Why do you scrap the way you do ?

Todays topic will be a little all over…. The inspiration for todays blogpost comes from the Scrapgals Podcast and Taheera Atchia’s blogpost. (The last because she is such a wonderful writer)

I will start by asking - Why do you scrap the way you do. Have you always done it, what made you start scrapping that way ? What inspired you then and what inspired you now ? If you haven’t change style - why ?? Do you consider yourself trendy.? And now some thoughts from the Scrapgals podcast - they talked about scrappers quitting because of new trends, new styles and new products and they didn’t feel like that was them, they also talked about those scrappers who only scrapped at crops. I have met a lot of scrappers that only scrap during crops and for years I have seen they scrap exactly the same. I totally understand why their style didn’t change. For me scrapbooking is kind of doing sports - do develop skills/getter better/change perspective you need to practice. There are several ways of practicing. You can scrap regularly, you can attend classes, lots of crops, browse galleries - anyway you have to be actively looking around and scrapping more.

My scrapbook journey

I started scrapbooking in 2002/03. My goal was to scrapbook travels I did in 2001 in the US. I looked for inspirasjon, made folders and folders of layouts I wanted to do - but I only looked, I never really tried much for myself, I was to scared to do the wrong thing -so I have been where a lot of scrappers have been - I felt like a newbie for a long time. Then I started going to crops and I looked at how people who won the challenges at the crops did and I really started trying different things. First I really wanted to do the lots of flowers style - I still have tons of Prima and other flowers - which I never really got the hang of. I kind of gave up too early, maybe ?? But I think the reason that I didn’t feel like filling the page with flowers was that they style of papers that they scrappers using lots of scrappers had. I didn’t feel like using pale, distressed colors, and I couldn’t then find my niche using that style. Since I didn’t have so much practice I started very clean and simple instead - that felt easier. And from there my style has evolved. How has it evolved. I have been practicing - scrapping very often. I attended crops, challenges, forums and still searched for inspiration and ways to learn. I tried new product - both acrylic paint, mists and stencils. I just had one problem. I am a very messy scrapper. I just couldn’t keep my desk clean enough to spray the mist or using the acrylic paint.

Here is my use of mists in 2010

A year later  (2011) I found out that spraying mists were too messy so I started using stencils with distress ink. Very dry solution and still had the same effect. Adding layers. I felt that the clean and simple style - was just too clean and simple and the pictures didn’t really stand out.




By this I started getting better srapconfidence, I had won scrap-challenges I had started to apply for scrap teams. As you can see my photo editing skills were to sooo good, but

This layout is from 2012.  I had started doing more layers - not just distress inks, but also with stamps. AND I had added more layers. I felt I had found a little niche.



I still felt I had more to learn and when I saw that there were several scrappers doing this style and some even saying they were copying me for some reason I felt that I needed to find a new niche….. I wanted to learn more - I had seen scrappers using watercolors and that really inspired me.

What happened in 2013 ? I found clear gesso. I had tried normal gesso - leaving my pages somewhat yellow. So instead of just using distress ink, I added also a waterbrush + mists to my layers. I downgraded the contrast part of my style and the layers got simpler.





Then 2014. I got even bolder with the color products….






What was new in 2015 ? I downgraded the use of distress inks and stamping. but added drops of mists and started using other products. This time real watercolors - like Ecoline and Peerless paper. I even started using watercolor paper instead of Bazzill paper

In 2015 I also got the chance to be on some great design team which has really helped me in my process of being a more versatile scrapper. I have been forced (and really enjoyed) being challenged to do new things. This is the result of one of this assignments. For Bella Blvd. I have always had a problem with filling a whole page. Why ?? Because I have always felt that when filling the page with paper the picture sometimes isn’t the focal point - which is very important to me. This time I felt this page worked because I used a use picture and it’s not in the middle. I still did some “my style” using color products…..

Styles and trends

Enough about that. Now on to styles and trends. I do not feel like I am hopping on every trend. Well. I bought a Silhouette in 2009 (but haven’t upgraded to the Cameo….) The main reason I do trends is because I am on the design team for kit clubs which nowadays are on top of all new trends I get to try out trendy stuff. I am not “connected” enough to be on top of trends or start new trends - although I really enjoy when people are trying out the things I do.

The reason I share my backgrounds on my blog and Instagram is to inspire people to use more products like this - to see that it’s not super hard and it’s not very messy - otherwise I wouldn’t do it…. As shown in my little scrapbook history - my style have both changed - and stayed the same. After 6-7 years - I still prefer white backgrounds. I have tried using background paper - but then I have a hard time using color products. I have tried using gesso on scrapbook paper.

Mye style has stayed somewhat consistent because I made an active choice. I wanted to scrap in a popular style(well not popular locally - because I attended crops for years where I was the ONLY one scrapbooking with white cardstock…) I made the choice because I wanted to make design teams and for me it seems like a good choice of material - starting with something I was familiar with. White is a color I like to have around me. I like white furniture - all my walls in my home are white. I just feel my pics will be the focal point with a white background. This is just my opinion.

Colors

Like I have written earlier - I don’t consider myself an artist. I can’t draw/paint anything that resembles anything - but I still like colors. Now to my approach to colors. Another reason besides messing up my desk I that I feel that spraying mists get my page “dirty” I can’t get “clean” colors when I mist - the drops are both small, uncontrollable and is messy. This is my I prefer a waterbrush and just dropping the mists.

Here is an example of a background where I have ONLY dropped mists/color products. I have used a lot of different shades of colors/colors to make the background more interesting - when I don’t use stencils/mists.

Why I scrapbook 

Another thought about trends. I never did Letterpress, and now I can’t get myself to do planners - I am just too digital to go papers when it comes to planning. In my family were share a googlecalendar with different colors for each person that we can see on our phones and computers. I am just no good with papers….. WHICH is also one of the reasons I don’t scrapbook traditionally, I am not a memorykeeper, into documenting (and I am a historian by education..…….) That is not why I scrapbook ANYMORE - as stated earlier I started that way - but not anymore - now I am just into it to play with products. I may journal - but I don’t care if I don’t. I hate scrapbooking special events and I don’t do minialbums or PL. PL because it actually limits me with the pockets - the cards are always the wrong size/wrong way and I didn’t like the round edges.

Why I want to be on design teams 

Scrapbooking is expensive and I have realized that I just can't get the products I want here in Norwat so if I want to scrapbook with the products I like I have two choices. Try out for teams with the products I love or spend and obscene amount of money ordering stuff from the US - and where I like to order - they are often out of what I want... Being on design teams lets me scrapbook using things I like. So here is my reply to Taheeras blogpost. I don't care so much about compensation for design team work. I would instead have paid money to scrap with it, have I not been picked.  The other reason for wanting to be on teams - is that it's teams. I love communities (even though I am often a lurker - to shy to post a lot). I also looove to be challenged and try out new products.

I would love to read your thoughts - see the questions in the beginning....