What is Project Life by Stampin' Up! (#PLxSU)?
*See photos below.
Want to create an entire album in about 3 hours? Want to catch up on your scrapbooking and stay caught up? Want to document a recent vacation or event?
Project Life by Stampin’ Up! is
“memory keeping” without all of the time,
money, and creativity required of traditional scrapbooking.
My family loves looking at the
albums I’ve created. We will sit and
look and laugh and remember quotes, ages, and more – things we totally forgot
about. In 50 years from now, someone
will think it’s neat to see my handwriting in an album! The problem is, I stopped “creating” albums
several years ago! I just didn’t have
time any more. I’m sure many of you can
relate – either it’s become overwhelming for you OR you never started because
it seemed so overwhelming. Project Life
by Stampin’ Up! has made it possible for me to start my memory keeping again!
For everyone, there is
something that makes memory keeping important to you. Everyone has something: friends, family,
pets, relatives, trips, kids, grand kids, vacations, life events, and more –
that you want to remember. In 50 years,
you will love being able to see and read (so you can remember) about these
things! And, even more so, your friends
and family will love and appreciate that you took the time to write down these
memories with the photos. I don’t know
about you, but even within a few months I can forget important details about
photos I took – names, dates, ages, and more!
Another reason people
scrapbook is it’s fun, relaxing, therapy, girl time, it lets us go on scrapbook
retreat weekends, and more!
Here are some quotes
from a Facebook Survey I did asking why you scrapbook or wish you did:
Brenda It brings back precious Memories! Sometimes
we forget who we are .....when you see memories of all the ones who are in
Heaven who Love You or people you don't see anymore....it brings your life back
into perspective! Life & Memories make us who we are Today!
13 hrs · Like · 1
Brenda By the way Love You
Jennifer!
13 hrs · Unlike · 2
Kelly Pate Preservation of
family history.
13 hrs · Like
Rhonda It brings you back to
that moment/feeling/memory. But you have to journal along with your
pictures.....
12 hrs · Like · 1
Barbara Capturing thoughts and/or emotions that were
occuring during that moment
12 hrs · Like
Cyndi Capturing history. And
making note of it. JOURNAL ppl. Lol. Looking at old pix and wondering,
"who is that" & no one knowing, drives me insane
12 hrs · Like · 1
Dwana Creating memories,
documenting and preserving family history and when journaling thoughts and
personality of those captured. My kids just love going through our family
vacation books and school books.
12 hrs · Like · 1
MaryAnn There are a lot of special moments in life
that may not have pictures. This is a great way to capture those as well.
12 hrs · Like · 1
Wendy I don't know if my
computer and phone will be around forever. If I print my photos and have them in
albums even if they aren't fancy at least they are there. Something tangible
that someone will be able to look at one day.
10 hrs · Like · 1
Danah It's the only way to
stop time.
9 hrs · Like
Karen Sharing and
remembering!! Our youngest daughter had as a senior project a scrap book of her
life! So amazing to have now!!
9 hrs · Like
Susan Preserve memories! We
tend to. Forget the details
8 hrs · Like
Deb It's like books. E-books
will never replace the real thing. The same goes with photos. What better way
to keep memories than with real photos artistically dressed up...
7 hrs · Like
Mary I'm scrapbookng. So
thAty children and relatives will be Avble rib see some kg our life
4 hrs · Like
Becky Everything everyone
else said is first and foremost but it is also time for to slowdown and let my
creative juices flow.
With Project Life by Stampin’ Up! you
can let go of the pressure of creating elaborate scrapbooks. We can get rid of the guilt of all of those
photos piling up. Project Life by
Stampin’ Up! will simplify “scrapbooking” for you so you can enjoy your
pictures and your LIFE while making memories.
You will be able to focus more on the little details of life.
It requires no skill or experience –
just the desire to do something with your pictures and the willingness to do a
little journaling (write a few memories) along with it. #PLxSU is about simplifying your memory
preserving process and feeling good about what you’ve done.
How is this possible?
Pair photos and journaling with pre-designed cards that come in our Card
Collections, and you will end up with a gorgeous album that documents your
life! You will spend less time and money
buying scrapbooking supplies.
