Tips for completing a Layout a Day

So, here it is again! The Layout a Day (LOAD) challenge is back! (My husband can not be more thrilled!) The good news is that February is only 28 days, so compared to 31 days in October that should be a piece of cake! So, here are my top ten ideas for creating a Layout a Day:

1. Pre-plan some layouts!

We all have those layouts that are swimming around in our head. That layout you knew you wanted to make as soon as you took the picture. The cute page you saw in a magazine that you knew you were going to scraplift the minute you saw it. That funny thing one of your kids said you've been meaning to get down on paper but haven't done it yet. Pull out the things you need to complete those layouts and create your own little page kits. Put them together now and on a day that you only have 15 minutes to work on your page together, the majority of the work will already be done. You just have to put it together!



2. Use up your page kits!
Speaking of page kits, admit it. You have at least one page kit laying around that you swore would make your scrapbooking easier because everything was all coordinated. How about the half finished pages from that last class you took? Some of us subscribe to kit clubs and those kits come faster than we can scrap. Now's the time to make those kits work for you. Pull them out and make sure they are ready to go. Resolve to use it for at least one inspirational prompt from Lain.

3. Work on a theme album you are trying to finish.

Is your son's school album stuck in 1st grade and he just started middle school? Did you start a hertiage album for your mom that you haven't gotten around to finishing? Are all your daughter's sports pictures piling up? Maybe you took an online class and never finished the assignments. LOAD is a great time to become the Queen of Finished Projects! Finish those half done albums and you will feel like a million bucks!

4. Write down some stories you've been meaning to tell.

There is nothing that says you can't write your journaling before you sit down to create the layout. Write down that funny thing your kids said yesterday. Tell the story of how you met your spouse. Write down a favorite memory about your grandmother. Gather some of your favorite quotes. Write it in a journal. Open a word document. Whatever story is burning in your head: WRITE IT DOWN! When you're ready to use it, you'll just need to find a photo and paper and you'll be done!

5. Pull out your favorite pics!

You know the ones. The ones that make you smile every time you see them. The ones that melt your heart. The favorites. Go through your albums, piles and boxes now and pull them out. You don't have to have a story to go with them. I guarantee at least one of the daily prompts will take you straight to your favorites and inspire you to use them in a new way.

6. Make a list of pages or albums you want to complete.
Start a list and carry it with you during LOAD. It could just be a cute title you've wanted to use. It could be all the albums you've wanted to make since you started scrapbooking. Make a list and as you start mulling over ideas and you will come up with more. Having a goal to complete a layout a day can really motivate you to finish a good chunk of your wish list by the end of LOAD. The layout below is from my son's sports album. I used this same template for each sport and changed the colors to match his team's colors. Easy peasy! This album came together lickety split!!

Digital Template by Cathy Zielske

7. Pick some favorite digital templates or flag some favorite sketches.

If you are a digital scrapper, save copies of your favorite templates (or look for fun new ones to use) in a separate LOAD folder on your desktop. When you have your daily scrapbooking time, they will be there and ready to go. If you're a paper scrapper, go through your favorite sketch book, magazine or websites to find sketches. Make copies of ones you'd like to use and store them in an easily accessible notebook or on a clipboard within arm's reach of your scrap area. Then when you have the idea and photos, a sketch will only be an arm's length away.

8. Make a go-to basket.

This is an idea I got from May Flaum during her Use Your Stash class last fall. Take some time and go through your stash of product. Pull out some of those things you want to use, but just haven't found the right project for. Put all your re-found treasures and put them in a basket or box and put it on your scrap table. You don't have to know what you want to do with it, but when you are creating your layouts and you just need one last little thing, take a look in your go-to basket and pick something out.

9. Participate on the message board and in the Flickr gallery.

There are so many talented scrapbookers that take this challenge on! When you see all the different ways they each interpret the daily prompt, you will be inspired and excited to try a new thing! On the layout above, I saw someone's layout with "naked" chipboard and I knew I could do that! There's nothing like the positive feeling you get when someone leaves a positive comment on your page! Wanting to get more of those great comments can be the very motivation you need to finish that day's page!

10. Keep it simple, scrapper!!

I can't take credit for this one either but it's the best advice I can give you heading in to this challenge. Many, many scrapbooking celebrities, including Stacy Julian, Lain Ehmann and Cathy Zielske have espoused this idea in one way or another. There will be days that you have hours to create and others where you will only have a few minutes. Not every page needs to be a show piece with all the latest and greatest techniques. Some just need to tell your story in a simple way. The important part is to get the story down and after 28 days you will have 28 more pages of your story done!

Layout a Day 2/11 is going to be a challenge, but with these tips I hope it will make the journey a little easier. No matter how you get to day 28, it will be a rewarding and joyful experience! I hope you'll join me.

To hear more about LOAD just click the button on the right side bar to hear from the LOAD master herself, Lain Ehmann. Hope to see you there!