For Those Who Do 365/52 Projects...a Question

[Pachimac]

I Have given in and finally decided to do a 52 week Project. I've wanted to do it for years, but never decided near enough the beginning of the year to do it. I did a 365 Project taking a picture a day, but I never scrapped it.

My question is this: Do you keep a theme all year or just make a page with whatever kit floats your boat that week? Do you have keep overs to each week - like the same alpha for the numbers, etc...

I was thinking about doing each month cohesively with the same kit and same alphas, and change each month.

How do you decide how to do yours?

Here's my first week, and I'm going to use Connie Ann Price's "Plan on it" for the Kit and "In the Pocket Volume 1 by Trixie Scraps Designs for the 4 templates.

Will you share a layout of yours that shows how you are doing the pocket - week in a life type layouts?



And week 2!

 

[msbrad]

I did project 52 back in 2012... at a site that offered 'themes' to choose for each month/week [there were plenty of them]. I LOVE LOVE the book I created.

That said- Do what works for YOU and FAMILY to preserve the meaningful moments of 2016.

Make it a book that:
1. Everyone's moments
2. Your moments
3. Your Daughter's moments
4. Your travels.................

..........etc.
Make it work for you! Do not feel 'each' week needs a pocket page LO. Make it YOU.
♥m

 

[Pachimac]

Great advice, Michi!! Thank you.

 

[Terra]

I like to do at least two pages with the same theme... That way when I turn the page I have two pages that flow really well together... Now I am in the process of making a book that is just our holiday season... But even then I don't have it all to one particular kit... Just the two pages in the same theme.

 

[Colleen]

Here are some sample templates from 2014. I do the same templates every month with different kits. I always have a monthly title page (I take a family photo every month for it). I also always have 2 misc photo pages (one next to the title page and one next to the last page of the month).


Title Page Jan 2014


Misc Page #1 (this one is next to the title page above)


Feb 2014


Feb 2014 (this page is next to the one above)
I've used these same templates (Everyday Memories) for 2014, 2015, and now 2016. The kits I used for the layouts above were all by Connie Prince.

 

[emscraps]

Ohh, I am so happy for you!! I did my first year for 2015, it was amazing!! There were times I got lazy and I was weeks behind, but I persevered and completed it! LOL, lots of exclamation points because I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, for me, P52 was totally like a diary/journal. The days/years go by way too fast. I often forget what we did, when we did, and who we were with. So I wanted a way to track our life. It's nice to go back and say, "Hey, what did we do on July 14, 2015?" So for me, P52 is our life...

Nothing is uniform in my album, kits are different, each page looks different. I'm going to print out pages this weekend to see if it looks awful, lol.

For me, it was easier to go from Mon-Sun. So my weeks are a bit off and for 2015 I ended up with 53 weeks.
I think other years I started then stopped because I couldn't remember what I did EACH and every single day and I was overwhelmed. But last year I say, oh well...if I forgot what I did on Tues or have no pictures, that's okay. I just totally let go of a lot of anxiety and just went with it. My goal was to get it done. To get our memories on a page and documented.

And I'm so glad I did. I had no plan, many times I did not use a template or matching kits, although toward the end, I did use the same font for each page. I'll probably continue to do that.

I have an album on Facebook with all my 2015 layouts, we might have to be friends, but you can see it here
Emelyn's Project Life 2015

 

[Pachimac]

That's a great idea too! That way your eye feels comfortable when the spread is open. I should make mine into a book too. Do you scrap 12x12?

 

[Pachimac]

I love the way you did yours - and the family photo every month! I think I've been shorting my family because I don't have littles anymore, and I only have one daughter. Perhaps I should re-think this decision.

Here are some sample templates from 2014. I do the same templates every month with different kits. I always have a monthly title page (I take a family photo every month for it). I also always have 2 misc photo pages (one next to the title page and one next to the last page of the month).


Title Page Jan 2014


Misc Page #1 (this one is next to the title page above)


Feb 2014


Feb 2014 (this page is next to the one above)
I've used these same templates (Everyday Memories) for 2014, 2015, and now 2016. The kits I used for the layouts above were all by Connie Prince.

 

[Pachimac]

I would love to see your entire book! I friend requested you. Thank you for such a detailed description of what you do. I started doing one of these for Melissa and her schooling, but we really don't do anything different enough to warrant a weekly page. SOO, I let that one drop. This year our family will probably have more opportunities for pictures as we are getting a dog next week - walks, fun doggie stuff...

Ohh, I am so happy for you!! I did my first year for 2015, it was amazing!! There were times I got lazy and I was weeks behind, but I persevered and completed it! LOL, lots of exclamation points because I'm so excited!!!

