Feeling a bit overwhelmed

Discussion in 'Scrapping Pad' started by adriablack, Apr 5, 2019.

  1. adriablack

    adriablack Well-Known Member

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    Hello everyone! I am not a chronological scrapper. I tend to jump to whatever feels inspiring me or a story that is demanding to be told right now. I also scrap paper, hybrid, and digi....But, when looking back through my albums...there are so many gaps or half started projects, or photos stuck into a page protector (so I know what order they will eventually go in). Then, add on the digi pages that need printed and I just come away with a headache.

    So please give me some tips on how you balance non-chronological scrapping with actually finishing up years/albums. Right now I have partial albums for 2013-2016, and probably close to 150 digi layouts that need printed from 2016-2019. I am also a prolific scrapper (when I'm doing it actively - last month I did about 50 pages), so this problem is only getting larger and harder for me as time goes on... I also have the problem of being on a very fixed income so there is not a possible way to print all my digi (12x12s anyway - I do have some 8.5x11 that I could and should get to printing at home..) without breaking it in much smaller chunks ;)

    Specific questions:
    1. How do you choose what to scrap, so you actually finish up albums/years?
    2. How do you choose what to get printed (if you print pages vs albums/books)
    Any other tips on finishing projects, prioritizing printing, organization - whatever you think might help, 'cuz after scrapping about 50 pages last month I am SO overwhelmed and keep kicking my self with - why can't you just focus and finish that project!

    And sorry for my rambling...
     
  2. gracielou

    gracielou Well-Known Member

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    I used to be die hard chronological scrapper but not so much these days since I’ve got about 3 years I need to get scrapped and in books. My plan is to buy 3 d-ring albums in what ever size I am going to use (still on the fence with this myself) and page protectors. 1 album for each year I need scrapped. I am then going to get dividers for months in each of those albums. Then when I print pages I will just file them in the year album under the month they belong. I have been skipping around a lot so this is the only way I can get myself motivated to get my pages printed and in albums. This also helps to be able to do bite sized pieces at a time instead of focusing on 3 years of memories that need scrapped, which can be totally overwhelming.
     
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  3. adriablack

    adriablack Well-Known Member

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    So true! This is actually what I have been doing (d-ring albums). I do 12x12, but I like mixing page size and page protector styles so there may be 6x8, 8.5x11, 12x12, pocket pages, etc. The divider idea is a good one! I did that in my 2013 album because my dd was born in Aug and prior months had very few photos. Great ideas. Thank you!
     
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  4. gracielou

    gracielou Well-Known Member

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    I like a mix of the sizes. I did an 8.5x11 project life hybrid album for 2015 and I mixed in 6x8 and did some hybrid 8x8 scrap pages in with my pocket pages and it’s still one of my favorite albums to flip through.
     
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  5. LeeAndra

    LeeAndra A total Betty.

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    I go through my photos every month and pull the important ones into a "To Be Scrapped" folder on my EHD.

    [I do the same for my unused kits, BTW, in a "To Be Used" folder.]

    These are further divided into subfolders "AAM (All About Me)", "Cute Photos," & "Important Stories." Each of THESE subfolders are divided into year. These are copies of my photos and NOT the originals.

    I don't scrap chronologically, either, but I know immediately looking in those folders what is left from each year to be completed. If I'm not doing a CT layout that needs to use certain photos or a certain kit, I work my way backwards chronologically from these folders. I currently have 2003-2013 complete with 2 pages left from 2014 and 3 or 4 left from 2015.

    If I were you, I would categorize my older photos in a similar way AND be sure to categorize new ones, too. While you are categorizing, write up any journaling you remember and if you are REALLY feeling motivated, bring in a template to use. I prefer one or two photo layouts but I do this when it's a birthday, Christmas, event page where I know I can't get away with just 1 or 2 photos.

    You might also find with some perspective and the passage of time that not all the photos you once thought were so important actually ARE. I have deleted several folders from previous years that really didn't need to be scrapped now that I looked back on them again. You might find the same true for you, too.

    It's a lot of work on the front end but then soooooo easy on the back end. Having photos + a kit + a template + journaling altogether makes it SUPER easy to get a page done when you have the time.

    I print 8x8 when Shutterfly has its unlimited pages sales (usually quarterly). Each year is usually 2 softcover books which is about $40. My pages are sorted by year and month (so inside the 2015 folder, all the January pages would be 01-New Year's, etc.). When the sale comes around or I get a year done, I go through this folder again and make sure I really need to print all those pages. I usually delete a handful for either being repetitive/not that interesting or just a cute/fun page that doesn't really speak to me anymore.

    Good luck! You can do it!
     
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  6. BevG

    BevG If I can't remember it, it didn't happen

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    I tend to be a chronological scrapper but I also like to have 2 or 3 projects underway at a time. That way if I get bored or I am not in the mood, I can work on another project. I also keep a folder of photos to scrap and try to put 2 to 3 months worth in there. That too gives me the variety. Since this is a temporary folder, I delete them after I scrap them. The shrinking folder helps motivate me too to get them done.

