How to Succeed at LOAD Without Really Trying.

36 Replies

***EDITED–The contest is now closed. The winner will be announced shortly.***

Welcome Blog Hoppers!

I hope you’ve been enjoying your trip through LOAD world. At the end of my post, I’ve got a little giveaway, and links to the other blogs participating in today’s blog hop, but first, I’m going to blather on about how I make it through a month of dedicated scrapbooking.

I have to admit, I haven’t had a lot of problems completing a LOAD. There have been days when I’m less motivated than others, and days when I’ve been forgetful or neglectful, but on the whole, LOAD has been fairly easy for me.

Part of the reason I’ve been so successful is my motivation. I’m doing this for ME. Not because I have to, not to win prizes, not to earn the moniker of  “uber-scrapbooker,” but because scrapbooking makes me happy. Seriously, if you approach scrapbooking as a chore, step away from the glue stick immediately. Go do something that makes you happy. Garden. Organize your closets. Play hockey. Whatever you look forward to with enthusiasm. Do it, and find some other way to tell your story. Blog it. Record it on video. Tell your children as many stories as you can stand to tell, and they can stand to hear. Or keep it to yourself. That’s okay, too.You do not HAVE to scrapbook.

So. Anyway.
I am a self-motivated scrapbooker. Think about what motivates you, and then move on. There are a few other things you need to think about and do in order to be ready for LOAD.

Have photos you want to use ready and available. If you’re a digi scrapbooker, make sure they’re organized so you can find what you’re looking for. If you’re a paper fiend like I am, make sure you have plenty of photos on hand that inspire you. I just ordered a bunch of pics from Shutterfly, and they should be here with plenty of time to spare.

Do you like to work with sketches or pre-planned page kits? Have those at your finger tips. Have your paper organized so you can find what you want when you want it. Put your favorite embellishments somewhere you can see them, use them, and be inspired by them. Have tools that you use all the time closer to your workspace than things you only use occasionally.

You do not have to go shopping. What you have will work fine. Unless you hate it. And in that case, why are you holding on to it in the first place?

Make sure you have lots of adhesive on hand.

And then on the first day of LOAD, scrapbook. Make one page. Make two pages. Make a mini book. Go wherever your muse leads you. You do not have to follow Lain’s prompts. They can be fun to do, but if you’re not feeling the inspiration, find your own. You are a scrapbooker. You are creative. And you can do this.

Do not make excuses for why you can’t scrapbook. Put scrapbook time on your to-do list. If you’re a technique heavy person, work on pages in stages, with one page in the works, while you finish another page. You don’t need to do your scrapbooking all at once. 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, really add up.

Commit. If you’re one of those scrapbookers who shuffles things around on your page for days before taping it down, give yourself a time limit, and stick with it. Perfection is overrated. And don’t look back until LOAD is over. What you get done will amaze and delight you.

Don’t forget to upload. Take a picture or scan your layout. Check out the pages of other people who have already uploaded. Share some love, and comment. Don’t worry if your picture is blurry. Ask for help on the message boards if you need it. We all want you to succeed.

What it all boils down to is this: Organize your supplies in the way that you use them, and make scrapbooking a priority. It’s not just a reward for getting all your other chores done. (And really, when are all your other chores actually done?) It’s something that you need for yourself. The latest Paperclipping Round table episode talks about that idea at some length. If you aren’t sure about how to organize yourself, LOAD will be a great way for you to figure that out. By scrapping every day, you will be more aware of how you look for things, and you’ll be able to organize yourself after it’s done. I don’t recommend organizing during LOAD, however. While that can be fun, the goal is to make pages, not think about making pages. 😉

 I’ve got a little giveaway for you. Five 2-page layout kits from Creating Keepsakes, a 6×6 mini chipboard album, and a sticker maker from Xyron. I’ll include a copy of the assembly instructions for you, in case you want to make your life easy and scrap fast! Here’s what I used my mini album for. I’m sure you can come up with a creative use yourself.

To win, just leave a comment, and I’ll choose a random winner on Wednesday, the 26th.

Now, on with your journey!

Lain http://www.layoutaday.com/getting-ready-for-load/

Danielle H. http://scrappindanielle.blogspot.com/2011/01/its-layout-day-blog-hop.html

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/2011/01/preparing-for-load-blog-hop.html

S http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/2011/01/preparing-for-layout-day-its-blog-hop.html

Lisa http://lisahausmann.blogspot.com/2011/01/preparing-for-load-blog-hop.html

Laura http://mom2nick.typepad.com/heres_whats_new/2011/01/preparing-for-load-layout-a-day-.html

Rosann http://brooklyngirlnextdoor.blogspot.com/2011/01/gimme-l-gimme-o-gimme-a-gimme-d.html

Gayle http://lifeonlilypadlane.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-too-could-do-layout-day-load-211.html

