Sweet Shoppe Designs

Darla gives us ideas of things to think about BEFORE you tackle an organization project

Ok the thought of spring cleaning or organizing things can be very overwhelming to me. I find myself breaking out into sweat, and panic just seems to surround me. Like the picture, I just want to crawl into bed and cover my head hoping the little organizational fairies will take pity on me and organize things for me! Since that is highly unlikely to happen, here are some questions and tips to help you get over your anxiety about tackling your project:

1. Do You NEED to Organize? I know this sounds like a funny question because most people would say “No!” if the project is a large one. But honestly, it is a question that helps you break down what your needs really are. How many times have you cleaned an area and later when you are looking for something you need, you suddenly can’t find it? You hunt around and all you can think about is how it was there BEFORE you cleaned! The idea behind organizing something is that you will be able to find something easily when you need it because it is in its rightful place. It is important before you start an organizational task that you take time to clarify your priorities, objectives, and figure out how you want things to be arranged. By doing so, you can determine if you really need to organize your project or simply keep it more tidy so that it doesn’t look disorganized when you look at it.

2. Reduce Before You Organize. The thing that overwhelms people when they organize is that there seems to be so much to do. Just take a look at the reality shows that highlight people who refuse to get rid of anything and the utter pain they go through to slowly reclaim their lives from this clutter. If you are like me, you may have tons of photos, layouts, and digital items sitting around on your hard drive in some unorganized fashion, and even purchasing or using a program to help organize this won’t reduce the amount of these items! So take a breath and step back to see what you have to organize and ask yourself: do you really need all these items? If you come back with a “no,” then take the steps to slowly get rid of things you don’t really need anymore or are less likely to use again. If you can’t bear to part with some of the stuff, put it in a “maybe” area for you to come back and look at later on. Reducing your clutter doesn’t have to be painful but should be thoughtful so that when you are finally done with organizing things, you don’t have any regrets about the things you got rid of.

3. Start Small. For some people, the thought of spring cleaning brings about happy thoughts of peace and inner happiness. For others like me, it just means work and long hours! To try and cope with this, perhaps take out your notebook and create a list of what you need to organize by listing each item individually. Don’t get caught up on how many things are on this list or how many pages of paper you had to use to create your list; you are just trying to collect your thoughts to see what you need to tackle! Once your list is complete, look at it realistically and ask yourself if there is a deadline by you need to have this accomplished. Once you have this, simply break down your list into small manageable tasks that will allow you to complete it in the time you hoped for. For example, my girls like to take photos on their smartphones and have amassed over 3,000 photos on their phones. I want to scrap these but the thought of tagging 3,000 photos in one sitting seems to equate to a lot of long hours that I truly don’t have right now. But, perhaps starting out on this task in a small way by creating folders to hold the photos by year order and then organized by month is a great beginning. The next time I want to organize, I can break the months down into the events that happened when the photos were taken and so on. Eventually over time, I will have the end result I desired; a way to easily access these photos for layouts I want to create for my girls.

4. Keep a Schedule. It is easy to get distracted from things we are not excited about doing. And for me, organizing and cleaning are not on my top favorite things to do. I know that I can honestly say that often I will look for ways or things to take me off of a task that I am not in the mood to do. So, I have had to be creative in getting things done timely. A quick and easy solution to avoid this would be to set up a schedule that identifies what you need or want to do and when you are going to do it. The schedule doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should be a tool that can assist you with your task at hand. And, if you want, add some little “fun time” to your schedule so that you don’t feel like the task is so daunting or a chore!

5. Know What “Organized” Looks and Feels Like. This is a really important part of getting ready to organize something because it helps you set realistic goals of what you hope to accomplish. For some people, organizing their digital kits with ACDsee is a the perfect answer to finding everything they own in their digital stash, But for me, it didn’t work the way I had hoped it would. Don’t get me wrong—the program is a great tool to organize these items, it was just that it wasn’t my idea of how I wanted my stuff to be organized. I tagged a few 100 items, and in the end, I felt like I was more unorganized than the haphazard way I had it before. I learned quickly that it might have been better for me to understand what I thought organizing my stuff would look and feel like for me instead of what someone else may have suggested. Ideas and suggestions that you get from others or on the internet are great starting points to help you understand what your organizational needs are, but take them as that—a starting point—to help you develop how you will organize your project. In the end, you need to be happy with the results of your task or it was needlessly done.

