Would you like the journaling step of your scrapbooking to be easier?
Say hello to Photo Stories 2012 – a Paperclipping blog series.
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Posts Tagged ‘Organization’
Photo Stories: An Easier Way to Journal
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012Get Yourself Organized
Friday, January 13th, 2012
I tried something new this week.
I’ve mentioned many times that I’m not inspired by lists. They don’t motivate me. I don’t get the typical satisfaction of checking them off. They just don’t help me a whole lot.
But I need to see my tasks in order to remember and prioritize them, just like anybody else.
Monday morning I tried something different. I put each of my work tasks for the week on a post-it note and stuck them to the wall I face when sitting at my desk.
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Moving Scrapbook Supplies through My System
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
I just put my daughter’s dance album and mini-book supplies in this box.
I would brag to you about how organized I am, except I would be exaggerating. I fully admit to what is still on my floor…
I told you I don’t unpack my new scrapbook purchases for months. You probably didn’t believe me, but there it is.
The dance supplies were on the top of that pile for about two weeks.
Why?
My boxes of unfinished (but organized!) projects were all already in use.
I could have bought more boxes. I still have room for a couple more.
But I decided to just finish one of my projects already and keep things moving at a healthier pace.
I pulled out my Week In the Life project from last year. It took me two sittings but I finished it and now I have a new home for these supplies I’m so excited to start using!
More on the dance supplies and the Week In the Life project later!
What’s On Your Scrapbook Table Right Now?
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
What is the value of a cheap folding party table from Walmart? Monetarily, it’s about $38. But the real value? My big long ugly table allows me to work on multiple projects at once! And I LOVE that!
What You See From Right to Left
I know we usually explain things from left to right, but please bear with me on this one. It’ll do your creative brain some good to go backwards anyway!
Far Right - a scrapbook page about Trinity and a little phase she’s been in lately. During this weekend’s True Scrap event I’ll be sharing the step-by-step process of how I put this layout together (I’ll show it with photos) in terms of design and the principles involved in each step. If you’re interested in this event, you’re running out of time, so please sign up quickly!
Mid Right - the next scrapbook page just to the left is my story about walking to school with my crew in 1980. I went back-and-forth on this layout so many times. I’ll share this process with you this week on the Paperclipping Roundtable. In a couple days I’ll also post photos here on the blog of the layout from beginning to end!
Far Left - a stack of my art journals, plus one lying open to a page I’m working on (I have four, and I’ll share those some time next week hopefully). In that same spot on the table I was also spray-misting pieces for the first layout on the far right of the table.
Big Ugly Empty Tables
For a long time I kept a regular stash of items on my table — tools I need every time I work, adhesives I use the most, my tray of scraps, and a basket of new and old products I wanted to use (which got ignored and did not work for me at all!).
Now I keep nothing on my table except the current projects I’m working on. That leaves me plenty of room to scrapbook one or two pages on one side of the table and do artsy projects on the other side.
It turns out this seems to be the most perfect way for my particular manic creative brain. It goes along with my theory that by acting on ideas when you get them, instead of waiting or adding them to a list, you increase your creativity.
So this is how I’m facilitating my desire to be able to work on multiple projects at once. You can read this article to see how I organize all my unfinished projects.
Are You a Speed Crafter/Artist/Scrapboooker? Or Are You Slow and Thoughtful?
For years I’ve thought I was slow because I need to take many step-away breaks while I’m working. I’ll be chugging along and then suddenly I just need to let my brain twirl around for a few minutes before I’m ready to pick up again.
Now I realize I work up a feverish speed if I can have multiple different projects around me. For example, I’ll be working on a scrapbook page and hit one of those moments when I just want to stop and let the ideas mix around in my head for a few minutes. So I push my chair-on-wheels down to the other end of the table and look at my art journal and have an instant idea for a page I had been feeling stuck on. Then while I’m putting that new idea into action on my art journal page, I’ll suddenly come up with a solution for the middle layout on my table!
