Grid Scrapbooking

Ok folks, I think I have it...my 2012 scrapbooking plans, finally. You see, I admit that keeping up with my scrapbooking each year is a bit difficult for me. I love doing the Scrap Kits for you all. It keeps me going with my own albums. But somehow I still manage to get behind on my pictures. And each year I try to find something that will work better for me as well as better for the Scrap Kits I sell.

This year, I think I have a better concept for me AND for you! I guess I'm going to call it "Grid Scrapbooking"? I want us to easily be able to plug pictures in and to enjoy the process of preserving our family memories. I don't want to be bogged down by the layout design and the titles anymore. I feel "free" already! Let me explain.

Instead, the art is done by 4x4" pieces...as little or as much as you want. If you prefer more pictures or more journaling, do less artistic spots. If you love embellishing and creating, make more of your quadrants "artistic". :)


To show you what I mean, I put together an extra Christmas layout that I needed for 2011. My plan for the 2012 kits is to always give 4x4 designer paper for you to plug into your pages. Each SU Designer Paper Pack has 6 different sheets of double-sided papers, and I want you to get a sample of EACH of the papers in your kit. So you would get SIX 4x4 DSP pieces always. Then you can flip them to whatever side works best for your pictures, the genders, etc. And you can lay your DSP out anywhere you want in the grid!

Also with your six DSP pieces, you will get a mix of ribbon, punch-out's, and accessories to add to your pages. Here, I used the new Twitterpated line with the DSP, the ruffled ribbon, a button, and the baker's twine.

With the "grid" concept, you can keep your 4x4 papers in tact and also cut your pictures to 4x4. I do trim everything down 1/4" vertically and horizontally to get that space between everything. The great thing about 4x4 is that you can crop horizontal OR vertical pictures to this size, and bam, it all becomes cohesive.

Once you get the 4x4" quadrants down, you may want to venture into other measurements that work well. You can even mix and match sizes of pictures on a single page or layout if you want. Here are the picture sizes I will experiment with on my grid layouts:

4x4"
2x4"
2x2"
4x6"


One other thing that gives me a headache with scrapbooking are those darned titles. I barely know what titles will fit my own pictures well, much less what titles you all want on your kits. And when I saw this new trend in scrapbooking that focused more on pictures and journaling and less on art and titles, I knew I was in! If we do kits as a class, the ladies can use my stamp sets to stamp simple titles or quotes on their pages. If they are done at home, I know we all have enough stamps to make simple titles for our layouts. I just love the simplicity of this!

So some changes will be:

• You stamp or die-cut your own titles. It won't take much on your 4x4" background!
• DSP will always come in 6 sheets of double-sided 4x4"

However, there are things that I do want to keep the same.

• Each layout will still use a different "line" or DSP from SU. I love experimenting with and using all the wonderful designs that SU offers.
• Layouts will still be on SU 12x12 in a variety of colors. I love mixing up the backgrounds!
• These kits can also be used for card-making if you prefer. Cut 12x12 into 4 4x8" card bases.
• You can still purchase month-to-month, picking and choosing the kits you want.
• I can still mail kits long-distance for $4 SH per kit or $10 for a quarter's worth of layouts

And because these kits will be more simplified than in the past, there is some more good news!

• Kits will be just $6 each for the two page layout each month! I LOVE this part!
• You may opt to purchase 2 kits each month. Maybe you want more pages in your book. Or maybe you want to make multiple albums! With this easy template, I think I will make separate albums for Miles and Graham now instead of wondering who will inherit this year's book, ha!
• Those who purchase a full quarter of kits will receive one punch on their punch card.

I'm already picturing myself going to a crop in April and just pumping out the pages using this template over and over again. I think with the 12x12 color changes, the DSP variety, mixing up accessories and ribbons, and different punches and dies, that each page will be unique and fun to create. But there will also be a cohesiveness where lots of pictures can be highlighted, we can journal as much as we need to, and those real stars of our albums will shine!

If you have scrapbooked for years and have just been bogged down like me, I hope you will join us and find this to be a refreshing approach! If you have never scrapbooked, this will be a great way for you to start!

I know the template for the year. I know the cost entailed. I just don't know if I should offer in-class for these! So let me know your thoughts on these changes and if you would be interested in "pick-up" or quarterly classes.

The January Kit will be available by the end of the month. The Jan through April kits will all use either lines in Sale-A-Bration or the Occasions Mini! I hope you will join me for an invigorating new year in scrapbooking!

Let me know if you have questions!