Anyway, for me, P52 was totally like a diary/journal. The days/years go by way too fast. I often forget what we did, when we did, and who we were with. So I wanted a way to track our life. It's nice to go back and say, "Hey, what did we do on July 14, 2015?" So for me, P52 is our life...

Nothing is uniform in my album, kits are different, each page looks different. I'm going to print out pages this weekend to see if it looks awful, lol.

For me, it was easier to go from Mon-Sun. So my weeks are a bit off and for 2015 I ended up with 53 weeks.
I think other years I started then stopped because I couldn't remember what I did EACH and every single day and I was overwhelmed. But last year I say, oh well...if I forgot what I did on Tues or have no pictures, that's okay. I just totally let go of a lot of anxiety and just went with it. My goal was to get it done. To get our memories on a page and documented.

And I'm so glad I did. I had no plan, many times I did not use a template or matching kits, although toward the end, I did use the same font for each page. I'll probably continue to do that.

I have an album on Facebook with all my 2015 layouts, we might have to be friends, but you can see it here
Emelyn's Project Life 2015

 

[aridra]

I did my first 52 weeks in 2015. As I cannot be organised enough to take pictures or keep a diary every single day, I took the approach that I will just scrap the highlight of each week. I didn't attempt any standardisation - I gave myself the freedom to do each page any which way I liked!! I am going to review my pages as soon as I get some free time and get a book printed just as a diary for myself. I do like some of the ideas that the others have mentioned...Perhaps I should think of incorporating some structure for 2016 ..

 

[Pachimac]

I'd love to see what you did, Suja. Did you post it here in your gallery?

I did my first 52 weeks in 2015. As I cannot be organised enough to take pictures or keep a diary every single day, I took the approach that I will just scrap the highlight of each week. I didn't attempt any standardisation - I gave myself the freedom to do each page any which way I liked!! I am going to review my pages as soon as I get some free time and get a book printed just as a diary for myself. I do like some of the ideas that the others have mentioned...Perhaps I should think of incorporating some structure for 2016 ..

 

[hclappy]

Trina- I knew you did this, but seeing your LO's together like that is very cool. Also, I totally need a doughnut cake birthday!

Em- So happy you finished!!!! All the exclamation marks to you!!! You have to post a pic when you get them printed

Suja- I like your "highlights" approach!

Susan- (this will be long, as this is one of my favorite topics in life, LOL)

I've been doing P365/PL since 2010 and have done it ALL the ways. And I have only finished 2010 because I don't care at all about finishing. I keep notes every week so if I skip a few weeks I can review those. Having said that, it does feel really good to be caught up. I'm kind of jealous of Em for finishing 2015

2010 and 2011 I made single pages for every week. I didn't worry about using the same templates or kits. But I did tend to use seasonal or holiday kits when appropriate, which was fun. Back then it was a lot harder to find good templates with spaces for 5-10 photos so I did reuse my favorites sometimes.

A "catch-up" LO using a Dear Friends Design template


2012 I went to double pages using different kits. I used the Becky Higgins PL templates. They were okay, but I began to hate rounded corners. I got very frustrated with doing two pages per week, so I made the executive decision that any "catch up" LO's could be single pages from now on

A catch-up page using Connie Prince kit and templates



2013 I tried out paper PL for several months using the Jade PL kit mostly. I'm glad I tried it, but paper doesn't work for me. I want to eventually digitize those pages. The rest of the year I still soldiered on trying to make 2 pages per week. This is my least complete year.

A page using a Connie Prince Christmas kit.



2014 I went with just photos and words. They are some of my favorite pages ever, but I really missed working with pretty product. On the other hand I think that year my photography really improved because I was concentrating on that, and not the kits and things. I also stopped worrying about how many pages to do a week. Some weeks had one page, some had 6 or 7. I loved letting go of the pressure of narrowing down my photos. My 2014 album

2015 was my "year of experimentation". I tried monthly, weekly, go with the flow (no set dates), 12x12, 6x8, you name it, I tried it.

A lot of my favorite pages from last year used Dagi's Day By Day templates paired with JB Studio kits.



Having done all that, for right now my idea for 2016 is 1-2 pages per week using grid style templates (I make them). I keep the pages fairly simple and concentrate on the photos and words. But I have many many weeks left to do from previous years, so if I feel like making a fancy clustery double pager, I'll do a week from 2012 or whatever.

