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Scrapn Nana
PeaAddict
PeaNut 272954 - 8/16/2006
Posts: 1611 Layouts: 6
 |  Posted: 4/20/2009 10:44:16 AM
This is an issue I'm really struggling with. I used to scrap all the time. I really struggle with squeezing in time anymore. By nighttime I could scrap, but I'm just too tired. Other than staying off the internet, how/when do you find the time to scrap? | |
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bwgayoso
AncestralPea
PeaNut 212029 - 6/27/2005
Posts: 4093 Layouts: 82
Loc: Miami, Florida
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 10:47:21 AM
I'm totally with you on this. I always say that I'm going to scrap on a Friday night or Saturday night but when the times comes, I'm just to tired! I find that the only time I now scrap is when I go to a crop : ( |
Barb
Mommy to Amanda, Sophia and Olivia | |
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caspad
peas&crackers
PeaNut 3602 - 4/3/2000
Posts: 13130 Layouts: 363
Loc: Massachusetts
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 10:51:31 AM
schedule a crop date once a month on a Saturday or Sunday during the day
(that seems to be the only option if you don't want to scrap at night!) |
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K-B8123
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 395153 - 10/12/2008
Posts: 2331 Layouts: 50
Loc: Washington, D.C.
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 10:56:47 AM
What is that is taking up so much of your time? Are they commitments you can cut back on?
I have a full time job,but other than that I don't have many non-flexible commitmemts, like kids, volunteering, etc.
It helps to be organized- if I have a pile of photos sitting out and some idea of what I want to do with them, when I have a spare 15 minutes I can pick out paper, play with the arrangement of everything on the page, etc. Usually when I am super busy (like holidays, a tough week at work, visitors in town) I just put it off until I have more free time because this is my way of relaxing so I don't like to rush with it. | |
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Superscrapilicious
PeaAddict
PeaNut 292039 - 1/16/2007
Posts: 1348 Layouts: 38
Loc: Southeast Texas | |
IsabelsMommy1010
PeaAddict
PeaNut 357957 - 1/20/2008
Posts: 1502 Layouts: 15
Loc: Virginia
Count: 1 | Posted: 4/20/2009 10:57:56 AM
I scrap either when I go to a crop, or at night when my little one is sleeping and all my chores are done.. but lately, I havent been.. and when I say lately.. I mean ever since the start of this year. I don;t know whats gotten into me.. but I am so drained by the end of the day that I like to veg out in front of the tv, or I just go to sleep.
But I find that if you set a date, even if its not for a lss crop, you can make it happen. For example, I invited my friend over last week to crop on yesterday. She agreed and we talked on and off all week about it, and then when she came over I got 2 layouts done! I was actually motivated to pull out my stuff and start scrapalackin!  so ur definately not alone there! |
*Crystal*
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EPea
PeaAddict
PeaNut 83913 - 4/29/2003
Posts: 1193 Layouts: 135
Loc: Kentucky
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 11:50:09 AM
I am really struggling with this right now as well. I had my third baby in October, and I work full time. I love the hobby as much as ever - and miss it all the time - but every second just seems rushed these days, and even if I am lucky enough to get all 3 asleep early, I'm too tired to do much of anything that requires concentration.
I've been thinking a lot about my process - organizing and print photos, identifying exactly what I want to scrap - I'm hoping that will help me make better use of the "little minutes" that we all have here and there. I tend to think of scrapping as something I do when I've got the luxury of a whole or half day to spare - and there just aren't many of those anymore!
I've also discovered Google Docs and I'm using it as an online journal/diary. Even if I don't get to scrap things right away, I'll have the journaling done so it won't matter how much time has passed. | |
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KathrynPea
BucketHead
PeaNut 376370 - 5/18/2008
Posts: 784 Layouts: 2
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 4/20/2009 12:53:49 PM
I am a working divorced mom so during the week it is work, dinner, homework, baths, stories, scriptures, prayers, pack lunches, layout clothes and maybe 30 minutes of TV the off to night night land. On the weekends is the only hope I have to get anything done. This weekend I had booked a sitter and was planning on going to a Saturday night crop when I realized I didn't reserve a spot. As it turns out they were booked. I had to cancel the sitter and stay home! RATS! | |
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Really Red
PeaFixture
PeaNut 24951 - 11/21/2001
Posts: 3049 Layouts: 1
Loc: Virginia
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 1:01:24 PM
Oh my goodness. Never! Just like you, by nighttime, I am worn out. Here is one thing that has helped a bit. I took all my photos to one of my kid's track meets. THe meets are HOURS of waiting and then 22.4 seconds of running. Ugh. I just took a group of about 100 photos. I took a little folder with me and I separated the pictures into LOs. I looked and thought about them. Then, I got my SB Etc in the mail and I was all juiced up. I went downstairs and scrapped 4 LOs in about 1.5 hours. That is fast for me. I felt so excited. It seems easier for me if I can pick up a small group of pictures and scrap them. When I have all of Xmas or a big vacation it overwhelms me. I also take the pictures in the car with me. Then when I am waiting for something (I am forever in the car), I can do something more important than talking on my cell.