Jennifer http://atthebluebarn.blogspot.com/2011/01/hippity-hop-its-load-211-blog-hop.html

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/2011/01/load-2011-blog-hop.html

Niki http://thepaperpeddler.blogspot.com/2011/01/load-211-blog-hop.html

Janet http://khashabfamilymusings.blogspot.com/2011/01/welcome-to-blog-hop-for-load.html

Lee http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/2011/01/blog-hop-load.html

Danielle T. http://dani-adayinthelifeofacoffeeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/01/loading-up.html

Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/lead-up-to-load.html

Julie http://www.juleshollis.com/2011/01/february-2011-preparation-blog-hop.html

36 thoughts on “How to Succeed at LOAD Without Really Trying.”

  1. S

    You’re right, that doing a lot of scrapping in a concentrated period of time will help you to organize or reorganize your space. I seem to tweak my stuff after every LOAD. Can’t wait to start, see you there.

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  5. Danielle Hunter

    I love your take on scrapbooking…or not scrapbooking. Blogging, videos and telling stories are all wonderful ways to share memories and you are right, if you don’t like to scrapbook, don’t do it (or have someone else do it for you).

    We’re lucky to be surrounded by others that love scrapbooking during LOAD and I have found that it is one of my favorite scrapbooking communities online. See you there!

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  6. JulesHollis

    Fabulous post! I, too, scrapbook just for me. I also like the part where you said to just tape it down and move forward. LOAD is definitely about making pages not thinking about them. Can’t wait to see you in there!

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  7. Lisa

    Love this!
    When I read “Seriously, if you approach scrapbooking as a chore, step away from the glue stick immediately” I laughed out loud! Thanks so much for saying exactly what I think to myself so often! Love it!
    I agree that I am doing this for me. No one else and no other reason, although the love I get in the gallery sure makes me feel all warm and gooey inside! Apart from the gallery and when I blog, no one ever looks at my layouts. Ever! And that’s ok!
    Looking forward to seeing you over at Flickr!

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  9. junelle

    Oh my goodness…I just looked through your pages and they are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your insight. I love the part about committing~ super important to commit to the end goal.

    A wonderful blog, too. I will be back to visit~
    Junelle

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  10. Tere

    One of my goals for this LOAD is not to buy anything except for my monthly kit I receive.
    I want to use up what I have.
    Oh, and I love PRT too!!!

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  12. Hannah Wilde

    My goal for this LOAD is just to finish, and not buy any supplies, which means that I need to get crackin’ and go thru my stash!!! Thanks for the tips and the give away!!!!

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  13. Laura T.

    Great tips! I too set a limit on my page creations. There are so many things to do in a day that I can’t waste it on deciding what color brad I’m going to use, or if I want to use striped patterned paper, etc. Thanks for the opportunity to win a giveaway. See you on the boards.

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  15. at the Blue Barn

    okay – you had me at: “Seriously, if you approach scrapbooking as a chore, step away from the glue stick immediately.”
    Thank you Heather for a great post about LOAD – love it!!
    Jennifer McIntyre
    @atthebluebarn

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  20. Erin

    WOW! You should be a motivational speaker! I am now following you…also love PRT! Thanks for the tips. I will be a newbie this time around.

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  27. TracyBzz

    This will be my 6th LOAD. I don’t know why this works for me, but it really does. Usually about half way through the month I think that I can’t come up with one more layout, never mind a dozen or so more. Somehow I do and I complete each one. I just love the community.

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  28. Becky

    Learning something from everyone’s blog. I tend to over think and agonize over photo placement sometimes. This will be a good exercise to just go with it and get it done.

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  29. Heidi

    Heather – great post. Laughed and smiled tons reading your post. And then I read your Jan 18th post. THANKS for the great read! Can’t wait to see all your LOs in Feb in the gallery 🙂 (And I really love your “uhh…this is simple people” approach — TOTALLY MY STYLE) Heidi (aka move4life)
    PS and for the record, if someone wants to step away from the glue stick, I would remind them not to pick up the tape runner, ZipDry, ModgePodge, ATG, or roller, or tabs or pop dots or you get the idea 😉 lol

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  34. Lynnette

    Thanks for the advice. I love what you say about making scrapbooking a priority…not just a reward for getting chores done. Amen to that! They will never be done!

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  36. eberkles

    I’m inspired! I love being creative but am intimidated by a blank page at times. I’m also not a regular scrapbooker but have made layouts and fun combinations of photos and colors and shapes that I think would probably qualify.

    In general, loved your comments on seeking perfection — way too often people stop because perfection has yet to be found … When in reality what we do is always so much better than nothing that it’s delightful. Also liked your glue stick comment — its true that too many people do things because it’s what others want them to do and not what truly makes their hearts sing. 🙂 Sending you and J and the boys lots of happy moments. Xo

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