Your style need not be “simple” to be a good fit. We’re looking for scrapbookers who are eager to work with creative starting points, can meet deadlines, typically include journaling on their pages, and are able to take and edit project photos as needed.

Our team members create two projects per month using sketches or digital templates, storytelling prompts, and design inspiration. Projects can be layouts, pocket pages, notebook spreads, or any format compatible with the assignment. “Double-dipping” with product-based teams is permitted if allowed by the other creative team.

Team submissions are featured in SPARK, the member magazine that we distribute six times per year, and may also be included in our social media, classrooms, and website. We prefer that you regularly post your work for the team and promote Simple Scrapper activities on Instagram, but do not require it.

The compensation for creative team members is ongoing Simple Scrapper membership, plus an additional six months beyond the conclusion of your time on the team. We love to work with team members to develop our programming, so there may be opportunities for work as a paid contractor, such as presentations, additional projects, or class contributions.

The deadline to apply is Thursday, November 30 and we anticipate a quick turnaround. Please complete this form to submit your application.

The post Open Call for New Creative Team Members appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Life is moving far faster than your creative energy and motivation. It’s hard to keep up with this year’s photos, let alone venture into the past.

We’ve made it our specialty to help scrapbookers set priorities, make significant progress… and enjoy the ride along the way!

There are two key factors that can help you stay caught up, in anything!

#1 is rails. This looks like turning most scrapbooking activities into projects that have constraints in time, format, and creative style. The more clear and specific you can get, the easier it will be to pick up where you left off.

#2 is accountability. A big part of productivity has nothing to do with what you are doing, but simply showing up to do it. The strategies you use to put in the time make a huge difference, especially over the course of a year.

If it takes these factors to find consistency, how do you make it all happen?

Inside of the Simple Scrapper community, we’ll guide you to creating a flexible plan that fills you up and fits your life. Every month we’ll check in with your plan and offer accountability opportunities to keep you progressing.

The post How to Stay Caught Up appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

It’s a tool for corralling every project to finish, story to tell, and goal to achieve. You can set due dates and mark off task checklists, but also make changes with no scratch-offs or starting over.

Trello is perpetual planner that grows with you… and it’s free.

That’s why I created The Trello Habit, a new class inside of the My Simple Scrapper community.  In nine lessons across three modules, you will build your own “creative hub” in Trello and learn:

• why Trello is the perfect tool for scrapbookers,
• the fastest and easiest way to get started,
• where Trello fits in your planning approach,
• how to capture your best creative ideas, and
• when to use one of our Trello templates!

Simple Scrapper classes are all designed to support you taking intentional action, one small step at a time. Here’s a peek at the nine lessons:

If you’re not yet convinced that The Trello Habit is what you need right now, here’s the welcome video I made for our students:

The Trello Habit is exclusively available to Simple Scrapper members. If you love it, you can stick with the quarterly rate or convert to a discounted annual plan. If it’s not a good fit, you can cancel with no hassle or penalty.

The post New Class: The Trello Habit appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

What’s New with Me

• I forgot my suitcase over Thanksgiving break and had some personal lightbulb moments about what I really wear. I also discovered some rad 90’s tees in my childhood closet!
• After testing some printable pages, I ordered a Panda Planner to supplement my Trello project management. I’ll share more about this change in an upcoming podcast episode.
• I am feeling both full of energy and stretched quite thin. I suppose that’s the name of the game this time of year. I’m trying to roll with it, alternating loads of coffee and loads of sleep.

What’s New at Simple Scrapper

• I’ve started to redesign the website. I’m not one for massive, secretive overhauls that take ages, so you’ll see updates here and there over the next few weeks. This is my favorite kind of project for the holiday season.
• We’re heading into 2020 with some really big plans and a lot of leaning on what we know works best. Bigger AND smaller at the same time is the name of the game for Simple Scrapper.
• Even though we’re winding down the month and the year, we’ve got one more cool thing still in store: Holiday Photo Crush. Starting Thursday, December 12 our members will be invited to tackle December photos, create photo-focused gifts, and get ready for 2020 in this spirited online event. Join the My Simple Scrapper community.

