One of my "organizing" resolutions for the year is to get some pictures into photo albums. A few years ago I decided to simplify the process. I do love scrapbooking but seriously- to do a whole vacation album and have every page "scrapbooked" seperately is CRAZY. I used to do that but not the new and wiser me! My new method is start to finish in one week. (The reason it is one week and not one day is that I am constantly stopping and starting the project while being interrupted by everything and everyone!) So heres what you do...1. decide on a design...you only need one! The simplier the better. The Labor Day book above I picked a very simple design. I can't remember if I designed this or if I found it in a scrapbook magazine designed by someone else. Either way I love it. I kept to one line of paper and added a cricut die-cut word to the bottom right of the two page spread and then I put the fun embellishments at the top left hand of each left side page.
2. gather up all the pictures you need and put them in the order you want them to go then put them in a stack
3. decide on a cardstock background...i usually just do white then add the fun on top!
4. gather any embellishments that you want to use...for instance I took probably 1500 pictures when I went to Italy and France last year so I have those sitting in a box with all kinds of travel stickers, paris papers, rome embellishments, travel paper, tickets, receipts, and other things I wanted to add and remember.
5. decide on any decorative paper you want to use...I usually just find a paper line that I love and use and incorporate that entire line of paper throughout my book. It keeps the book looking uniform, put together, and it is pleasing to the eye.
6. spend some time prepping the decorative paper...for instance on the pages above I cut my decorative paper into 2-3 inch strips and then spent time ripping an edge off of each one. Put them in a pile.
7. Now just put everything in assembly line fashion starting with cardstock, pictures, decorative paper, and then embellishments.
8. You are ready to go....just start to assemble each page. I usually do a two page layout at the same time so that the elements line up between the two pages.
9. Take a break every once in a while....everyone needs a little diet coke (in my case just ice water) and yogurt covered raisins (yes I think they are healthy they have the word yogurt in the name for heavens sakes) and possibly if you are feeling like you are neglecting everything then just throw a load of laundry of dishes in and push start. Now you are multi-tasking without the worry!
10. You can add journaling to each page or even just type up a page of journaling and add it at the beginning of the book. I made my Dad a book on Europe and between sections on each place we visited I typed up "fun facts about..." pages and wrote things that we didn't want to forget or funny moments of just fascinating facts about that particular place.
This really is a quick and easy way to get lots of pictures in albums. I have done about 8 books this way and it really is my favorite way of scrapbooking. Once I have everything ready to go the assembly part goes really quite quick. I love checking that book off of my to do list. Plus I feel so pleased with myself and I really feel like I accomplished something meaningful!
Okay now I need to go and gather up my "Zions" pictures and find my box of "outdoor" embellishments and get to work. I will share when I get it finished!
