Forum > Papercrafting > Topic

Prints

Jan '23 Christiescraps

Just wondering what everyone does with their prints that don't make it into the scrapbook? Do you store them, pitch them, or only print the ones you end up scrapping in the first place? I'm old school and still seem to think I need prints for every good picture, lol. Maybe I need to get out of that mindset. Would like to hear about what others do!?
Jan '23 Trek

With digital photography we have too much pictures. It's not possible to scrap all of them I only print the ones I intended to scrap.
Jan '23 Scrappy_day

I used to print them all too. But then I didn't know what to do with what I didn't scrap. Now I try to only pick the ones I like the best to scrapbook.
Jan '23 Gluemore Girl

If you really like some of the extra prints, you can use them in other LO's that don't pertain to the event. Example: a vacation photo of you and a good friend can become a LO about your friendship or you can save special photos of the same persons or place and do a timeline LO. I agree with the others to only print your favorites but sometimes there is more than one story in the photo. So that being said, I do delete many before sending them off for printing. Hope that helps!
Jan '23 Christiescraps

Thanks everyone!
Jan '23 Puddin Head

I try to purchase only those pictures I need for my layouts, but that doesn't always happen because sometimes I won't know for sure what I will use before I begin the page. Extra pictures normally go into a box in chronological order. Occasionally I will retrieve some of them for other layouts, but the majority will probably sit there for years and years, lol!
Jan '23 Amysolovay

I don't think there's anything wrong with making prints and then not scrapping them. You can buy pocket pages and just plop those prints in the pockets, and then they are easily accessible for guilt-free viewing. If at any point later, you decide you want to go back and scrap those pics, you could.

I'm more than a decade behind with my scrapping, and that is how I am handling a lot of my pics. Much as I want to scrap them all, there is no way -- it just isn't going to happen.

For the layouts I do make, I give myself lots of options in varying sizes for the pics I'm going to scrap with. To minimize the costs for this, I use Gimp software (which is free to download) to resize my photos smaller and fit multiples into one 4x6 space. For example, I might put 6 2"x2" pics in one 4"x6" document and then print that out -- or perhaps 2 3"x4" photos.

I like using my own "extra" photos as embellishments on my pages. Like, for example, instead of buying fall leaf stickers, I'll just print out a few extra fall leaf photos in small sizes and use those for embellishments.

Doing it this way, there are always extra pictures hanging around. Some I keep and store; I have a photo organizer that I put them in, but I don't keep that many of them around for long. Most of the extras eventually either get scrapped (again) or given away to loved ones. Whenever there is a gift-giving occasion like Christmas or a birthday, I go through my photo stash and pull out any that I think my gift recipients would want to have. For my inner circle, I sometimes make mini albums using the extra pics. For acquaintances who aren't that close to me, I tuck the pics in a greeting card and call it good.
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Amysolovay: I don't think there's anything wrong with making prints and then not scrapping them. You can buy pocket pages and just plop those prints in the pockets, and then they are easily accessible for guilt-free viewing. If at any point later, you decide you want to go back and scrap those pics, you could. I'm more than a decade behind with my scrapping, and that is how I am handling a lot of my pics. Mu...

Great ideas! Thank you! I am WAY behind as well and as you said, it just isn't going to happen. Lol. I have the older ones in photo boxes but hoping to at least get some from the past few years done but then I realize I still need to get our vacation from this past Oct.done...so the older ones will probably get put off again. Lol Maybe I just need to get 2 projects going at once but that might scare me a little. Haha.
Jan '23 Amysolovay

RE: Christiescraps: Great ideas! Thank you! I am WAY behind as well and as you said, it just isn't going to happen. Lol. I have the older ones in photo boxes but hoping to at least get some from the past few years done but then I realize I still need to get our vacation from this past Oct.done...so the older ones will probably get put off again. Lol Maybe I just need to get 2 projects going at once but that might sc...

I'm definitely going to have at least 2 projects in progress simultaneously throughout 2023, because I started Project Life, and I am still trying to scrap older photos, too. I have my doubts about whether I will be able to keep up with Project Life, but even if I get behind, I think doing it beats not doing it.