    I like lists, so for me, making a list of your current projects and what needs to be done to finish them, would help me. I would maybe plan to spend x time or x layouts a month on certain projects until they are done. I am doing this with my traditional albums. I try to spend at least 1 Saturday each month doing only traditional. I have 20+ years of printed photos sitting in very large boxes waiting. I also own the traditional stuff to do them. So yeah, making a plan and then doing it has helped.
     
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  7. Dalis

    Dalis Jose Cuervo is NOT a good friend

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    I print albums with whatever pages are done. I don’t have a care in the world about the order. I scrap what I feel like and my albums reflect that.
     
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  8. Cherylndesigns

    Cherylndesigns All glasses should be bigger than 1.5 oz

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    I'm totally NOT a chronological scrapper. I just scrap whatever I'm in the mood for. The only chronological pages I do are my "Project 12". Other than that, anything goes. I have a "TO BE PRINTED" folder that I put my 3600x3600 pages in. I don't print every page that I scrap. I scrap so many pages and I don't like some of them as much as others. They all go into the "TO BE PRINTED" file, then I pare them down from there.

    Also, you could wait until printing companies have their big sales. A lot of the ladies here use Shutterfly and I use Persnickity Prints. Here's another idea, if you're scrapping 12x12 (square) I print a lot of my layouts in 4x4" (Instagram size) and use them for projects. I also have several Instagram sized albums. You can wait until Walgreen's or wherever has a big sale and get them printed cheaply.
     
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  9. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

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    I have a "to be scrapped " photo folder as well - it's where I look for photos first with challenges unless a kit sparks that "it would be perfect for that particular photo " inspiration.

    I don't scrap chronologically either but each book I print has a theme (Eg. Just pictures of DD, or family/together pics etc) & I just have to arrange the pages from oldest photo to newest within the album so it still follows a chronological order (I'm a bit ocd about that), or one album I started uploading pages for is more' then & now', so for example: the left hand page is DS as a toddler 'reading' picture books, & the right hand page is him reading chapter books now. Or his baby food mess on the left side with taco Tuesday stuff on the right of the spread. And I think going forward, with the kids getting older, that will work better for me.

    Scrapping like everything evolves & this is how I'm flowing with that evolution personally (but I do need to print more albums! )
     
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  10. SeattleSheri

    SeattleSheri Movers, cleaners, great hair. I'm a socialite!

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    I'm not a strictly a chronological scrapper either, but I tend to scrap with my most recent photos just out of habit. I print photobooks annually at the end of the year and they include whatever I've scrapped since I last printed. They are organized by when I completed the page with some reshuffling to make sure the colors on the opposing page are somewhat complementary. I name my files with the date YYYYMMDD_Pagename, so everything is easy to sort by file name. My books are usually 150-200 pages (printed at 8x8). About 90% of pages include photos from the current year. This works for me because I very rarely make themed albums. I have done wedding and baby albums, but usually it's just a hodge podge.
     
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  11. AnneofAlamo

    AnneofAlamo Slippers IN sunshine? Even better!

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    I scrap what I like..by kits that I love. I have folders (in 2 month jan/feb mar/apr) for the past few years, and as I finish two month blocks, I print.
    There have been some books (my granddaughters birth, my son's wedding, week in the life, Christmas/December Dailies) that I do in 3 or 4 days and send to print off.
    That being said, every year or so, I take all the miscellaneous pages, and send them all off to get printed in one book.
    My family love the books, they are a favorite all the time.
    I am separating pages now to give LIFE books to my adult kids this year for Christmas! ♥
     
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  12. IntenseMagic

    IntenseMagic Some grannies cuss a lot. I'm some grannies.

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    I love this thread! Such great help and advice. I am not a chronological scrapper either. I didn't start until my older kids were 15 and 11, so I missed a lot of their lives. I try to go back and grab older photos whenever I can, but they are scattered everywhere. My plan for this summer when I'm not working is to go through all my layouts and sort them by the year in the photos. Then I can better see which photos I've scrapped and what still needs to be scrapped. I hope to come up with a system after that I can maintain. Thanks for asking this question @adriablack :)
     
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  13. gonewiththewind

    gonewiththewind I choose joy.

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    I'm a non-chronological scrapper.

    I don't think there is one year that I've finished. LOL

    I **did** print two huge books during the Shutterfly sale. One was of layouts that included BOTH my son and daughter over a range of 10 years and the other one was of layouts that were of me and my hubby over the past 10+ years. I have also completed an album about my beloved furbaby Holly Belle. I do have completed albums for some camping trips and for some Christmases from when I was a paper scrapper. Even when I paper scrapped, I never finished a year.

    So, how do I choose what to scrap so I actually finish up albums/years? I don't. LOL Well, that's not really true. Right now I'm doing #the100dayproject and I'm focusing on making layouts for our Disney albums and for our December Daily albums. It's usually during specific challenges that I'm able to focus on albums like that - like during Month of Challenges here at TLP - I'll often work on my December Daily layouts.

