Pixels to Pages

TWENTY22 FAMILY YEARBOOK: CHAPTER ONE (+video tutorial)

Today I am excited to share the January pages from my 2022 family yearbook. Chapter 1 consists of a title page, three double-page spreads, and an end page with a QR code for the January video I created in the One Second Everyday App

Pages we’re created using the following products/apps:

• The Project Life App
• Affinity Photo for iPad
• The Creative Cloud Express App (formerly called Adobe Spark Post)
• My Chapters January Kit
• 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks + Cards Kit
• Fonts: The Brande & Lotaline, Barlow Condensed, Pirates, Archer Pro (journaling)

Title page was Created by using the Design W template in the Project Life app. One of the title cards from the Chapters of January kit was placed in the center placeholder. Other placeholders were filled with the white card found in the Neutral Kit in the app. Shadows were turned off on this page.

The first spread of each chapter will always have the Calendar card from the January Chapters Kit on the left-hand side just as you see in this photo. I listed a few of the chapter highlights in the journal space below the calendar. The 3x4 filler card on the left-hand side is actually 4x6 in size but it fit very nicely in this place holder. On the right-hand side of the spread the 3 x 4 journal card you see with the January title is from my 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks and Cards Kit. 

The second double-page spread uses the 4x3 journal card from the Chapters January Kit. I placed it in 3x4 placeholders, then using the photo editing tool, I rotated it to a vertical orientation. The two journal cards you see with the purple border are ones I created directly in the Project Life app! At the end of this post you’ll find a link to a 20-minute video tutorial demonstrating how you can set up your own journal card templates in the app using digital papers you have purchased from outside sources! The 4x6 photo with the two dogs was created in Creative Cloud Express (formerly Adobe Spark Post). It’s a template I created in the app a long time ago. I use it over and over again and just switch out the photos. Once it was exported, I dropped it into the 4x6 placeholder on my PL template, then I used several text boxes to add the journaling and the word art title on the photo!

I couldn’t be happier with the way the third spread turned out. On the left I used Editorial Template Set 1A No. 1. On the left I used the Big Shot 20 template. I’m not one to use a lot of purple in my albums, but man! I seemed to have been drawn to that color from the kit this month!  All of the filler cards were created directly within the placeholders on the page using several text boxes. I just love this spread!

And finally the last page simply has the 4x4 card meant for a QR Code. Scan the code with the phone on your mobile device and you can view the short movie created with the One Second Everyday App! I used the Affinity Photo app to place the QR Code on the card, exported it to my camera roll, then added the card to the center placeholder in the Design Q template, with the shadows turned off. I originally had thought I was going use the bokeh pattern paper in the placeholders on either side of the card, but I changed my mind. I love all the white space. In my album, this will be placed opposite of my February Title page.

January is done! Looking forward to February keep these dates in mind when taking pictures throughout the month. The graphic below shows the National Days that will be represented in the Chapters February kit! You can expect that kit to be released sometime during the week of February 14.

Below is the video tutorial I mentioned earlier in the post. If you are wanting to learn even more advanced techniques when using the Project Life App, the Memories Matter classes can help! Click the links below for more information!

Memories Matter

Memories Matter Project Life Design Series

 

2020 Family Yearbook : August Pages

Hey guys–thanks do much for stopping by to take a peek at my August pages. These actually came together fairly quickly. So let's take a look:

I'm still continuing to use my Monthly Journal Block cards to tell the majority of my stories (you can find them in my shop here). I'm actually finding that I run out of room sometimes on these big blocks! But I love to "talk!" I don't want to decrease the font size any smaller than what I have now. I have to remember that these pages are going to be printed in 10x10 albums, and I want the text to be legible. But for any additional stories I need to tell, I can put it on a journal card like I did here on the left side where I shared a little story about these chocolate chip cookies. 

August is the beginning of birthday season in the Sill household and it continues through September. Our son Dustin, my dad, Chris's brother, and Elsie, my great niece. She just turned 5 and had a birthday party at Dinosaur World in Plant City, Florida. I shared the story in the big journal block on the first spread. If it wasn't for that Journal Block, I wouldn't have been able to use all of these photos on one side of the spread. One of those pictures would have been replaced by a journal card. This is why I love trying to keep all of the journaling condensed on one page–it leaves so much more room for photos! The filler card on the left side is from the Wish Big kit in the Project Life app. 

