Chatting With Stacy Julian

Transcripts from November 20, 2003

Rebecca – About Scrapbooking Guide: I am so excited about having our guest with us tonight. I have to say that when I read Simple Scrapbooks a couple years ago it completely changed the way I looked at scrapbooking. When I met Stacy Julian in person, I then found out that she is probably the nicest person in the industry. :) Stacy welcome to the About Scrapbooking Chat room!

Stacy: It's great to be here.

Rebecca: Let's start by having you tell us how you got started scrapbooking, that seems to be a popular question.
Stacy: Thanks, first of all, for the very nice introduction. I actually got started scrapbooking when I started stamping. I went to one DOTS rubber stamp party and signed up to sell!

Rebecca: Really? Didn't know that.

Stacy: Yup. Lived in Chicago at the time and then moved to Salt Lake City, so my hubby could do his residency in medicine -- that's when (1994) I walked into Pebbles in my Pocket. I knew instantly that I was hooked. I remember exactly where I was standing and I just stood there with my mouth open until some nice sales clerk asked if I needed help. I signed up for a scrapbooking 101 class and the rest is history.

Rebecca: One of the chat guests asked how you got hooked up with Creating Keepsakes. Was it when you were in Salt Lake City?

Stacy: Yep. After I quit selling DOTS/which then became Close To My Heart, I started teaching midnight madness at Pebbles. I would hand out a list of tips and tricks for designing great pages. About the second or third night I taught, this group of ladies talked to me after it was all over and wanted to know how I knew so much about design. Since I always just made stuff up I didn't really have a good answer. I went to the library the next day and checked out a bunch of books on design; everything I knew in my gut was in the books. I then decided to self-publish a little idea book called Core Composition. A big truck delivered 15,000 books to my partners house on a Thursday and we went to a small show that weekend. Creating Keepsakes had published only 3 issues, and it was my goal at the show to meet someone from the magazine. Luckily Don Lambson, co-founder and now Creative Director for Simple Scrapbooks took one of my classes. He talked to me afterwards and his wife Deanna called about 3 days later to see if I could help them make some pages for a TV segment with Fiskars. Again ... the rest is history.

Rebecca: So, Stacy, how do you do it all? Your boys, tell everyone how many and ages, the magazine, scrapbooking....etc.?

Stacy: Oh yeah -- Clark, 10 Chase,9 Trey, 5 and Taft 2 1/2. It's totally crazy all of the time, there is no down time anymore. I'm always missing a deadline and forgetting a conference call. I just finished sewing the boy scout patches on Clark's shirt about 15 minutes ago, so Geof (my husband) could take them all to pack meeting.

Rebecca: Things get done when they need to, or soon there after...I understand. :)
 
Stacy: I just happen to love what I do, so, so far it's worth all the sacrifice. You really do get more done when you have to. I'm also really good at getting other people to help me. I have someone that comes in during the school hours and helps with laundry and stuff. I stay up really late one night a week and I scrapbook with my friends on Thursday nights. I get up early in the morning and walk or jog to clear my mind and then just hit the ground running. -- it's fun really.
 
Rebecca: We want to hit on several topics tonight, one of which is Theme Albums especially Christmas gift albums, but since we seem to be hedging close to the topic...let's start with organization. :) Photos first. How do you organize your photos?

Stacy: I believe you can only scrapbook in the way you are organized. This means that I organize my photos lots of different ways. I start by slipping them into inexpensive photo albums from Costco. As I am putting them away chronologically, I also do what I call photo-triage and file doubles into other files. I have files for each person in my family (i.e. "Stacy personality", "Chase personality"). I also have relationship files like "mommy and me - Taft", and "Grandpa and Clark." Since I have all boys, I have a "Oh Brother" file. With both a chronological file and these other files I am able to scrapbook events, relationships, places, people - more of the "moments" really easily. When all the kids are in bed and I still have energy, I come down here to my office/scrapbook room and I can open up the photo albums and scrap an event, or I can pull photos from the "Oh Brother" file and do a relationship page for my boys. I also have files for pages in progress - this is a 3-ring binder with empty page protectors where I store memorabilia until I get back the photos I need to complete the page. And ... I have a whole big legal size file cabinet full of "materials files" for simple scrapbooks, or theme albums.
    My family albums are not chronological - I have four sets of albums, All About Us, The People We Love, The Places We Go and The Things We Do. When I get a page done, I decide which album it goes in.
 
