Pocket Scrapbooking // Start (and start again!)

Start -- and restart! by Lisa Spangler

Hey you all! Hope that you’re having a great weekend. Me? I’ve been playing around with my blog theme and I really love how it turned out! Every now and then I get the urge to try something new, although I had been using my old theme (and tinkered with it) for around 5 years now. This new theme is called Wintersong and it’s responsive, so it should look great from no matter where you’re viewing it. Let me know what you think!

Now for my first post with the new theme — and a confession:  I have a love/hate relationship with pocket scrapbooking. There, I’ve said it. I want to do it. Really I do! I have tons of supplies in my stash. I have a Studio Calico Project Life subscription. Sometimes I take out my supplies and look through them. Then I organize them and put them all back away. Earlier this year I got started again, but it only lasted a few weeks.

So I sat down and asked myself why. Why can’t I do this, when I really want to? And I think comes down to a combination of things:

  • I feel guilty about doing it. I love to make stuff, but I always seem to give away everything I make. Cards, mini-albums, crochet, other crafty projects.  Things for work. Yep, I give them all away. Somehow it feels selfish to sit down and make something just for me.
  • I don’t want to do it “wrong”. Logically, I know that there’s no right or wrong way to do this. But I have a hard time getting past it.
  • I don’t have time. I can barely keep up with so many other things in life. And as I said in point number one, I feel guilty about taking time for me. I know that we can make time in our lives for anything we want tho, as long as it’s a priority.

So armed with this knowledge I sat down and made a page about all about starting over. And it felt so good!

Start -- and restart! by Lisa Spangler

I started out by stamping the Hero Arts Night & Day Flowers on some watercolor paper, then watercolored around it. I didn’t bother using any masking techniques because, well, I’m too lazy! Instead I just pre-wet the area with plain water. This makes a sort of barrier so that the color can’t escape. Try it, you’ll like it :)

And I gotta say that I just can’t get enough of this stamp! When it was dry I put it on a page and then played around with some embellishments. I found this “start” badge from Studio Calico and it was perfect.

Start & restart by Lisa Spangler

Also just had to use my roller date stamp from Kate Spade. Love.

Start & restart by Lisa Spangler

I had started another page with some brush script and I used the leftover black gouache to make some splats here and there.

Felt so good to start again. How about you, have you started pocket scrapbooking and started again? I’d love to hear your thoughts. xo

Supplies

20 Replies to “Pocket Scrapbooking // Start (and start again!)”

  1. You should just sit down and do it. Do it your way and how you want. It’s been so freeing to me. I don’t follow trends, I use old product (gasp!), it’s for ME. And it made me love scrapping again which I didn’t know was possible.

    1. You are so right Ashley! It *was* very freeing just to sit down and play. I can’t wait to work on it some more :)

  2. blog looks awesome.
    I love this post because I have all the ‘supplies’ to do this pocket scrapbooking but can’t seem to jump in…sigh. Thanks for the gorgeous inspiration…LOVE it.

    1. Thanks so much Amy!

  3. Mary-Anne V. says:

    Funny when i read your post title I totally knew where you were heading. I have been the same way. Your 2nd reason is my 1st! Need to just not think like I did when I made traditional scrapbook pages. Glad you made a page…its wonderful!

  4. Thanks Mary-Anne! Funny how so many of us feel the same way!

  5. linda baker says:

    Your page is beautiful and inspires me!

    1. Thanks so much Linda! :)

  6. Good for you. Take a little time for your self and keep it up. And have fun!!!!!

  7. i am sooo behind with PL… but i’m trying to not get stressed about it- its supposed to be fun right?
    love your new beginning :) very inspiring!

  8. I started at the beginning of this year, got loads of stuff, enough to last me a year and on top of that a Studio Calico PL subscription (!) and last night I finished week 3 off LOL!!
    I have got the pictures of week 4 and 5 printed out so that is good!
    I will just try to get in the flow more and more because I really really really love it!!! More than card making. So I am trying not to get stressed out about it and move forward slowly. And if I decide later to do the monthly approach that is fine as well. And I keep looking back to the first 3 weeks and I love.love.love it!
    Love your page!!

  9. your blog looks awesome!! And I love your page! What binder do you use…I so love Project Life but can’t get it here in Croatia and was thinking of getting some kind of binder and sleeves…

    1. Hi Jane! I use a Studio Calico Handbook — love the smaller size! Hope you can get them there.

  10. Vera Rhuhay says:

    so inspiring,Lisa! and I love the new look of your blog too!

    1. Thanks so much Vera! xo

  11. I have been wanting to do some kind of PL, but I know that I will struggle with weekly entries, mostly because I don’t take a lot of photos. But I’m retiring from teaching after 38 years of working with little ones (kindergarten and first grade) on Friday and it just keeps coming back to me that I ought to document my new life path. Your posting makes me want to try it!!! I love the little size of your journal and I think I can handle this kind of scrapbooking – heck, I probably have a lot of stuff to work with already!

    I love the look of your new blog – that’s something else I want to try – a blog of my own! You have inspired me so much! Thanks!

  12. I love my albums made easy pages but I am in the same boat. So much I want to accomplish and so little time in between what I have on my plate. I love your page sweet friend. Well done.

  13. Oh, Lisa, I could SO identify with your dilemna! I LOVE making cards (and I love giving them away) but there is something about sitting down to do a scrapbook that blocks me. And PL seems so easy — I love the smaller scale. I have cards, I have tools, I have dies. Heavens knows I have photos (which may be the problem — it takes so much time to find, crop and print my digi photos.) But as usual, you inspire me (and I love your new page design.)
    Roberta

  14. Thanks so much for sharing your dilemma, you are definitely not alone! Love Love Love your page, the theme,the watercolors and the inspiration!

  15. […] In true CASE Study fashion I chose another paper crafter to be inspired by; the awesome Lisa Spangler: […]

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