This post is third in a series on how we keep and record memories.  You can check out the main page for links to all the posts!

I first heard the words “Project Life” from Delightful Learning. Michelle’s album pictures are gorgeous, so I went onto Becky Higgins‘ site to check out this amazing and simple way of recording pictures and memories.  This system blew me away.

Now, the background: I was a hardcore scrapbooker and I have three full albums completed from. before. I had kids. I have massive amounts of scrapbooking stuff. I made these beautiful albums while dating my now-husband and I am grateful for them.  I love my albums and cherish them, but I will never have time to do that intricate scrapbooking again.  And nor would I waste my time on it either!

{This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.} 

What is Project Life?

So now that I don’t have time to scrapbook — not taping, gluing, bradding, ribboning, cutting for me.  What could I do?  Buy those {ugly} big photo albums that our parent’s all have and keep?  Certainly not in this day and age.

Project Life is a beautiful memory keeping system.  You need an album, page protectors, a Project Life kit {which includes adorable themed cards to fill in empty slots}, your pictures, and a pen.  Now, I can put all the little papers and cards that I have been keeping, practically effortlessly!  My first Project Life album is our Family Compilation Album.  It started with pictures of my husband and I in our dating {and much better looking} years, and went on through our wedding, pregnancy, and to our son, and now our daughter.  It is a snapshot of us.  It includes church bulletins, Baptismal records, cards I want to keep, all of it fits in the page protectors.  It is so, so beautiful!!

Here is a quick shot of some of my Core Edition Kits and Mini Kits.  As you can see…. I like to get a little bit of everything.  I have way too much {don’t tell my husband}.  I need to stop purchasing, but the themes are way too beautiful!!

This is easy. You buy an album, a big pack of page protectors, another pack of other sized protectors for those pamplets, bulletins, etc that you want to keep, an edition of beautiful cards, and a pen, and your pictures!

album + page protectors + core kit + pictures + pen

Dreamy Edition Core KitDaydreamer and Merry & Bright Mini KitsHappy Edition Core Kit
Themed Cards: Girl and Fall

Project Life supplies I currently use:

You can purchase from Amazon, Becky Higgins’ site, Michael’s, or Hobby Lobby.  Different places have different sales, so make sure to check around!!

Project Life page protectors {I primarily use Design A and Design D and Design H, — we also use Design B and Design F and 5×7 vertical, 5×7 horizontal, and 8 1/2 by 11 pages — but there are many designs to choose from : all of my page protectors are kept in a simple white 3-ring binder}

12 x 12 Album

Olive Edition Core Kit {our family album} {which is on sale for $10 at Amazon right now!!}

Jade Edition Core Kit {my son’s album}

Happy Edition Core Kit {my son’s album)

5th & Frolic Edition Core Kit {my daughter’s album – available only at Michael’s – a mini kit giveaway is below!}

Dreamy Edition Core Kit {for my daughter’s album – available now at Michael’s!}

Mini Kits: Baby for Her, Baby for Him, Seasons, Holidays, Flea Market, Daydreamer {this one’s my favorite for little girls!!}, Merry & Bright

Themed Cards: Girl, Fall, Christmas

Corner rounder for photos {I don’t use this every time, but ideally, I’d like to}

Black pens {my favorite pen of all time}

Here is our family album

I chose classic black, which I love.

Creating a family project life album

I chose the absolutely gorgeous Olive Edition for our family’s Project Life album. This couldn’t be any more beautiful or more “me”! I love the greens and browns and now that I have a daughter, I love love love PINK! I don’t add any frills because, again, I don’t have time, and all my scrapbooking supplies ought to just be donated.  {I also used the Olive Edition for my Israel Project Life album, if you’re interested to see!}

So, my album will most likely last about ten years at this rate.  I add a couple of pictures per season, and perhaps per month if I have extras laying around from my children’s Project Life albums.  I include my favorites, but I don’t put pressure on myself to put them all in!   I will continue to make my every-six-months Shutterfly albums.  Others use Project Life as a 52-week project, namely, two pages per week; I just don’t have that time to upload and print out all those pictures, but that sounds lovely.

I’ve included my birth stories, my breastfeeding stories, and anything else that is pertinent to our lives, anything I want to remember.  This is where my blog comes in — I print out any pertinent parenting or schooling posts that I write and put them into 8 1/2 by 11 sheet protectors so I have what I’ve written in paper form!!

Here are some pages to illustrate:

And here are some of my “before” scrapbook pages.  I love these albums and I’m so glad I made them!!  Just no time for them anymore!!

5th & Frolic Mini Kit Giveaway!

The 5th & Frolic Edition is only available at Michael’s.  And I think that it was only a limited edition.  I wanted to offer a mini kit of this larger edition here on the blog.  You can use these cards to make an album, or you can use them for little notes or reminder cards!

All of the cards are included : 20 4×6 cards and 2 each of all the 3×4 cards to make 100 cards total!  {Mini Kits of the same size sell for $14.99.}

Enter at the Rafflecopter below.  This giveaway opens Tuesday, October 14th at 6am EST and closes Friday, October 24th at 11:59pm EST.  Please see terms and conditions.
a Rafflecopter giveaway