Does anyone cut and tear up their Scrap Magazines?

I finally got tired of the at least 100 scrap mags that I started collecting in 97. I went through all of them and cut out and tore out favorites. I have all my favs in one 3 inch album that I am organizing by categories. I first heard about people doing this on 2ps and I could not believe they would do such a thing. But I broke down and am now scrapping my scrap mags. It is awesome because there were so many things I liked in them that I could never find. Minus all the ads, I have what I call my Giant Black Book for scrapping. I also have a how to section which has great ideas for using scrap stuff for other projects like Christmas Cards, etc. I feel great, organized, and free of a lot of clutter and now all my scrap stuff is in one place. It is great!! I was wondering, does anyone else cut their mags up? I would like to know if it helped you or did you regret it? Thanks, Happy Scrappin! Lane

I have been TERRIFIED to cut up my magazines. I am always thinking that I will throw something away that I need. Now I think that I may try it. I have way too many of them and organizing my favorites sure would help. Maybe I would even create some of those ones that I have been staring at for years.

Thanks for the courage!

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Lisa
"Until you make peace with who you are,
you'll never be content with what you have."

Lisa, that is exactly how I felt when I read that a couple weeks ago. I didnt see how anyone would actually cut and tear their mags. It is so neat to look at them now, all my favorite layouts together without all the lo's that I would never try cause they just arent my style. I mean, how many of the page los we see in mags are we actually going to use ideas from? Especially the ones I have from 98 as the industry has changed so much and the los are so much better then before with more great products. So, I starting flipping through mine and found that I like them better with the stuff I don't like thrown away and keeping the stuff that I would do, in a binder. Literally close to 100 mags of ideas in one binder. I cut out whole pages that had articles for a "How To" section in my binder. I love it. Now, I found many los that have ideas for pics that I havent done cause I could not find the idea from a mag out of tons of them, now I can get them scrapped. It is great!!!

Lane, it sounds like you have yours set up just like I have mine. And I love it! I know which layouts I would never use and I have no regrets about throwing them away. I had such a hard time finding "that perfect layout" that I saw in "one of those magazines" that it didn't take me long to start cutting and pasting them into one book. Plus, it is much easier to take with me when I crop!

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- Families are Forever -
Tamra
Healthy Living Technologies
www.EcoQuestIntl.com/hinman

That is a GREAT idea!!!
I'm definitely going to do that.

I just cant believe how compact it is. I cant believe I have so many layouts that I actually like in one place. I had no way of remembering what mag the ideas came from. I have found them now and have a renewed excitement that I am going to get so many pics scrapped that I have been waiting to do. It is really cool.

You know, I have thought many times about doing this. I only haven't yet because I am so busy! But y'all have given me the desire again - so maybe I will squeeze it in! It's a great idea!
Gimi

[This message has been edited by Gimi (edited 04-01-2002).]

Gimi...that face with the rolling eyes cracks me up!!

I always laugh so hard when I see that!!

You busy lady...you have tons of time!! Are you ready to teach your first class or what?

Ok. I must admit, I have started with the old issues and worked forward until I get the nerve to do this to my new mags! I really like so many layouts in my brand new ones that I am hoping by the time I get to them, I have the nerve to do those too.! I especially like my CK ones and am leaving those until last to do! But so far, it is fun. Some of my categories include: Winter, Summer, Fall, Thanksgiving, Pets, Food, Heritage, Kids Play, Easter, Quilt idea los, Miscellaneous, Valentines Day, Babies, Farm, Zoo, Gardens, Outdoors, Western, Disney, and that is all I can think of off the top of my head but the list grows as I go along! My eyes are starting to hurt and blur from so many mags

I have thought about doing the same thing. My dh keeps complaining about all the magazines I have laying around. I am waiting to buy a "Scrap a log". It is a little binder with a place to keep track of all your punches, markers, pens, pencils, favorite papers, and even a place to keep layouts that you want to try or ones that you like. They cost around $30 and you can get a carrying case for it also. There is so much stuff you can cram into one of these, you would be amazed.

I thought about getting one of those two for my punches as I have about 600 of them but I know that all my mag los would not fit in one of those. They are not that big from what I saw when I went to the convention. They hold a lot but my 3 inch thick binder that is 8 and 1/2 by 11 barely holds all the lo pics that I have cut out of my mags and they are all completely covered pages. I think this resource is now my favorite because it is what I like and not published by one company. I am so excited but it is a time consuming task.

Okay, I have a question for you. What do you do if there is a page in a mag that has LO on both sides that you like, but they are different topics? I just recently started buying magazines, so I only have 4. If I were going to do this, I should probably start now. Also, don't you scraplift ideas from the ads too? Just wondering.

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Sara!

