Tuesday's Time Saving {Scrapbooking} Tips

Even if you don't scrapbook, I have some tips for organizing your pictures that might be helpful and time-saving. (skip ahead to #2 below) If nothing else, you can get a good laugh at the pictures I've included, since many of you non-scrapbookers think this hobby is a complete waste of time. :)

For my readers who DO scrapbook, below is how I keep my projects organized and keeping this never-ending hobby from overwhelming me. I've been scrapbooking for over a decade and have wasted countless hours looking for pictures I knew I'd printed, paper I knew I'd purchased and embellishments I knew I wanted to use. But in the last few years, I've streamlined the process and feel like I finally have a handle on keeping myself organized.

1. Start with a Notebook - I have a simple, spiral, lined notebook (just like when we were in school) where I keep notes and sketches that I want to use in my scrapbook pages. By keeping my ideas in one central place, I no longer search for scrap paper with scribbled notes - everything is in one place.
2. Keep the Pictures Organized - Personally, I file my pictures on my computer in date order. My folders are titled (for example) "2009-05 (May)" - this keeps the files in chronological order when I open my picture folder and I can find what I'm looking for relatively quickly. Within each folder, if there was an event where I took several pictures, I'll create a subfolder of that event. Otherwise, pictures are labeled with the date first and a brief description of the picture second. For example: "05.10.09 - Mother's Day Brunch" - when you label more than one picture at once, the computer should automatically add "1, 2, 3..." at the end of the title.
3. Decide What to Scrapbook - I don't document every little thing. As the kids have gotten older, I've started combining their cutest moments of the season into a 2-page layout for each child for Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Since they do so much together, I also do a 2-page layout of both kids and what fun things they experienced during that season. I scrapbook major events (holidays, camping trips, first days of school) and pick a handful of other memories that deserve their own page (the kids' obsession with dress up, funny Ryanisms that I often take directly from my blog, things like that).
4. Pick the Pictures - Like many of you, I don't print all of the photos I take. When deciding what to print, I jot down page ideas in my notebook (see #1) and go through my computer files to find common themes that I might want to scrapbook. I then write down the title of each picture that I want to print for a page layout on the page where I will keep ideas for that layout. To make it especially stupid-proof, I then write the total number of pictures I listed for that layout and circle it in the upper left corner of the page.
5. Choose a Layout - Personally, I'm not very creative. However, I'm the master of seeing an idea and making it my own. This is where scrapbook idea books and scrapbooking magazines come in very handy. In addition to subscribing to Creating Keepsakes magazine, I also have three Sketches books by Becky Higgins. These are especially helpful because they are organized by # of pictures per layout. Since I often cram 5, 10, even 15 pictures onto a two-page spread, having these layout idea books saves me hours.
6. Print the Pictures - Whether you print your pictures at home, at a photo center or from an online website, printing pictures costs money. So being efficient about which ones to print and which size to print them is important. Because I choose my layout first, I know if one or two of the pictures on my page needs to be larger than 4x6 or if there is room for a group of smaller, cropped pictures. Not only do I know which pictures to print, I know which sizes to print and whether I want special effects (black and white, etc) applied to them.
7. Check Off What's Printed - Because I often take advantage of free-print deals that online photo sites offer, I don't always print all of my pictures at once. As I've ordered pictures to be printed (whether mail-order or in-store pickup), I put a check mark by them on the idea page. That way, if a couple days (or weeks...or months...) go by and I sit down to order more pictures, I know which ones are printed and I don't end up with dozens of duplicates.
8. Choose Paper and Embellishments - There are a thousand different ways you could scrapbook the same birthday party memories. Don't get too hung up at this stage: pick your color scheme or some embellishments that you really want to use and just get started. Assuming your pictures are printed and that your layout is sketched out in your idea book, now is the time to roll up your sleeves and dive in.

