria Avatar

    I’m so glad you shared this! I never scrapbook in the traditional way, I normally just find 5X8 albums that I can fill, but this is so amazing. Thanks for sharing!
    ps: I love your first page, its beautiful.

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  11. Allie Finch Avatar

    I’m considering doing something like this, so I hope you will share your updates. I don’t love all the examples of PL I’ve seen, but I LOVE your style & would appreciate ideas.

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  12. Her Sunday Avatar

    Just wanted to thank you for pointing me to Project Life. I didn’t know anything like that existed but as soon as I checked it out, I loved it! It looks like so much fun and much less pressured way to document my life this year. Love this idea and I think it will be fun to do. Thanks!

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  13. Allie Finch Avatar

    Are you using only the design A page protectors or will you switch it up? Also, I don’t really like the style of the binders. Have you seen other great/simple binders for that will hold 12×12 page protectors that would work for this project?

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  14. oh shoot Avatar

    I have been waiting for you to post about your Project Life. I really want to do Project Life this year, but I have been waiting to start for some reason. A lot of the stuff that I want is sold out 😦 Why I want to do this project is bc it will help me with two of my goals 1. Document 2012 2. Print out more photos. I hope that you will share up dates.
    Are you doing the mini seasonal books again this year? I love them so much!

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  15. libbi m. Avatar
    libbi m.

    So excited for you and this project. This will be my second year doing project life and I can’t wait to see your process.

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  16. elise blaha Avatar

    hey Alyssa, I know PL is absolutely not everyone’s style. To be honest, I didn’t think it was mine, but I LOVE the idea of having a year documented in such a big format so I am going to spend 12 months making it feel like me. I also know the blog posts about it can get really redundant so that is why I mentioned I might do them on the weekends so they do not detract from the 5 usual posts I schedule for M-F. We’ll see how things shake out once I get started. Thank you so much for your will wishes, I am so excited for P to get home too! 🙂

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  17. elise blaha Avatar

    Yep, no kit, just pieces. I really loved my other album, and I think it’s a great way to sum up projects, personal adventures and give a monthly snapshot. I think you’ll be happy either way! 🙂

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  18. elise blaha Avatar

    Probably all Design A, yes. And I don’t love patterns on albums either which is why I mentioned I might cover it in bookcloth. I know there are simple black and white albums that are made by PL coming to amazon in Feb so that might be an option. I also know Ali Edwards uses “we are memory keepers” albums for her PL pages. 🙂

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  19. elise blaha Avatar

    I did see that a lot of stuff is sold out, I think they are hoping to restock in Feb. I am planning on doing many mini albums in addition to PL throughout the year and will be doing the summer book for sure. That’s always my favorite!

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  20. Carrie Rosalind Avatar

    I love the IDEA of Project Life (and seeing the blog posts that come out of it!), but just couldn’t see myself doing it. So I’m doing a combination of Project Life and what I learned from your summer mini-book! 🙂 I’ve made my book and am ready to dive in! (I posted about it on my blog today if you want to check it out.)
    Also, I really hope that you do keep us updated on your Project Life, because like I said – I love seeing how other people are doing it!

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  21. Allie Finch Avatar

    Thank you for taking the time to reply to me. 🙂 I did notice you might recover yours. I hope you will do a tutorial, because I’m pretty intimidated at the idea of doing that — though I love the idea of customizing it to your own style. Thanks for the WAMK binder idea.

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  22. Jill Avatar

    Hi Elise – Question for you: what font did you use for your choose quote card? I’m interested in doing something similar for my PLife album. Thanks!
    Excited to see you’re giving this format a whirl. I’ll be interested in hearing your observations about it. I used the 2010 PLife kit for 2011 and am really happy it tried it out. . .but I didn’t love the designs (which sorta zapped my momentum to keep up with it each week – but I did make it through) and ended up feeling the 12×12 w/16 pockets to fill each week was just too much for me and my life right now. So I scaled back for 2012 and am using an 8.5×11 album I’ve had on hand but hadn’t found a project for (and it’s PERFECT – with 24/7:365 printed on the front) with 9 pocket pages instead – 1 page/week. I got crafty and made week #_ cards for each week ahead of time and slipped them all in. I can always add in more pages if I need room in a particular week. I’m really interested in using what I already own this year and found last year I was more about the saving/collecting paper from everyday life and taking mini instax photos for my PLife album. I’m so, so jazzed about this new format – and for sticking with my 2011 album, even though the look wasn’t always inspiring to me. It’s been awesome this past week to look over the whole 2011 album. Good luck and have fun!

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  23. Jenny Meyerson Avatar

    Awesome Elise. I am so looking forward to your updates. Project life can totally be made into anyone’s style. And I love your signature style. Continued prayers for Paul to get home quickly and safely. And that quote needs to find a happy place in my home- love it.

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  24. elise blaha Avatar

    I will totally share how I do it. 🙂

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  25. elise blaha Avatar

    Awesome – looks like a fun mash up. 🙂

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  26. elise blaha Avatar

    hey! That font is BEBAS and it’s a free download… not sure from where though. I am going to be working with a mix of PL designs (like those graph mini cards, for example) and a mix of other papers and items I love. I think I have seen that binder you are talking about at Target and it is rad. Have fun with your project! elise

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  27. Amanda S. Avatar

    Love it! So glad to see you do this project and can’t wait to see how you put your album together. I love your style so I really hope you share your album on a regular basis! Happy new year! 🙂

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  28. Emily Avatar

    This book is so great; I absolutely adore your creativity! Your blog is one of my favorite creative places to visit daily.

