Why I Scrapbook the Way I Do

Have you ever noticed that scrapbookers each have a style that's uniquely their own?

Some love bold colors and every inch of the page filled with beautiful details. Others are drawn to vintage papers, distressed edges, or mixed media. Some scrapbook with dozens of photos on a page, while others prefer to let just one or two images tell the story.

None of those approaches are right or wrong. They're simply reflections of the people creating them.

Over the years, I've found my own style. If you've followed My Papercrafting Life for very long, you've probably noticed a few things that appear again and again in my layouts. I almost always begin with Bright White cardstock, and I'll explore that with you next week. I am even going to tell you something that may surprise you! My photos are always the focal point of the page. And I rarely finish a layout without leaving room for journaling.

People often ask me why.

The answer isn't because those are the "rules" of good scrapbook design. In fact, I don't believe there is only one right way to scrapbook. The beauty of this hobby is that it allows each of us to preserve our memories in a way that reflects our own personalities, our own families, and our own stories.

My design choices have simply become the way I tell my stories.

When I sit down to create, I'm not thinking about making the most elaborate page. I'm thinking about the photographs in front of me. I'm thinking about the people I love, the places we've been, the laughter we shared, and the little moments I never want to forget. I have thought about my journaling long before I finish the design of the page. I love thinking about those photos and the memories as I create. Every design decision I make is meant to support those memories rather than compete with them.

As I've grown as a scrapbooker—and especially as a teacher—I've realized that good design isn't about necessarily following trends. I do watch the trends and not everything appeals to me. Over time we come to understand who we are as individual scrapbookers. I love pretty gems and twine on my pages, and they end up on almost every page. I love to stamp, stencil, and add ink to my pages. Rub-ons add a great deal of texture and depth to a page, and I can’t resist a pretty flower. We find our way over time and create pages that still feel meaningful to us years from now.

That's why I wanted to write this series.

Over the next three weeks, I'm going to share the three design principles that guide nearly every scrapbook page I create.

Next week, we'll begin with one of the questions I'm asked most often: Why do I almost always use white cardstock as my background?

Then we'll talk about why I believe your photos should always be the star of the page, and finally, we'll finish with the topic that is closest to my heart—why journaling may be the most important thing you add to any scrapbook layout.

Whether your style looks exactly like mine or completely different, my hope is that these posts will encourage you to think about why you make the creative choices you do. Because when we understand the why behind our designs, we create with more confidence, more purpose, and more heart.

After all, our goal isn't simply to make beautiful pages.

Our goal is to preserve the people, the stories, and the moments that make up a life.

And that's something worth creating.

https://youtu.be/u-Xbfftcy5I