Project 365: Simple Solution
Introducing my newest line of templates specifically made for your Project 365. This year I am committed to doing P365. I’ve never attempted before and keeping up with my weekly layouts is going to be a breeze with my new system. Here’s the details on how I’m going to do P365 (skip the details if you just want to get to the contest info LOL).
Typical P365 Problems: Not enough time to scrap the photos. It takes too long to put together my pages. I missed a day of photos. I have no idea what to write. The pages are scrapped but none of them match, my book is a mess.
Please let me explain my Simple Solution to Project 365.
My template packs will be sold in monthly bundles and will be released the last Tuesday of each month (available at ScrapArtist). January 2010 goes on sale 12/28/09.
Each template is a layered PSD file 12″ x 24″ letting you see the whole 2 page spread at once. The templates are a white themed minimalist style. This keeps your pages coordinated & uncluttered.
Included with the templates are:
–>Photo Clipping Masks (Pre-shadowed, on separate layers. Keep the shadows, adjust them or delete them all together)
–>”Itty Bitty Dates” (month + date and days), Arranged on your template in the order of 2010 (ie: Week One = Friday January 1st thru Thursday January 7th). These are on their own separate layer making it easy to re-arrange the week in the order that fits your needs.
–>A splash of color for each page. On a separate layer is a touch of color. Use your color picker to choose a color from one of your photos. Make a separate layer then clip this new layer to my splash of color and wah-la you now have a coordinating accent color tying your whole layout together while keeping it clean, simple and coordinating with all the other pages in the book!
–>Each layout includes a small “week one”, “week two”, etc. title
–>Each week I’ll also include a journaling prompt or inspirational quote. I don’t have time to write a blurb about each and every photo I take. Frankly some photos might not be interesting enough for their own sentence anyways LOL. Having a weekly journaling prompt and some weeks with just an inspiring quote adds just enough to keep the book real and “in the now” so that it not only documents our everyday with photos but also offers insight into who we are at this moment in time. For January you can see in the template above my first journaling prompt revolves around Ali Edward’s “One Little Word” concept. (in the example I show the word family but for anyone that’s interested my own word for 2010 is PURPOSE). You can read more about One Little Word here. You can also use the journaling prompts and quotes as an inspiration starting point. If you’ve run out of ideas for what to shoot then go ahead and complete the journaling exercise early and draw inspiration from that.
–>Another benefit to these templates is that there aren’t any elements placed too close to the edge. Yes, some photos run all the way to the edge but I’ve kept the dates far enough away that you shouldn’t need to do any special resizing before you print.
I designed this line with me in mind as a total solution to my Project 365 plan. I’ve never attempted P365 but I’m certain I can be successful and stay on top of it using my Simple Solutions system. This is going to save so much time that I’ll probably have time to edit the photos before making my layouts! And, if not oh well, this is the account of my life and it’s far from perfect so the little flaws, the unfocused photos, the imperfect stuff – yep’ it will all make it into my book- or should I say my “biograffiti”.
Oh, and for those days that I forget to snap a picture? Well, I’ll just do it really quick in the morning or maybe I’ll shoot the clock before bed or maybe I won’t do anything. Maybe I’ll replace those photo spots with a simple color and the words “out to play” or w/ a patterned paper taken from that weeks favorite digi-kit (I can’t be the only person that splurges on a new digital kit every week can I ??? ha, ha you know who you are!) Perfection is not my goal. Recording this year day by day and being consistent is my goal and I can’t wait to see how fun this album turns out!
Oh, and another thing… I’m still thinking on this but I’m toying with the idea of having my pages printed 12×12 from Costco or dragging my pages onto 8.5 x 11 and resizing then printing at home. I think then I might include some of those divided page protectors from We-R-Memory Keepers (like these ones available in 12×12 or 8.5×11) to store little tidbits throughout the year. Not each week. but you know just stuff I want to save like my little 2 year old’s coloring pages, maybe help her make a handprint w/ ink or paint, I could scan and print something cool like the cover of a book I’m reading (who am I kidding, it would be a scan of a new book I’m reading to Ashleigh LOL). You get the idea though. Concert ticket stubs, hospital bracelets, report cards, school photos, recipes, handwritten journal page, a piece of cloth, you get it, anything meaningful that usually ends up in a junk drawer or a big box somewhere. Now you can keep it together with the story of your life! How cool!
Ok, enough rambling. I hope my Project 365: Simple Solution has given you some ideas and I really hope you’ll do this along with me and share your layouts (link me up! I love to see what you create!)
Now for the contest!!
Here’s the scoop… One lucky winner is going to get ALL of my P365: Simple Solution templates for 2010! That’s right – FIFTY TWO weeks of templates!! To enter, just leave a comment on this post telling me what you love about Project 365. Please leave your contact information or check back on 12/28/09 and see if you won! The winner will be notified and posted here on 12/28. You must respond to claim your prize by 12/31. (if you don’t respond then the prize will be given to another random winner from this post).
And, because I really, really believe this is going to be an awesome way to share your story I’ll give away another years worth of templates if I get 250 or more comments (no duplicates & no double posting!!). So, tell your friends, spread the word, and share the concept!
Flickr is such a fun (and easy) way to share photos. You upload once and then can choose to add the photo to different groups. Just make sure you read the rules for each group. Rules for Biograffiti are to only upload layouts that use my designs or were created with my templates.
