#2 of 7 Layouts in 3 Hours with Scraps:
A very easy way to make a layout that feels happy and interesting is to use a bunch of paper strips. These were strips that I had left over from my Hexagon Layout so I had already chosen the scraps and the colors and these strips were headed either back to my overflowing patterned paper stash or to the circular file (garbage can), so I was happy to use them on a page.
I actually started pasting these strips down to one edge of the paper and later decided I wanted the strips to be not on the side but in the middle as a horizontal line on the page, so I cut the 12x12 paper in half and used a grey strip of cardstock with machine stitching to put the page bak together. I also used machine stitching to attach the die cut letters and I was ok with the fact that they went down a little crooked since while I lived in this house, my family's life was a little off kilter so it seemed appropriate.
Scrapbooking Tips:
1. Find a color scheme that you love- I used Pintrest to look at the CHA 2012 Winter scrapbooking releases and then found colors from my paper scraps - some of these papers are over ten years old but arranged together with a fresh color combination I feel like they don't look outdated but look fresh and new.
2. Create pages before you know what you are going to scrapbook - this is not always my approach, but when you want to get something going creatively, it is good to start with a page that is anything but a blank slate - you can always change it later - I started this page with the strips going down the side of the page and later decided to make them go across the middle of the page and I cut my 12x12 sheet of paper in half and then sewed it back together.
3. Find Pictures of Places You Have Lived. I grew up in New England but had my children in Florida - they will see the places I have lived only in photos and maybe we'll do a drive by on a page or two, but it is interesting for me to see where my parents and grandparents lived so I can only imagine that it will be interesting for my kids; and not only for the kids, I like to see the places I have lived in my scrapbook albums. I added some interesting things about myself while I lived in this house in the journaling: "This is where I lived during elementary school. I had slumber parties here, I learned to read here; I learned to ride a bike here."