(I've done a page from 2016 already but the kit hasn't been released yet, so I'll add later)

 

[KatherineWoodin]

I scrap my journal. I try and post photos if they were taken, if not I use some photos from the past or sometimes do a layout with no photos. I started in 2013 doing this. I made 2013 and 2014 into books but this year I am just going to make it into a slideshow. This year I also write a journal page and then copy and past it into the layout. I have loved doing this. Generally I have a page a day but sometimes I put 2-3 days on a page when not much is happening. This way my family not only get my journal but photos to go with it.

 

[hclappy]

Oh and I forgot your font question. The past couple of years I've used the same fonts on everything- Architect's Daughter for handwriting, Bariol and Avenir for a nice clean look, American typewriter for type, and a mix of Bebas and CK Ali's Hand for titles (2014 and 2016)

 

[msbrad]

I scrap and print - 12 x12. I like it that way. I've also done smaller size of 8x8...however if a multi photo page...that was designed 12 x12...I don't like the smaller.
IF page is designed 8x8 or 5x7..then it is ok.
m

 

[Pachimac]

Thank you so much, Jen, for all this!!! You have really helped me a lot to see the different ways that you captured your years, and the fact that it doesn't have to be cohesive! I'm such a rule follower and an "in the box" matchy match type of person.

Your 2014 Album?? You need to show that to Ali Edwards or Cathy Zielske - that is amazing!!! You really captured the clean and simple and the everyday and made it beautiful!!!!

Trina- I knew you did this, but seeing your LO's together like that is very cool. Also, I totally need a doughnut cake birthday!

Em- So happy you finished!!!! All the exclamation marks to you!!! You have to post a pic when you get them printed

Suja- I like your "highlights" approach!

Susan- (this will be long, as this is one of my favorite topics in life, LOL)

I've been doing P365/PL since 2010 and have done it ALL the ways. And I have only finished 2010 because I don't care at all about finishing. I keep notes every week so if I skip a few weeks I can review those. Having said that, it does feel really good to be caught up. I'm kind of jealous of Em for finishing 2015

2010 and 2011 I made single pages for every week. I didn't worry about using the same templates or kits. But I did tend to use seasonal or holiday kits when appropriate, which was fun. Back then it was a lot harder to find good templates with spaces for 5-10 photos so I did reuse my favorites sometimes.

A "catch-up" LO using a Dear Friends Design template


2012 I went to double pages using different kits. I used the Becky Higgins PL templates. They were okay, but I began to hate rounded corners. I got very frustrated with doing two pages per week, so I made the executive decision that any "catch up" LO's could be single pages from now on

A catch-up page using Connie Prince kit and templates



2013 I tried out paper PL for several months using the Jade PL kit mostly. I'm glad I tried it, but paper doesn't work for me. I want to eventually digitize those pages. The rest of the year I still soldiered on trying to make 2 pages per week. This is my least complete year.

A page using a Connie Prince Christmas kit.



2014 I went with just photos and words. They are some of my favorite pages ever, but I really missed working with pretty product. On the other hand I think that year my photography really improved because I was concentrating on that, and not the kits and things. I also stopped worrying about how many pages to do a week. Some weeks had one page, some had 6 or 7. I loved letting go of the pressure of narrowing down my photos. My 2014 album

2015 was my "year of experimentation". I tried monthly, weekly, go with the flow (no set dates), 12x12, 6x8, you name it, I tried it.

A lot of my favorite pages from last year used Dagi's Day By Day templates paired with JB Studio kits.



Having done all that, for right now my idea for 2016 is 1-2 pages per week using grid style templates (I make them). I keep the pages fairly simple and concentrate on the photos and words. But I have many many weeks left to do from previous years, so if I feel like making a fancy clustery double pager, I'll do a week from 2012 or whatever.

(I've done a page from 2016 already but the kit hasn't been released yet, so I'll add later)

 

[Pachimac]

I scrap my journal. I try and post photos if they were taken, if not I use some photos from the past or sometimes do a layout with no photos. I started in 2013 doing this. I made 2013 and 2014 into books but this year I am just going to make it into a slideshow. This year I also write a journal page and then copy and past it into the layout. I have loved doing this. Generally I have a page a day but sometimes I put 2-3 days on a page when not much is happening. This way my family not only get my journal but photos to go with it.

I'd love to see how you do a page if it's not too personal to share!

 

[Pachimac]

Oh and I forgot your font question. The past couple of years I've used the same fonts on everything- Architect's Daughter for handwriting, Bariol and Avenir for a nice clean look, American typewriter for type, and a mix of Bebas and CK Ali's Hand for titles (2014 and 2016)

I'll have to check out Bariol and Bebas ... I have found the beauty of the other two. I seem to adore Century Gothic and Noteworthy a lot.

