To help get me started on the right foot creatively in 2013, I treated myself to an online class at Studio Calico called "Bright Ideas". In total, the class offers 20 challenge prompts, paired with sketches to help push your creative limits.
So far, I've completed around 8 challenges, resulting in some layouts I really love and some that I really don't. But do you know what the great things is? Not matter what the result, I pushed myself to try something new. Something different. I stepped outside my comfort zone, which in itself is a refreshing thing. While I'm not going to share all of my layouts here, I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites.
THIS & THAT | The challenge for this layout involved grids. I created a grid, replacing some of the squared with circular photos. The photos are from last March when Nate's Dad and his wife visited us from Duluth. I love all the random snapshots and how they look so cohesive when placed together on the grid. Fun note, this layout was highlighted in a class video as a gallery pick!
SWEETHEART | For this prompt we were challenged to go big in some way. I chose to go big in both the photograph and title. I chose some lyrics from a Lumineers' song that I love and paired it with an everyday candid photo of Nate and I doing something we both love, watching baseball. The end result is a little "busy", but I discovered I love using large photos and large titles cut from my Silhouette. I can see using more of each in the near future.
BONDING | The challenge for this last layout was texture. I was surprised at how many different textures I could add without creating much bulk on my page. My textures are: washi tape, ribbon, hand stitching, confetti, paint splatters and dimensional lettering. This photo is of Nate, Baxter (stretched out on Nate's lap with his paws on the the dog bed) and Shawna all hanging out watching the Super Bowl.
I have a lot of new projects to share, but between travel for work, preparing for visitors and a housewarming party, I haven't had time to photograph any of it! You can look forward to seeing my Holiday Memories 2012 album, Project Life 2013, more layouts and maybe even a few of the Christmas gifts I created.
Thanks for stopping by!
