Monday, January 26, 2015

LOAD215 TIPS FOR THE WORKING GIRL...and we are all working girls!



Let me start by saying - working 5 days a week (not four...or three...or two) is new to me in the past 3 years.  I was blessed with more controllable time margins in my life when our sons were small. I KNOW that every mother is a working mother. The days are long and exhausting but the years are short and fly by fast.  Guess what? I didn't get to scrapbook as much as I wanted back then either! Still, working full time has changed my schedule and my previous "full time job" is now my "second shift" one. What am I thinking signing up for LOAD215?  Right?

I am here to encourage each one of you that thinks "I do NOT have time" to make a layout a day.  I am here to tell you it can be done!  I am scrappy proof.  Our fearless leader-"Lainfusious" has a very freeing style of scrapbooking.  Scrap what you want...when you want...and in the order that makes you happy.  Not every page has to be "perfect". How many times does a page never get made for fear of not getting it right? As Elsa would sing..."LET IT GO".  How many memories have I lost because I couldn't commit to getting it down on the page?  

For those who really love this art from the actual "artist's perspective" -we are sometimes crippled by getting it just right. Scrapbook pages are meant to be fun and meaningful... not stressful. I will be eternally grateful to Lain for freeing me from the "I will never be caught up" curse. Lain says I scrap what I want to scrap...and she is the boss of LOAD!   I wait for inspiration and tell the story on my heart.  Now, I get it down...and can always add (or remove) more later. Lain says we can even use the same picture twice...like these examples.  





For me...the JOURNALING is my FAVORITE part (they have tried to have me committed but no one will take me). I know many of you fear that part the most.  I'd like to invite you ask me ANY journaling questions here.  If you have ever dug through an old box of photos and wondered who, what, when, where and why...then we need to "chat". I'd love to help you. 

Have you ever had a story, but didn't have a picture of the moment?  Tell the story anyway. One of my favorite pages was a bit of a "Red Herring" story of my Dad "going to jail". 

Now that the story is down - my kids can even go back and try to find newspaper articles related (I have not done that, yet.)


What if I don't seem to connect with the prompt? That is OKAY! Remember...it is your scrapbook.  The prompts are meant to be fun.  They have uncovered stories I didn't know I had in me and I have found connections with some of the greatest gals on the planet. Girls (and guys are welcome, too) who love this medium of creating and this method of preserving the days of our lives.  

Now for my tips for the working girl:
1.  Have a sketch ready.   I don't always use them but having one gives me comfort if I am stuck.
2. Prompts go live at 12am EST in the US.  That is 11pm in my time zone. If I am awake - I watch and then ponder myself to sleep. If I have a quick idea...I get it started (or done) to minimize my time the next day.  
3. You are in charge of your layouts! If I have a deadline (like my son graduating in May 2015 and I need his books ready for viewing)...I scrap what I want and need to scrap... and then do my best to twist, mold and stretch that prompt to fit the page I made.  You would be surprised how often it works. Prompt matching is always optional - but I enjoy it so I make it my mission to make it fit.
4. Forgive yourself if you miss a day. I am an over-achieving, word wrangling, people pleasing, first born child.  I am driven to complete a layout a day... but in LOAD1013...life interrupted...and I just couldn't complete every day. Life happens...and death. Family comes first. Still- when I counted- I still managed 18 or 19/28 layouts.  Did I really fail LOAD?  Not meeting my personal goal is not the only measure of success.
5. Prep a story: Journal a story ahead of time...and use it when the prompt or the right mood strikes.
6. Try something new that increases your speed. Sketches, templates, "scrap-lifting" (totally encouraged...but do give a shout out to the "artist who inspired you" as it shows good manners and kindness), put "kits together" from your stash with photos and last but not least...KEEP IT SIMPLE. I am a huge fan of simple layouts where the photos and the stories are the stars.  I adore supplies - but like any great accessory- they should compliment and not be the "star"(just my opinion... you get to write your own rules).
7. Change mediums! What? Why not? Give Digi a try if you are a paper scrapper (simple apps are out there and great for a traveling scrapper).  Give paper a try if you are Digi scrapper and need to do a layout a day while traveling for work but your PSE is on the home computer. Take a "Smash" book and a handful of supplies and photos...it works. I always say LOAD drove me to Digital Scrapbooking and I haven't looked back.  I haven't given up my traditional supplies, either!   Here at ScrapHappy...we  all live in harmony. Traditional Scrappers.... Digi Divas... Project Lifers...we all share, play nice, encourage and inspire each other.  Some of us spell COLOR  differently...and we love the diversity. We use all the COLOURS in the box and make beautiful things together.
8. Don't let anything (or anyone) steal your joy! This is a special neighborhood in cyberspace.  Only encouraging words, please...and we do love "comments"!  If someone asks for a critique...that is different...after all...there are experts in our midst. Don't let one missed time deadline discourage you.  When you look at your "stack" at the end of the LOAD, your gratitude cup will overflow.
9. Include YOUR stories, too. Your loved ones want to know about you, too.  I really "met" Lain through "Your Story Matters". I had rows of albums and my heart and voice was on every page - but there was almost nothing about me (unless it was an anniversary) and I was rarely in the photos.  Stuck for a page idea? Tell YOUR story.  It does matter. 
10. Relax.  You are going to exhausted on 02/28/15 - but it is the best kind of tired. At the end...if you have only completed one page...you win!  You will, also, have 28 ideas to refer back to and more layouts than you will have time to view. 

