National Scrapbook day came and went

and i haven't scrapped in over a month - so there.
Life has just been so busy.
However I've been working on a project for the FIL's 80th birthday. We're having a little entertainment at the party - photos with music of his life and family. It will be wonderful. Last update from those putting it together is there will be over 150 pics submitted from all six siblings. Anyway I had to search through about 24 years of photos to get our entries. No small feat I tell you - but it will be worth it. He will love it. DH and I are going to follow up with a framed collage of photos and an album from the party.
As I looked through the boxes and boxes of photos it became abundantly clear I have gotten next to nothing done in the way of scrapbooking. Seriously, in all the years I've scrapped (10 years) I have so little to show for it. This is a recurring revelation. That is how this blog was born really. Getting so hung up in the scrapbooking world I'm not getting much accomplished.
I have to make some progress. I probably have to stop scrappin every picture (gasp!). So i broke down and ordered Stacy Julian's "Photo Freedom" book. It's the book wherein she tells her system that she teaches in her Library of Memories class. I'm hoping the book will arrive sooner than later this week. I'll do a review and then I'm going to get to work. I'm not sure if I'll follow all of her system - that remains to be seen. But I'm thinking there has to be a better way. My own little system here was definitely helping me make some headway but I've gotta get more done. Stay tuned!

sorry i've been gone

between things going on around here and Christmas - scrapbooking is on a serious back burner. However, I anticipate getting back to a regular schedule once the holidays have been packed away for another year. This is often the way for us Suzy's and I am really not apologizing about not scrapbooking. You have to work it in when you can and that is not right now for this Suzy. So happy holidays to all - see you in the New Year!

Didjamissme?

well i'm back.

i got to thinkin last night as i was uploading pictures that this is moving along very nicely. i know i was complaining a wee bit about being bored. But i took a look at the old album, and how much i've pulled out of there and how much i have left to go and i feel a little renewed. I'm making terrific progress!

I've also been thinking about my next big project - beginning my kid's baby albums. Actually anything before they began school really. And, if you are a parent - you know what that means - a ba-zillion photos.

It's almost a little scarey.

The mind boggles.

I should take a picture of the boxes and boxes of photos i have.

However i'm not going to dwell on it.

I really am looking forward to it.

I have put it off for so long.

Way back when i began scrapbooking I thought how do i even begin. I had a few friends who advised me to just jump in and start working on my kid's school albums.

And it worked out ok.

It was a place to start.

School stuff gets a little monotonous. Course you can get on a rolll - so much of it is the same that you can repeat certain motifs and layouts and it really works out nicely.

But you do get bogged down in looking at the same stuff all the time.

I'm thinking to prevent that monotony with the kid albums i may just skip around.

Revise my Suzy schedule a bit to reflect the narrowed topic.

Or i may just set it aside and work on another topic which could get a little boring - Holiday layouts.

I'll have to do more thinking on it. I want to be productive but i wanna enjoy it.

In the meantime here are a few more pages I made. I have three more pages on my table in a semi-ready state. I know how the pictures will be laid out. Tomorrow i'm visiting my sweet friend June who is letting me use her Quickutz flourish dies. I think those flourishes will be the perfect touch on these three pages!

More Wedding and fighting the boredom

it's been a few days - sorry about that. i wish i could say i've gotten lots more layouts done but it wasn't to be. I did manage to finally finish this one - been on my drawing table for days.

As i was working on this i was thinking i've gotten a bunch of these done but ya know i'm a little bored. It's a project i've been dying to work on but ... at the same time you can get worn out working on page after page of the same topic/theme.

It's almost the same as birthday or Christmas layouts although with birthdays - well you can change up the papers and embellishments right? And then the photos look different year to year too. The Christmas pages - same thing really - i have quite a collection of different kinds of papers etc - i don't think i'll get too bored.

Yeah i think in this instance - with a whole book of wedding - its the theme. And trying to get it done and over with. I imagine if I was working on a Disney album I might feel the same way. Generally with a themed album you try to use the same papers and embellishments throughout to create continuity. With that wonderful continuity - you get boredom.

I could put aside this wedding album. Work it the same way i work the rest of my Suzy schedule but I think I'd like to stick it out and work on it some more. I hope you'll all be patient with me while i work it!

