Return to the ruddy scrapbook

[Sunday, June 22, 2008]

The busy spring season has finally come to a close, and once again, I let my stash slowly emerge from its hibernation. Fortunately, yesterday, while the girls worked on their projects during Crop Till Ya Drop, I was able to set up my work space so that I might continue with the Biltmore scrapbook.

There are times when after long, long breaks from working on my scrapbook, I feel that my knowledge, creativity, and craftiness (collectively, my power) have evaporated. It's only after I re-acquaint myself with my stash, previously scrapped pages, and my pictures, that I start to feel the buzz again. If Tim Russert's heaven is a daily edition of Meet the Press, then mine is a neverending loop of scrapbooking (and reading, of course).

After sorting through and fondling each scrap, piece of paper, sticker pack and memorabilia from my trip plus reviewing the pages I've completed thus far, I feel sufficiently immersed, though my hands unsteady. Turns out I'd made more progress on the next page than I thought. (image 1)

At this point, I stand up to reach for the camera, which sits on the buffet, so I can document my progress in pictures. Charlie always sleeps curled up to my right when I'm working. Whenever I stand up or even move slightly, he jumps up out of his sleep, afraid I'm going to either go somewhere or leave him behind. He's such a rattled, skittish dog. If I need a special tool or embellishment that requires me to get up or move, I sometimes find myself seeking alternative solutions that will not disturb his slumber. When Summer is awake, he rarely gets any decent shut-eye. (image 2)

I'm continuing the tour through Biltmore House, and I had already cut the as-built for the page and the postcards. I also printed the descriptions of each of the rooms for this and the next two pages on vellum, so all that's left is selecting background paper for the vellum. I'm looking for something both decorative and warm, a printed or patterned sheet that ties the colors together or makes the postcard images pop off the page. It won't matter how busy the print because the vellum will soften it. I happen upon three possibilities (image 3).

All three will work well, but the middle one mimicks the grandeur of the Banquet Hall (the largest and most stately room in Biltmore House), with its chunky, sweeping paisleys. I push the others to the side and set to work on the vellum accents. I trim the areas of the vellum I need with the straight trimmer, then mark on the background paper where I need to cut with the personal trimmer. Then I adhere the vellum with the frosted photo splits, which virtually disappear behind the vellum.

Then I adhere everything to the gold dust page with tape runner plus 3-D dots for the smallest postcard in the middle. One personal note: On your layouts, don't be afraid to let items overlap one another or to repeat images. This creates dimension and visual interest. It also keeps the reader's eye flowing over the page. (image 4)

I decide to add one more item to the page because the white space appears more like a gaping hole to me than a design choice. I professionally cut a fork and knife to go along with the theme in coordinating colors. I use precision point adhesive to attach the images to each other and to the page. (image 5)

This layout was the perfect way for me to warm up my rusty, ruddy bailiwick.