Looking back at your old yearbooks, photo albums and scrapbooks is amazing, isn’t it? Think about how much has changed! Look at all the “dated” things in the photos! Can you believe some of the outfits you wore? The hairstyles you had? Pretty unbelievable.
I feel the same way when I look at some of my first scrapbook pages. It’s hard to believe that when we first started making scrapbook layouts, we just randomly “floated” stickers and die cuts all over the place like they were confetti on every page. It’s also hard to believe that we ever dared to cut up our only copies of vintage photos before the days of digitally saving them first. But so were the days before the Internet or cell phones existed… no Pinterest, no Facebook groups, no Instagram, or YouTube, and no digital cameras, either.
Our world has changed so much! And so has our scrapbooking!
I have been scrapbooking since 1997, and I cannot believe how much I have grown and changed as an artist and as a person! Click on the video above to browse with me through some of the FIRST scrapbook layouts I ever made! They are unbelievable!
Just as one example, look at this double-page layout spread of my two separate trips to Disney:
Of course, when I see these scrapbook pages, I look at the photos first. And I remember things about the trip, and so on. But I ALSO look at my layouts. The pages are not “horrible”. I certainly would not re-make them. But, just look at how much different my scrapbooking is today!
Look at the structure of the pages, the way I round some corners and don’t round others. Look at how I outline-cut myself out. And, are THESE the best photos that represent the Disney trips? I doubt it… especially because that oval picture on the right is a ride none of us rode. It’s just a photo of the ride. Why?
And what was I trying to accomplish with my “wavy-line” journaling? It’s very hard to read, first of all. My use of color isn’t bad, but I could use a little contrast somewhere. My eyes get exhausted looking at this color the way I did it. And I am not sure why I cocked all the photos (plus my title) on diagonals. Why… just why?
Compare my early beginnings in the late 1990s to my style at the moment (2020):
Such a difference just in the “fundamentals” of scrapbooking!
Again, nothing is “wrong” with the Disney layout. It’s just a matter of practicing, growing and changing as an artist and as a person. And I would LOVE to share the things I have learned along this scrapbooking journey!
I plan to share my ultimate SCRAPBOOKING TIPS, TRICKS & IDEAS in a series I’m calling SCRAPBOOK TUTOR. The whole series will be found on the Sandpaper Road YouTube Channel. The goal is to help people see their scrapbooking in fresh, new ways and to help people gain more confidence in their own scrapbooking.
I plan to use my own early scrapbook layouts as teaching tools of how to improve, but I am also open to using some of your layouts, as well. This is NOT my chance to criticize, insult or ridicule your layouts. Instead, this is a chance to look at some REAL SCRAPBOOK LAYOUTS from REAL SCRAPBOOKERS and see if, together, we can learn to apply some proven “tricks of the trade”.
So, if you are interested in sharing your scrapbook layouts with Sandpaper Road in the hope it will be featured in the upcoming “Scrapbook Tutor” Series, please do the following:
- Post a clear photo of your scrapbook layout on your own Facebook or Instagram pages, or share your layout in a comment at the bottom of this blog post;
- When you post your scrapbook page, mention something about why you would like the layout to be featured on the “Scrapbook Tutor” Series;
- And, PLEASE make sure to TAG @sandpaperroad if you post your layout on Facebook or Instagram (I will not see it unless you tag @sandpaperroad).
*Also, if there are photos in the layout, please make sure to get permission from the individuals in the photos that those photos may be shown on the Sandpaper Road YouTube Channel.
*Sandpaper Road is not responsible for displaying a layout with photos if you did not receive permission from the individuals in the photos. You may cover their faces with a sticky note, if you wish.
LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!
So, let’s have some fun looking at our first layouts, making new scrapbook layouts, and learning along the way! Thanks for participating in this series! And, don’t forget to follow the Sandpaper Road blog so you never miss a dose of crafty inspiration!
