Hey all,

Through Mad Cropper's Site I found the site from Scrappin' Moms. Ria has wrote a wonderful article there, called How to scrap more in 2007. She has 15 wonderful tips on this subject. I've included Ria's tips here under. I'll give my reaction to them per tip.

1. Edit and print pictures in batches

I try to schedule editing time every week. With 3 kids, I need to edit at least this often. I have decided not to play around with different sized pictures and sticking to the standard 3r, 4r and 5r sizes. Focal point pictures will be in 5R, and supporting pictures will be in wallet sizes. I will choose my pictures carefully and print only what I intend to scrap. The pictures are my main inspiration, so as long as I know I have great pictures to scrap, I will be in the mood to scrap.

I couldn't agree with her more. Since I'm still about 1,5 year behind with pictures {I found out that the photos from the zoo in Emmen - "Dierenpark Emmen" - are from 1,5 years ago) I'll only order prints for a project I'm going to work on that moment. Okay, granted, I'm working on two different projects right now and I have the photos printed for a third project. Here's the deal: I want to be able to continue scrapping while I have a scrapper's block. So therefore I want to have photos for two projects at hand. That's why I edited and ordered prints of the photos from Switzerland and from Dierenpark Emmen. So far I have been working on the Switzerland photos and it's going quite well. And it so happens I wanted to make a planner for Scrap-a-Ganza before the actual event so that I could have teacher sign it and so that I could immediately journal everything. That's looking ahead, right? The photos from the zoo in Emmen will have to wait for now. But, I haven't edited or printed the photos from Diergaarde Blijdorp where we went a week ago. Yeah me!!!

2. Organize your supplies

in a way that makes sense to you. I tend to think by color and I’m familiar with the different brands’ collections so my papers are organized this way. My embellishments are organized by theme – Christmas, Disney, girls, boys, babies, love, etc. Alphabets are kept together – stickers and rub-ons in a clear folder, while 3d alphas – chipboard, metal, plastic -- are in one drawer.

As you probably know, I have done that when I have reorganized in my Scrapstudio! Right now everything is just the way I like it and easily available. I'm convinced I'll make better layouts this way and I'll finally use all the embellishments I have!

3. Schedule your scrapping time

I’m lucky enough to have a scrap room so I can leave pending projects on my desk and come back to it several times during the day, in between taking my kids to school, picking them up and taking them to their various activities. I used to have an officemate who would wake up early to read the Bible and put herself in the right perspective for the day. I’m thinking that if I were working, I’d probably do the same – recharge by scrapping.

Okay, I totally lack at that. Maybe it's an idea to really do this for myself. Right now I just grab any possibility I get - which works at the moment - but having a scheduled time might be better. Okay, I have to be honest, I do have a few scheduled times: when my mom and Bianca come to crop, like next Sunday. It's on average every two weeks. But I should find some time to just scrap by myself. Maybe I'll use the Wednesday evening (lousy TV anyway) and Friday morning or afternoon, just what fits. That way I'll certainly make a few things.

4. Keep scrap magazines and books near you.

Although I have a scrap room, my magazines are in my bedroom, so that on a lazy day, I can easily and quickly run through them and pick-up ideas. When I bring my kids to their activities, I always bring a magazine with me to read during “waiting time”.

I've made that sure! I've roamed through the magazines a lot lately, while I was looking for interactive ideas! All I need to do to be able to read them is stand up and step one step aside and there they are, all neatly ordered :). I've heard from people who have thrown away old issues from magazines. I can't imagine myself doing that (now that's an issue!!!). I can find new ideas regularly in those magazines. And although the papers are extinguished, doesn't mean the sketch can't be used!

5. Attend the EBs

This is a day dedicated to scrapping without household duties interrupting. My husband knows this is sacred to me and willingly takes over the kids during this time.

Okay, if someone could explain what EB's are? I have no idea. I do understand what she's saying, though. Make time for your scrapbooking, get some "ME"-time in your busy life and spend it scrapping! But how to do that while we both have an (almost) full time job? That would leave the Friday and the weekend for me. And as I'm looking for a new job right now, this wouldn't come in handy either. Oh well, at least I can use the Friday morning or afternoon. That will give me something :) The weekend is also something for the both of us and to do grocery shopping and more. Oh, right. Once every two weeks I do have such a day as Ria describes. So in a way I do have it.......

6. Multi-task

scrap during the news or your favorite TV show.

Hmmm, I'm not too sure about that. I usually want to pay close attention to everything I'm doing while scrapping. And when I'm watching my favorite television series I want to pay full attention to that too. So I don't think this is something you'll find me doing anytime soon.

