Is there a product you can’t resist? Something you buy whether it’s on
sale or not. Something that makes you smile whenever you cross its
path. Something that’s demanded its own container in your scrapbooking
space.
For me, it’s the little man and woman icons—“potty people,” as we call
them here at the office—that are popping up on all kinds of
scrapbooking products. Thanks to creative editor Wendy Smedley,
I’ve built up quite a collection (check it out below). But, sadly, I
haven’t yet put that collection to good use on a page or a project.
Has that ever happened to you? You love something so much that you
dread the idea of using it up. Well, today I resolve to change my ways.
This weekend, I promise to make something adorable with my potty
people, something I’ll love even more than the accents themselves. And
I expect all of you to hold me accountable.
I also challenge you to accept my resolution as your own. Pick a
product from your stash—one you’ve fallen in love with and one you’ve
been afraid to use—and use it to create something you’ll love even more.
Okay, here it is: my first attempt to use "potty people" on a page.
What do you think? I have to confess that this page is a new favorite.
It’s not perfect, but it says just what I wanted it to say, it uses all
of my favorite colors, and it proves that I can step out of my
designing comfort zone.
To get started, I borrowed inspiration for this page from the cover of our March/April 2007 issue, an adorable layout by Tina Cockburn.
Don’t see the resemblance? Here’s what inspired me: (1) the block of
patterned paper around the photo, (2) the scalloped border, (3) the
grouping of buttons, and (4) the staples around the metal frame. Isn’t
it wonderful how a few bits of inspiration can produce a totally
different page?
Since I had already resolved to step out of my comfort zone on this
page, I took the challenge to heart and tried a few other things I've
never tried before:
1. I put away my ruler. I'm usually a measure-every-last-little-thing
kind of girl. But on this layout, I deliberately put my need for
perfection aside. I positioned my patterned paper background off-center
on my cardstock, and I didn’t line up the tops of my journaling block
and my photo. I just kind of eyeballed everything and tried not to fuss
too much. Totally liberating!
2. I used accents. Sounds silly, I know, but sometimes I have a hard
time using little embellishments. I have a ton of them, but I don’t
always know what to do with them. On this layout, I deliberately dug
into my stash and pulled out a few little pieces to complement my theme.
3. I kept my journaling short. Because I want all of my pages to
preserve meaningful memories, I spend a lot of time worrying about what
I will say. Sometimes worrying about the words paralyzes me. This time
I focused on one little phrase that Will and I used when we started
dating: “you stole my oxygen,” uttered after every yawn. This seemed
like the perfect phrase to celebrate our five years of marriage.
