Father’s Day is Coming, Father’s Day is Coming!

If you are like me, you struggle to find the perfect gift for Father’s Day.  My husband is picky.  I can’t buy him clothes, he’s not into gadgets and he already has everything he needs.  One thing he is though is sentimental.  Especially if the gift comes directly from his daughter, the light of his life.  So, my daughter and I sat down and spent a pretty large amount of time picking out photographs to put together for a Father’s Day album.  We chose some good ones starting from when she was 6 until the present day.  We chose milestones in her life, like winning 4^th place in her Regional Irish Dance Competition to being a flower girl (twice) in family members’ weddings.  We chose some special pictures of her with her daddy, and I even threw in a couple of me.  Oh, and I couldn’t forget to include a photograph of “The Other Woman” — his motorcycle.  Keep the album small, 20 pages with 2-4 photos on a layout.  Add some cute but simple embellishments and don’t forget the ever important journaling (just don’t overdo this part; we don’t want to lose him).  It’s a gift that will keep on giving and will be cherished for years to come.  And if you are at a loss and time is of the essence, this is a quick pull-together that looks like you spent WEEKS on it.  Don’t forget, it’s a great gift for your dad too!  So, get moving, Sunday is just around the corner!

How To Water and Grow A Crop

I hosted my very first crop at my home last weekend.  What a blast!  Why didn’t I do this before?  I have to say that I honestly don’t know the answer to that.   I’ve had a friend over to scrapbook, but I’ve never hosted a real honest-to-goodness crop before.  Because I have a new scrapbook business (www.TheScrapbookPeople.com — sorry, shameless plug), I provided some supplies, food and drink and a crash course for those who had never scrapbooked before.  One of the reasons why I ran my crop in this manner is because I’m trying to develop a layout library (interested in posting your layouts on my site and getting the chance to win a nice gift?  Submit yours to contests@TheScrapbookPeople.com).   My crop ran for a day and a half, starting on Friday at 3 and going ‘til there was simply no more energy; and then again on Saturday. 

Here’s what you do (it’s SO easy):  Send an Evite (www.evite.com, it’s free) to all your friends who scrapbook, and some who don’t (why not recruit?  I drafted 2 at my event), tell them to pass the invite along, unless of course you are short on space.  Charge each guest $5 or $10 to cover the cost of refreshments or have a pot-luck.  You supply the space (maybe even some basic tools – scissors, die cut maker, paper trimmer, pens — that you already own).  Make it an ongoing event.  Once a week or once a month.  How about a door prize?  Christmas tree shop or the $ store is a great place to get together some inexpensive goodies plus it adds some interest to your event.  Afraid your crop will grow too large?  Split the cost of renting a small community room or switch off with some of the other members.  You shouldn’t meet with much resistance; after all, your friends definitely enjoy this piece of time to catch up on their scrapbook projects!  If you want to get really fancy, have a guest speaker, a new idea for a layout, or a different theme each time.  For those who are behind on scrapbooking (and who isn’t these days?), this is the perfect opportunity to finally get up-to-date.  Not to mention a night out without the kids.  Who wouldn’t like that (sorry kids, we still love you)!

Does Your Photo Storage Box Need To Go On A Diet?

Let me be direct…is your photo box getting a little chubby?  In other words, are you too busy to scrapbook?  I can barely get in a shower, let alone scrap.  MY reasons are:  I’ve got a new business, a daughter whose social life FAR outweighs the social life I’ve ever had (welcome to Mom’s Taxi Service—I should charge), volunteering, church committee, housework, grocery shopping, laundry, wonderful but demanding husband, needles inserted in eyes…you get the picture.  Tweak this list a little and you can see yourself.  So, what is a craft-loving, super woman (or man) to do?  That box of photos is not getting any lighter, in fact; it’s gained about 10 pounds in just the last year alone.  It’s about time to do something about it. One page at a time, one event at a time.  Don’t look at the big picture, because you will become overwhelmed.  Don’t spend your time trying to create the perfect layout.  Honestly, I’ve been saying this since the beginning of time…just get them down.  That’s my motto. (see my 50+ Ways To Scrapbook Easy at http://www.thescrapbookpeople.com/category-s/455.htm).  That doesn’t mean that your scrapbooks are going to turn out awful.  I’ve got some nice layouts that took 15 minutes or less.  Stick with a theme throughout your album; that alone will save you GOBS of time.  How about this…steal, steal and steal some more!  It’s fun to be creative, but that takes time and if you really need to just catch up, the internet is the perfect place to steal someone else’s imagination (or your neighbor at the next crop).  Once you catch up, create away!  Let’s start on a goal, lose a pound a week.  That’s not too much to ask, is it?