5 Scrapbooking Goals for My 5th Scrap-i-versary: A 3 Month Update

POSTED ON July 11, 2011 IN Goal Setting

Happy Monday everyone! Ready to start the new week off with some goal-setting fun?

Back in April as part of my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration, I laid out five scrapbooking-related goals I wanted to achieve during my next scrap-year. Since July represents three months since I first shared my goals, it’s time for a first quarter goal check-in.

Here is where I currently stand with my five scrapbooking goals after three months…

1. Get Back to My Scrapbooking Roots

I am pleased to say that this goal is coming along swimmingly. I scrapbooked my first 8.5×11 page in several years…

…and I have to say I LOVED it! It really made me wonder why I’d ever stopped!

It was such a refreshing change of pace from all the square layouts I’ve been doing the last few years. Nothing like switching up the page size to jumpstart the old mojo. I definitely see more rectangle pages in my future.

I’ve also started a list in Evernote called “scrap outside the box” which is full of various design and topic ideas outside my comfort zone which I’d like to challenge myself to try this year.

I also hopped on the Project Life train and will be starting a Project Life style project to document my 29th year. My new album and page protectors arrived last week and I’m feeling really excited to get started. I’ll be sharing more about this project soon.

2. Scrapbook More of Our Traveling Adventures

Travel scrapbooking is a go!

I introduced my new From Adventure to Album project in this post and am definitely ready to get my travel scrapbook on. I have a few few other projects this month to finish up first but you can definitely expect to see more travel scrapbooking come August and September.

3. Get My Organizing On

Aww, yes, my old foe organization…

Two things have been happening on the organization front. Not so much with actual organizing but definitely laying the foundation for future organizing.

Number one…

I am currently working my way through Stacy Julian’s new Finding Photo Freedom class over at Big Picture Classes, which Stacy graciously offered to let all alumni from her Library of Memories class take for free. (Thanks Stacy!)

The last time I took LOM was back in 2009 so the class has been a great refresher for her system.

I’m especially loving her more digital friendly stance this time around since that was something I always felt was sorely lacking in the original version of Library of Memories.

I wouldn’t say my photos are necessarily more organized as yet but I am definitely seeing a light at the end of the omg-I-have-way-too-many-photos tunnel.

Which brings me to number two…

I am currently playing around with the trial version of Apple’s Aperture. Being that I was a guest on the Paperclipping Digi Show a while back chatting about Lightroom, I feel a bit like I’m cheating admitting this, haha.

But what I’ve realized thanks to the The Great Computer Spring Clean-a-thon and Finding Photo Freedom is that I HATE organizing my photos in Lightroom.

There. I said it.

Phew, I feel better.

It’s just so…clunky. Clunky in the same way I find Windows clunky compared to the Mac OS.

There’s just something simple about Aperture I am really really loving right now. Whether I’ll make the switch, I don’t know, but with only four days left of my trial, I’m definitely feeling like Aperture may turn out to be a better fit for me. Or it may rekindle my love of Lightroom. Only time will tell…

4. Scrapbook 100 layouts by the end of 2011

This goal is kicking my ass.

I knew when I set this goal it would be tough. Really tough. The toughest of all five of these goals.

But I didn’t expect it to be quite this tough.

When I made this goal back in April, I had scrapped 17 layouts.

Three months later and six months into 2011 and I am at…

26 layouts.

Wah wah.

Which means I have 74 layouts to go in six months. 12.3 layouts a month.

Let’s face it, if I’m being realistic, that is probably not going to happen alongside everything I’ve got planned for the blog and the shoppe. But I’m going to move ahead and hope for the best. Maybe at the six month mark I’ll at least be at 50?

5. Turn NettioDesigns into one kickass place to hang out

Of all the goals on this list, this one is by far the most scary.

Not because I think it’s not possible. But because it’s so out there. For all the world to see.

I’ll admit there are days when I feel a bit like I’m talking to myself around here. Days where I get bit by the doubt monster and start questioning every.little.thing. Putting my thoughts and goals and work in such a public arena is definitely WAY outside my comfort zone.

But then there are also those moments that make everything worthwhile. A simple friendly comment. An awesome layout in the gallery using one of my templates. Someone who totally gets what I’m all about. Those are the days that make me want to do more.

Over the last three months, I’ve been thinking a lot about what my ultimate goals are for NettioDesigns, my vision for the site and how I can best help you. The good news is a plan is in place and I am kick-my-heels-off-and-do-a-happy-dance excited about where things are headed.

But it does mean there will be a few changes around here. Changes which will not only be more awesome for you but a better fit for me too. Don’t worry, what you love about NettioDesigns isn’t going away – it’s just being tweaked a little. And there may even be the need for a team in the near future…

Now It’s Your Turn

So that’s it for this first quarter update of my five scrapbooking goals for this scrap-year. With nine months still to go, I am definitely feeling good about the progress I’ve made and where these goals are headed.

