Scrapbooking Tip - 2010/4/22

I have too many photos to fit on this layout!

This is for everyone who has a hard time "whittling down" the number of photos on a layout. I think we all take too many photos, and then have to decide which ones to scrapbook and which ones to 'scrap.'

Think about the theme and topic of your layout. Think about the story you want it to tell. Before you do anything else, write a rough draft of the journaling. It is about your cousin's wedding, or is it about what happened at your cousin's wedding? Now look through that stack of photos and choose the ones that BEST illustrate the story you want to tell. Use only the best photos and leave the rest.

But what about the rest of the photos?

Use them on a different layout. Yes, you can do another layout of that wedding. There is no rule about "one layout per event". Who were the guests at the wedding? Who was in the wedding party and what did they wear? What did the decorations look like? What did you kids do at or like about the wedding? Were there any 'bloopers?'

Sometimes an event is more than just a short story. There may be several chapters, or a subplot that needs exploring.

Your personal style.

Once again, Stacy Julian hits the nail on the head. In this video she talks about exploring, defining and embracing your personal style. Don't think you have a style? Think again!




I love introducing people to scrapbooking, and I'm always happy to help with colour and product selection, and pass on a few tips and tricks. I advocate scraplifting when you're feeling creatively timid. But after that I really encourage you to jump in and not be afraid to put your own finishing touches on it. It's what makes your layout uniquely yours.

And please. Avoid perfection at all costs. There's not enough time in this life to make perfect layouts every time. Instead, focus on making entertaining layouts, satisfying layouts, and finished layouts.

Can you name 3 or 4 elements that define your personal style? Feel free to post in the comments section!

Been thinking about...

...the whole "being caught up" thing.

And let me just say, this week of all weeks I have NO business spending time blogging, but this seemed like the time and place to empty my brain of these thoughts.

I gave up "being caught up" ages ago. And I'm really alright with it. I scrap what inspires, not "what's next" on the calendar. Its much more fun to match up the photos with my current favourite products, than to be forced to dig thru my stash to come up with stuff to go with photos that just ain't movin' me at the moment.

So is the "caught up" trend over? I see so many people doing extremely time consuming one-photo layouts (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and creating altered items, home decor, mini albums, cards...none of these are getting photos into albums anytime soon.

And let me tell one one reason why "being caught up" isn't so daunting for me anymore. I TAKE WAYYYY LESS PHOTOS THAN I USED TO. Less photos = fewer pages. If you ever want to be caught up, try this. You'll be up to date in no time.

I still scrap what is meaningful -- just with less photos on fewer pages. Last summer I gave some thought what matters, and enjoying the moments while they happen seemed more important than trying to photograph the moments without me in them.

Get Organized - what to do with all those chipboard letters...

If you're like me, you've got lots of baggies or boxes of partially used chipboard letter sets. I got tired of digging through baggies looking for the letters to spell "s k a t i n g" only to find that I didn't have the letter G.

I don't even mind mixing brands and colours for my chipboard titles -- I like the 'ransom note' look! And I can always paint a bunch of mismatched letters in the same colour. But what a pain to have to dump out each bag and sift through the pile to find every letter.

So I got 2 of these Cropper Hopper 12-pocket Scrapbook Organizers. This gives me one pocket for every letter of the alphabet (and x-y-z share the last pocket). I put all the As in a pocket, regardless of brand or color...its so easy to find the blue A at a glance!

Vertically store embellishments and supplies in this versatile, book-style designed organizer. Flexible band closes book securely to provide a quick and easy way to transport supplies to a crop. Store and organize embellishments and scrapbook supplies such as foam stamps, ink pads, florals, die cuts and more. Dimensions: 13.80”H x 13.80” W x 1.20”D. Pocket Dimensions: 3.75”H x 6.25”W.

You can fit ALOT of letters in each pocket. If you can stuff 24 pockets and still run out of room, then its time to organize less and scrap more!

I just added them to the online store. Which I might regret, since I've only got a few left and my next order is a couple of weeks away. Anyway, if they're sold out by the time you get around to ordering, I'll make sure you're first in line for the next shipment!

Happy Scrapping (and organizing!),

Sandra

www.memoryworkshop.ca