Pages In Progress

[ yep, she closes her eyes just like her mama when she smiles ]

Right now I've got three pages in progress (and of course many others on my list of stories I want to tell) on my desktop. Most of the time when I showcase layouts here they are completed and ready to go into an album or uploaded to the printer. Today I wanted to share a couple that are in different stages and talk a bit about where I am going with each one.

Sometimes when I scrapbook my layouts come together quickly and easily.
Other times it takes quite a bit longer with significantly more effort. When I first started
scrapbooking things seemed to come together a lot faster. Today I find
that I have at least a few pages going at all times in various stages
of completion that can be there for weeks before being finished.

Why take a look at pages in progress?

(1) It's cool to see that things have a way of working themselves out just by leaving them alone for awhile.
(2) It's always great to remember that there are so many different ways a layout can come together (that whole "no right or wrong" thing).

When I am putting a layout together and I start getting bored or dissatisfied with the process I often just set it to the side and work on something else. There is something about setting the whole thing aside, letting it marinate a bit more, that allows the elements to come together to tell a more complete story.

Sometimes the whole thing ends up coming together in a completely different manner then I initially envisioned. I'm cool with that. It's part of the process of being open and flexible while still making sure that I am really communicating what matters most.

I try not to mess around with the elements too much. The more I mess around (moving things around, debating between this paper or that one, etc) the longer things take, the less confident I am in my choices, and the less satisfied I feel with the entire experience. I don't have a specific limit on the number of changes I make during any given project, but I can tell when I am stalling rather than just sticking it down (or placing it digitally) and moving on. When I feel myself stalling I either force myself to move forward or that's when I will set the page aside for awhile.

This image of Anna above is one I worked on last night. The layout began with the photo. I saw it. I loved it. I had to use it for something (most likely it will also be printed and framed to hang in the house). For the layout it's going to be printed big and added to a traditional paper page. In my head right now I see this photo either set flush at the top or bottom of a 12x12 page with a patterned paper that has a bit of light green either below or above. Additional journaling will likely be in strips.  

Here's a couple other digital pages that I am working on right now:

This one started off as this template from Katie Pertiet. What's left of it now is the stitched frame and the concept of the three photos placed side by side (a good reminder that templates and sketches are excellent jumping off points). The word art is also Katie's and can be found here.

What's missing for me on this one is some journaling. I am also thinking about adding a bit of separation between the photos (just a thin dividing line between each one - maybe white). Most likely the journaling will go around the edges of the photo gathering in the spots not already occupied by the word art. I might change the blue patterned paper but most likely I will leave it. It's working just fine.

Here's another one I started working on yesterday. It could still change quite a bit before I send it off to be printed. I wanted to experiment with my new half-circle number embellishments and get of some of these everyday shots of Anna included in a project.

I am considering adding in a larger photo for contrast (maybe inside that big text circle) and will make sure I get some journaling added in there somewhere. My initial vision for the journaling is a long narrow text box that would be aligned between the second and third circles (closer to the third). This page currently includes pink paper from this pack and my baby text circles.

So when is a layout done? For me it's when I feel like I have told the story I want to tell. Sometimes those stories have a ton of words and other times just a few.

Do you have pages in progress marinating too? Don't forget to go back to them. Fresh eyes are often all they need to reach completion. 

Once I finish these three above I will post them again.