SYW133 – Falling for the October Daily

Veronia Milan 0:00

I kind of make it more like homework than I do. And to me it's not that's just how structured I have to be with this project because it's really important for me to finish it and so I know that I need it completed. And that's why I make it a priority to work on it daily.

Jennifer Wilson 0:19

Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way, the show that explores the breadth of ways to be a memory keeper today. I'm your host, Jennifer Wilson, owner of Simple Scrapper and author of The New Rules of Scrapbooking. This is Episode 133.

Jennifer Wilson 0:37

In this episode, I'm joined by Veronica Milan, who you may know as Veronica Creates on Instagram to discuss how she celebrates October with a daily album project. But before we jump in, I want to talk a little bit about finishing. I've always admired the scrapbookers who can start a project and stay focused on it all the way to the end. In this episode, you'll hear some of Veronica's strategies for doing just that when it's a priority for her. My own track record has definitely been a bit mixed over the years. But I've really learned what works for me so that I can finish more often. Next month, I'm teaching a live session of the Finishing Project a class where you'll tackle an unfinished scrapbook project and build skills for finishing the next time around. This session is exclusively available with a Simple Scrapper membership. Becoming a member will not only help you finish more of the projects you start, but it's one of the best ways to support the show. We don't accept advertising on Scrapbook Your Way so that we can keep the show focused on helping you find your way. Because that's what we're all about at Simple Scrapper. You can visit simplescrapper.com /finish to learn more about the class. And now my conversation with Veronica.

Jennifer Wilson 1:55

Hey, Veronica, welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

Veronia Milan 1:58

Hi, Jen. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Jennifer Wilson 2:01

Yeah, this is going to be a fun conversation. I can't wait to hear a little bit about this particular project that you are so fond of that I've never tried.

Veronia Milan 2:11

Oh wow.

Jennifer Wilson 2:11

But yeah, I've never tried it. So could you share a little bit about yourself?

Veronia Milan 2:18

Yes. So I'm Veronica. I live in Central California. I like to call it smoggyville because that's where I live. It's in the pit of California. Right in the middle where we pick up all the smoke. Yay. I live with my husband, who is a wonderful graphic designer and makes wonderful things for me whenever I ask, and my three children. So I have three children here that are 16, 11 and 10. And I can't believe that they started school yesterday. And I'm so excited that they're out of the house.

Jennifer Wilson 2:48

Yes, yes. I'm looking forward to new routines and just kind of getting back in a rhythm again, I think. I'm like, wow, this is what it feels like to be with my own thoughts. Well, it's so funny. You mentioned Central California and smog because I once did a training in Sacramento. And I remember when the plane landed, and back then I think I had like a Blackberry or some sort of like primitive phone but I texted someone said and I was like, Well, I'm here, it looks like Iowa but with smog.

Veronia Milan 3:22

That's exactly it. Everyone always they'll ask like, oh, you're from California really excited. And I'm like, Yeah, but I'm from the pit. So we're the valley and we collect all the smog. So I'm like you're welcome California.

Jennifer Wilson 3:35

Well, yeah, I lived in Riverside for two years. And basically that's like the armpit of Southern California region.

Veronia Milan 3:42

It is, it's ugly. But yes, that's that's a little bit about me. I've been scrapbooking for since 2000. And well I want to say four I really started in middle school with you know, those wonderful cut out pictures. I cut out all around myself. I don't even know where I'm at because all the pictures are cut out. But I have, a when I was in eighth grade, I made a scrapbook all about myself, which I'm not vain. That was a funny scrapbook. I still have it and then I came back to it after I had my son 2004.

Jennifer Wilson 4:19

I think this is such a common story that there were so many kind of seeds planted in our youth, whether it was with photos or crafting or some version of scrapbooking journaling that led us all to this hobby today. And so I love hearing those stories.

Veronia Milan 4:34

Yeah, I I asked for in my eighth grade graduation year, my sisters would buy us you know, the kids gifts because they're older. And I asked for a planner. I didn't have any plans Jen, I don't know why I had to have a planner. I was like please buy me a planner. She bought me a fancy planner was leather. And like you know for back then it was like fancy. I'm like what was I thinking? But that's how I got started. So yeah, I've been planning and scrapbooking for what seems like ever.

Jennifer Wilson 5:07

What's exciting you right now in your hobby?

Veronia Milan 5:10

Definitely. Well, I've been I don't know if you've heard of the BFF Sticker girls, but I, I jumped in that rabbit hole, which I shouldn't have.

