I’ve been a scrapbooker since late 2012, and while I’ve made tons of minibooks and Project Life spreads, I never actually made a traditional scrapbook layout. I know? How weird is that? So, to try something new–and to be quite honest, I was inspired by the Felicity Jane blog, since I’m expecting my first FJ kit–I decided to give it a go and try making my very first scrapbook layout!
There were a few things however that I needed to consider. One, I wasn’t allowed to buy anything new. I’ve realized that I spend way too much money on scrapbooking products that I don’t get around to using fast enough before I buy something new. That and I recently subscribed to the Felicity Jane kit, so along with that and my Planner Society Kits, I will be getting new product every month. So I’ve placed myself on a ban. I’m not allowed to shop at Michaels or Target or any of the online scrapbooking sites I follow unless I really need something, like adhesive refills. That being said, I was limited to what I had on hand. Two, because I was limited, I decided to go with an 8×8 squared layout instead of the traditional 12×12 size because I only had 8.5×11 white cardstock and the only squared album I had to store everything in once they were finished was 8×8. So, 8×8 I went!
And I love it! I ended up making four layouts my first go and I think they came out decently. I’m not really telling much of a story in them, they’re just an excuse to play around with my stash and use up my stash of papers I’ve been hoarding. That is probably my favorite part, using up my stash. I would love to be able to purchase new products because I need to replenish and not because they’re pretty and I want it. So, I’ve set a brand new goal for myself! I will use up my stash and make as many of these layouts as I can. I still haven’t figured out what I will use my Felicity Jane kits on–they were just so pretty I had to subscribe to check them out–but since I haven’t received my first kit yet, I won’t really be able to determine that until I get my hands on one.
So yeah, here are my four layouts. To be quite honest, I had no idea what I was doing. I sort of just emulated all the layouts that I’ve seen from various scrapbookers that I admire, and sort of copied bits and pieces of their style. Sometimes, I just did whatever felt best. I will say that it’s very hard to scrap one of these layouts without having some sort of kit or coordinating collection to work with. I spent more of my time trying to put together a coordinating kit of papers and such from my stash before I ever even began to scrap a layout. I tried to stick to the same designers for each. So for instance, my layout of my dog Joey, I used Studio Calico papers from their Sundrifter and Atlantic lines and enamel dots, with thickers from American Crafts and my Heidi Swapp mists. For the second layout of my henna hand, I used all Amy Tangerine papers from different lines, with matching enamel dots and the “adventures” die cut from the Inspire Project Life value kit. The third layout of my friends and I, I used all Dear Lizzy papers from her Documentary line. Even the cloud bubble was from her papers. Then the last layout, I used all Maggie Holmes products from her Flea Market, Styleboard, and Confetti lines. That’s one thing I love about Maggie’s products, they all coordinate with each other, regardless of what line they are from. I would love to get my hands on her Bloom collection if I can find it in stock anywhere though.
But here are my layouts! Please forgive the poor quality of the photos, I didn’t know if I should photograph them or scan them, but I just ended up photographing them on my iPhone because there are no decent cameras in my house now that not only my camera is broken, but my brother’s–which I have been using lately–is also magically broken. Have to make due with what I have since I can’t really afford to buy a new camera–or get mine fixed for that matter–at the moment. My brother’s on warranty, so we have to send it out for a free repair, which is lucky. Anyway, enjoy my spreads and I would honestly love some feedback from them! I’m a total newbie here! :)
