Breon Randon: [00:00:00] pick something, checks most of the boxes. Give yourself the freedom. If there's another container you can do something different in, try that out and play in maybe some of these smaller sandboxes. But it doesn't have to be... You don't have to change your whole thing to try something small in a small container.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 352. In this episode, I'm chatting with Simple Scrapper staff and creative team members about scrapbooking formats.

We explore big stories and little stories, what to do when a format stops working, and when you should lean into the format that fits you best

Welcome, friends. We are back here for another group episode with some of our staff and creative team members here at Simple Scrapper.

[00:01:00] I'm so excited for these two conversations. This is the first of a two-part series, where we're gonna be diving into some important kind of context conversations as we're getting ready for the 2027 and Planning Party. Um, so let's start. Let's just go around and share very quickly, like, who you are, what your relationship to Simple Scrapper is, and the type of scrapbooking you primarily do.

So, Monica?

Monica Moriak: So I am Monica Moriak and I, uh, I've been with Simple Scrapper I guess nine years. I've been a scrapbooker for, I don't know, 20 some odd years. I've been a digital scrapbooker for 12-ish, since about 2015 I really kind of ... So what is that? 11, 12. Uh, so I primarily do square, 12 by 12, uh, tw- square digital scrapbooking, um, largely of simple design.

But I have started to dive into some memory keeping and journals, like very iffy, you [00:02:00] know, with like a little bit ... I like to play a little bit with like rub ons and some stamping and things. So, um, yeah. So I ... This, this place got me to try other things.

Jennifer Wilson: We, are guilty as charged. Thanks, Monica. Uh, Jen.

Jen Jonhson: Hey, I'm Jen. I've been digi scrapping since 2010, around abouts, and I am primarily also a square scrapbooker, although I like to branch out. This is my year of texture in 2026, wherein I'm trying new things like printing on vellum and different sized pages and maybe, maybe a flip flap something just to go into my regular albums. I put everything in yearly albums. Even if I'm doing a project like Week in the Life or Project Life, everything goes in the same yearly album. And that is what I do. I've been a CT here for a long time, and I love it. I love the community. I love it all.

Jennifer Wilson: Thanks, [00:03:00] Jen. Tracey, what about you?

Tracey Fox: Hi, I'm Tracey Fox. Um, I am a paper scrapper of about 22 years. Um, and I started out in the big squares, in the 12 by 12. I started, you know, early on in that dabbling in mini books and cards and pockets when those hit the scene, and all that kind of stuff. But then I, I kind of just settled back into the square.

Um, I'm a primarily usually single page, sometimes double page, 12 by 12 layout scrapper. Um, and then I'll mix the sizes as long as they still fit in my, uh, volumes of 12 by 12 albums that I just kind of keep everything together in.

Um, I've been on the creative team for Simple Scrapper since I think 2023. It's been a lot of fun. I was a longtime lurker member before that. Um, but I've, I've always kind of been around and loved, uh, what's going on here.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Nice. Thanks, Tracey. Bre?

Breon Randon: Hi, everybody. I'm Bre. I am a creative team member here at Simple Scrapper. I've been here for a hot minute. I'm not sure exactly [00:04:00] sure how long at this point, but it's been some years. Um, and I am primarily a digital square scrapbooker, um, formerly hybrid and paper, have moved on to digital as of somewhere between the 2005 to 2008 range.

It was a little bit of a slow transition there. Um, I do still do a couple of paper projects, um, and I, um, also really like doing, uh... To fill that rectangular urge, I like doing the Blurb trade books. That's one of my favorite projects to make, and so all of my kind of special albums that are, like, December Dailies, a Week In The Lifes and those types of things tend to be in that smaller format, so.

Um, and then One Little Word is always paper, and our Aligned project is always paper. So, um, yeah, I try to do a little bit of everything.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I can't wait to dig into all these topics tonight. Peggy, what about you?

Peggy Collins: Hi, I'm Peggy Collins. I'm, uh, the program assistant at, uh, Simple Scrapper, and I'm primarily a paper scrapbooker. I [00:05:00] will do digital projects when they make sense. Uh, primarily, those are large, uh, travel projects. My six-week trip to the UK last year is an example of something that pushed me over into digital just for sheer, uh, trying to get it done in some reasonable amount of time.

Uh, but I do all sorts of sizes really. I'm- I'd actually, I actually even enjoy a little mini every once in a while. So ev- everything from that up to full two b- two page spreads. So but mostly paper.

Jennifer Wilson: Yep. Thanks, Peggy. Okay, Monica A, last but not least.

Monica Alvarez: Hey, I'm Monica Alvarez. Uh, I've- I'm a part of the creative team. It's gonna be three years this December, so yay.

I'm a paper scrapper. I work in many sizes, but three-ring binders is what I mainly do, and I like to mix, uh, layouts and pocket pages in those albums.

Jennifer Wilson: Excellent. Yeah. I love the, yeah, just the, the huge breadth of different e- [00:06:00] experiences and interests that everyone has here. I think it's gonna be a juicy conversation. So what we're really gonna focus on tonight is format as kind of one critical, uh, decision we all have to make when we're starting something, and that can be a road bump as we go along the way.

We realize maybe that wasn't the best format, or a format that worked well for us in the past isn't working as well. And so by format, I'm talking about digital versus paper, I'm talking about sizes, I'm talking about whether or not you're doing full-page layouts or pocket pages, whether or not there are any flip-flaps or not.

Um, so all the diff- different decisions you have to make and how something is kind of constructed. Now, your design style is your design style, and that's really quite independent of what we're, what I wanna talk about tonight. Um, so the first, the first topic here is this idea of big stories versus little stories.

So I think of big stories as milestones. That trip to the UK that [00:07:00] Peggy mentioned. They could be, you know, one day, many days, or they could be, like, big things over the years. And then little stories are those, like, everyday moments of, "I really enjoyed this time we went to the park. Um, this is what's going on in my life.

I bought a really, like, cool sweater this fall." Um, those little things that we wanna celebrate because they make us feel good. And then there's kind of, there's things in between. But I wanna know first, is this a distinction that you even think about when you're deciding what and how you're gonna scrapbook?

Peggy Collins: I'll, I'll start. I, I definitely think about this. I have, um, very distinct, uh, targets over the course of a year. I always have a travel project in flight. I guess that's really a, a big story just by virtue of how many layouts are usually involved in that. Um, and I have, at least in the last, I think probably the last six or seven years, I've carried an everyday life [00:08:00] project of some ilk, whatever that has looked.

I, I change it every year. Actually considering not doing one next year. Um, so that's always a piece of my puzzle is some Project Life-esque, uh, project that is in consideration for the year. And then I still really love the concept of a bucket list story. I still have some of those that I'm trying to tell, so I try to tell a few of those every year.

So I do definitely try to target a, uh, representation across that spectrum.

Breon Randon: I am with you in some ways, Peggy. So I'm a yes and a no. And I think by that I mean more that I'm a decide oncer on that. I've definitely kind of already years and years ago pretty much decided what those formats were gonna be for the most part. So I am primarily a digital scrapbooker, so that means, um, for me, that looks like photo books where I put...

upload my pages. And so those can be single twelve by twelve pages or they can be double-page spreads within a photo book like [00:09:00] Blurb or Mixbook. Um, with the exception of a few key things that, like I was mentioning before. So I've already decided that if I wanna do December Dailies, which I don't feel the need to do every year, but when I do them, I don't want them to be the same as my twelve by twelve books. Because I feel like, A, that's a lot of space to fill, um, for a story every day, and then I don't finish them.

And also, um, around Christmas time, like when I unpack those things, my family really likes to look at the little tiny books in their hands. And so that was something that I kind of thought about. That is something I wanna pack away, um, and I wanna bring out, and I'm not gonna wanna pack away big twelve by twelve albums every year and unpack them every year.

And also the damage that I could see them kind of undergoing. So I started doing the Blurb six by nine books because of that, thinking about that size. Um, getting them done and storing them and being able to hold them. 'Cause we read Christmas books at night. And so that was kind of like a pick, you know, choose once kind of format.

Um, Project Life I've discovered I just do not finish it unless it's in the app. I've [00:10:00] done, you know, since twenty thirteen I have worked on that project and with some, you know, varying success, and the only years I finish are the ones that are in the app. I pick one, one series of kits and that's what I use every year, um, and, and I have picked that once.

So those small stories tend to go there. Uh, One Little Word is always pretty much s- either a journal or six by, um, eight binder 'cause of the supplies that we have to choose from generally speaking. I feel like we kind of, you know, all the Ali Edwards stuff, it sort of feels like in some ways it's kind of chosen for us.

Not all the way, but like... So those, those have sort of been chosen for me. Um, I would say the one, um, o- other than that, like every day or big stories tend to either be is it gonna be a single page or is it gonna be a full travel digital book, like d- big, big digital photo book. The only exception to that rule that I've started to allow myself to play with just because I wanna play is, um, I am a little bit limited with the photo books, but I [00:11:00] have been playing with the making six by twelve pages within a photo book and then cutting them down and so they are flips in photo books.

Um, just for when I wanna tell like a micro-story that doesn't really make sense in Project Life. So something different.

Jennifer Wilson: So the, I think there's the other factor that you mentioned is like this ability to when you want to share something and how you want to share it, that impacts the format that you end up choosing.

Breon Randon: It very much, yeah. Who's gonna be looking at it? Where I'm gonna be putting it? And how realistic is it to print and/or store those items? Like, some of this stuff is just logistics at this point. Like, what supplies do we have and where can we get the items and for how much?

Jennifer Wilson: Very true. Very true.

Monica Moriak: I did, um, a book for my son's theater time in high school and a little bit college. And because I had all the programs and I wanted him to have those, I did the... I put two extra pages in between, in a section. And created what looked like a pocket on one so I could [00:12:00] cut the two pages out to allow for the amount of space that that program would take up. And it wouldn't break the binding of it.

Um, and that worked surprisingly well. Uh, so I can see... I was like, oh, you can cut these down, right?

Breon Randon: Yeah, creative engineering.

Monica Moriak: Right, you can still use hybrid on those. Um, so I w- I, thinking about this, I, I think the only thing that might affect story size, um, kind of the way you bro- like, so things that feel really important or exciting or milestones are probably the things that are top of mind, and they're recent, and I'm gonna scrapbook recent.

But then when I think of story size, they could be harder stories. And so that can take me a little bit longer. And I will probably take more time thinking through that. I frequently will write what turns out to be, I think lots of people would describe [00:13:00] under this as a big story, um, from something that comes up as I'm looking at what might be considered just a vacation photo or an everyday photo, right?

And so I think my size-wise when I, when I might run into trouble is, uh, I d- had this idea for a page and it was gonna be a little bit of journaling, and now I've written half a page. I was like, oh, well, that's, like, changing the whole design. Um, and so all of these sit in j- digital... Uh, at this point I print 10 by 10 books, but they're just square books.

Jennifer Wilson: So in the end, like, doesn't, the story size doesn't really dictate the way it's gonna end up other than maybe how much journaling is on the page. It's gonna be a square printed in a book.

Monica Moriak: Yeah, I don't... Every day, my everyday photos frequently come, what I, what I think of as a bigger story at this point, because it's [00:14:00] telling something that maybe has more emotion or more feeling around it. Uh, and that could go little journaling, big journaling. And so those come out of me when I see the photo.

And.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Yeah.

Monica Moriak: So... But, like, my kids have a couple of photos scrapped from their graduations, and I would love to scrap the rest of that story. It may or may not happen, right? Like, I just, because we've moved on and I'm not scrapping as much. I'm lucky if I do three or four pages a month right now of those type of things. And it's just, I mean, it's just the reality of my season right now. And I've just come to the conclusion I, I have to do what I can, and I can't do it all.

Jennifer Wilson: So for example, like let's say you took photos on a walk in a special place, and you're not gonna scrapbook, "We went on a walk on this special place and we saw this particular bug." We're gonna, you're gonna do, "When I go for a walk on the, in this [00:15:00] place, it makes me think of this person in my life who I used to walk here with," or like something, you're gonna tell the bigger stories because you are scrapbooking quantity less.

Monica Moriak: Right. So like on a trip, um, we were, where we were walking through, just a walk on one of our trips, they had these very tall pine trees, and I could immediately picture my mother in completely different parts of the, of the country, of the world, I think. Um, and I think there somewhere is a photo, but it's in my brain.

I, I have this picture of my, my mother sniffing what looked like exactly the same type of trees, right? So I would then use that story, that picture to tell that story.

Jennifer Wilson: Great. Yeah. Thanks, Monica. Who's next? Tracey.

Tracey Fox: Um, in my case, I think that everything comes down to the layout as the unit of my scrapbooking. So kind of like, you know, a book has chapters, a CD has tracks. Um, you know, and, and a [00:16:00] record album might tell an entire story from start to finish, or you might have, like, these wildcard tracks here and there where, you know, this one is upbeat and has a complete, like, a reggae sound. Um, and so this, this one over here might be something else. And I just kind of feel like, you know, a story can be as large as many, many layouts, and so I'm taking many layouts to tell one story. But each layout is kind of like a facet or a sub-story, um, and usually isn't all one giant long story. It's more like bits and pieces and slices of what I wanna share. And then if I have a bunch of little stories, um, I'm kind of notorious for filling the page as much as possible. I don't do

a lot of white space. Um.

But.

Breon Randon: You're my hero, Tracey. I have no... No, don't, don't say that in a bad way. We love you.

Tracey Fox: But I would just say, like, like the opposite of, you know, one large story can be many layouts, one layout can be like 10 little [00:17:00] stories. So whereas, you know, some people might do that on a Project Life card, or they might shrink the page, or they'll have a mini album where, like, there's one little story on every page. I love looking at those, but for me, everything's gonna come down to that, that, canvas of 12 by 12, and if those stories have a common thread or, like, maybe the story is just here's the leftover little slices of life of summer 2026. Um, I'll make that one layout, and maybe I'll cluster the things and tell the little stories.

Or maybe just the photos will tell all those little stories. But, um, I'm just kind of, like, starting with the layout is the unit and what's gonna fit on here. And then a layout, I, I love that satisfaction of, like, the layout's complete. I'm moving on. I didn't leave anything unfinished. And every single layout can have its own vibe, its own look.

Um, I don't have to find a theme a through theme on the products. I can really just kind of tell stories as their own little canvases. So that I can start fresh and play with whatever else in my [00:18:00] stash without sweating whether anything matches.

Jennifer Wilson: Did you have to come to this place of like, uh, clarity about this is how I scrapbook? Or have you, like that's just how you've done it?

Tracey Fox: Yeah, I think both. I think that I start-- I did it naturally. Um, I would probably think through, like, why isn't this working or why isn't this fun anytime I try to start, like, a cohesive book. Where I'm like, well, you know, this story is off the wall and doesn't match, and I wanna use this themed product on it, but it doesn't match all the stuff that I'm doing in this cohesive mini book. Or these colors aren't right in these photos, so I guess to make the mini book pretty I'll put everything in black and white, but I really don't want to.

You know, I really just kind of found, like, layout by layout is, it's, it's what feels right. I also think that I, I gotta give kudos to exercises like Planning Party and, like, all of the reflection kind of stuff that we do in Simple Scrapper where you really hone into, like, examining what is your style, what works for you. And I'm, I'm sure that [00:19:00] all of those exercises over the years have really helped me just figure out what works for me, and it is, it's working.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome, awesome. I have to put, add here that there is a whole, an whole nother episode just with Tracey on filling the page, and so we will definitely link that one in the show notes for the episode.

Breon Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Monica, go ahead, Monica A. Yeah.

Monica Alvarez: For me, the story size is, like, strictly proportional to the space it's gonna take in my album. So I have the pocket, the pockets and the layouts all in one family yearbook, which is 9 by 12 or 12 by... 12, 12 by 12, depending on the year. And, uh, if the story is, like, something every day, it's 3 by 4.

If the story is, like, bigger, it's 4 by 6. It's if I have more pictures and it's one theme, it will go in a 6 by 8 inside the album as an insert, or 6 by 12. [00:20:00] And, uh, and the layouts hold, like, the bigger stories. And for, like, bigger, bigger stories like travel and that, that will have, like, its separate album.

I also have school albums, one for each kid, and I have those, two small 6 by 8s, one for each kid also, for, like, personality stuff, like where I do small layouts because it won't... Everything can't fit in that large yearbook. So I have, like- Sure ... yeah. These big themes have their own albums, and the everyday, like, milestones and yearly stuff goes in one album.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. I love, yeah, definitely there's so many different ways of approaching kind of the same thing. Like, there's a, the desire to, to capture those everyday stories. Um, and pockets/grids, uh, have kind of invited [00:21:00] thinking about that scale more than maybe we did a decade, two decades ago.

Jen Jonhson: I do, I like what Bre said about choosing once. So I chose once years ago that I want everything to go in one album. So whatever that is, whatever size story that is, it's gonna be all in one place. Because it stresses me out to have things in multiple places, and I found myself scrapping things multiple times and not keeping up with what I was actually doing.

So that's just how it, it's worked for me for several, many years. And I used to do, like, Library of Memories, and, like, really try to tell, like, more bigger stories. And, and I still like that approach to, like, making layouts, but I like to store them chronologically in my yearly albums. So for me, it kind of doesn't matter how big the story is as far as, like, how big the page is.

I do [00:22:00] sometimes do kind of an extended story over, like, a double page or, like, a couple pages in an insert. That's kind of rare. I would like to do that more. I'm just not that deep right now, and that's okay. Um, but in, in my ideal life, I would like to tell many, like, spanning the time of years and big, big bucket list stories and stuff.

I'm just not there right now. So what I do right now is very much inspired by Shimelle's This Is Your Story class, which is go through my photos week by week. I pick out photos for Project Life first. That's kind of, like, my highlight reel. That's just do those photos and journaling. So that's a kind of a review page, I guess.

And then I pick out a few layouts to do, like, full layouts. And those, I guess, would be considered big stories 'cause they're, I don't know, they're medium stories 'cause they go on one page. [00:23:00] And, but they don't have to be, like, earth-shattering stories. They can be like, "My cat did this cute thing and I wanna make a layout about it."

And after that, I have, like, a bunch of random photos and I put them in a, in an album called Random Photos. And I make... I know, it's real original, y'all. Um, I do, um, I try to make pocket pages from those. Those kind of get neglected. I would like to do those more also. I think the theme of this discussion is I would like to do more, but this is where I am right now.

So, um, those ideally would go into pocket pages, 'cause those are really some of my favorite things to look at. 'Cause those are, like, screenshots of text conversations or, I mean, you know, a, a fun meal that we ate, you know, that I just got a crappy picture in my kitchen about, you know? So, like, those not great photos or those not big stories.

But they all kind of would ideally go on a pocket page. I have tried a couple of other [00:24:00] ways to document the smaller stories these, um, Shannan Manton has a really great couple of sets of templates that are very much like Happy Planner inspired type of things. I think if you're, you're a paper scrapper, you know, the Happy Planner is such a great way to, like, tell those kind of little, little bitty stories in a, in a kind of fun way.

But, um, so I've tried that. That, that does- didn't necessarily work for me. It's not the fault of the templates, it's the fault of me. But, you know, just pocket pages. Um, I had a really great conversation with Bernadette, um, from the membership, like months ago, and she kind of walked me through how she tells her small stories, and that just like lit up my brain and I'm like, yes, pocket pages, all the bad photos, all the things.

Like, that really inspired me to, to kind of reinforce kind of what I want to do. So [00:25:00] the... Unfortunately, those do kind of get neglected, but I do love telling the little stories like that.

Breon Randon: And just to kind of jump in there and that's... So like when I say I do Project Life, and this is exactly what's appealing to me about it. So when you're kind of doing the decide once, it's not so much that it's Project Life and that it's weekly, it happens to be, but it's the same...

It scratches the same itches that I get when I look at a Tracey t- a Tracey page or a Jen page or like a pocket page, is that it's something that is greater than... When the story is, like the sum of it is greater than like its parts kind of situation. And that is when it's fun to use for me, like the Project Life app.

But whatever your vehicle is for that. That is, that is that feeling that I'm going for. And that makes me, when I look at it in other people's pages and I see that and I can like identify it, it is still scratching the same itch and I love that feeling. And I feel like that's when you know you found your home for that kind of story.

Like is when it feels good to tell all of it in a kind of cohesive way and it makes it better.

Jennifer Wilson: [00:26:00] Yeah, certainly, Bre. I think, like, that really underscored it well. Uh, one thing I noticed, Jen, is that I think your, your unit of production is a layout like Tracey, yet you are combining formats more like Monica A., um, in terms of how it's all coming together in one annual album.

Jen Jonhson: Yeah, exactly. And I think especially this year I've really tried to lean into kind of making my album look different to me. When sometimes that looks like just a full-page enlargement. So I scrap by 8, 8 by 8, if anybody cares. But sometimes that's, um, like a full-page photo and, like, a date, and that's all.

And, you know, if I just collect a year full of cool photos that I wanna enlarge, like, that's cool, you know? And, you know, if I can dig down and get some Project Life pages done with that, that's also great. If I tell 10 million stories about my cats being cute, that's also great. I don't really have, like, [00:27:00] projects or finishing or whatever in mind when I'm scrapping.

I just like to do it and have it done.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. I, yeah, it sounds like a lot of folks are kind of on the same page with that. Um, Peggy, one of the things that you mentioned was that you do Project Life, but I don't think you really shared, like, what that looks like for you.

Peggy Collins: Uh, so it changes most years. I've done, um, different things over the course of the last five or six years. I've done a couple years of month in review, which is in six by eight, which is where you really set the whole thing up for the year, and then you're just plugging and playing, some journaling and some photos.

That's my most successful. Because it's the easiest, and it's monthly. I only do monthly. Um, and that's been my most successful. I did one year where I did it sort of like what I considered to be kind of a yearbook. So I had quarterly layouts, um, and kind of different subjects and things like that, [00:28:00] that it came out really great.

It was hard to keep going. Um, this year I tr- I was trying to do seven on the seventh, and my intent was to do seven photos on the seventh of the month. It hasn't been working, so I've just been picking seven photos across the month, so it's essentially a monthly Project Life. It's a page. And that one will have some other supplemental layouts around it, so there'll be a page for each month that'll have those seven photos and the journaling and whatnot.

I'm doing a page of celebrations and some photos from the various celebrations through the year. Um, and I think I'm probably gonna d- we've done a lot of women's soccer this year. Uh, we got a new NML, or NWSL team here in Denver, and we got to go to their home opener and all this stuff.

So we've been really into that, and so I think I'll probably make a layout about that this year. So that's something I would consider to be everyday life. That could certainly go over into things we do, right? There's, it's always this crisscross kind of thing. [00:29:00] Um, but I think we'll, I'll probably slide it into...

It's, it's, uh, a 2026 thing in my head, like this will be the year we started to do that, and there'll probably be subsequent layouts about that, but something this year. So that's what I'm doing this year. Let's see. Most of those have-- So probably about half and half. Usually the month in reviews, I did those six by eight in those Simple Story folios.

I really like those. I can't find them anymore. Yeah, well, I can't find the protectors for them. There's, there're still covers running around, but I think they stopped making them. Um, so tho- I have a couple of those, and then the, most of the rest of it's usually some version of 12 by 12 pocket pages, including this year.

Jennifer Wilson: So you mentioned that like monthly is like the scale that you work at. Is anybody here like, um, operating at the scale of weekly in terms of photo management or how they're documenting those, those smaller stories? So Bre and Jen.

Jen Jonhson: Yeah. When I say I'm doing Project Life, I'm not really doing it in the app or [00:30:00] anything. I have, um, a, a designer whose templates I use for pretty much... And, and they're pretty ela- They're not, like, simple Project Life. They're, I pick some photos and do some journaling and put a bunch of cluster flowers on there.

And, like, it's pretty elaborate, and it's not like the simple pockets. I kind of do those for the more, the, like I was talking about, the random tiny stories. But I do try to do that weekly. And I've, I've been doing Project Life in some form since 2010, almost exclusively unsuccessfully as far as finishing.

And, you know, I'm just happy to have what I have, so it's fine.

Jennifer Wilson: I like that perspective.

Breon Randon: Yeah, I've been, um, weekly since 2013. Again, varying levels of success. Um, I have ... I probably have, like, eight years that are 90% done, not even a joke. Like, I, it's ... I get to, like, October, and I'm like, "I'm tired," I crash out, and I can't do any more. Um, [00:31:00] or I think I'm gonna make a December Daily album, you know, like, whatever.

Anyway, um, but yeah. I've been weekly. I, I'm in the season of life where weekly is still a thing, and I totally anticipate that I will not be in that season. I have a very, you know, sassy middle schooler, and she's got 8 billion extracurricular activities. And I'm getting, you know, new flyers from school or whatever, and I, you know, I'm in book clubs, and I have, you know, craft clubs and all sorts of things.

And all of those end up in screenshots. And basically, I feel like when my, when my life via screenshot goes, slims down a little bit, I will probably not be doing weekly Project Life as much. I mean, I love it, but I also have two, at minimum, giant 12x12, you know, photo book yearly albums. I do, you know, anywhere between 250 to 300 and plus pages a year that aren't Project Life, and those are big albums.

And then I do my One Little Word, which is my personal journaling stuff. And so I feel very [00:32:00] satisfied that I am doing weekly for right now. I suspect that when my kid graduates, though, that's probably not gonna be the case. That I would move to monthly or maybe just, um ... Like, I've seen Julie in our, um, in our membership where it seems like she does monthly, but it really is kind of like however many pages need to happen.

And I, uh, you know, um, Terri in our membership does that, too, or at least she has. Like, I, I sort of see that that is what I will be doing once my child graduates, is probably some form of just because it's habitual at that point. I don't, I just don't see me completely letting it go 'cause I'm so used to thinking of my photo management in that way and my journaling in that way.

Um, but I definitely think that I'll probably move to a this is just how many pages I need to do kind of format.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly. Certainly, yeah.

Tracey Fox: I think that question of, like, what, how often do you stop and document something or what, like, what kind of time container do you put things in is really interesting. 'Cause I've, I've dabbled in that over the years. And I think that eventually where I settled was just, like, I wait until something's [00:33:00] scrap-worthy, and then I scrap it, and that could mean

that, you know, I had a busy weekend, and I had plans every day with different people and went to different events.

And so, like, I might have six layouts from last weekend because it... I did so many things. And then sometimes, though, I would look at maybe a whole summer where I had to work really hard on this conference, and I didn't really document it, or it was too hot, and I don't like summer, and I stayed inside. And then I'm like, "Oh, wait, I didn't really capture anything or document anything."

So I did, probably two years ago, started implementing a seasonal catch-all page. That sort of scratches that Project Life itch for me. Where I was feeling like I didn't have a good home or a good story reason to kind of show those little everyday photos or the li- little snapshots that I take around the house, even in a season where I might not be doing as much. And that has been really fun to kind of, like, even if I have sort of a slow season, and there's not a lot going on, like, I've got this one page that's sort of a season recap with either, like, all the leftovers or all the things that didn't get their own page on a [00:34:00] story. So, um, you know, you've got weekly.

You've got monthly. I've kind of got, like... There will be a representation of every season now in my scrapbooks as I go chronologically. And that's, that's been very satisfying since I started doing that.

Monica Moriak: Yeah. I don't do regular Project Life, and I, I tried it, I tried it. My brain does not like Project Life. But there are times when I'm like, I kind of wanna pull a bunch of little stories or favorite photos or moments from a month. Or, I mean, sometimes I'm like, oh, all of these are... Well, they were all kind of closely summer, so, um, I don't have to have the exact dates.

Uh, and I use, what I like is some of the collage-y, like, uh, monthly review pages that Katie Pertiet creates. And they're different sizes and shapes and, you know, you can add some embell- Just not a whole lot. I am... That works for my brain. Um, the Project Life A-frame, whatever, all of that, no. [00:35:00] That, I, I tried, I tried it in the app.

I thought, "Oh, this'll be easy. I can do it in the app, I can do it whenever I go." And I'm like, nope. I spend 10 times as long thinking about it as actually doing it. I could finish a page by now. But yeah, so something like what Tracey does. And sometimes it's... And I don't do it every month. I would love to do it every month, but I do what feels right at the moment.

And I used to be like Bre. I was, I scrapbooked a page a day for, I don't know, 22 and a half years or something. Now I'm lucky to do two or three a month. But that's just where I am, and I'm okay with that, too.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Peggy Collins: Hey, Bre, remind me, where does your favorites process fit in? Does that go into your Project Life? Is that, do you consider that Project Life? Okay.

Breon Randon: Now, that goes into the yearbook, which I actually... So I always save that 'cause all of my pages are chronological, and so I actually save that. The date on that is, you know, June 30th, 2026, and so it's the last page of the month.

And so I, I kinda consider those. And I've been doing, in some form or another, I've been doing faves for probably a, like, 10 [00:36:00] years or so, give or take.

I don't know, something like that. But, um, I've been doing, um, Nettio Designs Fave Pro- Faves Project for quite a long time. And I love that she has very specifically designed, designed templates that actually say the month on each one. I actually am considering, I'm... Now that when I'm looking at my books, I actually might do it next year where I put them up front as kind of like a chapter, like, header for each month.

I, I might do that. I've always done it as a wrap-up because it's like, oh, it's the end of the month and these were my faves. But I'm kinda like, I kinda like that there's such a bold visual statement, and I... Because as Jen said, like we do the Shimelle Tell Your Stories class, once I started thinking about my books as a little bit more of a container in an, like an actual book, I actually...

I might move them next year. I'm debating. That's, that's a planning party question though, so we'll see.

Peggy Collins: Fair enough.

Breon Randon: That's, that's next month's problem.

Jennifer Wilson: Very true. I, I feel like I've had a very, like, fraught relationship with these little stories, like since that like 2013 era where everyone was doing, you know, [00:37:00] weekly Project Life, and I knew from the very beginning, like that was not gonna be for me. I, I did successfully eventually finish a monthly for 2014, and then I did an, like a kind of organized monthly yearbook digital stories chronological in 2021. But it was more like, "Here's a story.

It might get half a page or a full page. Here's another story." It was just kind of like a chronological photo journal, if you will. Um, no embellishment whatsoever ev- ever other than like maybe a few like month divider pages or just like a very few small number of Ali Edwards products.

Breon Randon: I was gonna say, I thought you had some WordArts and stuff, like there's some really cute like graphic, like not big, but I thought they were very clean and graphic and they were nice like d- divider things now and then, weren't there?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Like.

Breon Randon: I thought they were cute.

Jennifer Wilson: A selection of it. There certainly was no ... I wouldn't call any of it digital scrapbooking at all in there. Um, this year I've been experimenting, [00:38:00] and I've been using Affinity because it can now combine kind of what I think of as Photoshop and Lightroom, not Lightroom, Photoshop and InDesign in the same tool. To be able to, let's do some layered things we want, but then also let's do some page layout when we want.

And I did very, like, art journal-y, monthly pages for the, over the summer. And I really enjoyed it, but now I absolutely hate it. And I'm doing ... I went back to, like, basically what would look like a 9x12 grid, like 3x4, 4x6, 4x6, 3x4. And I found putting together, like, two spreads of that really, like, quick and efficient.

I was able to make a checklist and get through it, and so I think that's, that's where I'm gonna land. And I'm using, like, some Stories by the Month products that I had bought from 2024, I think. And so I see... I'm not gonna, like, redo what I did for the summer, but I am gonna, like, fill out the year, I think, with, with the grid [00:39:00] format, and then print it as a Blurb magazine, is, is my goal.

Because then it's really compact, so.

Breon Randon: I'm so curious about that. I respect the need for compact because that's how I decide about, like, 90% of my scrapbooking formatting. But how are you on that, like how... I've never had those in my hand. Are they thin magazines? Are they, they like... Are, okay, are they like Martha Stewart magazines or are they like People magazines?

Like, what is the, what is the difference here?

Jennifer Wilson: They're more like Flow Magazine. They're, they're like, they're, they're, they're pretty thick pages.

Breon Randon: Okay.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. The, Jen has one there. So it's the same thing that we print- Spark? Yeah.

Breon Randon: Okay.

Monica Moriak: They're great. But yeah, that, that's more like Martha Stewart, Real Simple. Yeah, you hold onto it. No, it's... They're really well done.

Jennifer Wilson: I actually kind it was flimsier, um.

Tracey Fox: Yeah, the pages are still like almost cardstock weight, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Breon Randon: Interesting. I think that I have got to say that whatever about Blurb like anybody has feelings about [00:40:00] each of their own vendors, I actually really like their inexpensive options for things. Like, I find them very, very interesting in a world where people try to luxury level up a lot of the times. I'm like, I enjoy their...

I mean, their trade books are some of my favorite formats for making anything, and they're like 20 bucks apiece.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, yeah, not every photo book needs to cost $250, right? So.

Tracey Fox: Right, if we have all that stuff digitally, we don't have to be quite so precious about the

physical version that we, we get to play with.

Breon Randon: Yeah. Agreed.

Monica Moriak: I love, Jennifer, that you dabbled in the artsy side.

Jennifer Wilson: It was f- like, I feel like this is, this is my perpetual thing. Like, and I, I said this to somebody the other day, like, there are times in my life, and this could be, like, yesterday or next week, where I wanna be, like, the, the crazy art teacher with nine cats and purple hair, and then there's, like, a lot of the time where I wanna be, like, super basic girl with her Starbucks and all beige.

Um, and so, [00:41:00] like, it just depends on the day what I wake up and who I wanna be. So I try to do some of both.

Breon Randon: What is that, what is that thing about it's the wolf you feed, right? Like, I b- also have both of those things inside of my brain, and it, like, it's, it's always like, are we just gonna go be a hippie in a commune, or are we gonna go, "Where's my," you know, exactly, "Where's my Starbucks, and I need my checklist, and I have it planned out for seven months in advance.

What are you talking about?" You gotta have both.

Monica Moriak: It reminds me of what Tracey was saying, right? Around each a- each layout is a finished product, and you move on, right? And so, um, we talk about... When we kind of talk about the different types of formats, uh, I almost never do a two by, uh, two-page spread. I do single. Um, everything's a single page. Uh, it's just, it's a story on the page.

Sometimes it's like this story is going to take up several pages, and I may intentionally decide for fun, I'm gonna use the same kit, or okay, I kinda want to [00:42:00] show that they kinda coordinated. I mean, I think some of that is left over from Creative Memories. If you got this color here, you have this color here.

So, uh, I don't care if my pages are like pink and green on one side and black and orange on the other, right? I don't, um, it doesn't matter anymore at this point anyways, because I only print on the right-hand side of my pages. And so you flip over, it's white on one side i- because I just print single pages.

And I, I clip the... I, um, I use a disc punch, and they sit in a disc, in the discs. So it's like... 'Cause I had to give up on chronological, because I c- would never get enough done to feel like I should print a bound book. Because as soon as I printed it, I would find another story I wanted to tell from that year.

So I said to them that, "I wanna be chronological." Well, that's just not how it's gonna work. So I have layout of memories, uh, that has gotten rearranged three times already. Um, I think it's [00:43:00] finally working. But yeah, so I, I keep having to buy more discs. I, my, my layout of memories digital, and this is just, this part of it is about that wide right now.

And I probably have another couple hundred pages that I can, that haven't been printed. And that's why I went to this, because I had digital pages from the last seven, eight years that I never finished the whole year.

So they haven't been printed yet.

Jennifer Wilson: That's pretty compact though.

Monica Moriak: Oh, it is very, but I'm only printing on one side, which is fine.

Um, I haven't done... I have, like, three or four that I did as big 24 by 12 pages. I print 10 by 10, but big double page. And now I'm looking at them like, "Well, I kinda wanna print these stories." One of them was my father-in-law's 80th birthday party. So can I print it in such a way that I could fold it, right, and it would fit inside?

I'm, you know... Or how do I... Is there a place where I can cut it in half? I took one, one of my double page spreads, I cut it in half, and you see the first half. You flip over, you see the second half. But it's, [00:44:00] it was just a collage of pictures from a parade, so that wasn't that important. Other ones are a little harder to break that way.

But yeah, just everything is one thing, and it's mixture. Sometimes I have a story, it's a couple of page, couple of... You know, so I decorate it in s- my traditional style. And then there are a bunch of pictures that I'm like, "Well, these gotta go with it." There are- In a grid as just something simple. There's little things there, and it's like that, all right, those are the supporting pictures that they're there, they're done, I'm, uh, moving on.

Jennifer Wilson: I think as Bre mentioned at the beginning, like logistics ends up being like, uh, it's a decision that we have to make that's part of the process and it's gonna impact how it, it looks in the end. And there's certain things we're gonna have to just go with because that's what's important to us.

Breon Randon: Well and I think that's really interesting 'cause like you're talking, that's a, a format that like I, I don't use, but it seems like you are driven by, again, logistics. But also a, a lot of logistics, not just what's available to you, but also again, like you were saying with the digital [00:45:00] scrapbooking, it's really difficult to actually get anything out and onto your shelf, especially if you do these yearly books.

And a lot of people's answers to that, and mine was for a long time, was, you know, print it out and you do it in the binders. But I found that we, 'cause we were gonna talk, I think, about formats that weren't working, Jennifer, at some point here, like, and that was a huge thing. I, you know, I was normal three, you know, three-ring binders when I was in paper and hybrid, and I did that for so many years.

And, um, and also then like regular post-bound albums. But part of, you know, my first change to digital was because of space, but it was more the supply sp- space, and I never really thought about the output. And then I, you know, so I changed my whole mode of scrapbooking based on, um, the supply, you know, issue in my home, and things that were...

I was running into with that, and I didn't have the space to store all the stuff. And then, you know, we're looking at it, you know, another 10 years later where I'm going, "Oh, dear God, I make hundreds of pages a year and I [00:46:00] physically can't put these in binders." Like even if, you know, even if I can print all this out, well, okay, so then change from that format to a bound book format.

But then I, you know, then another six years later you're going, "Okay, well now I'm running into the fact that that format is, is I don't get those books out as much as I want. What do I need to do to now make that..." So it, it's like an evolution of, you know, kind of cause and effect, and it's like what, you know, you're solving these problems and, and we're always in a state of evolution, what products are available and what we can print and what we can do, but also what space we have, what our, you know, what our housing situation is.

Because these are, I mean, my scrapbooking, my hobby takes up a huge amount of my furniture, like in my home. Um, and so yeah. So now I'm down to, yes, I do those printed books, but now I, over the last couple years, have realized I need to make a checklist of what is enough, you know, what becomes enough so that I can print.

And I have to be willing to let some of that go, or I have to be willing to put some things into another album later [00:47:00] from a journaling standpoint of when that story is. So that's kind of where you have to s- like look at how these formats are gonna work for you and how you can work through them, 'cause nothing is gonna be perfect.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, that's a great teaser for next week's episode, which will be about, um, how do you define enough. So I appreciate that, Bre, as well as the teaser for our next question. Tracey, there was something that you wanted to say, and I wanted to make sure we caught that before we move on.

Tracey Fox: Oh, sure. I think I was just gonna echo, you know, what, uh, Bre and Monica were both saying when it comes to just, like, that adaptability, that evolution. Um, and, and thinking about how on one hand I think I might seem like a pretty rigid scrapbooker because I'm scrapbooking over and over in the same size and in the same format, and they're all going in the same albums. But there is something to be said for the fact that, like, because I'm not leaving any giant project unfinished, I have X number of layouts and X number of stories, and if I changed course tomorrow, I have that freedom where I'm not feeling like I'm abandoning a project.

To do something else. And that's, that's what I was thinking, too, as you were [00:48:00] describing that style pivot over the summer, Jennifer, where it's like you're not stuck by any means doing art journaling style for the entire year, and you can, you can change any time you want, and those stories are still told. So I just think that's great.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. No, and that was ... Yeah, that felt good when I realized that for myself, that I could give myself permission. Like, y- I don't have to do this. I could, I could just do layouts. Like, I could do whatever I want. This is my project. Um, and it is, it is natural and real for me that I will go onto a style for a while and then realize, "Eh, I'm not, I'm not so into that anymore," and then I wanna do something else, so.

Tracey Fox: But still experiment and still scratch that itch. So like, yeah, don't, don't get locked in, but you have the freedom to change whenever you want. I definitely have counseled some scrapbookers through those crises before, where it's like, you know, Project Life isn't working for me in April, and how dare I not have an entire completed year of it.

And it's like, nobody, nobody in your life is looking at this and being like, "You stopped in April." They're, they're gonna see [00:49:00] that you picked up and did something else after April, or you documented in a different way, or.

Peggy Collins: Or four months are documented and, and you got four months documented. Like, that's four months more than so many other people have done, so.

Tracey Fox: It can always be complete.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. Yeah.

Tracey Fox: Yeah.

Jen Jonhson: If anybody's judging your stories and your books, then they're poops and they don't deserve your stories and your books.

Tracey Fox: Yeah. Yeah. It's usually all in our head.

Peggy Collins: Said.

Breon Randon: You don't get to look at my stuff. My stuff is my stuff.

Peggy Collins: My hobby.

Jennifer Wilson: So this really goes into this question though of how do you know when something isn't working for you? Like, what does that feel like? Is, does, what does that result in? You know, and really where are you getting... Like, what is causing that, that point of stuckness?

Peggy Collins: I got pretty stuck this year on my everyday life because I had in my head that this seven on the seventh thing would be just peachy keen and I could crank it out one day a month and not really think about it very much. And I've been all over the map. I, um, the first couple months, I think I did okay the first month.

[00:50:00] That happens to be our wedding anniversary and we were in town. So January went great. I had seven pictures and I was in great shape. And then February arrived and we were traveling and, which feels weird. It doesn't, that doesn't seem like it belongs in everyday life, so I was trying to tweak it to everyday life stuff on the road kind of thing.

So it didn't go very well. Uh, and then I was like, well, I think we came home shortly after that and I was like, "You know what? I'm just gonna push to the same day of the week, but later in the month." So I was gonna do it like the 14th or the 21st or whatever 'cause the idea, one of my ideas around this was it would capture different days of the week, kind of the feel of different days of the week over the course of the year.

I even set up some of the pages with day of the week product, which was one of the ways I painted myself in a corner. Um, because then I was like, "Well, these weren't really taken on Wednesday." How to make [00:51:00] yourself insane 101, right? So then, I don't remember what, then March came and, anyway, I don't think I've gotten seven pictures on the seventh that I thought were, were representative of anything real, uh, all year. So I debated a few different things. One of them was to just call it. Like, okay, I did these three months, these four months, whatever. This is all I'm doing this year. I'm just gonna call it. It, it's fine. And part of me was absolutely fine with that if I had decided to do that. Like, I have lots of everyday life representation.

If that's all that got done this year, okay. Um, and then I just decided, fine, I'll just pick seven photos from the month, and that's been going fine. Like, I can cough up seven photos over the course of the month about everyday life stuff, even when we tra- I mean, the travel is really the piece that's sort of hanging me up.

Um, and the letting go of what day of the we- day of the month I [00:52:00] was taking these photos really helped that out. Um, but there was a month, I can't remember which one, oh, Oc- no. Anyway, I think there was a month we were gone the whole month. So, it's like, well, now what do I do? Um.

Jennifer Wilson: But that is your everyday life though when you are, like, being someone who is traveling a lot now, that is your life.

Peggy Collins: Exactly. And I'm gonna document those as travel projects. So do I need an everyday life project anymore? This is the debate for 2027. Like, maybe I don't need an everyday life project this year. Maybe I just need to make a few layouts of interesting things that happened in everyday life over the course of 2027.

Jennifer Wilson: Maybe it's home life. Like, that, that's the story is like, this is what life is like when we are at home.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. And what does that look like and what does that format? My challenge is when it gets too loosey-goosey and not well-defined, I will find myself in November going, "Oh, yep, did, yeah, didn't do that." Uh, and I'm bad enough about taking [00:53:00] pictures that I won't even be able to go backwards and do it because I will not have even taken the photos. Um, so that's, that's where my debate is falling right now for 2027.

Breon Randon: Would that just be more of a picking a Week In The Life week for you. Than not an Ali week? But like just pick a week in the life then so you're not stressing about this all year.

Peggy Collins: Week in Life, maybe a December Daily. We do tend to be home in December, so maybe that's something I could look at, too. Um, definitely all this stuff is back on the table for next year.

Tracey Fox: Or maybe if you're traveling, then that happens to be an exception month and, like, you skip it because you were doing something totally different.

Peggy Collins: And it's documented somewhere else. Like, the, the, I don't wanna get in the business of, "Oh, here's, here's a summary of this c- trip, and here's," you know, it's really starts to get a little ridiculous when you're traveling as much as we are.

Jennifer Wilson: So the breakdown here came both from format rigidity because of you, like actual design, 'cause you had picked some stuff in advance, and in the actual even just [00:54:00] memory capture part of it because you had set up a s- a structure that you wanted to follow and that, that didn't work out.

Peggy Collins: Didn't work very well, Yeah.

And I think it's gonna be fine. It'll be the, what I've got, I've got it done through s- uh, July or August. It's completely finished. It looks fine. It's not what I had in mind. A- and again, no one looking at that is ever gonna know that my... As long as I don't write it anywhere on there that I meant to take these seven pictures on the 7th, nobody is ever gonna notice.

And the Wednes- those, the product where I said it was Wednesday stories or whatever, I'm sort of trying to make it, you know, make sense with that. Um, and also I'm just, if I ignore it, I, I ignored it. It's not a Wednesday story, oops. It might have happened on a Wednesday, like, it's not, it's just not that important.

Um, so I think a lot of letting stuff go is really my best advice if things start to... And being willing to set it aside, and I was truly willing to say, "Okay, never [00:55:00] mind. I just will call it for this year." I just found other ways that I feel better about, um, and could pull off. But if I was, if it was, you know, whatever this is, Sept- October, today is the 7th by the way, how many pictures have I taken? The big goose egg. So.

Monica Alvarez: Mm-hmm.

Breon Randon: Hurry, everybody screenshot this real quick.

Peggy Collins: I did take a screenshot. I'm like.

Breon Randon: You can count all of us. We're one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Peggy Collins: They're supposed to be 3 by 4 portraits. It's so hard. Anyway, I actually had a plan for something today, and I forgot all about it. So anyway, um, but it's, you know, if I pulled the plug today, it would be fine. Um, I think I'm gonna live through it.

Jennifer Wilson: I appreciate you sharing kind of your, your journey, warts and all, o- of how, of what quite hasn't worked out for you this year.

Peggy Collins: Yeah.

Jen Jonhson: I think Peggy's example is a perfect example of why I can't do, like, separate project albums. Because it stresses me out, and I think about all the things that she was [00:56:00] thinking about, and it, like, makes me not do anything. But, like, if I've done, you know, 'cause I- I've done Nine on the Ninth. Have I missed some months?

Absolutely. But it doesn't matter, because, like, there's 20 layouts separating each Nine of the Ninth, so if... Nobody cares. Like.

Peggy Collins: Nobody's gonna even know.

Jen Jonhson: Nobody's gonna know. Yeah, And that was just something that I, I... 'Cause I love, like, looking at people's December Dailies and their Week In The Lifes and their, all the little separate projects and the mini books are amazing.

And I just, like, have, like, Monica Alvarez does these amazing, like, December Dailies, and, like, they're great, and I can't do that at all. I just shove everything in one book and whatever happens, happens.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I like Bre's point about like potentially considering Week in the Life as an alternate to a Project Life or everyday life project. And I think that that's like, that is a real [00:57:00] consideration for a lot of people who if you've struggled to document the whole year as a container, think about what's the point here.

The point is to, to say what's, what our life is like, then there is this other project that might capture that for you. Um, and then even some other ideas we've discussed here of being able to then use some of those smaller stories in different ways. You know, it doesn't have to be, there's not only one way to, to, to handle it.

Peggy Collins: Exactly. Yeah.

Breon Randon: I just tell you guys? So I'm not a huge Week in the Lifer 'cause I do Project Life, and so for me it's mostly duplicative. And but I totally respect and see the need for it. But can I tell you, because I don't... I have the freedom, like, I don't make myself do December Daily or Week in the Life every year.

Like, 'cause again, I'm, I got my yearbooks and it's fine, but like sometimes I do get a little envious of all, like, the cool little things everybody's doing. I get my FOMO just like all the rest of us. But my favorite thing about that is that because I do not do Week in the Life often, I save it and I wait to print them all together.

And I love the fact that I can see several years back to back in [00:58:00] seven double page spreads. Like, I do the same, like it's just a double page spread for every day, you know? And then I put a divider in between and I'm like, but I have things from when, you know, Abby wasn't... When Jay and I first started dating, when we first moved in together, when we first were talking about having a kid, like, I think I did Week in the Life that week.

Like, when we... Like, I have all of these individual, like, snapshots of our life in one bound book. And I love... And I'm waiting now. I've done a couple more since then, since Abby's been alive. My daughter's Abby, sorry, by the way. Random, not a random stranger. Um, and, um, creepy and all. Um, but, like, I'm gonna probably do a couple more, like, when maybe she's a teenager and then, like...

You know what I mean? And when she's getting ready to leave the house, and I'll probably have that be another volume of Week in the Life. And I like the fact that, like, we don't have... To me, that is a cool format choice, right? It's not just, it's not just what, you know, the shape of it, it's what you're putting in some of these things too.

Some of that can be combining different years of things and different styles of things. To your point, Jennifer, like mixing up an, our [00:59:00] journaling kind of thing with something that's pocket or whatever. Like, it's not just the size and shape, it's also the content and formatting.

Tracey Fox: I hope this Isn't a cop-out answer to that kind of general question of like how do you know a format isn't working, but like, and, uh, it's just am I motivated to work on it? Am I excited to work on it? Uh, do I feel satisfaction, you know, finishing each little piece of it? And I think that's coming from, you know, it's not like this is fully unexamined, you know, what, like what is the why, but if I get woo for a second, you know, I'm an earth sign.

I'm an earth rising. I'm a sacral chakra girly. I'm a generator in human design. I'm a, a gut sign in the Enneagram as a nine. And so like every... I, I'm a very like this has to feel right, and if it doesn't feel right, I'm just not gonna do it, the end kind of person. And so I kind of know a little ways in like, is this working or not?

And I will, you know, just restart and do something that is exciting me if it, if it isn't.

Jennifer Wilson: One thing that stands out to that though is that I think it's not [01:00:00] always the, the way design and format fit together. Like, we may like that. The, the photo and management part of something that's bigger could be the barrier. Peggy mentioned that earlier. Like, when you have hundreds, thousands of photos for something that you're trying to do, that may end up being the barrier, and it has nothing to do with the actual way that you've chosen to display it.

Monica Moriak: Well, your display could be limited by being able to pick the photos or,

like, and, and, or the time, right? So I used to do a lot of travel albums, but I can't. I don't stay on top of those. Because there, there are just so many, and photo books are hard for me, and I think part of that is I love them, but I like scrapbooking.

I like putting those things together. I, I like my design. I like designing. I just... That's fun. [01:01:00] I create whatever it is that's fun for me. I tell some stories, um, the journaling. They're all digital. My kids will be welcome to go through whatever is around. I have one album that holds all my finished pages.

They can pick and choose and make whatever books they want. They can also are welcome to pick up every scrapbook that they see and dump it in the trash, because I do that for me, right? Um, I don't want them to feel... I have 110,000 photos that are digital, and videos, from 2003 on. So I haven't even taken my children's baby pictures and put those digitized yet.

Um, and so there are a lot that can go away, and I wanna get that simpler. But that, what, m- like, who, who's gonna have time to deal with that? As someone who's dealing with her own parents' things, I want my children to not have that. Um, so AI, I'm hoping, will be even better, and they'll be able to find [01:02:00] the things.

I do... I mean, there are some things that they can limit and say, "Okay, which are the ones that mom looked at the most?" I'm sure that some of that stuff will be around. Um, or they'll have, "Okay, what, what pages were done?" And, you know, what, what's around for these stories that I remember, or let me look and see, and then they'll pick from there.

And they won't know what's wasn't, 'cause they won't know how much is there. But I do this for me, and, you know, I'll... I come and go, and I save... I, I haven't trashed any of my pages. I'm like, "All right, not thrilled with that, but I'll do another one today. '

Breon Randon: Cause speaking of that, though, does anybody, like, think about their format based on, like, what their family actually looks at? Because that definitely changed, like, some of what... I mean, when I moved away from binders and stuff like that, that was kind of a huge portion. It was the size, but it was also, like, what people will pick up, and my family wouldn't pick up my loose-leaf [01:03:00] binders.

They were afraid of things breaking. They were afraid that they were gonna wreck it after all that effort I put into it, and so nobody would touch it, and that was sad. So, like, that's part of when we were talking about some of the cheaper options from Blurb and stuff like that. Like, my family's gonna be a heck of a lot more likely to pick up something that they don't feel like if they got grubby fingerprints on it. And I will say, this is not me saying this. This is them saying it. I am not yelling at people. I'm just excited when they look at it. So it's not my fault. I, I, I take a mulligan on this one, but it's not me. Um, but, um, but yeah, I, like, really started leaning into that whole idea of, like, making it less precious and making it smaller. As much as I love these big, big travel albums that are huge, like, making, like, the little tossable books and magazines and stuff like that's really tempting because that's what people wanna pick up, and I want people to look at it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Tracey Fox: The, the thing about a big 12 by 12 scrapbook that you made in paper that is so heavy is that you can just set it on the kid's lap and then they're stuck. They can't.

Breon Randon: Yeah, they're telling you you're not moving. Hostage. [01:04:00] Hostage. Yeah. No, that's fair. That's fair.

Peggy Collins: Yeah, I've been thinking about this a little bit more, um, especially for some of these travel projects because they are getting to be so big. That I, I don't think I want them in 12 by 12. Um, especially these digital projects. I think, yeah, I got-- I had some printed in 12 by 12 and I was like, "This is gonna be really big."

And when you're starting to talk 100 pages and more in a book, it's starting to be not very... And, uh, one of our members mentioned that her husband, who has become increasingly frail, uh, has really been enjoying h- the smaller, mini or smaller albums of hers, and that's the albums that he's still looking at.

Um, and I was like, "Oh, yeah." 'Cause part of, for me, part of this is, you know, we've talked about, my husband says that we're gonna be sitting around looking at these at some point remembering what we did. And he-- will we be able to do that with a big 24 by 12 [01:05:00] ring-bound album? It may not be, um, very practical.

So I do think you start to think about that in some degree. Now, I haven't made wholesale changes off, out of my 12 by 12 paper. But some of the pro- you know, as I'm looking at this big travel project. Also, just because I really-- I also, in terms of longevity, when I look at my stuff, I don't actually expect very many, um, for younger generations to be very interested in my stuff, and I definitely don't think they're interested in our travel stuff.

I'm not even interested in my own parents' travel stuff. I look at their stuff and I'm not compelled by it at all. Um, so, you know, what-- if it's going in the dumpster, it might as well be a Blurb trade magazine, right? It doesn't need to be a lay flat $300 photo book sort of thing that, um, we can't even pick up.

So yeah, I, I am starting to think about that on occasion.

Monica Alvarez: Thinking of that, Peggy, do you think [01:06:00] about the smaller pictures? I have someone said, like, "You cannot see," "like, the smaller picture." yeah.

Peggy Collins: Um, I I had them printed in 12 by 12 and eight by eight, and I thought the pictures were still okay. Um, I don't tend to go down super small in my layouts, so, um, but yeah, you're right. I, I also don't consider myself a rockstar photographer, so it's not like I have beautiful photos that I'm printing in four by six that really should be in 12 by 24.

I'm not that good of a photographer. Um, but yeah, I think that, that does at some point become an issue, depending on how busy your photos are and what you're trying to portray. Travel photos in my exper- uh, in my world are generally pretty, like, landscape, big. We're, we spend a lot of time outdoors. It's not little tiny things that, you know, every once in a while there's something in a museum, but yeah. So, so far that hasn't really played in for me.

Jennifer Wilson: That is something that my husband has complained about, particularly like in the, I don't know, like the [01:07:00] 2010, 2012 digital era where everybody was doing like super tiny photos with lots of white space. He's like, "This is awful. Why, why, why are you spending time on this?" I'm like, "Well, I really enjoyed making it."

And I think that's one of the tensions is like, okay, yes, you want people to be able to consume the work at whatever size and whatever like physical format, but then also you wanna enjoy doing it. And I think that's why I end up feeling like I have to do, not have to, but I want to do different things. Because in the end I most enjoy making big layouts.

I enjoy like the, the texture, the layers, and the creative process of all that, but there's also lots of stories that I want to have recorded, and so there's, uh, there's trade-offs.

