Project Life

The free download of the app includes plenty of free layouts, card kits, and fonts to get you started. Of course, there are in app purchases for TONS more layouts and card kits, a few more fonts and a couple of added journaling options as well. The layouts you make with this app are based on the old paper Project Life pocket style scrapbooking. It is intended to be easy and quick but still provide beautifully designed cards to complement your photos. I wanted to leave an updated detailed review because many of the older ones are negative. There was a period of time when the app was on the back burner but they do regular (not monthly) updates again now. I came across the app when I was searching for an easy on the go way to scrapbook a road trip and I have NEVER looked back. There are so many card kits in the app- hundreds! Of course, not all will be your style but there’s so many to choose from. And if you’ve been using the app for the near ten years I have, you might want to try adding cards from other digital scrapbooking stores to your pages (you can download, unzip, and store them in a cloud or your photos app then add them to a page through the photo selection tool). There is no easier way to scrapbook than this. PERIOD. PeRiOd!! To see the types of pages you can make with this app, join me in the App Scrappers Simply Project Life Facebook Group (not affiliated with the company because they don’t really have a FB presence anymore, they are on Instagram though, as Becky Higgins LLC.)

I love this app dearly. I’ve made three years of books with it and I’m working on number 4. Becky Higgins recommends keeping up with your albums weekly (Project 52), but the monthly kits are often delayed. It’s February 17 as I’m writing this, and the 2019 Project 12 kit for February is nowhere to be found. My guess is this is partially Apple’s fault with release, but kits should be scheduled a couple of weeks ahead of the month not only to prevent an Apple snafu, but it sure would be nice to start page layouts before the month begins... especially because the Project 12 kits have cute cards for fun lesser-known “holidays”, and there’s no way to know what those are ahead of time. By now, I’ve surely missed some if not all. So yeah. I’ll keep using the app, but this isn’t the first time these monthly kits have been delayed. I honestly don’t know why they don’t just release them all at once like Project 52. I’d pay the whole $24 up front just to not have to worry about it.

I love the ability to stay up to date on photo books FROM MY PHONE. It is November and for the first time in my life I am current for this year! This is HUGE. The app is easy to use. It pairs with other apps well (photos, Drive, Dropbox and many others.) There are some things that not only would make it better but are actually flaws in my eyes. Here is my wish list. The first I think is ridiculous to not have, the others would be nice to haves. 1. Ability to add text on top of pics. I NEED this. Right now I am using Snapchat or FontCandy to modify pics and then bring them in. I think it is ridiculous that they don't have it. I could be wrong but my guess is that they don't want to risk the in-app purchasing of kits that might result from users being able to create more of what they want. There is NO difference in the coding required. It seems to me to be a deliberate decision to restrict the usability of the app. 2. Better resolution for exports. Standard should be 300 dpi. Theirs isn't. 3. Availability of all kit options for each "window" of a page. You can get around this by changing the layout, adding the element you want, and then changing back. I wish I could just see everything. I don't like my choices restricted. 4. I really dislike most of the sayings in the kits. "Write this down." "Remember this." "Love this." Another reason I want to use my own text. They are too cheesy and 95% are ones I won't use. But despite those flaws/suggestions, I love the app and have gifted it to several friends.