Lessons in Scrapbooking - Layout

I LOVE scrapbooking! And I LOVE talking about it and teaching other people how to do it! On this blog I would like to share some techniques and ideas which I've learnt since I started scrapbooking 4 years ago. Today I'm going to talk about Layouts.

This refers to the placement of titles, photos, accents and journaling on the scrapbook page. Remember that you don’t need to include all of your photos in your scrapbook – choose the best which “tell the story” so to speak. Before you adhere anything, experiment with the placement of your photos and title until you find a pleasing arrangement. Journaling and accents will add balance and interest to your layout. It's a good idea to choose one photo as a focal point and make it stand out by framing, adding additional mats or using accents to draw attention to it.

TIP – Sketches are great for creativity. Checkout www.pagemaps.com, www.stickersnfun.com or just google “scrapbooking sketches”. You can also gain inspirations from scrapbooking magazines and books or by visiting layout galleries at websites such as www.splitcoaststampers.com, www.scrapjazz.com or www.scrapbook.com.

Here's a double layout I completed today.

I haven't yet got the hang of putting photos side by side yet but bear with me!

I started off using this sketch from PageMaps but then steered a little off course:

But that's the great thing about sketches, you can follow them close or just use them to get started. The "Welcome" title was a chipboard word which I had bought at Spotlight at least 10 years ago (I had some plan to make a Welcome Friends sign with a sheep in the middle). Soooo glad I kept it now (I knew I'd use it someday, ha). It was coloured by pushing into Brilliant Blue stamp pad but then I decided to make it black. Crystal Effects were then added over the top and the final effect ended up being midnight blue. I planned it that way, NOT!

For the banner, I popped the designer paper through a crimper then used my 1 3/8" square punch to cut a nice straight, even triangle out.

I was really happy with the final effect!

Cardstock: Bashful Blue
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Basic Black
Accessories: 1 3/8" Square Punch, Patterns Pack II Designer Series Paper, Crystal Effects, Crew Kids - Girl Simply Scrappin' Kit (Retired), Crew Kids - Boy Simply Scrappin' Kit (Retired)