Help needed

Sometimes it all comes by itself. But there are other, harder times when I need some help with getting started. Like when it comes to making a 12×12 layout. Making those is sort of really challenging to me. So I’m always on the lookout for a good design because that’s where I can learn something. This is what happened with the layout I’m about to show you. I had a vague idea, I wanted to make a layout about my 3 year old son. One day it just hit me that all the questions he’s asking evolve around the same ones we ask when we scrap: who ~ what ~ when ~ where ~ why. I was turning this idea in my head trying to figure out some details. I made many sketches but it still wasn’t good. I knew I wanted to have sort of a central panel with those questions but the rest was mystery. So I came here, to the DT’s gallery and browsed. And I saw this fabulous layout by Jing-Jing named “This is me”. And from this point on, all the things fall into place for my layout! I shifted the panel to the left, kept the picture in the same place as Jing-Jing, chosen to write  my journaling on strips. Here it is:

The journaling says: When one hears you ask all those questions, one could think that you know the essence of scrapbooking, namely the 5 w! But is this asking exercise (and for me sometimes the torture)  going to guarantee that you’ll become a scrapbooker in the future? I doubt that!

While working on this layout I encountered another problem, namely the five words on the central panel. How to make these? Use chipboard alphabet? But even though I have plenty of those, it would kill any of my sets because all those words start by a “wh”! That’s where the Summer Alpha stamp set came in VERY handy! And since it is an outline alphabet set, I could color the letters in with a white pencil! Under each word I printed the actual question my son asks: WHO ~ Who is it? WHAT ~ What is this man doing? WHEN ~ Are we going to grand-mother’s today? WHERE ~ Where’s Daddy?  WHY ~ Why?

At first, I wanted to place all the questions together, not separated by anything. The layout by Jing-Jing suggested something else. And in fact, I’m glad that the picture came before the last question because this question is the one I hear most often. And it will inevitably follow any answer I’ll give him! So the fact that it appears under the picture, puts an accent on it and makes it more important than all the others.

The last part was to add some embellishments. Jing-Jing used some stickers and many buttons. I kept some of those but thought I’d rather add some stamped embellies instead of stickers since my layout was already full of words. So I took out my favorite Funky Flowers stamp set, white embossed some of them, applied distress inks over these and cut them out to finally attach them with brads to my layout. And this is it!

Now it’s up to you! Whether you’re looking for an idea for a card, a layout, a little gift, come to the DT’s gallery and browse it! The inspiration there is overflowing! And I’m sure you’ll leave inspired and you’ll have no more difficulties scrapping!

Agata