Type-B Scrapbooking

I am a type-A, left-brained, organizational junkie. I like order.

That being said I should tell you-- you don't have to scrapbook that way. There are no rules; you cannot scrapbook "wrong." So do it the way it works for you.

If it takes you months to find all the baby pictures you wish to preserve, whats wrong with ordering a few pages today from the pictures you just had developed? Pay for the pages as you organize the pictures, (which will allow you to fit the scrapbook into your monthly budget in pieces, rather than all at once) and just do it! You are not behind. You are not out of order. You are recording memories. And that means you have a scrapbook.

Choose a D-ring album (like a 3-ring binder) and slip the pages in where ever you wish. Isn't it better to have some pages, some stories, some pictures, preserved than none at all?

So go with what motivates you. Choose what you enjoy. I give you permission not to feel guilty about the rest.

Survey Says

I'm wondering, are there people out there who are interested in digital scrapbook albums? What about albums created digitally and printed out for viewing in a book?

If you have a comment-- leave it now!

Why Wait?

Stress-free scrapbooks have been our goal this month-- how am I doing? Last week we looked at ideas for adding more pictures with less cost.

Now I want to cover the "story." People scrapbook for a lot of reasons. And while "creative outlet" in certainly viable, most of us just want to capture memories. Whether you just want to document your life for yourself or you are passing a legacy on to your children, the idea is to tell a story.

So keep in mind that if you are doing that, you cannot scrapbook a "wrong" way.

But you can scrapbook in a more timely and cost effective way!

First, think about the story you wish to tell. I'm working on an album right now that covers childhood. Key points are, obviously, each grade in school, major family vacations, holiday traditions, and family members. Instead of scrapping every photo, we are working to choose just enough to tell the tale. For example, select photos from each grade go together on ONE two-page spread. An entire year of life in six pictures.

Because you probably don't need 20 albums to remember your childhood.

Here's another hint. If you have young children, start their scrapbook now. As the school year winds down, pick ten of your favorite photos and contact me. For less than $25 per year, you will have a 26 page album by the time your child is a Senior. So simple-- so doable!

What are you waiting for?

The Quest Continues

Happy Monday!

In our quest for simpler scrapbooks, last week we discussed not using every photo. But what if you really like them...

If you really like them-- scrap them! But just because you scrap them doesn't mean they need their own page. Here are some ideas for adding more photos to a single page or single spread (that's the two pages which face each other). The cost involved is minimal. To use these ideas your page will be classified as a level 3 (Check the website if you need clarification!), which does cost a bit more than the first two levels, but is still more bang for your buck than adding more pages!

First option: create a pocket behind the page. Add tabs to the tops of your photos and place them in the pocket. You can pull them out and look at them whenever you like!

Second option: choose wallet sized photos, or even use the index provided when you order pictures.

Third option: order a small album, such as an explosion or paper bag album to display lots of photos and still stay in budget. I did this for my son's first birthday and I love it!

Fourth: add photo pockets to your scrapbook. Simply slide 6 4x6 pictures next to a layout. This worked great for last year's Christmas pictures.

Until next time!

A Little Reminder

I posted this at Christmas, but as Easter is right around the corner, it bears repeating!

I wanted to post a few good reminders and tips!

First-- charge your batteries (or replace them) in the camera and camcorder. Nothing worse than a great event and a dead battery. (And yes, I know this from experience!)

Second-- take posed pictures in those cute Christmas -er, Easter--outfits early! It is easy to forget or plan to take them at the end of a get-together, but if you've got kids then I don't need to tell you-- the clothes will not look them same in an hour.

Also-- grab some shots of something a little different this year. I've been posting my holiday traditions, hoping to stir you to ideas of photos to take for yourself! So don't forget to snap a shot of your favorite ornament, the grand Christmas feast you created, or the reindeer slippers your toddler won't wear. (Make that Easter basket or darling gloves for a five year old)

And don't forget-- organize your photos as quickly as possible after the holiday season, especially if you have a digital camera and hundreds of photos. I like to organize by events, so I'll create a different folder for each of the family Christmases. You could organize by people featured in the photo or make files for each day or week.

New for this post I'll also add, take some with you in them! Figure out how to use your camera's timer or just had it to someone else for a while. Happy Easter!

Every Photo

Good morning Monday!

As promised, today I'll post the first in a series of ideas for making your scrapbook project more manageable. If you are like me (and millions of others!) you have enough pictures from your last trip to the park to create an entire scrapbook just for that occasion. And while trips to the park are fun, you probably don't need an album, nor do you wish to pay for one.

The solution? Get it out of your head that you need to scrapbook every photo! I've done this, quite happily I might add, for clients. But it is NOT NECESSARY! Instead, focus on your memory. Instead of choosing 24 pictures from the weekend at Grandma's, choose four of your favorite. Maybe one of the whole family, one of being in the backyard, and one on an outing, and another that is just adorable. When you see this one finished page you will be able to remember your trip just as well as if you had asked for six pages to hold each photo. Request a journaling block for your page and write a few notes to further capture the memories.

So what do you do with the rest of the pictures? Many of you use digital cameras, so store them on the computer (don't forget to back them up) and click through any time you like. My husband still prefers to look at the photos in an album, so I slip the extras into a simple book. Combined with the story told in the scrapbook, we can remember what was special about these photos and enjoy them there as well.

I hope that gets some wheels churning! See you next Monday!

Stress Free!

Bring me your shoebox full of photos, sure, sure. You've got four boxes. And some albums. It would take dozens of scrapbooks just to hold them all. Where would you begin?

As this seems to be a common hang-up on the way to organized scrapbook bliss, I've decided to run a series of suggestions for stress-free photos. My website provides the steps to having your scrapbook created for you, but this will be more about making the task manageable and afforadable.

So if you're interested, tune in each Monday! See you then!