At that point I might interrupt my art journal to jump over to layout number two, or I might finish what I was doing first and then jump over as soon as I’m done. Inevitably, that process will then spur the next idea for the first layout I was working on. Overall I’m zipping up and down my table, back-and-forth, getting lots of idea bursts and making things happen.
So now I know I was wrong about myself all those years. I am a Speedy Gonzalez under the right circumstances for me.
So, back to my original question…
What’s on your table right now? What are you working on?
And…
Can you work on more than one thing at a time like I do? Are you fast or slow and thoughtful? Have you experimented with different processes?
Feel free to add to the conversation by leaving a comment!
(affiliate link above)
Scrapbook Storage: When Your Favorite Supplies Change
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Not that buttons were ever one of my favorite supplies, but I did use them more often than I do now. I rarely use them now (except for those super cute Jenni Bowlin buttons!).
With such few button-activity going on, why let them take up valuable real estate on my favorite go-to shelf — that one that sits within reach directly across from my eyes? I dumped my little glass dessert dish of buttons on top of the masks I may or may not have destroyed when I applied my heat gun to my art journal page before taking the masks off (oops!).
And there my buttons sat on my desk while I hoped to come across a cute bag for them to store them in my embellishment wine box. That cute bag has yet to appear, so I finally gave them a baggie
(Dear little buttons — it’s temporary! Something better will come along, I just know it!).
Anyway…
The Embellishments You Use All the Time
I realized I use Tim Holtz metal embellishments . . . oh, almost every time I scrapbook. Why have those been in a box I have to get up and walk to? Why not put your favorite embellies within reach?
Here’s another idea. One of the Paperclipping Members once told me that she puts a very different type of item right in front of her — items she tends to forget about but wished she uses! Very smart!
Either way, whether it’s buttons or ribbon or flowers or something else, pay attention to the changes in what you tend to use. Organize your space in part by what you use most, or what you wish you used most!
Speaking of what you use most — what are the embellishments you find yourself using all the time lately?
Scrapbook Albums: Putting Layouts Away
Friday, March 11th, 2011I was putting layouts into albums and thought I’d snap a little shot of the process.
Pages
I spread my pages into loose piles according to which album I want to put them in. Then I pull out the albums I need — a couple at a time — and get to work.
Albums
Right now I’m using a combination of American Crafts Corduroy and American Crafts Cloth albums. The blue is for the Things We Do category (I use Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories system) and this particular one is our Celebrations album. The red is for the People We Love category.
You can see to the right that I also use green for my This is Us Category. And I use a light tan corduroy for Places but I don’t have any showing in this picture.
Spines on the Titles
On the Paperclipping Roundtable I described my spine, patterned after Stacy. The only difference between mine and hers is that I type my titles onto a label and she hand-writes hers. I’ll have to snap a picture of the closeup. That will be a picture for another day, though. I’ve already put away my camera!
(affiliate links wherever possible)
Scraproom Organization for Scrapbook Tools
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Excuse the piles and stacks of mess above and below this cabinet. I’m in the middle of a long and slow room reorganization (slow as in, I’m moving about two items per month so far).
What I’m really meaning for you to look at is the open cabinet from Ikea (the middle of three) — it’s where I’ve been keeping the tools that are too large to fit in a bin or basket.
(I know the Cropodile is hardly a large tool but it’s larger than all of my other hand tools and I can no longer fit it into my hand tool bucket. Into the cabinet for large tools it goes!)
Level 3 on the “Within Reach” Meter
- Within Reach: Level 1 – on your work surface
- Within Reach: Level 2 – off the work surface but within arms length without moving from spot. May require standing.
- Within Reach: Level 3 – requires a zoom of the chair-on-wheels to a wall behind you or to the side (or you could take two steps if your chair is wheel-less; may require standing up to reach shelves.
Anything that requires more than two steps or a zoom of the chair is not within reach. That would include my closet, the cabinets to the right and left of the tool cabinet you’re looking at, and the shelf that is between my workspace and my closet.
The larger tool cabinet in the picture above is Level 3.
The Tools in my Level 3 Tool Cabinet
From right to left , front to back–
- Zutter Bind-It-All
- Cropodile
- Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut Machine
- Fiskars Paper Trimmer (still unresolved as to whether this is working for me).