These posts are some of the least viewed. If they are particularly helpful or interesting to you, I’d love if you left a comment to help me plan for 2020!

The post This Month | December 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Awesome by Krystal Becker

It’s Plan Your Year month and November is chock full of exclusive member content as well as our annual Planning Party. Members can mark the calendar for a plethora of events, download another beautiful issue of SPARK magazine, and look forward to the Hybrid Made Easy workshop mid-month. I’ll be sharing a separate post (and many emails) about the FREE 2020 Planning Party, but in the meantime here’s your November updates:

What’s New with Me

• The team and I start planning for a new year in the summer. It feels so good to finally start seeing our changes take shape! I can’t wait to share more in this month’s Planning Party.
• The change in seasons has me paying attention to my energy levels even more than usual. I am my best in the mornings, so I’m shifting my schedule to honor that instead of fight it!
• I have absolutely loved the process of putting together our next workshop, Hybrid Made Easy, and it has given me new insights about how I want to scrapbook in 2020.

What’s New at Simple Scrapper

November offers some exciting options for your journey:

• In this month’s issue of SPARK you will find fresh starting points for your next page and a step-by-step plan for letting the seasons guide your creativity.
• If layouts are on your mind, you’ll want to check out our latest sketch and template collection, along with this month’s design challenge, inspired by Krystal Becker.
• Our latest Pop-Up Workshop will drop mid-month. Hybrid Made Easy will teach you the basics of using Photoshop Elements to begin a hybrid layout.

Upcoming Events

• November 1-30 – 2020 Planning Party (FREE)
• November 7 – Your Year, Your Way Workshop @ 8 p.m. (FREE)
• November 8 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
• November 15 – Release of Hybrid Made Easy Pop-Up Workshop
• November 18 – Hybrid Made Easy Office Hours @ 8 p.m.
• November 19 – Hybrid Made Easy Office Hours @ 1 p.m.
• November 21 – Book Club: Light the Dark @ 8 p.m.

If you’ve been enjoying the content I share on the podcast, I’d love for you to join us in the My Simple Scrapper community. You can try a month of membership for just $10 to see if it’s a great fit for you!

The post This Month | November 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Living That Messy Bun Life by Shadnee Breeden

Welcome to Finishing Month at Simple Scrapper! October is the time to start wrapping up projects with creativity and momentum. This month’s Refresh retreat will guide you towards new successes and a clear plan for the remainder of 2019.

What’s New with Me

• I’ve been reading The Joy of Missing Out by Tonya Dalton (of Inkwell Press), which was released today! If you love practical strategy for life improvement, you will adore this book.
• In my ongoing planner saga, I’m now attempting to go all-digital. Trello tells me what to do and my calendar tells me where to be.
  • I tried out a fun new website and app called Artful Agenda. It wasn’t for me, but you might enjoy it.
  • On my phone I’m using the DigiCal+ calendar app. It’s simple, pretty, and has integrated weather.
• This week is all about final preparations for the 2019 Simple Scrapper retreat outside of Chicago. I love doing these events my way, which means small, introvert-friendly groups.
  • I anticipate sharing details soon on one (possibly two) retreats in 2020.

What’s New at Simple Scrapper

This month offers some exciting options for your journey:

• In this month’s issue of SPARK you will find fresh starting points for your next page, a sneak peek at November’s Book Club selection, and advice on tackling the most common creative fears.
• If layouts are on your mind, you’ll want to check out our latest sketch and template collection, along with this month’s design challenge, inspired by Shadnee Breeden.
• The October session of our Refresh retreat will invite you to look at finishing in a whole new way as you set priorities and make progress.
• And if you need more help getting projects finished, the self-paced class The Finishing Project is available with a membership.

Upcoming Events

• October 17 through 23 – Refresh retreat: Join us for a week of curated activities and four live crops.
• October 24 – Book Club: An Edited Life @ 8:30 p.m.

