In this post I’m sharing a comprehensive look at my history with this annual project, my approach to finishing, and a peek inside each album. I’ve organized the albums into two main sections: the projects I had previously completed and the projects I completed this year.

This is the first time I’ve really examined my past projects in depth and I was surprised to see how much my style has stayed consistent over the years. You can see elements of my 2010 project (ribbons, tabs, layers, overlays etc.) in my 2021 project!

Above all, this year’s journey offered a clear reminder that I do love December Daily. I had felt discouraged with my long list of unfinished projects, but have now recognized the personal and creative prerequisites to a successful project attempt.

My History with December Daily Projects

I believe I discovered December Daily in 2009, but didn’t have the courage to jump in until the following year. I was 100% digital at the time and had no supplies nor any idea how to create a mini album. I was definitely intrigued and curious.

My first three projects were the easiest to finish and I attribute my subsequent experience to having a busy little girl. I had some sort of start every year, but in that season of life (2014-2016) I didn’t have the energy to show up regularly. I also had gone back to work in the office and the business of Simple Scrapper was my evening focus.

In 2017 I found a bit more space in my days, but my increasing struggles with anxiety definitely impacted my ability to finish in 2018-2020. It wasn’t until I finally reached out for help in late 2021 (i.e. therapy and medication) that I felt ease in the process. For the first time in as long as I could remember I was able to create because it was fun and without feeling overwhelmed by everything.

Previously Completed December Daily Projects

As I’ve looked back at my previous projects, especially those I finished with relative ease, most had something in common: foundation pages.

I’ve never been one who could do anything daily and all of these were completed in batches, but having starting points made the decision-making so much easier.

6″x6″ Mini Book for 2010

This is my only album to use a chipboard foundation and I’ve noticed how well it has help up, especially compared with my 2011 and 2012 albums. I’m curious to try this approach again in the future now that I have a more advanced set of skills!

6″x6″ Mini Book for 2011

This was the first year I used foundation pages, focusing on a repetitive grid design and playing with numbers for the first time. I remember feeling like a “real scrapbooker” working on this one!

6″x6″ Mini Book for 2012

In 2012 I actually sold a mini book kit for the project. It was a fun experience, but products and shipping are not the right business for me. I am proud of my kit selections though and how easy this one came together. It was also the year I felt in love with white paint markers on photos!

6″x4″ Mini Album for 2014-2016

My original plans for 2014-2016 were Project Life pages, a 6×8 album, and this 4×6 album, respectively. None of the projects progressed past the supply acquisition stage.

In 2021 I built this compilation album from scratch, relying on repetition of three different page styles and an assortment of supplies from my stash. For each of the 25 story spreads, I selected images from one or more of the featured years.

To uncomplicate photo selection I only chose from the images that corresponded to the “day” of the story. For example, on December 1 the images used were selected from December 1 in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

6″x8″ Album for 2017

This is one of my favorite albums for its mix of creativity and simplicity, with pocket pages as the focus. Most of the project was completed in December, with the balance finished in summer 2018.

These days there is a lot of emphasis on ultra-creative and hybrid “out of the pocket” pages, so browsing my 2017 album offered a lovely reminder of where to find more ease.

How I Approach Finishing December Daily Projects

For me finishing is never about just pushing through. There’s always a reason a project is incomplete and it often doesn’t make sense to follow the original plan verbatim. My process began with observation:

• How much of each project was done? Do I still have the supplies?
• When and where did I get derailed? Why do you think that was?
• What’s different about this unfinished project compared with others that I did complete?

The goal of these observations was to determine the right course of action for each project. There’s no “one size fits all” approach to finishing and I used four different strategies to complete projects 2013, 2018, 2019-2020, and 2021.

The December Daily Projects I Completed in 2022

This year my shelf was completed with four albums representing five years of December memories.

2013 December Daily: Redoing a Completed Project (6″x4″)

This project was technically already finished, but it had always bothered me. It was a Project Life mini book with some of my best December photos and decorative “filler” cards.

I decided to use an album foundation I made in a class to add retrospective journaling to the project. This format also addressed that the original album looked awkward on the shelf.

Since I used my existing photos on this finish, the journaling took about 45 minutes to complete.