I like your photo box idea! Thanks for sharing that.
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Amysolovay: I'm definitely going to have at least 2 projects in progress simultaneously throughout 2023, because I started Project Life, and I am still trying to scrap older photos, too. I have my doubts about whether I will be able to keep up with Project Life, but even if I get behind, I think doing it beats not doing it. I like your photo box idea! Thanks for sharing that.

You are right, it beats not doing it! I should do the same. I've had the mindset that I have to finish one thing before I can start another. But that's not true. I should just go for it! How are you liking doing the project life?
Jan '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Christiescraps: You are right, it beats not doing it! I should do the same. I've had the mindset that I have to finish one thing before I can start another. But that's not true. I should just go for it! How are you liking doing the project life?

Christie, I was in that mindset also and it was very freeing to let it go. I became more productive because of it.
Go for it!
I also have photo boxes with photos from various trips, one for each kid (the extras), and lots of DH and I, B.C. (before children). Also inherited photos from my Dad and Grandparents also stored in boxes that I may or may not get to, lol. The photos will be there when I'm ready. I know focus on what I really want to scrap and when so I'm a bit all over the place but it's fun.
One thing I learned (Library of Memories by Stacy Olsen) is that going back to photos after many years sometimes brings out different stories in the photos that you may not have seen if you were all caught up. I also found that really cool and somewhat meaningful to me.
: )
Maria
Jan '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Amysolovay: I don't think there's anything wrong with making prints and then not scrapping them. You can buy pocket pages and just plop those prints in the pockets, and then they are easily accessible for guilt-free viewing. If at any point later, you decide you want to go back and scrap those pics, you could. I'm more than a decade behind with my scrapping, and that is how I am handling a lot of my pics. Mu...

Amy, you are right... even if I live to be 100, I probably will not have scrapped all the photos I have .
I am fairly new to printing my own photos (still use Snapfish a lot) but I love the feature of the app (I use print to size) that lets you print various sizes. I did this last night for a little travel notebook scrapbook that I'm working on.
: )
Maria
Jan '23 Amysolovay

I used to sell mixed media art. When you do mixed media, working in a linear fashion from start to finish on a single project is hugely inefficient, because you have to wait for things to dry. So I worked out a system for juggling multiple projects but getting them all finished. (Well, not ALL of them; there are always some that don't work out, for whatever reason...)

This thread just made me remember that I still have a couple of Artbins full of Page Managers that are holding old projects I had in progress before I took a hiatus from scrapbooking. For me, a good organization system is key to having more than one project going. I don't think those old Page Managers are being made any longer, which is a shame; they were basically large 12"x12" multi-pocket folders that have spaces to put everything you might want to use on a scrapbooking page.

But no matter. If you scrap 12"x12", any 12"x12" storage solution could potentially work for keeping things organized, or you can do basically the same thing just with a pocket page itself. I started scrapping before pocket pages were a thing, so incorporating them into my process is fairly new. But for my newer stuff, I have just been sticking whatever I want to use -- photos, stamped images, stenciled images, whatever -- loose into the pocket page I want to use, and then temporarily putting it into the album I want to use. This means I have multiple albums full of work-in-progress pages that are in various stages of completion. I'm finding it helpful to do it this way because it is a tangible way for me to stay on top of how many pocket pages / albums I need to order to finish everything.

I still use a lot of mixed media in my scrapbooking pages, and I'm finding that the same system of organizing mixed media projects still works for organizing my layouts, too. The system basically involves just doing big batches of photo editing, stamping, stenciling or spraying, and then organizing everything as I go. For example, I'll sit down and edit a few hundred pics and send them out for printing. Then when that's done, I'll sit down and do a batch of stenciled images in one sitting, then let them all dry for a couple of nights; then flatten them out, which takes another couple of nights; then organize them with whatever photos and other embellishments I think they would complement. When the pics come back to me, I organize them. When the mixed media is ready, I organize it, too. And so on.

After a few loops through the cycle of photo editing / stamping / stenciling / spraying, I end up with bunches of pocket pages that have loose photos plus coordinating stamped images, stenciled images, embellishments, whatever. At that point, it's pretty easy to just manipulate all the pieces into a layout.

