SYW202 – Focusing on Bucket List Projects

[00:00:00] Jennifer Wilson: 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 202.In this episode I'm joined by Jenn Slowik to discuss an important shift she's making in her hobby to prioritize the legacy projects on her scrapbooking bucket list.

This is one of two episodes that close out the fourth year of the Scrapbook Your Way podcast. We're taking a short break and will return with new episodes on January 23rd.

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And now, my conversation with Jenn Slowik.

[00:01:33] Jennifer Wilson: Hey Jenn. Welcome to Scrapbook Your Way.

[00:01:36] Jenn Slowik: Hi.

[00:01:37] Jennifer Wilson: I am looking forward to our conversation today and diving into some storytelling topics today. Uh, but can you start by sharing a little bit about yourself?

[00:01:46] Jenn Slowik: Sure. hi, I'm Jenn Slowik and I live in Traverse City, Michigan, which is a tourist town in northern Michigan. I'm, I've been married to my husband Dave for 23 years. And we have two girls, Lexi, who's 20 and is actually in LA going to school, and Emmy is 13 and she's in eighth grade. And we also have two pets.

[00:02:18] Jenn Slowik: Um, we have a Guinea pig, which I guess is Emmy's Guinea pig, um, that she talked us into during the, uh, pandemic. Um, so it's a three year old Guinea pig named Blossom, who's a sweet, sweet Guinea pig, um, as Guinea pigs go. But um, and then we recently in August added, um, another family member, uh, puppy named Finn, who is now six months old, and, um, he's kind of taken over all our hearts.

[00:02:50] Jenn Slowik: He's a sweet, sweet boy, so. And I think.

[00:02:53] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that's so fun.

[00:02:54] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, it's like one of the best decisions we've made. So I was talked into it and I'm glad I was, so.

[00:03:02] Jennifer Wilson: I think that's happens a lot.

[00:03:03] Jenn Slowik: Yeah,

[00:03:03] Jennifer Wilson: In a lot of different families.

[00:03:05] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:03:07] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and you mentioned your two daughters. I know the last time we talked, you were kind of giving me some teen parenting advice cuz Emily is, you know, 11 going on 17 some days and sometimes 11 going on seven. And so it's such a, an interesting time.

[00:03:22] Jenn Slowik: Yes. Yeah, it's fun. It all, it all works out in the end. You just have to get through some hard times.

[00:03:33] Jennifer Wilson: I, I am foreseeing that and remembering some of my own.

[00:03:37] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, exactly.

[00:03:41] Jennifer Wilson: So we are asking all of our guests this year to share both one non scrapbooking thing as well as one scrapbooking thing that they are excited about right now. So what is exciting you?

[00:03:53] Jenn Slowik: Okay, so, um, for the non scrapbook related, um, I'm excited about my new planner. Um, so last year, I was the first time I used a Happy Planner. And it's the first time I've ever used a planner through the whole year. I mean, I know we're not done with the year, but technically. But, um, it's the first time I've gotten through the whole thing and stuck with it.

[00:04:20] Jenn Slowik: Um, so it's the dashboard layout, um, which has, like on the left side, there's a bunch of different things like, um, to-do list and, um, I've kind of made it my own, like I use one square for creativity, one for to-dos, one for errands, um, things like that. And then on the right side is, are the days of the week.

[00:04:45] Jenn Slowik: So, um, with lines for everything. But, um, I went with, uh, 8.5 by 11, um, size for 2023, and I'm excited to have a little more room for goal setting and tracking, and then also for, um, keeping track of my currentlys for the week. Like reading, watching, listening too. So I'm excited about that.

[00:05:07] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, hopefully I won't think it's too big. , you know, I hope I don't have to switch yet.

[00:05:14] Jennifer Wilson: I just switched to a slightly larger planner. It's not quite 8.5 by 11, but I've been so amazed at, I don't know, just how much more freedom I feel. That there's enough space for additional lists that I wanna add. And I didn't realize before that the size was kind of contributing to my lack of happiness and satisfaction.