2018 December Daily: Finishing a Half-Completed Project (6″x8″)

I struggled with this project from the beginning. While I love to look at others using Felicity Jane products, they never quite suited me. Too much black and white, I think. I tried to take a similar approach to 2017, but stumbled after being out of town two weekends in a row. The rest of the month was a blur.

When I sat down to decide on my approach, I recognized that the format was simple enough to mostly carry on. I didn’t do really do anything special instead focusing on pocket pages and 6×8 mini layouts. Adding some straightforward pockets (as seen in the last photo in this grouping) was as “wild and crazy” as I got.

Selecting, editing, and printing the photos took about an hour and then assembling another hour.

2019-2020 December Daily: Starting Over with a New Project (4.25″x8.25″)

These two years caused the most decision-making agony. They were initially started in different sizes (3×8 vs. Life Crafted) and different formats (100% hybrid vs. TN memory journaling). Neither had more than a few pages added, so following the original plan felt like no fun at all. Just combining them into one album and calling it done felt awkward.

And so I decided to reimagine the project as a comparison between 2019 and 2020, two very different years in our life. I cut papers (mostly from my 2020 purchases) to an out of the pocket size and left those with smaller dimensions be smaller. There are a few “in the pocket” pages that were already cut to size, but most are mini layouts with no page protectors.

For the photos, I made a list of 25 typical December Daily story topics. I then selected a pair of images, one from 2019 and one from 2020, to represent each. I also stamped and die cut two styles of tags for my journaling. Assembly and journaling took maybe an hour, but I had worked on the photos a little bit at a time over several days. Having everything ready to go made the process super fast!

I can 100% say that my approach to finishing this project was inspired by my 2011 album. Foundation pages with repeating elements is so handy!

2021 December Daily: Finishing the Project with Ease (6″x8″)

I gained renewed familiarity and fresh perspective on my stash and my process after finishing my 2014-2016 album (earlier in 2021). I started to recognize the types of pages I was having fun creating and which ones felt easy. I paid more attention to inspiration, primarily on Instagram, and started saving ideas to try.

When it came time to put together foundation pages in November 2021, I was all in! My album was about 70% complete by December 7, when we left for a family vacation. Another 20% was completed prior to Christmas and then the final sprint took place quite recently. I still needed to include photos from that vacation, from Christmas Day, and a bit of journaling on stories that didn’t have photos.

While this project helped me embrace imperfect and experience with new techniques, my favorite part is a new-found love of ribbons and fibers. I can’t get enough!

What I’ve Learned about December Daily Projects

There was a point when I thought I might be done with this project. I was so discouraged by all the unfinished albums and my inability to do a “daily” thing daily. But through this process of finishing I’ve learned what works best for me:

• Recognizing the season of life I’m in right now and how that will impact my time, energy, and motivation for scrapbooking. I then plan my project scope and format accordingly, so the album is more finishable.
• Building foundation pages and working ahead of the holiday chaos. Having a clear vision for the project in November helps December feel more like filling in the blanks and fitting together pieces of the puzzle.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simple Scrapper (@simplescrapper)

The Vision for My 2022 Album

I will share all the photos and more details when 2022 is finished, but this video shares a sneak peek at where I’m headed with the 10×8 album.

The post Finishing Twelve Years of December Daily Projects appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

You may have heard me talk about my “Lightroom photo book” on the podcast over the past year. I knew I wanted to share more about this project, but that live and interactive support would definitely be necessary.

Registration has now opened for Scrapbooking with Lightroom, a 3-session Zoom workshop with 1 live webinar and 2 interactive meetings. The cost is just $20.

During the first session you’ll learn the fundamentals of building a photo book with Lightroom Classic that’s full of stories and creative touches. Then, in our two follow-up sessions we’ll make sure all your questions are answered.

For me, this project has been the solution to capturing the small moments of everyday life. It’s easy to create and incredibly satisfying to hold. Now I have more time, energy, and motivation to tell bigger stories with layouts and other projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of the workshop?

This is a live workshop hosted on Zoom. It includes an instructional webinar and two follow-up interactive meetings for support and Q&A.

The format was chosen for the best student experience, allowing for visual demonstrations as well as project accountability.

What are the dates and times of the sessions?

All sessions take place 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the U.S. Central time zone.

• Session 1: Thursday, September 22, 2022
• Session 2: Thursday, October 6, 2022
• Session 3: Sunday, October 9, 2022

Will the sessions be recorded if I cannot attend live?

