Well April, it’s been fun…
With April coming to a close, it’s means it’s time to wrap up my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration. So far this month I’ve told the story of how my digital scrapbooking journey began, shared my FAVE digital scrapbooking project ever, revisited some of my scrapbooking hits and cringe-worthy misses and counted down the last 5 years of digiscrapping.
To close out my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration, it seems only fitting that for my 5th and final Scrap-i-versary post, we leave behind the days of scrapbooking past and turn our attention toward the future. Revisiting some of my favorite and least favorite layouts and projects during this month made me realize there were a few changes I would like to make around here.
So with that here are five of my digital scrapbooking goals for my next scrapbooking year…
1. Get Back to My Scrapbooking Roots
As I mentioned in my hits & misses post earlier this week, back when I first started digital scrapbooking, I scrapped both square (12×12 or 8×8 really) and rectangle (8.5×11 layouts) and regularly swapped between a more paper-esque scrapbooking style and a more graphic magazine style.
Over the last several years I’ve really gotten away from this but I would love to get back into the habit of mixing things up, keep things fresh and stepping outside my scrapbooking comfort zone more often.
Expect to see a wider variety of page sizes (maybe even a pocket page protector or two), as well as styles, and maybe even a paper or hybrid project thrown here and there too for good measure.
2. Scrapbook More of Our Traveling Adventures
One of mine and Adam’s absolute favorite things to do is travel. As Adam will be the first to tell you, if you ask me what I want to do over the weekend, my answer 9 times out of 10 will be “I just want to GO somewhere!” We love visiting new places and seeing new sights. It’s one of our favorite things about the military lifestyle. But if you were to look through my scrapbook albums would you likely know this about us? Nope.
In the five years since I started digital scrapbooking, we have lived in Korea for a year, taken trips to amazing places like Japan and Hawaii, and taken our first ever trip to Disneyworld and soon, NYC. We’ve gone on numerous road trips and camping trips and explored some awesome places like Yellowstone and Carlsbad Caverns.
But how many of these trips would you actually see if you flipped through our scrapbooks?
Zero.
Sure there may be a page here or there but for the most part, these memories and photos remain safely hidden away in our minds…and the depths of my computer hard drive.
So goal number 2 for this year is to get my travel scrapbooking on and actually document some of these amazing trips we’ve been lucky enough to take over the years.
which brings me to Goal #3…
3. Get My Organizing On
By far the biggest obstacle holding me back from scrapbooking our travels is the sheer number of photos. Coming back from a trip with 800-1000 RAW photos to sort through is a daunting task!
If I’m going to embrace travel scrapbooking this year, I really need a photo and scrapbooking system that can handle the large volume of photos I’ll have to deal with. The Great Computer Spring Clean-a-thon was a great start but there is definitely still a lot to do when it comes to getting my organizing system into tip-top shape.
So expect to see lots more posts about my adventures in organizing (and mis-adventures, I’m sure, haha) here on the blog. I am determined that this year will be the year I find a systems that WORKS.
4. Scrapbook 100 layouts by the end of 2011
Now I’m sure there are some of you who would find the idea of 100 layouts in a year laughable. You probably scrap that many layouts in a month with a baby in your arms and two toddlers running around. Ha.
The truth is in the five years I’ve been digital scrapbooking, the most number of layouts I’ve ever done in a single year has been 85. Which means 100? Kind of a bold goal for me.
By the end of April I will have completed 15 layouts (that’s an average of 3.75 a month for you fellow math nerds out there) which means I’ll have 8 months left to scrap 85 layouts. Averaging 10.6 layouts a month. Eeek.
My CT requirements with make up a minimum of 32 of those 85 but that still means I have at least 53 layouts to scrap on my own. It’s going to be a challenge for me I know, but I am excited for the prospect of getting back into a more consistent scrapbooking rhythm again and taking time to scrap layouts that are just for me.
Plus more layouts from me = more template-y goodness for you. It’s a win-win, haha.
5. Turn NettioDesigns into one kickass place to hang out
Yep, that’s right, I am putting this out here. For all to see. Haha.
When I started NettioDesigns back in February, I knew it was going to be a learning experience. Just how BIG of a learning experience I don’t think I realized. Haha. So things around here definitely got off to a slower start than I would have liked as a I slowly learned how to balance scrapbooking, a digi website and life. But with three months under my belt I am definitely getting into a groove and I’m ready to start ramping things up around here. Time to take some of these plans and turn them into action.
