[zebidee75]

I know SG has members from all over the world, but I am intrigued to know who else is from the UK. I live in Kent and have one young son. I love digi scrapbooking and have sooo many photos of my son that I really ought to scrap, but find that I just never have enough time! How do other people from the UK find time to scrap?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[April Showers]

We have a few team members and a nice handful of members from the UK. I'm sure they'll be commenting on this thread when they're awake and back on the boards.

[ValerieT]

Hi, and welcome from a UK team member.

I grew up just outside Brighton, but I now live in Yorkshire. I have 4 kids, my eldest is 15 my youngest 3. I scrap when all but my youngest are at school (I don't work), won't get much done this week! Until recently evening scrapping was impossible, the monitor for my computer is also used for the xbox and my two eldest argue over who's turn it is to play. We have now invested in a laptop capable of running photoshop, but it's windows 8 and I'm finding it hard to get used to.

If you are finding it hard to get layouts done in the time you have, why not try some templates, I use them often they can cut the time it takes to create a layout in half or more. Or even some JIF pages (just insert foto), these are ready made pages that you just add your photos to and add some journalling and a title if you wish.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm around during the day, but all members here are very friendly and very helpful.

[englishrose]

Hi zebidee. I'm from Colchester in Essex.

Valerie's idea is a good one - use templates to start scrapping your stash of photos. Make sure that you journal too - it's the little details that get lost over the years. Also, be prepared to rescrap - as your skills improve you might find (as I do with some of mine) that early efforts make you cringe!

As for finding time to scrap - well, in the days before digiscrapping I would carefully switch off my computer and flick the switch on the wall. Now my computer only ever "sleeps" because I never know when I might find a few minutes to work on a LO and that way I can quickly get back to what I was doing withough having to wait 5 minutes for the computer to fire up.

Hope that helps. Maybe we'll see some of your LOs in the gallery soon.

[Kate Davis]

I've only just seen this thread...

I'm near Oxford, but grew up in Yorkshire. I've got a 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son. I see each layout I complete as an achievement and it motivates me to continue working towards my goal of having a book of layouts for a whole year; I got to April last year and I'm currently on January 2013! Templates are great, but I also find the gallery here as a great source of inspiration when I'm struggling with ideas.

I find it frustrating on here at times reading about the facilities available in the US for digital scrapbooking that I just can't find in the UK. What have services have you found that you really like?

I've used Albelli for printing a scrapbook album and Vistaprint for cards. I'd really like to find a magazine, but the best I've found is Photoshop Creative.

[zebidee75]

Hi Kate,

Like you I'm trying to complete a book for each year of my son's life. You sound like you're doing amazingly well to be up to January 2013 - I'm still on November 2009, but then I keep getting side-tracked by the brilliant challenges and events at SG!

I agree with you on the printing - the only things I've had printed so far are calendars and canvases - we've used Snapfish for the canvases (which we've been really pleased with) and Pixum for the calendars (they were ok, but I really struggled to make my LO size the correct fit for the space on their page). I haven't tried to print a book yet, but I don't think I'd use either Snapfish or Pixum - I was thinking I might have to bite the bullet and order from the USA.

I also really enjoyed being able to take part in a couple of the chats during Mischief week - because there were so many going on there were actually some that were at a sensible time for our little corner of the world.

[Jane in N.Z]

Hi I'm from Windsor originally but now live in New Zealand I'm coming back for a holiday leaving 1st May so the sun better shine Still have family over there and a daughter that is living in London

[zebidee75]

Well the sun does appear to be shining this week so you might be in luck - not very warm mind, but hey, the sun IS shining! Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

[Kate Davis]

zebidee75, on 28 April 2013 - 03:53 PM, said:

Like you I'm trying to complete a book for each year of my son's life. You sound like you're doing amazingly well to be up to January 2013 - I'm still on November 2009, but then I keep getting side-tracked by the brilliant challenges and events at SG!

I'm not doing as well as it initially sounds.

I started in 2010 and did a few random pages here and there. I then started 2011 and followed the same approach and completed 11 pages. I then started 2012 and got to April. Now I'm up to January 2013.

I intend to go back and complete the previous books, but I knew that I wouldn't have as much motivation if I was trying to catch up all those months. Once I'm up to date I'll then go back and start filling in the gaps. My baby books are not great either, but again I'll catch up at some point.

[zebidee75]

Indeed - it's definitely a question of finding a time around the rest of 'life'. I had all the intentions of producing fully coordinated sets of pages for each month of my son's life. Think I might have to abandon that idea as too labour intensive and just go for 'various' pages for each month - its just too much fun joining in with all the challenges that get posted at SG!

[Kate Davis]

The challenges are a lot of fun, and they really encourage me to complete pages (who doesn't love the chance to win a prize). However I do try to only do the ones that help me complete my year book. For instance this one from the slow scrap Viewing image 20130127 Painting bath - Slow scrap - Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Forum was one of the pages I wanted to complete for January 2013.

I had fun and got a page closer to a finished book (and in a style I wouldn't have done on my own)