Hi, my name is Erica and I am a scrapbooker. Well, I was a scrapbooker and I intend to be one again someday, but somewhere between the beach blanket and my summer reading list my inspiration and desire to scrapbook dribbled into the sand, or maybe it was melted by the early summer heat wave. I would love nothing more to have a wonderful layout full of layers and interesting techniques using the latest products to hit our shelves to share with you today, but other than a couple of cards I haven't created anything in the past few weeks; I just haven't been inspired.
If you are anything like me during the summer months and find it hard to get into pulling out your scapbooking supplies and would rather than lounging with a good book and a glass of wine (or is that just me?), then what I'm about to share with you might be a welcome change than another layout or technique you won't get to. I don't want to totally lose my connection to my craft, so I am doing a few of the other things that will make scrapbooking easier for me when my inspiration does return.
Take a Ton of Photos. Not only am I taking loads of photos, I'm playing with my camera and trying to take photos at different angles and even playing with the shutter and aperture. I figure what better time to play than when I'm spending most of my time outside in the garden (snap some macro shots of those ripening strawberries or grand peonies), set up your tripod for pics of the kids in the sprinkler and then get in on the action yourself. Then order up copies of your favs right away so they are printed and ready to scrap when the mood strikes.
Organzie Your Supplies. When you do have a few minutes to spare, say 10-15 minutes. Go through a drawer, shelf or basket and sort through it. Donate what you know you won't actually use, there are tons of school groups, community programs and therapy groups that would love them. If there is an item that you want to remember to use on one of your upcoming summer layouts put it in a basket on your table top so it's close at hand when your inspiration returns.
Read Up. Pick up a new magazine (we carry some in the store) or pull out a couple of old ones and take them to the beach or campground with you. Nothing like some light reading of tips and techniques you've never tried to get one's mojo going. Or heck, just scraplift a layout or two and next thing you know you'll be back into the swing of things.
Shop and Crop. Keep stopping by the store and checking out the new products coming in. Join us for our Friday Night Crop or our All Day Crop on the 25th of June. It's amazing how one (or a dozen) new products and/or being surrounded by other creative types can spur our own inspiration into overdrive. I know I'll be there at the next crop I can make it to.
I'm working on a few of these today and hoping to get a few projects on the go this weekend so I'll have some layouts to share with you in my upcoming posts. Please share with us what you are doing to stay in the scrapbooking mode over the summer. I could use all the help I can get. Here's to banishing those summertime scrapbooking blues.
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