Sounds like we have similar strategies. I try to keep the pictures my priority. I lay them out, choosing which ones stay or go. I then choose a background color, trim the pics, determine final layout (keeping the title and journaling space needed in mind), border the pictures, adhere the pictures, journal and embellish last. I have found I get more done this way, and if I stop before embellishing, at least the pics (and reason for scrapbooking) are in.

Would love to hear others, but this forum is very slow compared to other forums here at gardenweb.

Janna

I know I keep asking questions hope that people will start checking and answering so we can get going again.

Nancy

I couldn't sleep last night as my mind was running a mile a minute. So I was thinking about your question and something else came to mind. I'm working backwards right now; just finished 2003, now working on 2002. I've been doing things a little different. I gather all of the pictures for the year, getting negatives or cd's and printing copies as needed. I then organize the pictures in a small box, using labeled dividers as to the event/occasion. I then follow the order posted above, however I wait on embellishing until the end. So basically I complete an entire year and then embellish. It has worked for me as far as organizing. I don't have a "scrapbook" room, so leaving all of my embellishments in the closet until I can do it all works. I can also take my book to the local scrapbook store and get everything I need in one trip.

Can't wait to hear others! Maybe everybody is just too busy scrappin'!?

Janna

PS:Nancy, I don't mind the questions, I check in almost everyday after visiting my favorite forums (CA Gardening, cottage gardening, potager gardening and the busiest of them all - pools and spas)

I also use my pictures to help me decide how to scrap them. I try to choose a background color that is seen in the picture, then I choose a complimentary or monochromatic color for the matting and journaling block. After the pictures are placed, then I work on journaling, titles (if needed) and embellishment. I am a very simple scrapbooker so I don't add a lot of extras. I like the picture and journaling to tell the story.
Sue

Speaking of titles do you use them on every page? I find trying to do that takes away from what I'm doing.

I do mine more like Sue. My overall purpose is to have something o pass on when I'm gone. I may or may not embellish. It all depends on the page.

No, I don't use embellishments or titles on every page. I try to keep embellishments to a minimum and have the pictures take center stage. I have found stamps and rub-ons are fun, easy and do not overpower the page. I need to do a better job of journaling, as I feel this part of our scrapbooks is as important as the pictures. Titles are used only when the event calls for one.

I started back in 97 when my dd was born- today she turns 9!
I did her baby book and it was ok. Then I discovered Creative Memories and all the stuff out there. I redid her pages- thanks to double prints- and it is much nicer.

I used to use a 3-ring binder and page protectors from office supply store. I used solid paper as my page. I used some stickers and a little journalling. I have since taken all those pages and put them into CM albums. Now I use the regular white pages and use the colored paper for frames or accent strips.

To organize and make things go faster I use an easy method. I have a binder with sleeves in it. When I develop film I separate in dated or event order. Then I divide by what pics would fit on a page. I drop those pics into sleeves. Then I take paper that matches the pics and drop it in the sleeve. I may put some stickers in there too. Then when I go to scrap, I just grab a sleeve and work that page. I have already picked out the stuff for the page, just need to assemble.

Unfortunatly, I have a digital camera now. It was so easy to develop film and then sort out the pics. Now I have to download onto a CD, take to a place or use an online service. I have not done this yet, which explains why I have over 600 pics to print, and at least half I need doubles of- one for my dd and one for my ds albums. One nice thing about digital is that I can print only what I need, so I may print all my dd birthday pics for her album, but only print a few for my son to have in his.

Hey soggy6- aren't you the one with the pool that had plaster then switched to ptec after a crack or something? Are you going to, or do you know about, the event at Newburg Hall down by Sac State on 4/29? My CM gal and her friends are having an all-day event. After spending last year doing the build, it will be nice to spend a day scrapping. I am taking all our vacation pics- the ones before we had kids- and getting them all into albums. Won't be super fancy like my kids books. The goal is to have them in an album instead of not.

shannon,

That's me! Been doing alot of forum hopping with all of this rain!