Hi Sara! Actually if there are two back to back, I put them in a clear cover like I would a page. I also scraplifted the ads. I kept that in the miscellaneous section. Yah...if you do it, start now. I wish I would have but couldnt back then. I had a hard time cutting up my pics too then. So, I cut out ads all the time. There some in the mags advertising different products. I cut those out too if they have a cool page idea incorporated as part of the ad! All my sections are in scrap plastic covers like my scrap pages.

Thank you Lane...your post got me motivated! I do have a nasty "organized" mess going but, since I don't have a very large selection of magazines right now I thought it would be the perfect time to get started. I can already see how much time it is going to save me in the long run! (I've also found a lot of lo/ideas I forgot about, but love.)

As I said before, I have my book set up about the same as Lane - with a Table of Contents in the front so I can remember what topics I have and all the topics in alphabetical order so I can flip to them easily. The difference between mine and yours, Lane, is that I put practically no time into that book. I have a 3-ring binder with notebook paper, I don't even bother with page protectors, and I staple or tape or glue (whatever I have handy) them on the pages. If there is a layout on the front and back, I just scan it and print it out and stick it in my book. The reason I do it like I do is because I could spend TONS of time on that "idea" book and I would rather be scrapping with what little free time I do have!

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- Families are Forever -
Tamra
Healthy Living Technologies
www.EcoQuestIntl.com/hinman

I have really enjoyed going through my mags. Some of my 91 Memory Makers mags, I only took a couple things out of and tossed the rest. Next I am going through my CK mags that I have a couple years of. My mags used to take up my whole closet shelf with no room for anything else. The thing that I have learned from all the los I have cropped is what style I am most drawn too and what elements I like best. I look at a lo and ask myself, "With all the lo ideas out there, is this one that I would look to for ideas or would there be something that I would like better?" That is how I decided to clip or not to clip. LMK if any of you do this and how you do it and how you like the outcome.... Lane

OMG...I am now tearing up the last of my mags...MY CKS. Tearing these up has been the hardest. This mag has the most ideas that I like and it is the hardest to only cut a few things out of. The neat thing is that it is divided into categories like Tips and Tricks so I am just going to make a whole section of that from all my mags. This is hard to do but there are so many advertisements once you take the good stuff out, it is fun to just look at the goodies. Did anyone cut and tear yet and how is it going? I have tons more categories now then when I started.

Hey Everyone!! Lane I did the same thing. I have a 3 ring binder and I divided it into sections. Also use page protectors for the ones with front and back lo that I like. I also would cut out a whole section. For example, CK had a section on sleeping - remember? I tore the whole article out and put it in the sleeping pages. I have a seciton also for special articles like journaling, heritage and different albums ideas. I found that the articles that I needed info I wanted. Saved me research on computer printers, film and etc. I have to admit at times I have had to be ruthless to throw my mags out, but I have done it and I use my binder so much!! I am glad I took the plunge. As we get older we tend to gather too much "stuff"!!

Trudy

That is great Trudy. You know, I didnt have have any with front and back layouts that I couldnt do without. I have decided that I am only going to subscribe to CK and I am going to wait until middle to the end of each year, I think, to tear those out and put them in my binder. I just had so many mags. Close to 100 which included Memory Makers, Paperkuts, Ivy Cottage, BH&G, and Ck and some were all the way back to 97....those were some of my least desirable lo keepers. They were as bad as the first pages I ever did! I really like Ck and Simple Scrapbooks. Some of the los that I see actually stress me out to look at them when I think of how "overboard" some will go to get the "best page ever". I think sometimes people forget that the point is not to be the best scrapper but to preserve our memories. Simple Scrapbooks mag gives me permission to keep my pages simple and feel good about it . I have gone overboard on pages before and I never get anything done . I am trying to remember that simplicity can be wonderful as well as those pages that are just amazing to look at. I love my binder too. It is my very own gathering of my favorite pages and ideas. Yah...I have turned into a bit of a pack rat when it comes to scrap stuff and I am trying to get rid of a lot of clutter. I cant work with so much stuff around me.

Hi fellow croppers,
I am thrilled that I had previously started going through my sb magazines. It is such a freeing feeling to go through my sbm and toss away what I did not want. The lo and sb articles are now save in an organized and ready accessible 3 hole deep binder. We are getting our house ready to be on the market so I am trying to condenced my sb supplies and tools. I am boxing up what I think I can like without and putting it into the basement. These is a very difficult procedure as letting go I did purchase a 3 hole punch so that I could put my articles and lo in my large extra deep binder. Thank you for your idea of putting the pgs. into plastic protectors when there are 2 sided lo.

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God Bless You,
Janie Harvey

Now I am considering tearing up my hall of fame books and my ck year of ideas books. Anyone think Im nuts now? I just really like these and there are way to many good ideas in them to do this...So ...I am torn...