PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,351
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 22, 2021 16:42:14 GMT
An acquaintance has been collecting scrapbook supplies for over 25 years, but with four active children never made/had time to scrap. Given her youngest child graduated from high school this year & starts college out of state in the fall, she has decided to start making layouts to distract from her empty nest. She wants each page to accurately reflect the time period, so her summer project has been to organize her supplies by YEAR! Her intention is to scrap each photo chronologically using supplies available at the time (ie the same year or earlier) or released the year after the date it was taken; if the earlier, current, & next year supplies are depleted, she'll start using supplies produced the following year & so forth. She believes scrapping by year will make the process much faster because it identifies supplies that reflect trendy colors/icons/etc. reflected in her photos at the time, so she's not searching through a couple decades of supplies, plus she'll use all the older supplies in her inventory that she may not otherwise choose if not scrapping chronologically. Thoughts?
*UPDATE (12/12/2021):
Since my acquaintance's scrapbooking purchases were stored & labeled by year in her craft room closet, organizing over two decades of supplies was less time-consuming than expected. Cardstock, tools, & generic embellishments (e.g. sequins) bought over the years had become part of her cardmaking inventory that can be used on any layout. Her photos & memorabilia were not already stored together, so they required much more time to gather & sort than her supplies.
Once everything was organized, she reports her unique approach works well. She plans the order of photos/memorabilia in the album, then adds coordinating cardstock & tools to the year’s supplies to create an album kit. Having bought few full collections, she enjoys mixing/matching supplies from various manufacturers. Scraps are kept & used on subsequent layouts, plus supplies are gotten from & moved into the next year as needed. She noted her first album is finished & the second album underway!
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Post by aj2hall on Jul 22, 2021 16:55:00 GMT
Interesting approach. I don’t think it would work for me, I don’t think that way. I don’t scrap chronologically, I skip around. So, my scrapbooks do have a mix of older & newer stuff and styles. I’m OK with that.
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Post by peachiceteas on Jul 22, 2021 17:11:06 GMT
I really like that approach. It's definitely a unique way of looking at it.
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Post by cmpeter on Jul 22, 2021 17:46:47 GMT
I’m not sure I could get my supplies organized by year…that sounds like a real chore.
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Post by ScrapbookMyLife on Jul 22, 2021 17:50:07 GMT
I scrapbook chronologically. Meaning photos. By year, January to December.
I think categorizing scrapbook product by chronological year, would be too limiting.
I think whatever works best with the photo(s) should be used, no matter the year it was manufactured, produced, released, etc...
In the scrapbooking world, the product turnover rate, is frequent and seasonal. Most new product releases happen once, so either you acquire it then or you don't get it.
I have product that I've had for years, I don't limit how or when I use it.
I frequently use older product and newer product on the same page layout.
I wouldn't want to have any product limits, rules, or constraints, etc... imposed on my scrapbooking, by either myself or someone else.
That is the reason why I won't make scrapbooks for anyone else. I don't want anyone telling me >> what products, colors, size, etc... I have to use. Plus, between the costs of the products and the labor costs to make a completed scrapbook, are much more than the majority of people would be willing to pay.
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Post by Linda on Jul 22, 2021 18:22:09 GMT
If that works for her - great!
I don't think it would work for me...not least of all because some of the photos I'm scrapping pre-date my scrapbook supply acquistions by a decade or more (and I'm really not interested in scrapping much of anything with early 90s supplies, lol)
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Post by kmage on Jul 22, 2021 18:26:34 GMT
(and I'm really not interested in scrapping much of anything with early 90s supplies, lol) Amen. My days of using the Coluzzle are OVER.  |
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Post by joblackford on Jul 22, 2021 19:22:17 GMT
Not the way I'd do it, but if it works for her I can see the logic. Especially limiting her supplies, which is pretty effective for reducing the number of decisions to make and getting pages made. I hope it works out for her. And even if it doesn't, sorting through all her stuff will help her know what she has and hopefully inspire her to get started  |
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Post by infochick on Jul 22, 2021 20:30:02 GMT
Wow...that is quite a take on chronological scrapping. Sometimes I feel inspired to dig deep in my stash to use up old supplies because they go with a photo and I love them. Sometimes I look at them and cringe. While it could be a fun challenge, I think it would feel to limiting for me and I might not feel inspired by working with dated products. I like the freedom of being able to pair old with new. For me it would be an unnecessary chore that would suck some of the fun out of scrapbooking. It also means that unless she "catches up" which I think is very difficult, she will always be working with old product. There is satisfaction with using up old stash for sure, but there is also a great deal of pleasure that can be found in getting inspiration from something new. A balance works best for me.
