"Ah Ha" Moments

#1. I spent much of last week making up some kits to take with me to a crop at a friends house. It has been a really long time since I have done that. It was very time consuming. I realized while I was working on them, that that was the only way I used to scrap. I would get my photos, organize then into pages, write down an idea, find a page to life, a sketch, and maybe which PP and CS to use. I would grab a kit when I had time to scrap and that was that.

For the past 6 months or so, I've just organized my photos into pages and left it at that. I've been participating in so many challenges and sketch sites, that I haven't needed to prepare kits. I guess I am finding more confidence in what I can do start to finish. I still use my idea book, ans sketches . Sometimes I use them as they are, sometimes I use them as a starting point. But I'm able to look at my photos and know what I want to do. I guess I've grown more than I thought.

#2. As I was preparing these kits, I didn't include a lot of embellishments. I decided not to. What a mistake that was. I basically was able to stick some PP on some CS with my photos and that was about it. But the reason I didn't include them, was this. As I looked around at my supplies, it occurred to me that is use my embellies and tools in spurts. Lately, I've been sewing and using a lot if twine. Before that it was border strips and border punches. Before that it was Stickles and bling. It isn't that I can't use more of them together on one LO, I just don't. I don't use a lot of embellies on my LOs. I never have. So, something else I learned about myself this week. (Oh, and even though it is beside the point, yes, I have too many tools and embellishments anyway).

#3. I have always scrapped with 4x6 photos. I crop them as needed, both before and/or after printing. Well, there I'd only so much variety you can get on a page with 4x6 photos. I've been toying around with iPhoto and Picasa lately, making collages and having some photos printed in different sizes. I'm still learning which photos are better in smaller sizes and which are better in large sizes. But yes, this allows more variety and flexibility.

Many sketches use multiple sized photos. I've struggled to make those sketches work for my 4x6 photos and have been unhappy with the way the LOs turn out. I'm going to continue to play around in Picasa, but I think the bottom line for me is that I am going to have to break down and buy Photoshop. My ultimate goal, is to know who I am as a scrapper. If I want to continue on my path of creative growth, I think this is a step I am going to have to take.