SPEEDY SCRAPBOOKING with TIFFANY TILLMAN-EMANUEL · 2017-07-05 · Speedy Scrapbooking with Tiﬀany Tillman Emanuel Chapter 1: What Bruce Lee Taught Me About Scrapbooking Welcome

Speedy Scrapbooking with Tiffany Tillman Emanuel

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SPEEDY SCRAPBOOKING with TIFFANY TILLMAN-EMANUEL

A FAST GUIDE FOR FINDING TIME TO SCRAPBOOK & SPEEDING UP WITH DIGITAL!


Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2

Chapter 1: What Bruce Lee Taught Me About Scrapbooking 3

Chapter 2: Stop Wasting Time 5 Let's Start in My Kitchen 5

The All-Purpose Kit 6

Fraken(stein)-Kits 7

What You Can Do Right Now 8

Chapter 3: Speed Up Time 10 It's Impossible! Or is it? 10

What is Muscle Memory? 11

Must Skills to Master 12

How to Build Your Muscle Memory 13

Chapter 4: Goal Time 15 Well, what do you want to remember? 15

8 Layouts in 2 Hours 16

3 Kinds of Story Telling 16

How to Choose Your Goal 20

Chapter 5: Alongside the Master 21 Don’t just speed up. Leap. Bound. Surge. Expand! 22

I Collect and Share Creative Masters 22

The End: How to Speed Up Your Scrapbooking 23




Chapter 1: What Bruce Lee Taught Me About

Scrapbooking

Welcome to the Speedy Scrapbooking book! In the upcoming pages, I want to share with you my favorite tips for speeding up your scrapbooking. Consider it a mini-class of good info you can enjoy just by flipping each page!

I first shared this series with the Scrapaneers tribe back in February 2016 and they LOVED it because each chapter included honest-to-goodness tips and techniques they could apply right away (or save for later) to speed up their process and complete pages they love faster!

Who doesn't love that?

By the end of this book, you too will have a list of action-related steps you can take to speed up. So, no more delay! Let's get started with Speedy Scrapbooking!

Bruce Lee -- the kung fu master.

His movies are what I turn to when I'm trapped in the house because of a blizzard similar to the one we (and millions of East Coasters) experienced the last weekend of January 2015. It was huge!

And he had a way with words too (see the quote above).



“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what

is completely your own.”— Bruce Lee —


Bruce's short and sweet statement runs through my mind every time I scrapbook.

1. When I work with a digital kit, I use what is useful, discard what is not, and find small ways to tweak pieces so they fit my page.

2. When I write the journaling and draft the story, I write out the facts, leave out anything that's unnecessary, and add my own colorful language so it includes my voice.

3. And I only use photos that narrate the story visually. I finish by editing each photo so their mood matches my page.

Absorb. Discard. Add your own. Absorb. Discard. Make it your own.

This little diddy equates to your style. What you choose to use, not use and tailor to fit adds up to how your pages look over time.

But there's something else.

Bruce Lee wasn't just known for his style of kung fu. He was widely-respected for his speed. And speed should be important to scrapbookers too as it is to those who study martial arts!

So we're going to train ourselves in Speedy Scrapbooking! Our training begins in the next chapter.

Tiffany Tillman Emanuel Scrapaneers Founder

PS. What's the single best way to speed up your scrapbooking? I'll tell you ... in the final chapter!




Chapter 2: Stop Wasting Time

In the previous chapter, I started a conversation about Bruce Lee -- the kung fu master -- and how his incredible speed can inspire us scrapbookers. And yes, I was so serious! But why?

The number one 'complaint' we hear/read from students at scrapaneers.com is, "I wish I had more time to finish/enjoy scrapbooking."

I hear you, sister! I wish I had more time too.

The reality is we will never have more time. However, we can SPEED UP and get more done in less time than it typically takes!