[00:05:35] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. Yeah.

[00:05:36] Jennifer Wilson: I'm, I'm hopeful for you. Because everyone I talk to, I think bigger seems to be better.

[00:05:41] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, I could see if I had to take it with me, uh, it wouldn't work, but I just leave mine out on the counter, so it's fine.

[00:05:49] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:05:50] Jenn Slowik: And then, um, for scrapbooking related, I'm excited, um, about the, I'm, I'll be taking the Ali Edwards Hello Story class along with, uh, some other Simple Scrapper members and, um, I am.

[00:06:07] Jenn Slowik: Over the years I've bought so many scrapbook classes, that I haven't taken or just sitting there. Um, but, um, I think the accountability of the way that, that this class is gonna be, um, supported inside the Simple Scrapper community, will really help me to follow through. Um, so I'm excited.

[00:06:31] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah. I'm really looking forward to that one too, because I definitely purchased that when it first came out and. Maybe did the first lesson. I certainly did not get very far.

[00:06:41] Jenn Slowik: You more than me. Yeah. Yeah, I purchased it and then nothing. Crickets. Yeah.

[00:06:48] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:06:48] Jennifer Wilson: It's okay. It's, it's very, it's timeless material for sure. And so it'll be fun to, to work on this all together as a group.

[00:06:56] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:06:58] Jennifer Wilson: So I wanted to have you on the show because you've been talking about focusing on what you're calling legacy projects, and I wanted to really dive into what that is for you. How it's different from what you have been doing and what it means to you. So can you start with really, like how, how are you defining a legacy project and how is it different from just, you know, regular scrapbooking?

[00:07:21] Jenn Slowik: All right. So, um, I've always been a really project focused scrapbooker. Um,

[00:07:29] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:07:30] Jenn Slowik: I, I think I always have to know like, where is this page going to live? I can't just make random pages. Like when I think back to when I first started scrapbooking, which was actually almost 30 years ago now, um, I was always making gift albums, for other people. Like my mom, my sister, and my husband.

[00:07:50] Jenn Slowik: And then I like doing mini albums and theme albums, but, um, I think I have a tendency to overthink things and get overwhelmed. So I haven't completed many projects for myself or my girls. I think my girls like I did a Disney al, character album. And then, um, I did a December Daily one time in a traveler's notebook.

[00:08:18] Jenn Slowik: But, um, and then I think recently I've done more yearly albums. But, one I completed in a Heidi Swapp Storyline Chapter, which was thanks to the Simple Scrapper Finishing Days and community.

[00:08:34] Jenn Slowik: Um, and then I have a lot of unfinished projects. But I guess to answer the question, um, it's, these projects are more important and they span, like the ones I'm thinking of, they span a bigger amount of time. I guess.

[00:08:54] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. And one thing you mentioned to me was that these are ones that like if you. weren't here anymore, what would you want to leave behind?

[00:09:02] Jennifer Wilson: You know, I know like, you know, women of a certain age, we are getting mammograms every year. And I think that least for me, that always like to that thought of, okay, if something bad were to happen to me, have I done what I really wanna do in scrapbooking.

[00:09:18] Jenn Slowik: Yes.

[00:09:18] Jennifer Wilson: And um, I'm curious like, you know, what is your kind of underlying reason why you wanna invest time on these particular projects?

[00:09:29] Jenn Slowik: Wow. It, it's a little bit of a long story, but um, I think it all comes down to what you kind of talked about, the mammogram. But, um, in 2021, I had some life events, like one after another after another, three of them.

[00:09:45] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:09:46] Jenn Slowik: That, um, so first my daughter went off to college, um, and then I lost my dad, um, after he had Alzheimer's. So that was, that's a whole other added thing of the memory loss, I think about that.

[00:10:02] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. And then, you know, cap it all off with in July of 2021, I turned 50. So I was like, all these things piling up. I just started thinking of my own mortality and, and um, and then I guess, you know, dealing with all that. And, um, over the last year and a half I found myself not just in scrapbooking, but in life in general, just wanting to let go of things that don't really matter and wanting to prioritize people and things that are most important.

