If you’re like me creating is a part of life. It allows you to explore and express yourself. It’s like a little haven. It’s an outlet. A retreat from the rest of the world.

Oftentimes we don’t have the time we’d like to dedicate to our hobby. Our days are filled with work, taking care of others, cooking meals, and in general just trying to get things done or simply get by. Scrapbooking gets put on the back burner until there’s a slot open in the schedule.

But what are some ways we can get more creating in our days?

• Schedule it. Set aside 20-minutes a day or a few hours one night a week as your scrapbooking time. If you’re consistent  in meeting your scheduled scrapping time  it’ll be part of your regular routine before you know it. No more frustrations that there’s never enough time to scrapbook–it’s right there in your day planner!

• Break your project into smaller chunks. Many times scrapbooking seems impossible to fit in our days because we’re setting out to do too much before we’ve even started. Instead of trying to scrapbook all of last months photos in one sitting break them up into smaller pieces.

If you’re planning a mini-album or set of layouts, break the project into three segments:

1. Get your photos together in and order, then if you have time write down your journaling.

2. Gather your supplies. Cut paper that needs to be cut, paint chipboard, make embellishments, cut ribbon, etc. This is the step to prep.

3. Put it together and add finishing touches.

• Involve your kids. Have your kids do their own art project while you do yours. This may involve some involvement on your part depending on the ages and abilities of your children.

• Take pictures. If you don’t have time to dig out all your supplies and project, how about trying to get some shots you’ve been meaning to get. This works best with still life.

• Print pictures. Upload and order prints for your next project.

• Keep your supplies within reach. Keep the essentials (adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, etc) in a  tote/basket for easy transporting or a desk drawer with your current project (in a folder with your materials) nearby. This is helpful when you have just a few minutes. You’re still able to get something done even if you only have 5 minutes.

• Make realistic goals. Don’t set yourself up for failure. You’re likely to get more done when you working in smaller, more focused chunks of time than attempting to scrapbook the last 6 months in one epic sitting.

Creating Time to Create

Creating Keepsakes has a few articles out now on organizing your scrap space, supplies, and your process. Here are a few that stood out to me:

• Go through your scrap supplies regularly, ever six months or so. This will help you purge unwanted and unneeded items, as well as allow you to see what good things you still have but may have forgotten about.
• Sort your photos. Do this as you pick-up your prints. It will make for easier scrapping since you know where pictures are filed and will keep the picture pile small.
• Store embellishments out of their packaging by color, manufacturer, or type. This will save a lot of space.
• Organize little by little. Organizing your scrap space may seem daunting, so start small. Pick one drawer, box, etc. and begin there. Do one per day, week, or whatever fits your schedule. Before you know it you’ll have a completely organized scrap space!
• Put your most used items closest to you. I do this and it saves a lot of time. I keep my scissors, adhesives, and pens in a box on top of my desk and my tool kit in a drawer beside me.
• Label, label, label. It makes putting away supplies  after a layout and filing new products so much easier. Why? Because everything has a place and you know exactly where it goes.
• Prepare for a crop. Instead of taking all or most of your supplies and potential layouts with you, how about compiling files for layouts you know you’re going to work. In the file put your paper, pictures, notes to journal, stickers, etc and bring your basic tools. You’re set and you’ll be more focused, rather than spending time at the crop figuring out what you’re going to scrap.
• Hang them up. You spend your time creating beautiful layouts while most of them will spend their time closed in an album. Use your scrap space (or your kitchen, hallway, etc.) to display your work. It will feel good to see all your hard work displayed, you’ll be able to share your accomplishments with visitors, and your family will enjoy seeing and remembering the good times.

To see all the tips visit 10 Organizational Tips and 31 Tips for Getting Organized Now! at Creating Keepsakes.

Organizing Tips

I was flipping through an old Creating Keepsakes mag (June 2008) the other day and came across an article by Ali Edwards on “creating a happy scrap space.” It fits with our scrapbook organizing theme and she’s got some great tips.