The "pieces of me" filler card is one I created in Affinity Photo on my iPad using digital products by Ali Edwards. The Corona/Hurricane filler card is one I created in the Adobe Spark Post app. The words are from a meme I saw on Facebook a few weeks ago when there were two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time. I thought it was hilarious and wanted to recreate something different for my page. Adobe Spark Post is an app I used on EVERY single page in my 2020 yearbook. I LOVE IT!!! It is the app I use to place all the white borders you see on my photos. I do have a blog post/tutorial about how I do this. You can read that here if you'd like. 

My favorite story from this month is the one about beginning the redecoration of my creative space! I have been wanting refresh my space for a few years now, and for some reason I thought the middle of August was the perfect time to do so. Why not? It's the middle of summer in Florida. The temps are in the mid-90s and there is 1000% humidity. I am not going to get into too much detail about the refresh, as that will be coming in a post on Friday!!! But just so you know, this project started in mid-August and, aside from a few minor things I still need to purchase, this room will be done tomorrow! Be sure to follow me on Instagram as I will be doing a live walk-through of my space sometime during the day on Friday! Anyways...back to the spread...

You may have noticed that yellow seems to be a recurring color when it came to the filler cards in all three spreads this month. It just happened that way, it wasn't intentional, but I really like it! I love the "creating my space" filler card I made in Affinity. Ali's products are so versatile!!! The "these are my people" card is another one I created as well! Word art for the win!!!

Thanks for taking time out of your day to pay me a visit! Leave any comments or questions below!

Family Yearbook : June Pages

What’s this? My June pages are done on the 2nd of July??? Even though I have two double-page spreads for June, it turns out I didn’t have a whole lot of photos for the month. Compared to the three or four spread I’ve been doing each month this year, it’s no wonder I got these done in record speed-not that this is a race or anything (because it’s totally not!). I know July is going to be a busy month, so I didn’t want to waste any time in documenting June! 

If you are a first-time reader, all digital embellishments are by Ali Edwards. However the 6x12 Monthly Journal Card is one I created and is available in my shop! The apps used to create these pages are the Project Life App, Affinity Photo, and Adobe Spark Post.

My favorite story this month is of the kissing manatees! These gentle giants pay visits to our canals often (as do dolphins) and I never get tired of seeing them.

Just a little non-scrapbook related product plug...Replica Surfaces. Have you ever heard of them? I’ve become obsessed with these photo-realistic surfaces and have quite the collection growing. If you are a crafter who likes to share photos of your works on social media, or you have an on-line shop, or enjoy food photography, check these things out! Each surface is 23”x23” and you can combine them together to create an amazing, portable photo studio, or use them individually for flat lay photography. Here is a link if you are interested (no affiliation at all!).

The Project Life 3.0 Update is so great! One of my favorite new features are the Editorial Pages. These pages feature place holders for 0-3 photos and large text boxes to tell your story. There seems to be a trend lately in really getting into the nitty-gritty details of the story behind your photos and these minimalistic Editorial Pages are a great way to do just that. I will be sharing a blog post in the near future of how you can incorporate these pages into your albums!

Garden tower update! Things are growing! I love going out there to pick fresh herbs and what few veggies I planted! The tomatoes and mesclun have been yummy and I’ve enjoyed the process of letting herbs dry on my countertops and crunching them for later use. The parsley has been really good and very fragrant when cut!

So that’s about it for June pages! Thanks for taking a peek! But before I close this post, I have two little Pixels to Pages announcements.

1. Beginning tomorrow morning at 10am EST and lasting through Monday morning 8am EST, I will have a Journal Block Party Summer Collection Super Bundle available for $40! This bundle contains all 8 Journal Block Party Kits released over the past few weeks. Not sure what these are? Read this post, and be sure to check out the shop tomorrow at 10!
   
   
   
   
2. Mark your calendars for July 25th! It’s Christmas in July and I am planning to release something super special in the shop! There will be a Facebook Live as well (time has yet to be determined). Keep following my Pixels to Pages Instagram feed and Facebook Page where I will share some clues throughout the month as to what it might be!
   

