At some point late in the year, I’m reminded of the One Little Word project, and I struggle to remember my choice. I start off with so much optimism about how this word will shape my year, but then life gets in the way.

My enthusiasm fizzles out and eventually, I forget. In October of 2016 I had to go look at the plastic word I had custom-made to remember. My word was trust and I fondly reflected on doing the inner work to live that in the first quarter of 2016.

Has this ever happened to you? Maybe you didn’t completely forget, but I know how life is. It’s not consistent throughout the year and our priorities shift. What you need most in January is likely not what you need most in October, but I have an idea.

I have an idea that just might prevent disconnection from my chosen word, an idea that will better align with my needs over the course of a year. I’m going to opt-out of choosing one word.

I’m Choosing 4 Words in 2017

I’ve refreshed my scrapbooking hobby every season for several years, and now I’m applying this mindset to the rest of my self-care. We naturally do this in many domains, but the community call has always been to choose one guidepost for personal growth.

Instead, each season I will select a new word to guide my inner work. I’ll give myself permission to choose the same word if I’m not yet “done” with it, but also claim equal permission to start fresh and tackle a new challenge.

By pausing each season to choose a new word that best reflects what’s exciting and meaningful to me, I’ll be more likely to follow through on exploring it creatively and take actions to make that word visible in my life. Perhaps most importantly, I’ll also release the guilt I feel over not seeing it through to the end.

In fact, I’ve already started experimenting with this concept, and my word for fall 2016 chose me: nourish. As we turned to the cooler months, I craved substance and meaning. The fall season, for me, was about making choices that support the lifestyle I want to live and are flexible enough to shift as I do.

Now that we’ve entered the new year, my word for winter 2017 is practice. Stronger habits for health and happiness require baby steps and repetition until new skills become automatic.

Whether you’ve selected a word for 2017 or not, I want to offer this simple permission to embrace shifting priorities and allow yourself to evolve with the seasons.

The post I’m Not Choosing a Word for 2017 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

However, I realized that pivoting on-the-fly is a skill that needs practice and cultivation. I can’t flip a switch and suddenly become more easy-going. (Wouldn’t that be great, though?)

I went back to the drawing board. Then, on one long car ride in the dark I started leafing through words on an imaginary rolodex. This one? No. This one? No. This one? Eh, maybe. This one? Yes, that’s it.

When I came to grow, I almost dismissed it. It seemed too simple, not deep or profound enough. Space was so lofty, how could I “regress” to something like grow?

This unease drew me in. Perhaps I was being dismissive because I was nervous, afraid that it might take effort to, you know… grow.

I knew that intentional effort is what I most needed after a year of space-creating. Deep had resonated so much because I feel like I need to grow roots in many ways. But, it didn’t capture the evolution (and elevation) into greater joy I also want to experience.

Grow, however, seemed just perfect in that spot-on and totally uncomfortable way.

Growth is beautiful. Growth is messy.

Growing is as much about active, energy-consuming blossoming as it is about patient, energy-restoring rest.

Last year space helped me clear the fields, so that I could plant seeds of possibility. This year I’m eager and ready to nurture growth in myself, my family (No, not pregnant or planning to be!), and my business.

Grow up. This is about personal responsibility and making myself a priority. I can’t deny that it’s related to turning 35. I am in control of how I feel. I limit myself – and my own joy – with excuses.

Grow deeper. This is about feeling connected to people and places – and is definitely a next phase of the work I began last year. I made lots of space-clearing changes to make this more possible in 2015.

Grow intentionally. This is about doing the work to grow my business – and doing it with thoughtfulness and persistence. I need to dig in and get my hands dirty to nurture this next phase into being.

As in the past, I plan to blog throughout the year on topics related to my word. I’m also working on a post related to my memory keeping plans for the year, in which you’ll see how I’m seamlessly incorporating grow into my 2015 album.

One Little Word is a reflective personal project by Ali Edwards. Click here to see more posts about my own words.

The post One Little Word 2015 appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Participants receive a energizing workshop experience plus my newly-revised and expanded 2015 Start Fresh Workbook & Planner. In this post I want to share more about this tool, what sets it apart, and how you can use it to stay excited and on track all year long.