Be open. Be as creative in how you store your supplies as you are when you’re creating your pages and putting together projects.

Ali’s Five Ingredients for a happy scrap space:

1. Find an organization system that works for you.
2. Establish zones.
3. Make room for work.
4. Get thrifty.
5. Get inspired.

Creating a Happy Scrap Space

I use Shutterfly for uploading, storing, and ordering my photos online, so I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to realize they’ve partnered with Creating Keepsakes to make some very cute photobooks.

Having a new baby I definitely want to chronicle his first year of life with lots of photos (and I mean lots!), but I’m also doubtful that I’ll have much time to devote to planning and making an album for him. I’d like to have it done by the beginning of 2010.

For me, this is a perfect way to have “scrapbook elegance” and “convenience,” so says Shutterfly. I’ll be using Becky Higgin’s Sweet Baby design and I’m looking forward to it!

I’ll keep you updated with my progress and, hopefully, the ease of the program.

Creating Keepsakes on Shutterfly

This year I’ve taken to my local library in order to expand and hone my scrapbooking skills, as well as gain a plethora of new ideas! The first book I discovered was Simple Scrapbooks: 25 Fun & Meaningful Memory Books You Can Make in a Weekend by Stacy Julian.

The first thing I notice about this book was its age. Published in 2000, it brought be make to the times when scrapbooking was mitagated to plain cardstock (sometimes,  in all too bright colors), simple diecuts, and a few stickers thrown in here or there. Scrapbooking materials have definitely matured in the last ten years! That being said, it’s a worthy book to add to your scrapbooking library.

What I liked

There are a lot of good album ideas. Most projects are simple and straightforward with simple layouts and color schemes, along with helpful sections like “Guidelines” and “Preparation.”  There’s definitely an emphasis on a return to actual “scrapbooking.” Julian explains “how to quickly and easily record the most important aspects of your life” (7), so that you can scrapbook and have a life too.

She poses the question, do we scrapbook to record all of life’s events or do we scrapbook in way that when people see our albums they walk away knowing more about us. She offers these questions to ponder (8):

• What is the routine of your daily life?
• What songs do/did you sing to your children?
• What hopes and dreams do you have for your family?
• What are your valued beliefs and traditions you’d hope to pass on to your children?

Good questions to ask. I know I am benefiting from them, since I’ve been trying to break away from my pattern of scrapbooking chronologically.

Stacy Julian defines a simple scrapbook as “an album that focuses on one theme and follows a specific formula with the help of a framework” (8). Building on that definition, she leads to the framework of a simple scrapbook that you can build in one weekend.

The framework is simple, consisting of a title page, table of contents, subtitle page, fill-in pages, and a material file (where you keep the photos, memorabilia, materials you’ll need to complete the album). The goal with having a framework for these simple scrapbooks is that you’ll have a sense of completion even though you’re not completely done.

What I didn’t like

To be truthful, there wasn’t much I didn’t like about Simple Scrapbooks. I could complain that the layouts are too simple and remind me of my early days of scrapbooking when I all knew came from Creative Memories, but the point of the book is to make quick and simple scrapbooks. Some of the projects do require more work beforehand, which might not be able to get done in just one weekend.

This is where the material file comes in, getting things ready for your scrapbooking weekend. You know, tracking down family recipes and the only couple of your grandparents wedding photo so you can scan it. If you count your research time, some of these ideas couldn’t be started and completed in a weekend. But if you prepare ahead of time, you’re likely to make it to completion by Sunday.

The “Family Storybook” was truly the one project that I had a hard time with. It’s a good idea, but the directions were hard to follow her method and seemed would mean a lot of rearranging layouts from other albums.

Overall, it’s a useful book with lots of great ideas. It’d be a good investment if you’re planning to make a few of the scrapbooks.