What about you? Anyone else kicking butt on the goal front? Feel free to share in the comments!

How do I purchase Levitra without going to the doctor

5 Tips for Creating Easy Breezy Summer Layouts

POSTED ON July 6, 2011 IN Memory Keeping

Summertime is in full swing here in the northern half of the world which around here means one thing…summertime scrapbooking!

One of the great things about summer is the abundance of summer-specific activities just ripe for awesome scrapbooking pages.

The only problem with summertime scrapbooking?

Finding time to actually scrap in the midst of all the fun!

So whenever summer rolls around, I am always looking for ways I can simplify my digital scrapbooking layouts so I can get more done AND have more fun.

A few months ago I came across this fun summer bucket list image on Pinterest and knew that when summer rolled along, it would make a great starting point for a summer scrapbooking page. Image found here.

Now granted, we’re rocking a child-free lifestyle right now which meant our list was bound to be a little different from the list above. Although the big kid in me is definitely tempted to add “run through the sprinklers” and “blow bubbles” just for summertime nostalgia’s sake, haha.

But a few weekends ago while we were waiting for breakfast at the delish Magnolia Pancake Haus here in San Antonio, Adam and I brainstormed a summer bucket list that’s perfect for us. Granted I have no doubt it’ll evolve as the summer goes along but that wasn’t about to stop me from scrapbooking our list.

So to document our summer 2011 bucket list, I created this fun summer bucket list layout in no time using Penny Springmann’s bright and colorful summer-tastic 12 Months: June kit.

Credits: From Sweet Shoppe Designs: 12 Months: June by Penny Springmann. 12 Months Alphas by Penny Springmann. Tape from Play It Again by Misty Cato and Jenn Barrette. Fonts are DJB Boyfriend Jeans and Jailbird Jenna. Other: Stitched by Anna Borders No 3 by Anna Apnes. Thick Summer Words by Ali Edwards.

My Tips for Easy Summer Layouts

So what are my tips for creating an easy, breezy summer layout?

1) Look Ma, No Photos!

No-photo layouts have become a favorite time-saving trick of mine because they simplify the first half of my scrapbooking process. No hunting for the “right” photo. No editing photos. It’s just you and the open product road, baby.

2) Become a One-Kit Wonder

Mixing and matching from multiple kits can be a lot of fun but pulling from one kit is even easier. Penny’s kit was perfect for this as included a bunch of unique summer elements like the flip-flops, sunglasses and fruit slices.

3) Get Your List Journaling On

List journaling is one of the easiest forms of journaling out there. Lists are quick, easy AND they provide a great foundation for the design of the rest of the page.

4) Get Your Loved Ones Involved

The great thing about my summer bucket list? It was written before I started my layout. Sure I could have written a summer fun list on my own but getting Adam involved not only made my list-making easier but it ensures we’re both included in the summer fun.

5) Look for Outside Inspiration

Sites like Pinterest are a great place to find new, inspiring ideas for scrapbooking pages outside the scrapbooking world. Why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to? Keep your eyes peeled and I’m sure you’ll be inspired in no time.

Summertime scrapbooking doesn’t have to be time consuming. With a few smart scrapbooking choices, you’ll still have plenty of time for fun in the sun AND scrapbooking your summertime memories.

Do You Love Summer?

I am currently in the process of working on a BRAND NEW template collection which will be perfect for getting your summertime scrapbook on. I know what I LOVE about summer but I want to hear from you.

What do YOU love about summer?

If you could design your ultimate summer scrapbooking template what would it include? Room for lots of photos? Lists? Journaling? Blocking? A big giant flip-flop, haha?

Here’s your chance to get your voice heard so let me know in the comments what you’d love to see. I’d love to hear from you!

Pssst…want more time-saving scrapbooking tips? Be sure to check out this month’s Fast Starts class over at Masterful Scrapbook Design.

How Can Customers Lower Their Remedy Costs

The Top Five Struggles of Digital Scrapbookers

POSTED ON May 19, 2011 IN Memory Keeping

Once again a big huge THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by my Goals post a few weeks ago and shared their digital scrapbooking struggles. After taking some time to digest all your comments (which I LOVED reading by the way), I am back to share my thoughts on your responses to this question:

What do you struggle with when it comes to digital scrapbooking?

As I’ve mentioned before I am a bit of a numbers nerd, haha, so in an effort to make sense of all the awesome responses I received from all of you, I decided I would get back to my economics-lovin’ roots and put together a lovely little chart representing the top responses.

Here were the top five struggles of digital scrapbookers based on your responses:

As you can see, Time Management comes in at the number one spot followed very closely by Design in spot number two. Rounding out the top five are Inspiration, Titles and Organization.

Let’s chat a bit more about each of these, starting with number one…

#1 Time Management

Does it really surprise anyone to see Time Management sitting in the number one spot?