Family Yearbook : May Pages

2020 is moving right along, although probably in not a way that we planned. Am I right? I mention in my journaling on the Monthly Journal Block for this month that as the days go by, they feel like Groundhog's Day. Not much changes from one day to the next during the week. Sometimes I find it a little difficult to take photos of the same old, same old. Especially since I don't have littles in the house. But this month I used several pics that my sister in Ohio had texted to me and some from my niece. I even got in some of the photos that my husband and son took of me while I wasn't looking! I love that they know I would appreciate them taking a few of me helping build the garden tower and filling it with herbs. 

There are four double-page spreads documenting May's photos and stories. The Monthly Journal Block is one I created and is available in my shop. Digital elements are from Ali Edwards. Apps used to create these pages include:

Project Life (the 3.0 update is AMAZING)

Adobe Spark Post

Affinity Photo App

Let's take a look:

One of the things I LOVE about these pages this month are the filler cards I created using digital word art and stickers from my growing stash of Ali's products. The "These are my people" filler card was created in Affinity. How simple is that? And do any of you use a foam roller? It's my hip's best friend! Oh, and check out that red hair on my nephew Jonas!!! It's. so. red. My sister kept saying he's been wanting red hair for a while. Well he got it! I remember Ryley going through a colored hair phase at the same age. Except he had a bunch of colored gels I got from my hair stylist in Virginia. It would wash out daily. My boys hair wasn't something I got hung up on a lot when they were younger. I'd let them express their individuality. There were other battles to be won at that age. Hair wasn't one of them. BUT NOW? As seen in the photo right next to Jonas, that long hair drives me crazy!!!! Hahaha!!!

Just look at that tower of happiness!!! This is my favorite story of the month. I've wanted a garden tower for several years. We first saw one while visiting The Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. I took photos of it and would mention to Chris how much I wanted one. It took awhile (like I said, several years) for him to make it, but it was so worth it! We found some plans online. The instructions weren't the best, but he got it done (I helped a little bit otherwise to help keep his sanity). Filler card was done in Affinity!

Are you digging the filler cards? I really like how they turned out. Again they are so simple. By layering various digital word art and digital stamps, and playing around with the opacity, you can create something really fun! The food photos are ones I took for a friend who is in the process of opening a permanent pizza food truck. It's going to be amazing!!!! They hope to open by July 1st. Check out those sprouts in my garden!!! Those are Mesclun (mixed greens) and they popped up in a matter of days of me planting the seeds!

I think this is my favorite spread this month. The "yes to" word art was actually part of word art that read "yes to this." In Affinity, I used the eraser tool and got rid of "this" so I can add my own text. 

Any questions or comments? Leave them down below! 

Wait...one more thing...I wanted to share a few pages from my customers who purchased a few of the Journal Block Party Kits!!! These kits include large, decorated journal cards that are meant to fit in the oversized placeholders in the Big Shot templates. I have 8 kits in the shop that are geared toward summertime holidays and activities! Check them out by clicking the link to the shop in the link at the top of the page!

This first one is from Jen Morrison. She used cards from the Lake Life kit. She actually gave me the idea for this themed kit! Thank you Jen!

This second one is from Meagan Johnson (The Practical Scrapper). She used the Amusement Park kit. Notice how she used the journal block for both a photo and journaling. She said she did this in the Over app!

Thank you both so much for sharing your pages! 

As a reminder, whenever you use my kits on your pages, be sure to tag me on my Instagram account @pixelstopages or @ mention me on Facebook!!!! I want to see your creations!!!

 

2020 Family Yearbook : April Pages

Finally got around to documenting my April photos and stories! Let's just dive right in, shall we? And feel free to click on any of the spread for a larger view!

I am continuing to use the 6x12 Monthly Journal Blocks I created back in January. You can purchase these Journal Blocks in my shop. I love being able to tell several stories in one space and save the rest of the placeholders in the templates for photos. This month, however, I seemed to have a lot to say! As large as these blocks are, I still ran out of room! You will see several 3x4 and 4x6 journal cards on my pages this month. I also did a lot of writing on the white space in the "Polaroid-like" photos I created in Adobe Spark Post. All of the journal cards and digital embellishments are by Ali Edwards. 

It was not intentional, but the left side of the page turned out to be a few stories where the subject matter revolved around the words "make" or "made." And I had several digital goodies from Ali that would help to emphasize that. I just love her products. They really can make you look at your photos in a different way and dig deeper to tell the stories behind them. She has a digital product for everything you can think of! The "play" filler card on the right is originally a light green color. It was in one of the 2019 Story Kits I subscribed to through Ali's shop. When I placed it in my template I used the PicTapGo editor to change the color to black. I can't remember what filter I used, but changing the color just made the spread look a little more cohesive.