[00:10:37] Jenn Slowik: And so when I looked at scrapbooking, I thought, just like you said, if I were no longer here, what scrapbooks would I want to leave my girls? And, you know, when I sat down and really thought about that, I came up with, you know, quickly, really came up with a list of, okay, these are the things I really want to have done.

[00:11:01] Jenn Slowik: And you know, I'd be happy if these are the things that were done. Um, and that's not to say that there won't be other projects or there aren't other things that interest me. But I think it gives me a good place to start and a good place to focus my time and energy. And, um, I guess stop me from feeling guilty for leaving projects unfinished.

[00:11:27] Jenn Slowik: You know, like have a plan and a purpose. Yeah.

[00:11:37] Jennifer Wilson: Well and I think these projects can sometimes feel, don't know, kind of maybe intimidating.

[00:11:44] Jenn Slowik: Yes.

[00:11:44] Jennifer Wilson: When we do put weight to them. And that's why like having the plan and even like, you know, breaking that down into steps can be so helpful for actually moving forward once we've identified how important they're to us.

[00:11:58] Jenn Slowik: Yes, exactly it.

[00:12:02] Jennifer Wilson: So would you, you know, we talk a lot at Simple Scrapper about bucket list stories, bucket list projects. Do you see an overlap with, with kind of your, you know, thought process around your legacy projects?

[00:12:15] Jenn Slowik: I, I think I would, because for me, these are the projects that I'd want to have completed if I were to, you know, kick the bucket. Or if I were gone tomorrow, these are the albums that I'd want my family. You know, especially my girls to have.

[00:12:31] Jennifer Wilson: Yes. Yes, yes. So have you thought about some of the, like, more details of the themes you want to document? Is it about like, lessons that you wanna share? Is it about particular events that you wanna make sure are captured? You know, what are kind of some of the more specific, I guess, story threads that come up when you're thinking about, uh, getting these done?

[00:12:58] Jenn Slowik: So when I, um, sat down, I think it was in the fall and really thought about that question of which, you know, albums would I want to have. I actually came up with eight albums. Um, and so, so it's more like albums that I'd want. So, um, before my, Before Your Story. I actually have two, birth to high school graduation, and then college until I met my husband.

[00:13:27] Jenn Slowik: Um, I actually have started both of my girls, um, baby books and I want those to be done. I mean, I've, I've, Lexi, like I mentioned is 20, and I started her book I think when she was seven years old. So you know, this has been hanging over my head for 13 years. So, and, and actually both of 'em are about 80 to 90% done, so I just need to finish them.

[00:13:56] Jenn Slowik: Um, yeah. And then, um, I'd like to do a book about my husband and I like how we met and you know, like we used to travel and go to concerts and have a life before we had kids. So I think that would be cool to do. And then, um, two more for my girls would be, school of life books, is what I call them. I think, I don't know if it was Becky Higgins or Stacy Julian or somebody had these. Where it's just, for me, it would be from that after the baby book, which would end at one year onto their high school graduation.

[00:14:33] Jenn Slowik: Um, and it would be really streamlined and, you know, just a few pages per year. Um, and.

[00:14:40] Jennifer Wilson: Oh sure.

[00:14:41] Jenn Slowik: Then, yeah. And then the final one is, um, our youngest daughter Emmy, um, we adopted her. So I wanna do some kind of adoption book that has her story. Um, and, you know, we have some memorabilia and stuff that I wanna be sure to include in there. So.

[00:15:01] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, very cool.

[00:15:01] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:15:01] Jennifer Wilson: So these are very much focused on kind of past stories too. So it's, there's nothing really like, kind of like ongoing to it, so you can have a really clear container, the photos are taken, you know, it's, let's sit down and figure out how this is gonna come together.

[00:15:17] Jenn Slowik: Yes.

