Mikelle
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Posts posted by Mikelle
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8 hours ago, barbaraj said:
I'm in! I'm going to make my own templates.
Wow, I can't wait to see them! Really good idea, too. 😄
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Here is my first week: PL 2024 Week 1 (I also updated my tracker up above)
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Here is the link to the gallery: Project Life 2024 Gallery
I put it up above in the first post, too. Happy scrapping!
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I think I'll continue what I've done in the past, which is (for the most part) weekly layouts. I use a mix of templates, but I think I will try to color coordinate to some extent; maybe I'll use the color I post every month as the background color for that month's layouts. As for photos, I usually have more than enough each week for a double layout, but now that the kids are older and doing things with their friends (away from my camera, alas), some weeks I may do an art journal page instead. I've spent the past several days organizing for PL this year, trying to ensure I'll be successful. I made a folder of PL supplies that include LO templates I'm likely to use, and another folder with several collections that work well with PL. I have a couple of alphas in there that I usually use, too.
The past couple of years I haven't kept up with tracking life events in my bullet journal. I'm starting that up again, just so I know little things like what movie we saw as a family, or what game we're currently playing a lot of, etc. Also national and world events that strike me.
I have a PL siggie made (see in my signature below), but I think I'll make it a little smaller. I'll post it soon. Also have the tracker made, just waiting to see if others join in before I post the first version. Thank you for joining, everyone who has signed up so far! I'm looking forward to seeing where PL takes you this year. 💕
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Inspiration for January 2024 (weeks 1 through 5):
Color: Basalt grey (HEX: #4E5754, RGB 78-87-84):
Number: 15
Letter: F
Quote: "If people reach perfection they vanish, you know." T.H. White, The Once and Future King
Question: What was your last "ah-ha" moment?
Photo: A little background on this... I used a random photo generator and it found a different, beautifully edited version of the photo below, but I tracked down the original photo, which was posted on Pixabay by jovanel (I think Jo Vanel), entitled Burma, Inle Lake, Fisherman. I downloaded the original photo, lightened it, and then used one of Amanda's Antique Effects filter on it (found in the SG store HERE), which brought the fisherman's face out of the shadows. To me, the photo speaks of hard work, balance (literally and figuratively), and appreciation of the outdoors - but as with all of this inspiration, use it in your own way:
Weekly Phrases: Flea market; Lovey dovey; Close but no cigar; Lickety split; Fish out of water
Weekly Nouns: Construction, warning, reception, ambition, article
Weekly Adjectives: Defiant, icy, afraid, hurried, rainy
Daily random words (31 words for January; you can use any or all of these as a photo-a-day, in any order, or pick the words that catch your attention or help tell part of your story): beer, forecast, common, trick, publisher, call, grass, unity, restaurant, reference, mean, arm, particle, print, exploration, fling, rare, awful, creep, champion, capture, recognize, dynamic, breathe, chorus, capital, ignore, instrument, day, reservoir, total
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The following is Laura's description of Project Life from last year. I just don't think I can say it any better, so here you are... the what, why, and how of Project Life:
There are 3 main parts of Project Life: Photos, Journaling, and the Layouts. Below you’ll find some tips to help you be more successful in both areas.
Photos
Take photos OFTEN. And not just of large events like parties, holidays, etc. Take photos of everyday life. Don’t overthink it, just snap a few keep it simple and fun. There’s no need to drag out your big dslr for this, your phone’s camera is perfect to capture the everyday memories.
Also keep in mind your photos for PL do not have to be those “perfect” photos. Sometimes the imperfect ones capture the story best.
Consider taking some time at the end of each day to review the photos you have taken and delete the ones that you don’t want to use. While doing this remember you’re not just looking for those “perfect” photos. Sometimes the imperfect photos tell the story the best.
Big events, choose a couple of photos that best represent the event and use them on your PL page. Then tuck the rest of the photos away for your pages that you do for the event. That way if you don’t get to scrapping the event it will still be represented in your PL book.