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Post by honeypea on Jul 22, 2021 20:37:52 GMT
I’ve sort of done this when working on old PL albums. I just instinctively root for the old supplies.
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Post by mamagidget on Jul 22, 2021 20:49:28 GMT
Sounds interesting! Please keep us updated on how she gets on, would love to hear her thoughts!
Sorting supplies by year would be interesting.
I personally like the freedom to mix and match old and new and everything in between too much.
I can appreciate her idea that matching supplies and photos from the same era would reflect on the times. However, as some have pointed out, supplies from the earlier days of scrapbooking were limited.
I would not be happy if all I allowed myself to use was construction paper and Mrs. Grossman's stickers in my son's baby album, simply because the plethora of adorable baby boy collections had yet to be made yet, even though they are now available.
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Elsabelle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,612 
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Post by Elsabelle on Jul 22, 2021 20:54:34 GMT
I've never heard of anyone planning that way. I wouldn't do it myself because I no longer care for some of the older scrapbook styles and phases. If I don't like something in my stash I toss it. But your friend is probably thinking of all those supplies she bought and wished she had the time to use and still likes her older stuff. Hopefully she'll be happy with her layouts and is OK with changing things up if she finds she doesn't want to stick to that plan. Empty nest syndrome is hard. Maybe she's purposely setting up a big project to keep herself busier than necessary.
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Post by MARIBETHR on Jul 22, 2021 21:00:39 GMT
Great idea! I would have difficulty organizing my supplies by year, but kuddos to your friend for taking on this challenge and she will create memorable pages that she and her children will cherish.
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Post by scrappyem on Jul 22, 2021 21:25:43 GMT
Super interesting idea. I'll be curious if she sticks with it. I'm not sure I'd want to go back like that, but if nothing else, she has a good handle on her stash and she can evolve the project over time.
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Post by refugeepea on Jul 22, 2021 22:41:35 GMT
That would not work for me. I rarely buy an entire collection. As soon as it is in my home, I'm taking items out of packages separating them into themed categories that make sense to me. Even if they come from the same line. Part of the fun of scrapping for me is making a page with items from multiple companies. Something old, something new, and I do use a lot of blue! 
Also, like fashion, there are trends in scrapping, but not necessarily anything that's relevant to the year they were made. Like the grunge phase, the vintage looking phase, and others I can't think of right now.
I'm envious of your friend though! I'd love to have all that time to make LOTS of pages!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 22, 2021 22:47:01 GMT
For me, I would feel overwhelmed, simply because it would feel like a project (figuring out which supplies go with which year) on top of a project (actually scrapping).
As it is now, the only way I get any scrapping done is to grab and go, picking the first supplies that work, and sticking it down.
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jediannie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,855
Jun 30, 2014 3:19:06 GMT
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Post by jediannie on Jul 22, 2021 23:56:49 GMT
I’ve sort of done this when working on old PL albums. I just instinctively root for the old supplies. I also do this with PL layouts, since a lot of the kits I have have cards with the year in them. BUT, I don't limit myself to just those cards, I'll use whatever suits the layout too, but if there's a year on the card I want to use it for that year, if that makes sense. |
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Post by AussieMeg on Jul 23, 2021 0:22:49 GMT
That would be waaaaaaay too limiting for my liking.