Peggy Collins: Yeah, this UK project is not my idea of a good time. This is definitely a we're, we're getting something done, but it's not my idea of a good time.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and that's why I made a rule that I, like, if I'm gonna do a travel photo book, I have to do it on my phone or maybe on a tablet, but I literally have to do it while [01:08:00] we're gone, and I have to print it, like, when we get home, like, the moment we get home.

Because otherwise I will not finish it.

Breon Randon: 15 years later we're just sitting there trying to do stuff. Mm. Yeah, sweet.

Peggy Collins: I did do something this-- I have been doing something this year since we came home from England that I have really enjoyed. So we have a digital frame in our kitchen, and I had been for a few years, I think we've had it for five years or something like that, I had just been throwing photos up there, in, in there, which was great.

At least you had the photos. But I kept always wondering, "Huh, I don't know which place that was." Like, I could never really-- Um, my memory's not good enough to identify what I was looking at. And so I started making these photo collages, and they're sort of like what you're talking about, Jennifer, that, that they're something that I try to crank out.

I don't have them ready when I get home. I did try to do them on the road in England, and it was kind of a joke, but I tried, but it was-- there's not enough time. [01:09:00] But I came home and made these collages, and then you can label them for what they are. And so it's really been nice to have those on the digital frame, and maybe-- I haven't totally convinced myself that maybe that's not gonna be what I do.

Make six by eight collages, print those into some inexpensive six by eight book, put them on the frame, call it good. Like, maybe that's what I'll start doing. Um, if I-- So far I've been able to stay caught up. But if I can't stay caught up, which for me means I finish the trip by the end of the calendar year following, so I'm still working on trips in '25, but they have to be done by the end of this year, and I consider that to be caught up.

So if I get further behind than that, though, I agree that at some point you're so far behind that then that c- becomes a whole nother thing. That, that gives me 2005 PTSD for chronological scrapbooking. Like, it's not good. Like it's-- [01:10:00] That's what made me stop scrapbooking for a while. I was behind. Like, so I don't ever wanna be in that boat again.

But yeah, I think it's, it's challenging to... So that's one strategy is to really, really, really simplify it. Like, that would be so much simpler than anything that I do. There's not much story there, right? It's photos and identification. But I could maybe treat it like a, a Quick Trip Travel, and I could put those together.

I could do, you know, a couple pages of printed journaling for the whole trip. Wham, bam, we're done. So that, you know, there are ways to massively simplify these things that may be truly completely satisfying for us. I don't know.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and the question I think before format is like, is this actually a scrapbook project or is this a photo display endeavor, whether that's, you know, on the digital frame or printing out photos in ways that we used to or that non-scrapbookers do? Um, not everything has to be a scrapbook [01:11:00] project.

Peggy Collins: Correct. Yeah.

Monica Moriak: I think that's what I run into is I'll have these photos I love, and I'll do my regular designing and scrapbooking, but I can't do a whole trip that way. I mean, like, don't get me wrong, I've tried. It will take me a whole year for one trip, and if I do two or three in a year now, and whatever else is going on, right?

So it's getting... So I was just thinking as you guys were talking, I really need to do, because I have my layout of memories, right? I could do those pages as I felt like it to put in there as, like, y- here's some of our favorite travel things, and so it's a, a sampling. But I could take the rest and kinda do more of a traditional photo book.

And I think what I need to do is get over the idea that I will have... I need to use the software that's in the photo book company. And then just use their program, put some pictures up, and not feel like I need to then have digital copies of those, right? I was [01:12:00] trying to redo that idea in my own space, which theoretically should work. But I think I should at least try it, which is how I started digital scrapbooking, is through one of these, like, online programs.

And so I think I should try that with just the photos and see how they fall into their own thing, and whether or not I could actually then print a book that way.

Peggy Collins: Yeah, and I think this goes back to why. Like, what's your reason why? And for me, like, at this point for me personally, if it was just me, myself, and I, I might not generate these scrapbooks. My husband genuinely appreciates them in a way that I'm like, "Okay, if the, if this is important to you," like, "Okay, I will do this."

And, and I do it, like our- I love my Switzerland's scrapbook, but to your point, Monica, it took me the majority of the year following that trip, and [01:13:00] that was a two-week trip.

Breon Randon: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it takes a whole year.

Peggy Collins: It ta- to do a paper, 12 by 12 paper layouts of a two-week trip is not nothing. You're gonna be at it for a while, which is why I went to digital.

But yeah, so, but I think you do have to kind of have a handle on your reason why. Like, what is it that is valuable to you about that? And that goes across all scrapbooking, of course. The, the Project Life, the sa- you know, the same idea. What, what is it you were, you wanna do? As we were talking about that, I was thinking, well, one of the things I really like to have in my everyday life scrapbook is our times with other people in our lives.

So if I go to Week In The Life, I'm gonna be lucky if I hit a couple of the people in our lives. You know, it's not like we have social events every night of the week. So if I go to something consolidated like that, I'm not going to get that perspective. Is what I really care about is that I make sure that I document [01:14:00] everybody in my life once a year?

That's a whole different thing than doing everyday life, Project Life. You know, that could be something that I need to consider for 2027. Like, maybe that's all I really... Maybe I don't care that the open space had a pretty view during my walk, but I do care that I had dinner with so and so the, for the first time in six months kind of thing. So reasons why is always, I'm try to come back to that.

Monica Moriak: Maybe you need a connections, my connections project. Instead of an everyday life project.

Peggy Collins: Exactly.

Monica Moriak: You would then possibly want photos when you connect with them.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. That would be a whole thing too, yeah.

Tracey Fox: A big priority in my scrapbooking. Yeah. And it's, it's part of what drives me as an event scrapper a little bit. Like, I define myself as an event scrapper, but, like, that's what made the event scrap-worthy is, like, who, who I saw, who I connected with.

Breon Randon: Well and to your point though, Peggy, like I mean, this is like, I feel like we didn't overthink this this much, you know, 20 years ago. We just did a lot of pa- we didn't have a lot of projects. We [01:15:00] just did pages when we had photos for things.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, there are fewer photos then too.

Breon Randon: No, no, that's totally fair, but I definitely don't think we were like, "Oh, we have to have an everyday project to make sure that we document our family," right? Like, like you know what I mean? Like, it was kinda like we just naturally documented them.

Peggy Collins: Yeah.

Tracey Fox: It's like a curation challenge though, 'cause I think like a while ago in scrapbooking it was like, "I'm gonna scrapbook every photo I take," and that quickly caught up with a lot of people. Who who really felt that pressure of being caught up. Yeah. With... So now we have to pick and choose and then put them into different formats based on what works for us, and.

Breon Randon: Yeah.

Tracey Fox: Never-ending process.

Peggy Collins: And I'm not an event scrapbooker, and I think that's part of the challenge is that I don't tend to get the event scrapbooks. So that's another piece. Like, maybe I tur- turn my attention to that. Maybe I do events in 2027, and that might be actually fun for me now. It didn't used to be.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I mean, maybe just make layouts for, like, things that you do. Like, I, I went, uh, you know, I saw him [01:16:00] with this friend, uh, or we went to these... We had these birthday parties or whatever, and then you save the, the more intensive energy for the travel projects.

Peggy Collins: Exactly. Yeah.

Monica Alvarez: I'm just amazed by you, Peggy, because if I gave myself that timeframe to finish any project, I wouldn't finish anything.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Monica Alvarez: I, I, I'm working... This year I've been working on, on a trip, like 10... we took 10 years ago, and I have 10 years of big trips, like month trips with my whole family. That I still, I don't know how I'm gonna do those. And I have these big bags of memorabilia, and I'm probably... I'm thinking I have to go photo book with these ones because I have so many pictures and they are so big. But then I start thinking about the memorabilia, and that's, well, where I [01:17:00] leave the question for another day.

Peggy Collins: Right? And now I'll go do something else.

Monica Alvarez: Someone... I, I've been thinking on when the format isn't working for me, I'm pretty stubborn, so I just leave it.

I come back a year later and I finish. Because I, I cannot... I, I won't change what I already have. Because I work physical, and you already bought the stuff. You have to use it.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So is anyone else as stubborn as, as Monica A. here, or do you, have you had to pivot in the past in terms of changing sizes, changing formats, changing design approaches in order to make something work that wasn't quite working?

Jen Jonhson: So my biggest, um, not mistake, we're not calling it a mistake. My biggest learning experience was 12 by 12 is not for me ever in any form, in any, any, anything. I've done one 12 by 12 Project [01:18:00] Life album with the pockets and everything, and it is seriously one of my favorite things I've ever done. Not that it's complete by any means, but I did, like, three months and they were amazing.

They were so cool. And that is so big. It is so big, y'all. I mean, y'all know, I... To me as a digital 8 by 8 scrapper, that is so big. Like, it, and it got torn up in, in my last move, and it made me real sad, and it made me think, like, well, I am glad that I don't have 20 more of these albums to get torn up in all of my moves and stuff, because that would suck.

But I kind of, every time I... And, and w- I love to look at it when I look at it, but it's so big. It's like, it, it takes up all the space. But I freaking love it because it's got memorabilia, it's got enlarged photos, it's got different size pages, it's got pocket pages. It's got like, [01:19:00] you know, bless the Morgantown, West Virginia Police Department for passing out, uh, parking tickets that are exactly three by four and fit in my pocket. When we got a parking ticket while we were traveling.

So.

Breon Randon: Were just thinking for you.

Jen Jonhson: It was, they were exactly thinking of what I needed at the time, you know? And I just love that I was able to just, like, throw in brochures and throw in, you know, everyday stuff, and I've been... That has been stuck... Uh, that was like 2012, and that has been in my brain for the past 14 years, and it's only 2026.

And, and this was partially, you know, visiting with Carrie Killefer and Monica Moriak and looking at their physical stuff that they've done, and they were s- No, it's, it's true. It's true. Y'all know I'm obsessed. And, like, all the memorabilia and Carrie's Hobonichi and Monica's travel album, and just, like, seeing all the things. And it's so cool, and I have, like, none of that, [01:20:00] like, in my books.

So this year I've just made this concerted effort to, like, just shove stuff in pockets. Like page protectors, it doesn't have to be cute, it doesn't have to be whatever. And, like, taking the stuff that I loved about that 2012 album that's way too big, that I'm never gonna do again. But taking the stuff that I enjoyed about it and seeing how I can translate that into this year, and I'm really working hard to try to do that.

It's, like, expanded my world, and it's been great. But I think you can really kind of learn from those, uh, mistakes or those things that were not for you at that time, or possibly ever.

Jennifer Wilson: Another thing I've heard related to s- like, those, that large size is that even just the physical space of working on an album over time, whether it's a project or a all-year thing, like, have ... Do you have a space to have that open on your table? Um, often the smaller the project, I feel like people can have an easier time getting into it because they don't have to clear things [01:21:00] off or move them around, and, yeah. It, that doesn't impact digital as much obviously, but even still it does when you're, you're printing at home and having to insert things into albums that way, so.

Jen Jonhson: Yeah, and I definitely did not have space for that. I, I could not even tell you where I worked on it, but I didn't have a desk, uh, like a clear area. We didn't have a dining room ta- Like, where did I even do that? I probably did it on, like, the kitchen counters or something. Just spread it out and worked on it and put it away. Like, if you don't have space, yeah, to work on it , like, how are you gonna store it?

Tracey Fox: It's not practical, but if it was accessible to scrap bigger than 12 by 12, I would do it.

Jennifer Wilson: Ah, nice.

Jen Jonhson: Really?

Tracey Fox: I love, a giant canvas. It makes me sad that in order to fit the 20 photos I want to on a 12 by 12 page, I have to print them at two by two. Um, so.

Peggy Collins: Creative Memories used to have a giant album that was, I don't, it was 15 by 12 maybe.

Tracey Fox: And I love playing with scale in, in my [01:22:00] pages. So like, anytime there are... Whenever everybody scales everything down so that they think it'll fit on everybody's format, it doesn't fit on my format. I need it big. Um, I just, the bigger the items, you know, that big impact. I don't know. I, I'm always drawn to, like, the full wall stuff when I go to the art museum too, but, um, it's not practical for consumption later, but it is so fun to just have all that space to play with and put things wherever you want.

Peggy Collins: Mm-hmm.

Breon Randon: I'm with you, Tracey. I love a 20... I love a 12 by 24 page. Like, I do a lot. And I've actually, I started out, I feel like, doing that, and I've kind of come back to my roots. I do a lot more double pages than I used to, um, and it just makes me so happy.

Monica Alvarez: You know, my album this year is 12 by 12, but mostly all my layouts are eight by, uh, letter size. Eight, 8.5 by 11. I've been enjoying that size very much for layouts.

Jennifer Wilson: I enjoy that for layouts. One [01:23:00] year I tried to do eight and a half by 11 layouts and pockets, and then I decided that was too much math and I couldn't do it.

Peggy Collins: That's a lot of math. That's a lot math.

Monica Moriak: Oh, that is a lot of math. Even for you, Jennifer.

Peggy Collins: I can't, I have the hardest time with the rectangle. I can do six by eight pockets, but I have a hard time with eight and a half by 11 rectangles.

Monica Alvarez: I just do layouts in, in letter size. Just layouts, yeah. The pockets are 12 by 12.

Monica Moriak: My scrapbooking style would work on an 8.5 by 11. But I, I just, I don't know. Everything I do is s- I've, I've been square for so long that it works. So even if there's, if someone, our Streamline Storytelling come in 8.5 by 11 or 9 by 12, and I'm like, "Yep, and here it is on..." It becomes the linear section of my 12 by 12 page.

Um, so it's kinda interesting. Yeah. So I, 12 by 12 is like, that's my basic scrapbooking style. With 6 by 8, [01:24:00] there's something about... I can't imagine, like, doing a whole, um, travel in that. When I think about how many photos I want to include. But at the same time, my last couple of travel albums have been in a 6 by 9 journal, where I journaled on one side along the way and then taped in the little extras, and then I came home and printed out the photos.

Um, I'm almost finished Idaho. And, um, you know, printed out the photos to put it on the left side or to reach in or, you know. And I, I don't know. There's something I like about that. Now, I did that for our, our 10-day family trip along the West Coast, and my boys are like, "So Mom, when are we getting the scrapbook from that?"

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. You mentioned that before.

Monica Moriak: It is all in this..."

But, you know, I could do a photo album. They'd appreciate the, the photo [01:25:00] album. Right? Then that's when I'm like, okay, it would be nice to have a lot of those scenic photos bigger. My Scotland trip, I have some gorgeous s- Now, I do print. Like, I don't know how many people print photos, but I print.

I have a big travel wall 'cause I was like, "I need to print photos. I need to have them." So my photos are all over our house in different ways, places, and things. But I struggle with the idea that I have taken photos that I'm keeping that I'm not doing something with. So if I'm not scrapping them, I'm not printing them, I'm not... right? But clearly, 110,000 photos is a lot of photos to do something with, right? So Bre's deleting things after she's scrapped them, I'm actually now see the value in that in certain collections.

Breon Randon: I've converted somebody.

Monica Moriak: We told the story about going to nat- to a farm for National Ice Cream Day, to a [01:26:00] dairy farm. The photo of our family there, that I kept, but all the photos of what we did on the farm, eh, those I could delete.

They're already on the page, right? So that is like, okay. Am I going back and covering that? No. But maybe in my daily delete I'll see which page, which, oh, okay, all these supporting photos that were great for the story in the scrapbook page, I don't need the actual photo

Jennifer Wilson: I think, I think talking about photos and enoughness is like a whole nother conversation for another.

Monica Moriak: Yeah, that, that's the next one.

Monica Alvarez: Yeah.

Breon Randon: Feel like I've been preaching, I've been preaching that for a minute.

Monica Moriak: I finally get it.

Jen Jonhson: I'm getting the vapors. I'm all hot and bothered. I can't. I can't.

Jennifer Wilson: I'd like to wrap up by, like, talking about leaning into your best format. 'Cause it's pretty clear that, like, even though we've had ups and downs, maybe some things are not working as well as we'd like them to, but we ... Like, you know that some of the things that have worked well in the past and are currently working well [01:27:00] for you.

Why, why is it important to lean into that? How do you remind yourself to do that when you get attracted by shiny objects? Um, and how does it impact actually, like, being able to finish the thing that you wanna do?

Tracey Fox: Well, choosing and leaning into a format or knowing what works for you, it, it eliminates some of that decision fatigue.

Um, that's a big part of it for me is, like, there's already enough choice to curating the photos and figuring out the story angle and all of that kind of stuff, supplies, embellishments. Um, format's done. I know what the format is going in.

Monica Moriak: Yeah, I would say that's... I mean, it, that goes into my design as well, right? When I leaned into how I'm going to design photos. But that went, they g- it went the other direction. Knowing that I'm only gonna use a few photos, a- and confident in my photography skills, I was like, "Oh, I got the photo. I'm done." Or we'll be at a family event and I see my in-laws, everybody taking all these photos, and I might say, "I want [01:28:00] this one really...

Like, I wanna make sure that this photo or this part of the story gets told in a decent photo. I'll take that one." But I will... We'll all share our photos. There will be hundreds, because they share, they just da, da, da, da, they, it's, it's like children with it. But there'll be one or two I, I, I can tell a story with that.

And so I take fewer photos at these type of things, because I know I'm only gonna use one or two. I don't want like six that are almost identical that I'm trying to guess. So that, it, it kind of was a cyc- cyclical, right? It's like, "Oh, well this is how I'm scrapping, so I'll use fewer photos." I, now I take fewer photos 'cause I'm not.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. I think for me when I'm leaning into the thing that I, which i- would be 12 by 12 paper at the end of the day th- or 12 by 24. Um, for me a l- oftentimes that decision is about I, I'm showing up to my table to do something I really enjoy. And so that, if it's about [01:29:00] my personal enjoyment of the process and the end result, then that's 12 by 12 or 12 by 24 paper.

Um, but I do have other things that work and that the pockets work for certain things, and I can crank. There is always this tension between how, what can I get done, what needs to get done, what's my priority on that front versus am I having any fun at this? 'Cause, oh, wait, this is a hobby. So I want it to be fun and, and have those creative e- uh, experiences as well. So I think that when I'm leaning into what my preferred is, that's usually because I'm feeding my creative self.

Jennifer Wilson: It's an important distinction and, but also at the same time, like knowing that we are, we will often choose to honor both, both sides of that because we have multiple.

Peggy Collins: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Multiple drivers.

Peggy Collins: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: Many of us do. Not [01:30:00] everyone, too. Like, there's some that, that choose to only scrapbook solely for their personal enjoyment, only for themselves, and that's okay, too.

Like, there's no ... A- and also our feelings might shift over time as our families change, our lives change, the seasons that we're in.

Peggy Collins: Yeah. I mean, for 20 years it was really only because I wanted it done really that I was doing it. So, you know, that has changed that this is something he values, and so I'm gonna do some things that maybe I wouldn't necessarily do if it was just for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Monica Moriak: I think leaning into the idea that it's going to change. Like, that, that it's, it is going to change, right? Now, whether you want to change with it or whether you fight that change, but change is inevitable, growth is optional, right? And it just may be are you fighting it or are you just saying, "Okay, what's next? Where do I go for now?" And we talk about the seasons all the time.

Jennifer Wilson: Great perspective.[01:31:00]

Breon Randon: I would just kind of say, so like I definitely do that dec- you know, decide once kind of thing. And I'll be honest, like so, you know, I decided... And Jennifer, I actually had lots of conversations with you about this back in the day. I definitely was kind of waffling whether or not I wanted to commit to 12 by 12, or if I wanted to change into something that was more, um, rectangular because I was frustrated.

I, I mean, at a certain point, a square is square is a square. And in digital, like, there are only so many... I mean, I have made thousands and thousands and thousands of pages over the last 20 years. Like, I mean, literally crazy, crazy, crazy numbers. And it's sometimes, you know, you just get kind of burnt out.

It's a square. There's only so much you're doing in that square you know? It is, you know. Um, I mean, and I really struggled with that. I wanted to change, and I wanted to change, and I was really frustrated. And I remember you being like, "You could do whatever you want." And I... But then I was really torn. And you're not wrong.

Like, but I was really torn with the fact that I, you know, I did decide once, and I have committed to that. Like, I have furniture [01:32:00] based on this size. I have like, you know, I have committed to a vendor that I use and, and I sort of just had to like let that go and know, and know that there are other avenues, that I can pick my main choice, and that is my main choice, and I am sticking with it.

But within that 12 by 12, I can do a 12 by 24, which gives me the rectangular sometimes. And now I'm playing with doing the 6 by 12, like, cut up pages to give myself that, you know, option. And then I also do have that once in a while, I do that 6 by 9 for, you know, a December Daily or whatever if I wanna get that play in in another way.

It, it's okay to pick something that maybe might not be your f- absolute favorite thing, but it is the way that sort of scratches, you know, checks the most boxes, and be okay with that. Like, I can't... I c- I need for my mental stability, 'cause I would just be spinning if I had to choose tons and tons and [01:33:00] tons of formats.

I just wouldn't make things, 'cause that's just not how my brain works, and so it's okay. But like knowing that, you know, maybe, yeah, I would feel free if I could do a letter based layout here or there. But you know what? I would never print it. I would never know where to put it. Eh. So pick something, checks most of the boxes. Give yourself the freedom. If there's another container you can do something different in, try that out and play in maybe some of these smaller sandboxes. But it doesn't have to be... You don't have to change your whole thing to try something small in a small container. That was kind of my learning over time.

Jennifer Wilson: Great advice. Yeah.

Jen Jonhson: So I'm actually thinking about, for the first time in the history of the world, scrapbooking in 8.5 by 11 next year. And I was very, very tempted last year, but I had discovered a couple people that I've started following, like, on December 28th or something. So I'm, like, not gonna start in 2026. [01:34:00] But I- I've had really good talks with, um, Ginger from Ginger Scraps, because she also prints at home, and she has started making

Well, she has been making her layouts 8.5 by 11 for a while. And what she does, is she just does a 12 by 12 canvas, plops it on, shrinks it down, and then puts, like, journaling or extra photos or just some paper or just some whatever. And I'm like, "Well, you know, if I do it that way, I do have an out to where I could just chop it up.

If I end up hating it, I could chop it up and, like, put it back in my 8 by 8 albums, and that would be probably okay." And so maybe give yourself a little out if you wanna try something new, and maybe that will work for you. And, and my other, my other problem is practical, 'cause I, they're, they're, they wanna not make my, my trimmer blades anymore, and, like, how am I gonna cut stuff?[01:35:00]

Well, if I'm at 8.5 by 11, I don't have to cut paper and also don't have to cut page protectors, 'cause my cheap self buys 8.5 by 11 page protectors and cuts them out and punch holes. So that's, like, one less step for me to have to do. So that's what I'm thinking about doing, but don't hold me to that.

Don't, don't be coming at me in February, be like, "Where's your 8.5 by 11?" 'Cause I might chicken out. There's a real good chance. But, you know, if, if, if ... I'm just saying if you wanna try something new, maybe, like, figure out a way to do it, but, like, also give yourself a little out of, like, I can change this back to my regular way if I want to.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I like how you could easily have both 8.5 by 11 and 8 by 8 layouts in that album together.

Jen Jonhson: Yeah, and it's really my love of memorabilia. My, my current obsession with memorabilia is so much easier to, like, put in a eight-and-a-half by 11 pocket. As opposed to, like, figure out how to, like, fold it and trick it into making it, you know, eight by eight. So that's something I will be looking forward to. I think that'll make that easier.

Monica Moriak: There's nothing that [01:36:00] says you can't have your eight by eight that you normally print anyways in your eight and a half by 11 pocket with the memorabilia slide slid in with it.

Jen Jonhson: Yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: True, yeah.

Monica Moriak: Cause that's what I was thinking about my, my digital pages, the way I'm doing it. Nothing's stopping me from putting a little pocket on the back of my pages and sliding in the memorabilia that I wanna put with that. Like, I was just thinking of like, right, like the back of each page could be the memorabilia that goes with it.

Um, theoretically the page across, but if I start rearranging them again, that could be a problem. But you could flip the page over and there is the actual program that went with it. And I was like, why not?

Jennifer Wilson: You wouldn't even have to do a pocket either. You could do, um, just like adhere it to it. Particularly for those thinner things.

Monica Moriak: I could. Depending upon whether it's like tickets that you want people...

Peggy Collins: Depending on what it is.

Monica Moriak: Just, I could just punch it and say, or ooh, I could insert a page. I could insert a.

Breon Randon: Because you have your disks.

Monica Moriak: [01:37:00] In between with the disc. I could just punch the, and put them in as a pocket right next to it, right? Like in between.

Jennifer Wilson: Well don't they make disc bound like pockets, like, you know, like a pencil, pencil case type of thing that you could use to like put on the front and put all your memorabilia in?

Monica Moriak: Yeah. Yeah. Um, but yeah, so those are those things I'm like, "Oh, what could I do?" Like, I actually... My travel albums, um, and when I was doing bigger albums, I, I put, I tape a, a pocket page, like a page protector to the back cover, and I slide in a couple of the tickets and the, the little memorabilia.

So when you go to the back of it, like when I did my parents', um, funeral albums, um, the back of it has a, pocket in it, a page protector, and I slid in the programs and the prayer cards and the, those type of things, and some of the thank you cards, right? They're just slid in there. What's a better place to put them, right?

It used to be you just slid... You just kept them in there. Like, I got books from my family after they died, and you open it [01:38:00] up and these things are falling out.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, true. All right, friends, this has been an awesome conversation. Thank you so much for spending time sharing all your thoughts and experiences. I think, you know, one of the things that stood out to me was this ability of, like, once you kind of find the thing that you really enjoy, there's always a way to, uh, use those little creative tricks to, to scratch the itches that you want, whether they're storytelling, creative, whether they're, you know, logistical, practical things that you need.

And that's one of the things I love about having these conversations as a group, is that we can share those ideas and, and suddenly do things in a new way while still being true to ourselves. So. Thank you everyone, and I hope you have a wonderful week. And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Alissa Williams: [00:00:00] I feel like it's allowed me to tell more stories of our everyday life because of the smaller format and they're not taking up space in a layout, and I like that they're kinda chronological. I mean, there have been times where I've documented other everyday life things, but, as layouts, but not as frequently. So I feel like this is a bigger, better glimpse of our life.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 351. In this episode, I'm chatting with Alissa Williams about what worked well in her scrapbooking this year, including a monthly 6 by 8 pocket page project that's become her go-to for capturing everyday stories during a season of unexpected change

Hey, Alissa. Welcome back to Scrapbook Your Way.

Alissa Williams: Hi, Jennifer. Thanks for [00:01:00] having me again today.

Jennifer Wilson: Of course. You're one of my favorite people to talk to. And for those who have no idea who you are, could you share a little bit about yourself?

Alissa Williams: Sure. I live, um, in central Illinois. I'm the director of a library. I have two teenage daughters, a husband, and a dog.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. And you live about 90 minutes away from me, so we get to see each other in person once in a while, but not nearly enough.

Alissa Williams: Yes. We did see each other, well, I guess that was last month, but very recently actually considering.

Jennifer Wilson: It was, yeah, yeah. No, I, that was awesome. You, uh, came to one of Emily's volleyball matches when we were up closer to you.

So as always, I have icebreaker questions. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project?

Alissa Williams: Yes. I, earlier this year, finished, documenting the 2025 Week In The Life. I had gone all in taking pictures and [00:02:00] had these big plans about doing a mini album again. But, like, my pictures, even in my everyday life pictures, I just... I have, like... I don't know. I just don't think they're good enough. They're not as interesting.

They get repetitive as the week goes on. So I was sort of not feeling it, but I had- did wanna document it in some way. And so I been very into six by eight pocket pages, we'll talk about later. And so I ended up doing seven pocket pages with a collage. I had a design formula, so each day has a collage and journaling about the day and a title. And then, um, I did, with some of my Ali kit leftovers, I did a morning and an afternoon, and I did kind of a here's what I [00:03:00] ate over the week. So I was really pleased how it came together so simply and still got to what outcome I wanted, which was documenting a week and, but I didn't need to make a whole album with it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. No, I love that so much. And this is for 2025, right?

Alissa Williams: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Did you, have you captured anything for a Week In The Life this year, and is that even of interest to you?

Alissa Williams: Well, I will talk about this later in how I'm approaching my by 6x8 stories and how I plan to capture September.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure. Sounds good. So, uh, my other question, of course, is what is something new that you're excited to do, use, or try either in scrapbooking or in everyday life?

Alissa Williams: Well, I have recently gotten more into card making. Over the summer, I, I did several card projects, and so I would like to do that here, this fall is to get to continue to explore card making and how to make card making something I enjoy.[00:04:00]

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. It's, it's such a... Given that we use so many of the same supplies, it is such a different experience than scrapbooking.

Alissa Williams: Yes, and I had actually jumped into it 2024 when I went to Stamp Joy, which is put on by Taylored Expressions, and really enjoyed it. And then I, you know, kinda was like, "Oh, I'll be a card maker now." And then I had an experience where I was like, "Oh, I feel like it would be too perfectionist in this and I'm not."

But then more recently I've been using some kits and I, I find that I, I think the secret for me is to not make too many of the same type of card, like to not try.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: To make 10 of the same type of birthday card, but to just one or two of a design that I like.

Jennifer Wilson: That's cool. Yeah, and it's helpful to understand that and, you know, as things evolve, maybe your perspective will change too. But I love how you've... a- and both these examples, you've, you've really customized it, personalized it to really make it [00:05:00] how it works for you.

Alissa Williams: Yes, I do like to do that.

Jennifer Wilson: So the topic of this episode is what worked well in 2026. Um, when you look back to our planning party last November, what were you thinking about for the year ahead, particularly in terms of, like, the experience you wanted to have this year?

Alissa Williams: Well, I knew that I wanted to continue to use up my supplies, especially my story kit stash that I had. And I knew that I was in a different season as my girls have gotten older, and there's just less volume of photos, and they don't particularly want their picture taken for certain things. And so I n- I had been doing, monthly Project Life in a 9 by 12 album, and I knew I wanted to take a different approach. And I knew that I wanted to still capture some of the smaller everyday stories, that not everything really needed a big 12 by 12 layout. Uh, [00:06:00] so... And I was also at a crossroads because I was sort of feeling semi-caught up or current. Um, I don't have a backlog of projects that needed to be finished or new things I wanted to start. So it was really, it's really been a transition year. Uh, my youngest daughter started high school, uh, this fall. And so just a whole new season and trying to figure out what did that mean in terms of my scrapbooking.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and your older daughter is driving too, so right? So that changes transportation needs and.

Alissa Williams: Yeah, definitely. So like it's just we're in a totally different season. I knew that my scrapbooking needed... The way I thought about my scrapbooking needed to be changed. Like for many years I've been doing Shimelle's Best of Both Worlds project kits, um, but those create a lot of layouts, and that was great when I was going back to capture some of the early years that I'd missed, um, when the [00:07:00] kids were younger.

But I don't need to produce that volume of pages anymore. Um, I'm trying to be more intentional about pages in terms of capturing the highlights, and meaningful stories that I wanna tell, stories across time. But also just space-wise, um, basically right now each of my girls have four albums. and that fourth album is pretty much just gonna be their high school.

But so they have like two that is kind of like birth through age 10. They have one for junior high, and then one that is gonna be high school, and they each also have like a first year album. So anyway, I just know that number of stories was gonna be different, and I'm trying to focus on some more connection-based stories or stories through the years, as I call them. Cause we're wrapping up, like we wrapped up my daughter's Girl Scouts [00:08:00] adventure, and so just sort of ready to tell like a, extended story about that. I just knew I needed a kind of a different approach to how I thought about it.

Jennifer Wilson: And one thing that stands out for me is when I reviewed your plan after the planning party, we discussed that you'd like more consistency in photo management, and this is kind of an aside to, you know, all the other things that you were feeling. I'm wondering if that has ended up being a focus for you or not?

Alissa Williams: Yes. Because I'm doing a monthly project, um, it's very natural to be part of my workflow as I'm figuring out the monthly project to review all my photos, delete, favorite, figure out what I, what stories are promoted to layouts and stuff. So that has definitely become a regular part of my process this year.

Jennifer Wilson: All right, so tell us more about this, the concept that you have for the project and how you're approaching documentation.

Alissa Williams: Okay, so, many years ago, I have to give credit to Sue [00:09:00] from the Simple Scrapper membership because she was like, "With these story kits, you just need to put them in pockets. Just tell... Just put the things in pockets and tell stories." And so I had done that, um, with some other stuff, um, some other stories, and kind of worked through some kits that way. But what I decided to do for 2026 is, I call it my monthly six by eight stories. So I have kind of a, design concept of each month starts with a, a month, like it says January stories.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: And then I do a s- a six-grid collage of just the random photos from the month, and then I have a little journaling card that just describes like what those are, a little more details.

And then I use my Story kits, or I use my leftover Elle's Studio kits, um, [00:10:00] and I tell stories from the month. So like I look at my pictures and decide what themes or specific event stories that I wanna tell. So like in January, I talked about, um, just trying to make some different food choices. And so I have some pictures of my meals, and I have like, I used the habit, some of the habit cards from that story kit. And then, um, you know, it was the beginning of archery and club volleyball season, so I have a little thing about that. So some things are just one, you know, two pocket, one side, and some are like spreads, two-page spreads. Um, but they're like little mini layouts, it doesn't matter how many stories are in a month. Um, and then I just start the next month with, again, like the s- the month title card, [00:11:00] the collage of photos, and journaling and then, you know, just tell different stories. Um, and it's been really fun. So like I'm just flipping through. So like February really only has two stories, um, one about my daughter dressing up for spirit week and one about a party, a dance party I went to with my friend. So, you know, it doesn't matter how much I have to tell or how little I have to tell, stuff is getting, you know, represented each month.

Jennifer Wilson: How do you think this, how does this compare to the way you've approached, uh, everyday life documentation before?

Alissa Williams: You know, for, for several years I did a weekly Project Life spread that did allow kind of more of those everyday life details. And then the last like three years I've done monthly, which provide a nice overview, and sometimes I could do kinda some smaller stories or a little, a little fun story. But like, but then I [00:12:00] wasn't also documenting some of these smaller moments in, as pages. So it's, I feel like it's allowed me to tell more stories of our everyday life because of the smaller format, and they're not taking up space in a layout, and I like that they're kinda chronological. I mean, there have been times where I've documented other everyday life things, but, as layouts, but not as frequently. So I feel like this is a bigger, better glimpse of our life, I think.

Jennifer Wilson: So to be clear, you're combining both pockets and six by eight layouts within the same album.

Alissa Williams: Um, actually it's all pockets. Um.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Alissa Williams: This, this one is actually all pockets. I have not done any s- like 6 by 8 full.

Jennifer Wilson: Or page. Yeah.

Alissa Williams: Stuck to pockets. I do a lot of photo collages.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Yeah.

Alissa Williams: I have mainly stuck to pockets. I have not done any... I've done, I've done some stories in the past where [00:13:00] I did the 6 by 8 pages, but I don't enjoy those.

I like the pocket style better I think. So you know, like, for example, like I go on some regular craft weekends, and I don't, I don't need six pages about that in my album, but it's nice to be able to do a little spread about, um, that we did that in th- in March. And, you know, here's a fun picture and, of us together, and here's like what I was working on. And, I don't need to necessarily make that layout, but I like having... I like doing something with those photos, you know, 'cause for a long.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: Time those photos would just sit there and, you know, I certainly do, I've done some like through the years, well, like yeah, I've done a compilation of that w- um, one of our annual ones.

But it's nice to have a home for some of the photos that I don't think [00:14:00] deserve or need an entire page about them.

Jennifer Wilson: So would you say this is kind of a solution for like middle stories? 'Cause like you had a place for, we went, we, uh, went and got ice cream again, right? And so that was in what you did as Project Life, and then you did layouts. And so this is capturing things that are just like, it's a story because it's this moment in time, and it r- it makes me think of this, and, and this is how it fits into the bigger picture, and so you're trying to give more attention to that.

Alissa Williams: Yes. Like I did this really fun two-by-two, page. Well, like for April, I had a ton of photos, so like my, my six photo grid that I start the like, the, the each section with was just, I was like, "There's just more I wanna show." I have a lot, a lot happened in April. April was really busy. It happens to also be my daughter's birthday month, and spring break, and just there was a lot, there were a lot of pictures I wanted to use. And so, I ended up, [00:15:00] I, I did the, regular, layout that I start each month with, but then I did a two-by-two grid, and I had these, you know, um, chipboard pieces to use up from old Stories by the Month kit. And then on the other side of the two-by-two grid, I did this whole thing, I did a layout about my daughter's birthday, and her birthday party, and the different things she did, 'cause I had all these pictures.

And it... And there is a layout that I have done about my daughter's birthday in her album, but it's nice to have it captured here. And it was fun to kind of be like, how can I... It's a puzzle. Like every month is like a puzzle. Like what are the stories I wanna tell, and how can I make them work within the spreads and the pockets that I have available to me?

Um, so each month, at the end of the month, I sit down and I look through my camera roll and I figure out, well, what are my six kind of I wanna mention that these things happened, or this is a cute picture of my dog. And then what [00:16:00] are the things that get spreads? And then- Also, are there any things that I want to add to my layout idea list of like this definitely deserves a layout.

Like for example, my daughter, um, joined the color guard in her freshman year, and so we're all of a sudden we're a band family and, um, the band is a cult. And so, I went... They do, I mean, I mean, they do these things where we, were going to competition and we have a sendoff where we stand on the side of the road and cheer the buses as they go by, which was fun, but also it's like, oh my, like really?

You, okay. Um, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it sounded like a lot.

Alissa Williams: Yeah, they were only going 20 minutes to the next town over. Like, it wasn't like we were sending them to state, you know? Like we do these sendoffs.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: When kids reach these... We were just sending them to their first band competition of the season. And [00:17:00] so I t- had someone, um, who was there take a picture of me with my cowbell and my sign, and you actually suggested that I make a page that says, "I joined a cult," which I think is hilarious. And I, um, I wrote that on my layouts, uh, layout idea list. So yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Um, okay, I have a couple different questions to, to follow up here. So, so when you are sitting down, going through your photos and deciding what's gonna go where, are you, are you writing this down somewhere?

Alissa Williams: Yeah. So I just have like a simple notebook. That I don't sometimes I've used my Creative Hub, but it's, don't know, I feel like my messy scribbles are not like... Not that I want my Creative Hub to be like pristine. Sometimes I write my story, my story list in there, and then I'll actually sketch stuff out just in a regular plain old notebook, and I'll just draw out, like, um, 'cause, you know, am I using, am I using a pocket page that has four [00:18:00] individuals?

Am I using one that's, you know, two three by fours on the top and a four by six on the bottom? Am I using two four by sixes? What cards do I need? So I, I list out the stories, and then I sort of like figure out what the flow is gonna look like. Um, you know, is it gonna be a two-page spread? Is it gonna be a one-page spread? I look at, um, Elle's Studio for ideas from their creative team of like like if it's a two-page spread, you know, like where do you put decorative elements? Where do you put stuff? It was also fun because like I've tried to, over the summer I started to try to incorporate some ephemera more. So like at the end of the school year, I got this nice note from daughter's homeroom teacher who I've... then I had h- taken a picture with her at graduation. So I just put the note in the pocket put the picture of us together, and like that's all that is, but it's nice to have that, you know, saved and recorded where it's [00:19:00] seen and not hidden away somewhere.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly. Yeah, yeah. Now, you print at home. Do you think you could approach this project the same way that you do if you didn't print at home?

Alissa Williams: Well, I do because I did Project Life for many years where I didn't print at home. Um, where I would go to Costco every Sunday and pick up my prints and put it together. So definitely, I mean, I... It makes it a lot easier since I have my Picture Mate and can print at home. But, um, I could definitely do it if I didn't have my own printer.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, it sounds like you have a good rhythm. Now you're also doing these collage prints. Can you tell us how, how you do that?

Alissa Williams: Yeah, so I have a PictureMate, and I just use the Epson, the Epson app that comes with your PictureMate to make collages. It's called Creative Print, Epson Creative Print, and you can do collages j- [00:20:00] kind of like you could in the, um, Becky Higgins app, the Project Life app. But I like them because I can do them with the white border.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: Border in between. So I like to do, like, four up that are kinda landscape, horizontal. So I do those, or I'll, I'll print two three by fours on one with white borders, or I'll print a four by six. Um, and then I can do the... That's where I also create the six two by two collage, um, with white borders.

So yeah, it's called.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Alissa Williams: Epson Creative Print.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, can you export from that app or can you only print?

Alissa Williams: I don't know.

Jennifer Wilson: Just curious, like if you're, if somebody was going to maybe use that app to create a collage but doesn't have the printer, is gonna send it off somewhere. It's just curious.

Alissa Williams: That I don't really know.

Jennifer Wilson: No big deal.

Alissa Williams: It just says home, print. Does this say export? No. You can only, I think you can only use this if you have the PictureMate app.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure. Yeah. Well and it [00:21:00] is, that is a very popular printer. I am sure a lot of folks in our audience, uh, do have that one. So whenever I go to a crop, I'm like, 85% of everyone there has the same printer.

Alissa Williams: Well, yes, and then we play Picture Mate roulette and see, did I connect to the right one and will it, or is it gonna print on my printer or someone else's across the room? Which I have had happen before.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah Anything else we need to know about how you are approaching this project and, like, why is it working so well for you?

Alissa Williams: That's a good question. I think it's working, because I have, have all my supplies together. I kind of know what supplies I'm using each month, and it's such a small scale. I can kind of batch it. I can do it in stages. I can work over it the course of a couple days. I don't have to sit down and, know, do one whole layout at a time.

Jennifer Wilson: Now your, um, pocket cards, [00:22:00] how, how are you in terms of, like, finding the first one that works versus finding the perfect one?

Alissa Williams: Oh, I just use the first one that works. Um, so I have the, so the first thing I do is I have monthly boxes that have all my old Stories by the Month leftovers that are month themed. And so I usually open that up first and see if I have a, see what I have that says the month on it. And I, I've actually, I did not do this in January, but I did start Did I start with February? think I started with February, where I, yeah. I started with February, where I do the, um, February looks like this, March looks like this, and I use that card for my journaling. And if I don't have a card that says that, I have the stamps for each of those. I have stamps for all 12 months.

So I will stamp [00:23:00] that. So I always have something that says, "This month looked like this," and then my journaling.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Do you think having tho- that kind of repeated structure helps you, like, get started? Like, is that part of, like, kind of the warmup for the month is, is to do that part?

Alissa Williams: Yes. Um, because basically I, I know I need to pick six pictures, and And six pictures that I pick are not gonna necessarily appear or be part of the overall stories. So like in May, I have a pict- I had taken a picture of what gas prices were, and so I put that in there because that's a slice of life.

So I'm trying to do a little slice of life. I guess that's not entirely true because I think I used that picture of graduation later. But yeah. So I, so once I know kind of what my six pictures are, and then I can kind of look through and see if there's any themes. Like in May, we went to a lot of movies, so I did a collage with the four movies we saw, and uh, I used some of the Watch kit [00:24:00] cards to make a s- layout about the movies we saw.

And so, so they're either like a theme for the month. I've done some currentlys. Um, I've found some currently cards, and I've tried to include a currently in the last couple months. Um, and then what I have is I have a basket that has old Elle's Studio monthly kits, and then t- uh, I ha- well, actually now that we're in the end of the year, I had October, November, and December of my Stories by the Month kits that I had not broken apart from 2024 and put in, um, other places.

So I basically just pull out the Elle's Studio kit that I have 'cause I've had leftovers from each month, um, almost. There's been a few months where I haven't had stuff. And then I kind of see what fits and, yeah, I just kind of... And then if I have like a specific... Like I know what story kits I have, so if there's something like, I wanna do, you know, something [00:25:00] on, I don't know, um, like this was hard or like strength," I'll, I'll go in and pull that out.

I also have my old Elle's Studio stuff I have sorted by color. So if I can't find a card or I have like maybe one or two cards from the kit that I'm working with, it's real- they use the same c- color scheme which is nice, so it's.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: Easy to go in and maybe find s- another card, if I need another card that will work.

Jennifer Wilson: Are you in, uh, I don't, this is not the right wording, but are you in danger of, uh, using up your supplies of, of this genre?

Alissa Williams: That is hilarious. No. In danger of using up all my cards? Um, yeah. No, I have so many, I have so many cards. Three by four pocket, four by six cards, three by four card. I still have so many, that, yeah, like I never fully use up an entire, thing. I've gotten a little better [00:26:00] too about tossing some or recycling I'm like never gonna use.

Like there was one in, like 2024 was like that cicada, super cicada, whatever that was. And so there were a lot in one of the kits that had like cicadas, and I'm like, "You know what? I'm not gonna use these." So I junk them.

Jennifer Wilson: What about on the embellishment side though?

Alissa Williams: Um, I, I use a little bit of embellishments.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Alissa Williams: But not a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: So it, yeah, when you're thinking about 2027 and you're asking me if you should subscribe to something, I should tell you no.

Alissa Williams: Probably, yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Or yes, because we wanna support the industry.

Alissa Williams: I mean, yes, we wanna support the industry. Um, I could probably do all of 20. I'd have to think of a new, like, way to do my title cards probably, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: I, I have enough. So, like, for September, well, um, September, you know, [00:27:00] is usually new routines, and I haven't, um, I'm s- you know, it's early October when we're recording this, so I've only really just thought about how I wanted to approach September. Um, and I'm sort of doing, um, a Week In The Life-ish type thing in that I'm gonna do, um, Mon- Monday is for, Tuesday is for, Wednesday is for, Thursday is for, Friday is for.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: And I have, like, you know, a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday card, Friday card that I'm gonna use. Because definitely now that we're back in school and all that stuff, there's a definite pattern to our week, and so I thought it'd be a good way.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, for sure.

Alissa Williams: To ca- capture the stories.

Jennifer Wilson: So at the beginning of our conversation, we talked about what you thought this year was gonna look like, and then how has, have things transpired? How has your season of life impacted your time, energy, and motivation for scrapbooking, as well as the stories you've ended up telling? Like, maybe let's start with, like, the first half of the year.

Alissa Williams: Well, so the first half of the year, [00:28:00] um, was pretty, was good. We were busy, um, with girls' activities and, you know, the end of the year, um, we had, we had a good summer with, um, early in the summer with concerts and, you know, we went through birthday season 'cause everyone has birthdays kind of in the spring. So, you know, I was in a pretty regular mode. I was going to crops and, I usually don't have a lot of time March, and April, to craft, but I was able to keep up on my six by eight album, and I was really proud of that. Like, I've really... When I've done Project Life in the past by month, sometimes I'll let two or three months go and then I'll, like, batch do it. But this, I have really, you know, found that usually around the beginning of the month I find the time and I just start doing it. Um, that got a little trickier towards the end of the summer. My husband was [00:29:00] diagnosed with a serious medical condition that has sort of turned everything upside down and, um, taken attention, um, to his health. And so, uh, trying to figure out how to document that in this project and, um, document moving forward has been challenging. And I mean, it's still new. We just, um, everything really kind of fell apart at the very end of July. So it's, we're only like 10 weeks into this new journey that we have.

Jennifer Wilson: And so the approach to Week in the Life is kind of part of the way you're thinking about documenting this journey and what, what life looks like now?

Alissa Williams: Yes. Um, so it's like not a true Week In The Life type thing. Um, but when I was just looking.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Alissa Williams: At like what the pictures I had and like h- how to tell the different stories, like our days, you know, like Friday nights are for football [00:30:00] games. Um, I eat fish on Monday nights now, and Abby has color guard practice.

So like, just sort of like what the girls are up to. It's a w- it's a way to bring some random pictures together and make meaning out of them, I think, um, with this approach.

Jennifer Wilson: I think that's ma- amazing. I think it, it could help anyone, um, maybe find not necessarily easier, but maybe a more approachable path to documenting what our, what your week is like. Um, 'cause it can be really intense to do seven consecutive days of documentation and taking lots of photos. But if we're always taking photos, we can try to find those themes, um, across days of the week

Alissa Williams: Yeah, like Tuesday nights as part of my cult membership, we go to open rehearsal at 8:00. So you know, it's like, we, we go watch them a- add more to their show. Um, so it- when I looked at all my pictures, it was kind of like, our town always has a fall [00:31:00] pumpkin festival 'cause we, uh, we are the pumpkin capital of the world. Other than that, I really didn't have any, like, big stories because we've sort of been in survival mode and getting used to, um, this new season. And so when I was trying to figure out how I wanted to capture September, I was like, well, but we do have these very, I don't wanna say rigid routines, but like the days have a very clear pattern to them right now.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Alissa Williams: That will, is like a September/October thing with band season, volleyball season.

And, um, so I just thought that would be a good way to approach the storytelling, and it's also a way include pieces of this health story without making it super prominent.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure, sure. Now how has being on this journey changed how you feel about scrapbooking?

Alissa Williams: I don't have a profound answer for that. Um, is [00:32:00] important to me because it's a form of stress relief.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Yeah.

Alissa Williams: I It is a little harder, um, at times to tell past stories sometimes. Because there is a, there is a grief for what we had and what we're now facing. Um, of, you know, letting go of how life was supposed to go and how we thought life... and, you know, not appreciating what we had when we had it, I guess.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: But I mean, it's still very important to me.

It's still something I am trying to prioritize. Um, and I think it is, even though the story is a little harder now, I think it's important to document along the way. Because [00:33:00] also, like, I don't wanna forget the good stuff. So, 'cause there are still good things.

Jennifer Wilson: Do, do you think it's helped you keep up more than you had in the past with other projects? Just that, like, underlying motivation/need for escape.

Alissa Williams: Possibly. You know, I think, I think that, that could be true. Um, I was... Like, everything, like I said, kind of fell apart right at the end of July. And it did take me longer to get my July stuff done. Um, but I did do it, and I don't think... oh, I did. I mentioned it, because we were at the beginning, I mentioned it very, very briefly in the over- in the opening section, but I didn't do anything specific.

Um, but I still did it. Now August, you know, we were deep in it. We were in crisis mode, and I again just [00:34:00] gave an overview of it, um, in the opening. And then I did actually, uh, 'cause we had two kind of challenging events, one being my husband's diagnosis and the other being, uh, the loss of my stepfather, um, unexpectedly.

So I did a... I found a card from one of those story kits that said, "No thank you," and then I found a card that said.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: "And then this." And so I did, um, I did a picture with my hus- of my husband, and then I did a picture of the airplane when I flew, um, out. My family lives in Oregon, and so I flew there to be with my mom.

And so, so I did actually tell those stories in a, um, in a somewhat humorous kind of way, I think, when you just read the cards, um, with some small journaling and a photo just to kind of mark the occasion.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. No, I've, I'm, I've been very, impressed doesn't seem like the right word here. Uh, my [00:35:00] words are not great today. Um, you've shown so much strength and resilience already. Um, I feel like you've got this. Um, even though I'm sure there are many times every day when you feel like you don't.

Alissa Williams: Thank you.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm wondering how else are you taking care of yourself?

Alissa Williams: Well, I, I watch a lot of weird TV um, which I've never really been a big TV watcher. Um, I shouldn't say it's weird TV. I don't know. I've been watching way more TV than normal, um, and 'cause that's a good distraction. Um, and I'm going, going back and doing a little bit of re-watching. But y- uh, my big, my big stress relief this fall has been Friday night football games. I have a cowbell. I have binoculars. I'm slightly obnoxious in my cheering. Um, and I have a really good time with my friend on Friday nights, um, watching our local high school team, which they're having a pretty good season, so that makes it a little even [00:36:00] more fun. Um, but that is one thing I look forward to every Friday is going to football. And even like, like leveling up my fandom into going to the away games and not just the home games.

So, um, I have... Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: You know, we have a lot of things in common, but this is absolutely not one of them.

Alissa Williams: Yeah, I know. so that is definitely, um, one thing I have enjoyed, um, this fall as a distraction on Friday nights.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, how has, like, the change in your family's needs impacted your approach to planning? 'Cause that's been a topic of a lot of our previous conversations.

Alissa Williams: Well, I have to, I have to plan more. I have to, um, I have to be a little more on top of the schedule. Like we had gotten, you know, with... When you have someone who can drive, you kind of don't have to worry about their schedule as much. But, you know, when you need that person to maybe help with their little [00:37:00] sister going places, um, you know, you need to be a little more on top of what the schedule is.

Um, so I've definitely, uh, learned over the past month that I need to just, um, have a little more planning. And the big thing I did actually, because kind of when we were in crisis mode, was my whole mantra was keep it simple. Like, how can I make this as simple as possible? So like I- one week I went to Costco and I bought their vat of chicken salad and I bought croissants, and then that was what I ate for lunch every day, so I didn't have to think about it.

Um, but the other thing.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Yeah.

Alissa Williams: That I did was, um, I invested in the Skylight calendar. Which... So I had been doing each week was writing on a whiteboard our weekly schedule um, what, you know, what we, what everyone had kind of going on. And so everyone could kind of look at that as a source of truth.

But I was [00:38:00] still the main source of truth. And when all this medical stuff happened, thing- uh, appointments were being added and things were changing, and it was like too much to erase and rewrite, and I just was like, I, this is, this system doesn't work for us anymore. So I had heard about the Skylight calendar, and I decided to in- invest in it. And we love it. Um, it also has an app. So like my 16-year-old has an app, has the Skylight app, so she can... I had tried doing a Google Calendar earlier in 2026, a shared Google Calendar that everyone could access, but like they could look at it, but they wouldn't add their stuff to it. I don't know what the block was.

But with the Skylight, it has an app. They can see the calendar on the s- through the Skylight app. They can add their own stuff through [00:39:00] that app. I can a- I-- because I bought it at Costco, I got six months of their premium service where you can, um, well, you can always assign chores, but you can give them stars as a reward.

And I did not realize.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Alissa Williams: How motivating that would be for my teenagers. Like, I did not think... Like you think of that being like a seven, eight, six, seven, eight-year-old thing, but no. Like, I was like, "Yeah, if you take the trash out, you can get two stars." And by golly, someone else took the trash out. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Heck, if I take the trash out, I ask you to give me a gold star.

Alissa Williams: Right? Um, so has been really helpful in uh, having them have access to the schedule, having them be- have agency to add their own things to the schedule, keeping track of where everyone wa- is. Um, and it has... I, I love it. Like, I was... From day one, I loved it. It, it's really easy to use, um, and it's [00:40:00] been a great addition to our planning routine. And I don't have to, like, update it. Like, it, it syncs automatically.

Jennifer Wilson: So just for those who like aren't familiar with this, 'cause I wasn't at all, it's, um, a, like, like a digital photo frame that's, that's a calendar. And does it sit on a desk or attach to the wall?

Alissa Williams: Yes. Um, it, it can do both. We have it mounted to the wall. And yeah, so it's a digital display of your calendar, but then it also... It, it actually, it has other integrations. Like you could keep your grocery shopping list on it. You could plan your meals on it. I don't do some of those things quite yet. Um, the other thing that is nice, so it'll display your calendar, but then if you, if it's been a... It will turn into a digital photo frame. And so I've lo- I've loaded some recent pictures onto it, and so then I have this picture.

Jennifer Wilson: That's cool.

Alissa Williams: Display in the kitchen, which I've never had before. So that's kind of fun. Kind of like, like an Alexis Show or Echo or whatever.[00:41:00]

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Alissa Williams: It shows your pictures. So that's, I enjoy that aspect too, but it's been a huge for, just one less thing I have to do of updating the whiteboard, and people can look ahead. You know, uh.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's what I was wondering.

Alissa Williams: Yeah, can look ahead and stuff.

Jennifer Wilson: ' Cause the whiteboard would only be based on the last time you updated it, so, um, I know I'm always looking at my calendar to figure out, okay, what do I have in the next, you know, three or four days.

Alissa Williams: So it shows one week at a time, but then people can scroll through and see the other upcoming weeks as well.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's really cool.

Alissa Williams: It's color-coded.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, it's color-coded. Nice. From, by person?

Alissa Williams: Yes, and by activity. So like I.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Alissa Williams: So like if it's a band thing, there's a, um, I can tag it, um, band as a, um, label. So like you can label things.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Alissa Williams: And you, so you can do it by profile or by label. So that way we can tell like, [00:42:00] is this a band thing or is this just a thing that she's doing? So.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. That's terrific. Yeah, I wonder if other listeners are already using this. It's, it was totally new to me. And sometimes there's like, you know, as, as, uh, as techy as I am and always doing new stuff, sometimes there's things out there in the world because I spend so much time here in my office that I just don't know about.

So what are you thinking about in terms of, you know, values, priorities, even like, like lenses to borrow, you know, a One Little Word perspective as you start to consider 2027? Or is that even like not, not even on your radar?

