Leaving a part of paper crafting ?

I have, though maybe not the way you mean. I've always been mainly a traditional scrapbooker (started as 8.5x11 but switched early to 12x12) I did dabble in making other stuff out of my scrap supplies (cards, ornaments, decoration, etc) but nothing major, I think I felt I needed to make more use of all the money I spent.

A couple years ago, I just got busier and stopped doing anything other than just trying to keep up with scrapbooking. It was hard because we had moved into a smaller house, my supplies were in a closet so I had to take them out each time I wanted to use them, and I had inherited all my moms photos I needed to do something with. I spent almost 4 years making scrapbooks for other family members out of my moms photos (plus all the sorting). I was burned out, I was sick of the clutter, I was sick of the cost. What I really wanted was just to get back to the basics of scrapping my child, and myself. That is what I really love to do.

Last summer, I sold everything. All of my supplies. I never though I would (I had been paper scrapping for almost 20 years!), but honestly it was the best decision I could have made. I needed the break, I needed the space back, I needed to save money. I knew I wasn't stopping scrapbooking, but I was going to change to digital. I finally started back up a couple weeks ago after taking the last year off, as I was missing working on my sons photos. I have a new found love for scrapbooking again. So much so, I've decided to convert everything to digital so I can have nice thin coffee table type photo books.

It's been a fantastic decision for me. I'm loving what I'm working on, I'm spending very little money doing it, and there is nothing to clean up. I haven't regretted it for a second. It did take me some time to get used to not shopping for supplies, and I still occasionally will go look around at Joanns or Michels, but I'm not tempted at all, it's more nostalgic. I love the way my pages looks so much more than I ever did paper scrapping. I think in part, because I use Photoshop a lot at my job, so it's been a natural transition for me, and fairly simple. I have so much more creative choices now.

My only regret is that I didn't switch sooner. (Really, I feel remorse over all the money I wasted in unused supplies.) I'm not saying I regret paper scrapping, as digital wasn't a thing when I started, just that I let it get out of hand like so many.

I started scrapping 12x12 - but I have gone to almost exclusively to 8.5 x 11. I am really a clean & simple scrapper so I have gotten rid of most of my extra supplies. I only kept things I loved.

I do PL as well - and will continue until my boys graduate (in 4 years). What I have learned though, is that I don't use a ton of remade PL cards and even fewer 'filler' cards. Its just not my style. I like to make my own PL cards from 6x6 papers, wahsi and whatnot.

I have found that by cleaning out the crap - I am actually more productive and love what I make even more. When I have piles of supplies laying around I am way less creative.

I totally know what you mean and I did it.

when we moved, we moved to a more expensive city so the house we bought is smaller. I did get a scrap room, but it's TINY, especially in comparison to my old one. I majorly downsized my stash. But it was a good thing. I only kept stuff I really like and will use!

I also had a new baby in that timeframe and just wanted to scrap and not do all the other stuff. I just wanted to focus on photos and memory keeping for him. Plus I had much, much less time to create.

Some stuff that I "left":

I had a ton of mini albums. Finished and blank. I haven't made a mini in years. They're a pain in the neck to store since they're not uniform in size. I got rid of a bunch (most) blank mini books and even some finished ones that I didn't really like or I did for an assignment and they didn't mean anything to me. Saved me a ton of space and it was so freeing!

I also ditched a ton of alterable items and things I was saving to alter. Again, they are a space issue and I hadn't been doing it in years. I threw out projects I'd done that were now falling apart or that I had done for LSS or DT assignments that I didn't really like how it turned out, etc. Gone. Again, very freeing.

These two things (along with some general purging) freed up an entire armoire, which I didn't have room for in my new room anyway! 

We do have some lovely built in bookshelves in our family room in the new house, so that has been a blessing for the proliferous scrapping I'm doing for DS, now that it's pretty much my only focus. I need the space for albums 

I'm definitely a "let it go" person if it doesn't have a purpose, bring you joy, etc. I should also say that I still have a lovely stash, and some might even say it's large, but it's now nicely curated and I'm using it much more.

