Scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby! Besides being relaxing
and fun, it also allows you to be creative and to spend
quality time with your family and friends. Plus, it results
in a storybook of lifelong memories.
One very important element of scrapbooking is getting it
all organized. This includes, but is not limited to:
* storing all of your supplies in an organized fashion so
they can be found instantly when you need them.
* remembering what supplies to pick up at the store, and
eliminating duplicate purchases.
* finding time to research new and creative ways to spruce
up your scrapbooks.
* finding enough time to enjoy the art of scrapbooking in
your busy life.
1. TELL A STORY.
Plan your photos, before you shoot. Instead of taking
random shots of someone standing here, or someone else
sitting there, tell a story. For example, let's say it's
Halloween. You may plan on taking four photos of your
child:
a. on the hayride taking him/her to the pumpkin field.
b. looking for a pumpkin.
c. finding a pumpkin.
d. with the carved pumpkin later.
2. GREAT PHOTOS.
Photos for your scrapbooks can be extra nice if you take a
little bit of time to learn some basic photography. Visit
www.kodak.com for a quick photography tutorial. Getting
organized has a lot to do with preparation and this site is
filled with helpful tips and ideas.
3. WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN.
Organized documentation is
important for the serious scrapbooker. The main goal is to
eliminate future questions such as "Who or what is that?",
"Where and when was this photo taken?", and so on. Document
photos as you're taking them, so you'll know exactly what
is on each roll of film. That way you'll be prepared when
you're ready to organize the photos in your scrapbooks.
4. TAKE CARE OF THAT UNDEVELOPED FILM.
If you find rolls of film around your house that are ready
to go to the developer, bring them today. You may consider
mailing all of your film to a supplier such as
www.mysticcolorlab.com so you don't have to spend time
dropping off film or picking up photos. Simply mail your
film out, and you'll get your photos back in the mail a
week later. From now on, always get your film developed as
soon as you take the used rolls out of your camera.
5. STORING PHOTOGRAPHS.
Once your photos are developed, you need a place to store
them until you're ready to put them in your scrapbook. Keep
them separated by year or event, in Ziplock bags. Label
each bag with a number, and put a corresponding number on
your Documentation Form. Then, store them in a photo box.
Keep the box in a dry, cool place to protect your photos
until you're ready to put the photos into your scrapbook.
6. ORGANIZING BOXES OF PHOTOS.
If you have boxes of photos that span from the beginning of
the 1900's to now, it's time to start getting them
organized. Schedule a day and time to begin sorting through
them and stick with your appointment when the day rolls
around. Get your kids, or friends, to help out. Begin by
making piles, categorized by event or year. If you don't
know the exact year, at least sort them by decade. This may
take a little while, but once everything is separated,
scrapbooking your photos will be much easier and more
pleasant. Once they're all sorted, store your photographs
as mentioned above.
7. WORK BACKWARDS.
If you're planning to scrapbook lots of photos from way
back, start with the most recent photos you have, and work
backwards. Chances are, you have a journal describing
recent photos, and even if you don't, you can probably
recall the details more easily. Older photos--the ones that
you don't have a journal for--will take a little more
thinking.
8. BABY STEPS.
If your scrapbooking hobby seems like a colossal job to
you, it's not going to be fun. Don't feel like you have to
put ALL of your photos into scrapbooks. You can always put
the majority of your photos in acid-free photo albums or
photo boxes where they will be safe. Choose a small set of
photos to begin scrapbooking. Once you're done with this
small set, you can then decide whether you want to dig into
your photo albums or photo boxes and continue scrapbooking
them, or leave those photos where they are, and simply
scrapbook any new photos in the future.
9. DOUBLE PRINTS.
Double prints will do you no good if they're just sitting
in your photo box taking up space. Do something with them.
Perhaps send them to someone who is in the photograph. It's
a great way to keep in touch. Or, pass the doubles onto
your young children who may like to create their own
scrapbooks. It's a great way for them to learn your beloved
hobby and decide if they would like it to be a hobby of
their own.
10. RELATED STUFF.
Sometimes, for the purpose of creatively decorating your
scrapbook, you may wish to keep tickets, brochures, maps,
postcards, and so on, that are related to a particular trip
or event. Use manila file folders or catalog envelopes for
this purpose. Label the folder/envelope so that you know
which photos/Documentation Form it corresponds to. File
these until they're ready to be used.
