How I’m doing Project Life in 2015 | Free Page Planner Printable

Jan 13, 2015 | Freebies, Planning & Doing, Project Life | 19 comments

Hey paper nerd!

I’ve recently started my 4th year of Project Life and have hopefully found a way to approach it that I can keep up all year.

I wanna share my 2015 Project Life plan with you guys. I also want to share a free printable further down. You may skip to that or keep reading. Here’s what’s up. :)

Stuff I’m using

6×8 Snap Album in Brown by Simple Stories. I love how the album is very compact and doesn’t stick out way beyond the pages in it. I used the exact same album in my 2013 Project Life.
3×4 pocket page protectors, 3×4 + 4×6 page protectors and a few other styles. The Simple Stories page protectors are SO yummy. Clear and thick. They don’t bulge, flop around and shift alot like fx. Handbook page protectors (sorry, SC).
Week Numbers Cards by yours truly. Both the Black & White, Mermaids and Tide editions. Mermaids may be my new fave.
Printable cards from my own designs, Paislee Press, One Little Bird, Digital Design Essentials and others. I especially love using these basics.
Labels and other flat-ish embellishments, like these neat XOXO Cut Outs, chipboard hearts and wood veneer.
iPhone 5 for taking all my photos.
The PicTapGo app for editing my photos. I love the Lights On, Auto Color and Air filters.
The Collect app for iPhone for my photo cards and most of my journaling. I’m using the Annette card design. LOVE this app. I probably wouldn’t be able to do Project Life without it.
Photoshop for PC for dumping my photos into a homemade 4×6 template so I can print them easily.
Canon Pixma MP640 printer for photos and digital card designs. It’s not an outstanding, fancy printer but it’s been running fine for years and does a good job. It can print on both sides which is a big plus for me.
Uniball Pin File Line 0.1 black pen. Gotta have a skinny black pen.

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My opening page is incredibly simple. And I put it there because I’m not entirely happy with the title page coming right after. This way I don’t have to see that weird title page every time I open the album. :)

I wanted to take a great photo of the three of us to put on the title page but I was sick for the last few days of 2014 and it just didn’t happen. So I grabbed a great recent photo of my two lovelies and called it a day.

I may change the title page at some point. I kind of think it’s over-embellished (yes, really).

And so it begins. Week 1 of 2015. A few words and some photos. I was happy to include myself already. Kept it super simple, bright and colorful.

See how the photo cards I made in Collect just makes everything look good? So good. And that confetti card makes me happy!

My Project Life approach

As you can tell I’m not doing weekly spreads. I’m just putting the cards in more or less chronologically. I add a Week Number Card every time the week changes.

I’m also doing square corners only. I’m kind of pooped that I can’t use my Studio Calico cards, We R cards or Becky Higgins cards but I just can’t go for the round corners again. I so prefer the hard grid the squares provide.

So far I’ve been editing photos almost every day in PicTapGo and adding journaling to them immediately in Collect. As long as I have photos and journaling ready on my phone I won’t get too off track.

Every 2-4 days I’m printing photos and sticking them in pockets. It’s crucial for me to get to the actual physical creating stage. It keeps me excited and motivated!

In the very back of my album I’ve put some Pocket Scrap Planner Pages in case I fall behind. More on that below. :)

Free Pocket Scrap Planner Pages

To help me catch up, if/when I’m gonna need it, I’ve created these simple Pocket Scrap Planner Pages.

Note: A5 versions are designed to print on a sheet of A4 paper, then cut down the middle so you get two copies. Halfletter versions are designed to print on a sheet of Letter size paper, then cut down the middle so you get two copies.

The Pocket Scrap Planner Pages fit nicely in a 6×8 pocket. I’ve stuck a handful in the back of my Project Life album so they’re handy when I need it.

When I’m missing a week I’ll simply take a full 6×8 pocket page and put the Pocket Scrap Planner Page as well as some photos and elements I want to use in it. I’ll then stick the pocket in the album where there’s a week missing.

I also discovered that the A5 Filofax hole punch makes the printables fit perfectly in 6×8 albums (at least my Simple Stories album) and 12×12 albums (at least my We R Memory Keepers album). See below. How cool is that!

I’m really excited for Project Life this year. I may finally have boiled the process down to where I can keep it up. (And I’m so gonna eat my own words when baby arrives and everything is chaos – haha!) For now I’m feeling good about it.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding Project Life. I’m always happy to share!