The "Finding Beauty" filler card is one I created in Affinity Photo on my iPad Pro. The word art is from Ali's 2020 Week In The Life digitals. The flower stamps behind the words are from her as well, but I am not sure what collection. I've had them for quiet some time. I added the word phrase sticker to the 4x6 journal card on the right in Affinity and then dropped it into the template. That diagonal journal card is a good "base" for adding a variety of digital embellishments to! This is also my favorite story of this month. 

The layout above is a style that I would not normally have in my Project Life albums. Even though I am creating my pages on a digital device, this is a style that I would consider a "true" digital scrapbook page. There are no "pockets," no Project Life template was used, and all of the elements can be moved around freely in Affinity Photo (where I created it) or in Photoshop. I made this page back in April and posted it on a few of my social media platforms. I don't think I shared it here on the blog. My youngest was diagnosed with Covid 19 and the majority of the text on this spread are her words from her Facebook post. This virus is so unpredictable and symptoms seem to vary from person to person. It was only about 3 weeks ago that she tested negative for it. HOWEVER, she has several lasting effects from it that the doctors are still trying to figure out. And after two months, she is STILL running a fever and has pain in her chest when breathing. Her energy levels seem to be returning back to normal. The health department (Ohio) will not release her to go back to work until she is given a different diagnosis. It's just a maddening situation. The digital word art in the spread is by Ali. The virus graphic I found as a freebie on the interwebs somewhere.

That's it for April. Now I have to get to work on May! Oh! But one more thing before I close out this post! Today (June 19, 2020) is the last day you can purchase the Journal Block Party Summer Collection as a bundle for $30. At 12:01am tomorrow, the bundle goes away, but you can still purchase the kits individually for $5.99. When you purchase the bundle, it's like getting one of the kits for practically free! Happy shopping! Click here go to the shop!

 

 

 

2020 Family Yearbook : March Pages

It's about time these pages are done, right? I think I mentioned in a social media post recently that I got my documenting mojo back. It disappeared back in April and I just didn't feel like doing anything but record tutorials for my tribe! I worked on these March pages for about 10 days. Creating pages usually doesn't take me that long, but I think it's because I loathe the month of March in the first place. It's my least favorite month of the year. It just drags on and on and on. So why shouldn't documenting it be the same? Ha!

I was surprised to see how many photos I took in March. I didn't think I was that much of a shutterbug. But when I sat down to select those I wanted to place in the album, I realized there were a ton. Of course there was a long weekend getaway to Everglades National Park, so I had to include those pics! By the time I was done, I had 4 spreads for March. Let's take a look (be sure to click on each spread for a larger view):

I am still enjoying do a large block of journaling at the beginning of each month. I use Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo to create it. All of the digital products are by Ali Edwards. The "embrace change" filler card was created in Affinity Photo using Ali's digital stamps and manipulating some of her word art. It was super fun to do. I will have a tutorial on it soon! If you haven't checked out Ali's Hybrid Product Play No. 1 class, do it! Although it is taught using Photoshop. You can adapt many of the techniques she demonstrates in Affinity! 

Even though I have a lot of journaling in the block on the first spread, I still had some stories to tell! One of my favorite things I am doing in the book this year is using Adobe Spark Post to create those collage-like 4x6 photos. I have templates set up in post and all I have to do is swap out the photos. I love these because there is white space along the bottom to add journaling or embellishments if I want. Any of you have adult children that don't live near by? Our oldest son and daughter-in-law live in Virginia. At the end of each month I go through our text messages and save any photos she may have sent me and try to include them in my album. How sweet is that photo of Dustin and their pug, Deno? Again, all filler cards, and word stamps are by Ali Edwards.

You may (or may not) have noticed that I am really not focusing on the pandemic. I decided I didn't want to do pages and pages of Corona-related material. That subject matter will be trickled throughout my pages. I will, however, do a "story of the year" spread(s) at the end of my album using the Persnickety Prints timelines!

I love this spread. The focus is totally on the photos and journaling of our weekend getaway to Everglades National Park. The journal cards and embellishments are by Ali (of course) The journal card with the photo on it was created in Affinity Photo. When I brought it into my Project Life template, I used Free Form Text (FFT) to add the journaling and would hit the return key after each line so the text would wrap around the photo. The "Spend Time In Nature" journal card was just plain. It only had the text on it. I added that piece of washi tape and the tab in Affinity Photo. Side note: I am actually creating a physical/hybrid album specifically about the National Parks we visit. I'll be sharing those pages in the upcoming weeks!