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  29. Elizabeth Avatar

    I am doing Project Life too! I purchased my album and pages yesterday. I am not using the Becky Higgins line because the album and pages I wanted are not available yet and I am ready to get started now. Plus, this first album is actually going to be 2011. And then I will start 2012 a little bit later in the year. I chose a plain black leather album and I am using the same brand pages – We R Memory Keepers. I am looking forward to your pages and I will be sharing mine on my blog too.
    Warmly,
    Elizabeth

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  30. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    I got an American Crafts 12×12 binder at Michael’s that is black book cloth and has just a small cutout window in the front for a title/picture. I love that it’s plain and my new PL page protectors fit great. They had other colors too.

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  31. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    Elise, love the look of your Project life album. I am intrigued and think I may want to start one too. I am noticing lots of bloggers that I follow have started them and they all have a differnt spin. Love it! Would you ever condsider selling your own version of tags that fit the PL pages? I just recieved my holiday mini book in the mail a few weeks back. Can’t wait to get started on it, so I can catch up and get going on 2012. This was the first time I had ordered one of your mini books and I wanted to let you know that I was so impressed. Loved the papers in real life 🙂 Thanks for sharing, looking forward to what you have in store for us on the blog in 2012.

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  32. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    I am so excited to see how you will do PL. I LOVE your mini books and your style, so I’m anxious to see your approach to PL also. This first update is gorgeous. Love it!

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  33. Holly Avatar

    You hit the nail on the head with why I’m sort of inspired by Project Life even though 12×12 scrapping doesn’t appeal to me. I think it will be a fun project! I’m trying to figure out how I want to structure it (monthly, random, by event etc) but so far it is really helped me get some documentation mojo back and I love it. We’ll see how it shakes out through the year. And I say blog about it! Your tutorials are always enlightening.

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  34. elise blaha Avatar

    That is a fun idea and something I would consider, yes! We will see how things go… 🙂

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  35. Jennifer D Avatar
    Jennifer D

    I second that idea about the tags. I have ordered a few of your mini books and love them, but I’ve finally accepted that I am just not a mini-book girl. I would love to see some kind of tag set or something designed by you that I could use to complement other projects like PL. 🙂

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  36. Jennifer Avatar

    I’m glad you are doing this project. For several years I thought it would be too much work but this year I’ve changed my mind. After finding an old book of my Grandmother’s where she wrote a couple sentences each day for a couple years I realized I can do this. It doesn’t have to be massive. Just a little can go a long way. Years from now I’ll just be glad I decided to do it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. 🙂

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  37. kris Avatar
    kris

    I am so glad you are doing PL-cant wait to see your work.
    You should sell 4×6 horizontal stack of cards realating to PL with great quotes and words to put into our page slots!!!!!!!!!!!

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  38. Danielle Avatar

    Its my first time doing PL too & I’m super excited. Can’t wait to see your progress/updates.

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  39. Skye Avatar
    Skye

    I’m really excited to follow your 2012 Project Life album! I thought about doing PL this year but decided the format isn’t for me. I got an 8.5 x 11 American Crafts 3-ring binder and I’m using the Simple Stories Year-o-graphy and Life Documented lines to make my own 2012 album. This is the first time I’ve undertaken a big yearly album and I really hope I stick with it! Thanks for the motivation!

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  40. libbi m. Avatar
    libbi m.

    I forgot to ask you… I saw your photo tweet on your framed Photobooth picture. How did you frame it? Most frames come with a matte with a cut out insert for a photo. Thank you.

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  41. Chris Avatar

    I am excited to see another rendition of PL. I love seeing Ali’s, am intrigued to see Cathy Z’s, and would definitely love if you post yours as well. They are such inspiration points for everything else…not just PL.
    Good luck in this project!

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  42. elise blaha Avatar

    I didnt cut the mat, just taped the strip on top of a piece of thick white cardstock. I will be blogging about it tomorrow. 🙂

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  43. MaryAnn Perry Avatar

    I’m so excited to see your signature style come to Project Life. I look forward to following your project life journey and updates on your blog. Thank you for your inspiration!

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  44. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    Your post rocked my world!! I’m so excited you are doing PL. It’s my second year and I am beyond excited to start another book!! Love your style!!

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  45. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    Oh…and I totally second the commenter who said you needed to design some cards for PL!!!!

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  46. Melanie Avatar
    Melanie

    Hi Elise! You and Ali Edwards are the two bloggers I’ve chosen to follow (just for lack of time, not inspiration). I love your style and am excited to see that you’re embarking on Project Life this year, as my PL tends to mirror your, and Ali’s, style. I look forward to seeing some PL posts and am happy that 2012 is looking to be such a promising year for you and Paul. Thanks to you both for your sacrifice and service to our country.

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  47. Megan Avatar

    i am soooo excited to see your take on this project!!!! i am also doing it this year with the clementine kit as well! And i can’t wait for all your inspiration!
    Megan

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  48. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    love that you’re doing project life!

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  49. Jill Avatar

    Thanks for the font help!. Yes, the binder was from Target – 2 or so years ago maybe. The text is orange 🙂 Kelly Purkey had a link to Paislee Press downloadable journaling cards for PLife on a post with her opening page earlier this week. I liked the style – simple black/white. Have fun!

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  50. Amy --- Just A Titch Avatar

    I bought PL in Clementine, too, and I can’t wait to get started! Looking forward to seeing your pages!

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