Jennifer Wilson 5:18

They've been on the podcast. So that was an awesome episode.

Veronia Milan 5:22

I totally fell. I kept telling Annie, oh, no, I'm not gonna fall in your trap. I will not buy stickers just to stick them somewhere else. And I, I ended up falling in the trap. So I'm in that hole. And I've been buying stickers from that company, company. What is it called, Pipsticks? I believe called.

Jennifer Wilson 5:42

Mmm Hmm, my daughter has a Pipsticks subscription. I think I'm more excited about it than she is.

Veronia Milan 5:47

Right? They're so cute. I'm like, oh my gosh, I've never seen such cute sticker. So I keep buying those. And that's really exciting right now in my life. I don't know why sticker. You know, it really brings back that eighth grade Veronica, like, that's when I used to collect stickers and stick them everywhere all over my Trapper Keeper. And like, I just would poke you know, stick them everywhere. So stickers are really, they're just so fun.

Jennifer Wilson 6:12

So that's exciting. After the past year, plus, I mean, we all want to go back to a simpler time when we didn't have as many worries. And I think stickers are one way to recapture that feeling.

Veronia Milan 6:27

Yeah. And I feel like they're like small joys like, you know, $1.77 sometimes three bucks for a sticker. That's just like, so simple. You know, we could have worse addictions. Fun. So yeah, that's exciting. Me. And then also I am part of a podcast. I do that once a month, and Paper Crave and Paper Talk. And that's really exciting, too. I really love the whole podcast thing. I didn't think it was in a love it as much as I do. So that's exciting as well.

Jennifer Wilson 6:59

Well, I didn't expect to enjoy it either. Because I'm a super introvert and I can't make small talk for anything. Like I don't want to talk about the weather or the price of gas. But I could talk about scrapbooking until the end of time. it's the perfect avenue.

Veronia Milan 7:14

Yeah. And I'm the total opposite. I'm an extrovert. And I feel like sometimes I'm like, oh, man, like I I'll, I'll be shy sometimes. I'm like, I don't know what to ask them. I don't know what to say. I don't know what like, Oh, I can't do it. So yeah, I totally I get that.

Jennifer Wilson 7:30

That's cute. All right. So what is on your creative Bucket List. So we love to talk about storytelling. And some of these stories of feel important. There may be a little bit deeper. Sometimes they're serious, sometimes not serious at all. But they feel like something that we really want to get documented. So what would be on your list?

Veronia Milan 7:48

One of the things on my Bucket List right now is my summer album. I kind of, so I am a school counselor by day and I craft at night. That's what I do. Most of my crafting is at night. And you know, we did a couple of things this summer that that were really fun. We went to Disneyland and then we took a road trip to Seattle, to Seattle, and it was a blast. But I haven't really printed the pictures and done anything like that. Usually I'm on top of it. My summer mini album will be completed right when fall starts because I start gearing up for October Daily. And so this time, I lagged. I don't know what's wrong with me. Like I, it took me forever. And I haven't I haven't even I mean, I have maybe two pages in there that are completed.

Jennifer Wilson 8:37

What makes summer kind of a special time for you?

Veronia Milan 8:40

I mean, there's just so many stories and I think it's because I'm home with the kids. And we get to do anything we want. Like you know if they want to go bowling today. It's like let's go bowling. If they want ice cream for breakfast, they get ice cream for breakfast. I'm like, sure it's summer, you know, we stay up late. We sleep in. It's just, I picked the best day job because I get to stay home with with my kids in the summer. And that's just so, to me it's so magical. There's just so many stories involved every single day.

Jennifer Wilson 9:14

Oh, that sounds fun. Well, I hope you find your groove and get going with that project. I'm sure it's gonna be awesome.

Veronia Milan 9:19

Right? Yeah. Thank you.

Jennifer Wilson 9:21

So you mentioned October Daily and that is the subject of our episode.

Veronia Milan 9:25

Yay!

Jennifer Wilson 9:27

Tell us what this is and how this idea came about.

Veronia Milan 9:31

So October Daily. I found it the girls that were online kind of making these October books, you know, like mini albums and I wasn't sure if it was called October Daily back then. But I just use October Daily and I know if there's a hashtag for it, but I will create a little mini album of 31 stories all about October. So October is the second favorite month of the year, December is my first. But October is just such a magical, for me, it's so magical. I just love everything about October that the colors are changing here. The weather's getting cooler, all the above. So that's why I really love this project. It's just 31 magical stories all in one.

