Week 13: My Office Space

No matter how much space you dedicate to your scrapbooking, it's never enough! But the greatest advice I can offer is to stay as organized as possible. I use simple manila folders to sort my thematic papers and stickers and Glad plasticware to store brads, embellishments and misc. papers. I am also so *LUCKY* to have a scrapbooking room all to myself! Yes, I am entirely spoiled!

While planning for your scrapbooking space, try to think about where you can leave your work out to return to later. Constantly setting up and cleaning up your layouts is too time-consuming and you will consume all your time with a process that ironically doesn't help you produce anything! Do you have a dining room that is unused? Could you slide your layouts-in-process under a bed for safe-keeping? How about carving out some space inside a closet? Be creative and you can find some area in your house that will help you keep your scrapbookin' rhythm so you can do more in less time!

Have other ideas for creating your own "office space?" Send them along! (I just discovered this great article online called "Do you have a Scrapbooking Room Hiding in your Closet." Read it here.)

Have fun!
Sue

Week 12: Digital Scrapbooking with Expedia

I just discovered Smilebox.com on Expedia's website. It allows you to easily upload photos to make postcards that you can email, print or blog. The software is a free download and only takes seconds to install on your computer. Here is the postcard I'm planning to email my nephews.

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

They have many many fun templates to play with.

Have fun!
Sue

Week 11: Get Yourself Published

One way to really challenge yourself with your scrapbooking is to share your layouts with several of the popular scrapbooking magazines. Think of how amazing it will be to see your work published either in print or online! Have confidence in yourself - you are creating wonderful pages and many other people would love to learn from you.

Ready to dive in? Consider these sources:

• Papercrafts Magazine
• Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks, Etc.
  
• Creating Keepsakes
• Simple Scrapbooks

Good luck!
Sue

Week 10 : A Favorite Tool

I love my Colluzle system. There are so many shape cutters on the market now but on the advice of my sister-in-law I bought the makings of a beginning kit for a Colluzle collection: the circle, the square, the foam mat and the cutting tool. Since then I've added several others shapes (oval, rectangle, star, alphabet, heart, dog bone) and this system continues to be one of my best investments. The cutting blade stays sharp for a very long time, the shapes are easy and the cost is reasonable. If you've never experimented with Colluzle, you might enjoy watching this video I found at Expert Village. (*This site has amazing resources for begineer scrapbookers!)