It's not just a good time for making goals for the new year, but also looking back at what we accomplished. Please share with us:
- Your favorite layout from the year that you made.
- A skill or something that you learned.
- How scrapbooking affected your life.
- Something else!
2014 was a very busy year helping our two daughters move to their own place. Cleaning out the house. Putting everything that I still wanted into storage and having several garage sales with all remaing items donated. This is when we went full time RVing. We moved into a 34 ft. Fifth wheel, so I had to scale down. We visited Yosemite, but still need to scrap book the extensive pictures I took. Stayed in Northern Calif for the summer than back to see family.
The most important work I did was a request to take the pictures and put something together for my husband's mother, which was the dedication of his father's memory. Pictures can be found https://www.digitalscrapbook.com/judy-salerno/gallery/my-father-in-law-s-dedication-3-layout-birds-bees-yellow-brown-tan-blue-black . Most important was to highlight the pictures.
Last year was a tough one with losing my mom and all that encompasses such a loss. Although furbabies can't compare, my dad had to put one of theirs down just a couple of weeks before mom passed. Then we had to put one of ours down just before Thanksgiving. Any "goals" just meant moving through each day for quite awhile.
As far as any kind of scrapping goals, the biggest goal I accomplished was signing up here at PS and deciding to learn how to create these types of graphics. As I've mentioned, not being a scrapper at all, I was always drawn to the graphics, being that I created websets and before that, pixel graphics. I thought I'd never get it all down and actually get a kit done. I felt lost in quicksand the first couple months I was here trying to learn this and that, but everyone here is so patient and kind to have helped me out. I know I still have much to learn, but I feel I'm well on my way thanks to PS.
-Lisa
One of the layouts that I'm quite pleased with is this one:
I very much enjoy being on a creative team, because I think the more you scrap the better you get at it (practice makes perfect). I know anytime I take a break, or am in a creative funk, it feels like I start over with the creative process, and as much as we all need that, I find it horribly frustrating at the same time.
Scrapbooking has changed how I take pictures. Now, any time there is a moment, or something special happening I am always certain to take many of the same photo, or different angles, to make sure there is a choice of photos to choose from to create the best layout possible.
I've also realized, that as much as I enjoy the creative process of designing papers/elements, it really isn't my cup of tea. I could never get the hang of putting a complete kit together. The pieces never came together, the colors rarely worked, so I stopped trying around the same time I found out I was pregnant. Some day I'd love to create a wedding kit with all my wedding colors, but I'm not holding my breath with that one.
@Emily - I got married in 2008, and I didn't finish my album until last year! For something like that, it doesn't really matter how long it takes. You'll always want to look through those photos!
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In the latter half of 2014, I really started digital scrapbooking more often, and really trying to finish some albums. I reorganized my files, and really started to figure out my style. I still use templates a lot of the time, but I'm going to try to use them less often this year. Ha, when I started using templates, I didn't know that you could use the different shapes/photo mats as a photo mask. I used to lower the opacity of the photo, get the placement right, select the mask with the magic wand tool, and delete everything besides that shape on the photo layer. It took so much longer than just using the shape as a mask. I was super happy to learn that, ha!
My scrapping has become my "me" time, which I desperately needed. My husband has finally come around too, and finally sees the value in all of this, whoo-hoo! This is my favorite layout from 2014. It started out as a template, but then I changed it around so much, I couldn't figure out which template I started out with!
I can't share my favorite layout from the year, because I haven't uploaded it yet... Which is exactly the problem with 2014 (scrapwise): lack of time! It became increasingly hard to juggle life, kids, husband and designing for DigitalScrapbook.com this year. It hardly left any time for actual scrapping. In December I decided to take a little design break and focus on finishing albums and that worked like a charm! I finished multiple layouts an evening and the creative flow stayed with me for three weeks! So, there is a skill I have learned this last year: focus! Instead of trying to juggle all at the same time, split them up in seperate chunks: design time and scrap time. Just as family time and me time should be seperate!