Jennifer Wilson 10:20

So how would you compare it to a December Daily project? And how is it different, like I get conceptually that we're telling, you know, either one story per day or a certain number of stories, but in terms of like the feeling or the products, you know, how are these two projects different for you?

Veronia Milan 10:36

Yeah, they're very similar. They really are. With with a December Daily, I like to just call it a December memories book. So I will just pull a couple of stories. So it's not daily. For October daily, for me, it's daily. So I will find a story whether it has pictures or not, I will find a story to document for October. And I don't know, why do, I think it's because there has been like such a shift, you know, from summer of like lazy days to Okay, we're back into routine. And it's just it's, I think the weather has a lot to do with it too. Because here in California in the middle. Like I was saying it's it's hot here. And so once the weather starts getting cool and crisp, I craft the best during October. And so that's why 31 stories doesn't seem like such a drag, like it does in the winter, when I'm in PJs, and I've got a hot coffee, and I don't want to do anything just you know, snuggle up in bed. So I think that's why I can stick to it. And that's how it differs for me. But it's very similar. If someone was going to do December Daily, it would be a daily, a daily deal. You know,

Jennifer Wilson 11:45

I've heard from so many over the years, that October Daily and projects like it that don't take place in December, feel more compelling, because December is so busy. And for many of us it's also winter. And you know, we're kind of slowing down and it's darker, more, we may not have the same kind of level of energy that we might throughout other parts of the year. So is that part of why you do it? Do you do a December Daily in addition? I'm curious about that aspect?

Veronia Milan 12:14

Yes. So I make the December memory album, but it's it's usually around 15 to 16 stories, no more than that in the December book. Because I can't keep up with it. Like you said, it's colder, I'm lazier. I want to just be snuggled in a blanket. And I usually get sick in December, which is odd. I always want to knock on wood and say no, I'm not going to get sick this year. But I always get some sort of flu or cold or something and it slows me way down.

Jennifer Wilson 12:44

Mmm Hmm.

Veronia Milan 12:45

So

Jennifer Wilson 12:46

So how many of these October Dailies have you done?

Veronia Milan 12:49

This will be my fifth year? So the first year...

Jennifer Wilson 12:51

Oh wow!

Veronia Milan 12:51

Yeah, yeah. The first year I started off, and it was much smaller. I kind of like got my feet wet. And I was like, Oh, I don't know if I can handle this. And then the second year, I was like, sure I can. I went the full 31 stories. The first one I probably have about 12 stories in there.

Jennifer Wilson 13:12

And are you creating kind of every day in the moment about the story? Are you batch creating it all? Like what's the process as you work through the album?

Veronia Milan 13:21

Yeah, usually it's daily. So I will take the pictures, the next day I'll print them and then work on it and have them done the very next day. So it's yesterday's story. I just work better that way. I only give myself until November 5 to complete it. I even give myself the timeline. I'm like you don't have it by November, November 5. You're done girl. And so then I I'll stop. But I've the last three years I've completed the album. So...

Jennifer Wilson 13:49

Oh, congrats. Yeah, and can you talk a little bit more about the different formats you use? Do all five albums, or this, I assume four that are completed, this will be your fifth year. Do they look the same, what's similar, what's different, what sizes?

Veronia Milan 14:01

You know I tried a four by four little tiny album. That one was the easiest. That was my first year because I wasn't sure about it. And like I really liked the concept. I'm not sure so that one's really small. And then I went to a six by eight and I realized that I got crazy with that one and it was bulging. And I'm like okay, I need to stop using such thick embellishment and I kind of reevaluated and I went to a Life Crafted album from there and that's what I've been using. So this year I'll be using a Life Crafted album from Citrus Twist. And those are perfect and I also made sure that I wasn't using thick embellishments.

Jennifer Wilson 14:42

So is that because you just want to make sure that it will all fit in the Life Crafted album?

Veronia Milan 14:46

Yes, that is why I tried thinner. Like I was using thick wood veneer before and then I made sure now I use like then the thinner wood veneer things like that. I just find stickers and things that are flat now because I don't want it bulging and I had to use like ribbon to tie my other one. I don't like that.

Jennifer Wilson 15:09

Yeah, I think it's important to be mindful that, okay, here's the scope of my project and the types of things I want to create, and to choose an album construction that's going to support that, because some of these projects and quite chunky. I am, let's see, I don't know, I'm like halfway through this December Daily that is three years combined. And it's two stories per day of the three years. And it's, it's full, and I'm like, halfway done. And I'm like, I'm not sure how this is gonna work. I'm gonna have to keep things very thin the rest of the way, just like photos and words, I think.