Trim/crop the photos to remove clutter or to spotlight the main story of the photo. Remember there is a lot of photos on these pages so it’s best to really showcase what the main story is.
Journaling
Words...stories are just as important as the photos. Without them, all you have is another “pretty” photo. Unless you journal the memory or feeling behind the photo you lose detail.
You don’t have to write a book sometimes “short and sweet” is enough because a photo can speak a thousand words.
Sometimes writing can be hard for people. If you were showing a photo to someone, what would you tell them about it? How about the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, “how”, and “why” of the photo. This is a good start.
If you are like me and have horrible grammar and always misspell words, you can copy your journaling to a word document to identify mistakes that need to be changed. Also check with your software editing program for tools such as spell check.
Quotes can be a simple journal hack. Quote your loved ones in the photo or tell the story behind the photo.
Depending on your style, it may be beneficial to keep a journal or planner of your photos if you scrap them later. One idea on doing this is to type a note in your phone and screen shot it to add to your photo collection. Another idea is to keep a planner, documenting notes or ideas of what you want your journaling to say. A third idea is to keep a word document in your photo folder with the information related to your photo.
Layouts
Regardless of taking daily, weekly, or monthly photos, it is important to scrapbook these pictures. That’s the main point of this project, right! The layouts can be whatever you want them to be. Some examples include 1 page with the whole month’s photos, or 1 page per week, or a daily page.
The focus of the page will be photos and journaling. Don’t’ stress out over making it overly artistic or technical. But don’t be afraid to add “just a touch” to express yourself.
One option to mix it up is to use black and white photos and pair them with black and white journaling cards, elements and papers. This will give your book a clean/classic look.
If your using colored photos, keep your paper/embellishments colors the same through the book. Using a pop of 2-3 colors won’t compete with your photos.
Plan your album ahead. If you’re not doing a double page spread, coordinate colors of facing pages
Add a border to your photos. This will let them pop off of the background paper. Adding a shadow will also help with this.
If your page is too cluttered for journaling, add journaling to the photo if there’s empty space.
Keep embellishments small for accents.
Regardless of how you choose to do your PL, here’s a few tips to make it successful:
Do Your Thing - choose a version that you think you will be successful with.
Keep up. Once you are organized and have a plan of action creating the layouts shouldn’t take much time at all.
Routine is key. Maybe you sit down each night and go through your photos you took that day. Or maybe your Friday night plan is to scrap your page for the week. Maybe you’re doing a monthly page and the 1st of the month you sit down and scrap. Whatever it is...routine is the key to being successful with this project.
Keep it simple - don’t overdo it. Remember these pages revolve around photos and journaling so you don’t need a lot of embellishments and such. Remember simple = success.
Be consistent. This could mean a consistent them, set of templates, certain kits, or even a “formula” such as 1 title, 1 photo, 3 embellishments, and 1 journal box.
Once you create a page move on. Don’t go back and rethink the page like you would a “pretty picture” layout.
Before you start have a goal in mind. Are you doing daily/weekly or monthly prompts (or maybe your own thing)? What are you doing with the pages when you are done? Are you printing? What size and who is the printing through? Have you checked to see what tips printer gives you to make sure important things aren’t cut off.
The main goal to be successful is to remember your “why”! Why are you doing this? Is if for your family? Will it be an heirloom? Or maybe it’s for yourself. Keep that in mind if you find that you are getting behind.
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Welcome to Project Life 2024!
There is SO much to say about Project Life (PL), it's difficult to know where to begin. First, shout out to Laura for hosting this year-long challenge for the past several years. She did an amazing job, and I will be riding her coat tails for a while. In the next post, I will paste Laura's beautifully written description of PL from last year, which includes lots of tips and tricks on how to go about managing PL photos and layouts, and also gives advice on how to stick with it. If you've never participated in a Project Life challenge before, I very much recommend you take some time to read through her write-up, and browse through the PL 2023 Gallery HERE, and through the PL 2022 Gallery HERE, to get some ideas of how YOU would like your PL layouts to look and what your PL goals are for 2024.
