Lessons

Lesson Info

Story-Based Process Pages

When I noticed that the pages that we just went through weren't really fulfilling my need for scrap booking, I started thinking, ok, what's going on, I'm spending so much time, I'm in the industry, you know, professional scrap occur, and I don't feel like I'm doing this right, and if I'm not feeling like I'm doing it right, I'm sure there's other people who are feeling like something's off a cz well, and it wasn't it wasn't immediately apparent because there were some pages where by accident I get it. I just come up with something that felt so good and so right and that's kind of what kept me going was like a slot machine. I never knew what it was going to come because I couldn't identify the process that was getting me there, and then I started doing scrapbook improv, which we're going to talk about on actually experienced tomorrow. And for those of you who aren't familiar with it. It's combining comedy like improv comedy principles with scrap booking and it's something that I do ever...

y month. I started about a little bit over a year ago, and I'll sit down with a limited amount of supplies, a limited amount of photos and a limited amount of time and I create these pages in thirty minutes or less with input from the audience. So just like you go to comedy improv show and they're shouting out screwdriver, sheriff, you know, whatever it might be, they're giving me page topics they're giving me input on am I going to use card, stock or pattern paper? Am I going to use the brad's or am I going to use the stamps? So a lot of the choices were taken away from me, but what wasn't with how I was putting it all together? And so it called on this different part of my creative process and it actually was so much easier and I loved the pages so much more and the reason why when I started analyzing it is because I was starting with the story because the first thing that we would choose with the topic for the page and I would have people submit topics and you guys let's go through this tomorrow, I have a little spinner like a game spin, right spin this dinner and whatever number it lands on that's what I'm going to do, I caught the diabolical spinner and then I do the same thing for journaling am I going to do? Use journaling strips, I'm going to use lyrics and I'm going to use poetry and whatever it comes up, I have to do it in thirty minutes, so I'm doing this alive on camera and you just have to make it work, and what I discovered is I loved the process and I love the pages it would they were so meaningful to me because I started with that page topic, I'd go to the photos next, I didn't start with the photo, and that was the shift right there I was, starting with the story and that's where I kind of came up with this realization that I'm doing this completely different than I do when I scrapbook normally, but there is a different starting place, so so here's the new process that I use now, the voters are it actually should say the stories that have picked this story first, so you decide what you're going to scrap book about dot down some ideas for that story that I might choose or take a photo because it's so easy now to take a photo on the fly. So if I want to document, um, you know, packing up to move, because we're going to be moving next month, I might run downstairs to take a photo and printed out because I could do that fairly quickly. Now I rely on the group book when I use scrap booking profits I used the photos from the current months group book then I go to design and then I do like my little victory touchdown dance because I've done the page thirty minutes or less and then lovett and virtually I would say out of the probably fifty pages that I've done for scrapbook improvident might it's right about that might be more I would say I love forty eight of them forty eight of fifty are ones that I just feel like I hit it and that is completely reversed from before when we had the new shoes page cute page but it was kind of like, you know, so here some pages that I did with the story first or starting with story process and this one right here says on mom and it's got a picture of kinsey my thirteen year old on the first day of school and that was the title that I was given to start with was all mom so um and I and then I was told by the spinner that I needed to do my journaling in list and so I made a list of ways I embarrass her and I said one taking pictures to saying hello in front of your friends three talking in front of your friends for cheering too loud at games five trying to be funny six uh complaining at stores, restaurants seven telling stories about you so she'll love this eight breathing just kidding and I put you embarrass me too because she's at that age where you know she's too cool for everything but anyway story wise I mean there's no doubt what the story here is right? Totally totally engaging if I do say so myself I mean, I think you would think I can relate or oh my gosh, I feel like I know her better there's buttons on this one to sally so you like that and you know, a minimum of product but it doesn't look bear I think it's very engaging and it's fun and I just really enjoy this page and against republican problem that's with the gossamer blue kit that you all in our audience here have a kid it's not this one you're getting the june kit, but most of these pages were you made just from that kid, so I wasn't going into my I have a whole office full of stuff and I have probably any button color that you would want any pen color. I've got dozens of stamps but punches you name