Yeah Yeah Yeah and distractions

Yes, Mondays can be planning days (see the schedule) or they can be actual scrapbooking days.
I decided since I had this in my head - had stuff in the RTG file, I'd go with it and make this page.
I love this silly picture. When i found it in that pile of pictures i was really surprised. I hadn't remembered the Beatles wig. What a hoot. Anyhow, I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts for my kids. I normally pencil in the journaling so I'm straight but I didn't this time and it's rather obvious. Oh well. Not going redo - this is Suzy. She's a doer - not a re-doer.
If you look closely you'll see a spot next to the first "h" in yeah. I think its a drip of glue. Another possible reason to re-do but again I resisted the temptation.
These are, simply put, distractions.
(you could argue they're a perfectionists nightmare - and believe me, they are tugging at me. But i'm a recovering perfectionist. I'm doing pretty well just posting this and all the rest of my imperfect layouts. )
Every day is filled with distractions. Tons of reasons not to get things done.
My little Suzy schedule is my method of dealing with the distractions.
I am good with a list/schedule.
It helps me see past the distractions to my goal of getting my scrapbooking done.
And so far - it's working like gangbusters. I am very pleased with my progress.
I've got a stack of layouts done - o'course now I need more scrapbooks to put them in but hey, one thing at a time.
I'm not getting hung up on what everyone thinks is "scrapbooking". I'm doing my own thing and its working well.
If i veer off the schedule - sorta - like today doing a page instead of planning more pages - that works too. Ya gotta be flexible.
I could give a fig if anyone likes my pages but i truly appreciate when someone stops by here and says kind things. That's always nice.
But my purpose here is to get my scrappin done. Enjoy it.
If I help someobody else along the way, with my Suzy ways, well then I'm pleased as punch.
Oh - almost forgot - I used Wordsworth Fun Letters Alphas for the title.
And now - I'm off.

birthday layouts are like laundry

no sooner than you're done with it then it starts all over again
know what i mean?
i don't really mind doing them.
actually i enjoy looking at the pictures
i get nostalgic
birthdays past
i'm kind-of-a sappy sort anyway
especially about my kids (although i don't think they'd describe me that way)
however, i digress as usual
The point is my RTG file is full of birthday layouts waiting to be done.
Since yesterday was Thursday (my kids day - see the schedule to your right) i chose to do my son's last birthday (it's practically his next birthday! a big one at that)
I looked at what i had - a few pictures and a variety of birthday cards. There seemed to be a lot of green so i went with some green patterned paper. I mounted it on top of some white cardstock so it wasn't so flimsy.
I'd made a birthday card - hey June remember that class? - and thought it would make a good title - why make another when i had a perfectly good card to do the job right?
i did want to put a caption under the main photo - my son making one of his silly faces at me - he really is most cooperative of my picture taking - but he also is a little bit of a clown.
On the left side i made a pocket for all his birthday cards (i can't help myself - i save every card). The one with the pirate caricature of my son was drawn by my daughter - she's pretty darn amazing isn't she? And, for him - the card was perfect. He loved it.
So there you have it.
Just like most of the layouts i've been doing since adopting my Suzy philosophy - there's no award winning layouts going on here. no amazing design.
There is, however, lots of scrapbooking getting done.
And I'm happy with that.
oh - a few products i should note - Purple Onion Designs Submarine alpha for the "this is what 20 looks like" caption and some very old (but who cares cos its festive and birthdays are all about the festive) Making Memories green paper with dots. Also if you're curious - thats a MiMi accessory tote holding some other rubber stamps i have (decided against using them - they didnt have the right look and didnt fit the space well). I love this little piece of organization. I dont bring myself places to crop much - but just having 3 sets of tiny stamps all in one place is wonderful.

I know i know

I promised days ago i'd be posting all kinds of pages i've been doing.
And i will. I will keep my promise and post them.
I took tons of pictures of them.
It is just the way life is around Suzy's house.
Things happen.
And scrapbooking didn't go by the wayside this time
I have made even MORE pages in the last few days.
But blogging did go by the wayside.
It takes time - uploading photos etc etc takes away time i wanted to use to scrapbook when i could fit it in between little crises round here.

