Scrapbooking Ideas

PL + LOM Baby Book Update

by Jennifer S. Wilson on May 1, 2013 · 5 comments

in Scrapbooking Ideas

In January I shared how I am using a combination of the Project Life products with the Library of Memories organizational system to complete my daughter’s baby book. I settled on my approach more than halfway through 2012, so the project has been worked on mostly in retrospect (in contrast to the right now approach of Project Life).

babybook

Four months into 2013, I’m quite far along (perhaps 80%) with the project but still not done. While I’m still creating layouts for this album, I found my interest in pocket pages to be more focused on 2013. Here’s what I’ve accomplished to date:

  • Added decorative intro pages & dividers
  • Selected & printed subset of 1200 photos
  • Organized images into LOM categories
  • Printed & inserted Paislee Press journaling cards

In this video, I walk you through the entire album, showing how it’s organized and where there is still much to do. This project is very focused on words and photos, because there are so many stories to document from her first 17 months. This year’s album has more creative touches, which I’ve enjoyed. (Update on that one soon!)

I am ready to really dig in and finish this off as I don’t want it to linger into the second half of this year. Here’s what’s on my to-do list:

  • Divide into two albums
  • Print December photos
  • Make 6-10 more layouts
  • Gather social media anecdotes
  • Add lots of journaling
  • Add more memorabilia

Are you working on any pocket-page projects, including Project Life? How is it going for you? Also, I’m curious, how has your pocket-page scrapbooking impacted how you work on or look at layouts?

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The Easiest Way to Stay Really Motivated to Scrapbook

by Jennifer S. Wilson on April 29, 2013 · 13 comments

in Scrapbooking Ideas, Time Management Tips

I‘ve been thinking a lot about what makes scrapbooking different from other hobbies. It comes down to the fact that scrapbookers have an important and deeply personal connection to their projects. It is one that is simply not as profound in other creative activities.

This is also exactly what makes our online community so strong. When we share our scrapbooking online, we share a piece of ourselves.

There’s something else I have noticed – something that may reveal a simple strategy for a common problem. I hear more than ever about scrapbookers who aren’t scrapbooking, who have lost their mojo and just can’t find the motivation they need.

I also know that forum threads, gallery uploads, and personal blog posts are at an all-time low compared with years past. There are also fewer forum replies as well as thoughtful gallery and blog comments.

How can this be if we’re online more than ever? And does this impact our scrapbooking? I believe it does.

mojo

As we spend more time on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest in lieu of these older platforms, voraciously consuming information and using a button-clicked as a surrogate for a reply, I believe we’re slowly disconnecting ourselves from the community. These sites are the next generation of online interaction, but perhaps we have an important opportunity to be far more mindful of how they are serving our lives.

The online spaces of before fostered longer form comments that were meaningful and led to real support for our scrapbooking. While that certainly still happens, it’s now all too easy for us to click and scroll without pausing to engage and connect. Thus, there’s less giving and receiving of encouragement directly related to our hobby.

What makes our community so strong is still there, but we must grab hold and actively seek what we most need. It turns out that social networking does not negate the need for an online home, but instead makes it all the more necessary.

Conclusion: If you want to stay really motivated to scrapbook, slow down and seek connection over consumption when you’re online.

What do you think? Am I on to something or totally off-base? Leave a comment and let me know.

Furthermore, if you’d like to feel more connected to your fellow simple scrapbookers (and reap the motivation benefits), come introduce yourself on our Facebook page.

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