I don't know how long you've been scrapbooking, but I suppose in today's terms I've been scrapping quite awhile. I'm not talking about those scrapbooks about Watergate or camp. I'm talking about this modern version of colored paper with photos and stickers or diecuts. When I started, I gathered up colored cardstock and diecuts; my patterned papers and stickers came in an 8.5"x11" book. I had a trimmer, circle cutter, Pooh & flower punches, corner rounder, deco-scissors, markers, and a few odd little stamps to include an alphabet with little dots on the ends of each letter. And though each page was definitely different, they were very much the same as well: putting as many photos as possible on a sheet of colored cardstock, in an orderly fashion with cardstock matting and then doing a little this or that to dress it up.
2001-2004 saw me going to my LSS and choose individual diecuts out of bins. Each A, L, bear, stork, barbeque grill (still have) was chosen and paid for separately (the LSS owner cut these in the back room). But the good news was we were picking up stride. I bought loads of themed paper during this time - everything from heritage to military to gardening. Letter stickers started becoming abundant. And my grandchildren were in full-swing with a Xyron sticker maker for use on their own layouts and laminating machine to make bookmarks. Those orderly photos in orderly fashion with cardstock matting started looking a little more decorative with occasional themed background papers & stickers or bright colored flowers.
About 7-8 years ago, all my scrapbooking was double-page layouts. My favorite technique was to print on vellum and then attach that to my layout with eyelets and ribbon. My mom's favorite technique in any of the scrapbooks I've ever made for her comes from that time as well: torn mulberry paper. Of course, I loved tearing any paper. I started using fabric and quotes. Glitter raised it's head and I have a few small messes on layouts where I just didn't quite know what to do with it. But also there were other great things to play with... Glossy Accents and translucent 'gems' to make our own epoxy-stickers; Ranger products for 'antiquing (still using same 'Vintage Photo' ink-pad for edging)'; fibers & chalk & frames & chipboard. It was exciting and new. Everyday something new to play with. And still lots of orderly photos in orderly fashion with cardstock matting telling stories.
Five to six years ago, I got my Cuttlebug. Those pages have paisleys, asterisks, swirls and my own personally-made diecut letters made from glitter paper (because you couldn't stick anything on top of it). And shaped cardstock backgrounds. And some DCWV foiled paper pads. Everything is still a two-page layout. And even with all of this... I became a little bored as well as overwhelmed. I'm still placing as many photos as can tell the story on a page, in a semi-orderly fashion, on a 2-page layout; but I've given up matting. The problem - how to make it unique as it seemed everyone was doing everything and nothing was left for me to 'create'!?!
So now here I am, about 14 years from when I started. I have a bushel and a peck of patterned paper that I use all the time. I have a scrap basket that holds more than my entire inventory of product then. I have boxes and boxes of themed embellishments. I have punches for borders and scalloped circles and butterflies and all other manner of things. I have baskets and baskets and baskets and a large binder of stickers. I have buckets and buckets of diecuts. I have bins and bins and bins and bins of stamps. I have gobs of ribbon; and jars of buttons, flowers, tape and even a nice little stash of wood. I no longer depend on the photos to tell the story, I no longer try to use more than 1-3 photos on a layout, I rarely ever make a two-page layout and I have gone back to matting but not on cardstock. And over the past year, I have gotten back to loving scrapbooking more than I can ever remember loving it before.
And I also have about 35 lbs of colored cardstock... and no idea what to do with it.
It's strange that scrapbooking has taken such a dramatic road. That instead of adding to our supplies, we've surplanted them. While we use black, white and kraft cardstock (we would never have used kraft cardstock 14 years ago, yck!) because every page needs a foundation and most of us don't use patterned paper for that foundation on every layout, our use of colored cardstock lays untouched. We still must attach things to layouts, but when's the last time you picked up your eyelets? We loved mulberry paper... didn't we? When's the last time you tore some paper? What is your Glossy Accents doing besides gluing things down? Have you used a shaped cardstock or themed it up lately? Do you remember that you can still stamp with VersaInk and color it with chalk? Did you keep all those items? Or did you ditch them when the trend ended?
