50 Ideas to Get Organized and Enjoy Your Scrapbooking Hobby
part one
"One very important element of scrapbooking is getting it all organized. This includes, but is not limited to..."
50 Ideas to Get Organized and Enjoy Your Scrapbooking Hobby
by: Maria Gracia
Scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby! Besides being relaxing and fun, it also allows you to be creative and to spend quality time with your family and friends. Plus, it results in a storybook of lifelong memories.
One very important element of scrapbooking is getting it all organized. This includes, but is not limited to:
- storing all of your supplies in an organized fashion so they can be found instantly when you need them.
- remembering what supplies to pick up at the store, and eliminating duplicate purchases.
- finding time to research new and creative ways to spruce up your scrapbooks.
- finding enough time to enjoy the art of scrapbooking in your busy life.
- TELL A STORY.
Plan your photos, before you shoot. Instead of taking random shots of someone standing here, or someone else sitting there, tell a story. For example, let's say it's Halloween. You may plan on taking four photos of your child:
- on the hayride taking him/her to the pumpkin field.
- looking for a pumpkin.
- finding a pumpkin.
- with the carved pumpkin later.
- GREAT PHOTOS.
Photos for your scrapbooks can be extra nice if you take a little bit of time to learn some basic photography. Visit www.kodak.com for a quick photography tutorial. Getting organized has a lot to do with preparation and this site is filled with helpful tips and ideas.
- WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN.
Organized documentation is important for the serious scrapbooker. The main goal is to eliminate future questions such as "Who or what is that?", "Where and when was this photo taken?", and so on. Document photos as you're taking them, so you'll know exactly what is on each roll of film. That way you'll be prepared when you're ready to organize the photos in your scrapbooks.
- TAKE CARE OF THAT UNDEVELOPED FILM.
If you find rolls of film around your house that are ready to go to the developer, bring them today. You may consider mailing all of your film to a supplier such as www.mysticcolorlab.com so you don't have to spend time dropping off film or picking up photos. Simply mail your film out, and you'll get your photos back in the mail a week later. From now on, always get your film developed as soon as you take the used rolls out of your camera.
- STORING PHOTOGRAPHS.
Once your photos are developed, you need a place to store them until you're ready to put them in your scrapbook. Keep them separated by year or event, in Ziplock bags. Label each bag with a number, and put a corresponding number on your Documentation Form. Then, store them in a photo box. Keep the box in a dry, cool place to protect your photos until you're ready to put the photos into your scrapbook.
- ORGANIZING BOXES OF PHOTOS.
If you have boxes of photos that span from the beginning of the 1900's to now, it's time to start getting them organized. Schedule a day and time to begin sorting through them and stick with your appointment when the day rolls around. Get your kids, or friends, to help out. Begin by making piles, categorized by event or year. If you don't know the exact year, at least sort them by decade. This may take a little while, but once everything is separated, scrapbooking your photos will be much easier and more pleasant. Once they're all sorted, store your photographs as mentioned above.
- WORK BACKWARDS.
If you're planning to scrapbook lots of photos from way back, start with the most recent photos you have, and work backwards. Chances are, you have a journal describing recent photos, and even if you don't, you can probably recall the details more easily. Older photos--the ones that you don't have a journal for--will take a little more thinking.
- BABY STEPS.
If your scrapbooking hobby seems like a colossal job to you, it's not going to be fun. Don't feel like you have to put ALL of your photos into scrapbooks. You can always put the majority of your photos in acid-free photo albums or photo boxes where they will be safe. Choose a small set of photos to begin scrapbooking. Once you're done with this small set, you can then decide whether you want to dig into your photo albums or photo boxes and continue scrapbooking them, or leave those photos where they are, and simply scrapbook any new photos in the future.
- DOUBLE PRINTS.
Double prints will do you no good if they're just sitting in your photo box taking up space. Do something with them. Perhaps send them to someone who is in the photograph. It's a great way to keep in touch. Or, pass the doubles onto your young children who may like to create their own scrapbooks. It's a great way for them to learn your beloved hobby and decide if they would like it to be a hobby of their own.
- RELATED STUFF.
Sometimes, for the purpose of creatively decorating your scrapbook, you may wish to keep tickets, brochures, maps, postcards, and so on, that are related to a particular trip or event. Use manila file folders or catalog envelopes for this purpose. Label the folder/envelope so that you know which photos/Documentation Form it corresponds to. File these until they're ready to be used.
Continue to part two
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About The Author
Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now! http://www.getorganizednow.com
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