Becoming You

This week's sketch at Scrapbook Steals was another great challenge. I seldom do layouts with only one picture since I usually prefer multi-photo, multi-page layouts. Here's the inspiration sketch by Kristy Lee:

For this layout, I chose a recent photo of Jacob.  On a recent road trip, we stopped at a winery to pick up some bottles for a friend, and we saw this beautiful landscape.  Jacob asked to have his picture taken here, so I happily obliged.  He seldom requests his photo taken, since he often complains about how he looks (like mother, like son!). In the past year, it seems he's having more and more of these issues, which I didn't expect to deal with until his teenage years.  Kids are growing up quicker than ever, and it seems he's already facing big kid stressors related to body image, fitting in, and peer pressure.  We have had many discussions and I think I've raised a pretty confident boy, but my heart still breaks a little when I hear him talk negatively about himself.  He's got a lot of growing yet to do, and I'll help him through as best I can.

The papers used in this layout are from Simple Stories, the Awesome collection.  It's one of my favorite go-to collections for boy pages.  The patterns are great and the colors are perfect!

For this layout, I used some uncoventional items. I started with mesh drywall tape that I used as a mask for spray ink.  I originally intended to write over the masked ink, but the texture was too much and I had to go to plan B.  My original messed up journaling was cleverly covered up by the clustered stickers at the top. The drywall tape has a little adhesive on it, which is just enough to stick to the layout but still be easily removed once the paint is dry.  I just stuck on various lengths of tape, sprayed Mr. Huey's, and the peeled off the tape, leaving behind a great textured effect.  The drywall tape comes in a huge roll for just a couple dollars and can be used as a mask, painted, or left in it's original form:

The other item that I incorporated was plastic gutter guard.  I found a roll of this for $1 at my local Habitat Re-Store and I didn't even know what is was because it had no label on it.  I just knew I could get crafty with it, so I snatched it up.  The lightweight plastic cuts easily with scissors.  It was a little tricky to adhere, but some strategically placed glue dots did the trick.  The roll is about 6 inches wide, so it's easy to work with and doesn't have any sharp edges thanks to the soft plastic material.

I love thinking out of the box and repurposing items that were never intended for scrapbook pages.  Having a handy husband with lots of tools and maintenance supplies doesn't hurt either.  Being the frugal scrapbooker that I am, I'm always on the hunt for cheap embellishments!