At a recent (but not recent enough) scrap weekend, Brande asked me if I had ever thought about explaining my thought process behind “saving” a layout. Apparently I rip layouts apart and piece them back together often, and she thought that could be helpful to our scrappy friends.

I didn’t think pulling layouts apart was really my thing, but clearly I’ve done it often enough for people to notice …  😉

I can be ruthless when it comes to photos; I have heard gasps from people at crops when I toss one into the trash, but the reality is there isn’t a single photo that I cannot reprint. These are not one of a kind images; they are on my phone, my computer or online ready to print anytime. Once the fear of wrecking a photo goes away, so does the fear of pulling a layout apart. Nothing on this (or any) page is sacred. I know we all love our paper and embellishments but they are replaceable. Truly. I’d rather have a layout I enjoy than a huge stash of paper. (Well, maybe … 🙂 )

If you are staring at a page you hate, my first suggestion is walk away. Just wait. I kept this page for two weeks before deciding to change it.

When I still didn’t like it after that long, I knew it was time. I ripped the photos off, trashed the papers that weren’t usable, stole a sketch that Brande was working on and basically started over.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of the mojo running out or not having the right products at hand. I started this page at Crop & Create and it just wouldn’t come together that day. A good sketch, a little deconstruction and some different supplies led to a whole new page.

I suppose the point here is scrapbooking without fear! Let go of the fear or ruining a photo or cutting that perfect paper and don’t worry about “mistakes”. They are all fixable.

Thanks for stopping by!
~ Cheryl

Scrapbooker + Story teller + Historian = Scrapstorian. Are you a Scrapstorian?