30 Minute Layouts

I am great at collecting classes - but it seems like I never take the time to actually work through the lessons.  But last Saturday I had lots of time (my husband was sick and my daughter was doing the teenager thing and staying in her room), so I opened the class from Lilith Eckels at Big Picture Classes.  It was titled "30 Minute Layouts" and I am the slowest scrapper known to man most days so it seemed like a perfect fit.  Plus Lilith rocks - I always love her projects.  So I figured it was good for some eye candy if nothing else.

Have I mentioned that I am painfully slow when I scrapbook.  I obsess over the placement of every enamel dot, die cut and piece of veneer.  I can move one label around for hours trying to find the perfect place.  So imagine my surprise when I had worked through 2 lessons and had two completed layouts in about 3 hours.  This was record setting pace for me.

The first lesson was really about choosing supplies and organizing.  I watched the video and read through the narrative - and then whipped together a layout about work.

The second lesson is about pulling layouts together with leftovers from other projects.  I started with a stack of scraps by my trimmer and embellishments scattered across my desk.

I added the base paper, the veneer hearts, and the label.  Everthing else was sitting on my desk .  If I didn't use it, I would have to put it away.  I call this a win-win.  I played, ended up with a layout and have less to put away.    (Note:  Design inspired by sketchy saturday at PI)

Then I made a second layout with the scraps from the scraps - all I added was the base paper and the alphas.

So maybe I should take more of those classes I collect?  And for sure I am going to consider possibilities before I clean up. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Problem Solving Through A Layout

We all scrapbook for different reasons - and if you are like me, maybe for a lot of reasons.  I scrapbook because I think those albums are important to pass on to my children down the road .  But even more importantly I have learned that I am happier if I find time to do something creative every day.  And sometimes, I scrapbook about a problem or concern that is on my mind.  I find it is a great way to organize my thoughts.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about work, retirement, and finding a balance in my life.  I haven't reached any momentous conclusions, but I know that I have work to do in this area.  So when Studio Calico's member challenge this week was to use a photo to indirectly document something, I chose to do a layout about work and how I feel about work. 

The journaling is very personal to me and not something I want to share with anyone.  So it is on that white tag sticking out behind the photo.  I stuck a library pocket to the back of the photo block so that the tag can go in and out easily.  I don't want to share the journaling right now - but I don't want my thoughts to be buried forever either.

Putting the layout together didn't resolve anything for me, but it did help me to organize my thoughts about the issues I want to address.  That's a step forward.  So next time you're worrying, try focusing on something creative as a way to think through your issues.  If nothing else, you will have some time to relax and play.

Thanks for stopping by.

Note:  The layout design was inspired by the April 4th sketch at My Scraps and More.

Finding Me, Take Two

I've read a lot lately about finding your own scrappy style.  And I've been trying to work on that.  So last night I went through the stack of recent layouts on my desk.  And at the end of the night, after some thinking, this is what I knew about my style.

• I like color.  I use color on my layouts and rarely work just in neutrals.  
• I'm often attracted to deeper colors for my layout bases.  And if I choose a neutral base, it generally has some subtle pattern.
• I like to mix a variety of papers and embellishments.  
• I like clean lines and/or a fair amount of white space.

Most of my recent layouts clearly fell within these boundaries and they were some of my all time favorites.  But one layout was different - there were parts I really liked - the color choices, the mix of patterns, the title placement and the diagonal photo placement - but it was overdone.  There were no clean lines and no white space.

 

So I decided to take it apart and do it again, thinking about the things I knew I liked to incorporate in my layout.  I was careful and tried to remove each element so that it could be reused.  I spread them all over my desk.

I needed a new base for my layout because I had journaled directly on the base previously.  So I picked a base and went to work. The grey patterned paper was pretty damaged so I picked a similar sheet.  And then I started to incorporate the elements from the prior layout.  Here is what I ended up with.

I kept my favorite elements - the colors, the title placement and the diagonal picture placement.  I edited my selections and kept clean lines.  I also added a few elements that weren't in the original layout - the wood circles, cork circle, cork arrow and enamel dots.  But I kept my favorite quote and most of my favorite elements.  And I like this much better.  I guess finding me at 50 is a work in process.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a great day! 

Yearbook Ephemera

 I love back to school, and back to school layouts are always some of my favorites.  But last week i was working on the first day of school layout for Elisabeth's 5th grade album and it wasn't going well.  I kept second-guessing my paper choices - even changed them a couple of times - and couldn't come up with a layout design I liked.  The only constant was the background paper from Authentique.  Then I opened the Yearbook Ephemera pack and it all came together.

The bits and pieces in the ephemera package pulled it all together.  And they mixed perfectly with the Amy Tangerine "ReadySetGo" embellishments that have always reminded me of school and some stitched tags I got from MishMash.  I love that the layout captures the spirit of the first day of school - it's happy and fun with a focus on both school and friends.

But I have to admit - I used lots of those bits and pieces in that package of ephemera.  A second package might need to find its way into my stash.  (And I wasn't sure I wanted it the first time.)  What scrappy products have inspired your work lately?

I need to finish getting ready for work - hope you have a great Tuesday!