If you’ve been enjoying the content I share on the podcast, I’d love for you to join us in the My Simple Scrapper community. You can try a month of membership for just $10 to see if it’s a great fit for you!

The post This Month | October 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Here by Morgan Beal

We’re turning the corner. Can you feel it? It’s time to dig in and really experience our creativity to the fullest. The last four months of the year can be some of your best!

What’s New with Me

• I didn’t scrap much over the summer, which is my norm, and am looking forward to diving back in this month.
• I’m having fun connecting with other skincare enthusiasts in the comments of my latest YouTube video.
• I turned my 2019-2020 Erin Condren planner into a glorified spiral notebook with month tabs. Let me know if you would like to see a video on this.
• I was a guest teacher for Victoria Marie’s Scrap Boss patrons. We talked all about my photo management process with Lightroom.

What’s New at Simple Scrapper

This month offers some exciting options for your journey:

• In this month’s issue of SPARK you will find countless starting points for your next layout, a sneak peek at October’s Book Club selection, and an import question to consider in your memory keeping practice.
• If layouts are on your mind, you’ll want to check out our latest sketch and template collection, along with this month’s design challenge, inspired by Morgan Beal.
• If you’re craving playtime with your stash, this season’s organization week will help you make use of your supplies.
• And if you’re ready to dive into a new project, I’m leading a live session of Before Your Story beginning September 26.

Upcoming Events

• September 17 through 23 – Stash Bash: Use more of your scrappy stash with a week of creative challenges.
• September 26 through November 6 – Before Your Story: Tell your birth-to-adulthood story in one album.
• September 26 – Book Club: My Morning Routine @ 8:30 p.m.

If you’ve been enjoying the content I share on the podcast, I’d love for you to join us in the My Simple Scrapper community. You can try a month of membership for just $10 to see if it’s a great fit for you!

The post This Month | September 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Friendship Bonds by Jil Larson

Of all the months in the year, August is the one that goes by the fastest for me.

With the State Fair, my daughter’s birthday, and everything that goes with the back-to-school adventure, I know I’m going to blink once and it will be September. Maybe that’s why one of my creative heroes, Susannah Conway, leads her August Break each year? It’s a way of slowing down when it seems like time is running away!

I thought I would switch up this post and include a little more of my personal goings-on along with the Simple Scrapper announcements. I seem to volley back and forth between wanting to share openly and feeling intensely private. I guess this is the season for the former!

What’s New with Me

• I am still enjoying (and getting used to) my new Dell laptop. I found that using a USB-C to USB-C cable (affiliate link) is the fastest and most reliable way to transfer my video files and mirror my phone. I have been doing most of my video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, but I am planning to use Camtasia for screen recordings.
• July also saw me getting used to a vertical-format Erin Condren LifePlanner. I have to be honest here, I miss my Deluxe Monthly and I probably shouldn’t have been in such a hurry. I’m considering building a frankenplanner by removing the weekly pages and adding extra lined pages from last year’s planner.
• A bit of burn-out (or a mid-life crisis) has been plaguing me, so I rebooted my lifestyle YouTube channel as a fun side project. Working on these videos has helped me see that, at the most basic level, I create web content that helps people. It’s helpful to feel there is something unifying to a work life that can feel disjointed.

What’s New at Simple Scrapper

• This month’s five new, beautifully-detailed sketches and templates were inspired by Jil Larson. These are featured and interpreted by our creative team in SPARK magazine #68, which is now available for members. Plus, our latest design challenge centers on Jil’s creative title work.
• On August 15 our next Pop-Up Workshop, Trello for Scrapbookers, will be released. The Pop-Up Workshops are bite-sized, action-oriented classes on hot topics. These are available exclusively to members. Other topics currently in our library include mixed media and apps.
• In case you missed it, I hosted a four-part mini class on the Scrapbook Your Way podcast: Your Mid-Year Creative Reboot. Episodes 23 through 26 were 10-minute lessons designed to help you start fresh for the second half of 2019. Plus, I highlight our free resources to help even more!

