Do you pre-make layouts?

I've made three. Two have gotten used but they took a long time to get used. The third one is super cute but just sitting there waiting for the right picture to come along. When I want to do something scrapbook related I cut things with my Silhouette. Basic shapes, foliage, and flowers always get used. Sometimes I will use this punch (good deal!) out of white cardstock and adhere 2-3 layers. I can either use them white or add a layer of patterned paper and they make great finishing touches on layouts.

almost never but I did make one earlier this month - mostly because I downloaded a cut file that I had the perfect photo idea for and just went ahead and made the page and have scheduled the photo (once the pumpkin patch opens)

Like you, I have realized that I have a really hard time getting photos on the pages that I have done in advance so I don't make them. If I want to play I am more likely to spend some time kitting up supplies together--mostly just pulling old papers and embellishments to go with some of my newer supplies so that things get used up. I have so many layouts from classes which I have never put photos on. I actually ended up selling many of them in a garage sale.

That said, I just pulled out some Simple Stories birthday paper from 2011 to use on a layout I have planned and found several completed pages (minus the photos) tucked in with it. I am going to plan on using at least one of the layouts as a facing page--maybe even two of the layouts as I have a few photos. I need to modernize them a bit, but it will be good to finally get them into an album.

Nope, that would not work for my style of scrapping. I did attend a scrapbook retreat where the ladies worked with a CTMH consultant to pre make tons of layouts. The consultant would design and make the first set, they would copy them. On an average 3 day weekend these ladies could crank out 30-50 layouts. They said they never had issue filling them up.

I did love to pregame albums from kits though.

No; I create one layout at a time from start to finish s-l-o--w--l---y...

Nope. I’m so specific about each photo that I build the whole page around it. It wouldn’t work for me because I cut 4x6 photos down to really awkward sizes or put embellishments or layer photos to hide unwanted things in the photo.

I have never bought a kit or attended a scrapbooking class as I have a style unique to me so am never interested in these types of pre made layouts. I have, however, made a few pocket pages when I had a few themed but random items I wanted to keep together that I pre make and store and match at a later time to photos. Generally I will make these when I’m in a creative rut and can only handle designing something 4x6 or 3x4 or smaller, or if I have an amazing idea in my brain that I just have to release onto cardstock right away.

In the past I have also preplanned albums like witl, ditl and dd as I usually use products from the year before for these and find it easier to complete if the basics are done and I just have to add photos and journaling. It was also a great idea for me to do this so that I could see that I had four years worth of witl items inc albums ready to go so I really didn’t need to buy more this year!

I have a ton of them. I also have 7 years of photos that need to be scrapped. One day I hope the photos and premade layouts will meet.

I have in the past and really enjoyed putting them together. But when it comes down to actually putting photos on them, it doesn't usually work out. I have a double page l/o that I made at an old CK convention using October Afternoon papers. I love that l/o and still have it but haven't found any of my plain 'ol photos that do it justice. Will keep trying though.
Great question @breetheflea.

I don't, because like others, they don't work with photos, or I don't feel inspired to use them, etc, etc.

If I want to play with paper, and glue things together, but don't want to actually make a page, I will make cards. Even simple ones where I can just play with paper. Or, you could also make a folio type album or file folder album, and just pick out papers to decorate it. Sometimes I do that too, just to make something.

I'm digital so I will pre-make layouts in the sense that I will open a digital template, add all the photos to the photo spots, and add the journaling or at least some bullet points of what happened. Then I save this file in my To Be Scrapped folder with the date & theme/topic in my filename. Once a kit comes out that will go with a certain theme or topic, the page is already half done and only the papers, elements, and title will need to be added. I don't enjoy page design when it comes to using more than 1-2 photos so this works really well for me.

I’ve done it in the long ago past, but stopped doing it because my pictures never seemed to go with my pre-made layouts.

No, I feel like it would be a total waste for me. I print photos in many different sizes, and never know what I’m going to use until I go to scrap them, and sometimes even then I’ll change my mind. I feel like I’d never sift through them.

Yes. I have been doing this a lot lately. However, I'm talking about for October Daily and December Daily.

So I've been playing with paper and making some mixed media things to use on layouts. But it's never a complete layout.

I made some paper with watercolor and stamps, and some other things using stamping and stencils. Those aren't pages but already I have used one in a page.

I have lots of pre-made pages. Like yesterday I stitched on this bat I printed out and made a pocket. It will not be hard to find a story to match that. We do lots of Halloween-themed stuff in October.

Will I be able to do this for a travel journal? I'm not sure. I usually travel to places I haven't been so I don't know what to expect.
Also my travel journals are more like pocket pages (like project life style). I don't think I could do something like that in advance. And to me, the point of those projects is that you have all kinds of ready-made cards to use as filler. It's supposed to be quick.

I would say if you want to play with paper, don't make layouts, make your own paper with stamps or other things you have.
I need to be creative. It's really been helping my anxiety levels lately. I don't care if I never use what I make. It's just paper. But is my heart rate more normal? Yes.