Alissa Williams: Oh, well, um, I mean, the hardest part about this whole situation is I'm such a planner, and this has kind of taken away my ability to do any long-term planning for right now. That has been a, a, a new reality. Um, I mean, [00:43:00] think I wanna continue this, um, six by eight approach. It's working well for me.

I really like it. I like having, uh, some chronological stuff in this particular season. Um, it'll be interesting to see if I can get the entire year, in one six by eight album. Um, it might spread to two, and in fact, I was actually thinking this... Because I'm already doing the six by eight format, I might be able to do kind of a smaller or a...

Maybe I'll get creative and do more spreads, but, like, this, this would lend itself to a December Daily-type approach this year, which I had thought about maybe trying a December Daily, um, because I just wanna capture the memories I can while we're making them right now.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.[00:44:00]

Alissa Williams: Um, so I was like, "Well, I mean, I'm already doing six by eight," and I, you know, I had found this simplified approach for my Week In The Life. Is there a way I could mimic that, you know, for December Daily or just a photo a day for Decem- Like, I don't know. I haven't thought super... I haven't, like, really planned as much, but I've had this kind of like, "Oh, well, this... You're already... It would flow really nicely,"

Jennifer Wilson: I think so, yeah.

Especially if most of the year does fit in the first album and you have, like, the overflow into the second, and then you, you fill the rest with December and maybe more memorabilia and, and yeah, it sounds like a very, like, complete story, very satisfying.

Alissa Williams: "Yeah, that's a great idea."

Jennifer Wilson: Alissa, thank you so much. Can you share where our listeners can find you online?

Alissa Williams: Sure. I'm primarily on Instagram as Alissa recommends. Um, is private, but you can request me, um, which [00:45:00] I am always flattered when people do that after I have appeared on one of these episodes. So yeah, you can follow along, and I haven't been posting a ton there this fall, but, um, I do post book recommendations since I'm a librarian, and I post, um, some pieces of our everyday life.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, you had some really fun photos from the pumpkin festival.

Alissa Williams: Yes. It's always a fun time.

Jennifer Wilson: No doubt. Alissa, I wish you all the best, and I'm definitely, you know, thinking about you during this challenging time.

Alissa Williams: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Bre Randon: [00:00:00] scrapbooking hits so many levels of introspection, artistic spark, journaling, emotional family relationships, and it really is an all-encompassing hobby. It kinda becomes a way of life, and I feel like it changes your outlook on life. If you wanna get off social media and you're tired of all the stuff out there. A really great way is to sit with some of your photos and your friends and your family and your memories, and also do some creative art play.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper, and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 350. In this episode, I'm interviewing Bre Randon for the My Way series. My Way is all about celebrating the unique ways memory keepers get things done.

We're excited to have Bre as the October featured artist at Simple Scrapper

Hey, Bre. Welcome back to Scrapbook Your Way

Bre Randon: Hi, Jennifer. It's so nice to be back. It's been a [00:01:00] while

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, I always love chatting with you. Can you share a little bit about yourself?

Bre Randon: Yeah, sure. So my name's Bre. I'm a digital scrapbooker. Um, I am a government affairs advocacy and philanthropic coordinator, um, for a large pharmaceutical company outside of Washington, DC. I just married my partner of 20-plus years. We have a daughter going into middle school in a couple weeks, which I'm kind of like my mind is blown by. And, uh, we share our home with two charming but adorably derpy dogs and a betta fish with a big chip on his shoulder.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, you got a lot of big milestones there recently. Congratulations.

Bre Randon: Oh, thank you. Yeah, a lot of... Life just keeps on rolling, so.

Jennifer Wilson: It does, that's for sure. So do you have a favorite recent layout or project, and why is it, you know, maybe more special than the others?

Bre Randon: Um, I have a project that I'm working on. It's actually a, a Disney project and it's from a, a single, [00:02:00] like a single lady trip to Disneyland I took in 2008 of all things. And I just, I'm finally kind of nearing the bend on it. You know, I'm rounding it out.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: It's been in my queue for, you know, 20 years almost, and some of the ladies in the community, we're all sort of banding together and working on some Disney layouts, and I just really wanna get it done. And it's so nice to sort of look back those, you know, single days and kind of enjoy that trip. I have historically never finished a travel album at all, and I'm so excited to.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Bre Randon: Finally be ... Like, I can see it. I can almost taste it.

Jennifer Wilson: That's really cool.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious how you think kind of your journaling perspective would be different from if you had done it actually, you know, 18 years ago?

Bre Randon: You know, you know the funny part is, is I look at this and, um, so we'll get into this a little bit later, but because this trip is so old, I actually had to scan some paper layouts. I sent them off to Forever, I got them [00:03:00] scanned, and so I have this really big cross, like smattering, this cross-section of my entire scrapbooking history in this album. Because I have paper, I have really like more me centric journaling and photos, um, versus like typical family trips. Um, I have early digital pages, like I'm talking like 2009. Um, and so like the software and the capacity and the designs that we had at that time, I've got... You know, I have pages that are very graphic in design because there was a definite phase for that. I have pages that are very craft based and like almost heritage looking in Disney. Because there was kind of a time for that too.

And so I love looking back at this, and I feel it's kind of like a scrapbooking capsule almost, time capsule.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. It sounds very like a, a, a meta, um, analysis of your evolution as a scrapbooker and your evolution as a person over that time, and that's really cool.

Bre Randon: [00:04:00] I'm so stoked for it, yeah, because it's just like I've been flipping through it and I didn't realize it, but I was like looking at some of those early, like I think I have, um, early like Disney Jolie stickers in there. You know what I mean?

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Some of the old school stuff, and I'm just so like, I still love it.

Like, I'm really happy I'm looking back on it, and there's been a couple things where I redid some of them because they were just like the photos were just too sepia toned and stuff. Like you just couldn't see it. I didn't understand photo editing back then. But generally speaking, I'm so thrilled to look back and be like, I can really see like my growth as a person, my growth as a scrapbooker, and like kind of the smattering of like a time capsule of the industry too, and it makes me really happy.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I feel like this also fits into kind of your philosophy on like we're gonna document things and we're gonna kinda let go of, of things at the same time because my scrapbook is now the record of it.

Bre Randon: Exactly.

Jennifer Wilson: So I'm curious, the pages that are going in there, did you end up discarding the originals?

Bre Randon: I did, I did. I threw them all [00:05:00] away.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Bre Randon: Uh, you know how I am. Uh, we've talked about this a little bit off the podcast, but I very much, um, you know, I've often not been in homes that have a lot of s- you know, storage space. Uh, you know, I.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Bre Randon: Lived in South Jersey and I had a 300 square foot apartment there, and then I moved to a, a selection of very small townhomes as we moved out into DC area, and I just don't have the capacity to store all this stuff.

And I figure, know, once it's printed in a book, that's the book, you know? That's it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Well, I see so many applications for different stories that are like compilations like that. Where, you know, like Halloween comes to mind for me, and I've, I've done some of my favorite layouts are Halloween layouts that actually were summaries. But let's take all those Halloween layouts, maybe after Emily graduates, and then let's put them all in a book as a compact Halloween story. And that kind of frees up some space, and then, you know, ties a little bow on it.

Bre Randon: Yeah. Well and I will say as much as I am get like in the let's get rid of it kind of [00:06:00] camp, um, I will say that, you know, even with being everybody in the community, I do save like my actual layouts once they're printed. Like those, those digital books become a file, right? Like I could always reprint those.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Books.

So it's not like they're gone. They're just not in a loose, you know, four by six format. So I, I feel like they're all still there, and frankly, if I wanted to, I could take those digital books and like screen capture those photos and rescrapbook You know, I could, I could make it work if I needed to. So I just feel like what I have is enough.

The chances of me ever doing that are.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh-huh.

Bre Randon: Pretty small though, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Very cool. So on a different note, ano- our other icebreaker question here, what is something new that you're excited to do, use, or try? And this can be in scrapbooking or in your everyday life.

Bre Randon: Y- you know, so the funny thing is, is I feel like I'm kind of on a theme lately, is that everything old is new again. Um.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I am really excited. I just got an extern- like, two external hard drives, which I know sounds kind [00:07:00] of ridiculous. But, um, as a digi scrapper, you know, my stash is absolutely enormous. Because I've been a digital scrapbooker for 25 years now, which is kinda crazy to think about. Um, and all those supplies, like, they don't go away. You don't consume them. And I... There's kinda two camps on this. First of all, I still use a ton of supplies that are older. I really enjoy them.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: A lot of those people are retired. I can't get those styles anymore, and I like the look of them. Um, and also, I don't have a lot of time to always go through and be purging this giant stash either.

It's just really time-consuming when you're digital, I think of, versus just going to a stack of paper and making a quick choice. You're kinda going through all these files. And so the stash got really large, and over the years I had moved into cloud storage because, you know, it was sort of the promise of cloud storage.

It was great. It was gonna be everywhere. Um, but you know, these cloud services, they're lovely and I'm glad they exist. But they all have, you know, kind of benefits and drawbacks. And you [00:08:00] don't really know that until you get kinda sucked into the system. And so I had, you know, I had done, like, early Google Drive stuff and, and back it wasn't super accessible for some of the scrappy stuff that I needed. And then I had moved to Dropbox and, like, they didn't have the tagging system. Like, they just, it... Now they do, think.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: It's been years and years. But, like, now they do, but at the time they wouldn't let you download full folders either. So it's like when I would try to do scrapbooking and all my stuff was in the cloud, you're trying to pull down a folder and you're doing one alphabet at a time.

And, and then so I got frustrated with that, and then I eventually moved to iCloud when it became a full backup. Um, like an actual, you know, cloud storage, not just a sync option. And they sell.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Massive amounts of storage, but what I'm finding is that iCloud really doesn't work that well. Because it's always trying to sync. And so when you're in the middle of scrapbooking a really big project, if iCloud is in the middle of a large sync in the background, and, like, say I dump, you know, [00:09:00] 1,000 photos into Lightroom and it's trying to sync in the background, that can take a whole day. But the problem is is that iCloud's not really available to open up that paper.

Like, so when I try to drag it into Photoshop, it can freeze Photoshop. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

Bre Randon: Yeah. And it's like you don't think about that. They don't tell you that when you're purchasing these massive amounts of data storage. And you think everything is great, and it is in some ways. It's great that it's accessible, but when I'm trying to really be flexible and open up a whole bunch of kits, say, when I'm at Scrapbook Expo, well, you can't. You're just sitting there frozen. And I just, you know, I was like, I'm just sort of tired of this kind of like situation. And the way I scrapbook has changed a little bit recently, and we can talk about that later. But, um, I was like, you know what? I'm just going back to the old ways, and I got a giant, giant external hard drive, and then I got a second one to back that up on Time Machine, and it's been so exciting. First of all, to see that stash, 'cause I'm going through it all as... You have to, again, you have to individually [00:10:00] kinda download all these items to drag them over, and it t- it's very time-consuming. Um, but I've been kind of being re- refamiliarizing myself with my stash. And I'm really excited to sort of own my own stuff again, for lack of a better term. Like, I really have it there, and it's mine, and it's always downloaded, and I don't have to be kind of like messing around with some of the logistics, and it's making me really, really excited.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that's really cool. Yeah, I've been encountering similar issues. Um, like several of my cloud storage services, you know, I have them set to, like, on demand, so it downloads it when it needs it. Well, what if you need, like, a lot of those files at once?

Bre Randon: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: Then you're waiting for a bunch of, say, large video files to download and it, it becomes quite a bit of a delay.

And then also just I'm hitting the limits in all of my cloud storage and my hard drive and my external drive, and I'm just like, "Okay, what do we do now?" So I have to ask Claude, "Okay, can you help me optimize all this [00:11:00] because I'm kind of stuck." And so I do think, you know, you have a good point that buying another big external hard drive might be the solution. Because, I mean, as, as amazing as cloud is, um, there are, as you said, some drawbacks as well.

Bre Randon: Yeah. And I think that, you know, feel like the, the narrative in the last several years has been like, "Oh, this stor- you know, storage is so cheap." I even see it in the community a lot, like it's been up.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Up a bunch. "Storage is so cheap." You know what? Storage is not cheap though when you have six different subscriptions, right? It's really not.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Like, you think it's cheap 'cause you're like, "Oh, it's $10." You know, oh, it's not... But it's like at the volume even for me for iCloud that I'm going through, it's like, okay, well that's 30 or 40, and then I'm paying 30 for Lightroom. And then, like... And I looked at it the other day and I was like, this is literally a car payment.

Like, by the time you go through, and it's like I love my hobby, no j- no lie. But like, yeah, cloud storage is cheaper, but I feel like in some ways it's actually becoming more expensive now that they have got us [00:12:00] kind of into it. And.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm sure that was the plan all along.

Bre Randon: I was gonna say, we all knew that was coming, right?

But also, like some of these st- yeah, some of these services also throttle you. I know for, um, iCloud does throttle people. Like, they don't talk about it, but they actually, there's fine print in there that says if they feel like, what do they call it, protecting their server from bad actors, was the fine print that I read in some documentation.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh-huh.

Bre Randon: And it was like, well, I'm not a bad actor. I'm just a person who uploads and downloads a lot at, at a time, you know? So they don't know that we're not bad actors 'cause we're just such heavy users. Um, and I just... I'm like, you know what? Let's just go back to the old days. I'm ready.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I get it. Um, on that note of you paying $30 for Lightroom, and I've, I've explored this, like, every year, at, at least every six months I explore this because I would love to move to Lightroom Cloud in order to have all of my photos accessible anywhere. Um, 'cause I'm always like, "Oh, I wanna look that thing up," and I'm like, "Oh, well, I have to go home and sit at [00:13:00] my computer," and, you know, and all that.

But because I use the whole suite, I can't, I can't just add storage to it, so it would double the cost that I'm paying for Adobe in order to have Lightroom, Lightroom Cloud. It's so silly.

Bre Randon: That's so weird 'cause I pay for, like, the ph- photography package and then I added

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Lightroom Storage. They don't let you?

Jennifer Wilson: It's so bizarre.

Bre Randon: What a strange concept. I can't ... Somebody messed, somebody messed that up. Somebody didn't think that through. That's so sad 'cause I love Lightroom Cloud. I know that we have a lot of diehard Classics users, but I will tell you that the between.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Them is narrowing, like, every, every reissue, like, every upgrade they do. It's like you can do so many, like, things with, um, like upscaling digital noise now and all this kind of like ... I feel like they're really investing. I

Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah, for sure.

Bre Randon: In it, in the Cloud with that, and I, I, I hope you can get access to it. Boo, hiss. I don't love it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. And I would, I would think I [00:14:00] would still use Classic on my computer for some of the features, but just have everything in those synced folders. Yeah, because of the book module, um, which a whole separate podcast episode is I'm really using Affinity way more than the book module now.

Bre Randon: Okay. We need to talk about that more offline because like, yeah, we, we should talk about that later. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: And then, um, but really like the printing. Like I like to make collages and I print directly from Lightroom. I don't wanna have to fuss with setting things up the way I want them in, in Photoshop. So.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I would probably still print my photos through Classic.

Bre Randon: I don't blame you. Yeah, I do love the print module. I think they're getting closer. I think they added a version of a print module a couple...

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Bre Randon: S- it's not, it's not as full-featured though like the.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Classic one. But I feel like they're getting there. They're sort of figuring it out.

Jennifer Wilson: This could be a whole episode by itself just talking about Lightroom. So we should continue on. So this is a My Way episode because you are a featured artist for October 2026. We're excited to be [00:15:00] featuring, um, one of our team members every other month and their s- creative style. So, as always, we like to start a little bit big picture here.

What would you say to a non-scrapbooker about why you love this hobby? Like, what's your elevator pitch for scrapbooking?

Bre Randon: You know, it's funny 'cause like I was saying everything old is new again. And like, scrapbooking kinda gets this bad rap as a grandma hobby. Like, no hate to grandmas, no hate to hobbies, I love them both. But it really does, and when you talk to people, they just... Especially I feel like people that are sort of in, I wanna say like their 30s maybe, like not, I- ironically, younger kids seem to sorta get it.

Like, I'm.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: You know, Abby's age and a little bit older, and they, they love the idea. So it's, it's actually really great to sorta pitch to them. But I feel like the people that would be sorta consumers and that would purchase things in our industry, some of those, like you get that grandma hobby vibe. And what, at the same time, those are the same exact people where I keep hearing this like [00:16:00] push analog living, and like that they're dissatisfied with the algorithm like dominating their life, and that they are tired of the, you know, social media hamster wheel and all that kind of stuff. It's like, it's the same cohort.

And so when I talk to people like that, I really try to say, "You know, when you're thinking about what you're getting from social media, like it's, it's that addiction, right? That's that dopamine, the constant hit of something new and exciting.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: And I'm like, I would challenge you to find anything more exciting than solving a creative problem." Right? Like, when that moment when you get the design just right, or you find that paper that exactly matches your kid's graduation dress and you are like, "This is kismet. It's fantastic." Um, and I really... Like, it's good for your brain. It's good for your heart. It's good for how you look at the world. And so that's sorta how I, I kinda pitch it to people.

I'm like, "You know, hobbies are good for us. Scrapbooking is, it's good for us. And so when you're out [00:17:00] there in the world and you're looking and you're like, 'I, I cannot deal with anymore with all this noise out there. Like what better way than to take some time for yourself, keep your brain engaged and active and, and like spicy, you know what I mean?

Like that, it, it really is good for you to have a hobby. And scrapbooking hits so many levels of like introspection, artistic spark, journaling, emotional family relationships, and it really is an all-encompassing hobby. It kinda becomes a way of life, and I feel like it changes your outlook on life. If you wanna get off social media and you're tired of all the stuff out there. A really great way is to sit with some of your photos and your friends and your family and your memories, and also do some creative art play.

Jennifer Wilson: And there's so many, as we talk about all the time on the podcast and in the community, like there's so many different ways you can show up as a scrapbooker.

Bre Randon: Exactly.

Jennifer Wilson: The vast majority of people that I have talked to who are non-scrapbookers or maybe former scrapbookers, I told them about Pocket Pages or the Project Life app [00:18:00] or, um, you know, now like junk journaling is, is the thing.

But there's just so many different formats, and there always will be. That you get to choose how you want to do your creativity and how you want to merge that with your photos and stories.

Bre Randon: Yeah. Like, I think people, like the people that I, I know of that are thinking of scrapbooking and they kind of have that like sort of negative undertone to it. I think they're thinking of like the old school Creative Memories and stuff. Which was wonderful. It brought so many people to the hobby. No, no disrespect.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: But I, you know, that's not for everybody. And people are all thinking that everything has to be these huge albums, and like you have to buy special things. And it's like, no, you... I didn't start out that way, and we'll talk about that. But like, I didn't start out that way. That wasn't my intro into scrapbooking, and I don't- I think it's kinda gone back to now, yeah, like people are using sort of whatever comes around, and they're enjoying it, and that's part of the play for them.

And I, and they're- it's very accessible. You don't have to do it the one way.

Jennifer Wilson: 100%. Yeah, the, I'm making a note here because we need to talk more [00:19:00] about what scrapbooking looks like in, you know, 2026, 2027. 'Cause it doesn't look like that. And so we need to put images behind that. So that, you know, uh, those, those 30-somethings, the one that, who are most primed to get started.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Maybe have a different perspective on it.

Bre Randon: Was gonna say, yeah, I would love to actually see that, you know, as an article on Simple Scrapper. Like, here's some images of some ways that you could get involved, right? Like, a kind of almost like a call.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: To action. Hey, if you wanna do something really cool, look at all these different types of the same... we all call this the same hobby. Look it all.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. Yes. So how did you actually get started scrapbooking? You know, like I also did not start in the Creative Memories world. I started as a digital scrapbooker. Um, but I know yours entry was a little bit different than that.

Bre Randon: Yeah. So, um, I look back on it and I kind of, I, I'm so happy that I started a little bit different and I'm, you know... So I got started probably in, like, the [00:20:00] mid-'90s. Um, we had gotten our first, um our first non-dot matrix printer. So I don't know if they even called them, like, ink- inkjet back then. Like, it was, like, just the printer, right?

And a- we got a Disney clip art CD with it.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Bre Randon: I just remember being like, "Oh, there's Pluto on here." And like, we had just gotten a dog, and my sister was also very young. She- I, I have a large age gap family, and so she was an infant. And so I remember, like, taking a 110 camera photo of my sister with this, cuddled up with this dog.

And I was like, "I'm going to, I'm gonna see what clip art..." 'Cause like, I didn't even know what clip art was. Like, this was the '90s. Like, we just we were just getting access to images and, and stuff like that. And, um, I was like, "I'm gonna put this in Word," and so I dra- like, dragged over some images, and I put down some, like, Paint Bucket, and I printed out the paper. Then I cut [00:21:00] the holes in the paper like, like a paper frame, and then I, like, taped all these photos to the back of the paper. So I was like, "This is really cute." And then so I was like, "I'm gonna do this more," and I did that a bunch, and I kinda filled up a notebook. And I sort of stuck with that, and I'm kind of... I will tell you, I'm sort of ashamed at how long it took me to figure out that you could cut a photo. Like, years, I'm not even joking.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: I, I, I don't know why I made it so hard for myself. I look back and I would, like, cut things out with like stencils, like leaf shapes, and I would tape the photo behind...

Anyway, it was crazy. But like, I sorta carried on in that vein for, I wanna say like, probably about five years. I, I did clip art. I would, like, color a little bit and stuff. And in- after college, I moved down to South Jersey and I lived with my brother and my sister-in-law, 'cause again, I had a large age gap family.

They were much older than me on the flip side of things. And so she had gotten involved in Creative Memories. She actually opened a scrapbook store with her best friend, so it was called The Dawn of Memories.

Jennifer Wilson: How fun.

Bre Randon: In South Jersey. And that was my first time where I walked in and I [00:22:00] just remember being like, "Amazing." Like, it was just 12x12.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Sheets everywhere. Like, American Crafts had just came out, I think. Um, and through her, I actually was introduced kinda like to this whole ecosystem, and I actually became a scrapbooking sales rep. So I, um, because I had just moved down there, I needed a job. And so I was introduced to some friends of hers, and I got into a company where I represented about 15 to 20, independent scrapbook companies like Webster's Pages and Fancy Pants Designs and Marvy Punches. And I would go to stores.

Jennifer Wilson: Wow.

Bre Randon: Yeah, it was great. So I would go to stores from Maine through Virginia, and like, as I got better and I became a better salesperson, I would go into places like AC Moore and Michaels and I would design their planograms with... So that's kind of when you started seeing them move away from things like hot off the press and stuff.

Like, it was when they started bringing in those smaller companies. That was some of the work that I was doing. And so, um, it was really great, and it became my whole world. [00:23:00] Like it was my job, it was... I would travel, I would go to CHA and like meet Cathy Zielske and Heidi Swapp and all those guys. And that's actually the, the Disney trip that I'm scrapbooking was a CHA event. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Wow, that's so cool.

Bre Randon: Yeah, and it became, it was my friends, it was my family, it was everything. We were all so invested in it. And even my now husband, I remember telling him back then, I was like, "It's Friday, you need to find a hobby. I gotta hang out with my girls." And so he got into art because I was always scrapbooking on Friday nights. So it kind of worked out.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, how did you eventually transition to digital?

Bre Randon: It was because I was in sales. And so I was in sales for several years before. But, and it sounds like so ridiculous to say this, but every single company that I represented would give me their full range of new releases. Because I had to have the samples to go to these stores.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: So every single, you know, CHA, uh, 'cause they had them on, they had them in summer and winter, and then there was like a middle ground [00:24:00] release usually somewhere in there back in those days.

So you would have like three full product lines released. You know, and I, again, I was doing a- anywhere between 15 and 20 companies, and I had a 300 square foot apartment. I'm not even gonna lie, I had like an actual mental breakdown, like at a certain point because I had floor to ceiling paper. Um, it was... It's not, I, I don't even think you can like actually visualize it, but it was like I didn't even have a bed anymore. I slept on my couch. Because I couldn't... I would walk in and like things would fall over. And I just, I didn't know what to do. I became so overwhelmed. And I also had that guilt of like, I should be using this because like it's free, right?

Like, and I was young and I didn't have a lot of extra money. 'Cause, you know, sales they pa- paid a little bit, but it wasn't like, you know, I wasn't making $100,000 a year. Um, and so I just had like that guilt of all this stuff that kept coming in and I couldn't use it. And um, I actually had gone up to, um, [00:25:00] my boyfriend's house, you know, and he had a twin who was, um, going to school for graphic design and illustration.

And so he was in Photoshop the one day and I was looking over and I was like, "That's cool." Like, what... And I, I was like, "I think I could use that," like, I could, I could do that, you know? And he was like, "All right, lady, whatever," 'cause we didn't know each other then. And um.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: He, yeah. And so now I do, you know, he's still in my life obviously. Um, and so he had all these like Scott Kelby books back in the day, like how to use Photoshop.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: And I remember practicing over and over again to make an Oreo title, like the, the Oreo logo. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: That was one of the examples in his book, and I had just gone to a fair that had deep-fried Oreos and I was like, "I'm gonna do this."

And so I, it took me like, I wanna say like two weeks to figure out how to do this title. And like, and that was sort of it. Like, I was like, "Oh, I can, I can make my own stuff. I could do this, and I don't have to keep all this, and I can get some relief." And that was where, um, you know. It took me a while, I think [00:26:00] probably about another two years before I just was like, I sold everything I had. And I had my, one of my scrapbook friends come to my house and I sold it for like 200 bucks. It was, it was like, it was... She had to come back. It was three van loads. And she was like, "This is crazy. Are you sure?" And I was like, "Just 200 bucks is fine."

Jennifer Wilson: Wow, that's so insane.

Bre Randon: It was crazy.

Jennifer Wilson: So what timeframe are we talking about when you were picking up Photoshop in terms of like the availability of digital products?

Bre Randon: There were no digital... I mean, they, there were, I guess they were, people were just starting to do a couple freebies there. It was right around that time, honestly. Was it, was it Renee Pearson? I can't think of the.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Bre Randon: But she had just released that book. I didn't know about the book until.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Bre Randon: After I had, um, picked up Photoshop. But, um, back then Photoshop wasn't something you could just get. It was like.

Jennifer Wilson: Correct.

Bre Randon: Thousands of dollars. And still only, I, I'll be honest, the only reason, it was the only thing I ever pirated in my whole life, 'cause I firmly believe in like paying for stuff. But like, I was like, "There's no [00:27:00] way I could afford this." So again, my.

Jennifer Wilson: Hey, my first pirated version of Photoshop was Photoshop 4 in like 1997.

Bre Randon: Mine was seven. You're a little bit ahead of me. Okay, I don't feel so bad.

Jennifer Wilson: And now I have more than paid Adobe what, what that was worth, so.

Bre Randon: I've sold Adobe my soul at this point. They're fine. But I mean, at the time it was like, there was no way. Who, who in their right mind could afford like a $1,500 program? Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: That was insane. They d- they kind of brought it on themselves.

I'm sorry. I hate to be that person, but yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: No, very true. Very true.

Bre Randon: Photoshop 7. And I had the little key that I s- that I pirated, and yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I wanna say that was what, like 2005-ish? Does that sound right? Like two... Yeah, somewhere in there. That feels right.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Let's just say that.

Bre Randon: We'll say that. That sounds good.

Jennifer Wilson: So, okay, let's fast-forward to, to today. What, um, are you creating exclusively digital today, and what kind of sizes and formats are you working in terms of, like, are you printing [00:28:00] books? Do you print individual layouts? Is everything 12 by 12?

Bre Randon: Yeah, so, um, I have, I am about 90% digital 12 by 12 books. So I do almost everything in digital. I've been 12 by 12 for so long that, like, I really f- I know that we say we can change, and I understand, but, like, I just, I have so many rows of 12 by 12 books, I just, I, I find it hard to deviate from that. Um, also I am s- in the process of scanning all my paper layouts and putting them into 12 by 12 books.

So, um, I'm hoping to kinda be done with, all of my albums. Um, and so I tend to have about two big um, 12 by 12 books per year. You know, it's kinda six months divided. And then I have a, I do t- Project Life, and so I have a 12 by 12 book for that. I also do a couple of projects in paper. So, um, just because they don't really lend themselves, I feel like, to digital that easily.

Um, so Aligned, which we do in the community, I found [00:29:00] that really not that fun in digital. 'Cause it, the whole idea is to sort of be present and gathering, like, leaves and fun stuff. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Yeah, I found that that was a lot of fun to do in, in paper. And then I do One Little Word in paper. Because, again, I'm trying to journal, and I really just, I, I find that I did it for so long in, like, a folio design. Um, the folios have kinda come and gone. Um, Heidi Swapp doesn't seem to offer them as much, and she was kinda my standard, um, folio go-to for a long time. She's changed her, her product offering a little bit. It's more, like, binder based now. And so, um, I ended up doing this year as a six by eight binder, you know, Ali Edwards like everybody else sort of.

But, um, yeah, so that's the smaller size. And then I, because I really do love the rectangle design so much, I kind of always wanted to go to eight and a half by 11, but again, I'm, I'm sorta, I feel kind of mentally locked into that 12 by 12. So I started doing the Blurb six by nine trade books, the hardcover books. I do those [00:30:00] for, like, December Daily and, like, Week In The Life. Um, some, like, offshoot kind of projects, and I love them. They are the best value I think you can get for your money as a digital scrapbooker. I mean, I wanna say, like, a standard Blurb book is, like, 25 bucks for one of those little trade hardcover books.

And, I mean, I probably wouldn't put my p- most priceless, like, travel landscape photos in there, but it's pretty darn good. And they're adorable, and my family loves to hold them 'cause they're so tiny. It's like a little itty bitty book.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes.

Bre Randon: You know? So those are, that's generally how I kinda break it down.

Jennifer Wilson: So the ones that like One Little Word and your Aligned Project. Like I'm kind of, in my mind, this is similar to how my grandmother kept, basically it was a memory planner. She used a, like a calendar to, to journal every day about what she did and her feelings and who she was pissed off at.

And, uh, and I... But it was to her, these were ephemeral. These were things to be discarded. They weren't part of her like official legacy, and so I, I can see that little [00:31:00] separation for you perhaps.

Bre Randon: Yeah. Well and you know what? Actually, in that vein, I don't always keep my One Little Word projects. Like, I keep them for a year or two 'cause I like looking at them. But like, I don't need anybody getting up in that. Like, that's not my family's, you know, that's not for them. That's for me to kind of sort through and, you know, do some self-development and reflection.

Like, and yeah, I love making it with pretty paper, but I'm probably not gonna keep those forever. I don't think that I need to. I don't, I don't want everybody flipping through, you know, "Hey, you need to be better about money this year." Like, nobody needs to know that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I love this, like this, um, the permission that you've taken, um, around your photos and your memories. And like really taken like the do it your way to the, the most extent. Really considering what's important to you, and the fact that we all do have a limited amount of space, and we don't necessarily wanna be managing all the things forever.

Bre Randon: Yeah. Well and I, I will say it kind of [00:32:00] starts with that whole like Becky Higgins begin with the end in mind. Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: You know, we've talked about it before, I don't keep my photos either. And I know people are like, "Shock, gasp," and it's like, yeah, but when in the '90s and early 2000s. I have never reprinted anything. I, I, I just, I think about what the end use is for something and what I would actually do with it, and I'm like, I don't, I don't work that way. And, and most people I actually know, I would, I would offer to say probably most people don't reprint from negatives anymore or, y- you know, unless they're digitizing.

Y- um, I don't see what the use is in keeping that stuff. It just becomes things that you're gonna have to carry. It's a weight. It's a mental weight and it's a physical weight, and I think that we should free ourselves up, especially with the amount of stuff that comes at us now. The volume is never-ending, you know? And I think you got to be.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly.

Bre Randon: Realistic.

Jennifer Wilson: This is kind of an aside, but I saw this project, um, on Instagram yesterday, and it was a [00:33:00] screenshot notebook, and on the surface I was like, "Oh, that's cute. Yeah, I take a lot of screenshots, and it's just a cute little notebook," and she decorated it. But it was like, I wanna make this recipe, and I'm like, I would fill like 1,000 notebooks in a month, um, with that.

So there's a certain degree of like you have to figure out what is actually sustainable. So I love how like the ideas are presented to us, but then we have to apply them to our lives.

Bre Randon: Yeah. Yeah. I, that does sound really cute though. I, I'm with you. Like, that, to me, that would be fun to, put in maybe, like, Project Life or whatever, and be like, "Oh, I'll flip back and look.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: At that if I want to," but I'm not gonna k- I can't... Can you imagine keeping 'em all? Oh my goodness.

Jennifer Wilson: I, I would just do it for like funny things that my family laughed at, like that we sent over our group chat. Like those types of things that we all kind of bonded over.

Bre Randon: Oh my gosh.

Jennifer Wilson: I can see that and I do incorporate those into what is essentially my Project Life.

Bre Randon: So I will tell you, like again, complete aside here, um, you know [00:34:00] how I was talking about scanning all my pages? Well, I went through.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Of my pages and, uh, uh, one of my albums. It was again from like 2008. That's kind of the era. I sc- I scanned them all. I got them scanned because I'm doing this Disney album and I'm like, "I need to get them into the album." Well, one of the pages I had was from Valentine's Day from 2008, and I had a little CD holder in there, and I was like, "What is this?" I clearly haven't looked at it. I don't have a CD holder or I don't have a CD drive anymore.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: I sent it off to.

Jennifer Wilson: But you have an Xbox, right?

Bre Randon: Oh, that's a Jay thing. I don't know.

I don't touch. I game on.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm just saying.

I'm pretty sure you can still read a CD with an Xbox

Bre Randon: I totally didn't even think about that. So I sent this off because Forever does scanning.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Oh, sorry. I should have told you this a year ago, I guess.

Bre Randon: You know, where were you when I needed you? Um, and so I g- I sent it off and I spent, what, like the $25 or whatever it is to, like, get this thing sc- like, digitized.

I got it back. not even joking, it was an entire CD [00:35:00] filled with, like, essentially TV memes that my man had sent me. It was, like, Family Guy clips and.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh-huh.

Bre Randon: Adult Swim, and it was all, like, basically Peter from Family Guy going, like, "Giggity" and, like, you know? Like, it was just, it was just... And, and, like, um, Christopher Walken saying, "Cowbell."

It was all digital memes. And I was like, "I can't believe we have these." It was so funny. Anyway, it was just so random and, like, essentially the same kind of, like, CD version of nothing but screenshots, you know? And inside jokes.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: We laughed so hard and I'm like, "I can't believe I still have this."

Jennifer Wilson: That's really cool. I, somewhere in my file archives, um, are some of the things from that, like, like circa 2000 era, and I have a lot of audio files that were, like, clips from movies. Like, the, the movie websites used to give you, like.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: The catchphrases from, like, Independence Day and Twister.

And so I had, you know, these little clips. I don't know what I'd do other than just, like, replay them over and over. They were, like, [00:36:00] literally five-second clips, but

Bre Randon: But they make you laugh. Like, you look back.

Jennifer Wilson: They do, yeah.

Bre Randon: Me giggle." So I agree. I, I think there's some time and place for some of that stuff. You just gotta have to corral it, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. So are there any other projects or activities that you're focused on this year that you haven't already mentioned, like particular, like series of pages, or is this Disney project really kind of your main focus?

Bre Randon: Um, Disney has been kind of my main project focus. I did actually print off a Project Life book from last year, or from 2004- '24, and I got it done. That felt really good to wrap that up. Um, and then I really am focusing on One Little Word a lot this year. That has been, I don't know, I'm just kind of in the season of life, and it felt really good.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: I always kind of do it, but like this year I'm really doing the prompts and kind of leaning in hard. So that's been, that's been sort of taking up a lot of my, um, monthly scrappy time.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice, nice. Now we've, like I think, I think our audience has like a h- tremendous picture of like who you are as a [00:37:00] scrapbooker and, and kind of how you approach it. Let's talk about your style. Could you describe your style in three words?

Bre Randon: Um, I would say emotional, colorful, and detailed. I add a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-mm.

Bre Randon: I feel like I add a lot of words, a lot of detail, and I really like generally bright and colorful pages. Other than that, I'm pretty eclectic.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. Are there any particular kind of products, tools, or techniques you use on a lot or even all of your digital pages?

Bre Randon: Um, I tend to do a, I tend to spend a lot of time on my titles, like w- like how I want them to look. I feel like they tend to... I- if I do a title, it tends to be pretty heavily layered, like several types of alphabets, stitching, um, and digital elements sort of woven into it. I like to do that. I feel like it gives a lot of...

Like, you can often make the rest of the page sort of simple if you have that main s- part in the center have a little bit more detail.

Jennifer Wilson: It all goes back to that Oreo title that I guess, you know?

Bre Randon: Really, you know what? I have been rocking that for, [00:38:00] for 25 years. I've been, I am single-minded. Um, but yeah, I like to add a lot of digital stitching.

Um, and, um, yeah, just a lot of color.

Jennifer Wilson: 100%. And I would say, like, you're, you're truly an expert at not quite monochromatic, but, like, single color dominant pages. Like, I don't know how many... You've made a lot of purple pages over the years. And I, I love, yeah, I love that your, your style is just so recognizable. 'Cause I would s- the words you use, there's a couple other people I can think of that which I, I would use those same words.

But I also, and maybe it's just because the photos also complement it with, it's, a lot of the photos are of your daughter, so that definitely is part of the visual story as well.

Bre Randon: I really do like to spend a lot of time on color. Like, it.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I can make a page that I really like, but if the color's off I just, I have to sit there and tweak it and tweak it until I, I like the colors. 'Cause that's, to me, that's the first thing you see, you know?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, very true. Are there any trends that you're noticing [00:39:00] in digital right now and any that you're particularly enjoying?

Bre Randon: I am really, um, you know, you mentioned junk journaling and it feels like it's everywhere right now. But, um, I.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Enjoying WhatTracieIsMaking. She's a, she's a creator that's on Instagram and on Patreon. I'm part of her Patreon. Um, and she's actually doing a digital version of, like, the junk journaling, and she has a very, very clean style.

You've had her on the podcast before. But I.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Yeah, like, I don't know. She... Her style is so different from mine, but I love just- I just like being in her Patreon just to scroll her style and to be like, "That is not me, but God, I love it." Um, and I really like that she's doing a lot of scanning of her travel and her ephemera, like her stickers and stuff.

And she's layering. She's doing, like, this digital junk journaling, and, like, her whole page is nothing but brochures and, like, layered stickers and tickets. And then she'll pair it with, like, a simple graphic page that has photos and just journaling. And I am really loving that juxtaposition, that I feel like a lot of people are sort of starting to add in [00:40:00] some of this ephemera, like, and it just looks really cute.

And there's so many... Again, when you go traveling and stuff now, everybody has all these vinyl stickers for your, um, like, water bottles and stuff, and I feel like people are adding in a lot of that stuff to their scrapbooking, and I am here for it. I think it looks adorable.

Jennifer Wilson: I've, you know, included them on my layouts, like the actual sticker too, because I'm like, "I don't really need this sticker on my water bottle." Um, but yeah, I, I ... It's so interesting. I, I definitely keep less, but I care more about the stuff that I do keep, and so I've, I've tried to incorporate it into my page.

Um, and the idea of scanning some of those things for space purposes is really attractive too.

Bre Randon: Yeah, 'cause like you just can't bring it... I mean, so much fun stuff comes home, but it's like, well, if it doesn't go anywhere, what's the, what's the point, right? Like, I mean.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Is there anything in scrapbooking that you figured out is absolutely not for you?

Bre Randon: I think s- uh, you know, I, I, I don't think so really. I mean, obviously I would say I don't do a lot of paper [00:41:00] anymore just 'cause I, uh, but that's more about the stash and not the paper. I like paper. I think it's beautiful. Um, I don't, I don't really have anything that I just greatly dislike. I mean, I don't tend to do a lot of heritage pages. I feel like that.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I did a lot of that when I first started doing my clip art scrapbooking situation. I have some regrets there. Maybe should not have tackled, like, my great-grandmother's photos with Disney things, but, you know, whatever. We all went through those phases. Um, and, and, um, but overall I just, I am really open to it.

I love seeing how our styles and our hobbies change, and I like incorporating new things. I think it's fun. Mix, bring u- bring on the digital mixed media. Bring on the, you know, the textures and the junk journaling, and then cleansing your palette with graphic pages, and I, I love it all.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh, yeah, same. I love that too. I love the, the variety and sometimes I'm in one mood and sometimes I'm in the complete opposite.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So, uh, this que- I'm, this [00:42:00] lo- question feels loaded because I know some of this about you. Where and when do you typically scrapbook, and has this changed over time? You are like the queen of time management, and I know you don't, probably don't think that you are, but you are so, like, efficient in balancing all the things.

Bre Randon: So I do a lo- I, it changes all the time. Um, you know, and when I said earlier that, like, scrapbooking is a way of life for me, I mean it. It is.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I have, obviously I have so much other stuff going on, just like every, every person. But, you know, I have a kid who's in a million extracurriculars, and, like, we do some light travel, and I have, I work a lot. But, um, you know, my seasons change all the time, and right now I am in a season where I work primarily at home. Um, you know, that could always change, but I've been home since the pandemic, basically. Um, and so you know how I had everything in the cloud? Well, now that I'm at home, it's not as pressing for me to have to have everything in the cloud all the time.

Um, you know, prior to the pandemic, I scrapbooked mostly... I have a two-and-a-half-hour [00:43:00] commute each way in DC, and so I would sit on the commuter bus and I would scrapbook. Um, and so, but that's changed a little bit. Now I frankly, sometimes I'm in meetings where this could've been an email, and I, I sh- I organize some stuff there.

I, I edit some photos, and I keep the camera off. Don't tell anybody. I didn't say it. Um, but, um, but yeah, I do, I do try to... I don't know. I, I'm working harder at single-tasking, 'cause I think that it's good for my mind, but my mind tends.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: To run on several different tracks at the same time in general. So I will often.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Be bouncing between photo editing, and I have a page kind of going, and then I'll...

and then, you know, I'll organize a couple kits, and I'll find the kit that I want. And I, I, I do a lot of things at the same time, so. But yeah, I do make it a point, though, to go to my Simple Scrapper crops. Um, I always hit Quiet Coworking on our Monday crop, and I get a ton of administrative stuff done, and then I hang out with our ladies on Tuesday night.

Shout-out to the [00:44:00] late night crew. We are always there way too late. Um, it's bad for my Wednesday working. But, uh, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I bet.

Bre Randon: It is, oh my gosh. It's, it's not good. Um, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Think I'm in bed when you guys start, so.

Bre Randon: You, oh, yeah. And s- and honestly, between me and Amy Z., the c- c- um, community manager, like, I'm looking over, I'm like, "I've gotta get up for work in, like, three hours.

This is dumb. Like, what am I doing?" Um, but there is a certain amount of also I have to scrapbook when my kid goes to bed. She is a chatterbox. I love her, but you know that tween girl thing? And they just, they just talk a lot. And she's an extrovert and I'm an introvert, so for me, in order to do the journaling and stuff that I really like to do, my family has got to be in bed. They do.

Jennifer Wilson: That makes sense. Yeah, yeah. Mine is an am- ambivert, so, um, they will chat and chat and chat until it's like, "No, you have to go away now. I don't want, do not wanna be in a room with any people."

Bre Randon: Yeah. Yeah. I understand [00:45:00] that.

Jennifer Wilson: So let's chat about organization for a moment. Is there any particular strategies for your photos or supplies that has worked especially well for you?

Bre Randon: You know, I kind of have a philosophy on this, is that you really... It, it, whatever it is, like, FOMO is not the thing. Like, pick what you're gonna pick and.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Stick with it. The idea that like there's always a better system, and you know, I mean, obviously if something is really, really not working for you, you should, you should feel free to try something else.

I'm not trying to say that. But like, this idea that there's always, like, a sunnier horizon or a new software, like, you can waste years dragging things to and fro, like I was saying with the Dropbox and the iCloud. Like, I mean, this even moving things.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: From iCloud my to external hard drive, it's gonna take me months. Literally months, just 'cause of the volume and the downloading speeds. And, um, I really... I, I have c- sort of picked my organization system several years ago, I would say. Um, you know, and everything's in Lightroom Cloud for my photos, and [00:46:00] I organize a folder every week, and I dump them at the end of the week because that's how Project Life works. I dump everything in there. I share everything to every family member that needs it on Monday mornings during quiet coworking. And then I'm, you know, I de- delete whatever I'm gonna delete, and then that's wrapped up. So, and then I delete my photos when I'm done scrapbooking them except for a very, very small amount per year. Um, I keep about 20 to 30, I'd say, you know, the big highlights, the most beautiful photos or whatever, except for like, you know, except for like professional family photos.

I keep those all 'cause, dude, you paid like thousands of dollars for them. Um, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: Um, but yeah. And then the same with, um, with my supplies. I have one big folder, and I tag them all. I, I developed a tagging system, I wanna say probably about 10 years ago, and I've been using it ever since. Uh, and it probably wouldn't make sense to other people, but I, you know, it makes sense to me, and I don't change it. Because even, even though I probably could change them, I don't, I don't want to now [00:47:00] because I have a set.

Like, I know when I'm gonna tag something. I don't have to overthink it, and I know where... I've trained my brain so hard that I know exactly, even if it's not, quote-unquote, the right category, I know I would've tagged it with that category 'cause it makes me think of it. So just.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, certainly.

Bre Randon: Yeah. So like, like, everything that's related to sleep gets tagged in my baby category. Maybe that wouldn't make sense to people, but for me, most digital kits that have baby stuff are mostly featuring babies sleeping. You know? Like, so like that.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I tend to think of things of, it's like go with what your brain associates things with and just stick with it, you know? I think that that also, all the books that we've read in the community really have sort of reinforced that with me. Put it wherever you think you're gonna think about it and just let that be.

Jennifer Wilson: Our brains are so powerful and we can't, uh, we can't try to defy them because they're more powerful.

Bre Randon: Let them do what they're gonna do, 'cause otherwise you're gonna fight against the tide, right? Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I, I don't know if it's because of [00:48:00] where my mom kept the thermometer, but for me, I always think the thermometer is gonna be in her, like, drinking glass cabinet. And so I had to start keeping it there because I kept looking for it there, and it was never there.

Bre Randon: Yeah. There's so many things like that in the house and like, you know, my, my husband's like, "Why is this here?" And I'm like, "'Cause you're not the one who thinks about it. I'm the one who thinks about it, and that's where I think about it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Uh-huh, 100%.

Bre Randon: Think that applies to our, our scrapbooking supplies too.

You know? Just unless there's some big reason not to, go with the path of least resistance and commit to it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, 'cause that's how you're gonna remember that it's there. That's how it's done.

Bre Randon: Yeah, exactly.

Jennifer Wilson: So where would you like your scrapbooking to be in 10 years?

Bre Randon: You know, uh, overall I would say it's probably the same, um, broad strokes. I'm super happy with my hobby. I love the stuff that I make. Um, I think the biggest thing is that I would actually be like to, like to be taking less photos, but better photos. I, um, you know, with digital, like, s- you get so many [00:49:00] photos, it's, it's always an influx and you are kinda managing that. Um, but, you know, when you have a small kid, they move all the time, and you're just sorta spray and pray with your camera, and you're hoping for the best. And I feel like, you know, I'm hoping that at a certain point, you know, my kid'll be out of the house at some point in her life, maybe. Who knows? Um, and, um, not that I'm rushing it.

But I, I just, I am hoping to... I got a big camera last year, big girl camera, and I'm trying to learn how to use that. I would like to be moving away from phone photography, um, and taking less photos, but photos that I really, really love. Because I, I didn't realize how much, until I got the big girl camera, a- that I really love scrapbooking really good photos, you know.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: And I think that, you know, it's great that we've all embraced, like, everyday storytelling. I love that, and it's a huge part of my, my scrapbooking journey. But I would really like to... Like, that thrill that I get from a well-composed photo that I th- that I [00:50:00] did, that I made, and scrapbooking that makes me feel really good.

And once we get out of the season where it's just all kid extracurriculars all the time, that's, I think, where I would like to be sort of spending my time scrapbooking is, is photos that I'm really proud of.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm. I love that idea. I like, like I want to see them not even on my scrapbook pages. I want to see those in my home, and that's, like, that's always been a priority for me. But, you know, the time and energy, I, I don't necessarily have time to be putting together gallery walls even though, like, I have a plan. I have frames. But those are the photos, like, I want to have even more and more on my, on my walls.

Bre Randon: I agree. Like I ki- I did sorta take the plunge this year and I added some more digital frames, um, in the house.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: Because I knew, like I, again, I have all these dreams of all these gallery walls, but like at the end of the day, know, we always have photos coming in. And the idea that like I'm gonna get this static gallery wall going that maybe I change out every couple years is probably not, like feasible.

I don't know. I think that.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I almost feel like at least in our home, we're sorta past that. Like the technology [00:51:00] has sort of advanced past that, that that's not gonna be what satisfies us. 'Cause we're gonna wanna see what we did last year, right? And then, but it's gonna take me another three years to put them in the frames.

And, um, so yeah, we g- we, we sorta caved and I got, you know, got the digital frames all set up and, I think that, you know, we finally just did it with art in our house. We just spent all of May framing probably 60 or 70 prints in our house, and we have gallery walls with like art, and it's been really, really fun.

But I think the photos are gonna have to be reserved for like a small section of the living room and then the digital frames. 'Cause they just change too much and I can't manage all those different spots in the house.

Jennifer Wilson: So are your digital frames all like you, you set them on a flat surface?

Or do you have ones that go on the wall?

Bre Randon: I have, I have one that goes on the wall and then two that are in shelves.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Bre Randon: Yeah

Jennifer Wilson: 'Cause I really think that the ones that go on the wall, that will be kind of part of the future, um.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That makes so much sense. And, you know, just like with the TVs, they, they look like [00:52:00] real, real photo frames. They're just really prohibitively expensive right now to have a bunch of them.

Bre Randon: Oh my God, I know. I know. And again, that's another subscription, and that's a whole thing. And you know, I mean, I know.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: I... Yeah, we can... Yeah, we all know what that is. But, uh, I just, I know, and I even love that you can like share your photos to your TV now.

Um, I.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I'm trying to be better about doing, thinking about some of these things that we already pay for and that we already own and we just don't think about. And you know, I put my scrapbook pages sometimes on my digital frames and on my TV and things like that because I do want... I mean, they're a huge part of my life, and I want people to see them.

And my family really, um, my scrapbooking, when I say it's a way of life, like my whole family's super invested in my scrapbooking. And I know that I'm rare with that, and I am, I'm sorry everybody . I don't mean to sound braggy. But like, my husband's super invested in my scrapbooking, and my daughter's super invested in my scrapbooking.

And they wanna see the scrapbooks, and they wanna participate in them. They wanna write down thoughts.

Jennifer Wilson: That's cool.

Bre Randon: For Week in the Life and stuff and, you know, and [00:53:00] for our Project Life. And I'm really lucky for that, but like that also comes with a cost of I have to make stuff that they can see. Because they actually want it, and so it's gotta get out there at some point.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly, yeah. You know what would be really cool is like if you have a gallery wall, to add even just like one of the digital frames that like just shows your layouts or just shows like the 10 most recent photos or whatever as kind of like part of that, so you do have the interchangeable and, you know, some of your longtime favorites up there too, so.

Bre Randon: Well and that's what I'm doing with the TV. Like so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's fun, that's fun

Bre Randon: Apple, we have the Apple TV, and so I just have a folder.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: My Apple Photos, and that's just, you know, I put, put new, new, new pages in there every now and again. And, you know, makes, makes everybody happy.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I assume that we have, two of our TVs ha- use the Google TV like little thing in the back. So I'm assuming that you could probably do that with Google Photos too, so.

Bre Randon: So. I can't imagine that... I mean, they're, they're all so equal.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Bre Randon: At this point, like they all take, take each other's designs, [00:54:00] you know?

Jennifer Wilson: Last question here, what has being a scrapbooker taught you?

Bre Randon: I really think it's, like, kinda taught me about the beauty in life. Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: I'm always looking out for colors and patterns. Um, it taught me a lot about community. Um, you know, we have a great community. Like, I love Simple Scrapper, and I've made such great friends there. And even before that, like I said, my sister-in-law's store, like, those were my best friends.

And, it's taught me that, like, and creativity can be a family endeavor. Like, that is our main, I wanna say, almost like, um, motto as a family is this creating together, and it's... And know if I would have had, would not have had scrapbooking, um, if our family would be the same type of family we are right now.

And so I'm really thankful for that in our lives. Um, you know, we're all so much more invested in our own creative lives. Enjoying creativity out in the world because [00:55:00] I am a scrapbooker, and I'm just super thankful for that.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, wonderful. Yeah, that's, that's so beautiful. Thank you for, for sharing and how, yeah, what a, what a blessing that is for you.

Bre Randon: It is, isn't it?

Jennifer Wilson: Bre, can you share where our listeners can find you online and anything you're gonna be working on, uh, as this year continues?

Bre Randon: So I would say honestly I'm really just a Simple Scrapper. I, I left social media.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Bre Randon: You know, several years ago. I'm just, I'm, I'm kind of done with all that out there in the crazy world. But, um, I will say I do have a YouTube channel. It literally only has like three or four videos on it, but I just do walkthroughs of some of my paper projects sometimes.

So, um, and I.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Bre Randon: Can get you the link to that. Um, but yeah, it's very sparse. I'm not, I am not a content creator, but I do love, you know, sharing inspiration when I make something. So, um, yeah, that's it. Simple Scrapper, come and hang out with us.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, 100%. Yes, it's such an amazing community because of all the members and, you know, you're a [00:56:00] creative team member for a long time now, what everyone brings, brings to it with their, you know, their genuine whole hearts.

Bre Randon: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Thank you so much for spending time with me.

Bre Randon: Oh, no problem. I'm so excited. I'm really happy to be back. And, um, yeah, thanks for everything you do for us at Simple Scrapper. We appreciate it.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Kelly Wardlow: [00:00:00] I set up my whole year ahead of time. Like, hey I got my work done. I have this chunk of time," I set up all the whole year. And I make cards that have the dates on them, like week one and then the date underneath it. I make those every year, and so I'll use that and I'll put it up for the whole year. So that I only need smaller chunks at a time to fill in and be done.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 349. In this episode, I'm chatting with Kelly Wardlow about her journey from engineering to digital scrapbook design and the personal story behind her brand, Connection Keeping.

Our conversation covers how she creates family yearbooks, designs kits she actually uses, and why scrapbooks can be a powerful tool [00:01:00] for family connection

Hey, Kelly. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Kelly Wardlow: Hi, Jennifer. How are you?

Jennifer Wilson: I am well and excited to chat with you today. Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Kelly Wardlow: Sure. Um, Kelly, I, I live outside of Philadelphia, and I have four kids from 12 to 21. My husband and I have been married for almost 25 years. We got married right out of college. And then... I, I don't mean to say that 'cause I'm afraid it makes me sound old, but I figured. Um, and so right now, one's in college, one's going to college, one is just about to start high school, and one is going into sixth grade.

So we kinda have the gamut of everything. And yeah, I mean, I guess I used to be an engineer, and after being an engineer for two years, I went back and got my degree in teaching, and I taught, uh, seventh and eighth grade math for a couple of years. And then I've been [00:02:00] stay-at-home mom until I started designing and a couple other jobs here and there.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Do you think that like kind of your background as an engineer, a math teacher, that more analytical brain influences how you approach scrapbooking and designing?

Kelly Wardlow: 1,000%. And I think, and I always, I would love to make a correlation between how many science and math-minded people pocket scrapbook compared to, like, traditional.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: I feel like there's just so much about how to fit everything and how to still make it look pretty, but, like, you really have, like, a formula kind of aspect to it.

So.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. Yes, yesterday I had an interview with someone who does, uh, Project Life, uh, as a collage on, you know, a solid, uh, piece of cardstock, and she was talking all about the math aspects. And I'm like, I think we could do a whole episode just on the math of pocket pages and scrapbooking, and how do we figure things out to make sure it's all gonna work.

Kelly Wardlow: I feel like that's it. We just try to, like, optimize it 'cause, [00:03:00] you know, then there's rule of threes, and we wanna keep in all of the beautiful stuff. But yes, mathematically working out is just... I love when I can find a formula or, like, I make an action or something in Photoshop that I can then repeat it. It's, like, a little joy for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Very cool. So Kelly, do you have a favorite recent layout or project, and why is it special to you?