HTH. I know this is hard. I am so far behind that sometimes I read about people who don't know what to scrap and I want to scream (nicely!) at them to come to my house!! |
Andrea
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
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fashionablylate
PeaNut
PeaNut 355321 - 1/6/2008
Posts: 149 Layouts: 10 | Posted: 4/20/2009 1:09:56 PM
I don't have kids but I have school and work; both full time. I usually scrap on friday nights with my friends. Once a month I hold an official crop night on a Friday night at my house that usually goes from 7pm-1am. I get alot done then! Summer is so much easier for me to get a lot of scrapping done because I just have work to focus on. |
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croppinrockerchick
Will I ever get to Buckethead?!
PeaNut 264392 - 6/8/2006
Posts: 405 Layouts: 14
Loc: Sunny Florida
| Posted: 4/20/2009 1:38:12 PM
If find that staying reasonably organized works best for me. So then when I have a few minutes here and there I sit down and do something. It may just be pulling photos or paper or embellishments. Eventually the baby steps equal a finished project. |
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Pearl Maple
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 147143 - 5/14/2004
Posts: 6727 Layouts: 155
Loc: globe trotting
Count: 10 | Posted: 4/20/2009 2:14:55 PM
Noell had a good post on this topic on her Paperclipping blog.
For me it is about grabbing the minutes here and there. Commuting for 2 hours a day sucks up a lot of free time, but I take my magazines, journal and sketch pad and start roughing out plans. Being older the eyes do not see as well under elec light at night but can use a few minutes in the evening sorting embellishements and photos in readiness for the weekend and daylight. By the weekend I ususally have a few partially created kits ready for final assembly.
Good luck in finding a few minutes every day to be a little creative. |
Pearl Maple Blog
Design Teams:
Invitations for Celebrations
Rapt In Paper
Tattered Angels
POTD: 4.29.09 | |
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teachNpea
He calls me his future wifPEA
PeaNut 260956 - 5/9/2006
Posts: 7040 Layouts: 413
Loc: Heart of America
| Posted: 4/20/2009 2:36:18 PM
i feel ya. i'm right there with you at this moment.its been a few weeks since ive been able to scrap |
~"What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
-Oliver Windell Holmes
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dori-scraps
PeaNut
PeaNut 404811 - 12/28/2008
Posts: 56 Layouts: 1
Loc: Southern Oregon | Posted: 4/20/2009 2:59:12 PM
I scrap when ever I want to... the best part of my scraps space beinging in the livingroom. because whenw e are watching tv in the evenings ?I can scrap. when I am home during the day I can scrap. I can basically scrap around the clock if I wish too...
this past week we have been getting the carpets cleaned and putting the house back together. we have done some reorganizing as well, so it will be really nice when my time is free again to scrap.
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Happy scrapping
Dori
[img]http://usera.ImageCave.com/Dori/siggys-2/Dorisleep.jpg[/img] | |
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isabel_r
PeaNut
PeaNut 389367 - 8/27/2008
Posts: 265 Layouts: 4
Loc: Westerville, OH
| Posted: 4/20/2009 3:07:06 PM
I don't have kids so my time isn't as heavily taxed as some of you. My problem, therefore, isn't finding the time but the motivation and or inspiration necessary to get started. Plus I would love to have my t.v. hooked up to our cable but my scraproom isn't cable ready yet and I'm a total t.v. junkie. I think I'd spend more time in my scraproom if I had cable t.v. 
Which is probably the only reason my bf is not putting cable in that room any time soon.