Your BFF* for Simple, Productive Scrapbooking

* Best Friend Forever

The Start Fresh Workbook & Planner is a 75+ page printable PDF tool for memory keepers, your secret weapon for a joyfully productive year. It has also been designed with flexibility in mind, allowing it to be used for more than just scrapbooking!

What’s included?
The 2015 planner includes clearly-labeled sections to be used at varying intervals. From the annual kick start we’ll conduct during Start Fresh to the project planner that can be used anytime you need it, the Workbook & Planner is there to keep you focused. Components include:

• Annual kick start workbook
• Seasonal priority prompts
• Monthly calendar & check-ins
• Weekly “to do” checklists
• Daily routine goal-setting
• Anytime planning pages

Plus, at the Start Fresh event you’ll also receive completed examples and a video that explains how to use each page type.

What’s not included?
This tool does not include daily agenda pages. If you love using an agenda, especially a ringed planner like the Filofax, you’ll love customizing it with the addition of the Start Fresh pages.

What sizes and formats are available?
Our standard edition of the Workbook & Planner is optimized for the US letter (8.5.x11) size, but we have created alternate versions to satisfy a range of users:

• Compact edition – 5.5×8.5,  prepared for double-sided 8.5×11 printing
• Southern Hemisphere edition – A4 paper size, season-sensitive
• Euro edition – A4 paper size, weeks start on Monday

Additionally, each version includes form fill-in fields that allow you to type directly on the planner. You can type and print or simply save the file to your computer.

How is it different from other planners?
Other planners on the market focus on traditional scheduling as well as emphasize memory capture. The Start Fresh Workbook & Planner not only helps you record stories, but provides structure and systems to help you get those stories into your scrapbooks.

Click here to get your 2015 Workbook & Planner.

The post The 2015 Start Fresh Workbook & Planner: What You Need to Know appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

This is a busy – oh so busy – time of year. Even though each lesson is short, you may not have been able to really dig into the material. I have created a solution for you!

The “Grab & Go” version of Simplify Your New Year includes a 12.5 minute audio and a one-page printable worksheet. Take it with you and when you’ve got just 15 minutes, spend it with this insightful exercise!

• Download audio (.mp3)
• Download worksheet (.pdf)

The post Free “Grab & Go” Mini Course | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

During this time of year, optimism is high. You can see all the successes you’ll build upon to craft a year full of possibility and finished projects.

But maybe you also have that lingering doubt and fear in the back of your mind, for when the starry-eyed honeymoon of the new year wears off.

As we conclude this week’s series, I want you to understand the one small shift that will help you maintain enthusiasm all through the year.

There’s something I’ve learned over the years, something that can offer a lightbulb moment for 2015 planning: People don’t change just because it’s possible. People change because it means something to them.

Simplifying, like other changes in life, takes intention and focus. It’s what you focus on that matters most though.

Instead of focusing on the outputs of your efforts, shift the focus to the outcomes. Another way of saying that is to focus on the benefits of simplicity to your life instead of what scrapbooking simply looks like.

Let’s take projects, more broadly, as an example.

Instead of saying that you want to finish more of the projects you start, say that you want to feel more accomplished and satisfied with your leisure time. Instead of saying that you want to stop setting unrealistic expectations for your project, say that you want the process to be more enjoyable from start to finish.

With these meaningful outcomes in mind, you can then work backwards to craft a plan that includes specific action steps to get there. Focusing on what’s important, why this change matters, creates a truly strong foundation on which to build a joyful year of memory keeping.

Leave a comment sharing the most important thing you hope to achieve – in scrapbooking or in life – in 2015.

P.S. There won’t be enough time to do everything next year, but I can help you figure out what matters most to you. Together, in Start Fresh, we can craft a meaningful plan for your memory keeping that you’ll be just as excited about next December as you are in January.

Click here to enroll in Start Fresh for just $19.

The post Step 5. Shift the Focus | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

Scrapbooking doesn’t have to be complicated.

It can be – and in so many beautifully fun ways – but it doesn’t have to be. Scrapbooking can be as simple as it needs to be to fill up your heart and fit in this season of your life.

