Using a Spreadsheet to aid in Scrapbooking and Organizing Ideas

Ever feel so overwhelmed by a task that you don't know where to start?  Have no fear, you are not alone! We all find ourselves in that position once or twice... or 100 times! I find that making lists help me organize my thoughts, my to-do items, my LIFE! So it wasn't long before my love of lists migrated into my scrapbooking addiction. I, personally, don't like to be forced to scrapbook in order. I like the freedom to scrapbook a layout that speaks to me. However, I don't always do 2-page layouts. Sometimes I do 1-page layouts or even 1/2-page layouts. In that instance I need to make sure I have another 1-page layout to go next to the first.  I also hate the feeling of having a special piece of paper saved for a future layout or a memorabilia item and it gets forgot by the time I complete that layout. All of these stressers pushed me to find a more organized way to go from chaos to calm! That was when the scrapbook layout was born!! I make a spreadsheet for each book I make - 12x12 or 8x8 (more details on that later).

I made a basic spreadsheet in Microsoft Word. Everyone can make the columns that fit their scrap style best. Over the years my spreadsheet columns have changed. There are the ones that work best for me. 

Date - The date of the event
Event - A description of the event or layout title
Pages - This is where I decide how many pages the even will be (more details on this later)
Print - Whether I have the pictures printed already
Match - This is only for my personal 8x8 book or my kids' books. This lets me know if this is an event that will be in multiple books - a holiday or special event that both kids' will have in their book. Sometimes the layouts are identical and sometimes not
Extra - This is for memorabilia (movie/game tickets, 5x7/8x10 pictures, certificates, etc.)
Paper - This is where I mark if I have special paper in mind for this event/layout
QR -  This is where I mark if I have a video that goes with the event that I will make a QR code for an add it to the layout (see my other blog post about QR codes if you want more details about this)

Before I start filling in my spreadsheet I make sure all my pictures (or the ones I want to work with) are organized (digitally or physically). The photos I am currently working with are digitally organized on my external hard drive. I usually have a sheet of paper where I write down the date and description (in order) of the events I want to scrapbook and then enter them into the spreadsheet. Then, looking at my pictures I decide how many pages each event will be. I would NEVER be done scrapbooking if I did a 2-page layout for EVERY event. There are A LOT of events that get a 1-page layout. Sometimes I even split the page in half and do 2 events on 1 page (example below).

And then there are events that COULD be a whole layout but are also events that I can choose 1 special picture from the event and just add it to my 3-month collage (example below).

(I always cut out numbers using my cricut and vinyl to number the pictures on the bottom right. 

I will update this layout photo once I have added the numbers)

If I know, while typing the spreadsheet, that I have paper picked out or some pictures are already printed I will enter in that information while the spreadsheet is digital. If not, I can manually write on the spreadsheet after it is printed. Spreadsheets are a work in progress. Mine get edited and reprinted a few times. 

Here is my son's new spreadsheet since I just finished his 2017-2018 book - WOOHOO - I am only 6 months behind on my 2 kids' books (but a million years behind on everything else). If you notice for the "Joint Birthday Party" event it says "done" under the Match column. That means that I have already done that layout in his sister's book so I just need to do his. Sometimes under the Extra column I will write what the "extra" item is instead of a check mark. I'll write "certificate" or "ticket". 

Okay friends ... let's talk about the most difficult part (or at least for me) - the number of pages column. I have to constantly remind myself that not every single picture that I took needs to be scrapbooked. Pick the BEST pictures that tell the story. For the spreadsheet above I am in the beginning stages of creating it so I am still making some decisions on the number of pages for some events. 

For example, the event on 11/17 "Family Fall pictures" says 1 or 2 pages. The pictures that I have for this event could definitely be a 1-page layout but I don't have anything else in that time frame that would be its partner page so I am thinking that I will print my favorite picture as a 5x7 and expand this to a 2-page layout. I just want to double check my pictures (and my husband's - he takes lots of great pictures that I steal from his google drive) before I make a final decision. 

Here is another page dilemma. The event "writing your name" was planned as a 1-page layout, indicated by the 1a but I also don't have a 1b layout for its partner. This layout have an 8.5x11 page with his work on it that can be added to the pictures for a 1-page layout or expended to be made into a 2-page layout (which is what I will do if I do not have another event in that time frame that I want to make a 1-page layout). Here is another option when in this situation - I ask myself if that 1-page layout NEEDS to be an entire layout? Often times I will scratch that layout altogether and add my favorite picture or two onto the quarterly collage layout I will do later. 

