Planning Layouts in Advance
A Strategy for Designing Page Themes Before Attending Crop Events
Scrapbooking crops allow artists large chunks of time to focus their attention on their craft without the distractions often found at home. Some scrapbookers enjoy creating elaborate pages while others may prefer to simply get albums completely as quickly as possible. No matter what the preference, following these suggestions on how to plan layouts in advance will help scrapbook artists make better use of crop time.
Deciding on Theme
Scrapbookers should begin the planning process by deciding which album she will be designing layouts for. Once that is decided it will be easier to choose the photos she'll use and decide on themes for the layouts. Knowing this ahead of time helps the scrapbooker know she does not need to bring photos unrelated to the main album theme which saves space.
Choose Paper to Compliment Photos
Once the scrapbooker has chosen the photos she will be working with, the next step is to choose papers that will compliment or highlight the photos. It is generally safe to choose at least one background paper and two or more complementing accent papers — depending upon the artists style — up to a maximum of six possible papers per double page spread.
Scale Down Embellishment Assortment
This part of the process can be easier than choosing papers since embellishments are often sold pre-packaged by theme. Knowing the theme ahead of time helps the artist automatically rule out embellishments that are not appropriate. Once the embellishments for each layout are chosen, they can be packed in a separate small craft bag and put aside to include with the layout.
Include Notes and Sketches
Each layout should include a sheet of paper that outlines notes or ideas the scrapbooker wants to experiment with. These notes could include time and place of the event depicted in the photos, thoughts on titles and quotes that could enhance the layout. The note sheet could also include a layout sketch which contains rough ideas on photo placement, titles, borders, embellishments and any background design.
Assemble Layout Packages
Once the theme, papers and embellishments have been chosen and note papers have been completed it is time to assemble the layout packages. A 12 x 12 archival safe accordion file would work well for this. Many scrapbooking and craft stores carry a variety of multi-project folders designed specifically for scrapbooking projects. The following checklist will help scrapbookers ensure their layout packages are complete.
Each package should contain;
- Photos specific to one single or double paged layout.
- 3 to 6 pieces of 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper (or whatever size the layouts will be).
- Theme related embellishments packed in one small craft bag.
- Layout sketch and note sheet.
These items are then clipped together tight enough to keep any items from getting lost yet loose enough that no indentations are left on the papers that are clipped. This is now one layout package. Each layout package is then placed into a larger project folder in whatever order the user prefers.
Creating layout packages is a great way for scrapbookers to streamline their packing process and save space at the same time. Scrapbook artists that plan layouts before attending crop events and workshops will find themselves with more time because they will spend less time hunting for supplies and making decisions. The extra time can then be devoted to journaling, enhancing layouts or experimenting with new techniques.
Organize Photos by Theme
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Include Sketches of Layouts
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