is there a way to get faster at scrapping? also names of products?

Hello there lovely scrapbookers, how are you all today?
I've just spent 12 hours copying a simple album from pinterest and I haven't even bound it, filled it with photos, or journalled in it yet. I thought this thing would take me 3 hours max...and this was an easy one--just a copy of another album, not creating something from scratch like I normally do. How am I ever going to scrapbook the 2-30000 photos that need scrapbooking? Have any of you found shortcuts or ways to streamline this process? How long does it take you to do a mini album? A full album? A layout?

Also, does anyone remember the name of the paper line from Bazzill Basics with a sheet called Santa Barbara? It had all the different names of beaches written all over it on one side and a green and blue plaid on the back. I don't know what the rest of the pages looked like.
Also, who did the Coca Cola scrapbook papers? I think its reminisce but not sure. Been looking for those forever.

Creative Imaginations did some Coke papers a while back.

I found a plaid/beach names paper like you're describing - it's from the collection Lucy's Crab Shack, and that particular design is My Beach/Beach Bum.

Regarding the speed issue, when I go to an annual crop, my goal is to get as much done as possible. I measure it in page count. I want the pages to look nice, but my goal is not to make every page a work of art. With that context, I decided to simplify what I was doing for each page to save time. I rarely mat a photo. I use letter stickers rather than cutting out a lot of things on the Cricut. I use a few, simple embellishments. I started layering a few blocks of patterned paper to get the colors I want, but without a lot of fuss. Also, If the papers have design features, I try to use them.

Example of simple paper, letter sticker, and embellishments.

Super Silly By Frau_Cooney

Example of using the paper's design features.

Happy Mother's Day 2012 By Frau_Cooney

I have arthritis in my hands and am, therefore, a very slow scrapper. There are probably ways to speed things up but I've stopped worrying about how fast I get to the final result in favour of enjoying the process, no matter how long it takes. If you're scrapbooking for someone else, you'll want to maximize efficiency and there are probably lots of videos and tutorials around on how to do that. Just fire up Google and see where it takes you.

If, on the other hand, you're scrapbooking for yourself -- what's the rush? "Enjoy the Journey," as Tim says ;-)

I am a slow scrapper and sometimes it bothers me because there are so many ideas I have and so many photos to scrap.

But most of the time I would rather just enjoy the process because it is my hobby not my work.
One thing I have done to take off some of the pressure of how many photos I have is to use the We R Memory Keepers photo sleeves. That way I can focus on scrapping a few photos and then add the others in adjoining pages.

I agree with every word Mary said.

That being said sometimes there are things we just have to scrapbook quickly. My scrapbuddy told me her secret to scrapping her son's wedding album was she picked 4 Sketches she liked. She used the first sketch, then the second, then so on...after she did those 4 LOs she rotated the sketches 90 degrees and did the same 4 sketches. On the 9th LO she rotated the sketch another 90 degrees. This was perfect because to a non-scrapbooker they couldn't tell it was the same basic idea again and again. Especially since she varied the papers and embellishments used (whiles still keeping with the theme of wedding and specific to that wedding's them and colors). They loved it and I think she got the whole album done in couple of weeks. I wish I took her advice...I am working on my little bro's wedding album right now. I started in May and I think I only have 8 pages done. Eek! But that because I keep trying to re-invent the wheel on each one (and take lots of breaks so I can scrap my favorite subject- my DD) I think its time to take my own advice, but for me that just doesn't feel like any fun...and that's the whole point right? So I am right back to where I started...Ditto to Mary's comment. The End. haha

I'm a slow scrapper too. I've found I tend to get more done if I just focus on doing a little scrapping every day rather than getting a certain amount or certain number of pages done. Also, something that I've done that seems to speed up the process for me is to look for cardstock, paper, and embellishments for several LO's at once instead of one LO at a time. Also, I will print the journaling for several pages at once rather than just one page. Same for cutting titles. I will also wait to put supplies away until I have several of a like item to put away. I won't put just one ribbon card away, but will wait until I have a half dozen or so to put away before I do it. I keep supplies that need to be put away in an Iris box above my desk.

I am a very fast scrapper but that is me. Not likely I will ever slow down.

When I come back from a trip I have thousands of photos to scrap. First thing to me is to organize them all. I make files for each batch of paper and I scrap chronologically. I enjoy that so much more when I scrap in order.

I want it all scrapped because it is all part of our vacation and travel memories and I don't want to leave anything out so I go in order. Otherwise I will scrap the fun stuff and the rest won't get done.

I was a kid who ate the stuff I didn't want on my plate first and worked up so that the last few things were my favorites. Same principle.

Once I have all the pictures organized I lay them on top of file folders which I label on front with date, event and anything else pertinent. Then I lay them out and they cover have the furniture surfaces and chair in the house.

I put embellies, ticket stubs and special themed paper if there is something I want to use on top of each stack.

Then I put everything in the files and keeping them in chronological order, I put them in a paper file holder (or several of them) and there may be hundreds of file folders.

Then I grab the first one and scrap it - no matter what is in it. If its one I don't want to do it usually ends up being one of my favorites because I have to try harder. Then I take the next folder.

