Make No Little Plans - 2016 Scrapping Goals

So when Holly and I started our blog last year we started with a joint post on our goals for scrapping. Well we have been at it for almost 1 year and I think we have both accomplished a lot... But still there is always more to get done.

2015 was the second year that I am 100% digital.  I am still loving every.single.minute... With my crazy work schedule I find that I can get short bits of time to work on layouts through out the day - commuting to and from work on the train, traveling on an airplane or in the evenings. I don't have to "find" my stuff or pull anything out other than my laptop which I have with me all the time anyways! I have completed challenges at various stores (you often win freebies this way), have a few assignments on digital CTs (Creative teams) and generally kept up with Project Life.

Here are some of my favorites:

Using Janet Phillips templates from the Daily Digi and kit by Just Jaimee Storytellers

Glamour Ghoul collab by Libby Pritchett and Amber Shaw at Sweet Shoppe

Using Chelle's Creations and Prismatic from Heidi Swapp for Project Life

I also started a project that I have mentioned before - my Christmas Card albums. I have 6 years of cards already printed in 2 books. In 2015 I will add my December Documented (like Ali's Edward's December Daily - just not daily stories)

Here is the first of 2 Christmas Card books I completed

Officially I am complete through middle Sept, with several other fall weeks completed in Project Life. I have a Shutterfly coupon which expires on 1-31-16 so I am trying furiously to finish up... This is the first year I have printed a bound book - 10x10 size and I am loving this size! I do love the printed 12x12 from Persnickety but I only have so many shelves so something has to give.

I also have worked (inconsistently) on my vacation album from our trip to Spain last Dec/Jan. I am using the Month of Challenges at The Lilypad to try and get some of these missing pages completed. So far I've been very successful at using the challenges to fill these holes.

By the numbers- PL layouts completed - 110+ ( I did a lot of pages from our summer vacation)
Fun/Challenge pages completed - 60+
Spain vacation pages -40+
Challenges completed- Iron Scrapper at Scrap Orchard - 24+
CT teams -2
Guest CT- 2 teams

Studio Basics Hello World at the Daily Digi

So what are my goals for 2016.. as Daniel Burnham said "Make No Little Plans..."

Finish was my One Little Word last year and I did get a lot finished but I was derailed mid year by some extended family health issues and did not finish My Week in the Life- but that is life (pun intended!). I will have a full blog post about my project and my process using the Project Life app.

Finish my Spain trip album - and take some of my favorite pages and create mini albums for each son so that they can have their own  This album I am printing 12x12 through Persnickety

Finish my December Documented and Christmas card album for 2015.  Depending on the number of pages I may combine this with 2016... I love the ease and size of the Shutterfly 10x10 books. (will link you direct to Shutterfly site with affliate link)

Finish my 2015 Project Life and continue in 2016 - I love this project.  I may change it up a bit this year - blog post to follow on this too.

Continue on 2 creative teams - realistically work and family come first but I find being on a CT really helps grow my digi skills and my productivity and proficiency...Plus I LOVE playing with pretty new stuff (you noticed I never said I spent less digi scrapping vs. paper scrapping...)

Finally and most importantly I want to document/scan lots and lots of old photos, scrapbook layouts and memorabilia.  To that end I got the BEST gift ever from my hubby - A Shotbox! I don't know if you have heard about this yet but it will revolutionize they way I am able to incorporate memorabilia.
I promise to do a whole blog post this weekend but for right now I'll share some pics and a link to their website...Shotbox.me. (This is an affliate link so if you are so inclined to purchase I would love it if you used my link.)

Extremely portable and comes with its own bag - which was a surprise to me

I also got the side shot to photograph 3D objects

As I said the carry bag is awesome - everything has its own spot and can be easily carried on your shoulder.

So that's it...of course that is plenty!! I also will be a much more regular blog contributor - Holly as been doing such a fantastic job and as you can tell I have been creating so I just need to share more and more regularly.

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One Little Word by Ali Edwards

If you haven't heard about Ali Edward's fantastic class called One Little Word - I'm here to tell you its not too late to sign up. This class and the group of women that are in the class are outstanding... there is a closed Facebook Group where we are sharing our journey - and I have already been so inspired! This is the first year that I have signed up for the class but have heard about the concept before - pick one word (or in many cases the word picks you) and explore how that word can shape your life.  Sometimes it's an easy word or a hard word - but in either case, exploring how your word impacts your life is what Ali's class is all about.

There are monthly topics and "assignments".  There is a 6x8 album that Ali uses to document her yearly journey.  I will be creating 12x12 digital pages to go into my 2015 album.  I am looking forward to seeing the year progress.