11. KEEPING IT ALL TOGETHER.
Already have a pretty good idea of stickers, diecuts, etc.
that you're planning to use with a particular set of
photographs? Keep them in the same Ziplock bag with the
photos until you're ready to put them into your scrapbook.
This way, everything will be in one place and ready to use.
12. STICKERS AND SHAPES.
Stickers and punched shapes can be kept in acid-free sheet
protectors, plastic baseball card sheets, business card
sheets, or even Ziplock bags that are 3-hole punched. Each
sheet should be categorized and labeled by theme: birthday,
Christmas, Halloween, wedding, springtime, etc. Insert
these sheets into a 3-ring binder. If you have a large
number of stickers and shapes, you may want to use index
dividers labeled with general categories. For example, a
general HOLIDAY category, may hold Easter,
Christmas/Hanukkah, Halloween, etc., a general SEASONS
category, may hold Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring, and so
on.
13. TINY STUFF.
For very tiny diecuts and other small items, consider
storing then in empty film canisters. The clear ones are
best, but if you only have opaque ones, simply stick a
label--or the actual diecut attached with a piece of tape--
on the canister indicating what is inside. Baby food jars
serve the same purpose well.
14. PAPER.
Where do you keep all of that cool paper until you're ready
to use it? You can get a plastic, portable filing
container--research its composition to assure archival
safety--that holds hanging file folders. Label the hanging
files by theme or color. You may want to place a manila
file folder into each hanging file folder, to keep your
papers from curling. Or, you may buy file folder pockets or
sheet protectors that fit into a 3-ring binder and store
your papers inside each pocket, categorized and labeled. By
the way, be very careful not to store acid-free paper with
other paper.
15. STORAGE CONTAINERS.
Do a little bit of research and purchase a scrapbooking
organizer, which will hold papers, supplies, etc. There are
many products on the market that can help you keep it all
together. Many office supply stores carry six-drawer
organization stations. They're vertical and have 6 see-
through drawers of equal size. Each drawer can be
designated for a different purpose--papers,
templates/diecuts, stickers, etc. Plus, they have wheels,
which makes them very easy to transport from one room to
another. Or, if you often bring your scrapbooking supplies
outside of your home, such as to a friend's house, use a
portable system that isn't too heavy or cumbersome, and
comes with a handle.
16. STENCILS.
Put your stencils/templates into sheet protectors that can
be purchased at any office supplies store. Then insert them
into a 3-ring binder for easy access. By the way, you can
store two templates in one sheet protector with a piece of
paper in between each--white or colored depending on the
color of your template. This will make it easier to see the
designs and eliminate them from catching onto each other.
17. SUPPLY CADDY.
If you always scrapbook at home, use a kitchen utensil
caddy with a number of divided compartments, like those you
normally keep tall kitchen spoons, ladles, and spatulas in.
The ones that spin will keep everything you need at your
fingertips.
18. HANG IT UP.
If you're lucky enough to have a room specifically
designated for your scrapbooking hobby, hang a large
pegboard above your work area. You can then attach
scissors, templates, crimpers, rulers, stencils and more,
all within easy sight and reach. In addition, you might
hang a small ledge or shelf nearby, to store all of your
corner rounders, photo corners, and so on. If you prefer
everything out in the open, this system will work like a
charm.
19. RUBBER STAMPS.
Store rubber stamps in shallow, plastic containers, a
rubber stamping organizer, or a plastic organizer with
shallow drawers. Don't stack stamps. They should be stored
in a single layer, so that you can always see the top of
the stamp showing the design.
20. OTHER STORAGE IDEAS.
Fishing tackle boxes--with compartments and levels that
expand and collapse--are wonderful for storing scrapbooking
supplies and tools. Plastic tool boxes, with many see-
through drawers are also great for this purpose.
21. SCRAPBOOKING MAGAZINES.
Is your closet full of scrapbooking magazines? There are a
few things to do about this dilemma. 1) You can go through
your magazines, find the articles you wish to keep and
organize them into file folders by category. In other
words, keep the article, toss the magazine. 2) Or you can
keep the magazines in cardboard magazine boxes. If you do
this, you should always keep a list of the title/issue of
the magazine, the pages that interest you, and a few words
describing why they interested you. This way, you can just
scan your list, instead of going through the entire
magazine to find what you're looking for. You can even use
your computer and create the list in a word processing
file. Then using the Find feature, you can simply search
for key words in your document.
22. HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
Rather than keeping all those great scrapbooking ideas and
tips in your head--you know, the ones you pick up from
magazines, web sites, etc.-- keep a 3-ring binder with some
notepaper inside for all your thoughts and ideas. Plus,
when you see something in a magazine, you can simply tear
the page out of the magazine, 3-hold punch it, and place it
in your binder. The same goes if you see something on a web
site that you wish to refer to later; just print it out and
insert it into your binder. You can even separate the
binder into a few different sections, such as page layout
ideas, organizing ideas, neat tools/supplies, etc.
23. CHOOSE A DESIGNATED WORK AREA.
Scrapbooking is more fun and less of a chore, when
everything is in one place and in close, accessible
proximity to your working area. Designate a room, or a
portion of a room, in your home for this activity. You
should be able to retrieve your supplies, photos, etc. in
seconds, without having to walk into another room, or
rummage through a closet.
24. SHOPPING.
Use an organized shopping system so you remember what you
want to pick up for your hobby --scissors, crimpers,
papers, etc. This will also eliminate purchasing items that
you already have. When you think of something you need,
immediately put it on a SCRAPBOOKING PICK UP list, and
bring this list with you when you go shopping. Using 3 inch
x 5 inch index cards, make examples of your cuts and
punches on them. Label and keep them in your day timer, or
a tiny 3-ring binder. Bring these cards with you when
shopping for scrapbooking items, and you'll never buy
duplicates. This also works great for remembering what
color pens/pencils you have. Just draw a line on your index
cards and label them.
25. USE WHAT YOU HAVE FIRST.
Resist the urge to buy a million new papers, punches, and
so on, until you've used some of the craft supplies you
already have. Unless you're planning on opening a
scrapbooking warehouse, it's best to be choosy before
emptying your wallet on new items, when you already have
items you could use in your current supply.
26. SHOP ONLINE.
You'll save a lot of time running back and forth to the
store, if you commit instead to making your purchases
online.
27. TRADE.
If you have something that you haven't used in a year or
more, such as craft scissors, stickers, etc., swap them
with a friend. Who knows? Perhaps your friend will find
immediate use for this item, and you will get something you
can use right now in return.
28. GOALS.
Always set goals for your scrapbooking hobby, perhaps one
to two pages a week. This is especially necessary if you're
creating a scrapbook for an upcoming special occasion.
29. PLAN.
Before you start working on your pages, plan ahead. Arrange
your photos in chronological order and gather stickers,
diecuts, etc. that correspond with your photos. Think about
your layout and how you plan to document each photo. This
will ensure you're going to be happy with the final
results, and will reduce the need to redo things.
30. DO THE TWO STEP.
Step One: Assemble your pages with your photos,
documentation and critical diecuts.
Step Two: Decorate with stickers, stamps, etc. The two-step
process will help you get the critical part (step one) done
faster, and then you can continue with the second step
(less important) later on.
31. KEEP YOUR PAGES SIMPLE.
Although you may really feel the need for creating a work
of art on occasion, if your goal is to get a scrapbook done
as quickly as possible, keep it simple. Getting photos and
documentation in the album is the main goal. Save your
really creative moments for extra special scrapbooking
projects. And remember, too much stuff on any one page,
takes away from the photos.
32. QUICK COLOR SCHEMES.
Quickly, organize your scrapbooks with colors that
compliment each other, by referencing a good color harmony
book. You can pick one up at your local bookstore. They
include hundreds of color combination examples. Color
Harmony, by Hideaki Chijiiwa, is an excellent book for this
purpose.
33. MULTI-TASKING.
Looking for a few minutes here or there to catch up on your
scrapbooking? Take and make all your phone calls in the
same room as your designated scrapbooking work area. Then,
while you're on the phone with your friends or family, you
can crop, frame or mount at the same time. Or, instead of
making punches when you need them, make a bunch of punches
at once while you're watching television, or are on the
telephone, or when you're waiting for a pot of water to
boil. This will save time later because your punches will
be ready when you need them.
34. GET YOUR KIDS INVOLVED.
Many people like to get their kids involved with the actual
project, such as arranging stickers, applying diecuts, etc.
If you would rather your kids were not involved with the
actual project, give them a project of their own. You can
always find a few photos that you're not going to use in
your scrapbook, some inexpensive paper, kid scissors, etc.
Then have each child make their very own scrapbook. Either
way, the kids will be occupied, which will give you time to
enjoy your hobby.
