There are a unique set of dilemmas that most die hard scrapbookers can relate to, and you know who you are. Have you ever asked yourself one of the following questions:
Do I dress the kids (or myself!) to match that cute scrapbooking paper I just bought?
Should I take these photos horizontally, vertically or both ways?
How many posed photos can I take before my family revolts?
Should I hand the camera over and let someone else take the pictures of this outing/event?
I have asked myself all these and more, but that last question was a tough one for me. . . . Way back before cell phone cameras, when Dave had control of my DSLR camera (my prized possession) he would take so many scenic shots! I would give him such a (playfully) hard time about it. I wanted pictures of our adorable kids doing cute things, and he would be taking pictures of the animals at the zoo, or an amazing scenic shot of the beach. When I would say that those photos would most likely not make the cut and end up in the scrapbooks, he would counter back, "Then why do we visit all these places?" with his trademark smirky smile. He was right, of course, but I was definitely the one more focused on taking pictures that at least had him or the kids in it - even if they were down in a corner.
This great photo debate lasted our entire relationship. Dave had a great eye for catching small details and candid shots. When cell phone cameras came along, there were hundreds of photos on his phone of sunrises, sunsets and beautiful things that would catch his eye. After he died and I scrolled through them, every picture was precious and priceless! He taught me to step back and smell the roses - enjoy the pink streaks in the sky as the sun set, or the sheer power and strength of an exotic animal. And I like to think that I taught him, time with babies and toddlers goes fast, because for every amazing nature shot, there was a picture of the boys smiling with his handcuffs on them, or the three of them enjoying McDonald's, Caleb during therapy, or photos of me reading with Zach or doing schoolwork with Caleb.
No matter what the picture is, to the photographer it was important. All the pictures we take tell a story, and while it's true that they all don't end up in the scrapbook, I have learned to not only take the scenic shots, but to incorporate them into my layouts. So, this layout is an example of me growing a little in my craft, and remembering the sights and the time I slowed down to take these shots.
Scrapbooking Tips:
While we are on the topic of photography, there are certain pictures I try to take every time we visit a venue - a picture of the kids near the entrance that has some type of signage. This has been a huge help in my scrapbooking for three reasons. First, it saves me time having to remember where photos were taken. Second, many times these photos can be used for the title of my page. If my layout is busy with many photos or embellishments, I might trim that photo down and let it act as the title. Finally, if we visit the same place repeatedly over time, it is a great way to show the growth of my kids!
While looking for a sketch to work from, I chose this layout because it had a great design to showcase a full 12x12 inch sheet of paper. I thought this paper was absolutely adorable, but because of the print, it was hard to trim down and use in smaller sections. Here I trimmed a 2x12" strip to adhere to the right side of the layout, following sketch I was working off of. Whenever I have a sheet of paper that I want to use as a full sheet, I will look to create a backdrop like this.
For this layout I took some of my favorite animal shots and created a grid with these photos. I love using grids on these layouts because it requires very little thought or time. I trimmed them down to 3x3 inch squares, I laid them out with even margins, and adhered them to my page. I few embellishments placed around the layout completed the look. If I did not take the time to stitch a border on the patter paper, these pages would have taken about 10 minutes! That's part of the beauty of using a grid design.
My favorite element however is the title. The sticker sheet I that coordinated with this collection had the letters that spelled out "wildlife" and I was trying to think of a creative way to use it. Then I saw the picture on the right of Zach and Alyssia looking though the cutouts while Caleb looked on and the title just came to me - Don't Feed the Wildlife. I used foam adhesive to attach "wildlife" to help it stand out from the business of the pattern paper. Then I used Tiny Type Alphabet stickers to create the rest of the phrase.
Supplies Used:
Cardstock - Bazzill
Pattern Paper, animal and letter stickers - Doodlebug Designs, Inc.
Foam Adhesive - Dollar General
Embroidery Floss - DMC
Sketch by Allison Davis for Scrapbook Generation
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