know, I know! It's the end of January and I'm just getting around to welcoming you into 2022! Actually, it's been quite some time since I wrote a blog post. 2021 was extremely busy here at Pixels to Pages with a new classroom and the Project 12/52 Collection kits Meagan Johnson (The Practical Scrapper) and I released throughout the year. Posting on the blog fell under the radar. I was posting more on my Facebook and Instagram platforms. I've had many followers asking if I was going to start blogging again. So you know how it goes, new year, new goals!
My documenting plans for 2022:
Even though my 2021 family yearbook has yet to be completed, I already know I will be documenting 2022 in a monthly format. I seemed to go back and forth every year. 2021 was weekly, 2022 is monthly. And to help me get those photos + stories documented, I have several new kits in the Pixels to Pages shop that I will be using this year! Let's take an in-depth look at them!
Chapters: A Month-by-Month Storytelling Card Collection:
A lot of thought has gone into this kit and each part of it deserves some explaining. So here goes:
Each month will feature a new color palette, texture, and realistic pattern!
I know how many of you mobile memory keepers and digital scrappers love to coordinate fonts to kits you purchase online, so here are the fonts I am using in the Chapters Collection. These fonts will remain the same each month for consistency!
Each month will include 6x12 and 3x4 Calendar Cards with both Sunday and Monday start dates. The design of the cards each month will remain the same, but the colors will change according the monthly color palette. Note that the journaling section on the 6x12 cards is titled "Chapter Highlights." You'll read why I am pointing this out further down the post!
Kits will include two 4x6 Chapter Title Card options. I couldn't decide which design I liked best, so I am including both. You'll see how I am using this card to divide my album up into sections later in the post! The design will remain the same each month, but the color will change.
If you have been following me for a while or purchased kits in my shop in the past, you may recall I had a collection of Journal Block kits. They were very popular (though no longer available) and I really wanted to include a few in the Chapters Collection. Each month there will be a 6x8 and 8x6 Journal Block card. The design and colors will change according to the color palette.
Back in December I was a guest on the Simple Scrapper (Jennifer Wilson) Podcast "Scrapbook Your Way." If you caught that episode, you may recall that one of my goals this year is to play around with video more and incorporate it into my albums. You can listen to that podcast here: https://www.simplescrapper.com/syw148 Throughout December I was using the One Second Everyday app and I absolutely loved it. I exported my little video to Vimeo, created a QR Code and dropped that into the last page of my December Daily Album. I am planning on doing the same every month in 2022. I created two 4x4 cards in this kit for you to do the same if you'd like.
When a book is turned into a film, it is called a "film adaptation." I thought it would be really fun to incorporate that term into the main card. "Episode One" represents January, the first chapter of my book. Cute, right? The other card is a little more generic. So if you have a video of a vacation, birthday parties, etc. You can use the "watch this" card and add a title to that rectangle at the top! By the way, you will need to use an app like Affinity Photo to add text and your QR Code to these cards.
I wanted to include a more sophisticated birthday card in this collection. Each kit will feature a 3x4 zodiac card. This color and design will remain the same throughout the monthly kits. Only the symbol/name will change. I did this for two reasons. 1) I know zodiac signs overlap each month. So for instance, if you have family members whose birthdays fall toward the second half of December and the first half of January, you can use this card in both months without having to worry if it will clash with that month's color palette. 2) This card will coordinate with the 3 other kits that were released in the shop this month (you'll see those further down the post).
Each monthly there will be cards in the kit that represent various National Days, but not necessarily say "National Day." For instance, January 6 was "National Cuddle Up Day," and January 31 is "National Hot Chocolate Day." You can think of these more as photo prompts! I know I am a little late to the game in January, but beginning with February, I will be posting on my Facebook page and Instagram accounts as to which national days will be represented so you can plan a few photos! As far as a photo for National Cuddle Up Day which as already passed, take a photo anyways! No one is going to know that you took it at the end of the month!!!
The monthly kit will also contain a few other coordinating 3x4 and 4x6 filler and journal cards. Be watching the blog next week where I will be posting a video on how you can create more journal coordinating cards using this kit in the Project Life App!
And finally, each kit will come with a 5-page PDF explaining the various cards in the the collection, a list of the National Days, etc. I know it is important for many mobile memory keepers and digital scrappers to match the colors of the kits when working in apps/software like Affinity Photo or Photoshop, so I am including the color codes for each monthly color palette, too! I hope you find this helpful!
Also released in the shop are the 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks + Cards. These are available in either a Monday or Sunday start date, so be sure your are purchasing the correct one! These cards do coordinate with the Chapters Collection! The one thing that is different is the title for the journaling section on the 6x12 Calendar Cards is "Month in Review" instead of "Chapter Highlights."
The cards in this kit also coordinate with the Chapters and the 2022 Monthly Calendar Journal Blocks + Cards kits. 3x4 + 4x6 cards in vertical and horizontal orientation and their overlays are included. Just so you know weekly dates are NOT on the cards. I know, I know. Many would love to have these dates on the cards. But there are way too many variables to consider when adding them: should the week start on a monday or a sunday? And looking at a December calendar, where does one end their week 52/53 and begin their week 1? There is too much to think about, so I just leave them off. This also gives you the freedom to use the cards in different years, not just in 2022. If you are going to add the dates and want to be all matchy-matchy, I would suggest the font Barlow Condensed if you have access to it!
Some page samples:
This is my title page for January. I used Design W in the Project Life App. I placed the January card in the center 6x4 pocket and filled the remaining pockets with the white card from the Neutral Card Kit in the app. Drop shadows are turned off.
Here is my first spread in January (other spreads are still in progress. I used cards from the January Chapters Kit and the 2022 Month Calendar Journal Block kits. Drop shadows are turned back on.
This is what the last page of January and the first page of February will look like. They will appear side-by-side in my album like this. I still will play around with the left side a bit. Especially if I add more video. The QR Code there is my movie from December. It is there just for sample purposes and will be changed out when January is done! Right now I have the drop shadows turned off. Not sure if I will keep them that way on this page.
So that is it! What do you think? If you are ready to document your January photos + stories, and looking to purchase any of the above kits, click this link or the shop link above in the menu!