[00:15:18] Jennifer Wilson: Now I'm curious, like, you know, you said you went, worked on, uh, Heidi, Swapp memory planner. Like can you think through like, the creative process of those two projects, like working in tandem with a year, uh, versus wrapping your brain around one of these projects that sounds very, very different.

[00:15:39] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. Um, I think I've always liked planning., Like the planning of an album. And so I picture really breaking this down and, and like drawing out what I wanna do, listing out, um, what the pages will look like, what I need for the pages. Um,

[00:16:03] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:16:04] Jenn Slowik: The Heidi Swapp was more, I think more creative and, and at first it was in the moment, but then I got behind, so then it wasn't, then it was looking back. But, but this is, this will definitely be harder in that, uh, I don't have everything organized. So, I, uh, journaling and things like that, I'll have to go on a expedition of trying to find everything, digging through my basement and looking for journals and things like that. So, um, yeah.

[00:16:40] Jennifer Wilson: And do you have an idea of kind of, what are we talking all 12 by 12 layouts. Uh, do you think you'll vary the size and format at all, or kind of what's your vision for these eight albums?

[00:16:54] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. Um, so Lexi's baby book is the only one that will be traditional, 12 by 12 pages because that's how it started. So.

[00:17:04] Jenn Slowik: So, that's I'll continue. And then Emmy's baby book was a 12 by 12 also, but it was pocket pages, which funny enough, um, Lexi's became two albums and Emmy's, I've kept it to one, um, with the pocket pages.

[00:17:21] Jenn Slowik: And then, um, I think the school life, I was thinking 9 by 12, pocket pages. And just so that I could have, you know, if I had an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper or something, I could just throw it in there. But having it not be too big. And then, um, I'm not sure about the adoption, the same thing.

[00:17:42] Jenn Slowik: You know, it would have to be at least 8.5 by 11, but perhaps 9 by 12. And then the Before Your Stories, I, I'm, I, I keep going back and forth, between 6 by 8 and 8.5 by 11. I think that one, especially, I wanna try my hand at digital scrapbooking, which I've never done.

[00:18:04] Jennifer Wilson: Fun.

[00:18:05] Jenn Slowik: But I have to have use so many old pictures that I have to scan anyway.

[00:18:12] Jennifer Wilson: Mm-hmm.

[00:18:13] Jenn Slowik: Um, I thought it might be a good time to, you know, play with digital somehow . So, so, yeah.

[00:18:23] Jennifer Wilson: Do you have an idea of which one you wanna tackle first?

[00:18:26] Jenn Slowik: Um, yeah, I actually, when we went through the, um, planning for the, for the Simple Scrapper, the 2023 Planning Party. steps. I planned out that I would, in January and February I would focus on Lexi's baby book and finishing that.

[00:18:47] Jennifer Wilson: Okay.

[00:18:47] Jenn Slowik: Then in March and April I was gonna go to Emmy's. So I'd have, you know, hopefully two big wins.

[00:18:52] Jenn Slowik: And then I can move on. Plus it'll be summer, then aft, you know, soon after that. So maybe I can play with digital scrapbooking. So.

[00:19:04] Jennifer Wilson: Now, curious, like kind of, can you talk us through your thought process of what about summer leads you to digital.

[00:19:11] Jenn Slowik: Um, that's a great question. Um, I.

[00:19:15] Jennifer Wilson: Is it being more mobile? Is it, you know.

[00:19:18] Jenn Slowik: I think I just.

[00:19:19] Jennifer Wilson: I'm curious, like is there a connection there, or no.

[00:19:21] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, I guess I just pictured having more time, more free time to like play and, um, because my youngest, she does theater camp, um, and other activities. So I think I could, you know, I don't know, when I'm waiting in the car, I could perhaps do stuff on my iPad.

[00:19:44] Jenn Slowik: Um, yeah, hopefully. Yeah, I mean, cuz actually, when I think about it, in the past, I haven't been good about scrapbooking this summer, but maybe the digital will be better.