At Simple Scrapper, it’s my mission to help you figure out what that looks like and craft a plan to make it happen.

Today I want to share an easy technique you can use again and again to invite more simplicity into your scrapbooking – and your life!

Memory keeping is a process, a series of steps along a path. At each point in that journey there are decisions to be made, from which photos to use to which photo book service to choose.

Some of those decisions are easy and often fun, but they also each represent a fork in the road. Will you take the simple path or the less simple one?

There’s no wrong answer, no perfect choice, but rather it’s the awareness of these choices that matter.

When you apply a lens of simplicity to your scrapbooking, you can identify where and how you’re getting stuck. Most importantly, you can prevent complication from the start. It’s an act of mindfulness and intention, one that can become habit over time.

Just asking the question “Can this be simpler?” is a powerful tool to avoid making memory keeping, a hobby that you love, from being more complicated that it needs to be.

Leave a comment sharing one experience where you paused and choose a simpler path.

P.S. The Start Fresh event will help you apply a lens of simplicity to your scrapbooking in 2015. You’ll be able to finish more of the projects that you start and feel more excited about your memory keeping efforts. Click here to learn more about Start Fresh.

The post Step 4. Choose Simple | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

I don’t agree with Benjamin Franklin.

The great inventor and statesman is attributed with the quote “If you fail to plan, then you’re planning to fail.” However, I don’t think that’s true.

I believe that success is possible whether or not you plan anything, but that it’s a heck of a lot easier (and more fun) if you do!

In today’s post, I’ll explain why crafting a plan for scrapbooking should be at the top of your list and what a simple and effective plan looks like.

How many times each week do you think “There are just not enough hours in the day!” If you’re like me, then it’s pretty often. The list of things we need to do is often so long it can feel hard to get to the things we want to do.

That’s where planning can help. It’s not about squeezing more minutes from the day with efficiency, but about understanding what matters most to you – and doing that stuff first.

When you have priorities (instead of everything being important and urgent), decisions about where to spend your time are easier. Sometimes that means stealing 3 hours on Friday night just for you and other times that means choosing a simpler project so you can have more memory-making time with your family.

Thoughtful planning in scrapbooking and in everyday life helps to ensure there is always time for what you need and want to do.

Now that you’re convinced (and maybe you already were), how do you do this planning thing well? The secret is to make it as simple and uncomplicated as possible.

One of the big reasons planners get abandoned by February 1st is our natural tendency to build up unrealistic expectations around using them. Instead of grounding yourself in what’s authentic and real, you pair your loftiest dreams with the loftiest of assumptions about your daily habits.

(That’s actually where you’re planning to fail.)

A good plan is doable and flexible, easing you towards those big goals. A good planning tool works with your own unique habits, not against them, and includes an invitation to check in throughout the year. It lets you be you and craft your best year yet.

Leave a comment sharing one way planning has helped you to accomplish your goals, in scrapbooking or in life.

P.S. Would you like to work together to craft your 2015 plan? This week I’m laying the foundation for a simplified new year, but in January I’d love to help you make it happen. Start Fresh is a five-day annual event where I will help you launch into a joyfully accomplished year of memory keeping. Registration is now open.

The post Step 3. Craft Your Best Plan | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

If there is one concept that I talk about as much as celebrating victories, it’s understanding the nuances of why you scrapbook. They’re both that important to simple scrapbooking.

When you can see how memory keeping is weaved throughout – and deeply impacts – your life, it becomes easier to make time for it.

This next step in your journey pushes this concept even further. Armed with wisdom about your successes, I’d like to invite you to take a bold leap for your memories.

I want you to choose joy over guilt.

I want you to choose fun over obligation.

I want you to proudly shout “This is important to me!” and really believe it.

I want you to commit yourself to memory keeping once more, with feeling.

Here’s how to do that:

It’s easy to feel excited about scrapbooking when you’re among peers online. It’s often another thing to carry that enthusiasm offline – and maintain it all year long.

It turns out there’s this little thing we do that contributes to this challenge. We diminish our hobby.

This hobby, this craft, that we adore… we minimize it to our families and our friends. We know they don’t always get it, so we keep our passion bottled up. But, all this does is drag us down.