Noteworthy Scrapbooks from Simple Scrapbooks

Collector’s Catalogue (34)

My Hometown (45)

Random Memories* (60)

Pictures I Love* (64)

Romance (76)

A Little Book About Your Name* (90)

Christmas Cards and Photo Book (131)

Christmas Exchange Album (136) – A great idea if you have a family of scrapbookers!

*Scrapbooks I’m planning to make and blog about this year.

Book Review: Simple Scrapbooks by Stacy Julian

It’s inconvenient that storage systems can be so expensive, especially since being organized is a great tool in life. (Which is why it is expensive, people have a need, so sellers make it costly. Anyways…)

There are plenty of ways to keep your scrapbooking materials organized without going broke. Here’s a few tips:

• Mason jars work great for holding supplies like paintbrushes, buttons, thread (mini spools), pens/pencils, ribbon, etc.
• Use a Parmesan cheese can to keep a few spools of ribbon. Decorate the can, drop them ribbon in the bottom, and pull it through the pour spout (the three holes).
• Spice containers will work for keeping glitter or beads.
• Cut a cereal box down to use as a magazine file.
• Use giftcards and coupons. Keep your eye on craft store fliers for storage that might be useful to you. when you need an item that you can’t make or find cheaper elsewhere scout the ads, many craft stores put out weekly 40% or 50% off coupons.
• Save your shoe boxes to store photos, scraps, or whatever else you have.
• Check your local thrift store and scour garage sales for items you can repurpose, like kitchen utensil caddy.

I’d love to hear of any other frugal ideas you have for organizing your scrapbook materials (or, really, any idea for repurposing items).

Organizing Your Scrapbook Materials

I love the idea of starting something new–having a fresh start, a blank canvas. Isn’t that what a new year is all about? It’s a great time to get organized and start fresh with your scrapbooking goals for the year.

“When I work, I work very fast, but preparing

to work can take any length of time.”

Cy Twombly

We’re starting our year here focusing on organizing our scrapbooking, which will enable us to be better and more efficient scrapbookers. If that’s our goal then organization is key. Let’s look at some questions that will help us review our current scrap space and begin anew!

Where do you scrap? It’s important to have a place to scrap. It doesn’t have to be a room or even the corner of a room, a desk or a spot on the floor will do just fine. The important thing is that you have a space that you enjoy and works for you. Make sure your space is comfortable, that you’ll be able to relax and stretch while you’re working. This includes your desk (it’s height) and your chair (ergonomical for the back). Lighting is also important, especially since scrapbookers have a reputation for working into the wee hours of the morning.

What do you need? It’s the most basic thing in organization: you’ve gotta have stuff for your stuff. Whether you have a desk, binders, a tote, or a plastic bin, you need have a place for your tools and materials. There are plenty of products out there for storing your scrapping materials. Assess what you need to store, the space you have available, the accessibility you desire, and your budget; after you’ve reflected on these you can shop with success. Remember, buying on impulse is rarely a good idea. Know what you need before you shop.

Where’s your stuff? To stay efficient and organized it’s best to have your materials in close proximity. You don’t want to have to go searching for a certain pair of scissors or that slab of paper you know you have somewhere during your precious scrap time. Here’s a tip: keep the items you use the most closest to you or if you don’t have a stationary scrap space, keep them in a shoe box or tote. My scrap space is also our office space, but I have a drawer in the desk with my most used scrap items: scissors, pencil, ruler, 8″ paper trimmer, tool kit, pens, and adhesive.

Stay inspired. Decorate your scrap space. Change it up every now and then. A good tool for staying inspired is having a cork board where you can hang articles you like, sketches, pictures, color samples, etc. that reflect your scrapping style and goals. Don’t forget to keep a picture of your loved ones around…you know, the people and the reason you scrap. Create for the space you create in, hang your own work and enjoy it.

This is a basic overview of organizing your scrap space, throughout the month we’ll look at each of these areas a bit more as well as organizing our photos, albums, and materials.