[00:19:58] Jennifer Wilson: Well, I think, uh, the seasons of life that you're in often dictate whether you have more or less time in the summer or within any, with any like, natural season of the year.

[00:20:10] Jennifer Wilson: Um, like what's going on, who's, you know, um, requesting time from you or requiring time from you. And yeah, it definitely is, every year seems a little bit different, for sure.

[00:20:22] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, definitely.

[00:20:24] Jennifer Wilson: So you mentioned how, you know, you have struggled a little bit with finishing projects.

[00:20:31] Jennifer Wilson: But I'm curious if any of the ones you've already finished, you kind of put it in this bucket of, of legacy projects or is it just that you've done, you know, most

[00:20:39] Jennifer Wilson: of Lexi's baby book.

[00:20:41] Jenn Slowik: So when I, when you, when I read this question, I was like, no, I've never done this. But then when I really thought about it, I was like, wait a second. Like, I thought about my gift albums and I actually made two different gift albums that would definitely fit into this. And, um, one was a, I think they were both 12 by 12, um, you know, regular scrapbook traditional pages and, um, one was a retirement book for my mom and one was, um, a gift I did for my sister when she graduated from nursing school.

[00:21:17] Jenn Slowik: And, um, both of them I did kind of like a, um, this is your life. You know, like looking back, you know, from baby on. Um, and even my mom's, I had people send in letters to her. She was retiring from being a teacher, so I had, you know, different friends and colleagues and, um, my brother and sister and I, you know, I'll write her a letter and include it in there.

[00:21:49] Jenn Slowik: So, so yeah, I would definitely say I have and I was surprised that I had.

[00:21:57] Jennifer Wilson: Now. One thing that I've thought about with gift projects is that I, I feel like I am not quite as hard on myself, and I don't know if you're hard on yourself.

[00:22:08] Jenn Slowik: Mm-hmm.

[00:22:08] Jennifer Wilson: When it comes to your scrapbooking, but with gift projects, I'm like, oh, well that's like, that's fine. They will love that, and it's very satisfying.

[00:22:18] Jennifer Wilson: And I think maybe that we don't necessarily give ourselves enough credit for those, which is maybe why it didn't come across your mind. Because it, you know, it left your space. But there's something, no, it's almost like we put it on a different hat when we're putting together a scrapbooking gift.

[00:22:33] Jenn Slowik: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, that's what I, when I thought about that project and um, what I'd learned from doing that, I, um.

[00:22:44] Jenn Slowik: I actually think that because they weren't about me, I was able to not overthink 'em, and I just came up with a plan and then I executed the plan. And you know, all the decisions were quick. I just picked colors, you know, this sec, like things were in different sections, like different, like I'm thinking of my mom's and, you know, different decades of her life.

[00:23:07] Jenn Slowik: And you know, this was back in the, I guess the early two thousands or so. So, so it was like the forest green and the, the maroon and the navy blue. So yeah. So each one had a section and I just, yep, this is the picture I'm gonna use. Okay. Yep. I'll do this layout. Okay. Done. But for me, I would overthink it for weeks, months, years, you know, I don't know why, but.

[00:23:39] Jennifer Wilson: No, that's, yeah, I can do the same thing sometimes.

[00:23:42] Jenn Slowik: Yeah

[00:23:43] Jennifer Wilson: Now I'm curious, working on those projects, did, did anything like trickle over, like, like, oh yeah, like did you remember when you sat down to do a project about you that it could be simpler or did maybe you revert back to tendencies?

[00:23:57] Jenn Slowik: So like I mentioned before, I, I love planning the projects and

[00:24:02] Jenn Slowik: I think that was key. But I actually went through a big chunk of time where I didn't scrapbook. And so I think I forgot that. And then, so then when I came back to it, I, I wasn't doing that and I was just continued to overthink and, um, not finish projects. But, um, I mean, I would definitely say that Simple Scrapper, becoming a member, it actually helped me rediscover that. Like going through some of the classes and some of the Finishing Days and, and projects. Um, so for this legacy project, I'll definitely be leaning into the planning and trying to not overthink it. And, you know, maybe making a lot of those decisions upfront. And, um, I think a big thing for me that I've learned with, um, specifically with that Heidi Swapp, um, the Heidi Swapp yearbook that I did was that batching is the way to go for me. It really helps me get things done. So, so I'll definitely be trying to.