And we can start by following Bruce Lee's wise words and not waste precious time as well. So how do we not waste more of our precious scrap time so we can enjoy life more (and have more time to enjoy our hobby)? Let's Start in My Kitchen

In my pantry (or fridge) you'll find my favorite staples: all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, olive oil, unsalted butter, milk, fresh thyme, fresh garlic, dried herbs (like basil and oregano), pepper, salt and chicken or vegetable stock. I also store carrots, celery, green peppers and onions so I can make a vegetable trinity for most meals too.



“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is

made up of.”— Bruce Lee —

http://scrapaneers.com


These ingredients are the foundations of the food my family eats most. So, naturally, you'll find them in my kitchen. And having them at my fingertips saves me time!

When I need to bust out a quick meal, like soup, I've got the basics all ready to go. Anything else I add is really to change the flavor profile so our mouths don't get bored.

My ingredient staples make up the basic tool kit I use to get the job of cooking done. And scrapbooking (especially digital scrapbooking) is NO different!

A digital scrapbooker's tool kit should include the crafting ingredients you reach for instantaneously to get pages done quicker. I have adopted two kinds of tool kits for digital scrapbooking. The All-Purpose Kit

The first tool kit is a one-size-fits-all digital scrapbooking kit that works for 99% of the projects we like to create. It includes softly textured papers, small or geometric patterns, brushes and all-purpose embellishments like anchors (buttons, staples and brads).

Here are some examples of kits perfect for all-purpose use curated by the Scrapaneers Forum and Editorial teams and me:

• Solid Papers • Kraft Papers • More Krafts & Solids • Geometric & Small Prints • Basic Patterns • Labels & Tags • Paper Clips • Brads • Fasteners

• Sequins • Flair Builder • Buttons • Brushes • More Brushes • Even More Brushes • Dynamic Brushes • Textures

Your all-purpose kit might include completely different kinds of sets. But these are the kinds of staple products that will work with 99% of the pages we digitals like to create. You could scrapbook for years without having to stop and shop!

But there's another kind of all-purpose kit. And it's my favorite.



http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/sweetshoppe/product.php?productid=26212&cat&page=3

http://the-lilypad.com/store/Pagekraft-Papers.html


http://the-lilypad.com/store/search.php?mode=search&substring=for+the+love+of+paper+2012&including=phrase&by_title=on&by_descr=on&by_sku=on&categoryid=&search_in_subcategories=on&price_min=0&price_max=50&by_fulldescr=on&by_shortdescr=on


http://shop.thedigitalpress.co/Back-to-Basics-Labels-Templates-Bundle.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/Arrow-Paper-Clips.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/CU-Brad-Bits-3.html

http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/Make-It-Stay-Fasteners-Pack-by-The-Nifty-Pixel.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/Sequins-Commercial-Use.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/Flair-Builder-2.0.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/CU-Buttoned-Up-13.html

http://the-lilypad.com/store/Digital-Distressing-Brushes.html


http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/Makin-Marks-Vol.3-Brush-and-Stamp-Set.html

http://www.oscraps.com/shop/Brushtool-Set-No7.html

http://www.thedigichick.com/shop/Gesso-Goodness-Vol.2-Paint-Textures.html


Fraken(stein)-Kits

Fraken-kits mix and match pieces from your FAVORITE sets to create one massive, all-purpose kit unique to your own tastes. It includes all of the important junk you love and combines them together so the whole is better than the parts.




It's super-powered with the tidbits you love most. And because it's made with YOU in mind, you can scrapbook quicker. You don't have to stop mid-project and look for the perfect piece. They're already included.

And fraken-kits are built and molded over time.

How do you create a fraken-kit?

Simple. Create a new folder in your supplies and name it 'Fraken-Kit'. Or some other fancy name. And as you download new products, and scrapbook, copy and paste your favorite pieces into your Fraken-Kit folder.

And when you're crafting a page and aren't sure what to do, use what's in your fraken-kit folder in lieu of shopping for new digital stuffs.

