my project life hot mess

Yup that's me right now.  I'm at the point where I'm struggling, I'm not liking anything I'm doing and if one more person tells me it's about the memory keeping, I'll huff, haha!  Don't get me wrong, I know it's about memory keeping.  But I'm a crafter first.

I love doing the 6x12 size, at first it worked only now I'm starting to feel it's not big enough.  I don't want to go back to 12x12, because that's just too big, I know this already.  See the dilemma?  Then I started to wonder, stay weekly or go monthly...  I think I'm going to stay with weekly at this stage, I'm just not sure after doing this for 3 years that I can change.  In saying that, if one of my girls has a birthday, or a family event, etc happens to happen and I have more photos of that said event, then that's what's going in that week.  I've always had the thought that I should add events with the everyday, and so I've left out photos I wanted to add.  Honestly that photo of my coffee, there will be another next week, haha.

Over the weekend I wanted to make a decision, do I change?  Stay with the same size?  Maybe project life wasn't for me anymore?  The last thought was never going to happen, so that got crossed off right away. 

After talking it over with Rachel and Jessica, as you do, crafters feel other crafters struggle, haha. I've now got the plan to change to 9x12.  I've used my A Beautiful Mess album for my side project, project 'my' life, here.  So far I've managed to do Feb, March and April [sharing soon].  The size is not too big and by far not too small.  Before deciding I sketched out a few weeks, what would I put where, and already I feel excited and things were laying out much easier, I could fit more in.

I have an order on it's way.  Pages sketched out in my notebook and I'm ready to get into project life 2015 again!  

Have you struggled?

Comments

[Renae]

Good on you!
I'm struggling with mine too; the size, the layouts, the sameness week in week out.. Plus I'm so far behind it's getting overwhelming:/
Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[Lizzy Hill]

sooo feel for you - but good on you sorting what you do / do not want & for getting a plan! Sounds perfect... I do PL monthly - but last month wondered if I shouldn't do it more often.... Anyways, nothing like a change - good as a holiday they say :)!!!!

[mel]

I'm struggling too. to the point I haven't even started. being may I think I will have a break this year. and see how I go down the track. i even went as far as yhrowing all my bh cards in the bin. good luck kellie

[Donna M]

Yes, for sure I've struggled!! Last year I went from 12x12 to 8.5x11 then back to 12x12. I know every year at this time, I get in a rut. The newness of a new start/new year is over. Pre-winter blues... I've been mixing 12x12 and 9x12 lately, but still within a large album. I still like horizontal photos so hoping Becky will do diff 9x12 pages next year and I'll probably just do that size then. Good luck. I'm sure you've already talked through your problems in this post. I say just change it up and see what happens.

[Michelle]

I am struggling a bit right now with Project Life, I am thinking about going towards a monthly approach instead of weekly. At first, the weekly approach helped me organize my photos easier and gave it more structure, but sometimes I get stuck on weeks that don't have too many photos (like right now) and I feel like I need to finish it before moving on. Anyways, I'm excited to see your 9x12 spreads for more inspiration! :)

[Anna]

yes Ive struggled - and it's all due to the same things every year...TIME!
I get behind because there is not enough hours in my day. I have all the photos and notes jotted down but actually getting them into my album is the next thing that I struggle with! BUT I don't want to give it away - because I love looking back on what I HAVE got done so I know that doing this album is so worth it, I want to keep it up!

[Kelly Jean]

I just posted something on a Project Life group about this just the other day! I totally feel like this right now. When I do PL, I just have no time for anything else, and I love to craft. So for now, I've given up on PL. But I will incorporate something, somehow!

[Sue FitzGerald]

Great minds Kellie, I have some 9x12 protectors winging their way to me as we speak (well I hope so anyway) I'll also use my faux fuse tool to create a few pockets out of some old 12x12 protectors. The beauty of doing seasonal albums is that I can change the style every three months without feeling guilty,lol.I ditched the whole weekly thing a while ago, just didn't work for me and as the kids got older I had less photos so now it's more as something happens or when I have time. I still include the every day but just not every day, ha.

