Friday 13 March 2015

Sort Of A Project Life


Question: Where have all the 8.5x11 albums gone? 

I've been working on the first few pages of something new for me, something which in its planning I've been calling Sort Of A Project Life, and when I went to order an album, I couldn't find one. Anywhere. So if you know where they're all hiding, I'd be happy to hear from you. All suggestions welcome...I've come this far, I don't want to stop now.

I've actually come so far, now, with this thing I've been thinking of as Sort Of A Project Life, you could almost say I was on a roll. It begins like this:


and if you flip to the next page you'll find this:


and before you turn to the next page you might already have an idea about what there would be waiting. Because what I've done is go back to the beginning of the year and start putting my Me On Monday posts onto pages.

I've been playing about with ideas for Project Life for months now. I messed around making a few PL cards in Picmonkey, I gathered together the bits from kits I knew I had, I even bought a little green and kraft 6x6 album and various assorted page protectors. But I did nothing with any of it. Until I woke up one day recently knowing the look I wanted my album to have. Sort of clean, sort of simple. Sort of magazine page-y, ..

and Sort Of Project Life. 

Now you and I both know it was never going to end up entirely simple. A couple of pages in and I was itching to add an embellishment here, more patterned paper there. I even threaded the machine with a new spool of navy thread. I stitched;


But I'm reining it in. I want to keep it simple. This is about enjoying using those Monday photos, and about going back and enjoying those Saturdays and Sundays and even about taking the opportunity to add an extra picture, or a quote, or anything else  I might find on my desk. But I do need an album. Soon.

More next week, I hope. I have a bit of catching up to do!

24 comments:

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

This is fantastic, Sian! I've thought about pulling all my weekend recaps into a book in order to streamline my Project Life as well. And, btw, I stopped doing PL over a year ago and would have a LOT of catching up to do, so those weekend recaps would be a good summary and a great place to start.

I love the clean looks of your pages, and the style of your layouts. So Sian. So awesome! I'll look forward to seeing more as you create them!

scrappyjacky said...

Love how you are putting them together.
I think you can get 11 x 8.5 albums on Amazon.

Ruth said...

That's a good idea to put all your Me on Monday posts in one place. Have you tried Hey Little Magpie (the former Sarah's Cards) or Papermaze?

Cheri said...

What a fabulous concept to turn your blog post series into something tangible! Love it.

doris sander said...

i love it! fabulous! you're such a clever girl . . . and so stylish!

i hadn't really thought about it, but i bet that 9x12 has become the new 8.5x11. it's a way popular size right now and i can see companies not putting resources into making both.

JO SOWERBY said...

Gosh you always come up with such original ideas and the sort of project life is brilliant. I love how your pages have come together and the typing is perfect for you, in my humble opinion. I look forward to the next episode. And Hey Little Magpie is defo the place for 8.5 x 11
Jo x

Lizzy Hill said...

See, that's the thing I love about the PL concept. YOu take it & run with what suits and fits YOU.....& this is looking good. And honestly, if the CAS look gets a bit cluttered now and then to satisfy some creative urge? WHO's gonna really care? It just shows your personality can switch around a bit.....anyways I'm loving the look. Especially the typed journaling!!!

Karen said...

I'm in Florida, but in fact, I may have an 8.5 X11 album I can send you if you're willing to wait until I get home to check. The pages look great!

Anonymous said...

Love the look of it! Love it!

Maria Ontiveros said...

scrapbook.com has 8.5 x 11 by we-r-memory keepers albums. Good luck with the search. I love, love, love this project.
Rinda

Nathalie said...

I absolutely love the look of these pages!!! I think I saw some WRMK albums in 8.5x11 at Michaels recently so I believe they still exist. I love that format too. Can't wait to see more of this new project :D

alexa said...

This is just so you, Sian! And really interesting to see you working on a non-square format ... I think you're going to need to stock up on typewriter ribbons :).

Ladkyis said...

If I knew how to get my pages printed off I would shove 'em in a lever arch file and then really go to town and cover the outside with fabric like I did for the first family tree file. In my innocence I thought my actors would only need one file ... Oh how we laughed at our recent family reunion

Barbara Eads said...

I know what you mean about the embellishments. I had to add some to my PL layouts too. I felt like they were just too flat for my taste. About your album---you could use 3-ring binders with top loading page protectors. Plus it would allow for a little more thickness!

Lou said...

sorry can't help with the album size. Loving the style of your pages and the large photos. its absolutely gorgeous Sian x

Jo said...

This is such a great idea and the pages you've already done look lovely. I hope you find an album soon too :)

Carmen said...

Great minds think alike! I have been doing something similar with my Rocking Friday posts! I enjoy reading back through them now and again so when I got some PL page protectors for Christmas I knew what I wanted to do with them. Something kind of Project Life... but mine has gone the other end of the scale to yours - kinda painty, kinda messy... just waiting for the album to arrive that I ordered AGES ago now. (I wish they'd tell you when you're buying that it's NOT coming from the UK!)

I love your version and I cannot wait to see more :D

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Such a great way to look back over a year, with these weekly snapshots. I hadn't noticed that size of album has disappeared from the (virtual) shelves lately. I know of somebody who scraps in A4 and uses a simple ring binder. Perhaps Paperchase might have a nice kraft one, that could be decorated.

Melissa said...

What a fabulous idea for a Sort of Project Life album - this will be so FUN to look back on, enjoying those Mondays. I like that you're adding a few more photos, too. You might find an album on Amazon.

MonicaB said...

What a wonderful idea! I love that you are using your blog post to help create your album.

Miriam said...

This is wonderful Sian and a (nother) GREAT idea from you.

Sheena said...

I think this is a great way to document your life/year x
I think you can still get the page protecters for 81/2 x 11 then they could go in a 12x12 D ring album x

Susanne said...

Well, congrats, you have done it. That sorta project life looks totally Sian! Taking the time to mull it over really paid off.

Anonymous said...

What an absolutely neat idea! Your own version of PL. Sorry I'm no help with the 8 1/2 x 11 but I know they have to be out there.

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