January prompt for One Little Word
Digi supplies: The Lilypad Memory Pockets Monthly - Folio
A New Day Papers from Amber LaBau

For this year - I have chosen the word "Finish".  This word definitely chose me - it's been screaming at the top of its lungs at me for at least a year, maybe longer!  You see I'm a starter - I'm great at it in fact... but I am a terrible finisher!! I even get close often but never far enough...never far enough so that I don't constantly have that little voice at the back of my mind reminding me that X project or Y project just needs a little more of my time to get completed.  It's the last bit of journaling for my wedding album, the stack of memorabilia that I keep holding on to to scan, or the almost 25 years of Christmas cards that I am going to do something with one day...  The problem with that nagging voice is that it doesn't let the rest of my creative juices flow and it burdens me with guilt.  I need to let that all go - I need to wrap up and FINISH those small little things and more importantly I need to be able to say with confidence that maybe some of those unfinished projects really are done and to let that go, too.

So join us before February 28th and see where your One Little Word can take you!
Ali Edwards One Little Word

OUR 2015 GOALS (Project Life Related)

Holly, here.  Luly and I want to kick things off with a post on this year's goals. I've been thinking about how to get more of my Project Life albums done. The simple answer is I need to be more efficient. This is THE YEAR FOR REORGANIZATION AND STREAMLINING. I have three main goals I'm striving to implement to make this happen.

1. REORGANIZE MY STASH. I've been scrapbooking for many years (since 6th grade, but more seriously for the last 15 years). Project Life style scrapbooks started in 2011. But, guess what, I still have most of the stash from traditional scrapbooking. Sound familiar? What do you do? My newest idea is to organize my stash by PROJECT versus by embellishment type. It needs to be mobile, so I can pick up a "Project Box", an album and the corresponding pictures to go to a crop. I have many other projects in my to-do-list besides my annual book. (Wedding, several vacations, 2 1/2 baby books, school albums, etc.). I can't wait to implement this and update the blog with how I tackle this.

The majority of my supplies (and currently many other things) are in these two pieces from IKEA.

2.  CATCH-UP & STAY THERE. So, I got a little behind, as in none of 2014 is done, nor 2015. I've always been one to jump in with current and work backward when this happens, since those memories are freshest. In this case, I've decided to go month-by-month simultaneously. (Jan 2014/Jan 2015, etc). Then, I'll be back on track by the end of the year (what will I do with all my time only doing one annual book? I'll think of something.) 

Doing TWO simultaneous albums this year, 2014 AND 2015

3. PRE-PLANNING. I typically try to do some rough pre-planning so that I'm not printing all the thousands of pictures that I take of my kiddos. In order to accomplish Goal #2, pre-planning is going to be so important. I take a few approaches with this. Keeping track is key. I use a printed book with dates/notes for current memories I want to jot down while they are fresh. I use a sketchbook to draw out my older layouts with less notes. And I also use the ProjectLife App for those times that I'm waiting (doctor's, etc) and have my phone handy. I'll be sharing more of this process in another post.

PL :Planner Book bound with the Zutter.

And now to Luly....

So my goals are different than Holly's since my life is very different than Holly's at the moment. However, no matter where you are in your life the best way to be able to get to your scrapping goals is to WRITE them out.  I don't know about you, but seeing them in black and white keeps me very accountable!

My goals this year, which go hand in hand with the Ali Edwards One Little Word class that I am taking (hurry you can still register until February 28th! Find it here.) is to FINISH a lot of my outstanding projects.  They have been weighing down my creativity and causing me guilt.  Scrapping is NOT about guilt!  It is about enjoying the process and the outcomes of your crafty life.

1. Continue to document weekly(ish) with Pocket Style Digi scrap layouts. I did paper based Project Life starting in Dec 2011 - Dec 2013.  In 2014, I went all digi and I haven't looked back.  2015, I will try my hand at printing in a book - style to be decided.  Maybe Shutterfly or Adorama.  Much more to come on that as I research the options and best way to organize!

2015 Week 6&7 - Just Jaimee Son kit at The Digital Press

2. Christmas Card Album - I've collected all the photo Christmas cards I have received since 1990 - that is a long time, people!!  I will use the Becky Higgins Project Life app to document simply and then print in a Shutterfly book.  This goes hand in hand with my other goal for the year - Purge. It will be great to get rid of 99% of these cards.

2013 Christmas cards - compiled in Becky Higgins Project Life app.

3. Since I've gone to all digi I need to PURGE my paper supplies.  I will never make that many cards - EVER!! This is going to be hard, as I am a huge sentimentalist - I can remember where I got almost every piece of paper - but someone else will love it just as much as I do (or at least I can tell myself that!).

Come back and join us as we tell you all about our journey and how we are able to keep up with our scrapping goals in 2015.


Holly & Luly