- Fiskars Stamp Press
Why Isn’t My Cutting Tool on my Work Surface (Within Reach: Level 1)?
I got really tired of having a cutting tool in my way. I demoted it years ago.
Here’s the thing. When I move onto the embellishment phase of scrapbooking I do not need a cutting tool. Why have it take up so much space?
(Paperclipping Members should know my typical scrapbook workflow by now and why I have an “embellishment phase”).
When I’m mini-booking and using my task-batch mini-book process, I no longer need my cutting tool after the first step of laying the foundation.
Plus, I do other things on my table. I paint and art journal and sometimes I even alter three-dimensional items. Sometimes. I don’t need a cutting tool for those things.
Do You Really Use Your Cutting Tool All the Time?
I love that I can pull my cutting tool out for when I’m cutting, and then free my surface area when I’ve finished that step. Cutting tools are big — even my little Fiskars Trimmer is relatively large when you’re looking at the percentage of surface area it takes.
It goes like this . . .
- When I’m painting, inking, or misting, I pull out a mat.
- When I’m cutting paper I get out my cutting tool.
- When I’m adding embellishments, I pull out my embellishments.
An Empty Surface is Full of Possibilities
I guess for some it could feel as intimidating as a blank page, but I doubt that. Over the past months I’ve removed more and more regular items from my work table until now it is empty except when in use!
Empty!
I love that.
How would you respond to an empty scrapbook work table? If all of your tools and supplies were above, below, behind, or to the side of you, would you be inspired or intimidated? Or something else?
How to Be Organized When You Have 29 Unfinished Projects
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Do you have unfinished scrapbook projects? Does it cause you stress? Recently I decided to embrace the fact that I always have a lot of unfinished projects.
Instead of making it a goal to get my projects finished, I decided to reorganize my space to accommodate my madness — or at least what some might consider to be madness. As a result I found that . . .
- There is a way to feel calm and happy, even with lots of unfinished projects
- Having a number of unfinished projects has huge benefits!
Since I decided to start projects when I think of them, I learned that the prolific 39-time Best-Selling author, James Patterson, has been known to work on more than five novels at one time! You may love Patterson’s books — you may not love them. I don’t particularly like his style of writing, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is evidence that you can be successful and accomplished with lots of projects bubbling at one time.
So how does he do it? How can you do it? Organization!
But wait! Doesn’t multiple unfinished projects equate to DISORGANIZATION?
No. You still need an organization structure to filter your idea bursts and your project streams. Patterson does it. Having been a corporate CEO, he is known for his exceptional organization skills. When I decided I was going to act on my ideas immediately, rather than add them to a to-do list, I knew I also needed to restructure my scrap space to meet my project needs.
This article tackles storage of unfinished and on-going projects. Here are posts on other organization subjects:
- 3 Ways to Store It: Patterned Paper (a 3-part system)
- Organize Your Scrap Supplies: Journal Blocks and Spots
- Organize Patterned Paper by Design Principles
- A Video Tour of my Scraproom
Three Types Of Unfinished Projects
There is an important difference between various unfinished projects . . .
- Projects you’ve lost interest in
- Projects on hold – you need to work on something else because of a deadline, or you need a specific item to complete it
- Intentionally on-going projects
Lost Interest
How Many - 7
Organization -
If I really feel a project is not all that worthwhile, if I have negative feelings about it along with my lack of interest, or if I feel sure I won’t be finishing it, I salvage any pieces I can use on something else and then throw the rest away. Otherwise, if I think there is some potential in the future but have no interest in touching it any time soon, I put it in the drawer at the bottom of this plastic rolling drawer set, or in the plastic bin on top.
I also have one item here that I haven’t really lost interest in. It’s just not a priority. I had an idea and wanted to start it before I’d forget. If I ever feel like finishing it, it’s in the drawer. If not, no big deal. My idea is an experiment and I’ve already gained one thing by starting, even though it’s unfinished: I learned that the technique I was testing will work!
If I need to add a project here and the drawer is full, I pitch my least interesting project to make room for the new one.
