One more sleep

Before Calvinball starts over at Get It Scrapped. I made a start last year and then I think life happened and I ran out of energy but this year I am determined to make a start and to see the month through. I have set a goal for myself to get 50 layouts done and I will keep a tally of bonus points - for things like commenting on fellow Calvinball layouts and using new products and the colour green or whatever bonus points are given as the game evolves.

Pre-game show in the forum.

Calvinball podcast at DigitalHQ.

Calvinball the rules

DigiscrapGeek podcast with Debbie Hodge and the Calvinball preppers.

It is really so much fun hanging out at Get It Scrapped, not only do we all have a little bit of Debbie hero worship going on, not only can we all testify how awesome Debbie is and her team of fabulously inspiring teachers that teach us new and exciting ways to get our stories told and photos downloaded and organised and then scrapped in our very own style, with some idea of tension and flow while appreciating our very own process - what we love and what we hate and how to speed up the way we do things, to get more done.

If I compare a layout of mine from a year ago:

Then: I almost always started with a template, the titles were important and I liked pairing an alpha with a font. I struggled to add patterned papers to my layouts and my clusters were a little all over the place.

My more recent layouts have started with the photos, I try to make a hierarchy by playing with the sizes of the photos so you know which is the focal photo. Or the most important one is top right with a cluster that introduces the eye into the page. I always add an inner stroke now and then I love creating diagonal flow either with paint or sprinkles from the top left to bottom right. I like having three clusters, using colour to create visual triangles. My journaling is usually a typewriter font - another typewriter being my "go to" choice.

I still love multi-photo layouts with a grid or blocked foundation. I add buttons or stitching for visual attachments and as a finishing touch love to add that special dimensional bow or stringy item.

I still prefer using one kit and not choosing bits and bobs from different designers does cut down on my choices and make the scrapping happen faster. I don;t always have a title and am adding more journal cards into the layouts.

Most of my photos come from the Samsung Galaxy S4 that I love. A few from the Nikon DSLR.

I mix event type photos with everyday snapshots. As the children get older so it is more difficult because many of  the stories I have are not mine to share and broadcast on the internet so my layouts have become slightly more generic with the heart stuff being only for the layouts printed in albums at home.

 Calvinball, who is going to join me?