Day By Day | Mix It Up

I'm so excited to share my newest class, Day by Day | Mix It Up, with you today! This class is all about my process for creating Project Life mini albums and books!!  If you've been wanting to get started with mini albums, or just want to learn some new and unique ways to create your books, I hope you will join me!!

I'll be putting together a 4x4 mini album in this class stuffed full of photos, extras, interactive bits and more!!  I love mini albums and this 4x4 size is my very favorite! It's an easy size to start and finish, and you can use 4x6 or 4x4 photos, which is always a plus for me!!

I'll be using the class kit + a few extras for my album and I hear the kit is selling fast, so add it to your cart if you are interested! 

Here's a little bit about the class from the Studio Calico site:

DAY BY DAY | MIX IT UP

Looking for a way to refresh your everyday memory keeping? Stephanie Bryan inspires you to think outside your normal way of documenting by showing how she records her year using a variety of albums! From how she selects each album to the cool techniques she uses inside, you’ll get to see her entire process for putting together stylish books that document all of those favorite everyday moments.

Bundle and save! Purchase all four of our 2016 Day by Day Workshops with one click! To find out more about the Day by Day Workshop Bundle, click here.

This workshop is enrolling through May 1st at 3:00pm EST and content will be available starting April 15th

Hope to see you in class!!  

xoxo

A Recap: My 2015 Project Life Book Project

Oh man that's a lot of books!!  Will you just look at all of those memories?

I can't believe that this project is done and finished. Each album really was a labor of love, but looking back through all of the memories and stories recorded, there's not ONE thing I would change about the process.  I loved being able to try something new every month. It kept this year-long project doable and fun. Printing still is my nemesis, but having these photos off of my camera is pure happiness.  

If you're thinking about tackling a project similar to this, here are some things I learned this past year!

1. Always start with an album size. There were many months where I really struggled and went back and forth on an album size. If I would have just picked one and moved forward, it would have saved me so much time.  So pick your album size, run with it and don't look back! You always have next month to change things up!

2. Print your photos first. As soon as I selected my album size, I started printing my photos. I typically printed mine altogether towards the end of the month (or the beginning of the next month). I found it much easier to batch print, than to try to print throughout the month.  As far as photo size was concerned, I always printed a variety, but made sure my largest photo was the size of my album (6x8, 4x6, 4x4, etc....).  The double spread photos were usually printed last after I started putting my album together.

3. Don't overthink your book or your pages. Seriously. I can't stress this enough (and I'm totally guilty of this and am mainly talking to myself here, lol). When it's all said and done, that one page you spent so much time worrying about, or thinking about, will just be a page in an awesome book you put together.  So don't overthink the process. Just do it!

4. Cut down your ephemera. I trimmed all of my cards, artwork, programs, etc.. to whatever sized album I was using for the month. Remember, it's better to cut it down and put it in an album than to "save" it for another day (which likely means it will never make an appearance again).

5. Repeat your favorite size!  If you are trying to do a new book every month, then you will mostly likely repeat a size. That's totally fine!!  The 4x4 (and 6x6) size was by far my favorite and it made it's appearance three times last year. This size was very easy to work with and was very simple to put together. This size definitely took out a lot of the guesswork when it comes to what to put where/what to put in a pocket etc...  Find what works for you and go for it! There are definitely no rules with this project!

6. Shop your stash. I moved through so many products last year and I am SO grateful for that! I am the world's worst hoarder, so it was tempting to hold onto stuff at times, but I am so thankful that I made myself use it! I actually appreciate the card/album/paper more seeing it used rather than sitting in my stash! 

And if you are BORED out of your mind and want to listen to me for two hours, well, here ya go! All 12 videos for your viewing pleasure! ;)  Thank you to everyone who followed along with this fun adventure! The process was fantastic, but having these completed albums is truly the icing on the cake!!  

My December Daily 2015

Hello!!  Today, I thought I would share a look at the rest of my December Daily/Project Life album! This is the FINAL book in my 2015 Project Life series and I really can't believe that this project is over. Each album is truly a treasured keepsake... And just looking back through all of our photos, I am just SO shocked at how quickly my kids have grown and changed.  The days may seem long, but wow, the years are short! 

