So many scrapbook styles have come & gone and come back again. New ones emerge, but the one I always feel most comfortable with is simple / white space. I’ve been scrapping this simple way almost since I began. If you were to look through my scrap stash you’d find tons of 12x12 paper with little squares, rectangles or other shapes cut out them. It’s a great way to conserve on supplies!
The whole idea behind white space, also known as negative space, is that it’s used as a design element to emphasize the few embellishments or papers that are used on a layout. It lets the eye rest while looking at a layout, and it can draw the eye directly to the important parts of a layout….the photos!
To make a simple layout like this, you don’t necessarily need white paper. White space can be accomplished with any color paper, even patterns. The examples I’ve included show white space with two different color backgrounds, as well as in the form of a card. You can also keep that simple feel to a layout with one photo or numerous photos. I find that when using more than one photo, if they are printed in smaller sizes, they are easier to work with. I love using the Mosiac Maker @ Big Huge Labs to help make small photo collages or photo strips.
To make the layouts I’m sharing here, I started with my photos. I work out a color scheme from there. Remember, you can go crazy with the colors and still keep it simple because there aren’t a lot of elements being used on the page. Once the color scheme is decided, I mix & match patterns, papers, stickers and other embellishments, moving them around on the page until there is a perfect amount of white space. You’ll know you’ve got it right, if you’re able to stand back, take a look and the first thing you see is the photo/photos. So have fun with white space. Keep it white or make it colorful!
Fabulous work, Peg! I wish I could do simple, clean layouts the way you do.
Posted by: Becky Williams | 08 March 2011 at 06:58 AM