What does this mean for you?
More.
More templates. More scrapbooking adventures. More tips. More tricks. More tutorials. You name it.
Which brings me to this…
I want to hear from YOU
What do you struggle with when it comes to digital scrapbooking?
Is it coming up with a fresh new design every time? Mixing and matching elements and papers? Maybe you have a layout that just didn’t work out the way you hoped? Organizing, Photoshop, Mac vs PC, Backing up your files…
Whatever it may be, big or small, easy or hard, I want to hear about it. Now is the time to ask your burning scrapbooking questions.
Have an awesome idea for a template, a tutorial you’d love to see?
Feel free to share that too.
Now is your chance to get those burning digital scrapbooking questions answered.
And just for a little added incentive…how about a giveaway.
One lucky commenter will win my next template release for FREE.
I know you like free.
How to Enter
To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here on this blog post letting me know what you’re struggling with (or what you wish you could do better) and what you would love to see here at NettioDesigns when it comes to digital scrapbooking.
That’s pretty easy, right?
Want to increase your chances of winning? Post about this giveaway on Twitter and encourage your digiscrappy friends to come give their input too. Link me up to your tweet in a separate new comment to earn an extra entry.
You’ve got until Tuesday, May 3rd, 7am EST to post your comment to be eligible to win. Winner will be announced on the day of the new release.
And with that, my 5th Scrap-i-versary Celebration comes to an end. It’s been a fun five scraptastic years so far and I’m so thrilled with all the memories I have scrapped but I am definitely excited to see what the next few years bring scrapbooking-wise. Should be a fun!
Psst…want to make sure you don’t miss out on any of my future scrapbooking adventures? You should sign up for my blog RSS feed here.
I loved reading all these Lynnette. You have some lofty goals & I cannot BELIEVE it takes you 3.5 hours. That is crazy. BUT your pages are GORGEOUS. And your paper blocking amazes me. Simply amazes me. I love your layouts. How the heck do you come up with what you do? How do you decide what patterns to feature and how do you get the paper blocking to look so great?
OH! And how do you remember your Favs, 3 months down the line? I cannot recall what I liked last week let alone trying to start my 2011 favs pages. 😉
My biggest struggle – coming up with a new design each and every time. I am trying to reignite that create streak within me and come up with a new design each time & well, that is HARD!
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I always have a hard time with shadowing and clustering. So I’d love to see tutorials on that.
And I think you should offer occasional freebies.
My biggest thing is time management. I hop on the computer intending to scrap, and hello, 3 hours later I’m still browsing the web, effectively achieving nothing. Congratulations on your designaversary, and best of luck with 100 layouts this year.
I think it’s possible that Jacinda is my long lost twin who scraps better. ; ) Aside from time management, I wish that I could make simple work better. I love layering, but it’s so stressful for me.
I’m with Jacinda … time management is my biggest issue. Switching on the pc to scrap an hour or two, but quickly checking e-mails, some blog and forums first and time is up before you know. Let alone that I keep enough time to do any house work … luckily I have a great husband 🙂 If only scrapbooking wasn’t so much fun !
Like everyone else I do spend a lot of time surfing, shopping and thinking about scrapping, instead of actually doing pages. But thats kina ok for me. I think my biggest problem is, that I’m sooo good at obsessing. Of course there are aspects in life, when a slight obsession is a helpful thing. But in creativity it can get frustrating. I obsess about the PERFECT background paper, the best style for that photo and whatever I can find. I am trying hard to go more with “Done is better than perfect!”, but yeah…some days I loose the battle.
For example, I have agonized over the question whether or not to apply for a CT. Ridicilous, I use that designer’s stuff ALL THE TIME. But it was a real big question mark for me. THEN I started obsessing what layout to scrap for it. I am seriously not good with letting go and I do realise it blocks my possibilities in scrapbooking. So that’s my goal right now. Allow myself to experiment, make mistakes, have fun, scrap pages that are no masterpieces, but dear to me. Go messy and go mix it all up!
Thanks for these last few posts, Lynette – I’ve really enjoyed them! I’d love to know about design principles for using patterned papers since you use them SO. WELL.
Jacinda hit the nail on the head! When I came over to comment I was thinking the same thing – I always have the best intentions of scrapping more and find all my time sucked up by web surfing and entering contests – LOL!!!
