Hi there! Today I wanted to talk about the importance of have a stress-free scrapping summer! Here's a little background on my summer scrapbooking philosophy. I used to be a chronological scrapper and was constantly feeling "behind" in my work. Many years ago, I read the amazing book The Big Picture by talented former w.c.s. team member Stacy Julian. From that moment on, I decided to stop worrying about making sure I "got it all in" and instead decided to scrap what I want, when I want. I think the summer is an especially important time to remember this philosophy. It's so easy to be overwhelmed with the many events of summer. There's the last day of school, the 4th of July, the trip to the beach, little Joe's birthday party, etc. etc. Trying to "keep up" when you are busy with all the fun of summer can be a very daunting task! So today I challenge you to just not worry about it!! That's right... don't feel like you have to scrap every last event. In fact...don't even scrap the events. Scrap the moments.
I have a bag of photos (literally...a bag...a Christmas gift bag!) that I haul around with me every time and everywhere I scrap. There are photos from many events and there are photos of all the little every day moments. Guess which ones I turn to more often? It's not the 4th of July or little Joe's birthday party. What I love scrapping the most are the little bits of summer... the small memories that might otherwise be forgotten. I dug through my layouts and found some of my favorite examples of everyday summer layouts. I've broken them down into two categories: everyday people and everyday things.
Everyday People
I must warn you that all of my "people" layouts really only feature one person...my daughter!! What can I say? She makes up pretty much all of my "everyday!" My first layout includes three photos I took of her playing with my husband's hat. It was a random Sunday afternoon in the park, and I love that I got the entire succession of events!
Last summer she became obsessed with Starbucks cakepops after I picked her up one as a special treat. It became a little routine to pick up a cakepop after her gymnastics class on Fridays. She loved it and would never let me forget to stop!
One summer we spent a lot of time at the local children's museum, which is luckily within walking distance of our home. This was one of our afternoons there.
Finally, here is a recently made layout that includes one of my favorite photos from last summer My daughter loved being sprayed with the water and would let out the best squeal and make a hysterical face every time the water hit her!
Everyday Things
I created this first layout to remember the songs that I listened to nonstop one summer. I love the fact that it's three years later, and I'm still listening to some of the same songs on repeat!
I love taking photos of colorful things, especially flowers and food. As it turns out, summer is the perfect time for both!
I am not exactly a "beach person", but somehow I ended up with not one, but two very special beach layouts! The first is a photo of my feet and my husband's feet. This was taken while on a vacation with friends. Only a few days before we had discovered that we were pregnant with our first child, but no one else knew at the time! The second layout is very near and dear to me, as it documents one of my favorite memories from many years ago. My husband and I found a secluded beach near a lighthouse and took our boxer for a walk along the water of Lake Michigan. Our beloved dog has since passed away, so this layout is quite bittersweet.
So there you have it! Eight everyday layouts that help me to remember and cherish all the little moments! I hope you have been inspired to create your own everyday summer layouts! Be sure to link me up with any everyday summer layouts that you have made! I would love to see them! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