[Cindy koning]

What are you going to do with what you have made already? Changevit to the new size? Keep it like it is and just start from here in a new album? Those are the questions that always stop me from changing once I have started. Ilast year I started a PL 'for me' in a 6x8, but stopped after about 4 months ( Life just git to busy). Now I wonder what to do with what i did make, cause the album is not even half full.... Crafting is hard, LOL!

[cinback]

I love that you are willing and open to just change it up mid-stream! So brave. Stay true to yourself!

[Emily]

Ok, so my latest album is almost full and I'm thinking of going from 12x12 to 9x12, but where do you get your page protectors? Studio Calico? Does BH have any besides Design G?

[Kellie Winnell]

Do you have the BH app Renae? I know that while I'm often behind, who isn't right? The app is a major help for me to go back to.

[Kellie Winnell]

Hahaha they do say that, I hope it works. I hope you sort out if you want to do monthly or other and don't feel that struggle you are going through. xx

[Kellie Winnell]

Oh wow that's a huge step throwing them all away, and yet I know exactly why, been there. Although I didn't throw them all out, haha, just half my craft room haha!

Sometimes people need the break to want to get back into it. I hope you do go back again Mel, but it's what works for you xx

[Kellie Winnell]

Thank you Cindy. I don't usually like such a BIG change, as I like thing to match up etc, but I just knew it wasn't working the way I had planned it. xx

[Kellie Winnell]

I got my first lot from A Beautiful Mess and this time as they were sold out and I was told the PP can fit, I have purchased them from Studio Calico this time. I don't think so Emily, BUT I could be wrong. If she doesn't, I don't think it will be long before she does!

[Kellie Winnell]

You know Cindy I'm not sure. I am thinking of just leaving them in the album they are in. I think once I get started I will tackle that issue. If I want to leave them, re-do them to 9x12 or ???.

If you wanted to start up your project for me album again for 2015 why not do it in the same album? Add a new cover and a tab or something to keep them separate? I've almost been thinking to do this for my December Daily from last year that I still need to finish, but even finished, I almost think I could fit another in?

Haha crafting can be hard right? Yet I love talking about it. xx

[Kellie Winnell]

I really love the idea of a seasonal album Sue! Like you I do hope my PP are making their way to me as I type, in fact arriving tomorrow would be great, right before the weekend, haha!

I sometimes ask Kira if she has any photos I can use. It's great to get her side of the story in the album in a way and often when I'm stuck for a photo, I know she'll have a selfie or 20, hahaha, kidding, 10 :P

xx

[Kellie Winnell]

Oh wow really? At the end of the day you have to do what is working for you. PL doesn't have to be done every year and often it can become draining. I hoping my changes will help me, or I'm not sure what I'll do. I love crafting, I love project life, but it's all meant to be FUN and not stressful right?

[Kellie Winnell]

Anna sometimes I set myself a challenge, sometimes I announce it on my FB page or my IG that this is what I want to finish. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. But it's a good way to try and jump start yourself I find? Might not work for you, but just throwing ideas out there for you xx

[Kellie Winnell]

I absolutely get what you mean 110%. The can't move on until this week is done, regardless. Sometimes I might have 3 photos, this is something I am going to try and work around and see what ideas I can come up with to still fill my week up, but not just because I had to.

Good luck with your project life. I hope that you figure out weekly or monthly. I guess it's something you can always test out and see how you feel about it? No harm in trying right? xx

[Kellie Winnell]

YES I totally think it has something to do with the colder weather Donna. I think around this time last year, maybe a little more into winter, we had a lot of things going on personally, but I also wasn't feeling my album and skipped a few months that I later went back and finished. You might be onto something. You would think winter would make it easier to rug up and stay inside crafting, but often it doesn't?

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Donna xx

[Cody Doll]

Ohhh. It's so hard to figure out which size isn't it? I tried 12x12. Well. At least I thought I tried by now I realized maybe it was my style more then the size. Guess it's time to experiment.