I'm excited to introduce my dear friend Estelle, a talented photographer and a busy mum of three. Estelle has a deep passion for capturing the beauty of everyday family life, and she uses her images to craft stunning memory albums with Project Life—a perfect fusion of traditional scrapbooking and modern photo albums. I invited Estelle to share how she documents her days and the importance of preserving those moments for generations to come. Here's Estelle in her own words:
How I Became the Family’s Memory Keeper
In our home, I have naturally become the one responsible for capturing our family’s story. My camera is always by my side, and I’m currently in my second year of a 365 project—taking one photo every single day. It’s become an integral part of my life, and I’ve documented countless moments that I never want to forget. My phone is filled with snapshots, and I’m the type of person who treasures every little detail—cinema tickets, scribbled notes from the kids, or even funny little quotes that often make me smile.
Over time, I have come to realize how valuable these everyday moments are. They're not just pictures; they are precious memories that tell the story of who we are, where we’ve been, and how we’ve grown. From impromptu dance parties in the living room to quiet moments at the breakfast table, every photo tells a part of our family’s journey.
My Memory-Keeping Method: Project Life
When it comes to organizing and preserving all the wonderful memories from daily family life, I’ve found Project Life to be a complete game-changer. As a busy mom with a passion for photography, I was searching for an efficient yet creative way to capture the moments that matter the most without becoming overwhelmed by complicated scrapbooking methods. Project Life, a modern and simple memory-keeping system, turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. It’s a creative, yet highly streamlined way to preserve family memories without the need for elaborate techniques or supplies. What makes it truly remarkable is the balance it strikes between offering structure and leaving ample room for personal creative expression.
Project Life is perfect for anyone who wants to document life’s special moments but doesn’t have the time or inclination for traditional scrapbooking, which can sometimes involve intricate techniques like cutting, gluing, or adding embellishments. This system is entirely focused on using photo sleeves and journaling cards to display your memories, making it both an accessible and flexible approach to creating a photo album. With its straightforward design, Project Life simplifies the process of organizing photos while allowing you to add personal touches through handwritten notes, stories, and fun decorations.
One of the most appealing aspects of Project Life is its ability to allow for creative freedom without requiring you to become a craft expert. You don’t need glue sticks, stamps, or complicated embellishments. All you need are photos, journaling cards, and a little bit of imagination. The process is simple, intuitive, and enjoyable, making it a fun and rewarding project to complete.
Creating a Meaningful Story with Project Life
The beauty of Project Life lies in its simplicity, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in emotional depth. It allows you to build a rich, personalized story of your family’s life, one photo at a time. The system offers various layouts that allow you to organize your photos according to how you want to tell the story. Whether you’re documenting everyday moments like family dinners or capturing special milestones such as birthdays and holidays, Project Life lets you arrange photos in a way that feels natural and engaging. The beauty of this process is that you get to make it your own—it’s a system that can be as intricate or as minimalist as you prefer.
For me, Project Life serves as a creative outlet where I can reflect on the daily moments that otherwise might have been forgotten. I find it incredibly fulfilling to look back through my family’s albums and see how we’ve grown and changed over the years. The photo sleeves act as a frame, but the journaling cards bring the photos to life, turning each image into a story that encapsulates the emotion and context of the moment.
By adding little notes or captions about what’s happening in each picture—whether it’s a funny quote from one of my kids or a heartfelt reflection—I’m able to weave together a comprehensive narrative that truly represents our family’s journey. This process of reflection through storytelling has become something I treasure deeply. It’s not just about creating a beautiful album; it’s about preserving our family’s unique experiences in a way that is meaningful and lasting.
The Perfect Balance Between Simplicity and Creativity
What drew me to Project Life initially was its perfect blend of simplicity and creative freedom. I wanted a system that didn’t feel overwhelming, yet still allowed me to express myself in a way that felt authentic to our family’s story. Project Life’s combination of photo sleeves and journaling cards is brilliantly effective, as it gives you the freedom to be creative while still keeping things simple.