35. ELIMINATE BICKERING.
If you have more than one child that is involved with a
scrapbooking activity, get them each their own plastic
storage box and/or accordion files to keep their own
supplies in. This way, when they want to work on their
scrapbook, all of their supplies will already be separated.
You may even color code their supplies, plastic boxes, etc.
so they always know which stuff belongs to them. For
example, blue container, blue scissors and markers labeled
in blue for Billy, and all pink for Sally.
36. FAMILY TIME.
Scrapbooking is a great way to spend some time with your
family. Get the whole family involved and around the table
at the same time. It's a great time to share ideas and
dreams with each other. Can't seem to get the male family
members involved? Perhaps they can sit at the table while
the females are scrapbooking, and they could do something
they enjoy at the same time. At least everyone will be
together and having fun.
37. TEAM UP.
Scrapbooking is a great way to spend time with your friends
and catch up with each other. Start a scrapbooking club and
meet at each other's homes one day every few weeks. Make a
party of it!
38. IDENTIFY.
The next time you get together with friends, or a
scrapbooking club, put a little piece of colored tape on
your scissors' handles, the sides of your punch tools,
pens, etc. Then, everyone could share, but you'll be sure
to get your tools back when it's time to go home.
39. DON'T TAKE THE KITCHEN SINK.
If you're going to be scrapbooking at a friend's home, take
a few minutes to plan what you want to work on. By doing
this, you will only have to carry those supplies you're
going to use. In other words, if you're going to be working
on a wedding theme, there's no reason to be carrying all of
your holiday items with you.
40. CLEAR THE WAY.
If you are spending too much time looking for supplies,
background papers, photos, frames, that great rubber stamp
and so on, then, it's time to organize your work station.
Declutter and toss out or trade those items you don't need,
you don't like, etc. Organize your supplies into binders
and storage containers. You should always be working on a
clear surface, with only the current project in front of
you.
41. CLEAN UP THE SCRAPS.
If there is a wastepaper basket right near your work
station, all of the scraps that you're not planning on
using can be tossed immediately. Don't leave trash on your
work surface. If you visit a friend's home, you may want to
carry along an empty tissue box so that all scraps can be
discarded immediately, and make clean-up for your host
quick and easy.
42. PUT IT AWAY.
Always have a home for your supplies, and when you're
finished using them, take a few moments to put everything
away. You should be able to start fresh with a clear mind
and a clear surface.
43. BIG ITEM/SMALL ITEM.
Never place a big item over a smaller item, because if you
do, it will be out of sight, and difficult to find quickly.
44. ERGONOMICS.
Organize your work area for increased productivity. Make
sure it's well lit. Have a comfortable chair to sit on.
Your supplies and tools should be within arms reach.
45. SAFETY.
Organize your scrapbooking with safety in mind. Use a
protective covering for your table. Craft mats are great
for cutting on. Scissors and other sharp tools should be
face down in a holder, and out of a young child's reach.
46. MAKE IT EASY.
Different personality styles require different organization
systems. Make sure you use an organization system you can
live with--one that works with your style and that allows
you to find things without delay. If you find things easier
when they're alphabetized, then use that type of system.
Perhaps you're better at finding things by color. Then use
that system. Your organization system must work in harmony
with your personality.
47. DON'T DO SO MUCH.
Finding the time for your scrapbooking and/or
rubberstamping hobby can be difficult if you have too many
things going on in your life. Reduce or eliminate the
activities you don't truly enjoy. Reduce the activities of
your children. Get on an organized cleaning schedule, so
you're not wasting the entire weekend cleaning up. Make
easier dinners that are healthy, but take half the time to
prepare. Get your family to help out with household chores
and obligations.
48. SPARE TIME.
Those spare minutes that we all have can be put to good
use. Have to wait at the doctor's office for your
appointment? Sketch out a quick layout idea. Waiting for
the wash cycle to finish? Sort out some photos, or gather
supplies for tomorrow's scrapbooking project.
49. WRITE IT DOWN.
Don't ever leave your home without a small notebook in
hand. You're bound to come up with a thought, or a cute
caption, for your scrapbook. If you don't write it down
right away, you may forget about it. You may also want to
keep a small pad and a pen right near your bedside, in case
you have a bright idea in the middle of the night.
50. ENJOY!
Plan, organize and schedule some time to enjoy your
creations with family and friends. Scrapbooking is all
about fun, laughter, memories, and touching moments!
Finally Organized, Finally Free