Create Your Perfect-Fit Summer Scrapbooking Plan

You have a unique summer story. For some scrapbookers that means the sunlight begging you to go outdoors and disruption of family routines, but for many others summer represents a treasured window of time and opportunity.

Whether your summer story includes more memory keeping or simply more memory making, creating a simple plan will carry you from one season to the next with confidence.

In this post I’m sharing a free printable planning worksheet as well as what you should consider so that your creative plans perfectly fit your life right now. Because when you make this match, you can exhale and truly enjoy the ride.

I want to be clear, however. Creating your “perfect” plan means that it fits you like a glove, not that it defies the logic and order of the world. The one thing we can be 100% sure of is that your summer will be imperfect.

There’s a purity and a deeper beauty in imperfection though. The rawness of real life, of detours and frustrations, reminds us of the urgency to live each day on purpose and document it along the way.

So let’s jump in.

Step #1: Imagine a breeze and a hammock

At some point in life you experienced (or at least saw a movie about) a restorative summer vacation, where your biggest worry was what to eat next. Maybe it was tropical, or maybe it wasn’t, but you can bring into your mind’s eye the feeling of being at ease, in a place where time is irrelevant.

That’s pretty much the dream, right?

But whether a grand adventure is on your agenda or not, you can use that idyllic vision to consider how you want to feel this summer—and where possible, make choices that support these desires.

In the planning worksheet I’ve linked up below I walk you through this exercise, starting with this gentle inquisition about feeling and then shifting to who you want to be and what you want to love this summer.

You don’t even have to journal here. Simply make lists of what comes to mind, trusting what bubbles up for you, even if it is surprising.

For me I consciously knew I wanted to experience feelings of lightness and rest, but the more dominant themes on paper related to connection and joy. Hmm, something to think about…

Step #2: Narrow your options.

With a lovely summer outline, you can then audition creative activities to match the experience you wish to create (and the time you realistically have available). You can do anything you want, but not all of it this summer.

You will have to make choices.

Decision-making always begins with a list of options, so on the planning worksheet I give you a space to consider all of the scrapbooking projects and activities you would enjoy working on during June, July, and August. This is where that concept of creating a “perfect-fit” plan comes in to play.

Which of those options are not in alignment with the summer you imagined? Which could actually wait until later and perhaps even be more satisfying then? Which will you simply not have the motivation, energy, or time to carry out?

Now what’s left?

Often what you’ll find (and was the case for me) is that the “need to” items fall off the list and the “want to” items remain. This will be particular true for those with more limited downtime during these months.

This is the beauty of taking a feelings-first approach to planning. There are certainly times of the year when I encourage being practical and pushing through, but summer is not one of them.

I would guess that you’re like me and summer conjures many nostalgic feelings. You remember sitting under a tree drawing or exploring the woods until dark. You want to bring that magic to back to life and that can sometimes looks like a lot less crafty time.

And that’s 100% OK.

The secret is that by narrowing your options to a select few fill-me-up priorities, you can see creative progress while making memories of a lifetime this summer.

You can use the button below to download the free planning worksheet and create your own simple summer scrapbooking plan.