Kelly Wardlow: Sure. My favorite thing is I created it for myself, so I think that's why it might be my favorite and that it's working. I made a whole bunch of catch-up templates. So before I started designing, I'm pretty much a recent designer. I didn't start until maybe 2022. Like 2020 and 2021, I would dabble and just try to make things here and there, mostly for my own scrapbooks. But in 2022, I became a designer, and I didn't realize how much time it took away from my scrapbooking time. 'Cause we make a yearbook every year. And so all of a sudden now I had less time. [00:04:00] So these catch-up templates are kinda like plug it all in, and you can change the colors, and you can just add...

It's almost like a regular template. You can add different elements and things like that, but a lot of it's already on there, so I don't have to keep looking and finding things. So I... It has, like, revolutionized my, like, family scrapbooking. And so when I created them, I was like, "Oh, other people might like it." So I've... I think it's definitely my favorite. It's like my baby almost in that now I'm using it every day, and I think in my mind I picture other people, and I'm hoping that they're using it all the time too and getting the same kind of joy from it that I got.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Yeah, we'll definitely link that in the show notes. They're, they're really fun.

Kelly Wardlow: They kind of stink though in that I don't know enough about other programs as much as I do about Photoshop Elements and Photoshop, and so then recreating the ability and the functionality.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm.

Kelly Wardlow: Of things outside of those programs is something I would like to do. Because in this day and age, it [00:05:00] is expensive to have a full, Adobe license or, you know.

And so I'm hoping to try to figure out ways to recreate that in programs that other people can use.

Jennifer Wilson: How are you finding that they come into Affinity?

Kelly Wardlow: That is a great question. And I've-- And

Yes. So like, I like Affin- and I, I have it on my iPad and, um, again, it's more just like looking into it. I.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And it, this kind of rolls into, I used to do a lot in Adobe, um, just even Adobe Acrobat to create things.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: So that people could use it and have, like, anyone could do it without a program. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm.

Kelly Wardlow: It, it's frustrating when you have all of the functionality, functionality like of Photoshop and you can do anything, and then trying to go to something that struggles. Where like, I think Affinity Designer and-- they have that kind of functionality. So when we're not in the summer anymore, that's on my list of things to do.

My goals.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: Work in [00:06:00] that, um, fully understand Illustrator 'cause it's so awesome, but I'm like only, like, not even proficient yet. And those are the two goals I have for this 2026/2027 school year.

Jennifer Wilson: You know, Illustrator is like the absolute hardest one to learn, and I, I feel like I can barely use it. But recently I was trying to work on a logo for an- another project and I'm like, "Okay, I need to know how to do this one thing." So I ask Claude, "How do I do this one thing?" And Claude tells me, and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I didn't realize it was that easy," and now I can do that one thing in Illustrator. So it's like having a little, you know, a tutor on, on the side.

Kelly Wardlow: I do it all the time. I use, and it's funny, everyone has their favorite, and I should use Claude 'cause I heard that they-- Claude is really good with automation. Like, you can kind of teach it to do a whole bunch of steps. I honestly use ChatGPT often, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Use it to help me with my actions.

Like, when I'm making a Photoshop action, sometimes I'll get caught or something, or it's not working [00:07:00] consistently across the board, and it'll help me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And I,

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: I feel bad. I, don't know how I feel completely about AI, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

Kelly Wardlow: I'm here in this, like, complex, like, "Oh my gosh, you're amazing, but also you can't take all our resources." And so I go back and forth.

Jennifer Wilson: Correct. It is. It is a challenge.

Kelly Wardlow: It's nice to hear other people are in the same boat.

Jennifer Wilson: So I mean, as, as similar as, as a business owner, as business owners together here, I like to think of it as if I'm using this to improve my business, I can then use that to contribute more to the world. Um, in the ways that I want to make the world better. So that's, that's my personal justification for the negative sides.

Kelly Wardlow: Yes. And I, I always go back to the... Have you ever heard of the thing where, you know, someone will do all this wonderful things to help the environment, but maybe they have a private jet and it kind of completely.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Outweighs that? So just taking it off of [00:08:00] Google or something so I feel like I can save some resources there, and then if I don't feel so bad when I use it is more helpful.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, Illustrator, the toughest one for everyone, I think. So.

Kelly Wardlow: You know what I've been doing? I've been doing, like, small bite learning. Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: If you went through my Instagram feed, it has a lot of, like, neuroscience and, like, parenting things, but then all the rest are, like, little tips on Illustrator. And I, like, save them and I try to, like, like little bite size.

You know, like how do you eat an elephant, one bite.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: At a time kind of thing.

Jennifer Wilson: For sure. Yeah, no, that's interesting 'cause I like, the more that I think about it, I was like, yeah, that, that's one skill that I would like to really develop. I just haven't ha- I guess haven't had the time yet to be like, "Okay, we're gonna do this."

Kelly Wardlow: Especially with pattern making, I feel like I've maxed out all of the tricks on Photoshop. Like, I can do it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Like, I'd use different patterns and I can move it over. I even bought this awesome thing from Etsy. It was, like, four bucks and it gives you all the different, [00:09:00] kind of sketches of patterns, and then you can put your pattern in and then move it over quickly, and it makes it so much easier.

But I feel like Illustrator, just the, the way you can change colors and all of the things, I feel like it's the gold standard. I need to stop trying to force Photoshop to be the gold standard of it.

Jennifer Wilson: Makes sense. Makes sense. So I mean, uh, yeah, going back to one of our icebreaker questions here, is there something new that you're excited to do, use, or try, um, in addition to learning Illustrator inside of your scrapbooking or in your everyday life?

Kelly Wardlow: Right. So definitely Illustrator in that, but as, like I try to set like goals for myself, but one thing outside of designing that I've been doing is somatic exercises. Have you ever heard of that?

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Yeah. Uh-huh

Kelly Wardlow: It's funny because my husband and I, he's an also an engineer. We met in college and, you know, both engineers, so we have very similar mindset.

So I wouldn't classify us under like what some people would say is [00:10:00] like crunchy granola action. But we had, um, through our children, went to this place to help them with, especially they had a lot of digestive issues, and literally what we had been to all of the specialists and doctus- doctors didn't fix it, and we went just to this holistic, an MD still. And she had him do an elimination diet, and we added stuff back in, and it literally fixed so many of his problems.

So realized that science is backed up to these things, and sometimes it gets a, it seems people have a certain connotation for it, and honestly, I feel like it's just the science hasn't always backed up a lot of it, and I've been.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Reading more and learning, and we've been benefiting from it. So, uh, learning more about somatic specifically. 'Cause we had done a lot about, food and health, things that way, but now looking into that to help us with our nervous system regulation and all of those [00:11:00] things.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, one of my friends says that like if there's something that you wanna try, um, i- if it's, if there's no possibility of it hurting, that it could only help, like what's, what's the, what's the loss there? So, uh, you might as well see if it's going to, to make a difference

Kelly Wardlow: I think that's awesome. I feel like, was it Pascal or-- I think it was Pascal, that he has, like, in-- if you take a philosophy class, he has a thing like that. Like, if it, if it wasn't-- if there's nothing negative, why wouldn't you try it and chance that it could help? I think that's awesome.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah, 100%. So your brand is called Connection Keeping, um, and you're currently at The Sweet Shop, I think as you've mentioned earlier. But you really started this with a mission in mind. Can you share the origin story behind your brand?

Kelly Wardlow: Sure. Um, around 2021, I-- we have four kids. And we're a, a whole house of we call it neurospiciness, but like neurodivergence. And [00:12:00] a-- have a fair amount of trauma. Um, two of our children came to our family through adoption, and my husband and I became... We taught other parents trauma-based parenting techniques.

So we were trained, and it's not like we're official therapists or things like that, but we were trained in this, it's called TBRI, it's Trust-Based Relational Intervention. And we were kind of, you know, we had to do like 12 weeks and go for like a three-day retreat to kind of learn how to embody that in everything we do, and then we would hold classes for groups of parents.

And in that, in that program, the TBRI, one of the things, and it's like the one that's not even about very much, is like make scrapbooks for your kids. Literally.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: It was like, you know, like how to be curious, like figure out what the behavior is trying to tell you. All these like very neuroscience-related behavioral issues, and then it [00:13:00] literally just had a line that was like, "Make scrapbooks." Why is it like that? And so we started to research that, and so I tried to make these Adobe, like on, like on Adobe PDF you can insert images and text, like once you create them in Adobe Acrobat, like the full version, not the reader version. And so I would make a whole bunch.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: Of those and give them to our parents so that they could make scrapbooks.

You can't see me, but I'm holding up quotes. Like pretty much just like an eight and a half by 11 page that had space for their, um, pictures and for their words. And then as I went on and on, I would make them prettier with like frames, and they could still put the picture in, if that makes sense. And so it was this whole idea of the scrapbook causes the child to have connection to their selves.

Like with trauma and different nervous system issues, like being able to remember good things, being able to see themselves as part as, of a unit, as a family, to see, um, how they've been taken care of, how they were [00:14:00] successful, how they h-how they created things. Anything that can help them with their form of identity was helpful, uh, to all children, really.

And so, I mean, and as memory keepers, I'm sure you've felt this, like we can go by and all of a sudden see our teenage kid looking through their scrapbook. You know, like it's a sense of comfort. It's a sense.

Of warmth. And so Connection Keeping was set up, and at the time the website I had had things about it, was set up to set up a relationship with parents and kids that was connecting. And that the parent as the memory keeper, but working alongside the child to talk about their memories and continue like the process of just remembering all of the great times together.

Jennifer Wilson: So I mean, you were a scrapbooker before this, so it sounds like it kind of really deepened your own relationship with scrapbooking and having this kind of, uh, greater importance behind it.

Kelly Wardlow: I think originally when I started, 'cause I originally used to paper scrap [00:15:00] the way in like 2000 and... My daughter was born in 2005, but a couple years before, my in-laws had a 50th anniversary, uh, 25th anniversary and their 50th birthday parties, and I made them like a huge.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Physical scrapbook. And I think it was just pretty much like, "Oh, here's an event.

Let's scrap it. Here's an event. Let's scrap.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: It." And I think it changed into not only is it for remembering, but like connecting and us to have like an activity together, something that brings us closer together as we talk about all those things that were, that we shared.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, I mean, it's-- I think there's, over the past, I don't even know how to quantify it at this point 'cause I have no sense of time anymore. Over the past many years, there's been this kind of, increasing, value on these smaller stories that we're documenting, you know, particularly with, you know, things that we might call Project Life.

Um, you know, you mentioned that you do family yearbooks, and I think that's just [00:16:00] made everyone realize how, how valuable our hobby is t- to, you know, to ourselves and then of course our families as well.

Kelly Wardlow: And I think the reason for it, especially with Project Life, is that, you know, you'll always have the birthday parties, the graduations, all of that will... A lot of people, you know, scrapbook that. But for a long time, our youngest son, and because there's like a nine-year gap between my oldest, they kind of, everyone treats him like their baby.

Like, he's very much, like, has so many, the poor kid has so many people telling him what to do. Um, but he used to say prisaschool instead of preschool, and he used to say it all the time, and it delighted my older daughter. And so, you know, it's in our scrapbook with a QR code of him saying, 'cause we were like, "All right, where are we going?"

And so we have that, and now, you know, we didn't know when all of a sudden he just started saying preschool and it just disappeared. We had no more.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Prisaschool. And so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.[00:17:00]

Kelly Wardlow: As an adult, like, I was sad, but I just remember my daughter being, like, heartbroken, like, "Wait, this isn't gonna always stay?" And I'm like, "No, we grow." And I really like the fact that Project Life honors all of those little things which are just a much, you know, just as important to who we are as the milestones.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. That reminds me that my, my kiddo used to say, "Mommy," and then all of a sudden it turned to Mom, and now of course it's the, the ex- all caps exclamation point text Mom. Like, why did you not respond to my text, you know, immediately? Um, but when did mommy go away? I still call Daddy Daddy, like, you know, we have to wait for Daddy to get home, even though my kid is 15.

Kelly Wardlow: And it's funny because all of a sudden, like it'll happen once, they'll say it by accident and you're like, "Man, I wish I could have kept that in a box."

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no doubt.

Kelly Wardlow: Well, I saw in one of your things that you were going to a lot of, um, tournaments for volleyball.[00:18:00]

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: My whole life, my daughter that's going now to college is gonna play lacrosse in college, and we have spent the past four, no, like five years of going to lacrosse tournaments, like throughout the whole summer and in the fall. And I thought of you when you said that, and I was just like, we have had so many fun things happen on those times because we had one-on-one time. And so I love that in our scrapbooks we can remember all that, where there was so much other going on besides just the lacrosse, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, 100%.

Kelly Wardlow: I just really appreciate that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, we love to, like, find, like, new parks and, like, botanic garden type places when we're going to tournaments. 'Cause there's always, like, some downtime. And then they also do some team travel, so sometimes my husband and I are, you know, able to actually go and do some things just on our own, which doesn't happen very often 'cause all we do is travel to volleyball tournaments.

Kelly Wardlow: That's awesome. We have never had that, and I feel like that should be across the board in all sports to help.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it should be required for sure.

Kelly Wardlow: [00:19:00] Yes, to revive parents after, you know, traipsing through place and place and place.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious, before we get to like... Actually, we'll, we'll talk more about your personal scrapbooking, but I need to, I need to, I wanna come back to the sports question 'cause this is something that I'm very curious about. Um, but looking through your shop, your design style is very eclectic. Do you have, like when you're designing, do you have these mental bins in which you're categorizing, "Okay, this one's gonna go in, in this style," versus, "This one's gonna be, you know, more like this"?

Kelly Wardlow: I think a lot of it comes back to the fact that I've only been scrapbooking, do scrapbook designing for... So if you really say 2022, you know, it's only been four years. So there's that whole before that, like using stuff from different people, I think just finding my own style. I think the thing that's.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm.

Kelly Wardlow: Consistent across all of my designs is I try to make it look somewhat realistic.

Like when you post a page that you made with Project Life and, you know, like, like a [00:20:00] kit or something that you got from Ali Edwards, and it, there's depth and, you know, real items, I just love it. I, like that is the look that I adore, but I also have no patience for you know? So I love.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Digital that looks realistic.

That is my joy. And so it's always the balance of that. And so when I do things that are sports-oriented, you can see they're much more utilitarian and maybe a little bit more messy. And then honestly, I love having different styles. Like I love, I, like I go by a whim. Like having novelty for me helps my brain like really soar.

So, you know, every year I make this month-long, like I'll, every year I put out a different month kit. But then each year I try to have a specific theme in mind. So this year it's all bold and kind of more doodly. Like, and more, you know, not as much texture, [00:21:00] or if there is, it's very realistic and kind of more on the lower level so you could print it out. Where the year before I did all solid colors each time, and that was more messy art journal-y. And then the year before that.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Kelly Wardlow: It was like calmer colors. And so I think if I can be excited about something, it helps me be more prolific in my designing. So I don't necessarily keep to it all looking the same as much as I keep to it all being something that I'm interested in.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, and that, that's, that's gonna keep you excited about being a designer, and I know it's, you know, it's not always an, an easy thing to do. It's, it's a lot of work that, that y'all put into to, um, that particular job. Um, are there particular things that you enjoy creating more than others?

Kelly Wardlow: That is a great question. I think my monthly kits are my favorite. Because I use every single one of them. So a lot of [00:22:00] times, uh, I f- everything kind of fits into the categories of what you would think of as a life b- a yearbook or a Project Life kit. Or something that's very much based on a subject, so like a sport or a thing like that.

It's, it's just now that I'm getting into more art journaling stuff, and it usually happens, like at Sweet Shop, they do collabs, and it's really encouraged.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: So that designers work together, so you get some, like an... They always call it your baby, so you get a new one. And so as I've been doing that, it's been helpful to see how I can then change and do something.

Like I just did one, um, with Amanda Yi that was called Pretty Full. And it was just all like pretty things and just like cute and bright colors, and you know, it didn't necessarily have a purpose for any like one subject or like a monthly thing or anything like that. It was just for when you have like beautiful pictures from gardens and things like that.

And so I actually really enjoyed that [00:23:00] because it, it was different than what I would normally do because it was out of my normal I do this and I do this.

Jennifer Wilson: Well then I, and it's also like kind of a huge, um, like skill builder to be doing things outside of your comfort zone, to be trying different approaches so that in the future when you wanna do something specific, you have that greater toolbox of, of how to do those things.

Kelly Wardlow: And honestly, Jennifer, I think you just like answered my q- the question because I think my favorite thing to design of all things is something new. So anytime I can find.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

Kelly Wardlow: Something that's like, "Oh, I've never done that before," or like in that one, and it's funny that you said that because the Pretty Full one, I made like a viewfinder, which like I've been seeing pop up everywhere, but it was so much fun, and I was like, "Oh, you could do it this way, and it could be horizontal," or...

You know, I just had a... I like being sparked and having new ideas, so, um, anything new is fun. And I do love word art. Anything that's word art related because at, in my scrapbooks, I use them all the [00:24:00] time, so real like not just word bits, but like word art. Things that... I don't know if this happens to you, but like in your, you know, yearbook, your Project Life, sometimes there's pictures that it's hard to embellish. Because it's just kind of a moment. And so I love when there's a word art that would fit with it, and that you can put and then embellish around the word art as a way to draw attention to the photo when there's not like a specific way to embellish it, if that makes sense.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, I would say I use Word Art on every single page, and oftentimes I'm like, "Oh, did I go a little too far here?" But, you know, I just, I look, I'm either looking through a sticker sheet or looking through my drawer, drawer of die cuts, and I'm like, "Okay, what, what fits the feelings that I'm having, and let's see how many we can get on there," because it, it adds more to the story be- even beyond the journaling.

So I definitely use a ton of that.

Kelly Wardlow: I think it, I think as scrapbookers, I had a, a, a two or three-year period where I just wanted to buy so much, like, [00:25:00] house decor that had words on it, and my husband was like, "Nope, no more words. Nope. We're not picking anything that has a saying or something on it." And I was like, "Wow, I tried to word art my house." So.

Jennifer Wilson: You know, it's... Okay, so I've, I've noticed this, and it's so interesting 'cause I remember the time, like, I don't know, this was like 2017-ish when like, when typography and word, word d- decor was becoming more and more popular, but starting like on, you know, on Instagram and Pinterest. But then I would go to the stores, and I couldn't find it.

Like, I was like, "Where's all this really cool stuff that I'm seeing online?" And nowadays I go into the store, and I'm like, I'm almost like rejecting it because I'm like, "Why is everything now the same? In all this like beautiful typography, where's something that's like more interesting and unique?"

Kelly Wardlow: I think you hit that on the, head in that now it's kind of ubiquitous. Like, it's so much all over that it's harder to be enjoyed. But it, but sometimes, like we have one in our house that's [00:26:00] in our kitchen, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: I read it every morning, and it's very, like calming.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And settling and stuff.

So I don't... I feel like it's a balance of which way. And just like everything else in this world, it kind of, the pendulum swings, you know? Like, there's none, and then it's everywhere, and then, like, finding the magic medium in the middle.

Jennifer Wilson: For sure. So how do you keep your ideas and plans organized? You mentioned you kind of have a yearly theme around your core collections. Um, how are you keeping track of everything?

Kelly Wardlow: So I love all of the Google, resources. So I use Google Sheets mostly, not Docs as much, but I have, like right now, even while we're talking, I have my Google Sheets that I open every day. It has like the list of things I've done, like by date, and then it has, um, I keep all the, ideas that I wanna do in the future on a separate tab.

Like, I literally have like 15 tabs. Like, they don't fit at the bottom of my very big screen. And so [00:27:00] I keep it all organized in Sheets. And then organized within that, and that helps me to be productive. So I'm a big fan of... I know, and I think my whole life is like a contradiction. Like, I love novelty. I love anything new and changing, but I also work well if there's a framework that I can then be creative in. So having.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: So like on my... Like, I have all through 2027 the dates of releases. And it's, I have to admit, Sweet Shop, 'cause I was a part of a couple of other stores which were fabulous, but Sweet Shop always releases on Friday, so I know what to expect, and it's just that once a week, so then it's easy for.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: Me to plan accordingly.

So I put all the dates down, and then I put in my monthly releases, and then I kinda go from there. And then as far as all of my resources, like all of the kits I had from before I was a dine- designer and all of the commercial use stuff. Literally everything is separated by, um, topic and then [00:28:00] within topic, like subtopics. So that I can find.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Kelly Wardlow: Things. So I'm, I'm a great mess of being like a mad scientist crazy and also having a very strong structure of my data.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. I mean, we have this giant spreadsheet, we call it the master plan every year for, like, all of our themes, um, throughout Simple Scrapper. And, you know, we're always... I always wanna change at least one thing every year to keep it interesting, not just for our team, but for our members. So that they can have a different experience, you know, approach things differently.

So I, I get it in terms of try- in terms of trying to find the balance between having things very well organized and also having that novelty so that, you know, life stays interesting.

Kelly Wardlow: It'd be great with a community because then you can even see where interests are increasing and j- just like the word in the, in the decor, you know, like, "Oh, this is really big right now," or, "This isn't. And you can kind of then spark with new ideas because you have people [00:29:00] bouncing ideas off each other, which is really incredible

Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah, 100%. Yeah. We're currently planning for, um, we do this thing every year called the Planning Party in November, and so I ask the members, "What topics do you wanna go into more depth on?" And like, not just like, you know, how to think ahead for next year, how to think about what worked well. That's, that's the core of it, but the nuances of, you know, how do you really get motivated, not just like setting a timer, but how do you really get motivated when you've been in a slump and gone through challenging times?

You know, how do you balance, um, the, the joy of certain like approaches to scrapbooking that might be some consider fussy, but you really love it, and the time it takes to do that. And the fact that you wanna continue to get things done, but some things do take a lot of time. So we're really diving into some of those kind of sticky situations.

Kelly Wardlow: And I think it's such a value add, that you've created in that sometimes those are the things we don't have time to do. [00:30:00] Like, we end up staying in a system.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm.

Kelly Wardlow: We've always done because often.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: As parents, and if you have time to scrapbook, a lot of times you're the primary parent.

It doesn't mean always, but like a lot of times you are. So, so many things are so dependent on the cycle of your kids, what they need, the cycle of jobs, like everything like that, that if a system isn't broke, sometimes you don't think about, "Oh, how can I make this more efficient?" Or, "How can I make this more exciting?"

Or any of those things. So to, to be a part of a group that is always thinking about that, trying to bring us back in, keep us on task.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Like that's fabulous.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. Thank you. So you mentioned earlier that you are often designing things for yourself. So how does your personal interest and approach to doing family yearbooks, you know, Project Life style, come out in your products?

Kelly Wardlow: That's a great question because I remember the first store I went to, I, I had been creating stuff for myself and they were like, "Why do you have so many papers?" Like, "This is not necessary." And I was like, "It's [00:31:00] totally necessary," because as a project scrapbooker, just take my monthly things and I just bring in the papers like willy-nilly.

Like, I don't even think... Like to put, you know, when you're, you're setting it up and you have your picture spots and then you have your open spots that'll have paper. That you'll embellish.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Or put another picture on or you might put journal cards or words, you know, around it. I try to make all of my papers coordinate. And have 'em...

A, a lot of times I may make only like 20 papers, but then I'll give the customer three or four of each, like a, like each style in a different color. Or maybe one with more texture or one, um, mostly I do different colors, but like a little, the pattern big compared to small, things like that. Because then I just bring them in and to make my scrapbooking quicker I don't even think about it.

I just kinda throw 'em in. So my papers in general are always... Like there's always at least like I wanna say 60 to 90 [00:32:00] papers in my kits. Because I just use them 'cause it's a whole month and because we have so many kids. I always have four layouts for each month, uh, for each week. You know, so in a whole month it's a lot and I just need a lot of different options. So that's one thing. And then lots of word art. And I like, uh, brackets, corners, uh, stapled papers, things and scatters. I love scatters because I like to layer on my Project Life pro- you know, pocket scrapbooking layouts. And so those are the items that I always love, but other people love flowers and things. So I try to make sure it's robust in that you can do a whole month and not have repeats.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. I love it. Yeah, I've been, uh, after kind of a 15-year hiatus in digital, I've been working on a digital kind of Project Life thing this year. And I have never before done exactly what you described. I really start with just the fun design part first, and then I'm [00:33:00] just adding photos and journaling on top of that.

Whereas in, in paper or anything like that, I would start with the photos and the plan and how it's all gonna come together, and then I'm adding the layers of creativity after. And it's, it's a totally different kind of brain process, and I'm, I'm really having fun with it.

Kelly Wardlow: And you know, I never thought of it that way, 'cause I think I... That's how I scrap is how I used to do it with paper. So that's interesting.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And now you've got me curious. I'm like, "Well, maybe I should try doing it the other way and see." Yeah, I, I feel like I'm very lucky in that at Sweet Shop Designs, like, we'll have a week of releases, so we'll get to see what everyone's releasing, and you can use that.

So I might have a template come out, but I might use, you know, like the Nifty Pixels kit or something. And so I can.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Like, because then I'm using their other stuff for when I'm scrapbooking. So that it could be a product from both of us, I get to scrapbook in different ways. Because, because I design for myself scrapbooking, get sometimes caught in a rut like we were talking about.

Jennifer Wilson: [00:34:00] Yeah. Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Its nice to change it up.

And so now I'm gonna think about, like, maybe finding something that I absolutely love, putting that on a page, and going with it. But I'm gonna be honest, Jennifer, like a lot of times I go for speed. yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure, sure.

Kelly Wardlow: I definitely think I'm like 70% like, "This has to get done, and I want it to look..." And then like 30% I want it to look nice, but I'm not looking...

Like, I don't feel like... I feel like since we have, like my pages are, my books, our books are like 200 to something pages, right? So I figure it's more quantity.

Jennifer Wilson: How are you approaching your book this year, and has it, like, evolved over time?

Kelly Wardlow: So yes, and all of my books look different. And before I became a designer, I was trying to find out which way I liked. So I actually started out, our... We went from... So I just finished 2025, and I totally thank my catch-up templates it, because I really just busted out, like, the whole second half of the year pretty quickly [00:35:00] because of them. And so that was fabulous. But I have, you know, 10 yearbooks, and in the beginning I started out with the Project Life app, and then I had already had Photoshop Elements, like, at home that I used for website design, um, like to make items for it. And I then started to add stitching, and I would take my Project Life, you know, the layout I would make and bring it into Photoshop and then do from there and move on.

And then I started to do different kinds of layouts, ones that looked like pocket protectors, ones that didn't. And so I've kind of gone through. It- they're pretty much all set now where it's, know, a pretty common, um, Project Life page. I, I actually make one that's a little bit different. You know how, like, your digital pictures aren't four by six? The actual, like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Well and these days it, they're not even consistent because it depends on what setting you have on your phone that day, right?

Kelly Wardlow: it 1,000%. And oh my gosh, like, because I will forget and maybe someone else can, like, [00:36:00] learn from this. You can take-- I have a new iPhone because we have so many kids, like, they, they let us update. um, you can take raw pictures in your iPhone. Does everyone just know this?

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: And I didn't know that?

Well, I didn't know. So I can take it into Camera Raw and, like, edit them, and I've just been enjoying that little feature for the last couple of months, but I digress all the time. I appreciate your, uh, going on the rollercoaster of my conversations.

Jennifer Wilson: No, it's all good. It's exciting.

Kelly Wardlow: But, um, that-- So my favorite template is one where they have that, I don't know if it's 5 to 3 or whatever the ratio is. I made one that fits it so that whatever framed in my camera's photo screen is what that picture would show up completely, if that, if that makes sense?

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Yeah, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And it gives me more spots, and so now they all look like that. They always have stitching, and I know not everyone's for it, but, like, for me, it just makes it feel, [00:37:00] like, more realistic looking, so I always do stitching.

And then as far as the, the themes or the style, I try to change that every year. I try to make it so.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: That one year to the next year looks cohesive but different. Like, cohesive in and of itself, but different from the previous years.

Jennifer Wilson: And is that, does that correspond to how you're approaching your overall kind of collection theme for the year?

Kelly Wardlow: Yes. I think.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Kelly Wardlow: And I don't know which one inspires which one, so I- it's kind of just a both. I know that I like a cohesive theme, so this year was bold. Last year was called black and white, but it was, like, black and white and one color. Which was actually kind of fun to do because then I had to get 12 colors that all worked well.

It was like making a big palette and then breaking off into smaller.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Palettes as we went. And the year before that was one of the f- first ones I created for myself, and it was all more calm colors. I think what I try to do is make that cohesive. Because I'm a huge [00:38:00] fan of put in the pictures that even don't look good. So, you know, like, the picture that's... for some reason, it's a little foggy in an area.

Jennifer Wilson: Yep.

Kelly Wardlow: They're moving and it's blurry. We put all of those in. And so sometimes having a very cohesive background, it's okay if your picture isn't super gorgeous, if that makes sense. Like, my favorite pictures.

Jennifer Wilson: It does, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Do you know Krista Lund?

She is a photographer, and she's an avid scrapbooker, and she pocket scrapbooks. But because she's a photographer, her pictures are always, like, gorgeous.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: They all match. Like, she'll do, like, a... Like, she won't have, like, the full week, you know. She'll have all from, like, one moment, and it's in a pocket scrapbook.

And even if there was literally just, like, outlines of the picture, it still would look good. Because her photos are so beautiful. But I am not... Like, I know that that's not my skill. Like, I do not do well with that, so I try to make the, the theme of whatever month it [00:39:00] is pretty strong so you can see that, and so you don't take away from the pictures.

But it's okay if there's a picture that's not so great, or if you have a QR code here, or this is just writing. It can kind of... Very, uh, eclectic, like you said, kind mix.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and I think that really helps. I think it helps to recognize kind of what overall s- like style and impact you're looking for. Um, because, you know, obviously there's even, even with just digital Project Life, there's a million different, um, kind of aesthetic approaches that you could take. And if you look at, you know, what other people are doing, it's not even just do you like those products, but do you like the, that style of photography, and does that look like the way you take photos?

'Cause that will impact the overall kind of look and feel of how it's gonna come together. Um, and yeah, I think it's important to kind of, i- if you're not feeling satisfied, to kind of evaluate both aspects.

Kelly Wardlow: And I think you have to just be honest with yourself. Like, I think it's always.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: The question of like, I want it to look like this, but am I gonna do it if I have to [00:40:00] take the time to do this and curate this or have to d- you know, I probably wouldn't. So if I have to make it, we're in that sweet spot like where the Venn diagram like overlaps of I get this done and I really like the aesthetic.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, like, I would love to have more photos from my actual camera, but I'm someone who doesn't like to take stuff with me. I'm like a, I bring my phone when my husband is driving 'cause I literally don't wanna carry anything else. And so, like, to bring an actual, to, to bring a camera that has to then go in an even bigger bag than my normal purse, I just don't wanna do it anymore.

Kelly Wardlow: No, I'm the same. When I do take my DSLR, I literally use it as my purse. I just put, like, the stuff in the side, like, if I had to.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: Mine is so old now because.

Jennifer Wilson: It is. Yeah, mine too.

Kelly Wardlow: I got new lens, but my actual base is so old that in, like, the next couple years, it's probably not gonna be great anymore.

Like, it's already had to get fixed a couple times. It's, [00:41:00] well, I think I was... So it's over, like, 17 years old, the one I have. And so, which makes me feel really old. And so I feel like it's just kind of going away. Like, now that I can do raw in my camera, it's such a small amount that, yeah. Sometimes with the camera pictures, I almost feel like the AI assist is too much. You know.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, it is. Oh my gosh.

Kelly Wardlow: It? Yeah. And so I feel like if I can get that to, to get rid of that, I would totally get rid of my full camera completely. But sometimes for portraits, I don't need it to look so crisp and clear, which is gorgeous, but not always the look you're looking for.

So I'm holding on still a little bit.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. My, I was trying to calculate in my head, I got my camera, the DSLR, in like 2009 or 2010, so it's as about as old as yours too. And I did like, I, it fell off a bed once. I'm gonna blame my daughter, but I'm sure it was my fault. Um, and it was never the same since. And even [00:42:00] at that point, it was too old to be re- repaired.

And so like I can use it, but I just can't use it for anything that requires squares, like taking pictures of scrapbook pages.

Kelly Wardlow: Oh.

Jennifer Wilson: Like, you know, a bookshelf or like things where lines are important. Like people, it's, you really can't tell a difference. But anything that's actually requires alignment, not so much.

Kelly Wardlow: I, I have to tell you this because it blew my mind, and I'm curious 'cause I feel like we're-- I, I think you're younger, but we're, like, very similar in the, you know, in our timeframe. My daughter in college, so she's 21, they have her friend, and they make her take all the pictures 'cause they just adore it.

She has an actual digital camera that gives like, that almost, you know when, like, the digital cameras were, like, too black, and it was, like, too, like, there would be, like, almost orangey hues, and then it has the little, like, date and time at the bottom?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: So the pictures aren't actually... Like, the pictures are worse quality than their phone pictures.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, [00:43:00] sure.

Kelly Wardlow: They love It. And it's just that, like, weird how eventually, again, the pendulum's gonna swing the other way. They just love how that's, like, a totally different look than what they've always had with their phones, and so they are all about it. oh-

Jennifer Wilson: Like we were with it when Instagram came out and we were doing all the filters and frames, and now all the photos from my daughter's first year are like yellow tinged.

Kelly Wardlow: And square.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and square because I took them directly in Instagram.

Kelly Wardlow: Yeah, same. N- it's completely the same. And so yes, we, we feel like I think there's something about, like, some things will always be true. Like the DSLR where it takes such, like, a rich picture and you can see all the depth and you get all the light, will always be in style, but then other things will go up and down.

So maybe you and I will end up getting a new camera one of these days.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I hope so.

Kelly Wardlow: The first time you let your daughter take a picture with it? I was like, "Okay, put this around your neck. Don't drop it. Hold it like this." Like, [00:44:00] I was so worried.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

Kelly Wardlow: When I finally let my kid use it after not letting them use it for such a long time.

Jennifer Wilson: 100%, yes. Um, yeah, I'm pretty sure I let her use the broken one versus... I do have a mirrorless, but I don't, I don't love it, uh, so it doesn't really ever get used.

I bought it for video only, so.

Kelly Wardlow: And does it work well for video?

Jennifer Wilson: Um, it works well for video that's not live. It's, it's one of... It's of the era where it had a 30-minute timer, like a 30-minute shutoff, and so it shuts off at 30 minutes, so you really can't use it for live streaming. I think I have some sort of workaround, but I just, I just gave up on all that. So.

Kelly Wardlow: No, I hear you.

Jennifer Wilson: Anyway, that's an aside.

Kelly Wardlow: But it's one of those things that's a shame where like, you know the technology could do more, but it would take so much effort to figure that out. So it's like cost-benefit analysis. Like, is this worth it? Should I really be doing this? No, I'm just gonna change and use what this other thing that I know will work.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, and to make [00:45:00] it, uh, to be less perfectionist about it. Like, I can still, um, show my scrapbooking when I want to. Um, with other things it does not have to be perfect. I am my... I'm not a YouTuber. Sometimes I make YouTube videos, and sometimes I make videos for the members, but I, that's not, like, my overall kind of, uh, platform, so.

Kelly Wardlow: You know, I think because I only do digital and when I did real we didn't take picture... Like, it wasn't as much of a thing to take pictures of your layouts. I didn't realize all that would encompass. Like, you spent all this time making such beautiful colors, but like, depending on the lighting and the color of the room or the time of day, like, wow, it could change, like, your whole feeling of your page. So kudos to you for handling that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I like take pictures in my guest room, like around 3:00 PM. It has to be like a slightly overcast day.

Kelly Wardlow: Oh my gosh, overcast days are my favorite. Like, 'cause I make my own CU items, so like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Kelly Wardlow: Or things I cut out of paper and bring them [00:46:00] out. I like save them all in a box and I wait till the overcast day to go outside to take the picture.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Nice, yes.

Kelly Wardlow: That's the tip of the day.

Jennifer Wilson: For sure, for sure. How do you keep your photos and stories organized and ready to work on your annual book?

Kelly Wardlow: Oh, and definitely like something that I could not live without is we use Google Photos and I have my daughter... Like my daughter in college, she'll send me, like once a week she'll pick hers and then she'll like send them to the Google Photo section that we have, like the album that we have. So I can always have a section of these are from Kenzie, like what she's doing at college kind of pictures in.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Our yearbook. And, um, I love Google Photos because if you're not s- like I can open it up, you know, it goes by date, so I know what happened every day, which, you know, in pocket scrapbooking is super important. So like everything's already organized. I don't have to look through... Like they literally in Google... Have you ever used [00:47:00] Google Photos?

Jennifer Wilson: I have, but I don't use it as my, my primary system.

Kelly Wardlow: They, they separate it by day, so like I know what day. So I can... It helps me, and I don't know if you're a pocket scrapbooker, I look through the week to see how many photos I'm gonna use. 'Cause I might have like, my b- my way to get over my bad pictures is to take like 10 pictures of everything. So I'll have so many pictures.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure.

Kelly Wardlow: And I'll go through and be like, "All right, I'll take one of those, one of those."

And depending on h- what number of pictures I have, I know how many pages or what I'm going to do. So I really love Google Photos for that because... And my husband's and my, my older daughter, their, all their pictures go in there, so I have acces.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: To everything, and I can then plan accordingly for when I'm gonna do that week. So I really like that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I like how they do that automatically. At the Lightroom, I use Lightroom Classic. The regular Lightroom apps, including the one on my phone, will break things down. But in order to see week by week in [00:48:00] Classic, you have to create like smart albums to do that.

Which is fine, but it does, it, it's quite a bit of work to create 52 smart albums for every year, um, if that's how you wanna see your photos.

Kelly Wardlow: And do you do it in Lightroom, I know so that you can, like, batch edit everything, but then you ever take things into Photoshop, or do you do Lightroom and you print them out and then because you're you know, physically scrapbooking?

Jennifer Wilson: I will take them into Photoshop if I want to do something like swap heads.

Kelly Wardlow: Right? Always.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh, but it's, it... Or something that's, like, really weird, like a really weird correction that I'm not... But, but Lightroom is even so powerful today that I, it's very rare that I need to take something out of it. Um, when I'm, I'm doing digital right now in Affinity. For a, a couple of different reasons, so I'm usually just actually, I'm exporting it on my phone and then sending it to my computer. Just because I, I want it to be really easy and not necessarily have to, [00:49:00] like...

I'm trying not to be perfectionist about it. I'm trying not to be like, "Okay, I need to narrow down all my photos and then pick the ones." I'm doing it the opposite. I'm like, I'm picking the photos that I care about by the stories that I care about. And forgetting about all the rest. Like, yeah, I sometimes go in and delete things, but instead of trying to narrow it down, I'm just trying to, like, pick the cream that's at the top, so.

Kelly Wardlow: I really like that 'cause I feel like story-based scrapbooking then is so, um, motivating. You know, 'cause like you have a whole story to.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Tell, so you have like a vision and a power where I literally go where the story is our life. So I kind of look at the.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Time period and then pick those that way. And so I don't think I could do it without.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah

Kelly Wardlow: Google Photos, but I never even thought about the fact it's because I do the whole thing in Photoshop. Like I'm scrapbooking the whole page in Photoshop, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah

Kelly Wardlow: It doesn't matter how I bring the picture in, I'm gonna edit it in Photoshop, not beforehand, so. And I, I have access to Lightroom, and I've never used it because I think I've always used like [00:50:00] batch processing on Photoshop. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: I wonder now, like with the flow. That would be such a great, I would watch that video. Like if you videotaped your flow, I think I could totally watch like a whole series on everybody's like workflow. And how they do It because I feel like I would learn so many, "Oh, this is better. This is better."

Jennifer Wilson: I actually do have a video on that. So I will include that in the show notes for the episode, and I will send it to you after. I, uh, it's... The video is old now, but I, I don't think there's anything about it that's actually outdated in terms of how, how I do things.

Kelly Wardlow: That is awesome. I'm gonna watch it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. And I think that it was, in terms of why I was attracted so much to Lightroom back in the day when I started, was because of the slider-based editing.

Like, yes, I could edit things in, in Photoshop, but I, I just never... It, it always felt very clunky and troublesome to me. [00:51:00] Um, and, you know, even doing like, doing like a Camera Raw edit in Photoshop, that's really was like, that's, that would be something that might be, you might be attracted to if you're taking raw photos with your iPhone and being able to bring up the Camera Raw dialogue that then has the sliders that pretty much are exactly like a Lightroom, so.

But, you know, if you have a system and it works for you, that's what really matters. That's what I always tell everyone. It doesn't matter how you're getting to the end result. If you know what you're doing and how to do it, and do it again and again, then just do that, because that's much easier than trying to learn a whole different process.

Kelly Wardlow: Totally, unless the process is so helpful. I think it was three years ago I learned, do you ever make something in a Crockpot and you have to use forks to like undo it? You can just use your hand mixer.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: And it does it in like three seconds. Literally when that happened, I, when I, when a friend of mine told me about it like three years ago, I told my husband, I'm like, "We're having pulled pork every day because this literally revolutionized my whole life."

So if there's any-- I'm always looking for the hack. Like if there is something that [00:52:00] you do that I'm like, "Oh my gosh, that's genius," then I can add it into my, like my workflow, I, it would make my day or life or week.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. You know, it's always simple things like that. Like, I recently started using, like, gloves more with, like, mixing. Like, I make a two-ingredient dough with, like, flour and, and yogurt, or even just, like, cutting up chicken and marinating it. It's like, oh my gosh, like, this is revolutionary to use gloves because then you're not trying to, like, just get it off your hands, and then the chicken's always slimy, and it... I love to cook, but I, for some reason I never thought that that would be a helpful part of, of my cooking.

Kelly Wardlow: Oh, that's... I agree with that completely. We put, like, aluminum foil under... We, like, have breakfast for dinner and because there's a lot of us, like, I just bake the bacon on trays.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Do it all at once. And so, like, I remember originally, like, not, like, lining the tray and being like, "This is ridiculous." And so I, I think any hack like that is perfect.

Also, I am so excited.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: To try that, [00:53:00] um, Greek yogurt flour dough. It- I've had.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Like, weeks now, and I'm like, "Ah."

Jennifer Wilson: It works really well for bagels, like pizza crust. Um, I've seen some people make kind of like more like a pita bread out of it. Um, yeah, it works much better than I ever expected. It also works really well with cottage cheese instead of, uh, the yogurt.

Kelly Wardlow: Yesterday I made cottage cheese blondies. They were actually.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh.

Kelly Wardlow: Delicious. And it, have you ever gotten a recipe and it said almond flour, which we almost always have 'cause we have allergies in our house, and we didn't.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: I've used oat flour and I was like, "Oh, it's not gonna work." And it was so good.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, good.

Kelly Wardlow: That was my highlight of the day yesterday.

So.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice, nice

Kelly Wardlow: We're big fans of like adding protein. Even though we have one kiddo who can't have dairy, which makes me so sad. But.

Jennifer Wilson: For sure. So how, when, you know, with a busy life, busy family, how are you actually getting your project done? How does that happen for you?

Kelly Wardlow: Like, with intention. Like, [00:54:00] I can't It is not... so first of all, I feel very blessed in that my kids love the yearbooks. They, all.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Them, even I have one who's, like, a little grumpy. But even he loves when, especially he particularly likes the QR codes. Like, he'll like going with his phone and watching all the QR codes. And so they all love it. And so sometimes it's just about, like, "Hey, Mom is gonna be upstairs, and I need to catch up on my..." Like, I- it's easier for me to tell them, "I need to catch up on our scrapbook," than if I say, "I have to get some work done." They understand, like, "Okay, this is important." So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: Have to set apart...

There was a great magical time in my life when all four of my kids first went to school, and 'cause my youngest was supposed to go to kindergarten right when COVID hit. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh gosh.

Kelly Wardlow: Like, that, like, oh my gosh, after, at, at that point, see, so five... [00:55:00] Like, I had been home, and we had even homeschooled for a while, for like 15 or 16 years with kids.

Like, you know, I mean, longer than we were kids, but, like, you know, like, someone home. Like, at some point, someone was in school and somebody was home, and that's how we were living. And so it was finally gonna be the year of, like, I can get everything done that I need to get done, and then COVID hit, and we had to do home...

Like, we had to do school at home with all four of my kids in one space. And so I was like, "No!" But then that year after felt magical because I wasn't working yet. You know, I, I, like, did part-time volunteering at a place, but, like, I wasn't working yet, so I had all this time. Like, I got, like, every Monday I would scrap the week before.

I had, like, everything tied in the bow. The house was the cleanest it's ever been. But then that only lasted for a year. Before then, I started working and doing other stuff. But, um.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: I have to intentionally set it so that, like, I am at least... I think now the, I set up my whole year ahead of [00:56:00] time. Like, hey I got my work done. I have this chunk of time," I set up all the whole year. And I make cards that have the dates on them, like week one and then the date underneath it. I make those every year, and so I'll use that and I'll put it up for the whole year. So that I only need smaller chunks at a time to fill in and be done. Or, I don't know if you ever do this, like, then I'll just put in the pictures and the journaling, and then I'll come back, like, six months later and then I'll embellish it.

Like, I kind of just try to.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Keep up whatever works, and sadly it's not even consistent. I'm changing it all the time. Like, sometimes I can get this much done, sometimes I can do this. Sometimes I'll have a week that was, like, amazing, like you said, with a story, and I'll, like, do that week. So I'll, like, be missing two months.

I have this one week done and then another two months after. So hodgepodge. I'm sure that helps no one.

Jennifer Wilson: And no. Well, no, and I, I think it helps normalize that, um, [00:57:00] scrapbooking happens in the time that we make for it, and that it's, it's a, it's gonna look different for everyone and in everyone's different season of life. It's always gonna be evolving. And the thing is, if something's not working for you, you have to take a look and see, "Well, okay, what can I shift to try it a different way and to give yourself permission?"

Maybe it's, maybe it's timing. Maybe it's, you know, the format you're working in. Uh, maybe you need something more portable, or maybe you're need something less portable. It's, you know, there's always gonna be different circumstances, and you have, you know, as we say, permission to do it the way that works best for you

Kelly Wardlow: I totally agree with that. And I-- that's why I feel like the Project Life app can be so wonderful, even if you're using it in part.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: Because, like, I don't know about you, but I have spent a lot of time in car lines or waiting.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: For kids. Like, like over an hour a day for most of my life, you know, spending somewhere just waiting, and so having it on your phone is really nice.

I just don't enjoy it as [00:58:00] much anymore, so I've moved on. So I've lost that time, but that was like my one efficiency hack, was that I was able to do it when I could back in the days when I used the app.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. But even like managing photos. Um, I'm-- I was really excited yesterday. I saw that the Collect app is coming back. Like it hasn't been updated in seven years, but now they're working on it, and I-- that was... I, I think it was fin- it was a kind of discontinued or forgotten about the time that I had started wanting to use it.

But in terms of like one photo, you could write a caption and export that as a literal Project Life card was kind of one of the most genius, you know, simplicity strategies, and I'm really excited to see what they do with it. Um, even if I don't actually use the export, I'm excited about being able to kind of curate.

These are the photos that I wanna use. These are the words I wanna put, and then I can then transfer that to whatever I'm gonna put it in later.

Kelly Wardlow: So I have it in my one, maybe two scrapbooks. Like I have a l- and what I used to do is just regular Project [00:59:00] Life, you know, um, per week, right? But then I.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh-huh.

Kelly Wardlow: Would save at the end was almost like month in review, and it was the one favorite part of every day.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Very cool.

Kelly Wardlow: So then I think actually it probably made more work, but I loved it and I loved the way it was, the way it, they set it up, that it was almost like a Polaroid.

Like everything about it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: You said that. I had no idea it was coming back.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, so I'm excited. I think that's gonna be, or at least I hope is going to be a, another fun tool that's gonna help a lot of scrapbookers.

Kelly Wardlow: And I feel like they could... Now they can add so many things to it. You know, you can really... I feel like it shouldn't be too hard for them to make it more functional too. Like, not just

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. As long as it has, like, those basic features, 'cause I have tried so many other things just to get that simple, I want a photo and a caption on a white background with nothing else. Please just give me this, and nothing else will do it. Um, other than something like Canva or Photoshop, which that, I don't wanna do that.

I wanna, like, I don't wanna make it myself. I [01:00:00] can, but I don't want to.

Kelly Wardlow: You like have to deal with it. Right, I totally agree.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: It's so great for like, you know, a Day In The Life and a Week In The Life because you can just.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Kelly Wardlow: And take that picture, you know, like and have it all set. And, you know, just put in the title.

Jennifer Wilson: That would be amazing. Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: And you don't have to do much. It's just kind of all done for you. So I love that.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Kelly Wardlow: I am so glad. And I just remember there was two fonts that were available on it, and I just always used the one, and I forget now, 'cause like you said, it was so long ago. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Kelly Wardlow: To hear this. I will also jump on that bagwa- bandwagon.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Kelly, this has been such a delightful conversation. Thank you.

Kelly Wardlow: Thank you. I, I just also loved being introduced to your whole community, and so I really loved learning about you and all that you do. You're really making a difference in the scrapbooking community, and I really... I, I was just excited to get to know you.

Jennifer Wilson: Thank you. Thank you. Can you share where our listeners can find you online? Anything else you might have new or coming up this year?

Kelly Wardlow: Sure. Um, you-- [01:01:00] I have, uh, a website at connectionkeeping.com. But it's, it's taking a back burner. But you can always find me at Sweet Shop Designs under Connection Keeping.

Jennifer Wilson: Sounds good. We'll include those links in the show notes to the episode.

Kelly Wardlow: Thank you so much, Jennifer

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Thank you for spending time with me, and to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Leanne Millo: [00:00:00] As funny as it sounds, I know I've said yes to more plans in my real life than I might have originally. Because I knew they'd make great photos or I knew they'd become stories with my friends that I would love to have documented, and I think it just really helps you look at those little details in your life and appreciate things and have gratitude for things and just take the time to notice.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 348. In this episode, I'm chatting with Leanne Millo about her journey through multiple Project Life formats and what she's learned along the way.

Leanne shares how she landed on a Creative Memories 12x12 approach that lets her capture every week of the year in one album

Hey, Leanne, welcome to [00:01:00] Scrapbook Your Way.

Leanne Millo: Hi, and thanks for having me.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm looking forward to getting to know you better and having our conversation today. Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Leanne Millo: You bet. So my name is Leanne. I'm based near Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. I'm in my early 30s. I live with my husband and our mini goldendoodle, Daisy. She's four. I'd say we're a pretty active family. We love being outside, traveling, cooking, gardening, all the things that you'll see recurring through my photos in my weekly scrapbook spreads.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. Wonderful. Now we're gonna get more into how you approach scrapbooking and how that, how you got into it, uh, today. But I have a few icebreaker questions I always like to ask. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project?

Leanne Millo: For sure. So I think my favorite honestly tends to be just whatever I'm currently working on. I kinda get, like, obsessed with each project, and then ready to put it to the side. But currently, I'd say my favorite still happens to be my Project Life album. I'm [00:02:00] doing 12 by 12 every week right now, and I've kind of been doing a different format.

Getting to explore that over the last few months has really brought back my creative spark and kind of excitement for scrapbooking again after a little slump recently. In my Project Life, I recently did a travel spread for a work trip I just did to Washington, DC, and I really like being able to mix those, like, specialty highlight pages, as I call them, into my Project Life really seamlessly right now.

So I'm typically going for a more traditional style on those, and having fun mixing them in to kind of be a little bit different than my regular weekly layout, which is more of a grid. So just getting to play around with that has, has been a recent favorite.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, there's something really powerful about switching up formats, even if the kind of underlying intention and approach is very similar. Something about sizes and shapes makes our brain, you know, put together the puzzle a little bit differently.

Leanne Millo: So true. I know, yeah, you can be doing the same project, but changing up the format can make a, a really big impact. I feel like I've [00:03:00] tried so many, so many different ones.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, I can't wait to hear about that. Um, is there something new you're excited to do, use, or try? And this could be in scrapbooking or in everyday life.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. Uh, I'll give you a scrapbooking one. It's kind of funny, but I recently upgraded my paper trimmer, and using it for the first time this week feels like it's changed my life. As dramatic as that sounds, but I think all the paper people here might feel us on this. I've tried, like, three or four of the main trimmer brands, and I'm always struggling whether it's misalignment or the cut's just getting dull.

My recent one was a rotary style one, which I was hoping would make a difference, but it took multiple blade passes just to cut through photo paper, and I hated it. So I recently switched to the Creative Memories 12-inch trimmer, and it feels like it's like the Cadillac of paper trimmers. I didn't realize there could be that big of a quality increase on a paper trimmer, but it's crazy, and you can swap out different blades, so you can even do, like, scalloped edges and stuff with a paper trimmer.

So [00:04:00] I'm just super excited to use that in some of my upcoming products. Or, sorry, not products, but projects.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, I totally hear you. I have used so many different trimmers over the years, and, uh, the Creative Memories trimmer is my current favorite as well. It's been very very reliable.

Leanne Millo: Nice. Yeah, I know. I'm,

I'm behind the times with that.

Jennifer Wilson: No, and I mean, I was like, "Oh, I don't know." And, um, I had never ordered from Creative Memories before, and that's gonna be, I'm sure, part of our conversation as well. And then, um, but some friends recommended it, and so I ordered a couple things, and I got the trimmer, and it was so amazing, and I'm like, "Oh, I need to order refills." And after I'd already ordered the refill blades, I discovered you can also order them on Amazon, so.

Leanne Millo: Oh, I haven't checked there.

Jennifer Wilson: In case you need that trimmer blade really, really fast, so.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. That's awesome. I know, it's like butter. Like, gliding that blade across, it's like, wow, that is, that is nice.

Jennifer Wilson: I've been, I've been very happy with it for sure.

Leanne Millo: Awesome.

Jennifer Wilson: All right. So tell us how you got [00:05:00] started scrapbooking.

Leanne Millo: For sure. So my actual introduction for scrapbooking was through my mom, probably back in the 2000s. She was super into scrapbooking when I was growing up, and her best friend was actually a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. So they would do crop nights at their house with all of their girlfriends, and I would get to tag along, and they would sometimes let me try to make my own cards, or I had, like, a mini kid scrapbook.

But it wasn't really anything I did with consistency as a kid.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Leanne Millo: Kind of skipping forward, I guess, to where I would actually say it became my hobby was, I think, in 2021. I had just graduated university, and I was kind of being re-exposed to the world of memory keeping through creative journaling. And I was kind of doing that in a vertical weekly Happy Planner style.

I had followed creators like Mary Ellen from Planning with Bumble, and I was kind of using the vertical weekly space to record all of the facts from my week, and I was [00:06:00] using the Happy Planner sticker books to decorate the spreads. And I had kind of been doing that for about two years before I started to wonder if there was a way to include photos in my process. Because I had so many good memories written down, but I'm also super visual, like I'm sure most of us are, and I just kind of wanted to add that photo in.

I've always been, like, the kind of person that has, like, 10,000 photos on my phone, so naturally I feel like scrapbooking started to make sense. And there was so much great online content in 2021 that was pulling me in. So I kind of went back and forth between the journaling and dabbling in the scrapbooking.

But then after a couple years, around 2024, is when I found the Ali Edwards Instagram account, and I started to learn a lot more about the projects that she does with her community and her just general mentality on storytelling, and that's kind of where I segued into things like Project Life, Week in the Life, and dabbling in scrapbooking more seriously.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. I love hearing, uh, everyone's story is little bit different, but there's certainly always [00:07:00] commonalities. You know, we often find it through someone else. Um, I'm curious if you still do any kind of things in a planner. Whether it's, I mean, outside of functional planning, but like, you know, decorative or memory keeping type planning. Is that still part of your creative process?

Leanne Millo: I feel like I still go on and off. Like, this year I bought a Hemlock and Oak weekly planner, and I've been really liking that. But I, I don't know. I was trying to do a more, like, graphic and creative style of just, like, journaling in that planner, kind of like Jenn Boom Creates inspired. Um, she's so great with all of her different calligraphy and pens and stickers.

But that became a bit too much work for me to keep up with, I think. So now I've kind of just gone back to doing a more basic use my fountain pen, write down what happened each week, and then I've got that at least as a log. So if I get behind in my scrapbooking, I still have those kind of real time notes from each week.

Jennifer Wilson: That's really helpful. Yeah, I love kind of, um, [00:08:00] observing that, okay, I really like this. I can appreciate that others can, can manage this, but it may not be fitting to my life right now. So what can I do to make it, you know, more practical for me, and then also support the other things I'm doing? So, so. Yeah, awesome transition.