 

[Pachimac]

I scrap and print - 12 x12. I like it that way. I've also done smaller size of 8x8...however if a multi photo page...that was designed 12 x12...I don't like the smaller.
IF page is designed 8x8 or 5x7..then it is ok.
m

I do 12x12 as well - I just wondered if it was really costly to print 12x12 books as opposed to 8x8.

 

[craftytam]

Wow! Great question, Susan! And, great answers from so many!! I also am starting P52 this year. I have done week 1 for this year, but I felt like I didn't have enough room for journaling and all the photos.

Michi, fantastic advice to make it fit our own style!

Terra, I like the idea of doing 2 page LOs, but what about the really boring weeks where you don't have a lot of photos? (Maybe you don't have those, but we definitely do...unfortunately!)
Trina, I LOVE your monthly pages!! I love the simplicity...I have such a hard time keeping things simple! LOL!

Em, you're one of the people who inspired me to give this a try! Your LOs have been so fun to see this year!

Suja, I like your idea of using highlights for the week.

Jen, OMGoodness! What a fabulous collection of years! Just...WOW!! (Again, I find myself drawn to the simplicity!)

Katherine, I've seen your layouts and am always impressed with how much you journal!!

Question - so, you do the P52 LOs and then do pages for events that warrant more detail? And, do you print just the P52 book or do you collate your other LOs in for the year?

I normally print pages to put into scrapbooks rather than books-I really prefer chronological and printing a book scares the crud out of me because I might miss something and not be able to slip it in! (I had the same problem with Creative Memories albums because of the way to pages worked!) Seriously, that sounds so psycho in my head! :36_6_1:

Michi & Suja, it sounds like you did specific P52 books? Did anyone else do something different?

 

[hclappy]

Thanks Tammy! It was a lot of fun going through my old pages and seeing how young we all looked!

I have always done PL plus regular LO's. I started doing PL when I started scrapping in 2010, so they just naturally went together for me. I have found over the past few years that I love making regular LO's so much more than PL, but I love looking back at the PL pages with all the fun details the best. I like having them both. What works for me is keeping a big list of all the pages I want to make in a year. I think about the layouts I want to make, then everything else goes into my PL for the week. The thing that I love about the P52 challenge here is that you can scrap either way- a regular LO about a big event or story, or a PL type page with lots of photos and stories. So if you keep up with the challenge, you'll have a pretty full album by the end of the year! When I'm at the top of my game and doing all the challenges, I just scrap whatever inspires me the most for any given week, sometimes PL, sometimes regular LO's

I had always planned to do separate books for PL, but as I said in the earlier post, I don't care about finishing, so I've only printed a 2010 book and a "2014 part one" book. Last year in a fit of frustration (we all have those right?) I decided to completely overhaul how I store my LO's. I got ALL my PL pages printed, or reprinted. Thanks to my dad, who gives me printing GC's for holidays. I got everything printed and sorted into albums chronologically. I love having everything together so much better, as opposed to a hundred LO's sitting on my HD for years waiting for me to finish a year so I could make a book. I thought the different styles, especially the super simple 2014 pages mixed in with regular LO's, would bug me. But I don't care at all. All f my albums have different styles of pages anyway. The important thing is sharing photos and stories.

One side benefit of mixing everything together is that I'm repeating stories a lot less! When I was trying to do separate albums, I found that I would say the same things over and over so I made sure things were represented in both. But I don't need to do that anymore. Most of the time if I do a LO about something from a few years ago, I'll look back and see the LO's that will be in my album near the page I want to make first.

For example, the first page in my previous post for 2011, I made in fall of 2015. So I went back to see what I had already said about that week. I had already made a long detailed page about "Fake Halloween" back in 2011, so I didn't need to explain it again for my PL page. (Our AC broke and it was almost 90 degrees, so I postponed Halloween dinner until after it was fixed).

The same thing with the page from PL 2012. That was a crazy eventful week, so I avoided making it until last year. In the meantime I'd made lots of pages from that week. So when it came to doing my PL page, I decided to concentrate on mostly family photos as an overview of that week. I didn't need to cover all the events because I had them covered in LO's. Sometimes there is a benefit to being behind

 

[Colleen]

Trina- I knew you did this, but seeing your LO's together like that is very cool. Also, I totally need a doughnut cake birthday!

I'm glad you like our donut cake trend. It's a big deal around here and tradition for everyone on their birthday; it's so much fun. We make it all secret for every birthday even thought everyone knows to expect it. haha