What I love about Project Life is that it offers structure without being restrictive. The page protectors are already organized, so there’s no need for complicated layouts or complicated designs. The system provides a guide, but it’s flexible enough to allow for creativity. I can choose which photos to include, decide how much journaling to add, and incorporate fun embellishments like stickers or decorative cards if I feel like it.
In addition to being flexible, Project Life is also incredibly practical. As a busy mom, I don’t always have hours to spend on crafting projects. With Project Life, I can work in small bursts, organizing photos and adding journaling whenever I have a moment. This makes it easy to integrate memory-keeping into my life without it feeling like an overwhelming task.
The Supplies You Need to Get Started
Starting with Project Life is incredibly simple, and you don’t need an entire craft store’s worth of supplies to get going. The beauty of the system lies in its minimalism, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. To begin creating your album, all you need are a few essential supplies: a 12x12 D-ring album, page protectors, photo sleeves, journaling cards, and printed photos.
The 12x12 D-ring album is the foundation of the system. It provides a sturdy and reliable way to organize your photos. The page protectors, which come in various layouts (Design A and C are my go-to choices for landscape photos), are what hold the photos and journaling cards in place. These page protectors are the magic behind the Project Life system because they allow you to quickly add, swap, or rearrange photos as needed without the hassle of glue or adhesives.
When it comes to journaling cards, Project Life offers coordinated sets known as Core Kits. These kits contain decorative and journaling cards in 6x4 and 3x4 sizes, which you can mix and match depending on the design of your pages. The Core Kits also come in various themes, such as holidays, school milestones, and baby’s first year, making it easy to customize your album based on the occasions you’re documenting. But you can also choose to add cards from other sources to fit your style. It’s all about making the process work for you.
Editing and Printing Photos for Project Life
Once you have your supplies ready, it’s time to start preparing your photos for printing. I always make sure to crop my images to a 6x4 ratio, as this is the standard size for most photo sleeves. Cropping and editing your photos beforehand ensures that they’ll fit perfectly into the page protectors without needing to trim them later. This step streamlines the process and saves time once the photos are printed.
While I mainly use DSLR photos for my albums, I also incorporate iPhone snapshots, especially when I want to include fun, spontaneous moments with my kids. For these images, I use apps like Collect, which adds dates and white borders to photos, making them perfect for organizing and preserving in Project Life. I also use a collage app to combine two 3x4 portrait photos into one 6x4 image. This trick allows me to fit more moments into a single page while keeping the design clean and organized.
Once the photos are edited and ready to go, it’s simply a matter of printing them and placing them in the appropriate pockets. The flexibility of the page protectors allows me to add as many or as few photos as I want, depending on how much space I need for journaling or decorative cards.
The Emotional Value of Preserving Family Moments
What makes Project Life such a valuable system is not just its ease of use but the emotional significance of the memories it helps preserve. In our fast-paced, digital world, it’s easy to forget the small moments that make life so special. Taking the time to document everyday experiences through photos and journaling has given me the opportunity to relive precious moments with my family, bringing back the emotions and details that might have otherwise been lost.
When my children look through our albums, I can see the joy and excitement in their eyes. They point to pictures from their past, recalling memories they might not have remembered otherwise. These albums serve as a tangible reminder of our family’s story—a story we continue to create every day. The act of flipping through the pages together strengthens our family bonds and allows us to reflect on how far we’ve come. This, for me, is the true power of memory-keeping.
In a world filled with digital images that are often forgotten or overlooked, having a physical album that you can hold, touch, and cherish is something truly special. It’s a way of preserving not just the milestones, but the everyday moments that make life so precious. And as we continue to add new memories to our Project Life albums, I know that these books will continue to be a treasure for our family for generations to come.
Getting Started with Project Life: The Essentials
If you're eager to begin your own memory-keeping journey, it might feel overwhelming at first, but I assure you it’s easier than you think. With Project Life, you don’t need to worry about having specialized skills or an extensive toolkit. The beauty of this system lies in its simplicity, and it’s designed to make the process of documenting your family’s story accessible, enjoyable, and highly customizable. To get started, all you need are a few basic supplies, and before you know it, you’ll have a beautiful, personalized album filled with the moments that matter the most.
