"I Gotta Be Me" challenge

Morning everyone! Thanks so much for all the great Fall Fashion trends LO's. They are fantastic!!

Today we have a VERY simple challenge for you. This is called the "I Gotta Be Me" challenge and is based around a conversation we had on the MB. One of the members asked a question about what people look for as far as getting on teams and being pubbed. I replied with a lengthy description of being true to yourself, having a style all your own and scrapping the way you like. I then went on to define the styles of all the gals on the DT and some of the members who asked me to tell them what I saw as the highlights of their work.

I think this is an important step in any sort of hobby because when you know your style, and are comfortable and happy with where your work is, it will show. And also having your "happy place" that brought you to scrapbooking in the first place is a great place to go when you feel stumped. Not that stretching your wings into trying new styles and techniques isn't fun or important, but knowing what is "you" is fun, and like having that comfy "go to" sweater in your closet...you can always count on it to make you smile.

SOOOO...this challenge is all about being yourself with your work. Just scrap your favorite way. There is no right or wrong way, it is just "YOUR" way. This is running from today through Sept. 24th. Please be sure to add your work and then include a little bit about your favorite way to scrap, we would love to hear about it!

Here are the DT examples and ideas about their way of scrapping:
Amy: Defining my style is literally impossible for me because it changes sooo much with my mood and what particular thing I am scrapping. I have found, though, that I tend to work in color schemes, and in muted tones. Bright colors really don't work very well with me, and lots of different colors make me feel like there is no continuity to the LO. After picking the colors that I want to work with, I usually from there just tend to fly by the seat of my pants! Some LOs I super plan out cause I am going for a certain look, but others (like the one I did here for the challenge!) I really couldn't tell you at all where it is going or when it will be done! Things I lean towards with putting on my LOs are strips of paper-as those give subtle colors to the LO in small amounts, and I am really addicted to my punches as I love shapes on my LOs. I also tend to either do a little painting or machine stitching on my LOs just because I need some serious texture on my LOs! :D

Noel: "When I scrap I like to start with a sketch (this is from Sketch Inspiration #122) because I am not always certain about proportion in my head. When I use a sketch is it much easier for me to scale and size features of my work. I also love to incorporate circles into my work as often as possible. I like how it softens the lines of the photos and squared "frame". As far as techniques, I almost always distress edges and ink. I am also kind of addicted to matting my photos. And one other thing I love to add to my work is stitching (either hand or machine)."

Virginia: When I scrap, I tend to stick to the same design, because it is not really my strength and I start to stress about doing a "great design" and then it ends up all wonky looking! You'll see a lot of layouts from me with a photo (or a strip of three photos) centered or off to the side. My favorite part of scrapping is the embellishing and layering, so that is what I devote most of my energy to. I love to start with a fairly neutral background (kraft, whites, pale yellows, and grays are some of my faves) and then layer with paint or mists, patterned paper in rectangles & squares, ephemera, masking tape, and punched shapes. I love to add lots of distressing with inks & painted-on mists, tearing, and shabby chic/feminine touches. You'll always find some of my own handwriting on my layouts, too. I've had my work described as "haphazard" before and you know what? It fits me. :)

Michelle W:"My style tends to vary based on what photos I'm working with or what papers I'm playing with but for the most part I gravitate towards more of a 'clean' look to my layouts. I sometimes work with sketches or use inspiration from a magazine as a springboard for my pages. Typically my layouts will have 3 photos, 1 larger than the others. I don't start out planning my layouts that way but I always seem to end up with that! I also like to print my photos with a white matte as I think it helps the photos stand out a bit against the papers they're on. And although I don't generally use a ton of 'techniques' in my projects, I almost always distress edges with some type of ink or roughing up some edges and when I can I like to add in something unexpected (like the dictionary page in this layout)."

Jill: I would consider myself to have a shabby chic style with clean lines. I enjoy incorporating ink, paint, distressing and almost always machine stitching on my layouts and projects. I find that I like a more muted color palette but scrapping with bright, fun colors (especially in the summer) is growing on me. I lean towards more things girly (makes sense with my two girls) - pink, lace, ruffles, doilies, etc. I adore using kraft cardstock as a background (love that Noel includes a sheet in every kit). It's such a great neutral to contrast other colors. I also always add a white edge to my photos in Photoshop to help them pop off my page.

Diana : "When I sit down to create a layout, I let the papers inspire me. I love to handcut designs out of the papers and include them in my layout. Sometimes I'll sketch out my idea first but my layout hardly ever looks like my sketch. Lately, I like to cluster papers and embellishments around my photos. I am also a big fan on misting and inking. I feel as if my layout is not complete unless I add a little bit of them to my layout."

Michele K: I tend to be a shabbier vintagey type of scrapper. I love the look of layers, paint, and sewing. One of the things I find to be most fun with scrapping is trying different techniques and mediums. I love the experimentation that goes along with scrapping! I've used goofy itemss like coffee grounds for various things, recycling clothing, tissue paper, and other miscellaneous household items. Today's LO uses a fun embossing, stamping, Glimmer Mist resist technique to create these butterflies.

Candice: When I start any scrapbooking page I tend to go for the bits and pieces of my stash. If I don't have any from the start of a new kit or product I tend to make some. It is in the bunches of little things that my BIG ideas come from. Layering is also a huge factor in my pages. The more layers the more fun!!!

Britt : I tend to go toward the funky. I generally start with the product in mind, rather than any specific photo. I scrap for the art of it, so the design of the product itself is what usually gets me, then I find a picture to go with it. If I use a picture at all! With no kids to scrap, I find myself doing "all about me" layouts a lot, and after so many times of seeing my ugly mug, I just gotta get a break! I find that organizing a layout around a quote/title is a great way of expressing the everyday stuff in life - the stuff we tend to overlook. I love white cardstock the best (although by the time I'm done you can barely tell it's buried beneath all of the other junk on the page!) and I'd be lost without my sewing machine - bring on the stitching!!

Greta: I really love just "winging" it. Im a no rules kinda gal