Veronia Milan 15:46

That's what I did last, the third year, because I didn't estimate how thick it was going to be in the middle of October like it was October 15. And I'm like, Oh, I'm in trouble. It's so yeah, I didn't want two albums. I just don't like that because it kind of gets lost. I want them all in one album. So now I'm very mindful of that. And now I, I can definitely, you know, gauge how thick my album will be at the end.

Jennifer Wilson 16:13

For sure. So can you talk a little bit more about the type of supplies that you use so many of our listeners will know that there are not only Ali Edwards, December Daily kits, but a lot of kits throughout the industry for creating these December albums. Plus, in addition to like lots of Christmas and holiday themed products, there's a lot less when it comes to fall and maybe even Halloween themed products. So how do you source your supplies to make sure that you're going to have that kind of same kind of fun, tactile, glittery experience?

Veronia Milan 16:46

Right? Yeah, that's, that's something that I've been coming, that's a problem. That's a problem in our industry. They they will focus on the really heavy on Christmas. And then Halloween is just like, waa waa. And I'm like there's so many people who love Halloween. Companies are like Prima came out with one this year, 31 days, I believe it's called. Cute with pink and, and beautiful colors. But I find that I do have a hard time. I'm doing a lot of digital, like I will pull from like Studio Calico cards or whatever. And another thing too is I don't know if I mentioned but Albert is a graphic designer. And we used to own a company before. So I will sketch things out. And he will make them on Illustrator for me. And I did that one year.

Jennifer Wilson 17:29

Oh fun!

Veronia Milan 17:30

Yeah. I'm like, Yeah, I have my little designer with me. So I usually will ask him to make me stuff. And he will. So I make a lot of my little own embellishments. And then I just plug in from here and there just the colors of like, green. I mean, why did I say green? Black and orange are the colors that I'll pull from. Last year I used some pastels and I really loved that.

Jennifer Wilson 17:52

Hey, I think lime green is actually a Halloween color now maybe some purple? I don't know. I never know.

Veronia Milan 17:57

Yeah it is. Those are, those are spooky colors. So yeah, I really, I just try to you know, make the project fun and exciting for myself.

Jennifer Wilson 18:10

Oh, for sure. And do you typically, do you kind of buy some new things specifically for the project? Or do you source from your stash?

Veronia Milan 18:17

I do. I buy a new. Last, no, it was two years ago, was Hey Pumpkin and Crate Paper.

Jennifer Wilson 18:25

I love that one.

Veronia Milan 18:24

Right! I'm like I used it two years in a row and and this year, I'm like, you know, I'm thinking I'm gonna need something new. Because I still have a lot of it. I bought tons of it when I saw it and I've been waiting for Crate Paper to come out with something October and they didn't. But yeah, companies are really, I think it's a bit taboo the whole Halloween. That's why a lot of people gear you know, they kind of gravitate more towards the Christmas stuff in that there's tons out there like so many choices. So I really feel like maybe companies need to pick it up with their Halloween.

Jennifer Wilson 18:25

Well and I think, I guess that's a good question for you. Is that, is your, is your kind of the I don't know the design aesthetic of the album. Is it more Halloween or is it more fall?

Veronia Milan 19:15

It's definitely more Halloween. I use the Hey Pumpkin and there's just cute little you know pumpkins here and there, Jack-O'-Lanterns. I do use a mix of fall in there like leaves and things like that because I will document the changing leaves and carmel apples. Things that are not so Halloween ish but it definitely I throw in spooky little items in there a little skeletons and things like that.

Jennifer Wilson 19:42

That's fun. Well and I think that that there's lots of opportunities that maybe Halloween isn't your theme, isn't your thing. I think that there are slightly more options for autumn, fall themed things but still, it's like I don't know there isn't as much as there is for maybe other times of the year.

Veronia Milan 19:59

Right? Yeah, it definitely is a challenge to look for those items and then make your own. Or when you do find them, you have to buy them real fast. It's like going into Target. I always say like, if I see at Target, I have to buy it now. Because if I, yeah, you go in, right, you're like, Okay, that's a cute mug and you think, oh, but I'll be back, you know, in even if it just takes you a day, if you come back the next day, they're gone. I'm like, Oh, yeah. So it's something similar to that. When I see Halloween products on scrapbook.com or wherever I'm like, I need to buy it now. And that's my excuse. It's the Target excuse, like, it won't be there tomorrow.