Yes! A link to the recording will be emailed to all registrants after each session.

What version of Lightroom is required for the workshop?

An active Adobe Creative Cloud subscription that includes Lightroom Classic is required.

The features used in the workshop were released with Lightroom 4, however Adobe is no longer supporting or providing updates for perpetual licenses (i.e. one time purchase versions.) We cannot guarantee project completion if older software is used.

Do I need to have experience with Lightroom Classic?

A basic understand of Lightroom Classic (including a catalog of your images) is recommended for workshop success. Eager beginners are certainly welcome, but this workshop will not cover the basics of the core photo management and photo editing features.

Can you use other photo software?

No, this workshop uses features that are unique to Lightroom Classic to create a photo book. Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and the cloud-based Lightroom will not work.

What are the additional costs?

The workshop will cover ordering your completed book through Blurb. The total cost depends on the size, number of pages, and options selected. You may also wish to purchase digital artwork to include in your book.

Is this workshop included with Simple Scrapper membership?

No. Because of this niche nature of the topic, the workshop is being held outside of the membership. However, members who purchase will get access to a private group for ongoing support and encouragement.

The post Scrapbooking with Lightroom Workshop appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Week in the Life is a community project from Ali Edwards to document seven days with words and photos. It is popular within the scrapbooking community, with many participants creating smaller 6×8 or 10×8 albums to celebrate their week.

I know myself and an album project during the busy early summer season just isn’t a good fit for me. This year (2022), I instantly noticed the giant heart pockets featured in the Week in the Life product collection. As a result, I planned to use those on a scrapbook layout documenting the selected week in June. Similarly, I’ve also completed Week in the Life photo collages, 8×12 pocket pages, digital layouts, and photo book pages.

Some years my Week in the Life project has been all about the photos and in others, like this year, the words were the focus. I love capturing a slice of everyday life in different ways and aligning the approach with my available time, energy, and motivation.

Creating My Week in the Life Layout for 2022

Those heart pockets from the 2022 Week in the Life collection completely inspired the composition of this double-page spread. I typed up “I want to remember…” journaling each day and printed it on cardstock. The photo was printed larger than the heart dimensions, then cut to match. The faux stitching is with a Uni POSCA paint pen. Papers are Jen Hadfield. All chipboard from my AE stash.

In addition, I originally didn’t plan on adding the branding strips, but I felt like the hearts were just floating in space. These paper pieces ground the pockets and draw the viewer’s eye across the spread. All of the repetitive elements make this Week in the Life layout feel cohesive, despite the contrasting background papers.

This was my first time creating one layout as my Week in the Life project. I have to say; I’m a big fan. I can see this becoming a thing with its own section in my albums. I love going all out with creativity at other times of the year, but Week in the Life brings a certain documentation intensity. Therefore choosing a simple, minimal approach makes sense for me.

Do you participate in Week in the Life? What ways have you found to simplify the project?

The post Week in the Life with One Layout appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

We’ll get to that later.

The project I’m about to share sprung from visiting my Creative Hub in Trello almost every week. My list of unfinished projects seemed to keep getting bigger and I knew it was time to make a significant change.

I did. And it worked!

But first, let’s go back.

I had great success with December Daily in 2010, 2011, and 2012 with 6×6 mini books. It turns out foundation pages were very effective for me.

2013 was a minimalist Project Life mini album. Looking back I wish I had done more, but it made sense at the time and it was finished.

In the photo below my 2014, 2015, and 2016 projects are represented by the small mint album, the white 2015 album, and the red album. None of those were anywhere near completed and are thus, the subject of this post. But first, let’s finish the context review.

2017 had a full kit and album (green stars). It was completed by December 2018 and I’ve got a tour on IGTV.

2018 (white linen 6×8 album) is about 50% completed and used a Felicity Jane kit. 2019 (green linen 3×8 album) has 2.5 pages completed, using the Crate Paper Merry Days collection. 2020 (not pictured) has 5 pages completed, using last year’s Cocoa Daisy December kit.

The reality of the two big gaps in finished projects was stark.

Despite suggestions to work on my most recent memories first, I figured my best chance of letting go was to go back.

I pulled out everything I had saved for 2014, 2015, and 2016. The mint album for 2014 totally empty and just a placeholder. My original plan had been to do a few pocket pages in my annual album for that year, but I never did.

