2013 Project Life 365: Week 4 [My Workflow] (Nihao, Cupcake!)

Week 4 and I'm keeping up! Hurray! It was a little touch and go this week with a birthday party and a religious milestone this weekend but I've pulled it off. Yay, me!

In order to make my goal (posting by Monday night), I had to save my WEEK in REVIEW card for later. All the journaling is done, I just have to transfer it.

Again, I used a lot of my stamps that I made a couple of weeks ago. To see most of the stamps I've made (15+), go here. For a How To tutorial on how I made them (so EASY & cheap!) go here.

I seem to be adding inserts every week even though, as a rule, I've been trying not to. We had a birthday on Wednesday & I wanted to include a current event, so I suppose it is to be expected.

I bought some American Crafts Slick Writer pens and I am loving them.

First of all, I like my writing so much more. Weird, I know, but it is true. The only other pen I find that does that is a Sharpie but an ordinary Sharpie is too thick for typical use.

Secondly, it works on those Martha Stewart kitchen and office labels that are moisture resistant and don't smudge. I haven't used the pens on my photos yet. But that will come very soon!

A few things to note on the right hand page: I used another couple of my stamps here - the camera that you also saw in my layout last week.

Here is the left side of my insert. To make the insert I took Design D Page Protector and cut-off the right two vertical photo pockets. I save all of the pockets that I cut off and save them to use in other layouts.

On the right side of the insert things worth noting not mentioned elsewhere are a very old circle sticker from a Creating Keepsakes Kit of the Month designed by Ali Edwards on the lighthouse photo at the bottom. And another one of my homemade stamps shows up again - the starburst stamp that I also used in last week's layout posted about here.

Here I used a Project Life Grid Cards to make my own filler card. I used a cat eye stamp pad to make this pattern that I originally saw on a throw pillow a friend of mine in Beijing (who has started her own textiles company) designed and created.

This journaling card again uses two of my homemade stamps (that can be seen here): the zig zag/chevron stamp & the pot stamp that I created to add to my New Recipes 2013 mini album I talk about in these posts.

I'm not very good about including current events, but I've fixed that here. I googled Presidential Inauguration and clicked on IMAGES in the top menu bar. I selected a couple of my favorite photos & graphics and printed them out a bit smaller than 4x3, trimmed them down and adhered it to one of the Journaling Cards from my Clementine Core Kit.

After I took the original photos of my layout this week, I realized I had a screen shot from Jan 24 saved on my desktop. I printed it out on to white cardstock, trimmed it down and slipped it on top of this Clementine Core Kit filler card. I love how it worked out. It often annoys me to "waste" a pocket on a filler card - I have this urge to personalize it or add a cherished photo. "Just" a filler card feels like wasted high value real estate.

Anyone else feel the same way?

This might be my favorite journaling card of the week. Again I used my zig zag/chevron homemade stamp by stamping the image on the top and the bottom of a Project Life Grid Card and by masking the center to save space for my words. To mask the middle, I simply took a scrap of 4x6 photo, laid it across the Grid Card and stamped on top of the card and the photo leaving a crisp straight line. I then used black ink to stamp those words on top of the orange zig zag/chevron pattern. Those alpha stamps were only $1.

Here is another favorite filler card. Again I used a Project Life grid Card. I used some very old rub ons for the word and added with staples some Tim Holtz Filmstrip Ribbon. I LOVE this stuff. Every time I have a good coupon or I find it deeply on sale, I buy some. I think I have 3 or 4 packages of it and I will keep buying it. I don't ever want to run out! It is awesome. I may add more to this card like a simple black outline, but there is something I do like about it so far.

I wanted to highlight the amazing creativity of my oldest son pictured below that card (on the sewing machine). His determination and his creativity and his endless supply of grand ideas amaze and (sometimes) exhaust me. I have to find the right place in this layout to include all of my thoughts. Again to get this post out by my deadline, I had to wait on that.