[00:25:19] Jennifer Wilson: Some people are either like totally batchers or totally not. But if you, if your brain tends that direction, then trying to do something like one at a time almost feels like, you know, walking up a sandhill.

[00:25:32] Jenn Slowik: Yes.

[00:25:32] Jennifer Wilson: I think. Whereas batching feels like, you know, going downstream.

[00:25:36] Jenn Slowik: Yes. like, yeah, that's what, when I discovered it, um, I was like, why haven't I been doing this the whole entire time? This, this is the way to go.

[00:25:50] Jennifer Wilson: So I'm, I'm thinking about the year ahead and even beyond. What kind of balance are you looking for? If, I mean, if any at all, between these legacy projects and like other projects, are you seeing a, is this like a major just long-term shift for you? Is it your focus right now? Uh, I'm curious how, how you're feeling about.

[00:26:14] Jenn Slowik: Um, so I decided for this year that I'm just gonna commit to the three legacy projects I mentioned before. The volume one of Before Your Story and then finishing the baby books. Um, and then, you know, if I get, you know, through the, through those and then I decide to add some more, then I can always do that.

[00:26:36] Jenn Slowik: But, um, I think the key will be that I'm not committing to any new yearly project and I'm also not doing the One Little Word class. Um, both of those things, the yearly project and the One Little Word I've done for the last few years, and especially the One Little Word project, um, while I got so much out of it.

[00:27:00] Jenn Slowik: And I love, um, especially in 2021, my word was joy. And because I had such a tough year, that was like, it really helped me to each month focus on, okay, what brought me joy this month? Um, but I think not doing those, um, and then, I don't know. I think that it'll be a nice balance. Like, uh oh, because I also am doing the Hello Story class, so it's not just all legacy.

[00:27:34] Jenn Slowik: So, and then one more thing I'm doing in 2023 is I'm, um, I signed up along with my, um, my friend and my accountability partner, Nikki Kann, were doing the Story of Self class. The Laura Wonsik class. But that class and the Hello Story class are going to span the entire year. So I think spacing it out like that, it's gonna be a nice balance with those and with, with the legacy projects.

[00:28:06] Jenn Slowik: So I don't foresee.

[00:28:09] Jennifer Wilson: Well and can see that Story of Self kind of fills a little bit of that role, that One Little Word would.

[00:28:14] Jenn Slowik: Definitely. And we did decide that we're still gonna pick a word, but

[00:28:19] Jenn Slowik: and we'll still even do some of the, some of the prompts that we've done in the past that we liked, but we're gonna do them every, like, it'll span two months. So, like January, February, we'll fill out those, beginning sheets and then, uh, March, April, we'll do the vision board. Um, and so it'll be a lot more doable.

[00:28:45] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, for sure.

[00:28:47] Jennifer Wilson: Now, kind of going back to Hello Story. I'm curious, are you going to use any of that design inspiration to capture stories and, and document things for your legacy project? Or are in your mind those are two very separate things.

[00:29:04] Jenn Slowik: Um, so I, one thing off in the horizon that I've always wanted to do is a story about like a six by eight album, that's just like random stories about me. Um, not necessarily, well they could be, but I'm not thinking like about when I was a kid or anything. But just like things that I like right now or that, so I think that's what I picture the Hello Story being those kind of things. And I picture putting them all in a six by eight. But I haven't even watched the first lesson, so maybe I'm way off base about what it is, but, um, but it might bleed into some of the legacy, um, projects.

[00:29:53] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah, I was just curious. Well, and even with like, you know, when we're talking about bucket list stories in my class. One of my stories was about all the like, teen idols I've had crushes on over the years and how they all had like floppy hair. So I mean, it doesn't have to be like the most serious of

[00:30:14] Jenn Slowik: Right.

