Monday, January 28, 2013

I Made It Monday



So last year I made a valiant attempt at chronicling our year in a scrap book. My goal was to go from December 21, 2011 to December 22, 2012. I called it Waiting for the Apocalypse. I got to about March before I stopped. The problem was I take so many pictures that I ended up with an overwhelming amount to go through. I got frustrated and, not a big surprise, distracted by other things that were slightly more pressing than scrapbooking.

But I still liked and clung to the idea of scrapbooking life as it happened. And it was in the course of looking for new scrapbooking resources that I stumbled across a few blogs that were talking about something called Project Life. I traced the links back to a woman, Becky Higgins, who had hatched and sold a scrapbooking system that cut out time consuming layout dilemmas and matching papers.

Project Life is a streamlined system. Something I can take out and spend an hour or two with and put away. I liked that.

I did not, however, like the price tag associated with all the accessories. I’ve got accessories out the wazoo! Paper, stickers, vellum quotes and sayings, albums…and did I mention the paper? I’ve got a lot of scrapbook paper. I’ve got enough scrapbook paper that I’m probably going to have to include it in my will.

The one thing I didn’t have was the nifty photo pages (photo page protectors…what are those things called anyway?).

So I ordered some (FYI - Becky sells her supplies through Amazon). Just a small pack to see how it would go. While I was waiting from my package to arrive I spent my evenings going through my shoebox full of scraps cutting them down to sizes that would fit the photo pages. I spent hours combing through the photos I’d taken trying to narrow the ones I loved down to a reasonable 5-8. Five to eight photos to capture the week. Reasonable and doable.

Once the pages arrived, I established a routine. Oh how I hate routines (more on that later)! But I knew that if I didn’t establish a day to scrapbook, it would just collect dust like the Camping book, the Apocalypse book and the Birthday Fiesta O’ Fun books. Mondays, I decided would be the day. Mondays I go into town and run my errands. I do the grocery shopping, I pick up the miscellaneous things I need from Home Depot or Target. Mondays I would print my photos and Mondays I would scrapbook.

And, my friends, I do. I am. It isn’t overly elaborate or crazy with crafty and creativity but I’m getting what I wanted to accomplish done. And that, my friends, makes me happy. And slightly proud because really right now, I need to show that I can start a project and finish it.


6 comments:

  1. If you can start and then finish a project, you're more accomplished than I. Best of luck.

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    1. Key word: Finish!!

      I've started it and I'm motivated to work on it weekly now let's see if I keep up with it!

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  2. I used to love scrap booking... But it became overwhelming for me too. Plus I'm flighty on my crafting. I go from one thing to another so quickly!! So proud of you for sticking to it!

    Hugs!

    Valerie

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    1. Scrapbooking is so overwhelming and pricey! Especially all of the accessories. I try to keep to a minimalist approach and that's what I really liked about Project Life: photos and journaling cards are pretty much it. I have a collection of stickers so I'm using those but that's about as fancy as I plan to get for this book. I'll save the fancyness for gift or otherwise special albums.

      And I agree with the jumping from craft to craft. I can do 'em all, but I'm not a master of any!

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  3. You should make a book that is just entailed 'Murder.' Then you should fill with it with random pictures of stuff, like pigeons at the park, or pictures of swing sets and old bicycles. That way, when you will your scrap booking supplies to your family, they will think that you were totally deep and mysterious.

    Or psychotic. Either one.

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    1. This is why I love blogging. Seriously. I now have to plan a new album. Except instead of "Murder" I think I'll entitle it "Morbid Curiosities."

      Also, because of your suggestion my eldest thinks you are fairly radical (in the cool, awesome neat-o way, not the rebel or extremist way).

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