One last thing... "The Stack" is our pile of finished pages or digi-images. It is a quick snapshot of all we accomplished during load. We post them on the last day. I hear there has been a resurgence in the popularity of look of "Pin-up" girls...you know the curvy ones from the 1940's? They were immortalized in war films...and "stacked" referred to certain physical female attributes. Scrappers come in all ages, shapes and sizes...but at the end...we are all "Stacked". (wink) Here is my stack from  LOAD214. I was working on Sr. Pictures and an album for my niece.There is a real mix of pages.


I am glad you are here.  Thanks for taking the time to visit me.  "Once Upon a Time" is going to be great! I can't wait to read your stories. 

Valerie 
(Valerie's Point of View on Flickr) 

21 comments:

  1. I love The Stack pages!! And, you can tell just how much you enjoy your journaling. It is truly from the heart. Looking forward to more of your stories this month!

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    1. Can't wait to see yours. I know that being "home" will bring some new stories to be told. :)

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  2. Yes, we always look forward to the stack pages! I'm inspired by the way you can journal. I have days when it's easy, but then there are days when it's not easy to write down all the details (mostly due to time constraints). I actually plan on journaling this week to help make it easier when I scrapbook next month.

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    1. Thank you! Way to plan ahead. I know...time constraints kill me. I must confess...I will sacrifice embellishments before I will give up space for the story. Can't wait to see your pages...and "hang out".

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  3. Love the tips to switch your mediums and tell YOUR stories. Those ideas have helped me so many times!

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    1. Thanks Heather...I want to be "multi-craftual" like you! You have such a fun wit and warmth. Thanks for being a great cheerleader.

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  4. I work full time too (with travel) and have been able to finish LOAD most of the time. These are great tips! Thanks!

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    1. Karen...jobs are SO inconvenient when you NEED to scrap! Ha! Thanks. I love your pages and can't wait for our time together this month. You make me smile.

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  5. Yes, we are all stacked!!! Love it, Val! Your true charm with words even comes through here on your blog! No surprise! Can't wait to see the pages you create and stories you tell in Feb. We certainly do all "play nice"! Hugs!

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    1. Hugs to you my friend! I adore you! I can't wait to begin.

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  6. Wow - such well-thought out tips Valerie! I can definitely see that journaling is your favorite part of the process (it's mine too, although I do get a lot of satisfaction out of that stack at the end too). See you soon in the gallery!

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    1. Susan...I have noticed we are certainly kindred spirits on the journaling. I love you designs, too. Can't wait to play with you again.

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  7. I can't wait to see what you create this LOAD; and to read the stories you have to tell! You are a great story teller/journaler! You have shared such great tips today. Thank you!

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    1. Thanks for that encouragement. I love your heart for the stories and you are always a great cheerleader. I appreciate every comment so much. Your are so craft savvy...I love to see what you create and to read your stories, too.

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  8. so much truth in your post. Love my stack photo at the end of the month and I use the same photos over and over again! Or that might be because I'm a lazy scrapper!!!

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    1. Lisa...nothing lazy in you! I adore your attention to detail! You and Pam have that touch of whimsy that calls to my soul. I am always thrilled by your layouts and a bit in awe. They make me smile.

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  9. Wonderful tips :) I agree about the sketches I've got a pinterest board all ready and of course google is always there to help when needed. I' a working girl and totally understand! I'm working 3rd shift this time around so most of my scrapping will be in the morning when I get off of work.

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    1. We can do it Tina. Glad you are with us! Such a fun group. If you get it done in the morning...you will be able to get a good afternoon of sleep. Can't wait to see your pages.

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  10. You are such a journaling machine, Valerie - such an inspiration!
    On your mark, Get set........ :D

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  11. Awesome ideas Valerie, I can relate to ALL you said. See you at LOAD! xox-Ali

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  12. Valerie, I was surprised when I pulled up your blog and saw new posts! Excited too! We have had quite a few hard months ourselves, and I find that blogging has helped....so I have not let it go, but totally understand why you did. We are not on facebook, so I have not seen your daily posts there. I think of you non-stop....so many things bring you to mind....and I miss you and love you dearly.
    Steph

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