For December, I decided to combine my book to include both our daily activities, as well as our Christmas events.  The beginning of the album is more "day-to-day" stuff, and the end of the album is more Christmas-y stuff (which is basically how our month went). 

I used a 4x4 album that I had in my stash and I just LOVE this size. I know I've said it a zillion times before, but if you are on the fence about wanting to create a mini album, this size is the perfect size! Promise!  I kept the pages super simple and easy, and as you will see in the walk-through video and photos below, repetition is the key to finishing!  

I've shared pages 5-14 in another blog post, but below is a walk-through video of the entire album (excluding days 1-4 which were part of the 25 Days class at Studio Calico)!  Enjoy!!

Have I mentioned I really love this size??? :) Thank you SO much for following along with me this past year! 2015 is fully recorded and really is such peace of mind knowing that my photos are OFF of my phone and computer!  Tomorrow, I'll be back to share with you some of the things I learned this year. If you have any burning questions, just leave me a comment here and I'll be sure to answer them tomorrow!! Yay!

December Daily 2015 - Days 5-14

All of my previous December Daily albums have been the 6x8 inch size, so I was really excited to switch things up a little this year.  I've had this gorgeous 4x4 album from Jamaica Edgell for years, so I pulled it out of my stash and decided to give the smaller size a go this season.

While I do LOVE square photos, I was really really worried that I wouldn't be able to "fit" all of our photos in this book.  But, thankfully, there was nothing to worry about!!  This size is just SO fun and so very easy to work with!  As you'll see from my pages below, I've kept this album VERY simple - usually a large 4x4 photo paired with a 4x4 journaling card (the Studio Calico 25 Days class kit has been perfect for this album)!

Day 5

I've still managed to add in lots of fun extras, like envelopes, tags, journaling cards and more.  Like in all of my albums, the "extras" are my favorite.

Day 5

Day 6

Each day, I print out my photo for the day (or a photo collage), pick out a coordinating journaling card, type my journaling (or maybe handwrite it), punch my holes and add it into my album.

Day 7

The smaller size definitely makes this project manageable for me right now. Things are busy, and keeping up with a big 6x8 album isn't in the cards for me now.  This repetitive size takes out all of the guesswork about what size photos to print, how many to print, etc...

Day 8

I'm using a mix of old December Daily kits and new December kits (as well as the SC class kit too) throughout my book.  Pulling out my older Christmas supplies ranks right up there with Christmas morning to me!

Day 9

For this day, Anna "stole" some of the journaling cards from the DD mini kit and starting drawing and writing.  I thought they were the perfect addition to the album. There's just something so magical about seeing her little Christmas tree, her spelling and her list in the book.  THIS is what a December Daily is all about to me.  

Day 10

Another simple day here with a photo (and a really cute "deer") and a 4x4 journaling card. Simple and easy!

Day 11

I didn't have a photo for this past Friday, so I decided to write a little about our day and snuggling on the couch to watch The Polar Express together.  I perused google and found a good image of the movie poster and printed it out onto a 4x4 piece of photo paper.  Ironically, this page is actually my kiddos favorite page...go figure. 

Day 12

We spent most of the day on Saturday either out running errands and shopping, or out playing at the park (Christmas picnic and all), so I created a little stitched pocket using my 4x4 photo and a 4x4 journaling card. Inside of the pocket is a "12" tag with my journaling written on the back .

Day 13

Yep. Simple and easy here again.

A "Sunday best" photo and some notes about our day. 

Day 14

Day 14 would pretty much be called a "photo shoot gone wrong". Between a dog who was DETERMINED to stand in front of me and two kids who had the giggles, we ended up with more out-takes than actually "good" photos, but I'm totally ok with that.  Since I had so many, I decided to create two collages of four photos and then pair them side-by-side for this day.  Have I ever mentioned that I love collages??

And that's a look at my book so far (the first 5 days are a part of the Studio Calico 25 Days class, so if you are taking that class, hop in there and check out my lessons)!