I’m not surprised one bit considering I too would put this as my number one struggle not only in digital scrapbooking, but in life in general. To be honest, I think you’d be hard-pressed to any digital scrapbooker let alone any person who never struggles with time. (And if there’s a digital scrapbooker out there who falls into that category, please come teach us your ways, Obi-Wan Scrapobi!)

The simple fact is time is a finite resource. We each get the exact same 24 hours in a day and that’s it. I know, some days this makes me want to cry too.

But the one thing we do have control over when it comes to time is our CHOICES. And this is where I believe the struggle for digital scrapbookers begins.

One of the amazing things about this hobby of ours (and really our world in general) is thanks to the magic of the internet, we have access to an infinite number of possibilities available to us anywhere, at any time of the day.

Need a new kit to go with those photos you just took? Easy-peasy.

Want to ask fellow scrapbookers for advice on your most recent layout? Post in the forums.

Looking for some design inspiration? Hundreds of thousands of scrapbooking layouts are out there for your viewing pleasure.

Unlike traditional paper scrapbookers we don’t have to drive to the store when we need a new sheet of cardstock or stop by a weekend crop to hang out with friends. This is one of the many awesome advantages of digital scrapbooking.

But when you start thinking about everything we have to juggle as part of this hobby – Creative Teams, forums, galleries, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, oh yeah, and scrapbooking somewhere in there too, it’s easy to see why so many of you struggling with getting and staying focused.

The answer you often hear from time management gurus is to just turn the internet off. Turn it off. Focus on the task at hand.

But when the digital scrapbooking world exists online how do you manage this? And more importantly how do you filter out the never ending stream of new information and inspiration that is coming in?

That’s the question we as digital scrapbookers need to be .

Now obviously I am not a time management guru by any stretch of the imagination. And I’m not about to pretend I have all the answers because I most certainly don’t. Not even close.

But I do have ideas on how we as scrapbookers can manage are time better and I’m hoping we can work together to figure out a solution that works not only for our industry but for our individual lives as well. Because I don’t know about you but I think the digiscrap world would be a pretty sad place if everyone managed their time simply by turning off the internet.

#2 Design

Coming in at the number two spot was Design which I think we can all agree is a big struggle for many digital scrapbookers.

Design encompasses so much of what we do as scrapbookers: composition, photo placement, kit choice, color scheme, patterned papers, clustering and element placement, dropshadowing, typography & title design. It’s easy to see why design is so overwhelming for so many scrapbookers.

Many of you commented that this is why you love scrapbooking with templates because it takes the guess-work out of scrapbooking. As a template designer, I say GREAT! I can save you a ton of time and energy by thinking up complicated, layered paper-lovin’ designs for you. And I love doing that.

But as strictly a scrapbooker, I have mixed feelings about this. Because sometimes I worry that we’ve lost a little bit of that unique design spark that existed back in the early days of digital scrapbooking out of fear. Fear we don’t have enough design talent. Fear our pages will never be as good without the safety net of a template.

In digi-land there’s often this assumption that good design is an innate ability. That all talented scrapbookers were born with this magical ability to craft amazing page after amazing page.

I have news for you. They weren’t. And if you don’t believe me, go back to page one of any one of the galleries from those scrapbookers you admire. I guarantee their pages will tell you a different story. I have done this since I was a newbie scrapbooker and I have yet to find a scrapbooker for whom this wasn’t true.

The simple fact is all good design is built on a foundation of solid design principles. When someone says they have an innate sense of good design, all they’re really saying is they don’t actively think about these design principles as they’re designing.

But if you actually look for these elements of design – like symmetry, balance, unity, repetition – I guarantee you will find them in their layouts. I know they exist in mine.

And that’s great news for you.

Because these design principles can absolutely 100% be learned.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. You are the exception to the rule. Design is HARD. You’ll never get it. Templates are SO much easier.

If you’re the kind of scrapbooker who LOVES scrapbooking with templates, that’s AWESOME. Templates are a fantastic tool for making amazing pages. And I will definitely be working hard at providing you with awesome templates here at NettioDesigns.

But if you’re the kind of scrapbooker who would love to learn more about design,

I will definitely be chatting more about design here at NettioDesigns as well as sharing more about my personal design process when I scrapbook. It’s going to be fun.

#3 Inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing. We tend to look at inspiration as this mystical power that bestows itself upon us.

“Oh great gods of mojo, send me some scrapbooking inspiration so I may complete this layout of awesomeness.”

Far and away the number one comment I received with regards to inspiration was a variation on this:

“I feel like I’m making the same page over and over again.”

Time and time again it is drilled into us as scrapbookers that we need to find our style.

But as a scrapbooker who very much has a defined style, there are days when I too start feeling like maybe my all pages are starting to look the same.

It’s a fine line to walk.

The key is getting to place where we are confident with our style but not so comfortable with our style that we become afraid to push outside those boundaries and mix it up from time to time.

Try an unexpected color scheme. Mix up pages sizes. Do a mini album. Scrapbook with a kit outside our normal style.