Leanne Millo: I always wanna dabble in every hobby. It's like I gotta try it, but I can't keep up with them all.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. I get it, especially this time of year with like, there's so many wonderful planner videos with folks that keep up with like seven different things, and I'm like, I would love.

Leanne Millo: I know.

Jennifer Wilson: To be this person, but I'm not this person.

Leanne Millo: The planner stack, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah.

Leanne Millo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Tell me how kind of your, your interest in scrapbooking evolved into kind of doing Project Life with pocket pages. How did you get started with that?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. So I decided to start Project Life for the first time in August of 2024. I had been seeing it online from, again, so many amazing creators, and honestly, it took me a couple [00:09:00] months to kind of work up the courage to actually start. I was, like, debating, oh, do I need to wait till January and start a new album, or, you know, how do I kinda get into this?

At the beginning, I was definitely a little bit too precious with my stuff. Like, I was not wanting to waste stickers or reprint photos if I messed up, and I hadn't really found, like, a s- a style for myself yet.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Leanne Millo: But eventually I kind of just decided, okay, I need to start this. I started in August and I said, let's just go for it and, you know, see if we even like this hobby.

So my strategy for kind of getting started was, one, just referencing layouts or sketches from other people online to try to build, like, the muscle behind it. And start to understand what looked good in layouts and just ease into scrapbooking. Um, another thing that I did was kind of the reason why I ended up in pocket pages was I was trying to find scrapbooking products that I could actually find in person locally near me.

So I started, out in 12 by 12 because it was really the only [00:10:00] size scrapbook I could find at an in-person craft store. It was super accessible. I bought a binder album, and then I just ordered some page protectors from scrapbook.com. I ordered one set configuration to just keep it easy. And honestly, I had so much fun just slotting photos into the pockets each week, and it was really easy for me to keep up with in real time.

I think not having the pressure of needing to create a traditional layout and figure out what looks good and instead just kind of have the crutch of the pocket page configuration to set the lay up- layout up for you is really how I got hooked and how I kinda got started into that project.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. No, I, I love it and I lo- I know that's why so many people love Project Life as well, 'cause it does kind of reduce the pressure a little bit while still, like, feeding this need that we have to, to capture our, our lives. And as you said, you were already doing quite a bit of this with your journaling, but now you're getting to add those photos as well.

Leanne Millo: For sure. Yeah, the format just makes it so easy. Like, you can [00:11:00] decorate, you can journal, and you can have your photos all in one. It's, it's just so easy with the page protectors.

Jennifer Wilson: So why would you say it's important to you to capture these everyday stories versus just, you know, birthdays, holidays, milestones?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I, I know I'm a sucker for the big stories, but the everyday stories is where I spend so much of my time documenting. And I think my main goal for capturing these, honestly, it's, it's for myself. Like, at this point in my life, I don't have kids. I don't know if people will wanna look back at this stuff, but I know that I already do enjoy really looking back at my albums, even from the last couple years.

And there's just so many little details in our lives that maybe at first seem kinda mundane or, you know, you just assume that things will always be the same or that they're so small that they don't have that much meaning. But I think things are the same until they aren't, and maybe some of those small details will actually become important later in your life.

Like, suddenly you don't drive that car anymore [00:12:00] or you don't wear those clothes anymore. And I always think of a classic photo shot that a lot of people started doing during Week in the Life. It's the one where people are either, like, loading a washing machine or loading a dishwasher, and it's something that looks so every day.

But I saw some people in the comments point out that, you know, maybe their dishwasher used to have wine glasses in it and now it's filled with toddler cups. And you just don't consciously realize, like, those little shifts in your life because they're so small. But then looking back and seeing it photographed or seeing you journaling about it is so powerful.

And I think it just kinda helps you be a witness to your own life and kind of appreciate maybe the things that later you'll think are the good old days and, I don't know. As funny as it sounds, I know I've said yes to more plans in my real life than I might have originally. Because I knew they'd make great photos or I knew they'd become stories with my friends that I would love to have documented, and I think it just really helps you look at those little details in your life and appreciate things and [00:13:00] have gratitude for things and just take the time to notice.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, that's so beautifully said, and it like, it sounds like it's helped you like even further engage with your life, and that's, you know, there's, that's 110% win-win for everything. That's amazing.

Leanne Millo: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I feel like it really is kind of just the way I experience life now. Like, I'm looking for those little stories, looking for those little photos, and yeah, just trying to add some context maybe to the things that are happening each week.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, your, your example of sharing how those like those mundane photos can change. Like, I think back to, I think it was like a 2014 Week In The Life, and there's a photo of me, like, putting laundry in the dryer or something like that. And of course, I have these like... I had a three-year-old at the time, so I have all these like tiny pink clothes. And now this three-year-old is turning 15 and who wears like all black. Um, so yeah, things definitely can change.

Leanne Millo: Totally. Aw, yeah, it's probably crazy to look back, especially after that many years of [00:14:00] documenting too.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So you mentioned that you, um, you found Ali Edwards and you've kind of dabbled in some of her projects. Uh, what, what, what projects are part of kind of your suite every year, or maybe that you're thinking about trying for the first time?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. So Project Life I would say is kind of my staple. It's my quick weekly progress. It's the one I don't really let slip whether I take on other projects or not. Um, but I've tried Week in the Life. I've done that twice. I've done December Daily twice now, and I really love doing travel albums. Travel albums were kind of the first standalone album I tried outside of Project Life.

I was doing a travel album for our honeymoon in 2024, and that was really great. I loved being able to just mix in all the different ephemera that we were collecting and just, like, not let all those tickets die in a box in my closet. That was so satisfying to me. I'm not sure if I'll continue to do Week in the Life, honestly, because I capture so much of my daily life pretty consistently already through Project Life. [00:15:00] But I'll definitely be keeping up...

Jennifer Wilson: That's a good point. Yeah.

Leanne Millo: It's... I don't know. When I look back at Week in the Life, I don't know if it's... There's something about it that feels like it's so much effort, and it's kind of the similar stories that I already capture. So.

Jennifer Wilson: I think, and this is like, I guess this is just an opinion that might apply to some people and not apply to others, but if you are doing Project Life, you might not need to do Week in the Life. But if you're not doing anything that's like Project Life, that's like a really kind of everyday documentation, you might find that Week in the Life is enough to kind of capture what life is like right now without feeling like you have to add another project.

So.

Leanne Millo: 100%.

Jennifer Wilson: Some certainly love love doing both, but I think they are kind of good options on the buffet of which you can choose from.

Leanne Millo: I think so too. Yeah. I think that's why I've kind of drifted away from Week in the Life. But you know, the, when you see the collections and they're just so good, it, it draws you in every year. But this year I resisted. Um, I might try to see if there's ways I can use some of those products just in my [00:16:00] regular storytelling instead, so I can still kinda play with those items, but probably don't need the full album.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, and I've, I've tried to do that as well with December Daily, and like do I need to do a full album? Because it is a whole endeavor, but the products are so pretty and cute, and the sneak peeks for this year are already getting me, and I'm like, "No, I can't do it." But.

Leanne Millo: Same. Same. I know. I was debating.

Jennifer Wilson: The puffy shaker stickers?

Leanne Millo: I did. I know, they're so good. Yeah, I know, I love the color palette for this year. I was on the edge for December Daily this year, and I think I'm doing it. I saw the sneak peeks and I'm like, "Yep, okay. Sign me up.

Jennifer Wilson: I was gonna do just like digital or maybe just a layout, and now I'm, I need the folks to talk me down because I'm getting very excited.

Leanne Millo: I know. I don't know what it is about the Christmas stuff that just seems like it has extra pull.

Jennifer Wilson: It does. I mean, it brings out kind of that sense of childhood joy and like the anticipation that we had. And, um, as adults we [00:17:00] don't get quite as much of that, so we have to get it in other ways.

Leanne Millo: So true. Yeah. Uh, it is a good project too. I like looking back at those albums.

Jennifer Wilson: Now you mentioned that you were doing some, you'd done some kind of more traditional layouts within your Project Life album. Do you do any layouts kind of outside of Project Life?

Leanne Millo: Not in 12 by 12 at this point.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Leanne Millo: I don't know. I know there are people that do kind of like the separate story albums is what I've heard them called. I just try to put all of my stories into one. I just want one big album for the year, and then if I'm not doing that, it's like for a specific cause, so like a travel album.

But I'll still usually put a little highlight of a trip into my Project Life or my main album for the year. But yeah, I try to keep it all in one place and hopefully reduce the amount of albums I have one day.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. They, they do add up over time, for sure.

Leanne Millo: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: I was having a conversation, um, with someone yesterday about [00:18:00] how there's, there's been kind of some conversations in the community about converting from ring binders to Creative Memories albums just for the point of saving space. Now, this won't work if you have, like, super, super chunky pages, but if your pages are relatively minimal, and particularly if your pages are digital, you know, you can get a lot more pages in a, a narrower format than you can in the ring albums, so.

Leanne Millo: It's actually drastic. Like, I recently did a comparison video on the Creative Memories album versus the ring binder, and even if the spine doesn't look that much different, even just, like, the horizontal kind of, like, wingspan of the 12 x 12 binders is so big to just allow for that binder mechanism. Like, when you're holding one in person, it's like, wow, that is... It is huge. So.

Jennifer Wilson: For sure. So tell me about how the, the Project Life albums that you've completed already, what were the ... You mentioned the first one was 12 by [00:19:00] 12, and then I know, I think you, you went to 10 by 8. What were your experiences in working in those ring albums?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. So I really love the 10 by 8. I honestly had such a good time working in 10 by 8. I think one of the biggest reasons I love that size is because I'm just a sucker for the big full-page photo enlargements that you can do in that size with a regular printer. So that, like, horizontal 8.5 by 11 sheet. Um, I also really like that in those ring binders, and especially in the 10 by 8, you can include so many page sizes and different page protectors into your projects.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Leanne Millo: I used a ton of 6 by 8 page protectors in there. I definitely dabbled in all the craftiness, and I've sewn things together to make custom p- page pockets, and I've used my fuse tool to make different things. And I just feel like the 10 by 8 has so much room for creativity and a mix of page protectors and outside the page layouts and, and big photos, which I'm a sucker for, [00:20:00] so.

Jennifer Wilson: Would you choose that again for another type of project?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I think where I've kind of settled with 10 by 8 is that when I do it for Project Life, it felt like it was maybe a little bit too time-consuming for that project, because I really wanted to keep up with being current. But then I'm spending so much time you know, making these.

Jennifer Wilson: Customizing.

Leanne Millo: Layouts and, yeah.

And it's, it's hard to keep up with that in Project Life. But I really love it for travel, and I really love it for December Daily. So I, I could see myself staying in 10 by 8 for both of those, or maybe separate projects. I have, um... I wasn't a scrapbooker the year that we got married, and I kind of wanna go back and do a 10 by 8 that's like the whole wedding era. Like engagement, all the showers, and I had a lot of friends get married in that same year, and it would be so fun to do something like that.

I could see that in 10 by 8.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. That sounds like such a fun project.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I love [00:21:00] like even using those little page attachers too to add in like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Leanne Millo: Cards or brochures or different things, and that works really good in 10 by 8. That's a little bit different now that I'm working in 12 by 12. Um, but yeah, in 10 by 8 I really like doing, doing those kind of things.

Jennifer Wilson: So I noticed that you also created your own 10 by 8 album. So I'm curious, like, has it held up? Have you actually used it for a project, and would you, would you make one again?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. So that was such a fun project. I got super into researching bookbinding for a certain period of time, and I had found some videos that helped me plan out how to make my own 10 by 8 binder, and honestly, it's held up really great. I'm, like, super excited about that. I used it to do a Disney travel compilation album.

The album has, like, a section for each trip. And yeah, it's kind of like a highlight reel, so I wasn't a scrapbooker at the time I went on a lot of these trips either, so it's kind of nice to do a little highlight and, you know, your stories don't expire, so I'm working, I'm working on [00:22:00] some of those things from the past.

Especially where I live, like, I think Ali Edwards might be the only one that sells 10 by 8, and just being in Canada, shipping, conversion, ordering albums can be really expensive. So I thought, you know what? Let's try, and then if I want to make more 10 by 8 albums, I can. And, and yeah, I would honestly really recommend it if you're looking for a kind of a unique album size or something that you can't get near you, making your own with book- that kind of like book board and covering it with scrapbook paper, and it was, it was pretty easy and yeah, it's held up really well.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Yeah, no, it's, uh, I was so impressed by like, just the process that you used because I've tried to even just do some of those more interactive pages in December Daily and I'm like, "Okay, I'm measuring and I'm trying and I'm folding and I'm trying to d- you know, do a dummy in advance." And I'm like, "Okay, something I'm not getting here about the dimensions and leaving the right amount of spaces."

And so yeah, I, I thought that was really impressive.

Leanne Millo: Thank you. Yeah, it's definitely a little bit of trial and error. There were some maybe mistakes, but you know what? It's paper, so you c- you can always rip it [00:23:00] off and glue it down again.

Jennifer Wilson: Very true. Very true. So you recently started working in a new format for your Project Life, as you mentioned earlier. Can you tell us more about it and how that came about?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. So right now, the new format that I'm working in, um, as I kind of mentioned, is the 12 by 12 Creative Memories album. And I can give a little bit of a backstory of how I kind of got to that since I was so heavy into pocket pages before. Um, like I was saying, I think the 12 by 12 binder that I started in wasn't necessarily the size for me, but it was available, and it was so large.

I, I learned a lot in that album, but I think especially doing double-page layouts for every week, it just felt like it was kind of too much. So from there, I shifted to nine by 12, and I honestly loved that size. Um, especially the page protector layout I used had a mix of three by fours and four by sixes.

It felt like it was the perfect amount of space to mix photos but also have enough room to use the cards and [00:24:00] the products, and I love it. Like, I would recommend anyone that just wants to do regular Project Life pocket pages to go nine by 12 in a heartbeat. The only little thing that bothered me about it was I just don't wanna have multiple albums for every year, and I can't seem to get through it in less than two albums for the year with the amount of page protectors that you need.

It's not, like, totally logical on why I don't wanna have two albums. It just feels like a, a pet peeve almost. Like, I just feel like it's satisfying to have one album for each year on the shelf. So.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. It's... The dream is trying to, I guess, figure out everyone's perfect scrapbooking scenario. So for me, I'm looking for something that's the right size and that's one album.

So from there, I was trying to evaluate what I wanted to do. I did nine by 12 for a full year. Uh, that was 2025, and then I changed for the start of 2026 into the 10 by 8 that we were talking about. That was totally inspired by Ali Edwards because she's been doing [00:25:00] her annual project in that size, and I just loved the creative freedom of that, that kind of format that we were talking about.

When I did go 10 by 8, I switched from doing weekly spreads to having a divider set up for each month and just telling however many stories I felt was appropriate to kind of capture that month. So it felt like it shifted a little bit more to be highlight stories and then maybe have, like, one spread that just had a bunch of those little random everyday photos.

So I kind of found that I had lost some of that when I went to 10 by 8 because everything was just like, okay, I went... I did this weekend trip, and that's a, a spread for that, and then I would do this event, and that was a spread. And some of that day-to-day stuff, I felt like, I don't know, I wasn't telling it to the same level of detail maybe with 10 by 8. But yeah, it was also just a, a time investment, and I really wanted to stay current with, with my album.

So that all led me to the shift of trying now in the second half of 2026, the Creative Memories. [00:26:00] So I just started that style in June, and honestly, I was kind of resisting going back to 12 by 12 because of the binder album earlier. Just being so large and, I don't know, it feels like it's like the OG traditional one and not as modern maybe as some of the other formats.

So I don't know. I had some kind of mental block there, but eventually I got over that. I ordered the Creative Memories album, and I really like it because you get the benefit of the binder, which for me is being able to reorder pages, um, with the Creative Memories album because they have a strap-bound system.

So you can still insert as many pages as you want. You can still reorder them. You just open up the straps and rearrange your pages. Um, and because you can buy the pages separately, you can add in as many pages or page packs as you want. Up to, I think, two inches is what I've seen online, which is like three packs.

And I kind of did the math, and for my goal to have one album per year, if I use two of those packs and I do a single page spread for each week of the year, [00:27:00] then I'll actually have enough page inserts or whatever to do one page per week and still have like 15 r- pages for like highlight pages, as I call them.

So if I wanna do a full page to cover a special birthday or do a trip page or just emphasize a fun event, I still have room to do that on top of my weekly pages. So that's been really fun for me to kind of mix and match.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, this is so awesome. I, yeah, I love kind of the troubleshooting you did to, to get there, and particularly to acknowledge that really like that weekly structure and that it helps you capture the, the little and the big and everything in between. Um, and then also finding a way to get it into all one album.

Leanne Millo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Is very satisfying, as you said.

Leanne Millo: When you're switching between albums, I'm like, "Do other people think about this this much?" Like, the size, the format, how many albums? And I don't know, but I spent a lot of time, I guess, trying to refine that. Um, in the Creative Memories albums too, the pages [00:28:00] are a white thick cardstock base instead of like a clear page protector.

So that's kind of a different point of this style. Um, I've been really liking that because I usually keep the bright white background as the base to kind of make a clean photo grid on top of it each week. So I like having that white background show through. Every week I kind of make a custom grid layout based on how many photos I have, and what's really cool about that is that you're not stuck to having the same grid layout on the other side of the page like you would with a pocket page.

So.

Jennifer Wilson: Correct.

Leanne Millo: Each week I have a fully custom grid, which is something really cool about this style.

Jennifer Wilson: Now what, like I've noticed that you've done kind of different like, you know, subgrids, like really smaller photos as well. How do you plan all that out?

Leanne Millo: Yeah, so my planning process is a bit different with this. So I kinda have to plan things out in advance. I kinda need to, like, do the math, and I usually start with figuring out how many photos I have and what kind of stories I'm telling. Um, [00:29:00] I like to use Canva to pre-plan my layout. Because I like how easy it is to just drag and drop photos in and resize and kind of make, like, a mock-up of what I'm thinking first.

So the math side of it, I mean, 12 by 12 is easy for that. At least it's a square. So you know your page is 12 by 12. If I were to put down two four by sixes, let's say side by side, then that would be touching edge to edge of that page, and it would be the full 12-inch width. So you can kind of figure out, like, you could fit six four by sixes technically on the 12-inch page, right?

Um, what I like to do is take a quarter inch off of each photo so that it makes the room for that white background paper to show through and make the white grid that you see. So if I'm printing a four by six photo, for example, I would actually print it at, like, 3.75 by 5.75 to make that border around everything.

And then I kinda just work on making those different templates, do the math, and try to figure out, you know, how many photos can I fit if they're all these different sizes. And [00:30:00] yeah, I don't know, it's kinda just pre-planning is really the key, I'd say.

Jennifer Wilson: How are you going from Canva then to your printer? Are you printing the photos from Canva or are you going into something else first? How do you get them from your concept to photos?

Leanne Millo: Little photos, yeah. So I don't print through Canva. I basic- on Canva I'm using what's called, like, the whiteboard layout. Um, so it's kinda just like a big free art board. I s- I solely use it for planning, and then I will print from... Well, all my printing I do from home, so I have, like, a little four by six photo printer, and then I have a full-size, like, letter size regular printer as well.

Um, for my specific workflow, I bring everything into Lightroom, edit it, and then I put it into Photoshop and do kind of, like, art boards that I print off from there. So I'll print my photos just directly onto four by six photo paper for the most part, unless I'm doing an enlargement. I'll print it off on a letter sized piece of, [00:31:00] like, photo paper, the glossy Canon one.

Yeah. I don't know. It's kind of a... Basically what I'm doing, I guess, is digitally planning it in Canva, printing everything physically and separately, and then I reassemble that grid layout on the page. So I'm not printing it off all as one. I'm printing each photo or card separately, and then actually building it out by gluing it all down onto the page.

Jennifer Wilson: Are you adding any kind of additional embellishments, um, on top of that? Or is it very much kind of like a truly hybrid layout of you're printing out what starts as digital things and, and, and then adhering them back together in a collage?

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I feel like I kind of do a mix of everything. Like, if I, if I pre-plan anything digitally, I try to print everything separately, I guess, as, like, their own elements. So, like, I'll print my photos on photo paper. I'll print, like, die cuts or journaling cards or embellishments on, I think it's the Epson Premium Matte paper.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Leanne Millo: And... Or I'll, like, cut it out with my Cricut or whatever, [00:32:00] and I'll basically, like, manufacture everything for myself at home. And then I would take those all as if I had ordered a physical kit or if I had physical products, and then I would do, like, kind of a traditional scrapbook process, I feel like, to bring it all to life.

So, I don't know. I really like the three-dimensionality of having what feels like physical products to work with. Um, but I also do a lot of products that I'm, like, actually buying at the scrapbook store, too, or on scrapbook.com. I love, like, puffy stickers and other things, too, that aren't digitals that I'm producing at home. So, it's kind of a mix just of, like, where I'm kind of working from and with what products.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure, sure, sure.

You've mentioned quite a bit of the pros, uh, comparing this to the pocket pages. Are there any kind of drawbacks that you found? Things you're like, "Oh, I do kind of miss this one little aspect."

Leanne Millo: Um, I think, well, one is that when you're making up your own grids from scratch, you just have to think about it a little bit more. So as much [00:33:00] as that was a pro, it could also be a con, I guess. Um, like you said, how do you know if you wanna do two-by-twos or three-by-fours or, you know, even enlarge something as a six-by-eight, and then how do you fit all the other photos around that?

I think that's something that you kinda need to, like, build up your skill set around. So, you know, if you're just looking for something that's super easy, and you don't wanna think as much about how to make a balanced layout from scratch, maybe you could say that this, I guess, style could take a little bit more effort to get used to. Because you don't have the pocket pages.

That being said, sometimes I totally just recreate a pocket page grid. Like, I can look at a 12-by-12 page protector and just emulate that onto my white page. So, you know, you could make it as easy or as complicated as you want. I don't know. I'm also thinking about just, like, having the white pages. With the Creative Memories albums, I've been sliding those, like, protective kinda page protector sheets on when you're done.

Like, Creative Memories is a little different 'cause you're not sliding the page into the protector. [00:34:00] You're doing the page first and then sliding the protector over the side. I don't know if you've seen that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. They do offer the top-loading page protectors now too, though.

Leanne Millo: Yes, that's right. Actually, I've been debating, like, trying to... I don't know. I need to explore more, I think, with the different inserts that they have.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Leanne Millo: 'Cause I also saw that they had, like, letter-sized inserts, and there's scrap journal-sized inserts and stuff too. But I just think in general maybe you have a little bit less selection.

Like, there's not as many page protector configurations. There's not as many things you can mix and match in. One of the things I'm trying to figure out right now is, like, if I do have a brochure or something, what's the best way for me to add that in now? It feels just, like, unnatural almost to not have this protective sleeve on for some reason, even though in my old albums I did outside of the page protector all the time.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Leanne Millo: But yeah, I don't know. With the strap system, trying to figure out, like, what is the equivalent of, like, a plastic page attacher for this album so I could just, like, slot in a ticket or slot in a brochure. That's something I'm trying to [00:35:00] figure out with this one still.

Jennifer Wilson: I wonder if you could use like the Fuse tool along with their, you know, more full page pocket type pages in order to like cut it down to the appropriate size, but still have the appropriate left side binding.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I was thinking about that too, 'cause like if I did get their kind of page protectors that are smaller, you could cut them down or fuse them or.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Leanne Millo: Have something that looks a little bit more like an insert and not as much like a full page.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know, like then because you don't have the same kind of, uh, flexibility because of the rings if those type of inserts are, make it more awkward too.

Leanne Millo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Because it is all closer together.

Leanne Millo: Definitely wanna order some and play around. I'm gonna have to put an update on that at some point. But yeah, that, that's the one thing I found that I'm kinda like, "Oh, I need to think of something for that," or, you know, buy some of their other products maybe and see [00:36:00] how I can make that work.

Jennifer Wilson: No, it sounds like this is, you mentioned earlier, you asked earlier, like, do people really think about this? And I 100%, no, you are not alone in the thinking about this.

Leanne Millo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: If we're not thinking about it before we buy it, we're thinking about it once we bought it, and what we're gonna buy next, and how what works best for us, and what type of, you know, overall process feels easy, even if it does take steps. Sometimes that, those steps can feel easy and feel good. Versus things that maybe are technically faster, but they don't, they're not as fun or not as interesting or they're just, you know, not as satisfying in the end. So we have to decide what works.

Leanne Millo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Best.

Leanne Millo: Yeah. I know, I, and I think you're always trying to optimize, right? Like, in my dream world, my shelf for some reason would have, like, a consistent type of documenting, like all of the same albums. But something with my experience scrapbooking so far, I guess, is that I haven't been able to achieve that yet, and even if at the beginning I thought, like, "Oh, I really wish I could just stick to a style," I think it's actually [00:37:00] been really exciting also to try all those different things and go through all of those different projects and albums and kind of learn, like, what you did like about each one. And I think maybe there's, there's a scrapbook style for each maybe phase of life that you're in, right?

Like, it doesn't always have to be the same. I, I think just do what works for you, and maybe I'm in 12 by 12 for now, and maybe I won't be forever, and I think that's okay, too.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, it's so fun. You know, there's things that came about in the past 10 years that we n- didn't know were coming, and I'm sure that's gonna happen in the next 10 years. There's gonna be new innovations, things that look exciting and interesting, and we're gonna try it, and it's gonna work for some of us, and some of us are gonna be like, "No, I really like this other thing that I was already doing, and I'm gonna go back to that."

And that's, don't know, that's part of what makes it fun and interesting.

Leanne Millo: Yeah, I agree. I know, I love seeing how creative everyone is in the community too. Like, it's cool to say like, "Okay, this is the popular style right now," but it's also fun to just watch people kind of break out of that. Like, I don't see a ton of people doing Project Life [00:38:00] in the 12 by 12 on the white pages kind of in the way I have recently.

But it's funny to just talk to people and be like, "Oh my gosh, I didn't think of it like that. I'm gonna try this." Or then they start to send me inspiration on what else I could do to, you know, maybe solve this other problem or something. And I think it's so cool to just see everyone working together, and love talking about all these different things, and trying different things, and being inspired by everyone else.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yes, 100%. Now, I guess the last thing I wanna ask is do you have any advice for someone who maybe is curious about Project Life? So now that you've tried it different ways, you've found maybe a system that, that works better for you, what advice would you have to someone who, who wants to get started?

Leanne Millo: Ooh, that's a good question. I think don't be afraid to try different things. That's like something that I learned even, like I was kind of saying back at the beginning, you have all that kind of fear of just getting started. But, um, I think there's like a quote that's kind of like... it's something that's basically like you don't have to be great to start, [00:39:00] but you have to start to be great.

Like, you just have to get started. That's my biggest advice. You can refine your format. You can change your album. You can, you know, change even the frequency. Like, I know some people do weekly like me. Other people I think do monthly. Maybe you just wanna tell a couple stories. Um, I also wouldn't get so hung up on the format, and I would really focus on capturing like, you know, the actual stories behind why we do this.

Like, what are the little moments that you don't wanna forget? What are the photos that you wanna be able to look back on physically one day, you know, when you're sitting on your couch and flipping through these albums? Whether you're doing it in a planner, whether you're doing it in a journal, you're doing it in a scrapbook or a sketchbook even I've seen people do.

Like, there's so many different ways that you can just achieve the goal of Project Life, which I think is ultimately just, you know, giving importance and capturing everyday moments. And I don't know, there's just so many flexible ways to do it that I feel like just doing it in some kind of way that works for you is better [00:40:00] than not doing it at all. So I.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes!

Leanne Millo: Guess that's my advice.

Jennifer Wilson: I totally agree. Thank you so much for spending time with me and telling us all about your process. Can you share where our audience can find you online? Anything you might have new or coming up later this year?

Leanne Millo: Sure. Yeah, so the main place to find me is on Instagram. My account on there is sunday__plans. There's two underscores between Sunday and plans. Um, coming up I'll definitely be sharing more Project Life. Um, I try to share a lot of design tips too, so things like maybe design fundamentals or how to actually make things look good.

Those are some kind of content pillars I wanna focus on coming up. I've got travel albums in progress, and I'm definitely gonna be posting about December Daily. So if you wanna join us in the Christmas holiday scrapbooking, I'll be sharing a lot of that. Um, yeah, can't wait to just keep scrapbooking and sharing online.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. Yeah, again, thanks for spending time with me and chatting with us.

Leanne Millo: Thank you. It's been so much [00:41:00] fun, and I've really, um, appreciated the chance to come on and chat, so thanks for having me.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Heather Cerulo: [00:00:00] scrapbooking to me is just the most amazing stress reliever. I mean, when I sit down and scrapbook, all my worries kind of go away. And it's my opportunity to be creative, and to just play with things and have fun. So in a very stressful world, I feel like the scrapbooking hobby is a great way to de-stress and just relax, and that's what it is for me.

Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper, and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 347. In this episode, I'm interviewing Heather Cerulo for the My Way series. My Way is all about celebrating the unique ways memory keepers get things done.

We're excited to have Heather as the September featured artist at Simple Scrapper

Jennifer Wilson: Hey, Heather. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Heather Cerulo: Hi, Jennifer. How are you doing [00:01:00] today?

Jennifer Wilson: I am doing well, thank you. How are you?

Heather Cerulo: I'm good. Good. Doing good.

Jennifer Wilson: Excellent. I'm excited to chat with you today and learn more about you for this My Way episode. You're one of our upcoming featured artists. Well, I guess when this goes live, you will be our featured artist for September, so I'm excited about that. Um, Heather, can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Heather Cerulo: Sure. Um, I live in northern New Jersey in the United States. I've always lived here. Um, I'm a teacher. I teach fourth grade, and actually I'm go- gearing up to enter my 20th year teaching, which blows my mind. I have a husband, Christopher, and then I have a two-year-old daughter, Abigail.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, wonderful, wonderful. Um, when does school start for you?

Heather Cerulo: We start teachers August 31st. I believe that's the Monday, and then the students will start that Wednesday.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome. Awesome. Yeah, you get a little bit more time, but then I guess you probably go later than we do. So our first day is tomorrow.

Heather Cerulo: Oh my goodness. Well, we got out June [00:02:00] 24th, which was very late this year, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, wow. Yes. Yes.

Heather Cerulo: That balances it all out, right?

Jennifer Wilson: For sure, for sure. So Heather, I always like to ask our guests a few icebreaker questions. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project?

Heather Cerulo: Uh, yeah. I was actually pretty proud to have finished up a, um, beach trip that we took in August of 2025. I worked, um, really hard in July to try to get that finished. And I think it ended up being something like maybe 15 or 16 layouts, and I did get that completed, so I was really proud of that.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, um, how does that come together for you in terms of, like, do you print it as a photo book?

Heather Cerulo: No, I did all, all layouts. So on that trip we sort of went, like, to different beach towns, so I made each beach town a two-page spread. So and then anything that was left I just kind of grouped stuff together, um, onto single pages. So I had... I planned it all out, had it all printed, and th- then just kind of [00:03:00] worked through it all with the same two collections, which I think really helped a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: Excellent. And I do apologize. I've, uh, my last interview was with a digital scrapbooker, and so I was on the wrong train of thought.

Heather Cerulo: No worries. No, I'm all paper. No, no digital around here, unfortunately.

Jennifer Wilson: Um, so is there something new that you're ex- excited to do, use, or try, either in scrapbooking or in your everyday life?

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, so in scrapbooking-wise, it's something of new for me, but I'm also kind of returning to it. Um, so I've seen a lot of scrapbookers have been doing the month in review idea, and I remember doing that a long time ago, um, and just being like so proud of it and loving it. And then I did one year and never did it again. I, I don't really know why. So I've been, um, sort of focusing on that a little bit more. I, I finished 2024, and I'm working on 2025. And then, um, start... I did a couple 2026, but then I was thinking to myself, like, you know, you gotta go finish the ones you already [00:04:00] started before you jump into this year. So that's been kind of fun for me, trying to keep up, um, with the month from previous years. So been fun.

Jennifer Wilson: How are you approaching that design-wise? Is it, is it a two-page spread or?

Heather Cerulo: Yes.

Yeah, so 2024 was the year that I had my daughter. So in that year I did, like the left page was all little, maybe like one and a half inch photos, and then the right page was like her monthly photo for when she turned one month, two month, et cetera. But then when that finished, I had to sort of figure out that format. Um, so it's now kind of turned into a two-page spread using the same sketch each month so it, it flows nicely.

Jennifer Wilson: Lovely, lovely. Yeah, that sounds like a fun project, and I, I, yeah, it's been quite a while since I did something like that too, so

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, and I don't know why I, I... It has to be, like, maybe 15 years ago I did it for the first time, and I remember loving it, and I don't remember why I didn't continue.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, there's, you know, so many other formats, so many other [00:05:00] things that we can be delighted by that it's easy to get distracted by something else

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, so many projects, so little time, unfortunately.

Jennifer Wilson: No doubt, yes. So there's one question that I like to ask in this. What would you say to a non-scrapbooker about why you love this hobby? Kind of like your elevator pitch for scrapbooking.

Heather Cerulo: Got it. Um, so scrapbooking to me is just the most amazing stress reliever. I mean, when I sit down and scrapbook, all my worries kind of go away. And it's my opportunity to be creative, and to just play with things and have fun. So in a very stressful world, I feel like the scrapbooking hobby is a great way to de-stress and just relax, and that's what it is for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. I think, if we can really like, you know kind of sit with that, it can become such a, a wonderful gratitude practice and as you said, a stress reliever as well. I think sometimes though, like I'm a person who's g- like always anxious, and so sometimes I really have to get myself to the place [00:06:00] where I can relax enough to get into it too.

Heather Cerulo: Oh, sure. I totally understand that. But I f- I feel like for me, the scrapbooking part of it does help me get that, where like I feel that in.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Heather Cerulo: Other aspects of my life, but then like even this morning, I'm, you know, gearing up trying to get ready to, to set up my classroom for school, and there's like been some hurdles getting into the, into the sc- into the school to do that. Um, and I sat down at my scrapbook desk before we started chatting, and I feel so much more relaxed right now just being in this environment.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, good.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, like around my things, and I was planning some layouts before we started chatting. So it's definitely a stress reliever for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. Sometimes just, just touching your things, like whether it's your photos or your supplies, helps you reconnect with it even if you aren't ready to actually do something with it yet.

Heather Cerulo: Exactly. And that's something I'll try to do if I only have, you know, like half an hour before I have to go make dinner. I'll come up here and maybe pull out a sketch, pull out some photos. Okay, that's ready to go. Pull out a [00:07:00] collection. Now it sits on my desk until I can come back and have more time to work on that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Heather Cerulo: Which is nice.

Jennifer Wilson: How long have you been scrapbooking and how'd you get started?

Heather Cerulo: So I don't remember exactly how I got started, but I remember scrapbooking all the way back to l- the late '90s, like when I was in high school. I remember taking my mom's photos and, and putting them with tape down on copy paper and begging her to take me to Staples to get them color copied so that I could then cut them out and scrapbook with them. And then I had a friend, um, in high school that was really into it also, and then I feel like the two of us just, it like took off from there and, and it never kind of ended. So, you know, almost going up on 30 years of scrapbooking. And just, I come from a creative family. My grandmother and my mom are quilters.

My grandmother's a knitter. My mom is a crocheter. They both scrapbook also. So I feel like it's just that, you know, those creative hands-on things have been something [00:08:00] that have always sort of been in my life since I was a little kid.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, that's wonderful. So how has... I mean, I'm, like, I'm assuming you're not still doing color copies of your photos.

Heather Cerulo: No, no.

Jennifer Wilson: At the Kinkos in order to do your scrapbooking. So how has it evolved over time?

Heather Cerulo: So I remember going off to college and, and sort of like entering the card making world a little bit, and then by the time like the early two, 2010s hit, um, my brother had a daughter, so my niece, and like I feel like my scrapbooking was revived, scrapbooking all the cute little baby girl pictures. Um, and then, you know, then just scrapbooking my travels and places I went up until, um, getting married and having my daughter. And having my daughter has completely changed my perspective on scrapbooking. Um, and, and just documenting and, and putting more photos on layouts and things like that. Um, I feel like I'm in a very different place now than I was like five years ago, [00:09:00] scrapbooking-wise.

Jennifer Wilson: Do you feel like, 'cause this is what happened to me, do you feel like that your scrapbooking, uh, is more chronological than it ever was before?

Heather Cerulo: Absolutely.

Jennifer Wilson: Or has it always been chronological? Okay.

Heather Cerulo: No, it used to be more... Like, I just scrapbooked what I was, what I felt like scrapbooking. It didn't matter if.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Heather Cerulo: You're right, it didn't matter if it happened on that February of that year or March of five years ago. If I wanted to scrapbook it, that's when I scrapbooked. You know, it was whatever the mood struck. But now I feel, I just feel like I, I want to keep up with the photos, for her more chronologically. What I try to do is, like, we're in August of 2026 right now. So the layouts I'm trying to work on are either August of 2024 or August of 2025. That's sort of what I've been trying to do this year, and then, like, fill in the albums as I go so that, not that they're gonna be complete, 'cause I don't think we'll ever be caught up with, with scrapbooking all the photos that we take.

But.

Jennifer Wilson: [00:10:00] Yeah, of course.

Heather Cerulo: At least, like, those memories and those things from when she's a baby are scrapbooked, and it's fresh in my brain so I can write about them and I remember what was happening. Because you, oh my gosh, you forget so fast the day to day things.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. Mine's about to turn 15, so I can totally understand that.

Heather Cerulo: You can relate, I'm sure. It's hard to imagine what he was like at one or two years old, right? Yeah, my, my daughter's brought a different perspective to my scrapbooking, for sure.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes. I think that's very natural and normal, but it definitely happened to me and really changed, um, the types of, even the types of projects I was interested in working on too.

Heather Cerulo: Yes, absolutely.

Jennifer Wilson: So what sizes and formats are you typically creating in today? Are you exclusively 12 by 12, or do, do you do other sizes?

Heather Cerulo: I pretty much just do 12 by 12. Um, I, I really like 12 by 12 layouts. Sometimes I'll put in like a little six by 12, like little pocket, three by four pocket page or, you know how they have the different configurations, if I have [00:11:00] extra photos or I wanna say more and I don't have room. So like in her month in review for 2025, I do have those in between, like the two spreads just with some extra things. So I don't have to do a whole nother 12 by 12 layout with those things.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure. Yeah. Now you kind of already mentioned the, how you're documenting past years, um, and looking back. I think that's, I think going, like, to past months of the current month is really helpful because you can see trends between them, and maybe realize, oh, we haven't done that thing th- yet this month, and we could, we should go do that.

But, are there any other, like, projects or activities that you're focused on this year in your scrapbooking?

Heather Cerulo: Not really. I'm trying, I'm trying to keep up, like, time-wise with the month in review. So I was behind with 2025, so last month I did July and August, and so then I figured once September, October hits this year, I'll do September, October. 'Cause I, I'm very much a seasonal person, like, in all aspects of my life. Like, I love decorating [00:12:00] seasonally, I love drinking the seasonal drinks. Uh.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Heather Cerulo: Just works seasonally. So, like, right now the idea of, like, going to scrapbook, um, I don't know, a Thanksgiving layout, like, I don't know if I could have the motivation for that. Like, right now I'm in summer mode, gearing up to, you know, like, apple picking and those sorts of things. So that's what has kind of worked for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's so interesting. And I, and we all obviously are gonna have that transition at different times, and I'm, I'm already feeling, like, the pull of fall, and I'm like, "Okay, let's, let's start pulling these things out. It's not too soon, even though it's, you know, gonna be, like, 89 degrees today. It's okay."

Heather Cerulo: I still love looking at pumpkins and fall leaves and, you know, burning the pumpkin-scented candles. That's okay in August.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. So how would you describe your style in three words, if you can, um, to someone who, you know, isn't looking at your Instagram right now?

Heather Cerulo: Sure. Um, I would say I use lots of color or patterns in my layouts. [00:13:00] I think more recently, I kinda talked about this before, my layouts are more photo heavy. I try to include a

lot more photos now. Um, and, and linear. Like, I really enjoy these sketches for scrapbooking. Um, I really love Alison Davis, um, with Scrapbook Generation, her sketches, and they're, they are very line- linear and laid out. Um, you know, s- either vertical, horizontal lines, and, and I do like those kind of things.

Jennifer Wilson: Are there any particular kind of products or tools or techniques that we can find, like, as a trend across many of your layouts?

Heather Cerulo: Sure. So I've always used stitching in some way on my layout. For years I always did sewing machine, and I would say in the, within the last year and a half or so I've, I've transitioned to hand stitching. Which slows down the process of scrapbooking so much, but it's worth it to me. I, I love the look of the hand stitching.

So you'll definitely, uh, um, I, I would say 99% of my layouts nowadays see hand stitching. And also I, I like die cutting a lot. [00:14:00] Um, I like die cutting shapes, um, like doing repeated shapes or, you know, shapes that go with whatever the season or the theme of the layout is. Um, and I've been really trying to do more journaling because most of my scrapbooking life I was not very good at journaling. But like we mentioned before, like I want my daughter to know the stories behind the photos and.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Heather Cerulo: And what we were doing and the feelings we had, so I'm trying to do that more.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious about the shift , to hand stitching even though it is, like, more time-consuming. Is it because you were looking for, like, a cleaner look? What was, you know, the, the reasoning behind that?

Heather Cerulo: I, I don't even remember why I switched over be- it's funny, like I'll look back in my albums and I'll, I'll actually say to myself, "Oh, this was when I was still mase- machine stitchings." Like I tr- I try to like find when did I switch over to the hand stitching? Um, I think that I just, I started doing it and I really liked it. Because it's something, um, I can sit, you know, like I could sit down and I could watch a TV show or a movie and sit there, [00:15:00] or after we eat dinner and we're just relaxing, my husband and I, I could just sit there and hand stitch.

So it's like something that takes up my time because sometimes, you know, when you're watching something, it's so often just, you know, pick up the phone. We're, we're so distracted all the time now. So then my hands are busy with the hand stitching, so it feels better.

Jennifer Wilson: That's good rather than asking your fam- somebody's like, "Oh my God, did you see that?" And I'm like, "Uh, no, sorry. Can you rewind it?"

Heather Cerulo: Exactly. I was scrolling Instagram or Facebook. I wasn't watching.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. I don't know what you're talking about. I was totally paying attention.

Heather Cerulo: All the time, always having to rewind it, right? So I feel like it's a, better use of time.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I can see that for sure. Um, are there any, like, trends in the hobby, like maybe new products coming out or things that you see other people doing that you're curious about or that you've picked up?

Heather Cerulo: So I always really have loved, and I don't know that this is really new, but I love scrapbooking within a collection. That's just, that's just.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Heather Cerulo: A [00:16:00] way to go for me. Like, to me, it's so much work to go through the whole, my whole stash and to figure out what goes together, and I know people love doing that. But scrapbooking in a collection where everything matches and everything's put together, that's really, you know, what I love to do. Um, and really, I see a lot of people do, you know, on all the YouTube videos and, and things that I watch. So I'd say that's a trend, a longtime trend that I love.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. No, I love it too. Now, is there something we fi- you figured out in our hobby that's absolutely not for you?

Heather Cerulo: So I have figured out mini albums are not really for me. Like, they're adorable and they're cute. I just, I can never finish them. Then I just hate that they sit and collect dust. And it's like, you go to look at them and they're like, it's covered in dust, and I'm like, "I need to look at this more often," or, "I need to clean this or something."

I don't know. It just, I struggle with the mini albums. Um, and I struggle a little with the mixed media. I know a [00:17:00] lot of people say that, too.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah

Heather Cerulo: The extent of mixed media, um, that I'll do, and I haven't, I haven't really done it in a long time, will be like stenciling and the, the Tim Holtz Distress Inks and then, like, flicking a little ink. Like, I like that look. But beyond that, I c- I, I can't deal with the warping of the paper and just.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it can be frustrating. I

Heather Cerulo: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Get it.

Heather Cerulo: Not for me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, it makes me think about my shelf downstairs with the giant basket of mini albums that are probably collecting dust. 'Cause I know I don't dust, I don't dust that myself, so.

Heather Cerulo: No, exactly.

Jennifer Wilson: Should be in boxes really, but I put them out there in hopes that somebody would look at them and, you know, I'm not sure anybody does. So they probably should be stored more, uh, in a more protective way.

Heather Cerulo: Right. Exactly, yes. And even I had made a little, um, I took a class from SCT Magazine last year. And made a little, um, Halloween album, and I just went to pick it up and move it and, and half the stuff fell off of it.

Jennifer Wilson: [00:18:00] Oh, no. Yeah.

There's always letter stickers especially.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah. Or like the little icons and I thought, "I don't remember where this goes.

We're just gonna figure it out and stick it somewhere on here."

Jennifer Wilson: Aw. Yeah, no, it is very true. That is the truth of mini albums for sure.

Heather Cerulo: Yes. So I, I've tried. It just, I, it just doesn't always work. I have a Christmas one I brought on vacation with me last week thinking I would work on it in between nap time and things. I didn't, I didn't even unpack any of it. I didn't even touch it.

Jennifer Wilson: I understand. Sometimes you just need that rest for yourself when you have some quiet.

Heather Cerulo: Exactly, yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So where and when can we typically find you scrapbooking? Do you have kind of a rhythm or do you fit it in, you know, when you can?

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, so, um, I am lucky that I have the months of July and August off because I am a teacher. So I did get a lot of scrapbooking done in July. This year I've been keeping track of how many layouts, and in July I finished 40 layouts, which blows my mind.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, amazing.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Heather Cerulo: That was the most by far [00:19:00] of any of the months of the year. Um, but every nap time I was, uh, you know, in my scrap space scrapbooking, so that was amazing. This month is not going to be as prolific for sure. Um, but I, typically during the school year, I try to get to my desk, um, at least a little bit every night. So you know, after my daughter goes to bed and everything is ready to go for, for, um, the evening and the next school day, I'll try to come up here and do a little something. Um, and I, I have a, a scrapbook area on our third floor in our house. Our attic is finished, so up here I have a little scrapbooking area and my husband has like his little area too. So it's nice at night, we kinda get to hang out together and we can see each other from our desks, so that, that works nice.

Jennifer Wilson: That's great. Yeah, yeah. Um, I'm curious if how, like, your visits to the attic, is that different, um, from when before you had your daughter, or was that part of your routine, um, then too?

Heather Cerulo: [00:20:00] Yeah, so actually my scrap space since I had my daughter has moved three times. It was originally up here in the attic, but in a different room. And then I- we moved it downstairs thinking I would be spending more time by her in her bedroom, and that did not work out. So we moved it back up here, but in a different location. Um, and I, I definitely had a lot more time to scrapbook before her, and I think that I didn't appreciate that as much as I should have. Because uh, she does not let me scrapbook when she's awake. She just wants to sit here and see what I'm doing, and that does not lead to, to m- much work getting done. Um, so definitely has been a shift since having her.

Jennifer Wilson: I had some fun with my maybe like, um, older rolls of washi tape that didn't have as much stickiness, that she would love to just like unroll those and, and get tangled up in it. And that, you know, it gave me some time to walk away. I mean, to, to look at the computer next to her. Um.

Heather Cerulo: That's a great idea. That, that, she would love that. She got a balloon at a diner [00:21:00] earlier this week. It's sitting behind me. The balloon has entertained her for hours. Who knew?

Jennifer Wilson: That's awesome. Yes. Yes.

Heather Cerulo: Washi, the washi tape is a great idea.

Jennifer Wilson: Are there any organization strategies that have worked particularly well for you? Particularly as you've been moving around your space, I'm sure you've had to, like, make some decisions about how things are stored.

Heather Cerulo: Yes, definitely. So I actually, I did like a little refresh last month. Um, just I bought a couple more, uh, from Target. They're cube cabinets. IKEA has the same ones, but they just opened a brand new Target like five minutes down the road from me, so I've been there a little too often this summer. But.

Jennifer Wilson: It's dangerous, yeah.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah, it's so dangerous. and I pass it on the way home from work, so very dangerous. Uh, but I picked up a couple more cubes. Um, and that's mostly what I have is cube storage where, um, sort of like all around me, which, which is awesome. Um, but I also kinda wanna talk about photo storage. Um, 'cause I... Or, and photo organization. Um, I [00:22:00] learned a lot from watching Scrap with Penny on YouTube.

I don't know if you're familiar with Penny.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm not, no, but we'll definitely link her channel in the show notes.

Heather Cerulo: Yes. So she, she, um, her, her process videos are awesome, but she also talks just a lot about like storage of photos. Um, I have a Mac, and so it's in photos in there. Um, and just sort of like changed the way that I keep track of what I have scrapbooked. So in photos, I make albums for every month, and then I, I go through all of the photos, and I just put them in the albums.

And then when I'm ready, since I, I, you know, like right now, like I said, I'm scrapbooking August 2025. So I go into that album, I see what photos are left. Once they've been scrapbooked and printed, I take them out of the album, and then I know once that album's empty, everything has been scrapbooked from that month.

So it's helped so much to know what is and isn't scrapbooked, and what I do wanna scrapbook, and what I don't wanna scrapbook. 'Cause it's not all just all your, you know, 50,000 photos together. It's [00:23:00] just seperated out by the month and just the few that I know I want to do. So that's been really big for me.

Jennifer Wilson: I love that. And I love like sometimes we really need that visual reference, um, to be able to, to see what our plans are and to see how things, uh, fit together. Maybe we have some redundancy.

Heather Cerulo: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Like you might not see that if it's just a written list.

Heather Cerulo: Exactly, yeah. And then I'll, I'll like pull the album out that has those and, and I'll see, um, like what kind of space do I have? So like, uh, earlier today I was doing that and I said, okay, so there's a space for one single photo he- single layout here before we move on to next event. So I kind of planned out, all right, we're gonna do th- these photos and they're gonna go here in the album. So combining, hold- you know, having the album out and looking through it and the organization in photos has really helped to, to plan it out and it all kind of gels together.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, fantastic. Yeah, I might have to pick up that strategy myself.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah. It, it's, and it's easy. You, and you can do it on your phone.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Heather Cerulo: 'Cause you can [00:24:00] make the albums on your phone. So when you're in the car and, or you have downtime, you know, it's, it's, it help, has helped a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure. So where would you like your scrapbooking to be in 10 years? So when you have, you know, a 12-year-old, she'll be in middle school at that time.

Heather Cerulo: Crazy.

Jennifer Wilson: Getting involved in more things.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah. So I def- I wanna see, uh, people definitely looking through my albums. That's something I feel like does not happen a lot now. Um, my daughter def- she's taken an interest, uh, even just at two years old, to look through the albums, which is nice. But something I want to see in 10 years is definitely people enjoying my albums. Um, and I wanna see my albums full. Not necessarily caught up, because that's, I think, next to impossible, but definitely full of layouts and still enjoying this hobby.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, that sounds, that sounds wonderful. I think that's what we all, that's what we all want, for sure. And definitely that, that sense of having others appreciate it. Um, while i- it's important to do it for that personal fulfillment, for that relaxation that you mentioned at the [00:25:00] beginning, um, you know, it does help when someone is interested in, in looking through it.

Heather Cerulo: Absolutely. Yeah. Because, I mean, there's been times people have looked through them and you can tell they're not really interested, and sometimes that hurts a little bit, you know? But I, I really wanna see people look through and enjoy them.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, for sure.

Heather Cerulo: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So what has being a scrapbooker taught you?

Heather Cerulo: So I think being a scrapbooker has taught me how important photos are. Because way that I think is like so many of my memories are tied to photos. Like, I'll remember something and I'll say, "Wait a minute. Let me pull the photo up for that." Um, or I remember just remem- just thinking like, "Oh, I know exactly what I wore to that," because I could picture the photo in my mind.

So it's just helped me, like, relive things in my life, and I know the photos are there, and just like a visual memory, but also, like, a trigger to say, "Oh, yeah, I remember all of those wonderful memories."

Jennifer Wilson: For sure. I have kind of one additional follow-up question. You use a lot [00:26:00] of cut files. Do you have any, like, tips for, for using cut files, for storing them? How do you make it something that's, that someone who wants to start using them more doesn't just keep putting off?

Heather Cerulo: Sure. Um, yeah, so a lot of what I'll do, so I, I design for Pear Tree cut files, and so if I'm trying to... So every month with Pear Tree, we create three layouts. One is with, um, she has, like, a monthly prescription, Pearscription, she calls it. Um, so we have to make one with that, one with a new file, and one with an old file.

So what I do and what somebody new can do also is I go right to the website, and I'll just, you know, search, and I'll type in something I'm looking for, and it, it will tell me exactly, um, when you... For her website, when you click on it, it tells you, you know, like, where it came from, what month and what year.

So that helps me to then go find it in my files. But, um, if you're looking for something specific, like, uh, like I was scrapbooking a lot of things for the zoo, so, you know, I went and I typed zoo, and I could find lots of things. So that was really helpful the way that, um, [00:27:00] Marie, who owns Pear Tree, the way she has it organized. Um, and then I d- you can, if you use Silhouette, you can import all your cut files, and you can keep them in there so that you can easily see them. But, um, as part of the design team, um, I do get the cut files every month, and there are so many. So I tried importing them, and it just, it takes way too long. So I just keep them stored in a folder on my computer. Um, and then they're by month. So I usually, I go look at the website, and she, she lists for every cut file what month and year, and then I go find that folder on my computer.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Heather Cerulo: Which, which helps a lot. Um, and then what I've been doing a lot lately is I'll, I'll decide what photos are gonna go with the cut file, and then I'll do most of the scrapbooking and get, like, the layout down with the photos, and then I'll go to the cut file to see what size I wanna make it. 'Cause I used to cut it first, um, and then go scrapbook, but then half the times, you know, oh, this photo's not gonna make the cut because the [00:28:00] cut file's too big, and I didn't wanna go reprint it, so, or recut it. So now, now I've been waiting till the end, um, and then sizing it, measuring the layout, and then sizing it, um, and then cutting it out.

I usually will take the cut file and then turn it, turn the paper that I want to back it with upside down, and then turn the cut file upside down and trace it and cut it by hand. I always, always did it that way, but lately I've been, um... And I've learned a lot through s- that Scrap With Penny again. Um, I've been trying to have the Silhouette cut it for me, which has been really helpful. Um, so I've kind of transitioned to that.

Jennifer Wilson: If you had to recommend one or the other for someone, which would, which approach would you recommend?

Heather Cerulo: Probably the, I would say probably the hand cutting. It's fool proof.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Heather Cerulo: Like, because my, my cutting machine is on, is like across the room from me, so when I'm doing that I'm like up and down, up and down, up and down, 'cause...

Jennifer Wilson: Yep. Yep.[00:29:00]

Heather Cerulo: One, one layout I was making, I, I forgot to make... 'cause when you are, you have to trace it, and then you have to do an offset so that the piece you're, you're backing it with is a little larger, and then I forgot to do that.

I think I set, sent it through the machine like 10 times. And I was like, "What am I doing?" Just get your pencil and your scissors and cut it out. When it works, it's great.

Jennifer Wilson: Sometimes tech can frustrate us, that's for sure. Yes.

Heather Cerulo: Yes. Sometimes it works perfectly, and other times you're, I'm just like, "Oh my gosh, forget it. I'm just gonna go back to the old-fashioned way."

Jennifer Wilson: Yep, yep. It's, there's always ways that work, that's for sure.

Heather Cerulo: Yes, the old school ways.

Jennifer Wilson: So thank you for hanging out and sharing a little bit into your scrapbooking.

Heather Cerulo: I had a blast. Thank you.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Lauren Hinds: [00:00:00] one of my biggest recommendations is get everything out of your head. Of all the things you wanna do, you have to have one place to put all of that. And as soon as you can get it into one place, then you can step back say, " What is thing I'd like to finish?

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 346. In this episode, I'm chatting with Lauren Hinds about her systems for organizing photos, planning albums, and making consistent progress on scrapbook projects.

Lauren shares how she's built a whole philosophy around progress over perfection, and the practical tools that help her finish what she starts

Hey Lauren, welcome to Scrapbook [00:01:00] Your Way.

Lauren Hinds: Thanks, Jennifer. I am so glad to be here and in your community. This is amazing. Thank you for the invitiation.

