Alert the media: I created a scrapbook spread!
I've long been saying that I wanted to get back to my scrapbooking roots, but haven't actually acted on that in, oh, say a year or so. And even then? It was just a page here or there. I'm not about to proclaim I've got my scrapbooking groove back, but a two-page spread is a better start than I've had in several years!
I was browsing through my iPhoto thumbnails the other day when I came across this past year's Christmas card photo session of the boys. I must have taken 100+ pictures that day, trying to get just the right photo to mail out with the family holiday newsletter. Though only one photo makes the card, there were lots of shots that were cute and/or funny, and I was kind of sad that they weren't ever going to be seen or appreciated. So, I printed a bunch of them out at 2"x3" and decided the least I could do was scrapbook them.
As you can see, I'm a pretty clean and simple scrapbooker. I really like to let the photos shine as much as possible, and when you have this many in a spread, it's busy enough without a ton of embellishments. I'm also a big believer in the importance of journaling. Maybe because I have a big mouth and lots to say? Maybe. But also because I think it really adds so much to the story you're trying to tell with your pictures. Plus, it allows you to shape your family history. For example? I don't want my kids to just think of taking these photos as a tedious chore (which it is, when you're actually trying to get the photo made...) Instead, I wrote this down and hope they'll see themselves the way I see them:
Each year, the first step in getting the BHN prepared and out the door is taking a photo of the boys to accompany the newsletter. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, I want to make sure the image going out to all of our family and friends conveys Truman and Carter as they truly are: sweet, funny, adorable, loving, kind, mischievous, bright, and happy. That’s not so much to ask, is it?! Thus, we end up taking lots of shots in various settings in order to find the one that makes the grade. Here are a few outtakes from our 2009 BHN photo shoot. (Weds., Nov. 25, 2009)
Another personal rule with respect to journaling? I really think if at all possible it needs to be in one's own handwriting. Yeah, yeah... I can already hear you. "But I hate my handwriting!" I say: you need to get over that. Very few people are crazy about their own handwriting.
Indulge me in a little experiment, will you? Say you're looking around in your cookbooks or recipe box and you find a recipe card written in your dearly departed grandmother's spidery script. Are you critiquing her penmanship as your read it? Of course not. You're remembering how much you loved her, the smell of her chicken and dumplings boiling on the stove, and how safe and warm it felt at her house. When you see her handwriting, you hear her voice. Right? Well, that's what your children will feel when they see your handwriting.
I created the title with my Cricut (first time that thing has been played with in eons) using the Opposites Attract cartridge. Then, after framing all the pics like a photo contact sheet on white cardstock, I bordered them with Prisma Blush Red Dark. It was still a little bit too plain, so using the rule of 3's, I added three splashes of old olive: 1.) the wide rick rac (from one of Jody's ribbon shares) along the top of both pages; 2.) the frame for the journaling box; and 3.) the small stamped accent in the lower right hand corner.
The stamp is from the Photo Op! set from CHF's Rummage Bin line (was just looking for it to link it; I guess it's retired. Too bad, because it's a great set). It's popped up on Jody's foam boosters for a tiny bit of dimension.
See that shot above? It was actually my favorite from the whole photo session, but alas... Truman's hair was cropped out of the shot by accident. Wanna see the photo that actually made the cut? Good, because I always appreciate an opportunity to show off my cute boys...
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