Here is another section I am making some decisions about. I could make "bed mates" a 2-page layout and make "Snow day" 1a and "bikes with my sister" 1b. Or if I have a 1-page layout right after "bikes with my sister" I can make all four layouts 1-page ones. I typed in the "1" for "bikes with my sister" because that is definitely a 1-page layout for sure but the 2 events above it can be either 1- or 2-pg layouts. So for now I am just going to leave them like that until I see what event comes after "bikes with my sister" (that was the last even I had when I was organizing my photos last). 

So now let's talk about ordering photos. I usually order photos around the same time I make a new spreadsheet. I sometimes order pictures based on how many pages the layout will be and vice versa, I sometimes choose how many pages the layout will be based on how many pictures I have. There is no "right" way. It is whatever works for you. I do it both ways. 

This is usually how my process works:
1. Organize photos
2. Create rough spreadsheet
3. Print rough spreadsheet
4. Pull pictures I want to print into a "print" folder
5. Check off events as I put them in the "print" folder
6. Upload photos to a print place (I've been using Amazon Prime lately)
7. Choose doubles of the photos that will go in multiple books (usually my kids' books)

Spreadsheets for smaller projects

I have recently transitioned into do 8x8 books for a few things. Vacations being the main one. I recently completed two 8x8 books for a cruise to Bermuda my husband and I went on in 2016. 

I wanted to complete the whole album at a 4-day scrapbook retreat so I knew I needed to be well organized. I started with my pictures and sketched out what we did each day. The "P" column was for "paper", if I had any special paper but I didn't. I just packed a bunch of travel, beach, and bright colored paper. This spreadsheet also helped me visualize what events we did so I could grab any embellishments that matched. I also love spreadsheets because they help me think about my pictures and what layouts I want to do so that when I do sit down to actually scrapbook I have ideas already formed. For example, the event titled "moongate" was a layout that I knew wasn't going to have a pre-made embellishment or even a Cricut cutout so I had to get creative and MAKE something by hand! Sometimes, if I have time, I will pre-make some titles or cutouts to save time during the actual scrapbooking retreat. Below is the "moongate" embellishment I made. Each piece was cut out and inked and then glued to a backing. 

Spreadsheets have been a GAME changer for me! Helps keep me organized, know what pictures to print, not to forget special memorabilia, and so much more. I also love being able to put my completed layouts in the scrapbooks with having to do each layout in order because the spreadsheets tells me where in the book it will go (I use top loading scrapbooks). 

A digital blank spreadsheet is available in the "files" section of my Facebook craft group. If you aren't a member already please join! Don't forget to answers the questions or your request will not be approved. Jessie's Crafting Community FB group

Organizing Your Paper

As a scrapbooker I have collected A LOT of paper. Let's not discuss exactly how much... teehee .... most of you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. We buy paper that is 8.5 x 11, 12x12, solid, patterned, loose, in a pad ... so many different types. There are so many different ways to organize your paper and depending on your scrapbooking style some ways work better than others. Hopefully this post will give you a few ideas for your paper organization. 

Organizing Solid and Patterned 8.5 x 11 Paper

I bought a metal, 3-drawer, filing cabinet. It works perfectly for 8.5 x 11 paper. Two of the drawers are used for my solid colors. On the outside of the cabinet I used my label maker to label which color was in which drawer. The third drawer is for my 8.5 x 11 paper pads. I don't have a lot but love the ones I have. I don't buy a lot of loose, patterned paper in 8.5 x 11 but when I do it doesn't go in this filing cabinet. I decide what themed folder it goes in with my 12x12 patterned paper. 

Organizing 12 x 12 Patterned Paper

I have a cube from Michaels that holds 12 x 12 hanging files. I use this to house all my loose patterned paper. The following are the themed sections I have:

• School
• Dots/Stripes
• Seasons
• Holiday
• Nautical
• Baby/Kids
• Animals
• Chevron
• Birthday
• Sparkle
• Sports/Games
• Wedding/Love
• Food/Drink
• Travel
• Pirate
• Beach/Water
• Nature 

I also put patterned 8.5 x 11 in these folders too since I don't have a lot. 

When it comes to my paper pads I use cubes from Michaels as well. They are open shelves. I label the spine with either a black permanent marker or I use my label maker. I try to group them by themes as much as possible but not as detailed as the loose paper. I put all baby pads together and school pads together, etc. 

I also have a bunch of paper packs/page kits from Close to my Heart and Echo Park. I store those upright in a cube as well. 