Jennifer Wilson 20:39

Yeah, I'm okay with that one.

Veronia Milan 20:43

Yeah.

Jennifer Wilson 20:44

So you mentioned that, you know, it's really important to you to finish by November 5. Do you think there's any other strategies that you use to make sure that you can get the project finished? I'm thinking of things that whether you're doing October Daily, or December Daily, or any kind of project that really is, you know, in the moment, let's keep up with it, you know, how do you make that project fun and an easier?

Veronia Milan 21:08

Yeah, it's definitely, I think, just cutting out the time knowing that you're going to scrapbook, create, at a certain time. So usually, I will do that at night. And even if I'm going to watch like, there's a really good show or something on. Then I'll watch the show, while I'm crafting and getting that page done. I kind of make it more like homework than I do. And to me, it's not, that's just how structured I have to be with this project. Because it's really important for me to finish it. And so I know that I need it to complete it. And that's why I make it a priority to work on it daily.

Jennifer Wilson 21:49

Oh, I love that. I think it's so important to really understand, you know, your why and any projects, anything you're doing in scrapbooking, like let's reconnect with why is this important to me? Why do I want to do it, and you know, what parts of this are fun, and really try to hone in on that so that you can stay, you know, excited on a project all the way through to the end. Because I know many of us have unfinished projects, because something kind of disconnected along the way or we didn't we never really like connected to the why behind it. And so we started something that maybe didn't have a deeper reason.

Veronia Milan 22:24

Right. See, that's one of the reasons also I can't complete a December Daily is because the 25th comes, you know, and you're like, yeah, you know, we had our presents and all that. And then the last couple of days of the year, you're just like, Ah, I'm just gonna eat cheese and crackers all day. Your motivations gone, you're like cheese and crackers are more important right now than completing this album. And so for October Daily, you are leading up like the kids are excited about, you know, trick or treating and the dress up and everything. And that's the last day of October, right? So you're leading up to every day. It's like how many more days till, because my kids hardly eat any candy. I don't give them much sugar. And they know that that's like sugar high day there. So they're looking forward to it. Right. And we, also my husband's really crafty and he he creates most of our costumes.

Jennifer Wilson 23:21

That's awesome.

Veronia Milan 23:22

Yeah. Not all of them. They, they create them and so he is also just kind of looking forward to the reaction of everybody's you know, we always dress up as a family. That's another crazy cheesy thing we do. But we we have been dressing up as a family and you know, our last year we were Addams Family.

Jennifer Wilson 23:41

Ooh...

Veronia Milan 23:42

We're always doing it together. And it's it's very much that is my why is that my kids really love October. They love December as well. But I'm telling you, come December, come Christmas, they're like done, tapped out, they don't want anything else. You know, with Christmas after that they like they don't even care if you put away the decorations. But October is definitely one that will kind of have them anticipating for that last day. They're like, Come on, let's go you know, they want the 31st. So...

Jennifer Wilson 23:57

Yeah, well, I think that's an important consideration. If anyone's thinking about this project. You know, it maybe it's it is October and that's like when you do all the things and you go to the festivals and you're getting ready for Halloween and you have lots of family memories. But maybe that's another month of the year that's really you know, exciting like that maybe you do a July Daily. When you're like going to the pool and working in the garden and and doing all those things. Maybe think about what's going on in your life and what month might be really special to document as a creative experience for you.

Veronia Milan 24:44

Yeah, yeah, you can definitely use any month you want. I think for us, it's just like you said we're it's so busy. You know, that's when our fair comes into town and the kids have a carnival. I mean of course this year and last year that changed. But it's still a very busy time with with lots of sweets, Jen, they gravitate towards the sweets. They're like, Oh, we can have sweets. Yes. So that's, I think that's why October is just so exciting for them because we're making rice crispy, you know mummy monster Rice Krispie treats. We're you know, making carmel apples one day and so they're just excited about it all.

Jennifer Wilson 25:22

Fun. I'm curious when you started this project, did it, did you add it on top of the things you're already doing? Or did you fit it in a different way? Like doing less of something else? Or how did how does like kind of what's on your plate, scrapbookingwise shift when this project came onto the scene.

