Styl'in at the Craftnasuim

Today the lovely and insightful Wendy Smedley led us through an exercise  that took a look and helped us define our "signature style".

This is what I learned:
1. I love squares
2. I prefer plain, neutral backgrounds, and like white space
3. I use coordinated product lines
4. I am inspired by page maps and sketches
5. I chose colors that have more to do with a person or mood rather than letting the photo or the colors in the photo determine the paper and embellishments.
6. Embellishments are pretty minimal and are usually in the form of a border or journal box accents.
7. My layouts are usually done for the person or subject in the photos
8. My journaling is often about "feelings" and I love to use quotes, lyrics, and names for the titles.
9. I do this for fun and with someone or something special in mind ... always.

I used my most recent traditional layouts for this exercise because it's my favorite method and because I'm most interested in expanding my skills in this area.

Although there were many, I chose this layout as the one that probably best represents my current "signature style".

{details about this layout can be found here}

I enjoy working with digital as well but have come to rely on that skill set for documenting the "big picture" stuff. For instance: I'm very dedicated to my Year in Review albums. Most of the photos and detailed stories surrounding events and some of my everyday life are contained in these large albums. By using digital methods for this project, I'm able to free up my craft time for my first love ... paper.

I found it very intersting that Wendy points out that our signature style in the scrap-craft-paper arena likely is reflected in our choices in clothing and home decor as well. I'll be taking a closer look at my closet and living room later this evening!

Great workout today ... thanks Wendy!