it, I've got it and yeah, your earlier one seemed to use more of the ready made comments, the comments stickers and you've moved to like right away the first person in the comment right passes mike sent more poignant yeah yeah the journaling is definitely coming from a first person writing it to her in this case like we did with our love letters earlier and I think that bring people into because a reader reads it and it's like it's a personal you're like you're reading a personal letter of personal communication so but you know when I still use a lot of fun stuff there it's not like I gave up and didn't use anything I've got the fun little button I love that button the instant the polaroid it's got fun flair is what those air called for those of you who are newer to scrap booking flare that will be a new one for you have board we'll have a test later ok here's another one a kinsey so again I was given the title make me smile I went through the group book found a picture like that's it and I happen to have so kinsey is very creative and she does little cartoons I happen to have this cartoon that she had drawn sitting on my desk and I was trying to think of what to do with it because I didn't want to throw it away I like it belongs in a scrapbook page so again we have another list it does make me smile basically it's just a list of ways that she cracks me up it's hilarious cartoons, funny sayings and catch phrases falling down constantly silly text the notes crazy faces particularly in selfie is I love you silly girl so not a great photo pretty simple page the color we're going to talk about how to scrapbook more quickly, but one of my big clues you guys get a sneak peek is using bold patterns and colors because they take a lot of the design way to the page and I don't need a lot of other stuff on there. In fact, if I had a lot of other stuff, it probably would distract from the stories so it's it's pretty clear what the story is here okay, the next one here so this is a more of a technique page much more of a tech meet nick page than I normally do and not my typical style. My typical styles much more clean on dh simple, but I was taking part in our layout a day challenge that several of you are are doing as well where we create that lay out every day and the prompter the challenge for the day with two u the style that wasn't your own. So I went for a messy kind of artsy style and actually quite enjoy it. And even though it's outside my normal uh it's outside my comfort zone, it ties in with the story here because in the story I'm talking about how callie came up with an amazing idea for my business just by she was over hearing me talk with somebody she goes, well, why don't you do this? And I was like, that's, a really good idea. So the title is I like the way you think and it's just all about her creativity and her fun, and and I actually just transcribed the conversation that we had described. What was going on gave it as an example of her creativity, and this is also an example when the photo doesn't match the story I'm telling it's at the same time period so she's around the same age, but it wasn't she wasn't sit in the back seat, where in that when I didn't turn around go, I got to get a photo so I can scrapbook this later on when I wanted to tell the story, I just found a photo that would fit the age period here's another one, number four. So this is an example when you have those kind of bad photos because their way out and I was using my phone at the soccer field and the story here again, this was for for a challenge I was doing, and I was to use get inspired by a graphic, and this was the graphic that I was inspired by. And at the story I wanted to tell was about kinsey and her soccer playing so she's in eighth grade, and she got invited up to play in the varsity team for soccer, and it was really a huge deal and definitely one of the stories that needs to be in the scrapbook and again stories pretty clear, but it's still got a strong design that paper in the background, anybody recognize that scenic route? So that tells you how old it is casino crowd went out of business old paper and it's, some my favorite paper, and you don't look at that in a minute. They used all paper that nobody would have known if I hadn't told him here's one for my hubby. So this is an example of the hidden journaling we were talking about. So if you just hate your your handwriting, one of the techniques you can use this to hide the journaling ah, little tag behind your photo or something like that. But this one just called old hat new hat and the story I wanted to tell was about how my husband is very much a man of habit and he doesn't. Change things very often so he had the old hat on the left really gross he he doesn't have a lot of hair so he's always wearing a baseball cap the one on the left got really gross, so I bought him the one on the right because of course he wanted the exact replacement of the old hat and it's actually says hockey instead of athletics and he won't wear it because it's not exactly this thing but anyway I tell the story underneath and it's the story of the hats but it's also really an insight into his personality because it's so very, very typical of him and I figure that's good for me because he won't be traded me in any time. Ok, now I have some that was shared from our community and I'm actually going to read what they wanted to say because I want to make sure I get this all accurate because I asked them to submit some of their ideas. I just invited them to submit pages that they felt like we're story based on very meaningful for them