Back away from the page -- Scrapbooking and the Perfectionist

[FergieTCat]

I NEVER thought I was a perfectionist until I started scrapbooking my niece's baby album.

I discovered I will spend HOURS obsessing over paper color and embellishments. Then I'll spend another few HOURS (if not days) searching for the perfect font (do you know how many fonts there are on the Internet? Thousands!!!) Thank goodness I learned how to use SCAL efficiently. THEN, if that wasn't enough, I will obsess over the page header. Or should it be a footer? Which looks better -- top or bottom??????

I am now doing a two page layout for the THIRD time. The first one came out so-so; the second attempt was OK, but I got hung up on the title (it didn't look right). The third time appears to be the charm. And each time takes about 4 hours (seriously!) I think I'm ALMOST done.

*help!*

 

[joyah]

Oh my!! I'm so not like that (well I had 1 page that bugged me and still bugs me but I've left it) I am so far behind that I'm just going along some pages are VERY plain some aren't. Have you used Page Maps maybe that would help you with the layouts?

 

[jacksmomma]

I get like that sometimes. First make sure that everything is organized so that you are not digging all the time. Then, look at some sketches; Page Maps is a great site as is Scrapbook etc. The sketches can really jump start the creativity. Finally walk away. If you get stuck on something walk away for a while, I find that I am very refreshed and ready to go when I come back.

 

[lizavance]

When it's a gift it's hard not to obsess. Hang in there! It will be an awesome gift and nobody will be as critical about your work as you are!

 

[tyniknate]

I know exactly what you mean. I get to the point where I can't even begin a page because I want it to be perfect and I just don't have it all mapped in my head the right way. Some of my pages have been a month or more in the making. Needless to say my books aren't near finished and I keep falling more and more behind. At least you are putting pages together only to revise them later. I can't even get them started.

 

[beaucoup]

Agreed. Scrapbooking decisions are not something that come easily to me. Hence, all the unfinished projects I unearthed in my closet while cleaning out & rearranging recently. About 12 yrs worth.

Since I will never be able to finish a true scrapbook, mine are just going to become photo albums with journaling & embellishments here and there. Its the only way for me or I'll go crazy. I may create a scrap page here & there to seperate sections though.

 

[MazdaUK]

For me a lot depends on who is receiving the end result - for example, my family don't really "get" scrapbooking, so I could stick photos in with gum and they'd go "oh, lovely" just as much as if I'd spent all day carefully selecting and hand-crafting the perfect embellishments I won't give anything I'm not happy with, but equally I just go for a nice, clean page in "tasteful" colours rather than anything experimental.

 

[jacksmomma]

I get to the point where I can't even begin a page because I want it to be perfect and I just don't have it all mapped in my head the right way.

I am the exact same way! I still have yet to scrap any pictures from the day DS was born because 1. I want them to be perfect and 2. I know I will never have birth pictures again (well, most likely never) so I want to highlight just the right parts of the photos.