There are PRIZES involved!
Monthly: Every month, one lucky participant will win a $5 Gift Certificate. All you need to do is simply upload a layout in the Project Life 2024 Gallery and you'll be in the drawing. Be sure to post a link to your layout for that month in your initial sign-up post (see below). Layouts must be added to the gallery and posted into your sign-up post by the 7th of the next month to qualify for the drawing. For example, you have until February 7th to post a layout for January.
Quarterly: Winners will be randomly drawn from members who post layouts in the Project Life 2024. To keep it fair between those doing weekly or monthly layouts you are allowed 1 entry per month. So, if you post a layout each month for that quarter, you'll be entered into the drawing. The quarterly winner will win a Collection Biggie (valued at $9.99) of their choice. If you post your layout past the deadline for that month, but before the end of the next month, I will still count it for the quarterly/yearly drawings.
Yearly: Everyone who uploads one layout for each month for an entire year to the Project Life 2024 gallery will receive a $10 Scrap Girls gift certificate, AND will be entered into a prize drawing for a $50 Scrap Girls gift certificate (only one $50 winner).
Let's get started with sign-ups!
If you are participating in PL this year and would like a chance to win prizes, you will need to post your layouts in the Project Life 2024 Gallery (link to come soon). For anyone who wants to participate but is worried about spewing your life out on the internet for everyone to see, there are ways of "covering" aspects of your layouts - for example, if one of your layouts contains some sensitive journaling, after you flatten your layout into a JPG you can just add a solid colored square over that journal block, or use a brush and brush out the words you don't want everyone to see. Just make sure if you end up printing your layout for yourself, you print the "real" layout! HERE is an example of a layout I posted a while ago where I used the brush technique to hide a few words of journaling.
If you'll be posting your layouts this year (and thus vying for prizes), sign up by copying the following list of months and then pasting it in your own tracking post below. Laura did the same last year, and it worked well. As you post your layouts throughout the year, return to your own tracking thread and add your layout links after the appropriate month. You can sign up any time during the year, too, so if you're currently reading this in June, please do still participate! I will eventually return with a Project Life 2024 png to add to your siggy (if you'd like one), and I'll post the PL 2024 tracker soon, after everyone has some time to sign up.
Copy the following, then paste it into your own tracking post below:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:
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Here is the PL 2024 Siggy, if you would like to add it to your signature:
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I’m thinking, too… of the names already proposed, I like retrospect - January in Retrospect, February in Retrospect, etc
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Woo hoo, congratulations @Rose Ann, you have won that gorgeous colorful Art Therapy value pack! Email Angie at hello@scrapgirls.com and tell her the game you've been playing and the prize you chose.
Thank you to everyone for playing the game, and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to you all!
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Funny, I didn't follow my own challenge... I felt like scrapping very old photos from when I myself was little, chose these, then realized when my layout was almost done that the photos are from Christmas, not Christmas Eve. I'll post this layout now, but I'll be back with another from Christmas Eve!
And here are two more... actually from Christmas Eve! 2010...
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Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I think I enjoy Christmas Eve even more than Christmas Day, with the little Christmas Eve traditions my family enjoys, the festive mood in our house, and the anticipation of the next day to come. Plus, there's less mess for me to clean up on Christmas Eve! 🤪
For today's challenge, create a layout showing or describing happy Christmas Eve memories, past or present.
Examples, if you loved Christmas Eve as a child, tell us why, what traditions your family would enjoy, how you felt. Or if you have fond memories of Christmas Eve as a parent or grandparent of little ones, tell us about those years. What activities did you enjoy, how did you build up the anticipation for your kiddos? Or if you'd prefer, document how you spend Christmas Eve now: This could simply be enjoying a quiet day with mugs of hot cider, tea, or cocoa, a blazing fireplace (or hot summer sun, depending on where you are), and a good book or Hallmark Christmas movies all day. Show us photos, or create an art journal layout. If you celebrate a holiday other than Christmas around this same time of year (like Chanukah or Kwanzaa), show us some traditions or events leading up to those holidays, too.
