Regular scrapbooking or when you can?

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Regular scrapbooking or when you can?

HI,

I'm interested in the creative habits of everyone, do you manage to carve out time everyday for your scrapbooking, and make it almost a daily habit?

Or do you just hope for the best when you can?

If it's a daily habit for you, how did you get to that point and what are your family dynamics like?

I have had a pretty consistent scrapbooking habit, making layouts almost daily. And honestly I think I'm more consistent since having kids. Both in that I've really settled into a few projects I really enjoy doing and can work on in short spaces of time. I spend basically no time thinking about what to do. I have things more or less set up so I can just sit down at any time and make something. I have basically one hour a day during nap time that I use to work on my craft projects. I generally do my digital layouts in the evening on the couch.

Curious to hear what other people are doing.

I have all the time in the world (my kid's grown), so it really depends on my mood. I'm in the middle of a layout right now while also cruising around the internet. Yesterday I didn't do any LOs, because I instead got wrapped up in the June blog train, and before I knew it, it was bedtime.

@Marisa, that is where I would really like to get too. A place that I can sit down at anytime of the day. I've lost all nap times now with my youngest (3.5 yrs), but I have also set my other kids (two 8yo) up with a space in the room so that I can hopefully have them doing their own crafty bits and I can do mine... ideal world. Digital is on the couch at night for me too.

I have been listening to a few podcasts where people have been talking about the ritual of being creative daily and it's really made me think.

@Christina that is so nice... how lovely to be able to have that time now. I love that.

I have a goal of getting up to the computer to work on a layout once a day, but my kids (all 5 and under) don't always cooperate! I also have two other main hobbies (sewing and reading) that compete for my time, and I've been honestly more on a sewing kick lately. But I'm beginning to feel like I can ease off on that a bit, now that I've gotten a few basics back into my closet.

@Becky - I hear you, it can be really hard to juggle with the kids, mine do not always cooperate either, it can be really tough. I would like to get into the room every day. I saw rukirstin posting about her daily pages recently and I really thought about that - I wonder if I could manage that, even if it was just for five minutes.

@Becky I'm like you... but no kids and I still have a hard time with all that life competes for my time. Hubs and I both have large families (11 & 6 siblings each married with kids) so we stay pretty busy between work, family, events, yardwork, chores, church, etc.

Personally, we've really had to learn to schedule time for our creative sides... but unfortunately we still put it on the back burner when other demands push to the front. I think it needs to be a tad of a priority because it can be so stress relieving and relaxing to make "everyday life" easier. But like most things in my life it's a WIP (work in progress).

I agree, its a self care that we probably all should be making a priority, it is just so easy to move it to the side.

What have you been sewing? Sounds so great!

Bina - I just finished doing a test run of a knit pants pattern (I'll be using them as PJ pants), and printed a shirt pattern to use up the leftovers from that. I'm probably going to be jumping into summer clothes after that, but the thing I've made this year that I've been wearing the most is a jeans jacket!

I still have a tough time sewing denim just perfect. I did get a heavier duty machine a year or so back on Thanksgiving sale for less than $200 just to do materials like that on. I want a serger so bad for finishing, etc but just can't find what I think is a great one at a fair price. It's gotten so expensive to SEW now between our equipment and tools required. smiley Sometimes, it's just cheaper to buy it vs make it... if you set aside the customization and personal satisfaction of doing it yourself. That's why I still love quilting so much. It's becoming a lost art. Some of the elder ladies in our community absolutely AMAZE me with their talent & skills! I love the state fair where people all over come and you see their amazing work!

Haha sorry Jo, I just realized... I kind of went off topic from your regular scrapping question... that's me... blah blah {ooo look pretty shiny thing} blah blah -wink-

Jo: I do scrapbook mostly at night, usually not during the day time. Sorry for the hijack but I can get really excited about sewing.
Shawna and Becky: We could have layout challenge featuring our craft projects again, I'd love to see what y'all are sewing.

Hey, if you want to move this to a different thread in the chit chat, I am always happy to talk sewing. It is my first crafty love. smiley I do prefer making clothes, because I like having the customized fit and all, but my mom is primarily a quilter and she's made some really stunning ones.

hahab I don't mind, I guess I really just wonder about regular crafting of any kind. I can't and don't sew - but there are lots of sewers in my family and quilter and I am always amazed at the art they produce. My kids love having handmade clothes and we love having plenty of quilts in our cold winters!!

