ScrapHappy Pre-LOAD Blog Hop

Welcome to the ScrapHappy Pre-LOAD Blog Hop!! I'm so glad you're here. You should have arrived here from Heather H's site but if not, why not start at the beginning and work your way back to me! If you get lost there is a list at the bottom of this post to set you straight.

Today we are sharing our words of wisdom (well, others may have wisdom, I pretty much just have words!!) about the LOAD (LayOut A Day) process and what we typically do to get ready. If you are not a member of ScrapHappy I'm sorry but you will not be able to participate in October's LOAD as it is only for ScrapHappy members. If you're interested in finding out about ScrapHappy please follow the link and listen to the message from our Fearless Leader Lain Ehmann.

Okay, so you're interested in participating in LOAD are you? Awesome! It is so much fun!! I have participated in some degree or other in 3 previous LOADs - May 2011, Feb 2012 and May 2012. You can see my layouts in my Flickr Gallery and there is a slide show in my side bar of my LOAD212 layouts you can watch. In May 2011 my husband and I took a week long trip away without the kids so LOAD got interrupted and then in May 2012 we all went to Disneyland so my participation was a bit hit and miss that month too. But I loved getting the daily prompts from Lain and checking out what the other LOADsters were adding to the gallery. I am pretty determined to get 31 layouts done this October though!! I'd like to be able to take more pictures like these ones.

This is the stack of layouts I created during LOAD212. Isn't it awesome?! SOOOO satisfying! Here are 29 stories that are now recorded thanks to Lain's prompts!

So, what can I tell you to help you prepare to create a stack like this of your own? Here are my 5 tips for a successful LOAD.

1 - Make the Commitment. This may sound silly. You may be thinking, "but I already committed when I signed up!" which is true but you really need to make it official. Tell yourself and those around you that you will be making a layout a day for 31 days and there are no ifs, ands or buts about it! :) Get your head 100% in the game. If you for one second allow the "well, it's just one day, I'll catch up tomorrow" attitude to creep in you won't make it. Now, before I go all Drill Sergeant on you, it is totally okay to only do 30 layouts this month. Or 3 for that matter!! But if you want to do all 31 then you need to make sure it happens in your head first. Now I'm sounding like a coach "visualize the finish line people!"

2 - Stock Up on Basic Supplies. In  my world, this means adhesive, card stock and letter stickers because that is what I use on every single layout. I never have to stock up on patterned paper because I frankly have too much of that! Whatever else you use all the time, make sure you have enough to last the month. there is nothing more frustrating than having to run to you LSS mid-layout because you ran out of your favourite colour mist! I have learned to stock up on adhesive whenever my LSS has a sale. They have a 40% sale 3 or 4 times a year so I buy in bulk on those occasions. Everyone has their favourite adhesive - I use Be Creative Tape (in both 12mm and 5mm size) to stick my larger pieces of paper down, Scrapbook Adhesives E-Z Runner tape for smaller bits and pieces and whatever glue dots are available for everything else. Oh, and for popping things off the page I LOVE my Stampin' Up Dimensionals but admit to being almost out of them right now so will be using some other Dollar Store variety this LOAD!

Here's a look at my current stash of adhesive ...

This is where they live (yes, I label stuff!)

This is my stash - the Be Creative tape is at the back.

And this is my drawer for my glue dots, pop dots and rolls of tape currently in use. 

3 - Prep Your Photos. This may mean printing off a stack of photos that you want to scrap (if you have a specific project in mind this is a great way to go) but if you want to follow along with the prompts where ever they may take you then this may mean familiarizing yourself with your photos so you can quickly and easily find ones to match the prompts. I like to follow the prompts. I find it can take me to places I never imagined going and telling stories I never thought I'd tell. Hard stories. Funny stories. Crazy stories. It doesn't seem to matter what the story, I always feel a HUGE sense of accomplishment once it is told! Take 30 minutes to scroll through your digital photos or flip through your already printed ones sometime over the next 4 days. You'll be so glad you did!

4. Prep Your Space. Do you have a dedicated scrap room? Do you pull out your supplies and sit at the dining room table every time you want to make a layout? Either way, tidy that space so it is ready for action! If you can, leave out your basic supplies for the entire month so making your layouts will be easy every day. If you have a dedicated scrap space, why not pull out a piece of your favourite neutral card stock and lay it on your scrapping table in preparation. You may not end up using it for prompt #1 but the fact that it's there will spur you to action when the time is right! I am lucky and share a little home office with my husband and his computer (although I would really like to boot him out!!) This is what I hope to get my desk to look like by the 30th!! ( I will NOT be showing you what it looks like right now!!)

Well, something like this anyway. The wicker basket is no longer on my desk but everything else is there still. 

5. Have Fun!  Remember why you got into this scrapbooking thing in the first place? Was it to feel pressure to create beautiful, perfect layouts or was it to be creative, document your stories in a beautiful way and to have fun doing it? I'm going to guess the latter! If you find yourself getting stressed about finishing a layout, don't panic! Walk away. Take a break. Have a cup of tea. I promise you, the layout will still be there when your head is cleared and you can finish it then. If this means you don't get a layout done on Day 17, then you don't get a layout done on Day 17. No worries! 

All right ScrapHappy Sisters. Feeling motivated? Ready? Got the juices going? Keep on hopping for more wonderful words of wisdom from Cathy H!

Lynnette http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com
Leslie http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com
Katrina http://k84mansramblings.blogspot.com
Kelli P. www.scrapbookgirl71.com
---YOU ARE HERE --- Alison D. http://adayinthelifeor5.blogspot.ca
--- GO HERE NEXT --- Cathy H. http://pikespeakscrapper.blogspot.com
Dani www.acoffeeaddict.com
Heather H. http://heathazscrapz.blogspot.com
Alison C. http://scrappinginsingapore.blogspot.com
Heather D. http://heathersdragonsden.blogspot.com
Danielle H. http://ecoscrapbook.blogspot.com

See you on the message boards!!