Today is my last day to host Spring Cross-Training here at Write.Click.Scrapbook. Have you had fun? I have, and even though I won't be here tomorrow there are still a few more days to go and we have more work to do - no slacking-off on my watch! Let's get to it!
As I confessed to you yesterday, some challenges take me far outside my comfort zone. Today's challenge did too, but it wasn't as nerve-racking and it was actually a lot of fun. For today's challenge we're going to
Make a Page Inspired by Your Favorite Scrapbooker
How you interpret this challenge is up to you. You can
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Use the theme of a favorite layout for your own page
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Borrow a color scheme
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Copy a title or journaling idea
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Completely lift an entire design from another scrapbooker
What can you gain from scraplifting? There are so many reasons to take inspiration from other scrapbookers. Scraplifting can help you when you're stuck in a rut and you feel like you want to push your creativity outside of your usual comfort zone. It can help you get pages done more quickly. Scraplifting can even help you to better understand to your own style since as you look for inspiration you will naturally narrow-down your selection to certain styles as you figure out your own likes and dislikes.
Before I get to the examples today though, I wanted to briefly mention that my contributors today, including myself, first asked permission of our liftees (is that a word? I know we're allowed to make up words around here, so even if it isn't, I'm sticking with it!) to borrow their designs. This is not necessarily required, but I do think that if you plan on posting a page that you have made on a public blog or gallery you should at the very least give credit where credit is due. Let your conscience be your guide. If a page was heavily influenced or inspired by another scrapbooker then you should say as much. And more than likely the person you've lifted will be thrilled that they've been able to offer you inspiration!
We'll start with a page I made that was inspired by former collective member, and one of my personal all-time favorite scrapbookers, Jamie Waters
Her page is titled find you be you, and I really want you to click on over to her gallery and see the original.
Go, I'll wait.
So, what do you think? It's lovely isn't it? I pretty much copied her design exactly. And that was hard to do! Because even though I love Jamie's style, it is different from my own. The elements that always stand out to me about Jamie's pages are the whimsical way she places embellishments and her handwritten journaling. I almost always type my journaling and use journaling strips; it's just what I do. But here I pushed myself to hand write my journaling (and I do think I should mention that I'm not opposed to handwriting my journaling, it's just that typing it is sort of my default position). I also tried to be more playful with my embellishments. I hope I succeeded! What do you think?
Fellow WCS team member Vivian Masket is also joining our cross-training fun today and she made this layout
which was inspired by one of her favorite designers Summer Fullerton. Summer's orginal page is titled I Sew.
Vivian said that she likes to scraplift whenever she gets into a creative rut. In her own words, "Once I find something that jogs my creativity I will lift it to get my creative juices flowing again. Part of the challenge for me in lifting someone else's layout is finding a way to make it my own. I'll usually either rotate the design, or, as I did here, make small changes to the design that add my creative touches. I have long been a fan of Summer Fullerton's clean designs and genius touch with patterned paper and love that lifting her work got me thinking outside of my usual box and adding more patterned paper to my page."
Finally, Aly Dosdall contributed a page for our challenge today too. Aly's page is not a lift of a design, but rather it lifts an idea or theme. Here is Aly's inspiration layout made by scrapbooker Laura Vegas
And here is Aly's layout
Aly says, "I love to scraplift when I'm feeling uninspired. If I just can't get my mojo going, then I hop over to my favorite online gallery, my favorite manufacturer's blogs, or Pinterest. (Have you discovered Pinterest yet?) Sometimes I lift a design scheme (kind of like a sketch), sometimes I lift a color scheme, sometimes a cool accent or clever idea, sometimes a cool magazine ad. With this layout I borrowed my design scheme from a bonus sketch by Donna Jannuzzi from Ella Publishing Co's ebook, Double Page Design. I borrowed ideas for this lovely layout by the very talented and sweet Laura Vegas."
WORKOUT REWARD
Now then, what would a good workout be without a reward? Wipe the sweat from your brow, take a deep breath or two, and head on over to the Ella store and drop this eBook in your cart.
Use the code DOUBLESPR for $1.00 off the Ella Publishing eBook Double-Page Design by the team of Write.Click.Scrapbook. Code expires May 15, 2011.
Remember that everyone can participate in the daily challenges and giveaways which are featured on The Daily Trumpet through May 7th. You don't have to be registered in the class to be eligible for the prizes!
I know we've covered this topic before, but I still want to hear from you! When and why do you scraplift? What have you gained from scraplifting? Has it taught you anything about your own scrapbooking process?
I've had so much fun hosting the blog here the last three days. Starting tomorrow you'll have an all-new challenge, an all-new coupon code and a new host, the lovely Keshet Starr. Before I go though, I want to thank you all one last time for joining me in our Spring Cross-Training!