Organizing 12 x 12 Solid Paper

This is one area I have spent a chunk of money and it was worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. After trying different organization methods for my solid paper I came across these wooden cubes that fit perfectly inside the IKEA cube shelves. Each wooden cube is about $85 and can be purchased at https://www.stampnstorage.com/paper-holder-for-ikea/ .... yes, that is pricey but like I said WORTH IT. My solid paper is in grabbing distance from my scrapbook desk and makes choosing paper a breeze. 

Make sure to check out my recent post about organizing your smaller paper scraps!!! Hopefully this helps you make order in a world of paper madness!!

As always if I can help in any way with your scrapbooking and organization needs I can be emailed at jessie.hood.3@gmail.com 

Organizing Your Paper: Scraps Edition

Check out my video of this post!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHGETzqI69Y&t=49s

“Scraps”, the pieces of paper left over from cutting a large piece of paper – what do you do with them? Some people hoard them, some people immediately trash them, but how do you organize them to make them useful and not just one more thing taking up space?

Under my desk I have a white drawer unit (bought at Michaels). One of the drawers is labeled “scraps”. It has a cutout design to help you open the drawer, but that cutout is PERFECT for slipping in scraps. While I am crafting away I slide in all my scraps – big, little, solid, patterned. The only scraps that go straight to the trash are tiny pieces – smaller than my palm.  

 

While I’m scrapbooking, I grab scraps from that drawer but it is difficult to see what I have and I tend to grab a new sheet which isn't really needed. Every couple months (or when the drawer gets full) I pull all of the scraps out and dump them on my desk. From there I sort them by color.

How I group my colors:

·         black/white/grey

·         brown/tan/cream

·         red

·         orange/yellow

·         purple/pink

·         green

·         blue/teal

·         patterned

At this point I re-evaluate size to weed out some additional pieces that are too small to be useful. Then it’s time to weed out scraps that are small but “keep” worthy. Pieces about the size of my hand (ones that are too small to become photo mats but are big enough to be used when cutting out cricut images) go into a plastic shoebox. These pieces aren’t organized by color but it is easy to flip through and grab a piece of red paper to make a small birthday balloon. These are also the scraps I let my son play with while I’m scrapbooking.   

So now you have piles, sorted by color, but are “good sized” pieces, or 12in pieces. Where do they go? I have 12x12 plastic envelopes (Hobby Lobby currently has them). I have one folder for each of the color groups listed above. Those scraps go into the envelopes and are stored under my desk in a small rolling cart.

But what about the patterned paper??

After patterned paper leaves “the drawer” ..haha.. it usually goes to one of the 12x12 plastic envelopes, not sorted. When I get time I pull out the patterned paper folder and sort by theme.

Patterned Paper Themes:

·         School

·         Dots/Strips

·         Seasons

·         Holidays

·         Nautical

·         Baby/Kids

·         Animals

·         Chevron

·         Birthday

·         Sports/Games

·         Wedding/love

·         Food

·         Travel

·         Pirate

·         Beach/water

·         Nature

Some pieces are harder than others to sort. A piece that has “fireworks” on it easily goes into the “holidays” folder for the 4^th of July. But a piece with “hearts” on it might go in “wedding/love” or “holidays” for Valentine’s Day. Go with your gut, what is your first thought?

This music piece will go in my "school" folder. It makes me think of school music concerts. It could also go in "sports/games" for a concert. The roses could go in multiple places but I'm putting it in "wedding/love". The sand paper will go in "beach/water" but could also go in "nature". Like I said, go with your gut. 

After the pieces are sorted by theme they go into manila envelopes that are labeled with the theme. These folders go in the front of the 12x12 folder that holds the full sized patterned paper for that theme.

Why are scraps so valuable?

A popular use of scraps is accents on a page when you don't need a full sheet. Scraps are also great for making cards. But my FAVORITE use is when I'm creating titles or accents for a layout. Each piece is small so I don't need to cut a full sheet of paper. I can grab all the colors I need from my small scraps box.

Although having your paper organized helps you not waste paper, it doesn't have to stop you from buying ;-) Happy Crafting Y'all!!! 

Using vinyl on your layouts

When I first started scrapbooking there were limited ways of getting lettering on your pages. You could buy stickers or use punch out letters. Stickers were great because they came in an array of colors and sizes. However, there were always those times you needed to spell "Mississippi" and you only had 2 "i" stickers left! OH THE HORROR!! Then came the amazing Cricut machine. In the beginning you could cut out your letters, then came the ability to weld into words! That was a game changer for scrapbooking.  With each new Cricut machine came new abilities. I was completely satisfied with my Expressions 2 until I watched a few Youtube videos on the new Explore machine and that was it, I was sold. I bought it the next day. I loved that not only could I create amazing titles for my layouts but I could also use vinyl to decorate wine glasses, ornaments, and so many other items. 

