If you thought perhaps I had fallen off the project life band wagon you would have been right. I managed to limp through to Week Three when we went to Sydney and then I just stopped.
I didn't stop documenting. I have photos of everyday life on my phone, instagram, facebook and in my Cozi journalling app. I have two diaries where I jot notes on what is going on.
But once again I became paralysed by perfection. The idea that my album had to be some amazing work of art and with the perfect products (of which I am yet to find ).
I stopped creating and just pinned favourite things. I watched the threads on facebook from the Project Life group. I scoured the Becky Higgins design team and thought far out I want my book to look like that.
And I didn't do anything.
THEN they released new product and I wanted to use that to create with. I placed a preorder for some bits and promised myself that once it arrived I would start.
Week 10, 11, 12 all crept past. I keep taking photos and thinking this would be good for project life. Mel had a creating frenzy and caught up all her weeks and text me photos.I though hmm I so should do that.
Week 13 came with the announcement that the new product was delayed. Week 14 began and I was yet to open my album.
Katrina my friend said she was thinking of selling her supplies and I perked up and thought if only I had one of those kits (despite the proliferation of supplies I have) then I could create pretty things. I told her I would come right then and pick them up. It wasn't convenient for her so I didn't go. But somewhere in my brain I switched on and said to myself I have to do this now.
And so I did.
I spent 6 hours going back through my notes and pictures and edited all my photos.I stayed up till 3. 30am I had real focus. I used Marcy Penner's planning pages and jotted notes of which picture where so that I would have them printed to the right sizes.
The next morning I took them to Camera house and printed them all off. 120 6 x4 with many of them as 2 3x4 on one canvas. $18.45 it cost me. I called into officeworks and bought a packet of quill white cardstock.
Over the next week I then placed all the photos into their correct pockets and wrote like crazy the journalling- 4836 words! I took my ipad wth me to Drs appointments and sat in the waiting rooms madly writing using my dairies and photos as notes. I printed it week by week and cut and added.
Once I got to week 14 I realised week 15 had happened too. So I edited those photos and went and had them printed and added them in.
Lastly I went back through the 12 weeks and created the titles for each.
Done done done and I love it so so so much.
What did I learn? That I really didn't need very much product at all. I am a photo taker and a writer. I document and I like to tell the story behind the pictures.
It's like anything in life - you just have to start and there is never a perfect time - just start.
I can feel my creativeness coming back and I am so excited.
I'm keen to get my machine out and stitch and ink and play with pretty paper and fabric again. At the moment I'm thinking I might do some traditional scrapbook pages and leave my project life as is. Simple cardstock stories and photos. I am looking forward to getting the bits I have ordered and there will be a difference in the way I work through my project life but that's ok.
I really want some more washi tape and Im considering a new printer for my journalling Something with a smaller footprint and less contankerous. I would love some suggestions.
Mostly though I have realised project life doesn't have to be perfect - It's a scrapbook of our life which is far far from perfect and that's ok.
So how you travelling are you behind ?? Make time to catch up - do this week and work backwards.
PS I'll be sharing my catch up pages in a series of posts over the next few days :)
