Hello... Mandy here.
I haven't done much scrapbooking in ages and I've missed it! I decided to kick-start my scrapping mojo with a sketch. Shimelle is doing a weekly sketch and I joined in with this one. Something I always love is an insight into how other people create (I'm nosey like that). I like a peek at the process other folks go through on their way to making something like a scrapbook layout..... so, (I'm hoping there's other nosey folks like me out there) here's a bit of a peek into the process I went through in making this layout.
The first thing I did was look on my PC hardrive for two portrait-orientated photos that I wanted to scrap. I do not scrap in order, put no pressure on myself to 'keep-up' and although I have 4 children I've rarely scrapped a Birthday. I chose these photos of Husb and I when we recently visited 'THE PUBLIC' Art Gallery in West Bromwich. I had taken tons of photos in the Gallery but for this LO needed to focus on one aspect of the visit. Well, my favourite part of the Art Gallery was the 'Yarn Storming' and bunting we saw there and that's what I decided the LO was going to be about.
I printed the photos at home, both on the same sheet of A4 glossy printer paper, with a 4mm (ish) white border around both. I do this a lot when printing at home because I hate matting photos and avoid it if I can help it.
Next, I take a good look at my photos. I look at the colours and shapes in the photos and very importantly the 'feel' or the 'atmosphere' of the photos. I know I've got on a pillar-box red coat on and that screams out as the colour to choose, BUT the LO was going to be about the knitted artwork I was looking at so pink and orange were my colours of choice. These photos had a 'creative' vibe and the day had been a child-free outing for us and had been a laugh so I also wanted the LO to be light-hearted and fun. With this in mind, I started rummaging around in my stash, yanking out stuff which fitted this brief (ish). There's also a strong horizontal stripe on the knitting so I was keeping my eyes open for stripes. Bunting-related stash was the other thing I fell upon and pulled out. I try not to pull out way too much because it can get overwhelming and give me a mind-freeze and I don't get anything done and just fiddle-about and move stuff about too much. AND I have to put it all away too.
Here's what I pulled out... Some older stash by 'Love elsie' called 'ZOE', the Basic Grey 'Green at Heart' Collection, Sassafras 'Mix Flag Banners' , October Afternoon 'Fly a Kite' journal cards, lace and some of my own embellies like crochet flowers, crochet trim and hand-sewn felt circles.
Next I went through the collections and chose the patterned papers I thought would work best to meet the brief and what I was trying to 'say' on the LO.
I laid papers under the photos and placed embellies next to the PP and photos and decided what I liked.
At this stage I am open to getting something else out if I think it would be totally brilliant but other than that I go with what's already out and don't let myself take too long. When I was a new scrapper (way back in 2005) I could spend d-a-y-s on this. But I simply don't let myself. The pink circles below were a crochet experiment which I really love but the photos had no circles in them only rectangles, stripes, triangles in the bunting and diagonal lines. Although the crochet embellie was the right colour and was 'fun' it was the wrong shape so I didn't go with that idea.
I love the 'elsie' epoxy stickers and took a few minutes to try out the epoxies over the top of some different crochet flowers I was considering using, but again I didn't spend too long on this.
Next I make the decision on what PP to use. I always remind myself that there are probably several good choices but NOW is the time to choose. I went with 'elsie' horizontal stripes, BG orange with spirals and BG pink with white flowers.
I consulted the sketch and made decisions on the width and length to cut the PP, then cut and glued it down...
I went for pink above orange PP because of the knitting in the photo. This sort of detail is not essential but I enjoy it! By this time I'd mentally chosen the embellies I wanted to use and the journalling card. It's only now in the process that I turn my attention to the title. I mulled over title ideas as I went along with this LO. Sometimes I have a title before I start but not this time. I decided 'gallery faves' was a fun way to say what the LO was about. Then I go to my box of title letters (read 'Thickers' here) with some raw chipboard in there too. I picked 3 choices and went with white foam 'Diaquiri' font. I always stick my title letters onto a see-through ruler and hold it over the LO in different places before I stick the letters down. I like to position the title carefully.
The sketch has a large circle on it which I decided would be one of my large crochet flowers. I attatched the flower and crochet trim with staples and glue dots. There wasn't much journalling needed but I cut out the pink/white logo words 'THE PUBLIC' from a brochure I brought home and glued it to the journalling card.
At this stage I take a good look at the LO and am looking for balance or anything obvious that's missing. I added an epoxy to the centre of the crochet flower and I decided I needed to put a bit of an 'orange something' at the top left of the LO. I have a McGill File tab 3" punch that I like to use...
Time to sew! I totally LOVE stitching on my pages and have to restrain myself. I don't worry about perfect lines etc and prefer it a bit messy.
Looking at the LO now (below) I can see that there's an epoxy sticker on the flower, an epoxy on the file tab and there should really be another one somewhere else on the LO.... BUT IT'S OK :)
Well done if you've read all the way to the end! I hope you've enjoyed a peek into the process I went through in making this LO from Shimelle's fab sketch.
Mandy
Great LO I love pink and orange together.
Thanks for sharing your creative process for putting it all together.
Posted by: Lynne V | March 11, 2011 at 07:11 AM
I like seeing how you decided which colours to put together, and what embellies to use. (I must be nosey too lol) Lovely layout. x
Posted by: Debbie Roberts | March 11, 2011 at 07:17 AM
As a fellow scrapbooker, it's been a fascinating read, seeing your process and thank-you for all the insights and why and how you made your choices. I can identify with the 'mind freeze' from too much choice! Love the bright creative vibrant feel you ended up with. :)
Posted by: alexa | March 11, 2011 at 12:24 PM
Great photos explaining all :)
Posted by: jayne | March 11, 2011 at 04:30 PM
Fascinating talk through, loved reading it; great zingy result.
E
xx
Posted by: Eleanor | March 11, 2011 at 08:10 PM
I just love this and I love the way you have yarn involved in the process, since yarn is about my favorite thing in the world!
Happy weekend,
Meredith
Posted by: Meredith | March 11, 2011 at 11:06 PM
Very good :)
Posted by: Mouse | March 13, 2011 at 01:09 PM