Where Do You Start? Developing A Project!

[piraterose]

This more an overall question....

Up until now, I've just scrapped pages at random, fitting what every mood I was in.

 

I would now like to start a actual book project - either girl scout troop or my family by year. Then get it printed as a photobook.

 

So I was looking for any advice or tips how to start a project like that.

Do you do it in chapters?

Use the same color scheme throughout, keep to color scheme by "chapters", no color scheme?

Is there some element you carry out through the book?

Do you storyboard the book before creating the pages? How do you accomplish that?

Do you have "chapter" dividing pages, or just flow through the book.

 

I'm feeling overwhelmed and not quite sure where to start, so I wanted to see where other people start.

 

TIA!

 

[JenniferZ]

Hi Erin!
There are probably as many answers to your questions as there are people on this forum!

 

I haven't done a huge project like this (only wedding albums or baby's first year kind of things...) BUT, if I was going to do one I would decide first what photos to use and how to highlight events. I would go in chronological order, but you don't have to...you could group by birthday celebrations, family reunions, yearly vacations, or whatever...

 

Then I would work on deciding on colors/moods and select collections. If I was going to do a book on girl scouts, I would probably choose a few collections that coordinate, but for a family album, I think I would just use whatever fit the nature of the specific page(s).

 

It would probably easier to jot down a general outline for what you want to include (including any journaling or dates/locations that you might want to include on the pages) -- this will help you determine how many pages will be bound and so that you account for the cover, title page and know how much you will have to spend to have it printed. You could simply use a notebook to gather all of your thoughts in one place (or if you are a real techy, then you could create a digital file).

 

Then I would absolutely get myself some layout templates because it will make your job SO much faster and easier.

 

As far as using chapters or dividers, that's really up to you. I probably wouldn't, but that doesn't mean anything. It's YOUR book, so do it however it makes you happy.

 

This is a big project, but when you are finished you will have an amazing keepsake that will be treasured.

 

Have fun! (And remember if you get stuck or need inspiration along the way, a Scrap Girl is ready to help.)

[MariJ]

Hi Erin!

Jennifer gave you some great tips. Whenever I've done a book, I do as she does and usually start with collecting the photos I want to use and putting them in a folder. You can always add or delete later, but at least it gives you an idea of how many you will have and what you will be working with.

 

Next, I usually find a collection or paper set that will go with my "theme", since I know it will all match and look good together! Of course, I still bring in more embellishments or papers, but if I start with a basic collection it feels less overwhelming to start.

 

I also normally go in chronological order because it seems easiest, but I love Jennifer's idea of an outline, I'll have to remember that.

Of course, I don't mind deviating from any of the above if I like how it looks or need something else.

 

Good luck and yes, don't forget to give a holler if you need any help.

[Nica]

Hi Erin!

 

I guess it kind of depends on what you want to accomplish. When I was working on a series of LOs for my sister's "Belly Book" (a book about her pregnancy), I didn't have all of the photos ahead of time, so I couldn't plan like Jennifer and Marilyn are talking about. I did purchase a couple of collections that coordinated and then chose LO Templates based on the number of photos I had for each topic/event.

 

For family albums, I've done it in two different ways. I've participated in the Project Life Challenge (Project Life 2014) where I made a 2-page spread each month. Then, I still didn't have photos ahead of time, but I chose a common template and then used collections to match the month. Normally, I just take all of the random LOs that I've made for the year, make sure the facing pages look okay together, and just print them. lol...no real logic there, but the family doesn't mind.

 

Best of luck! And, remember it's supposed to be fun!

[Smoky]

Sounds like a fun project! I've made books centered on specific people or events. One I made for a cousin was just a bunch of "pretty" pages, no theme other than she was on each page (except for the one of her husband in WWII uniform.) I did keep the pages in order by time period, starting with her childhood photos and ending with the ones before she passed away.

 

One book I had printed using a free code from Shutterfly was about a weekend spent at a cabin in a botanical garden. I was pressed for time and frantically trying to make layouts using as many photos as I could from that trip. I kept the pages pretty simple using earthy greens and browns and more journaling than embellishments. I'm happy with it even though it's not as fancy as it could've been.

 

What I usually do is just scrap layouts in themes, sorting them into folders like Travel, Family, Nature, Pets, etc. (I keep the psds and jpgs together in each folder.) Those folders contain sub-folders for specific states/places, people/families, types of flowers/critters, dogs/cats, etc. So the directory on my drive reads something like MyComputer/Pictures/Scrapbooking/MyProjects/Travel/Florida. I get burned out easily on projects, so I just do different types of layouts when I feel like it. As I accumulate enough layouts on a particular subject, trip, etc., then I compile a book. Hope that makes sense. Good luck!

[April Showers]

You've gotten a lot of great tips already. Pick from everyone ideas and choose what works best for you and your scrapping style.

Here is how I do it.

I think in chronological order (rather than by theme) so that is how I arrange my albums.

I go through my photos and make a basic plan of what pages I'd like to do with them. Copying those photos into their own file is helpful too, but I only do it occasionally.

Once I get my outline, I open a layout in the size I want and drop all the photos I think I want to use on the page and save it (date first so they stay in order). That way I don't have to actually scrap them in chronological order, and I can simply open one that I think will work with a particular challenge.

Since I'm a little OCD and like opposing pages in an album to go nicely together, I will often open those two pages and scrap them at the same time with the same type of papers and embellishments. I find it goes faster too.

[Nica]

What I usually do is just scrap layouts in themes, sorting them into folders like Travel, Family, Nature, Pets, etc. (I keep the psds and jpgs together in each folder.) Those folders contain sub-folders for specific states/places, people/families, types of flowers/critters, dogs/cats, etc. So the directory on my drive reads something like MyComputer/Pictures/Scrapbooking/MyProjects/Travel/Florida. I get burned out easily on projects, so I just do different types of layouts when I feel like it. As I accumulate enough layouts on a particular subject, trip, etc., then I compile a book. Hope that makes sense. Good luck!

 

That's a really good idea, Therese. I'll have to think about that... TFS

[Smiles]

I did an album for my aunt's celebration of life last year. I put all the photos I planned to use in one file folder, and I went chronologically. I did the black and white/sepia ones in heritage colors. For the color photos, I just made sure the 2 page spread looked good as a unit, and chose papers and embellishments that fit the photos or theme.

[BarbaraC1977]

As some of the earlier respondents have indicated, I too like facing pages to flow together. So I try really hard to do most layouts destined for a book as a double-page layout. If it's important enough to scrap, it usually merits at least two pages!

 

That said, sometimes, I've put disparate layouts together. In those cases, I try to find harmonious "color intensity" at least. So I don't pair a soft, pastel layout with an intense, vibrant page.

 

On my "trip around the world" album that proceeds by fits and starts, I've created a journaling block brush set, and use it for every pair of pages, as a unifying element. See the journaling block here.

[jhbren]

I really like your idea for a journaling block, Barbara. I'm scrapping a lot of different trips, in no particular order; I may - probably will - scraplift this idea! Thanks for sharing.