I made use of my own fraken-kit folder when finishing my son's first year baby book -- all 25 layouts -- in one weekend. The papers and metals I used on each page are some of my favorites downloaded years ago. I grab them often because I don't have to search for them -- they're in fraken's folder. Easy, time-saving solution.

What You Can Do Right Now

What can you do today to take advantage of both all-purpose AND fraken-kits?

1. Make an effort to create an all-purpose kit. Create a new folder and copy and paste all-purpose products within.

2. Of the 5 typical staples (papers, ephemera/embellishments, brushes, text/fonts/alphas, and styles, what do you use most often? Be on the lookout for kits that may work for regular use and then add them to your all-purpose tool kit.

3. Move or discard pieces that you don't regularly use. All-purpose overwhelm happens when you don't take a few minutes to purge now and then. This process takes less than 2 minutes as you're simply dragging files from one part of your computer to another.

4. Develop a fraken-kit before you begin a large album project. 5. Theme your fraken-kits for future use if you plan to build a similar project next

year. Annual school books come to mind. December Daily albums too. You honestly DON'T have to go on a new shopping spree for products every time




you sit down to scrapbook something big. And that TOO will save you time (and money).

In the next chapter, we'll complete our tool kit with a list of must-skills to master for fast scrapbooking.




Chapter 3: Speed Up Time

Wow.

How in the world can 'not thinking' ever apply to scrapbooking?

It's Impossible! Or is it?

In a sport like scrapbooking, one could argue it’s impossible not to ‘think’ when you’re scrapbooking. I mean, seriously, there are tons of decisions to make from which photos to choose to which products to use. Sizes, colors, textures — you name it — we have to think about it.

But I’d also argue that there are SOME tasks — many actually — that require you not to think while you work. And IF you are thinking about them as you work, then you are working slower then you should.

Now I’m not referring to the creative aspects of digital scrapbooking that make our sport enjoyable. Writing our stories, playing with products, and trying gorgeous techniques is a large part of what keeps us creatively happy. And happy scrapbookers are productive scrapbookers.

But consider many of the other tasks we complete to finish our pages:

• Stacking and merging layers • Jumping back and forth between different tools



“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll

never get it done.”— Bruce Lee —


• Cycling through blend modes to see which one will work (because we are never 100% sure which one will look best)

• Flattening and saving layouts for the web • Stepping backwards in time to compare our current layout to an earlier

version • Opening the Styles Menu to add drop shadows to different kinds of

layers We perform uncreative yet essential workflow tasks ALL THE TIME to get our pages done.

The tasks I listed above might not seem like a lot on their own. But they command a lot of our time when combined together.

Bottomline: we digital scrapbookers spend more time thinking our way through workflow tasks than we do actually being creative.

But all of them — all of the tasks I listed above — don’t have to take as much time.

And here is where Bruce becomes our mentor (again).

It all comes down to muscle memory. What is Muscle Memory?

Muscle memory is a form of procedural memory that consolidates a specific motor task into memory through repetition. I can imagine that part of Bruce Lee’s speed was due to his repetitive practice of martial arts. How many times did Bruce perform the same kick (off camera) to make it faster, extend longer and more powerful? He practiced that kick so often he didn't have to THINK about it! Here’s the good news: muscle memory works for digital scrapbookers too. Here’s the not so good news: like any muscle, you have to develop it to see the results!




When I encounter a faster scrapbooker — someone who scrapbooks faster than me (and baby, I’m fast) — I can immediately pick up on the strength of their muscle memory. One of the fastest digiscrappers I know personally is fellow instructor Traci Reed. She designs for quite a few different paper companies and still pumps out a new digital kit each week. And she’s one of the few designers who also scrapbooks -- she probably completes more layouts than I do. But Traci isn’t fast because she’s a designer. She’s fast because she’s allowed her repetitive scrapbook tasks to become part of her muscle memory. She flies through layer mechanics. She knows the keyboard shortcuts that shave time off her work (and uses them frequently). She relies on a library of actions and scripts so she can automate some of her more tedious tasks. I could go on and on. Traci is fast because she doesn’t have to THINK through her tasks. And though I’m not as fast as her, I do the same thing. So, how can YOU develop your muscle memory and speed up? I’m glad you asked!