I struggle with making my blog look yummy like yours lol so I know thats not absolutely just digital related but If you could make some blog templates…. some tutorials…. ect… I would LOVE it!! my blog really needs a makeover.
I would love to see more inspirational layouts from you, which is why I love your 100 goal project. Also as you find amazing challenges and contest I can’t wait to see them.
Thanks for a ll the inspiration and contests… I always love a great contest!
I am with Jacinda. I need to work on time management. I get distracted really easily by FB and the forums when I am supposed to be scrapping. I also tend to have mojo shut-down when I am faced with deadlines. I hate that! I love your templates so much Lynette. I have always wanted to pull off a great page with lots of patterned paper the way you do. I could look through your gallery for hours (which I should not be doing when I am supposed to be scrapping but who can resist).
What am I struggling with? Finding the time to scrap and coming up with original layouts! Lately I feel like all my layouts look the same. Time for me to browse the galleries and magazines!
I’d love to see posts about how you come up your with fabulous layouts! What do you start with? Papers? Pictures? Where do you look for inspiration? I’d also love to see your shadow settings 🙂 Oh and how you save for web – I love your clean and pristine your pages look in the galleries.
Thanks!! 🙂
I struggle the most with where to put my pictures…the actual design placement of them. Does that make sense? 🙂
I love reading your blog!!!! Makes me want to make some scrapping goals also! I don’t know if I would be about to claim 100 in a year though! YOU GO GIRL!
My biggest challenge……..I tend to be a kit scrapper. I would like to get out of my comfort zone and mix and match kits.
I definitely struggle with time management, there a way to much distractions on the internet
sometimes just getting started can be a struggle – i sit down to scrap, but want to look through the gallery for inspiration, next thing you know I’m in the forums and reading blogs! I find lots of inspiration, but sometimes loose my window of opportunity to actually do the scrapping:)
Sounds like you’ve got big plans – good luck!!
I agreed with nancy79. I spent too much time online looking at other peoples blogs and I don’t have time to scrapbook.
I struggle with composition and paper choice. So hard.
I really struggle with journaling the everyday stuff. I can’t separate from it enough to know what will be
meaningful in the future and to stop telling myself that my journaling sounds too cheesy! This fear can make starting a page very hard for me too! Thanks for asking 😀 Can’t wait to read more about your journey – thanks for being so real and sharing yourself and your gorgeous templates.
I struggle the most with WHAT to scrap! My oldest is 18 and my youngest is 3 and I have 2 in between 🙂 So even though I keep up with my P365 journlaing an scrapping I just never know what else to scrap. I am working on a project for my daughter since she is graduating, but after that I just kinda scrap whatever I feel and sometimes that is a struggle!
Lack of focus. I spend way too much time searching galleries of other people’s completed projects. Perhaps I need a laptop with no internet connection!
Keep up the good work. Love your templates and hope to see many more on your site!
My biggest struggle is layout/composition, which is why I love your templates so much!
Like most others above me, my first big block is making myself sit down and actually start scrapping when on the computer instead of wading through email, FB and a few team forums. My kids are at the super-busy stage of life (yes, it only gets worse as they get older because they are involved in so many things) and by the time I get home for the evening I’m too tired to be creative.
My second is the fact that I’m a multi-photo event scrapper most of the time and 2 page templates with lots of photos are hard to find- I’m talking 12-15 photos, sometimes more as that is the only effective way for me to document a lot of family events and vacation spots fairly quickly. With my reduced mojo these days, templates are about the only way I get anything done at all.
I think my biggest struggle is running out of motivation. Sometimes it’s hard to jump-start myself into producing a lot of pages, so having some inspiration or a new kit/template is what it takes to get myself started.
What I struggle with most is using elements. My personal style is very graphic and I have made entire albums with only one or two basic embellishments and been happy with them. But sometimes it seems, I think my page needs something. My struggle is to determine what that extra touch should be, how to have it be appropriate without drawing all the attention to itself and away from the photos and journaling.
Thanks for the chance to win some templates. They are my favorite digital purchases and I use them often.
I struggle immensely with titles!! Whether it is coming up with a clever title, the placement of a title on a layout or mixing up the title with different alphas. Mine always look so blah……
I have really enjoyed reading your blog!
My biggest problem is I’m easily distracted… 🙂 I have no problem focusing on my CT assignments, but when it comes to scrapping for me… I’m distracted with internet surfing and chatting in the forums. LOL! Thanks for the chance to win!!
