5 Steps To Making The Perfect “About Me” Layout

As scrappers we (at some point) realize the absence of ourselves in all our photos and layouts. We are the memory keepers, the photo-takers, and the ones usually in charge of or volunteering at the activity or event. So finding someone to hand off the camera to can be the last thing on our minds. Besides that, we all have that little voice in our head that says, I'm not having the best hair day, or I will get some pictures taken after I lose just 5 more pounds, or the kids spilled (fill in the blank) on my blouse and I don't want a photo of that, or etc. But when it comes down to it, we can't be completely absent from this life, after all we are one of the most important people in it! So here are 5 simple tips to help ease us to the other side of the camera and onto the scrapbooking page...

1. Consider your audience

Get a photo of yourself that fits with the general vibe and tone of your event or activity. Don't try to look like a Disney princess if you are hosting the local crab feed, on a hike with your family, or camping with the kids' scout troop. The best About Me photos are fun and have a personal feel. And don't worry about the background, you can crop that out!

     

2. Tell your story

I find that photos that come from a bit above your head are always more flattering AND when the subject (you) is standing up straight with your head pointed ever so slightly downward (not enuf to make it look like you have 5 chins), eyes open, and a nice smile that isn't too big (because it can tend to look goofy). Try to be outside in the shade on a sunny day because natural light is the most flattering.



3. Keep it real
Remember this scrapbook layout is for the ages, but mostly i'ts for you. Give your About Me layout a fun feel. Ask yourself: who (am i or who am i with), what (am i doing or what do i like to do), where (am i or where do i like to be), when (am i happy, what day or month is it, what celebration or event is it), why (am i here at this event, why do i host or organize or join in), how (did this become part of my life).



4. Keep it consistent

This is a dedicated piece of scrapbook real estate that’s all about you. Make sure your About Me journaling expresses who you are as a person in an authentic way by including some of the hats you wear (mom, wife, sister, crafter, photographer, etc), some things you like and enjoy (cooking, sports, crafting, etc), a little known fact about you (born on superbowl sunday, collects unicorns, fosters puppies, etc), and something small about your location (born and bred in texas, loving life in the windy city, taking a daily bite out of the big apple). Getting a little personal in your journaling will help people relate to you. Your story is the thing that makes you special, and it's what your ancestors are going to want to know. Don’t forget to tell it!

5. Don’t overthink it

This is ultimately the most important step in writing your About Me.  So while it needs to be accurate, fit with your style, and serve a purpose, everyone out there knows that it’s impossible to sum yourself up in just a few words. When you relax, the words will come to you easier. Trust me.

Seven Creative Ways To Use Your Scrapping Supplies

We all have a stash of unused scrapping supplies, right?
Maybe yours is a hard drive full of files, somewhat forgotten. Or maybe you have shelves of physical product, just begging for some attention!
No sense in wasting perfectly good products you spent your hard earned money on when you could turn them into gorgeous creative works of art, right? Right! Let's try these 7 creative ways to tackle your backlog of scrapping supplies...

1. Take The Challenge

Find a scrapping challenge that inspires you. The whole point of a challenge is to challenge yourself, so take it just one step further and use it as a way to use some older product! Check out these inspiring challenges to get your creative juices flowing! Be sure to check out how other people are fulfilling the challenge, sometimes their ideas and layouts are just as inspiring as the challenge itself! Below you will see a desktop challenge I participated in...

2. The Old & The New

Try combining older element packs, alphas, or paper packs with new products or vice versa. Take a gorgeous new kit you've just purchased and add in some older brushes or clipping masks you have yet to use. This is especially helpful when using really old products that are no longer the latest trend.

Here’s a recent layout I did with an older product...

And here is one where I combined new elements with an older kit:



3. Hit The Shops and Forums

Look for inspiration in others’ layouts that have already used the products you have just sitting around. Seeing the product in action could give you the added boost of inspiration you have been needing. Oftentimes, a product page in a shop will show several CT layouts. If there aren't any there, check out the gallery to see how other people are using the same kit you have but haven't used yet. 

Sometimes you will see a layout you love that doesn't use the same kit, but you can use it as inspiration, like sort of a template, to get yourself a very similar look (be sure to give credit to the person whose ideas you are using.)

4. Broaden Your Horizons

Create something besides a layout. Make yourself a new signature for the forums, a new timeline cover for Facebook, or a new background for your computer. For paper scrapping try a new quote for your desk, a frame make-over for a favorite photo, or a card for a friend/relative.

I made this forum siggy with a kit I've had for ages but have never scrapped with. I made myself a signature that I knew would inspire me, and it has become my most favorite siggy!


