Love that Layout

The part of scrapbooking that is probably my favorite is also often the most time consuming.  It's coming up with new ideas for cards and pages - new layouts, embellishments, creative titles and quotes, etc.  I love sitting down and rifling through my 'goods' to rediscover some cool stuff I had forgotten that I had, then figuring out how to use them.  Bur for me, it usually takes a couple of hours or more to come up with a complete new page or page spread that I'm happy with.

If I do that all the time - which is definitely my tendency - I would get an album finished about every 2 years.  So, a trick I have learned is that when I discover or create a layout that I like, I duplicate it -  different embellishments, different pattern of paper, but the same basic layout.  Below are pics of a layout I recently created and instantly loved.  So, I used it again...and again. Notice that they are each for much different types of photos, but the layout works for all of them.

For a new baby girl, or sometime in her first year or two.

Winter fun!
(The solid purple in this is a richer color than what appears here - somewhere between eggplant and plum.)

Perfect for spring or for the gardener in your life.
(These colors are also a little off with the blue being more of a country color/shade.)

Notice that the page opposite of the one with multiple square frames is a little different in each.  And just the difference in embellishments makes the pages appropriate for the right pictures to be attached. All three patterned background papers were similar in color.  I chose solid page colors to bring out a specific color - different for each - which also helps with making them season or topic appropriate.

Once you figure out something that works, you can get an assembly line going and create multiple cards or pages in a short amount of time. Don't do this too much, however, or it becomes tedious and boring.  Unleash your creativity, then reign it in for a few cards and pages and just duplicate for a few more.  Then unleash that creativity again and begin the cycle again.

This helps with stress when your creativity takes a vacation, and you feel blocked.  Just relax and do something that you already know works.  It's also extremely helpful with cost, because you know you already have the paper, tools, and embellishments to make it great yet still make each one different enough to use for a look of variety in your albums.

All of these pages are for sale if you would like to add your pictures and put them into your own album.  $10/ea. double page spread (+ $2 shipping if you live outside of this area). These will be in my Etsy store in the next day or two, but if you want it sooner, send me a personal message, and I'll get it to you.  I also custom make entire albums. (Themes like Baby's First Year, Wedding, High School or Grade School years, etc.) Get in touch with me regarding the possibilities, prices, etc.

Check back later for a video to show you how to create this funky multi-framed page.