Then one day I was working on my son's baby book and I was struggling to complete the cover page. I didn't want his birth stats because they had been used on the first few pages. As I was looking through posted layouts on one of my favorite FB pages I noticed one crafter used a photo of the hospital their child was born in - PERFECT!!! I was able to find a good picture of our hospital that printed nicely. The thought of using stickers to spell out "St. Mary's Hospital ~ Leonardtown, MD" and have it evenly spaced and fit perfectly within the 12 in space was a daunting task. And that's when it hit me - USE VINYL - I could make it fit the exact size in my space and I could use transfer paper to place it on the page all at once as opposed to letter by letter. I decided to use vinyl for all of the wording on that page. 

So now I am addicted to using vinyl on my pages. It comes in just as many colors as paper or stickers. You never run out of letters. You can change the font, size, and spacing.  The other awesome part about using vinyl is that it cuts clean so you can cut very tiny letters. 

The layout above is my son's first day of "school". His teachers names across the bottom of the left page and the wording on the ribbon on the right page are both vinyl. Now, does this mean I never use my stickers anymore? Nope, I still LOVE them. There are times that I want to add a quick date or word to a page and don't wanna design and cut. Below are 2 pages I have recently used sticker letters/numbers on.

Below are a few examples of other pages that I used vinyl on. The page below is a Halloween layout. The spider web and the word "Halloween" are both done using vinyl. 

The nautical page below has a paper title but the words

 "Edgewater, MD" on the bottom right was done using vinyl. 

So although all my lettering in my scrapbooks isn't vinyl, there are definitely times were vinyl makes my life super easy! So I'm sure some of you are thinking that vinyl costs a lot more than paper but it actually doesn't. Black is what I use the most so I buy it in big rolls making it very cost effective. The other pro to using vinyl is that since it cuts so clean you can use very small pieces of scrap vinyl to cut small words. 

Scrapbooking with QR codes: Putting videos on your pages

So recently I've been super busy with summer and my son's 2nd birthday that I haven't be able to scrapbook a whole lot but I still love the facebook scrapbooking groups I'm a part of. They are full of so many talented people and even though I haven't met most of these people I have made many friends. A few weeks ago I was looking at some layout posts when I saw a few super cute ones that a girl had done of her son and his milestones. I noticed that the pages also had QR codes on them. The curious crafter I am had to ask what they were linked to. She was happy to share that they were linked to youtube videos she had uploaded of her son. So on a page done of his first steps she had a QR code that linked to the video of his first steps! GENIUS!!!! So of course I had to try it out and then share it with you all! I have also made a video that walks through this process for all you visual learners (like me). Enjoy!!

Youtube video for this blog post

http://www.qr-code-generator.com/#info_dynamisch

So if you are asking yourself, "what the heck is a QR code?" Here you go  

Now, how do you create them and add them to your pages? It's simple. First you need to upload your videos to youtube. Then google "QR code generator". There are a lot of online sites that will create QR codes for free. I have been using this site http://www.qr-code-generator.com/#info_dynamisch ... you can pay for the site but I'm just using the free part. Open your video in youtube, copy the web address and then enter it into the QR generator. Then click "download" (circled to the right - choose JPG). Your QR code will download down at the bottom of your screen. 

Click on the downloaded file at the bottom left of your screen and when it opens look at the top of your screen for the "extract files" button. Click it and extract all files. Then choose where you want to save your QR code. I have made a file in my pictures labeled "QR codes" and then I rename the code so I know what it links to. 

To print your QR codes - I open word and choose my 4x6 document so that I can print my QR codes on photo paper. You can print on regular paper or cardstock. Now you have to insert the QR code just like you would a picture. Since I printed a few I labeled which QR code linked to what video. I edited each code to be 1in x 1in. You can make them any size you want. 

Now you just have to print, cut and add to your layouts. The layout below is of my son's 2nd birthday. It is 1 of a 2 page layout. The QR code links to the video I took of me walking into his room that morning and singing happy birthday to him. 

This was a layout I had done months ago and remembered I took a video of him playing in the mirror. I just added the QR code right up in the corner. 

