Make a Page Mondays

Welcome to the the final 2010 installment of Make a Page Mondays for this year. This little blog column is taking the rest of the month off mostly because December is month I find little time for scrapbooking consistently. Never fear, it'll make a return here and there in the new year, when inspiration hits. This time, I'm dipping way back into an old favorite page from my first book. Ready? Okay!

(Click on the image to see larger in a new window)

SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 scrapbook page.

THE STORY: I don't scrapbook a lot with older photos, but I've got to tell you: this is one of my most favorite layouts of all time. Taking those photos that span a decade, each one featuring me and two of our very much loved family dogs, and putting them all together with a nice little chunk of journaling…well, this is what I want scrapbooking to be all about. Stories that matter to me.

The first three shots are of me and Sandy, a dog that my parents adopted from a shelter right after they adopted me. We grew up together, literally. Second hand me, and my second hand dog. We were meant to be. The fourth picture features Pal, who came to join our family when I was 11 years old. Another shelter puppy, that dog lived to be 20 years old. Vive le Pal, is what I still say to this day when thinking of that little guy.

Simple squares and lots of margin space are the core of this design. Let's break it down.

1. Symmetry: There is is again—my favorite four-square photo arrangement. What does it yield, time and again? Symmetrical balance. What I have on the left, I repeat on the right. Solid, simple, predictable.

2. Repetition: Here I repeat shape (squares); color (black type, black bar); and margin spacing around the edges of the page. Everything can be repeated on any given design. When you do find things to repeat, it reinforces the overall tightness of the page.

3. Unity: What happens when you group photos and preserve purposeful spacing? To create a sense that your placement of elements is purposeful and cohesive. This translates to a unified overall design. Nothing willy nilly going on here.

Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing.

Download CZMAPMSketchNo9

software—Adobe InDesign
The papers for this layout have long since disappeared from stores. That'll happen when posting a page from 2005. But you can take any two coordinating patterned papers or cardstocks to use as the base of the design.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? Leave me a comment today and I'll do my best to answer. To see more of the Make a Page Mondays series, click here.