I did get 1 page done last night!  | |
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mabelm
PeaAddict
PeaNut 353352 - 12/27/2007
Posts: 1288 Layouts: 461
Loc: Spain
Count: 16 | Posted: 4/20/2009 3:26:26 PM
I don't have kids but is difficult find a free time at week usually my scrap time are weekends |
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scrapper100
Budletsmom
PeaNut 65877 - 1/30/2003
Posts: 8514 Layouts: 18
Loc: So CA | Posted: 4/20/2009 6:13:43 PM
You are so not alone - I am a SAHM and by the end of the day I am too tired to think about scrapping. I may have enough energy to read a book or watch tv but that is it. I do go to a monthly crop but I am not getting as much done as I would like. I really need to get my scraproom cleaned up so I can just work on a LO and leave it on my desk until it is done. I just need the time to reorganize the space - right now I have tons of projects piled up and nothing is getting done. I need to just concentrate on just one thing at a time - with a nice clean desk and then I love the idea of just 15 minutes at a time. Good luck. I wish I knew more people that liked to scrap I would love to hold a monthly crop at my house that would be so much fun. |
Patti
SAHM to Christopher (6) | |
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gastoryteller
PeaNut
PeaNut 353934 - 12/30/2007
Posts: 186 Layouts: 9
Loc: Georgia | Posted: 4/20/2009 6:43:51 PM
I understand what you mean about being so tired that you can't scrap at night. I find that scrapping makes me happy and sometimes I just have to carve out a little time for happiness in my life. It may be that we skip dinner that night or that I leave a few chores undone, but I have some days (very few each month) that I schedule about 2 hours of scrapping just like I would schedule an appointment. Usually it's because I'm involved with a swap or some project that has a deadline, but I make myself work toward a goal. |
"Never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
Mark Twain | |
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RnKMom
Prima 'n' Stickles Pea
PeaNut 80424 - 4/8/2003
Posts: 6515 Layouts: 6
Loc: Southern California | Posted: 4/20/2009 7:27:04 PM
If you leave it till you "find time," then it'll never happen. (Can apply to just about anything, LOL!) Saturday night has been my precious scrapping time of the week for about a decade, and the family knows it. Occasionally I'm too tired to scrap, but that's rare since I can sleep in on Saturday morning. Alas, this past Saturday was spent on computer problems. But other than a handful of nights out of the year, Saturday night is scrapping time in this household.
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~Patricia~
If I have to use all this paper before I die, I'll live forever!
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desertgirl
PeaAddict
PeaNut 256534 - 4/6/2006
Posts: 1553 Layouts: 0 | Posted: 4/20/2009 7:45:03 PM
I used to have a problem when all I did was sew. I'd want to finish a skirt in the exact amount of time I had at that very moment. I sewed all of my clothes and could not understand why I did not finish every item of clothing I sewed. Partially finished clothes would hang for months in my closet.
Then I took up quilting. I learned that a little at a time was the only way to get any quilt finished. No one can do all of a quilt, from planning to on-the-bed, in one sitting.
I don't have a lot of time either but I get home from teaching earlier than many scrappers get home from work. I work a little at a time and leave my project out on my table or I put it into a box to be worked on when I do have time.
But, I have to have at least 1/2 hour or it feels rushed.
Lately, I have joined the page-making crew. I read about it on 2peas. People make page kits in zippered bags just like the scrapbook kit companies do. I did not think it would work but it does. I make a kit with most of what I need and it really has helped me to get pages finished or almost finished. The only things I don't do are the final touches like a special stamp or just one more brad somewhere or the ribbon exactly like I want it.
We are all waaaaaaaaay busier than we can quantify. Small bits of time, unimpeded and focused, are the keys to my pages.
Now, don't ask what I am going to do with a mini-album or a themed album! I have not yet figured out how to do those without making a huge mess on my dining room table. I had a baby album in there for about a month and I just decided it was going to stay until I finished the whole thing. It was a challenge to see the mess and not get upset but it had to be done. | |
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cobalthorse
PeaFixture
PeaNut 40368 - 6/14/2002
Posts: 3043 Layouts: 119
Loc: John 14:6
 | Posted: 4/20/2009 7:46:53 PM
I understand where you're coming from. It seems that when I have the time, I lack the inspiration and motivation. When I don't have the time (i.e., when I need to head to work in the early mornings), then all kinds of scrapping ideas pop into my head. Why is that?
I have found, though, that I am definitely a creature of habit. For whatever reason, routine seems to be the key that not only keeps me in line, but also keeps me focused. When I get passed that first step of setting a habit, then everything else seems to fall into place. Getting my photos out and organized along w/journaling notes would go a long way to getting me on the road to a finished scrapbook.