and how those pages came about and this one is from connie hanks at cliquey chick creates dot com and she says prior to taking part in some of the scrapbooking challenges that ideo her only scrapbooking had been event based and so she would do a lot of birthday books for her daughters that had tons and tons of photos of those birthdays and all of the layouts were centered around the girls current photos and birthday bonanza, and she'd been hearing more and more um through the internet blog's and podcasting about story based scrap booking a story first starting with story and even though the birthdays for her girls were well documented, she realized that there were more stories to be told. So in february of two thousand twelve, during one of our layout of day challenges, the prompt for the day was I miss dot, dot dot so people who were invited to create a page about something they missed and she said she went deep digging up photos of her grandfather her v v and she says, as important as he was in my life, I don't know if I ever would have told the story like I did and here she pulled together photos from all different times of him and it's such a sweet tribute to him and again, you know, design wise, it's acute page it's great, but what it really draws me in is the story I can look at and say, oh my gosh, she got, you know, six photos on a page gay but what I want to know is the more about the story of her in her grandfather and that's what she shares here this one is from jenny leonard, and she says that she never would have created this firefighter layout without a challenge to do so because she doesn't have any pictures of her husband actually on duty as a firefighter and so or she didn't even have one of him in his uniform, and she said his firefighting and his m s activities are the reason we even started talking twenty years ago, so it would be a shame not to document them in some form for our kids. So she just took a picture of them together and then added the elements on the page that obviously make it very clear that it's about firefighting and nobody would say, oh, my gosh, he's not in his uniform because it's clear with the story here is and I love that she didn't let the lack of the photo stop her that she realized she needed to tell his story and went for it and it's great, it looks great. I love my firefighter cute this one from kathy liked greg. She says this was another one from the layout of day challenge in two thousand thirteen, and she says, I believe the prompt was what the sense of hearing meant to me as both of my parents were deaf, it brought to mind the many conversations I had with my mom regarding what it was like to hear of course I have thought of that so many times in my life but I had never written about it not only did I record that's and conversations, but it also felt like I was reliving all those moments with her again so happy to have this on paper how precious is that? I mean, that just that blows me away and then our last one here is from jen star and she says that her prom for the day was to find scrap booking the find the inspiration from another page and she said it's sushi read the prompt she had the song let the bodies hit the floor popped into her head and it was from the movie triple x which I guess is about the extreme fighting there's probably a term for it that I don't know what that fighting stuff it's just of course I had to use out of one of my sons fights I didn't really think of doing his fight photos before this but this was a picture of his first republic fight at our exhibition ground he won two I was so proud of him and now I have a record of how I was feeling and what happened at that moment and I think lay out a day for that so story wise I would give these thieves ladies a ten I mean it's just so clear what the stories are there's no sense is we're talking day like and, you know, of course we might want to say ok, what happened next in his career, but the pages definitely stand on their own, and they're such a testament to their stories and their memories, and when I look at them, I don't think ok, well, how's the photo or she should have a better photo, or I wish she'd used different products or anything like that. I mean, look at the amount of product on this page I mean, just really limited but it's totally it's gorgeous, and it moves me without even reading this just the idea that she captured those conversations with her mom about what it was like to hear it moves me and, um jenny's as well, and I just love how she supported the story with the elements so the page she wasn't concerned if it was the latest her greatest she was concerned with does this help me tell my story? And then of course, this was the photos from different times that's something that in traditional scrapbooking we don't always think about doing, too is pulling and photos from different points in time, and she's got them here from when she was a tiny little baby up till when she was a teenager, her early twenties, it looks like and it's such a gift to yourself into her girls because it might otherwise never have been told and to him as well, what a gift to him and just to point out this is a digital lay out because I know we have digital scrap occurs here in and at home and that's all applies to digital scrapbooking justus well doesn't matter what type of scrapbook or you are or what your style is you can still find a way to work that story in first and foremost and it makes such a difference when we dio so this is a good time to just revisit that mission statement and think about what it is that we're trying