Sharing My Project Life Album Cover & Title Page

I'm really excited about jumping in to Project Life this year.  I've dabbled in it a bit in the past, but never really figured out a system that worked well for me… until now.

I didn't want to start another 12x12 album.  I tried that in the past & the project just overwhelmed me.  I wanted to work with something a little smaller, but still be able to fit my boys' 8-1/2x11 school papers, drawings, etc. - so the Handbook system seemed a little too small.

Recently I visited Marcy Penner's blog where she shared her vision for a mid-sized Project Life album. You can read all about how she created a 9x12 album by cutting down a full sized Modern Album from American Crafts.  It was like a weight had been lifted off of me.  (I know this sounds a little silly, but I was getting frustrated with trying to figure out a way to document this next year & I was itching to get started.)

I just so happened to have one of these albums on hand, so I went to work trimming the album down to size.  I wanted to cover the raw chipboard that remained with something durable & easy to keep clean… and I'm excited about the solution I found.

Spoonflower is a great site where designers can sell their work as fabric, decals, gift wrap & wallpaper. When I saw that wallpaper was an option, I knew I had found my cover!  You can purchase a 24"x12" swatch of any design for only $5!  The wallpaper is pre pasted, so you just have to follow the application directions & place it over your album cover just as if it were a wall.  (The print I chose was really basic & I was able to use just one swatch & piece the back cover.  If you chose a pattern with a more intricate design, I would suggest purchasing 2 swatches.)

Here is the swatch that I ordered: Grey Linen Speckled

I wrapped the wallpaper over the edges of my album & taped the ends to secure them even more.  (The patterned paper adhered to the inside covers any imperfections.)

My album feels very sturdy & can even be wiped clean if needed.

I wanted to dress up my cover a bit & found a letterman jacket monogram letter on Ebay & adhered it with hot glue.

Now onto the inside of my album…

 I love this paper designed by Shanna Noel for Studio Calico.  It's from their Printshop collection 6x6 pad.  I thought it summarized what this album is all about.  I added a little cut out that I created with my Silhouette to frame it out.

And here is my title page for this year.  It was really easy to just trim 3" off of the page protector to create the 9x12 size that I needed.  No stitching/gluing required!

 I subscribe to the Studio Calico Project Life kits & love, love, love them!  There is always a fun mix of trendy PL cards, embellishments & stamps included.  It makes this project much less daunting.

I love this heart/text card from the Copper Mountain PL kit.  I just adhered wood veneer right over the top of the page protector.  The aztec print card above is also from the same kit.

I've been hoarding this ampersand clip for months & finally found a good home for it.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of wood veneer either.

I couldn't forget our "3rd child" (aka Moses), our Boston Terrier.  I used a lot of the chipboard from one of the SC Project Life add-ons on this page.

This card is another piece of the Printshop collection.  (from the Journaling Card set) I love the words & I added my own message with letter stickers on the side.

I applied these Printshop rub-ons directly over the page protector.

I love the swiss cross/plus sign trend right now & found this vintage red cross pin on Ebay:

Here's a peek at what my first page for January looks like, as well as the back cover.  I put some of my favorite cards in & am now ready to quickly finish out the page.

My plan is to document a month at a time.  I know I wouldn't keep up with going the weekly route & wanted to set myself up for success.  Some months might have weekly spreads & some might have one spread for the full month.  I'm planning on being very eclectic with my page sizes as well.  If it fits in the album, it's fair game.  Here's a link to a variety of page protectors that could work in this type of album.

Thank you so much for taking a peek at the beginnings of my PL 2014 album!  I hope to have many more pages to share with you over the year.  :)