I definitely get what you are saying. I would say my participation in this hobby has evolved over time and I've had times where I've favored some things or let go of others. I used to try to "do it all" as far as scrapping every moment and making cards for everything. I have let go of making cards all the time, as I just wasn't feeling it, and really wanted more time to spend on my photos. That said, once in a while I make up a few basic "thinking of you" and birthday cards to have on hand.

I feel like I can give so many examples of where I sort of go through phases with this, but to answer your most basic question, no I have never regret choosing what works for me right now.

I didn't do any traditional scrapping for a few years and did solely digital, then when I tried a project life style album I got back into traditional. I am also someone who didn't want a million albums, so I've cut way down on what I scrap and try to really tell the meaningful stories along with the everyday glimpse of reality. Like when I attempted a project life style album for 2013 I ended up with 2 full albums, but now for the years 2014 and 2015 I only have about 20 layouts completed (with some more on the to do list).

I would say just do what works for you now. If there's something you think you are going to want to come back to maybe don't completely get rid of all your supplies. I have a method where I pack things away that I don't want to get rid of but maybe will use (clothes, kitchen supplies, etc) and if I go looking for it then fine. If I see the packed away box a year later, I just donate it. For me I've let go of over-organizing supplies and trying to plan out everything I will scrap. Doing what feels good in the moment and what gets my creative juices flowing works much better for me to be productive.

I haven't done a 12x12 layout for a few years. I'm doing mostly pocket pages, or smaller layouts (6x8). I've gotten so much more done! I will probably do some 12x12 layouts again at some point though.

Yes and no. I was a stamper first and foremost and then got into scrapping as a sideline to that, and discovered I really enjoyed photography and scrapbooking more so the stamping just kind of naturally fell off. I didn't make the mistake (which for me it would have been) of getting rid of ALL of my stamps and stuff because I knew I would want to come back to some of it again at some point. I had a former friend who did that, got rid of ALL of her stuff and then ended up wanting to come back to it and had to buy all of that expensive stuff all over again and I didn't want to end up like that! 

While it has taken quite some time (as in, probably close to 15 years!!), I find myself wanting to do more stamping and card making again now. (Not that I want to scrap less, I just also want to stamp again.) I do want to pare down what I have because I never really had the time or the space to go through my stamps and get rid of anything before, and will probably get rid of about 40% of my collection that I know I'll likely never ever use again before I'm done. In the process of doing that, I hope to get what I have left organized in a much more effective way so I know what I have and can find it when I want to use it. I have some pretty eclectic things in my collection and I couldn't imagine ever getting rid of everything.

I'm in the same konmari boat as you. I am making some changes and leaving some projects behind (I'll get to that in a minute) but really konmari is giving me the space to really reconsider my hobby and how if fulfills my needs - I will be genuinely shocked if I feel regret once this is all said and done. I spent a week and went through every scrapbook item I own and I got rid of three boxes of tools and random supplies and a ten-inch stack of paper. I made some realizations and corresponding strategic decisions during this process (sorry, this is going to be long):

1) Realization -
    I'm not happy with the end goal I've been working towards (lots of random scrapbook pages in albums by year, a couple of themed albums, several unfinished mini albums that I hate,
    a few unfinished December Daily albums, and a failed Project Life that somehow still has the expectation that it will be done + caught up)

    Decision -
    A)I am completely over Project Life as a comprehensive yearly album. I love using pocket pages in conjunction with regular scrapbooking, so most of those supplies are still worthy of
    staying in my stash, but the idea that I have to use them to record daily/monthly/yearly is gone.
    B)I like photobooks - as such it makes sense to make a family yearbook with the highlight photos taken throughout the year. This is a project I can knock out in a day or two, have
    printed as an 8x8 book, and feel accomplished. These will be what I send with my kids as they leave home (we homeschool - so they won't have school yearbooks, hence this making
    sense for our family in particular) 
    C)My 12x12 scrapbooks will become themed albums with a smaller focus and a better defined end goal for each. 
    D)I want to continue with December Daily, but I plan to be more flexible - Not every day needs to be documented  To simplify the approach and storage I am going to have them all
    in the same red Snap albums. 