Here is an extra photo I added on the left hand side of the main layout for this week. I taped on an extra photo pocket with some washi tape I bought in Japan. I didn't get it on totally straight. I may have to re-do or figure out a better technique. Like maybe adhering two smaller pieces like hinges.

And here is the underside.

What I will do differently or more of next week: COMPUTER TEXT on photos. I wanted to do that this week, but I printed my photos out before I realized I forgot!

Continue to add more stories and journaling.

Write down what kids say on a journaling card in that moment, add a date stamp and slide into the day's pocket in the next week of my Project Life Album.

To see all of my Project Life layouts of the past few years, go here.

I'm linking up at The Mom Creative for Project Life Tuesday. Check it out for lots of PL inspiration! Don't know what Project Life is? Go to Becky's blog for more information.

PROJECT LIFE on PINTEREST

Follow my Project Life board on PINTEREST. Leave me a link to your board in the comments and I'll follow you back. I love finding more friends to share inspriation.

Here's a link to my PROJECT LIFE FREEBIES board as well.

PROJECT LIFE WORKFLOW

And for those that are interested, here is a quick summary of my Project Life workflow using Lightroom. Though it would be applicable for lots of other photo organizing software.

My Project Life weeks go from Monday to Sunday

1) Typically throughout the week, I upload my photos into Adobe Lightroom. Before I upload any new photos, I make sure I KEYWORD and RATE (1-3 stars) all of my photos. Lightroom automatically leaves your last group of uploaded photos together until you upload more photos, so it is easy to see if you have finished rating and tagging your photos before you upload more photos.

2) SUNDAY night I make sure all of my photos from the week are uploaded into LIGHTROOM. I make sure all photos from the past week have been tagged with KEYWORDS and RATED with stars.

a) My very favorite photos get rated with 2 or 3 STARS. Photos that I like but aren’t my favorite get a 1 STAR. I use a rating system similar to that taught in Stacy Julian’s FINDING PHOTO FREEDOM class at Big Picture Classes.

b) I tag all photos that are RATED with 2 or 3 STARS. LIGHTROOM makes tagging photos with KEYWORDs (as well as RATING with STARS) super easy. You can KEYWORD and RATE photos in bulk by highlighting a large group and simply typing in your KEYWORD once or simply choosing the number of STARS you want to rate your photos and tapping that key. For RATING photos you do not even have to have your cursor flashing in a cell. Your photo(s) just has to be highlighted and it will automatically be rated with the number you tap.

I KEYWORD at least one photo a day as “POTD” which stands for Photo Of The Day.
The other KEYWORDS I use are peoples’ names, locations, “Photos I love,” etc.

3) I have set-up my LIGHTROOM to create SMART FOLDERS. This means it takes my search criteria (i.e., KEYWORDS & RATINGS & CAPTURE DATE RANGES) and makes folders for me automatically.

I make a COSTCO (or SHUTTERFLY) Photo Center SMART FOLDER each week. Each folder is named 2013 PL365 Week X. The criteria for its photos are: 2 or more STARS, Capture time of one particular week’s date range, KEYWORD: POTD (NOTE: I downloaded free Plug-Ins that allow me to upload photo files from my LIGHTROOM catalog directly to my COSTCO (or SHUTTERFLY) account.

This means that the photos I want are automatically added to these folders, so all I have to do when I’m ready to print, is click on my SMART FOLDER, double check that I have KEYWORDED & RATED all my photos from the week and then click PUBLISH.

4) On Monday, I visit my COSTCO account or SHUTTERFLY account and order the prints for the week. I typically pick up my photos from COSTCO on Monday afternoon. (Though last week they printed them too dark so I’m looking into a local photo developer that should do a great job! Not to mention I have gift bucks for that store from Xmas! Yay!)

5) Then I place my photos into the seven pockets, and keep the others in case I decided to fill the smaller pockets or create an insert.

6) Throughout the week I place memorabilia in the current week’s pockets (the week following the week with printed photos). I put Wednesday’s stuff in Wednesday’s pocket, etc.