We will definitely be talking more about inspiration around here: how to get it, how to keep it and most importantly how to find your style while still keeping things fresh and exciting.

#4 Titles

So I’ll admit, the number of people who listed titles as one of their major struggles took me by surprise. Journaling and storytelling I expected but titles specifically, not as much.

But this is exactly why I wanted to hear directly from YOU because I knew there would be some things you struggle with that I don’t necessarily think about and that’s actually a good thing. Because it means I can help.

I’ve been thinking a lot about why titles are a struggle for so many of you and I have a few questions for you:

What kind of stories are you telling?

Are you telling deep and meaningful stories? Are you telling stories from a wide range of perspectives?

Or are do often find yourself telling the same story over and over again?

Obviously only you can answer these questions for you because your definition of deep and meaningful is going to be different than mine.

But I ask this because for me personally, titles, journaling and storytelling are all very interrelated.

The richer the story I’m telling, the more opportunity I have to create a rich, meaningful title. Where as in comparison, the pages I’ve done with a cute photo and a quote don’t exactly leave me a lot of options when it comes to creating an interesting title. Those tend to be the pages that get slapped with a “love” or “sisters” title, which I think we can all agree is a bit boring for sure.

Now it’s possible this isn’t your problem at all and if that’s the case, please feel free to let me know in the comments! I will definitely be sharing more about how I specifically come up with my titles but any details you want to provide about why titles are a struggle for you are always welcome too.

#5 Organization

We have made it to number five. At first I was a bit surprised to see Organization all the way down in the number five slot given the number of forum threads around digi-land devoted to it. But the more I think about it, the more I think it’s probably a good thing because it means we haven’t lost sight on what’s important when it comes to scrapbooking.

In a lot of ways it’s fitting that organization comes in at the number five spot because organization provides us the foundation on which to build all of the things mentioned above in numbers 1-4.

When your fonts and alphas are organized, you can be more creative with your titles.

When your photos are organized you can be inspired to document all those meaningful stories without fear you won’t be able to find the “right” photo.

When your supplies are organized in a way that works for how you scrap, you will have more freedom in your design choices.

When your photos and supplies are organized, you’ll stop wasting time trying to find exactly what you need. It’ll just be right there.

Perhaps even more importantly, as I found out during The Great Computer Spring Clean-a-thon, when you’re supplies and photos are out of control, it can seriously kill your mojo.

Often as digital scrapbookers we tend to get too wrapped up in the technology of organizing (myself included).

ACDSee vs Finder/Windows Explorer?

Lightroom vs Aperture?

To tag or not to tag?

But the key to organizing is finding a system that works for you and the way you scrap.

The question we need to be asking ourselves is not which tool is right for me but how do I want to be able to find my supplies and photos? When I go hunting for a photo or scrapbooking supply, what am I usually looking for?

Obviously I don’t have all the organizing answers just yet. But as I mentioned in my Goals post, organization is a big priority for me because I know it’s holding me back from being a fully organized and inspired scrapbooker. So you can be sure there will be more posts on this topic in the future.

Now It’s Your Turn

And with that, we have completed our journey through the top five digital struggles as told by you. What do you think? Any struggles you thought would rank higher? Any struggles you were surprised to see? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Can I take Levitra if I am taking other remedies at the same time

5 Years Down, 5 New Scrapbooking Goals To Go (AND a Giveaway!)

POSTED ON April 29, 2011 IN 5th Scrapiversary

Well April, it’s been fun…

With April coming to a close, it’s means it’s time to wrap up my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration. So far this month I’ve told the story of how my digital scrapbooking journey began, shared my FAVE digital scrapbooking project ever, revisited some of my scrapbooking hits and cringe-worthy misses and counted down the last 5 years of digiscrapping.

To close out my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration, it seems only fitting that for my 5th and final Scrap-i-versary post, we leave behind the days of scrapbooking past and turn our attention toward the future. Revisiting some of my favorite and least favorite layouts and projects during this month made me realize there were a few changes I would like to make around here.

So with that here are five of my digital scrapbooking goals for my next scrapbooking year…

1. Get Back to My Scrapbooking Roots

As I mentioned in my hits & misses post earlier this week, back when I first started digital scrapbooking, I scrapped both square (12×12 or 8×8 really) and rectangle (8.5×11 layouts) and regularly swapped between a more paper-esque scrapbooking style and a more graphic magazine style.

Over the last several years I’ve really gotten away from this but I would love to get back into the habit of mixing things up, keep things fresh and stepping outside my scrapbooking comfort zone more often.

Expect to see a wider variety of page sizes (maybe even a pocket page protector or two), as well as styles, and maybe even a paper or hybrid project thrown here and there too for good measure.

2. Scrapbook More of Our Traveling Adventures

One of mine and Adam’s absolute favorite things to do is travel. As Adam will be the first to tell you, if you ask me what I want to do over the weekend, my answer 9 times out of 10 will be “I just want to GO somewhere!” We love visiting new places and seeing new sights. It’s one of our favorite things about the military lifestyle. But if you were to look through my scrapbook albums would you likely know this about us? Nope.

