my 2014 project life title page & plans for the new year.

I am very excited to be documenting our 2014 with Project Life® again this year.

This will be my third year using the Project Life® approach which to me means combining photos and journaling into pocket pages and displaying them in an album. In 2012, I just dove right in and worked primarily from what I had on hand. In 2013, I have worked mostly from the Seafoam kit and added on other kits as the year went by. Over the past two years, I have learned the value of recording our everyday through this project and as I move forward I really just want to have fun with it.

Enter my 2014 title page. I decided to get a little outside of the box (and into the triangles).

This took some planning for sure.

I printed a bunch of 3x4 photos (some of us, some of favorite things in our house and some of palm trees because... obviously). Then I picked some of my favorite cards from the Studio Calico Copper Mountain kit. I chopped the cards and the photos on the diagonal and stuck them into the pockets, sewed the pockets closed from corner to corner and then stuck other halves on top. It's like a paper quilt and I love the result.

I had to think about the backside as well because once the pockets were stitched I wouldn't be able to make any changes. I decided my title page will have a front and back and I will most likely use a full 12x12 photo of the three of us for the next page. But we'll see.

Obviously, I'm changing things up this year.

Here is what I know : I will be keeping the same 12x12 size for sure (I'm using a black We R Memory keepers album) but I'll be switching up the type of pocket pages (hopefully often!). I am going to be documenting on a monthly basis (meaning not necessarily following the weekly spread model).

After two years, I know that the point of this project for me is collecting my family's photos and stories but it's also about having a creative outlet. I am hoping that letting myself off the hook of weekly spreads will help bring back some of the fun and yep - magic - back to this venture.

I am honored to be joining the Studio Calico Creative Team this year, so I do know that one spread per month will be made exclusively from the monthly kit. The rest of my spreads will likely be a mix things including the Seafoam, Midnight and Sunshine core kits. I will be sharing my progress here on the blog just once a month instead of every Sunday. This is going to be a good thing. Monthly sharing will guarantee I am bringing something new to the table instead of just a weekly re-hash.

I'm excited and more inspired than ever. If you think you'll miss my weekly Project Life updates, follow me on Instagram! I will for sure be sharing sneaks and progress shots there often - along with 7,000 other craft project, plant and Ellerie photos.

AND...I wrapped up my 2013 PL album last week. I decided to skip most of December since those photos and stories were in my holiday album. I had a spread for Thanksgiving and a spread for Christmas week and then just an end page. Feels amazing to just call it good enough and be done. :)

products used in this spread - Studio Calico's Copper Mountain Project Life® kit, khaki cardstock, this pen, these pens & a Project Life® design F pocket page.