Overwhelmed

OK, so today I am totally and completely scrapbookingly overwhelmed! I was so feeling the "just do what feels right" scrapbooking vibe after reading Clean and Simple Scrapbooking, but today I realized I am just overwhelmed with this whole foray into this new hobby. I have been reading idea books like crazy, buying new products, reading scrapbooking blogs and even ordering kits online (all while the little one takes her 2 naps each day) and then today I CRASHED. I have absolutely NO idea what I am doing---this little "hobby" has been around so long now that I have been left in the dust. I can't find any good information for beginners other than the old idea books that are filled with examples on how to use funky scissors and punch outs. I want a more streamlined look---I really just want to tell our story in a graphically, articistically pleasing way. The problem? I am beginning to think I don't have a graphic or artistic bone in my body. I keep thinking I need to just sit down and copy a LO or two to get the juices flowing, but I am just not feeling it. More than anything, I am running into the problem that I think I like the idea of it all more than I like the actual doing of it because I am AFRAID. I am afraid of putting something permament down that is going to look like complete CRAP! I find myself reading a little snippet of something, getting inspired and then just feeling blah about the whole process. I have BIG plans of making a "Photos I love" album, a "Kristy's Favorite Things" album, "Sienna's Baby Album"---the most important project in the works. I want to do Christmas albums and an Album about Me and my Pregnancy Album and our Wedding Album. Not to mention, a "Traditions" album, a "Year in Review" album and about 100 more that I have come across in the last couple weeks. It all sounds so good---taking great pictures and preserving the memories with journaling. I just happen to be completely computer and Photoshop illiterate. For example, do you make a journaling block on the computer and then print it directly onto the cardstock you are going to use? DO you always start with cardstock or can patterned paper be your background? WHew, I sound like a real whiner. Yes, Yes, I know there are much bigger problems in the world than my little scrapbooking dilemma, but for today, it is making me very ANGRY!


In other news, I finished a book today (between naps and a quick 20 minute session of Baby Einstein). I read "A Gift from the Sea" and it was really great---inspiring. It reminded me to scale-back to SIMPLIFY to be mindful of the need to acquire more and more stuff. I decided to take the inspiration and ran with it straight to our fridge----it was in desperate need of a wipe-down. I took everything out, wiped down all the shelves, threw away all the outdated items and put everything back very neatly---it just makes me smile everytime I open the door :) Cheap thrills :)

It also made me think about doing an album in a simple fashion. Perhaps I could do a "Photos I Love" album by just printing out the star photos in black and white, mounting them on black cardstock and then doing some journaling on white cardstock----very simple, very elegant, very easy. It's a start I suppose...........