[00:30:14] Jennifer Wilson: But something that really like, you know, I've spent a lot of time thinking about some of those guys over the years. Maybe not as much recently, but in my younger days, definitely.

[00:30:24] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, because I mean, wouldn't you love to have something from your mom or grandma? Like, this is what I always think. Wouldn't you love to have like something from your mom or grandma that's a story like that, just a random tidbit of information. You know, it's, that'd be awesome. So, yeah.

[00:30:44] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and I also have seen some of those, like as they could be bonus stories for the, you know, the Before Your Story format. And for those who have been hearing us talk about this. This is an album project that I developed. Oh gosh, almost 10 years ago, uh, to document your, your life or someone else's from birth to adulthood. And it divides it into categories using Stacy Julian's Library of Memories framework. And then it really emphasized pocket pages cuz that was, especially 10 years ago, that was like the, the format of the day. Uh, but it was very kind of containerized in terms of you only have a certain amount of room, you can only tell a certain number of stories. But as you come up with fun, other little tidbits that you wanna add, Just put 'em in the album later. I always recommended those to like just right on the back of the sheet if you have more ideas because you will, but really focus on just like what is the true scope of this project. Yeah, I definitely see you could have some, some overlap there if it all just falls together. And some places might and some places might not.

[00:31:52] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. Um, who is it? Is it Leilani Scraps or Leilani? Um, I'll have to look it up and give you the name, but, um, she does a really cool, like back in the eighties, these were like a little album that she did. And I pictured including something like that in the Before Your Story.

[00:32:13] Jennifer Wilson: That'd be fun.

[00:32:15] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. Just all the, like when you look at like, um, like a Barbie or a Cabbage Patch or something. You know, like those toys from your, when you were little or the shows you watched.

[00:32:31] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:32:33] Jennifer Wilson: Oh, that'd be such a fun conversation to have in the community just because like, know, what you think about when it comes to Barbie might be different than what I think about.

[00:32:42] Jenn Slowik: Mm-hmm.

[00:32:44] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:32:44] Jennifer Wilson: Um, you know, whenever somebody talks about like, oh, we should buy some like Fruit Loops, and I always think of, well, I was never allowed to have any sugary cereal when I was a kid, so.

[00:32:55] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. It's funny, my girls, I, I always had sugary cereal growing up, but I didn't let them. It would, for Christmas sometimes I wrap up a, like a, I would wrap up a Lucky Charms or.

[00:33:09] Jennifer Wilson: Yeah.

[00:33:09] Jenn Slowik: Fruit Loops. Yeah.

[00:33:11] Jennifer Wilson: That's funny. Yeah I definitely let Emily have like Cookie Crisp and whatever she wants.

[00:33:17] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. So we just do the opposite of whatever we were raised, I guess.

[00:33:21] Jennifer Wilson: I think so, yeah.

[00:33:23] Jennifer Wilson: So these days she just likes like plain like flakes, like Raisin Bran.

[00:33:28] Jenn Slowik: Wow.

[00:33:29] Jennifer Wilson: She's.

[00:33:30] Jenn Slowik: Oh, Wow.

[00:33:31] Jennifer Wilson: More into like.

[00:33:32] Jenn Slowik: Very mature.

[00:33:33] Jennifer Wilson: Simpler things, I guess.

[00:33:35] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:33:37] Jennifer Wilson: She also prefers Greek yogurt to regular yogurt.

[00:33:40] Jenn Slowik: Oh, wow.

[00:33:40] Jennifer Wilson: She's developing fancy tastes.

[00:33:42] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:33:45] Jennifer Wilson: So do you have any other kind of thoughts about, as particularly have you, at the Planning Party as you're thinking about the year, any other things that kind of came to mind or connected back to this, this deeper kind of yearning to capture some of the bigger stuff?

