Scrap 365: A Challenge to the Unfinished

If your anything like me you probably have a million half -done, almost-finished, kinda started projects rolling around your scrap space. If your really like me you have gazillion almost finished layouts too. I’ve been thinking that I really want to make a significant dent in my unfinished projects., particularly those layouts that I’ve intended to complete on that infamous ‘Someday’. I had a grand idea to complete 365 layouts last year as part of my being Brave because it was such a huge intimidating number. I started strong but fizzled (how unlike me) so I thought that adding in some accountability here on the blog might be just the push I need since it’s worked so well with my 2014 December Daily. The thing to note here is that I said ‘Complete’ this is by no means a call to make 365 new layouts, whose got time for that. I don’t know about you but I certainly could not keep up any sort of layout a day type thing for an entire year. Each year comes with different seasons of busy and ebbs and flows depending on the demands of those seasons. I would be unrealistic and irresponsible of me to let scrapping take over my life like that. I need to have balance too. My intention here is simply to stop letting those unfinished layouts remain unfinished and those important stories left untold. I want to add photos to those layouts that are still waiting on a photo and add journaling to layouts that need journaling or a title or whatever that missing piece is. I simply want to take the steps that will get me to the point of considering them done.  You might say why put so much pressure on yourself and commit to such a huge number, why not just let them go. And I’m sure that I will find that some layouts and stories just don’t need to be told anymore but I’d really like to give it a try.

Finding layouts to make will be no problem at. The Start Fresh course from Simple Scrapper which I participated in at the beginning of 2014 (and which they are offering for the first time as Start Fresh Anytime, a self-paced e-course) provided me with a framework for the projects and layouts I’m considering for this. Obviously my albums will provide the unfinished layouts. But my Start Fresh binder has allowed me to separate each project I have on-the-go including annual albums and themed albums(like Baby Books) and break them down into the layouts/stories within that project. Kind of like a giant Scrapbooking to-do list, and you know I love a good list. For unfinished layouts I have noted what still needs to be added and for fresh layouts lets just say I have more than enough ideas in there to work on. In addition it has really helped me narrow down the important stories I want told. I propose to take a tally at the end of each month and let you know how many layouts I’ve completed for the month and how I’m going with it all. I’ve put/am putting a little ‘Scraphappy’ smiley face in my diary to keep track of how many layouts I complete on any given day. Just as an aside if you’re not a do-it-yourself kinda gal like me Elise Blaha-Cripe has a fantastic daily tracker for digital download to keep tabs on anything you might want to consider as a daily practice or 365 project like this.So my parameters for Scrap 365 will be as follows. Done is better than perfect – Part of why so many layouts remain unfinished is because I got hung up on getting each aspect of the layout ‘just so’. Over the past year I’ve been working really hard at letting go of so much of my perfectionism and really feel like I’m making giant leaps in this area (at least as far as my scrapping goes, just don’t ask my hubby about other aspects of my life). Each single page layout will be considered in the tally – I figure if  I did a single page layout I would consider it as 1 layout on the tally so even if I do a double page spread (which is highly likely) it will count as 2 layouts in the tally. I’m not committing to a specified number of layouts per month just the grand total of 365. My intention is to reach 365 but even if I don’t I promise not to beat myself up over it and instead celebrate the victory of however many layouts do get completed. However in saying that not all layouts added to the total will be shared on the blog – for matters of privacy some people in my life have asked that I do not post pictures of them on my blog, and I totally respect their right to privacy. Just a heads up if you care to do the math and find a discrepancy between the tally and my blog content. And lastly it all counts – new layouts, layouts from years ago, new projects: no completed scrap page is off-limits and they do not need to have any set of specific elements to be counted. If done means I don’t have a title, or lots of journaling or I even go photo-less that’s fine. Done will be a judgment call based on each individual layout. Just so you don’t think this is some pie-in-the-sky idea January looks to be starting strong. My focus this month has been on finishing my 2014 December Daily during the month of January – a previously unheard of occurrence for my December Daily’s and mostly fueled by the fact that I want to get it up here on the blog. I’m on target with four more days to complete to make it to the 25th which I will post on the blog next week.

As if my own impetus was not enough I discovered another great resource while following rabbit trails on Instagram this morning. Over at Elizabeth Dillow’s blog she has clearly had a similar idea to go after the Unfinished in her life and is doing it in a completely classy way by interviewing other creatives on the subject committing to complete one unfinished thing per month for 2015. You can be sure I will be following along. But please I invite you to either join with me or Elizabeth and get those Unfinished projects off the back-burner or let go of them for good. Be sure to keep checking back on me and give me a good kick in the pants if you think I’m slacking.

What unfinished thing is burning a hole in your to-do list?