Sahlin Studio | Digital Scrapbooking Designs

Coming back to scrapbooking after a break is really hard, particularly if you’re a pocket scrapper who arranges their photos chronologically or creates weekly pages. The amount you have to catch up on can feel overwhelming when you fall even a couple of months behind. You may feel like you’ve lost your spark and you lack inspiration. You find yourself asking, ‘How am I ever going to get up to date?’ as you realize that you’ve got ten or more layouts to do before you even reach this week’s pages. And the more pressure you put on yourself, the more tempted you are to put it off another week…

Falling Behind

Since falling pregnant last October, I’ve definitely struggled to keep on top of things. And by ‘things’ I mean everything: housework, projects, commitments, dog walking… Yes, even the poor dog hardly got walked when the first trimester fatigue kicked in! I pretty much lost my passion for everything. Scrapbooking suddenly becomes a whole lot less enjoyable (as does pretty much everything!) when you feel sick, exhausted and irritable. I even stopped taking photographs for a while. I’d like to say that pregnancy got easier as time when on, but that wouldn’t be entirely (or even slightly) true. Pregnancy, it turns out, doesn’t agree with me. It was always something I looked forward to experiencing and documenting (New pregnancy album! Weekly bump pictures!) yet when the time came… I hid under my duvet and wished it would hurry up and be over!

So I didn’t get a whole lot of scrapbooking done for several months. I think we’ve all been there for one reason or another – sometimes life gets in the way and that’s okay. Picking up a project after months away can be daunting, though. When the time came to finally catch up with my pocket album I hardly knew where to start! Once I got stuck in however, and the creative juices started flowing, I was so glad to be back memory keeping again.

Here are Tips for Pocket Scrapbooking After a Break:

1.  Print All of Your Photos First

Upload your photos from all of your devises and drag them onto pages ready to print. Your photographs are the most important part of memory keeping so if nothing else, get them printed and into your folder. If like me you find this the most boring part of the process, get it all done at once. Having your pictures ready to go in pockets will give you a boost and a feel for what your album will look like as it comes together (and tell you how many pages you have to catch up on!). It also means that you’ll only have the fun parts left to do – picking cards and embellishments!

2. Start with Your Most Recent Photographs

Your first instinct might be to start scrapping your oldest photos and work your way forwards, but our oldest photographs are not usually the ones we are most excited to scrap. Start with your newest pictures and stories, or some that you really love. If you’ve already printed all of your photographs and fitted them into your album, it won’t matter where you start and finish. You know everything will definitely fit (and you won’t be left with 3×3 gaps and only 4×6 photos).

3. Treat Yourself to Some New Journal Cards

When I’m feeling uninspired, I find that some new scrap supplies usually do the trick! Think of it as your reward for getting back on the horse again! Digital cards are great as you can have access to them instantly and get stuck in straight away whilst you’re feeling motivated. I chose the For Real and Viewpoint Journal Cards as I was drawn to all of the pinks and blues.

4. Type your Journaling Straight onto your Cards

This will save you so much time! All you’ll need to do is print and trim your cards – no trying to individually feed them through the printer! If you hand write your journaling, hats off to you. That’s also a really quick option (if your handwriting is pretty – mine is not!). You can also drag some digital embellishments onto your cards before printing – I used the Viewpoint Elements.

5. Keep it Simple

Now isn’t the time to be trying something new or trendy – stick to what you know. Keep your embellishments simple and minimal (you can always go back and add more later). Remember, finished is better than perfect.

6. Share Your Work on Social Media

… for a boost from all your fellow scrapbookers! Everyone has creative slumps and one of the things I love most about this community is how we all inspire and support each other. Share your layout on a forum or on your social media account for some positive feedback. You’ll be ready to tackle your next layout in no time!

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Amy Challis

Amy Challis is a scrapper who lives just outside of London with her husband and their dog, Baxter. She’s a lover of pretty paper, pocket pages and all things crafty. She enjoys documenting the everyday whilst drinking copious amounts of coffee.