Do you have problems adding meaningful journaling to your scrapbook pages? Do you find yourself scrapbooking events but not telling your story?

I’m always searching for ways to make my scrapbooks matter. One of the best things I’ve found for inspired journaling is to use prompts.

If I start with my photos, my journaling tells the story of what happened in the photo. If I start with a prompt, I can share my feelings, emotions and heartfelt stories.

Lain Ehmann has created an amazing ebook, with collaboration of her ScrapHappy community, to help you find ways to share your story, and to realize that your memories deserve to be captured.

Lain was inspired to share her memories, and help others do the same, when she watched her mother fight a losing battle with dementia.

Click here to read Lain’s story.

Your Story Matters: 25 Memories to Capture Now will help you get to the heart of your story.

This 53 page ebook contains:

• 25 Unique Prompts
• 50 Exclusive Layouts created by the ScrapHappy community
• Tons of fun!

There are two ways you can get this book…

1. You can buy it directly. Click here to view more details

OR…

2. The book is a bonus when you become a ScrapHappy member! (This is just one of the many perks of membership!) Click here for more details about membership.

Grab the book now and get ready to share your story!

Alice.

Is your life so busy that it is hard to feel inspired to create? You know that you are making the memories you will want to document, but how do you use your busy life to inspire your creativity?

Monica Bradford from ScrapInspired.com

Let me introduce you to Monica Bradford.

Monica is an experienced scrapbooker, or as I like to say, she’s been around the scrapbook block. You may know her from ScrapInspired.com. Monica found herself scrapbooking events, but wanting more. She wanted inspiration. (Does this sound familiar to you?)

Luckily for us, after finding the inspiration in her life Monica is ready to pass on that inspiration to us!

This Friday, January 18th, is the first day of Monica’s online, interactive class: Your Life… Inspired. I could give you all of the details here, but she can explain it so much better herself!

Click here to view more details

Short recap… in case you didn’t check it out yet! Here’s what you’ll receive in her class:

• Two weeks of daily inspirational emails
• 5 actionable prompts to get you inspired
• 5 original layouts and process videos showing you creative ways to document your inspiration
• Access to a Flickr group where fellow members can share projects, ask questions, and get personal feedback from Monica
• A bonus Instagram project idea for documenting your inspiration!

All for only $29!

I believe this is the kind of class that can change the way you scrapbook. It will show you how to make your pages more meaningful. I can’t wait for Monica’s tips on how to explore my creativity while taking a deeper look at my life!

When you decide to take this class say hi to me in the Flickr group… ’cause I’ll be there getting inspired by my life too!
Click here to Register!

Happy scrappin’, and scrap inspired!

Alice.

P.S.  Monica has other classes you might be interested in too!  I’ve taken her All I Really Need to Know About Journaling I Learned in First Grade class and it is truly amazing!!

Click here to visit Monica Bradford.

P.P. S.  If you want to see just how adorable and creative Monica is check out her hilarious video! (It was featured on Becky Higgins 12 Video’s of Christmas series!)

Do you have a hard time packing for a crop? More than once I’ve packed for a crop, brought SO MUCH STUFF that I could never have used it all in 6 straight months of scrapbooking, showed up and… OOPS! I forgot my paper trimmer! How do you scrapbook without a trimmer? (Yes, I’ve done this more than once!)  🙂

Here’s how to prepare for a crop, so you don’t have an experience, or two, like mine!

How to prepare BEFORE the crop:

1. Figure out how much you can normally accomplish in the amount of time you will have at the crop. If you normally spend 5 hours on one layout don’t bring enough supplies for 20 layouts to a 5 hour crop!
2. Preplan your pages. These don’t need to be perfect or exact!  I recommend planning for the number of layouts you ‘expect’ to scrap, plus one. That way you have a back-up if you are super efficient!
3. Develop photos. How many do you really need to bring?
4. Call the host of the crop to find out what tools will be available. You won’t need to pack these things, especially if they are big, heavy and bulky!
5. Find out if shopping will be available onsite too!
6. Grab any idea books with layouts you want to scraplift.

What to pack, the essentials:

• Photos… this means you need to develop them before the crop!
• Paper Trimmer
• Spare blade for the trimmer
• Adhesive: tape runner, glue dots, foam tape, Sookwang tape, liquid adhesive, Xyron
• Scissors
• Journaling pen(s)
• Cardstock
• Pencil and eraser
• Scrap paper for sketching ideas/journaling
• Sanding/distressing tool
• Distressing ink
• Paper piercer
• Craft blade and mat
• Ruler (0r just use the one on your trimmer)
• Memorabilia
• Your journal or notes you use for journaling
• Embellishments you PLAN to use: brads, buttons, glitter gel, ribbon
• Stamping supplies: stamps you PLAN to use, inks, cleaner
• Patterned paper you PLAN to use
• Stickers/Stamps for creating titles
• Cricut mat? Or other personal items to use on machines
• Cup holder? Not an essential but very handy!
• Water Bottle

Oh NO! I wish I had…

It’s inevitable, at the crop you will wish you had brought something from your stash. Oh well! At a crop challenge yourself to FINISH your layouts using only the supplies you have on hand, or can purchase onsite! This will give you a huge sense of accomplishment when you go home, and layouts can almost always be completed without whatever item it was you thought you needed!

ALICE’S TIP: For versatility on my scrapbook pages I always try to use other people’s tools when I’m not at home! Stamp sets, punches, fancy tools that I don’t own, etc. This makes my pages look and feel different without having to spend the money on these tools!  Plus it is a great way to test a tool and see if I want to invest in it.

Happy scrappin’!

Alice.

P.S. Love the tips you’ve seen here? Want more? Sign up for the Scrapbook Wonderland email list and get practical and useful tips delivered right to you!

This year I’ve decided, somewhat at the last minute, to play along with Ali Edwards in the quest to let One Little Word be a catalyst for enriching my life. What is One Little Word you ask?  You chose a word, one word, to sum up what you want for yourself this year. To invite something into your life, whether you want to celebrate or to let go. Then you immerse yourself in your word.

I had considered a few different words, fun words like:

Shine

Create

Inspire

Play

But… none of those words was my word. At least not right now.

Instead my word is something that, at first glance, is completely opposite to those bright, shiny, happy words.

My word is:

It seems like such a rough and tough word, but I think that ‘discipline’ has been unfairly categorized. There is so much meaning in the word. Most people automatically skip to thoughts of punishment and control, however on www.thefreedictionary.com this is the definition:

from thefreedictionary.com

Training that produces mental improvement and self-control. YES!  That is exactly what I need in my life right now.

Discipline will help me improve in several area in my life:

• meeting deadlines
• creating structure in our daily life and our homeschooling life
• being ‘on time’ 😉
• achieve my fitness and nutrition goals
• develop my website to share more great scrapbooking techniques
• other areas I haven’t even considered!

So I’m embracing the word DISCIPLINE as my One Little Word this year. Watch for more posts showing how this adventure affects my life this year!

Alice.

Share your One Little Word with me in the comments below!  Do you have any suggestions on incorporating this into your life?