2015 had an album and a kit. I had made a few pages prior to December that year and then nothing. 2016 was basically a repeat of the previous year, but I don’t think anything ever got adhered.

Because there was so little completed, it wasn’t hard to effectively start from scratch using a dramatic course correction.

Compilation Album Structure

The created rails for this project in two specific ways. First, I created a foundation with three simple page designs:

• an out-of-pocket page featuring embellishment on the front with words and photos on the back,
• a flip-up page with a photo and larger space for journaling, and
• a two-up pocket with embellishment on the front and Polaroid-style hybrid cards on the back.

Second, I used the date to constrain how I looked at photos. Instead of choosing the top 25 stories or images over the three years, I looked at each day of the month.

For example, for number 7 I looked at photos taken on the 7th of December in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Depending on the page design, I choose 1-3 images for the page.

I also worked in batches, first setting up the foundation and then completing the full series of each page design to leverage the repetition.

Creating a foundation plan and repeating the page designs helped to maximize the use of product from my stash. It also limited much of the creative decision making to this initial phase of the project.

December Daily Album Tour

Not only am I proud to have this completed, I love how it turned out.

These days I’m noticing a trend towards complication and fussiness when it comes to these smaller-scale page designs. I don’t have a problem with a splash of creativity, but I also don’t want it to get in the way of finishing. There needs to be a balance.

Here’s a full photographic tour of my completed 2014-2016 December Daily album. You can also see a walk-through video on my IGTV.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Simple Scrapper (@simplescrapper)

My Plan for This Year

As I mentioned, my intensive study of success and failure in December Daily first led me to consider letting go of this project. However, there are a few facts I know to be true and significant:

1. This project helps connect me to the joy of creating and of the season.
2. I know that with the accountability of our community, I can get it done.
3. A full December Daily project foundation will enhance my success.

And so, I bought all the things. Not literally, but I did make a more significant investment than ever before. I’m embracing creative play and the necessity of routine. I’m letting go of my past and starting fresh from here.

It’s more than a plan. It’s also a set of values about projects in general and this project in particular. The more I invest in my joy with intentional choices and actions, the more joy I experience in each and every day.

The post Three Years of December Daily in One 4×6 Album appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

I recently ordered a custom hardcover photo book from Chatbooks with some of my favorite photos and stories from last year.

In this video I share my experiences designing and ordering an Instagram photo book from Chatbooks for the first time, along with a walk-through tour of the finished photo book.

I also share how I’m viewing some of my 2018 plans in light of my experience with Chatbooks. After you watch, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or on YouTube.

Make sure to subscribe to the Simple Scrapper YouTube channel so you’re among the first to know when I upload a new video.

The post Review of Chatbooks Custom Hardcover Photo Books appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

In this new video I’m sharing exactly how I plan to focus my memory-keeping efforts in 2018. You’ll learn what I did not keep up with this past year and the project I’ve always wanted to start. This is the first in a new series of recorded videos that will go live at 1pm CST each Tuesday on our YouTube channel.

I’ve spent a lot of time these past few months mulling over options and trying out some new things. I had to be really honest with myself about my creative habits, but I’ve never been more jazzed to kick off a new year. Here’s a recap of the resources and approaches mentioned in the video:

• Hybrid Project Life
• Albums Divided by Categories
• MAMBI Memory Planners
• Chatbooks
• Planoly
• Week in the Life
• December Daily

This is the sixth year that I’ve shared how I intend to approach a new year of memory keeping. Here are links to my previous plans:

2013 – What I’m Working On

2014 – Why I’ll Scrapbook Less

2015 – Scrapbooking in 8.5×11

2016 – Looking at the Year Ahead

2017 – How I Plan to Scrapbook

In the comments below or on YouTube, I’d love to hear how you plan to change up your scrapbooking for 2018.

The post Memory Planning, Chatbooks, and Other Plans for 2018 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

In this post I’m sharing a set of guideposts for planning (and successfully finishing) a vacation scrapbook along with a range of options to help you personalize your vacation scrapbooking plan.

Plus, I’m including a few tips and suggestions on staying creative away from home, including whether you should bring your supplies along for the ride.