An all day crop sounds awesome, unfortuneately, April is so busy for us, it's one of those months where sports overlap, school is finishing up, you know the drill!

I think you'll find digital is wonderful once you get your system down. I took a couple of years to be really sold but now I love it. What I do is upload from my camera to Costco.com (super easy) and then my disk is ready in an hour. I label it very well (not just 3-06, but actual events) and then when I'm ready to scrap that time, I just put the cd in my computer, send the images I want to Costco.com and my prints are ready in an hour! No more having boxes and boxes of pictures that aren't used! Also, this makes emailing a snap, no more mailing the best shots to Gma, she gets them online and can print if she wants!

Happy bday to your daughter! Where do you live? We're in EDH off of Bass Lake.

I bought one of those CM boxes that I use to seperate several pages with everything I want on the page plus the protector. It works great. I just need to get going again and use the thing

Nancy

Soggy- or is it Jana? I am in Antelope.

I think the digital will be a really easy process. My problem is forking out almost $100 to develop all these pics. I can get 12cents a print at snapfish. I just need to part with the money. Then I will print then when I have about $20 worth. Much easier on the purse. How much is costco by the way? When I inquired at Target the lady did not know much and suggested I use the little machine there in the store. I told her I did not think it could handle 1000 pics. She didn't think so either.

So for this event I will get the old vacation pics done. They are sorted which is great. I think I am going to just do simple arranging with frames of color and journal boxes, maybe adding stickers to the journal boxes. I may get some palm tree dye cuts and such. Guess I need to head to the scrap store before the event.

My friend did a book just of her dh's fishing trips. The front page says "Keith's fishing adventures". The letters are made with fishing pole and fish stickers. It is really cute once you realize the stickers. Then whenever he comes home from a trip she puts the new pics in there.

Those kinds of books are so easy to maintain. My kids books are slower because I put so much thought into them.

Obviously, you are not swimming yet. We are going to put solar in this Spring but the weather does not let us work outside at all. So I think we will at least get the whole house fan it. Thats an inside job.

Hi Janna and Shannon!
I "know" you guys from the pool forum!
I am just starting to scrapbook. (I've been more of a rubber stamper and decided to expand a bit.) It's sorta like building the pool ~ it's overwhelming to get started and I constantly change my mind! How do you decide what you are going to do and just do it? I think that I'm going to do it one way then I see something and think oh, I could do it that way and the result ~ I don't do it at all. Maybe I just need blinders!

Sally
=D
Jana - funny thing the project I want to start scrapping with is a trip our family took with our best friends to Bass Lake!!

I'm just the opposite of Sally - My daughter and I started scrapbooking a couple years ago and I just recently started going to Stampin' Up workshops to do cards. But they also have cute ideas for scrapbook pages. I am so uncreative, that I normally look at magazines with layouts and I try to duplicate them with whatever materials I have. I don't like too many embellishments either. My first few pages seemed too cluttered. Now I just mat the pictures, attach them to a color coordinating paper and decide what embellishments may be nice.

I start with the pic. I do it all digitally so I can easily change the colors of any backgrounds, frames, elements etc to co-ordinate with the picture.

As a newish and absurdly cheap scrapbooker, my "process" is a lot of back and forth.

Look through the prints to see which ones are scrap-worthy.
Sort the pictures into piles that vaguely relate to pages/events.
Look through my stash of papers and supplies to see if I have anything that will work.
Re-sort pictures.
Review stash.
Go to scrapbooking store. Buy two things.
Come home. Review pictures. Review stash. Use one of new purchases.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

I am currently working on a puppy scrapbook and I just can't bring myself to spend more than a dollar or two on a scrapbook FOR A DOG. It means a lot of revisions, recycling and improvised embellishments, but it's addicting.

Someday I'll have nieces and nephews to scrap for, then the gloves are coming off and I'll buy every beautiful piece of paper ever made and need a new system.

Here is a link that might be useful: craftfetish blog