to accomplish and what these women were trying to accomplish and it goes beyond the latest and greatest product it goes beyond design it goes beyond spelling and grammar handwriting it's about that story. So what you think about that? How about on the chat room? What are people thinking and san quite a bit we have a lot of people are asking I mean, I know some of this we may be getting tio in future segments, but we did have some lingering questions sort of about the process that you're using now, for instance, this comes from laurel in the chat room and they're using the screen name new england paper craft doing a paper on so they say what are some creative prompts for when we have older pictures and forgotten this story? Now? I know you showed one of those pictures of your daughter and it didn't really back any minute so you can get for yeah, definitely we're going to be going through the process of looking at the photos, and I'll be leading you through some questions you can ask yourself also in that free download with the enrollment, there is a list of twenty stories starters, so stories that you can you can you promise that you can use to prompt some of the stories if you're wondering how to do this, that maybe you've been so based on the here and now, and you want to capture some of these other stories so they can definitely go there as well. We had a nice little back and forth online that I think it would be really interesting he a perspective on about when you're telling this story whether it's random, all chronological, scrap heavy jin was saying she scraps in random order whenever the majority inspiration strikes and then puts them in the albums chronologically, dragon time does random stories, whatever comes to mind, ripple used to do random but now uses project life and its chronological said, I love it. And then alice from scrap of wonderland before she fell down that hole found the chronological prevented her from scrapping the story she really wanted to work on in the moment so there's a lot of back and forth on chronological versus spontaneous right what's your call what I do is I do random so if I look through my album here I've got a page from when I was five years old I've got this one nineteen seventy something right next to one of my daughter from last year there may come a time where I sort them out better, but right now I like doing them that way because again it takes up the pressure because let's say I do this page that's like the v v plate page that's got photos from twelve or six different time periods me I would be like well, does this go where the first photo is taken? Does it go in the last two? I average them and put them in the that's the kind of stuff that would keep me up at night so I have to go the other direction just say I'm not going to worry about it there, but whatever works for you, whatever works for you is going to be the answer and if you like doing it chronologically in the order that you're creating them perfect if you have a better sense of when the photos where they belong and there's also other processes like with library of memories where you go the people we love places we go and they go on albums according to that topic it's whatever works for you but don't let it hang you up that's the biggest thing is don't let it stop you from creating a page because you don't know where to put it in an album I mean that's that's silly you know that's the kind of stuff they thinks since you down the hole so yeah yeah any questions? Comments here what's going on with you guys love in it hey, what did you call the perfect scrapbooking? It is the improved we're embracing the in perfect it's all good it's all good I think it's been it's been a think the reason that everybody is solid and everyone on chat is just having a having a little polo's all part of the story is because the important to the story is a very poignant yes point. Yeah, right? And I think that when you when you consider all those photos those boxes of photos everywhere and you consider just how many stories you'll be writing in the next, it could also be slightly every way right? And, you know we are going to be talking about how suddenly talked earlier about doing little bitty one hundred forty character stories or big long stories and if you look at the pages here, some of them had a lot of story on them, meaning a lot of words, but some of them have very few, and they're still strong stories, so it doesn't have to be that you've got a right that much. You can write a list like I did mean that took me five minutes to write the list. That's something I could do in the car on one of those projects, like pocket scrapbooking cards and jot down those and actually stick it on the layout later or or redo it somehow if I'm just using it to take notes, type it up. Whatever I want to do that you can also record your voice if you if you hung up on your bad handwriting and you can't think of the right adverbs and the now that I have to go, you can actually speak your story and then attach is somehow right. Yeah, yeah, for the very simple faces an expert at that you actually have a blonde post about that? Yeah. I mean, que are code? Yeah. One of the most popular postal, my blodget's about adding video to your scrapbooks with our code, so yeah, yeah, you can do it with voice as well, for sure. And it's. Cool, because if there's, a song like the song that played when you danced at your wedding for song, you could link to that on youtube and has a little q r code. And then people can scan it and then actually hear the song and there's. So many cool options.