These are just simple steps and thoughts to get you started on organizing something. We encourage you to continue to check our blog throughout the month to get some really great tips and suggestions on how to help you accomplish your spring cleaning. I am not sure if there is such a thing as being too organized, but I had to smile at the photos from a blog post that one of our SugarBabes shared with me here—it sure puts things in perspective! Happy organizing!

Darla shares some of her favorite way to keep in touch with loved ones

My life is very hectic, and with the pace I keep, I often wonder how do I do it all. Staying connected with friends and family is extremely important to me, but I often find that with the limited time that I have, going over to visit someone is just not feasible. Thankfully there are others like me, and they have created tools that you can use to keep in touch with everyone in your ilfe. Here are a few of my favorites I wanted to share today:

1. Facebook: It goes without saying that Facebook is the easiest way to keep in touch with everyone in your life. You can create special groups to catch updates on your favorite hobbies, similar to what Nicole posted here on the blog on Friday. You can change your newsfeed (updates you see when you open Facebook) to pre-determined groups that you have created. I have mine set up to close friends, and in a few seconds I can see what my family members are doing. This is very useful since my brother lives in Georgia, and my sisters have schedules that are just as crazy as mine, so visits are not often enough. We often joke with each other that we find out more about each other on Facebook than when we talk on the phone!

2. Facetime: Facetime is another cool way to keep in touch with someone who has an iPhone 4s, 4th generation (or higher) iPod touch, iPad 2 or higher, or Macs that have FaceTime activated and are connected to Wi-Fi networks. Your Facetime works just like a phone call but instead of just hearing the person, you get to actually see them in real time. When you are done, you just hang up to disconnect. I have used it when I needed my husband’s input on something or wanted to talk to my mom. Now I have heard of parents of teens using it to confirm their kid is where they should be, but I haven’t yet resorted to this!

3. Instagram: Being a parent of teens, I have quickly learned that Facebook is considered “old news” in our house, and the girls and all my nieces and nephews prefer to use Instagram to keep in touch with their friends. Instagram is available on both iPhones and Android phones, and you can also view your feed online on your personal computer. The program is pretty basic: post your photos for your followers to see and your friends will “like” or comment on them. You can follow anyone who has an account, similar to how Facebook feeds work. There are settings you can enable on your phone to receive notifications when someone has commented or liked a photo you posted as well as privacy settings to control who can see your photos.

4. Texting: Texting has been around since 1999 and has quickly become the easiest and quickest way to keep in touch. To illustrate how much this way of communicating has become a part of our lives, take a look at these quick facts:

• 96.4% of smartphone users send text messages on their devices
• US women text on their mobile phones 14% more than men
• 49% of those who use social media daily would rather text than call a person
• The average person responds to a text message in 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for an email
• Teenagers sent an average of 193 text messages every week, more than double the number they sent in 2011
• Girls aged 12–15 years were found to be the most prolific texters, sending 32 messages a day, or 221 a week, compared with 23 a day for boys

Most smartphones come with a basic text message application, but you can also find many 3rd source applications to download and install to your smartphones if you are looking for something different. Some of the popular ones are: Kik (available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry); Google Voice (available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry); and Whatsapp (available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry).

5. Skype: Skype is a Microsoft application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. Skype has also become popular for its additional features which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing. The application is available for installation on your personal computer as well as on your smartphones or tablets, which makes it a great tool for communication. My girls use this often to talk to their cousins in Georgia as well as work on homework with some of their friends.

6. OoVoo: OoVoo is another application that allows you to video chat and instant message people from your desktop, mobile phone, tablets, or Facebook. However, the unique feature that sets this apart from Skype is that you can chat with up to 12 people at a time, something my girls do often when planning their weekend out or working on school group projects.