Where do you start with all those photos that have been piling
up?
You could start with your current photos or a recent event (wedding,
baby shower, vacation). You could start
with your oldest photos and work up to current photos. It’s up to you! For me, I’m starting with current photos
because my memory is best for those. I’m
doing this for my family – not for me!
To get started,
first I recommend getting your photos printed!
Start taking advantage of sales and free shipping. I use Shutterfly.com, I know people who use
Persnikityprints.com, freeprints.com, and Groovebook.com. You can print from Wal-Mart, Costco, CVS,
etc. I personally like using Shutterfly
because they also keep my photo albums for me, so later if my computer crashes,
I can go to their website and retrieve my photos. It also makes re-printing easy. Shutterfly also makes it easy to share photos
online with friends and family, too.
Dropbox is another service/app that I recommend for sharing and getting
your photos off of your phone.
Besides your photos, you need 3 core components to set up an
album.
An album, Page Protectors (at least one pack, but I’d
recommend 2 -10). I recommend the Variety Pack
(p.188), and a Card Collection.
How to get going once you have your product and photos: One option is you can set up an entire 12×12 album and have
it completely prepped and ready to go, so all you have to do is slip your
photos in and write some journaling notes on the cards. These steps (below)
apply to ANY kind of documenting you’re going to do (current photos, wedding,
birthday, vacation, heritage, starting with your oldest photos and working
forward, etc).
No matter what pictures you plan to
add … here’s what you can do to set up the album ahead of time:
Step 1: Load
pages
Take the pages out of the package and
place them into your 3-ring album. You
can mix the variety pack up so that the different layouts are mixed in
randomly.
Step 2: Open up your Card Collection
Take a look at (thumb through) the
cards so you get an idea of the designs.
Step 3: Insert all Title Cards
Slip a 4x6 card in the top left
pocket of every single 2-page layout. There’s no rhyme or reason to the order. And,
you can re-arrange them later. I also
fill in every 3x4 and 4x4 pockets now.
Remember, you can remove cards to
add photos or memorabilia later, and you can re-arrange the cards later, too. You can even re-arrange the order of the
pages to fit the vertical/horizontal photos you have. Change anything you want later!
That’s how simple it can be done! ALL THAT IS LEFT TO DO IS
add photos & journaling. REMEMBER: No embellishing necessary.
*Keep in mind, this is only ONE way
of using #PLxSU – this is the simplified, fast, no thinking way. But, you can do it any way you want. You do NOT have to set up the album all at
once. You can just go page by page as
you decide as you go – it’s up to you!
You can embellish if you want,
but if you don’t add a single thing beyond your photos, words, and these cards
… the album is DONE and it’s a beautiful and complete scrapbook! Gone are the
days that we feel obligated to spend hours on elaborate layouts.
This idea of setting up an album
ahead of time works really well for someone who doesn’t want to think about
which cards to use each time they add their photos. Decisions are made ahead of
time and quick tweaks can easily happen along the way if you want.
When you are using PLxSU
you work at your own pace – you could do one layout a month and still not have
all of your pictures trapped in your computer.
You could do a layout a day or week.
Or, just do layouts whenever you have time. You really could do 4-5 years in a short
time! It’s so quick and easy to do
SEVERAL layouts in an hour or two (I have completed an album in less than 3
hours).
Other ways to use #PLxSU tips:
You may choose to keep your photos chronological and
highlight just a handful of pictures from each month per layout, resulting in
an album that holds several years’ worth of memories. You may want each layout
to take on a theme or event (holidays, trips, birthdays, back-to-school, etc.)
that has nothing to do with chronology. Or you may use this album to organize
years and years of old pictures (ex - from your childhood, or some family
history).
You may even get ambitious and include a picture-a-day for
an entire year - one week per layout. The result of doing this is a very unique
way of preserving a wide-angle look at your real life, here and now. A little
something every day.