New events to scrap go in the back.

Because I do scrap such a heavy volume I have started digit scrapping our trips because I can do that in hotel rooms and on cruise ships. I really enjoy that.

I have to agree with pulling paper and embellishments for multiple pages at once. I make up kits and add my photos to them, a sketch or notes on what I was thinking of doing and store them in a page protector. Then when I have a few minutes or a half hour, there are things already pulled and waiting for me.

I originally made up kits like this for a crop weekend and came home with kits that I didn't get to during the weekend. It made scrapping after I got home so much easier that now I do this whenever I print my photos. It also is great to have things ready for last minute invitations to crop either with friends or at the LSS.

Dang where is the like button, love all the different ideas.

For me, being cutting challenged, cutting all my mats on the electronic cutter at once is great. I use a few cutting mats or the large 12x24 mat load them up with the papers and put them through. I can work on other aspects of the layout while those cut.

I also find that sometimes the less options I have the faster I get done. By that I mean, a couple years ago I did a huge purge of stash. Getting rid of the old stuff and only keeping what I loved really helped. I was turning out layouts a lot and using things up.

Of course then I got pregnant and had to buy all new baby stuff.

I am a fast scrapper. Once I know what I want to do, I go for it. But I walk away and let things "settle" for awhile then come back to it with a fresh perspective. I used to win Queen of the Crop for the most pages. But my pages were not very creative. I have slowed down at crops and retreats. Everyone has to find their way. I think the most important thing is to enjoy yourself!

Here's an idea: Use chapters for your scrapbook.

The title page for each scrapbook can feature one or two main photos with embellishments a title, and some journalling. The pages after the title page can include several photos related to that chapter without a lot of fancy embellishments.

Maybe you can simply repeat a single embellishment on each of the pages of that chapter. For example, if you use butterflies for the title page, then just include a butterfly on the corner of each of the pages after the title. Use the same color background to tie together the pages of each chapter.

Add a tab to each title page with the name of that chapter. That way, when it's finished, you can turn to it quickly and look over the rest of the photos for that chapter.

I have to say I generally am a slow scrapper as I dither over the pages, change my mind, move things ... it's endless.

I am loving some of the ideas here - the four designs and rotating them, creating a theme for the pages for the event, using a constant embellishment, and organising the pages and layout ahead of time and put in the sleeve is brilliant ... you guys have some amazing ideas!

Glad I found this group!

If you have 20 - 30,000 photos the Henri is right; the fist thing you need to do is organize and categorize them. I hope you have the photos documented somehow. Maybe writing on the back? A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a picture without words is a whole bunch of questions.
The rest of the ladies here are also right on track.
Also if you are going to start now, work back in time. Start with your new pages as if you didn't have any older photos. If you start at the past, you won't get to the now. you will always be in the past.

I agree with every word Don!

I'm working forward with new stuff and back with the old stuff so when I catch up - I'm caught up.

I always tell people, "A picture is worth a thousand words, but not necessarily the correct thousand words".

We used to play a game online on my red hat boards for fun. Someone would post a picture from a magazine each of us would write what we thought was going on in the picture and write a humorous caption.

Every story was so different - it was amazing. We all got something so different out of the picture. Then the winner every week was the one with the funniest caption to go with the story they concocted.

I am always going through the gallery looking at layouts and at least a dozen times a day I find layouts with great photos but what is going on? Who is it? What was the event? Where was it taken? What beach or city or restaurant or country? I am one of these people who wants to know about the pictures!

You don't want me making up my own stories to go with the pictures - I have a wild imagination.

Wow! Great ideas. Notana, I love the rotating sketches idea. If I ever do another gift album that will be the way I'll go. I started a scrapbook for my sister's baby a year ago in August for my sister's October birthday. I just finished it last week. Don't plan on doing albums for gifts anymore lol!

I know the less stuff I have the faster it goes, but then I'm always feelling like maybe the "best" option escaped me and now I have a "lesser" layout. I know, I know that' s silly and perfectionistic, but my memories are so special. I am finding that if I buy stuff to go with specific photos rather than papers I "have to have" I get more done. And I'm dying to try some snap or project life type scrapping for some photos.

Henri, I just started reorganizing my 5000+ print photo collection from my previous sort of random system I had started as a teenager, and that seems like it will take the rest of my lifetime just to do that. But hopefully it will all work out.

Thank you also for answering my questions about products. Will start looking for the Creative Imaginations coke paper right away!

Thanks again. Good luck scrappin'!

I feel your pain. I am a slow scrapper as well but I figure every LO I get done is one less in a box. Maybe to save some time, go simple. After you do the 60,000 photos, you can always go back and add the smaller details that take time.

Hope that helps. We should have a club for slow scrappers!

Yes! We could be SWATTT--Scrapbookers who always take their time...or PRECISE--People who regularly excercise caution in Scrapbooking everything. We could host parties with speed games like "Whoever gets at least a quarter of a page done in a 3 day crop retreat wins" or "how many hours can you take placing one embellishment?" The prize of course would be turtle scrapbook paper. Yes, I think this club could be fun. LOL!

This is awesome! I think you ladies should run with this one!