7. Snapchat: Snapchat is a photo messaging application that allows users to take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. Users set a time limit for how long recipients can view their photos, up to 10 seconds, after which it will be deleted from the recipient’s device and the company’s servers. It is available on both iOS and Android phones/tablets. Since messages are timed before they are deleted, this is just a quick way to say “hey” to someone. My nieces use it to show off quick photos of my littlest niece and to send funny faces to their closest friends. It is important to know that there is some controversy about this application, so be sure to read up on it and then take the proactive steps as a parent to openly discuss the use of this application with your kids.

There are many other ways and applications to keep in touch with your friends and family, but sometimes a good ole fashion visit or phone call may be the best way to know how your mother is doing. Enjoy your day!

Nicole shares all the great ways to use Facebook as a memory keeping tool

Mmm—technology. If you’re reading this, chances are that you are in love with it. I know I am!

You know those horror stories of kids racking up hundreds of dollars in internet charges back in the old days? Well, I was one of them . . . back in 1986. (That’s right—I was freaking out my parents long before it was common to hear about stories like this!) This was back before AOL was even AOL. (It was called Q-Link.) My poor dad . . . he received a $400 bill in the mail and almost had a heart attack. The charges piled up when things used to cost 8 cents a minute! Man, I loved that Commodore 64. Good times!

So, after a story like that, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that I’ve been on Facebook for a long time, too. I wasn’t one of the first people to join . . . only because I wasn’t in college at the time! But shortly after it opened up to the general public, I was there.

I’ve seen Facebook go through a lot of changes and usually for the better! One thing I love about the way Facebook is now is getting to interact every day with friends in our digital scrapbooking community and how Facebook helps keep us all together.

We’ve already talked this month about how you can keep up with the SSD Designers via sites like Facebook, which is a great way for you to hear our latest news and get to know us better. Today we are going to take a different tack in talking about Facebook and look in to some of the ways that you can use your own account to enjoy your hobby even more!

Why Scrappers Love Facebook:

I went over to Facebook and I asked some friends for their thoughts on why they like sharing their digi-life stuff on their wall. Here’s what they had to say:

“I like to share here so family & friends get an idea what digi actually is and how beautiful it can be. So many people just have no idea what I do.” – Megs (a/k/a Flergs)

“It’s so nice to get immediate feedback!” – Heather T.

“I’m all about the instantaneous, fastest, and easiest way to communicate and still share what I love with my family & friends.” – Andi W.

“Because I can share my pages here with my friends and family, and help others see how easy it is to document their memories with digi.” – Jen (a/k/a NeverendingJen)

“‘Cause it makes my mom happy!” – AnneOfAlamo

“I love being able to share my pages with my family and friends who are not on the digi sites that I am a member of.” – AmberK

I love all these reasons! These are the things that make Facebook fun—the liking, the sharing, the family and friends. It’s natural to want to add our digi pages to the mix!

How to Use Facebook to Share Your Pages:

So, how exactly can you make use of Facebook’s tools to share your pages? Here are a few tips!

Albums:

If you’ve ever uploaded photos to Facebook, you’ll probably be familiar with the fact that you can organize your uploads into different albums, like this:

You’ll see that I have an album just for our trip with my sister-in-law to the Magic Kingdom. That’s probably something you’ve already done at least once. But what you may not have tried is uploading your layouts to Facebook—in effect, making your own gallery!

I have also created several albums on Facebook to hold photos and uploads of all my scrapbook pages. I especially love doing this for my Project Life pages. Everything is so nice and neat in it’s own little gallery. If someone were to ask me about my scrapbook, I have one place I can link them to!

