Paper Crafting Tip #44: Use Pre-Made Layouts

I never thought I would do this, but I did and I love it!  A new scrapbooking buddy of mine gave me a scrapbook calendar for Christmas.  It's made by Hallmark, and it's a 12 x 12 calendar with pre-made pages.  You just add your photos, journaling, and additional embellishments.  Since this calendar is an additional, ongoing project for the entire year, having pre-made layouts works really well for me.  I don't feel as if it's a burden, another project I feel pressured to complete and keep up-to-date.  Plus, the calendar gives me a place to showcase my favorite recent photos.  I created this page in about an hour; and in between, I helped Haley with her layout.  (I'll be posting that later on.  It's adorable, and she's a natural scrapbooker!)  I highly recommend using pre-made layouts and customizing them so that they reflect your personality and creativity.  It's not "cheating."  Think of it as relieving some of the stress we scrapbookers sometimes encounter when deciding on the overall design and layout of our pages.  Happy scrapping and stamping!