2) Realization - 
    I've wasted a lot of money and storage space on "necessities" that I am never going to use. Case in point - the hundred or so chipboard mini album pages I've squirreled away. Or the
    four identical spools of ribbon (times infinity - seriously, who needs this much ribbon?). Or the 40 colors of cardstock that I NEVER reach for. 
    
    Decision -
    A)Except for rare "staples," most supplies will only ever be used on 2-3 pages before I get bored with them. I first need to shop with that in mind, and also be ok with discarding the
    portion that just isn't going to be used.
    B)Years ago I remember Ali Edwards posting on her blog that she had reduced the colors of cardstock she kept on hand to white/cream/kraft/black/red. This idea really resonates
    with me, because I just don't go looking for the perfect shade of cardstock anymore. Add grey and navy to Ali's list and you have mine.
    
3) Realization - 
    I love kits. No, I mean I LOOOOOOVE kits. And truth be told I find myself more creatively satisfied when I've started with a kit. That being said I've gone off the deep end when it
    comes to kits - I've made too many, I've bought too many and my space has not been set up to deal with the collection of kits I own.
   
    Decision -     
    A) I removed the supplies that I don't like/I'll never use from the kits, and broke apart a couple of them. I boxed up 90% of my kits and are storing them out of the room. This gives
    me space to use the ones I've kept out without issues or guilt. I can then go "shop" my stash before I go out and buy a ton more stuff. 
    B) I need to set up easy to access storage for my "active" kits (an iris cart, maybe?)

4) Realization -
    I like making cards, but I don't care for the time and space suck they can be when I try to make cards like Jennifer McGuire. 

    Decision -
    A)The cards I enjoy making the most are the ones that help me bust my stash of scraps. I really need to focus any purchasing I do for cards on things like sentiment stamps instead
    of cute images I am going to use for all of one card. 
    B)It is ok if I don't make a home made card for each and every person I know. Buying a card for someone doesn't undervalue the sentiment. 
    C)I enjoy creating cards the most when it is a "warm up" for scrapbooking. I need to prioritize this processes if I want to feel like my creative time is being used to the fullest.
    
5) Realization -
    My collection of unscrapped memorabilia is truly problematic, and I have to admit that I am deep down a sentimental fool. I need to have a heart to heart with myself and get this
    figured out and under control.

    Decision - 
    A)I need to go through and deal with this stuff with a realistic attitude. I'm giving myself until April to get through it. What stays needs to be put in my scrapbooks and what goes
    needs to be thanked and let go of.
    B)I need to set up a system to deal with this stuff as it comes in. No more stashing it in a box and forgetting about it until the accumulation is downright embarrassing. 

6) Realization -
    I HATE the work space I have. If this is what I want to spend my time doing then I deserve a desk and work space that actually works with me instead of against me.

    Decision -
    I am going to splurge on a desk (well two - one for me, one for my husband). I'm pretty sure I'm going to be getting the Bekant corner desk from ikea. Unfortunately I am going to
    have to wait until after we move in the spring.
            

Great post rune2484 - a lot of your thought processes really resonate with me.

I would say I've done that with a few different things...

I started out making stamped and colored cards (a la Stampin' Up!), and for a number of years made greeting cards for all holidays, birthdays, etc. Then it got to be more of a 'chore' so I only made them for Christmas. Then, not even that. I still occasionally make cards, but for some reason--  because of the way I started out, I guess-- a handmade card always needed to have a stamped, colored image on it. (I know that doesn't make sense, but that's how I see it.)  Until a couple weeks ago, when I made a few cards out of actual 'scrapbooking' supplies-- die-cuts, tags, etc. It really had never occurred to me to make a card with 'scrapbooking' supplies, lol! I will probably make cards very rarely in the future, but not ever like I used to. Like you said, making cards just doesn't 'give me joy' any more like making a SB page does.