Rebecca: So each of those 4 albums are your on-going theme albums?
Stacy: I actually just made an album for Chase - it will be in the March issue of Simple Scrapbooks. I realized I had about 150 photos of him between baby and little boy (0-4yrs) that I really don't want to scrapbook decoratively - they are just everyday snapshots, but not great!  I already have lots of individual pages done for Chase. So I went to Target and bought a 2-up photo album and slipped these photos in. I left a blank every so often and went back and slid in journaling cards with total random memories - anything I could remember when I looked at the photos. I did it on a Saturday and it took about a week to do the journaling. He loves it and I have emptied a whole file box! There is just no way we are going to creatively scrap every photo - that's why I love really focusing on the projects that will have the most impact. Once you release yourself
from the chronological expectation you can examine your photos in a whole new way. And that's when it gets really exciting for me!

Stacy: And yes those 4 albums are my on-going family history.
 
Rebecca: Which is really the essence of the Simple Scrapbook philosophy.

Stacy: Yep.
 
Rebecca: This might be a good time to give an overview of what you mean when you say "simple scrapbook," and then we'll talk about theme and gift albums.
 
Stacy: A simple scrapbook is a finite project. Before you ever begin you know how it will end. Simple scrapbooks can be any shape or size, they can be organized in a gazillion different ways and they can be as involved artistically as you desire. What makes them simple is that they are built on the foundation of a few pages called a framework. Pages like a title page, a dedication page (where you tell the reader why you are creating this book), a table of contents (if needed), section pages and a closing page. I sketch these pages out and create them first, before I ever create a layout for the album. I decide how many pages I will do in each section. This often helps me edit out photos. Sometimes a simple scrapbook is completed and sometimes it's updated every so often. My favorite simple scrapbooks use the same color scheme and design elements throughout to provide unity and make my job easier.
 
Rebecca: I know you list several in the book Simple Scrapbooks, but could you name and describe just a couple of your favorite theme albums?

Stacy: Sure, my most favorite is "My Photos I Love" album - a collection of my favorite photos and journaling that tells why they are so meaningful to me. I love to pull this album off the shelf and read it. It just makes me happy. I also am really proud of my School of Life albums. These are the albums I make for my boys from Kindergarten through High School. I follow a specific format and do just 5 pages each year. Clark is now in the fifth grade and it's so much fun to look back on his school years in just one album. Both of these albums are described in the book Simple Scrapbooks. My latest idea is to create an album called "Boys 2 Men" where I will have one page of photos spanning each of my brothers, dad, father-in-law etc. Then, share two life experiences that really helped define them. I'll have a section for each man and then have them each write a note to my sons encouraging them to become the best men they can. Isn't that cool? Do you get it?
 
Rebecca: Very cool. Great ideas! ToniP joining us for chat tonight was wanting an idea for a Thanksgiving themed album, since many of us will be gathering with families...any ideas?
 
Stacy: Of course. Why don't you pre-make an album to have with you at Thanksgiving and then take each persons photo and ask them to write down a list of ten simple pleasures in their life that bring them joy. Place this list opposite each photo and find a quote about family to put on the closing page with the group shot. You could also do a recipe album. Remember to take close up photos of the food and then get the recipes. Instead of just including the recipes, however, find out where each one came from and what specific memories people associate with each particular food.
 
Rebecca: Excellent. Ok...there is no way we are going to make a dent in all the questions we have for you Stacy we will have to have you back soon, but let's talk about Christmas gift albums.
 
Stacy: Ok
 
Rebecca: Where to start...some ideas.
 