When your layout is complete, upload it to the Project: Merry & Bright gallery, then come back here and leave a link to your layout. Remember to also update your layout links post in the Merry & Bright tracking thread.
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Verse for Saturday, 23 Dec: On the fifth day of Christmas Scrap Girls gave to me …. A value pack!
This is the last day of this game - I hope you've had fun, and if Santa didn't bring you what you wanted during the game, I hope you eventually receive your wish! 🎄 Merry Christmas!
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Congratulations @Belle! Belle has won her choice of Art Journal LO Templates - they look like fun! Send an email to Angie at hello@scrapgirls.com and let her know what game you've won and what prize you chose.
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Verse for Friday, Dec 22nd:
Friday - On the fourth day of Christmas Scrap Girls gave to me …. art journaling supplies!
(Suggestion - search "art journal" or "art journaling" in the search box in the SG Store and look for products that will help you with art journaling... and remember the limit of $9.99!)
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Winner for Thursday, 21 Dec: Congrats, @barbaraj Barbara, you won your pick of Syndee's Comic Relief Templates! Send an email to Angie at hello@scrapgirls.com and tell her the game you won and what your prize is. Yay!
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Hi everyone, just wanted to drop in and let you know that (I'm pretty sure) I'm hosting Project Life 2024. I'm looking forward to it! Laura's shoes will be hard to fill, she did an incredible job keeping up with PL the last few years and making it fun. I will post PL 2024 soon after Christmas - more soon!
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I'm happy team members are posting too - and those of you who have already won, keep playing. You just never know what Santa might do! 🎅
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Verse for Thursday, 21 December:
On the third day of Christmas Scrap Girls gave to me …. ScrapSimple product (can be paper/embellishment templates or styles)
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Congratulations, we have our winners for the first two days! Email Angie at hello@scrapgirls.com and tell her the game (12 Days of Christmas), the day you won, and the specific name of the product you chose.
@Florida granny Diane, you have won the Dec 19th prize, your choice of a set of layout templates! I love what you chose, too - those blended LO's are wonderful!
@Tracy Tracy, you have won the Dec 20th prize, your choice of a Christmas collection: Christmas is Here by Butterfly Design is SO cute!
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Tuesday, Dec 19th: On the first day of Christmas Scrap Girls gave to me….a set of layout templates!
Wednesday, Dec 20th: On the second day of Christmas Scrap Girls gave to me ….. a Christmas collection! (Not a value pack)
Post one product for each day. Include a link to each product (and an image, if you know how - just copy and paste the image from the store into your post). Tomorrow you just might get your wish! Remember, each product you post is not to exceed $9.99 in value.
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I am starting our game late, I'm so sorry! I meant to post this yesterday, but time ran away from me. Busy season. Read the directions and rules for the game below, and then I will post the verses for both yesterday and today. Read on...
We all the know how the song goes: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..." This year we are going to change it up to what “Scrap Girls” gave to me! Directions and rules:
Each morning I will come back to this thread and post the new day's “verse." Each of those verses is about a scrapbooking product. You will then post an image and link to a product from the Scrap Girls Store that coordinates with that verse - make sure it's something you would like Santa of Scrap Girls to give you for Christmas! The following morning I will post the next verse, and I'll announce the winner from the day before. RULES: Only post ONE product per day, and the product you choose must not exceed $9.99 total. The deadline to post your products is midnight ET of each day.
Ready? Since I messed up and didn't start the game yesterday, I will post the verses for BOTH Dec 19th and Dec 20th below. You may choose one SG product from the store for each verse (one for the 19th, one for the 20th). Who knows - you might get your wish!
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Here is my layout: Christmas Eve 2022
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The weekend challenge is posted in the Project Merry and Bright section! Happy scrapping! Weekend Wildcard Challenge Here
Project Life 2024
in Challenges
Posted
I will update the chart Sunday (it's late Saturday night for me right now). I will add you, Belle! Everyone's layouts are wonderful. 😄