5. Go Hybrid

Use your backlog of products to create a hybrid item. Find an inspiring quote in a kit and make a poster for your wall. Print out a card to tell someone you are thinking about them. Print out your favorite paper and make a banner, pinwheel, or tag. Who doesn't love seeing gorgeous digital products printed out and in use?For paper scrapping, try printing out your favorite quote onto your scrapbooking paper, or type up your journaling and print it out for use on a layout, or print out a few sentiments you can use later for card making! 

6. Cover It Up

Whenever I am ready to print a new scrapbook album, I find an unused kit to make the cover. I find that it’s a great way to use up those fabulous products for which I haven't found the right layout yet. The kits that I have just sitting around are usually products I loved, but had no layouts in mind yet, so, using it on a cover is a great way to feature a kit you really loved.Sometimes, if I love the paper too much to cut it up, I will frame it and hang it up so I can smile each time I walk by it. :)


                             photo courtesy of endlesscrafting


7. Make A List & Check It TwiceKeep a list of what you haven't used yet! I am a natural list maker, and I just love checking an item off my list. There’s something satisfying about crossing off an item knowing the product is no longer sitting there, unused. Hopefully, I've inspired you with a few ideas on how to use that backlog of product! If you use any of these ideas, I’d love to see what you create. Feel free to post a link in the comments.Article idea by M.F. with edits and revisions and photos by ABCreations.

How to Get MOTIVATED!!!

Are you in a designing rut or slump? Are you having trouble motivating yourself? Do you feel like all your ideas just got up and ran away? Well, get ready to get excited again!!! Here are four great ways to bring back your mojo!

1. Check Out The Gallery

First, look at some inspiring layouts! Chances are, perusing others’ creative layouts will help boost your creativity and inspire you. Leave a comment for the really awesome layouts you see, they creator will be tickled pink when they open their email and see they have a nice comment. Doing nice things for others helps us feel good, and that's always good for our creativity!

A quick look at the W4E gallery has me amazed at some of layouts that totally jump out at me and make me want to scrap my own RIGHT NOW!

This first layout is by ChinaDoll. Reading her childhood memory really tugged at my heart strings. She is so specific with such basic everyday moments that I can see her as a little girl peeking thru the cracks. What a great idea to share a memory that so many generations to come will appreciate!



And I love this page by WtaDolly. The clustering is gorgeous, and the red with subtle hints of blue, yellow, and green really make the photo pop! There is something intriguing about the off-centered papers too and how they are stacked together, it really catches my eye. The shadowing on this layout is exquisite.



Beautiful layouts like these always motivate me into action. So hit the gallery!

2. Take Baby Steps

Secondly, give yourself just a little push. I usually motivate myself by merely choosing the photo(s) I want to scrap, and then picking a kit with a similar theme or palette. Nothing crazy, just a baby step.

This small step lets you see what you have to work with, and you’re not obligated to do any more than that for now. But often it’s just enough progress to get you wanting to do just a little more. And then a little more...

Here is an example by ChinaDoll of how to take it one baby step at a time. You've got the photos and the kit you chose earlier, now pick out some of the papers you like from the kit...


Then add those photos...


Tell a little bit about what is going on, even if its just the date or a location...


Lastly, take a step back and see what else you might like to add. Think about what elements are your favorites in the kit you chose. Or look at the photos and see if anything in the background has a related item in the kit...


After a few baby steps, you might be jazzed enough to keep going immediately, maybe not. Either way, eventually you will move on to the next stage.

3. Get Inspired By Your Journaling Potential

Another great motivational tip is to read through some journal prompts! There are a ton of them in the challenge area HERE. Maybe you just need a little push on what to journal about? Think about easy, new, and fun ways to get journaling done: make a top 10 list, or a grocery list, or a TO DO list, or a What We Did Today list; ask someone a few questions and write down what they say (try asking Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How); have a child in your life tell a story and write it down, or write down some of the goofy and hilarious things kids say and use that; email or text your friend a photo and when they ask you to tell them about it, use whatever you said in your reply as your journaling, use some of that twitter feed; or one of your facebook status updates; use a fill-in-the-blank message; or maybe just use a quote! Get creative and try using some journaling cards, postcard backs, tags, or cards.

I asked my kiddos what their favorite part of our recent family camping trip was and wrote down what they said...

  


4. Try a Challenge, Bingo, or a Speed/Slow Scrap

Sometimes to get out of that rut, we need to branch out of our comfort zones and try something new. Have you ever participated in a challenge? There are so many of them, you are bound to find one that you like, plus you get a prize for participating, so go for it! Have you ever tried digital Bingo? Even if you lose you win because everyone wins a prize just for participating! And if you've never done a Speed/Slow Scrap then you are in for a real treat! It's a ton of fun, and you guessed it, prizes for all participants!



Hopefully these ideas will help get you out of that rut! Take advantage or one or all of these tips and get started on your layouts right now! You can do it!! Happy scrapping!!!