The More Is More Gal - Part 2 - Reality Check
Reality check: Go on a Craft Diet
My life-loving, miraculously organized friend aside, just because you want to try it all, doesn’t mean you have to go whole hog with every trendy color scheme and sticker collection. Think of it like being on a diet of sorts: there’s no need to cut out what you love altogether. You really can have it all, just limit your portion sizes. In other words, acquire what you fancy; just not all of it at once. The best way to do this is to organize your time. Limit your choices to two or three projects at a time, or take a strict linear approach and restrain your project resources to one book or card set at a time.
Long term planning allows you to collect all the materials you need, along with a complete time line of photos, all in one place. Perhaps you could keep a file box in a corner of your apartment and add to its contents as your ideas sprout.
I did just that with my toddler’s book. After finishing a year-long project documenting the first 12 months of my baby’s life, I decided to just make one spot a “keeping place” for the next book in the sequence. I purchased a toddler scrapbook idea book and kept it available over the course of those crazy years, peeking at it for inspiration every now and then. Meanwhile, I stashed pretty papers and borders, made relevant die cuts when I had the opportunity (at crop nights, etc), printed only my best photos, and tossed them into a large envelope. When my toddler went to school (all too soon), I dug into all my saved toddler mementos and worked on the book in one fell swoop.
After it was finished – within several weeks – I realized that the benefit to this method of organization was the ability to enjoy the moments as they unfolded instead of focusing on what the page was going to look like! I fully participated in that short and sweet tumble of years, with no regrets and no stress about getting it documented perfectly. The “simmering” creative process, as I call it now, added flavor and comfort to an otherwise hectic time of life. I always knew I wanted to make the toddler book, but making it in the midst of all that chaos would have only added to the pandemonium. I’m glad I let it wait; the precious perspective made quick work of the book in the end.
Let’s be honest now, have you ever arranged a background, or chosen clothing, based on what you envisioned the page to be? Maybe you had even already purchased the scrapbook goodies before the actual event? When you put things in their place until your ready to assemble your book, you can trust your ongoing taste and let life happen naturally. Having tried this method with the toddler book, trust me, your pages are richer for it.
Watch for Part 3 . . .
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