As I mentioned in this post I am approaching my 365 project a little different this year. Instead of focusing on an image a day, I am working to capture more of the stories that make up our daily life. A few images are still part of the equation, but I am throwing all rules out the door and making it very simple.
This year....
- I knit and felted 3" X 5"ish books for each month of the year.
- I decorated the covers using simple felt pieces purchased from bbd supplies on Etsy.
- The inside pages are a piece of cardstock (cut to the right size for each book, with felting nothing is ever exact.) covered with a lightweight fabric and folded in half. I used Golden Matte Medium to glue the fabric onto the cardstock, which gave the pages more strength and a fun texture.
- I then sewed fabric pockets on each of the four panels. A pocket for each week of the month. Since this is a no stress approach, I didn't worry about the months that have more than four weeks. It just means that the fourth pocket will be extra full some months!
- I am using shipping tags for each memory, story, or photo I want to capture. I chose these simply because I had several packs on hand. They turned out to be perfect for this project. Sturdy, easily transportable, and the perfect size for my books.
- I date stamp each tag, that way no one has to worry about what order or what pocket to put each memory back into as they look though the book. I want people to interact with the books. I look forward to browsing through our January book in the summer and remembering what was filling our days during the cold of winter.
Some of the tags in the project I have cut shorter or stapled together to allow the tag to fit the story I have to tell.
I am keeping all of the supplies in one place to make it quick to capture the memories of the day. In addition to the tags, I am storing pens, a date stamp, scissors & adhesive for the photos (I am printing the photos out myself and using the contact sheet feature in Aperture to make it fast and easy), and a small accordion binder to keep tags and ephemera organized for those travel times.
My goal is to keep it simple, capture the memories, and enjoy it along the way!
UPDATE: I went over to the GPP Street Team Blog today to join in for February's prompt and discovered that my capturing 2011 project fits perfectly with Michelle's prompt for this month. I encourage you to click over there and take a peak and all of the amazing art created monthly by this group.
________________________________
You can follow all of my Capture 2011 project posts by clicking here or using the link at the top of the blog.
This is AWESOME -- love the tag idea and the storage is great, too!
PS: Loved talking to you (when the phone aliens would let us) today! =)
Posted by: Liz Ness | January 28, 2011 at 02:16 PM
Thanks Liz, I am really loving the tags. Simple and easy!
Chatting always lifts my spirits!
Love ya,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | January 30, 2011 at 11:40 PM
Jackie - yay! You're back! Thanks for sharing your cool project with the team. Love the journals with the felted details, and clever pockets. Love the idea of capturing moments with your words and photos. Love the box of supplies to keep it easy and simple, and to assist you on getting it done. (We made journal kits for Crusade No. 17, way before your time). Bravo - January done!
Posted by: michelleward | February 03, 2011 at 04:06 PM
I think this is an absolutely awesome idea! I have a pack of tarot cards that I wanted to use and I envisage a book a month and some pockets now... thank you so much for sharing! I love your flowers and felting - so pretty and warm, in colour. =)
PS - I have been having a lot of "orange" doings lately too!!!
Posted by: Rosie | February 05, 2011 at 07:32 AM
Michelle,
Thank you!! I am so glad to be back participating with all of you again. Such amazing art that comes out of the prompts that you inspire us with. I will have to go back and check out Crusade #17, sounds very cool.
Take care,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | February 06, 2011 at 08:11 AM
Rosie,
Thank you for linking over and your kind words. These little books make me very happy! Love the idea of the tarot cards, can't wait to see some pictures of what you come up with. Take care and good luck with your orange adventures! :)
~Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | February 06, 2011 at 08:13 AM
Jackie! This is awesome! I've been messing around with ways to record every day life for at least three years now, with varying levels of success. This is simply beautiful. Love it!
Posted by: Cynthia Arwood | February 08, 2011 at 08:57 PM
Cynthia,
Thank you so much. I too have tried several different ways to capture our everyday and these little books have proven to work just right for me. I am really enjoying adding bits and pieces throughout the months. I will keep posting updates and insights throughout the year.
Take care,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | February 08, 2011 at 10:14 PM
Beautiful !!
Love your way of making those record and evidence in tag.
Posted by: Lay Hoon | February 12, 2011 at 04:13 PM
Lay Hoon,
Thank you so much for stopping by and your sweet words. Made my heart smile!
All the best,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | February 13, 2011 at 10:46 PM
OH WOW! This is so cool. I've always wanted to do a monthly book but never thought about groovy fabric pockets of love. So happy to find you through the Crusades, it's always so inspiring! I'm loving those tags and date stamp too... best wishes from germany, tj
Posted by: TJ | February 26, 2011 at 04:13 AM
TJ,
Thank You!
I am so glad that you found me too! I love the projects and ideas that come from the crusades, but connecting with new people is the best part!
I am quite addicted to felted books and just love working in these every week. I will be sharing "along the way" posts throughout the year to show how they are coming along.
Thanks so much for stopping by,
Jackie
Posted by: Jackie Wood | February 26, 2011 at 05:45 PM