Last week’s episode of Simple Scrapper Live kicked off our discussion on the topic. Here’s that recording:

Guideposts for Vacation Scrapbooking

In the episode I outlined three guideposts to simplify the process of scrapbooking a vacation. By keeping these points in mind you’ll set yourself up for project success:

1. Cherry-pick Your Photos – You can’t scrapbook every photo. Choose images from multiple scales, from small details to the broader landscape, that add context to the relationships represented.

2. Find Your Perfect Fit – Vacations can be incorporated into your ongoing scrapbooks or documented with a separate project. You get to choose which works best for you right now.

3. Know Your Priorities – Starting a new project might mean that another project is put on hold or stopped. Make sure to consider how scrapbooking your vacation fits into your overall plans.

Vacation Scrapbooking Project Ideas

The best approach for your project fills you will creative excitement and fits your needs in this season of life. The large range of options today means that finding a fun and practical project is nearly certain.

Layouts

Layouts are of course the traditional format in scrapbooking. A vacation can be documented with a single layout, an entire album, or something in between.

Read more about this page at Deep in the Heart | Simple Scrapbook Layout.

Pocket Page Insert

Pocket pages, including Project Life products, offer an alternative to layouts that can be quicker to design. From a special insert to an entire album of pages, the pocket format also offers a natural solution for memorabilia-rich projects.

Read more about this page at What Happens in Vegas | Simple Scrapbook Layout.

Photo Book

Photo books make an excellent choice for photo-intensive projects by further simplifying the creative experience. They make it easier to include more photos on a single page and the repetition can add substantial ease to the process.

Get step-by-step instructions for this photo book inside of The Finishing Project, one of the classes exclusively available with Simple Scrapper membership.

Ongoing Album

Independent of the chosen format, an ongoing album for your vacations (or a specific type of vacation) is worth considering. It creates an opportunity to deeply explore a style or format beyond your typical routine.

Mixed Paper Mini Book

Smaller mini albums are a portable solution that’s perfect for scrapbooking during a trip or vacation, or back at home if that’s your preference. The more petite size means it’s also easier to finish.

Watch a video about this project at In My Office | Vacation Album.

Photo Collage

Photo collages and even individual photos on social media are just as much “memory keeping” as any other format. A photo collage can sometimes capture an adventure in just the right way.

Read more about this page at Our Boston Adventure in Photos | Simple Scrapbook Layout.

How to Plan Your Vacation Project

This week’s episode of Simple Scrapper Live continued the conversation about vacation scrapbooking, focusing on how to stay in the creative zone while away from home.

In the recording I share my tips for what to do before, during, and after your trip to streamline the scrapbooking process.

1. What to Focus On – It’s helpful to have a sense of your creative direction (even if it’s quite minimal) in advance of a trip. Above all though, I recommend intentionally staying in the present moment in order to best absorb details and begin to mentally identify the themes of this journey. We all sometimes need the reminder to stay part of the story instead of just a witness to it.

2. Which Supplies to Bring – The items you bring along on a trip will vary by your mode of travel and how much you intent to create while away from home. Think through each idea that sounds fun and test it for practicality. I often lean towards packing lighter to make a trip easier, relying on technology and minimalist supplies while I’m away.

3. How to Get Ready – Thinking through, planning out, and setting aside time for a project will make it easier for you to finish, but there’s one critical first step: photo management. The quantity of photos taken on a vacation is what governs the complexity and challenges of scrapbooking them. Thus, the most important step in the creative process is importing your photos and beginning to sort them.

Scrapbooking your trips and vacations doesn’t have to feel overwhelming when you choose the best project approach for your needs and make a conscious effort to focus on what matters most.

How have you scrapbooked a big adventure? Share your favorite approaches in the comments.

The post Essential Guide to Scrapbooking Your Summer Trips and Vacations appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

I love my scrapbook supplies and the tactile experience of combining them with my photos and words. But some of the time, I turn to photo books to solve particular challenges in traditional scrapbooking.

Most notably, I rely on photo books when the quantity of photos feels overwhelming. This could be a vacation or a lengthier span of time. It is then when a minimalist approach to design and construction helps me feel like the project is feasible.

In this post I’m sharing how I’m using a series of 5.5″x5.5″ photo books as part of my overall memory keeping plan.

For an off-the-cuff discussion, plus Q&A, this was also my featured topic on Simple Scrapper Live. I’m embedding the recording here for you, or you can watch the full replay on Crowdcast.

