AMBER is Here!

My First Page

Yay oh YAY!  I have taken a little bit different approach than what I have seen mentioned, so I will try to describe it here and maybe it will help you, too!  I like to know what I have, so I made a Project Life Legend, of sorts.  I'll show you some pictures of that, but want to go back to the beginning of this great adventure!  When I opened my big white box I was (slightly) disappointed in the Amber color.  It is more muted and more green toned than I was picturing from the internet.  I was imagining clear yellow and pinks, it is more muted amber and salmon/coral than yellow and pink.  I was just looking closely at the color and there are already all kinds of scratches all over my cover, front and back.  I just assembled it on the floor, on the carpet, and I have no idea what all of the scratches could be from, looks like a million fingernail scratches?  Faint, but definitely there.  What?  I didn't mean for this to be negative, but it is what it is.  I have read about a lot of people having trouble with their pages and the holes not lining up....the first batch that I tried to put in the binder would not fit and I quickly realized that there is only one correct way to put the pages in, so you can see Becky Higgins name and website on every page and so the holes line up and your stuff drops in from the top.  Mine ARE tight, but not unusable.  I do think they will loosen up as I fill the book.  I was surprised to see the Monthly bookmarks are actually punched differently, with oval holes at the top and bottom, this probably would have been better if the pages were actually consistent with the bookmarks, imo.  I put all of my bookmarks at the front and left the protectors on and will remove the protective coating on the monthly bookmarks as I get to each month.  I am doing this because then I won't be opening and closing the binder more than I have to, trying to "guess" where each one will fit and eventually having to move it anyway.  Here is how I arranged the first and last pages.  I think I switched out a couple of the designated cards for some of the extra filler cards, because I liked the design better. 

My Last Page

Back of my First Page

On the back of the first page, I am using an idea I saw on Becky's Blog, I am using the bi-fold cards to keep track of Movies I Saw (at home and at the theatre) Books I Read, and at least two other categories I haven't decided on yet.  Contenders are:  Things I Learned, Restaurants I Ate At, People or Places I Visited, Blessing of the Month, Facebook Status Recap, Junk I Have Relinquished or Repurposed.  I need to relinquish a lot of junk, so that may actually be a good one for me.   Anyhoo, with the additional four journaling spots open on the back of my title page, I started filling in with the filler cards, so I know what designs are available.  These are presented in order of how I have them in my little storage box, so that I can refer to my legend, perhaps hold pictures up to the different options to help select and then I can quickly find it in the stack. 

Project Life Legend

I also put the different title card options on display to help me select as I go along.

Title Card and Filler Card Options

 Then I started with the journaling cards.  I sorted the different styles out and separated them into the four different boxes.  The green box I labeled with a red #1 Sticker and also in the book with the first green card.  In my head I am calling these #1 Green Box, #2 Coral Box, #3 Floral Box, #4 Amber Box.  Based on the designs, I kind of know what box I put them in, but my legend helps me quickly identify what order they are in the box so I can access them faster. 

Journaling Cards with Coordinating Card Box #

So, that's where I am at.  I've been taking pictures every day for a while, and creeping on Becky's site since Fall 2009, so I am not really daunted with the Project Life--Picture Of The Day (POTD) concept.  I believe I am starting my book with New Year's Eve on a right hand page and then start my weeks on Mondays. I've got pictures to print!  Happy Scrappin'!