I've seen a lot of scrapbooking bloggers posting about their favorite layouts made in 2009 and I thought it would be a fun exercise to do. After all, I've learned a lot from picking my favorite photographs from 2009, so I knew this would be a great way to review my scrapbooking skills and take inventory of what makes a layout a favorite for me. I scrapped more than 200 layouts so it was a challenge to pick only a few to highlight. I decided to go with a list of 10 favorites.
All images link back to the original blog post from 2009
1. The Rockin Mini Van
I love the story this layout tells and I thought the title art made it really cool. I created this layout for an article I wrote. I'm proud of how that article turned out so I think it makes this layout even more special to me. Be sure to watch the commercial that inspired this layout, it's one of my all time favorites.
2. What I wish I could tell you
It's the journaling that makes this one a favorite for me. I actually got teary eyed when I wrote it. My hubby even got a little misty when I read it to him. Our sweet dog is getting pretty old so we know she won't be around much longer. This page was also featured on Ali Edwards' blog for my Tuesday Tutorial last year.
3. 10 things about my brother
I didn't even know this picture existed until a few months ago. The background wallpaper is a bit crazy and that groovy chair is really something (sorry Mom!) but the picture is so meaningful to me. When I used Ali's template about 10 things, it inspired me to really journal about the experience of my first sibling arriving when I was 12 years old, and how much I love him.
4. Totally Jazzed
This layout was actually featured in the Salt Lake Tribune which made it extra fun. It was cool to run into people who had seen this in the newspaper and my kids thought I was a celebrity. LOL! It also documents one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had as a family of meeting the Jazz players and coaches and sitting on the front row at a Jazz game!
5. Tiny Treats
A pretty simple layout, but I love the way it tells the story visually. I like that the focus is on the photos and the words that go with them.
6. Today You
I adore this photo of my daughter knitting and I like the soft look of this layout. I really like templates like this one that "force" me to write the stories that go with the picture.
7. Study Abroad in Ireland
This might seem like a pretty ordinary scrapbook page, but I felt pretty proud of myself for this one. I didn't have a lot of photos to use so I scanned in some Irish money, a postcard, and found a photo on Wikipedia from my favorite spot in Ireland. I also felt like I finally started to "get" the whole shadowing thing with this layout. I love the way the gold coins pop off the page. Plus, it was just a really fun trip!
8. Disco girl and the giant hairball
I channeled my inner Cathy Zielske for this one and it still cracks me up! I used Cathy's free template and I really want to make an entire Halloween album now. I included this layout on a huge post of fun Halloween ideas. I love the "Clean and Simple" look of this 2 page spread.
9. Bring Legos
This was such a fun field trip and we had a riot posing the little lego guys at the Bingham Copper Mine. This is one I discovered Yin's amazing templates (how did I not know about Yin before this?) and I fell in love with 2 page spreads all over again. I love how many photos fit on this layout, yet there was still a ton of room for journaling.
10. Cook, eat, enjoy!
This is kind of different since it is actually a recipe based layout, but I still really like it and I love that strainer full of noodles! This was a fun way to document my daughter's love of cooking and her new pasta maker that she received for her birthday. I created this layout for an article on The Daily Digi about digital scrapbooking your recipes.
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So what's the final consensus on these layouts? Why are these 10 layouts (out of more than 200) favorites? I spent a fair amount of time pondering that question and I believe it comes down to a few important points:
- All of these layouts are very centered around the journaling, even the recipe layout. The focus is on the story and that is what really makes a layout meaningful in my opinion.
- The photos are very prominent on these layouts and are quite large in size. I really like letting the photographs play a big part in visually telling the story. When I looked over all of my layouts, my least favorite ones were the pages where the pictures were very small. I need to remember this!
- A good portion of these layouts were created because I was writing an article, or participating in a challenge or team assignment. I think I do my best work when I have a little outside motivation. I guess that is why blogging is so important for me. It keeps me going creatively.
- I remember enjoying the process of creating each one of these layouts. I had fun putting them together!
