Studio Calico Dads + Project Life

Father's Day was last weekend, but Studio Calico is celebrating all week long. We've asked a few of the SC team dads to weigh in on Project Life. It's been so cool to get to share Project Life from an outside perspective, and the things that have been shared so far just reinforce why I'm committed to PL. Catherine Davis and Kelly Noel have both shared thoughts from their husbands this week- watch the SC FB and twitter for more to come!

Matthew has always been amazingly supportive of my love of paper + glue, and I'm glad that extends to my PL album. When I started this project in 2011, my main goal was to make it something we could ALL have a voice in, and he's always been willing to contribute. Here's his take on PL : 

Around the time Alex started walking, I started watching his behavior and saying to Lisa, "I wish I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall watching myself at that age. I wonder if I did that, or what other habits I had." That's not possible, of course, but with Project Life I think it will be for our kids. I love that Lisa captures the big events like birthdays and school programs and, this month, the boys and I at the College World Series. But, the things I treasure best are the small moments and behaviors, like Sam standing outside and waiting for Alex's bus. When my children are older and have kids of their own, they'll be able to look through the Project Life albums and say, "Look, I did the same thing when I was 8," or "You're just like Uncle Alex, see?" I have a lot of film photos from my childhood, but most of them have no context, other than maybe a date written on the back. Project Life lets Lisa build that context in a beautiful, creative way that will have meaning 30 years from now.

I also love that Project Life has turned Lisa's scrapbooking into a team event. She's been scrapbooking for years, but it was always her in her workroom doing who knows what until she presented the finished project. Now I know that I'd better save the ticket stubs, and I'd better take a few photos when I'm out with the boys. I know what it means when we're sitting on the couch and Lisa says, "Hand me your phone." When she hands it back, I'll see that she's texted herself several photos from the week. Alex, Ben and Sam get into it too, often handing me or Lisa a scrap of paper or a found object and telling us, "Here. For Mom's book." It's great that even the kids are thinking about preserving memories at their young age, and Project Life has made it a family activity instead of a solitary one.

Let's be honest. Project Life is a BIG project. It's an every day, every week, never caught up sort of thing. Knowing that my husband and boys have got my back on it totally keeps me going.

Have you jumped in to Project Life? I'd love to hear how you make sure to capture other voices and points of view in your album. Leave a comment here telling me, and you'll be entered to win the Cumberland Gap PL add-on from Studio Calico. This kit is a great way to add some fun bits and pieces to your PL stash. I'll post a winner next Monday.

I also wanted to share that as of the July kit, Studio Calico is caught up with the waitlist! If you subscribe now, you'll start with the Valley High kit - or you can wait till reveal and grab one a la carte. They've also stocked the Project Life section of the shop with albums and page protectos- I just placed an order for more page protectorswhen I realized I could only do two more weeks before I ran out!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!