I don't think I have ever looked forward to the kids going back to school more than I did in September of 2020! I'm one of those individuals who really loved school, and I think that while the boys don't always enjoy the work of school they love being there with friends, teachers and the extra curricular activities. But in September of 2020, going back to school was more than wearing a new outfit and grabbing your new backpack, but a sign that life was slowly returning back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though we would still have to mask up and the school year was going to be hybrid, we would be back in the classroom for two days a week.
I will be honest, I did enjoy having the kids home when the world was shut down. Having a homeschooling background, I didn't mind having to work the boys and we fell into a comfortable routine. I primarily worked one on one with Zach, and I unashamedly bribed him to read more. He had the time and a promise to keep him supplied in any books he would want!
Caleb and Alyssia plugged away at their studies and I loved hearing them on their virtual classes and getting a glimpse into the subjects they were studying. Zach and I always worked at the kitchen table while Alyssia rotated between her room and the dining room. Caleb set up camp at tge dining room table. It seemed like every hour a different kid would yell out, "I'm logging on!" as a signal to the rest of us to be quiet.
While I did not like the reason we were home, I made the most of the time to make memories and I will look back with a fondness and appreciation of the extra time I got to spend with them. However, we rejoiced when the world began opening up again! I see these photos as the beginning of a new normal in a post-pandemic school year.
Scrapbooking Tips
Thanks to a sketch and a 6x6 paper pad, this layout came together quicker than most. Seeing as most of the colors in the photos were more on the neutral side, I could pick my color pallet without fear of anything clashing. I decided on blue, green and yellow. The rainbow striped paper helped brighten up the layout even more!
What I had a lot of fun with was creating the embellishment clusters. Using scraps from the blue, green and yellow papers and then scraps from the same paper pad left over from other layouts, I punched different sized stars. I layered some of them and figured out which colors would go where. Then using stickers from other school collections I created my clusters.
As you can see from the diagram here, the clusters are arranged in a visual triangle which helps draw the viewer's eyes around the page.
I cut out my "Back to School" title using my Silhouette Cameo. There are so many back to school cut files, but what I really liked about this one was the large pencil as the yellow fit my color scheme.
I’ve kept my journaling very minimal. On repetitive layouts such as this one, where you are creating a new one each year, I simply put the date and which grades the boys were entering. The journaling box placed in the opposite corner from the title helps create balance.
Without the stitching, this layout probably took a half hour. I absolutely love when layouts come together this quickly!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock - American Crafts
Pattern Paper - Doodlebug Designs, Inc.
Title die cut - Hero Digital Arts Silhouette Design ID 65637
Stickers - Simple Stories, Doddlebug Designs, Inc
Embroidery Floss - DMC
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