Wednesday 13 August 2014

Piling On The Product In Scrapbooking


Stands back in amazement: some scrapbooking! Actually it's a page I made for Get It Scrapped before I went away, but the gap between prep and post has given me a bit of time to think about the whole subject of product.

From High In The Sky for Get It Scrapped

It's not a word I like, whether we're talking about hairspray or hundreds of gloriously coloured buttons. Where's the magic? Because what product means in scrapbooking terms is the glittery magpie bits I love. 

I've always put together albums and taken pictures and written stories, but honestly? I don't think I would ever have come to scrapbooking if it hadn't offered me cutting up paper and ruffling ribbons and glueing on sequins and looking for the next colour combination.

But of course that brings me to my Big Scrapbooking Dilemma. You'll have heard me talk about it before: how to fit it all on the page. Because, truthfully, even though I'll stick stuff down til the cows come home (and it's not that long ago that I did), the pages I thrill to are the ones with a bit of breathing space, somewhere for the eye to rest, room to relax while I read. Kind of like enjoying a slice of cake without thinking all the icing is going to make me feel sick. I don't need a thick layer of icing.


Mmm...it's good, though, a bit of something extra and - see, I'm back where I started. I bought some October Afternoon at the beginning of the summer - the Public Library collection I've been waiting for - I wanted to use every last scrap all at once. It's so perfect I hardly knew where to start. The (Not So) Small One took a look: 

That Boy Scout she said He's all Moonrise Kingdom. And she was right. That would be my page, about a movie with so many gorgeously quirky colours and references that I'd need an embellishment for every one.


But BUT before I did anything, before I committed any product stuff to the page, I worked out my journaling and decided how much room I needed to save. Only then did I let myself glue. And as I stuck it all down I thought of other ways I could pile on the bits and still have room for the story.
Maybe....


  • Using a black and white photo so it isn't competing with embellishment choices. That way you can use any colour combination you fancy
  • Making the photo REALLY big, to cover half of the page, then journaling on the white space in the picture leaving me half a page to pile on as much extra as I like
  • Adding a "foil" such a piece of old book paper to ground everything and give the eye something bigger to rest on in the midst of the details
  • Make a piled on page, yes, but balance it in my album with a layout all in one colour on the other side of the spread

Before I go today I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who left a message of support for Granny G and the family over the past couple of days. We're very lucky to have you.

24 comments:

Nathalie said...

As soon as I saw the Get It Scrapped article pop up on my reader i knew this page was yours :) It is very you and i love it! You have a way with elements (don't like "products" either) and patterned paper that I admire.
+ now i have to see if i can find this movie somewhere!

Ali said...

A great post - I'm loving reading how your pages come together I think I'm a little scared of scrap booking. xx (p.s. just reading some of your older posts and the one with your son turning 18 - omg I'm in tears!) I've got to make my eldests next 4 years slow down!

Melissa said...

I always enjoy the way you embellish with lots of bits & pieces yet have some white space left over. I enjoy creating pages with lots of product . . . and pages with very little product and lots of photos . . . and pages with lots of journaling and one photo . . well, you get the idea! :>)

Lea Lacoste said...

that little boy scout was definitely very Moonrise Kingdom!! movies are magical <3

Ladkyis said...

~prepares to search the intarwebby for the filum~

scrappyjacky said...

I'm always so impressed by how you manage to use so much 'stuff' and still have lots of 'white space'.I can never manage it....I just keep adding more....and tend to end up with too much!!

Amy said...

Well, I am not the best person qualified for this as I like little to no embellishment - it's all about photos and stories for me - which, coincidentally I know it is for you too and look at how different we are!

Lizzy Hill said...

If we don't USE it ... Then bang goes the justification for buying more!!!!!! Soooo I'm simply 'forced' to layer it UP... Works well, instead of spreading it OUT ...in THEORY!!! I tend to do a completely OTT crammed page followed by a CAS - it balances 'me' out.... How they land in the album tho? Serendipity !!!!!!

Lizzy Hill said...

.... BTW.... That strip of pp on the L of your page... BRILL 'foil' & looks perfect ... Love your block of journaling like that too. Now 'need' this collection!!!!

Karen said...

Keeping Granny in my prayers! Hope she's continuing to improve. I'm a minimalist when it comes to piling it on, though I absolutely love the way it looks, I can never get "piles" arranged to my liking. You, however, are the master of it all!

Missus Wookie said...

Another who knew it was a Sian page. Your process musings made me smile - I'm scrapping a b&w photo of Peter and my planning and playing have mimicked yours.

Also adding that film to my list to watch

helena said...

although I rarely use product, and when I do it will be no more than 3 on a page, I love to see how you pile it on to make awesome pages. I'm always impressed when someone is able to cover up a large chunk of an embellishment because I want to see all of anything that I deem lovely enough to use! One of the things I love about the whole memory keeping world is the range of approaches.

Miriam said...

The thing is Sian, you are just so good at embellishing, and finding all the little bits that make your pages so wonderful. Your eye for colour and for story telling is well, just fabulous.

Linda said...

Gorgeous page Sian! I love this post and comments about how we are all so different in our memory keeping!

Anonymous said...

I always love your pages Sian and you always seem to get the perfect combination of product and white space.

Cheri said...

When I try to "pile on" I find it looks like my very early sticker sneeze pages. YOU, however, have piling down to an art form! Love the balance you manage and how all the odd bits and pieces really seem to make sense.

Jennifer Shaw said...

A beautiful page! So happy to see you finally got your hands on that OA line! I still love the pile it on look. I never know when to stop. haha

Susanne said...

That is a lot of product for one of your pages - but it doesn't hide your normal style. Be careful, I fear piling on is very addictive.

Unknown said...

It's gorgeous as usual Sian, the piled on look is done so artfully that it then doesn't look piled on, but placed carefully. The overall effect though is still that I want to read the journaling and look at the photo.

And, now I must watch this film!

Sinead said...

I love this Sian - great page and it's so interesting to hear about your scrapbooking process :) X

Maria Ontiveros said...

I think the key, which you've mastered is not to lose the picture or the story. I think everything supports these two on this page. It's also a great use of scale.

Sandra said...

No one and I mean no one scraps like you ... I adore your thought process and when I see a page like this I smile. It's Sian at her best

Lou said...

..it looks like it's all been said lol. You definitely have your own style (that I love) and you embellish like no other! x

alexa said...

You keep a balance of space and detail very nicely - in hsve always admired this about your work :). And you also do interesting colour very well too!

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