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...because LOAD is the bomb! (See what I did there? I crack myself up.)
It's almost here! I have been looking forward to LOAD215 for, literally, months! I wasn't "successful" the first couple of times I tried LOAD, and I was really down on myself. Looking back now, I see how silly that was. I normally get an average of, oh, ZERO pages done most months. (I have a yearly retreat I go to with my sister where I do the majority of my scrapping, which I LOVE, but more scrapping=more happiness, right?) I was looking at it all wrong. Each time I've attempted LOAD, I've gotten 20 or more layouts done. That, my darlings, is SUCCESS.
So how did I go from a LOAD Loser to a LOAD Lover?
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
2. Practical tip: get your space ready before February 1. You'll need some supplies within arm's reach, but having stacks of layouts that need to go into albums or scraps everywhere will make trying to create harder than it needs to be. Do yourself a favor and clear an area to work in. Stockpile a little adhesive if you're running low; check the ink levels in your printer cartridges. Oh, and pick up some fun new product or cardstock or a new pen, just to get in the spirit of things.
3. Practical tip: if you're in charge of dinner at your house, plan all your dinners ahead of time. My family will not eat out of a crockpot, but if yours will, consider yourself lucky. We have tacos, spaghetti, soup, baked potatoes, casseroles, pot roast--anything that takes just a little time or can be thrown in the oven and dealt with later. We also have something called YOYO, which stands for You're On Your Own.
4. I'm crazy-excited about the prompts for this LOAD, but I know from experience that at least one or two just won't work for me--or I might need more than a day to get my story together--so I make a list of topic ideas of my own. I have all my Christmas pictures ready to go, for example, plus pics from a friend's visit in November. If you're familiar with Lain's Scrapbook Improv, that's a fun way to do some layouts during LOAD. She has a spinner, but I roll dice to find out what my topic is, what my embellishment(s) are, what style of journaling to use, etc. That will cut your scrapping time considerably and you'll find your creativity kicks in when you're freed from making so many decisions.
5. Don't overthink it--have fun! You may not love every page you make for LOAD--but I bet you'll be surprised by how many you do love, especially the stories that you never thought to tell or the techniques you try on a whim. I made this page during LOAD214 and it is NOTHING like what I normally scrap. Where are the pictures? Where's the journaling? Where's the product?? This may be one of my favorite layouts ever. Because, oh my gosh, it references Flappy Bird! That was a year ago? Really??
When you exercise your creativity day after day, you'll find that it becomes easier and easier to jump into that space of "flow." I'm about as busy as the next person, and I sure didn't think I could add anything as time-consuming as scrapbooking into my daily routine, but between the prompts, Lain's Improv method and how amazingly creative I feel at the end of the month, I have found that a little bit of extra effort pays off in a big, big way.
Thanks for stopping by to hear my LOAD story. I'm excited about seeing your layouts in the Flickr gallery!
Be sure to check out the rest of the LOAD215 blog hop scrappers here:
12 comments:
You win the prize for best title! Fantastic tips! See you in the gallery!
I must agree with Kelli - great title (and you crack me up too)! ;)
Love that you're using the Improv idea to help finish pages! I may have to steal that idea!
I am all for having fun ! Thanks for sharing your tips.
(Not sure what happened to my earlier comment...it looked pretty weird to I deleted it)
Such fun advice and I love the before and after photos...you're so right - we're supposed to love this hobby so we shouldn't get stressed out. Looking forward to another fun LOAD!
Great stuff! Loved it.
GREAT stuff! I especially like the before/after photos of LOAD Loser to LOAD Lover! I understand the crockpot thing, pretty much the same at our house, but we do YOYO often. LOVE that new acronym I've learned from you today!
The crockpot saves me and my family will eat what I make in it, but I love the YOYO idea, too. Scrambled eggs or a bowl of cereal can count as dinner! Fun post!
Let's face it - we are ALL LOAD winners! Love your tips and tricks and the focus on having fun. Great advice for us all!
YOYO deserves a page...just sayin' :D
Wonderful tips! I love the title to this post too. I did my first LOAD in May last year and was surprised I could scrap each day and what fun way to scrap :) Stories I never considered at all. I like that you: I have all my Christmas pictures ready to go, I have mine ready to just in case
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