Take-the-Cake Tuesdays: 10 on the 10th Edition

This edition of the weekly Tuesday feature at Take a Second Glantz, 

where l celebrate a few(ish) things that really take the cake, 

is also part of Shimelle's 10 Things.

If you're a "regular" around these parts, you know that I am madly, obsessively in love with Project Life. Here, in no particular order, are 10 reasons why:

1. This system is so, so flexible. With just a few different types of page protectors (see the widget below for a sampling of what I currently use in my album), I have yet to encounter something I can't find a place for in this album. When I was first considering Project Life, it looked to me to be a giant photo album scrapbook, but with sleeves of different sizes and formats, it has more dimension and interest than I ever thought possible.



2. Looking at a blank 12x12 canvas can be overwhelming at times, especially when my mojo isn't flowing. Limiting the format to a few varieties of page protectors, looking at one sleeve (or a few) at a time, is less intimidating and actually makes me more creative in the long run.


3. As I'm trying to catch up, I currently get one to two weeks worth of pictures printed and scrapped, finally getting photos off my computer and into a format through which they can be enjoyed by others. YES!


4. Because I didn't order an actual Project Life kit, I am being "forced" to use my stash. This is good because it means more shopping in my future space in my craft area.


5. This project has resulted in me documenting our lives and memories more consistently. I know that this is something we'll be extremely grateful for in years to come.


6. Anyone who's ever spent any amount of time with me can vouch for the fact that I collect a lot of ephemera (aka "junk"). I'm the girl who slips the printed napkin from the bar into her purse when she thinks no one is looking so that I can remember where I went that night. Side story: my best friend knows me so well that after my bachelorette party, she handed me an envelope full with bits of memorabilia she had collected throughout the evening. And no, I haven't scrapped it yet. But if I had been doing Project Life at the time I would have because... this system gives me a place for all that "junk" I save: programs in inserts, tickets in sleeves, greeting cards cut down and used as journaling cards. It might be the most brilliant part of the system for me and helps to cut down on the clutter in the house (well technically, anyway).


7. Admiring the Project Life albums of others, I am constantly finding new techniques that I want to try. While this also happens when I look at traditional albums, I find it less intimidating to try a technique on one photo or one journaling card than to try a technique that affects an entire 12x12 layout. If a few photos in an entire album look a little off, I'm okay with that. I have completely given up perfection with this album, and that has allowed me to be creative and PLAY.


8. Not every day is a picture day for me. Sometimes I forget, sometimes I don't feel like it, sometimes nothing's inspired me. But I'm not the only one in the house who takes random pictures on the 'ole iPhone. If I have a blank spot during the week, I can ask Hubby to check his phone. With our traditional scrapbooks, unless I know about something going on that he's taken pictures of, like a trip or event or something, those photos very rarely get printed and included into our albums. This system is a great way to incorporate Hubby's point of view.


9. Before embarking on my own Project Life journey, I spent many of my blog-reading hours oohing and aahing over the albums of Ali Edwards, Cathy Zielske, and Elise Blaha Cripe. They have very different styles, but the one brilliant thing they all do is incorporate poignant blog posts into their albums. Once upon a time I had the intention of printing a Blurb book of my blog each year. I actually even started one, but talk about time consuming! This "great" idea quickly turned into a fleeting one, and so my writing remained in the blogosphere. Now, though, if I write a particularly meaningful post, I can resize it, print it, slap it on some paper, place it in a 6x12 or 8x10 page protector, and give it a permanent home among the rest of our memories. Love. This.


10. Finally, and maybe most importantly, getting into this project has made me more mindful of the present. As I've thought about the type of documentation I want to include in our album, I'm taking better note of things - whether it be mentally, on a calendar, or in an online gratitude journal (thanks, Cheri!) - as they're happening. Being encouraged to stop and smell the roses is definitely a happy, and unexpected, side effect.

Today, Project Life, I raise my fork to you. You take the cake.

Click here to see my Project Life album to date.

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Congrats to Cheri on winning my 300th post celebratory B&N gift card! If you need help with how to spend it just let me know.