    I have tried to give up the urge to complete a year or a specific project, and instead let the kit/collection or photo/memory push my creativity. I figured out recently that I have over 4,000 layouts and to be honest, that's more than most people in several generations would have. So I'm OK if not everything gets scrapped. I'll do what I can and enjoy the process, and then enjoy making more memories instead of stressing too awfully bad about how behind I am. Yes, I'll admit that I'm an organizer and perfectionist, so there are times when I fall prey to these feelings that I'll never catch up and I'm so unorganized and it won't make any sense . . . but then I just shrug and move along. But you're not alone in that you have the urge to want things to be complete.

    I've posted quite a bit about organizing photos in Lightroom - I have a video series about that - it's stickied to the top of the Learning subforum. I've also shared other things like my Excel sheet that I used to track completed layouts as well as how I color code photos to know when I've already scrapped something. If you don't find them in the Learning subforum, then I can help you. Just tag me by putting the "@" and then typing "gonewiththewind" so it will send me a notification here at the forum. :)
     
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  14. adriablack

    adriablack Well-Known Member

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    This is too funny @gonewiththewind because while searching the forums for more tips and tricks I found your spreadsheet and it is exactly what I think I needed! Just a visual way to see what still needs to be done! Previously, I haven't really cared much about getting the album finished or printed. But with my dd turning 6 this year, she loves flipping through the photos. She also has two step sisters that she doesn't get to see anymore (they've moved to other parts of the country), but will wake up missing them or have a random breakdown about them. So I guess that's why I'm kinda of feeling a push to have more complete (I won't say finished necessarily lol) albums for her to look at. Her sisters were only in her life for a few short years, and most of that she doesn't really remember.
     
  15. StefanieS

    StefanieS Think it over, think it under

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    I just very recently started telling my baby's birth story and scrapping some of her first months, she is 19. I figure she is more into the albums than the boys anyway. I am also up to date for 2019, having stopped the weekly pages this year (empty nest) and changed back to monthly overviews and event double pages, Valentine's Day, Birthdays etc.
    I love what Cheryl @gonewiththewind having done 4000 layouts that is more than most and if there are some gaps - there are so many layouts that are done.
    As to printing, print as many as you can most recent and then backwards and into the 3 rings they go.

    Last year I completed her birthday album and her school album, even though her brothers still have gaps in theirs.
     
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  16. Tree City

    Tree City Get a stepladder, I'm busy

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    I don't always print a "yearly" book. Awhile ago I went through my LOs and printed an album of the pages that grabbed my eye, no matter what year the photos were from. My kids think it's fun to see pages from before they were born mixed in with pages of their childhood (they were like 10 and 6 when I did this). Printing a "2000 to 2018" book made me feel accomplished (I printed stuff!) and the pages feel more alive because now my family and friends can look through the album. My 3yo niece, who lives out of state, was visiting and she had so much fun going through the album with my DD.

    So I guess that's my long-winded way of saying...I don't worry. I just scrap what I want and then I print when I want. :) I scrap kind of like Cheryl and I let the kit I want to use "tell" me what photos I need to scrap. (I do want to get a 2018 vacation album finished up, but I don't feel rushed to do that ... I won't feel "rushed" until SF announces a sale lol!)

    But I think that divider idea is a good one if you print individual pages. An easy way to keep organized!
     
  17. gonewiththewind

    gonewiththewind I choose joy.

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    Ha! Were you able to download the sheet? I think I left it in DropBox . . . let me know if I didn't though and I'll pop it back in . . .
     
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  18. adriablack

    adriablack Well-Known Member

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    Yes I grabbed it. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to get my layout images to stay in the cells...But thank you so MUCH! Very useful!
     
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  19. michelepixels

    michelepixels A pun is not fully matured until it is full groan.

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    I've been scrapping for over a decade and I decided early on not to worry about trying to be thorough or chronological. Instead, I've been scrapping whatever I feel like -- often photos from the current month, sometimes photos from many years ago -- and at the end of each year I combine them into an album, more or less in the order I scrapped them.

    I figure any amount of pages I make is better than none and I treasure them, no matter how many.

    I'm thinking of vastly reducing how much I print this year though. I'm developing minimalist ideas and don't want to have a bookcase full of 12x12 albums. It's a slow transition though!
     
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  20. michelepixels

    michelepixels A pun is not fully matured until it is full groan.

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    Oops, I didn't answer your specific questions:
    1. How do you choose what to scrap, so you actually finish up albums/years? Usually I just want to scrap something recent because the memory is freshest. But sometimes I feel like making a page about my kids when they were little. Also TLP/Designer challenges sometimes inspire the topic of my pages.
    2. How do you choose what to get printed (if you print pages vs albums/books) This is something I'm just beginning to figure out myself. In previous years I printed every page I made. This is the first year I decided to scrap freely, as much as i want, but I will not print everything. Maybe not even half. I thought I would decide on a case-by-case basis, every time I finished a page. I made a "To Print" folder. But I have yet to make that decision for any of the 150 or so pages I've made already this year. Maybe I'll decide at the end of the year.
     
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