Dear Senior Mom: You can do it! (Part 2)

Now that Thanksgiving is over and the winter holidays are fast approaching, reality begins to set in for high school seniors and their parents. The senior year is a busy and emotional time for everyone. And if you're a scrapbooker, a quick check of the calendar will confirm that -- in addition to attending all of your senior's activities -- you have only a few short months to finish those scrapbooks for graduation! 

This post is Part 2 of my advice for Senior Moms as they prepare for the big graduation open house. (Read Part 1 here.)  

5. Simplify. Find a layout design you like? Repeat it. No one will be the wiser. Limiting your design choices will speed up the scrapbooking process.

Here's a simple layout I've used a few times. Works great for single photos. Trust me: No one notices when you repeat a layout!

Here it is again in a completely different theme.




Here's another quick and easy layout I've used several times.




Here it is again with a completely different set of photos.

You may also find it helpful to create “highlights” layouts. If your student is involved in sports, rather than scrapbook every single game, choose some photos to represent the entire season and create a two- or four-page spread to document the highlights. After graduation (when things settle down!) plan to go back and create additional layouts to supplement your “highlights” pages.

Use three-ring binders to store your completed layouts. Binders accommodate divided page protectors so you can incorporate photos you don’t have time to scrapbook right now. Plus, they’ll be sturdy and easy for guests to handle at your party.

6. Plan ahead.  Working from your list of Must-Do Layouts, organize supplies for several pages at once. Take your photos to Memory Bound and purchase materials to match, then drop everything into a protective sleeve for safekeeping. As you do this, identify a few basic cardstock colors that you’re using frequently (such as your school colors) and purchase them (along with adhesive!) in volume.

7. Keep up with photo printing. Some Senior Moms fall behind in their photo printing. Don’t let this happen to you! It happened to me and unfortunately, I lost valuable scrapbooking time editing and printing photos. My advice is to keep up with the process. Choose a reputable online developer, then upload and order prints regularly. If you have a backlog of photos to print, purchase a pre-paid plan to reduce the cost per print.

8. Use your resources: Delegate, outsource, or purchase. If your goal is completed scrapbooks, then let go of some other graduation tasks. You can’t do it all! Rather than spending hours in the kitchen, purchase food for your party. Need display boards with your senior’s photos? This is a great task to assign to your graduating student or another crafty family member.

Let Memory Bound be at the top of your list of resources! In January and February, we're scheduling Senior Crop Nights -- dedicated evenings just for you, and we'll be there to help you with ideas to simplify the tasks on your list. And watch for our Graduation Open House in the spring, where we'll have all kinds of grad party ideas on display.

9. Use your computer. Microsoft Word can be a Senior Mom’s best friend! Using Word for journaling and titles will save you valuable time. I have a few layout designs that I use regularly, so I save the journaling text boxes to use as templates. You can even format and print text boxes for several layouts at once.

10. Don’t let scrapbooking add to your stress! Senior Moms can feel a great deal of pressure to complete albums in time for graduation. RELAX! No one but you will know if you haven’t scrapbooked every single event in your child’s life. Let scrapbooking be your refuge and escape during this busy time! In the years to come, you'll treasure every single layout you've created. 

If you have any questions, please let us know. We're eager to help you accomplish your graduation goals!

Janet