7. Keep a journal to write down your ideas

I just started keeping a journal to write down poems and quotes that I would like to use in my future layouts. I’ve also listed some album ideas in my journal. On the front of my journal is the phrase “Create Everyday” and at the back is a quote that says “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

I have a sketch book. And I jot down ideas whenever I can. And it's not only journaling I write (heck, I can use this journal for that), I also jot down ideas for sketches, ideas for themes for albums, ideas for making albums and more. When I'm at work I'll just take a paper that's easily reachable and afterwards I'll put the paper in my bag. That I have jotted down the idea and I'll have it when I'm home. And putting my sketch book on my desk for this purpose? I don't think so!
BTW, I love the quotes she's used!!!!

8. Give yourself a time limit to finish your LO

Some people allow themselves an hour, 3 hours, etc for a LO. Since I rarely get to work on a LO without interruptions, I tend to finish a LO in 2 days. Sometimes I’m tempted to try to be superwoman and make the perfect LO, but God only knows how much backlog I have. So most of the time, I force myself to stop and move on to another LO.

Hmmm.... Not going there for now. I will lay away an LO when I can't seem to finish it, but I won't consider it "done". I will continue with a new LO until I've found the "perfect" idea for the previous LO. And if I do have the complete idea of how I want the LO to be, I won't stop until it's finished. Albeit that it takes me one hour or three days. I don't really care.

9. Scraplift

Everyone has done it, even me. The definition of scraplift is getting blurrier by the second, as rarely is an idea a true original, most are “inspired by” other layouts.

That's why my sketch book and all the magazines come in handy. This way I can make a layout while I'm otherwise completely stuck. I don't mind to use other's ideas. If they're good, why not use them? And since the photos and materials are never (exactly) the same, the layouts will be different in the end, no matter what!

10. Follow a sketch

This is a good way to jump-start your LO. Since I’m a very linear person, sketches remind me to use circles and other angles in my layouts.

I'll do that when I'm out of my own ideas. Since I'm using a lot of photos normally, I can't use all the sketches, but they'll give me basic ideas......

11. Use coordinated kits

Although I am now getting up the courage to mix and match different papers, I still prefer to start with a coordinated set of pps. Only when I feel that the set is lacking a certain color or feel, do I go to the rest of my stash to find a match. It helps that I know my papers (maybe too well), so I usually know which brand/collection to choose from.

Well....... usually I'll use solid papers. I'm not that much into using patterned papers. Mixing solid colors is easy, at least the way I see it. The problem comes with using patterned papers. Usually I'll think they're too busy for my oh so many photos I want to include in that one layout. But I have set my self a challenge for this year to try and use patterned papers anyway. And I think this will result in using coordinated kits and mixing up papers as well. This is really going to be a challenge, but I've taken my first with using the Urban Couture kit from Basic Grey in my SAG album.

12. When in doubt, start cutting or tearing

Often times I find myself arranging and re-arranging the elements of my LO repeatedly and getting nowhere fast. When this happens, I pick up the paper that I love most (there’s usually one paper that I fall in love with and get hooked on for a particular LO) and start tearing or cutting. Then I find that everything falls into place, or if it doesn’t, there’s always a way to patch up a blunder.

When you're using solid papers, like me, this isn't really a challenge. I think it will become a challenge for me when I really start using patterned papers. But we'll see!

13. Simplify

There are so many materials and techniques to choose from out there. I try to stick to one technique per LO, and a few key embellishments. I like to try new things but not all at the same time.

This is exactly the way I work! Although I usually don't use (many) embellishments! But as far as the technique goes, I'll stick to one new thing at a time. That will take enough time already!

14. Have a goal.

Mine is 3 layouts a week – but I’m a SAHM with too much stuff, for others it might be only one each week, or every 2 weeks.

Well, as you can see on the right handside, I have set myself a goal for a year: 24 layouts for this year. This means an average of two layouts per month. Mind you, a layout can be a one-page layout or a two (or more) layout. With this goal I'm talking about the layouts, so not the pages. And I'm slowly getting there. I've already finished five layouts as of March 16. So, at that moment I was still "on schedule". I'm not anymore right now, but that's due to the fact that I've also finished one mini album and I'm currently working on another mini album. And mind you, mini albums weren't included in my goal and I don't count the pages in my mini album as layouts for my goal. So this will be interesting :)

15. Have fun

You have to enjoy what you’re doing. After all, you are chronicling your family’s story. You don’t need to work in any prescribed order, scrap the pictures that inspire you. I personally enjoy being able to create things with my hands – enjoy the process

This is my main goal with scrapping! If, at any time, there comes a point where I don't like scrapping anymore, I'll quit it. Although I can't, for the life of me, imagine I'll ever get tired of scrapping. In my humble opinion:
~Scrapbooking is not a hobby, it's way of life~

Well, for now I'll leave you with these tips. If you have any more, please don't hesitate to share them, as we can all help each other out, right?

Talk to you later!