Scrapbooking has affected my life in a mayor way. After always having felt too 'ordinary' or childish/mommyish for the graphic design world I work in, scrapbooking - and specifically scrapbooking here at/with the DigitalScrapbook.com community - has given me a sense of belonging. This is my kind of creativity, not the Nike and Adidas ads in the world! In my line of work I have always felt like I am making "junk", stuff people take one look at and throw in the wastebin. You need to catch their attention in that split second, by any means - means that hardly ever reflect my personality. I have thought long and hard about selling my designs here, because part of me was afraid this might 'taint' what I love doing as a hobby and turn scrapbooking into just another way to get people to buy stuff. But it hasn't and I now know it will never, not here at DigitalScrapbook.com with their marvelous manifesto. It makes me enormously proud to be part of something that is in no way 'junk thrown into the wastebin within seconds'. I am part of a huge group of people documenting their life and holding on to valuable memories!
So, there you have it. Looks like I found my place
After this long rant, it may please you to know I have reduced the hours at my dayjob to focus more on designing!
Melo, reading your posts always makes me warm around the heart
it seems like the latest layout is always my dearest, but i've just revisited my gallery here and i really couldn't pick just one.
the most revolutionary skill of the year would definitely be - realistic shadowing! i started paying more attention to shadows and it really makes a difference. but more then any skill, i would point out that i've started having way more fun with scrapping then ever before.
and that's all thanks to this amazing site! no doubt, joining PS was the best move i've made scrapwise. It brought much, much joy and so so many new things & cool people in my life, incredible! being on CT and having to make 1-kit-pages, made me look at designs in a new way (e.g i needed a washi which wasn't included so i used a ribbon instead...things like that) and i realized how versatile they are. And participating in BT made me apreciate each kit so much more - because i've experienced a little bit of all that hard work that goes into making supplies. Plus, now i feel like my pages have some kind of purpose and this hobby isn't just a waste of time (as people around me tend to think...). it all just got much more exciting!
My favorite 2 layouts that I created last year (I couldn't just pick one):
I learned to use photoshop! I still learn neat things all the time but I am proud of myself for finally not being afraid to just jump in and use it to scrapbook - I can't tell you how long I had it on my computer before I ever used it; probably a few years.
I love the family I have here at DigitalScrapbook.com with the other moderators - it is amazing how close I feel to them and to other community members even.
Today I like the color orange.
Your favorite layout from the year that you made.
It was a tough year is the easiest way to say it. I'm glad 2015 is here and have hope for the coming year. I have already recommitted myself to changing my lack of time for doing what I love by taking 3 classes right here in the beginning of the year. Hoping to light the fire again and get past the craziness I let control my life last year. 
I am ashamed to say but I haven't uploading any this year, and I've only finished a few.
A skill or something that you learned.
I did learn "sort of" how to do an extraction and how to make a color palette that is in "gamut". Seems simple but were two things I had no idea how to do before in my 10 years digi scrapping!
How scrapbooking affected your life.
It has been sort of therapeutic for me at times that life was almost too hard. It has given me a way to communicate my true feelings to myself and/or my hubby when I wasn't completely able to just start talking about certain situations that seemed almost overwhelming at the time. It has also helped me to make friends I never would have otherwise in my life... even if some are just still online only.
Something else!
I'm still a "Paper" hoarder... shhhhhh, don't tell!
I couldn't pick one, either. I could've picked five, but narrowed it done to two.
My son:
My dogs:
I'm so thankful I found digitalscrapbook.com this past year! The scrapbooking community that I had been with for a looooong time dissolved a couple years ago and I had trouble finding a new "home" that was both open enough for my mish mash of multi-kit layouts (not from any particular store) and varied enough to keep me inspired & growing as a scrapper. I think I did more layouts in my first month here than I had done the previous year!!
Something I learned . . . extractions look way better when you take the smudge tool to the edge after extracting
(learned that on this layout)
A favourite layout . . . probably this one:
Scrapbooking slows me down to really LOOK at the pictures that our family has taken . . .reflect on the time we've spent together . . . and realize what a truly amazing life we have
It's a great way to count my blessings!