Friday, February 7, 2014

Welcome!

Welcome to the Cropping Corner!  Yes...it's yet another scrapbooking blog, and while you might be saying "been there, done that" and think there is nothing new to be added to the plethora of scrapbooking things available on the internet, I'm going to beg to differ.


I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to scrapbook and so does my sister!  What better way to relive all the fabulous times in your life, remember the "good ol' days", cry about how fast your kids are growing up and in addition you get to play with paper, ribbon, buttons and all that other crap?  I'm not even sure which of those is really the defining reason for my love of this hobbie...but it might be the supplies, if I'm being totally honest.  You know that moment--you get a new paper crafting tool and you're so excited you want to kiss it and wrap it lovingly in a soft, cozy cloth to keep it safe... Okay...so maybe I go too far, but I have a hard time believing I'm alone!  And let's face it, scrapbooking is a lot more fun in a group.

So I've stalked my fair share of scrapbook blogs, pinned all kinds of pages to copy and printed a million sketches.  There are a million cute pages and tons of great ideas, but even through all of that I have found some things lacking, and that's what prompted the beginnings of a new idea.  And now here we are at the start of this new adventure.

So what might you find here that you can't find elsewhere?  Here's what I'm hoping to accomplish:

Double Page Layouts.  While there are a lot of really cute layouts to be found, I find that most of them are only one page.  Maybe this works for some, but it doesn't work for me most of the time.  I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've been able to fit my pictures on just one page.  That's not to take away from the really cute one-pagers...because they are dang cute!  I just need more space.  Maybe I just take too many pictures?  That leads me to the next one...

Lots of photos on pages!  My motto with the camera goes something like this--"If one picture is worth a thousand words, it's time for a novel!"  I was photo crazy back in the days before digital, so you can just imagine what the digital age has done to me.  I love the photos--and I've developed a new love for lots of candids because they really tell a different story than posed pictures.  I am not above trying to cram them all onto my pages either.  Isn't that really what the scrapbook is supposed to be about?

Highlighting the photos.  Don't get me wrong...I love embellishments.  Sometimes I have so many I wonder how I'm going to fit the pictures on, but at that point it's time to start eliminating.  Again, not to point fingers or anything, but have you ever looked at someone's page and said "wait...are there photos on there?" because they are hiding in a sea of embellishments?  I will admit that I have seen many of those pages.

A conservative use of paper and supplies.  Scrapbooking is an expensive hobbie...I like to make use of every single scrap.  It's amazing how far you can stretch your scrapbooking dollars when you learn how to conserve and make everything go farther.  I really don't want my pages to cost $10 per layout.  I think it's possible to do great layouts on a budget.

Instructions and information!  My very biggest pet peeve when it comes to looking at scrapping blogs is when I find a really great page and there is no information about the supplies used or instructions for how they did/made things.  I promise not to do this.

Inventive and creative ideas.  The funnest part about scrapbooking for me is being creative--  I don't really care if a page takes me mutiple days to finish, I just love that moment when the idea hits and I can start working!

So hopefully these are some good reasons for people to visit the blog...and keep coming back!  My sister and I are taking this on as a joint venture, so you'll hear from both of us.  When it comes to scrapbooking, sometimes we do things the same, but sometimes we are different.  Just the way it's supposed to be--every person creating according to their own tastes and whims.  It's the best thing about scrapbooking!

To kick things off, we are going to start by posting 30 layouts in 30 days--each day something new.  We'll pick from some of our favorites and hopefully someone, somewhere, will find some kind of personal inspiration in what we've done.  So come back tomorrow and let the fun begin!


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