I very rarely will stamp an icon, image, word, or phrase to use on my SB pages, but that's the extent of my stamping now-- no stamped / colored in images any more.

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I used to make and trade ATC cards (Artist Trading Cards), but with no place to trade them in person, it really wasn't fun for me-- there are places to trade via the internet, but I'd rather have face-to-face interaction.

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I art journal sometimes (it comes and goes-- depends on what's going on in my life) and I started out including writing on every page-- like 'diary' writing on an artistic background. I used to think they 'needed' to have words on, I guess, because that's how the teacher did it in the classes I took. Over the past year or so, my art journal pages have changed to be just collage, images, doodles, etc. I don't write on them at all any more; it's just the act of making the page that's therapeutic.



I probably have done more major changes than that, but those are the ones I can think of right now.

oh, and as for strictly scrapbooking related-- I started out doing chronological scrapping, and got so stifled by always being 'behind' that it stopped me from scrapping at all for about 5 years. I got back into it when I realized I could use D-ring albums (I had strap-hinge ones prior to that) and I could scrap only what I wanted, whenever I wanted, and put them in whatever order I wanted to!! It was great!!

Most of my photos live on my computer which I am perfectly okay with, I make only the pages that I want when I'm inspired by them, and I mostly make vacation layouts with a (very) rare 'heartfelt journaling' layout in there every once in a while.


ETA:  I totally agree with this:

"Realization -
I've wasted a lot of money and storage space on "necessities" that I am never going to use. Case in point - the hundred or so chipboard mini album pages I've squirreled away. Or the     four identical spools of ribbon (times infinity - seriously, who needs this much ribbon?). Or the 40 colors of cardstock that I NEVER reach for.  (I used to go to the Bazzill warehouse sale; I have colors of cardstock that I will NEVER use-- parrot green?? really?? and yet, there they still sit, taking up space.)
    
Decision -
A)Except for rare "staples," most supplies will only ever be used on 2-3 pages before I get bored with them. I first need to shop with that in mind, and also be ok with discarding the portion that just isn't going to be used.  (I am the same way; I save scraps of cardstock, bits of ribbon, etc. and never use it all-- I am getting better about discarding extremely small pieces, but need to be more realistic about the fact that I won't use the items because I just don't like them any more and stop letting them take up space.)
    B)Years ago I remember Ali Edwards posting on her blog that she had reduced the colors of cardstock she kept on hand to white/cream/kraft/black/red. This idea really resonates with me, because I just don't go looking for the perfect shade of cardstock anymore. Add grey and navy to Ali's list and you have mine. (This is a great idea!! I should really go through my completed pages, look for the predominant background colors, and do the same thing. Mine might be white, cream, tan, brown, rust / orange, blue, to go with the majority of photos I scrap, but this is a much more streamlined way to do it.)

I did Stampin' Up the first year or so of my being in this hobby, then realized there was a whole other world of paper crafting out there! I ditched SU and made cards for about 4 years, owned a stamp company for 2 years, then did nothing creative for a year as I was burnt out. It's just been since this summer that I've been regularly crafting again and I'm really enjoying myself.

Right around the time I started my stamp company I did a huge purge based on things I had come to realized about myself as a paper crafter.

1. I don't like to color. I had a large stash of Copics and a full set of Prismacolor pencils. I sold them all. Now if I want something colored, I paper piece it.

2. I am a lazy crafter. I have no interest in getting messy with mixed media supplies, water coloring, spray mists or hand stitching on my projects. I'm not interested in techniques like heat embossing, embossing folders/plates, alcohol inks, etc. I got rid of most things that fall into technique stamping/paper crafting.

3. I dont alter. As much as I love the idea and think it would be fun, I just don't do it. I have no one to give altered things to and I don't want to keep them for myself. I have a two big boxes full of stuff sitting in the garage, waiting to be altered. I will never do it, so they will be going out the door in my next purge.

4. I love kits! I recently signed up for the SSS card kit and the SU Paper Pumpkin kit and am looking for maybe one more to check out. I don't particularly like my closest LSS and the next closest is an hour away, so having supplies curated and show up at my doorstep makes me happy.