Here are some additional Facebook tips and ideas for you:

• Try uploading just one page at a time. If you add more than one, Facebook will group them together in the newsfeed of your family and friends. If you’re posting to share your work, then try to stick to one upload at a time so people have a chance to actually see it!
• Credits are always appreciated—but time is short, am I right? My favorite way to post credits is to first upload to my gallery here at SSD with a full list of credits and links for those who want to know. Then, once that’s done, I grab the link to my page and I simply post it in the description for my page when I post it on Facebook. For those who want to know more, they have a way to get the info. For those who couldn’t care less because they just want to see our work, they don’t have to be overwhelmed with a long list of just who made what!
• Remember than you can always organize your pages to put them in any order you like with a simple click, drag, and drop!

Like so:

I also love that I can go to my Facebook album and see thumbnails of my pages. It helps a lot when I’m thinking of where to put my number card and what colors I should be avoiding (since I’ve used them a lot already)!

Groups:

Another fun way to share your pages on Facebook is to join a Group! Here are a few that I’m a part of that relate to scrapping:

It can be really encouraging to be a part of a smaller group of people who really “get” what you’re all excited about. I love being a part of these groups. It’s especially fun when I have something to share, like a link or an article. I know I can share it with these friends, and they will be happy to see it!

Groups are also a GREAT way to get inspiration! It’s like having a gallery . . . in your newsfeed!

Another great place to get inspiration is by following your favorite designers on Facebook! Many designers have taken to using Facebook’s Page Galleries to upload lots of layouts for each of their kits, like here on Zoe’s page:

Often you will see a notice in your newsfeed about a designer making a new album. But if you miss the news and you start thinking to yourself, “You know, I’d like to see more pages made with this kit . . .” remember to check the Facebook Fan Pages of your favorite designers! You’re likely to find lots of pretty layouts and inspiration waiting for you there, all nice and neat in their little albums!

How to Get Scrappy with Your Facebook Page:

When Facebook changed over to it’s new Timeline format, one of the things that digital scrapbookers got giddy about was the new place for a cover image. It’s the perfect spot to show off your favorite photos AND your favorite kits!

When I found this photo hiding on my husband’s camera, I couldn’t resist using it for my timeline cover, along with some journaling cards from Mari’s Today 2.0 collection:

I’d wager that out of all the millions of people on Facebook, us digi girls have got to have the PRETTIEST timeline covers. We know how to digitally decorate, don’t we?!

How to Use Facebook in Your Memory Keeping Process:

I should also take a minute to mention how Facebook can be used in your actual memory keeping process!

When you think about it, Facebook is like a living scrapbook. You have your photos . . . your updates . . . your posts.

Sometimes the only way I can keep track of things when I fall behind with Project Life is to go and look at my own wall and see what I’ve been talking about. Those things will trigger memories and put everything back in its place so I can remember exactly what Wednesday it was when this moment happened:

That’s right. The Revolutionary Zombie Apocalypse! A true moment to remember in American History.

Get Connected, Stay Connected

Facebook. It can be such a wonderful tool!

What are some ways that YOU love to use Facebook to share your favorite hobby with your family and friends? Do you have any other tips for us? I’d love to hear them—so be sure to let us know!

Meg brings you some awesome apps that are great for memory keeping on the go!

Hey Sweeties!! Meg here today bringing you some of the apps I use most to record my memories on my phone. I believe most of these are available for iPhone and Android so hopefully they are useful to the majority of SSD readers!

I love being able to document my daily life all on my phone or ipad. Sadly, I hardly ever take my big camera out anymore just because my phone is so dang convenient. Alright, let’s get started!

First up on my list of must have apps for scrapbooking is…..

1. Instagram

Instagram is so easy to use. Just snap a photo, apply a fun filter, then share on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Full photo sharing at your fingertips. I love the photo treatments and the different memories I can catch on any given day. You can scrap a bunch of instagram photos on a single layout

 2. Momento

I am pretty new to Momento. I love the ease of journaling on the go and integrating other social media sites to the app so I know everything I did on any given day. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite apps.

3. Photo365

Photo365 is perfect for those scrappers that do project 365 or any photo a day projects. It has a pretty user friendly interface and you can use the camera directly from the app OR choose your own from your albums. It’s really neat to look at the monthly view and see a photo that represents each day. You can have more than 1 photo per day so no need to choose which memory you want on any given day!

