Dealing with the pages I don't want to scrap...who else does this?

rach3975

rach3975

New member
When I'm working on a photobook, I tend to put off the pages that I'm not excited about scrapping. Usually they're the ones with a zillion photos to sort through and fit on the page. But now I'm nearing the end of a project, and all I have left are the pages I put off. I keep coming up with other things to do (read: wasting time online) and even did some house organizing earlier today instead of scrapping, LOL. I need to make myself start dealing with them so I can finish and move on...
 
I am YEARS behind on scrapbooking and have lots of folders like this that I just need to zone in on and scrap. I understand completely though.
 
For layouts like these I tend to use very simple templates that have lots of photo spots, and pick a kit I'm excited to use!
 
Ditto. I'd use a fabulous double-pager from Cindy or knock it out with pocket pages. And also ditto on using a kit you're excited about--that can help a lot! And maybe re-evaluate: If you hate the thought of making these pages, do you really need to make them at all? Lol, I know, I know! I would still need to make them, too, but it's a good thought process.
 
I usually get them on a template and then walk away until anther day to finish them. That way it's at least not LONG and boring to scrap them. I also have a check list of to-be-scrapped pages that I make myself follow when all the fun pages are done.
 
I find one of Cindy's templates with tons of photos on them; especially her Photo Palooza templates. Makes it easier to get a ton of photos on one page.
 
LynnZant said:
I usually get them on a template and then walk away until anther day to finish them. That way it's at least not LONG and boring to scrap them. I also have a check list of to-be-scrapped pages that I make myself follow when all the fun pages are done.
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THIS!!! Sometimes I don't even get them onto a template I just put them into a PSD file and name the file. Then it goes into my To-Do list. If I'm just putting them into a file I make sure I pick only the photos that I think I will actually use if I have too many.

I have my stuff sorted in Bridge and can then see the PSD files easily because it shows up like a jpg in Bridge. (Windows you just see a blue icon otherwise).

And I reward myself too :thumbup: I finish a page I'm not thrilled about and I figure out some type of reward. Right now it's doing the pages for my daughter's wedding album. My problem is that they are all similar and use the same elements for unity throughout her book. My other problem is she had sunflowers - which are beautiful BUT I'm not a "yellow color" person and have a hard time working with that color, even if it's just in the accents. This past week I finished about 15 pages of her album. So my reward is that I don't feel the pressure to do more this week and can work on some pages that just make me happy. (Oh and I bought a few things that made me smile too!)
 
just_jo said:
And I reward myself too :thumbup: I finish a page I'm not thrilled about and I figure out some type of reward. Right now it's doing the pages for my daughter's wedding album. My problem is that they are all similar and use the same elements for unity throughout her book. My other problem is she had sunflowers - which are beautiful BUT I'm not a "yellow color" person and have a hard time working with that color, even if it's just in the accents. This past week I finished about 15 pages of her album. So my reward is that I don't feel the pressure to do more this week and can work on some pages that just make me happy. (Oh and I bought a few things that made me smile too!)
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I love this idea!! I have the same problem. I love Christmas kits but dread going though all the Christmas pictures and whittling down the ones to be scrapped.
 
Like Kimberly, I'm super behind, and don't yet "need" to scrap pages that I don't want to. But, I know I'll get there at some point!
There are some absolutely fabulous ideas here! You ladies ROCK!
 
Yes, Rachel! I relate to your post SO MUCH, except that my problem is the opposite: all the photos I put off scrapping are one photo layouts, and the reason I put them off is because Cindy rarely makes one photo templates.

It's why I still haven't printed my 2018 album, even though it's 99% finished. I also put off scrapping photos that are really meaningful because it's so hard for me to find the "right" products to use for something I love so much.
 
joelsgirl said:
Yes, Rachel! I relate to your post SO MUCH, except that my problem is the opposite: all the photos I put off scrapping are one photo layouts, and the reason I put them off is because Cindy rarely makes one photo templates.
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What about taking a 2-3 photo template and using journal cards or word art/bits to fill the extra spots or using the same photo more than once but zooming in on a face or some other part in the other photo holders? Or put your journaling in one or more of the 'extra' photo spots?
 