Now... you might be asking yourself "well how do I make the QR code work?" All you need to do is download a free QR code reader app to your phone. There are a lot so read the reviews to find a good one.  As I was uploading the video I did for this blog I saw that I had a video of my son going down the water slide at Great Wolf Lodge. I am so excited to add that to his GWL page. 

Picfolio Scrapbooking

Picfolio Scrapbooking 

 A quicker and cost effective alternative to traditional scrapbooking

What stops you from scrapbooking as much as you’d like? Time? Space? Creativity? Funds? Picfolios help with all of those road blocks. But before we talk about those we should probably talk about what a picfolio is. Basically imagine Mr. Photo Album and Mrs. Scrapbook had a baby… they’d make a cute baby picfolio. It’s an album that holds 3 horizontal and 2 vertical 4x6 pictures. CM horizontal spaces are slightly larger than 4x6. 

(Recollections brand in black and Creative Memories brand in cream)

Where do you get these albums? To my knowledge there are currently 2 places – Michaels and Creative Memories (CM). Creative Memories was where I first encountered the picfolio. At the time, these albums were made so that pages could not be removed or added. They cost about $45 and were very well made. 1 of the 5 slots was larger than 4x6 and there was a small section to add a tab. Later CM designed albums that had picfolio style pages combined with tradition full size pages and the albums could have extra pages added/removed. Then Michaels brand “Recollections” came out with a similar album however you wouldn’t find it with the other scrapbooks but rather back with the photo albums. They come in a variety colors and outer fabric options (shiny fabric and leather-ish). They are cheaper and you can use a 40% coupon on them. Although they are not AS well made as the CM ones they are great albums and I have used them many times and am very happy with them so the $$ saved can be spent elsewhere. Also, the albums at Michaels aren’t called “Picfolios”, that is a CM term but I have adopted it to all “pocket scrapbooks”. Just like people ask for a Kleenex but don’t necessarily mean “Kleenex” brand, just need a tissue…. Make sense? Lol Clear as mud!

 (Recollections brand on left - Creative Memories brand on right)

So how do using picfolio albums save money, space, time, and help with creativity blocks? Let’s start with money. Since there isn’t 1 large space you don’t need full 12x12 sheets of paper which is most expensive. You can buy the 8.5x11 paper packs when on sale or you can use scraps, or the small paper pads. So you save a lot on paper. There is less space to decorate so you save on embellishments (but we will talk about embellishments a little later – those are fun and still get used). Time is always a factor. With a picfolio you can organize your pictures and fill the album with what pictures you want on each page. It’s fine if there are 5 photo slots and you only have 4 pictures – one of those boxes and become a title section, journal box, or embellishment section. What happened when you have 5 horizontal pictures but there are only 3 spots for horizontal pictures? No problem …. We can trim the photos down and make them 4x4 and add some decoration above/below them.

 (Don't have 5 pictures? just add a journal box and/or large title)

Picfolios also save you time because you are not staring at a full 12x12 pages and have to start from scratch. This is where the creativity block comes in. You only have 5 possible places to put your pictures and then it’s just a matter of choosing paper, trimming pictures, matting them, and adding some fun embellishments and possibly making a title or typing a journal box. Typing journal boxes is easy. Open Word on your computer and then click on “Page Layout” at the top and click on “Size”. Here you can change your paper size to 4x6 and when you print, print on 4x6 photo paper (which is cheaper than you think – I get mine on sale at Staples). I personally like typing my journal boxes because I can change the font, size and color. However, you can always handwrite your journal boxes as well but definitely try to add journaling to your pages. You think you’ll remember it all but you won’t. To add on to the “time saving” aspect. I printed and organized all the pictures I wanted to use for my nephew’s 1^st year picfolio book (this was my first picfolio). I was able to complete it in 2 weekends. Had I chosen to do a 12x12 album I can guarantee it would have taken me 10 times longer… if not more… I was completing pages left and right.

 (Journaling, embellishments, quotes and all other fun things can be used still)

Ok … so many you are worried about memorabilia that you want to add but it’s larger than 4x6 …. Yes, this is an issue but not a deal breaker. Sometime memorabilia can be trimmed to fit, or cut in half and split between two boxes. Another option is to scan or take a picture and print it smaller. There may be some things that aren’t able to be used … bummer ….

 (My nephew's birth announcement was too large to fit in one pocket so I cut it and placed it in 2 pockets)

Space .. yes you still need space to work but I have completed picfolio albums in much smaller paces than my traditional 12x12 albums. You can work with smaller paper so you may not need a 12x12 paper cutter. You can place all your pictures in your album so they are ready when you get to that page. You don’t need as much embellishments so you aren’t toting all those.