My Scrapbook Evolution-Blog: LOAD213: What Weekend LOAD Looks Like

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

LOAD213: What Weekend LOAD Looks Like

I am almost at the halfway point of the Layout a Day Challenge. So far, so good. Some people would say they find it challenging to work on their layouts during the weekday. For me, it's far more challenging to work on the weekend. My husband is off work and we like to spend time as a family. Moments like that are what I am memory keeping for and I don't want to miss them. I had to find a way to fit my LOAD layout in during a typical family weekend.

Saturdays are usually full with some video gaming and island exploring. Last Saturday was no different, except for one little thing. Our family likes to record our favorite cartoons. During the time we usually watch them together, I slipped off to work on my layout. I felt this would work best for me so that I would be free to go out for the afternoon with my husband and son. I knew the cartoons would take approximately one hour for them to watch. Therefore, I had an hour to make a layout.

When you have an hour to work, you know immediately that you will not be doing a lot of techniques or using something that is messy. You need to make quick decisions and work without questioning your choices. My first choice was to reach for a page base. I had made the one shown here earlier in the week. It is comprised of scraps from my JBS Mercantile kit. It is both a time saver for me and an economical choice. I haven't wasted scraps. The scraps are not making a messy pile somewhere and now, when time is short, I have a layout started.

I have a variety of page bases started. Some involve messy techniques which take a lot of drying time or practice to perfect. I chose this one, because the colors and patterned paper style matched the photo. Saturday's LOAD213 prompt called for us to scrap something from childhood. I grew up in the 70's so brown and tan were often featured colors. Once I had the base, It was a quick matter to choose a few other page elements to match the patterned paper. I also chose to use my sewing machine. Stitching is nice, but when you are short on time, there is no way you can hand stitch easily on a layout. Having my machine plugged in and ready allows me to quickly add stitching to any layout in a short amount of time.

The photo is quite awful. It is however, the only one I currently have of my school recitals. My grandfather used to stand on the church pew and yell out words of encouragement during my class's performance So in a way, the perspective of this photo plays into the story.

The biggest challenge for me were the blue roses on the journal card. My intent was to add blue roses in clusters around the layout. I didn't have any in my supplies though. Given more time, I might have made my own. Instead, I used brown and cream flowers. Overall, the layout is not fancy, but it's not bad. The important thing is that I am happy to have documented this story and the photo.

Making a layout a day can be a challenge. However, if you learn to make quick choices and not second guess yourself, you can make a layout in a short span of time. Have tools at the ready to help you scrap when time is short. Pre-made page bases are a great time saver and are budget friendly. Consider making some out of the leftover scraps from your next layout.

P.S. Don't worry about the cartoons I missed. My son filled me in on the latest Green Lantern and Star Wars: the Clone Wars over lunch.