Of course, I also find that when I have the time to scrapbook, I can't pull myself off 2Peas long enough to get started!  |
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slyn11
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 190252 - 2/8/2005
Posts: 2047 Layouts: 101
Loc: New Jersey | Posted: 4/20/2009 9:20:01 PM
The key...for me...is to stay off the couch. If I come home from work and go directly to my scraproom and not to the couch, I get lots more accomplished. The couch (and of course the net) are the ultimate time suckers. I don't get home from work until 10:30 at night (Mind you I get up at noon everday), so I can stay up til about 7am scrapping. Some nights I do, other nights I hang out online (or with hubby - another time sucker hee hee)...or a combo of the two. | |
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scrpnmomo4
AncestralPea
PeaNut 222146 - 9/7/2005
Posts: 4672 Layouts: 16
Loc: Mississipea
| Posted: 4/20/2009 9:25:03 PM
I try to squeeze a little in during nap time and a little on the weekend. I find that I "have" to make the time...scrapping is VERY therapeutical (IMHO). Hope you find a solution soon! |
SAHM to Mollie(11), Maggie(9), Liam(7) and Lakon (born 5/9/08)!! Tupperware Consultant '09
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aJerseyGirl
PeaFixture
PeaNut 246022 - 1/29/2006
Posts: 3954 Layouts: 52
Loc: New Jersey
Count: 2 | Posted: 4/20/2009 9:34:42 PM
It's hard to squeeze it in. I'm tired at night too, so I'm here pea-ing instead of scrapping. I don't have any friends who scrap. I used to have one, but she doesn't really scrap anymore. And there aren't any LSS's nearby to go to crops.
But, my kids are old enough now that I can watch a movie with them on Saturday night and scrap while I watch. I'm divorced now, so on alternate weekends, I try to grab a little bit of scrapping time during the day when my kids are with their dad, but there's so much to catch up on after working all week. You know the deal, errands, food shopping, house cleaning, laundry, pay bills. And when the kids are with me, I like to spend time with them, plus school projects, soccer games, the list goes on and on.
Somehow I get scrapping in. Not as much as I'd like to, but there are times that I'll let something go, so I can scrap. Life can't be all work and no play.
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EllenPea
Pea with a Pen
PeaNut 70644 - 2/19/2003
Posts: 14307 Layouts: 564
Loc: Southern California
Count: 34 | Posted: 4/20/2009 9:51:28 PM
I get quite a bit of it done when I'm waiting for the Internet to connect, or when I'm watching TV after I finish Peaing. Otherwise, mostly on the weekend. |
| I don't know how to do blinkies, so I'm just here in black and white. | |
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irishwed
PeaAddict
PeaNut 418318 - 4/7/2009
Posts: 1351 Layouts: 0 | Posted: 4/20/2009 10:01:47 PM
I find that the actual "thought" of scrapping is more tiring than actually doing it. Once I get started, I get into it within minutes then usually have to drag myself away.
I'm not a big TV person, but my DH is. I can usually get a page or 2 done in the evenings while he is with me in the bedroom, which is where I have my area set up. (our master has a 'retreat' area which quickly became my scrap room. | |
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Scrapn Nana
PeaAddict
PeaNut 272954 - 8/16/2006
Posts: 1611 Layouts: 6
| Posted: 4/21/2009 9:00:34 AM
I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions. I do attend a crop with friends once or twice a month, but it's so little compared to what I used to do.
We're trying to overhaul our house: decluttering, remodeling, painting, etc. It will be nice when it's done, but everything has taken longer than expected.