Even though you say they are one photo layouts, I would put them all on a pocket page, maybe as a collage layout. Keep it very simple. Just the photos, maybe a fun word art title, and maybe 1 small flower cluster. Also, don't have it be anything CT or challenge related. I find when I keep it simple and am not trying to use a CT kit or follow challenge guidelines, it's easier to pick and chose what I want to use and get the page done quicker. Many times I won't even keep track of what items were used, so that I don't post it! I scrap these pages mostly for me and figure once it's done, it's done and I don't have to worry about it at all!
 
Leablahblah said:
haha good luck with your project! You'll get to it when you need.
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Thanks! One of these days...

Kimberly27 said:
I am YEARS behind on scrapbooking and have lots of folders like this that I just need to zone in on and scrap. I understand completely though.
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That's exactly what I used to do--I still have folders up through 2015 that sit there waiting for me to want to deal with them. But then I switched from printing single pages to photobooks, so if I don't finish, I can't print. And I really want to print, so at least that's incentive, I suppose!

GraceLee said:
For layouts like these I tend to use very simple templates that have lots of photo spots, and pick a kit I'm excited to use!
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wendyp said:
Yes i do the same as Grace.
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allyanne said:
Ditto. I'd use a fabulous double-pager from Cindy or knock it out with pocket pages. And also ditto on using a kit you're excited about--that can help a lot! And maybe re-evaluate: If you hate the thought of making these pages, do you really need to make them at all? Lol, I know, I know! I would still need to make them, too, but it's a good thought process.
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lovely1m said:
I find one of Cindy's templates with tons of photos on them; especially her Photo Palooza templates. Makes it easier to get a ton of photos on one page.
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Thanks! I mostly do the same, but my go-tos for these kinds of pages are Lori's Photo Focus templates. And yes, they're pages I would really miss if they weren't in the album, like Disney with my husband (our first real kid-free trip since having kids) and my first mother-daughter weekend trip to Williamsburg with my tween. I'm scrapping late 2019, and knowing what happened in 2020 makes it feel even more necessary to document those last few months of normalcy and our last few trips. It's just that I took SO MANY PHOTOS and I was procrastinating investing the time and mental energy in picking the best. I've finally made myself buckle down and start at least!
 
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LynnZant said:
I usually get them on a template and then walk away until anther day to finish them. That way it's at least not LONG and boring to scrap them. I also have a check list of to-be-scrapped pages that I make myself follow when all the fun pages are done.
Click to expand...

just_jo said:
THIS!!! Sometimes I don't even get them onto a template I just put them into a PSD file and name the file. Then it goes into my To-Do list. If I'm just putting them into a file I make sure I pick only the photos that I think I will actually use if I have too many.

I have my stuff sorted in Bridge and can then see the PSD files easily because it shows up like a jpg in Bridge. (Windows you just see a blue icon otherwise).

And I reward myself too :thumbup: I finish a page I'm not thrilled about and I figure out some type of reward. Right now it's doing the pages for my daughter's wedding album. My problem is that they are all similar and use the same elements for unity throughout her book. My other problem is she had sunflowers - which are beautiful BUT I'm not a "yellow color" person and have a hard time working with that color, even if it's just in the accents. This past week I finished about 15 pages of her album. So my reward is that I don't feel the pressure to do more this week and can work on some pages that just make me happy. (Oh and I bought a few things that made me smile too!)
Click to expand...

Good advice! I do that with my weekly PL pages, so I don't know why I haven't with these. If I get stuck on one again (after the photo choosing stage, which is where I'm stalled on some of them now) I'll try it.

Sorry you're stuck scrapping with colors that you find hard to work with! I scrapped only boy pages my first 5 years of scrapping, then I had a daughter. Even though I liked being able to work with flowers and girly colors, it took me a long time to get the hang of it. I hope your daughter's pages get easier, too! (But even if you struggled, 15 pages?! Wow!)

bienejen said:
I love this idea!! I have the same problem. I love Christmas kits but dread going though all the Christmas pictures and whittling down the ones to be scrapped.
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That's a lot of my problem right now, too! Even though I've really focused on taking fewer photos and being more intentional about them, it's still overwhelming when I have to condense a multi-day trip into a handful of pages.

