being different.

i can remember back in HS when it was so important to fit in and not be different. it was tough back then. being the nerdy kid who had awful fashion sense was just asking for people to laugh at you (and me having the ronald mcdonald hairfro did not help either but that is a story for another day)... anyhow though, i really am so happy that i was different then b/c i don't mind being different now...

...i was thinking about scrapbooking and the numerous styles of scrapbooking i saw at MT - beautiful projects and LOs - all different but that is how it should be - scrapbooking would be SO BORING if everyone scrapbooked the same. if everyone did the same size LOs. if everyone did the same thing. don't get me wrong, i LOVE LOVE LOVE to be inspired by the creativity of others, but the beauty of this hobby is that you can take an element you are inspired by and make it your own! the trick to is all is to be bold, and don't be afraid. make mistakes. that is the only way you can grow as a scrapbooker.

for example, i was so rearing to go on this layout i did below tonight:

... that i make the following "cool mistakes"

1. i had stamped "NOAH" on the cardstock directly but the imprint wasn't what i expected - so i just slapped the lined paper over it and stamped noah's name on that. that was cool b/c it created the impact i wanted.
2. i also did the journaling for this LO before i had put the LO together. when i tried to assemble everything, it didn't seem to fit so i put the journaling sheet on the BACK of the layout. why not? this is something i want noah to read one day and not everyone has to see it - i just summarized what i said on the back in some small journaling up front.

so it all worked out - scrapbooking like life is a journey. there might be a set plan but to be succesful, make it your own and don't be afraid to take a detour. you might discover something cool you might have missed out on if you didn't go down that path...

i will be posting tomorrow about MT and the RAK winner.