Upcoming Events

• August 2 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
• August 7 – Lightroom Office Hours @ 1 p.m.
• August 8 – Lightroom Office Hours @ 8:30 p.m.
• August 16 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
• August 22 – Trello Office Hours @ 8:30 p.m.
• August 23 – Trello Office Hours @ 1 p.m.
• August 29 – Book Club: My Morning Routine @ 8:30 p.m.

If you’ve been enjoying the content I share on the podcast, I’d love for you to join us in the My Simple Scrapper community. You can try a month of membership for just $10 to see if it’s a great fit for you!

The post This Month | August 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Also this month, we’re excited to welcome digital scrapbooker Shannan Manton as our featured artist. Shannan’s clean style is full of details and rich in story. You will love how her style is interpreted by the creative team!

This Month’s Events

• July 4 – Open Crop Time @ 7 a.m. CDT
• July 5 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m. CDT
• July 18 – Summer Refresh begins
  • July 18 – Refresh Crop @ 8:30 p.m. CDT
  • July 19 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m. CDT
  • July 20 – Refresh Chat @ 9 a.m. CDT
  • July 22 –  Refresh Crop @ 8:30 p.m. CDT
  • July 24 – Refresh Chat @ 1 p.m. CDT
• July 25 – Book Club: Globejotting @ 8:30 p.m. CDT

SPARK Magazine #67

Do embellishments drive you batty? Learn how to embellish ‘your way’ in this month’s exclusive lesson. Then explore our team’s incredible work with our latest sketches and storytelling prompts. I love the creative diversity of this issue!

Community Recap

• I often hear about papercrafters who love stamping when creating cards or other projects, but fear doing so on layouts. Is this you? If not, please share your best tips and types of stamps to use on scrapbook layouts!
• Many of our members made amazing progress during Photo Crush Week. While photo organization is an ongoing task, it can be helpful to dedicate a specific period of time to focus on this key part of our hobby.
• I never get tired of finding new scrapbook collections and designers, so it is always fun to see who other scrapbookers love best. Did your favorite manufacturer make the list?
• It is important to recognize what feeds your creativity. Is it a roomful of scrappy supplies? Or maybe you do better with a smaller stash? Neither is best, just a matter of finding what works for you!

You can get this month’s issue of SPARK, invitations to all of our member events, and access to our community when you become a My Simple Scrapper member.

The post This Month | July 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

This month our focus is on supporting your summer self-care and memory-making in two specific ways: (1) encouraging you to be more peaceful and playful by using mixed media and (2) offering a concentrated burst of photo organization during our upcoming theme week. The busyness of this time of year means you need both!

This Month’s Events

• June 3 – Chat: Mixed Media Backgrounds @ 8:30 p.m.
• June 7 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
  • Crop: Mixed Media Backgrounds at 8:30 p.m.
• June 15 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
• June 18 to June 24 – Theme Week: Photo Crush
• June 21 – Open Crop Time @ 7 p.m.
• June 27 – Book Club: Craft a Life Your Love @ 8:30 p.m.

SPARK Magazine #66

The latest edition of your favorite magazine includes beautiful examples of this month’s creative tools as well as an exclusive article offering a boost of inspiration for this month’s Photo Crush theme week! Three new sketches were inspired by your requests for more two-page layouts and our storytelling prompts explore what it means to take care of yourself and others.

Community Recap

And finally, here’s one more taste of what’s been going on inside of the My Simple Scrapper community:

• From our go-to supplies to what skills we’d like to improve, recent member polls show just how similar (and how different!) we are when it comes to scrapbooking.
• Our most recent pop-up workshop, Mixed Media Backgrounds for Beginners, is live! Jennifer takes you through 7 different techniques to create 12 simple backgrounds using a variety of supplies. What will you create?
• Member Peggy C. has created a monthly challenge series focused on using your stash. There is no deadline, so join in anytime and make a dent in your supplies!

You can get this month’s issue of SPARK, invitations to all of our member events, and access to our community when you become a My Simple Scrapper member.

The post This Month | June 2019 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.