Instead of diminishing, we should be elevating. We should be openly declaring why combining words with photos means so darn much.

When more people understand the joy of scrapbooking, especially your people, it becomes easier to take the time.

When you commit with joy, your entire year opens wide to the full spectrum of pleasurable possibilities.

Leave a comment sharing one way you can add more joy to your scrapbooking in the coming year.

The post Step 2. Commit with Joy | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

To preface this week’s series, I want to start by sharing why you might want to simplify scrapbooking in 2015.

How many times have you sat down to scrapbook but ended up not making progress? Maybe you got distracted or couldn’t figure out where to start. Maybe it was something else in your way.

When you’re bogged down in over-complication, it’s easy to become stuck and frustrated. The world we live in gives us so many messages of “buy this, do that” that we end up feeling overloaded and unclear.

Simplicity gets you where you want to go with less of the fuss in the middle. It helps you craft a unique path that feels effortless to travel.

Simplicity leaves space for thoughtfulness and creativity as well as time for making more of the memories you will treasure forever.

Your first step on this journey isn’t hard, but shouldn’t be missed. It lays an important foundation that will carry you into the new year.

Whenever I’m trying to grow, especially in a new year, I always look first to the past for victories to celebrate.

It can be tempting to begin a transition or shift by looking at everything that’s wrong. While those challenges may have brought you here, wallowing in them is not what will move you forward.

Instead I inventory all the good stuff, especially the baby steps and big leaps I’ve made. I celebrate every victory and give myself a high five for showing up and trying.

Simplifying your new year is not about fixing problems, but about embracing approaches and solutions that work best for you.

A victory can be as small as sharing a photo with your mom. It can be as large as finishing a retrospective album. No matter the size, when you itemize accomplishments you can re-live the joy of finishing and find momentum for what’s next. You might even pull out your projects to literally place your victories in view.

However, I’m not saying you should bury your head in the sand.

The companion to celebration is a genuine reflection. Conduct an honest assessment of where you are vs. where you want to be. Think about how you’re managing photos, telling stories, using supplies, and capturing your best memories in a creative way.

What’s working best? What could work even better?

When you shape this simpler and more effective path, everything that’s not working will fade away or get left behind. Approaching it from a place of positivity and gratitude, however, makes it much easier to see what you’re doing well and what you have to build upon.

Leave a comment sharing one approach that worked great for you this past year.

The post Step 1. Reflect & Celebrate | Simplify Your New Year appeared first on Simple Scrapper.

It would be 12’x10′ with a big window and a small walk-in closet for storage. And suddenly Pinterest is even more exciting!

To be honest, I’m stressed out to the max right now and planning is the only thing keeping me grounded. Lists and spreadsheets and idea-gathering calm my nerves and keep me from freaking the heck out about moving, at least most of the time.

Since I work from home, transitioning my office quickly would be one of several priority projects. I don’t usually draw floor plans, but I needed exactness to plan the purchase of a new work surface.

I used floorplanner.com to create a to-scale drawing of my likely new office. I then scoured IKEA’s office section to begin trying out various configurations. One of my biggest requirements was having a white work surface in front of the window for taking photos and filming videos.

While I considered a center island, the size of the room and my need to have both standing and sitting spaces made it less than ideal. I settled on an around-the-perimeter configuration that will lean heavily on the addition of shelving.

1 | shelving units, Menards

2 |  floor lamp, Target

3 | LINNMON table, IKEA

4 | MALKOLM swivel chair, IKEA

5 | striped area rug, Home Decorators

6 | my grandpa’s drafting table, similar

7 | LINNMON corner table, IKEA

This is what I consider the first layer, the foundation for the room. My palette mixes natural tones of wood and cork with more modern accents in silver, white, and black.

The second layer would include additional storage like wall shelving, rolling carts, and cabinets. Color would come from the final layer of accents, like my crib spring, plants, and on-trend prints.

When I know more I’ll definitely share photos. In the meantime, I’m happy to answer any questions about this stage of workspace dreaming.

The post Floor Plan for My (Hypothetical) New Home Office appeared first on Simple Scrapper.