True To You

TRUE TO YOU...

have you ever created a layout where upon completing it you look at it and just feel like the colors don't fit the mood? or the embellishments are taking the attention from the photo? or do you ever just look at a page and think "wow, that's just not at all ME?!" i do. and when i do i can almost guarantee that it's a page that i overthought while creating it.

take, for instance, this layout i created using the may kit. i was excited about using this photo that was so slanted it could be scrapped both vertical and horizontal, i was excited to break out the new sandable green alphabet cardstock, and i hadn't used a bingo card on a layout in awhile and i really wanted to use one this month. the thing is, i try to go with my first instincts as far as color and design and when it comes to my scrapbooking, i try to get my pages finished in less than an hour. why? because i feel like if i'm taking more than that amount of time i am over-thinking it and forcing things that just don't "feel" right to me design-wise. as a result almost always end up with something that isn't me. i have learned over the years that very often it's those first instincts that i always go back to...no matter how hard i try to make something else work.

for me, staying true to my style is using lots of color, shades that fit the mood of the photos, a simplistic design and a few embellishments that add to the feel of the page without taking the focus off the photos. obviously, everyone's style is a little different (that's what makes art so fun!), and we all have a speed that works for us (i realize that an hour is way too long for some and unrealistically short for others), but it's important to stick to your own personal style.

and that is why i simplified my page, using the yellow cardstock that fits the warmth i feel when i look at this photo of my little family and that's design is smaller and more fitting for a multi photo layout. i also took off the bingo card, extra title and redid my journaling on the computer. the result is a layout that is much more cheryl and much less forced. i just wish i'd have gone with my first instincts...because if i had this layout would have been in my album days ago instead of sitting on my art desk screaming at me to tone it down and warm it up. :)

just remember, everyone else only sees our art for a day or 2 online, but we are the ones that will be looking at them for a lifetime...so stay true to you!

-cheryl
Thanks for the inspiration Cheryl!