Saturday, September 28, 2013

Picasso vs Da Vinci...

Honestly, while both are great artists in their way, I am a Da Vinci girl.  Some people love the free-flowing, disorderly-order to Picasso; but I love structure... straightforwardness.  And this obviously flows into my scrapbooking.  I have tried being a mixed-media, avant-garde artist type of scrapbooker and it just doesn't work for me.  I am a Craftsman.  The most free-flowing my layouts get are messy-stacks, bunches of embellishments, or rumpled edges.  I love things to be rather orderly... and it's starting to bother me.  I mean, really - there's only so much you can do with a 12x12 canvas while maintaining my orderliness.  So I'm somewhat worried that my layouts are becoming boring.

On the other hand, when I go through my albums to insert new layouts, I always view each layout from front to back (that's how so many end up changed!).  Also, usually when I start putting away layouts, I have a stack that will be divided throughout many albums.  So actually I get a chance to look at everything... how things have changed throughout the last year or so, as well as if I think the layouts become redundant.  And to tell the truth, they don't feel that way.  Each feels unique regardless of: whether the design is used several times; whether I use the same papers over and over; and, whether it's the same theme repeatedly (best friends, etc.).  I believe the reason all the layouts feel singular to me is that each has a different combination of supplies (even if I use flair/wood/tape repeatedly, it's different flair/wood/tape).  However, there are some things that I am trying to do less.  For instance, I love the look of mist splatter on a layout to lead the eye from corner to corner, but I don't want it on every.single.layout. that I create, so I'm trying to change up the way I use mists.  I love the flair/wood/tape combination, but I need to look at new ways to do that or at least break up the combo.

So it goes, that my scrapbooking has become less lately.  That even though I am having a lot of physical and mental stress issues, I think about scrapbooking all the time.  But when I do get a chance to sit down and do it, I just kind of look at the photos and papers and stuff... and say hmmmmm.  And I guess this is what a serious slump looks like... not only losing your mojo, but second-thinking your entire craftiness.

However, I have got a few layouts to share... we've had quite a lot happen lately (I have made up my mind to only scrap the good stuff - living the bad stuff is hard enough...maybe I'll scrap about it later).

(Bella Blvd Snapshots patterned papers & tape, American Crafts Thickers, Basic Gray chipboard, Doodlebug stickers, Freckled Fawn enamel dots; sequins.  Oh, and that flair is actually some button/pins that I picked up at Walgreens in the school aisle)

(Fancy Pants Trendsetter patterned and corrugated papers, stickers, flair; Glitz tape; MME enamel dots & brad; Simple stories letters and American Crafts Thickers; Doodlebug twine; Freckled Fawn paper clip; Spellbinder dies and EK Success punches; sequins.  Oh, that doily paper is actually Echo Park Beautiful Life.)

(Glitz & Simple Stories patterned paper; Echo Park journaling card; American Crafts Thickers; Doodlebug twine; sequins)

(Echo Park & Simple Stories patterned paper & journaling cards; Basic Grey & Amy Tangerine flair; Studio Calico brads, wood & mistable stars; Freckled Fawn enamel dots & paper clip; TapeWorx tape; EK Success punch)

(Basic Grey Mint Julep & Dear Lizzy patterned paper; Echo Park journaling cards; Glitz flair; Studio Calico wood; Dear Lizzy die cut; MME enamel dots; Simple Stories & Echo Park letter stickers; EK Success punch)

(Echo Park Here & Now patterned paper, stickers, diecuts, journaling cards; American Crafts Thickers;Studio Calico wood; Freckled Fawn enamel dots; EK Success punch)

And this is my experiment... hmmm.  I will say that I really like the brick tape that is the background for my stack.  And I really hate the striped tape, but can't get it off.  So there you have it - avant-garde really does not suit me.  But at least I tried.

(Glitz background paper and roller stamp; Dear Lizzy 6x6 paper; Crate Paper Pinwheel; Studio Calico cork; Prima wood; Dear Lizzy fabric sticker; October Afternoon letter stickers and American Crafts Thickers; MME stripe & Love My Tapes brick tape; Heidi Swapp mist; sequins.)

And so that's all I've gotten done in all this time.  Not much and most of it pretty common.  I'm just gonna say it for you - wow, do I love sequins or what?!!  Yes.... I really do - I'm just a shiny kind of gal.  But at least I mixed it up a bit.  I did notice that I have a tendency to mostly scrap my photos on the right side of the layout - another one of those things I need to change up.

Hope everyone is doing great.  I'd love some comments on how I can change it up a bit without going extreme... maybe it will help me find my scrappy groove.

Stay Safe and Scrap On!

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art." - Leonardo da Vinci



2 comments:

  1. I think your layouts are great and there is lots of different things in each of the ones I have seen. If you want to try something new why not try a challenge? I do challenges every week so I have to try some new things eg stamping on LO's or using sketches... it might not work for you but it may just give you a different sort of inspiration though personally I think your pages are fab!!

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  2. Ooo, I like Furrypig's idea of trying challenges! That's a GREAT idea!! A lot of the scrapbook/paper manufacturers have them on their blogs. *I* was going to say...I have no idea how to change things up without going EXTREME. Heh. But that's just the kind of scrapper I am!! =D

    And I also agree with Furrypig--your pages are fab! I'm loving the layers, as usual. You're like the queen of amazing layered goodness! Oh, and I totally love that avant-garde page!

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