2017 Scrapbooking Goals

I've been thinking about this, too.

My 2017 goals:

Some type of daily memory keeping/journaling. I've just about decided that I will use a Hobonichi Techo Cousin for this project.

More intentional purchasing and less buying "because it's cute". I've done a pretty good job this year but I know (by looking at this year's purchases) I could do better.

Continue to work on organizing and purging. Those Kallax shelves need to be assembled and put to use.

Cards - it's always about the cards for me. 2017 goal is 1,000 cards for charitable causes.

I definitely agree with both...especially the "make myself a priority" and "make my hobby a priority". I could have written this myself. I do for everyone else and constantly put myself at the bottom. Scrapbooking is very therapeutic for me and I rarely ever sit and make time for it and it's one of my favorite things to do!

The buying...yes, yes, yes. I need to stop and actually start using what I'm buying lol.


This is a great question btw.

I too "should" get my scrappy spending under control. Problem is that "putting myself first" sometimes goes overboard to mean in the moment, "I DESERVE to have these nice things after spending so much time and energy and money on other people all my life".

I am hoping to continue to have fun with--and take photos of--my family members when I can. And then spend the time in between putting those photos on scrapbook pages. That isn't so much a goal as a continuation of a way of life.

I DO have some photos from this past year that did not get into any of my albums.  I have ideas and even titles in my head for how I had planned to scrap them, but never got to them.  I tend to scrap the newest photos first, and sometimes batches of photos or specific insights or events get lost in the shuffle.  At the end of each year, if I don't want to get overwhelmed, I usually declare all my albums "CLOSED and FINISHED" and I pack up my unused photos. 

I think this year I will select those batches I had plans for and package them up into page kits, complete with papers and maybe some embellishments & stickers as well as sticky notes with my journaling and title ideas) so when I go to a crop I can take them with me and get them scrapped.  I don't usually do page kits, but I can see this may be helpful in this case.

I also hope to continue to create most of the cards we send (birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas), and want to create a reserve of sympathy cards. I too think that freeatlast 's card making goal is amazing. I sometimes join into calls for specific cards, but don't tend to do this as the norm.

I think this is what I want to do too. I spend too much time procrastinating and too little actually scrapping.
One year, I'd like to finish my albums from that year's vacations before the end of the year. This year, I don't even have all the photos printed!

What a great topic, LavenderLayoutLady! I love being asked to reflect and make goals for 2017 before the end of the year madness.

1. Edit: I want to think through what I keep a memory of and why. While I'm already a pretty minimalist PLer with a very minimalist stash, I have come to realise that some of my spreads read more like a social media feed than the sweet nectar extract of my life. From having gone through my childhood pictures recently, I've taken a few things on board to make my PL experience more enjoyable both in the short and long runs. I'm going back to monthly spreads with a month-in-review card and less "filler" photos of my life because I (and that's only valid for me - not implying anyone else feels or should feel this way about it) end up not caring much about those years later.

2. Not rely on my personal albums to tell my life story and thoughts: I'm actively keeping a simple no-fuss no-embellishments no-nothing-but-black-ink-from-my-fountain-pen-on-white-pages diary-type notebook again and I want to stay in that zone for 2017. It suits me better. The notebook is for my stream of consciousness through the year. The PL album is my life at a glance. I just feel more complete and satisfied that way.

3. Help keep memories: I'm slowly but surely getting all the stuff together to make a proper 6x8 PL album for my parents next year. I plan on secretly keeping their memories (that I have access to or witnessed) for a full year and then give the album on Christmas Eve 2017 with an extra couple of page protectors at the back to fill the last bit of the holiday season with. I might even go as far as printing out photos on Christmas Eve itself, minutes before slipping it in a gift bag and handing it over, to make the surprise even greater. I hope they'll like it!

4. Stash it: keep it clean and simple, use up my tiny stash and try to only buy some decent white cardstock and vellum paper. Nothing more! (ha, right)

5. Dig in for stamps: I have a lovely little box of stamp sets and next year's aim is to make sure I use every single stamp in there that I like. I'm trying to be good and not buy any new ones during the Black Friday sales because I realise I have enough. I just need to make sure to take out the box and dig in before I put together a spread. Stamps are a big investment I make believing I'll be able to use them multiple times. I plan on cashing in on that investment and making them work for their price tag in 2017. Same goes for the ink pads I own.