I kept everything... obviously. I like to think I'm not an on-trend scrapper; but that's obviously not the case. While I don't believe I need every new thing and that I'm perfectly happy scrapping with things that are 'so last season', the fact that all my layouts for the past year or so have been on patterned paper or black, white or kraft cardstock indicates that the trend has definitely crept in on me. I'm definitely not saying there's anything wrong with being trendy! Of course, we like the latest and greatest... that's why my love of wood veneer and washi tape sits only a few feet away from my mulberry paper. That's why manufacturers stay in business. That's what makes scrapping fun!!!
What I am saying is... what kind of scrapper are you? Are you a trendy scrapper who weeds out the old stuff when new stuff comes along? Or do you still have those items of yesteryear... those things that we couldn't have done without? Did you hang on to all of the things from a season, year or 5 years ago or just a certain something that you just hoped you'd find a use for later? And most importantly, what on earth do you plan to do with your colored cardstock!?!
Today, I don't only want to know what kind of scrapper you are, but what was your favorite (or least favorite) trends along your scrapping journey. And a little something different... a challenge: make a little something out of your older supplies. Whether the oldest you have is last season or 10 years ago, use it on a layout or even a card. Be brave. Post your photo (will it let you do that?) or a link with your comments. I can't wait to see what we dream up!
Stay Safe and Scrap On!!
and that's all she wrote.
P.S. This was supposed to be posted to the blog before my vacation photos were started, but somehow was left in 'draft' mode. I still really do want to know what you think of colored cardstock, etc.
"When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on Earth. So what the hell, leap!"
- Peter McWilliams
This blog is about my Life. It's about Scrapbooking because I think about it all the time. It's about movies because they are my second passion. It's about disabilities, living with four generations under one roof and all that other crap that just happens to us everyday.
such an interesting blog post I think I might have a long answer to this so maybe I should consider writing a blog post in response! I have not been scrapping as long as you but still seem to have collected a lot of stash over the years and initially I bought a lot of it in sales so i had a lot of older stuff. Currently I am loving certain products and always turn to them initially but I do try and use some older ones too.... will try and make a page mixing up the 2 (infact the last 2 I made had some old stuff!)I will let you know how I get on xxx
ReplyDeleteThe short answer here and then as furrypig said a blog post for sure with illustration. I remember tearing..........I was the champ! I loved that technique and oddly enough I have used that technique in the last year. I remember taking a class at my LSS (no longer in business) that used a beautiful floral paper and it tore the edge and inked. I thought it was the most beautiful layout I had ever seen. It was a Laura Ashley paper that was full of roses and I had oddly seen the pattern in stores on drapes, then it jogged my memory that I had seen it in the drapes at the small chapel my daughter got married at. So I used the paper to scrap my daughters wedding photos. It was stunning and I was off and running doing my thing tearing and inking. I still have my vintage photo ink pad too!! I have passed on my goodies....I gave away a cuttlebug and embossing folders along with a rubbermaid tote of goodies to my sister-in-law. She makes beautiful cards. When I came back to scrapping last year in the JSNED class by Shimelle, I had gotten rid of and purged a lot of stuff and was at the point that I knew that my tastes had changed and a lot of my supplies had to also. I still have some of the older things somewhere around here, I'll have to check.
ReplyDeleteYeah, definitely a blog post needed! =D I am for sure not a trendy scrapper. OK, maybe with the exceptions of washi and my beloved wood veneer. I buy paper because I like it, not because it has umbrellas (or whatever) on it and that's what everyone else is using this summer. I use stuff from three years ago because I STILL like it and I don't care that it's so last season. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I started, I was simply putting photos in a photo album--with no papers or embellishments. Half the photos have no explanations! (Who are these people?? What was I thinking on this one??) But 7 years ago I started working in a craft store and saw all this awesome SCRAPBOOK stuff and I was a goner. My style has definitely changed over the years. I love LOVE layers and sewing and embellishing and...all of it!!!! The internet and access to other crafters' creations and blogs has really changed how I approach scrapping, especially adding journaling.
*sigh* Great post. I will have to think some more and then scrap a page and add a link. :-)