Since I started crafting again, I've made a few layouts for our wedding album (I am not a scrapbooker otherwise) and a couple dozen christmas cards. I signed up for the christmas card swap so have a lot more that I would like to make before the mailing deadline.

I have been scrapping for 18-plus years. Lately, I've decided to focus on 12 x 12 layouts only. December is so freaking busy I really don't need to add December Daily scrapping to that list. And PL is pointless because some days are so mundane I bore myself. Nobody really wants to see the wicked ironing I do, my fabulous color-coded laundry system, or dusting the ceiling fan blades. Maybe if my kids were tiny or toddlers, PL would appeal to me.

Since reading the KonMari book, I now throw any the tiny bits and pieces of scrap paper and don't feel any guilt about it. I used to make handmade papers (with those tiny bits) but I have plenty of handmade papers on hand so I ditched the papermaking supplies. I'm not into coloring so goodbye Prismacolor pencils. And I like watercolors but only the intense shades of the tube colors (goodbye cheap kiddie watercolor sets).

I've been focusing on the quality of what I own and what I like: if there's something that is in the "iffy" category, it goes. I chop up sticker sheets to get the three I like and discard the rest. I've built a lot of counterfeit kits because I like the idea of subbing to a kit but I have too many supplies to justify adding a kit sub to the mix.

I still have a lot of cardstock colors: I scrap bright colors (think Gymboree and Doodlebug) and those colors have gone out of style and I don't think I'll be able to replace them easily. So I use what I've got and discard what I think is muddy, dull, or just not my style. Instead of gray, blue and cream, I've got raspberry, orange and spring green and I use them often. i don't think I could create with only four cardstock colors but that's just me.

I have gone thru organizing several years ago and recently I purged a lot of so-so items. They went to a Girl Scout troop and vacation bible school this summer. I don't know (and no longer care) what will happen to the goodies after donating them: it's out of my hands and I'm OK with that.

So I guess the "leaving behind" is parting with the things that seem more like work than joyful hobby. My stamp collection now fits in a single box, the fibers and ribbons are gone, and I like what is left of my streamlined collection. No regrets!

rune2484, Love your post and how you have thought through your dilemmas and resolved them (or plan to).

pelirroja, love that you can do that with your stickers. I keep them together for a while, but will then separate them into their parts per my organization (labels/tags, flowers, hearts, etc.) But it still takes me a long, long time to pitch what I think I won't use. AND... I'm totally interested in your color-coded laundry system!!!

I'm like anniefb in that I go through phases. I started out in card making (a la SU!) and became a demonstrator. I found joy in techniques and then really became excited with scrapbooking. I stopped being a demonstrator (never had a regret about that) as I realized I wanted to branch out with other supplies. A few years later I learned to digi scrapbook, never gave up the paper though. Then I branched out to art journaling and have even gotten back into card making. Although I'm not as technique driven in many of my crafts, I know that I will most likely get back into it eventually.

I gave up all of my Christmas/holiday paper because I NEVER EVER, EVER used it or desired to scrap the holiday. I had maybe 2 pages in 10 years. I love the Christmas season. It was always held at my house. We moved states. It is no longer at my house and now because I'm not expending tons of energy on extended family affairs, I find myself wanting to capture our holiday now. Go figure. Probably my way of compensating for missing the family gathering. I'm rebuying Christmas stash now.

Yes, I think that was part of my problem, too much work. It's not that it's not enjoyable to shop or organize, it's just that I got into the habit of doing that more than I scrapbooked!
I also think you can get to a point where you have too much stuff. It makes it harder to pick out what to use, what tools to utilize. I enjoyed paper scrapping much more when all I had was a rolling tote and I went to crops. Once it transitioned into having a scrap space, it was overwhelming at times. I also think visiting sites like 2peas with all the fancy layouts contributed (at least for me) to feeling like I needed more to keep up. More tools, more new products, etc. I'm thankful I've gotten away from that. I'm having fun again.