Must Skills to Master

The Scrapaneers Editorial and Forum teams and I developed a list of 5 must-know skill-sets that WILL speed up your process. Then we curated a group of Scrapaneer articles and videos that can help you improve your workflow and develop digital scrapbooking muscle memory:

1. Layer Mechanics 1. Tips & Tricks in the Photoshop Layers Palette 2. Exploring the Layers Palette

2. Keyboard Shortcuts 1. Create Your Own Keyboard Shortcuts (video) 2. Selection Tools in Photoshop 3. How to Toggle Auto Select 4. Type Tool Quick Tips 5. Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet -- this is REALLY handy!



http://tracireed.com/news/main/

http://scrapaneers.com/tips-and-tricks-in-the-photoshop-layers-palette/

http://scrapaneers.com/exploring-the-layers-palette/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWmucBr-khs&feature=share

http://scrapaneers.com/selection-tools-in-photoshop/

http://scrapaneers.com/how-to-toggle-auto-select/

http://scrapaneers.com/type-tool-quick-tips/

https://helpx.adobe.com/content/dam/help/attachments/PhotoshopCC-KBSC.pdf


3. Actions & Scripts 1. Amanda Taylor's Photoshop PowerTool Actions & Scripts class 2. Scrapping with Scripts

4. The History Panel 1. Utilizing Photoshop History Panel (video)

5. Styles & Effects 1. Using Photoshop Styles 2. How to Create and Embellish with Styles 3. Adding a Glitter Border 4. Leah Riordan's From Drab to Fab Styles & Effects class

Is this list complete? No — not by any means. There are so many different ways to speed up your workflow via muscle memory.

But the above 5 categories together make the shortlist of skills you can improve to speed up your scrapbooking starting TODAY.

How to Build Your Muscle Memory

What actions can you take to improve your muscle memory?

1. DON'T attack this list in one weekend. Instead each month assign yourself a specific category to improve as you scrapbook. For example, this month you might choose to commit to the category of Keyboard Shortcuts.

1. You could print (or create) a cheatsheet of shortcuts you want to use more often and stick it by your computer. Then, as you scrapbook, you make a conscious effort to complete your tasks via the shortcut keys instead of jumping in and out of menus. Or every time you bypass a shortcut, you stop and repeat the process using the shortcut instead. Now, I know this process sounds counter-intuitive because it takes time to learn the shortcuts thus slowing you down initially. But once the habit has developed, you'll be faster than you ever were! That's the reward. Just be sure to give yourself enough time for muscle memory to kick-in. It takes almost 30 days for a new habit to develop.



http://scrapaneers.com/portfolio/photoshop-power-tools-actions-scripts-with-amanda-taylor/

http://scrapaneers.com/scrapping-with-scripts/

http://scrapaneers.com/utilizing-photoshops-history-panel/

http://scrapaneers.com/using-photoshop-styles/

http://scrapaneers.com/how-to-create-and-embellish-with-styles/

http://scrapaneers.com/adding-a-glitter-border/

http://scrapaneers.com/portfolio/photoshop-styles-from-drab-to-fab/


2. Keyboard Shortcuts, the History Panel and Layer Mechanics are similar categories that you can concentrate on getting faster at one month at a time.

2. Some categories, like Actions/Scripts, Styles/Effects, will require you to build a library. Unlike their predecessors, these two categories rely on resources plus forming the habit to use them regularly. 1. First, you'll want to understand how they work. It won't matter how many

you download to use if you don't know how to use them. 2. Second, concentrate on building your library. Become a fan of great Style

designers like Mommyish. And Action designers like Studio Wendy. 3. And finally, organize and develop your own Styles/Effects or Scripts/

Actions when you feel more advanced. Again, we have classes for both! Here and here.