4. Evernote

Evernote is my old go to journal keeping app but since I’ve started using Momento I don’t go to this one as much. It’s still a great option though for documenting your memories so just because I hardly use it anymore doesn’t mean that you can’t!

5. Dropbox

Dropbox makes syncing your photos and documents from your mobile device to your computer a cinch!! You will always have your photos on hand with dropbox. No more having to email yourself a photo to save to your computer to scrap later.

Memory keeping on the go is a great way to capture travel, vacations, outdoor activities, or any other event or everyday memory you want documented.

Those are my top 5 apps that I find myself going to again and again. I hope these apps are helpful to you and documenting your memories. Keep scrapping!

Lynnette takes us on a little walk down technology’s memory lane—with a Bonus Challenge!

This month here on the Sweet Shoppe blog our theme is all about getting connected, and if there’s one thing that’s connected our world more than anything, it would be technology.

As a child who grew up in the Silicon Valley with a computer engineer dad, it’s hard for me to imagine a time when technology didn’t play a significant role in my life. Many a half-assembled computer joined us as a dinner guest at our table (much to my mother’s chagrin). And, I can remember even as far back as 1995 trying to explain to friends in middle school that the computers in our house were networked, long before “networked” was a common place thing.

Today on a regular basis, technology allows me to keep in touch with family and friends thousands of miles away, work from home doing what I love, and even plan my commercial-free tv watching around my schedule—thanks Tivo!

But, have you ever stopped to think about just how much technology has changed our world?

Back in 2011, I decided to scrapbook a page capturing just that. I focused primarily on the internet since it’s certainly the biggest technology change I’ve seen in my lifetime. But, you could easily create something like this documenting a much broader view of technology as well.

Isn’t it amazing to see all the little ways technology has changed our lives? I admit, creating this page at the time was eye-opening because I hadn’t really ever stopped to think about all these changes I’ve seen. And, I assure you, my list was even longer than what would fit on the page!

What’s funny is if I were to design this page now, I’m sure I’d have different ways the internet has changed my life on my list. Facebook anyone? That’s the magic of technology—it’s constantly evolving and keeping us on our toes, which is exactly why it deserves to be captured as part of our scrapbooks. How technology influences our lives is a sign of our times more than any other.

This week I’d love for you to take a moment and scrap a few of the ways technology has changed your life. You may just end up as surprised as I was to realize how lucky you are to live in our tech-lovin’ modern day world. Add your layout to your Challenge Portfolio tracking post for an extra bonus point this month! Happy scrapping!

For all the Pinterest addicts out there, Tracy shows us some great ways to use this fun tool

So you open Pinterest, start repinning like crazy, and hours later, you haven’t been very productive. Yes, you can get lost in Pinterest, but it is also a great way to stay connected to the latest trends, creative blogs, and new recipes with the current “superfood.”

I suggest making yourself dedicated boards that get a little more specific. When I first joined, I created a “Foods I’d Like To Try” board. You know the problem with this?  It’s too broad. So, now I have “Sweets,” “Lowfat,” and “Fun Food” to break everything down a little better. You can also move your pins as you make something onto a “Made and Loved It” board so you have an easy place to go for tried and true recipes and craft ideas.

Jenn Barrette has started using Pinterest for her meal planning each week. She has a board for a specific time period. Check it out here. Once you’ve planned your meals, be sure to check out our meal planners by Jenn and Janet in the shoppe to make your grocery lists and printable menus too.

Another way to use Pinterest as a planning tool is to make a board when planning a special event. When coming up with ideas for an upcoming children’s festival that I’m involved with, I started a board to pin ideas to remember. You can see my board here.

And of course, there are today’s latest fashions. Looking for away to integrate this year’s color . . . emerald? Start a style board with ways you can add green along with your other apparel.

Feel free to share the ways you stay “connected” with Pinterest!