Just a little recap of apps and supplies used:

Apps: Project Life, Affinity Photo, Adobe Spark Post

Photo Edits: Photos native editing tools, PicTapGo, or A Color Story

Digital Products: Ali Edwards

Thanks for taking the time to read this post! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below!

Tutorials : Adobe Spark Post & Supermatic

I mentioned in my last post that I will have two new tutorials demonstrating some techniques I will be using on my 2020 Family Yearbook pages. Both of these tutorials are in this post!

The first is a tutorial using Adobe Spark Post to add a white border on my photos. Now I realize that the Project 12 2019 May Overlays Kit in the Project Life App has a white border that can be added to photos. But there is a small issue with the overlay in that it is not a perfect fit. If you have used this overlay on a 3x4 photo and look closely at it, there is a teeny tiny bit of the photo that sticks out from the bottom of the overlay. In addition, this overlay is only for 3x4 photos. The templates in the Project Life App have placeholders of varying sizes and I want to add a white border on photos of various sizes. So I created templates for these using Adobe Spark Post. They did take a bit of time to create as I wanted the borders to look even no matter what the size photo I was using. Meaning I wanted the width of the white border on a 3x4 photo to match the same width of a white border of a 4x6 on the same page. It isn’t a “one-size-border-fits-all” when using Spark Post. I didn’t mind the extra effort I put in to creating these templates to make the borders all look even. And after some trial and error, I think I have my templates set to where the borders are even when you look at various sized placeholders are next to each other. Take a look at the video below to see how I did it. If you like the width of my borders, I posted the border setting for each size below the video. Please note that I did NOT do a template for each size placeholder that are available on all the Project Life Templates.

Adobe Spark Post Photo Border Settings:

3x4: dimensions for both horizontal and vertical: 695x936; set border to 74 or 75

4x6: dimensions for both horizontal and vertical: 951x1426; set border to 50

6x8: dimensions for both horizontal and vertical: 1711x2305; set border for a vertical photo to 10; set border for a horizontal photo to 36

6x12: dimensions for vertical photo: 1438x2901; set border to 7

4x4 square: dimensions-944x944; set border to 22

Dimensions NOT listed above are:

6x12 horizontal, 8x12 vertical/horizontal, 4x12 vertical/horizontal–I tried, I really, really tried to get a white border to work on these placeholders but the Project Life App kept telling me that the resolution was too low whenever I would try to place the photos of those sizes/orientations with the white border into a template. I honestly think it is a glitch in the app as the dimensions should not be an issue at all. So I just kind gave up! 

3x3, 2x2–After playing around with borders on these squares, I decided I didn't care for them. To be quite honest, I think in order for the border around a 3x3 or 2x2 photo to match those borders around the photos on the same page would be too large and would eat up too much of the photo, so I didn’t make templates for these. 

The second tutorial is for Supermatic. I use this app to make a photo look similar to a Polaroid picture. These are great because it gives you some extra journaling space if you need it. I have templates set up in the app for 3x4 and 4x6 vertical. 

I hope you found these tutorials helpful! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to help!

2020 Family Yearbook

So excited to be finally sharing pages from my 2020 family yearbook! I mentioned a few times on Instagram and various Facebook groups that I will be changing things up quite a bit this year, so I’ll just get right to it.

Weekly or Monthly?

This year I have decided to document our photos and stories in a monthly format. I did a weekly format in 2018 and 2019, and felt like I needed a break. It’s not because I’m taking less photos or anything like that. I just wanted a little more freedom to not follow such a structured time frame or not worry about making sure I have enough photos for a weekly spread. 

Which kit in the Project Life App will I be using?

None of them. While I will be using the Project Life App for its templates and printing, I have decided not to use any of the kits, for two reasons. One, I have to be honest and say I am a little disappointed a new Project 52 kit wasn’t released for 2020. A big kit was something I looked forward to each December or January, but I totally understand why there wasn’t one released. I know Becky has encouraged us to use hat is already in the app, but I just couldn't decide on what to use. For a brief moment I thought about creating my own kit and using it, but I don’t have the time or energy to do that. And this brings me to the second reason. I have SO MANY Digital Story Kits by Ali Edwards and it’s about frickin’ time I use them. So that is what I am going to do. Ali’s products are so classic–they never go out of style. Her choice of simple, clean fonts, mixed with her own handwriting on her embellishments/filler/journal cards, makes it easy to mix her kits with one another. I will, however, create my own cards from time to time, which I have done on some of the pages below.