Great post! It’s always fun getting to see into other scrapper’s struggles and challenges to know that I’m not the only one 🙂
I have a couple issues, pairing fonts together. I love the look of using different fonts but I think it looks off when I do it. I also have issues with clusters. The ones I see on your layouts are beautiful and I’d like to do that myself.
I’d love to see your templates in PAGE file for those of us who are PS challenged 😉 I can use PSE but it takes me so long to complete a page! And then I still put it into SBC+ and tweek. LOL!
I just had a blast reading through your scrapiversary posts!!
My biggest challenge is staying OFF the internet and getting to work on scrapbooking! I think it would help if I had my pictures all ready to go and a design file of inspiration to look at.
I think one of the things I struggle with the most is creating pages that all dont look the same 🙂 I feel like I scrap the same type of page over and over again unless I use a template. As far as NettioDesigns I just want to know how you do it lol. Every single one of your pages are so gorgeous!! You are so talented!
Time management for me too. I get on to scrap and end up on facebook or surfing or this that and the other. So annoying 🙂
I seem to obsess and think a lot about organization (and backing up), yet when I look at my system – I really have so far to go in terms of implementing it with all my photos! I would love to hear more about organization (of course, I’m obsessed) but also how you move from doing some organization and how that is helping or not helping you with your 100 page goal!
My biggest challenge in Digi scrapping is: Actually doing it! I too love to spend time on the internet, I browse the stores to check out new products and scan the galleries for inspiration and hit the forums to see what’s going on. Then I spend a lot of time trying to organize my digital stash, back it up, and by then it’s time to check the stores, the galleries and the forums once again! I am hoping to finish my December Daily this month, now I just have to do it-although National Scrapbooking day is coming up and there will be some good sales! lol
I really struggle with my title work because it is so time consuming. I would love to hear some of your tips and suggestions on how to speed up the process and create amazing titles.
Organizing my major digi stash is always the hardest thing for me. Unless I use all of the elements from one kit, it gets hard to remember where I have something I want to use (for example… a pom pom trim). All designers don’t call it the same thing, so I have a hard time searching for it, and I don’t have any brilliant ways (or the time) to tag all of my supplies, so I have to rely on memory, which is tough when you want that special something to go with a layout.
Titles and journaling are also tough for me because I can never seem to get them to not look messy and distracting.
Hmmm… there are other things, but I don’t think you want to know *all* of my problems. 😀
Congrats on your successes and future goal accomplishments.
As a scrapper I struggle with just sitting down and scrapping, instead of browsing the web. I also struggle with scrapping myself, which is why I find your AAM pages so inspiring.
I struggle alternately with finding time to scrap (two kids 4 and under, soon to be 3 kids 5 and under yikes!) and finding a scrap booking style that I will love to look at years down the road. Trying to be clean and contemporary keeping things simple, but then wondering if my pages are boring. I love to use templates since it saves so much time! Looking forward to following you this year!
First of all, I LOVE those goals, can’t wait to see you fulfill them! My main struggle is often to find time, and sometimes to renew my designs. I often feel like I keep making the same page over and over again! I’ll subscribe to your blog, this should be a great remedy to design’s boredom!! LOL
I totally agree with Jacinda – time management is my biggest issue of all especially combining scrapping with school
I think my biggest struggle is trying to do it all, I want to use everyone’s system, and try out all the new products, and so I get nothing done. Organizing really sucks up a lot of my time, if I let it. I try to manage my time, but sometimes my time ends up managing me! 🙂
Shadowing and clustering are my two things that I struggle with the most.
I have trouble a bit with design and that is why I love your templates! They are just the style that I wish I could do myself. I would also like to be better at Shadows… another reason I love your templates!
I could also use more time to scrap…
You’re going to laugh at my answer to this–but it’s true–because what I struggle, obsess, overthink to DEATH when I’m scrapping is: where to put my fasteners. Buttons, stitches, staples, metal hooks, tied ribbons, you name it. You know those layouts where fasteners are artlessly, effortlessly placed? It adds to the whole realistic feel of the layout. Gina Miller does this SO WELL. Well, I freak out and overthink where and how to place them. Most of the time I think they look so contrived on my page. They don’t look “random” enough. As a result, most of my pages don’t really use much fasteners. Buttons are more decorative than functional. I may staple the random tag. I’d love to “learn” how to randomly fasten items on my layouts. Or maybe I need to learn to GET A GRIP and stop freaking out over them, haha! 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win, Lynnette!
