Documenting Hayden's graduation from high school was a daunting task for me. First off, just looking at the photos got me all weepy and teary-eyed and everyone knows you shouldn't wield scissors when your eyes are all misty. Secondly, I had so many photos from the day that I couldn't imagine how I'd choose just a few to feature in a layout. So naturally, I procrastinated completing the project for a good 12 months, at which point I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and get 'er done! (In the interest of transparency, I didn't suddenly gain confidence & discipline or anything....it was just my assignment for the summer issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today. Nothing like a deadline to motivate me to get my butt in gear!)
S U P P L I E S:
Bazzill White Cardstock | Amy Tangerine Picnic in the Park Papers | Stickers | Puffy Stickers | Scallop Punch
Buttons | Enamel Dots | Silhouette Cameo
I was able to fit a whopping 16 photos in this design and even though that was a mere fraction of what I snapped that morning, I feel the photos featured really capture the emotions of the day. The photos range in size and to get them all to fit together, I set up a 24x12 canvas in Photoshop and pulled the photos into that to determine size and shape. As a graphic designer, I quite often "sketch" my page designs in a layout program first - it helps me visualize the final concept and build a framework to design within.
Anywhere there was trapped white space between the photos, I filled it with stickers or embellishments, mixing in circles, hearts and rounded edges to help balance all the straight lines of the photo grid. While there is a general stair-step arrangement of the elements, it's not symmetrical and that's part of the fun!
Because it was hard for me to find my own words to journal this event, I instead used the famous "Wear Sunscreen" column by Mary Schmidt, which pretty perfectly summed up that day. It was a lot of text to include, but the white space in the corners of this layout were just enough room to squeeze it all in!
And just to prove that a good design can be used time and time again, here's a page I did quite awhile ago using the same layout concept. It chronicles highlights from a whole year and would be perfect as an opening page for a Project Life album!
If you told me back when I started scrapping that I'd eventually love creating multi-photo, two page layouts, I'd have called you a big fat liar. But here I am, 22 years later, creating those very pages that used to totally intimidate me. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks (especially if you give her a deadline!)
