Or just slow…
Well, we know what the road to heck is paved with…
My intention for assembling my Week in the Life layouts was to tackle, one day from last week, this week. Alas, it is Thursday and this is as far as I’ve gotten on Tuesday…
But it’s pretty don’t you think? 😉 Goin’ in…wish me luck!
This morning, I sat down between cooking, cleaning and laundry and started to put together my Week in the Life pages. This year, I am doing them completely digitally, no cut and paste, no cutting up the small photos and putting them in page protectors. I used the hybrid digi-paper approach the last two years and while I’m really happy with how everything turned out…it takes a lot of time to cut up everything, add a few embelli’s etc… I figure that the four pages below took me less than two hours, I am anticipating that the process will be quicker the further into the week I go.
So, I put the pages together digi-style and will have them printed at PersnicketyPrints (where I have all my digital layouts printed, they do an awesome job!), I’ll slip them in the full 8 1/2 x 11 page protectors along with the daily detail sheets and call it a day. Am hoping they will fit in the binder that already contains 2011 and 2012.
Unlike past years, I decided to try themes with my pages today… 1-shots I took around the house after everyone left for school and work 2-Meals and 3-the AM routine. Kind of fun and it gives the pages more of a “story” behind seemingly random images.
Photos: I started with 120 images, I deleted down to 72, of that I used 29. I did minimal photo editing in PSE.
Templates: I used Ali Edwards Week in the Life Layered Template Set 8.5 x 11 Vol. 05. I love Ali’s templates, they are simple and well designed. Her designs are available at Designer Digitals. I designed my own templates for the 12 photo and 9 photo layouts.
Paper and Embellishments:
Paper: I subscribe monthly to the Digi Game from Designer Digitals, if you are a digital scrapbooker, it is the BEST value going! I am using the “Summer Blossoms” kit by WhimpyChompers Creative. This was included in my August selection but can be purchased through the Scrap Matters Shop. (as an aside…my entire collection of goodies from the August Digi-Game, which included 5 full kits, one set of 5 templates, and a lesson from the Scrapbook Coach, cost $7.99, to purchase the kit solo is $6.49. Hellooooo can you say “Deal”!!!! )
Embellishments: The background “paper flowers” were from the Summer Blossoms Kit. I also used Ali’s “Week in the Life Circles” (backed by my own paper circle) and “Week in the Life Labels”
Holy Moly so happy it’s done, one down, six to go (!) Thanks for looking. If you’re working on “Week in the Life” this year, how is it going? I’d love to hear.
As you may have been able to glean, I am somewhat of an avid memory keeper, and if there is a project going on, I’m on it! Last week I was working on the in-depth documentation for “Week in the Life” which is a project started by Ali Edwards. This is my third year and this year, I’ve given myself a pass to not have to have the photos processed and posted the day I take them (like I tried to do, mostly successfully last year) too much work. Instead, my plan is to process the photos and pull the pages together a day at a time (maybe more if I get carried away with myself!)
I just downloaded my “big girl camera” and my iphone and here are my photo counts for last week (not including any photos from Charlie which he downloads when he plugs his phone in at work on Monday mornings)…
Monday: 120 (there were more, I had started deleting doubles and crummy photos)
Tuesday: 109
Wednesday: 146
Thursday: 91
Friday: 59
Saturday: 104
Sunday: 134
Total: 763 (so far)
…no wonder people were starting to hide when I brought my camera out!
So now begins the deleting, selecting and editing (!) I use iPhoto for organization and some editing and Photoshop Elements 8 (I think that’s the version) for more in-depth editing and laying out the pages digitally. Last month, I downloaded Aperture and am slooooowly migrating toward using that, am going to see how big the learning curve for editing is and hopefully work on some of the photos with Aperture. Wish me luck!!
…(because I don’t have enough to do) This week, I’ve been working on / participating in Week in the Life. This project is an in-depth documentation of one week of your life, spearheaded by the fabulous Ali Edwards. You can read more about it here on Ali’s blog.
I’ve done 4 out of 7 days so far and still going strong. Although, I have to admit one of my children is starting to hide when I whip my camera out to take pictures. I’ll write further about my process in another post (it’s getting laaate here! and time to get to bed) but wanted to post my cover page for Monday here to at least get the ball rolling …
My grand plans of posting my layouts the next day has not worked out so I am opting for focusing on collecting and documenting now and working up the layouts later this week.
I originally was not going to work on this again this year, I’ve done it in 2011 and 2012 and really liked the results but was not up for the time it took to pull it all together. But I decided to go for it and keep it simple. Stay tuned and Wish me luck!
Are you working on Week in the Life this year? Any other big memory keeping projects on the horizon for you?
It’s here
The last day
Can’t believe I made it all the way to the end. As a bonus, all 35 layouts are done, checked, tweaked and ready to upload to printer in the morning. For a project this size I will have them printed, if it was one or two pages then I’d print at home. (When I don’t print at home, I use Persnickety Prints for my layouts and I use Shutterfly for regular prints)
Last year I documented the week but things were so crazy everything got packed in a box and so I will be assembling both 2011 and 2012 when I get my prints from this year back.
Yes, I’m crazy…but I think it’s worth it
Here’s Sunday…
There is nothing better than a new bike…nothing.
# Photos taken 114, ed to 61, used 30
(getting better and better at editing and purging)
I also made a video of the girls with their new bikes but that’s another project!
7/7 Done
More tomorrow on WitL thoughts and the first day of LOAD
Sleeping I will be
triggsey 