I can't seem to find my mojo lately when it comes to making layouts. Honestly, it's not that I don't feel creative - I do! It's not that I don't have products to create with - I do! I think it is more that I have lost my confidence. I spend time each day looking at the Studio Calico gallery and I feel like my ability to create pages that are hip and trendy isn't there. I feel like I'm just not good enough anymore. Do you ever feel like that when looking at all the talent out there?
I decided I would go back through some of my older layouts to see why I ever thought I was a good scrapper. Or at least Creating Keepsakes seemed to like my work for years. I obviously must have done something right! And I realized through this process that I really do like a lot of the work I've done - much of it long ago. Not because my pages were trendy or hip, but because they told a story. My pages used to have a lot more journaling and photos than pages do today. CK really emphasized that - double page layouts and multiphoto layouts. So maybe my style hasn't evolved as much as I want it to over they years, but these pages still mean a lot to me!
After spending time looking through all my old layouts, I thought it would be fun to share some of them. So here is a little trip down memory lane (get it - heheeee). Click on the images to see them larger and read the journaling if you are interested.
I made this layout for Creating Keepsakes, but I can't remember what the assignment was. It was made soon after I found out about having a brain tumor, thus the changed perspective on life. I just reread this journaling for the first time in years and I AM SO GLAD I WROTE THIS! I had forgotten these feelings. I had the surgery two years ago and I didn't remember how I felt when this journey all started. What a treasure to have this - this is what scrapbooking SHOULD be about - documenting our stories! In this case, documenting the lessons we learn in life as we go through challenges.
This layout was made for the HOF contest the year I won - the last time the contest was held and they moved to a Dream Team at Creating Keepsakes. I remember when I won as a runner up the year before, April was also a runner up and we were on a message board together. She started Studio Calico that year! After entering the contest five times, I was very happy to finally win in 2007 or 2008 - can't remember! I love the theme of this layout as I have often gone through things in life that have taken the color out of my world. Again, I love that I documented this story and showed the photos of things that make me happy going from black and white to color. It's a great visual demonstration of how I have felt through dark times coming back into the light.
This layout was made for an assignment from CK while I was on the Dream Team. I remember there were questions we had to answer in the journaling to tell our children a story about us before they came along. I loved this assignment as I didn't often scrap about myself. I wrote it to my daughter Sophie since she had taken these pictures of me at the park.
This layout is REALLY dated - haha! I made this one in 2006. But again, it really does tell a story that I'm so glad it captured. And it has a lot of photos on it. Dang, I miss the days of scrapbooking this way. I wish I had known to take photos of layouts in the shade back then though - I'm much too lazy to rephotograph these! So ten years later, do I still have NO REGRETS?!?!?! Yep, 16 years of marriage and we are still going strong! Maybe I should make another layout on this subject ....
Rereading this layout's journaling just made me cry again. I am so glad to have this treasure! Again, I had an assignment from CK to do hidden journaling on a layout. I came up with this flap design. I have never scrapped my childhood or anything about my birth mom, so this was a very private and precious story to me. I'm still surprised I shared it and here I am sharing it again! It really makes me realize how important it is to document these stories!
I made this layout back in 2005 - 10 years ago - for a contest at scrapbook.com. I won that contest and I think the prize was $1,000 worth of products. There were great contests back then! Now, it isn't much to look at compared to today's standards, but I do appreciate having the journaling documented. Again, it is about the photos and journaling and the story rather than just a pretty page and artistic creation!
I have so many more I could share, but I don't want bore anyone - I think I have made my point! At least I've made it to myself. I often don't scrap because I want to have pages that reflect the current style of scrapbooking and I want them to be a creative outlet for me and be all artistic and pretty to look at. But in this quest, I often forget to tell the stories. I focus on the decorations more than the photos I use or the journaling I write. I'm going to work on getting back to telling my families stories through scrapbooking and worry a little less about pleasing others! I hope this gets me to actually scrapbook again! Have a great weekend! suzy
Wow, these are amazing! I love looking back through old layouts when the kids were babies because time flies and they grow up so fast! The journaling is priceless, the feelings from a certain time are sometimes forgotten or changed as we move on in life. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a fabulous weekend!!
Posted by: Leanne in CA | October 03, 2014 at 02:58 PM
Love this Suzy :)
Posted by: Pamela B | October 03, 2014 at 05:58 PM
These are wonderful, suzy! Thank you so much for sharing them. :) I honestly don't see the point of making layouts that don't really tell a story (in a way that will still communicate that story to you and others years down the line). Sure, one can make beautiful pages with random selfies and no journalling, but what's the point?? It's just product on a page. I probably sound harsh... I don't mean to. I love looking at those pretty pages, but to me it's important to stay true my *purpose* in scrapbooking, which is recording memories and telling my family's story. I enjoy finding fresh, modern, and beautiful ways to do that. :) Your older layouts are really inspiring to me and so are your words. Don't let yourself ever feel like you can't keep up or like you're not good enough!! Just keep doing your thing! :)
Posted by: jasmine | October 03, 2014 at 11:19 PM
I've always loved your work, the colors and fun that just radiate are wonderful. I can still spy your work and still love it. I ALWAYS tell the story when I scrap, course ater looking at yours maybe I should tell a little bit more, lol. I figure that I am happy with my scrapping and my kids love it, so that's what matters, plus it refreshes me!
Posted by: Wendy Antenucci | October 04, 2014 at 07:39 AM