I can’t do anything with design…hence my love of templates! Hope I win!!!
I struggle with being inspired to scrap when I actually have the time.
Time is my biggest struggle (that’s why templates come in so very handy!). Congrats on your 5 year “scrapaversary”!
Like so many others have said, I struggle with time management as well, but I also find one of my biggest issues is coming up with a great title for my layouts. I go back and look at my gallery and in my printed books and I see the same titles used over and over again. So sharing some secrets about coming up with creative titles would be great! Good luck reaching the 100 layout mark in 2011!
I struggle most with layout design which is why I almost always use a template. I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts and looking forward to reading more.
I’ve really enjoyed your posts – the one about your hits and misses was great and funny and made me feel better about some of my pages that didn’t quite work out the way I’d hoped!!! It also really made me think about the whole angled for the sake of being angled issue – I’d never really thought of it that way. My biggest struggle is layout and trying to get in lots of photos because I take soooo many! I hate the idea of not including something and then the moment just gets forgotten on my hard drive somewhere. I wish I could feel more free to let go of working chronologically – especially since I’m currently working on 2009 photos and I feel like I’m missing great moments in the present that I’ll probably forget about by the time I “catch up”!!! I’d love to see your take on a 12×24 double layout. I am also really drawn to layouts where there is one large photo and then smaller ones to complement it.
I definettly struggle with the organizational aspect, and also making a new design, or getting what i have in my head out on the computer screen. I would love to see more about your travels, i would love to travel, but with 4 kids and another on the way it is difficult. Thank you for the chance to win!
Not easy to narrow down only 1 thing I struggle with, ah! But if I have to choice, the most time consuming, and often the culprit that makes me cancel a LO I’m working on, is pick the supplies I want for a specific photo or project. I love a great variety of styles and have a HUGE stash of designs, so most times I do multiple versions of the same LO. It’s more easy when I absolutely want to use a kit/element/template and go backward, composing the LO and only then picking photos. It’s stunning that I always find the one that fits perfectly with it.
First of all, I’m absolutely in love with your templates. They are amazing!
I also struggle with time management. Honestly I have a lot going on with school and projects. I’m an Interior Design major and it takes A LOT of work. Just trying to find time to have a social life outside of it is hard enough let alone find time to scrap! I also struggle big time with buying too much and scrapping too little!! I need to scrap with what I have before I buy new things, but I just can’t help myself!
Time…not enough time. 🙂 Although I would have to say that your templates have helped! Thanks for the chance to win!
Lynnette I love this! I have been scrapping for so many years, and I am with most of these ladies who say that time management is a big one, another is coming up with “WOW” factor layouts. But I would have to say that my biggest struggle is that being on GREAT creative teams is not being able to use ALL of the kits I want to. There are so many amazing designers out there that I love, and wish I could scrap with so many more kits than I get a chance to. 🙂
I struggle with thinking of a layout. That’s why I love templates. I don’t have to invent the wheel myself. Furthermore, journaling…..sometimes I just want a big lap of journaling, sometimes less. I can almost always adapt a template to my needs. So keep up the good work with your templates, I love to use them!
Great goals!
I struggle with making a great title. Not necessarily placement, but knowing the right words and right alpha and putting it all together.
Congrats on 5 years of scrapping. Hope you have many more!
My biggest struggle when scrapping (besides managing real life time with scrap & design time) is trying to come up with titles for my layouts. I’m sure I’ve re-used titles for every page I’ve done. lol. I can’t come up with new or creative ones. Many of my pages don’t have titles at all because of this! 🙂
I find that just starting is sometimes that hardest thing for me! Knowing what pictures I want to start with (I mean I took 550 pictures of my 4 month old son in April alone), knowing what color or theme kit… just so much to choose from! 🙂
First-your Blog is a blast to read! Loving it!
Clustering is frustrating for me. Granted, I’ve been at this for about 2 months but still it’s not easy to get it to look like it would on paper. I tend to do simple pages for myself but for my CT I feel like I should throw some extra love on the page and show off the pretty shinies she’s done so well. Coming up with something new each time is also a struggle.
Yay! So glad you’re enjoying the blog! I hear ya about clustering. I definitely think it’s one of those skills that takes some time to get. I know it did for me!