[00:34:06] Jenn Slowik: Um, I mean, I just, like for people that, I think it, for me, it comes down to that I'm so project based. Um, and I just find comfort in that, in having a specific project. But, um, I think other people, like they could have, you know, like the bucket list stories or, you know, even just, I've thought of that, like what are the 10 things that, um, like the 10 stories that I would want my girls to know about me. Or, you know. Yeah. But I think it'd be good to brainstorm and just sit down and think that question, you know, if, I mean, I know it's kind of morbid, but, but.

[00:34:58] Jennifer Wilson: No, but it's all part of why we scrapbook. I mean there's certainly like creative outlet, the, the journey in the moment. But you know, there are other crafts that can provide a lot of the same rewards, but this one also leaves something behind.

[00:35:14] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. And I guess, yeah, first.

[00:35:16] Jennifer Wilson: Part of why we do it.

[00:35:17] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, so I guess if you identify with, you know, I scrapbook because, you know, I wanna leave a legacy. And it doesn't have, you know, if you don't have kids, it's, I think it's important for all women to like, your story matters. And, um, just sharing, sharing your story and sharing what was important in your life, what is important in your life.

[00:35:41] Jenn Slowik: And, um, yeah. But it just helps me to break it down to not, when I think of everything, it gets overwhelming. But if I could have a list of 10 things that would be, that's more doable.

[00:35:59] Jennifer Wilson: Well, and as, as we've talked today, I think that this episode will help some of our listeners maybe figure out, am I a project scrapbooker or am I a layout scrapbooker?

[00:36:10] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:36:10] Jennifer Wilson: And you may have already, you may have already known, but maybe it's not something you've ever even thought about before. But I think it could explain maybe why some things work better than others for somebody.

[00:36:21] Jenn Slowik: Yeah. And I think also we get caught up on well, I'm gonna do this because I've always done this. Like Project Life, or December Daily, or Day In The life. You know, all those different projects that we do just because, you know, well, I've always done this. But if you pause to kinda think through, does this really matter to me?

[00:36:48] Jenn Slowik: You know, if I stopped doing this, would I be, not, not that it doesn't have to be so heavy and legacy, you know, it doesn't have to be that it matters like that. But if you're not getting joy out of it, then I don't think you should be continuing to do it. Maybe just take, take a year off and see how you feel, focusing on other things. So.

[00:37:10] Jennifer Wilson: Think we can get burnout sometimes and uh, things can feel redundant. Because sometimes, you know, smaller groupings of years can feel kind of similar. And then it's when you have those bigger shifts in life as you experienced in 2021, where you know certain projects resonate a lot more and fill a need for you. And then other years, maybe they don't. Well, Jenn this has been so insightful. Thank you so much for spending time with me.

[00:37:41] Jenn Slowik: Well, thank you. I was really honored that you asked me to be on, so thank you. This is a bucket list being on the podcast.

[00:37:48] Jennifer Wilson: Ah, thank you.

[00:37:49] Jenn Slowik: That I didn't even think to put on my bucket list, but . Yeah.

[00:37:54] Jennifer Wilson: Well, I'm just so glad the membership has been beneficial to you and that you're, you're an active part of our community.

[00:38:00] Jenn Slowik: Oh, thank you.

[00:38:02] Jennifer Wilson: Can you share where we can find you online?

[00:38:05] Jenn Slowik: Um, sure. I am on Instagram and it's jennshappyplace.

[00:38:12] Jennifer Wilson: Are there 2 n's in that?

[00:38:13] Jenn Slowik: Jenn, sorry, Jenn with two N's . Yeah,

[00:38:16] Jennifer Wilson: Okay. We'll include the link in the show notes.

[00:38:19] Jenn Slowik: Yeah.

[00:38:19] Jennifer Wilson: As well, but I just wanted to clarify for.

[00:38:21] Jenn Slowik: Yeah, yeah.

[00:38:22] Jennifer Wilson: Our listeners. All right. Thank you so much for your time and to all of our listeners, please remember that you have permission to Scrapbook Your Way.