On Hold
How Many - 14
Organization -
If I am very much interested in finishing a project but need to move it off my work table, and if it doesn’t have a lot of pieces, I set it in a stack on this top shelf. Projects that are only waiting on one quick item, like a photo, are in the front. Projects that will require an hour or more of work are in the back. This front and back system is surprisingly helpful!
- It keeps stuff off my current workspace.
- The projects that I can finish with just a couple steps are prioritized in a visible place. This helps me realize how close I am to finishing them. We procrastinate things that seem hard or take multiple steps. Knowing that these items in the front are just a couple steps away from being done is motivating!
Projects that have a lot of parts and pieces, embellishments, papers, etc, go in the white boxes on the two lower shelves. I purchased large 12×15 inch boxes at Ikea. I like that I can have 12×12 papers or pages at one end of the box and scraps and embellishments on the other end. I name the project on the front label of the box in pencil because eventually I’ll rotate a different project into it.
The projects in these boxes are much more involved, so I love that I can have the chaos of all their supplies in nice clean containers. They’re in my sight as a visual reminder, but don’t add clutter to my mind.
Intentionally On-Going
How Many - 5 active, 1 still in prep, and 2 I haven’t fully committed to yet.
Organization -
On the red shelf above my worktable is an art journal, a writing and ephemera journal, and an altered book about myself. On the same shelf, but farther from my reach are two altered books I’m still contemplating. They will be on-going once they actually get going.
Because I decorate my altered Book About Me with lots of scrapbooking items, I keep the supplies in one of those white boxes on that shelf of on-hold projects.
One of my other on-going projects is a New Year’s book that gets a two-page spread of silly family predictions each year. I keep that in my drawer of completed seasonal mini-books, even though it isn’t really completed. This makes sense for me because I don’t need to reserve specific scrapbook supplies for it, and because I only sit down to work on it two days out of the year.
TOTAL UNFINISHED PROJECTS RIGHT NOW: 29
Projects that I’m very close to finishing: 6
The Huge & Awesome Benefits
There are times when the ideal thing to work on is a project you’ve already started but never completed!
I often grab an unfinished project when I . . .
- Have short bursts of time
- Am attending crops, scrapping while traveling, or working at a coffee shop
- Want to scrapbook without thinking much
Unfinished projects are ideal in these situations because . . .
- The supplies are already all together, or the project is close to being finished and doesn’t need a lot of supplies.
- Since you’ve already thought the project out (you know the story, you’ve picked the colors and papers, etc), you’ve already made the hard choices that require more introspection. Now it’s just play time.
Other benefits for having lots of unfinished projects . . .
- A project in its infant stages that you can actually see and touch is much more motivating than an idea on a project to-do list. Trust me.
- Acting immediately on your idea bursts will free the flow of more and even better ideas.
- No matter what your creative mood, there is something in-progress to match it!
Do you need to clear some space for unfinished projects? I recommend you first identify clutter and excess you can get rid of — stuff you don’t love and never use. Next, identify the vertical spaces around your home or scrap area where you can add shelves, containers, or drawers. Almost all of us have vertical space we aren’t maximizing. Almost all of us have excessive clutter that isn’t really benefiting us. Free yourself! Free your ideas and turn them into something, even if they’re just the start of something.
Okay, now who’s ready to start some new projects?
I have lots of project ideas to get you playing that I share in video tutorials. Many of those videos also share how I set up my space for certain things, like mini-books, for example!
CLICK HERE for more info on our video tutorials!
Paperclipping 141 – Organization Tips
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
This video is available to members only.
Paperclipping 85 – A Tour Of My Scraproom
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009After lots and lots of requests, I’m finally ready to show you around my scrapbook room and office. It took almost a year to get it to a state I’m happy with. But I believe that’s the best way to decorate and organize a room–to live in it and observe yourself and your needs before making decorative and organizational decisions.
My items are in a places that make sense for me now, so I have lots of tips to share…tips that are more like principles so they’ll help you make your own space work for you (as opposed to me).
Note: You can download the higher-quality episode by clicking here.
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