8 steps to complete your Project Life spread - the start to finish process

As I’m working on catching up with my Project Life albums, I’ve settled into a process that works pretty well for me.

I’ve come to realize that the more I keep things simple, the easier it is for me to get things done quickly. And since the aim of the game is to get it done, simple is definitely the way to go here.

As you might remember me mentioning previously, I work in batches to complete my Project Life pages. This method continues to work really well for me and helps to keep me sane amidst all the catching up I need to do.

My step-by-step process is fairly brief because really, each step could have it’s own specific, detailed post too . So I won’t bore you with too many words.

But in a broad sweep, here’s how I get it done:

Project Life process overview

1. Upload photos to your computer

2. Sort photos into respective folders on your computer.

I sort mine based on year > week. So 2016 > week1-4to10Jan. Because I document weekly, this photo organization system works really well for me. If you scrap based on a different format, a monthly or event-type system may work better for you. (This could be a whole new post of its own!)

3. Use a Project Life sketch template.

Assign pockets to photos, journaling cards, memorabilia, and anything else to include in the spread for that week.

If you’re anything like me and like collecting memorabilia, check out this post if you need help organizing your memorabilia. Seriously, using a sketch/template to plan out my spread first saves me so much time later on.

4. Decide on photos.

Choose which photos you want to include for that week and copy them into a separate folder. I usually do this simultaneously with step 3 as I plan my spread.

5. Edit photos in your software of choice.

Previously, I used to alternate between Photoshop and Picasa to edit my photos, depending on what I needed and how quickly. Lately, I’ve started editing almost exclusively on Photoshop and have been really into these Paislee Press photo templates as well. Create photo collages if needed. (See this post for creating collages without using Photoshop.)

6. Print photos.

These photos go to an external printer at the mall where I signed up for a printing package.

7. Scrapbook photos.

Add photos to your pocket pages as determined earlier in your Project Life template. The template is just a guide, so feel free to move things around if you need to. This is the time to play and have fun! Add embellishments, pretty paper… Fancy it up as much as you like or keep it simple – it’s totally up to you!

8. Add journaling.

Whether you hand-write or print it, journal your thoughts or weekly review. (I haven’t been too consistent with this one this year, but I’m trying to keep up!). Don’t forget to add a title card if you need one!

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For me, the most challenging part of this entire process is actually sorting through photos, deciding which ones to print, and editing them before I finally send them to print. That is probably my least favorite part of the entire process.

But working in batches helps me to get some of the less fun parts out of the way so I can move on to the “creative” part of scrapbooking that I enjoy more.

Of course, doing one or two weeks at a time is a lot easier than doing it in bulk. But when you’re catching up, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Generally, I try to break up the process into batches. So here’s a brief timeline of how this might look overall:

Day	Time	Task
Monday	1 evening	Upload photos onto computer + sort photos (Step 1 + 2) Bonus: If time permits, start planning your spreads and moving photos (Step 3 + 4)
Tuesday and Wednesday	2 days	Keep planning spreads until you’re done! (Steps 3 + 4)
Thursday and Friday	2 days	Edit photos (Step 5) Note: Step 3 to 5 typically take the longest time to complete so I might split this time over several evenings, or one entire afternoon if I get the chance.
Saturday	1 evening	Send your photos to print and try to wait patiently to get them back. (Step 6)
Sunday	1 day	The fun part – scrapbook your photos! (Step 7) This step can take as long or short as you want it to, depending on how much detail or embellishing you would like to add.
Monday	1 day	Almost there! Add the finishing touches with journaling and a title card for your whole spread (Step 8).