How I organize my scrapbook supplies:

• Paper - I have 12x12 paper trays that I ordered online years ago. These have been a great organizational tool! I sort my paper by color, theme and sometimes brand. The categories are: reds and pinks, blues and purples, browns/tans/oranges, yellows, black and white, Basic Grey paper, baby themed paper, Christmas and birthday themed paper, other holiday themed paper, and a few other categories that make sense to me. All solid and printed papers are mixed together as well as cardstock and paper-paper.
• Projects - On my desk are an additional four 12x12 trays that each have a purpose: the top one is for projects that are in process (waiting for another photo, journaling or a title to be printed), the next tray is for finished layouts that are ready to go into the scrapbook (I usually do this all at once every month or so), the next tray holds scrapbook refill pages that I keep a stock of and the bottom tray holds unused paper that needs to be "refiled" back into the main paper trays.
• Ribbon - I have three glass jars that hold my scraps of ribbon by color: the red family, the blue family and the yellow/brown family.
• I have a six-drawer rolling cart that houses many of my littler supplies. In those drawers I keep:

1. Adhesive - I always have an ample supply of adhesive. I use a combination of Tombo Mono Adhesive, Tombo Mono Aqua (liquid glue), Zots (glue dots), Zip Dry Paper Glue and photo corners. I keep all of these (including refills) in the same drawer, so I don't waste time searching for my supplies.
2. Cutting tools - Scissors, punches and corner rounders are in the same area.
3. Inks and chalks have their own drawer.
4. Stamps have their own drawer.
5. Letters and alphabet stickers have their own drawer.
6. Embellishments - I have all brads and eyelets in a small box in this drawer, a box of flowers, a box of chipboard pieces and the rest of the small embellishments that don't have a category just float around in the drawer.

I should mention that I rarely shop for scrapbooking supplies. I stock up on paper when there's a 4/$1 sale at the local craft stores, but other than that, I'll only buy supplies if I love them, if there's a major sale or if I know they are items I use often and run out of frequently (flowers, letters, embellishments for reoccurring themes, etc).

As for how I organize my scrapbooks, I'm a chronological kinda girl. I have a "How We Met" album about our life before kids, a 1st year album for Ryan and for Kaylin, a recent "All About Me" album (since I never seem to scrapbook about myself), and the rest of the scrapbooks are arranged in chronological order. I simply start a new scrapbook when the current one gets full.

Because of this, I keep a running list of pages I intend to scrapbook (in my idea notebook) so I know what order they belong in the album. I put sticky notes as place-holders for pages I haven't created yet, since I often scrapbook out of order and just go with whatever feels inspiring at the time.

Here is an example of a specific page layout I'm working on. I found this idea in a Sketches book that worked for the nine pictures I wanted to include in the layout.

I drew it out in my notebook, placing the pictures I'd already chosen and jotting down where I found the layout so I could reference it, once I was ready to create the page.


After I was done cropping and attaching the pictures to the paper, I kind of lost my inspiration to complete the title, journaling and embellishments, so I added a sticky note to the page telling me what I needed to finish and X'ed off the idea page in my notebook so I remembered that the page was waiting in my "in process" tray.


Here is the 2-page layout as it stands now (my computer is not allowing me to rotate the picture - sorry!!!) and it's currently in my "in process" tray waiting for me to come back to it later.


So did anyone follow my process? It makes sense to me and honestly doesn't seem as complicated as I've made it here. I go through phases of scrapbooking like crazy and being completely caught up, then will go through a down-time (as I did recently) when I don't know where I left off and need to jump-start myself back into the craft. I hope some of this was helpful - I sure wish someone had shared their organizational process with me years ago...it took lots of trial and error to come up with something that worked for me!

Guest Posts
You can also read my thoughts on these blogs...
The Happy Housewife - Getting Your Kids to Eat Healthier
Life As Mom - Reducing Waste in the Kitchen
Money Saving Mom - Being Generous While Living on a Budget
Like a Warm Cup of Coffee - 10 Tips for Effective Time Management
The Good Deal Gal - Disneyland Tips for a Frugal Trip
Thrifty Ways and Ideas - An Interview about Scrapbooking

Other Honors
Financial Bliss Blogger of the Week - They picked ME!!! 4/3/09


Thank you, Emily!


Thank you, Teresa!


Thank you, Rachael!


Thank you, April, Heathahlee and Christina!


Thank you, Maria!


Thank you, Rachel!


Thank you, Emily at Little Home!


Thank you, Dr. Mom!


Thank you, Friend Chick!

Thank you, Snow White and Lauren!


Thank you, Good Deal Gal!

Thank you, Tracey!

What Makes You Smile?

My sweet blog friend, Heathahlee, wrote a post last week about "What Do You Love in Your Home?" which spawned into a challenge to post about "What Makes Me Smile."

