Easiest.Scrapbook.Ever
Once upon a time, I scrapbooked all the time. Or at least regularly. But then life got in the way, and I found myself shoving pictures and memories in to boxes. I did take the time to create a wedding scrapbook for Math Man and me, and I’ve worked on getting each kid’s first year scrapbook completed (sorry, Diva, yours is still in the works). But then I was introduced to the new Story by Stacy line from Close to My Heart, and I just had to try it out. Easiest. Scrapbook. Ever.
A couple of weeks ago, I hit the big 4-0. I wasn’t ready for the change to that new decade, but my husband and friends made sure to help me ring it in with a bang. When I was trying to decide what to use my Story by Stacy book for, the 40th bash was a no-brainer.
Starting with Story by Stacy is simple: you take out the pieces and follow the directions. Inside the kit is a planning guide that helps you think about the order you’d like to follow, the pages you have allotted, and the story you’d like to tell. With that planner comes a large number of 4×4 pieces of cardstock that are already lined and ready for writing.
As a writing teacher, I fell in love with the process. If I was a struggling writer, this would be perfect for me to plan out what I wanted to convey. Being as I already knew what I wanted to say, I used the planning sheet to really help me consider which images I wanted to use since I only had so many openings.
I love my LePen journaling pen because it writes so smoothly. Plus, I feel fancy every time I use it because I only use it for these sorts of projects! It’s special, and the kids know not to touch it.
Once I wrote each portion of my story, it was time to simply put the pieces together. There was no extra cutting. There were no extra or required embellishments. Simple. Easy. Boom.
I want to do all the fancy things, and I certainly could have added them to this project. Alas, my time is limited, and this took me a maximum of 30 minutes (not counting the time it took to download images, send them for print, and pick them up).
I’m not quite sure what my next Story by Stacy book will be. I keep thinking of ideas and then reconsidering. For now, I know that it’s a simple process; and when I’m ready, I’ll be able to whip up an amazing masterpiece in no time.
Want to learn more about Close to my Heart and the amazing products they offer? Check them out on my friend, Melissa’s, site: Close to My Heart.
July is Anti-Boredom month. I’ve committed to crafting more this year, and the Story by Stacy scrapbook was one way I’m keeping myself not-bored! Check out what my bloggy friends created for this month’s Blog with Friends project:
Karen from Baking in a Tornado created a Layered Thai Shrimp Salad.
Jules from The Bergham Chronicles has a list of ways to beat boredom!
Dawn from Spatulas on Parade has a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Celery.
Kim from Georgia Peach Vegan offers 5 Fun Vegan Recipes to Cure Mid-Summer Boredom
Tamara from Part-Time Working Hockey Mom offers a boredom solution by way of The “Hockey Mom, I’m Bored Bottle”
WAY back in the day, I too was a big scrapbooker, I have hundreds of dollars of supplies to prove it but alas only two completed books to show for it. I love the idea and the process of writing our history/story but don’t have the time. So I have thousands of photos in boxes waiting.
Happy 40th and it’s not so bad. I made it to the 50’s in a blink of an eye. You will too 😉
I did scrapbooks for my wedding and for the boys’ first 5 years or so, but each page took so long. I might just do some catching up if there’s now such a quick and easy option.
HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY.
I love the old-fashioned – and time-consuming – way of scrapbooking, I even got myself a cutting machine a couple of years ago, but guess what… There are not enough rainy days to catch up ;-)))
Happy 40th birthday, and what a wonderful way to preserve the memories of your special day!