I haven't scrapbooked anything (minus December Daily) since October 2015.  Sometimes we all need a kick in the pants to get us motivated once we have taken a long break from something.  Challenges can be a really fun place to start when you are feeling unmotivated and intimadated by your photos, your products, and your blank page.  It just so happens that this month at Get It Scrapped, they are having a fun challenged called Calvinball.  If you are a fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comics by Bill Watterson you may be familiar with Calvin’s competitive game of Calvinball. It’s a random sport-type game with no rules, points for self-designated goals and the flexibility to change the game as you play.  Calvinball at Get It Scrapped is a month long scrapbooking competition with constantly changing rules to keep things fun and your momentum going.

#1 - Rock Your Scrapbooking Stash by Joining a Challenge

The fun has already started over at Get It Scrapped, and it is going to be a really awesome month!  You should totally check it out if you are looking for a boost in your creative mojo.  However, there a ton of challenge sites and prompts out there that can help inspire you to get started.  Simply Google or check out Pinterest for scrapbooking prompts and challenges.  I have always enjoyed using challenges and prompts to get me moving again.

#2 - Clear The Decks

Another thing that really helps me to feel inspired is to completed clean off my desk/workspace and put all the bits and pieces away.  This often includes finished projects, unfinished projects, and various products like sprays and inks.  Looking at a clean workspace can be oddly inspirational and it can help you break through your creative block.  I also use this time to put away my stack of completed layouts.  Far too often, my layouts pile up to several inches before they find their way into an album.  Plus, I find forgotten goodies that have been buried under other stuff on my table!

#3 - Create Page Kits

I love working with kits.  They simplify my decision making process so much.  I also come up with some interesting and unusual ways to use certain products when they are paired with other things, and I would never have come up with this inspiration without having a kit put together.  Since Calvinball is a month long challenge, I wanted to do a little prep over the weekend.  I decided to pull out all of the paper in one of my storage bins and create kits using every single paper that I possibly could.  Obviously, you don't need to go to this extreme - you could pull out one or two paper pads or even just several sheets of paper, depending on your available time.  The process of matching papers with similar colors and themes took me about an hour and then I stopped for the night.


When I came back for the next round, I started with my embellishment bin.  Inside this bin is everything from 6x6 paper pads, sticker sheets, diecuts, paper flowers, enamel dots, tags, DIY embellishments, cut-apart sheets, chipboard, flair, doilies, and other random bits.  I grabbed 10 of the paper kits and started matching up themes and colors once more.  I worked with one paper kit at a time and I went through ALL the embellishments.  I did this same process for each kit.  I just spread everything out on the floor in front of me and got to work.  I didn't include letter stickers, because I like to mix and match different font styles and colors.  I also haven't picked photos yet or titles for that matter so I just removed them from the equation for the moment.  For individual stickers, I used baby powder to remove the stickiness, and I applied it with a soft paintbrush.  Then, I added them to the kits so I could use the same sticker sheet for multiple kits.  By breaking down the paper kits into 10 or so layouts at a time, it made the whole process less overwhelming.  Over the weekend, I ended up with X number of prepped kits that I can now use for Calvinball.


The sky is the limit here.  Don't overwhelm yourself, but cater to how you scrapbook, adding those things that will help your process.  Do you need cut files as part of your process?  Then make sure you have them linked up with your kits or already cut.  Additional ideas could be incorporating stamps, stencils, ink pads, and spray mists.  You could also add any sketches, photos, title, and journaling to each kit, as well.  The whole idea is that when you have 10 - 15 minutes you can easily knock out a layout, because all of the decisions that you get stuck on have already been made.  This opens the process to more creative freedom without perfectionism getting in your way.  There is also a bit of magic in simply going through your stash of goodies that can be very inspiring.

I'm so excited to start playing with my new kits this month.  Stay tuned for more Calvinball updates and tips this month.  And don't forget to stop on by and play along with us - it's going to be a fun month!