Beach scrapbook pages

I don’t show you enough scrapbook pages. In fact, I don’t do enough scrapbooking which is a shame because I love it and I think it’s really important to record the important things in your life and leave something for your descendants. Imagine how much you’d cherish a scrapbook created by your own grandmother or even great-grandmother? You’d learn so much about them, their lifestyle and your own family history.

Anyway, lecture over... I have been practising what I preach a little lately and made this double-page spread. I’ve always scrapbooked in the past by starting with the photographs, then agonising over them for hours – sometimes days – before I actually stick anything down. If I’m ever to get round to running a scrapbooking class, this method simply wouldn’t work so I decided it was time to see if I could work “backwards”.

As luck would have it, I found a set of scrap maps (patterns) in an old copy of Creating Keepsakes magazine. It showed you how to cut several sheets of cardstock and paper to make five scrapbook pages. So I just did it, with the intention of adding the photos later.

Then I discovered that it was really hard to find photos to fit the gaps – I suppose if I’d been more patient I could have gone through the computer and had some printed but I wanted to do it all on the same day. So I adapted the pattern to suit my photos, adding journalling in the square where I couldn’t find a photo to fit.

And this is it. The spread is about a day we spent on the beach in Norfolk in 2007 with my Canadian cousin, who was visiting. The weather was crazy that day – we had three thunderstorms and were very aware of the dangers of being the tallest thing on the now-deserted beach! We huddled in our beach tent, which turned out not to be waterproof, and got absolutely soaked. But in between the storms, it was a lovely day and we managed to dry out in time for the next downpour. It’s a day I doubt any of us will ever forget but these scrapbook pages will make absolutely sure!

The small squares are all the same size (3”x3”), to give the page some continuity - I stuck Whisper White rectangles where I wanted the photos to go – this made it easier to “finish” the page without the photos. The flowers break up the harsh lines. The use of Bashful Blue links in nicely with the blue sky. And I have recently embraced hand-written journalling because I think it will also be nicer for future generations to see something more personal than a computer font. But the main reason is because it’s so much quicker than printing on the computer and means I actually get to finish a page.

Stamps: Big Deal Aphabet, Short Order Alphabet
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Paper: Summer Picnic
Ink: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon - Bashful Blue, Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Bashful Blue, corner rounder, Die-Cut Blooms, Boho Blossoms punch, Earth Elements Buttons

All products by Stampin' Up! Please email me to order a catalogue, or click the link on the right to view it online.