After my daughter’s second birthday I recognized that my less-than-chronological approach to scrapbooking was causing a small photo backlog. It generally doesn’t bother me, because I enjoy being able to jump around and fill albums one layout or pocket page spread at a time. But, I’m not the only person who cares about these pictures.

To get more of these images into the hands of doting grandparents, I started an annual series of 5.5″x5.5″ photo books using Artifact Uprising. Each book runs from birthday to birthday and since she was born August, the timing works well for holiday gift-giving.

I primarily use photos that I’ve posted to Instagram, because Artifact Uprising can ‘slurp’ these in easily. I will supplement with photos from my DSLR or my phone as needed, but I don’t stress about making sure everything is included. I look on these books as a highlights reel, not an encyclopedia.

I’ve also made the personal choice not to include any words, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Journaling can be added through your photo book software or even by hand directly in the book.

My favorite feature of this book series are the covers. I use a photo of my daughter’s feet on each cover, as I love the symbolism and the changes you can see through them. I imagine one day there will be a pair of heels on the cover.

Artifact Uprising is my favorite source for minimalist photo books, but I also recommend these providers: Blurb, Chatbooks, and Shutterfly.

Are photo books part of your scrapbooking repertoire? Leave a comment sharing how you have used or plan to use photo books.

The post Minimalist Scrapbooking with a Photo Book Series appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Don’t get me wrong, I love our community and this hobby. I’m in it for the long haul and am excited to see how our industry evolves in the decades to come. But after 8 years of creating (much of it on display for the world), I was tired of the anxiety I continued to feel.

I’m planning on digging into this further at the next Simple Scrapper Live, but I have some serious handwriting hang-ups.

While I do wholeheartedly believe in embracing imperfection, I have to be having what I call “a good handwriting day” to complete a scrapbook page. If I’m not, my brain and hands don’t work well enough together to make the letters.

This challenge has led to me creating less consistently than I really wanted. I have stories to tell and time keeps on passing.

In this new post I’m sharing more about my decision to do hybrid Project Life pages in 2017 and the process I’m using to make spreads. I’m even including a peek at my first pages with this approach.

Why I Switched to Hybrid Project Life for 2017

In last week’s Simple Scrapper Live I shared the three reasons why hybrid scrapbooking makes sense for me in 2017. Hopefully my story above explains a little bit more about the anxiety I feel about handwriting and scrapbooking.

I’ve embedded the video here, in case you haven’t already watched the 15-minute segment.

Beyond that stress was also a need to switch things up for variety’s sake. I’d been doing pocket pages consistently since 2011, but only used my computer for the journaling a few times.

While I certainly don’t lack for Project Life supplies, when the idea for hybrid popped into my head I instantly felt relief. It just made sense in my current season of life.

How I Use Lightroom for Project Life

You don’t need to use Lightroom (or any photo management software) to do Project Life the hybrid way, but it is a key part of my process.

Step #1: Organize Assets
I started by creating a collection set for Project Life 2017 and another collection set for each month (02_February, for example). Then within that collection set I have three collections: Plan, Cards, 3×4 Photos. The Plan collection is my working folder of candidate images and supplies. Final choices get dragged to the appropriate collection for ease of printing (see Step #3).

Step #2: Plan Spread Design
I set up a Lightroom print template that matched Project Life Design A so that I could visually plan out my spread.

Download Project Life Design A Lightroom print template.

(click to enlarge)

I love being able to drag photos and supplies into each cell until I get a composition I’m happy with.

Step #3: Print Photos
With all of my assets selected, I started the process of printing. My 4×6 images were printed directly from Lightroom. My 3×4 images were collaged 2-up using a Lightroom print template and then printed from Photoshop.

Download 2-up 3×4 on 4×6 Lightroom print template.

Step #4: Export, Journal, and Print Cards
Printing of the journaling cards is similar, but requires one extra step. I started with a print template where I could collage my supplies onto an 8.5×11 canvas. These pages were exported as JPG and brought into Photoshop. I journaled directly on the large images before sending them to my printer.

Download Lightroom print template for 4×6 and 3×4 cards.

(click to enlarge)

Tool Tip: The photos were printed on Canon 4×6 Semi-Gloss Photo Paper Plus with my Canon PIXMA Pro-100. The journaling cards were printed on Epson Double-sided Premium Presentation Paper Matte and cut apart with my Rotatrim Paper Cutter.