Initially, muscle memory development will take time but it'll save you time in the long run after you master it! Because you'll spend less time thinking and more time doing.

And you'll become more like Bruce Lee!

In the next chapter, I'll walk you through MY speedy process for completing 8 unique layouts in just under 2 hours.



http://mommyish.net/blog/

http://www.wendyzinescraps.com/blog/

http://scrapaneers.com/portfolio/photoshop-power-tools-actions-scripts-with-amanda-taylor/

http://scrapaneers.com/portfolio/photoshop-styles-from-drab-to-fab/


Chapter 4: Goal Time

Nice.

What do we, scrapbookers, want to aim at?

Well, what do you want to remember?

What do YOU want to remember twenty, thirty or even seventy years from now?

What moments do you want to flashback to? What events?

What stories and details do you want to see again?

The answers to those questions are your GOALS.

And knowing what your page goals are helps you complete pages quicker.



“A goal is not always meant to be reached,

it often serves simply as something to aim at.”

— Bruce Lee —


8 Layouts in 2 Hours

In 2012, Debbie Hodge from Get It Scrapped asked me to craft 8 layouts that were 'On Trend' and use a variety of products that were popular at the time. Flags, birds, chevron patterns, oversized flowers, subway art -- you remember those trends right?

I finished all 8 pages in 2 hours because I had a goal. It's the same goal I've used for years to finish pages in less than 15 minutes. Or 20 page albums in a weekend.

See, every single time you sit down to scrapbook, you are telling some kind of story.

That is your goal every time you scrapbook even if you don't think about it.

And here's the best part: The products you choose don't matter when you aim to tell a story. The colors, the motifs, the themes, and the trends don't matter either because you're focusing on the story. And yes, you can tell stories without words too! A picture is worth a thousands words, after all.

Focusing on telling the story frees you to use any product, color or theme you want, in any style you prefer.

Telling the story un-complicates a process that has become unnecessarily complicated. And unnecessarily slower.

Bottomline: when Debbie, or anyone, invites me to make 8 pages, or 100, all that matters is my telling of a story that’s important to me.

3 Kinds of Story Telling

Typically, before I begin a layout, I'll choose one of three kinds of story telling devices to use on my page.



http://debbiehodge.com/


1. A Visual Story

Visual stories are layouts where the photos and the artwork commands prime importance. The visual quality 'connects' the viewer to the page and the photo does all of the talking.

When you invoke a Visual Story, you are The Artist.




2. A Written Story

Written stories capture your emotion, go in-depth and take a snapshot in time that pictures can't always tell. You develop a plot and often you're a player within it. And sometimes you need photos to complement your words and complete the story.




When you invoke a Written Story, you are The Narrator.

3. A Retelling of Events

Describing the who, what, where, why and how is a retelling of events. Sometimes the events capture a single span of time or longer periods.




When you invoke a Retelling of Events, you are The Reporter.

Are there more than three kinds of storytelling? Sure! This list isn't exhaustive.

But if you sit down to scrapbook and focus on the kind of story you want to tell rather than focus solely on products, or techniques, you'll scrapbook quicker!

Because you're aiming for what matters most and all other decisions after it don't matter.

How to Choose Your Goal

What actions can you take to tell your story? It's simple really. Tell great stories.

When you sit down to scrapbook, stop and think through the kind of story you want to tell. What photos will you need to compliment your story? Will you need to journal? And who are you as you describe your story:

1. The Artist 2. The Narrator 3. The Reporter

Then, let all other decisions about products, techniques, colors, motifs, etc. become secondary. For they are truly not your primary goal.

When you aim to tell great stories, you are focusing on what matters most. And you can get your pages done quicker!

Bruce would tell you to AIM AT IT!

In the next and final chapter, we'll wrap up with the single, best way to scrapbook faster.




Chapter 5: Alongside the Master

Bruce is back with one more lesson and it’s probably the most important. Let's go with it.

