Is It Just Me?

[Monica]

I'm one of those "get all the pictures on the page" types in most of my scrapbooks as well. I do have 3 12x12 pages and an 8.5x11 pages in frames that have only one picture apiece, but I was deliberately creating something unique to display with these. And none of the pictures are a little 2x3 size picture in the middle of white space!! That always annoys me... stamp, distress it, ink it up, use colored/textured/patterned paper..... don't just leave a big blank. My reunion album pages are a prime example of my scrapping (yeah, I know I need to take pictures and share).... I printed out over 250 prints after wading through 3 full CDs to select my favorites. 74 pages and 2 albums later I'm done.... and I used almost every print, including the 5X7 ones. I also used practically every ALSB deck card in both decks that had spaces for multiple photos.... and was so glad to have those decks to get me going on this! I don't feel that my pages are crowded, simply full of the memories. I admit to not having ecessive amounts of journaling on every page, because I don't feel it was necessary, but I am still adding journaling tags as I remember stories and moments to add in with the photos. (Gotta love the hidden journaling methods!) A lot of my stuff is exclusively on 8.5x11, up to a couple months after I joined CS in 2006, so I didn't have the white space problem back then.... the smaller size really doesn't have much white space even with only one picture on the page. I don't really have the sheer quantity of photos for every event/moment in life that I do now, so much of the earlier stuff only had 1 or 2 pictures anyway. Okay, I've reached the rambling point now.... but I truly loathe the pages that are either so crowded with product you can't see the poor photo hiding in their midst, or the ones with one little photo and tons of white space. My art is for me, not for an art house or done with publication in mind, and I refuse to change simply on the off-chance I might be published.... okay, off the soapbox! Lolz!

Monica

[AerynKelly13]

I think it has to do with a different kind of scrapbooking. A lot of the people that make those type of pages usually are more in it for the artistry vs the memory perserving. I scrapbook to tell a story so I don't forget it in later years, so it wouldn't work for me. But some people do it just to be able to express themselves and their books look more like an artist's portfolio than a photo album. I have done it a few times, just to play with supplies and not have to think about anything, so it could also be a kind of de-stressing practice. Just make things look good on the page, maybe a simple quote or title statement... stuff like that. like this page for instance... I have no idea where it came from... just needed to do it at the time. http://aerynsexplosion.blogspot.com/200 ... -them.html

Maybe those one picture, arty layouts are to put on the wall too... ya think? Although, who would have that much wall-space?

Aeryn

[AerynKelly13]

Also Mon, I think that's the thing as well. People pile stuff on pages because they're on design teams. They get kits, or wads of supplies from a company, and then have to show it off so other people buy it as well. Why use all the pictures that would go with the subject when you can get away with one and add fifty tags, fake labels, stickers, buttons, brads, flowers, ribbon, and other crap that was in the kit? Plus... for those random embellishments that no one knows how to use... it's easier to show it hidden underneath a pile of stuff so someone isn't staring at their kit going "okay, now what?" for hours.

Aeryn

[Sharonv]

I like both. As you all know I recently did a single photo LO of my daughter because I loved the photo and wanted to showcase it (and I have now put it in a frame), but then most of the time I use at least 3 photos on a page, even more if it is a birthday party kind of event. I like the example that Jean linked to and dislike the 2nd one she linked too. The 2nd one just had too much white space and a tiny photo. Big photos look great on their own but not a 2 or 3 inch photo. What a waste of paper.....Anyway just my 2cents worth.

[nancine]

My friend and I were talking about this just last weekend as we visited scrapbook & stamp stores on our drive to Sacramento - we don't mind the one photo per page, but sometimes all the embellishments take over and that's not my style. I like my photo(s) to be the focal point and the embellishments to support it!

I don't want to over-crowd my page, but I do like to get plenty of them on there when I can!

[pbp908]

Hi Aeryn! Good to "see" you!

I hadn't thought about all those embellies that I don't know what to do with. (Thanks to CS I have tons of them.) I can pull them out and get artsy with a page and experiment my heart out.

[pamcook]

I started scrapbooking back in the days when you were encouraged to cram too many photos on a layout. I have a friend who still does it - she had four 2-page layouts of her daughter opening birthday presents. I asked who the children were in the photos and sadly, she couldn't name most of them because they were school mates. I could have easily chosen the best of the photos and come up with a 2 page layout - but it's not my album, not my child. If she wanted forty 2-page layouts then more power to her.
I think I was traumatized by my CM consultant!! LOL!
Sometimes I do a one photo page because I want to showcase that photo - but not very often. I rarely have more than 3-5 photos on a single page because it just looks too cluttered to me. Sometimes I do a one or two photo page just because I want to copy a gorgeous layout or want to use certain embellishments (I'll admit it!). I rarely do paper-art projects but I do like to use the techniques on my scrapbook pages.
One of the things I absolutely love about this site is the variety of styles, products and projects you all post. They all inspire me in some way.

[bethrich]

I'll admit to doing one-photo digi pages out of laziness.

For me it is usually that I have only one or two good photos for a spread or I want to show the beauty or theme of the paper. Most of my paper scrapping is multiple photos on the page. With digi there is no need to worry about using up anything, so one photo or a dozen, it makes no difference. The overwhelming embellies leave me cold. I want to see meaningful photos -- that's what's important to me.

[djenns]

I find this thread interesting.......seeing one photo on a 12x12 page is one of the reasons' I don't scrap.......such a waste of paper, and yet with some of the designs on the CS papers it's hard for me to cover up those designs with photos. I've seen some beautiful pages.....maybe it's because I look at the expense.....I'll stick with making mini books........maybe a 8x8 for the largest I would consider. Just had to voice my opinion

[jfugina]

And everyone having their own opinion is what opens us all up to new ideas! But I've found this thread fascinating too, because I think each and every person, regardless of their preferred style and reasoning for that style, all demand that the photo be focus. I think that's awesome.

[djenns]

Very true and aren't we glad we don't all think and do alike........how boring that would be......I love seeing what you all do with 12x12 pages........for some reason, I just haven't played with it. I make mini books, but have trouble getting them completed.....I have my biggest problem with embellishing........but I still have hopes that I can do it someday

[Monica]

You know, not everything needs to be embellished. After all, the focus is the pictures and not all the cool "stuff" we were suckered into buying at the store or online (anyone found a cure for that yet? ). If you feel that it actually does need something, then by all means embellish it. However, if it's great the way it is, don't feel like you have to add stuff just because it came in the kit or you have it in your stash. I've found that something as simple as a watermarked stamp image or a embossing folder to a mat can really jazz things up, and make the page look completed. A piece of ribbon in the background or simply double-matting the picture will sometimes do the trick as well.

Monica

[julierealtor]

Very true and aren't we glad we don't all think and do alike........how boring that would be......I love seeing what you all do with 12x12 pages........for some reason, I just haven't played with it. I make mini books, but have trouble getting them completed.....I have my biggest problem with embellishing........but I still have hopes that I can do it someday

I agree Diana...I have LOADS of embellishments, that I rarely use...

[djenns]

I have a lot of fibers, and a bunch of beads from cs kits that I've never used..........it's too hard to put in envelopes when you mail cards........so if I do put something on a card I fold the card inside out.......maybe sometime I'll learn how to use them.....

[pbp908]

I never did get the knack of using beads - it just seemed like a lot of trouble and I was really glad when CS quit putting them in the kits.