I know most scrapbookers get their ideas from sketches and the layouts of other scrapbookers. But I think there are easier methods and these methods will you get you scrapbooking faster. Not only that, but you’ll never run out of scrapbooking ideas again!
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: If you get accustomed to these ten methods, you’ll find that your scrapbooking ideas will be endless!
There’s one exercise you should start with, and after that you can do any of my ten methods in any order.
Before you start a page, do this key exercise:
Put yourself back into the memory that you’ll be scrapbooking.
- How did it feel?
- What does your current perspective on that memory add?
Write down a few words that describe the mood or the feeling. You can even write out the journaling now to help you pin it all down.
Now try these 10 things in any order to get ideas for all of your scrapbook page layout decisions:
1) Choose some colors that reflect the mood and/or feelings of the memory. You don’t need to be a color expert. You don’t need to know the “meaning” of different colors. Just choose which colors feel like a match for YOU.
2) Choose patterns that feel like the memory. No one can tell you which patterns are the best for your page. You’re the one that knows which of your patterned papers most reflects the way your memory feels.
3) Choose the focal point photo and distinguish it from the others in some way, such as placement, size, a matte, etc.
4) Let the photos choose their placement. Decide where to place your photos by the direction the subject of that photo is facing. For example, if the subject is facing left, put the focal point photo somewhere to the right of the page so that the subject is facing into the center of the page, or toward something else.
5) Is the story serious, playful, distraught, or quirky? Let the nature of the story tell you whether to make your photos straight or angled.
6) Choose something to anchor the focal point so it doesn’t feel like it’s floating. An anchor is a line, a shape, or strong deliberate white space that connects with your focal point to make the item seem in its place on purpose.
The mood and feeling of your story can help you decide what type of anchoring you can choose. Does the story demand a formal matte? A strong bold line? Or maybe some light playful scalloped strips?
7) Let your story help you decide which of your embellishments can be a symbol of your memory’s story.
8) Place embellishments in places that will lead the eye around the page in the order of importance or story-timing.
9) Find embellishments with words that remind you of the tone of your story.
10) Add embellishments to balance off any problems of weight (weight problems are when one side or area of the page feels too heavy, or when a color is concentrated too heavily in one area).
Your story (or memory) and your photos are your best source for inspiration!
- They’ll inspire WHAT should go on the page
- They’ll inspire WHERE your items should go
- They’ll inspire HOW you should place them.
Each of your stories comes with its own complete package of inspiration, so you can scrapbook a lifetime of memories and never have to look elsewhere for your ideas! Once you get used to it, you’ll find this is easier and faster than trying to hunt down an outside source of inspiration and making it work for you.
Not only that, but your pages will be more authentic than ever, and your stories will have a cohesive wholeness to them because it won’t just be your words and photos telling your story — your design will work right along with them to reflect the story, as well.
Need some help getting started? I cover all of these concepts in the videos in my Paperclipping Membership! Click here to learn more.
Tags: ideas, scrapbook, Scrapbooking
