by Ethan Johnson
January 7, 2008

I didn't list this as a goal for 2008 explicitly, but somewhere in my head I was intending to "scrapbook more" throughout the coming year. Yeah, about that. I kinda meant "2 layouts a month" or something. Instead, I got sucked into the LOAD Challenge at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The objective is to create one layout per day through the month of January. Since I can barely pat my butt with both hands scrapbooking-style as it is, this was quite a bit to take on "cold". Nevertheless, Mar and I constantly refer to the scrapbooking side of our craft room as the "embarrassment of riches". It's time to attack the stash and see what I can come up with. Maybe even use some of the Neat Stuff we've socked away. These are the first 7 layouts (out of 31).

Day One: ...Us

I whipped this up pretty much out of the blue. I signed up for the challenge fairly late in the day (as challenges go), and in order to be eligible for all of the prizes that are on offer, one must upload one layout per day. No uploading 31 layouts on the 31st, in other words. I went with simple and sweet, even if it is yet another layout dedicated to my oldest dog.

Day Two: Word Abuse

The problem with this challenge, for me, is thinking up layouts in time for the daily deadline. Life must go on as well, so squeezing in creative time is a challenge unto itself. I gave myself permission to "be bad" with this layout. The layered patterned paper and circle punch trick didn't come off like I had hoped, but so what. I've never tried that technique before, and I can look back and groan over this when I get better at it.

Day Three: Ho ho... HURRY!

On the up side, it's possible to work on projects in the "to do" pile and reap a dual benefit: The "to do" project moves to the "done" pile, and the daily challenge requirement is met. This is a layout that was in the talk stage prior to the challenge, and it came together fairly quickly as a result. I kinda wish I had Christmas-y doo-dads to adorn the page with, but it'll do, it'll do.

Day Four: LOAD Cover Page

When in doubt... scraplift! Idan Asinely posted this fantastic idea some months ago, and I filed it in the back of my mind for eventual retrieval. The time came to borrow it. I had some spare decorative frames kicking around, plus some photos that I wasn't able to use for other projects, but wanted to, so they found a home here. I suspect this idea will be scraplifted a few more times in the course of this challenge (not by me).

Day Five: Origin

When in doubt... do an homage! I gave away my first-ever stand alone scrapbook-style page as a gift, and only retained some blurry photos of it. So I embraced the blur, tossed together some paper elements, and made some art. Spiffy.

Day Six: 7 Things

I had some more random photos kicking around, and I wanted to use them in a layout somehow. So I made a "7 things" layout and managed to use some techniques I would normally avoid. I used a piece of paper towel to paint the 7, which smudged the paper, which in turn was smudged some more to give the impression that it was done intentionally. Due to size reduction, here is the list in order: Our family, autumn leaves, front row seats for FC Dallas games, new shoes, chicken fried steak @ Babe's, sitting by the fire on a cold winter night, mountains. Rub-ons are annoying to work with. FYI only.

Day Seven: Hooray Danny's Here!

I try to be sneaky with the camera, but a fine line has to be drawn somewhere between treating family members like they're being stalked by paparazzi and missing prime photo moments. I snap photos quickly, and once I am satisfied that they won't be complete wastes of hard drive space, I turn off the camera and carry on this business of living. Danny (my brother in law) was a dog magnet this past weekend, and Rocky getting up in his face was priceless. The dogs are completely deflated today now that he's gone. So sad.

Lessons learned:

• I can do this!
• Give yourself permission to be bad. Everyone starts somewhere. One of my former neighbors got his first drum set in his teens, and he sounded like a herd of buffalo falling down the stairs. I saw his band play years later, and he did amazing stuff on the drums. I remember when he, uh, stunk, but the crowd doesn't. The "Wow" of tomorrow started out as the "bleah" of today.
• A potentially time-consuming challenge like this one can force you into "the box". Meaning, you feel like you had better make something, so out come the same old sketches and templates, or you reach for the comfortable stuff and make the same old stuff with a different title every day. It's more fun (and challenging) to find ways to stretch your abilities - even if the end result is "bad" - and ultimately surprise yourself with your creativity and/or resourcefulness. I'm learning how to carry unused elements from one project into another one, or re-use scraps of patterned paper until it's gone.
• Nearly ANYTHING can serve as the foundation of a scrapbook-style layout. The "word abuse" layout above was inspired by a phone conversation that same day. The private gallery where these layouts are posted normally is chock full of amazing topics and artistic decisions. If you're not sure what you would make scrapbook-style pages about, why not capture some of the things that you like things that annoy you, and so on? It gives insight to others about you, and also serves as an opportunity for later reflection on the person you were, as opposed to who you are now. Just a thought.
• Make art. Don't fret over masterpieces or what isn't good enough. Just enjoy the opportunity to explore your creativity.

Onward to week two! <EM>

(Want more scrapbooking articles? The full list may be found here.)