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.

It's All About the Title

I title just about every layout I make.  But most of the time that means pulling out a pack of thickers and sticking them on. It works but its just not always a lot of fun (even if I have lots of thickers to choose from.)  So I started thinking about how else I could make a title.

I remembered those stories I read in Highlights magazine when I was little - the ones where pictures substituted for some of the words.    And I decided to use that as the inspiration for the title on my next layout.

This layout is made with goodies from my March Studio Calico box.  Everything came in the kits except the dog die cut - it was in a dear Lizzy die cut pack that was a subscriber's special and the wood heart (from my stash).  I love the mix of fonts, painted wood veneer and a die cut to create a title.  It is totally unexpected and not like any other layouts in my album.  And it was still super quick and easy.

I'd love to see your take on different ways to make a title - link me up.

Thanks for stopping by..