What’s my scrapbook style? That’s always a hard one for me
to answer. The best way to define your style is to ask around. My all-time
favorite answer was the time someone told me that my layouts are “handmade with
love.” I tend to stick with that one. It sounds sweet, pleasant and
approachable. For lack of a better term, I want my pages to feel approachable
because I want other people to become inspired. Everyone should feel like they
can scrapbook too. I will also take eclectic. It is not a bad description as I
do a lot of different things on my pages.
Sometimes, I have personal trends or phases. Think along the
lines of Picasso’s Blue Period only mine are more like “Christy’s Button
Period.” These sometimes last for only a few weeks or into several months. Some
fade away and others tend to work themselves into my regular process. Rather than define my style, I thought I would
share a few things I do over and over again. Some are my quirks and I have
decided to embrace them. I have learned that embracing your personal quirks and
imperfections allows you to relax and then your style just appears over time,
as if by magic.
1.
I use a lot of patterned paper. I use it on
backgrounds and I cut it up to make embellishments. I do use cardstock, but a
patterned paper background is usually my first choice.
2.
I have been known to use found objects on my
layouts. For example, I added a cat food can lid and melted Crayola crayons to
create Wax Lips. The strangest thing
I have ever used on a page was part of a tube sock.
3.
My pages have imperfections and I have learned
to work them into the design. I have issues with cutting straight, sewing
straight and placing items on my page without them being slightly askew. I have
tried everything from templates to fancy cutting systems with laser guides. I
still scrap crooked. Sometimes, it’s more off than others. From time to time, a
miracle happens and things line up straight. Instead of spending countless
hours trying to line everything up, I decided to just relax about it and make
it part of my page designs. On We Are
Groot, for example, I started off trying to stitch a nice border around the
kraft paper bag. The line went slightly askew and the bag started to buckle. I
hid it by stitching messy lines around the edges.
4.
Not all of my photos are perfect. Even the ones
I use for design team projects. Just because I am a better photographer than I
was 5 years ago doesn’t mean I am not using those older photos. I am all about
the story and that means occasionally, my photos will not always be awesome.
5.
I love visual triangles. It’s my go to comfort
design principle. How many can you spot in the layout above?
6.
If there is a button, it must be threaded. End
of Story. If I can’t thread it, I absolutely must cover the holes with
something like a jewel. I just can’t bear for there to be floating buttons on a
page.
7.
I don’t discriminate between my supplies. I am
both a paper and a hybrid scrapbooker. This goes back to scrapbooking with
found objects. If I want something to enhance my photo’s story, then I will try
to find a way to use it. I love scrapbook supplies (I am obsessed with them)
but I am not afraid to use other mediums to create my pages. I also don’t care
if a supply was originally intended for a boy’s page or a girl’s page. If it
works for my story, it’s fair game.
8.I usually create 12x12 layouts. However, I also
love pocket pages. I mix both into the same albums. I will make 8.5 x 11
layouts but always stick them onto a piece of 12x12 paper when I’m done. 12x12
is my favorite album size.
Over the years, I have stopped worrying about giving my style a name. My creative process has quirks. I own them and they are part of the way I scrapbook. I invite you to own your personal creative quirks. Let them take hold, relax a bit, and before you know it, your personal style will emerge.