Jennifer Wilson: Likewise. Yes. I'm excited to chat and learn more about how you think about things. I think we have a lot in common. Um, but can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Lauren Hinds: I'd love to. So, uh, my name is Lauren Hinds. A lot of people know me through my business online presence as Craft Some Joy. And I am the proud mom of four adult children, um, still out there finding their way. So proud of them. And I've been married to my hubby, John, for almost 33 years. I had to count it up. How many years has it been now? Uh, 33 years.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: And we live in Southern California. In fact, I'm a Southern California native. Um, and we live in Monrovia, which is in the [00:02:00] beautiful foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, so we get a lot of wildlife. Some folks know a lot about our local bears here. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool.

Lauren Hinds: Been fun, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, what a lovely area for sure. So Lauren, I always like to ask our guests about some of their favorites. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project?

Lauren Hinds: So I, I really had to think about this, and I, you know, I create pretty much several times a week I'm working on some kind of a project. But if I had ... It, it said layout or project, and so I'm gonna go for the project.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure, sure.

Lauren Hinds: I am really excited about, uh, a project that I'm creating called Album Maker Academy. My latest focus is on a travel, a global travel edition for the Album Maker Academy. And why I'm so excited about it is [00:03:00] because for the first time I feel like taking kind of all those questions we have as scrapbookers, forward one more step. So I've been focused on, you know, how do we organize the big picture, all the things we wanna do. But now this is specifically each album project, take it step by step from start to finish. And to me, that just brings me so much joy. Because that's where my heart is, is, you know, getting people from start to finish. So, um, that is really my latest and most favorite to be working on.

Jennifer Wilson: Now is that already available?

Lauren Hinds: It is in the works.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Okay.

Lauren Hinds: Yet. It's coming soon. But I, I ha- I'm getting all the pieces in line, so it's all in my head and notes on [00:04:00] paper and hopefully launching a little later this summer. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Sounds great. Yeah, yeah. Awesome.

Lauren Hinds: Thank you.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, is there something new that you're excited to do, use, or try? This could be in scrapbooking or even in your everyday life.

Lauren Hinds: Okay, so I, uh, can I give you two answers?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, we love answers.

Lauren Hinds: All right. So I actually just learned how to make sourdough bread.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Lauren Hinds: Uh, it, that, that has been a fun journey, and I, I think bread-making is definitely a creative process. Because there's a lot of variables, a lot that you have to learn, and I am still a baby beginner, but my, my family has been enjoying the process.

Jennifer Wilson: I bet, yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Uh, so.

Jennifer Wilson: I am a two-time sourdough failure myself, so.

Lauren Hinds: Oh, gosh. It's not easy. It's not easy.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: In, in the crafty world, I, uh, Creative Memories just actually [00:05:00] came out with something called the Layout Studio. I don't know if you've heard of that, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Not.

Lauren Hinds: Magnetic Uh, two-page, you know, it opens up to two pages.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh!

Lauren Hinds: Grid.

Jennifer Wilson: I did see that. Yes.

Lauren Hinds: And you can stand it up, and it has all these little mag- magnets. And I have been using that more and more. And I'm finding I like it because I don't have very much space where I actually create. Especially on a live stream or something like that. And so I can stand it up, bring my cutter out, you know, do my cutting, then lay it back down. And so it's just, it, it's a process to learn it, but I'm enjoying it.

Jennifer Wilson: Wasn't there a pro- a product like that kind of, you know, 10, 15 years ago? 'Cause I remember Noelle on the Paperclipping Roundtable talking about something very similar, not from Creative Memories, from a totally different brand.

Lauren Hinds: Yes, there is another brand and, ah, the name is escaping me, but, [00:06:00] uh, a similar.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Uh... So it is very similar. Of course, I think Creative Memories, you know, they always go over the top on their product design, so Um.

Jennifer Wilson: That's, that's why they work. I use, I use a Creative Memories trimmer and it's the only one so far that hasn't failed me yet, so.

Lauren Hinds: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm really enjoying it.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah, yeah. Something fun.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Yeah, no, I can see that, especially, you know, when you're trying to... You start getting piles of stuff and, and you wanna just tuck it out of the way, but still see, referencing what you're working on. I can see that being really helpful.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah. Something new. Out of my comfort zone, for sure.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So can you tell us a little bit about how you got started in scrapbooking, and then how that evolved into a business for you?

Lauren Hinds: Oh, sure. So, uh, you know, it, it's interesting because when you were saying, you know not only how, how I started scrapbooking, but also this kind of goes [00:07:00] hand-in-hand with Creative Memories. Like Creative Memories was the entrance piece for some people. I think we all kind of have this soft spot in our hearts for the very first class we went to, right. Or, you know, the first introduction, the first time we saw someone take pictures and put a sticker with it. Oh my gosh, that's so cool, and then paper. And so I like to tell the story. I, I started in the early '90s. My mom, I came, uh, over to her house one day, and she had all these colored Post-its, and she was trying to do something, like actual Post-it pads, you know.

Uh, she was trying to do something fun with her photos. And then she said, "You know, I got invited, uh, I, I found out about this lady, and I got invited to go see. You wanna come with me?" And I said, "Oh, sure. I'll go." Well, again, it was that moment of first seeing, oh [00:08:00] my gosh, we can be creative. We can have fun with our photos and put stickers and paper and use these fun scissors, you know, 'cause back then it was all scissors.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: All these shapes and, you know, edges. And, uh, so that, that was my first introduc- that was my first class. I'm still great friends with the person who I had my first class with. So she, and, and in fact, she became my upline, um, a little while later after I had my first daughter, I remember her chasing me around saying, "You really, you really need to try this as a business." And so I did when my kids were younger. But I think a lot of us know that's a tough time, you know, especially with four at home. Uh, and, and so I did do workshops, you know, ran my business, but I found it was, it was difficult. Because of, um, you know, just having, the family life, you know. [00:09:00] And it doesn't get, even when they get older and go into high school and middle school, it was even busier from, you know, sports and scouts and all those things. So in, uh, 2019 when things did kind of start settling down with the kids, I thought, "You know, I'm gonna try this YouTube thing." And in late 2019, I decided to post my first video. It was October. I thought, "Well, that wasn't so bad." I was a little nervous, and it wasn't front-facing at all. Like, I did not show my face on the camera, and I thought, "Okay, hands only.

This is good. I can do this." so I started creating more videos in 2019. And I thought, "Wow," you know, I remember, and I remember exactly where I was when I got the very first comment on my video. Like, I was like, "Oh my gosh, somebody left a comment for [00:10:00] me. How exciting." And then 2020 happened.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I was thinking what, what interesting timing there.

Lauren Hinds: Interesting timing, right? I thought, "Well, I'm just gonna make more videos then." You know, we're all kind of stuck at home, and I really like this scrapbooking thing, and I'll share what, you know, how I scrapbook and how I approach products. Because I felt like there weren't a whole lot of people talking about simple pages. You know.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: It was a lot of very complex pages.

And I, I was like, "You know what? I don't scrapbook that way." I scrapbook very simply. So, uh, little did I know that would lead me to my business. And, and my YouTube channel grew. And I found, wow, people ordered with me. You know, they found out I was a Creative Memories advisor, and they started signing up to be on my team.

And so it just kind of snowballed after that. [00:11:00] And then later, kind of as I saw that progress, I started realizing that I had something a little bit more to give than just saying I was a Creative Memories advisor. And that's really where my heart is. And it's with organizing. I have a passion for organizing and helping people organize. So that just fell into the scrapbooking space. I feel like that's a lot of what people know me, uh, know for, about me, is if you feel organized, if you... You know, people have said, "Oh, I got my whole craft room organized after I met Lauren online," you know, or something like that.

Jennifer Wilson: Very cool. Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah, and, and that makes me feel so good to be able to help people in their space and with their projects.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, let's, let's dive into that organization topic a little bit more. Is there a particular storage solution that you would be completely lost without?

Lauren Hinds: I have to, I have to give [00:12:00] myself a plug really, uh, uh, um, if that's okay. But the one thing I really feel changed the way I scrapbook is a product, um, that I created, it was back in 2019, uh, called Photo Folders. And what I realized is I spent a lot of time, you know, with boxes of photos or, or, you know, the little pouches.

This is when we used to print photos. Okay, Jennifer, first of all, remember we still to print photos?

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes, yes.

Lauren Hinds: Back in the day, um, when we, you know, take our roll of film and get them developed. And so I still had a lot of photos, and I realized that I would re-look at everything. I couldn't remember this stack, what was exactly in this stack. It could have been October of, know, 2003, but I didn't know what was in that stack. [00:13:00] And so I just made this folder, and now I have them professionally printed, uh, because I can't live without them. And now each subject, I, I look at my pictures as categories, you know, I think as an album maker. Categories for topics that I'd want to scrapbook. So now all my boxes, all my photos, all my boxes have folders of photos, so I can just look down the line. It's kind of like, like if you opened up a file drawer, right? And.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure. Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: File do I want?" We did the... I did the same thing for my photos. So I can see, you know, this is the Hinds family in 2005, uh, October Halloween pictures. You know, something like that. And I, I think if I had to not have that, I mean, you could use Post-its and tags and things like [00:14:00] that, but I love being able to just grab that little folder.

Jennifer Wilson: How would you handle, like, the random photo you took of Grandma's living room, but it didn't really go with anything else?

Lauren Hinds: Right, and that's a great question. So those are all what I categorize as miscellaneous photos. So they would still be, say, in a, in a month or in a year. Uh, but I just call them miscellaneous. And what's really fun is sometimes I'll take that folder and I'll make a page just with all those miscellaneous photos. 'Cause there might be like a one-off in there, something fun to talk about or that has a story.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, certainly if it's worth saving, you know, it might have a story that goes with it. Um, but it doesn't necessarily have, uh, an event or a larger circumstance that connects it, so.

Lauren Hinds: Or doesn't need a whole page, or it doesn't need to be two pages even, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. Now, are there any of your organization [00:15:00] strategies that you feel are, like, really more out of the box than, than typical?

Lauren Hinds: So here's a fun one that I just realized about myself lately, and it's actually working. I've been using this organization tip, um, I think for about a month now, and I really like it. And what I realized is that I... going smaller, going smaller actually helped me organize better. And so, okay, so what do I mean by that? I found these A5 size little ring binders. So if you know A5, it's approximately, what, like, a seven by nine. So it's not a full, you know, the big binders we're used to or even, know, I was even going bigger, like, big 12 by 12 storage binders or [00:16:00] by 12 storage pockets. You know, I- everything was big. And what I realized is when I got to a point where I was like, "Oh, I need a sticker," or, "I need a die cut," or, "I need a little piece of ephemera," I wasn't pulling these giant binders off my shelf because it would just overtake my whole space that I was creating in.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Lauren Hinds: So I decided to start moving things into these little binders that I could just hold in my hand. So can you picture it? Is it, is it kinda coming to life?

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, totally. Yeah. No, I've had little binders like that just from even the office supply store just for like, I think one of my original planners was even in one of those binders. Um, yeah. No, that sounds really fun.

Lauren Hinds: And I've, I've really been enjoying it. So I have categories like, uh, know, my seasons, of course, spring, summer, fall, winter. I have travel and adventure, love and relationships, [00:17:00] family, friends, and pets, everyday life. And so if I'm working on a layout and I go, "Oh yeah, um, I'm working on a birthday layout, let me grab birthdays and celebrations," and it's in my hand.

I can hold it over my layout. It doesn't take up a lot of space. I flip through these cute... And, and let me tell you, the A5 planner world has the cutest, like, little four pockets, and half pockets, and full pockets, and even have sticker sheets, like releasable sticker sheets.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Love those.

Lauren Hinds: I do too. All in one place of, oh, I've got, you know, die cuts over here and, stickers in another binder.

Like, I'm really trying to categorize. So that I have a visual I can just flip. And see everything that could enhance my page all in one place, if that makes sense.

Jennifer Wilson: [00:18:00] So this strategy in particular allows you to merge die cuts, chipboard pieces, and stickers all by theme rather than having those separated in your space. That's, that's currently how they are in my space, is very separate.

Lauren Hinds: Yes. Yes. And I found I wasn't using it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah. I'm curious why you didn't choose, like a lot of people use like the four by six photo boxes, the really small ones, um, for this similar type of thing.

Why was the binder really calling to you more than a box?

Lauren Hinds: So the binder, because of all those different sizes.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Lauren Hinds: It has like the little, um, uh, they're like little page protectors. Imagine, you know, page protectors on a little small scale. So there's one with literally eight pockets. Four little pockets on the front, four little pockets on the back. So say I have a laser title I...

and it says happy birthday or surprise, or I've done a die cut that I didn't [00:19:00] use. It can just slide right into that little pocket instead of getting lost in some box. Like, to me.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure.

Lauren Hinds: Having, you know... Oh, and here's another thing, Jennifer, that I've discovered about myself. I'm a vertical girl. I talk about this when I talk about organization. Are you a vertical or a horizontal? And I find I'm more of a vertical organizer. So if I'm looking for something, I tend to go, like I- my binders are vertical, right? So I can grab that vertical piece, pull it out, flip through it, put it back in the vertical space. Rather than horizontal, like say drawers or, bins, things like that, even the boxes.

I find for me personally, that's harder.

Jennifer Wilson: I can, I can see that, yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Find out what kind of a person, what kind of an organizer are you?

Jennifer Wilson: I think if you look in your space [00:20:00] at the things that actually get put back and the things that maybe get piled up, which is often the horizontal things, you have to take a bunch of stuff, say, out of the deep basket in order to see what's underneath it, and then you're like, "Oh, now I gotta put all this back in," or you're, you're trying to, to rifle through things, so.

Does that mean you also have, like, filing cabinets? And do you do any vertical storage that way?

Lauren Hinds: I, I have the cubbies from Michaels, like the Simply Tidy cubes. And so there is vertical in project folders also.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay. Okay.

Lauren Hinds: So I label those on the side so I can easily scan my cubbies.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: See what's in there too.

Jennifer Wilson: Awesome.

Lauren Hinds: So really my drawers are really just you know, for like tools and things like that.

Jennifer Wilson: So it sounds like we are often thinking about these things. Um, and I know we share a similar philosophy on the benefits of planning, like taking that intentional pause. Like, let's not just dive in so that we don't feel overwhelmed, [00:21:00] because we've all been in that place where we, we buy all the things and then we lay it out in front of us and they're, you're like, "Now what?"

So what advice do you have on choosing priorities, whether it's within this week, this month, or even this day? How do you recommend someone start prioritizing things when we wanna really do all the things all at once?

Lauren Hinds: It's so true. We do. And I did. And one of my biggest aha moments was, And, and also a question I get asked a lot is, "Where do I start? I wanna do all.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: These things. Where do I start?" And some people say, you know, start with the most recent project, or start with a project that has a beginning and an end.

And, you know, there's a, a million different answers to that question. And then I realized you don't have to pick one.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: You can start on several. As long as you're organized and you've taken the time, [00:22:00] just like you said, step back and see your bigger picture. And for me, that was, I when I was in the muck of it and I realized I kept repeating, like rifling through my photos or where was I?

I can't remember if I scrapbooked, you know, which album I scrapbooked last. Because I, I'm not anywhere close to being done. I have lots and lots of projects. And life happens, right? So there might be something that takes you away from creating for several days or several weeks or several months. And I needed a place to put everything, and so that I'm gonna kinda dive into a little bit.

My, my pop planner is where I started putting everything. And it's evolved over several years, uh, into a system. But that's kind of one of my biggest recommendations is get everything out of your [00:23:00] head. Of all the things you wanna do, you have to have one place to put all of that. And as soon as you can get it into one place, then you can step back say, " What is thing I'd like to finish? What has a deadline?" Maybe you have, you know, an elderly person in your life that you really wanna celebrate their life before they're gone, right? Um, or you have a graduation coming up or a retirement coming up, right? So sometimes there's timely deadlines. Um, or something that you're most excited to work on. And here's another thing that I realized also is, uh, I used to put off working on my photos right now as they're happening. And, about two years ago, a little more than two years ago, I started what I call my monthly meetup, where I also have a, a dedicated, uh, time every month at the end of the [00:24:00] month to work on that month's photos. So that's even a thing that I would recommend is, um, make a date with yourself. Because if you don't take the time in the moment, those stories are so fleeting that you're gonna forget the, the conversations you had, the wonderful walk you had with your dog or, you know, just a new friendship or meeting someone or a funny conversation that you had with your kids or, you know, all those things. You... To me, scrapbooking is also capturing those moments, those those fleeting moments. And so I do encourage people to work on current projects. But then also, if you have a plan, that bigger perspective, you can then jump from that. Like have that as one date a month that you can do [00:25:00] that. Work on current, then what other project, uh, is something that you'd like to work on?

And as long as you have strategy and a plan, you can jump around from project to project, and that's what I absolutely love to do. I'm working on 2010, 2019, my current family 2026 albums right now. Those are my three projects that I'm working on, and I'm getting ready to start my vacation album with Album Maker Academy.

That's one reason I wanted to do that. So that's gonna be four projects. But I can keep track because of some of the tools I have. I know exactly.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: What pages I finished. I know exactly what pages I wanna do next, or I should do next, right? And if I wanna jump from whichever album to whichever album, I can. That was a long answer, sorry. [00:26:00] Mm.

Jennifer Wilson: No, it's all good. I wanna underscore the part about setting the date with yourself to work on current photos. Because I think if I had to give like a number one tip, it might be that, that the more you touch your photos, the more kind of internal motivation you're gonna keep generating to work on other projects.

I think it's when we get away from that, because it, 'cause it can easily get away from us, um, that we then we start to feel disconnected. Because we feel that, that kind of backlog sense when it comes to our photos. So even just, you know, once a week, once a month, jump in there, do what you can. That's gonna kinda keep the ball rolling with staying connected to scrapbooking.

Lauren Hinds: Absolutely. Absolutely. And could I also add one more thing here too?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Jennifer?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: I also, one of the things this last year has taught me, I've started just kind of going online and doing what I call 10-minute POPs. And POP is P-O-P, progress on projects. That's all it is. Not [00:27:00] perfection on projects. It's progress on projects. And even if you have 10 minutes, sort some photos, write a story down, organize some paper. You know, you got some new products in, take a minute, put them in a folder, label the folder, or, you know, wherever you keep your happy place, your happy things. Ten minutes, set a timer. I encourage you, set a timer on your phone and just do 10 minutes. Because six times of that, you've got an hour, and it just can snowball and snowball. So progress doesn't have, have to happen in a 3 day long retreat or in, you know, 10 hours in your scrap room. It can work in very small increments.

Jennifer Wilson: Now this pop concept has become quite a theme across everything you do. Um, it sounds like you have both products [00:28:00] and experiences that you've built around it. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Lauren Hinds: Yes, I love... So a- and I c- and I have so much fun talking about POP because it's, it really is, it's about progress. And I have, um, like I mentioned earlier, my POP planner, which was a long time coming, and it started sharing that, uh, on YouTube. And I, you know, just kind of this system of how I was writing things down, putting it all in one place, and understanding my bigger goals.

You know, if I had to get out of my head and write down every single album I ever wanted to create, I wanted one place to put that. And I realized over time what I had first created was really too complicated, and it did tie into [00:29:00] Library of Memories. Because I thought, "Library of Memories, I love this concept." And, so I had put Library of Memories in my pop planner. And as I evolved over time and really got serious about my album making and finishing projects, I knew for myself that, um, Library of Memories wasn't quite the right fit. Because I enjoy chronological and I enjoy theme. I en- I love seeing how my, uh, family evolves over the years. And, uh, I also love bigger projects like say my kids' school books or baby books or travel albums. Those are my big ones. Or home renovation projects. And so I Or the pets we love, right? I love that. So there's still, ties into the Library of Memories, [00:30:00] uh, concept, but I use that more in my theme category, if I have enough photos that deserve their own theme. Then I have my family chronological albums. But what I realized is, the biggest thing is albums, I don't have to scrapbook every photo. And I think of us, especially if we learned in Creative Memories or came from Creative Memories or, you know, the original thought on scrapping, "I have to scrapbook every photo. And that was a big aha for me to say, "Oh, no, I don't need to scrapbook every photo.

I just need to scrapbook the best photos, the ones that really tell my story." Uh, so it's more of a highlight reel. I like to call it a highlight reel. Some things like a travel album, yes, maybe I'll do more. So the pop- that pop system, the bigger picture for me kind of [00:31:00] now is categorized into chronological and theme. So I have a place to put all those things. And then my photo folders, I've organized all my photos so I can easily grab a folder. And say, "Okay, these photos go this layout." I'm just gonna grab them out of my box. Or if I like to make page kits, you know, a lot of us like to, you know, grab our supplies, put them in a folder. Well, my photo folders go in my page kit with the supplies that I wanna use to build that page also. And so over time, my, my planner got more streamlined into just chronological theme. It got more streamlined into what are really the forms that I come to over and over and over. And I have this philosophy of organize, simplify, and finish. So [00:32:00] the organize is you've gotta organize your photos. You have to know, especially this translates into digital. So now we're looking at our camera rolls, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: Scroll, scroll, scroll. Even that, what photos am I gonna print? And I print them, and I put them in a photo folder. So now again, I have my, my strategy. But first you have to look at your photos and decide. Then my second tool, I call it an album map. The album map help- helps me see my whole album at a glance.

And it's just little pencil notes. I always use a pencil 'cause I like to erase and move things around. Pencil notes on a map that is, you know, represents an album that I want to create. What feels so good is when I finish a page, I'll put a big X through that page. You know, ooh, that one's done, right?

So if I have [00:33:00] 30 or 40 boxes, I know exactly how many pages I finished. And then from there, you know, you do the actual creative part. So pictures, album map, and then create. And to me, I tend to be more on a simple side. I love what I call quick cuts or just blocks of color on your page and, you know, just those fun little finishing touches. So I have products developed around that too. But that's kind of my, my big system. And then, I'll just add one more thing. I ha- I, I couldn't do every month, I, I do a four-hour live stream Pop Crop. And again, it's going back to our conversation, setting a date with yourself. So that's where I work on whatever new products that come out or something fun [00:34:00] or a new design concept or a new tool or a new punch or something like that, that's Pop Crop.

And so I have that with my Pop Stars, and we have, uh, Pop Sketches and all the, all things Pop in there. So that, there we go. I'm done.

Jennifer Wilson: I lo- I love it. I love it. But I have, I have follow-up questions for sure. So, um, a lot of our listeners will be familiar with the Library of Memories system. This is a kind of a four category and subcategory system, uh, created by Stacy Julian. We've talked about it a lot on the show over the years. Um, so y- you did keep those albums for a few years, is that correct?

Lauren Hinds: I did. I did. And I still have pieces of that that I'm working on. So I still have the Pets We Love.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Lauren Hinds: A place called home, which is my family renovations. Um, and I do have one called Portraits of Us, which [00:35:00] are, like family portraits over the years. And the people we love, which are kind of celebrating, um, certain meaningful people. But I also realized, which and, and so I love the perspective Stacy gave on your whole photo library. Like, that was priceless for me. Like, taking a step back and going, "What are these amazing, you know, things that we can talk about through our albums?" And that will always remain kind of in what I do. But I also realized for me personally, and I had conversations, I encourage you to have conversations with the people that you are scrapbooking for and your family, you know, if you have that. I had a conversation with my husband and I said, "What do you think if I just stopped doing chronological albums?" He didn't like it. [00:36:00] Because he is one that will go and pull an album off of our shelf and say, "Oh yeah, when did we, you know, redo the patio?" Or you know, When did this event happen?" And he loves and pulling an album off and flipping through those pages for a certain year. So I realized for our family, that was definitely something I wanted to continue. I just had to simplify it. I had.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, sure. I.

Lauren Hinds: To say not every photo.

Jennifer Wilson: So it's so interesting that, um, would you say you scrapbook kind of everyday moments as well as bigger moments?

Lauren Hinds: Absolutely in my current, um, in my current, like my 2026, I absolutely love scrapping everyday moments. And here's the thing, Jennifer, you know, scrapbooking changes as our family evolves.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. Very true.[00:37:00]

Lauren Hinds: Yeah, my kids are grown. I hardly ever get pictures of them unless, you know, we all go out to dinner or something. So the everyday moments are special for me. Are- they're special. So if my son happens to go on a walk with my husband and my dog, I'm gonna snap a little picture and write a little story about that. That's an everyday moment for me, and I do love, love that. But I incorporate that into my more current albums. For my older albums, when I go back, like say 2010, that's when ... Remember when I was saying, like, I have a folder of, like, miscellaneous pictures.

Have a full page or a full two pages? I'll try to go back, and, and this is why I really suggest, uh, writing things down. Oh, and that's another, another little thing I have are, uh, tell the story cards. So if you remember things, you can just write that down [00:38:00] and stick it in the photo folder. And because I've know for myself, going back to 2010, when I pull out the miscellaneous photos, sometimes I'll have to go and say, "Do you remember, you know, what was going on here?" The, the memories, the stories don't come as fresh. Hey, we're all getting older, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly.

Lauren Hinds: Um, so I try- I still like the idea of everyday moments. It just doesn't have the richness of the story, unfortunately, because time has passed, unless I wrote something down.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious when, let's just say you have a new photo, a new story that you're wanting to tell, um, does it automatically go in the a- annual album unless you have a theme album that, that it would f- fit better in? Like, how do you make these decisions about where it goes? I think that's kind of one of the big challenges overall of if you have different album systems that are side by side, how do you then make a [00:39:00] choice?

Lauren Hinds: Right. So here's the question I ask. Uh, does this, photo help tell the story of our year? Or is it large enough to become its own project? And so does it help us tell the story of our year? What's interesting is a lot of photos do, even the small everyday moments.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: And, and also, also remember there are photos we don't need to do anything with. They can just either... You know, I, I have an ABC method. Do you mind if I share that? So.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure, go ahead

Lauren Hinds: My ABC method for photos is A. A is album worthy. Remember A, album worthy. B is They're a photo that you don't necessarily want to scrapbook. They're not album-worthy, but you don't wanna get rid of it or delete it. Get rid of it meaning trash it [00:40:00] out of your box or delete it off your phone. So think of that as box it, B, box it. Bin- you know, like put it in a, put it in a storage. C are the blurries, duplicates, the, you know, 10 photos of the same thing. You really, you know, you could cut that down. Save two, not 10. Um, and that is, uh, C is get rid of it, or you might wanna call it can it. C, can.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Put it in the trash. So if you look at, um, you know, A, album-worthy, going back to your, your question of how do you decide where it goes, I even back that up and say, first of all, is this photo even album-worthy? And if it is album-worthy, then you make the decision. Does it go into my family? Does it st- tell the story of the year? [00:41:00] Or is it part of a bigger story, like say a retirement or a travel, you know, a theme. The hard one for me, here's, here's a good example. The hard one for me is pets. Because we, we love pets in our house. And so, you know, do you put all these cute pet photos in your, your yearly book? Or do you pull them out and put them in a, in an album for them, right? 'Cause, you know, hey, pets deserve.

Jennifer Wilson: I might say both on that one.

Lauren Hinds: Uh, uh, yeah, and that's exactly what I was gonna say, Jennifer, is it, it can be both. So again, maybe for the family album, it's a, it's the highlight reel. Just remember that. It's the highlight reel. But you have 10 photos of, you know, we just got a new kitten.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm. Awesome.

Lauren Hinds: I can't stop taking photos of this new kitten.

Jennifer Wilson: I bet, yeah.

Lauren Hinds: And especially, you know, we have a, I have a dog, and, and the introduction. So it's, you know, it's a process. And I can't stop [00:42:00] taking ph- photos. Well, I'm not necessarily gonna make two two-page layouts in my family book of these two playing together. I would put that in my pets album, though. Does that make sense?

Jennifer Wilson: It does. It does, yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah. So, so it can be, it can be both, but again, I always try to treat my family album as the highlight reel, if that makes sense.

Jennifer Wilson: You know, it, it, it does. Everything you say has made sense so far, so.

Lauren Hinds: Okay.

Jennifer Wilson: You've done, you do, you have a...

Lauren Hinds: I've been out at, at it for a long time.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, you have some good systems for sure. Um, one thing I would add to your ABC system, though, is maybe like an A+ or something because, or an F. Because I prioritize, um, photos that I would frame. Uh, separately from photos that I would scrapbook.

And sometimes they're both, but often they're actually not. It's just, like, the most beautiful photos that have no story behind them, but these are the ones that I [00:43:00] really wanna celebrate on the wall. Um, and so because, you know, I have to find them somehow, um, those get my five stars, and scrapbook ones get three stars. So.

Lauren Hinds: Oh, I like that. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Anyway.

Lauren Hinds: F for frame it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Album it, bin it, can it, or frame it. There you go.

Jennifer Wilson: I like that. Yeah.

Um, going back to Creative Memories a little bit, I, I did not gr- I grew up knowing about it, but that's not how I started in scrapbooking. I actually started as a digital scrapbooker and then transitioned to paper when my daughter was born 15 years ago. Um, like literally on the dot, like I was transitioning over the course of my pregnancy from digital to paper.

It's, yeah. Even my, my, her like little baby album, it's half digital and the, all the stuff that I documented after she was born turned to paper within the same album. Um, that's an aside.

Lauren Hinds: That's so fun. Well, there was a huge digital pu- push too.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah, yeah, for sure.

So but I'm [00:44:00] curious for those who, who maybe did get their introduction with Creative Memories but have stepped away from the brand for whatever reason or, you know, of- oftentimes there's even stepping away from scrapbooking. What would you say is new and different in 2026 versus say 2006?

Lauren Hinds: Oh my gosh, yeah. What a transition we've been in. And, and here's the thing, you know, I absolutely love the creative process, and I always want to celebrate, people's decisions on what brings them joy creatively. And, uh, and, and so a, a lot of people were like the, the lingo was, "I had a CM Nazi for an advisor," right?

Like, you, you couldn't, you couldn't use any, you know, anything but.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: CM, and I'm so not that person. And I think that's been a huge shift for the, the brand and the company as a whole is, find what [00:45:00] makes you happy, in the way of album making. And, and they've changed a lot of their products kind of to go along with that. They've made simple, what they call Simple Page Kits. So that's how they help brand-new beginners. Because, you know, I think what's kind of sad is that, um, the youngers, I call them a younger generation, they're not as excited. My, my daughters, I have, you know, a, a 25 and a 29-year-old, they're not excited about scrapbooking. They're trying to make the entry point easy, so they've created Simple Page Kits and Fast to Fab pages. And even album kits now. That's one of their latest launches this year are kind of pre-designed base pages for you, and then you get to add your.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Lauren Hinds: Photos and layer some, paper and stickers and different things on top. But they've done kind [00:46:00] of the work of figuring out the base layouts for you. So they've realized not everybody scrapbooks the same, and I think that's been a huge shift. You know, and you don't have to do it their way.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: anybody's way. You do it your own way.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly. Yes.

Lauren Hinds: Um, but I, I, I also have to say, you know, their albums to me are just the best.

And, and I'm- know this about myself too. I'm kind of a matchy-matchy girl. So I love that their albums today are still the same albums they had 25, 30 years ago. And they are s- they held, hold up beautifully. I still have some of my very first albums, and they look so pretty on a shelf. They have a, a customizable spine product that they, um, just re-released.

So [00:47:00] all my albums have, you know, custom spines, and I can just glance. It's ... I, I think it's that vertical thing again.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. Yeah

Lauren Hinds: Love looking vertically, you know. And I even, I even choose the same font, you know, 'cause I want my fonts to look the same. My- all my family albums are black and, you know, different colors for other things. My kids are red.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it.

Lauren Hinds: You know. I'm, I just like that.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I was doing some photo books over the years, like just some annual books, and then one year the software I used, they changed all the fonts, and I'm like, "No, this is unacceptable." I, you know, I want these to line up on the shelf and look the same, and they just don't. Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: You get it. You get it. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I do.

Lauren Hinds: That's me right there.

Jennifer Wilson: So I'm, I'm really curio- I n- I mean, I, I know the albums have long been like this is one of the reasons that people love them, and they've, like, it's kind of the, the backbone literally, of the system. Um, and I've noticed [00:48:00] a lot of younger scrapbookers, so like, you know, as you said, you have adult children in, you know, who are finding their way in the world. And I think they learned from their moms and grandmas, um, that this is maybe a, a good way to start scrapbooking. And so I'm seeing kind of a, this resurgence of, of the albums beyond maybe the core community, and I think it's really fascinating.

Um, but I'm curious, could someone who maybe has their layouts, their 12 by 12 layouts in binder albums, could they use the top loading single pocket pages to convert their albums and then, like, save a lot of space? Or are the dimensions not quite right to do that?

Lauren Hinds: They are perfect because that's a lot of what we, we do now. We s- we scrap on 12 by 12 pages.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: And then slide them into the, the pocket. So the pockets do, um, it, uh, take a 12, uh, a true 12 by 12 page. The one [00:49:00] thing I would be a little cautious about is, how much ephemera, how heavy are.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm. How bulky.

Lauren Hinds: Right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Lauren Hinds: Yeah, I mean, some of us really like to go for that, and, um, they ... Creative Memories recommends, you know, about, it's always an about two inches wide. So for some of us, that means 40 pages, but for others, that might mean 10 or 15, especially sliding them into the top-loading pockets.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure.

Lauren Hinds: If they're bulkier.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Lauren Hinds: It would be it's a great way to convert, and I, I can't tell you how many people have said, "Yeah, I'm done with, with ring binding because they don't last," you know, or, or something like that. And it gives you that consistency, too. Their albums are gonna be around forever, I hope.

Jennifer Wilson: I've, I've been very disappointed. I invested in a one whole brand of albums, and I have now since replaced them with another brand. Because [00:50:00] they didn't last, even just minor opening and closing. It's, I... You know, my family looks at stuff once in a while. I take it out to film something once in a while.

It's not like they were getting heavy use, but the spines all cracked and started peeling, and it's... Yeah, it was very, uh, surprising and disappointing, so.

Lauren Hinds: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, no, thank you for sharing that. Is there anything else we haven't covered that you would love our audience to know about how you think about scrapbooking and, yeah, what advice you would have for them?

Lauren Hinds: Let's see. I would definitely recommend making a date with yourself, and I think we both just.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Lauren Hinds: Were like, "Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Gotta talk about that." Make a date with yourself. And, and I feel like even for myself as the creator, as the organizer of, you know, the groups that I host, my, my pop membership and my monthly meetup membership, it puts me in, [00:51:00] personally, in the right space, too.

'Cause some- there are times where I'm like, it's the end of the month, And ugh, do I really, you know, wanna go through my camera roll for July? And, you know. By the end of that workshop, I am pumped and jazzed, and I wanna make more pages.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Lauren Hinds: If I didn't have that on my calendar, if I didn't have that commitment, I would not be making the progress that I'm making.

Jennifer Wilson: 100%

Lauren Hinds: I, I mean, I, I really... I feel so strongly about that. And of course, just like your community, Jennifer, it's a community. It's w- so wonderful to see. You know, we meet on Zoom. It's so wonderful to see people's faces. We do page shares. They get to... You know, I do giveaways, and, uh, I encourage people to post their pages in my Facebook group. And it's just such a wonderful [00:52:00] thing to be part of a community. Wherever you find that community, jump in and make a date with yourself, because you will be so happy you did.

Jennifer Wilson: I totally agree. Thank you so much, Lauren.

Lauren Hinds: Are so welcome.

Jennifer Wilson: Can you remind, our guests where they can find you online? And is there anything else new or coming up that you wanted to tease?

Lauren Hinds: Oh gosh. Um, well yes, so I am all things craft.some.joy. And, I wanna kind of, I, I also kinda just wanna put this out there is I love the idea that you can be creative, but you can also give yourself the flexibility to get projects done and to move forward in a simple way.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Lauren Hinds: So you don't end up just with stacks and stacks of pretty layouts, that you actually...

There is... I, I don't know if you would agree, there is something truly magical when you put the finishing [00:53:00] touches on an album and you put that on your shelf.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly, yeah.

Lauren Hinds: It's a magical feeling, and that's really what I would say. Give yourself that allowance to, that, that progress over perfection, done is better than perfect. Just keep making the progress. So that those pages have a home and you can share that, uh, with the people that are meaningful in your life. So the, the teases for, Album Maker Academy, I can't wait to get that out there because it really is embodied everything I've talked about here. Taking the bigger projects that we put all that down and, you know, for me, it's my pop planner, but now we take one tab in that and we're going start to finish, and we're gonna get that album done in a really simple easy way.

Jennifer Wilson: I love it.

Lauren Hinds: [00:54:00] Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it sounds terrific. Yeah, no, thank you. I appreciate you spending time with me today.

Lauren Hinds: I love it. I'm, I'm happy to be here, and so happy you reached out, Jennifer. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Amanda Rowinski: [00:00:00] all these women are coming together with these supportive and positive vibes, and they're sharing their life through these albums they created with their hands." And like, it was magical to me, and it still is, like, every day. So since discovering that, you know, like all of us. It's just become such a part of my life. Like, it's just woven into the fabric of my life. Living life and then coming back to a room to make art about it.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper, and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 345. In this episode, I'm chatting with Amanda Rowinski about what it looks like to find your way back to memory keeping after a long pause.

Amanda shares how motherhood, junk journaling, and a refreshed craft room are all shaping her creative comeback.

Hey, Amanda. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Amanda Rowinski: Hey, Jennifer. Thank you so much for inviting me. I love this topic, and I've been binging the [00:01:00] podcast, so it's been giving me life, so I'm very excited to be a part of it.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. I'm excited to just kind of see you getting back in your groove with scrapbooking, and we're gonna talk a lot about that today. Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Amanda Rowinski: Uh, sure. So I'm Amanda Rowinski. It's my married name. In the past decade plus, if you've seen me online, you've probably heard me be Amanda Ro- Zampelli. That's my maiden name, or I even had, like, a brief time where I was Amanda Rose Zampelli. 'cause it was important for me to, like, be like Jennifer Love Hewitt and have my middle name in there.

Um, but.

Jennifer Wilson: Especially if you have a cool middle name, so.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. Thanks. Uh, so right. So I've kind of erased all that, and I didn't wanna come back as Amanda Rowinski. so we'll talk a little bit about that later, but that's my name. Um, yeah, and I was born and raised in Queens, New York, uh, currently living on Long Island, New York. Which, if you're from New York, you know is a bit of the burbs.

So we moved out here. Um, yeah, and I've- the phrase that I've been using to [00:02:00] describe myself now is a modern-day memory keeping millennial mom. Like, all.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Amanda Rowinski: Is just to kinda sum me up. Because at this point in time, I'm a stay-at-home mom. My son is three. My daughter is one and a half, so a lot going on minute to minute in my world.

Um, but you know, I've, I've dipped in and out of the scrapbooking industry. So I've, you know, designed two paper lines for We R Memory Keepers. I was there for the launch of the Happy Planner with Me and My Big Ideas. Um, yeah, so I, I mean, we'll go more into it, but I've taught classes on Big Picture. So my, a lot of my paying work the past two decades has been as an elementary special education teacher in a classroom. But I've dipped in and out of that to kind of pursue this creative passion I have to, like, be a part of the industry.

But at this point in time, like, my last paying jobs the past few years where I've kinda [00:03:00] had this pause from, you know, contributing creatively online, was as an elementary school teacher. So, so I'm a teacher and a creative, and I love this industry so much. But currently, you know, I'm doing my crafting thing in my office as much as I can and momming two littles. So that basically sums up what I'm doing.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, will you go back to a school in the fall, or is that not currently on your agenda?

Amanda Rowinski: There's no set foreseeable future of when I'll go back. I mean, we don't really have childcare. We're not interested in, in paying a daycare, so it's basically lying on me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: My daughter is old enough to go to school, like I'm definitely entertaining it. It's always there, which I appreciate. But I'm trying to see what I can make happen in the interim, you know, like what I can do from home and maybe tap back into my creative world.

So it's kind of where I'm at today.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. yeah. I get it. I totally do. I mean, especially with the cost of childcare being [00:04:00] so incredibly, uh, you know, challenging these days.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness, yeah. Yeah. And I wanna be home for the kids, like I wanna be their first point of contact. I've heard that phrase and I loved it. I was like, "That's true, that's... I... If they need something, I want to be the one to, to attend to it." And thankfully my husband can support us right now while I do that.

So yeah. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That's such an interesting phrase just because my kid is in the, you know, teen years with a cellphone, and so I definitely am that first point of contact with the cellphone. Like, "Mom, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And then, "Mom! Why have you not responded yet? It's been three seconds."

Amanda Rowinski: It's such a, as we all know, motherhood is such a beautiful contradiction because you want to be that point of contact, but then you're like, "Leave me alone," like, at the same time. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Like I do other things. Other than respond to your messages.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So.

Amanda Rowinski: But what an honor to be the one, right? The chosen one to go to. Yeah. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So do you have a favorite recent layout or project, something [00:05:00] that you've made recently that really kind of lights you up?

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. So I have started this year, I've been working in a Currently workbook. So I don't- if, if you go to my Instagram, you'll see a bunch of spreads that I've shared. Um, it's... She calls it a self-reflection workbook. So this is a created workbook by Tracy Benjamin, who on Instagram is Shutterbean. She's had her blog Shutterbean for, like, two decades. Um, and it's still up and running, and she has the Handwriting Club on Substack.

So she created, and it's in her Etsy shop, I don't know if you can get the 2026 one anymore, but I know toward the end of the year she releases it. She's done, like, six years of it so far. And it has been, like, this... It's been my favorite project this year. I mean, it's, it's part... Like, it taps into all the things I love, but being concise enough where I can dip into it when I have the time.

Like, it doesn't require big, long stretches of making. You know, I... So I've been kind of using it as, um, a [00:06:00] commonplace book, so any kind of inspiration I, I pull. What I'm noticing in my, in my seasonal life now is, like, a lot of my mental talk, I'm learning how to kind of, like, deal with a lot of my mental talk.

Like, if I'm trying to, to build something and do something business-wise, like, a lot of it is like, "But you've been gone for s- too long, and, and is it relevant, and are you relevant, and are..." You know, all that kind of talk. So I'm using the book a lot as, like, a way to pump myself up, all these inspirational quotes, and, like, when I do make a step toward the right direction in my head, I'll jot it down.

So it's been a bit of, like, look at all the steps you're making type book. And then she has a, a page for, like, all the good things that happened this month, and what I've been using it for is just, like, monthly dumping all the photos that I have from the month. So I'm talking like 70, 75 photos a month. That I'm just, like, putting in a flip-up on in, in one page of the book.

She has, like, a Currently section. So it's really hitting all my sweet spots of what I used [00:07:00] to do in, like, a planner or in, in an album in one book that, like, I can maintain, I guess. So.

Jennifer Wilson: That's so cool. We will definitely link.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That up.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Both examples of yours as well as, um, from her shop. That sounds really, really awesome.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, and then she hosts, like if you pay for her subscription, um, monthly subscription on Substack, she hosts like twice monthly practice pages where she says, "Bring your book." And like she talks about how to fill in like your summer bucket list, and we share ideas. Like, so she's really making a nice experience around it too.

So highly recommend.

Jennifer Wilson: It's like, it's just so focused around doing one thing rather than all the options out there in the world, because.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes.

Jennifer Wilson: We then have to make decisions amongst those options.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. I do love that about it too. Definitely.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, is there something in your, either in your hobby or in your everyday life, something new that you're excited to do, use, or try?

Amanda Rowinski: Uh, yes. So I'm having a bit of a creative comeback as I said, you know, from the dead. It feels like ... My One [00:08:00] Little Word this year is miracle. Um, but it might as well have been resurrection. Because a lot of, like, this year has been just, like, taking things out of the attic and, you know, like, this, like, renewed sense of showing up again or wanting to show up again.

So I'm really excited to embody being Amanda the memory keeper online. Which is kind of what I've changed all my handles to. Um, yeah. So I'm, I'm just treating my presence online as more of a business. Like, what problems can I solve in this paper crafting community I love so much, and what can I offer that's new and exciting?

So my head's been kind of there. It's been there since like January. And what was funny is, uh, you know, I'm working with a brand designer in July. So by the time this comes out my new website might be up, and I wanna grow my YouTube. It's just at the start of this year, um, it's the year of the fire horse, right?

The, the ... And I ... That was ... I didn't know this at the time, but [00:09:00] my, my daughter's birthday's on Christmas, so she turned one at the end of last year. And literally the turn of the calendar from 2025 to 2026, my thoughts, that was the exact metaphor for my like brain and my motivation. It was like a fire horse.

Like they were firing like crazy. Like, "Do this, do this, do this," or, "You could do this. You could do this." Like ... And I was like, I didn't even know it was the year of the fire horse, but when I heard that I was like, "That is so funny because my thoughts have been charging through my brain like a horse on fire" Like.

So, so yes, I don't know what that is, but I've heard that from a lot of moms that like once they know they're done having kids and, like, they got through that first tough year, it's like they jumped back in their body. And kind of like, "Oh, what am I, uh, what am I gonna do now that I'm myself again?" Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: So yeah, so that was my experience, and I'm just excited to see what all that means. I don't even have a real definition to it yet. It's just I'm trying little things here and there and trying to come up with ideas here and there. Because once February hit, all that fire kind of like [00:10:00] sizzled out. And I was like, "All right, now let's organize all these thoughts on paper, and what do I wanna do moving forward?"

So, so yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Be a little more practical about it. I understand.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, for sure.

Jennifer Wilson: Back to that time and what, when my kid turned one, like, what, what shifted for me, and I definitely, that felt like, okay, like, they're walking.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: O- we're gonna be okay. Um, you know, I no longer have to just, like, throw some taquitos in the oven to survive. Because I'm not eating anything, and, um, the things felt a little bit more calm at that point. Um.

Amanda Rowinski: 100% Yeah. That's what I mean. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So you've been, as we've mentioned, you've been sharing your creative, online for more than 15 years. Can you tell us a little bit more about your history and, and how that evolved maybe up until the time that you did have kids?

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. So I love talking about this, and I have a Substack post in my head called My Creative Career Thus Far... Does It [00:11:00] Even Matter? Right? Like, I, I think back to it, like, I think back to all the things that I've done creatively, but I've had such a long pause since, you know, going back to teaching and having kids, that does any of that even matter now today, right?

I'm sure, like, it does in experience-wise, but, like, everything's so new and I'm so different now. Anyway, so, so this is a, this is something I love talking about 'cause I love to explore that. But, um, history-wise, I feel like when I was in college, it was the start of, like, 2000s. I'm not as young as a lot of people think I am, but, um, yeah, like sharing pictures on Facebook albums was, to me, like the earliest form of online memory keeping.

Like, I remember this intense desire to do it and title each item, like, uh, title each album, like, April, April, you know, 28... 2008. Like, and I would, I would stylize the title picture and, like... So I always liked sharing online, and I didn't even know what that was. I'm like, "Who am I sharing for?" Like, you know? I didn't get it, but I knew I liked to [00:12:00] do it.

Um, and then in 2010, I started a blog, um, 'cause I found out that blogging was a thing, and I was like, "Oh, maybe this is why I like doing it, because I can write."

And then it was, like, more like writing my stories, and I blogged every day. Like, I was 25 years old with nothing really to do except, like, go to school, and I would, I would blog every day. But again, it didn't have to be this perfectly polished Pinterest-worthy blog. Like, it just had to be something you did and a little bit of words and, and I just love that time, that golden age of, like, online creation.

But, um, yeah, so I started a blog. I shared, like- planner pages where I would, like, buy a planner at Staples. And again, like, didn't understand it at the time, but, like, I had this urge to cut things that inspired me out of magazines and stick it in this planner around my plans, and I would just post this teeny-tiny picture on my blog.

And I remember just going like, "This is fun," but didn't get it. Like, why am I... I would always, every time I posted I'd be like, "Yes, why did I do that?" Like, [00:13:00] I never understood it. And then, um, and all this time, like, I was trying to become a classroom teacher. Like, I didn't have anything. I, I went to school for film and creative writing actually, which now looking back, like, I get it.

That was stuff I was interested in, and, like, making YouTube videos now makes sense why I would, like, fe- Like, it's so funny, like, things in your past definitely inform, like, what you like. I don't know. But I didn't know what to do with it at the time. Like, what do I do with this major? So my... I had two aunts that were in the education system.

My mom was a school secretary. Like, I had a lot of access into the education system, so I'm like, "Yeah, I would be a great teacher. Like, let me do that for money." So I was trying to become a teacher, trying to become a teacher. In 2011, I believe, I got my first classroom. I worked so hard. I was, like, subbing for two years, like, trying my hard.

And then once I got in the classroom, I was like, "Oh, is this really what I wanna do? I don't know." At the same time, in 2012, I tapped into Project Life and Becky Higgins, and I pretty much think Ali Edwards. That was [00:14:00] my first One Little Word, uh, year, so I probably was looking into what she was doing. And just like many of the people on your podcast say, like, something totally clicked, and my world cracked open, and I knew I had found my people.

I'm like, "Oh, all this stuff online. This is who I was supposed to find." Like, it really did feel like everything was building up to this moment of like, "Oh my God, these women do this for a living, and oh my God, there's people that like to do it too." The, I never knew anyone that did these weird little things, you know, in their, in their room.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, I feel like there's a lot of, all of us, a lot of us memory keepers have had that moment. Did you have that moment?

Jennifer Wilson: I, I did, and it's, it's so interesting to think about particularly that, those early days. I remember, like, the 2008, 2010 era, I was like, "I have to get online. Like, the, the world.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Is not offline anymore. I have to do this.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: 'Cause I had, I had done some stuff in the late '90s with, like, I had a website back then.

This is when I was in high school, and, like, [00:15:00] I was on AOL

creating, you know, zines and web zines with other girls my age, and a lot that were actually younger than me. And I felt like it was like, "I have to come back to this." I had stepped away for, you know, a good number of years, college and, you know, early career, and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, this world is, like, escaping me, and I have to jump in now to figure out what the heck is going on.

What is a blog, and, and what do we do with it, and why does it matter?"

Amanda Rowinski: 100%. And I feel like, like we really lived life never having it and then discovered it. Like, a lot of the kids growing up now have always seen it, always had it. I wonder, like, how would- how that moment differs for them, right? Like, it wasn't this brand-new thing. It's just like, oh, a brand-new person that they follow.

Like, I don't know, it- it- it's... The golden age is what I call it, thinking back then, to when the internet was really rising. Anyway, so I found these women, and I was like, "Oh my God, all these women are coming together with these supportive and positive vibes, and they're sharing [00:16:00] their life through these albums they created with their hands." And like, it was magical to me, and it still is, like, every day. So since discovering that, you know, like all of us. It's just become such a part of my life. Like, it's just woven into the fabric of my life. Living life and then coming back to a room to make art about it. Like, that just is what we do, right?

So something else, I had this deep desire when I found Becky Higgins and Ali Edwards to, like, do more than just memory keep as a hobby. Like, I've been thinking a lot about that now. Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: I danced Bachata and Salsa, and I loved it. Like, I did that for a few years, and I would go five times a week to the studio and, like...

But there is zero part of my life that wants that to be a job. Like, you know what I mean? I was like, "Oh, that really is a hobby," because I just wanna show up and dance and, like, have a good time. But there was always something about this where I'm like, "Oh, maybe this is what I could do for a living." And even to this day, I don't know what that means.

I'm trying to still figure out what that means. But I always had that, like, [00:17:00] pursuit part of it. It wasn't just, like, a fun, crafty thing. So yeah, so that, that was always very interesting to me that I was like, "I wanna create products to help others document their life. I wanna help other crafty, paper-loving ladies find this hobby."

Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: It was always a part of me. So, all right. So then, then now I'm teaching, and I re- had that realization. So in 2013, I stumbled upon Erin Condren and her life planner on Pinterest. So that, too, was another moment of like, "Oh my God, the gateway is open because here's a creative planner and a planner I've never seen."

And then I, I remember, like, ordering it and going to sleep, and until it was delivered, like, dreaming about this planner. Is that, was that weird? Like, do, do you have paper crafting dreams?

Jennifer Wilson: Um, yes?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Even wanna admit to what I dream about.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I mean.

Amanda Rowinski: My goodness.

Jennifer Wilson: I was, I mean during the age of, like, I think 2014, when everyone was doing Project Life, and I'm like, "I can't figure this out for [00:18:00] me." I would go to sleep every night trying to figure out how can I make pocket pages work for me.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, I love it.

Jennifer Wilson: It took like, almost a year to kind of figure something out. Um, but yeah, I do definitely have those dreams.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, like as I'm falling asleep, I'm like, "Oh, I could put this on this, and this page could look like this." I'm like, I'm so grateful for it because I, I wonder what other crazy things I'd be thinking about going to bed with this world now. But like, I allow the, the, the love of paper and all that stuff to like light me up, you know?

I- it's been a... Yeah, it's great. So I remember going to sleep, and that was the first product I like really was dreaming about having in my hand. So loved it. So with that planner was the really my first time I wasn't just like collaging from magazines in it. I was printing photos, tiny, fitting them in the boxes.

I- it was, I didn't know it then, but like the first memory planning I had ever done or ever really seen. I had never saw people put pictures in a planner, and I was like, "Oh, this is kind of cool, and this is kind of [00:19:00] fun." And so I was posting that online, like, "Look what I'm doing with this planner." And then, um, oh, at the same time in 2013, I was...

I had left teaching. I decided like, "I'm gonna pursue this now that I wanna be... I, I'm gonna make scrapbooking paper." Like, I wanted to just be like Amy Tangerine and, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: uh, you know, all them. I was like, "I'm gonna make a scrapbook line." So I left teaching and found in New York City, it was called Shillington School of Graphic Design, and I believe they're still there now, but it's more virtual.

Like I was driving the car to the bus stop every day, getting on the bus, getting like an hour in... taking the bus an hour to go in the city, and like being dropped off at Bryant Park, walking the three blocks to the school, and like Monday through Friday sitting down for three months straight and just like- Like, I must've been smiling the whole time.

Like, I was like it was just a graphic des- I was like, I was like, "This is where I'm supposed to be." Again, like, just following that intuition and like, let's see what comes of this. [00:20:00] So that was from September 2013 to December 2013, and I came out of that program with, like, a little portfolio of stuff I had made.

And so yeah, so then I was like, "Okay, here I go." Come January 2014, I started pitching myself out to different... I, I contacted American Crafts, I contacted, like, all these different companies, and We R Memory Keepers actually got back to me, and I spoke to them, and they signed me on. So they, they signed me on to do, um, like, a line with them.

And I was like, "It could not have happened that quickly." Like, I couldn't believe that, like, all I did was just risk it, and take the leap, and get a little background, and reach out, like, cold email, and it happened. And I was like, "Okay, this is my dream come true." And yeah, so what ended up happening is I made two lines for them, and then American Crafts bought, um, We R Memory Keepers or something, and then I was kinda let go.

So I was like, "All right." I was like, "Well, at least I have these two things under my belt." And I was... I said, "Back to the drawing board" and I was [00:21:00] emailing, emailing, emailing. And I had emailed Stephanie Fleming from Me and My Big Ideas, and when I, she responded to me, she goes, "OMG, I recognized your name right away because I..."

She was looking on Pinterest and saw my Erin Condren spreads, and she's like, "I was looking into you because you did this thing in this planner." And so she hired me, but not to design, to be their social media coordinator. So, like- That was amazing too. I was like, "Wow, one company to the other company." And on my first day on the job she flew me out to California and she's like, "So we're making a planner."

And like that was literally the... Like, the rest is history. So she had seen my Erin Condren, and I guess she was in the works of making The Happy Planner, and she's like, "Well, I can sign this girl on 'cause she's worked with a planner creatively," and that's kinda what I guess happened. So that was it. So, so I was with that job two years.

I mean, I think a little less than two years, but I was a social media coordinator, so I f- I started their Instagram. We went from zero to 200,000 followers in, in my reign. You [00:22:00] know, I... That first blast of them. And, uh, yeah, I mean, the product was a home run, so that helped. But I'd like to think, like, my passion for, like, sharing with other people and like, "Look what we did.

You're fun too." Like, it was... I just think back to that girl that was in that room, like.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Amanda Rowinski: With not knowing this existed to like, "Oh my gosh, this exists." So, so that was a great job, and I'm sad that it ended for me, but it had to. Um, yeah. And then, and then so that w- I was there till, till 2017, and then from 2017 to 2018 I was trying to make a lot of things happen for myself.

I was, I was like, "Okay, I saw how a product was launched. I could launch a product." And in my head I had this... I've always had this idea for, like, a behavior s- like a touch, a Velcro touchy, like, very graphic behavior system in a classroom, 'cause from my teaching years. And I was like, "Oh, I could develop that," and that never really went anywhere.

Like, I've always been trying to find a way to make product or get in the industry. But for that whole year I was trying to figure out, I was actually [00:23:00] waitressing. So, you know, here I am with a master's degree in education and like had this great creative job, and I'm just trying to make money while being creative.