What additional apps will I be using?

The Project Life App will allow me to add filler/journal cards from outside kits as a photo. I keep these additional kits in my iCloud Drive and access them by selecting the photo icon on a placeholder and then scrolling to the bottom of the selection window and selecting “cloud.” But I need to use additional apps if to want to add embellishments, create my own cards, or give a special “treatment” to a photo/group of photos.

ADOBE SPARK POST–You will notice on the pages below I have a white border on all of the photos. I did this in Adobe Spark Post. I have several “templates” in Post in various sizes and orientations, making it super easy to swap out the photos. I know there is an overlay in one of the Project Life app kits that has a white border, but there is a slight issue with it where it doesn’t fit quite right. In addition, that overlay is for 3x4 photos. I want more sizes, and Spark Post will allow me to create custom sizes. I will have a tutorial on how I do this later this week!

SUPERMATIC–See that large 6x8 photo that looks like a Polaroid? This was done in Supermatic. Like Spark post, I have several templates, in various sizes/orientations set up in Supermatic to make it easy to swap out photos. I will have a tutorial on this as well!

AFFINITY PHOTO–I’ll use this app for a few things. 1) To add embellishments, word art, etc. to my photos. 2) To create photo grids/collages. I did this with for a 4x6 and 6x12 placeholder on my January pages. 3) Every once in awhile I will add journaling to a card. The small, italicized journaling that is on its side on the 6x12 card on the first page was added in Affinity Photo.

AFFINITY DESIGNER–This app was developed by the same company who brought you Affinity Photo. It is very much like Adobe Illustrator. I will be using this app to create more complex cards, like the large 6x12 card on the first page and the 3x4 “this wine” journal card. There is a big learning curve to Affinity Designer and I will not be providing a tutorial on this any time soon. 

What are some other style changes I am making to my process/style?

Looking at other memory keepers social media feeds, I noticed over the past several months I really have been drawn to a pages with a very light gray colored background. For years I have kept the background of my pages white, but this year I have decided to use the light gray from the Baby Boy Kit in the Project Life App. I especially like it when the photos have a white border on pages with a colored background, hence the reason for adding this border to my photos in Adobe Spark Post.

The way I am telling the story behind my photos will be changing as well. There were a few occasions last year where I used the 6x12 placeholder in the Big Shot 9 template to tell the entire story about a specific set of pictures, like those from a vacation. This is what I will be doing for my monthly pages. I’m not saying that there will be no other journaling throughout the pages, but most of my stories will be highlighted in this one specific placeholder. You will notice that I created a 6x12 January card for this placeholder. I will change it out for each month, adding new icons, maybe adding different call-outs. For instance, maybe I’ll swap the weather info you see on the January card for something fitness related, like the number of steps I took in February. The style of the card will remain the same. I have to be totally transparent here. The design of this card (and the “this wine” card) was inspired by the work of Geralyn Sy, from In A Creative Bubble. Even though I LOVE her designs. I couldn’t find what I needed in her collections, so I created my own. 

I’m looking forward to the changes I’ve made this year. I think the pages will have more of an organic feel to them instead being static. We’ll see how it goes! If you have any questions about the pages in the post, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you!

6x12 card on left created in Affinity Designer. 6x12 card on right created in Affinity Photo. All borders on photos done in Adobe Spark Post.

6x8 Polaroid on left created in Supermatic; journaling added in Project Life App. 4x6 collage card (text message screenshots) created in Affinity Photo. All embellishments added in Affinity Photo.

6x8 "invite" create in Adobe Spark Post. Embellishments/Word Art added in Affinity Photo. "Fun" filler card created in Affinity Photo.

What's in your toolbox?

I began mobile memory keeping in January of 2016. If you click on the Project Life link in the navigation bar above, you can see those pages. I created that album entirely on my iPhone 6S+. I used the Project Life App and, on occasion, LetterGlow, to create filler/journal cards and to add text on photos. Since then, my mobile memory keeping toolbox has grown and my devices have been upgraded. I now have an iPhone X and an iPad Pro (2017 version).  I thought I would use this post to share with you my go-to apps, where I print my books, my favorite projects, and my hopes for future memory keeping projects!

