Recent Layouts | Experiments

Since teaching  The Art + Science of Scrapbooking last year, I’ve been keenly aware of when I let my right brain come out and play.

And I confess, it’s not very often… but I’m trying.

In this post I want to share three different ways I’ve been experimenting more with my layouts and going out of my left-brained comfort zone.

Trying the Cameo

For a long time I was just sure I didn’t need a die-cut machine of any kind. I also wondered whether I really had the space for one.

Then my mom got me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and boy is it a fun tool. (The first thing I cut out was a doily, of course!)

I believe in playing a bit before learning more advanced techniques, so I’ve trying super simple cuts and seeing how they work in my scrapbooking.

For this layout I cut six strips from kraft cardstock with the intent of placing patterned papers behind them. Beyond that, I had no design concept when I started.

I’m excited to play more with the Cameo and see what it’s capable of. I’m trying to just follow inspirations and enjoy using new techniques on my pages.

Using the Computer

Many of you know that I was an exclusively-digital scrapbooker for many years, so in a way I’ve always been hybrid. In reality I actually shied away from using the computer for my paper layouts because the whole point was to get me off the computer more.

For this layout I wanted to have borders around my photos and paper pieces, but I didn’t want to draw them by hand. The original idea was to print directly on the background, but I forgot to do that before matting the cream cardstock on the patterned paper.

I printed the borders on a transparency that I attached with staples. I adhered the photos and embellishments on top of the transparency. The title wording was made with my old-school DYMO labeler.

I enjoyed playing with a different material (the transparency) and creating a design-focused page. Not every layout has to be deep and full of journaling. Pretty isn’t necessarily less meaningful.

Playing with Pretties

My daughter brings home so much artwork that I can fully admit it’s hard to keep up with.

Sometimes there are pieces that I can’t bear to part with or even cut down for a sample. This “bunny hat” came home just this week.

I immediately grabbed an 8×8 page protector and set out to see what transparencies I had in my stash. I thought about using clear until I came across this adorable heart print from Hambly.

I used my stapler to attach the hat on a diagonal, trimming off the overhang with scissors. Then I simply used letter stickers to identify what it was, also adding a decorative paperclip.

I love how this came out and can’t wait to see it tucked into my 12×12 album. (Hint: The American Crafts 8×8 page protectors fit on 12×12 rings, but the We R Memory Keepers protectors do not.)

Have you tried anything new recently? I’d love to hear about a recent adventure or experiment of yours in the comments.