Customized, @Becky Wooler, is what I am talking about!!!! I can never find anything that would fit except in the childrens'. And why on earth are tops not covering the torso? So I end up in the boys' section.... I found this overlock machine with a DVD, now I only need some time and patterns. Any suggestions, for an eqivalent to PS for sewing? I think it is quite a bit sad that ravelry does not feature sewing patterns, they might now, haven't been there in ages.
@Jo : One day I would love to make a quilt, too.

@Bina - based on the patterns I've been seeing lately, it seems like cropped shirts are in, so that might be part of it. I can't get long sleeves to actually cover my wrists, or usually pants to not gape terribly at the back, unless I make them myself.

I don't think there is a PS equivalent for sewing, sadly. There is a site called Pattern Review that is pretty big, and does have the Ravelry-type function of users showing and reviewing patterns, but it doesn't have the features like the free patterns to download. Depending on if you like the style of the clothes inside, one recent resource I've found that might help you is this book. The knit pants I just finished trying out were actually from here. The patterns are a little crazy to trace out because of the way they're layered on the sheets, but the patterns were purposely designed to be very beginner friendly - no buttonholes or zippers or anything of that sort. I've been sewing since I was a kid, so I didn't really pay much attention to the opening section with basic instructions about measuring yourself and lengthening patterns and all that, but it looks like it's easy to understand.

There's a good list of free patterns to download and print on the show notes for this podcast, though you have to scroll past a lot of youtube video links to find it. The same podcast also has a couple of episodes on beginner sewing that might be helpful.

@Becky: Thank you!!!
It seems we have some of the same issues with ready mades. We're in for some couture. Buttonholes, I had forgotten all about those. smiley

Hey Ladies: I did go ahead and just start a Chit Chat thread here for us (& any newbies) so easier to find later if we want to talk/share about about all things sewing... smiley

@Becky It would be great if you copied and shared your comment over there. That's some awesome information!

I suppose I don't make layouts or do scrap booking as much as design kits for others to use, I don't sell kits... I just like designing them

Whatever makes you happy Amanda! I think that's just as much a creative outlet as anything else.

I spend most of my time on the computer . I am physically disabled so I have a lot of time. I am usually scrapbooking or looking at scrapbooking sites.

Emily do you do physical scrapbooking as well, or only digital?

only digital. I used to do the regular stuff but once I started doing it digitally I stopped. Digital lets me be more creative. What software do you use? I am using Affinity

My favorite part is designing as well. I used to sell kits (back in the digital scrapbooking beginning years) but sell made it feel like work so I got out of that. I stopped digital scrapbooking for 7-8 years and recently got back into it. I lost all my design skills and I am having to relearn.

I do a sort of mix of both because I very much still physically do project life - but I make my own cards and I have plans for a few digital pages here and there. I use photoshop. I am a professional photographer as well, so photoshop is easy for me.

I try to sit down at some point on a Monday (why do I do that to myself?!?) to work on the previous week's project life pages. I haven't been as consistent with it the past month or so, but we've had a lot going on in regular life.

I'm on a couple of creative teams, so depending on what's up for releases that week I will work on a layout for them. That depends on when the kit is available to us etc.

My kids are both teenagers, so I should start taking more time for myself in the evenings to play with photoshop more. I used to scrap on a much more regular basis and I miss that creative time.

@Kate: Since Monday is a terrible day to try to scrapbook regularly, I've always run my weekly project life from Saturday to Friday, that way I can lay the photos out over the weekend. It's been much easier to stay on top of this way.

@Marisa: Monday is a terrible day, which is why I thought working on my pages would make it better lol

I like my weekends together, so my week runs Mon - Sun. I have recently been working on previous weeks (I'm 10 weeks behind on this year) on weekends and that's been working out well, so I might try to just work the previous week so I can move my time to weekends.

While all my children were living at home, after 10 pm was MY time to do what i enjoyed. No phone calls, no knocks at the door and everyone tucked away in their beds while I turned up the music and had FUN. I would sew, make cards and just play. Sometimes as late as 4am if I was on a roll...and I loved it. Now my hubby still works and everyone has moved out and on to their own lives so I have much more time and yet I get less done lol.

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