Today I’m jumping back into my Summer Mini Album project! I recently ordered all my June photos (finally!), and while I’m waiting for them to arrive so I can get back into my Project Life Family Album, I figured it’s the perfect time to check in and show you how this little side project is going.
My plan for this craft session was to knock out several layouts in one go—because let’s be real, batching things makes life so much easier when it comes time to print and assemble. And for a while, everything was moving right along… until it wasn’t.
Yep, classic crafting twist: things were going great—until they weren’t. 😂
So let’s talk about what to do when things don’t go according to plan. Because mistakes happen, adhesives betray you, pages get crooked, and sometimes the best part of the layout ends up upside down. But there’s always a way to fix it—or at least make it work in a way that feels good.
Let’s get into it.
With this mini album project, I’m keeping things simple: have fun and use my stamps—that’s it. I’m not overthinking where the photos go or why they land where they do. If it brings me joy and it sticks (mostly straight), it’s going in.
This project is all about enjoying the process, not chasing perfection. That said… I definitely get hit with the occasional wave of crafter’s remorse. You know the one—where you stare at a finished page and think, “Hmm… I probably could’ve done that better.”
When I make something by hand, I want it to show. That’s the whole point. If I wanted flawless, I’d order a printed photo book and call it a day. But I don’t want flawless—I want quirky, real, and a little bit unpredictable. That’s where the magic (and the best stories) live.
Forget perfection—it’s not the goal. I’m here for the charm. I want to embrace those not so perfect moments and find ways to make it all work.
One of my favorite parts of this album is using all these amazing Ali Edwards pocket cards that I have collected for years. Most of the time when I would get these pocket cards they wouldn’t fit into my Project Life Albums. The colors, or theme wouldn’t match what I was using.
I’ve just saved them over the years and it brings me so much joy to pull them out and be using them.
For these layouts, I didn’t get around to the decorations or embellishments—the fun stuff will have to wait for another day. And honestly? That’s pretty normal around here. There’s always something getting left for later… and I’m totally okay with that.
I like to work on my memory-keeping projects based on the creative space I’m in. If I’m in the mood to journal, I dive into the words. If I’m feeling sparkly and want to add all the bling, then that’s what I do. No pressure, no rules—just following the rhythm of where I’m at.
The key? Let your creative energy work for you, not against you. It doesn’t all have to be done at once. It just has to feel good while you’re doing it.
As you watch the video of this process you will notice several mistake that were made. The biggest of those mistakes happened on the last few pages.
This was very frustrating for me! However I really didn’t want to redo anything so I just leaned into it.