Please keep in mind, I am attempting to get 10+ years worth of scrapping done ASAP. It is a massive, epic project! And I think it is actually going to work out! (I had my doubts in the beginning, but it is really starting to come together, which is exciting to me!) I have most of the photos printed, sorted, organized and loose in pocket pages that are organized in albums. Some of them are never going to be more than pocket pages of pictures, but many of them are going to get transformed into actual layouts.
Jan '23 Amysolovay

re "How are you liking doing the project life?" So far so good! I have more than enough pics to finish the first 2 weeks, but I'm still figuring out how I want to approach it. At first, I was totally convinced I wanted to do it all digitally. Now I am changing my mind and thinking I want to do it hybrid. I need to commit already so I can get the layouts finished. There is a lot of stuff happening in my life right now that I want to remember, so I think I am going to be really happy that I did this -- but getting it off the ground is stressing me out a little.
Jan '23 Amysolovay

RE: Gluemore Girl: Amy, you are right... even if I live to be 100, I probably will not have scrapped all the photos I have . I am fairly new to printing my own photos (still use Snapfish a lot) but I love the feature of the app (I use print to size) that lets you print various sizes. I did this last night for a little travel notebook scrapbook that I'm working on. : ) Maria

Maria, that app sounds super useful! Thanks for the info -- I appreciate it! I would LOVE to be able to print my own photos at home. I'm not set up for it now, but it is something I'd really love to do in the future. I favorited your post and am hoping to revisit it again in the future when I get that far. THANKS again!
Jan '23 Amysolovay

RE: Gluemore Girl: Christie, I was in that mindset also and it was very freeing to let it go. I became more productive because of it. Go for it!I also have photo boxes with photos from various trips, one for each kid (the extras), and lots of DH and I, B.C. (before children). Also inherited photos from my Dad and Grandparents also stored in boxes that I may or may not get to, lol. The photos will be there when I'm ...

Maria, thanks for this: "One thing I learned (Library of Memories by Stacy Olsen) is that going back to photos after many years sometimes brings out different stories in the photos that you may not have seen if you were all caught up. I also found that really cool and somewhat meaningful to me."

That is an interesting insight, and I really appreciate it that you posted this. I will take comfort in this thought, because I am now working on scrapping pages where I have long since forgotten bunches of the little details.

But at least I still remember the main points. That's why I am on a mission to get this done NOW.

I used to keep journals when I was in high school and college. I wrote down things that I do not remember at all now. There are entries about people I don't remember and incidents I don't remember. YIKES! (I even have a few journal entries that start out by saying, "I will always remember the time that...." and then they go on to describe some incident I do not remember. Haha!)

My husband and I crossed the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in a 34' sailboat. It was epic! I want to get the important stories down before I forget them all, and it is most likely now or never.
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Gluemore Girl: Christie, I was in that mindset also and it was very freeing to let it go. I became more productive because of it. Go for it!I also have photo boxes with photos from various trips, one for each kid (the extras), and lots of DH and I, B.C. (before children). Also inherited photos from my Dad and Grandparents also stored in boxes that I may or may not get to, lol. The photos will be there when I'm ...

Awesome! Thank you Maria! Maybe it will make me more productive as well!
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Amysolovay: Maria, that app sounds super useful! Thanks for the info -- I appreciate it! I would LOVE to be able to print my own photos at home. I'm not set up for it now, but it is something I'd really love to do in the future. I favorited your post and am hoping to revisit it again in the future when I get that far. THANKS again!

I also am not set up to print photos at home and have been looking for ways to get smaller prints to be able to use more pics to a page or to just get some variation to my layouts aside from always the 4x6 photos. I crop what I can but don't always have much to crop out of the pic and resizing to smaller would be better.
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Gluemore Girl: Christie, I was in that mindset also and it was very freeing to let it go. I became more productive because of it. Go for it!I also have photo boxes with photos from various trips, one for each kid (the extras), and lots of DH and I, B.C. (before children). Also inherited photos from my Dad and Grandparents also stored in boxes that I may or may not get to, lol. The photos will be there when I'm ...