Neverland Scraps said:
Uugh, that's the worst. Good luck scrapping those hard to scrap photos!
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craftytam said:
Like Kimberly, I'm super behind, and don't yet "need" to scrap pages that I don't want to. But, I know I'll get there at some point!
There are some absolutely fabulous ideas here! You ladies ROCK!
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Thanks! And yes, some great suggestions!
 
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joelsgirl said:
Yes, Rachel! I relate to your post SO MUCH, except that my problem is the opposite: all the photos I put off scrapping are one photo layouts, and the reason I put them off is because Cindy rarely makes one photo templates.

It's why I still haven't printed my 2018 album, even though it's 99% finished. I also put off scrapping photos that are really meaningful because it's so hard for me to find the "right" products to use for something I love so much.
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Yup--special photos are the other part of my problem. Some of the pages are trips where I'm drowning in photos, but there's also a nice photo of my parents the last time we saw them pre-Covid, a photo of my middle son's last Halloween dressing up, and a first day of school photo for my oldest who usually resists having his photo taken. I put them off until I feel like I can do them justice, and it never seems to be that time!

bienejen said:
What about taking a 2-3 photo template and using journal cards or word art/bits to fill the extra spots or using the same photo more than once but zooming in on a face or some other part in the other photo holders? Or put your journaling in one or more of the 'extra' photo spots?
Click to expand...

Another thing I do is delete a few photo spots or replace a few smaller photos with a big photo. (Or not, because then I'd be pushing Kellie to scrap pages she is putting off, and I don't want to be responsible for that, LOL!)

aussiegirl said:
Also, don't have it be anything CT or challenge related. I find when I keep it simple and am not trying to use a CT kit or follow challenge guidelines, it's easier to pick and chose what I want to use and get the page done quicker. Many times I won't even keep track of what items were used, so that I don't post it! I scrap these pages mostly for me and figure once it's done, it's done and I don't have to worry about it at all!
Click to expand...

That's how I handle pages that are harder for me to scrap, too. It's never a bad thing to take some of the pressure off, but sometimes it helps and sometimes my block is more stubborn than I am.
 
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Well, at least there was one upside of all that procrastination! I've been putting off making some career-related decisions, and over the last few evenings doing the career research felt preferable to tackling the scrapbook pages, LOL! It's official--I'm applying to go back and get a master's degree in early childhood special ed beginning in the fall. It will take a few years since I'm doing it very part time while I keep teaching at my gen ed preschool, but I'm excited!
 
rach3975 said:
It's official--I'm applying to go back and get a master's degree in early childhood special ed beginning in the fall. It will take a few years since I'm doing it very part time while I keep teaching at my gen ed preschool, but I'm excited!
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Congrats!!!!!
 
rach3975 said:
Well, at least there was one upside of all that procrastination! I've been putting off making some career-related decisions, and over the last few evenings doing the career research felt preferable to tackling the scrapbook pages, LOL! It's official--I'm applying to go back and get a master's degree in early childhood special ed beginning in the fall. It will take a few years since I'm doing it very part time while I keep teaching at my gen ed preschool, but I'm excited!
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That's great! It takes an extra special person to be a special needs teacher! Good for you! :)
 
I feel this deeply! So you are definitely not alone!! I do sometimes go as far as picking out the kit I know I'll use with these sorts of piles of photos and then sometimes even make the page........ then the page sits in another folder waiting for the photos to be added to it (which is a whole other issue that I have.... just call me the Queen of P.H.D. lol).
 
Sometimes if I have too many "good" photos for a trip, I'll just add in a few extra pages here and there that are just photos. Take a simple pocket template that is, say 9 or 12 photos (or even 16), and plug in a bunch of photos. That way I don't have to spend so much time choosing which ones to use or leave out. I'll pick out some key photos to do more formal pages and then toss the rest into more of a photo album kind of format. Best of both worlds.
 
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