by Kelly
Hit or miss…
This pretty much sums up my scrapbooking efforts last year. But I’ve missed it. And I didn’t realize just how much until I dipped my toe back into it late last summer.
There is of course the tactile aspect of scrapbooking that I
enjoy. We live in a ‘so five seconds ago’
digital world, but really…I’m an analog girl at heart. And to that extent, I love the physical
process of putting pictures and words together.
But more than the cutting and gluing, what I love about scrapbooking is
how it helps me feel more connected in my life.
My word for the year is CONNECT – connecting head, heart, and hands to live my life with intention and mindfulness. And through the process of printing photos and putting them in an album, I feel physically connected to that place in my heart and in my head which prompted me to want to capture that moment to begin with.
My word for the year is CONNECT – connecting head, heart, and hands to live my life with intention and mindfulness. And through the process of printing photos and putting them in an album, I feel physically connected to that place in my heart and in my head which prompted me to want to capture that moment to begin with.
No longer are my photos just floating out there in the interwebs…scrapbooking
brings my memories and moments to life.
I’ve shared before that I am a big fan of the pocket style
of scrapbooking. I think last year where
I fell off the wagon was that – big shock! – I made the process way harder than
it needed to be.
- Bad Idea #1 – I decided that I would limit myself to doing more of a monthly summary. Which created so much more work trying to squeeze a month’s worth of pictures into two pages of pockets. Lesson learned – weekly spreads are easier for me. Easier to go through pictures, easier documentation.
- Bad Idea #2 – I went from a Project Life core kit to a monthly subscriber kit. And it was just too much stuff. At first I loved the diversity and fun assortment of doodads, but soon I found that I was spending more time trying to figure out how to use the products rather than getting my photos and words together. Lesson learned – Maybe when time permits I can try some new things, but what works for me is a system and a formula.
So here I am a few weeks into 2016 and I am making progress. I changed from printing at Walgreen's to printing at home which, to be perfectly honest is my least favorite part of the process. But it is a million times more convenient for me right now and that is the objective...to make this as easy as possible. And to that end, I bought the Everyday edition Project Life core kit. I love the mix of colors and design. Plus, true to Liz Tamanaha's style, it's clean, simple, and not overly cutesy. In addition, I have my favorite, go-to embellishments like wood veneer hearts and phrase stickers that are simple, fun ways to add a little extra dimension to my pages.
Recently one of my girlfriends told me that she had also bought a Project Life Album and Everyday core kit. I went on and on about how much she was going to love it and how simple it was. I told her, 'Slap some pictures in the pockets, write a few words, and add some little cards. You will be so glad that you did this!'
I'm hoping that I can follow my own advice this year. To not make this process harder than it needs to be.
A very wise friend recently wrote, "I'm in search of the tangible this year." And that's exactly what scrapbooking does for me....it makes my Photography tangible, it makes my memories tangible, it makes my life tangible.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on scrapbooking/memory keeping...is it something you enjoy spending time doing? If so, how do you keep it manageable? What does your workflow look like?
Until next time,
Kelly
I'd love to hear your thoughts on scrapbooking/memory keeping...is it something you enjoy spending time doing? If so, how do you keep it manageable? What does your workflow look like?
Until next time,
Kelly
7 comments:
Seriously love this Kelly. Love memory keeping. Always love coming to visit.
Well, Kelly, my friend. You and I and Terri and Pam need to get together for lunch one day and talk about nothing but Project Life. I have the Everyday core kit, too, and I love it, the simplicity of it. It has to be simple if it's going to work for me. A few doodads are okay but for the most part it is words and pictures and so far more of the latter. I find that printing at home and doing a bit each day works best for me. I know myself. If I get behind, I feel pressure, I get overwhelmed and this is not meant to be that kind of project. And as Diana said - it's really all about the memory keeping, no matter what style and what workflow suits you. After all, we're all unique.
Kelly, I've always loved the Project Life albums that you share with us. I still do the traditional scrapbooking, only last year I totally slacked off. This year I'm doing a PL album, too. I have an album and a core kit that I bought a couple of years ago and did nothing with. It's time to uncover it and get busy. I did a PL album for my 60th year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I took a picture of my feet everyday and wrote about where I was and what I did. Project Life is a wonderfully easy way to keep memories.
Oh, Kelly, be careful what you ask for! I don't think you REALLY want to hear my thoughts on this subject or my comment will be paragraphs long! But, of course, you and I have had this conversation many times and know we are kindred spirits when it comes to memory keeping. Over the years, I have gone from traditional scrapbooking to digital to Project Life but always doing some kind of memory keeping. I love PL for its simplicity and the way it fits into my life but after doing it for the three previous years, last year I didn't and boy, did I miss it! So it's back in the groove again this year and so far, so good. I too have fallen into the trap of making it too complicated. I think that comes from years of traditional scrapbooking where it's as much about the doodads as it is about the photos. I love that PL gives me a place for my photos. Even if I've only taken one, I have a place to put it and write about it. I don't have to do a whole layout. I decided to make it easy this year and not round the corners of my photos. I began with journal cards that don't have rounded corners either. Now I'm finding that the piles and piles of old PL kits that I could be using won't work because they have rounded corners. See, we are cut from the same cloth when it comes to making it harder than it needs to be! Glad you are now printing your own photos. It does make the process so much easier to keep up with. Looks like we'll have some company this year in Dotti and Cathy! Thanks for the inspiring post, my friend!
I've never been a fan of 12x12 albums but have enjoyed making 4x4 albums which I fill with my Instagram photos and other photos which I print at home. So much easier to keep up if I print photos at home! This year I'm trying a 6x8 album with pockets to see how that works since I filled 2-4x4 albums last year. I'm a big fan of Ali Edwards scrapbooks & classes--just signed up for her latest class on PL scrap booking--it starts Feb 5th! I'm with you all on the photos & words with very little doodads:)
That Ali Edwards class starts Feb 2 not the 5th if anyone else is interested:)
Oh I so admire your intention of saving those memories by doing a Project Life. I may look into it and give it a chance if it is that simple. I used to stamp and scrap and I spent so much time and effort on just creating one page that I don't have the patience for that any longer. You, Terri & Dotti have given me the encouragement I need to at least have a look-see.
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