In the five years since I started digital scrapbooking, we have lived in Korea for a year, taken trips to amazing places like Japan and Hawaii, and taken our first ever trip to Disneyworld and soon, NYC. We’ve gone on numerous road trips and camping trips and explored some awesome places like Yellowstone and Carlsbad Caverns.

But how many of these trips would you actually see if you flipped through our scrapbooks?

Zero.

Sure there may be a page here or there but for the most part, these memories and photos remain safely hidden away in our minds…and the depths of my computer hard drive.

So goal number 2 for this year is to get my travel scrapbooking on and actually document some of these amazing trips we’ve been lucky enough to take over the years.

which brings me to Goal #3…

3. Get My Organizing On

By far the biggest obstacle holding me back from scrapbooking our travels is the sheer number of photos. Coming back from a trip with 800-1000 RAW photos to sort through is a daunting task!

If I’m going to embrace travel scrapbooking this year, I really need a photo and scrapbooking system that can handle the large volume of photos I’ll have to deal with. The Great Computer Spring Clean-a-thon was a great start but there is definitely still a lot to do when it comes to getting my organizing system into tip-top shape.

So expect to see lots more posts about my adventures in organizing (and mis-adventures, I’m sure, haha) here on the blog. I am determined that this year will be the year I find a systems that WORKS.

4. Scrapbook 100 layouts by the end of 2011

Now I’m sure there are some of you who would find the idea of 100 layouts in a year laughable. You probably scrap that many layouts in a month with a baby in your arms and two toddlers running around. Ha.

The truth is in the five years I’ve been digital scrapbooking, the most number of layouts I’ve ever done in a single year has been 85. Which means 100? Kind of a bold goal for me.

By the end of April I will have completed 15 layouts (that’s an average of 3.75 a month for you fellow math nerds out there) which means I’ll have 8 months left to scrap 85 layouts. Averaging 10.6 layouts a month. Eeek.

My CT requirements with make up a minimum of 32 of those 85 but that still means I have at least 53 layouts to scrap on my own. It’s going to be a challenge for me I know, but I am excited for the prospect of getting back into a more consistent scrapbooking rhythm again and taking time to scrap layouts that are just for me.

Plus more layouts from me = more template-y goodness for you. It’s a win-win, haha.

5. Turn NettioDesigns into one kickass place to hang out

Yep, that’s right, I am putting this out here. For all to see. Haha.

When I started NettioDesigns back in February, I knew it was going to be a learning experience. Just how BIG of a learning experience I don’t think I realized. Haha. So things around here definitely got off to a slower start than I would have liked as a I slowly learned how to balance scrapbooking, a digi website and life. But with three months under my belt I am definitely getting into a groove and I’m ready to start ramping things up around here. Time to take some of these plans and turn them into action.

What does this mean for you?

More.

More templates. More scrapbooking adventures. More tips. More tricks. More tutorials. You name it.

Which brings me to this…

I want to hear from YOU

What do you struggle with when it comes to digital scrapbooking?

Is it coming up with a fresh new design every time? Mixing and matching elements and papers? Maybe you have a layout that just didn’t work out the way you hoped? Organizing, Photoshop, Mac vs PC, Backing up your files…

Whatever it may be, big or small, easy or hard, I want to hear about it. Now is the time to ask your burning scrapbooking questions.

Have an awesome idea for a template, a tutorial you’d love to see?

Feel free to share that too.

Now is your chance to get those burning digital scrapbooking questions answered.

And just for a little added incentive…how about a giveaway.

One lucky commenter will win my next template release for FREE.

I know you like free.

How to Enter

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here on this blog post letting me know what you’re struggling with (or what you wish you could do better) and what you would love to see here at NettioDesigns when it comes to digital scrapbooking.

That’s pretty easy, right?

Want to increase your chances of winning? Post about this giveaway on Twitter and encourage your digiscrappy friends to come give their input too. Link me up to your tweet in a separate new comment to earn an extra entry.

You’ve got until Tuesday, May 3rd, 7am EST to post your comment to be eligible to win. Winner will be announced on the day of the new release.

And with that, my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration comes to an end. It’s been a fun five scraptastic years so far and I’m so thrilled with all the memories I have scrapped but I am definitely excited to see what the next few years bring scrapbooking-wise. Should be a fun!

Psst…want to make sure you don’t miss out on any of my future scrapbooking adventures? You should sign up for my blog RSS feed here.

Fraudulent Drugs Are A Huge Global Problem

Counting Down the Last 5 Years of Digiscrappy Goodness

POSTED ON April 28, 2011 IN 5th Scrapiversary

With my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration winding down this week, I thought today would be a good day to spend some time breaking down just what five years of digiscrapping fun has added up to around here. Perhaps with a little help from my good friend The Count…

Whoops, wrong Count…(but seriously my favorite Count ever)

Let’s try this again…

There we go, that’s better. Take it away, Count von Count!

