New Year - New Style

I mentioned in my previous post that I have some goals for my scrapbooking business this year. I also have some goals for my personal scrapbooking:

1) To do something scrapbook related everyday - this may be doing actual layouts, sorting photos, journaling or reading some magazines, books or blogs, but the main thing is I am keeping my focus on scrapbooking in the forefront of my mind!

2) To streamline and simpify my scrapbooking in order to become more prolific - in other words - to do MORE!!! This includes using kits, templates or sketches and speed tools to complete pages. I also am starting to organize my photos along with papers and embellishments into PAGE KITS using a large zip-loc bag, so that everything I need for a layout is all together. When I do have a few minutes I can easily put together the layout. I also plan on using my NEW CRICUT DIE CUTTER that I got for Christmas from my hubbie to easily create titles and embellishments that work with the products I am using...no more searching for just the right color of letter sticker etc., now I can MAKE what I need! Love it! I will continue to use a lot of Creative Memories products such a album kits and Power Palettes that have everything already coordinated for me.

3) To learn and do more digital scrapbooking. This makes sense since I use digital photos! I am starting by creating a photobook using CM StoryBook Creator (free download at http://www.creativememories.com/), creating digital pages using CM's newest software Storybook Creator Plus and Adobe Photshop Elements. I also downloaded an invaluable free e-book from http://www.scrapgirls.com/ that answers a lot of start-up questions. (here are two things I found out...you don't need a 12x12 printer to digitally scrapbook and Costco will print 12x18 pages for only $2.99 (CAN$)!)

4) To scrapbook the everyday moments and not just special occasions. To express how I feel and not just what was happening in the photos. To make my scrapbooking more personal and authentic.

So...keeping these goals in mind, I created a quick layout based on some of the simple templates I have been seeing online and in magazines...here it is (wow my first layout posting!)

Playground Fun, by Noreen Smith. 12 x 12 double layout. bo bunny and Creative Memories Paper, Cricut ZooBalloo Font cartridge.

My husband, son and I were simply playing at a local park. The brief journaling focuses on how big and brave my little guy is getting, and is handwritten. I used Bo Bunny and Creative Memories papers and my Cricut ZooBalloo cartridge for the title and heart embellishments. It was a simple layout to creat and took about 20 minutes all together. I am pleased with the look. I have to admit that over the past few years I have cultivated or relied upon a very "CM style" of scrapping...using only plain white backgrounds with colored borders, matted photos and a "sticker sneeze" to finish it off! So, I am really liking using more patterned paper and filling more space in a clean manner. I do not personally like the trend of placing only one photo on a layout...I have way too many photos to include in my album (there are 6 photos in this layout!) So, I have found a lot of great multi-photo layouts that I will be trying out over the next little while, and I will continue to be brave enough to post them!

I'd love to hear any comments from you!
Noreen