Scrapbooking With the Project Life App

On Facebook one night, I saw an ad for the Becky Higgins Project Life App and considered it for just a moment before deciding it wasn’t something for me. Yes, I did take some photos on my phone but not enough to purchase an app for making layouts. Though, the app was only $2.99 so not a huge investment. The next evening after work, I wanted to do some crafting (March is National Crafting Month) but was too tired to want to drag out my paper scrapbooking goodies, nor did I feel like traversing downstairs to get yarn for a new crocheting project. What was I to do?

The Project Life App was my answer. It wasn’t that much and I could do some scrapbooking without leaving the comfy recliner (I was really feeling lazy), and I could make some of my pictures into pretty layouts and share on Facebook and Instagram. There were some photos I’d love to have in layout form but don’t want to traditionally scrapbook (another way of saying not having to print them out), and some of those layouts wouldn’t “fit” in any of our scrapbooks.

I purchased the Becky Higgins Project Life app and started creating. I fell in love! The app includes some layout styles (you can purchase more) and also some kits. There were enough options that I wouldn’t have had to purchase more kits but I need some specific kits for pictures (who am I kidding I love scrapbooking goodies even virtual one)  so picked up a few extras.

I’be made 10 layouts so far and find the process relaxing and it’s becoming my go-to method of relaxing at night. I’ve enjoyed browsing through my phone’s photo gallery and “remembering” events that had taken place. The first day in using the app, I was a little disappointed I couldn’t change the font but discovered the other day there was. When I typed in my journaling, I decided to hit the little up arrow and font choices popped up, including changing the color of the journaling. And if I hit the capital A, I could increase or decrease the size of the font. I was loving the app even more.

I’m hoping there will be some new font styles that can be purchased because I’d love a swirly cursive font.

Redoing a Scrapbook Album

Not me. Ever. That was the statement I always made to myself when I read about scrapbookers redoing albums. Wasn’t the way I made layouts when I first started as much part of the “history” as the photos and journaling on the page. It showed how I progressed in the hobby and what was hot and trendy … or at least what I thought was awesome … back in the day. Besides, if I redid albums every time my scrapping style changed, I’d be documenting the same pictures over and over again. And there is the likelihood that, like clothing fashion, what was once trendy and is now mocked will become trendy again and the pages will once again look like they did.

To me, it was like rewriting a book after it’s been published. The project is “done” so no use going back and tweaking something that has left the to-do pile. My style has changed since my first book was published in 2002. One did not rewrite a book once it was published so it seemed “wrong” to redo an album, or even a layout, once it was placed into a scrapbook. Not to mention, all those other lonely photo longing for a page/layout of their own.

And then I did the unthinkable–I rewrote a book that had gone out of print. I still loved the characters and most of the plot, but there was one part I didn’t like and cringed at years later. I decided it rewrite that part and also have it edited before I republished it on my own. There were two other novels that were out of print but I wasn’t interested in redoing them. I like those stories and felt they were told the way they needed to be told. And, I’m at a different place with my writing and am content with “letting them go”.

Along came the Project Life way of scrapbooking, or at least it finally got on my radar a few months ago, and I knew it would work perfectly for doing my children’s baby/personal albums. I always wanted to do a scrapbook for each of them separately but have spent my scrapping time working on yearly and event (vacation) albums. I had also started the albums in the 8 1/2 x 11 size and never liked the limited amount of space. My thoughts were always since I started it in that size, I needed to stay in that format.

I kept putting those albums off to the side and decided to go with my heart and redo the albums. One thing I am doing, is keeping as much of the original embellishments from the page that I can. I don’t want to alter the style completely of the pages I did ten years ago, but I want to change the structure to that of the pocket scrapbooking (as I’ve heard it called also). It has “breathed new life” into the project for me. On days that I am really tired, I find that pocket scrapbooking lets me enjoy my hobby as focusing on the smaller spaces is relaxing and manageable while a larger canvas just seems impossible.

Project Life – Mystery Writer Style

Writing a book and having it published was a dream of mine since I was in the ninth grade. It has come true a couple of times. There was also a year or two in my journey where I wondered if I’d give it a try again.  (I had a slight hiatus between books … won’t go into that long story.) I’ve been in love with books as far as I can remember and love the industry as a whole. And as how it can happen with love, there are rough spots and sometimes it can be unrequited.

Like my heroine Faith in the Scrap This Mystery Series, my mind has a tendency to remember the downs and gloss over the ups. I think it’s because I don’t want to repeat mistakes so my mind keeps those in an easy to find file in my brain. It’s good … then again it’s not where you’re in a business where a daily roller-coaster ride is pretty much a given.

I had started a scrapbook to journey my writing career years ago but have allowed it to become stuck in the mid-2000s. I took a look at it and realized that I was doing a lot of showing of events and not enough telling of the journey and process. I missed showing the “business/book” milestones along the way. It’s like I was afraid to brag in my own book. I want this scrapbook to be not only a way for my children and grandchildren to know who I am and what I do, but also as a reminder for myself during those times when I’m on the stomach-dropping down portion of the ride in the wonderful, unpredictable world of publishing.

For a few months, I’ve been intrigued with the Project Life style of scrapbooking. I prefer doing layouts the “traditional” way for trips and family pages but thought it be perfect for documenting my writing. It gives me enough space to tell the stories, and by doing it in a 8 1/2 x 11 inch size, could double as a resume/calling card.

I worked on a few pages last week and love how they turned out. Now, I plan on going back and “Project Lifeing” my other books and my journey as a mystery and suspense writer.

(My son had tons of storage pages for his baseball cards and let me have a few of them. For the second page, I “broke” some of the seals so I could have some large spaces to work with.)