If you are a scrapbooker, then you generally love patterned paper. If you love patterned paper, you likely acquire a lot of it. Sometimes, it comes in a kit or a collection. Maybe it might be a single sheet or a paper pad. Whatever form it comes in, you want to use it wisely. You cherish the patterns. Sometimes you hoard a particular sheet knowing that this is your one and only piece. When you finally make the choice to cut into that paper, you want to make sure it gets used wisely. The less scraps the better, but if there are scraps, you tuck them away for another time. ( It’s a lot like that book If You give a Mouse a Cookie, only in my version, it would be called If You Give Scrapbooker a Piece of Paper) Often, the scraps multiply and before you know it, you are left with an untidy pile of them. I try to use these scraps. I really do. I hate how much waste and clutter I end up with. I am always looking for ways to use my supplies better with less mess. Which leads me to today’s review.
Jennifer Priest invited me to try out her latest E-book called Scrap Free Scrapbooking ( Thank you for providing me with a copy, Jennifer!). It offers a system which will enable you to use ALL of a piece of paper with little ( and most often) no scraps left over. The idea was appealing to me. In my Budget Scrapbooking article series, I have done several layouts in which I use both sides of a 12×12 sheet of patterned paper on one layout. Jennifer’s system takes the concept several steps further than I have ever considered. Not only does it provide guidelines for cutting the paper, she also provides a series of sketches showing you how to easily assemble the paper for quick and easy layouts.
Here is how the Scrap Free Scrapbooking System works:
- Choose a Cutting Pattern based on the number of pages you want to create OR the number of papers you want to use.
- Cut the paper according to the pattern
- Assemble the layouts according to the sketch.
- Add your chosen photos and embellish the page.
Essentially, you are using a prescribed number of patterned paper sheets to create bases for a set number of pages. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this method. My initial reservations centered around the patterned paper. The first experiment was to work with a cutting pattern involving four sheets of paper. I wanted each layout to be distinct. The choice of paper had me stumped for awhile until I figured out an easy solution. As I worked, I came up with a plan which enabled me to get quite a lot of bang for my buck when it came to stash busting and creating quick layouts.
My tips for using Scrap Free Scrapbooking:
1. Begin by choosing a photo. That initial choice will lead you to determine the type of paper you should gravitate towards. I chose a photo of my son playing in the backyard. This led me to choose Basic Grey’s Hey Boy collection. I had my starting point.
2. Stick to one collection or kit so that all of the papers coordinate for you. Yes, I have said this before. It’s also recommended in the E-book. It really does save time since you don’t need to scrounge around your supplies. If you don’t buy kits or paper collections, try making a few of your own kits first. I chose older supplies from my stash. It was very rewarding to use paper that had been sitting around for so long in such an effective manner. I find myself more motivated than usual to reacquaint myself with older supplies.
3. Determine if the paper you chose is heavily themed or if you have some neutral patterns. Some paper is themed and there isn’t always an easy way to get away from that. If I had chosen Christmas themed paper, for example, I would most likely go in the direction of making four holiday layouts.
With my choice of the Basic Grey Paper, I realized that many of the B sides were neutral enough that I could vary my layouts to tell stories about more than just a little boy playing. Regardless of which route you choose, don’t feel as though all of the photos must come from the same time frame. Take the Christmas paper, for example. I could easily choose photos from four different years. Don’t force yourself into using photos from just one time frame. Jump around your photo files and have some fun!
4. The choice of motif and embellishments will make the most striking difference between each layout. Of the four layouts I created, two were about my son playing, one was about a first day of school and the fourth was a Halloween themed page about my son eating sour candy. I simply chose the embellishments that supplemented each of the stories with care. I am not going to share the full layouts right now, but you can get a peek at them from the graphic above. The motifs used range from monkeys and school supplies to an angry looking crow. As with any layout, use color, texture and theme/symbolism to support the story you want to tell. Adding in 1-2 additional colors to the palette will also change the look of each page drastically.
Once I got past the roadblock concerning the patterned paper choice, the creating was easy. I pride myself in being a fast scrapbooker. Using Scrap Free Scrapbooking made it even easier for me. I now have a few more ideas about cutting my patterned paper to produce less waste. I know that the primary focus of using this system is to best utilize your paper supply. However, I would highly suggest you to try it if you want to learn and practice how to scrapbook faster. Many of the patterns show you a basic page base design. While this book will not teach you the “why” of basic page design, it will help you recognize some of the building blocks should you wish to pursue more in depth learning about design principles.Regardless of your scrapbooking experience, Scrap Free Scrapbooking is perfect for anyone experiencing a loss of creative motivation. It guides you through the basic steps and narrows down the choices you have to make so that you can just enjoy creating a page.
Many of the scrapbook layouts made for Layout a Week utilize the Scrap Free Scrapbooking E book method. Check them out here.
Budget Scrapbooking with Double Sided Patterned Papers- Off to the Side
Budget Scrapbooking with Double Sided Papers, Part 2
