Thursday, January 7, 2016

Scrapping Smarter in 2016

As the year comes to a close and I think back to what I did and did not accomplish with my photo projects in 2015, I am left with a desire to do even better in 2016! I completed a great number of pages and kept up with my weekly picture uploads, and I was very good about hosting retreats and workshops with fellow scrapbookers. Nevertheless, I fell short of my expectations in terms of journaling. As the days rush by and more and more events take place, the little details are slipping away. I have calendars and journals but the busier my life gets the less time I have to record long entries (and even when I do that I know I will have to re-copy all of those thoughts into a scrapbook with the matching photos.) So I have a plan for a better strategy in 2016!





Slide In Packs!

I want to have journaling cards with me at all times so I can use my “fringe moments” to record stories all year long. This is a bigger step in pushing my album projects forward than writing in a journal because instead of having to write it once, then transfer those words to a scrapbook when you get to those pictures, the cards are already done and ready to put in your album. The CM Group’s Slide-In Packs are perfect for my plans!

They come in a variety of color schemes and themes, and depending on what event you are journaling about, you are sure to find something that will work for your pages.




I plan to keep these and a few CM pens in my purse all year long – what a big weight off of my mind to know that even if the photos aren't ready to go in a book yet, the stories will be!




Planners and Pre-Made Pages


I also have lots of other "pre-scrapping" plans for 2016! It is not that difficult to dedicate some time each weekend to working on having  some pre-made pages, borders, and cards ready to go so my scrapbooking pages can go by faster. This will take some planning and some awareness of what the year has in store.

Even in this digital world, I am still a big "paper planner" fan. There is something to be said for holding a calendar in your hand and seeing it all mapped out in front of you. I dream a lot and tend to plan vacations a year in advance, so at the beginning of the year I already know where I am going and when all year. For this reason I can completely get a head start on pre-made pages. For example, I know that in 2016 I will celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary with my husband in New England, and for the first time the family will go to Disney World for the Christmas festivities, so I just knocked out a few pages in advance: 





I could go on and on - I know about a baby shower for my cousin in March, my mother's 70th birthday party, and a family beach trip in June. Nothing can stop me from going ahead and predesigning these pages or making fun borders to match. I am sure this resonates with any of you who know that you are going to a special vacation spot, who knows they have a baby on the way, who knows their daughter is getting married, who knows they are going to do a house remodel, etc... Could you picture "pres-scrapping" any of these events? 


To add icing to the cake, CM has just made it really easy for us with a brand new "Year to Remember "collection. It is perfect for those of us who are planners at heart. The Year to Remember collection includes a 12x12 Paper Pack $9.50 (12 sheets total including designer papers plus six calendar grids), Stickers (3 pk) $8 and Embellishments $8. The Monthly Stickers (1 pk) will be available mid-January for $2.50. This is for January to June - later in the year they will have the July through December embellishments -I cannot wait to see what they will look like. I love how CM is continuously refreshing the product line and keeping things fresh and fun for those of us who love our scrapbooks!








As always, feel free to reach out to me by commenting here and if you want to get some slide in packs of your own or check out the newest Fresh Picks and Year in Review collections, my website is http://www.creativememories.com/user/fransmitherman. Have a wonderful day and until next time, keep scrappin'! Fran

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