Maria, do you like to do one or two page layouts? Do you think one is better or easier than the other? I worry if I focus on a single page that it will end up clashing with the one beside it.
~Christie
Jan '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Christiescraps: Maria, do you like to do one or two page layouts? Do you think one is better or easier than the other? I worry if I focus on a single page that it will end up clashing with the one beside it. ~Christie

Hi Christie
Glad you found some of this helpful.
Most of my LO"s are one page. I used to do mostly 2 and multi page LO's. I scrapped chronologically and almost every photo. I scrap way fewer 2 page spreads unless it's a holiday or other big event.
I find that I can tell the story with fewer (or smaller) photos on a LO. I also don't worry about pages clashing. I keep mine in a WRMemory keepers 3 ring binder and tend to move the pages around anyway.
HTH!
~Maria
Jan '23 Gluemore Girl

RE: Amysolovay: Maria, thanks for this: "One thing I learned (Library of Memories by Stacy Olsen) is that going back to photos after many years sometimes brings out different stories in the photos that you may not have seen if you were all caught up. I also found that really cool and somewhat meaningful to me." That is an interesting insight, and I really appreciate it that you posted this. I will take comfort i...

Amy, glad you found this helpful also. It really was a game changer for me and I found I really enjoyed scrapping so much more.
I have inherited my family photos. Lots were on slides and when I had a them developed, I found pics of my older brother and sister. In 3 of them at different times, he always had his arm around her neck (hugging, not choking, lol) and it was just the sweetest story.

big sis love

Your journals sound amazing and what wild that there are some entries that you do not remember! Wow, your sailing trip must have been incredible. I think there are certain stories you need to get down before you forget. I seldom did this but perhaps you can write up your journaling and keep them with your photos to ease some of the urgency of getting them scrapped? Matter of fact, I should do this for myself, lol!
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Gluemore Girl: Hi ChristieGlad you found some of this helpful. Most of my LO"s are one page. I used to do mostly 2 and multi page LO's. I scrapped chronologically and almost every photo. I scrap way fewer 2 page spreads unless it's a holiday or other big event. I find that I can tell the story with fewer (or smaller) photos on a LO. I also don't worry about pages clashing. I keep mine in a WRMemory keepers 3 ...

Definitely helps! Same with me I felt like I needed to print and scrap every photo! Not doable anymore lol. I do want to start incorporating smaller photos into my layouts. Which I'm sure is going to require some pre planning/thinking ahead on the layouts because I don't print at home. Which may be time consuming. I'll get it figured out eventually! Lol Thanks for your help!
~Christie
Jan '23 Amysolovay

Maria, thanks for sharing the layout with photos of your older brother and sister. That is sooooo sweet!

You're right, our journaling needs to be a high-priority activity. Great suggestion.
Jan '23 Amysolovay

Christie, in my experience, the planning isn't arduous UNLESS you are trying to fit your pictures into specific pocket pages. In that case, you're right about it taking heaps more time to plan layouts, because then you have to make sure to print the pics the right size and orientation to fit the pockets in your pocket pages.

You can sometimes get around that by buying lots of options for pocket pages in different configurations. Then you can grab whatever pocket page happens to fit the pics you are working with. It depends which manufacturer's albums and page protectors you're using. I was using 49 and Market's. I LOVE them, but I decided to stop buying more of them because theirs require wayyyyyyy more planning than the ones being offered by Scrapbook.com, Vicki Boutin, etc. The planned-out pages look completely spectacular when they're finished, but getting there is sort of a headache.

But I don't think it's such an issue if you're not worried about fitting pics into specific pocket pages. If you're using a 12"x12" one-pocket page, It's reasonably easy to fit one 4x6 plus multiple smaller photos on the page. And if you're scrapping 6"x8", you can put a 4"x6" on one half of a two-page spread and then put multiple 2"x2"s or a couple of 2"x3"s or 3"x4"s on the other side.
Jan '23 Christiescraps

RE: Amysolovay: Christie, in my experience, the planning isn't arduous UNLESS you are trying to fit your pictures into specific pocket pages. In that case, y ou're right about it taking heaps more time to plan layouts, because then you have to make sure to print the pics the right size and orientation to fit the pockets in your pocket pages. You can sometimes get around that by buying lots of options for pocket...

Thanks! Right now I'm doing 12x12 but I have a 8 1\2x11 album I will eventually be working on and I have a 6x8 Simple Stories snap album that I've had for years that I would like to do something with this year and it does have the pocket pages.
Jan '23 Judy2408

RE: Puddin Head: I try to purchase only those pictures I need for my layouts, but that doesn't always happen because sometimes I won't know for sure what I will use before I begin the page. Extra pictures normally go into a box in chronological order. Occasionally I will retrieve some of them for other layouts, but the majority will probably sit there for years and years, lol!

This is exactly what I do too!