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PaperJewels
PeaWee
PeaNut 409527 - 1/28/2009
Posts: 7 Layouts: 4
Loc: Parker, CO | Posted: 4/21/2009 10:44:07 AM
Maybe if you schedule it in and create a fun diversion for the kids (like a movie and popcorn and a craft of their own) you can make it a regular habit. If you let the family know it's important to you and you need the time, they will probably get used to it. | |
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AJ Pea
PeaNut
PeaNut 412748 - 2/20/2009
Posts: 249 Layouts: 0
Loc: Central Illinois | Posted: 4/21/2009 11:39:39 AM
I work in a school and have a lunchtime of 45 minutes. Although lately I have been "peaing" at lunchtime, I used to bring paper and photos and scrap for at least 30 of the 45 minutes. It is amazing what I was able to accomplish in this 30 minutes!! I would decide the night before which pictures I want to scrap and grab the paper/cs I needed. I would pack scissors, my c-thru rular, adhesive, ink and maybe a stamp. I have a trimmer and journaling pen at school. I don't heavily embellish, but will grab a journaling spot or embellishement if I am just dying to use it. Pretty easy---and very effective!!! | |
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mom2dutchboys
PeaAddict
PeaNut 268297 - 7/11/2006
Posts: 1714 Layouts: 0
Loc: IL
| Posted: 4/21/2009 11:55:24 AM
I'm lucky if I have time over the weekend. I just get it in when I can. I find if I push myself to scrap, then often I can't. It isn't fun when I feel pressured. |
| What you do in the moment of your greatest trial may be your greatest triumph. | |
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MyMindsEyedPea
AncestralPea
PeaNut 80947 - 4/11/2003
Posts: 4321 Layouts: 180
Loc: Sacramento-bouts | Posted: 4/21/2009 12:01:46 PM
I don't, I just do it instead of doing everything else  | |
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PEAce sign
Go make Jessie a sandwich!!!
PeaNut 274722 - 8/30/2006
Posts: 8709 Layouts: 0
Loc: OH-IO!
| Posted: 4/21/2009 12:09:51 PM
i work fulltime and have one son (single parent.) i have a great scrap area that i LOVE in the basement, along with most of his toys, and a tv/DVD player. he plays ok by himself, or a neighbor comes over, i can scrap right there while they're playing. my weekends are pretty free...sometimes i spend a few hours after dinner and go late into the night on a saturday, watching TV and scrapping.
i'd say i scrap maybe once during the week and once on the weekends, so maybe 4-6 times a month. |
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cndgay
PeaWee
PeaNut 322656 - 6/16/2007
Posts: 3 Layouts: 0
Loc: Morgantown, WV
 | Posted: 4/22/2009 3:39:26 PM
I get up at 430 am everyday and have to be at work at 7. That gives me a little bit of time when the house is quiet (before I have to wake up the next person) to work on layouts. I plan while I'm waiting to pick up my son at various activities after school and work. I print and do my work on the computer after this and before my husband comes home for dinner. I'm a digger and gather supplies from a portable bin or suitcase while I'm actually sitting on the couch with my husband. I look at magazines and gain inspiration when ever I can. It's a fun activity while I'm with my husband to go to a bookstore and read.
People who look at my scrapbooks ask me if my house is clean! (they wander when I have the time to do that). |
| I want everyday of my life to be creative. See some of my creations at cindyspagesintime.blogspot.com | |
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butterflyangel82
PeaNut
PeaNut 416809 - 3/26/2009
Posts: 135 Layouts: 0 | Posted: 4/22/2009 4:11:01 PM
I am a SAHM during the week and then I work two 12 hour shifts on the weekend. I also am tired and drained at night, but usually I end up not doing it more because I'm just not feeling creative when I have free time. I tend to go through spurts of creativity where I end up finishing a ton of pages and spend a lot of my free time doing it. I have been trying to get more organized so that I am able to finish more pages faster. What in the past has helped me get more done is to do things a little a time. One day just go through all my photos and pick out and separate them into pages, another time match them to papers and embellishments, then gradually do a little of the layouts with whatever time I have until they all are finished. | |
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amom23
PeaFixture
PeaNut 108542 - 9/26/2003
Posts: 3586 Layouts: 0
Loc: Living in the heartland
| Posted: 4/22/2009 7:11:48 PM
Once in a while I still make time to scrap at home otherwise I try to scrap with some friends one night a month. I also go to one weekend retreat a year. Sounds crazy, but I had more scrapping time when my kids were little. |
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"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!" | |
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LCSmithSAVED
Baby Pea Step
PeaNut 123244 - 1/8/2004
Posts: 1 Layouts: 1
Loc: Flushing, Michigan | Posted: 4/24/2009 7:17:29 PM
I agree with those who take along their photos to sort when there's time. I like to take my trolley with my paper & just look at it while I'm vegging in front of the tv, or "visit" all my drawers/boxes/bins of cool stuff, just to get inspired, or I might pull out some of my favorite books to recharge my enthusiasm & creativity. It helps to realize too that sometimes during the downtimes you are actually cataloguing a lot of ideas. Don't be too hard on yourself (!) but squeeze some aspect of your scrapping in as many days as possible. Hope this was a blessing. | |
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