Basic Supplies You’ll Need to Get Started
The beauty of Project Life is that it requires minimal supplies to create a memorable, meaningful album. Here’s a look at the essentials you’ll need to begin:
1. A 12x12 D-ring album
The foundation of any Project Life album is the 12x12 D-ring album. This size offers ample space for displaying your photos and journaling, allowing you to comfortably fit both landscape and portrait images. The D-ring design is perfect for storing the page protectors and offers easy access when flipping through your album. You can choose a simple, neutral album or something that reflects your personal style. Many people opt for a stylish and durable option that will look great on their bookshelf or coffee table. This album will serve as the framework for your memories, so it’s important to choose one that suits your needs and tastes.
2. Page Protectors (Designs A and C)
Page protectors are essential for organizing your photos and journaling cards. These are the clear sleeves where your photos will be placed, and they come in various designs and layouts. The most commonly used designs are A and C, which provide pockets of different sizes to fit standard 6x4 photos, 3x4 journaling cards, and smaller images. Design A typically features four 6x4 pockets and four 3x4 pockets, which is ideal for mixing horizontal and vertical images. Design C, on the other hand, is perfect for larger photos or adding more variety to your layouts. These pocket layouts help streamline the process and make it easy to add, swap, or rearrange your photos and cards without hassle.
If you want to include additional embellishments, there are page protectors with more varied layouts, but Designs A and C are often the go-to choices for most people, especially when they’re just starting out.
3. Filler Cards for Decoration and Journaling
Filler cards are where your creativity comes into play. These cards add a personal touch to each page by providing space for journaling, quotes, and decorations. The journaling cards are typically 3x4 or 6x4 in size and can be used to document details about the photos on the page. Some cards are simple with space for writing, while others come with pre-designed patterns or themes to add an extra flair to the layout. You can use these cards to share stories, quotes, or even add embellishments like stickers, washi tape, or stamps.
When selecting filler cards, it’s best to choose cards that complement the overall theme of your album. There are plenty of pre-designed Core Kits available that offer a range of styles, colors, and themes, but you can also mix and match your own collection of cards to make it unique to your family’s style. You might even want to create some DIY journaling cards for an added personal touch.
4. A Collection of Printed Photos
Of course, the most important part of any Project Life album is the collection of photos. This is where the memories truly come to life. The photos you select are the heart and soul of your album, so it’s important to choose ones that reflect the moments you want to preserve. Whether it’s family vacations, birthdays, or everyday moments, your photos will be the main focal point of the album.
Before printing your photos, you can crop and edit them to fit the sizes of the pockets in your page protectors. A great tip is to standardize the size of your photos to a 6x4 ratio for landscape photos and a 3x4 ratio for portraits to make the process more efficient. You can print photos at home or have them printed at a photo lab, but make sure the quality is good so that the images will stand out in your album.
When it comes to choosing photos, think about the stories they tell. Choose images that represent key moments or emotions, and remember that it’s not just about special events—everyday moments, like a family dinner or a quiet moment on the couch, can be equally meaningful.
Optional Additions to Enhance Your Project Life Album
Once you have the basic supplies, you can personalize your Project Life album with a variety of additional elements. Here are some optional additions that can elevate your memory-keeping experience:
Decorative Embellishments
While Project Life is designed to be simple, you can still add small decorative embellishments to personalize your album further. Stickers, washi tape, die-cuts, and stamps are popular options. These can add fun details and enhance the visual appeal of your pages without complicating the process. For example, you can use stickers to highlight important events or add a touch of color to journaling cards. Embellishments are entirely optional, and you can choose to include them only when it feels right.
Digital Tools and Apps
If you’re tech-savvy, you can incorporate digital tools into your memory-keeping process. There are several apps available that allow you to create digital journaling cards or even print photos at home. Apps like Collect or PicFrame can help organize your photos and add borders, dates, and other designs before printing. These apps can make it easier to prepare your photos and create the perfect layouts for your Project Life album.