370: The total number of digital scrapbooking layouts I’ve scrapped since April 7, 2006

2006: The year with the least number of layouts (38)

2009: The year with the most number of layouts (84)

13: The number of layouts I’ve scrapped so far in 2011

77: The number of layouts I scrapped for The Digi Dares in 3.5 years as a Darer

48: The number of layouts I would counts as All About Me layouts

16: The number of layouts with the word FAVES in the title

3.5: The average number of hours it takes me to complete a layout

12: The total number of Creative Teams I’ve been on in the last 5 years

6: The number of Creative Teams I’ve been on at any one time

4.5: The most number of years I’ve been a single Creative Team (Zoe Pearn)

3.5: The number of years I’ve been a Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe

23, 225: the number of photos I’ve snapped since I purchased my Canon Rebel XT in 2006
(Is it any wonder why I dread organizing them, LOL!)

6441: the most number of photos taken in a single year (2010)

2: the number of computers I’ve used for scrapbooking

1: the number of those computers that was a Mac

1069: the number of days since I officially switch to a Mac

2: the number of versions of Photoshop I’ve used (CS2 & CS3)

2: the number of versions of Lightroom I’ve used (1 & 2)

239: the most non-Photoshop/computer money I’ve spent at once for scrapbooking-related goodies (Totally Rad Actions 1&2)

7: the most number of layouts the same single photo appears on

7: the number of scrapbooking competitions I’ve participated in

1: the number of scrapbooking competitions I won

2: the number of layouts I’ve had published in a print magazine (Creating Keepsakes & Scrapbooks Etc.)

4: the number of times I’ve been a guest on the Paperclipping Digi Show

20: the total number of digital scrapbooking templates made from my layouts so far

4: The number of scrapbooking albums I currently have (Us, People, Places, Things ala Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories system)

4: the number of times I’ve attempted a December Daily album

0: the number of times I’ve completed my December Daily album

16: the total number of weekly layouts I completed for my Deployment: 365 Project

40: the highest number of comments I’ve received on any single layout

12,554: the highest number of posts/comments I’ve left on any one site (DigiShopTalk)

24,937: the total number of posts/comments I’ve left on DigiShopTalk, My Scrapbook Art and Sweet Shoppe Designs combined

17.3: the total number of DAYS that amounts if I averaged one post/comment a minute (INSANE)
(Seriously, 17 days of posts/comments BOGGLES MY MIND. I knew it was a lot but dang, that’s insanity.)

So there you have it. Five years of scrapbooking fun broken down for some mathtastic nerdiness. Anything I missed that you must know? Ask and i shall calculate…using my handy dandy calculator, that is, haha.

Count Blah photo found here. The Count photo found here.

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Hits, Misses & Other Cringe-Worthy Scrapbooking Moments from the Past 5 Years

POSTED ON April 26, 2011 IN 5th Scrapiversary

Since I shared a little bit about one of my favorite scrapbooking projects in my last 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration post, I thought today would be a good time to share some of my scrapbooking hits and misses over the past 5 years. Think of it as an Oscar Best & Worst Dressed list but with less designer duds and more scrapbooky goodness. And no Joan Rivers.

HIT: Mixing it up design-wise

When I look through my folders of digi layouts of yore, one thing that really strikes me from my early days is the amount of design variety in my layouts. Back then not only did I scrap both 12×12 and 8.5×11 layouts but I regularly switched between a more paper scrapbooking style and a more graphic magazine style.

Over the years, I’ve moved away from this in favor of more paper-centric CT friendly layouts and while I don’t really regret it, I do miss stepping outside my regular style comfort zone more often. It’s good for my creativity and it pushes me to see things in a different light. Plus I love seeing the variety of sizes and styles in my albums. This is one relic from my early scrap years that I would definitely like to revisit more today.

HIT: Taking time to document life’s little moments…and quirks

Whenever I look through my layouts, pages like this always make me smile a big goofy grin…

…because they are 100% me. And yes, that is me pretending to eat an entire block of cheese. Haha.

One thing I am forever grateful for when it comes to my scrapbooking is that I never got caught up into the whole idea of being, well, “caught up.” No having to scrap every photo in chronological order for this girl. I am all about keeping things low stress.

Perhaps this is a benefit of being a child-free scrapper and not having a constant reminder of just how fast my children are growing up, but I love having the freedom to scrap what I love most. I scrap the stories that matter most to me when they matter to me and I think there’s something incredibly magical about that. I LOVE looking back and seeing all these little bits and pieces of my life that I would have otherwise forgotten. My albums are essentially journals of my life during the past five years and I think that is oh-so-cool.

MISS: Not focusing enough on the story…or leaving it off completely

There’s one common thread throughout all my least favorite pages from the last five years and it’s this simple fact: they don’t contain enough story. Instead some form of wordy bits/brushwork/word art has been placed to add meaning to a page that really has no meaning. In some cases it works but as evidenced by this page, not always…

What makes this page especially cringe-worthy for me is the simple fact that that photo? Not taken in Spring. In fact the photo itself has absolutely nothing to do with spring.