Veronia Milan 25:41

Yeah, it was an added album. So it's just a fun way to add, I still memory plan. So my memory planner is more of a like personal diary. But the kids love to read my memory planner and like look through it because it has so many of my like raw emotions and thoughts and they they love it. They somehow go out there and correct all my bad grammar, and I'm like, stop it. But they really love kind of just hearing and reading my point of view on the memory planner. And then I have a Project Life that I've always worked on. And that's, those pictures, that setup is more for them to pull out the pictures that are in there as opposed to the embellishments. So when I think about the way my mom collected photos, she would just collect photos and put them in a box, right. And we just, all us kids, because there's six of us, we each just pulled out our photos, and took them with us when we turned 18. We're like see ya, bye. We took all our photos, I want my kids to have that same kind of concept of just pulling out their photos that they want from the albums that they don't want to take the entire album. Which I understand, which is very sad for us crafters were like, waa waa. We put in all this, you know all this energy for all our, you know, artistic abilities, you know, of painting, and you know, whatever, we're doing, water coloring on our pages. And I feel like the, my kids just gravitate towards the photo like hey, like, look at the cute embellishment, look at this go sticker. They don't care about that stuff. So I feel like they they're gonna want that extra album for just pulling out photos. And so the October Daily's similar to that, has a lot of photos that are, they can be pulled out.

Jennifer Wilson 27:30

So does that mean that you're typically not punching holes through photos? You're putting them in pockets and not putting anything on them?

Veronia Milan 27:38

Yes, many of that my Project Life is like that for sure. My October Daily, I will print large photos and then punch holes through them. Usually it's a photo that have all three of them. And they're gonna have to duke it out. We'll see who keeps that, keep that photo, because I'm not sure what's going to happen. You know, I have tons of photos saved on, you know, drives and hard drives and, and on online. But the printed ones are mostly in my albums.

Jennifer Wilson 28:10

Okay, that's, that's such an interesting perspective. I've never heard it described that way. But I think I love that you have a very clear vision of like, what is the lifecycle of this project that may be creating in the moment and playing with the fun things that part is for you. But you're being really intentional about making sure that these photo prints are then saveable in another way for the next generation.

Veronia Milan 28:33

Oh, yeah, for sure. I think it's because I only have 10 photos of my childhood. And so those are so special to me, I have reprinted those over and over. And those are scanned and put away and treasured. And so I keep thinking like if this were to happen, it's just this paranoia. Jennifer, I'm not gonna lie to you, this paranoia that I've built up, because I only have those 10 photos. And so I keep thinking about my kids. And I'm like, okay, they need to know that there's, you know, there's Instagram with just their photos. There's this blog with just their photos, and I have, I've overdone it, but I feel like it's it's, it's something that I had to do so that they have their memories somewhere.

Jennifer Wilson 29:20

I love that. Well and I think so much of I mean, we're always fully formed and shaped by our past experiences. And I think it's important to consider, you know, how you're growing up story and and the legacy of memories that you have, or sometimes don't have has impacted your perspectives on memory keeping today. Because that may not be something that you have thought about. And so I have I hope our listeners maybe, you know, take that moment to consider.

Veronia Milan 29:49

Yeah, yeah, that's something so important to remember. Yeah, I love the way you put that.

Jennifer Wilson 29:56

All right, so October Daily, what advice would you have for someone who wants to to try it out for the first time?

Veronia Milan 30:03

Definitely just have fun with it. It's, it shouldn't be homework, it should be a fun project. Full of fun memories and stickers and whatever you want to put in there and start off slow. I started the first year, very slow. Like I said, the first year, I did a four by four album, and I wasn't sure where I was going with it. I, my intention was to do every single day, like something small, and that didn't work out. So I'm like, that's okay. Then the second year, it was more of a challenge, like, okay, you can do this. And I kind of give myself my own little motivational boost. And so I gave myself a little pep talk. And that's how I got the second one completed. But my advice definitely would be don't make it out to be homework. It has to be fun. Otherwise, just take it easy and scale back on how many stories you want in there.

Jennifer Wilson 31:00

Hmm, I love that. Thank you so much. Veronica, can you share where we can find you online or anything new you have fun or coming up?

Veronia Milan 31:08

Yeah, so my October Dailies, one of the album's that I'm so looking forward to in October. And I also memory plan throughout the whole year. You can find me @veronicacrates on Instagram.

Jennifer Wilson 31:22

Sounds fantastic. Thank you so much. We will include the links to that in the show notes. And maybe you could send me your favorite picture from one of your October Dailies and I will include that in the show notes as well.

Veronia Milan 31:32

Yeah, for sure.

Jennifer Wilson 31:34

All right. And to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to Scrapbook Your Way.