It was a very, like... And I broke up with my boyfriend at the time, so it was a lot of, like, rough edges at that time. But I was doing the podcast with Kristin Tweedale. She reached out to me right after I left Happy Planner and was like, "Hey, if you need anything..." And I was like, "Well, I've always wanted to start a podcast."

And like that's how we kinda just had Crafty Ass Female be born. And yeah, we interviewed Ali, Ali Edwards twice, Lisa Congdon, Austin Kleon. Like, I remember just, like, being so, like, touch and go with everything that I c- like, now I look back and go, "What a great time that was." Like, I couldn't even really enjoy it in the moment. It was just produce an episode, produce an episode, find a person.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: So like it really was magic. Like, what you are doing is magic. Like, now when I think of podcasting I'm like, "I wish I never left it." I definitely had to leave it then, but I still... I'm like, could you imagine if I just kept going with it [00:24:00] and...

You know, it didn't make sense for my life then, but it was very fun, and so thankful that I had her in that year. Um, yeah. So then.

Jennifer Wilson: Thinking back to like Paperclipping Roundtable and how they were doing episodes, like they were doing it like we're gonna book it, we're gonna record it that week, edit it that week, and get it out that week. And I'm like I, I cannot operate that way.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh no.

Jennifer Wilson: Record in batches and we schedule things out. Because I can't be on that hamster wheel, uh, in this season of my life. It just would not work.

Amanda Rowinski: No. No. No. Now I understand that people that are doing that hamster wheel, they can't have much else going on.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Whether they show it or not, they are... They have an open schedule, you know? I don't know. But yes, I completely get it. I don't know how you're doing it solo. I mean, I'm so glad I had her. It was definitely something I needed to do with someone. Oh, good.

Jennifer Wilson: I have a lot of help. I am definitely not doing it solo. So I a lot of help both on the, the tech side, I have a podcast editor, and then I have folks on the community side, [00:25:00] um, some coordinators. Yeah, no, definitely not sol- totally alone.

Amanda Rowinski: That's so awesome. All right, yeah. So I did the Crafty Ass Female, and then, um, yeah, and then I went back to teaching. My aunt was like, "You know, I know a principal who's hiring for the new year." And I was like, "I cannot waitress anymore. Like, this is not working for me." And so I went on the interview. I cried on the way to the interview, and I knew that I did a good job on the interview, so I cried on the way home.

I really didn't wanna go back to teaching. But it was the best thing that could've happened to me because I, I, I was able to be grounded. And then I said, "You know what? You pursued the industry enough. Like, take a little break and find your footing and get a steady paycheck, and see what comes of that." So I really, like...

It was a humbling experience, and I was just like, yeah. And I was with that school for five years. In that five years, I, I got the right therapy, you know, which is important in someone's life. I met my husband and we dated for two years. We got married in 2022. By 2023 I had my son, and then 2024 I had my daughter.

[00:26:00] So all, you know, in all that time I was teaching and I really thought I was gonna go back to teaching. I still might, you know? Who knows? But, um, yeah. It was kind of like... And I met my best friend in that school, so, like, I needed to be there. It was definitely a pr- I really thought like, oh, I could totally do this now and, and craft on the side.

Like, that's what my life will be. And I'm so happy with that, and it might still end up that way, but that's what it was. And then my daughter turned one in December and I was like, "Well, I'm not going back this year, and I probably won't be going back next year, so what do I wanna try to do with this time?"

So that's where you leave me here. Yeah. Yeah

Jennifer Wilson: You've described this current season as uncharted territory. When, like when did you start figuring out that motherhood was shifting not just your overall identity, but your creative identity and how you wanted to express yourself?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, so up until the start of this year, I hadn't really thought about creatively coming back. So I was just like, "Take care of your kids for now, and then you'll go back [00:27:00] to teaching when the time is right." Um, but now that I, like, am entertaining the fact that, like, maybe I do wanna come back and try to make money, you know, in this industry that I love so much, um, yeah, it's, it's uncharted territory.

It's like I don't... I, I'm so different than I was when I was doing this 10 years ago. Social media is so different than it was 10 years ago. And like, oh my God, this mom gig won't let up. Like, I ju- you know, like, I can't put it on pause and spend time doing, you know, creative stuff. So, so yeah. I'm someone new in this maker space, and, like, I'm trying to figure out what does that mean, and how do I navigate that?

And yeah, it's just... it really is, like, I've never been at this place before. Because I've had the ki- you know, my oldest is three, so I've... I'm not new, new, new to being a mom. But it's the first time I'm a mom trying to build something for myself, and I'm just like, it's impossible. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Do you feel like you're giving yourself [00:28:00] permission to be a beginner, or do you feel pressure because you have done some of this before? Like I can't be a beginner because I'm not but I am at the same time.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, that's exa- you just summed up exactly how I feel. Like, I'm trying to find how to position myself. 'Cause I, I feel like if enough time has gone by where a lot of the new makers might not know what I've done in the past, but I also have, like, a l- a really good thread of people that have always, like, messaged me, "Oh, I remember you from these days or those days".

Like, a lot of my audience still are those people who comment on the, me on the pod, "Oh, I loved you and Kristen", you know? So I don't really know. I'm kind of straddling both worlds where, like, I am a beginner and I have to position myself as so, but, oh, look at all the stuff I've done. I am, I am planning on doing, like, a let me reintroduce myself, trip down memory lane kind of post. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: I think any time I do a small little bit in the right direction of, [00:29:00] like, marketing myself or showing what I do, it, it does kind of make it clearer for me how to, how to navigate that. But, but the actual making part is uncharted territory. Like, there's hardly any time to make anything.

Jennifer Wilson: So what are you seeing, like yourself, you know, you already mentioned, you know, your currently notebook. Like, what are the things that you're interested in now versus, know, 10 years ago?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, so, um, I feel like when I tapped into Becky Higgins and Ali Edwards, that was my gateway, right? It was my gateway of like what memory keeping is and what it could be. Um, and I feel like a lot of my self-imposed limitations have been because I tell myself like, "Memory keeping has to look like that."

Like, even now, like I feel like, "Well, that's memory keeping, and this other stuff is something else." Um, even when I was memory planning in the Happy Planner with all this free product from them and, and 1 million thousand stickers from them, I still was like fighting with myself [00:30:00] where like, "Well, is this memory keeping?

I don't know. Is it something new?" I'm just in like, I view it so differently now where like to me, modern-day memory keeping just encompasses so many different things. And like I stand to defend that like a scribble on a blank white paper with a date stamp underneath is memory keeping, right? Like, if you date it and it's like this is the mark you made, you slip it in a pocket page, pop it in your binder, and like who's to say it isn't memory keeping?

That's like my new stance on it. So yeah, I don't know if that answered the question, but like I, I've, I've been junk journaling, and I just have been putting that under the umbrella of, of memory keeping and keeping like a creative journal, um, in my Hobonichi. And I still have my memory book, but it's my memory album with the bi- with the binder rings, and it's still contributed to very s- briefly, but it's there.

And I'm like, I'm kind of thinking up a way I can combine all these things into one book.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: But yeah, there's, there's been a movement toward like bad art is still art, but I think the [00:31:00] shift in my mind is bad art is still memory keeping. Like, I've just been just like umbrellaing it under that. Uh, and that's worth creating.

Like, I love a good clean, polished finis- finished memory book, which is what I used to do in the past, and like hardly any of my handwriting. Because I don't like my handwriting, so every, all the journaling was typed up. But like.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: In the end, the meat and potatoes is like the moment of your life you documented and what that documenting did for your soul.

Like, that's kind of where I'm at now. So like I am right at this Currently workbook in the Handwriting Club. Like, I love that she calls herself that because I am just writing. You know? It's, it's, it's what I've needed. So, so yeah. That's been the shift, I think.

Jennifer Wilson: I'd love to talk about how kind of your creative space and, like, feeling comfortable in it again has kind of factored all, into all of this. 'Cause I know a lot of our listeners understand, like, walking past your craft room or if it's a multi- multipurpose room and just kind of not going in because you feel like, "I'm not ready for that.

It's, it's not ready [00:32:00] for me. It's not organized enough." What was that like for you?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my God, it's very hard and triggering. Like, in my, in my house, it's a split level, so I purposely made my craft room the room that's, like, at the tip of the triangle. So like, from anywhere in the house really, I could see my craft room. Like, the original plan behind that was, like, if my kids are playing in the playroom, I could sit down and, like, have a straight shot view of them.

But it's also, when I'm in the playroom, I have a straight shot view of my craft room. So like, I see it kind of beckoning me. And it's so funny because in, in my 2023 December Daily, my story 13 was this just, like, picture of, I have, like, a velvet pink chair that I purposely put, like, in, in the doorway shot of the room 'cause it's cute.

But like, I just see this chair from my bedroom in the dark. I'm, like, rocking my kid at 12:00 midnight, and I just see the pink chair and I'm like, "One day," like, [00:33:00] "I'll be. Come back."

Jennifer Wilson: One day I'll sit there again.

Amanda Rowinski: Sarah Jessica Parker said that New York City was like a fifth character in Sex and the City, and I really do feel like my craft room in this house, like, it's a character.

But it's, like, one of those, like, happy, like, "Don't worry, I'm here." Like, sh- she's a reassuring lady, my craft room. Um, and, and that's how I feel you should think about it. Like, it'll, it will beckon you home, I guess.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes

Amanda Rowinski: So yeah, that's how I thought about her.

Jennifer Wilson: And you recent- well, yeah, it's just so interesting to think about, like, I did so much with my kid on one arm and sitting at the computer. I remember even I was in a recliner, I was pumping on one side, I had a kid with a bottle on the other side, and then I had my laptop in front of me. I'm like, what, what were you thinking?

Amanda Rowinski: It's like you're a fly on my wall, Jennifer. That's, that's my reality lately. Yeah, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Um, w- but you recently did a refresh of your office space. Like, what, what did you [00:34:00] change to make it more fit, like, what you're interested now and, and who you feel like as a person and a creative?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh yeah. I, I plan to do a video tour and post it to my YouTube as like a comeback video. But I wrote a Substack post called In the Waiting. Because I'm embodying that phrase. It's just, I'm like, I'm just in the waiting to do all this stuff that needs big, uninterrupted, quiet time. Um, but now that we have time and I can talk about it , um, I've, I think it's part of my creative comeback, right?

Like to make this space more mine and to make the office like the headquarters of the business, right? That's really, like, it was a lot of intentional placement and stuff I put in here to kinda do that. So f- the first thing was like, like three years ago when we moved in this house and I had my son on my arm, like pumping, like you said.

Like, I was on a folding table. Things were all around. It was so chaotic, but I still sat and I still journaled.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah. [00:35:00] Folding table in front of the, in front of the recliner. Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yes. Yeah. So like, when I think about how far I've come, like it really makes me proud. Like, it just does take like slow little steps. And one of the first things, I had a rug in here, and my rolling chair just like kept m- kept, uh, like nicking it every time I'd roll somewhere.

I would have to t- I'd took the rug with me, and I'd have to readjust it with like a grunt. So the first thing I did was like shift the rug, you know, like a little thing like that in your craft room. Like, just make everything comfortable and easy. So I shifted the rug. My husband installed some shelves, and like just that vertical like focal point.

I'm like, "Oh my God, the room feels so much bigger." And I have like pic- like my late grandmother's pictures there, and I always feel like they're kind of my little cheerleaders like egging me on. I, um, propped up my two paper lines from We R Memory Keepers, so like they're on display. I'd always kind of like, "Oh, I made these," and like tuck them away.

I'm like, "I'm not gonna use them. I'm not..." But I'm like, there's something [00:36:00] to just like seeing them proudly propped up. It's like, you did that a long time ago. You c- and that was so hard. Like I didn't mention that, but like they were the h- that was the hardest two assignments I ever had in my life. I'm like , "Oh my God."

So I said, "But you did it. They're imperfect, but they were made." And it just like serves as a little beacon for me, like then you can do other hard things, right?

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Amanda Rowinski: So, it, it's stuff like that. Like I made the craft room speak to me in a way. Like I said, that chara- the craft room is the main character in my life, main character energy.

Like it talks to me. I made things talk to me . And, uh, yeah. And then, you know, practical stuff is like I took a lot of, I resurrected a lot of my old teacher storage. Like I have like a mailbox system that now houses a lot of my stuff. Um, little compartments. Uh, and yeah. So like little drawers and compartments that I was like, "Why am I saving this for a classroom that I don't know that I'll ever be back in?" I'm like, "Let's pull it out. Let's make this the room."

Jennifer Wilson: The, the Target [00:37:00] dollar spot will still be there with new organizational things.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So.

Amanda Rowinski: Okay, good. Right, that's what I mean. So, uh, yeah. And then I got these really great... I can't wait to share them on YouTube and... 'cause they, they fit perfectly under the IKEA desk. It's like this under desk 12 by 12 little pull-out drawers, and I've labeled all of them on my Dymo They're, they're amazing. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Can, you share a link with that to us so that we can put that in the show notes.

Amanda Rowinski: For sure. They come with wheels. Yes, they come with wheels, and even with the wheels, they, they, um, they fit under the desk. And then I don't have them with wheels 'cause they're stationary. And they came, it, they come with, they came with two in the pack. So, like, they were, I think they were $60, and I was like, "That's kind of expensive for, like, a shelf, like a, a storage."

But there was two, so I ordered two, so I got four. It was, like, all very exciting. I was like, I was like, "Oh, okay, so they were $30 each. That's reasonable." And like, now I have four and so I love them. I will definitely link them. And, um, I got a new [00:38:00] standing desk from Facebook Marketplace. He was asking 50, and I got him down to 30, so I'm proud of that little bargain.

Um, but I love it too. I, I, it's just, yeah, yeah. Thrift and I've... This room, I thought I was gonna do my two kids' rooms before this room, but I was like, "Screw that." I'm gonna do my office. Um, so yeah. And, and the shades. The shades was a big obstacle. I was like, "How am I... I need window coverings because the sun is beaming."

And I, I'll link to you too. I, I got these custom shades off Amazon. And they are like butter. That's how I describe them. They're pull-down shades.

Jennifer Wilson: We only have shades in one room of my house. It's the office.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh, yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Front of the house, and.

Amanda Rowinski: Yep.

Jennifer Wilson: Certain times of the year, like the sun is just like bursting in my eyes, and it makes it either too hot or too cold in here, so.

Amanda Rowinski: That's so funny. Yeah, that's, I'm in the front of the house too. My desk sits in front of the two double windows, so I'm like, "Ooh, mama needs a shade."

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: But I, I could send the link too, because they're great. I highly, highly recommend them.

Jennifer Wilson: So you were talking earlier about how [00:39:00] when you were dancing, like that was the one thing, like you didn't, you never wanted to make that a job. And.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: How do you think that like having been in industry and, and wanting to be in part of the industry again, how does that complicate the relationship you have with crafting as a personal practice versus doing it for, as part of your job? I mean.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: I understand this because I have monetized my hobby and sometimes it makes it hard to want to do my hobby as a hobby.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, that's so... It's such a good question, and it's, it's something I go back and forth with all the time. But how I... Like, again, like, once I found this world, just something inside me said, like, "I wanna be a part of it."

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: In that way. So, like, even when I was teaching for five years and not at all making content to, to creatively try anything, I still felt the value and was called to post it and share it.

I don't... Again, like, I don't know why, 'cause in that time I wasn't... I, I thought I would teach for the next 25 years. I said [00:40:00] I could do this while, you know, crafting on the side. But then what was that... Like, then why did I feel the need to share it? You know? I, I didn't understand that part of it. But how I personally craft versus what I made for the industry was always very close, so I think that helps.

Like, I, I think I did a design team back in the day. I don't remember whose it was for. Um, and I got like... I, I got a few months of assignments done and was like, "Oh, I cannot... I have a really hard time crafting just to show how the product should be used." Like, I really do make a personal connection to my crafting.

So like, so when I do that, it's a lot easier. So even when I'm doing things, um, you know, for the industry, it's still very personal. Like, I was on Ali's creative team for December Daily, uh, in 2021, and I contributed to her product play workshop. And I remember thinking like, "I can't just use this product to show people what the product do.

Like, it has to be attached to a [00:41:00] thing I'm going to actually do in my life, in my December Daily." So once I changed that and realized that that's important to me, then it really... there really... It doesn't feel like two distinct things, you know? Um, but I do think a lot now that I'm trying to get back into the industry again, like, "Is there a market?"

Like, that phrase in my head happens a lot. Like, I'm doing this creative thing. Is there a market for it? I'm doing this. Is there a market? Like, you know. So that, that gets in the way a little bit. Because I am trying to create something that people will desire to learn from or have or, you know. So yeah. So, so yeah.

H- Can I package my personal practice in a way that shows off how it could help others tap into their creativity and turn it into their personal practice? So yeah, it kind of blurs the line there. But for the most part, it is all very personal. But I also memory keep in a lot of ways now. So like, I do have, like, I...

J- my junk journal I, journal I've been [00:42:00] sharing, my Currently book I've been sharing. Um, but I, my Hobonichi, not really. So if you have, like, a lot of different avenues to memory keep, you can keep one a little more personal, I guess. That helps, too. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: You don't have to share everything that you do.

Amanda Rowinski: Right. Yeah. That helps.

Jennifer Wilson: Now is there anything, um, maybe the way you created in the past, like did you ever, were you ever making layouts or did you do mostly Project Life small albums?

Amanda Rowinski: Um, I ha- i- in the early stages, I did make a few 12 by 12s. I look back at them now and go, "Whew, that was not your format." Like.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay, yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: They're, they're still... I still love them for what they are, but I really struggled with that big page. Um, December Daily is, like, non-negotiable for me. I do that every year, and I do that in, in, like, Ali style with the pocket pages and the some out of the pocket pages and very, very, uh, different mediums.

And I love that year she did texture paste. That was, like, my favorite post of hers. And I whip out the sewing [00:43:00] machine for December Daily. So Dec- I always say, like, if no other memory keeping gets done all year, December Daily is enough for me. Because then I'll use some pages to look back, like, if something happened that I didn't like.

So December Daily is, like, non-negotiable. I'm doing it. I'm sharing it. And then m- like, my 2025 is still not done. It's open on my desk over there. But, like, I know it will... I usually finish it around the time she launches for the new, uh, season. And then that gets me motivated and, uh, and then I sh- I finish it and post the flip through to YouTube and other people get motivated to see it because they're thinking about theirs.

So that's usually the timeline of that guy. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I mean, it is such a fun project, and I think, uh, as you said, there's so much possibility to combine both what is happening related to the season as well as reflecting back on the whole year. To, to make it, you know, kind of a wrap-up for your year. And if

that's all you do, that's still so amazing.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. It feels, it [00:44:00] always felt like enough, which I was so grateful for. I'm like, yeah, this, this shows the kids how old they are, and this tells where my head's at, and yeah, it'll do.

Jennifer Wilson: So you mentioned, I think maybe this was in an Instagram caption or maybe on your Substack, I'm not sure, but your, your interest in junk journaling felt primal. Why do you think that had been calling to you so much and so strongly?

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, Jennifer, primal is the word. Like, you nailed it. Like, primal. It, it was... I, I, Instagram showed me junk journaling on my feed toward the end of last year. I don't know what I said or what I did to make the algorithm think I needed it, but it was right. Um, and I think the ASMR spoke to me as, like, a mom of two, very overstimulated, like, "Ah!"

Like, that energy of over- that of overstimulation where you're, like, grinding your teeth and need to, like, scream. I think came out in the junk journal. Like, I was watching these women, like... So I think that's what sparked it [00:45:00] initially, like, the crunchiness, the ripping. Like, I used to do it a little bit in cooking.

Like, when I'd chop, if I was mad at something, like, I used to- the chopping motion for me really got that out. But I can't find time to cook anymore with the kids, so I guess that was missing from it. So yeah, so I bought this, like... I saw this girl on junk- so then I went down the junk journaling rabbit hole, and the more ASMR it was, the more I was, like, drooling.

And then I saw this girl with, like, this giant glue stick in her hand, and so I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta buy that." So, like, it wasn't enough for me to just have a junk journal. It had to feel like, like I was a caveman. So primal, perfect. Like, perfect word. I, I, I have this giant glue stick in my hand, and I'm like, you know, just like a caveman with my club.

Like, and then rummaging through garbage and, and making my own little stash like a feral raccoon. Like, very s- funny imagery, but that's really what was calling to me at the time. And I also think, [00:46:00] like, being a stay-at-home mom and I stopped a lot of my subscriptions, right? Like, I'm not having income, so I need to really, like, pare down on what I can use for supplies.

I mean, I have decades' worth of scrapbooking supplies, but I wasn't- I'm not doing these memory books that need the beautiful sticker, right? So I was like, "All right, let me just..." It just really reframed how I thought even about junk. Like, so much things as you're a mom going through your day, like, "Oh, don't throw out that Gerber baby food, you know, pull-off lid.

Keep it for your junk journal." It just felt like I was being creative when I really had no time to be creative. Be- like, even my husband, like, he goes to the laundromat, and he gets these little, like, purple, yellow tags that come on his, his clothes right around the hanger, and.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Pu- he would pull them off and leave them all over my bedroom, right?

And every time I'd see one, it'd be another source of over- overstimulation. Like, "Why don't you just throw these out?" But then I started junk journaling, and I was like, [00:47:00] "Ooh, look what I found." Like, even the way that it... Yeah, even the way that it, like, transformed how I looked at clutter in my house was something I needed.

Like, a lot of youngins treat junk journaling like a scrapbook. Like, they do their stickers and papers and photos and, um, they... I've seen a lot, like, use a piece of junk as a jumping-off point for, like, a paper craft. Like, I saw one, one girl, she's in her 20s, so cute, like, living life, and she, she took her favorite, like, chip bag, and then she folded yellow paper to look like the chip.

Like, I'm like, "I get it. There's a piece of junk in there. I love what you do. I get the season of life you're in." Lots of travel ephemera, right? People go on these big, lofty vacations, and they're like, "Oh, I went to Mexico." And I'm like, "Good for you." I, I think stay- I'm like, stay-at-home moms, I almost wanna, like, start a group that just says, Stay-at-home moms who junk journal. Because I think it is such a important, easy way, cheap way for you to be [00:48:00] creative, like, express yourself creatively.

Like, I'm doing it on my kitchen counter while watching the kids. Like, I'll peel a fruit stick or off a fruit and, like, run up to my office and, and open that page in my journal and stick it down. Like, is it memory keeping the way that I know it? No. But I think it's informing an art practice that could definitely be channeled in that way, and it kind of is memory keeping, right?

Like, "Oh, look at the sticker I had back then." And I've, I've... Like, I have an idea for one to, like, I'm done pump- breast pumping, so I.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: Kept the breast pump wire, and I have just an idea for a spread to, like, journal behind it, like, what it means to me to not have to pump anymore, and then put that guy on top.

Like, like, that's memory keeping. It's messy, and it's, it's cuckoo to some people, but it totally is memory keeping, and in this season of life, it's what I can, what I can sh- do and what I can share and what I think other people need, too. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I, I love the, the point you made about kind of the clutter around the house 'cause [00:49:00] similar to yours, my husband will take a tag off of something he purchased and leave it on the dresser, and it will be there forever until the end of time unless I move it and throw it away.

Amanda Rowinski: Oh my gosh, what is that? What is that? I don't know either. But like, like as a mom, you- I really can see a lot of baby stuff being great to like junk journal with. Like, even their little newborn diaper, like it fits in the journal 'cause it's so little. Like, so I really, I, I think that's kinda where... I know I wanna make like a free six, um, lesson kinda like freebie coming soon of like just how to fill the junk journal.

Just really easy ideas of like if you've never crafted before or even if you have a junk journal, like here's how you can make like 20 different pages in one shot kinda thing. Um, so I think I'm gonna create that and offer that at some point. Because I- it's just been, yeah, it's just been an important part of where I'm at now.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I think that this like the idea you had about like stay-at-home moms [00:50:00] who do junk journaling, that sounds like there's a very specific and different, it's a different season of life than, you know, the 20-something going to Mexico on a fun vacation. Um, and that deeper need, like, "I have to do something with my hands that's not wiping," uh, you know, "a rear end."

So.

Amanda Rowinski: Yep. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So kind of stepping back, like what would it look and feel like to you to say like, "I found my way back to this"?

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. a good question.

Yeah, I, I don't, I... That's, it's such a good question. I'm, I'm definitely here showing up every day, looking around going, "What can I creatively do?" Um, would I... Am I back or... I'm definitely not back to the kind of memory keeping I was doing 10 years ago. Um, and another thing that shifted for me too is, like, when I started memory keeping, it was really to tell my story, right?

This is kinda obvious, but, like, with my kids now, I really [00:51:00] feel responsible to help them be able to take a peek into their childhood. So that's also been something I'm trying to figure out. Because I do still love that personal m- like, 'cause I think, like, memory keeping for me has always been rooted in, like, my two grandmothers and my mother. Because I...

We've had so many instances with them where, like, we've sat around a table and looked at a photo album and just talked and laughed and shared stories because of the photo album. So that's definitely where all this has come from, I think. But I, I really want to have that for my kids, so I feel this responsibility to, like, make sure they know who I was.

Like, I also morbidly picture my funeral with, like, all my craft books around me. Like, it's just, it's just, this is to- That's, uh, the value is there. Like, I never feel like I should be memory keeping or, like, I'm a bad memory keeper 'cause I'm not making a book or [00:52:00] anything. It's more like I value so much that, that there will be something that I can grab and show my kids or grandkids or that they can remember me by.

So it's more of like, oh man, I really need to keep this up because this is so valuable in my opinion. Um, but yeah, I, finding my way back, I think we're always there or I think I'm there, it just looks very different. And I'm, I don't really know where to land yet, so I'm trying a bunch of different things.

But it's, it's all adding up to, like, stuff my kids can grab, you know?

Jennifer Wilson: Well and even as your kids grow and they're involved in different things, and the photos you take are different, and there's different things coming home, you know, it's, that will shift for you too, uh, in terms of how you wanna document it and, and how you feel like, you need to both creatively and for the, the actual memory portion of it.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. And I, I think like because I'm trying to build something, but what is that something? Like, there's, there's definitely a [00:53:00] pressure to niche down and say like, "This is my thing." But right now it's kind of all over the place and I'm trying to find like, you know, what is the, what is the thing I can say is my thing in the memory keeping place? But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. But it's all, it's all informing it, you know what I mean? Like, nothing is wasted if you're having a good time and doing something you feel there's value in.

Jennifer Wilson: So do you feel like during, at any point, were you actually ever creatively paused, or were there things you were keeping up with even when you weren't sharing online about them at all?

Amanda Rowinski: Um, that's a good question. Like, creatively paused, definitely when I was... The past few years since Crafty Ass Female, when I went back to teaching, there definitely was a pause in, like, sharing so much. Like, the Happy Planner job, I was posting, like, two, three times a day for them, even on [00:54:00] weekends. Like, it was a big demand to create content.

So I was paused in that way, where, like, there was no pressure to create content. But I always, I always was creating. I still was, like, making books and, and, like, even this past year I made, like, a little mini May memory book. Like, one picture a day in May kind of thing. Like, it's always on my mind to have something.

You know, I, I, I don't know how people go through life without this hobby because, like, even now as a mom, like, the kids'll sleep, my husband might be working late, and I'm alone for a second. Like, I'm never bored. Like, I don't understand boredom. I'm always coming to the room and, like , "Oh, I can make something in this time, or write something down, or print a photo."

Like, I don't understand boredom. So even when there's even a pause, you know? Like, it doesn't ever feel like a pause. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I get it. I get it. I don't, I don't, I don't understand boredom definitely in, from the terms of I easily feel overwhelmed by I [00:55:00] have too many things I want and need to do, and how can I possibly do all of them, because I can't.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes. Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: I- I'm curious what advice you might give to someone who kind of is in their own uncharted territory. Like, they feel like, "I'm not the same person that I was before, and I, I, I still love this hobby and I've been touching it, but I don't feel like I've figured my thing out yet. And, and I really wanna find that again." And maybe it's just joining the journey with you because you're, you're very much in that place.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah, that's a good question. S- just like what advice do I have for, for someone else? I just, I just... definitely something new for me this year in reframing, like, my creativity and stuff is I've always kind of been a loner in this practice where, like...

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Amanda Rowinski: I mean, y- whenever I did join a group or try to create, 'cause when I was doing The Happy Planner too, I would do a lot of, like, planner meetups at local Michaels, or [00:56:00] I'd be at a trade show and, like, talk someone through a product.

But it was always hard for me to tap into that, like, process of how I create, 'cause it's always such a quiet... I have to listen inside. So that's always been kinda how it is for me. Like, "What do you wanna make, Amanda? What's inspiring you? Oh, well..." So, like, when I'm around other people, like I never understood crops, because it would distract me from doing the crafting.

So, so now I kind of... I understand the importance of connection, and I'm kinda craving it now. Uh, so that's been a little bit of a shift, and I think, I think that will help a lot of people. I guess in the beginning, my connection was just from finding these things and watching , YouTube videos that people create.

But now I really do feel like it's a peeking next to you and seeing what someone else is making. You know, I think that helps. Or like, yeah, just like sh- [00:57:00] s- I guess there's so much sharing online that you can really see other people's techniques and stuff, and I think that helps. Like, you tap into your thing and, yeah, like I took an art journal class this year, and I did a junk journaling class this year.

Like it's... That would be something I'd be like, "Eh, I don't need to. I know how to do that." But I really love now, like, opening up my world to other people's crafting, and I think that, yeah, it's... There's something to community and other people that like to do this and being in their presence. I never... It always distracted me more than helped me make, but now I, I see the value in that too.

Jennifer Wilson: I also see, like, from the professional standpoint of being a student and putting that hat on helps you.

Amanda Rowinski: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Um, learn things in a new way, learn techniques that you never learned yourself, and it just really kind of expands your horizons in ways that, like, I didn't know it was possible until I really started doing it again, like, during the pandemic era and [00:58:00] since.

Amanda Rowinski: Yeah. Yeah. And, and I think 10 years ago and when I first thought of being in the industry, I really felt like, "Oh, I have to prove that I'm an authority on making," right? But like now I really... That all that was so naive, and it's so erased from my brain. Like, I definitely picture it more as like we're linking arms with each other.

You know what I mean? And like s- it... I think, I think in this world we need that more too. Like, just like we are like together in this. You know? Like we'll all learn from each other. No one is more versed than someone else. It just everyone is bringing so much to the table, and it's all so awesome. Like everyone is so creative.

Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Amanda, thank you so much for spending time with me. Can you share where our listeners can follow you online and anything else you might have newer coming up in the second half of 2026?

Amanda Rowinski: Sure. Um, thank you so much for having me. I'm, I'm so appreciative of this invite. Um, yeah, I'm [00:59:00] now AmandaTheMemoryKeeper on Instagram, on YouTube, on Substack, and by the time this comes out, I feel like my website might already be up, but amandathememorykeeper.com, and that'll have a bunch of goodies where to find me.

I'm not sure exactly what I want to offer in the next, in the next part of the year, um, the rest of this year. But I'm working on stuff, a bunch of stuff, and yeah. And hopefully I'll be able to share, and people will like it, and all good things.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. Yeah, we will include all the links to your places as well as everything you mentioned in the show notes for this episode. This was fun. I appreciate it

Amanda Rowinski: So fun. Thank you so much.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Hannah Lopez: [00:00:00] Realizing that I had fallen out of love with scrapbooking and then was able to fall back in love with scrapbooking. And really I have that heart to share with others how I do things. So that they can be more confident in what they're doing. So I wanted to take some of the aspects that we had from what The Crafty Maven was before. But really just make it new and fresh. And a lot of that was turning it more into a mixedmedia based company.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper, and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 344.

In this episode, I'm chatting with Hannah Lopez about her journey from new scrapbooker to content creator, and the story behind the Crafty Maven Getaway.

We talk about building a mixed media kit business, what it looks like to step away and come back, and how the next generation of crafters might reshape our [00:01:00] hobby

Hey Hannah, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Hannah Lopez: Hello Thank you for having me on today.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes. I'm looking forward to our conversation and getting to know you a little better. Can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

Hannah Lopez: I am living in the Pacific Northwest so I live in like Tacoma Seattle area. And I've ha been here for about 10 years now. I'm just coming up on 10 years or 11 years. 11 years. It's crazy.

Jennifer Wilson: What do you like about it compared to other places that you've lived?

Hannah Lopez: Um I love that it's mild weather most of the time. So it's like super consistent. It's not a lot of snow. Uh I mean obviously we get a lot of rain. But it's not all year so that makes it nice. Um so I And I just love how I can be so close to a city yet it feel like country. Because of all the trees. So it's so beautiful [00:02:00] around here.

Jennifer Wilson: It is just, it's so vibrantly green, it's amazing.

Hannah Lopez: It is.

Jennifer Wilson: I've, I've loved visiting out there.

So.

Hannah Lopez: And when you live here you kinda get used to it and you don't realize how green it is until you go away. I visited Idaho last summer and it was so crazy. Because I just didn't realize how green it was. Even in the summer when it turns brown here.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So I always like to ask our guests a few icebreaker questions. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project?

Hannah Lopez: Uh I would say that recently um during National Scrapbooking Day weekend, I did a whole lot of just like me scrapping. Instead of scrapping for projects or whatever. And so I really enjoyed a couple of the layouts that I did. But one was a watercolor background and it just reminded me how much I love to use that medium as opposed to some of the other mixed media stuff that I do. And have been doing this past year to try to get a little [00:03:00] bit more comfortable with other mediums. And so like I just I fell in love with all the layers and all the all the goodies that I got to tuck in. And so it was just really fun to turn my brain off and just scrap how I wanna scrap. Without thinking of anybody else.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. Now when you create a watercolor background for a layout, do you use and cut down like watercolor paper to 12 by 12, or do you use regular cardstock?

Hannah Lopez: I generally use just regular card stock. Depending on how much I'm watercolor I'm gonna add. I'll decide if I wanna use like a thicker a smooth. Or if I wanna use more of a textured. Cause if I'm gonna use a textured that's thinner, I like the American Crafts has a really nice textured thin card stock. And I love that but sometimes it just absorbs too much of the watercolor. So I do try to keep that in mind. But generally I'm not too worried about that kind of stuff. Because as it sits uh [00:04:00] wi in a pile it it flattens out enough that I don't feel like it's not a big deal to me.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. That, that's a plug for not putting away your layouts right away.

Hannah Lopez: Yes. Oh yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So all your mixed media backgrounds can flatten out.

Hannah Lopez: Right Yes And and I'm just encouraging everyone to do that. Just leave it out It's okay.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, I'm sure no one does that. No one has like three Iris containers like I do that are full of layouts.

Hannah Lopez: Oh no. No. Not what not whatsoever I didn't just share stuff on social media about how many layouts I gotta put away.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. So I also like to ask our guests, is there something new that you're excited to do, use, or try either in scrapbooking or in your everyday life?

Hannah Lopez: Uh so recently I made a whole lot of purchases for myself. Because I'm purchasing for my business all the time. I often.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Forget or just don't want to purchase for myself. And I got uh [00:05:00] some new Pinkfresh Studio stuff. Um from their other lines not the one with um.

Jennifer Wilson: Paige Evans.

Hannah Lopez: Paige Evans.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, the, that other new line, I have it sitting here in A Cherry On Top box because I was like, "I have to pre-order this." It was so pretty.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. I know right. I was just loving I'm loving greens lately. So uh so I'm really excited to get to dig into that. Cause I just haven't had a chance yet. But also I'm just like looking forward to the summer. It feels like this winter has been long even though I think we've had nicer weather. But I'm just ready for bonfires and late nights and just more scrapping time I guess.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice. Yeah, sounds fun. So today we're gonna be talking kind of a little bit at the intersection of both you as a scrapbooker and you as a content creator and a business professional in this industry. Um, can you tell us a little bit about your history, um, uh, being part of the online scrapbooking community?

Hannah Lopez: [00:06:00] Yeah. So I started s I feel like I kinda have to go back to when I started scrapbooking. Because I feel like that's a big part of how everything evolved. And I started scrapbooking in about February or March of 2014. My oldest child I have three, uh she was around four at the time four or five. And she was diagnosed with leukemia. And so we were gonna do a big MakeAWish trip. And I wanted to be able to document it. So she had something to remember. Because she was so little and her brothers and s sister were also really little. So why not do that with pictures. And so I started delving into online stuff. And my ex at the time watched a ton of YouTube. So I was like Oh I'll look on YouTube, you know. And that's h kinda how I got started I consumed a lot more YouTubebased scrapbooking. [00:07:00] And um and met or learned about quite a bit of the people at the time. Which there weren't really a ton of people on YouTube who were sharing a lot of content. Like Merci Tiera was one Oh Snap Gonzo, and Maggie Milo were some of the bigger ones, besides like Two Peas and stuff. And so I started finding them a little bit later. And then I got connected on Facebook with s some people. And so from there I just got the bug and the itch to like maybe try to record myself. Now I'm a new scrapbooker at this time. So I don't really know what I'm doing. So I don't know why I thought it would be such a good idea. But it turned into something so amazing for me. And such a big outlet. So that I could not have to focus on the bad days. But we could celebrate the good moments that we had in our family. Cause there's [00:08:00] still a lot even if you're going through any kind of illness. Um those times are can be really hard. And so it was just a really great place for me to like restore my soul at the end of the day of having to deal with you know chemo days and all that kinda. And and just days where you you're stuck inside with three little kids can be crazy. But anyway so in August of 2014 so less than what six months I was already starting YouTube. And I had no idea what the heck I was doing. And so from there uh I just started playing and growing as a scrapbooker. And as a content creator. Of course I didn't realize that's what I was doing at the time.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: It was so new. There was a lot of unknowns of what it would really look like. And I just remember being really [00:09:00] excited. And I was in my early 30s. So I was in that that great generation of where we all just were really excited about all this new technology that we're able to use. And and we d we weren't so old that it felt like oh we're like grandmas and stuff. And so so there's just like a great, a lot of us in that community of around the same age that we were just hungry to do something new. With a and especially in the scrapbooking. Um and I had gotten connected in like Two Peas a little bit. And I was listening to the Paper Clipping Roundtable. And just consuming as much of this knowledge. Because I was wanting to learn so much about how to do this hobby that I love. And why not go all in. You know when when you h get that that itch and that scrappy bug you know bite you it's just takes off from there. I [00:10:00] feel like. And so I was so excited and I just jumped in didn't know what I was doing. And made things work how I needed to. And then from there I just grew and learned. And this community is so amazing because we share things with each other so easily. And which is really great cause we can help each other grow too. So it was just super cool to see like that that beginning parts. And then from there, the Crafty Maven less than a year later from me starting my own YouTube channel I started The Crafty Maven Getaway so.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay, so tell us what is the Crafty Maven Getaway and, you know, how did that come from, you know, "I'm just gonna make some videos about my hobby," to something bigger?

Hannah Lopez: Uh okay. So w when I started The Crafty Maven, Two Peas had just shut down. Gosh I don't sometime around that time. And I could [00:11:00] see the rift. Even though I wasn't as connected in the online community of scrapbookers who were on message boards and websites. Like I had no idea how much online like blogging and stuff like I like I knew nothing about that. Um and even like blogging in general to me was like really foreign. My family.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Growing up we didn't have a lot of technology. We I grew up in the country. So like growing up and learning as technology was going. It's just I hadn't caught up to everything. And so I didn't even know about this big world until I started. And so seeing everybody else be so devastated about Two Peas and seeing the stuff that they were doing that was kind of new and fresh. Um especially with the Garden Girls and doing a lot of their videos online and they were [00:12:00] good videos. Um so.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Unlike a lot of us on YouTube who were kind of in the middle. It was like the Wild West. So if you had a camera.

Jennifer Wilson: Do you think it was less intimidating to start back then though? Like, versus somebody now who wants to get online. I mean, everything, even the things that aren't polished look more polished. Just because the technology is so much better. So maybe there was like a, the naivety of it, uh, helped us jump in, I guess.

Hannah Lopez: I think so, I think so. I I think the possibilities of what it could become we could see that. And so it did make it really easy. And especially at the time everybody was so encouraging to like Hey just try it You never know what will come out of it. And even the I know we're still like that in so many ways. Because there are so many online uh video content creators. Whether it's on Instagram or [00:13:00] YouTube. So even now it's more intimidating cause you have to have a better look. And the sound. But yeah so back then we just I don't even think we understood what we were building really at the time.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly, yeah. No, it's, it's certainly been an evolution over, over that time. Um, and then alongside that, you know, products changing. You know, it sounds like around that same time was when Project Life was really becoming, like, such a big thing in our hobby. And really introduced this whole new format. And, and made us ask a lot of questions about w- why we scrapbook and how are we gonna do it?

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. Oh yeah I did so much Project Life back then. And I it it really changed like for a little while how I did scrapbooking and mixed media. And it's interesting cause I look back of like now now that how I do Project Life is so much different. In a in a weird [00:14:00] way, cause I do scra I used to do a lot of mixed media on Project Life stuff. Just because that's what I was doing and I was playing with. And I was like Why not mix the two. And then as I seen other people do like more streamline um like the Ali Edwards style. Eh I just morphed into that. Because it was different than what I was doing on my scrapbook pages. So I think I wanted to have that balance of it not all being the same same. So. Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: That how you still kind of, do you still do Project Life today and is it still in a more, like, simplified format?

Hannah Lopez: Uh I I've tried to do Project Life. I thought this year I would do it and I have like two pages done. Uh I definitely do it more like traditionally. Like um I don't generally do any mixed media anymore on Project Life. It's definitely not simple though. So I definitely beef it up. Uh [00:15:00] which is why I'm not very good at getting it done.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm, yeah, you're not alone in that, so.

Hannah Lopez: But there's always next year. There's always next year, Jennifer.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Hannah Lopez: Or so I tell myself.

Jennifer Wilson: So it seems like you took a break for a little while with the Crafty Maven Getaway and rec- relatively recently kind of brought it back with, with new gusto. Can you tell us about that?

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. So um uh because I started in 2015 or I say I started it it was a whole group of online uh YouTube scrapbookers. We worked together. But I was the one running the show. And we did that from 2015 to about 2020, I think. We just all were really burnt out. Cause we were doing a video almost every day. At that poin, like especially at the beginning. And for many years we did a video a day. That was a lot of what our draw was is that we had different types of [00:16:00] videos and themes. Based off of an inspiration piece. And so that's what like connected everything all together and made it cohesive. Even though we had so many different styles which is what I loved about The Crafty Maven. So but in about 2020 I was going through a divorce. Um which I wasn't super like open about. Because it was a weird time. And I just needed to take a break. And I think a lot of us were just doing so much. And then with COVID hitting it just changed a lot of some of our priorities and everything. And so I just felt like it was a time to like take a break. And so so we stopped doing videos on the channel. And I just left left it. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. But I didn't wanna hand it off to somebody else and it become something that I didn't want it to become.

Jennifer Wilson: Sure.

Hannah Lopez: I still wanted to hold onto a [00:17:00] little bit of that control. Cause I did think about if I wanted to offer it to somebody else who had put a lot of work into it too. But and I I've seen that in our industry. Where people will have like a company or a theme that they're doing and then they hand it off to somebody else. And it just becomes something else. And that's great for that that person who gets it and acquires it and wants to do more with it or something different. So like it's not wrong it's just that's what I didn't want to happen. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, I would say in this day and age, the, the Allbirds acquisition going from shoes to AI is just kind of blows that whole concept up. In terms of wanting to protect what you've built. Now, I know we're not at that scale, but still it's just like things can get so crazy nowadays.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. So um yeah so I took a break. And I actually took like a f a big break for [00:18:00] myself just uh not sharing anything. Uh I just really needed to do a lot of personal work and g and go through the hard times and navigate that with my family. And it's really hard when you're a content creator and you're going through that kind of stuff. Cause what what do you s we share so much of our life so what do you share. Like uh and you can be open and honest but how open and honest do you wanna be while you're going through it. So so I for me it made the most sense to take a break. And it really just like going through that t took a toll on me mental healthwise. But then also

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Hannah Lopez: So I needed to have boundaries.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm sure the pandemic didn't help with that either.

Hannah Lopez: No it did not. It did not. It made things like way more complicated. But that's okay you know you learn and you go through stuff like that. And and the great thing about scrapbooking is that you can go back later and reflect on things and see how you've changed and grown. And you can see that progress. So I I knew it [00:19:00] was gonna always be there I just wasn't gonna utilize it right now. And so then I came back to scrapbooking at the beginning of l last year I s restarted my channel. My personal channel. And then not long into that cause I had been scrapbooking like on my own without filming for a few months.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Like th four or five maybe. And then I I decided at like January that I wanted to redo The Crafty Maven. I was like I think it's time to pick this back up. I don't know if it's my age or just me realizing that I had fallen out of love with scrapbooking and then was able to fall back in love with scrapbooking. And really I have that heart to share with others how I do things. So that they can be more confident in what they're doing. So I wanted to take some of the aspects that we had from what The Crafty Maven was before. But really just make it new and [00:20:00] fresh. And a lot of that was turning it more into a mixedmedia based company.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Hannah Lopez: Cause that's something that I love. And I knew I always wanted to do something like that. I had talked with a couple of my close friends of like did I wanna do a store. Did I wanna do some kind of business. But at the time when I was scrapbooking I was doing a lot of designing for other companies. Uh like as a scrapbook content creator/designer. So um and I was really happy doing that and I loved it. Cause I felt like that was building like my brand and who I was as a scrapbooker. And I'm glad I did it cause I learned so much. And I love working with other companies and And other people in the industry. So it kind of gave me what I needed to learn. So that now I was like confident. You know what I can actually do this. People will wanna buy my stuff. Cause they know who I am. [00:21:00] Uh and so I decided to keep the inspiration piece. So each month I make a different inspiration piece. Which is essentially a mood board for colors, textures, um just like a theme that I want to carry throughout the month. So that everything's cohesive. And then from there I build the kits. And so each month I have a a k um mixed media kit. And then the videos are kind of based off of the old themes. So every day of the week we had a different theme. Like sketch it out, um what else did we do Mix it up Mondays, I think We did free flow Wednesdays. So we had different days for different types of themes. Uh so that we could Because before with The Crafty Maven it was a whole conglomerate essentially of a whole bunch of YouTubers who were online doing scrapbooking stuff. And because it was [00:22:00] inspirationbased and communitybased. It the even though there was a design team and I helped run that and a lot of other ladies helped with that too. So that we could keep it functional and running. So um but now it was just me. So I knew I wanted to do something with some of the elements to keep it the same but fresh and different too. So adding the kits was definitely a big thing. And um so it led to that Now this year I added a design team. I added members to kind of help. At first I wasn't sure how I wanted to do that. Because I learned a lot about starting a business. It's so different being a desi you know someone gives you a kit or gives you supplies to use and you make something as opposed to you deciding how do you want other people to do that. And how Like when do you start that process. So uh this year I decided I needed [00:23:00] a team. Because I realized I can't do everything myself. Go figure.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: Um but yeah so so now that's kind of like what it morphed into to keep it the same. Cause I really love the community aspect of The Crafty Maven. And that was one thing that we did really well, before. Is that we were on online. Now granted I had a little bit more time. Cause I don't I don't know how that works. When you have little kids you feel like you don't have time and then as they get older you realize oh I actually did have more time. But uh.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's, the, the mental perception is hard sometimes.

Hannah Lopez: Um but I just spent a lot of time online. Because I love the community. And so that was a big part of us all connecting and helping each other grow. And so I really wanted that aspect of The Crafty Maven to continue too. So now now having a team I'm able to have other people [00:24:00] help me. So that we can all be a community together. And even though I know that there's a t ton of other groups for different scrapbooking companies and stuff. I just feel like we're not a fil even though I own kit I'm doing kits. I don't feel like I'm I want to like focus on that like in the community group. It's not just about like what I have. It's about let's use everything that we have. Let's encourage each other. So more of like an inspiration like station. A place where you can get help you can grow you can grow your your friendships within the community. So that you have a safe place to like share what you're doing and you're learning. Cause we're all growing. Like we never stop growing our skills as a scrapbooker, and s a mixed media scrapbooker. And so I want there I wanted there to be a place that people could do that. And know like Oh I'm not the only one who has a hard time doing this [00:25:00] technique. Or I'm not the only one who can't decide what stash to start with. You know Like we all have these issues and problems. But sometimes we feel intimidated. Because well Paige Evans does it so well. Or you know Ali Edward does this so well. I could never get there. And I wanna remind people you can get there. Uh it's just how do you get there. Right. And so if we can walk alongside of each other and help each other grow in that then we can all be better.

Jennifer Wilson: So in a way, with these kits, you're kind of, uh, deciding the color palette that the folks might choose with their other supplies. And being able to bring it all together with this additional medium that they love to use as part of their pages.

Hannah Lopez: Yes. Yep.

Jennifer Wilson: Can you tell us more about what's in the kits, um, and how your customers are using them?

Hannah Lopez: Yep. So I offer right now, we just s or I. Just started um adding a mini kit. Because I wanted to have a smaller option. But [00:26:00] essentially people get about five to six mixed media items. So it's based off of those mixed media items. And then I add like some textures to it and maybe like some embellishments or something a little bit extra to it. That's scrapbooky but not scrapbooky. If that makes sense. So it can work for someone who just wants to do mixed media like art journal like junk journaly type stuff. Or if you do layouts you could also use that kind of stuff. So I keep that in mind when I'm building my kits. Um and so it's products from different companies. Eventually I wanna have as many companies as I can within mixed media. So it's companies that maybe other people haven't heard of or it's bigger companies. That like Oh that seems like really expensive. I don't wanna spend that money to just buy that one item. But because it's in a kit people can try it. So sometimes the items I try to keep them a [00:27:00] smaller size. Cause I'm thinking about I don't want y I want you to try this and learn and see how do I like this product. So it's good for people who are new to s to mixed media and are trying out and seeing what they wanna invest in. So they don't have to invest in like a t a big amount of products or things that they're just not sure they're gonna like. But then also seasoned mixed medias c media people can use it too. Because it just puts everything all together. Of like Oh I didn't think I could use this product with this product. And then so me and the design team share videos on w how we use those products. Right. And so we have like the main kit. I have a premium which we have some extra like a free cut file a sketch. You get extra videos. That not everybody can watch. Uh just showing how I use the products from that kit. So I'll focus like o on one or two [00:28:00] products that I'm using for the month. And then with the mini kit is just three items and a stencil. So. So it's a smaller amount. It's the items that are already in the the big kit. But less of them. So it let's say money is a problem or you just don't want six items. That's kind of a lot sometimes if you're new. Right. So I wanted to have some different options. So that people didn't feel like they're just getting like the main kit. Like that might be a lot for them especially if they just want mixed media. Like uh one of A couple of my design team members they are more just the mix the media part. And they just want want it simple. And so that works really well for them. Cause I can tailor They can get a kit that works better for their style too. Cause that's one of the things that I love about having a design team is that everybody has different styles. So people who scrap like them can see that and go Oh yeah that's how I [00:29:00] could use it. Cause sometimes that's where the issue is is. You see this item and you're not quite sure how this is gonna fit for your style. And I feel like with mixed media that can be really intimidating. Because there's some ladies who just do it so well. Like when I look at a Wilna Furstenberg art journal page, I'm like There's there's no way I can do that. And make it look that good. Because I'm not her. But the products that she's using you could still use. Uh but sometimes we get stuck on what the main person used it for if it's not a style that we do. So I wanted to have that diversity within uh how I did the team this time. And the because that's how I did it before too. I really tried hard to make sure that when I was picking people before, that it was a lots of different styles. Because I knew that there was a lot of different scrapbookers in [00:30:00] our community. And I wanted to to have something for everybody. So that is the kits.

Jennifer Wilson: I love that. I think that it ends up showing the, the diversity of how you can use mixed media 'Cause someone might have an idea in their head of, you know, that this is how it looks.

Hannah Lopez: Mmhmm.

Jennifer Wilson: When it could be quite a range, for sure.

Hannah Lopez: Yep. Oh yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: So how many team members do you have today and how does that compare to, you know, your original team?

Hannah Lopez: So the original team we had I had a lot. Um I almost didn't say no to people be like before. Because it was everybody. It they weren't getting like free product or anything. So it was really easy to just say Oh yeah we could have a team of like 10 10 or 15 people. Like and at the beginning we had a lot of people. Um over the years like people would go and do other things and stuff. But it made it easy when we were posting every day you needed a lot more people. So now I just [00:31:00] have six people total but five main ladies. So uh one of the ladies that is on my team is my bestie who does the m my podcast or the podcast that we do for The Crafty Maven.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: And she just does mostly behind the scenes stuff and she'll create when she has time. But she doesn't have as much time to put into like being an actual design team member. And that's fine. And she's been along with me for the ride. Like she was helping me think through things at the very beginning of The Crafty Maven. So it only feels natural to have her be a part of what we're doing now. Um it's just not as much as I think she would like but that's okay. Um and the five other members four of them are YouTube based. And then uh I have Cassie who does Instagram and she helps with the group a lot.

Jennifer Wilson: Wonderful. Yeah. I know we've had a number of your team members on the show as well, [00:32:00] and we'll, we'll link up their episodes.

Hannah Lopez: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: In the show notes. So how do you coordinate all the assignments? How far are you working ahead and planning the kits? Uh, what are the logistics behind this these days?

Hannah Lopez: Um so it all changes. Every month I feel like it's a little bit different. But I try to have an idea of kits a few months ahead. I think the hardest part is buying. And this is one thing that as like someone who just gets products for free or I say for free it's not really free cause you're doing a ton of work. But when you are a part of a design team for like a kit club or s or a company. Um It depends if that company's making their products themselves or are they having to buy them from other companies. And anyway the it was just something I wasn't as aware of. Um of like how much certain products like seasonal products or like new lines you can't just get them way ahead like you [00:33:00] used to be able to. I feel like that's one thing that's changed a lot in our industry. Um I remember during Creativation which was not Creativation back then. Uh but I remember them going in like January and buy uh like deciding what they were gonna use for months off. Right. Where now you you have somewhat of an an idea of when stuff will come out but yous have to wait until it's ready to buy and everybody's like piranhas going towards this this these new products. So that's the nice thing with mixed media is for the most part I don't have to get stuff brand new. Like the new releases of mixed media I generally kind of wait a little bit to get, if I can. So that I'm not fighting for it. Cause even when Ranger releases stuff they only release so much to certain a like certain companies right. So um because I [00:34:00] am a smaller business I have to think about what I can buy. Like my buying power isn't as strong as like a big company right. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly.

Hannah Lopez: So that definitely changes like how how far ahead I can do make kits. Because I also wanna add some relevance too right. I want some new stuff. So I kind of just have to be thoughtful and be willing to like move stuff around too a little bit. Um but so I buy stuff about a couple months ahead. And I will like add things as I go to build this kit. And then like for the design team a lot of it is like these are the things that I would like to see. Like uh um I was talking a lot about themes before so we've kept some of the themes.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: So that um it the design team can decide like Oh this is where it fits right. So it's up to their [00:35:00] interpretation. And I like it that way so that they have full control over what they create. Cause I know especially with mixed media being able to decide how you wanna use a product is far better than having someone to tell you like. Oh I want you to do it this way.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah, for sure.

Hannah Lopez: I'm gonna get better results from my team a uh which makes both of us better. So so uh really they just sign up um For their the weeks that they wanna post. They know how many posts they have to do. And so so it just kinda moves sl more smoothly that way. Kind of like having that middle ground of like this is what I expect. Well and like this year because this is the first time having like an actual team like a team that is getting product. So I'm still working the kinks out and I appreciate that my members are understanding of that. And I've been really up [00:36:00] front with them and other people I'm new to this. Like so I'm learning things that I didn't know. Like uh I know I s was saying earlier being a designer for a company and getting products is so different than being the one to give the products out. And I didn't realize it was gonna be so different. I don't know why. I just didn't. Maybe uh maybe I just don't think enough about that kind of stuff. And I just do it and then figure it out as we go. Which is h has worked for me. Um but anyway. So thankfully I've had a team that like really understands that. And I just try to be as honest and open as I can with people. Of like This is where I'm at This is what what I'm gonna give you and I just do what I say I'm gonna do right. So that was one thing that Dina Wakley, I had a conversation last year with her at Creativation. And that was her [00:37:00] biggest tip of advice is just when you have deadlines just make sure you do it. You know do it on your deadlines and you'll be good. You know cause you you sell your stuff. And so I really've tried to keep that in my mind. Is like don't say you can do more than what you can do right. So a lot of it is learning like what what can I actually do. And that was a lot of why I decided to do a team is I realized I was wanting to do more than I actually could. And I needed help sharing the projects right. Cause people don't aren't gonna know what they're buying if they don't s they only see it from one person and it's just my point of view. And where I love that because I am a big part of The Crafty Maven being the owner. But I don't just want it to be my like me. Cause I know not everybody scraps like me. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. No, that makes sense. But I also, I also understand like [00:38:00] how it, important it is to have some separation between your own creativity and what the business is creating. Because if it's totally reliant on you, you, you, it's, it's impossible.