6. Selfish little me: like nicolep and LavenderLayoutLady, I want to make sure I continue focusing on me. My PL album is not that of my relationship, of my entire family or of my friends. While all of these people appear in it (and I love them, make mini albums for and/or about them), I need to make sure I stay on course and keep my Project Life as a capsule and harbour for my own life first and foremost. Self-care is an important part of my day-to-day existence. And I consider things such as taking the time to shoot a good self-portrait/including a decent selfie per spread, jotting down the music I'm currently bobbing along to, the occasional picture of a scene in my life nobody else would care about very important things for my well-being, gratitude and sense of independence as an individual.

7. Memories before spreads: I plan on continuing the path I'm on which is that of a semi-scrapper in many ways. Sometimes, I feel like a total wannabe scrapbooker on this forum because I don't do hauls, I clearly don't purchase as regularly or as much as what is posted here. I don't have a lot of stuff, I don't have new albums waiting to be filled, I don't have a lot of budget for this hobby but, in the end, that's ok with me. My priority remains to get away and make memories. And I'll live vicariously as a proper scrapbooker through the posts full of fancy scrap room pictures and droolworthy hauls on here instead.

I haven't given any thought to this and it's another reminder that the end of the year is sneaking up on me.
My first goal is to scrap my Disney album from this year's trip. I want to get that done before we go again in April.

I've been simplifying a lot of my layouts lately just to get them done so I won't feel so behind. Yes, I'm one of those people who likes to be caught up. So after I'm done with Disney I will be close to being caught up and won't have the need to rush through simple layouts. I would like to start taking my time, being more creative, and using more tools and techniques.

I'd like to buy a small sewing machine. I miss sewing on my layouts since I broke my Kenmore Mini Ultra. I loved that little darling.

I really need to buy albums and page protectors. That was on my last goal list and I still haven't done it. 

I would also like to scrap memories from my kids' childhoods that I should have scrapped at the time.  Funny things they said, a list of their first words, phases they had, etc.

The last thing on my list is to get back to recording memories and quotes in a notebook so I'll be ready for journaling when I scrap.  Also, those random pictures that don't make sense when I look at them a long time later will make sense because I'll have the memory written down to go with it. 

I love this thread! So many great ideas and goals here. Here are the 3 things that I'm doing in 2017:

1. Continue my quest to finish up some projects that I've already started. I made GREAT progress this year in finishing albums and projects, and I'm super proud of what I've been able to accomplish. I want to use this feeling to drive me forward in finishing up even more projects. Main things I'm motivated to do - December Dailys, Vacation albums, DS baby book.

2. Focus on scrapping my stories (vs stories about DS or our little family). I plan to do a girly scrapbook solely focused on my stories. I'm underrepresented in my albums, and both DH and DS have encouraged me to start telling my stories.

3. Continue with my current projects - WITL (will be Easter week in 2017), December Daily, and Chatbooks. I did P365 for 4 years and got very tired of it, but I am keeping a P365-lite on FB (printed through Chatbooks). I will continue with this project because it's super fun to do it this way.

I've been thinking about scrap related goals lately...I feel like I floundered a lot this year and want to do more next year.

1) Take more pictures. I was in such a funk about scrapbooking since the spring that I barely took pictures which just perpetuates the cycle of not scrapbooking.

2) Use my tools. I am stealing LavenderLayoutLady 's item and challenging myself to pull out the cameo, sewing machine, minc, punches, stamps, etc on a regular basis.

3) Make cards to donate. I am going to take freeatlast 's lead and make cards to donate. Thank you for posting about it and the links of where to send them.

4) Get my pictures in order. I have a huge drawer filled with pictures that need some attention - put in order, scanned, some such thing. If I don't get anything else done, this must be completed by the end of the year.

I bought albums and page protectors last night!!! 

My goals are to scrap more (my goal every year, haha) and to use up more things instead of just dabbling. With my oldest in school full time and the holidays being over (keep in mind, this started in the summer as a 'when my oldest is in school' and ended at that) I hope to be able to get more done. We'll have fewer visitors and my routine will be a bit more set. My husband also started at his job's new office this past week, so I won't have him home during lunch anymore since it's clear across town. That means, no interruptions and no excuses not to create while my younger two are napping (which is literally the only positive in the move...every other aspect is depressing as hell).