Themed Core Kits
If you’re looking to make your Project Life album even more tailored to a specific theme, consider using themed Core Kits. These kits often come with pre-designed cards that focus on holidays, birthdays, vacations, or other life events. Themed kits make it easy to capture these milestones with coordinated designs, so all you have to do is add your photos and journaling.
Organizing Your Photos for a Streamlined Process
Once you’ve gathered your materials, it’s time to start the fun part—organizing and arranging your photos. Before printing, it’s a good idea to sort your photos by events or by dates. This way, when it comes time to start placing them in your album, you can work in chronological order, which makes for a smoother process overall.
I recommend organizing your photos in digital folders, grouping them by months or occasions. This step makes it easier to identify which images go together and ensures you’re capturing the full story of that particular time in your family’s life. As you print your photos, keep them in a safe space to prevent them from getting damaged or lost before they make it into your album.
Creating a Routine for Your Memory-Keeping Project
A key to keeping the memory-keeping process enjoyable and sustainable is establishing a routine. You don’t need to set aside hours every day for creating your Project Life album, but committing to regular, small sessions will ensure you don’t fall behind. You can start by setting aside an hour or two every week to work on your album. During this time, you can organize your photos, add journaling, or even just review the materials you’ve collected so far.
Another helpful tip is to keep a notebook or a note on your phone where you jot down special moments or stories you want to remember later. This will help you capture the details while they’re still fresh in your mind, making it easier when it’s time to add the journaling.
The Beauty of Simplicity in Project Life
One of the greatest aspects of Project Life is that it’s not about perfection—it’s about preserving memories in a way that’s manageable and enjoyable. The beauty of this system is that it doesn’t require a lot of effort or complicated tools to get started. Instead, it encourages a relaxed and creative approach to documenting your family’s story. Whether you’re creating an album about your children’s childhood, a vacation scrapbook, or a daily documentation of life, Project Life gives you the tools to make it happen with ease.
Ultimately, Project Life is about creating a lasting legacy of memories that you and your family can enjoy for years to come. It’s a simple, flexible system that allows you to express yourself creatively while capturing the precious moments of everyday life. So, gather your supplies, find a comfortable spot to work, and enjoy the process of turning your memories into a beautiful, tangible collection that will be treasured for generations.
Choosing the Right Supplies
One of the first things you’ll want to decide is which page layouts to use for your album. Project Life offers a variety of layouts to choose from, so it’s important to find one that matches your style and the types of photos you take. Personally, I lean toward layouts that accommodate horizontal images, as this is how I typically frame my photos. However, there are many different layout options available, so take your time and choose what works best for you.
The Core Kits are another essential component of Project Life. These kits come with coordinated sets of journaling and decorative cards in 6x4 and 3x4 sizes. The beauty of the Core Kits is that they make the entire process easier. With a variety of cards to choose from, you can mix and match to create a unique and personalized layout for each page. These kits also come with themed sets for different events and milestones, such as baby’s first year, holidays, or school events. My personal favorites are the Honey and Kiwi editions for their vibrant colors and cheerful designs.
Prepping My Photos for Printing
Once I’ve decided which layouts and cards I’ll be using, the next step is preparing my photos for printing. To make the process easier, I crop and edit my DSLR images to a 6x4 ratio. This way, they fit perfectly into the page protectors without any need for trimming once they’re printed. I also love incorporating photos taken with my iPhone, especially the fun selfies I take with my kids. These usually end up in the 3x4 portrait pockets, and I love how they add a personal touch to the album.
To streamline this process, I use two handy apps. The first is Collect, which is a simple photo journal app that adds dates and white borders to your photos, helping to keep everything organized by date. The second app I use is a collage app, which allows me to combine two 3x4 portraits side by side to create one 6x4 image. This is especially helpful when I have multiple moments from the same event that I want to feature together. Once my photos are ready, I print them and begin assembling my album.