Are you doing a December album this year??  How is your book coming along? I know it's a lot of work, but honestly, this project is priceless. We all love looking back at the memories and moments I've captured over the years. And my, oh my, how fast these little ones grow up.

xoxo

November Project Life Album

Hey there!!  I'm over on the Studio Calico blog today sharing a look at my November Project Life album. I'm currently working on my December book, and very soon I will have twelve completed albums documenting our year. This project has been a labor of love, but it has been so rewarding. I can't wait to do a recap post in a few weeks with some of my thoughts and feelings about these albums and this project!

This book includes a lot of similar elements from all of my previous albums - double spread photos, layers, altered page protectors, paper clips and more!  Once I FINALLY decide on an album size, the putting together part usually comes quickly and easily!  

And here is a quick walk through video of the finished album!  As always, thank you SO much for following along this year-long memory keeping journey with me.  It's been fun and so very rewarding to have these moments captured and documented. 

xoxo

October Project Life Album - Part I

Another month, another treasured album!

When I started this project in January, I wasn't really sure if I would make it all year.  It's not a "difficult" project per se, but it does take time and effort to print, organize, document, etc.  Sadly, memory keeping is an easy to project to move down your ever growing to-do list, right?  Laundry, activities, homework all seem to take center stage.  But I'm committed and really determined to finish up this year strong.  Looking back through my books, I've noticed that the more recent books have become all about the words and photos (which I'm totally ok with).  The beginning of the year includes more creative ideas and processes (like vellum photos, pockets, creative journaling). 

I don't think there is a "right or wrong" when it comes to memory keeping.  I find, for me, that I like to print my photos and get them into place and then go from there with journaling and extras.  Usually, by the time I've printed, I'm already running out of steam so adding in lots of extras hasn't been in the cards the last few months!

This month, I went with a 4x6 sized album that I had in my stash.  Using up my supplies has been awesome.  I've used more products, printed more photos and written more words this year than in years past with the 12x12 Project Life size.

And here you can see a little walk through of my album!  Hope you enjoy it!!

September Project Life Album - Part I

As the year has gone, I've worried each month about being able to try something fun and new with this project.  That was pretty much my main goal for starting this monthly albums this past January.  I was kind of tired with the normal 12x12 Project Life pages, but still wanted to document our days and our memories.  

I love creating mini albums, so it was pretty much an easy decision when it came to creating albums every month.  And every month I stress about the size and how to do something "new", and then every month I fall in love with a different sized/type of album.

This month, I chose to use a Travelers Notebook for our memory keeping.  I have a few of these pretties, but mainly have used them for lists, notes, etc.  I hadn't merged the two yet.  Now I am SO glad I did.

The Travelers Notebook is the perfect little "album" for creating a mini album.  The base pages are white and clean and are already bound together (and super score that you can create your own inserts and pages).

I'm over on the Studio Calico blog today sharing a look at our September in the Travelers Notebook.  This month is by far my favorite.  I love how compact and simple this album - how the photos take the center stage and really pop from those white pages.  

In this month's video, I talk about some of my different tips and tricks for working with the Travelers Notebook, so be sure to check it out!!  Thanks so much for letting me share these monthly albums with you!  As the year comes to a close, I'm just so grateful that I have these books and all of these memories recorded.

July Project Life Album - Part II

Today, I thought I would share a few more spreads from my July Project Life album.  You can see photos and a walk-through video of the first part of my book here.  

This fun album (which is a binder that I picked up from good ole Target) is so darn fun.  If you watched the video, you heard me say that I altered some of my 6x8 page protectors just slightly (by trimming off the edge with the punched holes) to fit into this album.  I love the effect that the pages with the trimmed edges have.  It's more of a seamless look (which is why I love the double spread photos and collages).

For the majority of these spreads, I used the Brimfield Project Life kits from Studio Calico.  Love the softer colors and beautiful florals in this kit.  The colors all coordinated so well and really popped in the spreads. 

I'm continuing to try to add more words and stories with my photos.  It's a work in progress for sure!!

And I can't have a Project Life spread without a pretty collage.  Even though most of these photos have been printed and added to this book, it's still so fun to see them all grouped together!

For the last spread of this July album, I added a full page photo of Anna and a writing sample from her.  She's officially a first grader and I couldn't resist getting her sweet faces and her sweet stories down in this book.  That's what Project Life is all about anyway, right?