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Post by 950nancy on Jul 23, 2021 0:30:34 GMT
I could not do that. I probably could with some of my paper, but I don't keep packaging on my things and would have no idea. I like not limiting myself and just picking what I like at the time.
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cycworker
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,375
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Post by cycworker on Jul 23, 2021 5:50:12 GMT
I couldn't do that. I don't keep most stuff in the original packaging.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,478
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 23, 2021 6:57:29 GMT
I am intrigued by this idea and I think it's a gusty move. I'm another one who stores lots of products out of packaging so would struggle to sort my stash by age, but I can see how this might work, especially where colour combinations and icons are reflected in both paper lines and clothing/toys in the same years.
I'd be interested in a follow up post to see how she finds working with her stash in this way.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,331
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Post by amom23 on Jul 23, 2021 14:00:49 GMT
Interesting idea, but I too wouldn't be able to figure out what year I purchased anything.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,042
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Post by artbabe on Jul 23, 2021 14:40:19 GMT
That sounds like a nightmare to organize.
I don't scrap chronologically at all, so in one sitting I will do pages spanning 18 years. I definitely don't want to do the kids baby pictures with the products they had 18 years ago when the newer products are so cute.
I do have a lot of old October Afternoon and Basic Grey, but I got rid of most of my old paper lines a long time ago. I can't imagine trying to put everything in date order.
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Post by grammadee on Jul 23, 2021 15:02:58 GMT
This would not be for me for several reasons, the first being I HATE SORTING AND ORGANIZING! I also love grabbing pieces from several different collections and manufacturers and years to put together my cards and pages. That being said, this may be the perfect solution for your friend, PaperAngel. #1. It might make the process less overwhelming for her. She doesn't have to look for EVERY option to scrap a certain age or activity or holiday, just the supplies that go with the year of the photo. #2. The colours of the papers and the images on them may reflect more accurately the clothes and activities her kids were doing at the time of the pic's. #3. She may have purchased her supplies with the year's activities and kids' young personalities in mind, so it would be no surprise that the two fit together perfectly. |
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Post by steakgoddess on Jul 23, 2021 15:03:03 GMT
Half the stuff I own isn’t dated, I have no idea how she will be able to do this.
I feel this is really limiting. But, it’s also not nearly anything like my process. I enjoy mixing old and new supplies.
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Post by scrapcat on Jul 23, 2021 15:16:57 GMT
Sounds like an interesting project. I think it kind of makes sense in the way that she is going to be documenting a lot of years, so I could see not wanting to use the same summer collection for different years. Kind of like wanting them to have their own space. I don't think I would be so strict about the date of the supplies, but maybe just the variety?! I will be curious if she is able to make progress.
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Post by refugeepea on Jul 24, 2021 18:39:52 GMT
I also do this with PL layouts, since a lot of the kits I have have cards with the year in them. BUT, I don't limit myself to just those cards, I'll use whatever suits the layout too, but if there's a year on the card I want to use it for that year, if that makes sense.  I was quite proud of myself for using up a lot of a 2015 Simple Stories journaling cards pack. It pays to be behind in scrapping.  |
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Post by hop2 on Jul 25, 2021 1:50:39 GMT
It is definitely an interesting take on chronological scrapping. I’m very interested in how that works out for her.
However, how on earth would you know when a paper or product was from?
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Post by riversong1963 on Jul 25, 2021 15:35:28 GMT
I think that if that works for her, that's great.
Personally, I don't think that would be a very enjoyable approach for me. I think it would be frustrating and limiting, and I would end up feeling exhausted and frustrated. It would probably suck all the joy out of scrapbooking for me. I prefer to use what I like and not worry about when the products were manufactured.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,144
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Post by scrapnnana on Jul 25, 2021 22:56:27 GMT
I’m not sure I could get my supplies organized by year…that sounds like a real chore. That was my first thought. |
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I was quite proud of myself for using up a lot of a 2015 Simple Stories journaling cards pack. It pays to be behind in scrapping. 
