Scrapbookers just don’t have enough time. In a recent poll on Twitter and Facebook, I asked what people’s biggest scrapbooking challenges were, and the number one answer was “Not enough time!”
Boy, can I relate. With three young children, a home-based business, and a husband who would like to see me for at least a few minutes a day, finding time to scrapbook can be a big deal. If I’m not strategic about it, it may be weeks before I get close to my scrapbooking table. But I’m not willing to sacrifice my favorite hobby, not even in favor of clean clothes. So here are some tips to help you incorporate scrapbooking into your life:
1. Forget about the perfect afternoon. I have pictures of a Sunday afternoon where everyone is out of the house, the clothes are done, dinner is simmering in the Crock-Pot, and I have nothing to do in the scrapbook. I’m full of ideas, my scrapbook table is clean, and all the photos in my stack are perfectly in focus and the perfect size for the designs I want to create. SAY AH! When was the last time this scenario occurred? NEVER.
Instead of focusing on the “perfect” moment in the scrapbook, I focus on any moment in the scrapbook and make it work. I may have to make a scrapbook with three children by my side, one questioning one about his Spanish while the second does his math and the little one colors a picture. It’s fine. This is life. And that’s perfect.
2. Be prepared to make a scrapbook. Make a list of the pages you want to complete, the stories you want to document, and the photos you want to take. Then the next time you take out your camera, take those photos. The next time you have ten minutes to wait in the school pickup line, grab your notebook and jot down some notes in your journal. Then when you have time at your table, you can get to work.
Most of my scrapbooking takes place in 15-30 minute chunks, and I have a long list of tasks that I can complete in that period of time, from uploading photos to an online developer, to putting together page kits. . Right now, my life is busy and it’s crazy. If I want to make a scrapbook, I have to find a way to make it work.
3. Know your process. The more you know about how you like to scrapbook, the more you can work with that process rather than against it. Do you need a large selection of photos? Do you like to start with a sketch? Do you like to remove other designs? For the next few pages you create, write down your typical routine and where you get stuck. Then find out how to get through those stuck points.
4. Narrow your options. For many scrapbook lovers, the most time-consuming part of the process is CHOOSING. Choose which images, which paper, which buttons, which story, which letter stickers … ack! Instead of giving you the whole world to choose from, limit your options. Tell yourself that you will select from three photos, or make a page about your dog, or use green construction paper, before you even sit down to dispose of. Then grab and go.