~Tracy

Lydia introduces our March Blog Theme and a Blog Bonus Challenge

Hey there Sweet Shoppers! A new month is upon us, and that means a new theme for our blog posts! This month we’re going to be talking about getting “connected.” We’ll be discussing all sorts of different topics having to do with technology and the different ways we use it to stay connected to those we love. We’ll be featuring all our favorite products, layouts, apps, and more to help you connect with others and preserve your memories. And, you may even learn a few new ways to connect with your favorite Sweet Shoppe designers!

To start us off . . . are you aware of all the different way to connect with Sweet Shoppe Designs? You can find us through several different social media outlets, and there’s always something new to learn on the tutorial blog. Click on the image below to get connected with everything Sweet Shoppe!

I’m keeping it short and sweet today. But, make sure you check back often this month to see everything we have planned for you as we Get Connected!

Blog Bonus Challenge: Receive 1 bonus point for your March Portfolio by using the image above as inspiration for a layout of your own. Remember to upload your layout into the Pinterest Portfolio Challenge Gallery and mark it as a Blog Bonus Challenge in your tracker post.

Brook reminds us of many of the everyday moments that are worth celebrating

Climbing a tree higher than you’ve ever climbed. Sipping some hot cider in your favorite jammies. The conversation you just had on the phone with your grandma. That TV series you never miss on Sunday nights. Life is filled with small, everyday reasons to celebrate!

If you look at your the scrapbooks filling your shelf or hard drive and think about how many of those pages are specific events (birthday, anniversary, holiday pages) compared to how many are not, you might come to a realization. Out of all the many moments we choose to put in our albums, it really is the everyday events and small stuff we’re scrapping about most of the time. And, when we think of that stuff as something to celebrate instead of just to “get scrapped,” we might be encouraged to approach our scrapbooking in a whole new way. We might even think of new everyday moments to scrap! Each day we live can be displayed in our albums . . . regardless of its significance or whether any certain event makes it scrapbook-worthy.

Some commonly celebrated everyday stuff can be easy to scrap since many kits are available in those themes. I’m thinking about the “usual” non-holiday celebrations: a lost tooth, a developmental milestone, an academic accomplishment, potty training, an anniversary, weight loss, etc. Those moments are a no-brainer. We have the camera out ready to capture the moment. It’s easy to celebrate. Other everyday stuff can be difficult to scrap, though. Especially the things that are not so theme-oriented. I often find myself avoiding those non-themey pages because they seem like more work for some reason. Slowly, those photos and moments become forgotten and set aside. This is one reason that I love Project Life and daily/weekly scrapbooking projects. They are great for this. But, if you’re like me and not interested in those projects, you might have a tougher time. I want to embrace every day in my “normal” scrapbook, which is sometimes a hard thing to remember to do. 

Life is filled with small, everyday reasons to celebrate!

Let’s think about the everyday when it comes to the people in our lives. Our children: their many facial expressions, that cowlick that won’t lay flat, their scribbly artwork, their collection of toys, or the funny things they say. Let’s celebrate our parents: the way they keep their house tidy, their routines, how they’ve never changed, or what they say on the phone that makes you giggle. Let’s celebrate our husbands (or significant others): their many hair styles, the random photos they take, their hobbies, annoying habits, and mighty brawn. Then let’s celebrate the TRULY everyday by thinking of things that get missed . . . the stuff that’s in-between: that hot cup of coffee or tea in the morning, someone’s favorite well-loved shoes, the signs of life in your home (er . . . mess), the way your dog looks out of the corner of his eye, the stop sign you pass every morning on the way to work, your favorite place to walk, your front door, a neighbor who always says hello, the way the sunlight streams through the window.

HOW do we celebrate everyday life? I think it’s fairly simple: recognize it. Stop and notice. Then, take a picture if you can and jot a few notes about it in your journal. Make sure these little moments are in your scrapbooks, too. Not just Christmas Day, vacations, trick-or-treating, and your child’s 5th birthday. Push yourself to think about the everyday moments and things in your life you have yet to document. Think of it as a personal challenge to flesh out your scrapbook in a way that tells the WHOLE story of your life and the lives of your family. Write about the dust bunnies you always have to go to great lengths to reach under the couch. You are celebrating a small (seemingly unimportant) struggle in your life. Photograph your child’s beat-up sneakers. You are celebrating signs of his/her growth, energy, and adventurous youth. When you sit down to scrap it, try to really tell a story about it. Bring it to life.