This week I felt like working on the floor!

7) I finish my layout by Friday night or Saturday morning and so I can photograph my layout in natural light the next day. My personal deadline is to have my photos ready to post by Monday night to link up at Project Life Tuesday every Tuesday morning. This gives me a day or two extra in case I need it (like this week with a birthday party and special religious milestone).

NOTES: I do not plan out my week ahead of time. I like to put all of my photos in at the same time and move them around as I add journaling cards and other “stuff” so that the album is mostly chronological yet still makes sense and looks pleasing.

Please let me know if you have any questions. How does your workflow differ from mine? Any good tips or tricks you’d care to share??

54 Comments

Loved seeing your Lightroom workflow. Sadly I am taking the majority of my PL photos with my phone so they never make it into Lightroom as I am using Dropbox. The only ones that make it to Lightroom are my DSLR shots. Seeing your workspace makes me glad I am a digi scrapper - lol. I used to be a paper scrapper and I hated cleaning up after my pages were done. I am totally in love with your handwriting - just sayin'.

Posted by: Sue | February 05, 2013 at 07:56

The best camera is the one that is with you! I forget who said that quote, but it is so true. I dont have an iPhone but I go back and forth all the tiem between lugging the DSLR around or taking my small point shoot. RIght now I am lugging the DSLR because I just LOVE the quality. And I hear you about the digi scrapping. I love digi too, but Im a paper girl at heart, so if I put up with the mess. Thanks for stopping by!

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 08:45

We have breakfast for dinner all the time in our house because my husband and I can never agree on anything, so when I first saw your 3x4 card it made me smile. But I really laughed once I saw the close-up of it and that your 8 year old asked for oatmeal for dinner on his birthday. LOL. My almost-8 year old is the same way, though, and always very excited to impress me by making unexpectedly healthy choices. Love how much you documented in this spread :)

Posted by: Kelsey McEvoy | February 05, 2013 at 08:47

Love your pages, your stamps, all the details. Awesome! Thanks for sharing your workflow too. So interesting to see how other people do it.

Posted by: Laurel | February 05, 2013 at 08:50

Looks like a totally fun birthday. Love the idea of a rice crispy birthday cake and of course my kids love breakfast for dinner. We do that a lot :0)

Posted by: Andrea | February 05, 2013 at 11:31

I love the stamps you made and used!

Posted by: Anita | February 05, 2013 at 12:29

great pages!! love your stamps!!!

Posted by: Miriam | February 05, 2013 at 13:29

Love your stamps and your very creative journaling cards! I especially love the birthday one!! :)

Posted by: Candace | February 05, 2013 at 14:23

Love your Project Life. Thought the mini fig picture was great.

Posted by: Heather | February 05, 2013 at 14:27

What a great spread! So many great details! I thought it's interesting that you said that you see the filler cards as waste of space. I just started with PL this year and I actually love having one or two filler cards. It gives my eyes place to rest and also allows me to add something fun to the layout.

Posted by: Maya | February 05, 2013 at 15:16

I totally know what you mean. I agree that it looks more pleasing to the eye to have a place to rest, but I have so much I want to include that I truly have mixed feelings about leaving it as is. And I think the longer I use a kit, I do kind of tire of the patterns and Im not as excited to use them as I was in the beginning.

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:32

Thank you! That was a fun thing to do on a whim.

Thanks! Ive been making an effort to be more creative. Thanks for noticing!

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:34

Thank you! They are a lot of fun.

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:35

Yes, birthday for dinner is definitely something easy that livens up the week.

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:37

Thanks! Yes, I find it interesting too. Ive been wondering how people with iPhones organize theirs. Perhaps when I finally cave and get an iPhone or other smart phone with decent camera, Ill have to explore that topic.

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:39

Thanks! It is nice when they make their own healthy choices, isnt it?

Posted by: Nihao, Cupcake! by Margie | February 05, 2013 at 15:43