The two pages I started last time were essentially done. They needed only a couple of elements - a photo or two, some journaling. But the pages looked boring to me and I knew I’d want to do more. I challenged readers to join me in thinking about what to do, what to add or remove.
I left the pages on my work table for three weeks, allowing them to catch my eye on numerous occasions (and allowing them to disappear under other projects now and then, too). Here’s how things worked:
1. I knew almost immediately that the large lettering that I used to spell out “Back to School” did not jibe with the fall stickers that were more appropriate for later in the season. It didn’t make sense to say “Falling Leaves” when the trees are so obviously still bright late summer green. I used a sticker removal product to peel them off, and returned the stickers to the sheet to use again later.
2. I found two sheets of school days style stickers and decided to use them both - one sheet for each page The color in the stickers emphasizes the slightly offbeat primary color palette (darker than usual red and yellow in the cardstock, lighter than usual blue in the photos). One sheet included a sticker that says “First Day of Preschool” that I wanted to use. But the photos show older children, so I used one of the smaller images to cover three letters and change it to “First Day of School.”
3. For both pages, I decided that I needed more diagonals to create more movement so there are lots of elements placed at an angle. The horizontal cardstock bands are strong enough to keep things from getting too confusing and the large bright photo and large lettering continue to hold center stage even with all the additions.
4. I kept the gold cardstock rectangles as accents instead of sizing photos to fit inside them.
5. I kept the lettering in the same position, but had to remove and replace some of the letters where I needed them to overlap the photos, cardstock or stickers.
6. I got out the gel pens to embellish and to add a few other details as well as the children’s names.
7. I allowed some of the stickers to extend past the edges of the pages and trimmed them to fit.
8. I added a few brads but have otherwise kept the pages quite flat.
The pages now look right to my eye.
Those three words - to my eye - are the key. You may still look at the pages and think something is missing. You may think I added too much or wish I had kept some of the original stickers and used different photos. You might not like the color combination or wish that the photos were larger, or smaller, or that I had used hand or machine stitching, more dimensional embellishments, or created hidden pockets. Good! That means that your eye and mine aren’t identical. It’s what should happen every time you look at someone else’s work.
If we went shopping for food, shoes, clothes or a car we’d have additional evidence of our individuality. That’s the whole point! Even if I gave you a recipe for cookies and you followed it exactly, our baking sheets and ovens and whether one of us like cookies dark and the other likes them pale would make them taste - and look - quite different. Add nuts or raisins and the equation would change yet again. Then after a while you might invent your own recipes using the theory you learned from following recipes: that most cookies involve sugar, shortening and flour in approximately the same proportions.
It’s the same with scrapbooking. The basic theory behind each page is to combine three basic ingredients - paper, photos, and journaling - in approximately the same proportions. Embellishments are the chocolate chips and pecans of the paper crafting world. Use a lot, use a few, or leave them out altogether. You get the idea.
It’s time for some Settling Down. Be decisive. Use permanent adhesive. Use those stickers and that metal embellishment you were saving for someday. Someday is now. Happy Scrapping!
Supplies:
• Cardstock
• Scatterbrain Alphabet black stickers #10642 (Karen Foster Design)
• Scatterbrain Alphabet white stickers #10771 (Karen Foster Design)
• School stickers #10657 for page with crayons (Karen Foster Design)
• My School Year stickers #10442 for page with scissors (Karen Foster Design)
• Brads (Close To My Heart)
• Gelly Roll pens (Sakura of America)
To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Browse our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.