Have fun with your Project Life, if that’s your jam too. If not, have fun with Actual Life. ;)

Thanks for stopping by.

xo Nina

19 Comments

Tanyalee on January 14, 2015 at 00:33

Hi Nina
I’m loving your approach. I’ve been tempted to change to a 6×8 album. I don’t do my layouts weekly or monthly though. Pretty much just events/themes and I’m not sure whether 6×8 would work for me. I still can’t make up my mind so haven’t even started 2015 yet (or finished 2014!)
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Lauren on January 14, 2015 at 00:39

OH MAN!! These planners are perfect! Ill be printing tons of them TODAY! Thanks so much friend! Im doing 6×8 too and I cant wait to get started :)
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Havok on January 14, 2015 at 02:57

Stuffing your page plan and all your images and embellishments in a page is brillaint! Everything ready to go when there’s actually time to get to it!
I love the Mermaid week cards as well – those colors are amazing!
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kat78 on January 14, 2015 at 03:47

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kat78 on January 14, 2015 at 03:49

hahaaa…emoticons don’t work…(-8

i wrote: did you paint those watercolor cards yourself in the second to last picture? they are GORGEOUS!!!! (;
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Caylee on January 14, 2015 at 09:54

HAHA. Actual Life? What is that? Project Life 2.0?

So excited for your PL this year, and those are some GREAT planning pages.
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Suzu on January 14, 2015 at 19:46

Thanks for sharing the planner pages. I’m kinda new to Project Life and want to fill a 6 x 8 album in 2015. The planner pages sure will help and it’s perfect that they fit into my filofax!
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- Nina Christensen on February 10, 2015 at 21:48
  
  Thanks so much for your sweet comment. :) I’m happy these pages can help you make Project Life happen in 2015. Good luck and have fun!
  
  xo Nina
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Dani on January 28, 2015 at 19:12

thanks for sharing your approach, your pages and planners, I guess you made me fell hopeful I can finally start and stick to pocket scrapping. I’ll use your planners. Thanks for sharing.
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Theresa on July 29, 2015 at 20:02

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your approach to PL! You said you print your photos yourself. Do you have 3×4 photo paper or do you trim them yourself? If so how do you trim them? Thanks
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Dawn F on August 27, 2015 at 23:46

Thank you for this post! On your recommendation, today I bought a SNAP 6×8 binder/starter pack and did my first pocket page. :) I love it. I keep following my kids around and showing it to them, trying to get SOMEONE to appreciate my little details, LOL. I also used a square photo for a 3×4 pocket using that Polaroid style you have in one of the photos above. That’s brilliant! Thank you for this inspiration. <3
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- Nina Christensen on August 27, 2015 at 23:51
  
  Oh Dawn, thank YOU. :) I’m so happy you felt inspired and got started. Don’t worry, in a few months the kids will think it’s fun to see themselves in “older” photos. Keep it up! You’re inspiring me to give my catching up a little boost again. They should call it Project Always-Behind, haha! :) xo
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Sandra on February 2, 2016 at 21:51

That’s a really great way of sticking with it and I love your first few pages! We have a baby on the way, too and I’m curious how that’s going to change everything! I have a hard time keeping up with my Project Life and I am doing a monthly approach anyway. Ahhh! :D
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Val on April 9, 2016 at 17:27

Thank you so much for sharing the downloads. I love your approach.
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- Nina Christensen on April 9, 2016 at 19:49
  
  I’m happy you like it. Enjoy! :) xo Nina
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Renae on October 26, 2016 at 23:09

I just randomly stumbled on this post via a google image search and am so glad I did. I am behind this year and need to simplify and with your printers and simpler approach I think I can do this! I’m a fan of the Collect app too. I love the white space it brings to layouts.
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- Nina Christensen on October 28, 2016 at 10:02
  
  Hi Renae! Thanks for stopping by my blog. :) I’m happy you enjoyed the blog post and I hope you’ll get some momentum with your Project Life. Often it’s all about getting started and just keeping on going for as long as you can. Setting aside a chunk of time can really work wonders. Good luck!
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Melanie on December 12, 2016 at 18:19

Hi would you be able to take a moment and explain how you print those Polaroid style photos. I understand that you do the journaling in Collect and you print yourself. But do you just print your photo with Collect journaling right onto white card stock? Thanks so much
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- Nina Christensen on December 15, 2016 at 12:12
  
  Hi Melanie!
  
  I export the photos from Collect and they come straight into my Dropbox with captions and white borders. Then all I do is drag them into an A4 sized canvas in Photoshop and place them so I get as many as possible on one sheet. Then I print that entire sheet of photos on glossy photo paper and cut them out on my paper trimmer. :)
  
  I hope this answers your question. Always feel free to ask – happy to help.
  xo Nina
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