That photo was taken in August right before Adam deployed to Iraq. It was a last little hurrah just days before Adam deployed and was also our first trip to Rocky Mountain National Park (which is an AMAZING place by the way). We had gotten up early all eager-beaver style to take a hike up to this lake with the plan being to arrive there just in time to have lunch. We’d even packed a lunch and everything! But apparently we were either in much better shape than we thought or the hike was just that easy because we managed to arrive at our destination lake by 10am. Oops. So instead we had a snack, hung out for a little bit and went back to our campsite for lunch.It ended up being a really nice, relaxing day.

But you won’t find that story above on this page. Why? Because I clearly felt it was more important to include some sweet springtime wordart that had nothing to do with the story. And that’s definitely a scrapbooking FAIL in my book.

HIT: Dare-ing to step outside the box

Aww, the Digi Dares. For three years I was a member of the The Digi Dares, a challenge blog where we posted weekly challenges designed to push you out of your creative zone both design and topic-wise.

Let me just say this, joining the Digi Dares was one of the best scrapbooking decisions I’ve ever made during my five years of scrapbooking.

Not only did the Dares keep me scrapping on a regular basis but they forced me to think creatively, try new-to-me styles and scrap stories I wouldn’t have otherwise. When I look back at my three years of Digi Dare layouts, there is something oh-so-magical about them. Some of my most favorite layouts ever are from my Darer days.

When I stepped down from the Digi Dare team in December 2010, I knew it was the right decision. With Adam being deployed, my scrap mojo was at an all time low and well, after three years, I had gotten a bit burnt out. But there are definitely days when I really miss the Digi Dare experience. There’s no denying that the Dares helped me become the scrapbooker I am today. My time as a Darer is definitely a part of my scrapbooking journey I will forever look fondly on.

MISS: Angles for the sake of angles or otherwise known as getting too caught up in the it-trend of the moment

Aww, yes, the golden age of geometry…I remember it well…

Back when I first started digital scrapbooking, the “in” design style at the time was all about angles. Take a single photo, angle it a few degrees, slap a few elements on it and call it good. I remember one very popular scrapper at the time talking about how she would purposely angle an element by 12 degrees to the left on one side of her page and then balance it by adding that same angle going to the right to an element on the opposite side of the page. These were amazing times, folks.

Coming from a much more linear design background (it doesn’t get much more linear than newspaper design, haha), angles were SO not my thing. I can appreciate a well placed slightly tilted element but angles in an attempt to make things interesting with no real purpose makes me twitchy.

For the first two years of my scrapping career, I tried to make it work. Really I did.

And I hated those pages. They were so.not.me.

The moment I realized all my favorite scrapbookers were ones who had a much more clean, symmetrical, linear style was the moment I started to find my own style and really create consistently pages I loved. Realizing that it was OK to focus on what I loved rather than what was in at that moment was a huge lightbulb moment for me for sure.

Even now when I look back at my layouts from those early days, I still love the layouts that fit this linear esthetic. Layouts like this awesome gem…

Which really, how can you not love a layout featuring Awesom-O? The fact that it tells the story of how the name Nettio was born is just icing on the cake.

But pages like the Golden Light layout above make my eyes bug out. I just want to reach out and deangle-fy everything. Kinda like needing to adjust a picture frame that’s just sliiiightly not level. Haha.

HIT: Getting my game face on

About a month after I scrapped my first digi layout, I signed up to compete in my first digital scrapbooking competition. I’ll admit, had I seen the list of scrapbookers who were competing before I signed up, I would have totally wimped out. But I decided to push forward and eventually submitted this layout (which was like my 4th layout…ever!) as my entry…

What’s more surprising than the fact that I still actually like this layout today, is the fact that I managed to make it through the first cut of the competition and into the top 100.

As a newbie scrapper, this was HUGE to me because there were definitely much more well-known scrappers who didn’t make it through. I ended up being eliminated after the 2nd round but even so, the boost of confidence I received from competing made me so glad I’d stepped outside of my comfort zone to give it a shot.

Over the last five years, I’ve competed in numerous digiscrapping competitions: Battle of the Creative Teams, Queen of the Crop, Stand Up and Scrap, just to name a few. And hey, I even managed to win one one time…

But as cliché as it sounds, these competitions are really not just about winning for me.

Every time I participate in a scrapbooking competition, I learn something new about my scrapbooking, my design style and myself.

Much like the Digi Dares, scrapbooking competitions push me creatively and I always come away with some of my most favorite layouts because I’ve pushed myself to do something beyond what I normally do.

But perhaps more importantly, they force me to ask this simple question:

“What can I do to be different? What can I do to stand out?”

I’ve always been a big believer in the idea that if you’re only doing what everyone else is doing, you’re just another face in the crowd. This is true in competitions, CTs, life, you name it.