Scrapbooking 101: Organize Your Scrap Space

Setting goals for your scrapbooking can be very useful. It can make the time you spend scrapping more efficient, since you know what you’re working toward.

Your scrapping goals could vary from finishing your wedding album, taking a picture a day (ala Project 365), setting up a scrap space, organizing your materials, mastering a new technique, learn digital scrapbooking, or even start your own monthly crop group.

What your goals are you can work toward and achieve them in 2009. How?

1. Think. What is it that you want to accomplish in your scrapbooking this year? Spend some time considering what you’d like to work toward. It’s more helpful to have a focused goal (I want to learn how to use eyelets), than a general one (I want to use more embellishments).
2. Record it. Put those goals on paper. Make them pretty and put them in a place you see regularly, like your scrap space or on refrigerator.
3. Work. Spend a little time each week or month working toward your goal, whatever fits your lifestyle and schedule. It may be helpful to have a specific time (and place) set aside for you to work. Let your family know this is your scrap time, and while interruptions are to be expected (we never want to ignore the needs of our family, even for our favorite hobby) they’ll come understand that this is your time to create.
4. Enjoy. As you’re reaching your scrapping goals don’t forget to enjoy the process. It’s all too easy to get caught up in getting things done that you forget you started this all because you love it. Take breaks, don’t feel pressured, share your progress with other and enjoy their praise.

Goals can be a great thing, but if they’re making you  feel stressed, then stop for a bit and reassess your goals. You’ve set these goals to help you achieve something you love, if they move you to loathe the thought of scrapbooking then that’s no good.

Spend some time this week considering what scrapbooking goals you’ll make for the new year and feel free to share them. I’ll be posting my goals on Thursday.

For more on setting goals, hop over to Simple Mom she’s been writing a series on the new year and goals/resolutions. Check out: When It Comes to Setting Goals – Be the Tortoise

Scrapbooking 101: Setting Scrapbooking Goals

I’m so excited about this series on scrapbook organizing! I’m very much a put-everything-in-its-place type of purpose and I love organizing. Why? I’m not quite sure, but if I had to guess it’s probably a combination between a love for decorating and giving things an aesthetic quality and, I have to admit, being a bit of a perfectionist. (A recovering perfectionist!)

Everywhere I look I seem to get a new idea for something scrapbook or related to organizing. That said, this series has expanded beyond Scrapbooking 101.

Watch for other posts coming this month on organizing your scrap space, setting scrapbooking goals, frugal tips for organizing, product reviews, as well as my own journey to (re)organizing my scrap space.

See you soon!

Organizing…I love it!

Just in case you haven’t heard Creating Keepsakes Kit of the Month by Becky Higgins is all the rage. So much so that it’s sold out.

It looks like a good kit. I’m even thinking of jumping on the bandwagon and getting my own kit…although it looks like I’ll have to wait for it.

So, what is Project 365? It’s a new approach to scrapbooking. Well, it’s not completely new, but it is a break from the traditional way we usually scrapbook. Instead of scrapping the major events, this kit focuses on the ins and outs of your daily life.

“We want to help you get started preserving your memories every day, every week, every month…all year long. Inside find colorful preprinted cards, specially-created divided page protectors, label stickers, ribbon, transparencies, monthly divider, a date stamp and more.” (See here)

I’m excited about this idea. It fits with some of my scrapbooking goals (which I’ll share in a later post), mostly breaking from the chronological-obligatory-month-by-month scrapbook. Plus, I love that somebody has already done the work for me (see its contents) and I’ll just have to put it together.

Part of the idea of Project 365 is to take a picture everyday. Becky has a great list of ideas of pictures to take, which you can find here.  But know, we just have to wait…you can keep up while waiting by staying tune to Becky’s blog (here).

If you’ve gotten the kit, let me know how you like it and if you’re waiting share what you’re doing in the meantime.

Project 365