My Creative Process
I don’t necessarily work on my albums every day; I usually wait until I have a month or two’s worth of photos ready to print. When the prints arrive, I arrange them in chronological order and start assembling the pages. This is one of my favorite parts of the process—reliving all the little moments and stories through the photos. My middle daughter enjoys helping with the journaling, and I love how she writes little stories or explanations that add context to the images.
To ensure I don’t forget important details or dates, I keep notes on my phone. Even if I don’t immediately have time to work on the album, I can refer back to my notes and capture any important moments or memories that might otherwise slip through the cracks. This helps me create a detailed, authentic account of our family’s story.
Keep It Personal & Enjoyable
What I love most about the Project Life process is how flexible it is. There is no “right” way to approach it. Some people spend hours on their albums, adding lots of decorations and detailed journaling. Others, like myself, prefer to keep the focus on the photos and add a few cards here and there for variety. The key is to make it work for you and your schedule. There’s no pressure to create a perfect album, and it doesn’t have to be a time-consuming project.
Whether you choose to dedicate an entire weekend to working on your album or simply spend an hour now and then, the important thing is that you’re preserving memories in a way that’s meaningful to you. This process is meant to be enjoyable, not stressful, and it can fit into your life however you see fit.
A Tangible Treasure for the Whole Family
In this digital age, it’s easy to forget the value of printed photographs. While digital photos are great for sharing online, there’s something truly special about holding a physical photo album in your hands. My favorite moments are when my kids pull the albums off the shelf, flipping through the pages with big smiles on their faces. They point to pictures, laugh at funny moments, and reminisce about days gone by. Seeing the joy it brings them reminds me why I started this journey in the first place.
Project Life has allowed me to create something lasting and meaningful for our family—an album that we can cherish for years to come. It’s a way to preserve not just the big milestones, but the everyday moments that make life so special. And as the years go by, I know these albums will continue to be a treasure for our family, reminding us of all the beautiful chaos that is our everyday life.
Final Thoughts:
Preserving family memories through photography and thoughtful documentation is a practice that not only allows us to hold onto the past but also gives us a way to reflect on how we’ve changed and grown over time. Whether you’re just beginning your memory-keeping journey or have been documenting family moments for years, the beauty of it all lies in the personal touch and the stories that emerge from these snapshots.
Project Life, with its simplicity and flexibility, offers an accessible and enjoyable method for preserving precious memories. It removes the pressure of having to create a perfectly curated scrapbook or album and instead focuses on telling the story of everyday life. The moments we often overlook—the quiet mornings, the laughter, the little gestures—are often the ones that make the most significant impact when captured in photos. When we look back at these images, they become more than just pictures; they represent feelings, emotions, and milestones that are meaningful to our family story.
What I’ve learned throughout my own experience with Project Life is the importance of consistency and intentionality. While it can be tempting to put off documenting life’s moments, dedicating even a small amount of time regularly to this process ensures that memories are preserved before they fade. Taking a moment to write down a story, a funny quote, or a significant event adds context to the photos and creates a richer narrative for future generations to enjoy.
The act of creating a tangible album also has an emotional impact. In a world that is increasingly dominated by digital media, flipping through a physical photo album can be an incredibly nostalgic experience. My children often pull out the albums, giggling as they point to pictures and reminisce about their favorite moments. This connection to the past not only helps us remember who we were, but it also strengthens our sense of family and belonging. It becomes a way of sharing stories that bind us together, building a family legacy that will be passed down.
Finally, memory-keeping is a reminder that life, in all its ordinary moments, is extraordinary. We don’t have to wait for major milestones to capture the beauty of our lives. The daily moments—the fleeting instances we might otherwise forget—hold the most value. By preserving these memories, we can ensure that we never lose sight of the preciousness of time and the simple joys that make life truly remarkable.
So, whether you decide to document your family’s story through Project Life or another method, I encourage you to embrace this process. Don’t worry about perfection—just focus on capturing the moments that matter. You’ll find that, in doing so, you’re not just preserving memories; you’re creating a treasure trove of love, laughter, and connection that will last a lifetime.
