My Insta-Life 2012 Album & Project Life Giveaway

So there was this time in my life when I LOVED scrapbooking. I still like it, don't get me wrong, but at one point, things just got out of control and I had enough paper flowers, stamps, rhinestones and ribbon to embellish a small country... like I said, totally out of hand.

So when Cason and I decided to makeover my office, I got rid of a LOT of it. I handed it down to friends, family, or simply just sent it to the local thrift store. I still have some stuff, but let's get real... I'm NOT a scrapbooker, nor will I really ever be. Just like painting furniture, it's something that I LOVE, but not a talent I plan to cultivate, due to time and money; but here's the problem... I can hire someone easily to paint furniture for me, but I CAN'T find someone to scrapbook my life

...or can I. 

:)

If you've been around "our house" for a while, then you know all about Becky Higgins' amazing Project Life kit we blogged about a few months ago. 

I was SO excited to get it, because ALL the guess work was taken out for me! There were journaling cards, set layouts, stickers, labels and more! I was set, right? Now all I had to do was gather pictures...

.

.

.

.

ugggggggh.

I felt completely overwhelmed. Where do you even START with 7+ years worth of pictures!? (please tell me I'm not alone here). So I stashed my Project Life kit away, till I could figure it out at a later date.

Becky would probably be so ashamed. LOL.

Fast forward about 5 months later. I was sitting at my computer when I got an email from one of Becky's amazing team members, telling me all about some new page layouts that had been designed. At first all I felt was guilt, because I STILL hadn't touched my beautiful Project Life products, or documented anything... but then, once I looked at the new pages, I got REALLY excited. Can you guess why?

I'll give you a hint:

Yup, that's right! Those fabulous new page layouts were the PERFECT size for square Instagram photos!!! I don't know about you, but lately, I take more pictures with my PHONE, than I do a regular camera. They are great quality, and a lot of the time I can edit the image right there, in just a few clicks, using my favorite iPhone apps!

The other totally awesome thing about Instagram photos, is that because of their popularity, lots of new online and local photo developing places have come up with custom printing options JUST for these cute square  pictures.

So... I finally had a starting point, and decided that my first, brand new Project Life photo album was going to be appropriately titled...

I was going to take all those photo-a-day images and other Instagram photos that I loved so much from my phone, and print them out in paper photo form for my kiddos and other family to flip through whenever they want.

I literally just started thinking about this last week, and I've already got 3 months done... whoo hoo! Here's how I did it all, in just 5 easy steps:

First: Create a Followgram account.

I have this image on my sidebar that links to mine. If you click on it below, you can see an example of how Followgram collects all of your Instagram photos into one place on your computer, verses just on your phone. Love it!

Second: Click & Save

Individually select which images you want to print out and save them to your desktop. Easy!

Third: Get Persnickety :)

I've wandered around the web for quite a while, and have found Persnickety Prints to be the easiest and best resource for printing my Instagram photos. They have SUPER fast shipping and awesome customer service. You can choose to print your Instagram photos in a 2x2, 3x3 or 4x4 size. I went with the 4x4, because that's what fit perfectly into the Project Life page protector sleeves. 

I used the coupon code: ENJOYSUMMER, and got $5.00 off my order of $30 or more. I'm assuming it's going to expire towards the end of this month, so use it fast!

Fourth: Drop it Like it's Hot

After your initial pig-squealing-excitement about seeing all of your adorable Instagram photos actually printed out on paper, (yes, I did do that, and yes my husband did rolls his yes) the next thing you'll do is simply... drop them into the Project Life sleeves.

Fifth: To Embellish or not to Embellish

That is YOUR choice, and also the reason I love Project Life so much. For me, I chose the bare minimum for my embellishments. Really... I don't even know if you could categorize what I did as embellishing at all, because I just slid in my little colorful index cards that came with my kit. I really like for my photos to tell the story, so for this round, I chose to stay away from all the "fluffy stuff".

Something that I DID do to make my album have an even more personal touch, was make these fun monthly header designs, using photoshop and my free digital scrapbooking download that I got, just for liking the Persnickety Facebook page.

Because I love ya, I included a free printable for you too, with the first 4 months, so you can get started on YOUR "Insta-life 2012" album as well!

Click on image below to pull up in  full resolution, save and print.

Are you in love as much as I am!? I adore how easy and quick this process is. I've FINALLY gotten some kind of tangible scrapbook started, and I know it's totally manageable for me to keep up. Now that I've got all my pictures in place, and journaling cards ready, I can bring my album up to my bed at night and write about all these special moments while I'm relaxing.

LOVE IT!

Now here's the really good news,

Becky has been kind enough to offer up one of her Project Life Starter kits, along with a couple of the new Instagram-friendly photo pocket pages as a giveaway this week!

Here's how to enter:

Head on over to the Project Life product page and brows around to see what kit sparks YOUR interest! There are a bunch of different styles and colors to choose from. After you've decided, shoot back here real quick and leave me a comment below, letting me know which one you like the best.

Easy peasy!

I also have to add that Becky's blog this week is chuck FULL of awesome announcements, including new kit designs/designers, themes and products; and as always, her blog is loaded with great journaling and photo-taking ideas as well.

I can't say it enough, pictures in any form, are the best way to reflect back on all the amazing memories that we create in our lives. Don't let those captured moments go to waste, stuck in your iPhone or computer. Get them printed, organized and share them with your loved ones!

Giveaway open to US residents only. When entering giveaways please make sure to leave your email/contact information if not already attached to your account, or posting anonymously. Please also take a quick minute to subscribe to The House of Smiths blog for lots of inspirational ideas, tutorials and projects! Having awesome readers like YOU is what make all of our great giveaways possible!