My goals would be a compliation of others mention here.

I could definitely steal all of your goals LavenderLayoutLady. Plus add in Elsabelle's buying of albums and page protectors one since I'm switching all of my albums over to WRMK ones; I'll tweak her memory keeping one to also add organizing my memorabilia that I'll want to include.

Lastly I'll put, not to worry about the photos and just use them. Since our house is yukky and we're still working on refurbishing (which means each room gets taken to the studs in turn) when I take a photo I always think yuk you can see the hole in the drywall or the piles of boxes that were stored there while we work on another part of the house or the color of the walls since we haven't done that room yet. I am getting ready to paint my great room due to the color and that it won't be remodeled for at least 2 years now. But there will still be holes in the drywall in spots, the doorways are unfinished. I just need to get over it and scrapbook those photos anyway. It's our life right now.

Elsabelle, way to go!! So glad you got your albums and page protectors purchased.

leeny, I completely understand. I do digital and paper. Sometimes I just need to move more quickly which digital accomplishes for me, but I get more joy out of the paper play.

scrapaddict702,sometimes it's hard to take that nap time to spend on scrapbooking. You see piles of dishes or laundry or ..... Maybe just make it a goal for one day a week and see how it goes, then you can add in more days if you feel like it and just call them BONUS days. Hopefully it will cheer you up as well. Hugs.

I always seem to have the best of intentions this time of year that seem to fizzle out by mid-January. I'm hoping by writing it down, I'll be a bit more dedicated this year. I suppose a lot of it does go back to making my hobby a priority.

Before January hits I want to finish reorganizing my scrap space. Having a dedicated place where I can spend some scrappy time (even if it's just 10 or 15 minutes) will go a long way to helping me accomplish my 2017 goals.

So, for 2017, my goals are:

1. Project Life...for the last several years I have desperately wanted to complete a project life album but seem to run out of steam when I realize that as a single woman who lives alone it can be difficult to see the value in capturing everyday moments. Still, I would like to do this for at least one year. Much like iheartpaper I want to follow the approach of using PL to document the everyday stuff with 12x12s interspersed to capture those special moments and satisfy my creative cravings for traditional pages.

2. Take more photos...this goes along with goal 1. I need to make a point of taking photos of little things...going out to dinner with friends, a favourite outfit, my favourite places, things I see when I go for walks. I need something to populate those PL pockets!

3. Catch up on vacation albums...I have two unfinished vacation albums (Cuba and Alaska) and I want to finish these before I lose track of the stories I want to tell. I also spent a month in Europe this year, and I want that album to be a focus this year.

4. Learn a new technique...this year I have decided it is brush lettering. I've ordered some pens, and plan to start dedicating some time to becoming more comfortable with my penmanship this year, and trying to use it as a design element on cards and layouts.

As mentioned above, I should also curb my scrappy spending. Although, it isn't so much this as it is me needing to actually make a dent in the stash that I have so that I am not just adding to the pile of supplies without using it. I'm lucky to have heaps of supplies that I love, I just need to scrap more than I shop so that I can work my stash down to a more reasonable level.

Yes! I think this is exactly what I need to do. I really like the idea of looking at it as a month in review, and especially the idea of keeping it simple. I keep looking at really elaborate and detailed PL spreads on Pinterest, but I think that keeping it more simple might be the key to success. In thinking about the month in review, I might try to come up with a couple of things that I could repeat in every review spread (a selfie, a "currently" journaling card, etc.).

I think I also need to admit to myself that some months I will have less to include, and just cut the page protector down, or use a different configuration, and be ok with that.

Thanks for the suggestion, I really appreciate it  SaveSave

my goals for 2017:
prioritize this hobby-schedule in planner!
2017 project life (in app) monthly spreads
"take" the online classes I have paid for ( I have both ali edwards classes and CZ classes that I have paid for and need to make time to take)
organize photos- I dislike this task immensely but really can not go forward w/ scrapping until it happens.
handle my printer situation ( new computer, new printer, not playing nice...just need to get it worked out)
print pics to scrap ( why i need to get organized!)

to add- some things I want to make sure I document in 2017-
movies watched
top news stories
some of my quirks
tv shows i watch
fave memes
some text messages
the food I love
my friends
the music I listen to
the books I read
jan is for___
feb is for___