Today was the perfect day for this post because the kids have had a really rough day. (translation: MOMMY has had a rough day as a result!) It's naptime, finally a break for me, and it completely cheered me up to walk around my house with the camera to get a visual representation of things that make me smile in my home. I think I'll also read my list of 100 Things That Make Me Happy as a pick me up later today.

So here are some things that I love in my home and a few extra things that make me smile at the end...

The bookshelf in our office: this used to be a HUGE eye-sore, but has made me happy every time I look at it since I finally decided to clean it up and make it presentable.


A mirror my grandmother made for our wedding...countless seashells on this thing. Took her months to do.


Sconces above the reading corner in our bedroom. These were in the Good Will pile until my friend Donna helped me decorate after we moved in a few years ago. Now I love this little area every time I see it.

My scrapbook room; my own little corner of the house. After unintentionally taking months off from my favorite hobby, I finally printed some pictures this weekend and am back in the groove of preserving our memories.

The baking drawer in my kitchen. Yes, I realize how stupid this sounds, but when we unpacked from our old home years ago, my mom suggested keeping all baking items together (including measuring devices, cookie scoops, birthday candles, baking cups and sprinkles). Sounds simple enough, but I bake SO often, that having everything in one place makes my life just that much more efficient. And being organized makes me really smile.

Dress up bins in the kids' playroom closet. I finally got around to taking pictures of each bins' contents and putting them under the word labels that my kids couldn't read. Now things go back where they belong instead of necklaces on top of hats on top of tutus mixed in with sheriff's badges and princess shoes.

I miss seeing this picture as my blog header, but it was taken over a year ago, so it was time for a change. I just love it and I smile every time I look at it in our front room.

The entryway to our house makes me smile. I love how warm the colors are, the random sticks hanging out of the vase on the left, and the table and chest that my grandmother convinced me to take from her house were the perfect addition to this long, empty wall. And now the collage above my dining room table (seen in the mirror) make me smile!


It makes me smile to see my kids laugh and play together.

It makes me smile to see my family work together...on anything, really. Here the kids are painting a pole for Mike this weekend for a backyard project he was working on.


And last, but not least, my awesome new camera makes me happy each time I use it, every time I see pictures I've taken with it...really any time I see it on the counter, I get giddy inside. I love this thing.

What makes YOU smile?

#74 - Find the perfect picture for above the dining room table

When I went away on my girls weekend last month, I found some black, matted, 15"x15" square frames on clearance marked 80% off, down from $30 to $6 each. Instead of paying big bucks for one larger picture to hang above my dining room table, I decided to do a collage of family pictures. Mike helped me hang everything last night (it would have taken me forever to get everything straight and proportioned on my own - thanks, honey!) and now I get to check #74 off my 101 in 1001 list. Looking at the picture below, I just realized that the space between the top pictures is wider than I wanted. Hmm...that's what I get for starting this project at 9:30 at night...

Since my dining room table is square and the frames are square, the wall needed some variety and a different shape, so I picked up the maroon and gold plaque at Kirkland Home the other day to complete the project. (my walls are gold on top and maroon on the bottom 1/3 of the wall below a chair rail)

I realize it's a bit cheesy, being that I'm from Kansas and all, but it is the perfect sentiment for the display.

Meal Plan - 6/29/09

Breakfast
Homemade Crock Pot Granola
{Healthy} Blueberry Coffee Cake
Whole Grain Waffles

Lunch
Turkey and PB&J sandwiches
Fruit, carrots and pretzels
Salads for me

Dinner
Monday - Crustless Quiche
Tuesday - BBQ with friends - Dinner on the grill with Strawberry Spinach Salad and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wednesday - Artichoke Chicken
Thursday - Manicotti (I'm even going to attempt the homemade manicotti noodles!)
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - 4th of July BBQ - Grilled Chicken, steamed vegetables and 4th of July Cherry Berry Dessert
Sunday - Chicken Pesto Pizza with leftover grilled chicken and this new No-Rise Pizza Crust recipe

Ryan Knows the Word!

Remember when I mentioned a couple weeks ago that Ryan (and Kaylin, even) memorized some scripture verses our church gave out in Sunday school? Well, I thought I'd give Ryan some equal screen time after showing off my little mini-Dorothy Gail wanna-be the other day. Now that he's got these verses down, I need to concentrate on other verses that he can learn. I use these throughout the week as reminders when he's acting up, "Remember what God tells us in Luke 6:31: 'Do to others as you would have them do to you,'" and he gets a look like, "Oh yeah, I forgot..." It really works to bring the Bible into his daily life!