My 2017 Project Life Pages (So Far)

We were well into 2017 when this approach finally clicked for me. I didn’t want to get started with a new album just because the calendar turned over to January, so I waited it out.

After seeing some beautiful hybrid pages on Instagram and thinking “I wish I could have that clean look.”, I took the plunge. This spread took about 90 minutes in total.

(click to enlarge)

I used five 4×6 photos and three 3×4 photos, along with three 4×6 cards and five 3×4 cards. All photos were from my phone and edited with Lightroom. The black and white images were also processed with RadLab using Milk and Cookies.

My biggest surprise with this new process was how much more I typed than I would write by hand. It took me back to my days of digital scrapbooking, where I admit, I told more involved stories.

My Ali Edwards Story Kit embellishments are some of my favorites, so being a scrapbooker, I had to add just a few to complete the page.

It was fun to be reminded that I only need my printer in order create “patterned paper” for scrapbooking. While doing that on a large scale is not efficient, for these small pocket it makes a ton of sense.

I see Project Life as a snapshot of our life through my eyes. My layouts will often include different perspectives, but these pages are more “mine” than the others. I’m thinking of including a selfie each month.

I’m just as guilty as anyone about making scrapbooking more complicated than it needs to me. The simplicity of this card in particular reminded me of what I value most in this hobby.

Questions to Ask about Hybrid Project Life

My approach to creating hybrid Project Life pages in 2017 won’t be for everyone. If you’re intrigued, however, it is my hope that you pause to ask yourself why. What might need to change so that you can feel even more excited to create? Here are some good questions:

• What reasons do you have to make a change?
• Do you have the technical skills or are you willing to learn?
• Is there an even-better option?

The post Hybrid Project Life Album Process appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Both were geared more towards women who have some experience with digital scrapbooking, so I wanted to take a moment to step back and focus on how to get started with this approach. Here are some of the basics to help you start digital scrapbooking:

What is digital scrapbooking?

Digital scrapbooking is the creative process of uniting photos, words, and supplies using your computer. The end result can look much like a traditional scrapbook page or quite different, depending on the scrapbooker’s tastes and preferences.

Where can I buy digital supplies?

My favorite 100% digital shops are The Lilypad and Sweet Shoppe Designs. If you like Ali Edwards, she has a variety of digital supplies as well. (If you have a favorite, leave it in the comments below.)

What software should I use for digital scrapbooking?

Most digital scrapbookers user Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements to create scrapbook pages. Photoshop is more sophisticated and can be purchased for as little as $9.99/month. Photoshop Elements (commonly referred to as PSE) is more user-friendly and does not require a subscription payment.

How do you use layered templates?

Layered templates are one of the best ways to get started with digital scrapbooking. The key to using digital scrapbooking templates is understanding layers and clipping masks. This video tutorial from our archives can help you get started:

Are there apps for digital scrapbooking?

Your computer is best suited for creating digital layouts, but the Project Life app is a popular solution for creating pocket-style pages.

How do you print digital pages?

Completed digital pages are generally saved as a JPG file and then printed with a mail order service like Persnickety Prints. Many digital scrapbookers prefer to print individual pages rather than waiting to print an entire bound book.

Where do you store digital items?

Digital scrapbook supplies are files, generally JPGs (digital paper) and transparent PNGs (embellishments). Thus you would store them like any other files on your computer, in folders. I prefer to store my photos, digital supplies, and digital pages separately.

What is hybrid scrapbooking?

Hybrid has always been a catch-all to mean a lot of different ways of using your computer for scrapbooking. Printing a word art overlay on a photo is technically hybrid. Today I’m seeing the most hybrid work being done with printing Project Life cards.

How does Lightroom fit into this?

Adobe Lightroom is photo management and editing software. While you can use this software to organize digital scrapbooking supplies, and even create photo books, you can’t create layered scrapbook pages with Lightroom.

How do you start digital scrapbooking?

The best way to begin is by practicing and finding additional answers as you need them. If you would like to take a class, I recommend Digital Scrapbooking for Beginners at Scrapaneers. It’s free!

Have a question about how to start digital scrapbooking? Leave a comment below.

The post How to Start Digital Scrapbooking appeared first on Simple Scrapper.