Hannah Lopez: Yep. Yep. Well and like I learned a lot taking that break for about four or five years. Of like how to how I wanted to do boundaries this time, uh in my in my creating. Because I would spend every day in my room. Which is great when you have the time to do that. Uh but I don't have the time now. It's like my kids are teenagers I do a lot more stuff as a family. Um like even just with the activities that they're doing and that we do as a family. It just looks different. So I wanted to make sure that I could stick to that and do something like create like I said create boundaries. So that I have those separations.

Jennifer Wilson: I think that's something we learn [00:39:00] with age as well.

Hannah Lopez: Probably.

Jennifer Wilson: How, how to protect our own peace.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: It, it's kind of a hard, hard-earned process, I think.

Hannah Lopez: Well and also in this industry it's always about wanting to stay on top. Whether it just means creating continuously so people don't forget you. Or you know you you want your standards to be higher. Cause you want it to feel more professional. Like you know it can look different. Especially in different seasons. But because we're always doing that we're always grinding. And it's hard to say no. Because of whatever those repercussions might be.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, certainly, yeah. So you mentioned you also have a podcast. What is the format of the show, and are there any conversations that have really kind of stood out to you?

Hannah Lopez: Uh yes me and my crafty bestie Crafty Maggie, uh we do a podcast. And it [00:40:00] started from stuff we used to do on uh Facebook. We used to do lives in our group. And we called it Scrappy Chats. Where we would just get on together and just talk about whatever we wanted to talk about with that revolved in or around scrapbooking. And uh we decided last year I think in the springtime or maybe like February or something. We decided that we wanted to pick that up but do it in a podcast form. So it is super informal. It's just a l a l sometimes we come up with it like a few the idea or topic a few hours ahead. Sometimes we plan it out. So it's kinda a mishmash of whatever. And we just talk about the topic that we're gonna talk about. And we give a lot of our own experiences. So we're just like real and down to earth. And I wanted it to feel like you are sitting at a table with your [00:41:00] scrappy bestie and you're just talking about stuff. You know, whatever's on your heart. And so I feel like it's moved more towards the inspirational part of scrapbooking. Which I think sometimes we all need. We all need to hear that those things and the struggles of what we all are going through. Cause we all go through them. It might look a little different It might be in a different season. But you can relate to that. And I wanted to also offer something more for free for the community. And I know that there's a couple of other like podcasts like yours and but like even like Scrap Gals you have to pay for. And I wanted something just for free. Because sometimes like the the draw to pa to get people to pay for things even though I understand it takes a lot of time to to do podcasts. It takes a lotta time to upload things. But um it just [00:42:00] just to have that sometimes people appreciate They'll they'll appreciate it in our community. I really feel like it. So what I can offer for free you know to just help each other out be inspired in another way is awesome.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah, it is for sure. Now, is the show available both as video and audio?

Hannah Lopez: So right, okay. We have some podcast episodes that are on like iTunes or iPodcast. And uh on Spotify. But In Spotify I was able to do video so you can watch the videos there. Um but IPO uh the Apple Podcast what however platform it i whatever it's called.

Jennifer Wilson: I think it's just

Apple Podcasts, yeah.

Hannah Lopez: Um that one is just audio. There's not all the episodes. Because I am one person and I realize that I was spending a lot more time doing computer stuff. And so for right now [00:43:00] it's most of the episodes are just on YouTube. Um so you can you just put um put the episode on. If you put us in your pocket you like do not have to watch. Uh if you w if you don't want to. Um eventually I would like to have all our all of our episodes streaming. But it does get a little complicated. Like when you're doing it a whole bunch of different places. So I just have to figure out a system to be able to do it that way. Um so yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: All right. We'll definitely include a link to that in the show notes.

Hannah Lopez: Yep.

Jennifer Wilson: As well as, of course, everything else that you've mentioned. Now, I noticed that one recent episode was about, you know, chatting about changes in the industry, you know, recent and some not so recent. Um, as someone who's really involved on the product side, what are you seeing that's shifting?

Um, you know, beyond what we've already discussed in terms of just releases are much, much, uh, shorter timeframes than they ever have.

Hannah Lopez: I know right. [00:44:00] Uh I think that's definitely one of the biggest shifts And I definitely think that we're seeing a shift going from big brand companies to a lot of small brand companies right.

Jennifer Wilson: Hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Which is a really nice shift in a lot of ways. Because you have access to a lot of different styles that you might have not had access to before right. Um so I d I think like as far as mixed media I feel like it's been pretty the same. Like there's not as many companies that do that. And I feel like it tends to be bigger companies. Probably because to produce those products and get them out is just a lot more complicated. So you just need more money. But like team.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah

Hannah Lopez: Companies like Shimmerz Paints like they're a smaller business and they're they're crushing it. I mean you know, and even like The Crafter's Workshop which was a lot smaller of a company but is really we're really seeing that boom. So I [00:45:00] think we're seeing the boom of these smaller companies kind of becoming a bigger companies. As more and more people are using these products and seeing how to use them. Because we use so much more mixed media than we ever have before. Like you almost have to add some kind of mixed media something to your page if you're on design teams. Depending on what kind of teams you're on. So people are looking for that I think. And I don't know if it's just cause we're pushing it from the content creator side. Or if it's because people actually want it. Like it it's always like what's the chicken what's the egg and what came first.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, I think there's, there's often, there's, I- I've kind of two sides to this. One is that when I interview people for the show, um, I ask like, "Is there something you discovered that's just not for you?" And the answers are always either mixed media or Project Life. And, uh, I'm always surprised at how many say mixed media, but I think [00:46:00] that there is a desire to just use some of it. And like, you know, can we emulate that with a stamp or just a little tiny sprinkle, something that maybe is just a little bit less mess and doesn't require, you know, all the same tools. But we can still get kind of that effect with it. Or, you know, stencils tend to be on the easier side.

Hannah Lopez: I think sometimes and I say this cause n me and Megan are talking about mixed media right now on the podcast. And I think people downplay items like stamping a and ink.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Hannah Lopez: And even pens and markers on your layout or or projects. I think they want to put them in a different category. But it really is mixed media. You're adding a different kind of media to your page. And so I think it's kind of how you define it. And how we've defined it before isn't a true representation of what it really is. And so I think that's one thing that I've been working on even in my in the [00:47:00] community is having people realize that mixed media isn't doesn't have to be complicated. It can just be a stamp. You know you can stamp on your background and get a really cool effect and that's still mixed media. It it's cleaner and uh for certain people's styles like I can see why that works for them. And I can see why they don't think it's mixed media but it still is. And so just kind of helping people understand that it doesn't have to be like big and grandioso. For it to fit into that mixed media bucket, if you will.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and I think just, I mean, uh, I'm assuming a lot of us, we came to scrapbooking because we liked to make things and, and play with our crafty side um, our whole lives. Like, we've always been f- you know, wanting to, to make things like this. And so some of those things are just kind of, I don't know, bringing that back, that childhood sense of play

too, I [00:48:00] think. And I think that, that invites a lot of curiosity about, ooh, I wa- you know. Especially now with the having a kit, like, sent to you, you don't have to make the decisions of.

Hannah Lopez: Mmhmm

Jennifer Wilson: Are 130 shades of the, of this particular paint, you know, which one do I buy 'cause I can't buy all of them.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. Right. Despite what what our uh our scrappy brains want and hearts.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Well, I mean, I still have all the Distress Oxide, so but.

Hannah Lopez: Well you have to have all the colors. You have to. It's just when do you get them.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Um, one of the things we've really seen a lot of this year is this, like, discussion of analog life. So people are creating analog bags. People are trying to get off their phones, and I, I think this is attracting a lot of, like, younger crafters, maybe some that were already doing, like, maybe some journaling or planners. But th- they're really getting into actual memory keeping and, and true paper crafting as well. Um, what are you seeing from, from your world?

Hannah Lopez: [00:49:00] Okay so I really ha I've really chewed and ruminated on this. Because when you first asked the question I I I was like Huh how what do I really think about this. Because so having teenagers, I see uh the young the young generation the one that's coming up and I think is gonna change a lot of what how we do things. And so I was trying to think about what it looks like now. My my middle daughter she's super artsy and crafty. She does not do scrapbooking. Um and like she's not as tactile. So I think there's a big part of that that I wonder. What like is the draw for the analog to touch something. Like w what is the reasoning behind it right

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: Because [00:50:00] we do see a lot of that. And we but I think it looks different. So uh in thinking about this my thoughts were is that this younger generation really wants to blend digital with analog. I don't they don't want them to be separate. So it does not I do not think it's gonna look how we do things. And that is hard and scary as someone who loves to do it the way I do it. And but I think just like that when we started doing more of like YouTube online content creation we seen this big shift in our industry. Um and I think we're seeing something similar to that now. But it's still hasn't fully come into fruition. Because this young younger generation I think is trying to figure out how they want to blend that digital world with something [00:51:00] tactile. Uh I think we see it a lot with like junk journaling and the fact that they don't wanna buy new stuff. So they wanna use stuff that they already have. Right. They're they're the buying isn't the thing. So like even how companies now are releasing all these things. I think we're gonna see less and less releases. Because as our generation or the generation older than us, like uh a lot of the older ladies that have been in the industry for a long time. They're starting to not produce as much. And th that's just the way life goes right. The older generation passes the baton to the younger generation. And our generation is.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: Kind of like that gap and we still have a lot of the old ways that we do things. But I think we're gonna see this big change. So I think what people are buying is gonna ch how it changes because they wanna use or repurpose things that they already have so they're not just feeding this consumerism. So I think we're gonna see less of that. Which is [00:52:00] freeing in my in my opinion. Because we don't have to feel like we have to buy just because a company put something out. So um it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

Jennifer Wilson: That that does make it hard for the, the, the industry as we know it to continue to exist. If the younger generations aren't wanting to buy things. Because they do see the, the consumerist aspects, the, you know, um, climate change and long-term impacts of, of our stuff and.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Using our natural resources. So it's, they are much more aware, um, than, than we ever were at that age.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. Well and I think their goal some of it is to just play with paper or play with something tactile. And I don't even think they're gonna keep it as long right. Cause like my daughter she c all she does is create digitally. And you know she'll print off a few things. But like she even even then printing it off is like kind of because she can store on her phone. So it'll be [00:53:00] interesting to see like if we turn more towards digital scrapbooking again. I think we might see that.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and there's gonna be a certain degree of hybrid too, of people printing things at home to be able to use.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Um, in a tactile way.

Hannah Lopez: If companies jump on that train quicker rather than later. I think that that is gonna benefit I know that's one of the things that I keep ruminating in my mind. Is like how much do I wanna start doing digital stuff. Which i that like I don't mind creating but that's not my talent. Like is to create something uh digitally. My brain just doesn't think that way as much. And so but I know that that's like the direction that we really should be going. It's a lot more costeffective. And people can print what they want and they so they don't have to have a lot of extra stash. You know I think the younger generation is thinking about like how much space do I have. They're not buying homes like like our generation did. And so [00:54:00] they have less space. So to be able to keep like just y have what they need. Uh I think is something that we need to be thoughtful for. Um but I I mean that means more designs. More a more a creative way of using your products right. Because.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Hannah Lopez: You have a better variety of things too. Like you're not just stuck with like two companies. Well now it's not two. But you know Like you're not stuck with just having to use American Crafts or Doodlebug. Or you know You can kind of mix things together.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, make it, to make it work for you and, and, and fit your style for sure. There's l- a lot more of that p- like personalization aspect that I think everybody's wanting. And, technology today is only accelerating that and kind of creating that expectation that I can have it however I want it.

Hannah Lopez: Well and and it's good because we see less like companies against each other. Like I see us as a community like blending things and merging [00:55:00] things. There's not as many cliques if you will. Within the company brands that you're putting together. Because it used to be oh y if you were this style you only use these companies right. And.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, you know what? Here's an interesting aspect to that, and I'm wondering if you've noticed this. I've seen at least three this week, three new creators who are on the younger side, like, you know, early to mid-20s, and they're all using Creative Memories. Albums in part because they take up less space. And that seems like... my brain is like trying to wrap all around that, and I'm assuming they're exposed like through their parents.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Probably our age. And um, they are... Yeah, but they're, they're looking at things in a kind of a, a different way. Whereas we have the, a whole storyline associated with using Creative Memories albums.

And I know our list- like some of our listeners have always used them and will continue.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Maybe some never have.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. Well I think the companies like that especially like Creative Memories they have such a long line of history right. So [00:56:00] like you said it's parents showing. But also when you can get everything in a kit that coordinates like it's golden. It takes the guesswork out of especially when you're newer. Like I don't know what to put together right. And so I I am surprised that we're seeing less and less like kit clubs if you will. Um I and I know the reasoning why. Um it's just harder to get a ton of different companies products all together. Especially if you're a smaller company. Uh the buying power is just not there. So so I think that's where.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, there's, I mean, most of them are creating their own things now because of that. It's the ones that actually do source a lot of products, um, are, are definitely on the smaller side. And yeah, it's... I can only imagine how challenging that is. I, I created a couple kits like a decade ago, and I'm like, "Oh gosh, this is not for me." And it was, you know, much easier then.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah Well and I decided cause I had thought about do I wanna have a scrapbooking kit too. And [00:57:00] just it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: It's a lot of pressure that I'm not sure I'm willing to take. Um it so instead I make my own stash kits. You know I create a s recipe and I look for different products. There was a time where me and Crafty Maggie and a whole bunch of other people were doing a series called um For the Love of Homemade Kits. And that's what we did. We would put together a kit. We might use like one new item that would inspire so that we could help each other learn how to build kits ourselves. Because I think there's a lot of us in the in the community that want to do that. But I wonder if the newer. Because the newer kids they want everything all together too. So it makes it easier. And I think that's where companies like Creative Memories shines right. Because they already do that. They put everything it's simple. And I honestly I think kids do want s or the younger generation does want simple. Because there are so much other stuff to like contend with. [00:58:00] And um they and it could just also be the p the time in their life. I think about when I was in my early 20s or mid to early you know that time. I was just getting married. Just having kids. But people are doing that a lot later. So like what are they documenting now too right. So when they're younger and you don't have all those things. You're not building a family you're building your career so you you're a lot limited in time. Uh what you're c what memories you're sharing. So y I think a lot of it is for them they just wanna create something. Right. It's so it's not necessarily a.

Jennifer Wilson: Think there is a desire to like understanding like I need to get these photos off my phone. Um, I'm hearing some of that conversation. I mean, I think we've f- we've felt that for a long time.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm hearing even more of that, that I, I want these somehow in my

life. Um.

Hannah Lopez: Well you know it's like when it sits on your phone the the chance f of it disappearing forever [00:59:00] is there. And I think that the younger generation uh is feeling that too. Like they're seeing their stuff. Like we've a as a m you know someone in their early 40s I've had that happen quite a few times now. So I know for sure like if there's photos I wanna scrap I gotta print them. You know if I think that this is gonna disappear. Because I've had hardware you know my external hard drives just like not work. And then I lo lost all of those pictures. Uh so And I think the g younger generation is just seeing that now. A a and they're seeing family members with photos right. And so it gets you asking those questions. Like Oh how do I do that. I mean we take for granted that we could just go to Walmart or Walgreens and drop off your film roll. And then what a week later maybe you could come back and get your photos. It was super simple. Where now it's not. You have [01:00:00] to have access to a printer. Which not not everybody has. Like and then what printer do you use. So I could see like they're they're trying to figure out like how do I do this with the technology that I have. It's.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it's, it's definitely different for sure, and, and always continuing to change. You know, I do wonder if we'll be able to pick up prints locally, uh, in even a couple years. Will it all be mail order? Um, just because, you know, the expectation of, of delivery is, is so high.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: I can do it this way. It'll just arrive on my doorstep in two days.

Hannah Lopez: Yep. Yeah. Well my daughter she's going to camp this summer and she's talking about like Hey Mom I want a camera so I can print off my photos.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: You know like they are thinking about that stuff. But it's like How do I do this Mom. Because you're like I can't take your big camera to camp. And you know she doesn't wanna carry her phone around at camp. Because y you know they're at camp. She doesn't wanna ruin her phone. So she wants something [01:01:00] like a point and shoot. And I'm like Okay Well we gotta figure out how to do that. So.

Jennifer Wilson: We ended up, we have, uh, we ended up getting a waterproof one. Um, that was really designed for underwater, but more like it, it can withstand whatever the kid is going to end up dropping in.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. I mean a 16yearold at camp in Mirror Lake is fun times.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, yeah. And also because it was like... 'Cause we also, I had had an Instax camera, you know, back when they came out. But that film is so expensive and it just, you know, it only takes 10 at a time.

Hannah Lopez: What she was telling me. Cause I asked that. I was like, well don't you have an Instax. Cause I bought her one. Cause I thought hey this is really cool. But I think for us it's more the nostalgia. For them it's like whatever. She's like Mom it's bulky and it's expensive. She's like And I can only take 10 pho 10 photos. So that wasn't good enough for her.

Jennifer Wilson: And we're not used to that. We're used to being able to take

10 of one thing and then pick the one we like.[01:02:00]

Hannah Lopez: Yep. I mean gosh when we had right like before the point and shoots when everything was all the film. Like you you didn't even know what your picture was gonna look like.

Jennifer Wilson: Right, true.

Hannah Lopez: I mean how many photos did your mom take off the heads. Cause that happened a lot in my family.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: And not on purpose.

Jennifer Wilson: Just like feeling like, "Oh my gosh," you know, like, "I can't wait to get this roll of film developed. I know there's just some of these great photos from this trip." And you get them back and I'm like, "That doesn't seem... That's not how I remembered it."

Hannah Lopez: Yeah. Right. Uh.

Jennifer Wilson: So for lis- our listeners who maybe are just discovering The Crafty Maven today, um, where would you want them to start?

Hannah Lopez: Okay. I was thinking about this because there are so many different places that you can find uh what where we are what we do. But I would say our Facebook community is probably one of the the first places I would send people. Um we share a lot of conversation [01:03:00] starters a lot of we have a lot of challenges and um it's just conversations in there. So uh go if you go there that's a great place. Also our YouTube channel is a really good place if you just want video content. For the most part our design team does like we do a collab so their video will be on their channel or on our channel. Um but the podcast is on there and the stuff that me and Megan we share stuff on there too as well. So Um and then Instagram. Our our Instagram also is a really great place to kind of follow us. Cause I I share a lot of products on there, the design team stuff. I try to do a mix of different things. So it's not you don't feel like you're just getting sold stuff. Cause uh the kits are just a small part of what we do. Um and I'd rather it be more about the community. So um those are three great places to start. Obviously people can go and visit our website. [01:04:00] St well I would suggest the store. We have a website. But we're kind of working on revamping it. Because we created it in 2015. So it looks like it was from 2015. And I am fully aware of that. But when you only have so much time. Uh but we're gonna be working on uh releasing some classes coming at towards like summertime so July August. We'll have I think two classes that we're gonna offer. So um and we have a couple of cr we have a crop coming up this summer online. So that's one thing that we're gonna be doing That's in our Facebook group. So that's why I suggest that people go to the Facebook group cause that's where we do a lot of stuff. And uh we had so much fun doing uh a crop for National Scrapbooking Day weekend. Cause we used to do host crops all the time. Or multiple times throughout the year, uh in The Crafty Maven. So I'm super excited that we're able to start doing that again. And we've been giving out prizes. But also just a place for people to come and create [01:05:00] for the weekend. Cause I know we're not all able to go to a place physically. Um so people from all over the world can come and join in and have fun.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, that's one of the best parts of scrapbooking today is just the intersection of what tehnology.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Can do to bring us together and, and being able to create and share our stories.

Hannah Lopez: I know I would've never thought if someone told me when I was 25 even probably even 30 that I would have so many people that I looked up to and knew from other places from around the world. Like I would be like What are you talking about.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: So it's so cool you know.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, do you have a personal Instagram where you'd want our listeners to follow you?

Hannah Lopez: I do have a personal Instagram. And I have a personal YouTube channel. So if you visit me on either one uh so it's just Hannah Lopez. I think on Instagram it's dandelion2002. Cause that used to be my username. [01:06:00] So things you don't think about when you start right That you gotta.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Hannah Lopez: About oh well what is peop what are people gonna call me.

Jennifer Wilson: No doubt. Yeah, yeah. We'll definitely include all those links.

Hannah Lopez: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Thank you for spending time with me.

Hannah Lopez: Well thank you for having me I very much appreciated being able to come on and talk about The Crafty Maven. But talk to you and and all your viewers.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, this was so fun. I, look forward to maybe doing it again someday.

Hannah Lopez: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way.

Angela Speir: [00:00:00] I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never, ever be caught up. I'll never scrap every memory that I want to scrap. So I pick and choose what I want, something that speaks to me, and I play and have fun.

Jennifer Wilson: Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is episode 343. In this episode, I'm interviewing Angela Speir for the My Way series.

My Way is all about celebrating the unique ways memory keepers get things done. We're excited to have Angela as the July featured artist at Simple Scrapper

Hey, Angela. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Angela Speir: Hey, how are you?

Jennifer Wilson: Excited today. I am good. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Can you start by a little [00:01:00] bit about yourself?

Angela Speir: Uh, yes, I am a scrapbooker from South Mississippi. Um, I live on the beautiful Gulf Coast. Uh right by the Gulf of Mexico, and it's gorgeous. Wouldn't live anywhere else. Um, I am a mother and a grandmother. Um, I have three adult daughters, and I have seven lovely grandchildren ranging from the age of 11 to 21.

Jennifer Wilson: Wow.

Angela Speir: I've ... I know. I've recently retired, and so, and I am in the middle of a, um, scrap room renovation or scrap room move, whichever one you wanna call it. And I am stuck straight in the messy middle right now, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, I, I can't wait to hear more about that as we get into our conversation.

Angela Speir: Ooh. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, and I bet with those grandkids, I bet there's like, you [00:02:00] know, obviously you've been through all the milestones with your daughters, but now there's lots of milestones for them as well, and.

Angela Speir: I know. I have, um, I have one that will be a senior this year, the oldest granddaughter. And, um, I just sit back and wonder how that happened. Because, um, she's still supposed to be that cute little chubby baby that we had on the sandbar just yesterday.

Jennifer Wilson: Yep, yep. I get it, I get it. Mine is, mine is just about to turn 15 and I'm, I have a lot of feelings as well.

Angela Speir: Oh, yes. Well, you know, the thing is once she graduates, for the next five years I have one graduating every year. And then I skip a year, and then the baby graduates, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: Are doorsteps. So it's nice. Yes. Yes. It, it does. And you know, I, I miss scrapbooking the baby stuff a lot. Um, but every once in a while [00:03:00] I'll go back and grab one of those photos. But I do enjoy scrapbooking the, the teenage life.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: Such as it is. Um, you know, my oldest is, um, you know, he's 21. He just recently turned 21. And, you know, he lives on ... He's out on his own. And has a big boy job. And all that kind of stuff. So ... And he lives really close, and he.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Angela Speir: Yeah, he comes and helps out and does stuff around the house for me sometimes, so it is nice.

Uh, my oldest moved to Colorado a couple of years ago with two of her kids, and, um, they're actually here for part of the summer, and I've enjoyed ... You know, I'm enjoying that.

Jennifer Wilson: I bet you can't take that time for granted, so.

Angela Speir: Yes.

Jennifer Wilson: So you're one of our featured artists this year. Do you have a favorite recent layout or project, and why do you love it?

Angela Speir: Uh, I do. Um, it's [00:04:00] not a layout, it's a project. Um, even though the oldest grandson graduated in 2023, I recently finished his senior album. Um, I had no intentions of making one, and a friend of mine made one for her grandchildren, and I was like, "Yeah, that might be fun." Not thinking that he goes to, or he went to a private school, was very involved in everything, and they took lots of photos.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: What started as a senior album turned into a two-album project.

Jennifer Wilson: Nice.

Angela Speir: Um, I recently finished it, and that was an accomplishment, and I love everything about it.

Jennifer Wilson: Now are any of your daughters also scrapbookers or are you the chief scrapbooker of the family?

Angela Speir: Uh, I have [00:05:00] none that are scrapbookers. My oldest daughter does junk journal and, um, she actually makes charms and stickers and those kinds of things and sells them.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: Yeah, she recently got into that. She does a lot of, um, like the Little Golden Books and turns them into baby books and, yeah, those kind of things.

Very different from what I do, but you know, she's very creative and very talented, always has been. She's just now started to embrace her inner crafty person, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Angela Speir: The other two could care less.

Jennifer Wilson: They could care less. Yeah.

Angela Speir: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Um, is there something in either your scrapbooking or your everyday life, something that you're excited to do, use, or try?

Angela Speir: I don't really... I don't know. I, um, I'm enjoying right now, the challenge of putting together my s- scrap room. [00:06:00] Um, and so that's really where my focus has been for probably the last couple of months. Um, I'm moving from a bedroom to a formal living room, or what should be a formal living room.

I've got some of my furniture here, and I have a huge order coming from IKEA, will be here Saturday. So because I live nowhere near an IKEA.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah.

Angela Speir: You know, my nearest IKEA is, you know, eight hours away, seven hours away.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, and I thought mine was far at like two and a half hours away, so.

Angela Speir: No. No. Um, you know, the closest used to be Atlanta, but we actually have one in Huntsville now, but Huntsville is still, it's a good at least seven hours away from me.

So.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah

Angela Speir: That what happens when you live at the end of the world, which is what I feel like sometimes.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh yeah, but it's so beautiful there, so.

Angela Speir: It is. Uh, you know, we, um, actually took a trip up the river [00:07:00] the other day to go have dinner as a family, and I was thinking the whole time, I don't, I couldn't live anywhere else. You know.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: So but, um, that right now is my focus. Uh, like I said, I'm in the messy middle. I have stuff scattered from one end to the other.

Um, my cabi- my upper cabinets have been installed. Um, I have some cube storage that's installed, but right now I'm waiting on my desk. So.

Jennifer Wilson: What do you anticipate would be the, like, kind of the biggest difference in how you're, like, using your space and using your different flat surfaces? Uh, 'cause it sounds like you're gonna have a lot more space overall.

Angela Speir: Yes. Um, I actually have a wall that's 187 inches long. That whole entire wall will be a desk. And, uh, I know, I'm so excited. Um, I hope [00:08:00] to... The plan, let, let me go ahead and preface that with the plan is to have a sewing station, a craft station, a die-cut station, and a messy station, um, for, you know, mixed media.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: um, that kind of thing.

Anything that's messy, watercolors, mixed media, anything I wanna do, have a, a dedicated space for that. And that is the plan right now. Yeah, my daughter has about convinced me to move my sewing machine to the other side of the room and use everything, every flat surface for scrapbooking. And yeah, that is a possibility, but you know, right now that's my four zones.

So we shall see if it turns out like it's planned.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and even just like thinking about that and knowing that you're more likely to do these various other things if they have a dedicated space. 'Cause oftentimes we need to move something and rearrange and [00:09:00] prepare, and that can be a barrier to, to doing the wet stuff or to actually sewing on a layout or doing any other sewing for that matter.

Angela Speir: Yes. Uh, even die cutting. You know, I love to, um, you know, create... I don't, I'm not a card maker, I'm strictly a scrapbooker. But I do love, you know, making, as my friend affectionately calls them, dickers, which are, you know, DIY thickers. And florals, that kind of stuff. I love die cutting all of that. But, you know, having to clean off an, uh, first of all, clean off a space. Because I'm, I spread. I'm a spreader.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: And you clean off a space, get my die cutting machine, get the dies, get this, get that, you know, fix it. Then put it all back up because I don't have a place to leave it out. And, you know, so that is gonna be nice. And my sewing machine is the [00:10:00] same way. Right now it sits on top of my cubes, so if I wanna sew on something, I have to get it down, find a flat surface to put it on.

So that, that was the main focus with, um, planning a new room, was to have zones. And be able to find my things when I want them. Because that's another, you know, um, having a small room, when I would get new supplies, I wouldn't have room with the other supplies, so I'd just stick them somewhere, and then it would be like, "I know I bought it, but I can't find it, so now what do I do?"

So that is one of the big focuses right now in the messy middle, is, like with like. And then hopefully by the time my furniture gets here and gets set up, we'll be ready to bin stuff and move [00:11:00] on, and I can get back to creating.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, it sounds great. So what would you say, we're kind of getting into our, this is a My Way episode where we really dig into kind of what makes you tick as a scrapbooker. What would you say to a non-scrapbooker about why you love this hobby?

Angela Speir: Um, I love this hobby because I love photography. I started, started as a scrapbooker, moved into photography, and found a way to mesh both of them together.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: Um, I also love being able to relive those moments again and again. Because when I pull out... You know, when I watch my grandchildren pull out scrapbooks and sit on the couch and look through them and laugh and giggle and talk about what that is or what they remember about that moment or, you know, if they find a picture of their mom or whatever. And they laugh and [00:12:00] giggle about her hair or her clothes, you know, it just makes my heart so full to be able to watch that.

And also, I love the creative process. Um, I am one who subscribes to the theory sometimes that more is more. Um, I love florals. I love the, um... You know, there's no quick layouts for me essentially. There could be, but the fun in it for me is being able to sit there and play.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Angela Speir: It wasn't always like that. You know, if you look back on my scrapbooks from my kids, I did not start scrapbooking until I had grandchildren, so, you know. But if you look back on my early stuff, you know, I was more of a linear scrapper, minimal embellishments, um, larger photos, you know. And because [00:13:00] I didn't have time for all the other stuff, you know.

It was make a memory, get it documented, and move on to the next one. Um, I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never, ever be caught up. I'll never scrap every memory that I want to scrap. So I pick and choose what I want, something that speaks to me, and I play and have fun.

Jennifer Wilson: I love your philosophy and, you know, also the recognition that things do evolve over time, and to kind of pay attention to what's, you know, tickling your fancy, 'cause that could lead you to a whole new place that's even more joyful.

Angela Speir: You know, I used to not be like that, but I guess with time comes wisdom. You know, I'm a grandmother now. I'm retired now. I have a lot more time than parents or grandparents that work full time or, you know, those kind of things. I also learned to make the memory and take the photo, [00:14:00] and one day it may speak to you and you'll have that time.

I just scrapbooked a photo of my 16-year-old granddaughter when she's probably about two. She's out by the pool. She's got a cute little hat on and her little smocked bathing suit. And, you know, I look at her now as a teenager who drives, and I still see that cute little girl with that crinkly nose and um, yeah, and so I get to relive that moment every day. And she f- she found it, and she was like, "Oh, y'all come look, it's me." And that just makes me feel so good.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes, yes. It's really highlighting kind of that deeper inner joy that we get. So you mentioned that you started scrapbooking, you were already, you already had grandkids. So what really led you to the hobby? What kind of exposed you to it?

Angela Speir: I had a friend at work that her mother was having a Creative Memories, uh, scrapbooking [00:15:00] party. Like many others, that's how I found my way. I went to the little party. I bought a corner rounder, a pair of scissors, and a pen. And I came home, and at that point I was lucky enough to have a scrapbooking store locally, two of them actually.

And, so you know, I would go there and we would have crops, and I would go in and pick out, you know... I wasn't a collection scrapper because back, you know, in 2004, you know, 2005, well, actually 2004. There really weren't, you know, quote, collections like they are now that have tons of embellishments and, you know, that kind of thing.

And, um, so that's what led me making a baby album for my first grandson. Started with his ultrasound picture, first thing I ever scrapbooked. And then, [00:16:00] um, Hurricane Katrina hit, and we- I lost everything. I lost all of the scrapbook stuff that I had. And, um, so I took about, mm, probably a year and a half off. Because life had other focuses at that point.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly.

Angela Speir: Then I found that corner rounder that I had bought, and it still worked. It went under saltwater during Katrina but, you know, hey, that sucker, I still use it to this day. And, um, so I slowly got back into it. That point I only had one grandchild. You know, everything he did was perfect, wonderful.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: You know, created all kinds of...

You know, he's five years older than the next grandchild, so, um, then they started coming once a year, sometimes two a year. And [00:17:00] so that's when things got crazy and things got busy.

Jennifer Wilson: How did that experience with the hurricane and the recovery from it impact kind of how you looked at photos and scrapbook supplies, not to mention other just, like, personal treasures and things like that?

Angela Speir: I learned very quickly that things are things.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: Um, it can all be replaced except for your photos, which we lost most of. Um, the ones I have are very, very water damaged. You know, Brantley's first year and a half really doesn't exist in photos. Um, you know, we were too busy existing. My daughter lost her house, we lost our house, and my mother-in-law lost her house.

So, you know, we were just too busy trying to rebuild and exist and... Yeah, but you learn. When you look out and everything you own is in a pile at the side of the [00:18:00] road, and you look across the street and everything your neighbors own are in a pile in the middle of the street, and you're sleeping on somebody's porch in August. And it's hot as heck, but you're glad to have a place to sleep, your priorities change really quick.

And you learn that those are just things, you know, it can all be replaced. And so it made me treasure those memories and treasure those priceless things that can't be replaced made me treasure those all the more.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly, certainly.

Angela Speir: And, you know, I think that's one reason I love preserving memories is because so much of those memories, well, not the memories, but so much of the proof of those memories are gone.

You know, my kids' entire, entire childhood essentially was gone, you know, other [00:19:00] than what friends had, pictures they had, pictures that didn't get lost and, you know, that kind of thing. So.

Jennifer Wilson: Have you found yourself kind of going back and telling some of those stories even without photos? Or has that felt maybe even too hard?

Angela Speir: Not really. It was hard. Um, you know, I had a child, you know, um, my grandson was born in May of 2005. Katrina hit in August of 2005. So those days were hard, and they s- they're still hard. And, you know, I don't... I would like eventually to go back and scrapbook some of the memories. You know, the fact that we lived with no walls and concrete floors, and the sole furniture that we had were two lawn chairs and a 15 or 16-inch black and white TV.

And we slept on a mattress on the floor, and we had plastic drawers to hold our remaining clothes. [00:20:00] You know, um, I would love to, to scrapbook that one day because those are things that I want future generations to know. But it's, it's hard, you know? And.

Jennifer Wilson: I'm sure. I'm sure.

Angela Speir: It's just hard. And, um, so yeah, but we survived. And it's 21 years ago, and I'll never forget it because like I said, Brantley was three months old.

And, you know, so my daughter lived in a FEMA trailer with a three-month-old.

Jennifer Wilson: Forwarding to today and, you know.

Angela Speir: Mm-hmm.

Jennifer Wilson: You're creating a new space for yourself and celebrating your retirement, what sizes or formats are you typically creating in, and has that evolved over time?

Angela Speir: 12 by 12 is my tried and true. Uh, I love it. Um, I always will. For myself, that is what I create. The albums for my [00:21:00] grandchildren are eight and a half and e- by 11 or nine by 12. And, you know, I'm starting Anna Claire's, uh, senior album, and h- hers is a nine by 12. Brantley's was eight and a half by 11.

I'm not as fond of those. I don't like the rectangular format a lot, but it is much easier to create. Because a lot of times it's one photo that I have. You know, I'm not opposed to a one photo 12 by 12, don't get me wrong. But, you know, uh, you know, I'm usually taking pictures off of Facebook or Snapchat or Instagram, you know, that kind of thing. And those tend to print better when they're smaller.

And so that eight and a half and, by 11 or nine by 12 format just seems to work better. Um, like I said, it's not my favorite. I prefer a square format. [00:22:00] Um, I do, attempt... I've only completed it one time, but I attempt every year to make a December album in six by eight. And it's kinda like the eight and a half by 11 or nine by 12. It's not really my favorite format. I don't like the rectangle. I'm a square girl all the way.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, I think that's an important thing to understand about yourself and to knowing, like, what really works and what works with your brain and the way it sees shapes. And yeah, I think that's an important knowledge to have. And then to recognize, oh yeah, sometimes I can't do it because there's a, there's a really practical reason for it.

Angela Speir: And yeah, the, the longer I... Because I created Brantley's album not in chunks, but I created, I sat down one day and I, I pretty much worked on that until I finished it. And so the longer I scrap the eight and a half by 11, the easier it got. But I still didn't love it. I love the layouts and I love the project, but is it the favorite, my favorite thing I've ever done?

No. I, [00:23:00] you know, I just, it was more like I have to think about it. I have to think about what I'm doing. I have to think about proportions and, you know, how, how they work in that format, where with the 12 by 12, it's intuitive. You know, I, I can cut a piece of paper, stick it down, be like, "Yeah, that works," you know?

It wasn't like that with the, with the other ones, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Now, are there any particular projects or activities that you're focused on this year?

Angela Speir: My scrap room. That's, um... Until I get that done, I do belong to a message board where I, um, am in a challenge. It's a 40 layout challenge. We create four layouts a month for 10 months. And, my focus right now is to make sure that I get my four layouts a month done. And get my scrap room set up like I want it.

Um, it started out to be a short [00:24:00] project. I am now, April, May, June, almost three months in and it's still a disaster. But, um, I'm hoping to be able to have it completed and set up like I want it, and live with it for a while and make any tweaks, you know, by the fall. I, you know, I'm giving myself until, you know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, to get it done. Because, you know, I know that it will evolve and I know that, um, I'm trying my best to catalog and sort and label and do all that as I'm going.

Because I've never done that before. I'm not an organized person. I'm a seat of the pants person.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: And, um, so this has been eye-opening for me, [00:25:00] shall we say. I do like the way it's working, but it is, y- you know, it, it's a big undertaking. And, so, um, you know, I have great son-in-laws, I have great kids, I have great grandkids.

My granddaughter was putting together a Kallax unit at, um, you know, 11:30 last night so. Those kids can build some IKEA furniture, let me tell you.

Jennifer Wilson: They can. Yes. Yes. Well it sounds like you to like develop some additional patience, um, that this, this is a thing that takes time, uh, because of the scale and, just to allow yourself to kind of enjoy that messy middle too.

Angela Speir: Yeah, it's, um, yeah, I'm, I'm trying to let myself enjoy the process. Because it's something I've dreamed of for years. I've never been able to make it a reality, and so now I am. And I'm planning to make the [00:26:00] best of it. But yeah, that's my big project for the year. That's what I'm gonna focus on. And, um, that and making memories that I can scrapbook when I finally am back in my room.

Jennifer Wilson: Sounds good. It makes sense. So let's talk about your style a little bit. If you had to describe it in three words, what would you say?

Angela Speir: No more than three photos, one page, and embellishment heavy.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay, okay. Um, what kind of like, do you, are there certain like color palettes or patterns you lean towards, or are you kind of everything goes, I love it all?

Angela Speir: Uh, I'm a traditionally, and probably 95% of the time, I'm a white cardstock girl.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: I love pattern, but not as a background. I love to mat my layouts. I do that probably on 90% of the layouts I create. It has a white background with a, [00:27:00] some type of border on it. Um, and I love florals. Um, I think that came from scrapbooking so many daughters, and I have three granddaughters, and they're all right about the same age, so that makes it easy.

I love the texture, and I love the laser cuts from 49 & Market, even though some of their newer collections have not been, for me. But I still love their style and love what they, you know... Um, and I bought.

Jennifer Wilson: Of like gardeny one that came out that I was like, "Oh, maybe th- I think they're getting back into a groove," and I, I really liked the style.

Angela Speir: I know.

Jennifer Wilson: Of it.

Angela Speir: Well, you know, I bought Rust and Rubs and Rust and Rubs 2, which is one of their older collections, probably at least twice. 'cause I used a lot of the backgrounds and a lot of the stuff in Brantley's album. Um, and [00:28:00] then, you know, I love that. Um, and Simple Stories is my heart. It always will be.

They're my favorite manufacturer ever. I love the variety. I love, I love their embellishments. You know, they're not so wordy. I'm not a wordy person on my layouts. I am in real life, but, um, in- not, I don't ... I love Echo Park. I love their, um, their papers and their ... But their embellishments are extremely wordy, and yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: True.

Angela Speir: Only, you know, I can only put so many words on a layout.

So a lot of times if I do use Echo Park, I use cut files for a big statement where I don't need as many embellishments. Or I am in my, um, acrylic stash or my wood veneer stash or I'm in my dies [00:29:00] cutting out things. Um, yeah, I just don't find their embellishments, um, user-friendly to me and my style. But, um, I do love their papers though, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Well and I think, yeah, you start to really understand which, uh, what lines are gonna deliver you what satis- what levels of satisfaction and informs your, your purchasing in the future. And can kinda combine things to, to make your best, uh, suite of products, for sure.

Angela Speir: Yeah, I am a, I'm a have it all k- kinda girl.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: Which is why I like Simple Stories because I can get a little bit of everything. And, um, but I've also learned that there are some collections that, you know, I can buy three or four sheets of paper and a sticker sheet, and I'm perfectly happy with it.

Jennifer Wilson: You mentioned cut files. Are there other, like, tools and techniques that you use a lot in your pa- [00:30:00] on your pages? Like, if we looked through your pages, what, what would we notice?

Angela Speir: Um, I use lots of texture. Um, I love pop dots. I love dimension. I think part of that comes from the fact that I know that I'll never scrapbook everything, so I don't worry about how I'm gonna store stuff. You know, I know I see a lot of people that are like, "I already have 50 albums, you know, and, and my kid's only five, and what am I gonna do?"

Well, I don't have that concern anymore. I scrapbook for me. And I love pop dots, and I love dimension, and I love, yeah, mixed media to an extent. I used to use a lot more mixed media and then, um, I went to having no scrap room, and I was scrapbooking on my kitchen counter, and that was not conducive to mixed media. So I kinda had to leave [00:31:00] that.

Jennifer Wilson: Close to a sink, I mean.

Angela Speir: Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Maybe too close.

Angela Speir: I don't think my marble... uh, I mean, my granite countertops would like it very much. And, um, yeah, but I do love that look. I love watercolors. It's my favorite media or medium. And, I like stitching. I love stitching on my layouts when I have time. Just I like a little bit of everything.

You know, I'm, I'm not... I don't... If you had to say I have a style, I would say single photo or double photo, and a lot of that comes because I do have to... You know, I steal things from Facebook or Instagram or, you know, my children are not photographers. My grandkids aren't either. So if I say, "Take me some pictures," you know, I get two.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: You use what you have. And, my least favorite thing to scrapbook are events. I do not like to scrapbook, [00:32:00] birthdays. I don't like to scrapbook Christmas. I prefer scrapbooking those one-off everyday memories because to me that's, that's who they are.

Jennifer Wilson: I like, I often will find myself like some of the best photos are from, uh, just, just r- random happenstance. Sometimes they are from those events.

Angela Speir: Oh yeah.

Jennifer Wilson: Holidays or whatever, but I love to use those for the stories about the personality and what's going on in their lives right now or our lives right now. The, the details of the event sometimes are, are not as important to me as well.

So I, I, I share that with you.

Angela Speir: Yeah, I mean that, you know, that one cute picture that, you know, the kids took when they were goofing off on the sandbar or, you know, they're being goofy and, you know, the little cheesy grins. 'Cause I have a grandson that never smiles. You know, he has that, um, face that you just look at him and go, "Really, dude?"

You know? And, um, [00:33:00] and he's nine, so of course he doesn't want to co- I mean, he's 11, excuse me. Oh, he would die if he knew I said nine. Um, yeah, so he doesn't, like, really want to cooperate with anybody whenever you ask him to do something. So if I ever get a little cheesy grin from him or something that he's not in a baseball uniform, then I treasure those photos.

Because, you know, baseball is life to him. Baseball and football. If it doesn't have a ball in it, he doesn't want to have anything to do with it.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Angela, is there anything in your hobby that you've decided is not for you? 'Cause it sounds like you do love a lot of things, but is there anything you're like, "Yeah, that's, I'm never gonna do that," or, "I tried that once and I'm good"?

Angela Speir: Complete mixed media backgrounds. Uh, yeah, I don't ... You know, mixed media to me is like a little, a little smooshing in the back or a little ink work, um, in my, you know, like stenciling my stamps. Or, you know, [00:34:00] that kind of thing, um, splatters. You know, as far as full-on mixed media, mixed media, that is, that's not for me. I don't.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: I never like what I make, and I know they say practice makes perfect, but if it doesn't matter to me, why, why bother? I mean, I can use my time better, well s- you know, I can spend it better. Really I guess that's ... Yeah, I, I don't like cutting my photos into like ... You know, I know some people have started, due to the junk journaling, you know, that has come into it, um, people cutting out silhouettes and putting them up.

That'll never be me. I don't, I don't fussy cut that well, and I don't like it that much, so the answer to that is no. And, and that's, I guess really those are, that's my main thing is mixed media. I love it. I love it when other people do [00:35:00] it. I think it's so cool, and it's so pretty, but I know me, and it's not for me.

It's not for me to make. You know, somebody wants to make it for me and give it to me, hey, I'm all about it. But.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: You know. But I do, and that's another thing about being a, an older grandmother who scraps and who's accepted the fact that I'll never be caught up is I can play. I can play and, and have fun, and really doesn't I don't feel the pressure that other, that some people feel. That allows me to have more freedom in what I wanna do.

Jennifer Wilson: Certainly. Um, when your space, uh, draws to a conclusion of, you know, "This is, this is good enough for right now, let's start living in it.

Angela Speir: Right,

Jennifer Wilson: What time of day do we think that you're gonna be scrapbooking? Are, is it all day long every day? Mornings, evenings? Like, what's your natural creative time?

Angela Speir: I, except on [00:36:00] Tuesdays. Tuesdays I, I have a Zoom that I scrapbook with friends from all over. Um, and that usually starts from 11 o'clock, well, for me, 11:00 o'clock in the morning, and then we usually scrapbook till about 5:00 or 6:00 at night. Other days, I'm not a morning person. I do not like mornings. Um, I think they should be outlawed.

Uh, my day normally starts around 11:30 or 12, so usually after lunch. Um, you know, and I will scrapbook into the night. I'm a go to bed at 3:00 o'clock in the morning kind of person.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Angela Speir: Um, you know, I am, especially now that I'm retired and I don't have to get up and I don't have to go to a job every morning, um, I very rarely set my clock.

Um, you know, I get up when I get up, and I go to bed when I go to bed. But yes, I definitely am a afternoon night scrapbooker.

Jennifer Wilson: How did you [00:37:00] manage, like, beat that night owl tendency when you were working and wanting to get scrapbooking done?

Angela Speir: Oof. I, um, I scrap- yeah, I'm like, "Ugh." And I, and I did it for 30 years, so I mean, you know.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: That after a while it just becomes habit. But I c- yeah, it didn't take long to break those habits. Um, but I scrapbooked a lot on the weekends. Um, at that point, um, before COVID, um, I had a couple of friends and we ran a scrapbook crop once a month.

And then we also scrapbooked a lot of weekends together too. You know, we would go to other crops for, you know, and that was usually when I scrapbooked. I scrapbooked on weekends. I didn't, um, even though I was a night owl, and, you know, by the time I came home, [00:38:00] figured out what we were gonna eat for dinner, that kind of thing, I was like, "Mm, I ain't got the energy to scrap."

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: You know my husband was also, um He, um, had dementia for 13 years. So a lot of my time was taking care of him. And so that, you know, also was why I scrapbooked a lot on weekends. Because, you know, I wasn't so tired, and I could, you know, do things like that, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: But yeah, I, um, I was definitely not a prolific scrapbooker when I worked. Yeah, I scrap- yeah, I the, like, yeah, it, that went against all my natural tendencies. I should have been a night worker.

Jennifer Wilson: And my mom is the exact same way. She would love to stay up all night and, and sleep as late as possible, so.

Angela Speir: You know.

Jennifer Wilson: Uh, whereas I'm a, like I [00:39:00] wanna be in bed before 10, 10:00 PM, so.

Angela Speir: Ugh, not me. Ugh. I mean, I look... La- last night my daughter was staying here and w- like 2:00 she was like, I was like, "I guess I'm going to bed." And she's like, "Okay." So she has my night owl ten- my night owl tendencies also. So the girls went to bed like at 11:00 last night, and we were like, "Y'all are already going to bed?"

And they were like, "We're tired." I think they've, they've pulled too many all-nighters, and they're giggling. You know, they don't see each other often, so.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, yeah. That's cool to have them together though.

Angela Speir: Yeah, well it's hard because for the, you know, up until two years ago they lived like right down the street from one another. So they've, all of the cousins have all grown up together. Until Amy and them moved to Colorado two years ago. This is the first time my kids have ever moved away from home. And, um, as adults we've done a lot better than the [00:40:00] kids. The kids have had, yeah, they, they miss each other.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I bet.

Angela Speir: Lots of FaceTime. You know, thank gosh for FaceTime and that kind of stuff 'cause they definitely keep in touch.

Jennifer Wilson: So we've already talked on this a little bit, but in terms of organization and how, like what are you really carrying from your previous space to your new space? What things have worked really well for you that you're just gonna keep on working with?

Angela Speir: Nothing. Actually that's not true. There's a couple of things. Um, number one is paper storage. Um, I've used cubes for a long time. I like my cubes. I also have always, um, organized by collection or by, not by collection, by manufacturer. I still do that. That's the way my brain thinks.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: So that works for [00:41:00] me. That I'm ... The only difference is I've always stored collections and embellishments together. I'm actually storing paper by it- you know, paper collection by itself, and then I have bought these envelopes that are like an A5 size, and they have, um, Velcro, and the embellishments go in it. And they're labeled.

And the way my cubes are set up, in the, the top cubes I have paper. I have two bins per cube with all the paper. And then in the cube directly below it I have one large cube, and all the embellishments for that paper are in that cube.

Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

Angela Speir: Um, that is something new because collections with embellishments just take up so much room.

And, you know, it's wasted space. [00:42:00] So I've kind of, I've kept it, but I've modified it. Um, the other thing from my other s- craft space that I really like is I have a holder from IKEA. I don't even know if they sell them anymore, but it's the one where you can put your 12 by 12 paper and then your stickers, and yeah, that.

I, um, I have that on my desk, and I keep either, things I'm trying to use up, like if I have a ... you know, like if I'm working on like Brantley's album and I have like some- gears, wood veneer gears or whatever, and I have just a few left over. I would keep those in there to remind myself to use them. But I normally keep whatever collection or whatever I'm working with, the embellishments.

And then in the front, I usually have my edge distressor. I have, my, I use the Nuvo glaze, not the Glossy Accents, but that kind of thing. [00:43:00] I have, my dauber or a blending brush. That kind of, those little things. My tweezers. I'm a tweezer girl. Um, I love my tweezers. Can't scrapbook without them.

Yeah, those kind of things in the front. And then when I finish what I'm doing, I take all that out and then put something else in there. I do keep white cardstock in there at all times because I- I'm always looking for white cardstock.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm

Angela Speir: And those are really two of the main things that I'm bringing with me. Because my system didn't work. I didn't have a system. Like I said, I am not an organized person. I never have been. This is me trying to embrace my inner ADHD brain that, you know, trying to put things where I can actually find it. We'll see how it works. I'm using all clear bins, open storage where I can see it, because I'm also an out of sight, out of mind [00:44:00] person.

Jennifer Wilson: Oh, interesting. Yeah I'm the one like, I don't know if you're familiar with the, the Clutterbug system. I.

Angela Speir: Oh, yes.

Jennifer Wilson: Need closed storage. I do not wanna see it, otherwise it is so overwhelming to me. I can't. Yeah.

Angela Speir: Uh, uh, I got to see it, which is my cubes. I do have closed storage, um, for some things. And I am liking that so far because it's things like my mixed media stuff that I don't really need to see. I know I have, and I know where it's at. Um, paper, I've got to see it. I, I have to. If I don't, I forget what I have.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. Yeah, I get it.

Angela Speir: So but yes, Cass has definitely changed the way I think about things, and, she actually was the one who gave me the big push to, finally take the leap and tell myself, "I can do this." So we shall see if she's right.

Jennifer Wilson: I think you can. You will, you will. [00:45:00] So with that in mind where would you like your scrapbooking to be, uh, another decade from now?

Angela Speir: Number one, I hope to still be scrapbooking because I will be old by then.

I would like for it to be to the point where my grandkids and my kids can look at my albums and remember all the good times and remember the emotions that were evoked, and to know that I love them. And they are the best parts of me and the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I want my layouts to be able to show that. And, you know, I hope to still be scrapbooking, um, the fun stuff, not birthdays.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: Not Christmas. My grandkids laugh all the time 'cause, I mean, like, some of them don't even have [00:46:00] first birthday layouts. They're like, "Nee Nee," and I'm like, "Uh, yeah, I'm gonna get to it, um, I promise." So y'all know I don't like doing that kind of stuff, and then they, they laugh and they're like, "We know." So, But that's what I... I hope that I'm still, uh, I'm still scrapbooking the memories that I want to scrapbook. The ones that make me feel happy and the ones that speak to my heart.

Jennifer Wilson: Ah, I love your, I love your approach and I love the way you think about scrapbooking. Um, my final question for today, what have you learned as being a scrapbooker? What have you learned about yourself, about life?

Angela Speir: I've learned that, life is fleeting. Uh, don't blink because they do grow up way too fast. You know, um, when my kids were little, I don't remember a lot of it, if that makes sense. You know, I was in the mix. You know, I was the one doing the raising. I was the one doing the, you know, baseball, all ... I mean, softball [00:47:00] and cheerleading and, you know, prom and, you know, those kind of things.

I was always the one that was the catalyst for everything. And, I was a stay-at-home mom for years, and so that was kind of... You know, I don't ... I mean, I remember things, but then I'll look back and go, you know, there's years that I'm just like, I d- I, I'm like just blank when I think about it. I'm like, you know, like how did they grow up?

You know, how can my daughter be in her 40s? You know, that's crazy. With my grandkids, you know, I had, I had time to appreciate it. I'm a very lucky person.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: Like I said, until two years ago I saw my grandkids on a regular basis, all seven of them. They lived very close, within 15 minutes of my house.

And, I've learned that, you know, t- time is fleeting. You know, when, when they're little, don't blink [00:48:00] because the next thing you know, they're driving and g- and, and they're graduating high school and, you know, and so you wanna soak up all those memories. Um, I've learned to take the picture, even when they say, "Nene, put the camera away."

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

Angela Speir: My son-in-law, you know, he hates ... he'll be like, "Oh my God, she's in her photography mode again." And I'll be like, "Sorry, dude. You know, this is the way it is around here." And he's like, "I know." Um, my oldest grandson, the 21-year-old, you know, he's pretty good at corralling the grandkids even now because he's learned.

He tells them, "Just smile and then she'll stop." You know? So I've learned if I take the picture, then there's always one day to scrapbook it. And I've learned that I love to create. I love to be free to do me.

Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

Angela Speir: And s- [00:49:00] it's, it is a, it's a passion of mine. I love making pretty things. And I love that they have meaning. And- They make me happy and that's who I scrapbook for.

I mean, I love that my grandkids love to look at them. I like that my kids like to look at them. But in the end, it's for me. It's to make me happy. You know.

Jennifer Wilson: Yes.

Angela Speir: I am the memory keeper. I'm the only scrapbooker, you know, in my family. And yeah, but the thing is that in the end, I'm the one who has to be happy.

Jennifer Wilson: No doubt. I totally agree. Yeah. can you share where our listeners can find you online? Anything you have new or, or coming up in the second half this year? I guess, I guess it's your, all about your workspace for sure.

Angela Speir: Yeah, it's all about my workspace. Um, you can follow me on Instagram. Uh,

I am my_scrappy_adventure or [00:50:00] adventures. Is it adventure or adventures?

Jennifer Wilson: We will include the correct link in the show notes for the episode.

Angela Speir: Okay. Um, that is where I, s- share my scrapbooking. I also, it's also on my Facebook page, but most people, it's my personal page, and most people don't follow that.

Um, I don't have a scrappy's, uh, Facebook page. That's, it's all I can do to have one, and that's to stalk my family essentially. And, so that's it. I- no design teams, no, you know, no YouTube. I'm not tech-savvy enough yet. I would love to make YouTube videos at some time in the future, but, yeah, it's gonna be in the future.

Jennifer Wilson: Well, you're very scrapbook savvy 'cause your pages are quite lovely, so I appreciate you spending time with me.

Angela Speir: Thank you. It was great.

Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, thanks for the chat. And to all of our remember that you have permission to scrapbook your way. [00:51:00]