"Gimme, Gimme"

Sometimes the things that Ryan remembers shock me. Yesterday, a little friend of his was over to play. When I took some cookies out of the oven, she said, "OOH! Gimme! Gimme!" Without skipping a beat, Ryan said, "Don't be selfish. Play fair, have fun. Do what's best for everyone. There are enough cupcakes for everyone."

Cupcakes? Then it occurred to me.

I had to turn my back and stifle myself from laughing out loud. It sounded like a line from one of his books, and sure enough, it's a book called, "Play Fair, Have Fun" that he got for his birthday just a few days ago. How many times Mike's read that book in the last 5 days is a mystery, but the fact that Ryan had that line memorized was an awesome example to his friend.

The part of the book he was referring to was when a plate of cupcakes was brought out at a friend's birthday party. One of the kids in the story pushed her way to the table, trying to take two, shouting, "Gimme!" Then a friend said the line Ryan said above: "Don't be selfish. Play fair, have fun. Do what's best for everyone. There are enough cupcakes for everyone."

I'm still laughing about Ryan's rhyming response to his friend. The look on her face was shock, then a full understanding of how she came across. Priceless.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

I'm going to try this No-Rise Pizza Crust recipe this week to make my quick and easy Chicken Pesto Pizza. I've included my shortcuts below.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

1 package prepared pizza dough (or your favorite recipe)*
3/4 cup prepared pesto**
1 cup chopped, cooked chicken***
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Roll pizza dough onto a pizza pan or baking stone. Evenly spread pesto across the dough, leaving 1/2 inch at the edge for the crust. Sprinkle chopped chicken and top with cheeses. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is brown and crust is crispy.

SHORTCUTS:
* When I'm short on time, I love Trader Joe's "Almost Whole Wheat" pizza dough - it's inexpensive and freezes well. Just stick it in the fridge a couple hours before dinnertime.
**Either use the recipe below or use your favorite prepared pesto...Costco has a great, large size of pesto at a decent price. I use it in pastas, on Panini and this pizza. I love pesto!
***I always have Mike throw extra chicken breasts on the grill when he cooks. I chop them up, freeze them in baggies and always have them ready to go. You can even put the cooked chicken on this pizza when it's still frozen - it heats up in the oven.

My favorite Pesto Recipe

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup basil (or 20-25 leaves)
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
1/2 lemon, zested
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (depending on the consistency you like, runny vs. thick)

Toast pine nuts in a small frying pan until golden brown, then cool. Place nuts, basil, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan and a little salt and pepper in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until thick sauce forms.

Kaylinisms - She's Growing Up Too Fast!

Kaylin is acting so...OLD lately. Every few weeks or so, I step back and look at her and she seems taller and more mature than the last time I noticed.

Her turn on the "terrible two train" was incredibly short-lived. It almost seems too good to be true, so I'm bracing myself for her 3rd birthday, just in case. In the meantime, here are a few cute, recent moments from the little mommy.


Today at the grocery store, Ryan was carrying on about being thirsty. I reminded him that his water bottle was in the car and assured him that we were almost ready to check out. Kaylin chimed in, "When we get to the car, we'll be happy to give you a drink of your water." We'll be happy to??? I think I say that, but hearing it from her mouth was priceless.

She's such a mama's girl. Sometimes when I make the kids lunch first and stay in the kitchen to put together my salad, she'll turn around in her chair to watch me chop and slice and dice my vegetables. She loves it and gazes longingly, anxious for the day that she can help me. Then when I finally sit down, she'll turn back around to her food and say proudly, "Mommy, you're sitting by ME!" and finally begin eating.

I said something in an annoying tone to Ryan, probably to the effect of, "I asked you to ______, son!" Kaylin looked at me, appalled, and said, "He's not 'son,' Mommy, he's my bruthuh." (that's "brother" for those of you reading who actually say you're R's)


Whenever I do her hair, I have her turn around and look at me to make sure it's not lumpy or uneven and if I don't need to re-do it, I say, "You look so pretty!" Now her new thing is randomly announcing, "Mommy, I am SOOOO pretty!" Sometimes she'll tell me my shirt is so pretty, then she is so pretty and finally that Ryan and Daddy are so handsome. Such the princess...

