As a former math teacher, it is hard to imagine that one of my God-given gifts is doing creative but easy scrapbook pages. But I swear, I am inspired so often with things to share with you and I do not believe it is coincidental that someone, like me, with a math brain can pop out so many scrapbook layout ideas!
I was moved by a recent sermon at church that mentioned how, when we are successful, to always be humble because without God’s hand in our lives nothing amazing can be accomplished. I remember one time at an advisor convention that I hold each winter for my team, saying that I often pray for my ideas. I pray for my ideas not just for me, but for YOU. That probably sounds so trivial but I do believe that scrapbooking is not just for fun! It is VERY FUN, for sure. And some of us are ADDICTS, for sure. (You know who you are!) But, it is so much more than that. It shares history from a perspective that is different than what you will get from the daily news. It teaches love and life lessons. It reminds us of blessings that we are surrounded with and builds self-esteem. Even in tragedy and hardship, our albums can be a source of comfort and a reminder that, despite the worst days, we are equipped to make it through. So if my ideas help you to impart these lessons to your families, it is worth my time to pray for the inspiration to EXCITE and MOTIVATE YOU to do a page spread! I hope today’s tips will indeed do just that!
It occurred to me at my last crop that there is one strategy that I use often to complete fast pages that I never thought of as a strategy until I realized how often I do it! This one, you will LOVE. Why? Because it will help you get TWO pages done in the same amount of time as it would to complete just one.
The idea is to be creative with one double-sided piece of designer print. I usually first cut off a scrap piece about 2 inches wide first. This piece, I typically do not use at all. Then, with the other larger piece, I divide down the middle in one or two places (to get two or three pieces). Then, I build these pieces on a sheet of cardstock. The piece that I cut off was strategic so that now when you are laying out your pieces, the cardstock will peak through in several spaces which makes the page look like you went through a lot of trouble, even though you didn’t!
Ideally, I will love BOTH sides of the designer paper together so that I can flip some of the cut pieces right-side-up, and others downward. My cuts can be made using a straight or decorative trimmer with a straight blade or any of our other decorative blades.
Sometimes, after I make my straight cuts, I also make elaborate borders quickly with a border maker cartridge or a border punch. (When using a border maker cartridge or border punch, pick one where the border does not fall off of the paper but instead stays on the paper. Ones you may want to try are picket fence, bridge, animal prints, or starry border maker cartridges, for example, or birthday cake, diamond arch, or fairgrounds border punches. You can see below the steps I have just described. The layout featured here uses the scallop blade on the straight trimmer, the decorative trimmer using the swell, and the birthday cake border punch.
Watch my video at the top of the blog to see this technique in action and maybe copy my idea for your first try. Then, try it a second time, thinking completely out of the box. Not sure you can do it on your own? Pick an old piece of double-sided paper that you have passed over and try it with that one. Don’t think about what will eventually go on top of it as far as embellishments, mats, or even photos. Just make a super pretty design out of your designer print. You can add border stickers or even an entire BORDER you have made and never used. The nice thing about this is you don’t need TWO borders, just ONE. After you love what you designed, cut it in half and place half on one piece of cardstock and the other on another piece of cardstock or directly onto your facing album pages. You can rotate your cardstock different ways to see what looks the best. Then, add your photos and mats and, of course, a journal box!
I hope you will run with this idea to get your pages done quickly and beautifully. Feel free to check out other page designs below, where I have made other double page spreads using this strategy.
If you like taking photos and helping others, NOW may be a great time to consider a home business with Creative Memories! Creative Memories comes out with so many new products this time of year and one thing our advisors have discovered during this pandemic is that MANY have started scrapbooking as a hobby and don’t mind ordering from our websites! I love that this is a business that really CAN be run from home, especially during these crazy times! Let me know if you want more info on this fun and uplifting business.
Thanks to those that have checked me out for the first time and also to my loyal peeps that keep coming back. You always make my day. Keep cropping!
Blessings,
Beckie Belote
