While talking to a friend the other day she was trying to find out more about my “style” of scrapbooking. Being a teacher/crop and class coordinator for the longest time I was always doing what ever was “in-style” according the magazines, blogs, online message boards, etc. to stay up with times and keep my students up to date as well. This definitely made me scratch my head when I was asked the question.
When it comes to style, I have always known that form follows function for me. I like to see things have a plan before they are laid out and that is why sketches have always been my favorite ways to jump into a layout or even a card. Now that I have started to do some digital scrapbooking as well, templates are my go to source. I like clean lines, muted patterns paired with one bold pattern, and then tasteful embellishments. I am not one to go over the top in my style as that isn’t what “tells the story” to me. I want the focus to be on the pictures, on the flow of the layout and for the story to be told.
In this layout, “Fun Fair Food”, you can see that I took time to have a flow from picture to picture. There are mainly subtle patterns with one pop of pattern coming from the paper with cupcakes. Â Following what I said earlier though, this pattern is hidden behind a the red to make what is seen that much more visually appealing. Â My use of embellishments is limited as well as always being in sets of odd numbers (3 brads, 3 word title, 5 semi-circles, 3 dots on each semi-circle, 3 pictures, etc.).
The “Rule of Thirds” is also something that is apparent in all of my scrapbooking. Â I started in photography before scrapbooking and being taught how important it is for the eye to be directed and to have a balance across the page is something that I take into consideration when I am creating.
I challenge you to find out what your style is and let  me know.  Take a look through your most recent projects. What items are you grabbing most? What are you always reaching for?