You have to be willing to push yourself and try new and different things if you ever want to grow – as both a scrapbooker and in life. I have no doubt that every scrapbook competition I’ve participated in has helped me become the scrapbooker I am today.

MISS: Allowing product to overshadow the story

When I showed this layout to Adam earlier this week, his comment was, “It looks like you used a baby kit for a non-baby layout.” Which let’s face it, isexactly what I did.

As any scrapbooker who’s ever been on a Creative Team knows, there are times when you have to do your best to rock a kit that maybe doesn’t fit 100% with with who you are or how you scrap.

Being a child-free scrapbooker I think I run into this more than most and normally I love the challenge of how can I make this baby/pregnancy/toddler-esque kit work for me?

In the case of this specific layout, it just didn’t work. To be fair, it’s not the kit’s fault. It’s a cute kit! But I tried to fight the spirit of the kit and well, lost, haha.

But the real loser here is the story. The photo and journaling are completely overshadowed by pattern and color on this page. (Not to mention that this design completely violates my no angles-for-the-sake of angles policy.)

HIT: Using scrapbooking to get through those tough times

When I started scrapbooking in 2006, I don’t think I realized just how intertwined scrapbooking and my life as an Army wife would become.

Scrapbooking has definitely become an outlet for me to deal with all the stress that comes with being a military wife – multiple deployments, moves, etc. It’s allowed me to keep perspective in the tough times and to remind myself to cherish the moments we have together when they are here.

Because as every military spouse knows, there are times when those moments are few and far between.

If you were to look through my albums today, I’d like to think you’d get a pretty realistic view of what it’s like to be a military wife in the 21st century. My struggles with careers, deployments, etc are all in there.

When I look back at some of these layouts, I’ll admit, it’s tough. Sometimes I have momentary reservations where I think “holy crap, did I really put that out there?” But at the same time I embrace them for what they are. Because those emotions, those feelings, those moments – they are 100% REAL. They’re the story of a twenty-something Army wife trying to make sense of life and love through the art she loves.

Having an outlet for dealing with a lot of these emotions has been so so beneficial for me. They represent scrap therapy at it’s best.

HIT: Becoming a Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe

Obviously no hits or misses list would be complete without including one of my dream CTs so pardon me while I gush a little, haha.

Like a lot of digital scrapbookers, becoming a Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe was a dream creative team of mine so back in October 2007, when I received my email from Robin saying I’d been selected, I was beyond ecstatic.

So many amazingly talented scrapbookers have been Babes at some point that it still boggles my mind that I am lucky enough to be one of them. I am truly thankful that Robin and the team took a chance on me back in the day and chose me represent them and their designs. To say being a Babe has influenced my design style in ways I never expected would be an understatement.

But being a Babe is so much more than just amazing scrapbooking products. I feel so blessed to be able to be part of one of the truly sweetest teams out there. The Sweet Shoppe community is amazing and I have no doubt that one of the reasons I’ve made it through 5 years of scrapbooking has to do with all of the amazing people I have met thanks to my sweet digi home.

Being a Babe is truly the sweetest digi gig out there.

MISS: Not thinking like a paper scrapbooker

As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, unlike a lot of digital scrapbookers, I didn’t come from a paper scrapbooking background.

I knew very little about scrapbooking when I started which was both good and bad. Good in that I wasn’t bogged down by any preconceived notions (like being “caught up”). Bad in that I really think too much about how a paper scrapbooking layout was put together.

Which occasionally made for some interesting design choices like this gem…

Holy floating journaling, Batman!

I honestly have NO idea what I was thinking when the placed journaling on top of those papers and arrow. It makes absolutely no sense. Did I hope the journaling would magically fade into the background?

Even more perplexing is this would have been an easy fix. Add a little journaling block or journaling strip tucked in behind the papers with the arrow on top and voila! No more homeless journaling. But nope, I chose to leave it as is in all it’s floating glory.

What makes this page even more cringe-worthy for me is this was the very first page I did as a Sweet Shoppe SugarBabe. Looking at it now makes me seriously question how I managed to ever get on the team way back when. Perhaps my reasoning for this design miss should be not guilty based on reason of temporary insanity due to newfound Babe-ness? LOL!

HIT: Finding a style to call my own

Over the last five years, every one of these hits and misses have played a part in developing a style that I love. A style that is true to my love of scrapping small moments with clean, linear designs. Paper-centric scrapbooking with a bold, modern twist.

My style has evolved in ways I never expected since I started scrapbooking in April 2006 and I can only imagine what the next five years will bring. But seeing the difference between this layout and the first layouts I created makes me so proud of how far I’ve come over the last five years. It’s been an amazing adventure and I am so excited to see what happens next.

Now It’s Your Turn

So what about you? What are your scrapbooking hits and misses? Have any cringe-worthy moments you’d like to get off your chest? Any layouts you’re especially proud of? Share them with me in the comments!

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