Stacy: Here again, this year instead of just taking the regular photos, find some time to sit in front of the tree and reflect on what Christmas really means to you. Do you have a small album that shares those feelings? If not, take photos of your home - a whole roll of them and collage them together and add quotes and personal thoughts about Christmas. Make sure you write about each little tradition you have and the rituals you honor. Maybe you have a nativity - where did you get it? Was it handed down, or purchased at Costco? Either way it says something about your life; tell me. What if you made a small album with the words to a dozen carols and holiday songs that you sing. If you did this on the computer, you could print out several and use them each year at a sing-a-long. Add your family photo and a synopsis of major events from the year and it becomes a great history that you will love to pull out and display year after year. Am I telling you what you want, or do you have specific questions? The holidays are crazy. Make these albums super simple. Create a really cute title page and then just run a strip of paper along the bottom of each filler page and call it done.
 
Rebecca: Those are fantastic ideas, that I am personally making notes about. :) But, also, do you make albums as gifts for family or friends for Christmas?
 
Stacy: Sometimes. I made one for my mom a year ago, when they moved into a new house. I called it "Christmas at My House." I had taken a bunch of photos the previous year that mom didn't know about. I put them in a little 6x6 album and added a note from me telling her how excited I was she was in a new home, but that it isn't the house that makes Christmas special - but of course the way she makes the house beautiful. OK .. I didn't say that very well - but she cried and that of course is the ultimate goal.

Rebecca: LOL...of course. For the last few minutes how about if I just fire away a bunch of unrelated questions sent to me by people here in the chat room? Ready? Do you have a favorite cutter? and circle cutter? She noticed that you used circles in your layouts...curves and straight lines and all.

Stacy: I use an old fashioned circle cutter from a long time ago. Or just use a template and a stabilio pencil, trace the lines and cut free hand. Sorry, you probably wish I knew some secret to perfect circles but I don't. I gave up the whole perfection thing a long time ago.

Rebecca: Any suggestions for starting a crop....this person lives in a place with no local scrapbook store.

Stacy: Yeah. Put an ad in your local newspaper or a have an initial meeting at your local library. You could offer to teach an introductory class and then find out who else is interested.

Rebecca: Susan would like to know if you have thought about expanding the number of example pages in some of the regular articles in Simple...i.e. Color Confidence and Virtual Pages, etc.

Stacy: Yeah. All the time - that's my biggest frustration is the number of pages I have and the over-abundance of ideas. I initially thought I'd have a hard time coming up with ideas and that's not the case at all. We have to have a certain ratio of ads to editorial before we can grow the magazine and even though we are growing like crazy when it comes to readers, we need more advertisers. We are trying to put more content on the website and we have some great special issues coming out next year! I just finished assigning the May issue and I always get so excited I can't stand it!
 
Rebecca: Suggestions on getting past the need to be perfect? Many scrapbookers can sit and work on a page for hours, because it's just not "right"...what's your secret to giving up Perfect?

Stacy: Cold turkey. Just be yourself. I just decided I didn't need to worry about trying to keep up with the latest and greatest. Let go of the pressure to come up with something no one has ever thought of. Look at my pages, there aren't anything amazing. I have everyday snapshots and I usually use my own handwriting. I try to say something interesting in my journaling and I move on. It really does help to study design - as you learn the governing principles your creative intuition gets better and better! I can't tell you how happy I am now. I am a simple scrapper and I feel free!! Sounds like a soap commercial or something huh?

Rebecca: Stacy you have been an awesome guest. We really would love to have you come back sometime soon. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer so many questions and being such a great sport about figuring out the chat room.
 
Stacy: It has been my pleasure. Thanks to everyone for showing up. I'm still sorta shocked that people want to talk to me; they never did in Jr. High. I love meeting scrapbookers and I love hearing their stories and seeing their layouts. I hope everyone here is submitting layouts and ideas. Your support means the world to me and makes my job much easier. Thanks for the opportunity to be here Rebecca; you are a fantastic host!
 
Rebecca: Thank you again, Stacy!!!
 

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