A few months ago when we transitioned from pants to lots more dresses, I taught Kaylin to sit with her legs closed and keep her dress pulled down to her knees "like a lady." That phrase has empowered her SO much. She's excited to chew with her mouth closed like a lady, wait patiently for someone to finish speaking like a lady, and she usually points out when she remembers to pull her dress down like a lady. She smiles sweetly as she sucks up to me in style. :)

I'm not sure where this started (it didn't come from me or Mike, that's for sure) but a while back, Ryan began responding to our requests of him with, "Right away, Mommy, I'll do whatever you say," or "Yes, Dad, I'll do that right away." I kind of think his teacher encouraged his class to respond that way for Mother's Day and it carried over. Well, Kaylin says that more consistently than Ryan these days, proud to jump up and follow through with requests on demand.

She seems to be getting a little competitive, probably brought on by Ryan. But still, we'll all be walking into the gym and she'll yell, "Ryan, I can run faster than you!" and take off running. Ryan, of course, catches up and passes her quickly, but even when he beats her to the door, she'll say, "I won!" She also likes taking her hand (in a salute style) and measures the top of her head to Ryan and me, claiming to be taller. I'm not sure what that's about, since she comes up to Ryan's chest and is obviously shorter than me, even when I'm kneeling next to her.

Also, Kaylin suddenly loves to help. Because Ryan's bigger, I'll often ask him to put heavier toys away or bring piles of clothes or other items upstairs. Every time she overhears this, she'll run up and ask, "What can I do, Mommy???" and I'm left searching the room for something she can do for me. She's going to be my little helper with our houseful of boys, I can just see it now!

And she's already setting herself up to be "the good child." When Ryan hops up from the dinner table and I ask him to sit back down, Kaylin will give me a serious look and say, "But IIIIII didn't get up from the table, Mommy. I'm using my manners."

This last thing is more of a look while talking, rather than a phrase. If she's announcing something that she thinks is disappointing (like "I didn't finish my dinner, so I don't get any ice cream" or "We can't go swimming because it's almost time for bed") she wrinkles one side of her nose and the same side of her face curls up as she shakes her head in defeat. Such an animated child!

Here's a video of her singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Now that I've figured out the video feature on my camera (and my real video camera is broken) I wanted to get this on film before her sweet little voice matures too much.

Cheap Unexpected Entertainment

This morning, I pulled out my box of birthday decorations, which now houses the leftover prizes from Ryan's Carnival party that I plan to use for future goodie bags. The intention began to give each child a tattoo on their hand, but they continued to pull additional items out of the box.

Who would have thought that two balloons would keep these kids entertained for over an hour? They both had a blast blowing them up, letting the air out and watching them fly around the room. Or laughing hysterically as they pulled the balloon end so that the escaping air sounded like...flatulence. (Let's just use that word there, 'kay?)

After the balloons, they pulled out the baby containers of bubbles. Clearly, we haven't played with bubbles in a while because, again, they were captivated on the back porch for another hour.

I love that my kids are finding joy and entertainment in the simple things. One other cheap, easy idea that I want to share: the other day, my neighbor pulled out a bucket filled with water and a couple of 2-3 inch paint brushes. Her daughter and my kids painted the sidewalks with water for hours, until I had to tear them away for bathtime. They had a BLAST, specifically Kaylin. She was mesmerized with the fact that the water evaporated (quite quickly here in DRY Phoenix) and she'd race to repaint her masterpiece.

I'm sure this is all a part of the "kids love playing with the box more than the gift" concept. How great would it be to still have that kind of imagination?

FREE Photo Editing Class

Calling all scrapbookers and photographers...

Oh happy day! I've been so frustrated that my new Photoshop Elements program didn't come with an instruction manual. I have no idea how to navigate and edit my pictures and it kills me that there is SO MUCH I could be doing if I wasn't so ignorant!

Well today, I found out that Jessica Sprague is hosting a FREE 2 week, on line photo editing class starting July 6th. (you have to sign up by June 28th to use the free sign up code) Whether you have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, she gives step-by-step instructions for the how-to's for each. I've never taken an on line class before, but apparently it's work-at-your-own-pace, there-when-you-have-time-to-do-it type of a set up. I can handle that! Click here for details.