MY GO TO APPS

Project Life App: This is the app I use for all of my pages. I had a very short relationship with digital scrapbooking, where I was using various layered templates to put pages together on my Mac using Photoshop. But because I could “undo” things and there were so many choices out there for digital supplies, I found that creating digital pages was just as time-consuming as physical ones. Honestly, I like being limited in my choices of templates and kits. It makes things go faster!

A Color Story: I love this app for photo-editing. This is the app I use when a photo needs a little more editing than I can get from PicTapGo. I love the curves feature, the Color+ tool, and the selective edit option the app has. And it also has some of the best black and white filters I’ve seen!

PicTapGo: This is the app you can access directly through the Project Life App. Super convenient. It’s a great app for quick, easy edits!

LetterGlow: This app has been around before the Project Life App. And even though I think the developers are no longer updating it, it is still one of my all-time faves. I love this app. I love the interface, it’s so easy to use. I can add my own colors and fonts. It may not have all the bells and whistles like and app such as Over, but for what I do in LetterGlow, I don’t need anything fancy!

Adobe Spark Post: There is a little bit of a learning curve to this app, but it is a great app to add   text with banners or a shape behind it that is a little more creative than what you can do using the Free Form Text feature in the Project Life App. I also like their layout feature. I use this to create 4x6 or 6x8 collages with photos and then drop that into a 4x6 or 6x8 placeholder in a Project Life Template. 

Affinity Photo: Ok, there is a definite learning curve to this app and is only available for iPads. The app supports layered PSD files and is an awesome app to have in your mobile toolbox. It’s totally worth learning how to use. I use Affinity Photo for December Daily, and on occasion with Project Life if I need to flip around templates.

iCloud Drive: This is where I keep all of the digital products I have purchased from Ali Edwards, Project Mouse, and Becky Higgins. 

Files App: iCloud Drive is located inside the Files app on your iOS device. You can also access other apps like Dropbox or File Manager Pro here as well.

WHERE I PRINT

For my Project Life albums, I get 10x10, hard bound books printed directly through the Project Life App. Yes, it is more expensive, but the quality through their printer, White House Custom Color, is top-notch. Another big reason why I get them printed through the app is for the ease! I just hear of so many issues people have with borders being uneven or photos being cut off when they print through other services. I don’t want the hassle of adjusting that stuff for my PL albums. It’s just so easy printing through the Project Life App!

Now my December Daily books are a different story. ZNO is my go to online printer for those. This company is one of the few that print hard bound 6x8 books! I cannot say enough about their print quality. The pages are super thick and remind me of a children’s board book! I’ve printed my 2016, 2017, and 2018 December Daily albums through them and they are truly some of my prized possessions! 

FAVORITE AND FUTURE PROJECTS

I have already mentioned two of my favorite memory keeping projects–Project Life and December Daily. I love them. I may not always be up to date or completed in a timely manner. But I don’t care. They will get done! Right now I am working on my 2018 and 2019 albums simultaneously and I am happy to say I am up to date to Week 43 in both books! I’m thinking for 2020, I may be switching it up and switching to a monthly format, which would be pretty cool, because I started doing my 2017 album in a monthly format. That album is not done yet, so I want to work on 2017 and 2020 at the same time. 

Another favorite project of mine that I completed last year (but I have yet to print it) is a small recipe book I did in an Art of the Apps Monthly Membership project. It’s a 6x8 and I will have that one printed through ZNO. I will have a link to recipe pages in the navigation bar above in the very soon.

For future projects, I want to create a Christmas Cookie Recipe album and I will start that this holiday season. I did one years ago using physical products, but I really want one in digital format. Of course I will be sharing that process here on the blog!

The other project I want to tackle is creating a coffee table book of our sailing trip in Greece from the spring of 2018. I think it was earlier this year Becky Higgins and Becky Proudfit, along with their husbands, went to Italy together. Becky H. made a photo book of the trip, but it was all photos, no journaling, and it was GORGEOUS! I want to do the same with our photos from Greece. I already have a plan on my head for how I want this to look. It’s just a matter of finding the time to do it!

What are some of your favorite memory keeping projects? Do you have a special project you want to tackle in the future? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below!