So... I promise - i will upload more but right now i'll throw one out into cyber space just to show you Suzy ain't full of baloney :-)
i don't think the photo is the best (i laid a bunch
of layouts on the floor and starting taking pics) but i was quite pleased with this one. I used stamps from my favorite company www.purpleoniondesigns.com
the alpha is pink flamingo large and the flowers are also POD stamps! cute huh? i stamped them and then used prismacolor colored pencils to color them in and used the Magic Colored Pencil technique to blend the pencil.
more to come hopefully tomorrow!
Oh - i forgot to mention i used a new punch from StampinUp to create that scallop border on the left. And yes that is me and my sisters - i'm the one on your left with the glasses.

the how i'm gonna get this done part

the tricky part.
i have boxes of pictures
tons of photos.
way back - over 10 years ago - my sister had a fire in her house.
and she lost a lot of photos. precious photos of her son.
one of a kind photos
it set me on a tear about organizing my photos back then.
i went thru the house and found every package of photos.
and believe me they were everywhere.
don't ask me why but i never had put them in one place.
we were busy - two little kids. pics got looked at and put down
then swept up in some cleaning frenzy of mine.
anyway my photos are pretty much organized.
at least the ones i've taken are organized. I've kept up with that organization since then.
then there is another box that is just full of all kinds of other photos
but they are all together at least
so right now here's my plan of attack to get going on my scrapbooking.
number one - create this blog
(that's accountablity - i need to have that - it's part of my personality i guess. i need to say i'm gonna do this and here it is everybody so keep a look out)
number two: set up a schedule of some kind so i can look at it everyday and say ok - what am i doing today.
I'm a list kinda girl.
i work off lists every day.
And i LIVE to cross things off the list.
So the schedule is kinda like my list.
I have a loose schedule i think i can keep to.
By loose i mean - if something comes up in my life that has to get done - well that comes first.
I will make time to do this every day but things happen and i'm not going to beat myself up about missing a day or not getting to cross off something.
You following me?
Bottom line is i want to enjoy this but i also want to get something accomplished.
I took a look at what i want to do and basically here's my outline of a schedule
Monday - Planning
Monday, in general is my catch up day around here. I run a lot of errands and such. If i do a little planning to work on things the rest of the week i believe i can get it done. Planning would include picking out what i'm going to work on the rest of the week and making sure i've got supplies to do it. Making copies of pictures if needed. Pulling paper and embellishments and putting them in my ready to go file. That kind of thing.
Tuesday - Me
pages about myself. i have pictures - believe it or not - of myself. i really should work on all those college photos for example :-)
Wednesday - Family/Husband
I have a lot of photos hanging around of all of us - my kids and husband. This is more my family album stuff. Trips we've taken, just everyday stuff. And my husband has lots of photos he's brought home from work - he's been given a lot of awards and things - or his trips that are just sitting around gathering dust. They need to get in an album
Thursday - My Kids
I could work for a month and everyday be a Thursday and not make a dent in pics of them! But i need to get working on baby albums (yes, i never did that!) and catch up on their school albums
Friday - Pets
Even though i have only the two cats - they're my babies and i've got tons of photos of them. I imagine Fridays might end up being a sort of catch all day if this schedule works - i will eventually catch up on their photos and they'd i'd be free to use the time otherwise
Saturday - Heritage
I'll use the term Heritage loosely here. I've got photos of my father and his parents - very old that are definitely heritage. But i'd also use this heading to cover photos of my siblings and parents - old photos from my growing up. I would also be scanning a lot of these old, one of a kind photos - the kind there are no longer negatives available - on this day. I really need to get going on that. I would like to have them scanned to make copies for my sisters and also as a preventative measure. Some of the really old ones that were my grandmothers pictures are 100 years old
Sunday - Miscellaneous
as the name implies. whatever i feel like working on

Like i said its a loose schedule but it is one - and i need that. I'll tinker with a little after i get going if it needs it.
I know it sounds ambitious but like i said its a vehicle to get things accomplished. If things get busy then the next available day i will look at the schedule and say ok - what can i work on today? and i won't be spending a lot of time trying to figure out WHAT to work on.
Oh yeah - my ready to go file - this is key.
When i sit down to work - that planning on Monday should have yielded items that were put in that ready to go file. I will have already pulled out stuff to work on. So i'll just dip into that file - and i'll be ready to go
Sounds good right?
Oh yeah - i'll post what i do. I am not sure if i'll post them here or have a link to flickr or some place like that - still checking that out. But you'll see the results. That's that accountablity thing.
Right now I've got my ready to go - already in progress. So i think we'll get started tomorrow. That's Thursday - my kids. good topic
See you tomorrow!