Hi, I’m Amy. This is my first week of Write. Click. Scrapbook. blog hosting duty and can I just say: I’m really excited! I’ve been scrapping forever, since back in the pre-historic days when there were two lines of patterned paper (remember the Paper Patch?) and fifteen colors of cardstock and if you wanted a die cut letter or shape you went to your local scrapbook store and cut it. Dinosaurs didn’t quite walk the earth, but they were only recently extinct! After all those years of scrapping, though, I still love it. Having the opportunity to write about and discuss scrapping with other like-minded people makes me just as happy as having a personal die cutting machine.
So! On to this week's topic: the LRN layout. (Acronym explained shortly!)
Some scrappers scrap chronologically; some scrap by what inspires them next, or by theme or mini album or vacation. I've tried almost every approach you can imagine, and have come to my own hodge-podged together method that's sort-of chronological and sort-of thematic and sort-of inspiration. The LRN layout fits into all of those approaches.
In fact, the LRN layout is my favorite page concept. It stands for “Life Right Now.” It’s pretty self-explanatory: it's a layout that documents something about your life, or your subject's life, right at this moment. They’re my favorite because they capture things that I would otherwise forget. Even though they might have seemed trivial or even unforgettable at the time, the details in LRN layouts are priceless. And that's what I'll be writing about this week: ways you can document what's going on in your life. Right now!
1. Choose your subject. Of course, it could be your kids or your pets. You could also take it in a different direction—your house, your backyard, your car. Or, you could make a LRN layout about yourself!
2. Find or take some photos. Quite often, when the urge to make a LRN layout strikes, I do a quick photoshoot with my kids, with the express purpose of making the layout. I don’t usually make this photo shoot too big of a deal—no new clothes or haircuts before the pictures. Just some cute, well-light photos are all I need. But there have been plenty of times when I've just downloaded some photos and one caught my eye, and then I'll neeeeeed to make a LRN layout.
3. Write a list of things you want to remember, specific things that relate to your life, or your subject’s, right now. Your goal is to get down the little tidbits that might otherwise forget. Some ideas to get you started:
* favorites (foods, of course, but what about a favorite outfit? pair of shoes? hairstyle? even something like toothpaste, lotion, or chapstick flavor?)
* quirky personality traits
* schedule
* goals being worked on
* experiences you’re looking forward to
* seasonal-related items
* saving money for...
* currently obsessed with...
* titles in your to-read pile
* something new—a nickname, a behavior, a knowledge or ability
4. Now, make a layout!
Here are a couple of ideas:
Did you see what Candice did there? She scrapped about herself! A LRN layout is a great option for scrapping about yourself because they generally come together really quickly.
One more layout from Candice. I think this one is just perfect. She gets those sweet details down and combines them with a cute photo and some fun accents. Voila—a great LRN layout!
Another tip for writing lists: try to start each one with the same word form (noun, verb, adjective). Here, each item on the list starts with an -ing verb, so I carried that through to the title:
Tomorrow, there will be a bonus download! But, before then, leave me a comment so I can get to know you better. What is your favorite part of your life right now? (Mine: I had an ah-ha moment a few weeks ago and suddenly I am finding a bunch of time to spend on crafting and reading.)
See you tomorrow!