If you are interested in documenting everyday life I
strongly encourage the following approach: One layout per week, but not
necessarily a picture-a-day. This means that you go about your life, taking pictures
of little moments and saving memorabilia here and there - if you want. Instead
of being committed to having a picture to represent every single day (which is
fun but definitely ambitious)... you would simply gather whatever you want to
include on a layout for that week. Perhaps you do end up with a picture to
represent each day on some weeks. Perhaps all the pictures come from one
particular occasion that week. It really doesn't matter. This approach is a bit
more "relaxed" and flexible than a 365 approach but you end up with
the same kind of album that paints a picture of your life as it is right now.
The point is this: You can use Project Life however you
want.
I can't emphasize this enough:
Project Life is meant to SIMPLIFY the process of memory-keeping. If you use it
at the most basic level, you are more likely to succeed in "keeping
up" – and you'll still have an amazing album.
Yes, of course you can get creative if you'd like. Many people love adding their own flair with extra
embellishments, etc. And, Stampin’ Up!
has a full product line!
Basic Getting Started Products:
- Album $29.95 (p.188)
- Card Collection $15.95 (p.189) – and there is a Holiday Card Collection in the Holiday Catalog (each Card Collection100 cards and will make at least 1 album of 24 pages)
- Page Protectors (12) $6.95 (p.188)
- Journaling Pens $4.95 (p.188)
Advanced Products/For Your Embellishing Pleasure:
- Project Life Accessory Packs $9.95
- Project Life Corner Rounder $7.95
- Project Life Stamp Sets
- Project Life Framelits
- Grid Cards $3.95 for 50
Other PLxSU Tips:
Document
as you photograph! Take some PL Grid
Cards with you along with a PL Journaling Pen in your purse and journal as you
take photos so you don’t forget the details.
You can pop these directly into your albums later! (TIP: use Stampin’ Up!’s wood mount cases to
store it in!) You can even just use a
pen and a sticky note and transfer it to a card later.
Take
photos of everyday moments you want to remember – your pet sleeping on your
bed, your kid’s shoes laying by the door when they come home from school. Your child doing homework. Your spouse driving while you are the
passenger. Cooking, your work space,
your electronics (yes! – so you can see how they’ve changed – image if we had
photos of our first cell phones!), etc.
Take pictures of the “everyday” – and things that will not always be
around and you will miss them when they are gone.
Start
taking photos both directions – landscape and portrait. You never know which direction the pockets
will go when you scrapbook them – UNLESS you decide to use ONLY Design 1
(p.188) where all photo pockets are landscape (plus 3x4). AND, take some photos farther away (with more
background) so you can crop them for the 3x4 if you want. And, you can print in trading card size to
fit the 3x4 pockets.
AND –
Project Life by Stampin’ Up! is exclusive, you will NOT get any repeated card
designs, and the corners are square so you have the choice to round them or
not. And, our cards are a great
quality! The box is exclusive to SU!,
and it can store photos, other embellishments, the accessory kits, the
journaling pens, and more!
Any of
our stamp sets can work in your pages if they fit the theme!
We also have
#PLxSU Card Collections, Accessory
Packs, and Stamp Sets in our seasonal catalogs.
Cut photos apart and put them in
2 or more pockets. (Example: cut a 4x6
photo into two 3x4 pieces, and it will now fit into two 3x4 pockets.)
Mix regular 12x12 page protectors
with your PL pages. It’s YOUR album!
Use the 6x8 page protectors in
your 12x12 album! You can use for
memorabilia or photos and cards.
Use the Project Life dies to die
cut designer paper, memorabilia, and more to fit into the pockets.
Take photos of memorabilia and
print the photos to save space in your album.
You can type up a story and print
it out to place in your album.
I know
everyone is busy – especially me! But,
we can all take the time to document our lives for our family and friends. It’s about keeping the memories alive for
years to come.
MAKE
IT WHAT YOU WANT!
Keep
it simple with cards and journaling or step it up with embellishments, stamps,
and more.
Start
with your current pictures, start doing a layout a month, start with your
oldest photos, start with a recent event, or
WHATEVER
YOU WANT!
Jennifer
Cotton
972-723-9289
**MANY of my notes are taken directly (exactly)
from
Becky Higgins, creator of Project Life.
You can use the Pl cards to make cards, too! |
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