Lee’s martial arts was developed from his study of Wing Chun with his teacher Yip Man. Yip was a master teacher with several notable students who later became martial arts masters too. Here's Lee pictured with his famous teacher.

Yip’s legacy was Wing Chun having trained in the martial art since he was 7. He was 79 years

young when he died and had practiced Wing Chun for over 70 years! A number of Hong Kong films have been made depicting his life and the students he inspired.

Yip was the catalyst that sparked a fire within others.



“A teacher is never a giver of truth — he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that

each student must find for himself. A good teacher is

merely a catalyst.”— Bruce Lee —


As a teacher myself, I completely understand that my goal is not to direct any of my students to create art just like me. It’s to guide my students to create art for them.

For you.

Much like Morpheus said to Neo in The Matrix movie, “I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it."

Can you tell how crazy I am about kung-fu movies?

Don’t just speed up. Leap. Bound. Surge. Expand!

The single best way to speed up your creative process is to learn at the side of a master. With someone who is already doing that which you want to do.

Someone who does it well AND can slowly guide you to do it well too. Someone who can start you out with the fundamentals, move you into more intermediate and advanced concepts and then help you speed up with shortcuts.

Someone who can challenge you when you want to push yourself a wee bit further. Someone who can spark and stoke your creative fires too!

Simply put, if you want to speed up, you need to learn by the side of a master!

I Collect and Share Creative Masters

Scrapaneers LIVE Events was created for scrapbookers like us who want to learn from creative masters: authentic, passionate, digital professionals who have invested at least 10000+ hours — years — into perfecting their favorite form of memory keeping via art.

Each instructor is hand-picked for the event because they enjoy sparking creative fires within others too.

And if you’ve been asking yourself how you too can speed up your favorite kind of craft, then you’ll want to learn alongside them too!

We run Scrapaneer LIVE events twice a year. Click here for the latest details on how YOU can learn alongside a master.



http://scrapaneers.com/top-of-your-game/



Learning beside a master can help you speed up your digital scrapbooking in leaps and bounds. Help you surge and expand your creativity. Much like how Yip expanded Bruce Lee into the legend he eventually became!

The End: How to Speed Up Your Scrapbooking

I've covered quite a bit in this book. Let's sum it all up:

1. Develop and use tool kits. Look within your existing stash (or purposely purchase new kits) to develop two kinds of personalized digital kits: an all-around kit and a fraken-kit. These kinds of tool kits should include the crafting ingredients you reach for instantaneously to get pages done quicker. See Chapter 1 for a list of products perfect for tool kits.

2. Turn must-know skills into muscle memory. You can't fly through your creative ideas because they deserve time to develop. But you can speed up your scrapbooking by committing your workflow and repetitive tasks to muscle memory. See Chapter 2 for a shortlist of skills I recommend you start on first.

3. Concentrate on the story. Every layout has a story even if you aren't using pictures! See Chapter 3 for 3 different kinds of story-telling devices I use on my own pages that help me aim and focus on what’s most important and get pages done a lightening speed.

4. Study with a master. The single best way to increase your scrapbooking speed is learn at the side of someone who is already doing that which you aspire to do. Click here to learn at the side of the Scrapaneers Masters.

I've had such a great time planning and writing this short e-course which combined my love for our hobby with the teachings of Bruce Lee -- someone I greatly admire! Who would have thought it possible that kung fu and scrapbooking were linked. :)

If you've enjoyed this information, simply send us a message at Student Support and tell me so. I'd love to get your feedback and know if you'd be interested in receiving more off-the-wall but informative books such as this in the future. Thanks for your support!




http://scrapaneers.com/contact-student-support/

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SPEEDY SCRAPBOOKING with TIFFANY TILLMAN-EMANUEL · 2017-07-05 · Speedy Scrapbooking with Tiﬀany Tillman Emanuel Chapter 1: What Bruce Lee Taught Me About Scrapbooking Welcome