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Word explosion break...

klee73010

klee73010

I might have a thing for drummers
Joined
Apr 25, 2015
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So, after conversations in various threads around the pad, I've been taking a good look at layouts I've made over the past year since being into the scrapping scene. I wasn't as pleased with my progress as I'd hoped. I've basically spent a year making layouts all over the place and not knowing where any of my pages were going, not sure where the gaps in my stories were.
So I took the time to sort them (and change my naming convention for layouts going forward) to find my gaps. I've had to refocus myself on the things I wanted to accomplish with my scrapping... reevaluate the projects I wanted to have completed.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I have so much of 2015 scrapped. Unfortunately, I didn't really tell all the stories. Some are told, hooray! But many are missing from my layouts. My focus has strayed to "pleasing the crowd" instead. Not that I don't love my layouts, but they are lacking in the actual reason I claim to scrap.

So I have removed myself from challenges for the month, while I figure things out, and then went on a word explosion. I have spent the past couple weeks writing some journaling in Evernote for different things. My week in the life album is almost completely journaled, and I've completed my own PL album for this year, and I'm working back through some of last year.
My journaling at last check was 4 pages long, for half of one week (because I've already scrapped the other half).

Armed with my list of missing stories, and some refocusing, I intend to have my WITL album completed by iNSD, and with any luck, more on track with completing some of my other projects.

So while I've been feeling like I was neglecting the pad and all the friends I've made here, I think the end result, of scrapping pages that are more fulfilling for myself is going to be better. But I am missing being as active, and struggling with the decision to skip out on the challenges.


Phew. Sorry for the book.... :giggle (more word explosion) I am only sharing all of this to maybe share this lesson I've learned with others.
 
this is one of the best post ever!!! sometimes we scrap for the joy of scrapping, and then other times, it is so the story gets told and lol those aren't the "gallery standout pages" I have oodles of pages that never ever make the gallery, they just don't. They do make the cut for a book for my best fans, my family! I also take the challenges and make them fit my stories sometimes! lol
when that book comes in and you sit down, and see it...oh nothing like it!
 
My focus is the album right now, and decided that my project life is only going back to October. I will get the WITL album printed, then PL from October moving forward, and then work to finish the rest of 2015, and other projects from there. Decided to stick with 2015 because of how much is actually done, but I've organized back through 2012 I think. Now I can look at a challenge, consult my list, and scrap more intentionally. Lol
 
I love this Kristina! I'm so glad that you're finding a good place to refocus and that you've made so much progress already! Hooray for you and your projects! :) The challenges will always be here. Sometimes they work for a page you're already doing and sometimes they don't and that it totally okay! :)
 
It's great that you've figured out what you need to do in order to get your LOs done in the way you want them! Perhaps you could work on a challenge when you need a break from PL or WITL pages? (You know, like a palette cleanser lol.) But only if that page works for what you need! I'm big on that myself. :)
 
I have been trying, at least for my last couple CT layouts, to make sure they are. I've been looking to see if any of my pics are taken in that "rule of thirds " for photography challenge. Lol. I am sure I will be able to do some, but I had to step away before I found myself scrapping for a challenge specifically. I'll be back, when I've got my head straight. I'm really missing the Art Journaling and M3 challenges, and those are truly "just for me" so I know I'll head back there soon, too. :)
 
This is a great thread. I find that I "forget" to tell the story, also. And many times when I HAVE told the story, it was to the ladies who are looking at my layouts rather than to my family. Does anyone else do that? Craziness! So my goal now is to tell the story to my family, my kids. And not to the audience in the gallery. It totally changes the words you use when you tell it to your family.

I'm also in the process of trying to convince myself that all the cute kits in my stash that can't be used in the galleries of the sites I love so much are okay to use. It's okay to not always be posting things in galleries! It's a real struggle for me. Kind of like doing without chocolate or something like that. LOL Please tell me I'm not the only crazy person out there feeling this way!!!!!
 
Jan said:
This is a great thread. I find that I "forget" to tell the story, also. And many times when I HAVE told the story, it was to the ladies who are looking at my layouts rather than to my family. Does anyone else do that? Craziness! So my goal now is to tell the story to my family, my kids. And not to the audience in the gallery. It totally changes the words you use when you tell it to your family.

I'm also in the process of trying to convince myself that all the cute kits in my stash that can't be used in the galleries of the sites I love so much are okay to use. It's okay to not always be posting things in galleries! It's a real struggle for me. Kind of like doing without chocolate or something like that. LOL Please tell me I'm not the only crazy person out there feeling this way!!!!!
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this... 100% this.
This is a good goal. And, this is why i keep galleries in other places too. Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook. All of those you can post whatever you want. And I want to do that more as well.

ETA - one thing that makes me feel better about the journaling to the gallery readers is that it is not JUST my family that reads them. My extended family and friends read them too.
 
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It sounds like you have a plan for your scrapping, your creative side and getting things done! I found when I forced pages, they take way longer. I also had to reassess what my scrapping meant to me, but a little differently. Mine evolved to a creative outlet, as well as memory keeping. I had to give myself permission to just scrap creatively. So, I combo it, and I'm okay with it.

I go through spurts of what I'm scrapping, doubles or singles. A lot of times I'll create a single, and say I would create a double later. Nope. I won't. So, now if I want a double, I make sure I do it then, the first time around. I don't usually forget the story, as I have to have some journaling on my pages. It may be random, but I'm a bit random. I don't have set stories I want to include, I guess I go with the flow for that.

Hoping you find your scrapping "game" and create how you want and tell the stories you want to share! :)
 
I love that you have found some scrapping peace! I hope you find a way to combine the challenges with your wants and needs. I find the challenges to be open enough that usually works. I hope you find a way to make that happen for you!
 
I know how you feel!

Although I have reconciled myself with the way I scrap at the moment.

I am more motivated by the challenges than I am in scrapping my stories. And sometimes I play with all the pretty papers before I add a photo, like the photo is an afterthought! :)

I did make a photo book last year, with the aim of telling our family stories. Most of my photos are holiday pics, so the book was about our holidays rather than daily life. I used a lot of challenge LOs, just reworked the journaling.

And I take pics when we're with our extended family, so I had some stories to tell about that too.

I hadn't really considered the different ways we all scrap, it's interesting to read everyone's thoughts. I'm sure my son will like having reminders of our holidays all nicely documented when he's older, but at the minute I am scrapping just because I like scrapping, and no other reason, so I guess that takes the pressure off me!!

I also just stick to TLP, more for budget reasons. There's so much pretty here I don't need to go elsewhere. Although I am a subscriber to lots of designers newsletters, Cos I like to see what's out there!

It means I can keep my LOs in one place, too. So that's good :)

Jan said:
This is a great thread. I find that I "forget" to tell the story, also. And many times when I HAVE told the story, it was to the ladies who are looking at my layouts rather than to my family. Does anyone else do that? Craziness! .............
Please tell me I'm not the only crazy person out there feeling this way!!!!!
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This is me, lol. You're not crazy....enjoy your hobby...you can tweak your pages so you have 2 versions - one for family and one for gallery friends!
 
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I love this conversation! Personally, I mostly scrap photos of my Grandchildren and grown children so I usually only know part of the story. I try to express emotion more than details. My big challenge is trying to organize the photos when I can get them. Sometimes I need to go hunting on Facebook.

I do like using the Challenges to spark a direction in my scrapping. I really like a variety of styles and the Challenges help me pick a style. For instance, I am currently working on the Template Challenge for April which is a pocket style that I would rarely pick for myself but the challenge is to make it work anyway. :hummm
 
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