Years from now these pages might even end up being your favorite ones! The everyday stuff is the stuff easily forgotten and, therefore, can become the most enjoyable memories to recall.

Happy scrapping!

-Brook

Ideas for recording the experiences in your past that helped make you who you are today

I’m sure we’ve all heard the old saying, “The only thing constant is change.” Life is an ever evolving journey, full of twists and turns. And, where you are right now in your life’s journey is the product of all your past experiences. So, I’d like to encourage you to take some time to think about where you came from and record some of those moments from your journey–the moments in your past that brought you to where you are right now.

Family

Darla shares some of her favorite products for scrapping your goals 

Before the new year started, I was already thinking of what my goal would be for 2013 – what would I do to change the way I lived my life now and start a new journey? While I was at a party with friends, I sat and watched everyone having so much fun and I thought to myself how much I was enjoying myself. It was then that I realized how hard I push myself to be a perfectionist and how often this way of life did not leave me much time to relax. I realized then that I wanted to enjoy life more, and the only way I could do this would be to relax a little more and not let the stress that life can throw at me run my journey in life. Excited to create a layout to inspire me daily, I turned to our wonderful store looking for products that would be perfect to scrap my goals for 2013. And, here is what I found that I wanted to share with you:

1. In With The New kit by Traci Reed and Gina Miller – This is a wonderful kit filled with warm beautiful colors to help you scrap your goals for the year! The kit includes elements that help you scrap your “one little word” or encouragement to start your year’s journey. As a bonus for all you Project Life scrappers, there are journal cards included that you could use for all the PL pages you create in 2013.

2. Resolutions: LOVE by Jenn Barrette – This is another kit that beautifully helps you create pages about your new year’s resolutions or goals. What I love about this kit in particular is the encouraging word strips to remind you to cherish yourself as you scrap your goals!

3. I Can. by Shawna Clingerman – How can you go wrong with a kit that motivates you to keep your goals for 2013? The colors are so fun and bright in this kit, which help lend to that positive motivation to scrap your new goals.

4. New Year: New Me by Jenn Barrette – This is a fun and whimsical kit from Jenn Barrette that you can also use to scrap your goals. My favorite parts of this kit are the cute little alphas and encouraging word elements to help you scrap your pages about the New You for 2013!

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

Sometimes you need a little help to get started on creating that page about your new goals, and here are a few that I found in our shop:

5. FAVE-O-RITES Vol 1 by Nettio Designs -Lynnette has a whole series of templates that encourage you to scrap your favorites, and this particular template set allows the flexibility to create a list of your goals quickly!

6. Cindy’s Layered Templates – Listmakers 1 by Cindy Schneider – Cindy has these perfect templates that let you create a list of all your goals or resolutions for the new year.

7. The Best Of The Year by Studio Basic – While this particular template set is centered around highlighting your past year, I loved the possibilities and flexibility of this set to help you create quirky and fun pages about your goals for the new year.

8. Celebrate LIFE by Janet Phillips – This is a really fun set of templates by Janet Phillips that helps you not only scrap pages about your initial goals but allows you to use them to create monthly pages to show how your journey is going throughout the year!

9. 10,080 Minutes Frame Stamps by Traci Reed – These stamp frames are a fun way to quickly add a bit of flair to your photos about your journey throughout the year!

10. It’s Goal-tastic by Nettio Designs – Well how can you not love these templates from Lynnette that help you create a page about that one word that will motivate you on your journey? I loved them so much that I created my own page with the templates highlighting the word that I hope will help me find much joy and love in 2013!

There are still many more products in our store that would help you create your goal pages, but these were my favorites that I hope you can find inspiring enough to create your own journey page or pages! Happy Scrapping!